TODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
DECEMBER 28, 2025
Isaiah 61:10 – 62:3
Reading
10 I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my whole being shall exult in my God; for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation, he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
11 For as the earth brings forth its shoots, and as a garden causes what is sown in it to spring up, so the LORD God will cause righteousness and praise to spring up before all the nations.
62:1 For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, until her vindication shines out like the dawn, and her salvation like a burning torch.
2 The nations shall see your vindication, and all the kings your glory; and you shall be called by a new name that the mouth of the LORD will give.
3 You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the LORD, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God.
Commentary
The Book of Isaiah is a composite of writings from three distinct periods in Ancient Israel’s history. The writings were compiled from about 700 BCE to about 300 BCE. The name “Isaiah” means “YHWH has saved” or “May YHWH save.”
Chapters 1-39 are called “First Isaiah” and are the words of a prophet (one who speaks for YHWH – translated as “LORD” in all capital letters in the NRSV) who called for Jerusalem to repent in the 30 years before Jerusalem came under siege by the Assyrians in 701 BCE. “Second Isaiah” is Chapters 40 to 55. In these chapters, a prophet brought hope to the Judeans during the Exile in Babylon (587 to 539 BCE) by telling them they had suffered enough and would return to Jerusalem. “Third Isaiah” is Chapters 56 to 66 in which a prophet gave encouragement to the Judeans who had returned to Jerusalem (which was largely destroyed by the Babylonians in 587 BCE) after the Exile had ended.
The Jewish Study Bible points out that one of major religious issues faced by First Isaiah was whether Judea should attempt to confront its enemies by using military and diplomatic means and or if it should rely on YHWH to protect them. Isaiah (unlike most of his contemporaries) preferred the latter option.
The New Oxford Annotated Bible observes that three themes dominate the book of Isaiah as it now exists: (1) that YHWH is the moving force behind all historical events; (2) the centrality of Jerusalem for Israel, both for kingship and for worship; and (3) the image of a new ruler who will usher in a new age of justice, righteousness and peace (which developed into the concept of “messiah” in early Jewish and early Christian writings).
The Book of Isaiah is a composite of writings from three distinct periods in Ancient Israel’s history. The writings were compiled from about 700 BCE to about 300 BCE. The name “Isaiah” means “YHWH has saved” or “May YHWH save.”
Chapters 1-39 are called “First Isaiah” and are the words of a prophet (one who speaks for YHWH – translated as “LORD” in all capital letters in the NRSV) who called for Jerusalem to repent in the 30 years before Jerusalem came under siege by the Assyrians in 701 BCE. “Second Isaiah” is Chapters 40 to 55. In these chapters, a prophet brought hope to the Judeans during the Exile in Babylon (587 to 539 BCE) by telling them they had suffered enough and would return to Jerusalem. “Third Isaiah” is Chapters 56 to 66 in which a prophet gave encouragement to the Judeans who had returned to Jerusalem (which was largely destroyed by the Babylonians in 587 BCE) after the Exile had ended.
The Jewish Study Bible points out that one of major religious issues faced by First Isaiah was whether Judea should attempt to confront its enemies by using military and diplomatic means and or if it should rely on YHWH to protect them. Isaiah (unlike most of his contemporaries) preferred the latter option.
The New Oxford Annotated Bible observes that three themes dominate the book of Isaiah as it now exists: (1) that YHWH is the moving force behind all historical events; (2) the centrality of Jerusalem for Israel, both for kingship and for worship; and (3) the image of a new ruler who will usher in a new age of justice, righteousness and peace (which developed into the concept of “messiah” in early Jewish and early Christian writings).
Today’s reading is from “Third Isaiah” and is a series of joyful verses. In the first two verses, the prophet spoke for the Judeans and for Jerusalem who rejoiced that they received salvation and righteousness from YHWH (v.10). The people and Jerusalem were described as a bridegroom, a bride, and the earth in springtime that brings forth its shoots. These verses are spoken by Zion/Jerusalem.
As is often characteristic of psalm-like verses in the Hebrew Bible (as was also true of ancient Canaanite poetry), the verses are repetitive – the idea in one phrase is repeated in slightly different words in the next phrase. For example, “I will greatly rejoice” (v.10a) is followed by “my whole being will exult.” Similarly, Zion is “clothed with garments of salvation” (v.10b) is repeated as the “robe of righteousness.”
The prophet said that YHWH would cause righteousness to spring up among all the nations (v.11). In the Hebrew Bible, the word that is translated as “the nations” is sometimes – depending on context – translated as “the pagans,” or “the foreigners” or “the Gentiles.”
In the verses beginning “For Zion’s sake” (62:1), the speaker shifted from Zion to the prophet, but the use of repetitive ideas continued: “I will not keep silent” (v.1a) was followed by “I will not rest.” The prophet stated that the “nations” (i.e. Gentiles) shall see your vindication (v.2) and “the kings” (i.e. foreign rulers) shall see your glory. You [Zion] shall wear “a crown of beauty” and “a royal diadem.”
The NOAB notes that being “called by a new name” (v,2) meant Zion/Jerusalem will have a change of fortune and a new identity given by YHWH.
Galatians 3:23-25, 4:4-7
Reading
23 Now before faith came, we were imprisoned and guarded under the law until faith would be revealed. 24 Therefore the law was our disciplinarian until Christ came, so that we might be justified by faith. 25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer subject to a disciplinarian.
4:4 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 in order to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as children. 6 And because you are children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” 7 So you are no longer a slave but a child, and if a child then also an heir, through God.
Commentary
Galatia was a large Roman province in what is now western Türkiye. This letter was likely written by Paul in the late 40’s or early 50’s (CE), and deals in part with controversies between Jewish Jesus Followers and Gentile Jesus Followers regarding the continuing importance of Torah (Law) to Jesus Followers. In particular, did Gentiles have to be circumcised and follow the Kosher dietary law to become Jesus Followers? If not, what was the role of Torah for both Jewish and Gentile Jesus Followers?
These issues are also described in Chapter 15 of Acts of the Apostles and in Paul’s letter to the Romans (written in the early 60’s).
Galatians is a “transitional” letter in that – when compared to Paul’s last letter (Romans) — it shows an evolution in his views on the relationship between the Torah and the Gentile Jesus Followers.
The Jewish Annotated New Testament points out: “In recent times scholars have softened the polemical edge of this letter by observing that Paul’s attack on the law was addressed to Gentile believers in Christ; his primary concern was to make sure that they did not begin to observe the Torah. Nowhere in his letters, neither in Galatians nor elsewhere, does Paul attempt to convince native Jews to abandon the Torah.”
Today’s reading unfortunately omits verses that would help the reader/hearer better understand Paul’s position on the relationship between the law (Torah) and the faithfulness of (not faith in) Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ.
The omitted verses are: “26 for in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith. 27 As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham ‘s offspring, heirs according to the promise. 4:1 My point is this: heirs, as long as they are minors, are no better than slaves, though they are the owners of all the property; but they remain under guardians and trustees until the date set by the father. So with us; while we were minors, we were enslaved to the elemental spirits of the world.”
Paul stated that through the grace of the faithfulness of Jesus the Christ/Anointed, Jesus Followers were “no longer subject to a disciplinarian [the Law]” (vv.24-25). What is translated as a “disciplinarian” is the Greek word pedagogue – a household slave charged with keeping the master’s son out of trouble, who accompanied him outside the house, and punished him when necessary. The JANT points out that this usage shows Paul’s view that the effect (and benefit) of the Law was intended to be temporary until the coming of salvation/wholeness through the Christ.
The NOAB states that verses 26 to 28 were likely part of an early baptismal formula that Paul was quoting. It goes on to observe that Christ alone is “Abraham’s offspring” (v.29) citing Gal. 3:16. It also observed that “elemental spirits” (also sometimes translated as “rudiments”) were considered the four elements (earth, air, fire and water) which in Paul’s time were seen as controlling human destiny, but that “rudiments” could also be understood as the basic principles of a philosophy or code.
The NOAB observes that minors (v.1,2) like other members of a Roman family (except for the father), had few rights.
In the second part of today’s reading (beginning with “But when the fulness of time had come”), Paul emphasized that Jesus of Nazareth was a human and a Jew (“born of a woman under the law” v.4) to “redeem those under the law” (v.5) (the Jews).
The Greek word translated here as “redeem” (v.5) means to buy back, as in redeeming something one owns from a pawn shop. All persons, because of the Spirit of the Son, are children of God who can call God “Abba” (Aramaic for father) and are heirs of the Kingdom (v.7).
In speaking of the “Spirit of his Son,” The JANT notes that “Paul distinguishes between Christ and God [citing verses] but seems to identify the Spirit and Christ (Rom. 8.9-10). In the fourth century the Nicene Creed distinguished God the Father, God the Son (Christ) and the God the Spirit. The Trinitarian conception is unknown to Paul and is barely attested in the NT.”
John 1:1-18
Reading
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being 4 in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.
6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. 8 He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. 9 The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.
10 He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. 12 But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.
14 And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth. 15 (John testified to him and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks ahead of me because he was before me.'”) 16 From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. 17 The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father’s heart, who has made him known.
Commentary
Most scholars agree that the Fourth Gospel was written around 95 CE, at a time when the “parting of the ways” between the Jesus Follower Movement and Rabbinic Judaism was accelerating.
The Fourth Gospel is different in many ways from the Synoptic Gospels. The “signs” (miracles) and many stories in the Fourth Gospel are unique to it, such as the Wedding at Cana, Jesus’ conversation with the Samaritan woman at the well, and the Raising of Lazarus.
The chronology of events is also different in the Fourth Gospel. For example, the Temple Event (“Cleansing of the Temple”) occurred early in Jesus’ Ministry in the Fourth Gospel, rather than late as in the Synoptic Gospels. In the Synoptic Gospels, the Last Supper was a Passover Seder, but in the Fourth Gospel, it occurred the day before the first day of Passover so that Jesus (who is described as “the Lamb of God” in the Fourth Gospel) died at the same time lambs were sacrificed at the Temple for the Passover Seder that was to be held the night he died. The Synoptic Gospels are set primarily in the Galilee with a trip to Jerusalem at the end. In the Fourth Gospel, the time of the public ministry is three years, with movement back and forth between the Galilee and Jerusalem.
Today’s reading is most of the “Prologue” to the Fourth Gospel which The New Jerome Biblical Commentary considers a later addition to the Gospel based in part on an early hymn.
Using “Word” to translate the Greek word “Logos” fails to capture the breadth and depth of Logos. The NOAB speaks of the Logos as “God’s preeminent agent in the world.” The JANT points out that Logos was well known in Greek philosophy as a link between the Transcendent/Divine and humanity/the terrestrial. For the First Century Alexandrian Jewish philosopher Philo, Logos was the first fruit of God’s creation.
Logos was particularly important in Stoic philosophy as both a creative principle analogous to Sophia (Holy Wisdom present at Creation in Proverbs 8:22 and 30) and as that which distinguished each created thing from each other thing.
In an Essay in The JANT, the author presented a case that John 1:1-5 is not a departure in Judaism in its use of Logos theology but is a homily (or midrash) on Genesis 1:1-5 – which also opens “in the beginning.” It notes that the reference to “all people” (v.4) can foreshadow that Jesus came to save “the world” and not only a particular ethnic group.
The NOAB observes: “The primary meaning of world [v.10] in the Fourth Gospel is the fallible social systems and social relations created by humanity.” Verses 10-12 give the major messages of the Gospel. The JANT says: Verses 10 to 12 “summarize the Gospel’s historical and cosmological plots: Jesus’ own people, the Jews, failed to accept him and plotted to kill him; those who did accept him became God’s children and receive eternal life.”
The theme of light and dark is very important in the Fourth Gospel, and the rejection by “his own people” (v.11) is one of the Gospel’s central concerns. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary notes that the rejection of the light (v.11) “recalls the rejection of Wisdom in 1 Enoch 42:2: ‘Wisdom went out to dwell with the children of the people, but she found no dwelling place; (so) Wisdom returned to her place and she established herself among the angels.’”
Verse 14 (“The Word became flesh”) emphasizes that Jesus was fully human.
The NOAB understands the phrase “grace upon grace” (v.16) to mean that from God/the Christ/the Word grace is inexhaustible. The NOAB and The JANT go on to say that verse 18 (“No one has ever seen God”) shows Jesus priority over Moses, and cite Ex. 33:18-20 (“You [Moses] cannot see my [YHWH] face; for no one can see me and live.”) as support. This overlooks another tradition found in Deuteronomy 34:10 (“Never since has there arisen a prophet in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face.”)
The JANT makes a number of important points regarding the Prologue: (a) there is a contrast between the biologically-based covenant of the Jews and the faith-based covenant presented by the Fourth Gospel; (b) stating that the Word/Logos became flesh created a paradox because “flesh” is perishable and Logos is eternal; (c) Jews in the Second Temple period believed in the existence of supernatural beings (such as angels) taking human form at times, and thus the boundaries between the human and the divine were understood in a more porous and less absolute way; and (d) the words translated “lived among us” (v.14) in the original Greek mean “tabernacled” — an allusion to the Tabernacle in the Wilderness that “contained” the presence of YHWH.
2026, February 8 ~ Isaiah 58:1-12; 1 Corinthians 2:1-16; Matthew 5:13-20
by Thomas O'BrienTODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
FEBRUARY 8, 2026
Isaiah 58:1-12
Reading
1 Shout out, do not hold back! Lift up your voice like a trumpet! Announce to my people their rebellion, to the house of Jacob their sins.
2 Yet day after day they seek me and delight to know my ways, as if they were a nation that practiced righteousness and did not forsake the ordinance of their God; they ask of me righteous judgments, they delight to draw near to God.
3 “Why do we fast, but you do not see? Why humble ourselves, but you do not notice?” Look, you serve your own interest on your fast day, and oppress all your workers.
4 Look, you fast only to quarrel and to fight and to strike with a wicked fist. Such fasting as you do today will not make your voice heard on high.
5 Is such the fast that I choose, a day to humble oneself? Is it to bow down the head like a bulrush, and to lie in sackcloth and ashes? Will you call this a fast, a day acceptable to the LORD?
6 Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke?
7 Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover them, and not to hide yourself from your own kin?
8 Then your light shall break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up quickly; your vindicator shall go before you, the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard.
9 Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer; you shall cry for help, and he will say, Here I am. If you remove the yoke from among you, the pointing of the finger, the speaking of evil,
10 if you offer your food to the hungry and satisfy the needs of the afflicted, then your light shall rise in the darkness and your gloom be like the noonday.
11 The LORD will guide you continually, and satisfy your needs in parched places, and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters never fail.
12 Your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; you shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to live in.
Commentary
The Book of Isaiah is a composite of writings from three distinct periods in Ancient Israel’s history. The writings were compiled from about 700 BCE to about 300 BCE.
Chapters 1-39 are called “First Isaiah” and are the words of a prophet (one who speaks for YHWH – translated as “LORD” in all capital letters in the NRSV) who called for Jerusalem to repent in the 30 years before Jerusalem came under siege by the Assyrians in 701 BCE. “Second Isaiah” is Chapters 40 to 55. In these chapters, a prophet brought hope to the Judeans during the Exile in Babylon (587 to 539 BCE) by telling them they had suffered enough and would return to Jerusalem. “Third Isaiah” is Chapters 56 to 66 in which a prophet gave conditional encouragement to Judeans who had returned to Jerusalem (which was largely destroyed by the Babylonians in 587 BCE) after the Exile ended.
The New Oxford Annotated Bible observes that three themes dominate the book of Isaiah as it now exists: (1) that YHWH is the moving force behind all historical events; (2) the centrality of Jerusalem for Israel, both for kingship and for worship; and (3) the image of a new ruler who will usher in a new age of justice, righteousness and peace (which developed into the concept of “messiah” in early Jewish and early Christian writings).
In today’s reading from Third Isaiah, the prophet says he was told by YHWH (“Shout out”) to reveal to the people of Israel (“the house of Jacob”) who had returned to Jerusalem that their way of living was immoral (vv. 1-2). As a result, the promises of the restoration of Jerusalem in Chapters 40 to 48 have not come true, not because YHWH was unfaithful but because the people were not faithful and their worship was hypocritical.
Although YHWH said that the people complained that they had fasted (v. 3a), YHWH responded (though the prophet) that prayer and sacrifices without serious moral reformation did not please YHWH (vv. 3b-5). YHWH criticized the insincerity of their fasts (vv. 4-5). The NOAB notes that fasting was a regular feature of Second Temple piety (citing Zechariah and Joel).
Instead, the LORD wanted justice, freedom for the oppressed, sharing of food, bringing the homeless into one’s home, and sharing one’s goods and clothing (vv. 6-8). The LORD told them to “remove the yoke” from the downtrodden and stop having contempt for one another (“pointing the finger” in v.9). These verses echo ideas and vocabulary from the Prophet Micah that were read last week.
YHWH’s promises are conditional in vv.9b and 10a. If bad behaviors cease, YHWH will guide the people, make them prosperous and the ruins of Jerusalem will be rebuilt (vv. 10-12).
The Jewish Study Bible notes that the theme of this Chapter and the following eight Chapters is: “The full redemption that had been predicated in the earliest chapters of the Deutero-Isaiah’s collection will indeed take place: All the Exiles will return to the land of Israel, the nations of the world will join Israel in worshipping the one true God, and the Presence of God will journey back to Jerusalem bringing great joy to the faithful within Israel and among the nations.”
1 Corinthians 2:1-16
Reading
1 When I came to you, brothers and sisters, I did not come proclaiming the mystery of God to you in lofty words or wisdom. 2 For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified. 3 And I came to you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling. 4 My speech and my proclamation were not with plausible words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom but on the power of God.
6 Yet among the mature we do speak wisdom, though it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to perish. 7 But we speak God’s wisdom, secret and hidden, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. 8 None of the rulers of this age understood this; for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 9 But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the human heart conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him”— 10 these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. 11 For what human being knows what is truly human except the human spirit that is within? So also no one comprehends what is truly God’s except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit that is from God, so that we may understand the gifts bestowed on us by God. 13 And we speak of these things in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual things to those who are spiritual.
14 Those who are unspiritual do not receive the gifts of God’s Spirit, for they are foolishness to them, and they are unable to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. 15 Those who are spiritual discern all things, and they are themselves subject to no one else’s scrutiny.
16 “For who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.
Commentary
Corinth, a large port city in Greece, was the heart of Roman imperial culture in Greece. It was among the early Jesus Follower communities that Paul founded. Its culture was diverse and Hellenistic, and Corinthians emphasized reason and secular wisdom. In addition to Paul, other Jesus Followers also taught in Corinth, sometimes in ways inconsistent with Paul’s understandings of what it meant to be a Jesus Follower. Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians was written in the mid-50’s (CE) (likely while Paul was in Ephesus) and presented his views on several issues.
It is one of Paul’s most important letters because it contains one of the earliest interpretations of the meaning of Jesus’ Crucifixion as being on behalf of sinners (“Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures” 15:3) and stated that the resurrection of the Christ had occurred (15:4-5). The letter also contains the basic formula for celebrating the Lord’s Supper as instituted by the Lord Jesus on the night he was betrayed (11:23-26).
Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians was written in the 50’s (CE) and presented his views on many issues that were controversial in this fledgling Jesus Follower Community.
Today’s reading is the entirety of Chapter 2. In it, Paul continued to express his opposition to worldly wisdom as a basis for salvation and asserted that the Corinthians became believers of the “mystery” (v.1) (“testimony’ in some other manuscripts) which he proclaimed because of the power of the Spirit and God, not because of the lofty words such as those used by of philosophers and orators.
The NOAB says that the NRSV translators’ notes on “plausible words of wisdom” (v.4a) show that other ancient authorities read “the persuasiveness of wisdom” and this is the preferred text.
Paul said he could speak God’s wisdom among those who are spiritually mature (v.6a) because it was the Spirit that enabled them to understand the gifts bestowed by God. He continued to distinguish this wisdom from secular wisdom (“the wisdom of this age”) and the wisdom of the “rulers of this age” [the Romans] (v.6).
The Jewish Annotated New Testament suggests the idea that “God’s wisdom” is “secret and hidden” and “was decreed before the ages” (v.7) is based on the belief that God has an eschatological plan that will not be revealed until “the time of the end” (Dan. 12:9). The JANT notes that Paul says those who crucified Jesus were ignorant of this plan (v.8).
Scholars are not sure of the source of the words quoted by Paul in verse 9, but they bear some similarity to Isaiah 64:4, a verse that described the incomparability of YHWH (“From ages past no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you.”)
Paul said that those who are “unspiritual” (or natural) (“psychikos” in Greek) regard the gifts of God’s Spirit as foolishness, but those who are spiritual (“pneumatikos”) have the mind of the Christ (v.16). The NOAB notes that for Paul, heavenly wisdom is identical with the Spirit.
In verse 16, Paul paraphrased Isaiah 40:13, a verse that said that YHWH is beyond instruction from another source. The JANT says: “Paul equates knowing the mind of the Lord with having the mind of Christ.”
Matthew 5:13-20
Reading
13 Jesus said, “You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything but is thrown out and trampled under foot.
14 “You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. 15 No one, after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.
17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. 18 For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. 19 Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, will be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”
Commentary
The Gospel of Matthew highlights Jesus’ origins and identity. Written around 85 CE by an anonymous author, the Gospel began Jesus’s genealogy with Abraham and depicted Jesus as a teacher of the Law like Moses. More than any other Gospel, Matthew quoted from the Hebrew Scriptures (using the Greek Septuagint translation) to illustrate that Jesus was the Messiah.
Having been written after the Destruction of the Temple in 70 CE, the Gospel reflected the controversies between the Jesus Followers and the Pharisees for control of Judaism going forward. Accordingly, the Gospel contains many harsh sayings about the Pharisees. The Gospel was aimed primarily at the late First Century Jewish Jesus Follower community.
The Gospel relied heavily on the Gospel of Mark and included all but 60 verses from Mark. Like Luke, Matthew also used a “Sayings Source” (called “Q” by scholars) which are found in Matthew and Luke but not in Mark and John.
There are also a substantial number of stories that are unique to Matthew: the Annunciation of Jesus’ conception was revealed to Joseph in a dream (rather than by an angel to Mary as in Luke); the Visit of the Magi; the Slaughter of the Innocents by Herod; the Flight to Egypt; the Laborers in the Vineyard; and the earthquake on Easter Morning, among others.
Today’s reading continues the Sermon on the Mount that is Chapters 5 to 7 of the Gospel According to Matthew. Proclaiming the Law from the mountain was reminiscent of Moses’ going up the Holy Mountain (Sinai or Horeb, depending on the source) to receive the Teaching (the Torah). The NOAB notes that the Sermon on the Mount is the first of five “discources” in Matthew (Chapters 5-7,10,13,18 and 23-25) which is seen as a parallel to the Five Books of Moses (the Torah).
The Sermon on the Mount is part of Matthew’s presentation of Jesus of Nazareth as a “New Moses” whose life was threatened by the temporal king (Pharaoh/Herod), who traveled to Egypt, came back from Egypt to Israel (the Exodus/return to Israel in Matt. 2:21), went into the water (Moses in the bulrushes and the Sea of Reeds/Jesus’ Baptism), time in the Wilderness (40 years/40 days), and teaching from the mountain.
Portraying Jesus as the Messiah as a “New Moses” would have been seen as a fulfillment of words attributed to Moses in Deuteronomy 18:10 (“The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you shall heed such a prophet.”)
In describing the listeners as the “salt of the earth” (v.13), Jesus was paying the listeners a high compliment in that salt was often used as a medium of exchange, was the central ingredient for preserving foods, and The JANT points out that it was a common symbol of purity and wisdom.
By mentioning “good works” (v.16), Matthew emphasized an important notion that would resonate with his Jewish Jesus Follower audience – faith needs to be accompanied by action.
Although the idea of the Bible’s being divided into the “Law, the prophets and the other writings” was developing as early as 180 BCE in the Book of Sirach, Matthew mentions only the “law and the prophets” (v.17). The JANT suggests that the reference to the prophets was intended to include the writings. It notes that the Rabbis (the successors to the Pharisees) believed that the Torah should not be altered in any way and that each letter (and each portion of each letter) was divinely ordained and therefore could not be changed. Jesus’ statement in verse 18 would have been reassuring to Jewish Jesus Followers.
The New Jerome Biblical Commentary regards verses 17-20 as “the most controversial in Matthew.” It points out that although Jesus affirmed the abiding validity of the entire Torah, no major Christian church requires observance of all 613 precepts but concentrates instead on ethical precepts such as the Decalogue and the Two Great Commandments. It goes on to state that verses 19 and 20 “are probably postpaschal and reflect the outlook of Jewish Christianity, which, as a separate movement, was eventually defeated by Paulinism and died out (perhaps to be reborn in a different form as Islam).”
The NJBC observes that “do not think” (v.17) supposed an erroneous view that needed to be corrected and that “until heaven and earth pass away” asserted the Law was binding only while the physical universe lasts. The NJBC continues that “whoever breaks” (v.19) is a polemic against Hellenizing Christians but does not condemn them by saying merely that they will be “least.” Similarly, The NJBC notes that verse 20 does not say that the scribes (authoratative interpreters of the Law) and the Pharisees will not enter the kingdom of heaven. The JANT says that verse 20 “sets the bar high, as the Pharisees were known as righteous.”
2026, February 1 ~ Micah 6:1-8; 1 Corinthians 1:18-31; Matthew 5:1-12
by Thomas O'BrienTODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
FEBRUARY 1, 2026
Micah 6:1-8
Reading
1 Hear what the LORD says: Rise, plead your case before the mountains, and let the hills hear your voice.
2 Hear, you mountains, the controversy of the LORD, and you enduring foundations of the earth; for the LORD has a controversy with his people, and he will contend with Israel.
3 “O my people, what have I done to you? In what have I wearied you? Answer me!
4 For I brought you up from the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery; and I sent before you Moses, Aaron, and Miriam.
5 O my people, remember now what King Balak of Moab devised, what Balaam son of Beor answered him, and what happened from Shittim to Gilgal, that you may know the saving acts of the LORD.”
6 “With what shall I come before the LORD, and bow myself before God on high? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old?
7 Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, with tens of thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?”
8 He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?
Commentary
Micah was among the earliest of the “Minor Prophets” – the 12 prophets whose works are much shorter than those of the “Major Prophets” (Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel) and are found in a single scroll.
Micah (whose name means “Who is like Yahweh?”) was a prophet (one who spoke for YHWH) to Judea around the time Northern Israel (Samaria) was conquered by the Assyrians in 722 BCE (an event to which Micah refers in 1:6). Most scholars date Micah’s prophesies to the period from 730 to 700 BCE, a time when the Assyrians were also threatening to conquer Judea. He was a younger contemporary of First Isaiah.
This short Book is divided into three sections: oracles of judgment and condemnation against Jerusalem and its leaders for their corruption and pretensions (Ch. 1-3); oracles of hope in which Jerusalem would be restored to righteousness (right relationship with YHWH) (Ch. 4-5); and a lawsuit by God, a judgment by God, and a lament that moved to hope (Ch. 6-7).
The Book reflects some later additions. For example, 4:10 speaks of the Babylonian Exile (587-539 BCE) and 7:11 speaks of rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem – a post-Exilic concern.
According to The New Oxford Annotated Bible, the events of the late 8th Century BCE were “dizzying”: the fall of Samaria, the expansion of Jerusalem fueled by emigrants from the north (Samaria), and the aggressions of the newest superpower, Assyria.
Today’s reading is structured as a “divine lawsuit” and the “audience” for it is the heavenly court. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary notes that the lawsuit has cosmic dimensions (“mountains, hills, foundations of the earth”). The Jewish Study Bible notes that the lawsuit argued that Israel had no reason to abandon the LORD, for the LORD had done no wrong and had conferred many benefits upon Israel. It describes the passage as a “didactic prophesy.”
In this passage, YHWH is both the judge and the accuser, and it is sometimes difficult to identify the speaker. The LORD demanded that the Judeans plead their case (v.1). The prophet (v.2) called for all to hear the LORD’s complaint. The LORD spoke again in vv. 3-4, and a “spokesperson” for the community spoke in verses 6 and 7. The passage emphasized morality over sacrifices.
The prophet concluded with the most famous verse in Micah – the “requirement” of the LORD is to do justice, love kindness and walk humbly with the LORD. The NAOB calls it “the epitome of the entire Israelite prophetic tradition” and notes that the word “kindness” (v.8) is hesed, usually translated as “loving kindness” (covenant loyalty, goodness and fidelity).
1 Corinthians 1:18-31
Reading
18 The message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.”
20 Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, God decided, through the foolishness of our proclamation, to save those who believe. 22 For Jews demand signs and Greeks desire wisdom, 23 but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, 24 but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength.
26 Consider your own call, brothers and sisters: not many of you were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; 28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, things that are not, to reduce to nothing things that are, 29 so that no one might boast in the presence of God. 30 He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification and redemption, 31 in order that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”
Commentary
Corinth, a large port city in Greece, was the heart of Roman imperial culture in Greece. It was among the early Jesus Follower communities that Paul founded. Its culture was diverse and Hellenistic, and Corinthians emphasized reason and secular wisdom. In addition to Paul, other Jesus Followers also taught in Corinth, sometimes in ways inconsistent with Paul’s understandings of what it meant to be a Jesus Follower. Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians was written in the mid-50’s (CE) (likely while Paul was in Ephesus) and presented his views on several issues.
It is one of Paul’s most important letters because it has one of the earliest interpretations of the meaning of Jesus’ death as being on behalf of sinners (“died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures” 15:3) and a statement of Jesus’ resurrection (15:4-5). The letter also contains the basic formula for celebrating the Lord’s Supper (11:23-26).
Today’s reading is the continuation of the readings of the last two weeks and are the second step in Paul’s argument for unity. In them, Paul criticized of the “wisdom of the world” (v.20) and asserted that “God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom” (v.25). He explained that selfless love (as embodied in the cross) is seen as foolishness by those who rely on the so-called wisdom of the world (vv. 18, 20). As he often did, Paul paraphrased (and modified) verses from the prophets. Verse 19 was loosely based on Isaiah 29:14b which reads (in the NRSV) “The wisdom of their wise shall perish and the discernment of the discerning shall be hidden.”
The Jewish Annotated New Testament notes that the phrase “us who are being saved” (v.18) shows that Paul (in the authentic letters) regarded salvation as a future event.
The NOAB sees God’s wisdom (v. 21) as God’s plan for salvation, and includes the crucifixion of the Christ/Messiah/Anointed One of God. For Jews, a crucified Messiah was indeed a “stumbling block” (v. 23) because a Messiah who suffered was not a generally accepted notion in First Century Judaism. Because crucifixion was a particularly painful and degrading Roman form of execution, a crucified Messiah would also be inconsistent with the secular wisdom of the Greeks that expected kings and wise persons to overcome their enemies. Paul noted that most Corinthians were not powerful or of noble birth (v.26) and asserted that God’s kingdom inverts hierarchies (v.27).
After criticizing human wisdom, Paul said that Christ Jesus became the wisdom of God for us (v.30). The phrase in verse 30 that those who boast (which The NJBC understands as “sinful self reliance”) should instead boast in the Lord is derived from Jeremiah 9:23-24: “Thus says the LORD: Do not let the wise boast in their wisdom, do not let the mighty boast in their might, do not let the wealthy boast in their wealth; but let those who boast boast in this, that they understand and know me, that I am the LORD; I act with steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth, for in these things I delight, says the LORD.”
Matthew 5:1-12
Reading
1 When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. 2 Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
5 “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
Commentary
The Gospel of Matthew highlights Jesus’ origins and identity. Written around 85 CE by an anonymous author, the Gospel began Jesus’s genealogy with Abraham and depicted Jesus as a teacher of the Law like Moses. More than any other Gospel, Matthew quoted from the Hebrew Scriptures (using the Greek Septuagint Translation) to illustrate that Jesus was the Messiah.
Having been written after the Destruction of the Temple in 70 CE, the Gospel reflected the controversies between the Jesus Followers and the Pharisees for control of Judaism going forward. Accordingly, the Gospel contains many harsh sayings about the Pharisees. The Gospel is aimed primarily at the late First Century Jewish Jesus Follower community.
The Gospel relied heavily on the Gospel of Mark and included all but 60 verses from Mark. Like Luke, Matthew also used a “Sayings Source” (called “Q” by scholars) which are found in Matthew and Luke but not in Mark and John. There are also a substantial number of stories that are unique to Matthew: the Annunciation of Jesus’ conception was revealed to Joseph in a dream (rather than by an angel to Mary as in Luke); the Visit of the Magi; the Slaughter of the Innocents by Herod; the Flight to Egypt; the Laborers in the Vineyard; and the earthquake on Easter Morning, among others.
Today’s reading is known as “The Beatitudes” from the Latin word “beatus” (meaning “blessed”) which is a translation from the Greek “makarios” (which means “fortunate”). The Beatitudes are the first part of the Sermon on the Mount (Chapters 5 to 7), and they have similarities to the shorter “Sermon on the Plain” in Luke 6:17-38. Luke has four Beatitudes and Matthew has eight. The NJBC regards them as “Q” material.
The ascent up the mountain to teach (v.1) is reminiscent of Moses’ going up the Holy Mountain (Sinai or Horeb, depending on the source) to receive the Teaching (the Torah). The Sermon on the Mount is part of Matthew’s presentation of Jesus of Nazareth as a “New Moses” whose life was threatened by the temporal king (Pharaoh/Herod), who traveled to Egypt, came back from Egypt to Israel (the Exodus/return to Israel in Matt. 2:21), went into the water (Moses in the bulrushes and the Sea of Reeds/Jesus’ Baptism), spent time in the Wilderness (40 years/40 days), and taught from the mountain.
The Jewish Annotated New Testament notes that similar blessings appear in Jewish literature and that the word “makarioi” appears 68 times in the Septuagint, usually as a translation of the Hebrew word “ashrei” meaning “happy are …” The JANT points out that “poor in spirit” means humble and that “meek shall inherit the earth” (v.5) is similar to Ps. 37:11 (“But the meek shall inherit the land”). The JANT interprets the “meek” as those who do not take advantage of their position, and notes that in Jewish literature, the “heart” (v.8) represented the center of thought and conviction.
The New Oxford Annotated Bible offers similar interpretations and sees “meek” not as submissive or inconsequential, but rather the quality of being aware of one’s proper position and not being overweening. “Pure in heart” (v.8) is understood as sincere and free from mixed motives.
Verses 11 and 12 reflect the fact that the Jesus Follower Community in the late First Century faced hostility from both Jews and Gentiles. Prophets who were persecuted (v.12) included Elijah, Amos, and Jeremiah.
2026, January 25 ~ Isaiah 9:1-4; 1 Corinthians 1:10-18; Matthew 4:12-23
by Thomas O'BrienTODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
JANUARY 25, 2026
Isaiah 9:1-4
Reading
1 There will be no gloom for those who were in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he will make glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations.
2 The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness — on them light has shined.
3 You have multiplied the nation, you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as people exult when dividing plunder.
4 For the yoke of their burden, and the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian.
Commentary
The Book of Isaiah is a composite of writings from three distinct periods in Ancient Israel’s history. The writings were compiled from about 700 BCE to about 300 BCE.
Chapters 1-39 are called “First Isaiah” and are the words of a prophet (one who speaks for YHWH – translated as “LORD” in all capital letters in the NRSV) who called for Jerusalem to repent in the 30 years before Jerusalem came under siege by the Assyrians in 701 BCE. “Second Isaiah” is Chapters 40 to 55. In these chapters, a prophet brought hope to the Judeans during the Exile in Babylon (587 to 539 BCE) by telling them they had suffered enough and would return to Jerusalem. “Third Isaiah” is Chapters 56 to 66 in which a prophet gave encouragement to Judeans who had returned to Jerusalem (which was largely destroyed by the Babylonians in 587 BCE) after the Exile ended.
The Jewish Study Bible points out that one of major religious issues faced by First Isaiah was whether Judea should attempt to confront its enemies by using military and diplomatic means and or if it should rely on YHWH to protect them. Isaiah (unlike most of his contemporaries) preferred the latter option.
The New Oxford Annotated Bible observes that three themes dominate the book of Isaiah as it now exists: (1) that YHWH is the moving force behind all historical events; (2) the centrality of Jerusalem for Israel, both for kingship and for worship; and (3) the image of a new ruler who will usher in a new age of justice, righteousness and peace (which developed into the concept of “messiah” in early Jewish and early Christian writings).
The NOAB describes today’s reading is part of a seven-verse “insert” that doesn’t fit well with the chapters and verses before and after it. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary says that today’s verses “have been variously identified as an accession hymn or a thanksgiving hymn.”
These verses described a new king (whom The NOAB says was likely Hezekiah who resisted the Assyrian siege of Jerusalem in 701 BCE). This new king would restore the lands of two of the Tribes of Israel (Naphtali and Zebulun) which were carved out of Israel by the Assyrians in 733.
The JSB observes that the verbs in today’s reading are in the past tense, and that “some interpreters view them as examples of the ‘prophetic past’ which predicts future events using the past tense because they are as good as done.” It continues: “Thus it is not clear whether the Davidic king whose birth and rule are described (vv. 5-6) has already been born (if the verbs are regular past tense) or will be born in the future (prophetic past). If the former, the v. probably referred to Ahaz’s son Hezekiah.”
In verse 4, the author recalled the unlikely victory of Gideon and 300 men with trumpets over the Midianites (Judges 7:15-25) and said the king will remove the yoke of military oppression imposed on Israel.
The NOAB describes the titles in verse 6b as “throne names” which it describes as “reminiscent of Egyptian practice.” These titles were understood by Christians as messianic, and were applied to Jesus the Christ. The JSB has a different understanding: “These names do not describe that person who holds them but the god whom the parents worship. Similarly, the name given to the child in this v. does not describe that child or attribute divinity to him, contrary to classical Christian readings of this messianic verse.”
In The Jewish Study Bible and The New Jerusalem Bible, verse 9:1 is shown as the last verse of Chapter 8. The JSB describes the verse as “unusually obscure” and The NJB describes it as a “misplaced prophetic fragment.”
1 Corinthians 1:10-18
Reading
10 Now I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you be in agreement and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same purpose. 11 For it has been reported to me by Chloe’s people that there are quarrels among you, my brothers and sisters. 12 What I mean is that each of you says, “I belong to Paul,” or “I belong to Apollos,” or “I belong to Cephas,” or “I belong to Christ.” 13 Has Christ been divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? 14 I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15 so that no one can say that you were baptized in my name. 16 (I did baptize also the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.) 17 For Christ did not send me to baptize but to proclaim the gospel, and not with eloquent wisdom, so that the cross of Christ might not be emptied of its power.
18 For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
Commentary
Corinth, a large port city in Greece, was the heart of Roman imperial culture in Greece. It was among the early Jesus Follower communities that Paul founded. Its culture was diverse and Hellenistic, and Corinthians emphasized reason and secular wisdom. In addition to Paul, other Jesus Followers also taught in Corinth, sometimes in ways inconsistent with Paul’s understandings of what it meant to be a Jesus Follower. Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians was written in the mid-50’s (CE) (likely while Paul was in Ephesus) and presented his views on several issues.
It is one of Paul’s most important letters because it is one of the earliest interpretations of Jesus’ death as being on behalf of sinners (“for our sins” 15:3) and his resurrection (15:4-5). The letter also contains the basic formula for celebrating the Lord’s Supper (11:23-26).
Today’s reading follows last week’s reading. In today’s reading, Paul called for unity among the Corinthian Jesus Followers. He emphasized that baptism was in the name of Jesus, and loyalty to a single teacher or to one’s baptizer is not proper. The Christ is not divisible (v.13).
Paul appeared to believe that the primary divisions among the Corinthians were among persons who claimed to be followers of Apollos, followers of Cephas (Peter) and his own followers (vv.12 and 3:22). Apollos was from Alexandria in Egypt and was, according to Acts 18:24-19:1, sent to Corinth by Paul. Apollos was known for his eloquence and knowledge of the scriptures.
The Jewish Annotated New Testament and The New Jerome Biblical Commentary note that Crispus (v.14) was a Jew with a Latin name and the president of a synagogue in Corinth (Acts 18:8). They state that Gaius was a wealthy Roman (Acts 18:7) who provided a venue for the entire Corinthian church (up to 75 people) as noted in Rom.16:23.
The New Oxford Annotated Bible points out that in Paul’s saying “Christ did not send me to baptize but to proclaim the gospel” (v.17), Paul was not attacking baptism itself, but rather the Corinthians’ attachment to baptism by a particular person and the notion that there were numerous gospels – one for each baptizer.
Paul identified “eloquent wisdom” (v.17) as the cause of the divisions among the Corinthians, a threat to the power of the cross of the Christ, and inconsistent with Paul’s understanding of the gospel. The JANT describes “eloquent wisdom’ as “philosophical speculation or clever speech.”
Matthew 4:12-23
Reading
12 When Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. 13 He left Nazareth and made his home in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, 14 so that what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: 15 “Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali, on the road by the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles — 16 the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death light has dawned.”
17 From that time Jesus began to proclaim, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”
18 As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea — for they were fishermen. 19 And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.” 20 Immediately they left their nets and followed him. 21 As he went from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them. 22 Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.
23 Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing every disease and every sickness among the people.
Commentary
The Gospel of Matthew highlights Jesus’ origins and identity. Written around 85 CE by an anonymous author, the Gospel began Jesus’s genealogy with Abraham and depicted Jesus as a teacher of the Law like Moses. More than any other Gospel, Matthew quoted from the Hebrew Scriptures (using the Greek Septuagint translation) to illustrate that Jesus was the Messiah.
Having been written after the Destruction of the Temple in 70 CE, the Gospel reflected the controversies between the Jesus Followers and the Pharisees for control of Judaism going forward. Accordingly, the Gospel contains many harsh sayings about the Pharisees. The Gospel is aimed primarily at the late First Century Jewish Jesus Follower community.
The Gospel relied heavily on the Gospel of Mark and included all but 60 verses from Mark. Like Luke, Matthew also used a “Sayings Source” (called “Q” by scholars) which are found in Matthew and Luke but not in Mark and John. There are also a substantial number of stories that are unique to Matthew: the Annunciation of Jesus’ conception was revealed to Joseph in a dream (rather than by an angel to Mary as in Luke); the Visit of the Magi; the Slaughter of the Innocents by Herod; the Flight to Egypt; the Laborers in the Vineyard; and the earthquake on Easter Morning, among others.
Today’s reading follows Matthew’s account of Jesus’ temptations in the wilderness.
In Matthew and in Mark, the arrest of John the Baptist was presented as the stimulus for Jesus to begin his public ministry (v.12). Although Jesus and his disciples spent time in Capernaum, a town on the northwest coast of the Sea of Galilee, The NOAB points out that it is only in Matthew that Jesus “made his home” (v.13) there.
The NJBC suggests that Jesus moved from Nazareth to Capernaum because Nazareth was too centrally located and close to the Roman garrison at Sepphoris. Jesus needed to be near the sea so that he could escape by boat if necessary. The NJBC also points out that the tribal name in Ancient Israel of Capernaum was Naphtali, even though it was not used in the 1st Century. The JANT says that in Jesus’ time, the Galilee was mostly Jewish, but The NJBC notes that the Galilee in Matthew’s time was under the control of non-Israelites, was at least half Gentile in population and these factors may have influenced the spread of the Jesus Follower Movement to Gentiles.
In verse 15, Matthew presented Jesus’ settling in Capernaum as fulfilling Isaiah 9:1, which is part of today’s reading from the Jewish Scriptures. In verse 9:1a, YHWH “brought into contempt” Zebulun and Naphtali by having them conquered by the Assyrians in 733 BCE. Verse 9:1b suggested that a later king would redeem these lands.
Jesus’ proclamation that the kingdom of heaven has come near (v.17) is identical to Matthew’s rendition of John the Baptist’s proclamation (3:2). In Mark 1:15, Jesus said the kingdom of God has come near. Because Matthew was writing for a Jewish Jesus Follower audience, he avoided using “God” because most Jews use circumlocutions to avoid saying “God.” The NJBC notes that Matthew’s use of the kingdom of heaven had the unfortunate consequence of making the kingdom seem remote to later believers rather than a kingdom that might be realized on earth, even as part of the end times.
The call of Peter, Andrew, James, and John is the same as the account in Mark 1:16-21, but in the call of disciples in John 1:15-51, the first two (Peter and Andrew) are described as disciples of JTB and the next two to be called are Phillip and Nathaniel.
The NJBC points out that the fishing industry in the Galilee was very prosperous in the First Century and fish were a major export. The commentator surmises that “the story of the call may have undergone extreme compression” and that “nets” may have symbolically represented earthly entanglements.
“Jesus went throughout Galilee teaching in their synagogues” (v.23) likely reflects a perception in Matthew’s time (85 CE) rather than Jesus’ time (30 CE). The verse used the Greek word autōn which means “of them” or “their.” In Jesus’ time, synagogues were public gathering places where the town’s business, politics and religious discourse took place. Jesus and his disciples would have enjoyed full access to them and there are numerous accounts in the gospels of Jesus’ teaching in synagogues. But by the time of Matthew’s gospel, synagogues were often seen by Jesus Followers as “belonging” to the Pharisees – the group which whom the Jesus Followers were contending for control of the future of Judaism. According to James 2:2, however, there were some “assemblies” (literally, synagogues) that were used by Jewish Jesus Followers late in the First Century.
2026, January 18 ~ Isaiah 49:1-7; 1 Corinthians 1:1-9; John 1:29-42
by Thomas O'BrienTODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
JANUARY 18, 2026
Isaiah 49:1-7
Reading
1 Listen to me, O coastlands, pay attention, you peoples from far away! The LORD called me before I was born, while I was in my mother’s womb, he named me.
2 He made my mouth like a sharp sword, in the shadow of his hand he hid me; he made me a polished arrow, in his quiver he hid me away.
3 And he said to me, “You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will be glorified.”
4 But I said, “I have labored in vain; I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity; yet surely my cause is with the LORD, and my reward with my God.”
5 And now the LORD says, who formed me in the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob back to him, and that Israel might be gathered to him, for I am honored in the sight of the LORD, and my God has become my strength–
6 he says, “It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the survivors of Israel; I will give you as a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”
7 Thus says the LORD, the Redeemer of Israel and his Holy One, to one deeply despised, abhorred by the nations, the slave of rulers, “Kings shall see and stand up, princes, and they shall prostrate themselves, because of the LORD, who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.”
Commentary
The Book of Isaiah is a composite of writings from three distinct periods in Ancient Israel’s history. The writings were compiled from about 700 BCE to about 300 BCE.
Chapters 1-39 are called “First Isaiah” and are the words of a prophet (one who speaks for YHWH – translated as “LORD” in all capital letters in the NRSV) who called for Jerusalem to repent in the 30 years before Jerusalem came under siege by the Assyrians in 701 BCE. “Second Isaiah” is Chapters 40 to 55. In these chapters, a prophet brought hope to the Judeans during the Exile in Babylon (587 to 539 BCE) by telling them they had suffered enough and would return to Jerusalem. “Third Isaiah” is Chapters 56 to 66 in which a prophet gave encouragement to Judeans who had returned to Jerusalem (which was largely destroyed by the Babylonians in 587 BCE) after the Exile ended.
Today’s reading is from “Second Isaiah” and repeats many themes from last week’s reading (42:1-9). Today’s reading is sometimes called the second of the four “Servant Songs” that are in Isaiah from Chapters 42 to 53. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary notes that chapter 49 represented a significant shift in the preaching of the prophet. No longer mentioned are Cyrus, the foolishness of idols, or YHWH’s being in control of history. The prophet now addressed Zion and Jerusalem instead of Israel and Jacob.
The Jewish Study Bible sees this chapter as part of Third Isaiah and “written in Jerusalem after the first wave of exiles returned from Babylon … to convince the city of Jerusalem … or the returned exiles that their current wretched state will be transformed to a glorious one.”
The New Oxford Annotated Bible points out that the servant in today’s reading (like Jeremiah) was predestined to service before birth (vv.1b and 5) and will fulfill his mission by the spoken word (v.2). The servant therefore received a prophetic call and, though conscious of the potential for failure (v.4a), is confident of final vindication (v.4b)
The overarching themes of the Servant Songs are that Israel had suffered but will be restored and reunified. Israel will be a “light to the nations [pagans, foreigners, Gentiles]” (v. 6). The reading concluded with statements by YHWH that YHWH is faithful and chose Israel for a special role so that all nations will recognize the one God (v.7).
Although the text identified the servant in this Servant Song as Israel (v. 3), The NOAB points out that the word “Israel” is not present in verse 3 of some Hebrew manuscripts and may be an addition. It continues that in this Servant Song, the “servant” (who has a mission on behalf of Israel) may be the prophet himself or an individual or group within Israel that will work for the restoration of Israel.
The author of the Gospel According to Mark adopted many of the motifs of Psalm 22 and of the Suffering Servant Songs (particularly the 4th Servant Song in Chapters 52 and 53) to describe the sufferings of Jesus of Nazareth in the Crucifixion.
1 Corinthians 1:1-9
Reading
1 Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes,
2 To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, together with all those who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours:
3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
4 I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that has been given you in Christ Jesus, 5 for in every way you have been enriched in him, in speech and knowledge of every kind – 6 just as the testimony of Christ has been strengthened among you – 7 so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ. 8 He will also strengthen you to the end, so that you may be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God is faithful; by him you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Commentary
Corinth, a large port city in Greece, was the heart of Roman imperial culture in Greece. It was among the early Jesus Follower communities that Paul founded. Its culture was diverse and Hellenistic, and Corinthians emphasized reason and secular wisdom. In addition to Paul, other Jesus Followers also taught in Corinth, sometimes in ways inconsistent with Paul’s understandings of what it meant to be a Jesus Follower. Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians was written in the mid-50’s (CE) (likely while Paul was in Ephesus) and presented his views on several issues.
It is one of Paul’s most important letters because it is one of the earliest proclamations of Jesus’ death on behalf of sinners (“for our sins” 15:3) and his resurrection (15:4-5). The letter also contains the basic formula for celebrating the Lord’s Supper (11:23-26).
As a self-described Pharisee (Phil. 3:5), Paul knew the Hebrew Scriptures and often invoked them to emphasize his messages.
Today’s reading from the opening chapter includes a salutation that was customary in ancient Greek letters (vv. 1-3). The NOAB points our that the name “Sosthenes” was a fairly common one and that this Sosthenes may not be the official of the synagogue in Corinth mentioned in Acts 18:17.
The Jewish Annotated New Testament points out that referring to God as “Father” (v.3) had become an increasingly common Jewish usage in the First Century.
The salutation was followed by a thanksgiving for the grace of God given to the Jesus Followers in Corinth through Christ Jesus (vv.4-7). Ever mindful that he was not one of the original 12 apostles, Paul asserted (again) that he also was called to be an “apostle” (v.1).
Using a clever rhetorical device, Paul praised the Corinthians for their speech and knowledge (v.5) and spiritual gifts (v.7) as a prelude to discussing these qualities more critically in the body of the letter. In the same verse, Paul noted that they were waiting for the “revealing” (apocalypsis in Greek) – an anticipation of an eschatological revelation (v.7). In a call for unity, Paul reminded them that they were called into “the fellowship of the Son” (v.9).
Having praised the Corinthians and reminded them of the gifts they had received from God, then Paul launched into his arguments in the verses that follow today’s reading and appealed that “there be no divisions among you” (v.10).
John 1:29-42
Reading
29 John saw Jesus coming toward him and declared, “Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me because he was before me.’ 31 I myself did not know him; but I came baptizing with water for this reason, that he might be revealed to Israel.” 32 And John testified, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. 33 I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 And I myself have seen and have testified that this is the Son of God.”
35 The next day John again was standing with two of his disciples, 36 and as he watched Jesus walk by, he exclaimed, “Look, here is the Lamb of God!” 37 The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. 38 When Jesus turned and saw them following, he said to them, “What are you looking for?” They said to him, “Rabbi” (which translated means Teacher), “where are you staying?” 39 He said to them, “Come and see.” They came and saw where he was staying, and they remained with him that day. It was about four o’clock in the afternoon. 40 One of the two who heard John speak and followed him was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. 41 He first found his brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which is translated Anointed). 42 He brought Simon to Jesus, who looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You are to be called Cephas” (which is translated Peter).
Commentary
The Fourth Gospel is different in many ways from the Synoptic Gospels. The “signs” (miracles) and many stories in the Fourth Gospel are unique to it, such as the Wedding at Cana, Jesus’ conversation with the Samaritan woman at the well, and the Raising of Lazarus.
The chronology of events is also different in the Fourth Gospel. For example, the Temple Event (“Cleansing of the Temple”) occurred early in Jesus’ Ministry in the Fourth Gospel, rather than late as in the Synoptic Gospels. In the Synoptic Gospels, the Last Supper was a Passover Seder, but in the Fourth Gospel, it occurred the day before the first day of Passover so that Jesus (who was described as “the Lamb of God” in the Fourth Gospel) died at the same time lambs were sacrificed at the Temple for the Passover Seder to be held the night he died.
Most scholars agree that the Gospel was written by an anonymous author around 95 CE, at a time when the “parting of the ways” between the Jesus Follower Movement and Rabbinic Judaism was accelerating.
Today’s reading is John’s version of the Baptism of Jesus. It is not a description of the Baptism itself but is presented as John the Baptist’s recounting of the event. Following the Gospel’s theme of calling Jesus the “Lamb of God,” the author has JTB use this appellation twice (v.29 and v.36). This imagery was taken from the Passover lamb that was sacrificed in Exodus, the blood of which was sprinkled on the doorposts and lintels of the Israelites so that the Angel of Death would pass them by (Exodus12). The Passover Lamb was not a sacrifice to obtain remission or forgiveness of sin; it was a symbol of freedom and one of the central events that led to the freedom of the Israelites from slavery. The JANT observes that the Lamb takes away the “sin” (v.29) rather than “sins” and “suggests a redemptive function to the Lamb of God in that he removes the world’s sinful condition (as opposed to removing the consequences of each individual’s misdeeds).”
The Fourth Gospel dealt with the “embarrassment” of Jesus’ Baptism by John the Baptist by having JTB declare that Jesus “ranks ahead of me” (v.30).
It is not clear if the author of the Fourth Gospel knew the story in Luke’s Gospel about the family relationship between JTB and Jesus, because JTB says twice that “I did not know him” (v. 31 and v.33). Consistent with the high Christology of the Fourth Gospel, JTB’s testimony about Jesus goes further than any of the Synoptic Gospels in JTB’s saying: “this is the Son of God” (v.34).
Unlike the accounts in Matthew 11 and Luke 7 in which JTB sent disciples to Jesus to ask if he was “the one who is to come,” in the Fourth Gospel, JTB saw that Jesus is the Messiah when the Spirit/Dove descended upon Jesus and remained (v.32), symbolizing Jesus’ permanent relationship with the Father.
The second part of today’s reading described two of John’s disciples (Andrew and another) leaving JTB to follow Jesus, and Andrew’s telling his brother, Simon, that he had found the Messiah (v.41). The parenthetical translations by the author of the words “Rabbi” (v.38), “Messiah” (v.41) and “Cephas” (v.42) show that the author’s intended audience was Gentile.
The New Jerome Biblical Commentary notes that the term “Rabbi” was not common in Jesus’ time (the early part of the First Century CE). The JANT says that “rabbi” originally meant “my master” and later became known as a person qualified to pronounce on matters of Jewish law and practice.
2026, January 11 ~ Isaiah 42:1-9; Acts 10:34-43; Matthew 3:13-17
by Thomas O'BrienTODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
JANUARY 11, 2026
THE BAPTISM OF JESUS OF NAZARETH
Isaiah 42:1-9
Reading
1 Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations.
2 He will not cry or lift up his voice, or make it heard in the street;
3 a bruised reed he will not break, and a dimly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice.
4 He will not grow faint or be crushed until he has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands wait for his teaching.
5 Thus says God, the LORD, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and what comes from it, who gives breath to the people upon it and spirit to those who walk in it:
6 I am the LORD, I have called you in righteousness, I have taken you by the hand and kept you; I have given you as a covenant to the people, a light to the nations,
7 to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness.
8 I am the LORD, that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to idols.
9 See, the former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare; before they spring forth, I tell you of them.
Commentary
The Book of Isaiah is a composite of writings from three distinct periods in Ancient Israel’s history. The writings were compiled from about 700 BCE to about 300 BCE. The name “Isaiah” means “YHWH has saved” or “May YHWH save.”
Chapters 1-39 are called “First Isaiah” and are the words of a prophet (one who speaks for YHWH – translated as “LORD” in all capital letters in the NRSV) who called for Jerusalem to repent in the 30 years before Jerusalem came under siege by the Assyrians in 701 BCE. “Second Isaiah” is Chapters 40 to 55. In these chapters, a prophet brought hope to the Judeans during the Exile in Babylon (587 to 539 BCE) by telling them they had suffered enough and would return to Jerusalem. “Third Isaiah” is Chapters 56 to 66 in which a prophet gave encouragement to the Judeans who had returned to Jerusalem (which was largely destroyed by the Babylonians in 587 BCE) after the Exile had ended.
The Jewish Study Bible points out that one of major religious issues faced by First Isaiah was whether Judea should attempt to confront its enemies by using military and diplomatic means and or if it should rely on YHWH to protect them. Isaiah (unlike most of his contemporaries) preferred the latter option.
The New Oxford Annotated Bible observes that three themes dominate the book of Isaiah as it now exists: (1) that YHWH is the moving force behind all historical events; (2) the centrality of Jerusalem for Israel, both for kingship and for worship; and (3) the image of a new ruler who will usher in a new age of justice, righteousness and peace (which developed into the concept of “messiah” in early Jewish and early Christian writings).
Today’s reading is from “Second Isaiah” and verses 1 through 4 are the first part of the so-called “Servant Songs” found in Chapters 42, 48, 50 and 52-53. The JSB notes that the identity of the “servant” is “hotly debated.” Some of the understandings of the servant are: (a) the prophet Isaiah or (b) Cyrus II (the Great) who defeated the Babylonians in 539 BCE and ended the Babylonian Exile (and who is called the “LORD’s anointed” in Is. 45:1) or (c) the Messiah, or (d) an idealized Israel. The NOAB states that most scholars conclude – based on the overall sense of the texts – that an ideal Israel (or the faithful within Israel) is the “servant” in in this reading and in the Four Servant Songs.
The JSB observes that the text looks forward to the ideal world of the future in which justice will reign and the covenant between Israel and God will be observed perfectly. Even nations far away and apostate Israelites (the “coastlands” v.4) will know God because of God’s treatment of Israel. The NOAB states that verses 5-9 are a call for Israel to a “mission to alleviate ignorance and suffering among the peoples of the world.” The JSB notes that because of the covenant (v.6), and in spite of their sins and the Exile, the people of Israel can be assured of their restoration and will be the means by which God becomes known to all nations as mighty, just and reliable.
Because he relied on a Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures (the LXX), the author of the Gospel According to Matthew (12:18-21) paraphrased verses 1 to 4 as part of the “prediction-fulfillment” approach he used to describe Jesus of Nazareth as the Messiah.
The author of the Gospel According to Mark adopted many of the motifs of Psalm 22 and of the Suffering Servant Songs (particularly the 4th Servant Song in Chapters 52 and 53 of Isaiah) to describe the sufferings of Jesus of Nazareth in the Crucifixion.
Acts 10:34-43
Reading
34 Peter began to speak to them: “I truly understand that God shows no partiality, 35 but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. 36 You know the message he sent to the people of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ — he is Lord of all. 37 That message spread throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John announced: 38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. 39 We are witnesses to all that he did both in Judea and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree; 40 but God raised him on the third day and allowed him to appear, 41 not to all the people but to us who were chosen by God as witnesses, and who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. 42 He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one ordained by God as judge of the living and the dead. 43 All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”
Commentary
The book called “The Acts of the Apostles” was written around 85 to 90 CE by the anonymous author of the Gospel According to Luke. The first 15 chapters of Acts are a didactic “history” of the early Jesus Follower Movement starting with the Ascension of the Christ and ending at the so-called Council of Jerusalem where it was agreed that Gentiles did not have to be circumcised and keep all the Kosher dietary laws to become Jesus Followers.
Chapters 16 to 28 of Acts are an account of Paul’s Missionary Journeys, his arrest, and his transfer to Rome – and the stories are not always consistent with the information in Paul’s letters.
The Gospel According to Luke and the Acts of the Apostles see the Holy Spirit as the driving force for all that happens. The events surrounding today’s reading exemplify this.
As background to today’s reading in Chapter 10, Peter fell into a trance (v.10) and saw a sheet filled with foods regarded by Jews as profane or unclean. A voice admonished him that what God made clean shall not be called profane (v. 15). Soon after, Peter converted a Gentile, Cornelius the Centurion, at the behest of the Spirit (v.19). Peter then gave a speech (today’s reading) that was a synopsis of the major themes in the Gospel According to Luke (vv. 36-43). One of those themes is the idea that being part of God’s people (v.34-35) does not depend on ethnic distinctions but rather by a religious one – fearing God and doing what is right. The Jewish Annotated New Testament notes that in stating that God shows no partiality (v.34) the author is saying that “God’s attribute as an impartial judge (Deut 10.17-18; Sir 35.12-13) now applies to God’s dealings with Jews and Gentiles (Rom 2.11).”
Although it is not clear whether the “they” in verse 39b refers to the Romans or (as The JANT suggests) the Jews/Jewish leaders.
In today’s reading, the author presented Peter’s speech as saying it was God who allowed the Resurrected Christ to appear (v.40), but not to all people, but only to those chosen by God as witnesses (v.41). Consistent with Luke’s Gospel in which the Resurrected Christ ate a piece of fish (Luke 24:42), Peter asserted that the Risen Christ ate and drank with the chosen witnesses (v.41). In many ways, Peter’s speech also summarizes the major themes in Acts.
In the verses that follow today’s reading, the Holy Spirit “fell” (v.44) upon all who heard Peter’s speech. The “circumcised believers” (v. 45) were Jewish Jesus Followers, and they were astounded that the Holy Spirit had been “poured out” upon Gentiles (v. 45). Peter baptized these Gentile Jesus Followers.
These events — the sheet of “unclean foods,” the conversion of Cornelius, the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch in Chapter 8, and the baptism of the Gentiles upon whom the Holy Spirit was poured – were presented in Acts as critical “precedents” to the spread of the Jesus Follower Movement to Gentiles.
They were also presented as important predicates for the decision at the “Council of Jerusalem” attended by “the apostles and elders” (Ac.15.4) at which Paul and Peter testified about the Spirit’s coming upon Gentiles and argued in favor of baptizing Gentiles.
James, the brother of Jesus and head of the Jesus Follower Community in Jerusalem, decided (reluctantly) that Gentiles could become Jesus Followers and did not have to be circumcised or keep all the Kosher rules (Ac. 15:19-20).
Following the account of the Council, Acts of the Apostles turned its focus to Paul’s missions to the Gentiles.
Matthew 3:13-17
Reading
13 Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. 14 John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” 15 But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. 16 And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”
Commentary
The Gospel of Matthew highlights Jesus’ origins and identity. Written around 85 CE by an anonymous author, the Gospel began Jesus’s genealogy with Abraham and depicted Jesus as a teacher of the Law like Moses. More than any other Gospel, Matthew quoted from the Hebrew Scriptures (using the Greek Septuagint translation) to illustrate that Jesus was the Messiah.
Having been written well after the Destruction of the Temple in 70 CE, the Gospel reflected the controversies between the Jesus Followers and the Pharisees for control of Judaism going forward. Accordingly, the Gospel contains many harsh sayings about the Pharisees. The Gospel is aimed primarily at the late First Century Jewish Jesus Follower community.
The Gospel relied heavily on the Gospel of Mark and included all but 60 verses from Mark. Like Luke, Matthew also used a “Sayings Source” (called “Q” by scholars). There are also a substantial number of stories that are unique to Matthew: the Annunciation of Jesus’ conception was revealed to Joseph in a dream (rather than to Mary by an angel as in Luke); the Visit of the Magi; the Slaughter of the Innocents by Herod; the Flight to Egypt; the Laborers in the Vineyard; and the earthquake on Easter Morning, among others.
Today’s reading is Matthew’s version of the Baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary notes: “Mark has a straightforward account (1:9-11), theologically naïve and unembarrassed. But after he had written it down, the story simply became an embarrassment to the early church, because it was thought unsuitable that the sinless Jesus should be baptized for his sins. Matthew therefore omits the reference in Mark 1:4 to the forgiveness of sins and adds vv 14 and 15.”
In addition, because a person performing a baptism is often seen as “superior” to the baptized person, Jesus’ baptism by John also created a “need” to show John’s subordination to Jesus. All four gospels contain language about John’s unworthiness to untie Jesus’ sandals (Matthew said “carry” which The NJBC suggests may reflect a later rabbinic refinement). In today’s reading, Matthew added a colloquy in which John recognized Jesus’ superiority by saying to Jesus that he ought to be baptized by Jesus, but Jesus told him to proceed with the baptism to “fulfill all righteousness” (3:14-15). The JANT notes that fulfilling all righteousness is a “messianic accomplishment (Jer 23.5-6, 33.15-16).”
The New Oxford Annotated Bible observes: “The assertion of Jesus’ superiority may reflect an early dispute between followers of the Baptist and Jesus (see 11.2-11 [an account of John’s sending disciples to Jesus to ask if he was “the one who is to come”]; cf. Acts 19.1-5 [in which Paul re-baptized Ephesians who had received “the baptism of John” and who had not heard of the Holy Spirit]).”
In A Season for the Spirit, Martin Smith suggests that Jesus’ Baptism was a statement of Jesus’ essential humanity and his relationship with us. Although Smith surmises that Jesus was aware of his sinless state, Jesus did not stand apart from sinners but submitted to baptism as one of us.
The Jewish Annotated New Testament observes that “righteousness” (v.15) is frequently used in Matthew to mean “obedience to the divine will” as in Jesus’ acquiescence to baptism by John, and Joseph’s desire not to harm Mary but to divorce her quietly (1:19).
The NJBC points out that in Matthew’s account, the sight of the Spirit of God (a dove) descending on Jesus was private to him (“the heavens were opened to him and he saw” v.16), and it is not clear if only Jesus heard the voice from heaven. The NJBC notes that “my Son, the Beloved” (v.17) has echoes of Isaiah 42:1 in that the word for “servant” in Hebrew (ebed) was translated in the LXX as pais which also has the meaning of “son” or “child.” The NOAB notes that the phrase also echoes the description of Isaac (Gen. 22:2) as “the son whom you love” in the Binding (or Near Sacrifice) of Isaac.
20026, January 4 ~ Jeremiah 31:7-14; Ephesians 1:3-6,15-19a; Matthew 2:1-12
by Thomas O'BrienTODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
JANUARY 4, 2026
Jeremiah 31:7-14
Reading
7 Thus says the LORD: Sing aloud with gladness for Jacob and raise shouts for the chief of the nations; proclaim, give praise, and say, “Save, O LORD, your people, the remnant of Israel.”
8 See, I am going to bring them from the land of the north and gather them from the farthest parts of the earth, among them the blind and the lame, those with child and those in labor, together; a great company, they shall return here.
9 With weeping they shall come, and with consolations I will lead them back, I will let them walk by brooks of water, in a straight path in which they shall not stumble; for I have become a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn.
10 Hear the word of the LORD, O nations, and declare it in the coastlands far away; say, “He who scattered Israel will gather him, and will keep him as a shepherd a flock.”
11 For the LORD has ransomed Jacob and has redeemed him from hands too strong for him.
12 They shall come and sing aloud on the height of Zion, and they shall be radiant over the goodness of the LORD, over the grain, the wine, and the oil, and over the young of the flock and the herd; their life shall become like a watered garden, and they shall never languish again.
13 Then shall the young women rejoice in the dance, and the young men and the old shall be merry. I will turn their mourning into joy, I will comfort them, and give them gladness for sorrow.
14 I will give the priests their fill of fatness, and my people shall be satisfied with my bounty, says the LORD.
Commentary
After the righteous and reforming King Josiah was killed in battle at Megiddo (from which we get the Greek word Armageddon) in 609 BCE, the fortunes of Judea took a sharp downward turn. Babylon threatened Judea’s existence, and Judea had a series of hapless kings from 609 until Jerusalem was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BCE. The Babylonians deported many Judean leaders to Babylon in 597 and a larger number in 586 (the Babylonian Exile). Jeremiah’s prophesy (i.e., speaking for YHWH) began around 609 and continued until 586 BCE when he died in Egypt.
Most Bible scholars agree that the Book of Jeremiah underwent substantial revisions between the time of Jeremiah (627 to 586 BCE) and the First Century. In the Dead Sea Scrolls, there were different versions of the Book of Jeremiah. The Greek Septuagint Translation (the LXX – dating from 300 to 200 BCE) has some chapters that are not in the Hebrew versions.
Sections in the book that are in “poetry style” are generally attributed to the prophet, and parts in “prose style” were added later by writers whose theological outlook was closely aligned with the Deuteronomists. (In fact, Chapter 52 in Jeremiah is virtually word-for-word with 2 Kings 24:18 to 25:30 written by the Deuteronomists after the Exile.)
The Jewish Study Bible sees the book of Jeremiah as “the product of a debate within Jewish circles from the late monarchy [610-586 BCE] and the exilic periods [586-539 BCE] concerning the question of theodicy or the righteousness of God. Although fully aware of the theological problems posed by the destruction of the Temple and the exile of the Jewish people, the book affirms God’s existence and righteousness as well as the future of the restored nation Israel on its land.”
Understanding the Bible says: “in Jeremiah’s view, Judah’s failure to enforce Mosaic principles that protected impoverished laborers and their families, coupled with the government’s implied mandate for the rich to use any means, including fraud and violence, to increase their wealth, compelled Yahweh to bring the entire system to an end.” UTB continues: “Jeremiah struggled to make Judah’s leaders realize that the newly reborn Babylonian Empire was Yahweh’s judgment on his people for their faithlessness, idolatry, and social injustice.”
Today’s reading is in “poetry style” and comes from a two-chapter section of Jeremiah called “The Book of Consolation.” It described a return from Babylon by the Judeans and the reunification of Samaria and Judea, called “the remnant” (v.7), as well as those in “the northland” (v.8) which The JSB says refers to those exiled from the north to Mesopotamia after the Assyrian Conquest in 722 BCE.
In this reading, the prophet spoke for YHWH (translated as LORD in all capital letters) and went so far as to say that YHWH would reunify all Israel. The prophet used “Jacob” and “Israel” interchangeably (“Jacob” in vv. 7 and 11) because Jacob’s name was changed to “Israel” when he wrestled with an angel/God in Genesis 32.
The prophet urged the people to sing with gladness (vv.7 and 12), and to pray to YHWH to save the “remnant” (the usual term for those taken away in the Babylonian Exile).
Ephraim, called YHWH’s firstborn (v.9), was the largest of the 10 tribes in Northern Israel and was also shorthand for Israel (the Northern 10 Tribes) after the division of the nation in 930 BCE. Ephraim was one of Joseph’s sons (Gen.48).
Ephesians 1:3-6, 15-19a
Reading
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4 just as he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love. 5 He destined us for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace that he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.
15 I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, and for this reason 16 I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers. 17 I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, 18 so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, 19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe.
Commentary
Ephesus was a large and prosperous city in what is now western Türkiye. In the Acts of the Apostles and 1 Corinthians, Paul is said to have visited there. In Ephesus, there were Jesus Followers who were Jews and there were Jesus Followers who were Gentiles, and they did not always agree on what it meant to be a Jesus Follower.
Because the letter contained many terms not used in Paul’s other letters and gave new meanings to some of Paul’s characteristic terms, most scholars believe that this letter was written by one of Paul’s disciples late in the First Century. The letter was intended to unify the Jesus Follower community in Ephesus, but (as The Jewish Annotated New Testament points out) it was a “circular letter” that spoke to numerous audiences to which it might be circulated. The first three chapters are theological teachings, and the last three chapters consist of ethical exhortations.
In today’s reading from the first chapter, the author was working his way up to the main theme of unity. He emphasized that the Christ mediates all the blessings we receive (v.3), that the Christ was at the “foundation of the world” (v.4) and that the Jesus Followers were adopted as God’s children through the Christ (v.5).
He went on to give thanksgiving for the faith of the community (v.15) and prayed that the “eyes of their hearts” will be enlightened (v.18).
Matthew 2:1-12
Reading
1 In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, 2 asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising and have come to pay him homage.” 3 When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; 4 and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. 5 They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet: 6 `And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who is to shepherd my people Israel.'”
7 Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. 8 Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.” 9 When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. 11 On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.
Commentary
Although the Gospel According to Matthew is the first gospel presented in Christian Bibles, most scholars agree that it was written about 15 years after the Gospel According to Mark – which was written around 70 CE, the time of the destruction of the Temple. It was written primarily for a Jewish Jesus Follower audience as shown by the numerous references to prophets in the Hebrew Bible as “predicting” aspects of the life of Jesus the Christ.
Matthew’s Gospel follows the same general chronology as Mark’s and is one of the “Synoptic” Gospels. Over 50% of Matthew comes from Mark, and the other two sources for Matthew are (a) “sayings” that are also found in Luke’s Gospel (but which are not in Mark) and (b) material that is found only in Matthew.
“Special Matthew” material includes a genealogy of Jesus of Nazareth (1:1-17) that is different from the genealogy used by Luke, particularly in that it begins with Abraham (not Adam, as in Luke) and includes four women (Tamar, Ruth, Bathsheba, Rahab) who acted scandalously at times but played a significant role in the Davidic line.
Other materials unique to Matthew are the unstated assumption that Mary and Joseph resided in Bethlehem where Jesus was born (2:1), the appearance of angels in dreams to Joseph (1:20, 2:13 and 2:19), the visit and gifts of the Magi, the flight to Egypt, the decision to move to Nazareth after Herod’s death, the Slaughter of the Innocents by Herod, and the extended Sermon on the Mount (Chapters 5 to 7). Matthew is intentional in presenting Jesus as “the New Moses” (“raise up a prophet like me [Moses]” Deut. 18:15) whom the temporal powers seek to kill as a child (Pharaoh/Herod); goes to Egypt; returns to Promised Land; and goes to the mountain to receive the Law/deliver the Sermon on the Mount.
Herod the Great was the king of Judea from 37 BCE to 4 BCE, so if there is any historical basis for the story that is today’s reading, Jesus would have been born in or before 4 BCE. In Greek, the “wise men” are Magi, a word related to the English word “magic.”
The prophet on whom the chief priests relied in stating the Messiah would be in Bethlehem was Micah 5:2 – which was a recent reading (Fourth Sunday of Advent).
Although there are traditionally said to be three wise men because of the three symbolic gifts suitable for a king (v.13), the text does not identify the number of Magi. Calling the wise men “kings” did not occur until substantially later, perhaps as a way to assert that secular kings were subservient to Jesus the Christ. The Jewish Annotated New Testament says that First Century Jews would have thought of them as Zoroastrian priests and “early Jewish readers may have regarded them as Persian astrologers and not as wise but as foolish [citing Philo].”
Regarding the star, The JANT says: “no ancient sources confirm this astronomical phenomenon, and no star in the sense we know it today could stop over a house without incinerating the earth.” The New Jerome Biblical Commentary suggests that the star is a “midrashic element derived from Num 22-24, the Balaam narrative, esp. 24:17” (“a star shall come out of Jacob and the scepter shall rise out of Israel”).
Matthew’s account of the flight to Egypt (vv. 13-15) cannot be harmonized with Luke’s account of the Holy Family’s actions after the birth of Jesus. In Luke, Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to the Temple in Jerusalem 40 days after his birth for Mary’s purification and for Jesus to be presented (Luke 2:22-38). At that time, Simeon and Anna offered public prayers of praise.
There is no evidence outside Matthew’s Gospel for Herod’s killing children under age 2 who lived in and around Bethlehem.
2025, December 28 ~ Isaiah 61:10-62:3; Galatians 3:23-25, 4:4-7; John 1:1-18
by Thomas O'BrienTODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
DECEMBER 28, 2025
Isaiah 61:10 – 62:3
Reading
10 I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my whole being shall exult in my God; for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation, he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
11 For as the earth brings forth its shoots, and as a garden causes what is sown in it to spring up, so the LORD God will cause righteousness and praise to spring up before all the nations.
62:1 For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, until her vindication shines out like the dawn, and her salvation like a burning torch.
2 The nations shall see your vindication, and all the kings your glory; and you shall be called by a new name that the mouth of the LORD will give.
3 You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the LORD, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God.
Commentary
The Book of Isaiah is a composite of writings from three distinct periods in Ancient Israel’s history. The writings were compiled from about 700 BCE to about 300 BCE. The name “Isaiah” means “YHWH has saved” or “May YHWH save.”
Chapters 1-39 are called “First Isaiah” and are the words of a prophet (one who speaks for YHWH – translated as “LORD” in all capital letters in the NRSV) who called for Jerusalem to repent in the 30 years before Jerusalem came under siege by the Assyrians in 701 BCE. “Second Isaiah” is Chapters 40 to 55. In these chapters, a prophet brought hope to the Judeans during the Exile in Babylon (587 to 539 BCE) by telling them they had suffered enough and would return to Jerusalem. “Third Isaiah” is Chapters 56 to 66 in which a prophet gave encouragement to the Judeans who had returned to Jerusalem (which was largely destroyed by the Babylonians in 587 BCE) after the Exile had ended.
The Jewish Study Bible points out that one of major religious issues faced by First Isaiah was whether Judea should attempt to confront its enemies by using military and diplomatic means and or if it should rely on YHWH to protect them. Isaiah (unlike most of his contemporaries) preferred the latter option.
The New Oxford Annotated Bible observes that three themes dominate the book of Isaiah as it now exists: (1) that YHWH is the moving force behind all historical events; (2) the centrality of Jerusalem for Israel, both for kingship and for worship; and (3) the image of a new ruler who will usher in a new age of justice, righteousness and peace (which developed into the concept of “messiah” in early Jewish and early Christian writings).
The Book of Isaiah is a composite of writings from three distinct periods in Ancient Israel’s history. The writings were compiled from about 700 BCE to about 300 BCE. The name “Isaiah” means “YHWH has saved” or “May YHWH save.”
Chapters 1-39 are called “First Isaiah” and are the words of a prophet (one who speaks for YHWH – translated as “LORD” in all capital letters in the NRSV) who called for Jerusalem to repent in the 30 years before Jerusalem came under siege by the Assyrians in 701 BCE. “Second Isaiah” is Chapters 40 to 55. In these chapters, a prophet brought hope to the Judeans during the Exile in Babylon (587 to 539 BCE) by telling them they had suffered enough and would return to Jerusalem. “Third Isaiah” is Chapters 56 to 66 in which a prophet gave encouragement to the Judeans who had returned to Jerusalem (which was largely destroyed by the Babylonians in 587 BCE) after the Exile had ended.
The Jewish Study Bible points out that one of major religious issues faced by First Isaiah was whether Judea should attempt to confront its enemies by using military and diplomatic means and or if it should rely on YHWH to protect them. Isaiah (unlike most of his contemporaries) preferred the latter option.
The New Oxford Annotated Bible observes that three themes dominate the book of Isaiah as it now exists: (1) that YHWH is the moving force behind all historical events; (2) the centrality of Jerusalem for Israel, both for kingship and for worship; and (3) the image of a new ruler who will usher in a new age of justice, righteousness and peace (which developed into the concept of “messiah” in early Jewish and early Christian writings).
Today’s reading is from “Third Isaiah” and is a series of joyful verses. In the first two verses, the prophet spoke for the Judeans and for Jerusalem who rejoiced that they received salvation and righteousness from YHWH (v.10). The people and Jerusalem were described as a bridegroom, a bride, and the earth in springtime that brings forth its shoots. These verses are spoken by Zion/Jerusalem.
As is often characteristic of psalm-like verses in the Hebrew Bible (as was also true of ancient Canaanite poetry), the verses are repetitive – the idea in one phrase is repeated in slightly different words in the next phrase. For example, “I will greatly rejoice” (v.10a) is followed by “my whole being will exult.” Similarly, Zion is “clothed with garments of salvation” (v.10b) is repeated as the “robe of righteousness.”
The prophet said that YHWH would cause righteousness to spring up among all the nations (v.11). In the Hebrew Bible, the word that is translated as “the nations” is sometimes – depending on context – translated as “the pagans,” or “the foreigners” or “the Gentiles.”
In the verses beginning “For Zion’s sake” (62:1), the speaker shifted from Zion to the prophet, but the use of repetitive ideas continued: “I will not keep silent” (v.1a) was followed by “I will not rest.” The prophet stated that the “nations” (i.e. Gentiles) shall see your vindication (v.2) and “the kings” (i.e. foreign rulers) shall see your glory. You [Zion] shall wear “a crown of beauty” and “a royal diadem.”
The NOAB notes that being “called by a new name” (v,2) meant Zion/Jerusalem will have a change of fortune and a new identity given by YHWH.
Galatians 3:23-25, 4:4-7
Reading
23 Now before faith came, we were imprisoned and guarded under the law until faith would be revealed. 24 Therefore the law was our disciplinarian until Christ came, so that we might be justified by faith. 25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer subject to a disciplinarian.
4:4 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 in order to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as children. 6 And because you are children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” 7 So you are no longer a slave but a child, and if a child then also an heir, through God.
Commentary
Galatia was a large Roman province in what is now western Türkiye. This letter was likely written by Paul in the late 40’s or early 50’s (CE), and deals in part with controversies between Jewish Jesus Followers and Gentile Jesus Followers regarding the continuing importance of Torah (Law) to Jesus Followers. In particular, did Gentiles have to be circumcised and follow the Kosher dietary law to become Jesus Followers? If not, what was the role of Torah for both Jewish and Gentile Jesus Followers?
These issues are also described in Chapter 15 of Acts of the Apostles and in Paul’s letter to the Romans (written in the early 60’s).
Galatians is a “transitional” letter in that – when compared to Paul’s last letter (Romans) — it shows an evolution in his views on the relationship between the Torah and the Gentile Jesus Followers.
The Jewish Annotated New Testament points out: “In recent times scholars have softened the polemical edge of this letter by observing that Paul’s attack on the law was addressed to Gentile believers in Christ; his primary concern was to make sure that they did not begin to observe the Torah. Nowhere in his letters, neither in Galatians nor elsewhere, does Paul attempt to convince native Jews to abandon the Torah.”
Today’s reading unfortunately omits verses that would help the reader/hearer better understand Paul’s position on the relationship between the law (Torah) and the faithfulness of (not faith in) Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ.
The omitted verses are: “26 for in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith. 27 As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham ‘s offspring, heirs according to the promise. 4:1 My point is this: heirs, as long as they are minors, are no better than slaves, though they are the owners of all the property; but they remain under guardians and trustees until the date set by the father. So with us; while we were minors, we were enslaved to the elemental spirits of the world.”
Paul stated that through the grace of the faithfulness of Jesus the Christ/Anointed, Jesus Followers were “no longer subject to a disciplinarian [the Law]” (vv.24-25). What is translated as a “disciplinarian” is the Greek word pedagogue – a household slave charged with keeping the master’s son out of trouble, who accompanied him outside the house, and punished him when necessary. The JANT points out that this usage shows Paul’s view that the effect (and benefit) of the Law was intended to be temporary until the coming of salvation/wholeness through the Christ.
The NOAB states that verses 26 to 28 were likely part of an early baptismal formula that Paul was quoting. It goes on to observe that Christ alone is “Abraham’s offspring” (v.29) citing Gal. 3:16. It also observed that “elemental spirits” (also sometimes translated as “rudiments”) were considered the four elements (earth, air, fire and water) which in Paul’s time were seen as controlling human destiny, but that “rudiments” could also be understood as the basic principles of a philosophy or code.
The NOAB observes that minors (v.1,2) like other members of a Roman family (except for the father), had few rights.
In the second part of today’s reading (beginning with “But when the fulness of time had come”), Paul emphasized that Jesus of Nazareth was a human and a Jew (“born of a woman under the law” v.4) to “redeem those under the law” (v.5) (the Jews).
The Greek word translated here as “redeem” (v.5) means to buy back, as in redeeming something one owns from a pawn shop. All persons, because of the Spirit of the Son, are children of God who can call God “Abba” (Aramaic for father) and are heirs of the Kingdom (v.7).
In speaking of the “Spirit of his Son,” The JANT notes that “Paul distinguishes between Christ and God [citing verses] but seems to identify the Spirit and Christ (Rom. 8.9-10). In the fourth century the Nicene Creed distinguished God the Father, God the Son (Christ) and the God the Spirit. The Trinitarian conception is unknown to Paul and is barely attested in the NT.”
John 1:1-18
Reading
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being 4 in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.
6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. 8 He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. 9 The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.
10 He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. 12 But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.
14 And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth. 15 (John testified to him and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks ahead of me because he was before me.'”) 16 From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. 17 The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father’s heart, who has made him known.
Commentary
Most scholars agree that the Fourth Gospel was written around 95 CE, at a time when the “parting of the ways” between the Jesus Follower Movement and Rabbinic Judaism was accelerating.
The Fourth Gospel is different in many ways from the Synoptic Gospels. The “signs” (miracles) and many stories in the Fourth Gospel are unique to it, such as the Wedding at Cana, Jesus’ conversation with the Samaritan woman at the well, and the Raising of Lazarus.
The chronology of events is also different in the Fourth Gospel. For example, the Temple Event (“Cleansing of the Temple”) occurred early in Jesus’ Ministry in the Fourth Gospel, rather than late as in the Synoptic Gospels. In the Synoptic Gospels, the Last Supper was a Passover Seder, but in the Fourth Gospel, it occurred the day before the first day of Passover so that Jesus (who is described as “the Lamb of God” in the Fourth Gospel) died at the same time lambs were sacrificed at the Temple for the Passover Seder that was to be held the night he died. The Synoptic Gospels are set primarily in the Galilee with a trip to Jerusalem at the end. In the Fourth Gospel, the time of the public ministry is three years, with movement back and forth between the Galilee and Jerusalem.
Today’s reading is most of the “Prologue” to the Fourth Gospel which The New Jerome Biblical Commentary considers a later addition to the Gospel based in part on an early hymn.
Using “Word” to translate the Greek word “Logos” fails to capture the breadth and depth of Logos. The NOAB speaks of the Logos as “God’s preeminent agent in the world.” The JANT points out that Logos was well known in Greek philosophy as a link between the Transcendent/Divine and humanity/the terrestrial. For the First Century Alexandrian Jewish philosopher Philo, Logos was the first fruit of God’s creation.
Logos was particularly important in Stoic philosophy as both a creative principle analogous to Sophia (Holy Wisdom present at Creation in Proverbs 8:22 and 30) and as that which distinguished each created thing from each other thing.
In an Essay in The JANT, the author presented a case that John 1:1-5 is not a departure in Judaism in its use of Logos theology but is a homily (or midrash) on Genesis 1:1-5 – which also opens “in the beginning.” It notes that the reference to “all people” (v.4) can foreshadow that Jesus came to save “the world” and not only a particular ethnic group.
The NOAB observes: “The primary meaning of world [v.10] in the Fourth Gospel is the fallible social systems and social relations created by humanity.” Verses 10-12 give the major messages of the Gospel. The JANT says: Verses 10 to 12 “summarize the Gospel’s historical and cosmological plots: Jesus’ own people, the Jews, failed to accept him and plotted to kill him; those who did accept him became God’s children and receive eternal life.”
The theme of light and dark is very important in the Fourth Gospel, and the rejection by “his own people” (v.11) is one of the Gospel’s central concerns. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary notes that the rejection of the light (v.11) “recalls the rejection of Wisdom in 1 Enoch 42:2: ‘Wisdom went out to dwell with the children of the people, but she found no dwelling place; (so) Wisdom returned to her place and she established herself among the angels.’”
Verse 14 (“The Word became flesh”) emphasizes that Jesus was fully human.
The NOAB understands the phrase “grace upon grace” (v.16) to mean that from God/the Christ/the Word grace is inexhaustible. The NOAB and The JANT go on to say that verse 18 (“No one has ever seen God”) shows Jesus priority over Moses, and cite Ex. 33:18-20 (“You [Moses] cannot see my [YHWH] face; for no one can see me and live.”) as support. This overlooks another tradition found in Deuteronomy 34:10 (“Never since has there arisen a prophet in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face.”)
The JANT makes a number of important points regarding the Prologue: (a) there is a contrast between the biologically-based covenant of the Jews and the faith-based covenant presented by the Fourth Gospel; (b) stating that the Word/Logos became flesh created a paradox because “flesh” is perishable and Logos is eternal; (c) Jews in the Second Temple period believed in the existence of supernatural beings (such as angels) taking human form at times, and thus the boundaries between the human and the divine were understood in a more porous and less absolute way; and (d) the words translated “lived among us” (v.14) in the original Greek mean “tabernacled” — an allusion to the Tabernacle in the Wilderness that “contained” the presence of YHWH.
2025, December 25 ~ Isaiah 52:7-10; Hebrews 1:1-12; John 1:1-14
by Thomas O'BrienTODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
DECEMBER 25, 2025
CHRISTMAS III
Isaiah 52:7-10
Reading
7 How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of the messenger who announces peace, who brings good news, who announces salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.”
8 Listen! Your sentinels lift up their voices, together they sing for joy; for in plain sight they see the return of the LORD to Zion.
9 Break forth together into singing, you ruins of Jerusalem; for the LORD has comforted his people, he has redeemed Jerusalem.
10 The LORD has bared his holy arm before the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.
Commentary
The Book of Isaiah is a composite of writings from three distinct periods in Ancient Israel’s history. The writings were compiled from about 700 BCE to about 300 BCE. The name “Isaiah” means “YHWH has saved” or “May YHWH save.”
Chapters 1-39 are called “First Isaiah” and are the words of a prophet (one who speaks for YHWH – translated as “LORD” in all capital letters in the NRSV) who called for Jerusalem to repent in the 30 years before Jerusalem came under siege by the Assyrians in 701 BCE. “Second Isaiah” is Chapters 40 to 55. In these chapters, a prophet brought hope to the Judeans during the Exile in Babylon (587 to 539 BCE) by telling them they had suffered enough and would return to Jerusalem. “Third Isaiah” is Chapters 56 to 66 in which a prophet gave encouragement to the Judeans who had returned to Jerusalem (which was largely destroyed by the Babylonians in 587 BCE) after the Exile had ended.
The Jewish Study Bible points out that one of major religious issues faced by First Isaiah was whether Judea should attempt to confront its enemies by using military and diplomatic means and or if it should rely on YHWH to protect them. Isaiah (unlike most of his contemporaries) preferred the latter option.
The New Oxford Annotated Bible observes that three themes dominate the book of Isaiah as it now exists: (1) that YHWH is the moving force behind all historical events; (2) the centrality of Jerusalem for Israel, both for kingship and for worship; and (3) the image of a new ruler who will usher in a new age of justice, righteousness and peace (which developed into the concept of “messiah” in early Jewish and early Christian writings).
Today’s reading is central to the message of Second Isaiah during the Exile. It described the return of YHWH to Jerusalem and Mount Zion. The JSB emphasizes that it is “God’s very own Presence” that returns. The NOAB notes that the “sentinels” (v.8) are the prophets who sing for joy that the Babylonian Exile will end. “Nations” (v.10) is a translation of the Hebrew word “goyim” which is also translatable as the “Gentiles.” In the triumphant return of YHWH to Zion, the Gentiles will also see that YHWH brings salvation.
Hebrews 1:1-12
Reading
1 Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom he also created the worlds. 3 He is the reflection of God’s glory and the exact imprint of God’s very being, and he sustains all things by his powerful word. When he had made purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4 having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.
5 For to which of the angels did God ever say, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you”? Or again, “I will be his Father, and he will be my Son”?
6 And again, when he brings the firstborn into the world, he says, “Let all God’s angels worship him.”
7 Of the angels he says, “He makes his angels winds, and his servants flames of fire.”
8 But of the Son he says, “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, and the righteous scepter is the scepter of your kingdom. 9 You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions.”
10 And, “In the beginning, Lord, you founded the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands; 11 they will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like clothing;12 like a cloak you will roll them up, and like clothing they will be changed. But you are the same, and your years will never end.”
Commentary
The Letter to the Hebrews was an anonymous sermon to both Jewish and Gentile Jesus Followers, urging them to maintain their Faith and Hope in the face of hardship. The letter developed a number of important images such as Jesus the Christ as the High Priest.
Although the Letter to the Hebrews is sometimes attributed to Paul, most scholars agree that it was written some time after Paul’s death in 63/64 CE, but before 100 CE. The letter introduced a number of important theological themes. The first four chapters explored the word of God spoken through the Son.
The Jewish Annotated New Testament describes Hebrews as containing the New Testament’s most sophisticated Greek, and the only document in the Christian Scriptures that contains a sustained argument on the nature of Christ. It introduced to the Jesus Folllower community a number of important theological themes such as the idea of the Christ as the “high priest of our confession” (3:1) and simultaneously that Jesus the Christ was the perfect sacrifice (5:8). It is perceived as the New Testament’s most anti-Jewish text because of its supersessionism in stating that the Temple cult/sacrifice system was superseded by the one-time sacrifice of Jesus.
The JANT explains: “Supersessionist theology inscribes Judaism as an obsolete, illegitimate religion, and in the New Testament this idea is articulated no more plainly than in Hebrews. Drawing on Jeremiah’s reference (31.31) to a ‘new covenant’… the author of Hebrews calls Mosaic Law ‘only a shadow of good things to come’ and insists that ‘in speaking of a new covenant,’ he has made the first one obsolete. And what is obsolete and growing old will soon disappear’ (8.13). Such language helped foster the view that Judaism was an inferior religion, at best a precursor to Christ.”
The New Oxford Annotated Bible observes: “The central role of interpretation of the Jewish scriptures (used by the author in their ancient Greek translation the Septuagint) in the argument of the sermon [the Letter to the Hebrews] shows the continued importance of the Bible and of Jewish tradition for those who believed in Christ. The author seeks both to ground the argument in scripture and to argue that Jesus is superior to Jewish traditions….The work attempts to interpret the significance of Jesus Christ and his death in categories familiar to the author and audience.”
In today’s reading, the author identified the Son with Holy Wisdom that was present at creation (Prov. 8:22 and 30) in the words ”through whom he also created the worlds.” (v. 2) The author also anticipated the language of the Gospel According to John – “all things came into being through him [the LOGOS or Word]” (John 1:3). The NOAB observes: “The contrast between the mode of God’s speaking in the past and in these last days assumes that the one Son of the present is better than the many prophets of long ago.” The JANT points our that in referring to “our ancestors” (v.1), the author is indicating that “the author and implied audience understand themselves as rooted in the same lineage as any ancient or modern Jew would claim.” It also notes that “the Son” is the preferred title in Hebrews rather than “Son of God” or “Son of Man” as in the Synoptic Gospels.
Because the theology of the Trinity was only beginning to evolve in the late First Century, the author stopped short of identifying the Son as the same substance or the same “Being” as the Father as God. Instead, the Son is “a reflection of God’s glory and the exact imprint of God’s very being” (v.3) and is superior to angels (v.4). The JANT notes that these terms express “the Son’s transmission of God’s nature without any flaw.” The NOAB points out that the “name” (v.4) may be “Son” or even “Lord” (as in Phil 2:9-11). The JANT states that “In Jewish tradition, God’s name contains the divine essence and is therefore treated with great reverence.”
The quotations in verses 5 to 12 are “anticipations” about the Son and were “cherry picked” from the Hebrew Scriptures, particularly the Psalms. (The author of Hebrews knew the Hebrew Bible very well.)
Verse 5 (“You are my Son”) is a quotation from Psalm 2:7 and from 2 Sam. 7:14, both of which refer to David as God’s son. The NAOB notes that the role of angels was to serve as messengers or praise God.
Verse 6 (“Let all God’s angels worship him”) is a paraphrase of the LXX version of a portion of Deuteronomy 32:43, which says that the “heavens” will worship YHWH when YHWH restores Judea.
Verse 7 is a paraphrase of Psalm 104:4 (“You make the winds your messengers, fire and flame your ministers.”)
Verses 8 and 9 loosely paraphrase Psalm 45:6-7, a psalm that commemorates a royal wedding, but does not refer to a son. Here, the author of Hebrews refers to the Son as “God.”
Verses 10 to 12 are based on Psalm 102:25-27, a psalm that is a prayer to YHWH for the restoration of Jerusalem and the Temple after the Exile. In the Psalm, the quoted verses contrasted the permanence of YHWH with the impermanence of heaven and earth.
John 1:1-14
Reading
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being 4 in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.
6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. 8 He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. 9 The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.
10 He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. 12 But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.
14 And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.
Commentary
Most scholars agree that the Fourth Gospel was written around 95 CE, at a time when the “parting of the ways” between the Jesus Follower Movement and Rabbinic Judaism was accelerating.
The Fourth Gospel is different in many ways from the Synoptic Gospels. The “signs” (miracles) and many stories in the Fourth Gospel are unique to it, such as the Wedding at Cana, Jesus’ conversation with the Samaritan woman at the well, and the Raising of Lazarus.
The chronology of events is also different in the Fourth Gospel. For example, the Temple Event (“Cleansing of the Temple”) occurred early in Jesus’ Ministry in the Fourth Gospel, rather than late as in the Synoptic Gospels. In the Synoptic Gospels, the Last Supper was a Passover Seder, but in the Fourth Gospel, it occurred the day before the first day of Passover so that Jesus (who is described as “the Lamb of God” in the Fourth Gospel) died at the same time lambs were sacrificed at the Temple for the Passover Seder that was to be held the night he died. The Synoptic Gospels are set primarily in the Galilee with a trip to Jerusalem at the end. In the Fourth Gospel, the time of the public ministry is three years, with movement back and forth between the Galilee and Jerusalem.
Today’s reading is most of the “Prologue” to the Fourth Gospel which The New Jerome Biblical Commentary considers a later addition to the Gospel based in part on an early hymn.
Using “Word” to translate the Greek word “Logos” fails to capture the breadth and depth of Logos. The NOAB speaks of the Logos as “God’s preeminent agent in the world.” The JANT points out that Logos was well known in Greek philosophy as a link between the Transcendent/Divine and humanity/the terrestrial. For the First Century Alexandrian Jewish philosopher Philo, Logos was the first fruit of God’s creation.
Logos was particularly important in Stoic philosophy as both a creative principle analogous to Sophia (Holy Wisdom present at Creation in Proverbs 8:22 and 30) and as that which distinguished each created thing from each other thing.
In an Essay in The JANT, the author presented a case that John 1:1-5 is not a departure in Judaism in its use of Logos theology but is a homily (or midrash) on Genesis 1:1-5 – which also opens “in the beginning.” It notes that the reference to “all people” (v.4) can foreshadow that Jesus came to save “the world” and not only a particular ethnic group.
The NOAB observes: “The primary meaning of world [v.10] in the Fourth Gospel is the fallible social systems and social relations created by humanity.” Verses 10-12 give the major messages of the Gospel. The JANT says: Verses 10 to 12 “summarize the Gospel’s historical and cosmological plots: Jesus’ own people, the Jews, failed to accept him and plotted to kill him; those who did accept him became God’s children and receive eternal life.”
The theme of light and dark is very important in the Fourth Gospel, and the rejection by “his own people” (v.11) is one of the Gospel’s central concerns. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary notes that the rejection of the light (v.11) “recalls the rejection of Wisdom in 1 Enoch 42:2: ‘Wisdom went out to dwell with the children of the people, but she found no dwelling place; (so) Wisdom returned to her place and she established herself among the angels.’”
Verse 14 (“The Word became flesh”) emphasizes that Jesus was fully human.
The JANT makes a number of important points regarding the Prologue: (a) there is a contrast between the biologically-based covenant of the Jews and the faith-based covenant presented by the Fourth Gospel; (b) stating that the Word/Logos became flesh created a paradox because “flesh” is perishable and Logos is eternal; (c) Jews in the Second Temple period believed in the existence of supernatural beings (such as angels) taking human form at times, and thus the boundaries between the human and the divine were understood in a more porous and less absolute way; and (d) the words translated “lived among us” (v.14) in the original Greek mean “tabernacled” — an allusion to the Tabernacle in the Wilderness that “contained” the presence of YHWH.
2025, December 21 ~ Isaiah 7:10-16; Romans 1:1-7; Matthew 1:18-25
by Thomas O'BrienTODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
DECEMBER 21, 2025
Isaiah 7:10-16
Reading
10 Again the LORD spoke to Ahaz, saying, 11 Ask a sign of the LORD your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven. 12 But Ahaz said, I will not ask, and I will not put the LORD to the test. 13 Then Isaiah said: “Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary mortals, that you weary my God also? 14 Therefore the LORD himself will give you a sign. Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son and shall name him Immanuel. 15 He shall eat curds and honey by the time he knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good. 16 For before the child knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land before whose two kings you are in dread will be deserted.”
Commentary
The Book of Isaiah is a composite of writings from three distinct periods in Ancient Israel’s history. The writings were compiled from about 700 BCE to about 300 BCE. The name “Isaiah” means “YHWH has saved” or “May YHWH save.”
Chapters 1-39 are called “First Isaiah” and are the words of a prophet (one who speaks for YHWH – translated as “LORD” in all capital letters in the NRSV) who called for Jerusalem to repent in the 30 years before Jerusalem came under siege by the Assyrians in 701 BCE. “Second Isaiah” is Chapters 40 to 55. In these chapters, a prophet brought hope to the Judeans during the Exile in Babylon (587 to 539 BCE) by telling them they had suffered enough and would return to Jerusalem. “Third Isaiah” is Chapters 56 to 66 in which a prophet gave encouragement to the Judeans who had returned to Jerusalem (which was largely destroyed by the Babylonians in 587 BCE) after the Exile had ended.
The Jewish Study Bible points out that one of major religious issues faced by First Isaiah was whether Judea should attempt to confront its enemies by using military and diplomatic means and or if it should rely on YHWH to protect them. Isaiah (unlike most of his contemporaries) preferred the latter option.
The New Oxford Annotated Bible observes that three themes dominate the book of Isaiah as it now exists: (1) that YHWH is the moving force behind all historical events; (2) the centrality of Jerusalem for Israel, both for kingship and for worship; and (3) the image of a new ruler who will usher in a new age of justice, righteousness and peace (which developed into the concept of “messiah” in early Jewish and early Christian writings).
Chapter 7 is an account of Isaiah’s involvement in the politics of the Kingdom of Judea in the 20 years preceding the Assyrian conquest of Northern Israel in 722 BCE and his attempts to reassure the king that the Davidic dynasty would continue.
At this point, the King of Judea (Ahaz) was considering entering an alliance with Assyria to protect against Northern Israel and Syria (Aram) – the “two kings you [Ahaz] are in dread” (v.16). Isaiah urged Ahaz not to enter the alliance with Assyria. To strengthen the force of his advice, YHWH (through Isaiah) offered Ahaz a “sign” that Isaiah’s advice was sound (v.11). Ahaz refused (“I will not put the LORD to the test” v.12), but Isaiah persisted in giving a sign.
The Jewish Study Bible says: “It is not clear whether the sign is the woman’s pregnancy, the child’s birth, his name, or his diet; nor is it clear when the sign comes to pass – immediately (if the sign is his name), soon (birth), or several years into the future. Similarly, ambiguities occur in the case of other biblical signs.”
The sign was that a “young woman” (v.14) would bear a son whose name would be Immanuel (God is with us). Notwithstanding Isaiah’s advice, Ahaz became a vassal of Assyria.
The NOAB says that the “young woman” is sometimes identified as Isaiah’s wife or as the wife of Ahaz and the mother of Hezekiah. Hezekiah succeeded Ahaz as the king of Judea and successfully resisted the Assyrians until 701 BCE.
The JSB and The New Jerome Biblical Commentary say that Hebrew word “almah” (young woman in v.14) means a female of marriageable age, whether married or not, and whether a virgin or not. It was translated into Greek in the Septuagint (LXX) as “parthenos” (generally translated as “virgin”). The version of the Hebrew Scriptures that the Gospel writers used for their quotations of scripture was the LXX, which is why Matt. 1:23 quoted Isaiah 7:14 as “a virgin shall conceive and bear a son and they shall name him Emmanuel.”
The New Oxford Annotated Bible says that for the child to eat “curds and honey” (v.15) would mean the child had been weaned and was about two or three years old. It continues that curds and honey are choice foods that would have been obtainable only during a time of peace. The NJBC disagrees and cites 7:22 to support the idea that these foods would have been the only foods available to a defeated nation that had been reduced to pasture land.
Verse 16 is understood to mean that before the child that was borne by the “young woman” reached maturity (had the ability to choose between good and evil), the lands (Syria/Aram and Northern Israel) will be deserted (v.16).
Romans 1:1-7
Reading
1 Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, 2 which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy scriptures, 3 the gospel concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh 4 and was declared to be Son of God with power according to the spirit of holiness by resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, 5 through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for the sake of his name, 6 including yourselves who are called to belong to Jesus Christ,
7 To all God’s beloved in Rome, who are called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Commentary
Paul’s letter to the Romans was his longest, last, and most complex letter. It was written in the late 50s or early 60s (CE) to a Jesus Follower community that Paul did not establish. Among other messages in the letter, Paul sought to encourage respectful and supportive relationships between the Gentile Jesus Followers and the Jewish Jesus Followers in Rome.
Nero’s predecessor (Claudius) had expelled the Jews from Rome in 49 CE. During Nero’s reign (54-68 CE), he allowed Jews (including Jewish Jesus Followers) to return, and this created tensions about leadership and worship within the Jesus Follower Community.
Paul died in 63 or 64 CE. Accordingly, the Temple in Jerusalem (which was destroyed in 70) was in full operation all during Paul’s life. As a Jew who was also a Jesus Follower, Paul saw the Jesus Follower Movement as part of a broader Judaism and continued to have expectations about the fullness of the Coming of the Messiah/the Christ, one of the important themes in Romans.
Today’s reading consists of the opening verses of the Letter. The Letter is explicitly addressed to both Jewish Jesus Followers and Gentile Jesus Followers (“all God’s beloved in Rome” v.7).
Paul referred to himself (v.1) as an “apostle” – one who is sent forth to bring good news — and as “set apart” – a phrase used to describe prophets (those who speak for God). Paul connected the Jesus Follower Movement to the Hebrew Scriptures (v.2) and stated that Jesus the Christ was descended from David as a human being (v.3).
Paul asserted that Jesus was “declared to be Son of God” by resurrection from the dead (v.4). In the Gospels (all of which were written later), the declaration that Jesus was the Son of God was said to occur earlier and earlier. In Mark and Matthew, it was at Jesus’ Baptism (Mk.1:1 and 1:11; Matt 3:17) In Luke, it was at the Annunciation to Mary (“He will be called Son of the Most High.” Luke 1:32). In John 1:18, the LOGOS/Word and Jesus the Christ were conflated from “the beginning.”
Paul also stated that Jesus the Christ is our “Lord” (v.4) (“Kyrios” in Greek, the same word used in the Septuagint to translate “YHWH”). The Jewish Annotated New Testament says that calling Jesus “Lord” would have caused those familiar with Jewish Scriptures (particularly 2 Sam. and Ps.2:7) to understand that Jesus as “Lord” would reign righteously. Saying Jesus is “Lord” would also have been a challenge to Roman Emperors such as Claudius and Nero, both of whom claimed to be “son of a god.”
The JANT analyzed resurrection (v.4) as follows: “Resurrection bears witness to God’s action in a way that defies the nature of the present age, declaring thereby that the age to come has begun in the present age, the dawning of the awaited age of the Creator God’s reign on earth over all the nations, through Israel’s king.”
The JANT notes that Paul refers to his adressees as “saints” (v.7) and says: “Gk ‘hagoi’ or ‘holy ones’: those set apart [to God]. Paul never uses the term ‘Christians,’ an indication that the term was not in use yet, and neither was Christianity a separate identity.”
Matthew 1:18-25
Reading
18 Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. 19 Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly. 20 But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet:
23 “Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel,” which means, “God is with us.” 24 When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife, 25 but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son; and he named him Jesus.
Commentary
The Gospel of Matthew highlights Jesus’ origins and identity. Written around 85 CE by an anonymous author, the Gospel began Jesus’s genealogy with Abraham and depicted Jesus as a teacher of the Law like Moses. More than any other Gospel, Matthew quoted from the Hebrew Scriptures (using the Greek Septuagint translation) to illustrate that Jesus was the Messiah.
Having been written well after the Destruction of the Temple in 70 CE, the Gospel reflected the controversies between the Jesus Followers and the Pharisees for control of Judaism going forward. Accordingly, the Gospel contains many harsh sayings about the Pharisees. The Gospel is aimed primarily at the late First Century Jewish Jesus Follower community.
The Gospel relied heavily on the Gospel of Mark and included all but 60 verses from Mark. Like Luke, Matthew also used a “Sayings Source” (called “Q” by scholars). There are also a substantial number of stories that are unique to Matthew: the Annunciation of Jesus’ conception was revealed to Joseph in a dream (rather than to Mary by an angel as in Luke); the Visit of the Magi; the Slaughter of the Innocents by Herod; the Flight to Egypt; the Laborers in the Vineyard; and the earthquake on Easter Morning, among others.
Today’s reading is Matthew’s version of Jesus’ birth narrative. According to The New Jerome Biblical Commentary, in Judea in the First Century, 12 was the most common age for a girl to become engaged, and it was customary for the engaged couple (whose relationship involved a contract) to live together. The NJBC and The JANT add that this might not have been the custom in the Galilee.
Under Jewish Law, Joseph (described as a “just” or “righteous” man) would have been within his rights to divorce Mary and subject her to a trial by ordeal before the priest as prescribed in Numbers 5 where she would drink a potion of water, dust, and ink. If she miscarried or her uterus fell, she would be an outcast. Alternatively, if guilty of adultery, she could have been stoned as provided in Deuteronomy 22. But Joseph (as a righteous person) decided to “dismiss her quietly” (v.19).
Similar to Joseph the son of Jacob, Joseph had a dream – a frequent method in the Bible by which God was seen to have communicated to humans. The name “Jesus” is the Greek version of the common first century Jewish name Joshua or Yehoshua, which means “The LORD saves or helps” thereby identifying the mission of the child. The NJBC notes that saving the people “from their sins” (v.21) would have included being saved from opression, exile and foreign domination because they were seen as punishment for sins.
As noted above, Matthew quoted the LXX version of Isaiah 7:14.
The JANT adds that v.25 “does not preclude Mary and Joseph’s having relations after Jesus’ birth” and “the view of Mary’s perpetual virginity develops in the second century, where it is first alluded to in the Protevangelium of James.”
Joseph’s naming of Jesus would have constituted an adoption of Jesus as his son.
2025, December 14 ~ Isaiah 35:1-10; James 5:7-10; Matthew 11:2-11
by Thomas O'BrienTODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
DECEMBER 14, 2025
Isaiah 35:1-10
Reading
1 The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad, the desert shall rejoice and blossom; like the crocus
2 it shall blossom abundantly and rejoice with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the majesty of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the LORD, the majesty of our God.
3 Strengthen the weak hands and make firm the feeble knees.
4 Say to those who are of a fearful heart, “Be strong, do not fear! Here is your God. He will come with vengeance, with terrible recompense. He will come and save you.”
5 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped;
6 then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the speechless sing for joy. For waters shall break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert;
7 the burning sand shall become a pool, and the thirsty ground springs of water; the haunt of jackals shall become a swamp, the grass shall become reeds and rushes.
8 A highway shall be there, and it shall be called the Holy Way; the unclean shall not travel on it, but it shall be for God’s people; no traveler, not even fools, shall go astray.
9 No lion shall be there, nor shall any ravenous beast come up on it; they shall not be found there, but the redeemed shall walk there.
10 And the ransomed of the LORD shall return and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
Commentary
The Book of Isaiah is a composite of writings from three distinct periods in Ancient Israel’s history. The writings were compiled from about 700 BCE to about 300 BCE. The name “Isaiah” means “YHWH has saved” or “May YHWH save.”
Chapters 1-39 are called “First Isaiah” and are the words of a prophet (one who speaks for YHWH – translated as “LORD” in all capital letters in the NRSV) who called for Jerusalem to repent in the 30 years before Jerusalem came under siege by the Assyrians in 701 BCE. “Second Isaiah” is Chapters 40 to 55. In these chapters, a prophet brought hope to the Judeans during the Exile in Babylon (587 to 539 BCE) by telling them they had suffered enough and would return to Jerusalem. “Third Isaiah” is Chapters 56 to 66 in which a prophet gave encouragement to the Judeans who had returned to Jerusalem (which was largely destroyed by the Babylonians in 587 BCE) after the Exile had ended.
The Jewish Study Bible points out that one of major religious issues faced by First Isaiah was whether Judea should attempt to confront its enemies by using military and diplomatic means and or if it should rely on YHWH to protect them. Isaiah (unlike most of his contemporaries) preferred the latter option.
The New Oxford Annotated Bible observes that three themes dominate the book of Isaiah as it now exists: (1) that YHWH is the moving force behind all historical events; (2) the centrality of Jerusalem for Israel, both for kingship and for worship; and (3) the image of a new ruler who will usher in a new age of justice, righteousness and peace (which developed into the concept of “messiah” in early Jewish and early Christian writings).
Today’s reading is the entirety of Chapter 35. As an analysis of the chapters surrounding Chapter 35 shows, this chapter is an insert into the Book of Isaiah that demonstrates the “patchwork quilt” quality of the Book.
Chapter 34 is an oracle (actually, a diatribe) against Edom – the neighbor of Judea to the East that despoiled Judea during the Exile. Chapter 34, although it is included in First Isaiah, was based on events that occurred during the Exile, so it was clearly written after the Exile (as was Psalm 137 which has many of the same themes).
Chapters 36 to 39 are another insert into the Book and are an “Historical Appendix” that parallels 2 Kings 18 to 20. These chapters describe events in the last days of King Hezekiah (around 701 to 698 BCE).
Chapter 35, as an insert, connects thematically with Chapters 40 to 42 and can be seen as presenting an eschatological vision of a restored and ideal Judea after the Exile. In this sense, Chapter 35 would be a link to “Second Isaiah” in that the prophet presented hope to the Judeans that they would be the “ransomed of YHWH” (v.10). The Jewish Study Bible notes that “the return to Zion is portrayed as a new exodus, a major theme in Deutero-Isaiah: Like the Israelites fleeing slavery in Egypt, the returning exiles will receive water and protection in the desert as they go to the land of Israel.”
The JSB also suggests that Chapter 35 presented an alternative path from Babylon to Jerusalem. The “normal” route from Babylon would require traveling northwest along the Euphrates River, and then south through Syria (Aram) to Israel. Seen as an alternative path, the desert will be transformed into a fertile area so that the “remnant” (the ransomed of the LORD v.10) could go due west from Babylon to Jerusalem. This return is portrayed in Second Isaiah as a new Exodus. The JSB says that in this portrayal, the remnant was ritually clean (v.8) as it traversed this Sacred Way.
James 5:7-10
Reading
7 Be patient, therefore, beloved, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious crop from the earth, being patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains. 8 You also must be patient. Strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near. 9 Beloved, do not grumble against one another, so that you may not be judged. See, the Judge is standing at the doors! 10 As an example of suffering and patience, beloved, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.
Commentary
Although the authorship of this epistle is not known, it has traditionally been attributed to James, the brother of Jesus, who is presented in Chapter 15 of Acts of the Apostles as the leader of the Jesus Follower community in Jerusalem.
This James (sometimes called “James the Just”) is distinguished from “James the Great” (the apostle, brother of John, and son of Zebedee) and “James the Less” (apostle and son of Alphaeus).
The letter is seen by some scholars as the expansion of a sermon supposedly delivered by James prior to his martyrdom in 62 CE. Because of the high quality of the Greek in the letter, however, scholars believe the sermon was edited and expanded by someone who was both well versed in Judaism and skilled in Hellenistic rhetoric.
It was edited and distributed in the late 80’s or 90’s, was addressed to Jewish Jesus Followers, and emphasized the importance of good works. It mentions Jesus of Nazareth only twice in the letter. The NOAB says: “The letter alludes to both the Hebrew Bible and the Jesus tradition (particularly that of Matthew and Luke) and there may also be references to Paul’s teaching (2.14-26)”
This emphasis on works in the letter has been understood by some (including Luther) as being opposed to Paul’s position (particularly in Romans) that one is justified (or attains a right relationship with God) by Faith alone.
The NOAB notes: “Paul and James each interpret a verse from the Hebrew Bible – ‘And he [Abraham] believed the LORD and the LORD reckoned it to him as righteousness’ (Gen 15.6) – to support his own view (Paul in Gal 3.6-14. James in Jas 2.21-24). For Paul, the believer’s justification comes through faith, not works (Rom 4.16-5.2) but for James ‘faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead’ (2.17).
The conflict, however, is more apparent than real. For Paul, faith is primarily trust in God (Rom 4.5), a sense of the word that James also shares (1.5); but, in his critique of “faith,” James means by it essentially the assent to ideas about God without any personal relationship or commitment to inform them: ‘Even demons believe’ (2.9). James sees works as acts that spring from the love of the believer for God (2.14) whereas for Paul, works are the external observations of ritual, like circumcision, regarded in isolation from any connection to one’s relationship to God.”
In other words, these positions are not opposed and can be reconciled by recognizing that salvation/wholeness (however defined and understood) is the byproduct of the combination of Faith (understood as trust in God) that leads to Faithfulness in doing good works.
Today’s reading is part of the last chapter of the letter. The first six verses of this chapter are a condemnation of rich persons for their focus on accumulating wealth and for treating laborers fraudulently — warnings to the rich that their riches will be of no use to them at the end. Today’s verses presented a shift in tone, offered consolation to the hearers, and urged patience until the coming of the Lord (v.7).
Like many other writings from the late First Century, this reading expressed the understanding that a Second Coming of the Lord was near (v.8). The idea of a Second Coming arose among the Jesus Followers because they affirmed that Jesus was the Christ (Messiah), but many of the expectations (based on the Hebrew Scriptures) regarding the Messiah that were prevalent in the First Century had not occurred. For example, a “New David” had not united the dispersed Jews, restored the nation, and overthrown the Roman overlords. There was not a general peace and good order (Shalom).
The expectation of a Second Coming among Jesus Followers gradually evolved into the belief that the Second Coming would bring about (or be a sign of) the fullness of the Kingdom of God on earth.
The last verse of today’s reading referred to suffering and patience, and the verses that follow spoke of the “endurance” of Job (v.11) – translated as “patience” in the King James Version.
Matthew 11:2-11
Reading
2 When John heard in prison what the Messiah was doing, he sent word by his disciples 3 and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?” 4 Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: 5 the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them. 6 And blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me.”
7 As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to look at? A reed shaken by the wind? 8 What then did you go out to see? Someone dressed in soft robes? Look, those who wear soft robes are in royal palaces. 9 What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. 10 This is the one about whom it is written, ‘See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.’
11 “Truly I tell you, among those born of women no one has arisen greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.”
Commentary
The Gospel of Matthew highlights Jesus’ origins and identity. Written around 85 CE by an anonymous author, the Gospel began Jesus’s genealogy with Abraham and depicted Jesus as a teacher of the Law like Moses. More than any other Gospel, Matthew quoted from the Hebrew Scriptures (using the Greek Septuagint Translation) to illustrate that Jesus was the Messiah.
Having been written after the Destruction of the Temple in 70 CE, the Gospel reflected the controversies between the Jesus Followers and the Pharisees for control of Judaism going forward. Accordingly, the Gospel contains many harsh sayings about the Pharisees. The Gospel is aimed primarily at the late First Century Jewish Jesus Follower community.
The Gospel relied heavily on the Gospel of Mark and included all but 60 verses from Mark. Like Luke, Matthew also used a “Sayings Source” (called “Q” by scholars). There are also a substantial number of stories that are unique to Matthew: the Annunciation of Jesus’ conception was revealed to Joseph in a dream (rather than by an angel to Mary as in Luke); the Visit of the Magi; the Slaughter of the Innocents by Herod; the Flight to Egypt; the Laborers in the Vineyard; and the earthquake on Easter Morning, among others.
Matthew’s Gospel, like that of Mark, identified Jesus as the Messiah (the Christ) from its first verse. (Mark, in some later versions, adds “Son of God” in 1:1. In Luke, the angels announced to the shepherds that the child who was born was the Savior, the Messiah, the Lord. Luke 2:11).
Today’s reading is “Q” material and is found only in Matthew and Luke.
John’s imprisonment (v.2) is also mentioned by the First Century historian, Josephus.
The New Oxford Annotated Bible notes that many First Century groups, including the Essenes (as shown by the Dead Sea Scrolls), expected a messianic or redemptive figure to overthrow the Romans and unite the people of Israel. Accordingly, John the Baptist’s question was understandable in this context. In the First Century, there were a number of claims to messiahship.
Consistent with Matthew’s prediction-fulfillment mode of presenting Jesus as the Messiah, the answer that Jesus gave (vv.6-9) paraphrased a number of messianic predictions of Isaiah (29:18, 35:5, 42:18 and 61:1).
The New Jerome Biblical Commentary points out that Jesus’ response is a statement that his messiahship is not one of sovereignty and judgment, but one of healing and helping those in need. The Jewish Annotated New Testament suggests that Jesus did not directly answer the question posed by John’s disciples lest a claim by Jesus of messiahship be reported to Herod Antipas by Herod’s guards.
Jesus’ statement about John (v.10) as God’s messenger is a “fulfillment” of Malachi 3:1 and Isaiah 40:3. The NJBC opines that “verse 11b [yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he] may be an early Christian gloss.”