Thought For The Week 27 August 2023

This week the lectionary’s semi-continuous reading starts in the book of Exodus. The central themes of Exodus, of liberation from oppression and of God wanting to live among his people go on to be themes that are   central to the overall biblical narrative.

Throughout history, many people and movements have identified with the story of  Exodus, from settlers leaving Europe for new lands and the hope of a fresh start to movements fighting for the civil rights of ethnic and indigenous minorities. Indeed it was Martin Luther King, Jr., who famously said that the arc of history is long, but is bent toward justice.

As followers of Christ, nowhere do we see this bent toward justice better than in the person of Jesus, who fully human and fully God, brought the reality of God’s love for the oppressed and poor to us up close and personal. His ministry announced a new and final exodus, an exodus from the powers of death and evil that animate the injustices we see and that many experience in our world.

The Gospel reading for this week is Matthew 16:13-20, where Jesus asks the disciples “But what about you? Who do you say I am?”. It’s a question Jesus still asks of every person: Who do you say I am?

There are many different ways that Christ’s saving work redeems us. But, as we  explore the story of Moses, the Israelites and the exodus may we come to know in a fresh way, Christ as the one who hears our cry, who leads us out from our captivity to sin and death and calls us to release others from the bonds of oppression in communities.

Luke Blackbeard