june 19th 2006

Kgs 21:1-16 Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard in Jezreel next to the palace of Ahab, king of Samaria. Ahab said to Naboth, “Give me your vineyard to be my vegetable garden since it is close by, next to my house. I will give you a better vineyard in exchange, or, if you prefer, I will give you its value in money.” Naboth answered him, “The LORD forbid that I should give you my ancestral heritage.” Ahab went home disturbed and angry at the answer Naboth the Jezreelite had made to him: “I will not give you my ancestral heritage.” Lying down on his bed, he turned away from food and would not eat .His wife Jezebel came to him and said to him, “Why are you so angry that you will not eat?” He answered her, “Because I spoke to Naboth the Jezreelite and said to him, ‘Sell me your vineyard, or, if you prefer, I will give you a vineyard in exchange.’ But he refused to let me have his vineyard.” His wife Jezebel said to him,“A fine ruler over Israel you are indeed! Get up. Eat and be cheerful. I will obtain the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite for you.” So she wrote letters in Ahab’s name and ,having sealed them with his seal, sent them to the elders and to the nobles who lived in the same city with Naboth. This is what she wrote in the letters: “Proclaim a fast and set Naboth at the head of the people. Next, get two scoundrels to face him and accuse him of having cursed God and king. Then take him out and stone him to death.” His fellow citizens—the elders and nobles who dwelt in his city—did as Jezebel had ordered them in writing, through the letters she had sent them. They proclaimed a fast and placed Naboth at the head of the people. Two scoundrels came in and confronted him with the accusation,“Naboth has cursed God and king.” And they led him out of the city and stoned him to death. Then they sent the information to Jezebel that Naboth had been stoned to death. When Jezebel learned that Naboth had been stoned to death, she said to Ahab, “Go on, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite that he refused to sell you, because Naboth is not alive, but dead.” On hearing that Naboth was dead, Ahab started off on his way down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, to take possession of it

Ps 5:2-3ab, 4b-6a, 6b-7R. (2b) Lord, listen to my groaning.
Hearken to my words, O LORD, attend to my sighing. Heed my call for help, my king and my God!
R. Lord, listen to my groaning.
At dawn I bring my plea expectantly before you. For you, O God, delight not in wickedness; no evil man remains with you; the arrogant may not stand in your sight.
R. Lord, listen to my groaning.
You hate all evildoers.You destroy all who speak falsehood; The bloodthirsty and the deceitful the LORD abhors.
R. Lord, listen to my groaning.

Heb 9:11-15
Brothers and sisters: When Christ came as high priest of the good things that have come to be, passing through the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made by hands, that is, not belonging to this creation, he entered once for all into the sanctuary, not with the blood of goats and calves but with his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption.
For if the blood of goats and bulls and the sprinkling of a heifer's ashes can sanctify those who are defiled so that their flesh is cleansed, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God,
cleanse our consciences from dead works to worship the living God. For this reason he is mediator of a new covenant:
since a death has taken place for deliverance from transgressions under the first covenant,
those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance.

Mt 5:38-42 Jesus said to his disciples: “You have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil. When someone strikes you on your right cheek, turn the other one to him as well. If anyone wants to go to law with you over your tunic, hand him your cloak as well. Should anyone press you into service for one mile, go with him for two miles. Give to the one who asks of you, and do not turn your back on one who wants to borrow.”

"When someone strikes you on your right cheek, turn the other one to him as well." It is the way of nonviolence. There are some who are Christians who do not understand why someone who is hit by another person does not strike back. To me it is not Christian to strike anyone even if they have struck me first. To my thinking violence begets violence and returning violence with violence creates a situation that is not resolved but worsened. Being hit in a motion of the hand across the face is a sign of humilation and an effort by the striker often to belittle or lower the struck person. In many respects we are defined not so much by what we think and say but by what we do or do not do. For me any act of violence or response to another in violence is contrary to God's law of love that is my guide. Love God and love one another come over and above all else. If someone asks you to 'go the extra mile' be willing to go two miles...the acts of giving the acts of responding with nonviolence the acts of showing love in all circumstances are all God's way. Love is the way...God is love. I pray that today I convey the presence of God to all people that I encounter throughout the day.

I pray that I leave the ways of wishing to have anything that is another person's...the trap of Naboth, and remain content with what I have in my life now.