Scripture Study for

After the people make themselves a molten calf and worship it, God accuses them of being stiff-necked. It is probably here more than anywhere else that the greatness of Moses is seen. He pleads for the preservation of the people of whom he is a member. He first insists that the Israelites are God’s very own special people, delivered from Egypt. It would be a shame to destroy them now. He then appeals to the promises that God made to the ancestors. How could God possibly renege on them? God listens to the entreaty of Moses; God does relent;  God does give the people another chance. 

Paul’s words open with an expression of gratitude for God’s goodness toward him. He admits that previously he had hunted down and stood in judgment over the followers of Jesus. For this reason, he is a perfect example of one who deserves punishment at the hands of God. He stresses his sinfulness so that he can emphasize God’s mercy. He insists that the greater his own failure, the more remarkable is God’s success in him. In fact, according to Paul, that is the very reason that God took the passionate persecutor and transformed him into an apostle. Paul’s own change of heart reveals the breadth of Christ’s patience. 

The Pharisees and scribes had criticized Jesus for keeping company with tax collectors and sinners, people who were considered social outcasts. They maintained that Jesus’ association with them contaminated him as well. In contrast,  Jesus saw this association as an opportunity for opening the reign of God to all.  Using parables, Jesus drew lines of contrast between the religious leaders and those the leaders have marginalized. The stories depict the extravagant solicitude of the shepherd and the woman to demonstrate the extent to which God will go to rescue even one lost individual. The parable of the prodigal son contrasts God’s openness to repentant sinners and the closed-mindedness of those who consider themselves faithful.