TODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
JULY 20, 2025
During Pentecost Season 2025, the Revised Common Lectionary offers two “tracks” of readings from the Hebrew Bible. Congregations may choose either track.
The first track of readings follows major stories and themes, read mostly continuously from week to week. The second track of readings thematically pairs the reading from the Hebrew Bible with the Gospel reading.
The readings from the Epistles are the same in both tracks.
Amos 8:1-12
Reading
1 This is what the LORD GOD showed me — a basket of summer fruit. 2 He said, “Amos, what do you see?” And I said, “A basket of summer fruit.” Then the LORD said to me, “The end has come upon my people Israel; I will never again pass them by. 3 The songs of the temple shall become wailings in that day,” says the LORD GOD; “the dead bodies shall be many, cast out in every place. Be silent!”
4 Hear this, you that trample on the needy, and bring to ruin the poor of the land, 5 saying, “When will the new moon be over so that we may sell grain; and the sabbath, so that we may offer wheat for sale? We will make the ephah small and the shekel great, and practice deceit with false balances, 6 buying the poor for silver and the needy for a pair of sandals and selling the sweepings of the wheat.”
7 The LORD has sworn by the pride of Jacob: Surely, I will never forget any of their deeds.
8 Shall not the land tremble on this account, and everyone mourn who lives in it, and all of it rise like the Nile, and be tossed about and sink again, like the Nile of Egypt?
9 On that day, says the LORD GOD, I will make the sun go down at noon, and darken the earth in broad daylight.
10 I will turn your feasts into mourning, and all your songs into lamentation; I will bring sackcloth on all loins, and baldness on every head; I will make it like the mourning for an only son, and the end of it like a bitter day.
11 The time is surely coming, says the LORD GOD, when I will send a famine on the land; not a famine of bread, or a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD.
12 They shall wander from sea to sea, and from north to east; they shall run to and fro, seeking the word of the LORD, but they shall not find it.
Commentary
After Solomon died in 930 BCE, the Kingdom of Israel split into two parts, the North (called Israel with 10 tribes) and the South (called Judea with two tribes). Each of the Kingdoms had its own king.
The reign of King Jeroboam II of Israel (788-747 BCE) was very prosperous but was a time of great inequality between rich and poor in which large landowners gained control of the lands of small farmers.
Amos was a cattle herder and cared for fig trees in Judea, but he was called by YHWH to go north to prophesy (speak for the LORD) against the evils in Israel from about 760 to 750 BCE.
Amos is one of the 12 “minor” prophets whose works are shorter than the three “major” prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel). He was the first (chronologically) of the prophets whose words left an indelible stamp on later thought in Israel about God. He used vivid language and called for justice and righteousness, social equality, and concern for the disadvantaged.
His writings included announcements that the “Day of the LORD” (when YHWH would intervene in human affairs) was imminent and urged that the special covenant with the LORD entailed special ethical responsibilities. Some of his presentations are indictments, some are exhortations, and others are visions.
The Jewish Study Bible points out that Amos (c. 760 BCE) stressed social and political ills in Israel whereas Hosea (740-730 BCE) largely was concerned with improper religious worship.
In today’s reading, Amos criticized the unfair and fraudulent business practices of the wealthy and their impatience for the Holy Days to pass (v.5) so they could resume bilking the poor, enslaving them (v.6), and taking their lands.
An ephah (v.5) was about 35 pounds and making an “ephah small” would be done to cheat the customer. “False balances” (v.5) are scales that were rigged in favor of the seller.
According to The New Oxford Annotated Bible, “buying the poor … and needy” likely referred to outright slavery as opposed to “selling the righteous” (2:6) into debt slavery.
The reading has some clever linguistic aspects. According to The NOAB, in verse 2, the basket of fruit symbolized the immanence of Israel’s end. It also points out that the Hebrew words for “fruit” (qayits) and for “end” (qets) sound alike. In effect, Amos saw fruit but YHWH saw the end of Israel as an independent nation.
The reading described the “Day of the LORD” as a time of terror and mourning and darkness at noon (v. 9 and 5:20). This was a motif used by the authors of the Gospels in describing events surrounding the Crucifixion (see Mark 15:33). The NOAB notes that a solar eclipse was a customary portent for divine punishment and elicited mourning rituals. “Mourning for an only son” (v.10) is a phrase later used by Jeremiah in anticipating the conquest by the Babylonians (Jer. 6:26).
The JSB notes that some Rabbinic Sources in the Talmud expressed concern that verses 11-12 pointed to a time when the Torah would be forgotten. In an apparent response to this concern, the rabbis at Jamnia (Yabneh) in 110 CE put great emphasis on teaching and preserving the Torah.
The New Jerome Biblical Commentary says: “Because Israel has refused to heed Yahweh’s word, spoken through his prophets, he threatens an appropriate punishment — the complete cessation of the divine word in Israel. This word was important to the nation not only in the religious realm but also in the political as well. Without it – at least in theory – it would be impossible to select new leaders, to know when to wage war, etc.”
Amos said that YHWH would remember the misdeeds and punish the evildoers. In 722 BCE, only 30 years later, Assyria conquered Israel and scattered its wealthy class.
Genesis 18:1-10a
Reading
1 The LORD appeared to Abraham by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat at the entrance of his tent in the heat of the day. 2 He looked up and saw three men standing near him. When he saw them, he ran from the tent entrance to meet them, and bowed down to the ground. 3 He said, “My lord, if I find favor with you, do not pass by your servant. 4 Let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree. 5 Let me bring a little bread, that you may refresh yourselves, and after that you may pass on — since you have come to your servant.” So they said, “Do as you have said.” 6 And Abraham hastened into the tent to Sarah, and said, “Make ready quickly three measures of choice flour, knead it, and make cakes.” 8 Abraham ran to the herd, and took a calf, tender and good, and gave it to the servant, who hastened to prepare it. Then he took curds and milk and the calf that he had prepared and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree while they ate.
9 They said to him, “Where is your wife Sarah?” And he said, “There, in the tent.” 10 Then one said, “I will surely return to you in due season, and your wife Sarah shall have a son.”
Commentary
Genesis is the first book of the Torah (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy). The Torah also called the Pentateuch (“five books”) in Greek. Genesis covers the period from Creation to the deaths of Jacob and his 11th son, Joseph, in about 1650 BCE, if the accounts are historical.
The Book of Genesis (like the Torah as a whole) is an amalgam of religious traditions, some of which are dated to about 950 BCE and some of which were developed as late as 450 BCE. Since the late 19th Century, Biblical scholars have recognized four major “strands” or sources in the Torah called “J” (Jahwistic), “E” (Elohistic), “D” (Deuteronomic) and “P” (Priestly). These sources are identified (among other ways) by their different theological emphases, names for God, names for the holy mountain, and portrayals of God’s characteristics.
The first 11 Chapters of Genesis are called the “primeval history” which ends with the Tower of Babel story — an “etiology” (story of origins) relating to the scattering of humankind and the multiplicity of languages. The last chapter of the primeval history also traces Abram’s lineage back to Noah’s son, Shem (which means “name” in Hebrew and from which we get the word “Semites”).
Today’s reading is prefaced (v.1) by the statement that the LORD appeared to Abraham at Mamre. It then shifted to an account of three “men” (v.2) who came to Abraham’s tent at Mamre (whose oaks/terebinths were regarded as oracles). The New Oxford Annotated Bible says that the motif of divine visitors is widespread in folklore. The account fluidly shifts from the LORD (v.1) to “three men” (v.2) to “they” (v.9) to “one” (v.10) to “the LORD” (v.13) and to “I” and “he” in the verses immediately following.
Abraham’s hospitality to the three sacred figures was overwhelming: an entire calf and three “measures” of flour. Three measures of flour (v. 6) would have been the equivalent of about 150 pounds of flour and would have produced a huge amount of bread. Slaughtering an entire calf (v.7) would have produced about 500 pounds of meat if the calf were between 6 and 12 months old. Quite a feast for three men!
One of the “men” predicted that Sarah (who was over 90 years old by this time) would have a son in a year (v.10). In the verses that follow today’s reading, Sarah’s laughed (v.12) when she heard what the man said. This laugh anticipated the name of her son, Isaac (which means “he laughs”).
Later verses speak of the fulfillment of God’s promise of a son to this aged couple. The JSB observes that there is a midrash (interpretation) that the LORD “dealt with” (NRSV) or “took note of” (JPS) Sarah on Rosh Ha-Shanah. For this reason, today’s reading is the introductory part of the first Torah Reading on Rosh Ha-Shanah in synagogues today.
Colossians 1:15-28
Reading
15 Christ Jesus is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; 16 for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers — all things have been created through him and for him. 17 He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross.
21 And you who were once estranged and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, 22 he has now reconciled in his fleshly body through death, so as to present you holy and blameless and irreproachable before him — 23 provided that you continue securely established and steadfast in the faith, without shifting from the hope promised by the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven. I, Paul, became a servant of this gospel.
24 I am now rejoicing in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh, I am completing what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church. 25 I became its servant according to God’s commission that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, 26 the mystery that has been hidden throughout the ages and generations but has now been revealed to his saints. 27 To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. 28 It is he whom we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone in all wisdom, so that we may present everyone mature in Christ.
Commentary
Colossae was a town in the Lycus valley in what is now western Türkiye. According to The NJBC, it had a flourishing wool and textile industry. The population consisted of native Phrygians, Greeks and a sizable community of Jews — perhaps as many as 10,000.
A Jesus Follower community was founded there by Paul’s associate, Epaphras (1:7). The letter is short (three chapters) and expressed concern about apocalyptic and mystical practices that were inconsistent with Paul’s understanding of being a Jesus Follower.
Scholars debate whether this letter was written by Paul or by his disciples in the decades after Paul’s death in 63 CE. It lacks many terms used in Paul’s authentic letters and its style is more liturgical than Paul’s other letters.
The New Oxford Annotated Bible points out that “the letter presents the idea that the believers’ lives are completely transformed by Christ’s death and resurrection instead of Paul’s usual tension between the only partially fulfilled present and the future resurrection and full enjoyment of Christ’s benefits.”
The Jewish Annotated New Testament notes that the authentic epistles speak of “justification” and “sanctification” in the present tense but reserve “salvation” for the future. In Colossians, salvation is a present reality and justification has no place at all. The JANT also observes that Colossians contains a “hierarchical description of household relations” whereas “Paul’s own description of marital relationships is remarkably nonhierarchical (cf. 1 Cor 7.14).”
Today’s reading is highly theological. All of the descriptions in these readings apply to “our Lord Jesus Christ” (v.3), “Christ Jesus, (v.4), “the Lord” (v.10) and “the beloved Son of the Father” (v.13). It describes “him” as the “image of the invisible God” and the “firstborn of all creation” (v.15). He is said to exist before all things, and to have created the thrones, dominions, rulers and powers (in other words, all concentrations of power, secular and divine). He is that in which all things hold together (v.17) and maintains the universal order, a concept that is found in Philo of Alexandria.
Colossians has a “High Christology” in the sense that on a spectrum from “Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ, was fully human” to “Jesus, the Christ, is fully divine,” the presentation is much closer to the latter than the former. The JANT opines that this Christology is “more exalted” than any other New Testament Book.
The Christ more than rules the world: He has a greater role in creation (v.16) than Wisdom had in Proverbs 8. He is not only the firstborn of all creation (v.15), he is the principle of creation. He is also described as the firstborn from the dead (v.18) so that his resurrection is a prelude to the final resurrection. Just as the LOGOS is the organizing principle in John 1:1, so too is the Christ (v.17).
The fulness of God (v.19) dwelt in “our Lord Jesus Christ” (v.3).
The author referred to Gentiles as “estranged” from God (v.21) before receiving the good news. According to The JANT, the word “estranged” appeared only in the “Deutero-Pauline” letters such as Ephesians – the ones written by Paul’s disciples after Paul’s death.
The JANT points out that “faith” (or pistis) (v.23) shifted from meaning faithfulness, trust, and trustworthiness (as in Paul’s authentic letters) to a “belief” in specific statements.
In verses 23 to 29, the author of Colossians self-identified as “Paul.” In the seven authentic letters written by Paul himself, it was very rare for Paul to use his own name, except in the greetings in the letters.
As to the sufferings (v.24), The JANT explains: “For Paul to be an apostle is to imitate the Messiah in his suffering. …The authors of Ephesians and Colossians emphasize this theme. …This suffering is necessary to complete the Messiah’s mission.”
The New Jerome Biblical Commentary has an extended discussion of today’s reading. In part, it states: “It has long been recognized that verses 15-20 are an independent unit that has the character of a primitive Christian hymn…. The style and content of these verses may also be compared with the Qumran hymns and the prologue to the Gospel of John…. It is suggested that it was not composed by the author of the letter but that it is traditional material adapted by the author of Colossians to serve the instructional purposes of the letter….[Scholars have identified numerous philosophical and scriptural sources of these the verses] but these descriptions must be weighed against the atmosphere of syncretism that pervaded Asia Minor at this time….
“In the false teaching in Colossae, [the entities in verse 16] may have been thought of as rivals of Christ or beings that provided supplementary power to that of Christ (2:10,15). Such a belief grew out of a complex and highly developed angelology that was widespread at this time….
“The image of Christ as the head of the body represents a development over the Pauline idea…. In Colossians, the importance and dignity of Jesus’ human body and its saving function contrast with the depreciation of the body that seems to have been part of the false teaching of Colossae 2:18,21,23. The ‘mystery’ (v.27) refers to the divine plan of history in contrast to its use in the so-called mystery cults where mysteries were cosmic, metaphysical, or philosophical secrets available to a few privileged initiates.”
Luke 10:38-42
Reading
38 As Jesus and his disciples went on their way, Jesus entered a certain village, where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. 39 She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to what he was saying. 40 But Martha was distracted by her many tasks; so she came to him and asked, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me.” 41 But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; 42 there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.”
Commentary
The Gospel According to Luke is generally regarded as having been written around 85 CE. Its author also wrote the Acts of the Apostles. Both books were written in elegant and deliberatively crafted Greek and presented Jesus of Nazareth as the universal savior of humanity. Both emphasized the Holy Spirit as the “driving force” for events.
The Gospel followed the same general chronology of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection as the Gospel of Mark, and more than 40% of Luke’s Gospel was based on Mark. The other portions of Luke include (a) sayings shared with the Gospel According to Matthew but not found in Mark and (b) stories that are unique to Luke such as the Annunciation, the Visitation, the Presentation in the Temple, the Prodigal Son, and the Good Samaritan.
Today’s reading follows last week’s Parable of the Good Samaritan. According to John 11:1, Martha, Mary, and their brother Lazarus (who is not mentioned in any gospel except John) lived in Bethany, a town east of Jerusalem. Because Martha welcomed Jesus into “her” home (v.1), she is presented as a householder, and therefore a person of means.
According to The New Oxford Annotated Bible, “this enigmatic account affirms the importance of listening to Jesus and at the same time the account shows Jesus’ openness to and acceptance of women among his followers.”
The NJBC states that this passage shows “Lule’s universalism as he depicts Jesus thrice acting contrary to Jewish cultural norms: Jesus is alone with women who are not his relatives; a woman serves him; Jesus is teaching a woman in her own house.”
2025, August 24 ~ Jeremiah 1:4-10; Isaiah 58:9b-14; Hebrews 12:18-29; Luke 13:10-17
/in Uncategorized /by Thomas O'BrienTODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
AUGUST 24, 2025
During Pentecost Season 2025, the Revised Common Lectionary offers two “tracks” of readings from the Hebrew Bible. Congregations may choose either track.
The first track of readings follows major stories and themes, read mostly continuously from week to week. The second track of readings thematically pairs the reading from the Hebrew Bible with the Gospel reading.
The readings from the Epistles are the same in both tracks.
Jeremiah 1:4-10
Reading
4 The word of the LORD came to me saying,
5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born, I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”
6 Then I said, “Ah, LORD God! Truly I do not know how to speak, for I am only a boy.”
7 But the LORD said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am only a boy’; for you shall go to all to whom I send you, and you shall speak whatever I command you,
8 Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, says the LORD.”
9 Then the LORD put out his hand and touched my mouth; and the LORD said to me, “Now I have put my words in your mouth.
10 See, today I appoint you over nations and over kingdoms, to pluck up and to pull down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant.”
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 627 and continued until 586 BCE when he fled to Egypt (Ch. 43) and died there.
Jeremiah was descended from the priestly line of Eli (v.1) – who had presided as the high priest at Shiloh in the early years of Israel’s history in the land (1 Sam. 1-4). Jeremiah was presented as a priest and a prophet and (according to The Jewish Study Bible) his prophesying for 40 years was seen in Rabbinic Tradition as a parallel to the 40 years Moses led the Israelites in the desert.
The call of Jeremiah is said to have been in 627 BCE – “the thirteenth year of the reign of King Josiah” (v.2) and his prophesying lasted until 587 BCE, the “eleventh year of King Zedekiah” (v.3). The Jewish Study Bible says: “Jeremiah emerges as one of the major figures who grappled with the theological problems posed by the destruction of the nation, and who laid the foundations for the restoration of Jerusalem and the Temple in the years following the end of the exile.” He was a constant opponent of King Jehoiakim (608-598) who was an Egyptian sympathizer and of King Zedekiah (597-586) a Babylonian appointee who nevertheless went to war with Babylon in 597 BCE.
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.
Jeremiah is largely a prophet of doom and gloom, so much so that the English word “jeremiad” is defined as a long, mournful complaint or lamentation, a list of woes. In the Bible, the Book of Lamentations was placed after the Book of Jeremiah because of the (incorrect) view that Jeremiah wrote the Book of Lamentations.
Sections in the book that are in “poetry style” are generally attributed to the prophet, and parts in “prose style” are thought to have been 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.)
One of the consistent themes in Jeremiah was his ongoing battles with the “court” prophets who told the king what the king wanted to hear and who opposed Jeremiah at every turn.
The New Jerome Biblical Commentary states: “The two predominant themes of his message are precisely to define true Yahwism and to proclaim the imminent wars as punishments of the Judah’s aberrations.”
Today’s reading is in “poetry style” and describes Jeremiah’s call as a dialogue with YHWH in terms that are reminiscent of the calls of Moses in Exodus 3, of Gideon in Judges 6, and of Isaiah in Isaiah 6. On a number of levels, Jeremiah was presented as a “prophet like Moses” who would be raised up as anticipated in Deut. 18:15.
The New Oxford Annotated Bible points out that the word “knew” (v.5) was intended to convey “a profound and intimate” knowledge. It is used at other places in the Hebrew Bible as a euphemism for sexual intercourse (see, for example, Genesis 4:1).
Just as with Moses, Gideon and Isaiah, Jeremiah claimed (v.6) he was not fit to speak for YHWH (translated as “LORD” in all capital letters), but YHWH touched Jeremiah’s mouth (v.9) and put words in it so that he could speak for YHWH, just as a seraph touched Isaiah’s lips with a burning coal (Is.6:6-7).
The phrase in verses 4 and 7 (“the word of the LORD came to me”) appears multiple times in the Book of Jeremiah and gave a clear statement that Jeremiah was not speaking for himself but was speaking for YHWH. Serving as a “prophet to the nations” (v.5) meant that he was not only a prophet to Judea but also to non-Jews, although most of Jeremiah’s prophesy to “nations” (i.e., Gentiles) was oracles against them.
The phrase “to destroy and overthrow and to build up and plant” (v.10) expressed a key theme expressed in Jeremiah, particularly in the prose passages attributable to the Deuteronomists – Jerusalem would be destroyed by the Babylonians but would be rebuilt after the Exile ended.
Isaiah 58:9b-14
Reading
9b 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.
13 If you refrain from trampling the sabbath, from pursuing your own interests on my holy day; if you call the sabbath a delight and the holy day of the LORD honorable; if you honor it, not going your own ways, serving your own interests, or pursuing your own affairs;
14 then you shall take delight in the LORD, and I will make you ride upon the heights of the earth; I will feed you with the heritage of your ancestor Jacob, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.
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 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).
Just before today’s reading from Third Isaiah, the prophet was told by YHWH to reveal to the people (“the house of Jacob”) who had returned to Jerusalem that the predictions of a glorious restoration (Is. 40-48) had not come true because their way of living was immoral, and that prayer and sacrifices without serious moral reformation did not please YHWH (vv. 1-5). The JSB observes: “Although some exiles returned to Zion after the Persians defeated the Babylonians in 538, the land of Israel remained for the most part in ruins. The prophet attempts to explain why the rebuilding of the cities destroyed by the Babylonians has been delayed.”
Instead of fasting and sacrifices, 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).
In today’s reading, the author spoke for YHWH who told the Judeans to “remove the yoke” from the downtrodden and, according to The NOAB, stop having contempt for one another (“pointing the finger”) (v.9b).
YHWH offered conditional encouragement to the Judeans that YHWH would guide the people, make them prosperous, the ruins of Jerusalem would be rebuilt, and their fortunes would be restored if they cared for the hungry (v.10) and properly observed the Sabbath (v.13).
Hebrews 12:18-29
Reading
18 You have not come to something that can be touched, a blazing fire, and darkness, and gloom, and a tempest, 19 and the sound of a trumpet, and a voice whose words made the hearers beg that not another word be spoken to them. 20 (For they could not endure the order that was given, “If even an animal touches the mountain, it shall be stoned to death.” 21 Indeed, so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, “I tremble with fear.”) 22 But you have come to Mount Zion 23 and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, 24 and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.
25 See that you do not refuse the one who is speaking; for if they did not escape when they refused the one who warned them on earth, how much less will we escape if we reject the one who warns from heaven! 26 At that time his voice shook the earth; but now he has promised, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heaven.” 27 This phrase, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of what is shaken — that is, created things — so that what cannot be shaken may remain. 28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us give thanks, by which we offer to God an acceptable worship with reverence and awe; 29 for indeed our God is a consuming fire.
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 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 is often perceived as the New Testament’s most anti-Jewish text because of its supersessionism. The JANT continues: “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.”
Today’s reading reflects the growing separation – after the Destruction of the Temple in 70 C.E. – between the Jesus Follower Movement (which morphed into Christianity in the last part of the First Century) and Pharisaical Judaism (which morphed into Rabbinic Judaism).
Using images from Exodus 19 and Deuteronomy 4, the author contrasted Mount Sinai as a place of terror (vv.18-21) with Mount Zion where the spirits of the righteous are made perfect by Jesus (vv. 22-24). He said the blood of Abel cried for vengeance (Gen. 4:10) but the blood of Jesus “speaks a better word” (v. 24).
The NJBC notes that the phrase “But you have come to Mount Zion” (v.23) can be understood as follows: “The author speaks to those who are still on the journey there, yet since they already possess the benefits of Jesus’ sacrifice, he can speak of them as having already arrived.”
The JANT explains the terms “enrolled in heaven” (v.23): “In Greco-Roman cities, citizens were registered shortly after birth to record their status and thus ensure their legal and social privileges; following a Mesopotamian model, Jewish tradition sometimes describes the righteous as ‘inscribed’ in a heavenly book; see Ex 32.32.”
The author paraphrased the prophet Haggai 2:6 for the expression “Yet once more” as a basis for the removal of created things in favor of “that which cannot be shaken” (v. 27). The actual context in Haggai is that the LORD would cause the return of riches from foreigners so the Temple could be rebuilt in splendor after the Exile ended in 539 BCE.
Luke 13:10-17
Reading
10 Now Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath. 11 And just then there appeared a woman with a spirit that had crippled her for eighteen years. She was bent over and was quite unable to stand up straight. 12 When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said, “Woman, you are set free from your ailment.” 13 When he laid his hands on her, immediately she stood up straight and began praising God. 14 But the leader of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had cured on the sabbath, kept saying to the crowd, “There are six days on which work ought to be done; come on those days and be cured, and not on the sabbath day.” 15 But the Lord answered him and said, “You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger, and lead it away to give it water? 16 And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen long years, be set free from this bondage on the sabbath day?” 17 When he said this, all his opponents were put to shame; and the entire crowd was rejoicing at all the wonderful things that he was doing.
Commentary
The Gospel According to Luke is generally regarded as having been written around 85 CE. Its author also wrote the Acts of the Apostles. Both books were written in elegant and deliberatively crafted Greek and presented Jesus of Nazareth as the universal savior of humanity. Both emphasized the Holy Spirit as the “driving force” for events.
The Gospel followed the same general chronology of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection as the Gospel of Mark, and more than 40% of Luke’s Gospel was based on Mark. The other portions of Luke include (a) sayings shared with the Gospel According to Matthew but not found in Mark and (b) stories that are unique to Luke such as the Annunciation, the Visitation, the Presentation in the Temple, the Prodigal Son, and the Good Samaritan.
Today’s reading about Jesus’ healing a woman on the sabbath tells a story found in the other gospels and in other places in Luke (for example 14:1-6). In the 30+ years after the Destruction of the Temple in 70 CE, the early Jesus Follower Movement regarded “putting the sabbath in its place” an important distinguishing factor from its rival movement, Pharisaic Judaism.
The NJBC points out that the cure of the woman leads her to praise God (v.13) and this is contrasted with the leader of the synagogue “whose view of when God can act blinds him to the presence of that kingdom.”
As the belief in Satan as a force of evil continued to expand in the First Century, the gospel writer had Jesus state that the woman’s crippling was the result of Satan’s having bound her for 18 years (vv.11 and 16). This idea was also reflected (for example) in Luke 11:14 when Jesus cast the demon out of person who was mute. The gospel writer presented Jesus as setting persons free from their bondages (vv.12 and 16).
The Jewish Annotated New Testament notes that the words “the entire crowd was rejoicing” (v.17) showed that “they correctly find no violation of halakhah [Jewish Law].”
2025, August 17 ~ Isaiah 5:1-7; Jeremiah 23:23-29; Hebrews 11:29-12:2; Luke 12:49-56
/in Uncategorized /by Thomas O'BrienTODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
AUGUST 17, 2025
During Pentecost Season 2025, the Revised Common Lectionary offers two “tracks” of readings from the Hebrew Bible. Congregations may choose either track.
The first track of readings follows major stories and themes, read mostly continuously from week to week. The second track of readings thematically pairs the reading from the Hebrew Bible with the Gospel reading.
The readings from the Epistles are the same in both tracks.
Isaiah 5:1-7
Reading
1 Let me sing for my beloved my love-song concerning his vineyard: My beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill.
2 He dug it and cleared it of stones and planted it with choice vines; he built a watchtower in the midst of it and hewed out a wine vat in it; he expected it to yield grapes, but it yielded wild grapes.
3 And now, inhabitants of Jerusalem and people of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard.
4 What more was there to do for my vineyard that I have not done in it? When I expected it to yield grapes, why did it yield wild grapes?
5 And now I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard. I will remove its hedge, and it shall be devoured; I will break down its wall, and it shall be trampled down.
6 I will make it a waste; it shall not be pruned or hoed, and it shall be overgrown with briers and thorns; I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it.
7 For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the people of Judah are his pleasant planting; he expected justice, but saw bloodshed; righteousness, but heard a cry!
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 the extent to which Judea should attempt to confront its enemies by using military and diplomatic means and the extent 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 part of First Isaiah. The NOAB describes the first part as a “love song” (v.1) for the prophet’s “beloved” – identified in verse 7 as YHWH — and notes that in Ugarit and biblical poetry, a vineyard was often a symbol of someone who is beloved. Here, YHWH’s beloved was identified as “the house of Israel and the people of Judah” (v.7).
In the third verse, the voice shifted from that of the prophet to the voice of YHWH asking for persons to judge between YHWH and the vineyard (Judea).
Because the vineyard yielded wild grapes (v.4), YHWH stated that the vineyard would be trampled down and made a waste (vv.5-6). This occurred when the Assyrians conquered Northern Israel in 722 BCE and Babylonians conquered Judea in 597 BCE.
Like many other prophets, Isaiah criticized injustice in Israel and Judah. Using two clever word plays in Hebrew, the author noted that where YHWH expected justice (“mispat”), there was bloodshed (“mishpah”). YHWH expected righteousness (“tsedaqah”) but heard a cry (“tse’aqah”) (v.7).
Jeremiah 23:23-29
Reading
23 Am I a God near by, says the LORD, and not a God far off? 24 Who can hide in secret places so that I cannot see them? says the LORD. Do I not fill heaven and earth? says the LORD. 25 I have heard what the prophets have said who prophesy lies in my name, saying, “I have dreamed, I have dreamed!” 26 How long? Will the hearts of the prophets ever turn back — those who prophesy lies, and who prophesy the deceit of their own heart? 27 They plan to make my people forget my name by their dreams that they tell one another, just as their ancestors forgot my name for Baal. 28 Let the prophet who has a dream tell the dream but let the one who has my word speak my word faithfully. What has straw in common with wheat? says the LORD. 29 Is not my word like fire, says the LORD, and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?
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.
Jeremiah is largely a prophet of doom and gloom, so much so that the English word “jeremiad” is defined as a long, mournful complaint or lamentation, a list of woes. In the Bible, the Book of Lamentations was placed after the Book of Jeremiah because of the (incorrect) view that Jeremiah wrote the Book of Lamentations.
Sections in the book that are in “poetry style” are generally attributed to the prophet, and parts in “prose style” were mostly 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.)
One of the consistent themes in Jeremiah was his ongoing battles with the “court” prophets who told the king what the king wanted to hear and who opposed Jeremiah at every turn.
Todays reading is in prose and asserts that because YHWH is omnipresent (v.23), YHWH was aware of the lies that some (false/court) prophets were speaking in YHWH’s name (v.25). In the Scriptures, dreams were sometimes seen as messages from God, for example for Joseph in Genesis and Daniel in the Court of Babylon (Dan. 2), but here Jeremiah accused the false prophets of claiming that dreams were a basis to “forget YHWH’s name” (v.27). This disparagement of dreams is consistent with the critical view the Deuteronomists had on dreams (Deut. 13:1-6), and likely reflects the Deuteronomists’ revision of parts of Jeremiah.
In describing YHWH’s word as a “hammer that breaks rock into pieces” (v.29), the prophet emphasized the great power of true prophesy and anticipated the conquest of Judea by the Babylonians in 589 BCE. This Deuteronomic worldview can be summarized as “Do good, get good. Do bad, get bad,” a view that should be contrasted to the views in the Book of Job (bad things happen to good people) and the Book of Ecclesiastes (bad things happen at random).
Hebrews 11:29 – 12:2
Reading
29 By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as if it were dry land, but when the Egyptians attempted to do so they were drowned. 30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell after they had been encircled for seven days. 31 By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she had received the spies in peace.
32 And what more should I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets – 33 who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, 34 quenched raging fire, escaped the edge of the sword, won strength out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. 35 Women received their dead by resurrection. 36 Others were tortured, refusing to accept release, in order to obtain a better resurrection. Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. 37 They were stoned to death, they were sawn in two, they were killed by the sword; they went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, persecuted, tormented – 38 of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground.
39 Yet all these, though they were commended for their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better so that they would not, apart from us, be made perfect.
12:1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God.
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 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 is often perceived as the New Testament’s most anti-Jewish text because of its supersessionism. The JANT continues: “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 asserted that it was “faith” that enabled (or caused) a large number of notable events that were recounted in the Hebrew Bible (vv. 29-38).
Many of the references are clear, but some are not, and it is not at all clear that these were persons of “faith” in YHWH. Rahab (v.31) was a prostitute who hid Joshua’s spies from the King of Jericho before Joshua crossed the River Jordan. According to Josh. 2:8-12, Rahab gave a highly-Deuteronomic speech to the spies about YHWH’s power. She also shrewdly demanded that Joshua give her and her family safe passage – knowing that Joshua was going to destroy Jericho and kill all its inhabitants. She is mentioned in Matthew’s genealogy of Jesus (Matt:1:5).
Judges 4-5 told of Barak, a fearful Jewish general who was unwilling to face the Canaanite army unless Deborah, the prophet, accompanied him. Because of the LORD’s help, he won the battle, but the Canaanite general, Sisera, escaped and hid in the tent of a Kenite woman, Jael. Jael induced Sisera to sleep, and while asleep, drove a tent peg into his temple.
Gideon (Jud. 6-7) was directed by YHWH to save the Israelites from the Midianites. Instead of demonstrating faith in YHWH, he asked for numerous signs from YHWH to overcome his unbelief. Finally, he accepted the call. When the number of his troops were reduced (for a variety of reasons), he ordered greatly outnumbered soldiers blow trumpets simultaneously. In this way, Gideon made the Midianites fearful and defeated them.
It is difficult to understand why Jephthah is included. As described in Judges 11-12, he was the leader of Israel’s forces against the Ammonites. He made a vow to YHWH that if he were successful, he would make a burnt offering of the first person to come out of his house upon his return. When he returned home victorious, the first person he saw was his beloved daughter, and he sacrificed her to YHWH.
Continuing the author’s argument, The Jewish Annotated New Testament suggests that escaping the edge of the sword, winning strength out of weakness, becoming mighty in war, and putting foreign armies to flight (v.34) “could refer to several different figures, including Elijah.”
The New Oxford Annotated Bible suggests that “resurrection” (v.35) refers to the raising of dead children by Elijah and Elisha in 1 Kings 17 and 2 Kings 4, and that the reference to “better resurrection” refers to the belief that persons killed by Antiochus IV would be resurrected but that Antiochus IV would not. (2 Macc.7:14-15).
The JANT explains that “stoned to death” (v.37) refers either to Zechariah (2 Chr. 24:21) or to legends about Jeremiah’s death. “Sawn in two” (v.37) was the fate of Isaiah according to Jewish, Christian, and Islamic legends, and the sheep of skin and goats evokes the garb of Elijah and Elisha in the LXX version of 1 Kings.
All the Christian Scriptures were written in Greek, and the Greek word for “faith” in the Letter is “pistis” – a word that has an active connotation and can fairly be understood as “faithfulness.” Faith is not presented in this letter (or in Paul’s genuine letters) as an intellectual assent to a series of propositions (as “Faith” is often understood today). Instead, as stated in the beginning of Chapter 11, Faith is action based on “the conviction of things not seen” (11:1).
The reading concluded with the supersessionist view that although the faithful persons in the Hebrew Bible were “commended” (v.39), they could not be made “perfect” (or complete) without Jesus as the “pioneer and perfecter of our faith.” (12:2).
Luke 12:49-56
Reading
49 Jesus said, “I came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! 50 I have a baptism with which to be baptized, and what stress I am under until it is completed! 51 Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division! 52 From now on five in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three; 53 they will be divided: father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”
54 He also said to the crowds, “When you see a cloud rising in the west, you immediately say, `It is going to rain’; and so it happens. 55 And when you see the south wind blowing, you say, `There will be scorching heat’; and it happens. 56 You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time?”
Commentary
The Gospel According to Luke is generally regarded as having been written around 85 CE. Its author also wrote the Acts of the Apostles. Both books were written in elegant and deliberatively crafted Greek and presented Jesus of Nazareth as the universal savior of humanity. Both emphasized the Holy Spirit as the “driving force” for events.
The Gospel followed the same general chronology of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection as the Gospel of Mark, and more than 40% of Luke’s Gospel was based on Mark. The other portions of Luke include (a) sayings shared with the Gospel According to Matthew but not found in Mark and (b) stories that are unique to Luke such as the Annunciation, the Visitation, the Presentation in the Temple, the Prodigal Son, and the Good Samaritan.
Today’s reading is parallel to Matt. 10:34-36 in which Jesus said, “I have come not to bring peace, but a sword.”
In this passage from Luke, the word “fire” is understood by The NOAB as a symbol of judgment, but The JANT also understands “fire” as a symbol of purification as when Jesus’ baptism was described as “with the Holy Spirit and fire” (Luke 3:16). In Acts of the Apostles, the presence of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost was shown by “divided tongues, as of fire” (Acts 2:3).
The NOAB understands Jesus’ “baptism” (v.50) to be a reference to his own death. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary understands “baptized” as being “here used without primary reference to the rite of baptism but in the metaphorical sense of being overwhelmed by catastrophe.”
The JANT points out that language about dividing a household (v.53) echoed the prophet Micah 7:6 who described the society of Judea in the late 700’s BCE as “the son treats the father with contempt, the daughter rises up against her mother, the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; your enemies are members of your own household.” But it also notes that in Malachi 4:6, the prophet spoke of the Messiah as one who “will turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the hearts of children to their parents.”
The second part of the reading about the weather signs (vv. 54-55) is also in Matthew, in which Jesus told the Pharisees and Sadducees that they are not able to “interpret the signs of the times” (Matt.16:3).
2025, August 19 ~ Isaiah 1:1,10-20; Genesis 15:1-6; Hebrews 11:1-3,8-16; Luke 12:32-40
/in Uncategorized /by Thomas O'BrienTODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
AUGUST 10, 2025
During Pentecost Season 2025, the Revised Common Lectionary offers two “tracks” of readings from the Hebrew Bible. Congregations may choose either track.
The first track of readings follows major stories and themes, read mostly continuously from week to week. The second track of readings thematically pairs the reading from the Hebrew Bible with the Gospel reading.
The readings from the Epistles are the same in both tracks.
Isaiah 1.1,10-20
Reading
1 The vision of Isaiah son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.
10 Hear the word of the LORD, you rulers of Sodom! Listen to the teaching of our God, you people of Gomorrah!
11 What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices? says the LORD; I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fed beasts; I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs, or of goats.
12 When you come to appear before me, who asked this from your hand? Trample my courts no more;
13 bringing offerings is futile; incense is an abomination to me. New moon and sabbath and calling of convocation — I cannot endure solemn assemblies with iniquity.
14 Your new moons and your appointed festivals my soul hates; they have become a burden to me, I am weary of bearing them.
15 When you stretch out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood.
16 Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your doings from before my eyes; cease to do evil,
17 learn to do good; seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow.
18 Come now, let us argue it out, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be like snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.
19 If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land;
20 but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be devoured by the sword; for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.
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 the extent to which Judea should attempt to confront its enemies by using military and diplomatic means and the extent 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 First Isaiah and is an indictment of Israel (and particularly Judea) for religious infidelity. The first verse (inserted by a later editor) sets the time period as 735 BCE (the ending years of the reign of Uzziah – also known as Azariah) to the 14th year of the reign of Hezekiah (701 BCE – when the Assyrians conquered most of Judea and besieged Jerusalem). This was a time of the ascendancy of the Assyrian Empire which had conquered Northern Israel in 722 BCE and threatened Judea during all this time.
The omitted verses (2 to 9) are a legal complaint by YHWH concerning covenant violations by the Judeans and a metaphorical description of Judea’s punishment (vv. 5-6). This is followed by a more specific description that Judah will be invaded and Jerusalem will be put under siege, but that Jerusalem will never fall — at least according to First Isaiah (vv. 8-9).
The balance of today’s reading is a strong prophetic statement condemning worship divorced from social justice (vv. 10-17), a theme also found in Amos, Micah, and Jeremiah. Sodom and Gomorrah (v.10) were commonly used symbols for divine judgement on immorality. In Genesis, the evil done by those cities was not showing hospitality (a high value) by threatening to commit sexual violence upon visitors to Lot’s home (Gen.19:5).
YHWH’s call for purification (v.16) was not a substitute for moral purification, but a sign of the purification of learning to do good and seek justice (v.17).
The verses then shifted from condemnation to a legal argument (v.18) in which YHWH offered forgiveness if Judea repented, but said Judea would be “devoured by the sword” (v.20) if it did not repent. Except for a short period of Deuteronomic reform under King Josiah (640 to 609 BCE), Jerusalem did not repent, and it was conquered by the Babylonians – the successors to the Assyrians – in 597 BCE. The Exile began in 587 BCE.
Genesis 15:1-6
Reading
1 The word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, “Do not be afraid, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.” 2 But Abram said, “O LORD God, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” 3 And Abram said, “You have given me no offspring, and so a slave born in my house is to be my heir.” 4 But the word of the LORD came to him, “This man shall not be your heir; no one but your very own issue shall be your heir.” 5 He brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your descendants be.” 6 And he believed the LORD; and the LORD reckoned it to him as righteousness.
Commentary
Genesis is the first book of the Torah (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy). The Torah also called the Pentateuch (“five books”) in Greek. Genesis covers the period from Creation to the deaths of Jacob and his 11th son, Joseph, in about 1650 BCE, if the accounts are historical.
The Book of Genesis (like the Torah as a whole) is an amalgam of religious traditions, some of which are dated to about 950 BCE and some of which were developed as late as 450 BCE. Since the late 19th Century, Biblical scholars have recognized four major “strands” or sources in the Torah, and these sources are identified (among other ways) by their different theological emphases, names for God, names for the holy mountain, and portrayals of God’s characteristics.
The first 11 Chapters of Genesis are called the “primeval history” which ends with the Tower of Babel story — an “etiology” (story of origins) relating to the scattering of humankind and the multiplicity of languages. The last chapter of the primeval history also traces Abram’s lineage back to Noah’s son, Shem (which means “name” in Hebrew and from which we get the word “Semites”).
Today’s reading is one of the versions of the covenant between YHWH and Abraham that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars (v.5). The other versions of the covenant are in Gen.12:1-3 and Gen.17:1-27. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary understands the expression “The word of the Lord came” (v.1) as a sign of later editing of the text.
The reference to Eliezer of Damascus is understood by some commentators as indicating that Abram had adopted him because Abram did not expect to have a natural heir. It appears that Eliezer was the “servant, the oldest of his house, who had charge of all he had” (Gen. 24:2) whom Abraham later sent to Haran to find a wife for Isaac.
In speaking of Abram’s “belief in the LORD” (v.6), The Jewish Study Bible translates the word as “trusts” and affirms that belief (when used in the Tanakh) does not mean believing in spite of the evidence. Instead, it means trusting profoundly in someone, here YHWH. The New Oxford Annotated Bible sees “righteousness” (tzedakah in Hebrew) as “being true to one’s social obligations and commitments” and that Abram believed that YHWH would be true to the promises made to him.
Abram’s faith and righteousness were an important example for Paul in his discussion of faith and justification in Chapter 4 of the Letter to the Romans.
Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16
Reading
1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 2 Indeed, by faith our ancestors received approval. 3 By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was made from things that are not visible.
8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to set out for a place that he was to receive as an inheritance; and he set out, not knowing where he was going. 9 By faith he stayed for a time in the land he had been promised, as in a foreign land, living in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he looked forward to the city that has foundations, whose architect and builder is God. 11 By faith he received power of procreation, even though he was too old — and Sarah herself was barren — because he considered him faithful who had promised. 12 Therefore from one person, and this one as good as dead, descendants were born, “as many as the stars of heaven and as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore.”
13 All of these died in faith without having received the promises, but from a distance they saw and greeted them. They confessed that they were strangers and foreigners on the earth, 14 for people who speak in this way make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. 15 If they had been thinking of the land that they had left behind, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; indeed, he has prepared a city for them.
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 who fulfills and completes the Jewish system of sacrifice.
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 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 is often perceived as the New Testament’s most anti-Jewish text because of its supersessionism. The JANT continues: “Supersecessionist 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 [LXX]) 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.”
Today’s reading spoke of faith as spiritual knowledge and as a concrete reality by using words such as “assurance” and “conviction.” An example of faith was Abraham’s obedience (v.8) to leave his homeland and travel to Canaan (Genesis 12). His faith was rewarded by his being the father of numerous descendants. The NOAB points out that in some manuscripts of Hebrews, “Sarah’s faith is parallel to Abraham’s, and she is also presented as one of the heroic people of faith.”
The JANT offers this analysis: “Faith [in Hebrews] includes connotations of endurance, trust, hope, and knowledge of divine realities….The concept of faith in Hebrews overlaps with Paul’s, especially in regard to trusting in God’s promises even when things look hopeless [citing verses]. The idea of faith as spiritual knowledge, which is particularly vivid in the opening verses of Chapter 11, finds little resonance with Paul’s usage. Both Hebrews and Paul make use of Hab 2.4 [“Look at the proud! Their spirit is not right in them, but the righteous live by their faith.”] but with different emphasis: Paul offers elaborate theological reflection on the connection between faith and righteousness (Rom.4, Gal 3.6-22), while Hebrews develops the connection between faith and endurance – to live by faith is to endure hardships with confidence and boldness, never doubting the divine promise.”
The ”city” (v.10) is understood by The NOAB as the heavenly Jerusalem.
Luke 12:32-40
Reading
32 Jesus said to his disciples, “Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. 33 Sell your possessions and give alms. Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys.34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
35 “Be dressed for action and have your lamps lit; 36 be like those who are waiting for their master to return from the wedding banquet, so that they may open the door for him as soon as he comes and knocks. 37 Blessed are those slaves whom the master finds alert when he comes; truly I tell you, he will fasten his belt and have them sit down to eat, and he will come and serve them. 38 If he comes during the middle of the night, or near dawn, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves.
39 “But know this: if the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. 40 You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.”
Commentary
The Gospel According to Luke is generally regarded as having been written around 85 CE. Its author also wrote the Acts of the Apostles. Both books were written in elegant and deliberatively crafted Greek and presented Jesus of Nazareth as the universal savior of humanity. Both emphasized the Holy Spirit as the “driving force” for events.
The Gospel followed the same general chronology of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection as the Gospel of Mark, and more than 40% of Luke’s Gospel was based on Mark. The other portions of Luke include (a) sayings shared with the Gospel According to Matthew but not found in Mark and (b) stories that are unique to Luke such as the Annunciation, the Visitation, the Presentation in the Temple, the Prodigal Son, and the Good Samaritan.
Today’s reading follows the Parable of the Rich Fool (vv. 16-21) and lengthy advice (vv.22-32) to not worry about material possessions. Consistent with sayings in the other Synoptic Gospels and Acts, persons were urged to lay up “treasure in heaven” and were reminded that “where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (v.34)
The focus of the reading then shifted to watchfulness, readiness, and faithfulness. Using imagery of a wedding banquet as a messianic event, the exhortation advised that the “master” (v.36) (Kyrios in Greek – usually translated “LORD”) will serve those slaves whom he finds alert (v.37).
The motif of the master serving others is found in John’s account of the Last Supper in which Jesus washed the feet of his disciples (John 13:3-16). It is also in Mark 10:45 in stating that the Son of Man came “not to be served but to serve” and in Luke 22:27 (“But I am among you as one who serves.”) in response to the controversy among some of the apostles about who is the greatest.
2025, August 3~ Hosea 11:1-11; Ecclesiastes 1:2, 12-14, 2:18-23; Colossians 3:1-11; Luke 12:13-21
/in Uncategorized /by Thomas O'BrienTODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
AUGUST 3, 2025
During Pentecost Season 2025, the Revised Common Lectionary offers two “tracks” of readings from the Hebrew Bible. Congregations may choose either track.
The first track of readings follows major stories and themes, read mostly continuously from week to week. The second track of readings thematically pairs the reading from the Hebrew Bible with the Gospel reading.
The readings from the Epistles are the same in both tracks.
Hosea 11:1-11
Reading
1 When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son.
2 The more I called them, the more they went from me; they kept sacrificing to the Baals and offering incense to idols.
3 Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk, I took them up in my arms; but they did not know that I healed them.
4 I led them with cords of human kindness, with bands of love. I was to them like those who lift infants to their cheeks. I bent down to them and fed them.
5 They shall return to the land of Egypt, and Assyria shall be their king, because they have refused to return to me.
6 The sword rages in their cities, it consumes their oracle-priests, and devours because of their schemes.
7 My people are bent on turning away from me To the Most High they call, but he does not raise them up at all.
8 How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I hand you over, O Israel? How can I make you like Admah? How can I treat you like Zeboiim? My heart recoils within me; my compassion grows warm and tender.
9 I will not execute my fierce anger; I will not again destroy Ephraim; for I am God and no mortal, the Holy One in your midst, and I will not come in wrath.
10 They shall go after the LORD, who roars like a lion; when he roars, his children shall come trembling from the west.
11 They shall come trembling like birds from Egypt, and like doves from the land of Assyria; and I will return them to their homes, says the LORD.
Commentary
The reign of King Jeroboam II of Israel (788-747 BCE) was very prosperous, but a time of great inequality between rich and poor in which large landowners gained control of the lands of small farmers. The Jewish Study Bible describes it as “a period of apostasy, social disintegration, wrongful leadership, failed alliances, and a lack of reverence for the LORD.” It continues: “From the Israelite perspective, the book [of Hosea] is anchored in the last period of strength of the Northern Kingdom; from the Judahite perspective, it is anchored in a period in which Israel moves from a political position of strength to the beginning of its demise in the days of Hezekiah.”
The two decades after the death of Jeroboam included six kings, four of whom were assassinated. In this period, Israel veered between appeasement with Assyria (including heavy tribute) and rebellion against Assyria with futile alliances with Syria and Egypt.
Hosea (which means “salvation” or “deliverance”) is one of the 12 “minor” prophets whose works are shorter than the three “major” prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel). He was a contemporary of Amos. His prophesying (speaking for YHWH) began towards the end of the reign of King Jeroboam II (747 BCE) and continued almost until Israel was conquered by the Assyrians in 722 BCE. He severely criticized the political, social, and religious life in the Northern Kingdom. The New Oxford Annotated Bible notes that he was the first of the prophets whose speeches were collected and edited as literary documents.
His main themes were Israel’s abandoning of the LORD, the LORD’s punishment for that abandonment, calls for Israel’s repentance, and hope of a reconciliation. Over the course of three decades (750 to 720), Hosea interpreted the unfolding disaster as a divine punishment for the violation of the exclusive demands of the LORD – the Assyrians were simply the agent of the LORD. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary observes that the heart of Hosea’s message is that the LORD provided love (hesed, or faithful love) and sought that love in return from Israel.
In today’s reading, Hosea shifted his metaphor of Israel from being an unfaithful wife to Israel (as in last week’s reading) as a special (but wayward) child of YHWH who rejected God’s call and made sacrifices to Baal (v.2). These are two of the most intimate metaphors for the relationship of Israel and YHWH.
The Jewish Study Bible observes: “The paternal metaphor was commonly used in the ancient Near East to express the relation between ruler and ruled, sovereign and subject. It is not incongruous for prophets to mix metaphors, such as Israel God’s wife and as God’s child.”
The author used a number of different names for Israel, particularly “Ephraim.” Ephraim (v.3) was one of Joseph’s sons and was the name of the largest of the 10 tribes that comprised Northern Israel. The prophet referred to the Exodus from Egypt (v.1) and emphasized the influence of YHWH in Israel’s beginnings (v.3).
Hosea noted (perhaps as a later addition to the text) that Assyria would be the “king” of Northern Israel (v.5), an event that occurred in 722 BCE when Assyria conquered Israel.
In the last half of today’s reading (vv.6-10), Hosea (still speaking for the LORD – all capital letters in the NRSV) said that YHWH’s compassion overcame divine anger. He said that YHWH would not treat Israel as Admah and Zeboiim (v.8) were treated. According to Deuteronomy 29:23, these two cities destroyed when Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed.
God’s change of heart and the decision not to obliterate Ephraim (v.9) was tied to the second part of the verse “For I am God and no mortal.” The lion’s roar (v.10) was not threatening but was a summons to its cubs to return.
Ecclesiastes 1:2, 12-14, 2:18-23
Reading
2 Vanity of vanities, says the Teacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity.
12 I, the Teacher, when king over Israel in Jerusalem, 13 applied my mind to seek and to search out by wisdom all that is done under heaven; it is an unhappy business that God has given to human beings to be busy with. 14 I saw all the deeds that are done under the sun; and see, all is vanity and a chasing after wind.
2:18 I hated all my toil in which I had toiled under the sun, seeing that I must leave it to those who come after me – 19 and who knows whether they will be wise or foolish? Yet they will be master of all for which I toiled and used my wisdom under the sun. This also is vanity. 20 So I turned and gave my heart up to despair concerning all the toil of my labors under the sun, 21 because sometimes one who has toiled with wisdom and knowledge and skill must leave all to be enjoyed by another who did not toil for it. This also is vanity and a great evil. 22 What do mortals get from all the toil and strain with which they toil under the sun? 23 For all their days are full of pain, and their work is a vexation; even at night their minds do not rest. This also is vanity.
Commentary
Ecclesiastes was written by a person known in Hebrew as Qohelet (which means the “Gatherer” of Wisdom, or “Teacher” or “Preacher”). Because the book contains Persian and Aramaic “loan-words,” the book is generally dated to the middle of the time of Persian rule of Judea (539 to 333 BCE). (Loan-words are words borrowed from one language to another. For example, “rendezvous” is a loan-word in English from French.)
The Persian Period was one of great prosperity, in large measure because of the introduction of standard coinage in the Middle East. In this period, however, the individual was an insignificant part of a large Empire.
Ecclesiastes is included in the Writings (Ketubim) in the Hebrew Bible, but is in the Wisdom Books in Christian Bibles. In Judaism today, it is read on Sukkot, the celebration of the fall harvest and the ending of the yearly Torah cycle. The JSB points out that Wisdom literature is “regularly understood to have God as its ultimate source. In the case of Ecclesiastes, the wisdom is presented as experiential.”
In verse 12, Qohelet assumed the persona of Solomon, the traditionally wise king who reigned from 968 to 928 BCE, but the book was written after 450BCE.
The over-arching theme in Ecclesiastes is that everything is “vanity” (the Hebrew word, hebel, is also translated as “vapor” or “breath” and is used 37 times in the book). Our lives are transient and insignificant. “Vanity” described all that is ephemeral, insubstantial, enigmatic, or absurd. Qohelet asserted that the fruit of one’s toil and one’s wisdom and knowledge cannot be taken with us when we die (vv.19 and 21). Death is inevitable for all. The New Oxford Annotated Bible comments: “Every generation must deal with the fact that mortals inevitably live in a world in which they do not have control (“all is vanity”) and life can only be lived before a sovereign God who alone determines all that happens on earth.”
The Jewish Study Bible notes: “The traditional doctrine of reward and punishment for the good and the wicked does not appear to work, at least in this life. In this regard, Koheleth is arguing against the position evident in the book of Deuteronomy or the bulk of Proverbs.” It notes, however, that later commentators pointed out that “futility” applies to actions by humans for themselves alone but that acts done on behalf of others in service to God can last and be worthwhile.
The NOAB points out that “Vanity of vanities” (v.2) was a way of expressing a superlative in Hebrew and means “utter vanity.” “Toil” (v.18) meant not only work, but the fruit of one’s work, and toil does not give you any advantages in the face of death. The NOAB advises that the phrase “under the sun” (vv.3, 19-20) occurs in the Bible only in Ecclesiastes but is attested elsewhere in the ancient Near East. It is a near synonym for “under the heavens” (v.13) and “refers to the land of the living as opposed to the realm of the dead.”
The concluding themes of the book are to enjoy life while you can, for after death there is nothingness. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary advises: “Like his contemporaries, Qoheleth does not believe in an afterlife (9:10).”
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 formed the basis for The Byrds’ song “There is a Season, Turn, Turn, Turn.”
Colossians 3:1-11
Reading
1 If you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth, 3 for you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is your life is revealed, then you also will be revealed with him in glory.
5 Put to death, therefore, whatever in you is earthly: fornication, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed (which is idolatry). 6 On account of these the wrath of God is coming on those who are disobedient. 7 These are the ways you also once followed, when you were living that life. 8 But now you must get rid of all such things– anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive language from your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have stripped off the old self with its practices 10 and have clothed yourselves with the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge according to the image of its creator. 11 In that renewal there is no longer Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and free; but Christ is all and in all!
Commentary
Colossae was a town in the Lycus valley in what is now western Türkiye. According to The NJBC, it had a flourishing wool and textile industry. The population consisted of native Phrygians, Greeks and a sizable community of Jews — perhaps as many as 10,000.
A Jesus Follower community was founded there by Paul’s associate, Epaphras (1:7). The letter is short (three chapters) and expressed concern about apocalyptic and mystical practices that were inconsistent with Paul’s understanding of being a Jesus Follower.
Scholars debate whether this letter was written by Paul or by his disciples in the decades after Paul’s death in 63 CE. It lacks many terms used in Paul’s authentic letters and its style is more liturgical than Paul’s other letters.
The New Oxford Annotated Bible points out that “the letter presents the idea that the believers’ lives are completely transformed by Christ’s death and resurrection instead of Paul’s usual tension between the only partially fulfilled present and the future resurrection and full enjoyment of Christ’s benefits.”
The Jewish Annotated New Testament notes that the authentic epistles speak of “justification” and “sanctification” in the present tense but reserve “salvation” for the future. In Colossians, salvation is a present reality and justification has no place at all. The JANT also observes that Colossians contains a “hierarchical description of household relations” whereas “Paul’s own description of marital relationships is remarkably nonhierarchical (cf. 1 Cor 7.14).”
In today’s reading, the author gave a series of ethical exhortations to the Colossians. These exhortations are derived from last week’s reading (“when you were buried with him in baptism, you were also raised with him through faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.” 2:12).
The New Jerome Biblical Commentary observes that the inclusion of “at the right hand of God” (v.1) is “a creedal statement based on Ps 110:1 used in the early church to show that the messianic promises had been fulfilled in Christ.”
The JANT understands “your life is hidden with Christ … you will also be revealed” (vv. 3-4) to say: “Colossians suggests the events set in motion by the Messiah’s death and resurrection are presently hidden from view but will be revealed with the Messiah’s return, where the mystery of God’s plan for humankind has been hidden but will now be revealed to the saints.” The JANT notes that Paul, however, used more conventional apocalyptic language where things presently hidden will be “unveiled.”
The sins were described as “earthly” (v.5) and the author described the pre-baptismal life as a catalogue of vices (v.8).
The author concluded with one of Paul’s most important theological insights – that the Christ (the Messiah) is the ultimate unifying principle and force for all reality. “The Christ is all and is in all” (v.11) so that there is no longer a dichotomy between the “sacred” and the “profane” just as there is no essential difference between a Gentile (a “Greek”) and Jew, slave and free and the like (v.11). According to The JANT, a “barbarian” was a person who spoke no Greek and a “Scythian” was the epitome of an uncivilized person in Greek literature.
The JANT goes on to comment: “In his own letters, Paul insists that the death and resurrection of the Messiah has leveled the social order: the natural divisions among people – ethnic, sexual, and social – are no more.…The author of Colossians borrowed this phrase, expanded it, and subtly changed its point….The author may be providing further evidence that some members of the Gentile Colossian church are enamored of the ritual laws of the Torah and have become circumcised; the antithesis in that case refers to circumcised and uncircumcised Gentiles, not the antithesis between Gentile and Jew. Colossians reflects a situation – real or imagined – in a church far removed from the concerns of the original Pauline communities.”
Luke 12:13-21
Reading
13 Someone in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.” 14 But he said to him, “Friend, who set me to be a judge or arbitrator over you?” 15 And he said to them, “Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.” 16 Then he told them a parable: “The land of a rich man produced abundantly. 17 And he thought to himself, `What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?’ 18 Then he said, `I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, `Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.’ 20 But God said to him, `You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ 21 So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God.”
Commentary
The Gospel According to Luke is generally regarded as having been written around 85 CE. Its author also wrote the Acts of the Apostles. Both books were written in elegant and deliberatively crafted Greek and presented Jesus of Nazareth as the universal savior of humanity. Both emphasized the Holy Spirit as the “driving force” for events.
The Gospel followed the same general chronology of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection as the Gospel of Mark, and more than 40% of Luke’s Gospel was based on Mark. The other portions of Luke include (a) sayings shared with the Gospel According to Matthew but not found in Mark and (b) stories that are unique to Luke such as the Annunciation, the Visitation, the Presentation in the Temple, the Prodigal Son, and the Good Samaritan.
In the first part of today’s reading, Jesus refused to enter a dispute between two brothers about an inheritance. Although the rule in Deuteronomy 21.17 mandated that the oldest brother would receive an extra share (2/3 if there were only two brothers), The JANT points out that “postbiblical practice allowed parents freedom in bequests.”
Using this dispute as an introduction, the reading continues with what is often called “The Parable of the Rich Fool.” The JANT notes that in characterizing the man as “rich” (v.16), Luke generally meant that the person did not use his wealth to support the poor.
The advice the rich man gave to his soul (“relax, eat, drink and be merry” in v.19) was a paraphrase of advice in Ecclesiastes 8:15.
The NOAB points out that phrase translated as “You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you” (v.20) literally was “Fool! In this night, your soul they demand from you.” The subject “they” may be a circumlocution for God, or angels, or the man’s possessions. (The question about whose possessions they will be echoes themes in today’s readings from Ecclesiastes.)
The notion of “store up treasures” (v.21) ties to a later exhortation in the same chapter: “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (v.34).
2025, July 27 ~ Hosea 1:2-10; Genesis 18:20-32; Colossians 2:6-19; Luke 11:1-13
/in Uncategorized /by Thomas O'BrienTODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
JULY 27, 2025
During Pentecost Season 2025, the Revised Common Lectionary offers two “tracks” of readings from the Hebrew Bible. Congregations may choose either track.
The first track of readings follows major stories and themes, read mostly continuously from week to week. The second track of readings thematically pairs the reading from the Hebrew Bible with the Gospel reading.
The readings from the Epistles are the same in both tracks.
Hosea 1:2-10
Reading
2 When the LORD first spoke through Hosea, the LORD said to Hosea, “Go, take for yourself a wife of whoredom and have children of whoredom, for the land commits great whoredom by forsaking the LORD.” 3 So he went and took Gomer daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son.
4 And the LORD said to him, “Name him Jezreel; for in a little while I will punish the house of Jehu for the blood of Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel. 5 On that day I will break the bow of Israel in the valley of Jezreel.”
6 She conceived again and bore a daughter. Then the LORD said to him, “Name her Lo-ruhamah, for I will no longer have pity on the house of Israel or forgive them. 7 But I will have pity on the house of Judah, and I will save them by the LORD their God; I will not save them by bow, or by sword, or by war, or by horses, or by horsemen.”
8 When she had weaned Lo-ruhamah, she conceived and bore a son. 9 Then the LORD said, “Name him Lo-ammi, for you are not my people and I am not your God.”
10 Yet the number of the people of Israel shall be like the sand of the sea, which can be neither measured nor numbered; and in the place where it was said to them, “You are not my people,” it shall be said to them, “Children of the living God.”
Commentary
After Solomon died in 928 BCE, the Kingdom of Israel split into two parts, the North (called Israel with 10 tribes) and the South (Judea with two tribes). Each Kingdom had its own king.
The reign of King Jeroboam II of Israel (788-747 BCE) was very prosperous, but a time of great inequality between rich and poor in which large landowners gained control of the lands of small farmers. The Jewish Study Bible describes it as “a period of apostasy, social disintegration, wrongful leadership, failed alliances, and a lack of reverence for the LORD.” It continues: “From the Israelite perspective, the book [of Hosea] is anchored in the last period of strength of the Northern Kingdom; from the Judahite perspective, it is anchored in a period in which Israel moves from a political position of strength to the beginning of its demise in the days of Hezekiah.”
The two decades after the death of Jeroboam included six kings, four of whom were assassinated. In this period, Israel veered between appeasement with Assyria (including heavy tribute) and rebellion against Assyria with futile alliances with Syria and Egypt.
Hosea (which means “salvation” or “deliverance”) is one of the 12 “minor” prophets whose works are shorter than the three “major” prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel). He was a contemporary of Amos. His prophesying (speaking for YHWH) began towards the end of the reign of King Jeroboam II (747 BCE) and continued almost until Israel was conquered by the Assyrians in 722 BCE. He severely criticized the political, social, and religious life in the Northern Kingdom. The New Oxford Annotated Bible notes that he was the first of the prophets whose speeches were collected and edited as literary documents.
His main themes were Israel’s abandoning of the LORD, the LORD’s punishment for that abandonment, calls for Israel’s repentance, and hope of a reconciliation. Over the course of three decades (750 to 720), Hosea interpreted the unfolding disaster as a divine punishment for the violation of the exclusive demands of the LORD – the the Assyrians were simply the agent of the LORD. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary observes that the heart of Hosea’s message is that the LORD provided love (hesed, or faithful love) and sought that love in return from Israel.
Hosea sometimes referred to the Northern Kingdom as “Ephraim” (the largest tribe and named for Joseph’s son) or “Samaria,” its capital.
He used powerful symbolic images of marriage and faithlessness to describe the covenant relationship between YHWH and Israel. He described Israel as a promiscuous woman and an unfaithful wife (v.2) and his wife’s children (some not fathered by Hosea) were given symbolic names – “God sows” (v.4), “not pitied” or “not loved” (v.6) and “not my people” (literally, “no-kin-of-mine”)(v.9).
The NOAB points out: “The marital states of Jeremiah (Jer 16.1-2) and Ezekiel (Ezek 24) also took on prophetic significance; Isaiah gave children symbolic names (Isa 7).” It continues: “Hosea’s image of Israel’s sexual misconduct may be more than symbolic….Canaanite religious practices may have included sexual rites in imitation of the gods, who, presumably, generated terrestrial fertility through sexual intercourse.”
The name “Jezreel” (God sows) is the name of an actual place in Israel. The Jezreel Valley is one of the most fertile parts of Israel (even today). It was the place where Jeroboam’s predecessors (the House of Jehu) staged a bloody coup against Ahab in 842 BCE. (According to 2 Kings 9-10, the coup by Jehu was directed by YHWH through the prophet Elisha.) The name itself also has a double meaning in that similar Hebrew words (zr and zrh) mean “to sow” and “to scatter.”
The NOAB notes: “After the destruction of Samaria, Hosea’s words were preserved and transmitted in Judah. Some or all of the references to Judah may have been added in this era as Hosea’s words were reinterpreted to address an analogous situation there.” For example, Hosea said that YHWH (“LORD” in all capital letters in the NRSV) had pity on Judea (v.7).
Although Hosea primarily addressed the situation in Northern Israel, The Jewish Study Bible points out that “its intended readers were the Judeans who could constructively reflect on the demise of the Northern Kingdom.” It continues: “Yet hope for the future, for a restoration of the ideal relation between the LORD and Israel, demands that Israel turn away from its ways and return to the LORD, so the call for repentance is an important theme in the book.”
Genesis 18:20-32
Reading
20 The LORD said to Abraham, “How great is the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah and how very grave their sin! 21 I must go down and see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry that has come to me; and if not, I will know.”
22 So the men turned from there, and went toward Sodom, while Abraham remained standing before the LORD. 23 Then Abraham came near and said, “Will you indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked? 24 Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city; will you then sweep away the place and not forgive it for the fifty righteous who are in it? 25 Far be it from you to do such a thing, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked! Far be that from you! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?” 26 And the LORD said, “If I find at Sodom fifty righteous in the city, I will forgive the whole place for their sake.” 27 Abraham answered, “Let me take it upon myself to speak to the LORD, I who am but dust and ashes. 28 Suppose five of the fifty righteous are lacking? Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five?” And he said, “I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there.” 29 Again he spoke to him, “Suppose forty are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of forty I will not do it.” 30 Then he said, “Oh do not let the LORD be angry if I speak. Suppose thirty are found there.” He answered, “I will not do it, if I find thirty there.” 31 He said, “Let me take it upon myself to speak to the LORD. Suppose twenty are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of twenty I will not destroy it.” 32 Then he said, “Oh do not let the LORD be angry if I speak just once more. Suppose ten are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of ten I will not destroy it.”
Commentary
Genesis is the first book of the Torah (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy). The Torah also called the Pentateuch (“five books”) in Greek. Genesis covers the period from Creation to the deaths of Jacob and his 11th son, Joseph, in about 1650 BCE, if the accounts are historical.
The Book of Genesis (like the Torah as a whole) is an amalgam of religious traditions, some of which are dated to about 950 BCE and some of which were developed as late as 450 BCE. Since the late 19th Century, Biblical scholars have recognized four major “strands” or sources in the Torah, and these sources are identified (among other ways) by their different theological emphases, names for God, names for the holy mountain, and portrayals of God’s characteristics.
The first 11 Chapters of Genesis are called the “primeval history” which ends with the Tower of Babel story — an “etiology” (story of origins) relating to the scattering of humankind and the multiplicity of languages. The last chapter of the primeval history traces Abram’s lineage back to Noah’s son, Shem (which means “name” in Hebrew and from which we get the word “Semites”).
This week’s reading begins after the “men” left Mamre and “looked toward” Sodom (v.16). Abraham went with them and sent them on their way. YHWH then had an internal conversation in which YHWH considered not disclosing to Abraham YHWH’s plan to destroy Sodom (v.17). Treating Abraham as a prophet (as later described in 20:7), YHWH disclosed the plan of destruction because Abraham would “become a great and prosperous nation” (v.18).
To learn if “the outrage of Sodom and Gomorrah is so great” (v.20), this anthropomorphic YHWH checked on it (v.21), just as YHWH did in deciding the fate of Babel (Gen 11:5).
In today’s reading, Abraham conducted a back-and-forth negotiation with a very human-like YHWH regarding the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. By appealing to YHWH’s sense of fairness and justice, Abraham got YHWH to reduce to 10 the number of “righteous” people needed to save the cities.
The Jewish Study Bible notes that Abraham’s plea for mercy is not that YHWH save the innocent and punish the guilty, but that the entire city be spared. YHWH agreed to forgive all for the sake of the innocent. The JSB goes on: “The underlying theology maintains that the righteous effect deliverance for the entire community….This idea is prominent in rabbinic literature where it underlies the notion of thirty six righteous individuals for whom the world endures.”
Nevertheless, the two cities were destroyed by YHWH in the next chapter.
In verse 27, Abraham referred to himself as “but dust and ashes.” This is the same phrase used by Job after his theophany near the end of the book (Job 42:6)
Colossians 2:6-19
Reading
6 As you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, continue to live your lives in him, 7 rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.
8 See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the universe, and not according to Christ. 9 For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, 10 and you have come to fullness in him, who is the head of every ruler and authority. 11 In him also you were circumcised with a spiritual circumcision, by putting off the body of the flesh in the circumcision of Christ; 12 when you were buried with him in baptism, you were also raised with him through faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead. 13 And when you were dead in trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive together with him, when he forgave us all our trespasses, 14 erasing the record that stood against us with its legal demands. He set this aside, nailing it to the cross. 15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and made a public example of them, triumphing over them in it.
16 Therefore do not let anyone condemn you in matters of food and drink or of observing festivals, new moons, or sabbaths. 17 These are only a shadow of what is to come, but the substance belongs to Christ. 18 Do not let anyone disqualify you, insisting on self-abasement and worship of angels, dwelling on visions, puffed up without cause by a human way of thinking, 19 and not holding fast to the head, from whom the whole body, nourished and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows with a growth that is from God.
Commentary
Colossae was a town in what is now western Türkiye. A Jesus Follower community was founded there by Paul’s associate, Epaphras (1:7). The letter is short (three chapters) and expressed concern about apocalyptic and mystical practices that were inconsistent with the writer’s understanding of being a Jesus Follower.
Scholars debate whether this letter was written by Paul or by his disciples in the decades after Paul’s death in 63 CE. It lacks many terms used in Paul’s authentic letters and its style is more liturgical than Paul’s letters.
Today’s reading is the theological core of the Letter to the Colossians – that Jesus the Christ is the Lord (v.6), was the living embodiment of God (v.9) and that the fullness of one’s humanity comes by “living one’s life in [Jesus the Christ]” (v.6).
The author noted that the Colossians had orally received Christ and warned against “philosophy” (which The NOAB understands as other ethical or religious teachings) and practices associated with some forms of 1st Century Judaism: “elemental spirits” (v.8) (which The NJBC understands are “angelic powers that performed some function of mediation between God and the world and had some control over the cosmic order”), physical circumcision (v.13), matters of food and drink (v.16), and observing festivals, new moons, and Sabbaths (v. 16).
The NOAB sees “spiritual circumcision” (v.11) as baptism (which The NJBC says is “a figurative equation not made elsewhere in the NT”), and the reference to the “shadow of what is to come” (v.17) as “Platonic language indicating the superiority of Christ.” The church’s growth (the body) grows through the Christ which is “growth from God” (v.19).
The Jewish Annotated New Testament notes that in this section, the author “simultaneously condemns Greek philosophical tradition, Jewish legal teaching and pagan worship.” Unlike Paul’s authentic letters, Colossians speaks of resurrection in the present (“you were also raised with him [Christ] through faith” in baptism (v.12).
The JANT continues: “For Paul, God’s covenant, the Torah, was obligatory for both Jews and Gentiles but in different ways: Jews were obliged to observe all of the statutes of the Torah (Gal 5.30); Gentiles are obliged to observe the Torah ‘written on their hearts’ (Rom 2.15). The author of Colossians, writing a generation or more later to an audience who still seem interested in observing at least some of the biblical commandments, insists that since Jesus’ death, there is no Torah, no commandments, only a new existence in a new world (Col 2.20).”
Luke 11:1-13
Reading
1 Jesus was praying in a certain place, and after he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.” 2 He said to them, “When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. 3 Give us each day our daily bread. 4 And forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone indebted to us. And do not bring us to the time of trial.”
5 And he said to them, “Suppose one of you has a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say to him, `Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; 6 for a friend of mine has arrived, and I have nothing to set before him.’ 7 And he answers from within, `Do not bother me; the door has already been locked, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything.’ 8 I tell you, even though he will not get up and give him anything, because he is his friend, at least because of his persistence he will get up and give him whatever he needs.
9 “So I say to you, Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. 10 For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. 11 Is there anyone among you who, if your child asks for a fish, will give a snake instead of a fish? 12 Or if the child asks for an egg, will give a scorpion? 13 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
Commentary
The Gospel According to Luke is generally regarded as having been written around 85 CE. Its author also wrote the Acts of the Apostles. Both books were written in elegant and deliberatively crafted Greek and presented Jesus of Nazareth as the universal savior of humanity. Both emphasized the Holy Spirit as the “driving force” for events.
The Gospel followed the same general chronology of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection as the Gospel of Mark, and more than 40% of Luke’s Gospel was based on Mark. The other portions of Luke include (a) sayings shared with the Gospel According to Matthew but not found in Mark (usually referred to as a “sayings source” named “Q” for the German word “Quelle” or Source”) and (b) stories that are unique to Luke such as the Annunciation, the Visitation, the Presentation in the Temple, the Prodigal Son, and the Good Samaritan.
Today’s reading is “Q” material and is in two parts – the first is Luke’s shorter version of the Lord’s Prayer, as compared to the one in Matthew 6:9-13. The NAOB points out that there is an eschatological cast to the petitions (“Thy kingdom come; thy will be done”) that look towards an end-times. But there are also concerns related to daily life.
The JANT notes that the reference to John (v.1) shows both a continuity with John as well as a distinction from him, and that calling God “Father” (v.2) was “a Jewish address for God, particularly in postbiblical prayers (Tob 13.4, Sir 23.1,51.10).”
The second part of the reading relates to persistence in prayer. Although it does not say that the praying person will get precisely what the person is praying for, the assurance given is that the person will “get whatever he needs” (v. 8); “the door will be opened” (v.10); and the heavenly Father will “give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him” (v.13). All of these are open-ended and indefinite but tell us that our prayers will be “answered” in some way.
2025, July 20 ~ Amos 8:1-12; Genesis 18:1-10a; Colossians 1:15-28; Luke 10:38-42
/in Uncategorized /by Thomas O'BrienTODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
JULY 20, 2025
During Pentecost Season 2025, the Revised Common Lectionary offers two “tracks” of readings from the Hebrew Bible. Congregations may choose either track.
The first track of readings follows major stories and themes, read mostly continuously from week to week. The second track of readings thematically pairs the reading from the Hebrew Bible with the Gospel reading.
The readings from the Epistles are the same in both tracks.
Amos 8:1-12
Reading
1 This is what the LORD GOD showed me — a basket of summer fruit. 2 He said, “Amos, what do you see?” And I said, “A basket of summer fruit.” Then the LORD said to me, “The end has come upon my people Israel; I will never again pass them by. 3 The songs of the temple shall become wailings in that day,” says the LORD GOD; “the dead bodies shall be many, cast out in every place. Be silent!”
4 Hear this, you that trample on the needy, and bring to ruin the poor of the land, 5 saying, “When will the new moon be over so that we may sell grain; and the sabbath, so that we may offer wheat for sale? We will make the ephah small and the shekel great, and practice deceit with false balances, 6 buying the poor for silver and the needy for a pair of sandals and selling the sweepings of the wheat.”
7 The LORD has sworn by the pride of Jacob: Surely, I will never forget any of their deeds.
8 Shall not the land tremble on this account, and everyone mourn who lives in it, and all of it rise like the Nile, and be tossed about and sink again, like the Nile of Egypt?
9 On that day, says the LORD GOD, I will make the sun go down at noon, and darken the earth in broad daylight.
10 I will turn your feasts into mourning, and all your songs into lamentation; I will bring sackcloth on all loins, and baldness on every head; I will make it like the mourning for an only son, and the end of it like a bitter day.
11 The time is surely coming, says the LORD GOD, when I will send a famine on the land; not a famine of bread, or a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD.
12 They shall wander from sea to sea, and from north to east; they shall run to and fro, seeking the word of the LORD, but they shall not find it.
Commentary
After Solomon died in 930 BCE, the Kingdom of Israel split into two parts, the North (called Israel with 10 tribes) and the South (called Judea with two tribes). Each of the Kingdoms had its own king.
The reign of King Jeroboam II of Israel (788-747 BCE) was very prosperous but was a time of great inequality between rich and poor in which large landowners gained control of the lands of small farmers.
Amos was a cattle herder and cared for fig trees in Judea, but he was called by YHWH to go north to prophesy (speak for the LORD) against the evils in Israel from about 760 to 750 BCE.
Amos is one of the 12 “minor” prophets whose works are shorter than the three “major” prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel). He was the first (chronologically) of the prophets whose words left an indelible stamp on later thought in Israel about God. He used vivid language and called for justice and righteousness, social equality, and concern for the disadvantaged.
His writings included announcements that the “Day of the LORD” (when YHWH would intervene in human affairs) was imminent and urged that the special covenant with the LORD entailed special ethical responsibilities. Some of his presentations are indictments, some are exhortations, and others are visions.
The Jewish Study Bible points out that Amos (c. 760 BCE) stressed social and political ills in Israel whereas Hosea (740-730 BCE) largely was concerned with improper religious worship.
In today’s reading, Amos criticized the unfair and fraudulent business practices of the wealthy and their impatience for the Holy Days to pass (v.5) so they could resume bilking the poor, enslaving them (v.6), and taking their lands.
An ephah (v.5) was about 35 pounds and making an “ephah small” would be done to cheat the customer. “False balances” (v.5) are scales that were rigged in favor of the seller.
According to The New Oxford Annotated Bible, “buying the poor … and needy” likely referred to outright slavery as opposed to “selling the righteous” (2:6) into debt slavery.
The reading has some clever linguistic aspects. According to The NOAB, in verse 2, the basket of fruit symbolized the immanence of Israel’s end. It also points out that the Hebrew words for “fruit” (qayits) and for “end” (qets) sound alike. In effect, Amos saw fruit but YHWH saw the end of Israel as an independent nation.
The reading described the “Day of the LORD” as a time of terror and mourning and darkness at noon (v. 9 and 5:20). This was a motif used by the authors of the Gospels in describing events surrounding the Crucifixion (see Mark 15:33). The NOAB notes that a solar eclipse was a customary portent for divine punishment and elicited mourning rituals. “Mourning for an only son” (v.10) is a phrase later used by Jeremiah in anticipating the conquest by the Babylonians (Jer. 6:26).
The JSB notes that some Rabbinic Sources in the Talmud expressed concern that verses 11-12 pointed to a time when the Torah would be forgotten. In an apparent response to this concern, the rabbis at Jamnia (Yabneh) in 110 CE put great emphasis on teaching and preserving the Torah.
The New Jerome Biblical Commentary says: “Because Israel has refused to heed Yahweh’s word, spoken through his prophets, he threatens an appropriate punishment — the complete cessation of the divine word in Israel. This word was important to the nation not only in the religious realm but also in the political as well. Without it – at least in theory – it would be impossible to select new leaders, to know when to wage war, etc.”
Amos said that YHWH would remember the misdeeds and punish the evildoers. In 722 BCE, only 30 years later, Assyria conquered Israel and scattered its wealthy class.
Genesis 18:1-10a
Reading
1 The LORD appeared to Abraham by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat at the entrance of his tent in the heat of the day. 2 He looked up and saw three men standing near him. When he saw them, he ran from the tent entrance to meet them, and bowed down to the ground. 3 He said, “My lord, if I find favor with you, do not pass by your servant. 4 Let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree. 5 Let me bring a little bread, that you may refresh yourselves, and after that you may pass on — since you have come to your servant.” So they said, “Do as you have said.” 6 And Abraham hastened into the tent to Sarah, and said, “Make ready quickly three measures of choice flour, knead it, and make cakes.” 8 Abraham ran to the herd, and took a calf, tender and good, and gave it to the servant, who hastened to prepare it. Then he took curds and milk and the calf that he had prepared and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree while they ate.
9 They said to him, “Where is your wife Sarah?” And he said, “There, in the tent.” 10 Then one said, “I will surely return to you in due season, and your wife Sarah shall have a son.”
Commentary
Genesis is the first book of the Torah (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy). The Torah also called the Pentateuch (“five books”) in Greek. Genesis covers the period from Creation to the deaths of Jacob and his 11th son, Joseph, in about 1650 BCE, if the accounts are historical.
The Book of Genesis (like the Torah as a whole) is an amalgam of religious traditions, some of which are dated to about 950 BCE and some of which were developed as late as 450 BCE. Since the late 19th Century, Biblical scholars have recognized four major “strands” or sources in the Torah called “J” (Jahwistic), “E” (Elohistic), “D” (Deuteronomic) and “P” (Priestly). These sources are identified (among other ways) by their different theological emphases, names for God, names for the holy mountain, and portrayals of God’s characteristics.
The first 11 Chapters of Genesis are called the “primeval history” which ends with the Tower of Babel story — an “etiology” (story of origins) relating to the scattering of humankind and the multiplicity of languages. The last chapter of the primeval history also traces Abram’s lineage back to Noah’s son, Shem (which means “name” in Hebrew and from which we get the word “Semites”).
Today’s reading is prefaced (v.1) by the statement that the LORD appeared to Abraham at Mamre. It then shifted to an account of three “men” (v.2) who came to Abraham’s tent at Mamre (whose oaks/terebinths were regarded as oracles). The New Oxford Annotated Bible says that the motif of divine visitors is widespread in folklore. The account fluidly shifts from the LORD (v.1) to “three men” (v.2) to “they” (v.9) to “one” (v.10) to “the LORD” (v.13) and to “I” and “he” in the verses immediately following.
Abraham’s hospitality to the three sacred figures was overwhelming: an entire calf and three “measures” of flour. Three measures of flour (v. 6) would have been the equivalent of about 150 pounds of flour and would have produced a huge amount of bread. Slaughtering an entire calf (v.7) would have produced about 500 pounds of meat if the calf were between 6 and 12 months old. Quite a feast for three men!
One of the “men” predicted that Sarah (who was over 90 years old by this time) would have a son in a year (v.10). In the verses that follow today’s reading, Sarah’s laughed (v.12) when she heard what the man said. This laugh anticipated the name of her son, Isaac (which means “he laughs”).
Later verses speak of the fulfillment of God’s promise of a son to this aged couple. The JSB observes that there is a midrash (interpretation) that the LORD “dealt with” (NRSV) or “took note of” (JPS) Sarah on Rosh Ha-Shanah. For this reason, today’s reading is the introductory part of the first Torah Reading on Rosh Ha-Shanah in synagogues today.
Colossians 1:15-28
Reading
15 Christ Jesus is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; 16 for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers — all things have been created through him and for him. 17 He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross.
21 And you who were once estranged and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, 22 he has now reconciled in his fleshly body through death, so as to present you holy and blameless and irreproachable before him — 23 provided that you continue securely established and steadfast in the faith, without shifting from the hope promised by the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven. I, Paul, became a servant of this gospel.
24 I am now rejoicing in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh, I am completing what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church. 25 I became its servant according to God’s commission that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, 26 the mystery that has been hidden throughout the ages and generations but has now been revealed to his saints. 27 To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. 28 It is he whom we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone in all wisdom, so that we may present everyone mature in Christ.
Commentary
Colossae was a town in the Lycus valley in what is now western Türkiye. According to The NJBC, it had a flourishing wool and textile industry. The population consisted of native Phrygians, Greeks and a sizable community of Jews — perhaps as many as 10,000.
A Jesus Follower community was founded there by Paul’s associate, Epaphras (1:7). The letter is short (three chapters) and expressed concern about apocalyptic and mystical practices that were inconsistent with Paul’s understanding of being a Jesus Follower.
Scholars debate whether this letter was written by Paul or by his disciples in the decades after Paul’s death in 63 CE. It lacks many terms used in Paul’s authentic letters and its style is more liturgical than Paul’s other letters.
The New Oxford Annotated Bible points out that “the letter presents the idea that the believers’ lives are completely transformed by Christ’s death and resurrection instead of Paul’s usual tension between the only partially fulfilled present and the future resurrection and full enjoyment of Christ’s benefits.”
The Jewish Annotated New Testament notes that the authentic epistles speak of “justification” and “sanctification” in the present tense but reserve “salvation” for the future. In Colossians, salvation is a present reality and justification has no place at all. The JANT also observes that Colossians contains a “hierarchical description of household relations” whereas “Paul’s own description of marital relationships is remarkably nonhierarchical (cf. 1 Cor 7.14).”
Today’s reading is highly theological. All of the descriptions in these readings apply to “our Lord Jesus Christ” (v.3), “Christ Jesus, (v.4), “the Lord” (v.10) and “the beloved Son of the Father” (v.13). It describes “him” as the “image of the invisible God” and the “firstborn of all creation” (v.15). He is said to exist before all things, and to have created the thrones, dominions, rulers and powers (in other words, all concentrations of power, secular and divine). He is that in which all things hold together (v.17) and maintains the universal order, a concept that is found in Philo of Alexandria.
Colossians has a “High Christology” in the sense that on a spectrum from “Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ, was fully human” to “Jesus, the Christ, is fully divine,” the presentation is much closer to the latter than the former. The JANT opines that this Christology is “more exalted” than any other New Testament Book.
The Christ more than rules the world: He has a greater role in creation (v.16) than Wisdom had in Proverbs 8. He is not only the firstborn of all creation (v.15), he is the principle of creation. He is also described as the firstborn from the dead (v.18) so that his resurrection is a prelude to the final resurrection. Just as the LOGOS is the organizing principle in John 1:1, so too is the Christ (v.17).
The fulness of God (v.19) dwelt in “our Lord Jesus Christ” (v.3).
The author referred to Gentiles as “estranged” from God (v.21) before receiving the good news. According to The JANT, the word “estranged” appeared only in the “Deutero-Pauline” letters such as Ephesians – the ones written by Paul’s disciples after Paul’s death.
The JANT points out that “faith” (or pistis) (v.23) shifted from meaning faithfulness, trust, and trustworthiness (as in Paul’s authentic letters) to a “belief” in specific statements.
In verses 23 to 29, the author of Colossians self-identified as “Paul.” In the seven authentic letters written by Paul himself, it was very rare for Paul to use his own name, except in the greetings in the letters.
As to the sufferings (v.24), The JANT explains: “For Paul to be an apostle is to imitate the Messiah in his suffering. …The authors of Ephesians and Colossians emphasize this theme. …This suffering is necessary to complete the Messiah’s mission.”
The New Jerome Biblical Commentary has an extended discussion of today’s reading. In part, it states: “It has long been recognized that verses 15-20 are an independent unit that has the character of a primitive Christian hymn…. The style and content of these verses may also be compared with the Qumran hymns and the prologue to the Gospel of John…. It is suggested that it was not composed by the author of the letter but that it is traditional material adapted by the author of Colossians to serve the instructional purposes of the letter….[Scholars have identified numerous philosophical and scriptural sources of these the verses] but these descriptions must be weighed against the atmosphere of syncretism that pervaded Asia Minor at this time….
“In the false teaching in Colossae, [the entities in verse 16] may have been thought of as rivals of Christ or beings that provided supplementary power to that of Christ (2:10,15). Such a belief grew out of a complex and highly developed angelology that was widespread at this time….
“The image of Christ as the head of the body represents a development over the Pauline idea…. In Colossians, the importance and dignity of Jesus’ human body and its saving function contrast with the depreciation of the body that seems to have been part of the false teaching of Colossae 2:18,21,23. The ‘mystery’ (v.27) refers to the divine plan of history in contrast to its use in the so-called mystery cults where mysteries were cosmic, metaphysical, or philosophical secrets available to a few privileged initiates.”
Luke 10:38-42
Reading
38 As Jesus and his disciples went on their way, Jesus entered a certain village, where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. 39 She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to what he was saying. 40 But Martha was distracted by her many tasks; so she came to him and asked, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me.” 41 But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; 42 there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.”
Commentary
The Gospel According to Luke is generally regarded as having been written around 85 CE. Its author also wrote the Acts of the Apostles. Both books were written in elegant and deliberatively crafted Greek and presented Jesus of Nazareth as the universal savior of humanity. Both emphasized the Holy Spirit as the “driving force” for events.
The Gospel followed the same general chronology of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection as the Gospel of Mark, and more than 40% of Luke’s Gospel was based on Mark. The other portions of Luke include (a) sayings shared with the Gospel According to Matthew but not found in Mark and (b) stories that are unique to Luke such as the Annunciation, the Visitation, the Presentation in the Temple, the Prodigal Son, and the Good Samaritan.
Today’s reading follows last week’s Parable of the Good Samaritan. According to John 11:1, Martha, Mary, and their brother Lazarus (who is not mentioned in any gospel except John) lived in Bethany, a town east of Jerusalem. Because Martha welcomed Jesus into “her” home (v.1), she is presented as a householder, and therefore a person of means.
According to The New Oxford Annotated Bible, “this enigmatic account affirms the importance of listening to Jesus and at the same time the account shows Jesus’ openness to and acceptance of women among his followers.”
The NJBC states that this passage shows “Lule’s universalism as he depicts Jesus thrice acting contrary to Jewish cultural norms: Jesus is alone with women who are not his relatives; a woman serves him; Jesus is teaching a woman in her own house.”
2025, July 13 ~ Amos 7:7-17; Deuteronomy 30:9-14; Colossians 1:1-14; Luke 10:25-37
/in Uncategorized /by Thomas O'BrienTODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
JULY 13, 2025
During Pentecost Season 2025, the Revised Common Lectionary offers two “tracks” of readings from the Hebrew Bible. Congregations may choose either track.
The first track of readings follows major stories and themes, read mostly continuously from week to week. The second track of readings thematically pairs the reading from the Hebrew Bible with the Gospel reading.
The readings from the Epistles are the same in both tracks.
Amos 7:7-17
Reading
7 This is what the LORD God showed me: the LORD was standing beside a wall built with a plumb line, with a plumb line in his hand. 8 And the LORD said to me, “Amos, what do you see?” And I said, “A plumb line.” Then the LORD said, “See, I am setting a plumb line in the midst of my people Israel; I will never again pass them by; 9 the high places of Isaac shall be made desolate, and the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste, and I will rise against the house of Jeroboam with the sword.”
10 Then Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, sent to King Jeroboam of Israel, saying, “Amos has conspired against you in the very center of the house of Israel; the land is not able to bear all his words. 11 For thus Amos has said, `Jeroboam shall die by the sword, and Israel must go into exile away from his land.'”
12 And Amaziah said to Amos, “O seer, go, flee away to the land of Judah, earn your bread there, and prophesy there; 13 but never again prophesy at Bethel, for it is the king’s sanctuary, and it is a temple of the kingdom.”
14 Then Amos answered Amaziah, “I am no prophet, nor a prophet’s son; but I am a herdsman, and a dresser of sycamore trees, 15 and the LORD took me from following the flock, and the LORD said to me, `Go, prophesy to my people Israel.’
16 “Now therefore hear the word of the LORD. You say, `Do not prophesy against Israel, and do not preach against the house of Isaac.’
17 Therefore thus says the LORD: `Your wife shall become a prostitute in the city, and your sons and your daughters shall fall by the sword, and your land shall be parceled out by line; you yourself shall die in an unclean land, and Israel shall surely go into exile away from its land.'”
Commentary
After Solomon died in 930 BCE, the Kingdom of Israel split into two parts, the North (called Israel with 10 tribes) and the South (called Judea with two tribes). Each of the Kingdoms had its own king.
The reign of King Jeroboam II of Israel (788-747 BCE) was very prosperous but was a time of great inequality between rich and poor in which large landowners gained control of the lands of small farmers. (A three-liter bottle of wine is called a “Jeroboam.”)
Amos was a cattle herder and cared for fig trees in Judea, but he was called by YHWH to go north to prophesy (speak for the LORD) against the evils in Israel from about 760 to 750 BCE.
Amos is one of the 12 “minor” prophets whose works are shorter than the three “major” prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel). He was the first (chronologically) of the prophets whose words left an indelible stamp on later thought in Israel about God. He used vivid language and called for justice and righteousness, terms that deal with social equality and concern for the disadvantaged.
The writings included announcements that the “Day of the LORD” (when YHWH would intervene in human affairs) was imminent and urged that the special covenant with the LORD entailed special ethical responsibilities. Some of his presentations are indictments, some are exhortations, and others are visions. Speaking for YHWH, he used harsh language: “I hate, I despise your festivals, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies. Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them; and the offerings of well-being of your fatted animals I will not look upon” (7:21-22).
The Jewish Study Bible points out that Amos (c. 760 BCE) stressed social and political ills in Israel whereas Hosea (740-730 BCE) largely was concerned with improper religious worship.
In today’s reading, Amos told Israel/Isaac (the northern 10 tribes) that Israel’s religious and political institutions did not measure up to YHWH’s plumb line and that Israel and its “high places” (shrines) would be destroyed if Israel did not reform (vv.8-9).
Amos was criticized by the King’s appointed priest, Amaziah, the priest of Bethel (the central cultic place of the Northern Kingdom). Amaziah told Amos to stop prophesying in Israel because the people would be discouraged by (“not able to bear”) what Amos said (v.10) about Jeroboam dying by the sword and Israel being exiled (v.11). The JSB says: “Amos’s prophecy was considered treasonous because it would demoralize the people.” Azamiah told Amos to go back to Judea (vv. 12-13)
Amos responded that he was not a “professional” prophet who could be “bought” but had been called by YHWH to prophesy to Israel (vv. 14-15) and had no choice — thus lending additional authority to what he was saying.
Amos said that YHWH would remember these misdeeds and punish the evildoers. In less than 30 years, in 722 BCE, Assyria conquered Israel and scattered its wealthy class. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary points out that telling Amaziah that he would “die in an unclean land” (v.17) meant he would die in a foreign land and that this would be “a particularly distasteful fate to a priest who was supposed to preserve ritual purity.”
Samaria was the capital of Israel, and because Assyrians intermarried with Samaritans, they were later looked down upon by Judeans and Galileans.
Deuteronomy 30:9-14
Reading
9 Moses said to the people of Israel, “The LORD your God will make you abundantly prosperous in all your undertakings, in the fruit of your body, in the fruit of your livestock, and in the fruit of your soil. For the LORD will again take delight in prospering you, just as he delighted in prospering your ancestors, 10 when you obey the LORD your God by observing his commandments and decrees that are written in this book of the law, because you turn to the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.
11 “Surely, this commandment that I am commanding you today is not too hard for you, nor is it too far away. 12 It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will go up to heaven for us, and get it for us so that we may hear it and observe it?’ 13 Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will cross to the other side of the sea for us, and get it for us so that we may hear it and observe it?’ 14 No, the word is very near to you; it is in your mouth and in your heart for you to observe.”
Commentary
Deuteronomy is the fifth (and last) book of the Torah and is presented as Moses’ final speech to the Israelites just before they entered the Promised Land. “Deuteronomy” comes from Greek words that mean “Second Law” and is structured as a “restatement” of the laws found in the books of Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers. Parts of it were revised as late as 450 BCE, but the bulk of the book is generally dated to the reign of King Josiah of Judea (640-609 BCE).
It is also the first book of the didactic “Deuteronomic History” which consists of Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings. This “History” teaches that when the people and kings of Israel and Judea worshiped YHWH properly, they prospered, but when they worshiped false gods, other nations (the Assyrians in 722 BCE and Babylonians in 587) conquered them.
The first part of today’s reading expressed a theme found in all the Deuteronomic books: “if you do good, you will get good, but if you do bad, you will get bad.” The covenants between the LORD and the people in these books were always conditional, as shown in verses 9 and 10 of today’s reading.
The JSB and The New Oxford Annotated Bible observe that verses 1 to 10 in Chapter 30 are an insertion. This is shown by the reference to “this book of the law” in verse 10, and represents a later addition because the Torah itself did not exist until it was finalized and codified in the 5th Century BCE.
Similarly, the phrases “He will bring you together again” (v.3) and “the LORD will again take delight in prospering you” (v.9) show that this text was directed at the returning exiles from Babylon in 539 BCE rather than the Israelites in the Wilderness in 1200 BCE.
Verses 11 to 14 are a continuation of Chapter 29. Scholars agree that the word “Surely” (v.11) is better translated as “Because” and follows logically from the last verse of Chapter 29. The term “this commandment” (v.11) is understood by The NOAB and The JSB as a reference to the Torah as a whole, even though the reference to “this book of the law” (v.10) is a reference only to the Book of Deuteronomy.
These verses also challenged the Middle Eastern assumption that divine wisdom was not knowable. Instead, “it is very near to you and in your mouth and in your heart” (v.14). The NJBC states: “The law is not esoteric knowledge requiring that a chosen intermediary like Enoch [Gen. 5:24] ascend to heaven in order to communicate it. It is recited in the covenant festival, and God has now put the disposition to obey it in the heart (cf. Jer 31:33 [“I will put my law within them, and will write it on their hearts.”]; Ezek 36:26-27 [“A new heart I will give you, and a new spirit I will put within you; and I will remove from your body the heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. I will put my spirit within you, and make you follow my statutes and be careful to observe my ordinances.”]).
The NOAB also points out that reference to the “word” being “in your mouth” (v. 14) reflects the reality that oral transmission of texts was prevalent in non-literate societies.
Colossians 1:1-14
Reading
1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, 2 To the saints and faithful brothers and sisters in Christ in Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father.
3 In our prayers for you we always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 4 for we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, 5 because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. You have heard of this hope before in the word of the truth, the gospel 6 that has come to you. Just as it is bearing fruit and growing in the whole world, so it has been bearing fruit among yourselves from the day you heard it and truly comprehended the grace of God. 7 This you learned from Epaphras, our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf, 8 and he has made known to us your love in the Spirit.
9 For this reason, since the day we heard it, we have not ceased praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 so that you may lead lives worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, as you bear fruit in every good work and as you grow in the knowledge of God. 11 May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from his glorious power, and may you be prepared to endure everything with patience, while joyfully 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light. 13 He has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
Commentary
Colossae was a town in the Lycus valley in what is now western Türkiye. According to The NJBC, it had a flourishing wool and textile industry. The population comprised native Phrygians, Greeks and a sizable community of Jews — perhaps as many as 10,000.
A Jesus Follower community was founded there by Paul’s associate, Epaphras (1:7). The letter is short (three chapters) and expressed concerns about apocalyptic and mystical practices that were occurring in Colossae and that were inconsistent with Paul’s understanding of what it means to be a Jesus Follower. The letter began with a complimentary description of the Colossians’ lives (as in today’s reading) but later portions attacked unnamed teachers who observed Jewish rituals.
Scholars debate whether this letter was written by Paul or by his disciples in the decades after Paul’s death in 63 CE. It lacks many terms used in Paul’s authentic letters and its style is more liturgical than Paul’s other letters.
The NOAB points out that “the letter presents the idea that the believers’ lives are completely transformed by Christ’s death and resurrection instead of Paul’s usual tension between the only partially fulfilled present and the future resurrection and full enjoyment of Christ’s benefits.”
The Jewish Annotated New Testament notes that the authentic epistles speak of “justification” and “sanctification” in the present tense but reserve “salvation” for the future. In Colossians, salvation is a present reality and justification has no place at all. The JANT also observes that Colossians contains a “hierarchical description of household relations” whereas “Paul’s own description of marital relationships is remarkably nonhierarchical (cf. 1 Cor 7.14).”
On the subject of Jewish ritual, The JANT notes: “When Paul wrote Galatians, Jesus’ followers were debating whether Gentile believers needed to observe distinctive Jewish rituals (especially circumcision, but also dietary regulations, practices relating to ritual purity, and Sabbath practices). Paul considers Jews to be obliged to observe the Torah (cf. Gal 5.3) but insists that Gentile believers are not to become Jews and are not to follow practices that mark Jews as distinct. For the author of Colossians, however, Jewish observance is not an option for anyone within the churches.…The letter is a window on a period when church leaders turned away from Judaism even while some church members continue to find Jewish practice meaningful.”
The NOAB observes that the author of Colossians opposed practices that were advocated by others. These practices and were seen as a threat to the faith of the Colossians and are “best understood as a form of Jewish apocalyptic mysticism, or a synthesis of Judaism and proto-Gnostic thought, local Phrygian [Turkish] religious practices, or Hellenistic philosophy.”
In today’s reading, the author mimics Paul’s salutation formula (vv. 1-2). The JANT notes that all of Paul’s letters except Romans have multiple senders and that Timothy was mentioned as a co-sender of all these letters except Galatians. The “saints” (v.2) (lit. “holy ones”) are a designation for Jesus followers.
The letter emphasized faith, love and hope as the key Christian virtues (vv. 4-5) and adopted an apocalyptic theme in contrasting light and darkness (vv. 12-13). The authors expressed the theme that believers are redeemed and receive forgiveness of sin in Christ (v. 14).
“Redemption” (apolutrosis in the Greek) (v.14) conveyed the sense of ransoming or being bought back, the way something already owned is redeemed from a pawn shop. As The JANT notes, “forgiveness” (v.15) never appears in Paul’s authentic letters but is found in Colossians and Ephesians. Because Ephesians appears to rely on Colossians, The JANT says Colossians was likely composed around 80 CE.
Luke 10:25-37
Reading
25 Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he said, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 He said to him, “What is written in the law? What do you read there?” 27 He answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.” 28 And he said to him, “You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live.”
29 But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” 30 Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead. 31 Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32 So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan while traveling came near him; and when he saw him, he was moved with pity. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, having poured oil and wine on them. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, `Take care of him; and when I come back, I will repay you whatever more you spend.’ 36 Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?” 37 He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”
Commentary
The Gospel According to Luke is generally regarded as having been written around 85 CE. Its author also wrote the Acts of the Apostles. Both books were written in elegant and deliberatively crafted Greek and presented Jesus of Nazareth as the universal savior of humanity. Both emphasized the Holy Spirit as the “driving force” for events.
The Gospel followed the same general chronology of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection as the Gospel of Mark, and more than 40% of Luke’s Gospel was based on Mark. The other portions of Luke include (a) sayings shared with the Gospel According to Matthew but not found in Mark and (b) stories that are unique to Luke such as the Annunciation, the Visitation, the Presentation in the Temple, the Prodigal Son, and the Good Samaritan.
Today’s reading is the Parable of the Good Samaritan, in which a “lawyer” (described by The NOAB as “an expert in the law of Moses and likely a scribe and affiliated with the Pharisees”) questioned Jesus. The lawyer’s response to Jesus’ question (v.27) tracked Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18. The phrase “justify himself” (v.29) is understood by The NOAB as the lawyer’s attempt to show that he was righteous and acceptable to God.
The trip from Jerusalem to Jericho was about 18 miles and involved a drop in elevation of about 1,700 feet. It was regarded as notoriously dangerous, so the situation in the story would have resonated with Jesus’ audience. The JANT points out that the Greek word for “robbers” (v.30) is lestes, which connotes violent criminals.
To Jesus’ Jewish audience, the compassionate intervention by a Samaritan would have been shocking and thoroughly unexpected. Samaritans were looked down upon by Jews because they were seen as ethnically different as a result of the intermarriage of Assyrians with persons in Samaria after the conquest of Northern Israel in 722 BCE. Samaritans had a different version of the Torah and worshiped at a different holy mountain.
The JANT discusses that the priest and a Levite (a Temple funtionary) passed by the injured man: “Contrary to one popular view, the priest and Levite do not pass the injured man because of purity concerns.” It notes that the priest is “going down” (v.31), not up to Jerusalem where impurity would have prevented him from participating in the Temple service.
It continues: “Priest and Levite indicate not an interest in purity but a point about community. Jews generally then, and now, fit into one of three groups: priests (kohanim) descended from Aaron; Levites descended from Levi (Aaron’s ancestor); and Israelites descended from children of Jacob other than Levi. Mention of the first two anticipates mention of the third. The parable shocks by making the third person not the expected Israelite but the unexpected Samaritan, the enemy of the Jews. It thus evokes 2 Chr 28.8-15 wherein enemy Samaritans care for Jewish victims, even as it refrains to lawyer’s question.”
The care provided by the Samaritan included oil (which worked as a salve) and wine which was used as an antiseptic for the wounds. According to The NOAB, two denarii would have provided about two months of lodging at an ancient inn.
The JANT and The NJBC point out that in the last verse, the lawyer cannot even bring himself to say “the Samaritan” and instead says “the one.”
2025, July 6 ~ 2 Kings 5:1-14; Isaiah 66:10-14; Galatians 6:1-16; Luke 10:1-11,16-20
/in Uncategorized /by Thomas O'BrienTODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
JULY 6, 2025
During Pentecost Season 2025, the Revised Common Lectionary offers two “tracks” of readings from the Hebrew Bible. Congregations may choose either track.
The first track of readings follows major stories and themes, read mostly continuously from week to week. The second track of readings thematically pairs the reading from the Hebrew Bible with the Gospel reading.
The readings from the Epistles are the same in both tracks.
2 Kings 5:1-14
Reading
1 Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Aram, was a great man and in high favor with his master, because by him the LORD had given victory to Aram. The man, though a mighty warrior, suffered from leprosy. 2 Now the Arameans on one of their raids had taken a young girl captive from the land of Israel, and she served Naaman’s wife. 3 She said to her mistress, “If only my lord were with the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.” 4 So Naaman went in and told his lord just what the girl from the land of Israel had said. 5 And the king of Aram said, “Go then, and I will send along a letter to the king of Israel.”
He went, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten sets of garments. 6 He brought the letter to the king of Israel, which read, “When this letter reaches you, know that I have sent to you my servant Naaman, that you may cure him of his leprosy.” 7 When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes and said, “Am I God, to give death or life, that this man sends word to me to cure a man of his leprosy? Just look and see how he is trying to pick a quarrel with me.”
8 But when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, he sent a message to the king, “Why have you torn your clothes? Let him come to me, that he may learn that there is a prophet in Israel.” 9 So Naaman came with his horses and chariots and halted at the entrance of Elisha’s house. 10 Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go, wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored and you shall be clean.” 11 But Naaman became angry and went away, saying, “I thought that for me he would surely come out, and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, and would wave his hand over the spot, and cure the leprosy! 12 Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them, and be clean?” He turned and went away in a rage. 13 But his servants approached and said to him, “Father, if the prophet had commanded you to do something difficult, would you not have done it? How much more, when all he said to you was, `Wash, and be clean’?” 14 So he went down and immersed himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God; his flesh was restored like the flesh of a young boy, and he was clean.
Commentary
The authors of the Book of Kings were also the authors of the books of Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges and Samuel. These books were given their final form around 550 BCE – long after the events they described. The authors used the stories in these books to demonstrate that it was the failures of the Kings of Israel and the Kings of Judea to worship YHWH and obey God’s commands that led to the conquest of Northern Israel in 722 BCE by the Assyrians and the conquest of Judea by the Babylonians in 597 BCE. (The conquests were not seen as the result of the Assyrians’ and Babylonians’ greater wealth and more powerful armies.)
After Solomon’s death in 928 BCE, the nation divided in two. The Northern Kingdom consisted of 10 tribes and was called “Israel.” The Southern Kingdom had two tribes, Judah and Benjamin and was called “Judea.” For the most part, the Deuteronomists portrayed the Kings of the North as unfaithful to YHWH, and Ahab (873-852 BCE) was one of the worst offenders. His wife was the Baal-worshiping foreigner, Jezebel.
Consistent with the theological view that YHWH controls all that occurs, the authors of Kings asserted, somewhat surprisingly, that YHWH gave victory to Naaman, a general of Aram (modern Syria) over Israel around 850 BCE (v. 1). This occurred presumably because King Ahab and his successors did not worship YHWH faithfully.
Elisha, the successor to Elijah, was in Samaria, the capital of Northern Israel at this time. The King of Aram heard from his wife (who learned from an Israeli slave girl) that Elisha was a prophet who could cure Naaman of his leprosy (which could have been any skin ailment). The Jewish Study Bible says that the problem “did not disfigure him or disqualify him from military office or entering temples in his homeland.”
The King sent Naaman to Elisha and to the King of Israel along with staggeringly generous offerings. The New Oxford Annotated Bible says that it amounted to 750 lbs. of silver and 150 lbs. of gold. Naaman also had a letter from the King of Aram to the King of Israel asking that Naaman be cured of his leprosy (v.5).
The King of Israel’s reaction to the letter re-emphasized that the Deuteronomists understood that YHWH controlled life and death (v.7). It also showed the foolishness of the Kings of Israel. The King refused the gifts and (in his anger and frustration) was about to tell Naaman to return to Aram. Elisha prevailed on the King of Israel to allow Naaman to come to see that he (Elisha) was a true prophet (speaker for God).
Elisha’s prescription did not involve divine guidance or prayer as Naaman expected (v.13). Instead, Elisha directed Naaman to wash seven times in the River Jordan. After initially refusing to do so, Naaman’s servants convinced him, and he went to the River Jordan and was healed (v.14). The NOAB continues: “Like other characters in Kings, Naaman thinks that prophets are in control of their prophetic gift, able to say and do as they choose, and with a responsibility to please their superiors (e.g.,1Kings 22.13). He expects personal and immediate attention (v.11).”
In the verses that follow today’s reading, Naaman stated that YHWH’s power was not territorially limited to the lands of Israel and Judea – it extended to the whole world (v.15), an important theological message the Deuteronomists sought to convey. Naaman also took some soil from Israel so he could make offerings to YHWH (v.17). The New Oxford Annotated Bible sees this as a statement that the land of Israel is sacred and that Naaman had “undergone a religious conversion in that his worship will now be focused on an altar made of earth taken from God’s special land.”
The Jewish Study Bible points out: “One motif of the story is that people of higher status are dependent on people of lower status: Naaman on counsel from his wife reporting information from an Israelite slave girl (vv.2-3); the king of Aram on the king of Israel, and the latter on Elisha (vv.5-8); and Naaman on the advice of his own servants and Elisha (vv.13-15).”
Isaiah 66:10-14
Reading
10 Thus says the LORD: “Rejoice with Jerusalem, and be glad for her, all you who love her; rejoice with her in joy, all you who mourn over her
11 that you may nurse and be satisfied from her consoling breast; that you may drink deeply with delight from her glorious bosom.
12 For thus says the LORD: I will extend prosperity to her like a river, and the wealth of the nations like an overflowing stream; and you shall nurse and be carried on her arm and dandled on her knees.
13 As a mother comforts her child, so I will comfort you; you shall be comforted in Jerusalem.
14 You shall see, and your heart shall rejoice; your bodies shall flourish like the grass; and it shall be known that the hand of the LORD is with his servants, and his indignation is against his enemies.”
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 the Judeans who had returned to Jerusalem (which was largely destroyed by the Babylonians in 587 BCE) after the Exile had ended.
Today’s reading is part of the last chapter in the Book of Isaiah. It was set in the time after the return from Babylon and presented Jerusalem as a nourishing mother for the returning Judeans (vv. 10-11). In verse 13, however, the metaphor changed so that YHWH was presented as the mother who will “comfort her son” (v.13) but will rage against his foes (v.14).
In the verses that follow today’s reading, all nations will come to know the one God and will travel to the Temple in Jerusalem. This repeats a prophesy First Isaiah (Is. 2:1-4) and Micah (4:1-4).
Galatians 6:1-16
Reading
1 My friends, if anyone is detected in a transgression, you who have received the Spirit should restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness. Take care that you yourselves are not tempted. 2 Bear one another’s burdens, and in this way, you will fulfill the law of Christ. 3 For if those who are nothing think they are something, they deceive themselves. 4 All must test their own work; then that work, rather than their neighbor’s work, will become a cause for pride. 5 For all must carry their own loads.
6 Those who are taught the word must share in all good things with their teacher.
7 Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for you reap whatever you sow. 8 If you sow to your own flesh, you will reap corruption from the flesh; but if you sow to the Spirit, you will reap eternal life from the Spirit. 9 So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest-time if we do not give up. 10 So then, whenever we have an opportunity, let us work for the good of all, and especially for those of the family of faith.
11 See what large letters I make when I am writing in my own hand! 12 It is those who want to make a good showing in the flesh that try to compel you to be circumcised — only that they may not be persecuted for the cross of Christ. 13 Even the circumcised do not themselves obey the law, but they want you to be circumcised so that they may boast about your flesh. 14 May I never boast of anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. 15 For neither circumcision nor uncircumcision is anything; but a new creation is everything! 16 As for those who will follow this rule — peace be upon them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of 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.
Today’s reading is the conclusion of this letter. Paul continued to emphasize that the Spirit enabled believers to live out the principle of love (the “law of Christ” in v.2), thus fulfilling this law without slavishly observing the Law’s requirements. He noted that teachers deserved support from their students (v.6).
The NOAB notes: “Paul had dictated this letter to a secretary but writes the conclusion in his own hand.” (v.11) In this conclusion, he affirmed the opposition of “the flesh” to the Spirit and emphasized that whether or not a person is circumcised is not important (vv. 12-15).
Verse 12 presents an interpretive challenge. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary understands v.12 to say: “The Judaisers [Jewish Jesus Followers who opposed Paul’s view on the need for Gentile Jesus Followers to be circumcised and obey Torah] fear that if they preach the real ‘message of the cross’ they might be persecuted for it by Jews or other Judaisers; they prefer to make a good showing before others by preaching circumcision.”
The Jewish Annotated New Testament interprets the verse to say: “Jews who do not believe in Christ are persecuting … Jews who do believe in Christ presumably because the former suspect the latter of rejecting the Torah and effacing the boundary between Jews and Gentiles. Hence to avoid persecution, [some] Jewish followers of Jesus demonstrate their loyalty to the Torah by demanding circumcision of the Galatian Gentiles who believe in Christ.”
It is important to remember that Paul insisted that Jews and Jesus Followers who were Jews before they became Jesus Followers were required to be circumcised and observe the Torah. Paul also took the position that Gentiles who became Jesus Followers did not have to be circumcised or follow Torah. As a Jew who became a Jesus Follower, Paul was Torah observant all his life, and the Temple in Jerusalem was active all during Paul’s life.
The NJBC sees “the world” (v.14) as “all that stands at enmity with God, the sphere of pleasure and ambition related to the flesh, in which the Judaisers find their boast.” It continues that the “new creation” (v.15) is a “new ontological reshaping of human existence [which] comes not through some extrinsic norm of conduct, but through an energizing principle that re-creates life.”
In the final words of today’s reading, Paul asked for peace and mercy upon the “Israel of God” (v.16) – words that are unique to this verse. Some scholars understand these words as meaning the “true Israel,” that is, those who are a new creation in Christ and followed Paul’s understanding of the Gospel rather than those who followed the teachings of Paul’s opponents. The blessing was conditional – it was “for those who follow this rule” (v.16).
Luke 10:1-11,16-20
Reading
1 The Lord appointed seventy others and sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to go. 2 He said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. 3 Go on your way. See, I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves. 4 Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and greet no one on the road. 5 Whatever house you enter, first say, `Peace to this house!’ 6 And if anyone is there who shares in peace, your peace will rest on that person; but if not, it will return to you. 7 Remain in the same house, eating and drinking whatever they provide, for the laborer deserves to be paid. Do not move about from house to house. 8 Whenever you enter a town and its people welcome you, eat what is set before you; 9 cure the sick who are there, and say to them, `The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ 10 But whenever you enter a town and they do not welcome you, go out into its streets and say, 11 `Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off in protest against you. Yet know this: the kingdom of God has come near.’
16 “Whoever listens to you listens to me, and whoever rejects you rejects me, and whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me.”
17 The seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, in your name even the demons submit to us!” 18 He said to them, “I watched Satan fall from heaven like a flash of lightning. 19 See, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing will hurt you. 20 Nevertheless, do not rejoice at this, that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”
Commentary
The Gospel According to Luke is generally regarded as having been written around 85 CE. Its author also wrote the Acts of the Apostles. Both books were written in elegant and deliberatively crafted Greek and presented Jesus of Nazareth as the universal savior of humanity. Both emphasized the Holy Spirit as the “driving force” for events.
The Gospel followed the same general chronology of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection as the Gospel of Mark, and more than 40% of Luke’s Gospel was based on Mark. The other portions of Luke include (a) sayings shared with the Gospel According to Matthew but not found in Mark and (b) stories that are unique to Luke such as the Annunciation, the Visitation, the Presentation in the Temple, the Prodigal Son, and the Good Samaritan.
Today’s reading is reminiscent of YHWH’s direction to Moses to appoint 70 elders to assist him (Ex. 24 and Num. 11). According to The NJBC, the number appears to be based on the table of nations in Gen.10:2-31. Some manuscripts provide for 72 appointees rather than 70.
The instructions given by Jesus are very specific and have antecedents in the Hebrew Bible: take no purse, or bag or sandals, greet no one (lest you be delayed) (v.4) is the instruction given by Elisha to his servant (2 Kings 4:29 ); use a specific greeting (v.5), a greeting used by messengers sent by David (1 Sam. 25:6); and laborers deserve to be paid (v.7) echoes Deut. 24:15.
The Jewish Annotated New Testament suggests that shaking the dust off one’s feet “in protest” (v.11) was a statement that the disciples were not responsible for the fate of the inhospitable.
In the omitted verses (12-15), Jesus said that the towns that rejected his disciples would have a fate similar to Sodom and that the towns of Chorazin (about two miles north of Capernaum) and Bethsaida should have repented because of the deeds of power done in them (v.13). Jesus went on that the Gentile cities of Tyre and Sidon would have repented (v.13b).
The joyful return of the 70 was met with a statement about Satan’s falling from heaven like a flash of light (v.18). This image is based on Isaiah 14:12-14 in which YHWH overcame two Canaanite gods (whose names are translated as Morning Star and Dawn) and brought them down to Sheol. The New Oxford Annotated Bible provides this analysis: These gods “fall from heaven as a result of rebellion. In Christianity, the myth reemerges as the fall of Lucifer and his attendant angels (cf. Lk.10.18).”
The JANT points out that the Hebrew word for “Day Star” comes into Latin as “Lucifer” (lit. ’light bringer’)” and that by the First Century CE, the concept of Sheol had begun to morph into “hell” as a permanent place of damnation. The notion of names “written in heaven” (v.20) is “an ancient Mesopotamian idea” found in Ex 32, Pss 69 and 90, and Dan 12.
2025, June 29 ~ 2 Kings 2:1-2, 6-14; 1 Kings 19:15-16, 19-21; Galatians 5:1, 13-25; Luke 9:51-62
/in Uncategorized /by Thomas O'BrienTODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
JUNE 29, 2025
During Pentecost Season 2025, the Revised Common Lectionary offers two “tracks” of readings from the Hebrew Bible. Congregations may choose either track.
The first track of readings follows major stories and themes, read mostly continuously from week to week. The second track of readings thematically pairs the reading from the Hebrew Bible with the Gospel reading.
The readings from the Epistles are the same in both tracks.
2 Kings 2:1-2, 6-14
Reading
1 When the LORD was about to take Elijah up to heaven by a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal. 2 Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here; for the LORD has sent me as far as Bethel.” But Elisha said, “As the LORD lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel.
6 Then Elijah said to him, “Stay here; for the LORD has sent me to the Jordan.” But he said, “As the LORD lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So the two of them went on. 7 Fifty men of the company of prophets also went, and stood at some distance from them, as they both were standing by the Jordan. 8 Then Elijah took his mantle and rolled it up and struck the water; the water was parted to the one side and to the other, until the two of them crossed on dry ground.
9 When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me what I may do for you, before I am taken from you.” Elisha said, “Please let me inherit a double share of your spirit.” 10 He responded, “You have asked a hard thing; yet, if you see me as I am being taken from you, it will be granted you; if not, it will not.” 11 As they continued walking and talking, a chariot of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them, and Elijah ascended in a whirlwind into heaven. 12 Elisha kept watching and crying out, “Father, father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” But when he could no longer see him, he grasped his own clothes and tore them in two pieces.
13 He picked up the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan. 14 He took the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and struck the water, saying, “Where is the LORD, the God of Elijah?” When he had struck the water, the water was parted to the one side and to the other, and Elisha went over.
Commentary
The authors of the Book of Kings were also the authors of the books of Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges and Samuel. These books were given their final form around 500 BCE – long after the events they described. The authors used the stories in these books to demonstrate that it was the failures of the Kings of Israel and the Kings of Judea to worship YHWH and obey God’s commands that led to the conquest of Northern Israel in 722 BCE by the Assyrians and the conquest of Judea by the Babylonians in 597 BCE. (The conquests were not seen as the result of the Assyrians’ and Babylonians’ greater wealth and more powerful armies.)
After Solomon’s death in 928 BCE, the nation divided in two. The Northern Kingdom consisted of 10 tribes and was called “Israel.” The Southern Kingdom had two tribes, Judah and Benjamin and was called “Judea.” For the most part, the Deuteronomists portrayed the Kings of the North as unfaithful to YHWH, and Ahab (873-852 BCE) was one of the worst offenders. His wife was the Baal-worshiping foreigner, Jezebel.
Today’s story recounts the succession of the prophet Elijah by his faithful disciple, Elisha, who asks for a “double share” (the share of an oldest son) of Elijah’s spirit (v.9). According to Biblical chronology, the events took place about 840 BCE, after the reigns of Ahab and the two kings who followed him.
The New Oxford Annotated Bible points out that the “whirlwind” (vv.1 and 11) is reminiscent of the theophany to Job (Job 38:1).
The account has a number of parallels to the stories of Moses and his successor, Joshua. Elijah and Elisha crossed from the west bank of the Jordan River to the east bank (v.8), just as Moses and Joshua crossed the Sea of Reeds. After Elijah was taken up to heaven in a fiery chariot (v.11), Elisha parted the Jordan and crossed to the west side just as Joshua did (v.14). According to The Jewish Study Bible, “Crossing the Jordan east of Jericho indicates that the place of Elijah’s assumption was near Mt. Nebo where Moses had died (Deut.34:1-6). Thus, in his death, as in earlier texts, Elijah is patterned after Moses.”
The New Jerome Biblical Commentary notes: “Clothes are an extension of the person; Elisha is thus assuming Elijah’s identity by taking up his mantle (v.13).”
Because Elijah was assumed into heaven and did not die, his return to earth was (and is) seen as a harbinger of the coming of the Messiah. This tradition is based in part on Mal. 3:23-24 (“Lo, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before the awesome, fearful day of the LORD.”)
A place/chair for Elijah is left open at the table (and often the doors of homes are left open) at Passover Seders in the event Elijah might return that night. In many ways, John the Baptist is portrayed as an Elijah-like figure in the Gospels.
The JSB observes: “Many of the miracles performed by Elijah and Elisha are similar, indicating that they shared the same spirit.”
1 Kings 19:15-16, 19-21
Reading
15 The LORD said to Elijah, “Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus; when you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael as king over Aram. 16 Also you shall anoint Jehu son of Nimshi as king over Israel; and you shall anoint Elisha son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah as prophet in your place.”
19 So he set out from there, and found Elisha son of Shaphat, who was plowing. There were twelve yoke of oxen ahead of him, and he was with the twelfth. Elijah passed by him and threw his mantle over him. 20 He left the oxen, ran after Elijah, and said, “Let me kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow you.” Then Elijah said to him, “Go back again; for what have I done to you?” 21 He returned from following him, took the yoke of oxen, and slaughtered them; using the equipment from the oxen, he boiled their flesh, and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he set out and followed Elijah and became his servant.
Commentary
The authors of the Book of Kings were also the authors of the books of Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges and Samuel. These books were given their final form around 500 BCE – long after the events they described. The authors used the stories in these books to demonstrate that it was the failures of the Kings of Israel and the Kings of Judea to worship YHWH and obey God’s commands that led to the conquest of Northern Israel in 722 BCE by the Assyrians and the conquest of Judea by the Babylonians in 597 BCE. (The conquests were not seen as the result of the Assyrians’ and Babylonians’ greater wealth and more powerful armies.)
After Solomon’s death in 928 BCE, the nation divided in two. The Northern Kingdom consisted of 10 tribes and was called “Israel.” The Southern Kingdom had two tribes, Judah and Benjamin and was called “Judea.” For the most part, the Deuteronomists portrayed the Kings of the North as unfaithful to YHWH, and Ahab (873-852 BCE) was one of the worst offenders. His wife was the Baal-worshiping foreigner, Jezebel.
Today’s reading picks up where one of last week’s readings ended: Elijah slew the prophets of Baal (19:1); Jezebel swore revenge on Elijah (v.2); Elijah fled as far south as he could go (v.3); and in the wilderness, the word of the LORD came to him in the sheer silence (v.12).
The orders given by the LORD to Elijah were extraordinary. He was directed to anoint Hazael as a new king of Aram (Syria) – a foreign country – to anoint Jehu (who was not in the line of succession) to be king of Israel, and to anoint Elisha as his successor. As it turned out according to the Book of Kings, Elisha anointed Hazael (8:7-15) and Jehu (9:1-13). Hazael become an enemy of Israel and made war on Israel. Jehu had a long reign as king of Israel from 842 to 814 BCE.
A “mantle” was a symbol of authority and an extension of the person. When Elijah threw his over Elisha (v.19), Elisha then became Elijah’s “servant” (v.20). The New Oxford Annotated Bible points out that the same Hebrew word was used for Joshua’s relationship to Moses, although it is translated as “assistant” or “attendant” in other contexts. The JSB points out that apart from Moses’ choosing Joshua as his replacement in his own lifetime, no other prophet is recorded in the Hebrew Bible as designating his own prophetic replacement.
Because Elisha had a yoke of oxen – or perhaps 12 yoke (v.19) – he was a person of means, so giving up his life as farmer and slaughtering the oxen to provide food for others (v.20) represented a significant economic sacrifice. The Translator’s Notes in The JSB say that the phrase “What have I done to you? (v.20) means “I am not stopping you.”
Galatians 5:1, 13-25
Reading
1 For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.
13 For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence, but through love become slaves to one another. 14 For the whole law is summed up in a single commandment, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 15 If, however, you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another.
16 Live by the Spirit, I say, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For what the flesh desires is opposed to the Spirit, and what the Spirit desires is opposed to the flesh; for these are opposed to each other, to prevent you from doing what you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not subject to the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are obvious: fornication, impurity, licentiousness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, anger, quarrels, dissensions, factions, 21 envy, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these. I am warning you, as I warned you before: those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
22 By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit.
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 convert to Judaism, 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 were also considered 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 a mid-point in the evolution in his views on the relationship between the Torah and the Gentile Jesus Followers. In Romans, Paul’s positions were more nuanced.
In his description of his confrontation with Peter in Antioch (Gal. 2:11-15), Paul said that observing Jewish law was an unnecessary burden for Gentiles, particularly when Jewish Jesus Followers were not being observant (v.14). He then went on to argue that observance of the Jewish Law by Gentiles was inconsistent with acceptance of the gospel (vv.15-21).
In the omitted verses (2-13) before today’s reading, Paul inveighed against circumcision as a means of righteousness through the Law, and as incompatible with faith in Christ. The Jewish Annotated New Testament says: “Paul asserts, but does not explain, that seeking righteousness through the Law, by means of circumcision, takes away the benefit of salvation through Christ.” The NJBC notes that Paul warned that if you accept circumcision, you obligate yourself to the whole way of life, which is not according to the truth of the Gospel.
Today’s reading is part of the last two chapters of the Letter in which Paul presented the practical application of his views. He emphasized that the Christ gives us freedom to not be under the Law and thus to love one another through the Spirit (“become slaves/servants to one another” v.13). Paul contrasted this freedom with being compelled to follow rules under the Law (v.18).
When Paul enumerated the “works of the flesh” (v.19) he included many sins of the mind – idolatry, jealousy, anger, and envy to name just a few. For Paul, “the flesh” was not the human body and only carnal sin, but rather those human inclinations (“passions and desires” v.24) that oppose the Spirit of Love within us. The NOAB observes: “Catalogues of vices and virtues were a common form of ethical instruction in the Greco-Roman world.” The NJBC describes “flesh” as the “symbol of all human opposition to God.”
The JANT concludes: “For Paul, the mortification of the flesh comes not from circumcision, which is no longer necessary, at least for Gentiles, but from identification with the crucified Christ.”
Luke 9:51-62
Reading
51 When the days drew near for Jesus to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. 52 And he sent messengers ahead of him. On their way they entered a village of the Samaritans to make ready for him; 53 but they did not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem. 54 When his disciples James and John saw it, they said, “Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?” 55 But he turned and rebuked them. 56 Then they went on to another village.
57 As they were going along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” 58 And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” 59 To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” 60 But Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” 61 Another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” 62 Jesus said to him, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”
Commentary
The Gospel According to Luke is generally regarded as having been written around 85 CE. Its author also wrote the Acts of the Apostles. Both books were written in elegant and deliberatively crafted Greek and presented Jesus of Nazareth as the universal savior of humanity. Both emphasized the Holy Spirit as the “driving force” for events.
The Gospel followed the same general chronology of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection as the Gospel of Mark, and more than 40% of Luke’s Gospel was based on Mark. The other portions of Luke include (a) sayings shared with the Gospel According to Matthew but not found in Mark and (b) stories that are unique to Luke such as the Annunciation, the Visitation, the Presentation in the Temple, the Prodigal Son, and the Good Samaritan.
Today’s reading is substantially unique to Luke and follows a series of seemingly unrelated accounts: the Transfiguration (9:28-36); healing a boy possessed by a demon (37-43); a prediction of betrayal (44-45); an argument among the disciples about who is the greatest (46-48); and Jesus’ directive not to stop the activities of an unknown exorcist (49-50).
The Jewish Annotated New Testament observes that “set his face” (v.51) is a Semitic idiom based on Is. 50:7 (“therefore [says the Suffering Servant] I have set my face like flint.”) It goes on that Jesus’ self-designation as “Son of Man” (v.58) indicates both that he is a mortal (Ezek. 2:1) and an apocalyptic redeemer (Dan.7:13-14).
The Samaritans lived in the area between the Galilee and Judea. They were regarded negatively by Jews as a distinct ethnic and religious group because, after the conquest by Samaria by the Assyrians in 722 BCE, some Assyrians intermarried with the Samaritans. The Samaritans’ holy mountain and place of worship was Mount Gerizim (see John 4). Samaritans were therefore not likely to assist Jewish pilgrims going to Jerusalem for Passover. The JANT notes that, according to Josephus, around 50 CE, some Samaritans murdered a large group of a Jewish pilgrims.
The question from James and John about “bringing down fire” (v.54) was a reference to Elijah’s calling down fire on Ahab’s troops (2 Kings 1:10-12) and the punishment of Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen. 19).
The statement “let me go and bury my father” (v.59) might imply that the man’s father was dead, but Jesus’ response “let the dead bury their own dead” (v.60) clearly suggested that the man’s father was not dead. The meaning of the man’s initial statement can be understood as “I’ll come join you after my father is dead.” The NOAB suggests that “Let the dead bury their own dead” (v.60) means the spiritually dead should be left to bury the physically dead.
The response of the other person “but let me first say farewell to those at my home” (v.61) is reminiscent of Elisha’s response to Elijah when Elijah called him to be his assistant (1 Kings 19:9-16).
2025, June 22 ~ 1 Kings 19:1-15a; Isaiah 65:1-9; Galatians 3:23-29; Luke 8:26-39
/in Uncategorized /by Thomas O'BrienTODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
JUNE 22, 2025
During Pentecost Season 2025, the Revised Common Lectionary offers two “tracks” of readings from the Hebrew Bible. Congregations may choose either track.
The first track of readings follows major stories and themes, read mostly continuously from week to week. The second track of readings thematically pairs the reading from the Hebrew Bible with the Gospel reading.
The readings from the Epistles are the same in both tracks.
1 Kings 19:1-15a
Reading
1 Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. 2 Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “So may the gods do to me, and more also, if I do not make your life like the life of one of them by this time tomorrow.” 3 Then he was afraid; he got up and fled for his life, and came to Beer-sheba, which belongs to Judah; he left his servant there.
4 But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness and came and sat down under a solitary broom tree. He asked that he might die: “It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life, for I am no better than my ancestors.” 5 Then he lay down under the broom tree and fell asleep. Suddenly an angel touched him and said to him, “Get up and eat.” 6 He looked, and there at his head was a cake baked on hot stones, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and lay down again. 7 The angel of the LORD came a second time, touched him, and said, “Get up and eat, otherwise the journey will be too much for you.” 8 He got up, and ate and drank; then he went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb the mount of God. 9 At that place he came to a cave and spent the night there.
Then the word of the LORD came to him, saying, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 10 He answered, “I have been very zealous for the LORD, the God of hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away.”
11 He said, “Go out and stand on the mountain before the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by.” Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake; 12 and after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence. 13 When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. Then there came a voice to him that said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 14 He answered, “I have been very zealous for the LORD, the God of hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away.” 15 Then the LORD said to him, “Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus.”
Commentary
The authors of the Book of Kings were also the authors of the books of Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges and Samuel. These books were given their final form around 500 BCE – long after the events they described. The authors used the stories in these books to demonstrate that it was the failures of the Kings of Israel and the Kings of Judea to worship YHWH and obey God’s commands that led to the conquest of Northern Israel in 722 BCE by the Assyrians and the conquest of Judea by the Babylonians in 597 BCE. (The conquests were not seen as the result of the Assyrians’ and Babylonians’ greater wealth and more powerful armies.)
After Solomon’s death in 928 BCE, the nation divided in two. The Northern Kingdom consisted of 10 tribes and was called “Israel.” The Southern Kingdom had two tribes, Judah and Benjamin and was called “Judea.” For the most part, the Deuteronomists portrayed the Kings of the North as unfaithful to YHWH, and Ahab (873-852 BCE) was one of the worst offenders. His wife was the Baal-worshiping foreigner, Jezebel.
The prophet Elijah is the subject of today’s reading. Just prior to these verses, Elijah invoked the power of YHWH to overcome the prophets of Baal at Mount Carmel in the Northern part of Israel. He brought fire upon a huge sacrifice and rain to end a drought. He then killed 400 prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18).
Ahab told Jezebel what Elijah had done (v.1). Jezebel swore to kill Elijah (v.2), so he ran away as far south in Israel as he could – first to Beer-sheba and then to the Wilderness where he hoped to die (v.4). (The Jewish Study Bible notes that the theme of a prophet wishing to die out of a sense of isolation and failure was repeated in Jonah 4:3.)
YHWH’s angels provided food to Elijah so he could journey to Horeb and continue his ministry. (For the Deuteronomists, the holy mountain was called “Horeb”(which means “dry place) rather than Sinai. “Sinai” was the name used by the authors of Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers.) The JSB notes that Elijah’s receiving food in the wilderness was parallel to Hagar’s story in Genesis 21:19.
The JSB points out that a person could cover 20-25 miles a day walking. If Elijah walked for 40 days and 40 nights (v.8), he could have covered between 800 and 1,000 miles. The JSB suggests that 40 is merely a “formulaic number” meaning a long time.
The JSB suggests that the interplay between YHWH and Elijah in this section was intended to present Elijah as a “new Moses” or a “prophet like Moses” as presented in Deut. 18:15. The New Oxford Annotated Bible points out that “a cave” (v.9) is literally “the cave” that was the site of Moses’ theophany in Ex.33:21-23. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary observed that Elijah “wrapped his face in his mantle” (v.13) just as Moses veiled his face after his theophany.
When Elijah was at Horeb, the voice of YHWH came to him in the silence (vv.12-13) and told him to anoint Hazael as king of Aram (modern Syria). In the verse after today’s reading, Elijah was told to commit treason by anointing Jehu as King of Israel even though Ahab was still alive (v.16). This is not the first instance of treasonous activity in the Deuteronomists’ accounts. YHWH told Samuel to anoint David as King even when Saul was still alive. (1 Sam.16:13).
The NOAB points out that this passage presents a contrast between the spectacular actions of YHWH at Mt. Carmel, and the quiet voice of God in the cave.
Isaiah 65:1-9
Reading
1 I was ready to be sought out by those who did not ask, to be found by those who did not seek me. I said, “Here I am, here I am,” to a nation that did not call on my name.
2 I held out my hands all day long to a rebellious people, who walk in a way that is not good, following their own devices
3 a people who provoke me to my face continually, sacrificing in gardens and offering incense on bricks
4 who sit inside tombs, and spend the night in secret places, who eat swine’s flesh, with broth of abominable things in their vessels
5 who say, “Keep to yourself, do not come near me, for I am too holy for you.” These are a smoke in my nostrils, a fire that burns all day long.
6 See, it is written before me: I will not keep silent, but I will repay; I will indeed repay into their laps
7 their iniquities and their ancestors’ iniquities together, says the LORD; because they offered incense on the mountains and reviled me on the hills, I will measure into their laps full payment for their actions.
8 Thus says the LORD: As the wine is found in the cluster, and they say, “Do not destroy it, for there is a blessing in it,” so I will do for my servants’ sake, and not destroy them all.
9 I will bring forth descendants from Jacob, and from Judah inheritors of my mountains; my chosen shall inherit it, and my servants shall settle there.
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 the Judeans who had returned to Jerusalem (which was largely destroyed by the Babylonians in 587 BCE) after the Exile had ended.
Today’s reading is set in the time after the return and follows a lament by the people (Chapter 64) claiming that YHWH seemed to be continuing to punish the people. In this chapter, the prophet made a clearer distinction between those who have been faithful and those who have been sinful. The NJBC notes that the first half of the chapter is a “judgment oracle” and the last half is a “salvation oracle.”
Today’s reading is YHWH’s response to the lament in Chapter 64, and is directed to the nation as a whole. It noted that the people acted as if they were self-sufficient and did not call on YHWH for help (v.1) even though God held out his hands in welcome (v.2). The middle verses (3-5) are descriptions of pagan practices adopted by some Israelites, including Temple priests and worshipers, and verses 6 and 7 set forth their punishments.
According to The NOAB, “sacrifices in gardens” (v.3) were sacrifices “in open-air sanctuaries and involved the invocation of nature deities, often with overt sexual content.” The JSB observes that worship of deceased ancestors (v.4) was common among Canaanites, and the Bible warned Israelites against these practices.
The NOAB understands the phrase “keep to yourself” (v.5) as “an insolent response [by the people] of the LORD’s invitation to them to approach (57.3; 65.1), perhaps with reference to their ritual segregation [in a non-Yahwistic cult in a garden] (cf. 66.17).”
The last two verses of today’s reading are YHWH’s promise to raise up those who were the righteous remnant and true servants of YHWH.
Galatians 3:23-29
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, 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.
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. In many ways, the letter was a defense of Paul’s Gentile mission as a whole.
In today’s reading, Paul spoke of the Jewish Law as “guarding and imprisoning” us until the Christ came so that “we might be justified by faith” (vv. 23-24). The Introduction to Galatians in The NOAB points out that verse 24 has been understood by some to imply that Judaism and the Torah are “redundant, and perhaps even an obstacle to God’s plan for human salvation.” The NOAB noted, however, that Paul did not draw this conclusion, and expressly rebutted it in Romans 9-11 by acknowledging the continuing force of the Torah and the need for Jewish Jesus Followers to continue to observe it.
The notes in The Jewish Annotated New Testament assert that “we” in verses 23 and 24 are Jewish Jesus Followers because the Jews received the Law, and that “you” in verses 26-29 are Gentiles who believe in Christ. This is buttressed by verse 29 (“then you are Abraham’s offspring/seed”) because Jews were already understood to be descendants of Abraham.
Understanding many of the terms used by Paul is often challenging for modern readers. As a devout Jew, Paul recognized the value of the Law, but his conversion caused him to see that “justification” (or righteousness) was no longer a matter of obeying specific laws, but of living a life of faithfulness. “Justified” is to be understood as “being in right relationships with God, others, the world and oneself.” (A page of type in which the right and left margins are straight is described as “justified.”)
The term “faith” as used by Paul also needs to be understood in context. “Faith” is a translation of the Greek word “pistis” – a word that conveys an active quality. The word is perhaps better understood as “faith-ing” or “active faithfulness.” For Paul, “faith” was not a matter of intellectually assenting to a series of doctrines (as many Christians today think of “Faith”).
Instead, “faith” is living a life of loving faithfulness just as Jesus of Nazareth lived his life, and trusting – as he did — that death will not have the final victory. For Paul, the Resurrection allowed him (and allows us) to encounter the Risen Christ.
Faithfulness to the Christ and a life of loving others also enables us to recognize our essential unity in which there is no Jew or Greek (Gentile), slave or free, male or female (v.28), for we are all one in the Christ.
In footnotes, The NOAB and The JANT state that a “disciplinarian” (paidagōgos) in verses 24 and 25 was a household slave who escorted the master’s son outside the house to keep him out of trouble and who sometimes punished the boy for his behavior. The Greek word is also translated as “trainer” or “guardian.”
Regarding baptism as an initiation rite (v.27), The JANT observes: “immersion of converts to Judaism is not securely attested in pre-rabbinic texts, so there is much debate over whether Christian baptism of converts derives from Jewish practice. In Christian baptism, the convert is baptized ‘in’ or ‘in the name of Christ’ [citing texts]; the Jewish conversion ritual has no baptizer and no ‘in the name of’ language.”
The New Jerome Biblical Commentary offers this understanding of the phrase “clothed yourselves with Christ” (v.27b): “Paul either borrows a figure from Gk mystery religions in which the initiate identified himself with the God by donning his robes [citing sources] or uses an OT expression for the adoption of another’s moral dispositions or outlook. (Job 29:14; 2 Chr 6:41).”
Luke 8:26-39
Reading
26 Jesus and his disciples arrived at the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee. 27 As he stepped out on land, a man of the city who had demons met him. For a long time he had worn no clothes, and he did not live in a house but in the tombs. 28 When he saw Jesus, he fell down before him and shouted at the top of his voice, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me” – 29 for Jesus had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. (For many times it had seized him; he was kept under guard and bound with chains and shackles, but he would break the bonds and be driven by the demon into the wilds.) 30 Jesus then asked him, “What is your name?” He said, “Legion”; for many demons had entered him. 31 They begged him not to order them to go back into the abyss.
32 Now there on the hillside a large herd of swine was feeding; and the demons begged Jesus to let them enter these. So he gave them permission. 33 Then the demons came out of the man and entered the swine, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned.
34 When the swineherds saw what had happened, they ran off and told it in the city and in the country. 35 Then people came out to see what had happened, and when they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid. 36 Those who had seen it told them how the one who had been possessed by demons had been healed. 37 Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them; for they were seized with great fear. So he got into the boat and returned. 38 The man from whom the demons had gone begged that he might be with him; but Jesus sent him away, saying, 39 “Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you.” So he went away, proclaiming throughout the city how much Jesus had done for him.
Commentary
The Gospel According to Luke is generally regarded as having been written around 85 CE. Its author also wrote the Acts of the Apostles. Both books were written in elegant and deliberatively crafted Greek and presented Jesus of Nazareth as the universal savior of humanity. Both emphasized the Holy Spirit as the “driving force” for events.
The Gospel followed the same general chronology of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection as the Gospel of Mark, and more than 40% of Luke’s Gospel was based on Mark. The other portions of Luke include (a) sayings shared with the Gospel According to Matthew but not found in Mark and (b) stories that are unique to Luke such as the Annunciation, the Visitation, the Presentation in the Temple, the Prodigal Son, and the Good Samaritan.
Today’s reading is also found in Mark and Matthew, although Matthew set the story as occurring in Gadara, which is a more likely location because Gerasa was 15 miles inland. Both Gadara and Gerasa were in the area known as the Decapolis, the area east of the Sea of Galilee and the Jordan River (modern Jordan).
The Decapolis was primarily non-Jewish. Everything about the man possessed by demons (in Matthew, there were two men) was unclean: living in tombs and not wearing clothes (v.27). Unlike the disciples who were confused by Jesus’ identity when he calmed the winds and sea (v.25), the Demoniac called him “Son of the Most High God” (v.28).
The NJBC notes that these events occurred outside of the city (v.27). It comments: “From the viewpoint of Luke’s culture, to be outside the city was to be in danger of losing one’s existence. Jesus will liberate the possessed man from his isolation and restore him to the city where he will find security from bodily harm and have a meaningful existence with his fellow men and women.” It continues: “Persons whose liberty had been definitely taken away lost the capacity to wear clothing….By being clothed (8:35), the demented man has an identity and control over his life.”
The NOAB points out that in the First Century, having knowledge of the name of a supernatural power was understood to give the knower an advantage in dealing with the person or power. The Demoniac’s response “Legion” (v.30) represented a division of the Roman Army consisting of 5,000 soldiers, so the name showed the enormous power of the demons who possessed the man. It was also a not-so-subtle “dig” at the Roman occupiers. According to The NJBC, the symbol of the Legio X Fretensis, which participated in the Jewish War of 66-70 CE, was the wild boar, and the presence of the foreign political power was seen by Jews as a pollution of the land. Thus, “the activity of the exorcist was a sign of future liberation.”
The demons begged Jesus not to be sent “back into the abyss” (v.31) which The NOAB says was “a place of confinement for demonic forces which, though hostile to God, are ultimately under his control [citing verses in Revelation].” The demons ask instead to be sent into the herd of swine (Mark said there were about 2,000 pigs). Jesus “gave his permission” (v.32) and the swine rushed into a lake (a “sea” in Mark and Matthew) and drowned. Swine were unclean for Jews, but not for Gentiles. According to The NJBC, pigs were the most frequently used animal for sacrifices in Greek and Roman worship.
Having lost a sizeable herd of swine would have been a very significant economic loss for the residents of the area, and it is not surprising that they asked Jesus to leave (v.37) before he adversely affected their economic situation further. As an aside, The JANT notes that “archeological investigation of lower Galilee shows no pig bones.”
The cured man requested to become a follower (v.38) and but Jesus directed to him to go to his home and tell what God had done for him. The text says that the man declared what Jesus had done for him (v.39).