Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church

Readings for the Week of the Sunday closest to June 8, Proper 5
Sunday: Deuteronomy 29:16-29; Psalm 24; Revelation 12:1-12; Matthew 15:29-39

Moses continues to warn of the dangers of even entertaining the thought of worshiping other gods and utilizing idols, especially those “detestable things, the filthy idols of wood and stone, of silver and gold, that were among them." The language of the speech adopts an oblique approach: “It may well be that there is among you a man or a woman, a family or a tribe, whose heart is already turning away from the Lord our God to serve the gods of those nations." Such are sprouting poisonous, bitter growth, that upon hearing Moses’ words think to themselves, “We are safe even though we go our own stubborn ways.” These will bring God’s wrath on the “moist and dry” alike--upon everyone. For this there will be no pardon and all the curses written in Moses’ book will descend on them, and their names will be blotted out from under heaven. The Lord will single them out for such punishment. When another generation comes and sees the devastation of the land, poisoned with sulfur and salt, nothing planted, nothing sprouting, and the land unable to support any vegetation (the actual condition of the land after Assyria invaded the north and Babylon destroyed Jerusalem), they will ask, “Why has the Lord done this to the land?” What was it that the people did to cause the Lord to behave this way? The answer is, of course: they abandoned the covenant of the Lord, they turned and served other gods, worshiping them, bowing down to idols, gods who they had not known and whom God had not allotted to them. This is why the Lord was angry and treated the land thus. This is why the Lord uprooted them and cast them into other lands. Though there are truths about God which cannot be known, this truth has been revealed to them and to their children, so that they will observe the words of the law.

A creation psalm is joined to a liturgy of entrance to the temple to praise God, but also to remind worshipers that the qualification for being in God’s presence is clean hands and a pure heart, not sacrifice. It begins less in praise than simply acknowledgment that the Lord possesses all that is and is sovereign over it. The Lord not only possesses the earth, but also founded it on the primordial sea and rivers that the cosmology of that day believed rested beneath the earth. Then the temple entrance liturgy is invoked. Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord (Mt. Zion, where the temple is located)? Who shall stand in God’s holy place? Those whose lives are moral, who avoid falsehood and do not swear deceitfully. These will receive blessing from the Lord. Finally, the temple doors are commanded to open so that the King of Glory—the Lord—might enter and take his rightful place. Who is the King of Glory? The Lord is the King of Glory, who is described as both warrior, strong and mighty in battle, and the Sovereign and Lord of all the heavenly hosts.

A great sign appears in the heavens and we are given a six verse synopsis of what is taking place in heaven before the final judgment. This takes us behind the scenes to give us a vision of the struggle taking place throughout the cosmos, of which the church is only a part. A pregnant woman appears, clothed with the sun, the moon at her feet, and a crown of twelve stars. She is crying out in birth pangs. This is the mother of the messianic community. The image reminds us of Paul writing that the whole creation is in the pangs of birth—sometimes called “messianic woes,” awaiting our adoption as the children of God (Romans 8:22). Then another portent appears with her: a great red dragon, with seven heads (the seven hills of Rome) and ten horns (great power), and seven diadems on its heads (seven rulers). The dragon’s tail sweeps down a third of the stars, as it chases after the woman and then stands before her as she is about to give birth to her child, waiting to devour it as soon as it is born. It is the messianic child who is born to rule all the nations. But the child is snatched away and taken up to God and placed upon a throne. The woman flees into the wilderness where she has a place prepared by God where she can be nourished for one thousand two hundred sixty days—roughly equivalent to 42 months—the time the nations will trample down the outer court of God’s temple. The portent speaks of the struggles of the messianic community until the full time of its suffering is complete, until the judgment begins on the world’s rulers and their league with the powers of evil, which has already been determined. Thereafter war breaks out in heaven: the Arch Angel Michael and his hosts fight against the dragon, who with his angels fight back but are defeated, and the dragon and his warrior servants are driven out of heaven. Satan and his minions are no longer in heaven to test, accuse and testify against humanity. Then another loud voice is heard from heaven singing of the salvation, victory, power and reign of God, and the authority of God’s Messiah. The accuser has been thrown down, never again to accuse the saints, for he has been conquered for them by the blood of the Lamb and by their own testimony. Because they did not cling to their lives even in the face of death, they are now the victors. It is a word intended to be both comfort and encouragement to the suffering church. Another call goes out to those in heaven to rejoice, and it is quickly followed by a word of woe to the earth and sea: the devil has come down to them with great wrath because he knows his time his short!

Matthew continues to tell stories of Jesus’ healings. Passing along the Sea of Galilee, he goes up the mountain and sits down. Great crowds bring to him their lame, maimed, blind and mute, and Jesus heals them. The crowd is amazed at what they see. They have followed him three days and are now out of food. Moved by compassion for them, Jesus intends to feed them. Otherwise, they might faint on the way. The disciples object—where can they get food to feed this crowd? Have they so quickly forgotten the previous feeding? Do we any less quickly forget the daily miracles that take place in our lives at God’s hand? Taking what they have, seven loaves and some fish, Jesus gives thanks, breaks the loaves and gives it to them; again, the echo of the Eucharist words so familiar to the church reading this gospel. Jesus accomplishes another miraculous feeding. Just as his Father fed the children of Israel wandering in the wilderness, so Jesus now feeds 4,000 men, plus their women and children. When it is over, the disciples take up the broken pieces and seven baskets are left over—seven being the number of fullness and completion—there is more than enough. Jesus not only meets their need but does so abundantly so that all have what they need. Jesus sends the crowd away, and when it has disbursed, he and the disciples get into the boat and sail south to the region of Magadan—the westerly most point of the Sea of Galilee.

Saturday: Deuteronomy 29:2-15; Psalm 122; 2 Corinthians 9:1-15; Luke 18:15-30

As Moses’ farewell speech moves through the reiteration of the laws and statues, mingled with warning as to what will happen if they do not heed the law, Moses gathers “all Israel” and draws them into an act of covenant renewal. Israel is now not simply those gathered before Moses at Moab, but the Israelites that were in Egypt, that crossed the sea, that stood at the base of the mountain as the covenant was first given, that rebelled in the wilderness, failed to take the land at its first opportunity, and has now wandered and lived in the wilderness forty years while the faithless generation has died. But Israel is not only past and present, it is also the future Israelites—their children’s children’s children. And knowing what the Deuteronomic editors know—the loss of the land through defeat and exile because they worshipped other gods—it can be spoken of prophetically (see Deuteronomy 28:58-68). The covenant renewal is straight forward: there is the rehearsal of what God did for them in Egypt, how God has cared for them in the wilderness, and what God promises them—all words God first spoke to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. Notice the “I” that Moses employs in making the covenant with God on Israel’s behalf. The religious genius in Israel’s life is that in such a corporate understanding of itself and its generations, each new generation, through liturgical action, participates in the Exodus, in passing through the sea, in the wilderness wanderings, being fed by manna, and in crossing over Jordan to take the land. It is their own experience and not simply that of their ancestors.

This psalm is one sung by visitors as they made their way to Jerusalem and the temple for one of their pilgrimage festivals. It identifies Jerusalem as built and established by God, and its temple as God’s dwelling place. Its plaintive plea, “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem,” has been invoked by innumerable pilgrims to this very day, and is as important now as it has ever been. May all who love Jerusalem—Jew, Christian and Muslim—pray for the peace of Jerusalem and prosper and learn to live together in peace.

Though it is not necessary for Paul to write to the Corinthians about the importance of the ministry to the saints in Jerusalem, it is important that he write to them to make them aware of how their participation in the venture will reflect upon them. Rather than come to them himself and take the collection, he is sending the brothers on ahead, so all of that work can be complete when he arrives later with others from Macedonia. For, after all, Paul initiated the offering in Macedonia by telling them how generous and eager the people of Achaia (the churches in Corinth and Cenchrae) had been in initiating the offering the previous year. And, as that boasting in the Corinthians stimulated the Macedonians, now Paul boasts in the Macedonian’s generosity, setting up a bit of competition between the two communities for the sake of raising these funds. But, this is more than fund raising. This is ministry. Giving is as much Christian ministry as proclamation and working for reconciliation, and Paul calls acts of generous giving such ministry. He then turns to a series of scriptural texts, all of which affirm that we can give because God has first given to us. We give generously, because God is generous with us. We do so with some abandon, knowing that God can be trusted to provide for us now and into the future, just has God has always provided for us. In fact, the opportunities to participate in the ministry of giving are actually means whereby God tests our faithfulness and obedience to our confession in Christ. Within this chapter Paul compiles and applies Old Testament texts to write some of the strongest words on the theology of stewardship in the entire Bible. But Paul also knows the Corinthians, and is not above appealing to their pride as an additional means of stirring them on to generosity.

People were bringing their children to Jesus so that he would lay his hands upon them and impart his healing power to them. Remember, children in that world were not the objects of devotion that they are in our own, but rather, occupied the lowest possible rung of esteem in society. The disciples reveal this when they “sternly order” the people to stop. But Jesus uses this as another occasion to talk about what it means to receive the kingdom. The kingdom is made up of such people, and one’s ability to welcome, accept and even care for them is witness to one’s own participation in the kingdom. More, the kingdom is to be received as a gift, not as something that is a reward for religious behavior. At that, a “certain ruler” says, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus first rebukes him for calling Jesus “good,” for no one is good but God alone. God is the measure of goodness, not our own variable standards, just as God is the measure for justice, which human history reveals has been quite uneven in concept and application. Jesus refers him to the second table of the law; the first being assumed. The ruler responds that he has kept all of these since his youth—a rather astonishing statement at that. But Jesus is not distracted and says, “There is still one thing lacking. Sell all that you own and distribute the proceeds to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” When the ruler heard this he was crestfallen—he had many possessions. Jesus then continues to remind them of how possessions vie for our worship and seduce us into thinking that they are life-giving. Consequently, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God. Do not try to side-step the ridiculousness of a camel trying to get through the eye of a needle—it is precisely what Jesus means. The disciples get it and in a bit of panic ask, “Who then can be saved?” Jesus replies that what is impossible for mortals is possible for God. Peter seems not to have comprehended that and needs to remind Jesus that he and the others have left everything to follow Jesus. Jesus knows this and says, not only to Peter and the followers around him, but to all who will ever follow, that no one who has left something as important as house or family for the kingdom of God, and will not get much back for it in this age, will, in the age to come, have eternal life.

Friday: Deuteronomy 26:1-11; Psalm 88; 2 Corinthians 8:16-24; Luke 18:9-14

Sacrifices involved more than animals. The first fruit of the land’s produce was to be offered to the Lord as an act of thanksgiving, as well as an act of remembrance: all of this is from the Lord. Taking the first of the harvest was a symbol of the priority of their dependence upon God to continue to provide. They are to take a portion—notice that the portion is not specified, but left to be the measure of the worshippers sense of gratitude, not unlike Christian giving practices today—and take it to the place the Lord shall choose as a dwelling for his name (the temple in Jerusalem). They are to place the basket of produce in the priest’s hand who shall set it down before the altar and, while he does so, they are to offer a confession that recognizes God’s care for them from the beginning of their people. “A wandering Aramean was my father ….” The confession summarizes God’s providential care over Abraham and the other patriarchs that formed the ancestral tree. The confession, however, cuts away quickly to Joseph and the children of Israel settling into Egypt to become a great nation, but also recalls that the Egyptians pressed them into service that ultimately became slavery. But the Lord brought them out of Egypt “with a mighty hand and outstretched arm, with a terrifying display of power” and brought them “into this place and gave us this land.” The focus is not only on God’s redemption, but on God’s continuing provision in the land flowing with milk and honey. The confessing ends with the worshipper bowing down before the Lord in obeisance. Thereafter, the food is shared with the Levites and aliens residing in the land. Israel was never to forget the poor, the alien, or the servant, for they had known what it meant to be all three and how the Lord had delivered them from slavery. Thus, they were always to have concern and make provision for the poor and the alien among them, even in the first fruit offerings to God.

This psalm of lament is of one at death’s door, pleading with God for recovery. The psalmist is in the deepest of despair, isolated and feeling besieged from all sides, most of all from God himself. The psalmist laments that God has not only abandoned him to his detractors and tormentors, but actually is behind the fact his friends and neighbors are shunning him. It is God who has brought him to the Pit, God who refuses to answer; God who hides his face and rejects his soul. It has been like this since he was a child—surrounded by ills and troubles like water. Unlike so many other laments, this one does not turn the corner to praise, revealing God’s intervention. Rather, it ends where it begins—in the Pit, facing the land of the dead. Can God be praised in Sheol? Yet even there, the psalmist continues to reach out to God and waits for redemption, the experience of many who have suffered through the ages. Here is the Psalter probing the dark mystery of God’s ways.

Paul continues his discussion of the offering that he is gathering for the church in Jerusalem. Titus has taken this on as his own special concern and is coming to Corinth to complete the work. Titus is bringing with them “the brother who is famous among all the churches for his proclaiming the good news ....” Whoever this might be, it is clear that he is very popular in Corinth as a preacher and will be welcomed. It may well also be that his preaching is especially designed to foster stewardship among them. And so the tradition of bringing in a guest preacher in a capital campaign is as old as Corinth! In fact, this “brother” has been appointed by the churches to travel with Titus and his companions until the undertaking is complete. A third brother is accompanying Titus, someone in whom Paul has great confidence, and is known both for his eagerness, and for his confidence in the Corinthians. This is going to be a most friendly visit, as it must be, if it is to be a financial success. Notice that Paul is not coming to them. He is wise enough to keep his distance here, lest old passions or disputes again arise to spoil the campaign. Titus is in charge of the delegation and campaign. “Therefore, openly before the churches,” the Corinthians are to show the proof of their own love and of Paul’s reason for boasting about them.

Jesus tells a second parable about prayer and faithfulness as we await the fullness of the kingdom, this one addressed to the Pharisees and scribes—those who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt. Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. Already, we can see Jesus setting them up, for the cultural difference between the two could not have been greater. The Pharisee stands by himself, away from the crowd of common worshippers, thanking God that he is not like them: thieves, rogues, adulterers, “or even like this tax collector.” The Pharisee reminds God of his pious observances, just to insure that God, and others listening—prayer was always audible—understood how righteous he was. The tax collector, on the other hand, stands far off because he is despised by all of the other worshippers, not just by the Pharisee, and cannot even bring himself to look up into heaven—the typical posture of prayer in the temple. Rather, beating his breast as a sign of sorrow and penance, he simply prays, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” Jesus declares that this man went to his home justified—restored in his relationship with God—rather than the Pharisee, making the point that “all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted.”

Thursday: Deuteronomy 16:18-20, 17:14-20; Psalm 143; 2 Corinthians 8:1-16; Luke 18:1-8

We step over Moses’ warnings against foreign religions and idol worship, pagan practices, and stipulations concerning clean and unclean food. Deuteronomy then gives the regulations concerning tithes, the sabbatical year when everyone and everything thing rests and debts are forgiven. That is followed by the stipulation of the gift of the firstborn of the livestock to the Lord, Passover, the Feast of Weeks and the Festival of Booths (chapters 14-17). Today the subject is governance. The people are to appoint judges and other officials in each of their towns, throughout their tribes. These leaders must not distort justice through the taking of bribes. “Justice, and only justice, you shall pursue, so that you may live and occupy the land that the Lord your God is giving you.” Side-stepping the text over forbidden forms of worship the theme of governance continues with reliance on the levitical priesthood as a sort of “high court.” After that, the subject turns to setting up a king. This is unique to Deuteronomy, which is being edited ex post facto among a people who have had a king. A king is not necessary. God worked through Moses, who was not a king (though frankly, Moses had more power and authority than a king, which is usually the way with theocracies!) Israel had been through struggles in asking for a king as they encountered the Philistine menace and attributed the Philistines’ success to having a king. (See Samuel’s anti-king speech in 1 Samuel 8:4-18, and 1 Samuel 12.) But if they are to have a king, it is to be one from their own people—no foreigner is to reign over them—and one who has only the people’s best interest in mind. The warning against many horses, many wives, much gold and silver are an allusion to the reign of King Solomon, whose many foreign wives introduced pagan religious practices into the court and even the temple, and whose love of power and wealth all but bankrupted the nation, placing it on the brink of division at Solomon’s death. This king must rule by law—God’s law—which is to be placed before the king and read to him daily so that he does not forget it. He must diligently observe all the words of the law and its statutes, neither exalting himself above others, nor turning aside, either to the right or to the left, from the commandments. Here is the foundation of a constitutional monarchy based on divine law.

The psalmist has suffered defeat and turns to the Lord for help, recognizing that no one is righteous before the Lord, yet the Lord is merciful. He remembers the old days of victory, the days when the Lord was at hand. And so he stretches out his hand in search of God lest he go down to the pit. Pleading for God’s steadfast love, he has asked God to deliver him from his enemies, teach him his ways, and let God’s Spirit lead him on level paths. He is but God’s servant, and pleads no right of his own. Rather, he asks God to do all this for God’s name’s sake.

Paul had, throughout his later missionary journeys, been involved in raising funds to help relieve the struggling church in Jerusalem that had been cut off from commerce and other sorts of livelihood because of their commitments to Christ. For Paul, such a gift from Gentiles was a sure sign of the grace of God at work among them as surely as God was at work among the Jerusalem Jewish Christians. A fund-raising project for this effort had been started by Paul in Corinth, but in the interim difficult period, had fallen idle. Paul now encourages the Corinthians to take it up again, and gives us a full two chapters of stewardship theology, as well as insight into his own fund-raising tactics! He uses the Macedonians, probably in Philippi, as an example, both to shame and to urge the Corinthians to do as well. Yet, as always with giving, it is to be voluntary, according to their means—what they have, not what they don’t have—but given, not as a requirement, but as a privilege for sharing in the ministry of the saints. Giving is as much Christian ministry as other forms of service. Paul then uses Christ as the example: though Christ was rich, yet for their sakes, he became poor, so that by his poverty they might become rich. So, Paul gives his advice—finish what you began. And if the eagerness is there, the gift is acceptable, regardless of its size. It is not his objective to ease the lot of the Jerusalem church at the Corinthians’ expense. Rather, it is simply a matter of fair balance between the Corinthians present abundance and the Jerusalem church’s need. He then paraphrases Exodus 16:18, reporting on the gathering of manna: those who had much did not have too much, and those who had little did not have too little. In other words, God is able to supply everyone’s need. Paul ends by giving thanks for Titus, who is being sent back to Corinth to oversee all of this. Titus loves the Corinthians, just as Paul loves them.

To follow upon what Jesus has said about the interim between his initial coming and the final coming of the kingdom, he tells two parables, both unique to Luke’s gospel. The one we look at today is told to his disciples. It is about the need to be persistent in prayer during the time of ordeal that is coming. The judge in town is absolutely corrupt, and has no fear of God or of people. Yet, in that same city is a widow who keeps coming to him demanding that he grant her justice over her opponents (don’t forget the stipulations in Deuteronomy about honest judges). This corrupt judge ignores her pleas and refuses. But she continues to come and demand justice from him. After a while, he relents, not because he is in favor of justice, but because he realizes she is not going to go away and recognizes that if he does not give her what she wants, she will soon wear him out. Her persistence has prevails and justice is done. So, Jesus says, “Listen to what that unjust judge said. If that is the case with a judge who is corrupt, will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry out to him day and night? Will God delay long in helping them? No, he will act quickly and grant them justice.” And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find this kind of persistent faith among his followers?

Wednesday: Deuteronomy 13:1-11; Psalm 65; 2 Corinthians 7:2-16; Luke 17:20-37

When false prophets arise among you and say, “Let us follow other gods; let us serve them,” it is the Lord your God testing you to see how faithful you are to his command to love him with all your heart and soul. You must not follow them, but serve the Lord alone, heeding his commandments. His voice alone you shall obey; him alone you shall serve and to him you shall hold fast. But those false prophets shall be purged from your midst, lest, like a deadly infection, they turn the whole people away. Their false prophecy is treason against the Lord who brought them out of Egypt. Here is the root of the blasphemy laws punishable by death. The laws were deemed necessary, not to punish the false prophet, but to preserve the community’s faithfulness. So severe is this that the rule includes not only those in the guild of prophets, but brother, sister, wife, friend. Any who should try to entice them to serve any other god shall be put to death by stoning, and the one being enticed shall cast the first stone. This harsh form of law was employed by the Deuteronomic editors, placed in the mouth of Moses, as a deterrent among a people who had been sent into exile for trying to blend the worship of the Lord with other religions and their gods. The lesson had been severe and they would do all that they could to keep it from happening again. Let all Israel hear and be afraid, and never again do such wickedness.

This psalm celebrates God’s abundance as it appears on the earth. This is also the God who forgives all our transgressions! It blesses God for his greatness, for he is the one who answers prayer. It goes on to bless God for abundant forgiveness, for God’s acts of deliverance as well as God’s good provision and abundant blessings from the earth. All praise is due to the Lord.

Paul returns to the theme of his own innocence in the controversy and division that took place in Corinth. Paul asks the Corinthians to make room in their hearts for him and for his companions, for they have wronged no one, corrupted no one, or taken advantage of no one. Again, he then affirms the unity he feels with them and the pride he has taken in them. At verse five, he returns to report on what happened when he arrived in Macedonia awaiting word from Titus about the Corinthians. Even there, he was besieged with disputes from without and fears from within. But, as God constantly consoles the downcast, so God consoled Paul by the arrival of Titus who told Paul of the Corinthians’ longing, mourning, and zeal for him, causing Paul to rejoice all the more. He now falls into a quasi-apology for the painful letter he wrote to them, but never quite gets there because, after all, the letter was the occasion for their grief that led to their repentance. Godly grief leads to repentance, which leads to salvation, and brings no regret. That is what has happened, and Paul will not regret the pain he caused, but rejoice. He then asks them to consider what this grief-repentance has produced in them. At every point, they have proved themselves guiltless in the matter. Paul wrote to them, not on account of the one who had done the wrong, or the one wronged, but in order that they might reveal their zeal for him. In addition to this consolation, there is the joy Titus has shared with Paul and his companions. Paul had been quite boastful about the Corinthians to Titus, and now rejoices that he was not embarrassed by what Titus found, but that the Corinthians were as Paul had said they were. And so Paul’s heart goes out to the Corinthians as he rejoices, gives thanks for their welcome of Titus, and expresses his complete confidence in them. Reconciliation has taken place.

Luke moves from the Samaritan leper who could see God’s presence at work in Jesus to the Pharisees who are blind. In response to their asking when the kingdom of God is coming, Jesus responds that it does not come under the close scrutiny that they are exercising with him. Rather, it is here and among them, in him and his work, and in spite of their scrutiny, they cannot see it. Jesus then turns to his disciples with words of warning. Though the kingdom is unfolding around them, its ultimate fulfillment and realization with the coming of the Son of Man lies in the distance. There will be an interim in which they will long for him to be among them, and some will say, “Look there!” and others, “Look here!” but do not go after them. When the Son of Man does return to bring the kingdom in its fullness, it will be like lightening lighting up all the sky from one side of the earth to the other—everyone will see it. But first, the Son of Man must endure much suffering and be rejected by this generation. But the day will come and it will be like the days of Noah or Lot. The people were feasting and drinking, pursuing their own pleasures at the expense of others, and oblivious to what God required of them. It was then that God’s judgment came. So too, when it comes this time, receive it with the urgency it requires. Those on rooftops with belongings below must not come down for them, but flee. Likewise, those in the field, they must not turn back to their homes, but flee. Remember what happened to Lot’s wife when she turned back. Those who try to hold onto their lives as a possession will lose them and those who lose their lives will keep them. To heighten the urgency and mystery Jesus reminds them that in that day, two will be lying together in bed, but only one will be taken, two women will be grinding together, with one taken and the other left. The disciples ask him, “Where Lord?” Interestingly enough they did not ask, “When Lord?” But the Pharisees have already asked that question. The disciples ask, “Where?” and Jesus responds with the enigmatic statement, “Where the corpse is, there the eagles gather” (the word can be translated eagle or vulture). The eagle was a symbol of Rome. Is this Roman soldiers gathering over the body of the crucified Son of Man? Is this Rome finally descending on the corpse of Jerusalem at its destruction? Have these eagles gathered to waft the faithful away to the fullness of the kingdom, as God bore Israel on eagle’s wings, while one is being taken and another left behind? Or does it simply mean that just as circling vultures give witness to a corpse, so the Son of Man’s coming will be evident to everyone? It is a scholar’s question; all are interesting answers. But their question was “Where?” Where is the kingdom? It is among them. It is present in Jesus.