At first glance the three texts assigned by the lectionary for this week have little if anything in common. One talks about the people's gratitude to receive the Law. The other talks about people's anger at hearing the words of the Lord's favor and jubilee. The last is Paul's attempt to soothe the tensions of a congregation in serious conflict.
And yet when we take each at face value and remember that these are all equally a part of the Canon of Holy Scripture, something greater than the sum of the parts becomes apparent. The represent the internal tensions of the ongoing revelation of God's teaching.
The idea of on ongoing conversation appears to be hardwired into the biblical narrative. Texts build upon what has gone before, playing out new and unexpected themes that were present but still unnoticed and thus taking the biblical teaching off into unanticipated directions.
