TODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
FEBRUARY 23, 2025
Genesis 45:3-11, 15
Reading
3 Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph. Is my father still alive?” But his brothers could not answer him, so dismayed were they at his presence.
4 Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come closer to me.” And they came closer. He said, “I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. 5 And now do not be distressed, or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life. 6 For the famine has been in the land these two years; and there are five more years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest. 7 God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors. 8 So it was not you who sent me here, but God; he has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt. 9 Hurry and go up to my father and say to him, ‘Thus says your son Joseph, God has made me lord of all Egypt; come down to me, do not delay. 10 You shall settle in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near me, you and your children and your children’s children, as well as your flocks, your herds, and all that you have. 11 I will provide for you there–since there are five more years of famine to come–so that you and your household, and all that you have, will not come to poverty.'”
15 And he kissed all his brothers and wept upon them; and after that his brothers talked with him.
Commentary
Today’s reading is near the conclusion of the story of Joseph, the longest continuous story about a single person in the Bible (Chapters 37 to 50 in the Book of Genesis). The Jewish Study Bible describes it as a “coherent novella, with a subtle and well-crafted plot.”
Joseph was the 11th son of Jacob. He and Benjamin (the 12th son) were the sons of Rachel and were Jacob’s favorites. His 10 older brothers were jealous of him and threw him in a pit to die. At the suggestion of Judah (the fourth son), Joseph’s life was spared and he was sold into slavery to Ishmaelites (descendants of Abraham’s son by Hagar) and taken to Egypt by Midianites. There, he was sold to Potiphar, an officer of the Pharaoh, who put him in charge of his house.
Joseph was very handsome, and Potiphar’s wife tried to seduce him. When Joseph refused her, she falsely accused him of rape and Joseph was imprisoned. When in prison, Joseph interpreted dreams for the Pharaoh’s cupbearer and baker. Later, Joseph interpreted Pharaoh’s dreams and Pharaoh placed Joseph in charge of the affairs of the nation. Joseph’s interpretation of the Pharaoh’s dreams was accurate and Egypt prepared for (and survived) a famine.
The famine also hit Israel, and Jacob sent his 10 oldest sons to Egypt to buy grain. Joseph did not identify himself to them. Later, when grain ran out again for Jacob and his sons, they went back to Egypt a second time to buy grain. As demanded by Joseph in the first visit, they brought Jacob’s youngest son, Benjamin, with them.
Joseph directed his steward to hide his silver cup in Benjamin’s sack of grain, and then accused the brothers of stealing his silver cup. He demanded that Benjamin remain in Egypt as his slave.
Judah knew this would break Jacob’s heart and he agreed to be Joseph’s slave if Joseph would spare Benjamin. Judah’s selflessness showed Joseph that he (Judah) was a true brother to Benjamin and his other brothers.
Hearing this affirmation of brotherhood, Joseph identified himself to his brothers in today’s emotional reading. In the reading, he attributed all of the events of his life (including his being sold into slavery) as actions directed by God. Joseph expressed the theology that for God, the last word is a word of life (vv. 5, 7).
The JSB observes that the theology of the Joseph story is different from most of the rest of Genesis. “Whereas the patriarchal narrative is replete with appearances of God or His messengers, and oracles from them, Joseph never sees or hears God or his messengers….Rather, God works here in a hidden way, secretly guiding the course of human events, even bringing good out of human evil (50.20).”
The Joseph Story came from at least two different sources. This is shown by the references in Chapter 37 to both Ishmaelites and Midianites, and the references to God both as YHWH (translated as LORD in all capital letters) in Chapter 39 and in 49:18, and as “Elohim” (translated as “God”) in the remaining chapters. In the final chapters of Genesis, Jacob is sometimes called “Israel” the name given to him by the man/angel/God with whom he wrestled in Chapter 32 of Genesis.
The New Oxford Annotated Bible observes: “[Judah’s agreement to be Joseph’s slave] is a prime example of a text in the Joseph story where Judah, rather than the elder Reuben, plays the role of the most powerful and prominent son [citing other texts, including the recommendation to spare Joseph’s life in Gen. 37:26-27]. These texts have typically been assigned to the early Yahwist or Judah-Israel layer of the story.”
1 Corinthians 15:35-38, 42-50
Reading
35 Someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?” 36 Fool! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. 37 And as for what you sow, you do not sow the body that is to be, but a bare seed, perhaps of wheat or of some other grain. 38 But God gives it a body as he has chosen, and to each kind of seed its own body.
42 So it is with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable, what is raised is imperishable. It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. 43 It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. 44 It is sown a physical body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a physical body, there is also a spiritual body. 45 Thus it is written, “The first man, Adam, became a living being”; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. 46 But it is not the spiritual that is first, but the physical, and then the spiritual. 47 The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven. 48 As was the man of dust, so are those who are of the dust; and as is the man of heaven, so are those who are of heaven. 49 Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we will also bear the image of the man of heaven.
50 What I am saying, brothers and sisters, is this: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.
Commentary
Corinth, a large port city in Greece, was among the early Jesus Follower communities that Paul founded. Its culture was diverse and Hellenistic, and Corinthians emphasized reason and secular wisdom. In addition to Paul, other Jesus Followers also taught in Corinth, sometimes in ways inconsistent with Paul’s understandings of what it meant to be a Jesus Follower. Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians was written in the 50’s (CE) (likely while Paul was in Ephesus) and presented his views on several issues.
It is one of Paul’s most important letters because it is one of the earliest proclamations of Jesus’ death on behalf of sinners and his resurrection, and it contains the basic formula for celebrating the Lord’s Supper.
Today’s reading continues Paul’s extended discussion of “resurrection.” The Corinthians were Hellenists who generally accepted the Platonic division between the body and the “immortal soul.”
Paul asserted that there is both a “physical body” (v.44) that will perish when it is “sown” like a grain of wheat (v.37), and a “spiritual body” when it is raised (v.44). To make this clear, Paul stated that Adam was a “man of dust” and that when persons are resurrected, they bear “the image of the man of heaven” (v.49). It is noteworthy that in verse 47 Paul reversed the two Creation Myths. In the first, humans were in the “image of God” and in the second, the human (adam) was made from adamah, fertile earth.
In analyzing this passage, The Jewish Annotated New Testament says;”The resurrected body, including that of Jesus, is compositionally different from the mortal body (see 15.42n.)” which, footnote, in turn, reads “Sown, the body in which one is born. Imperishable, unsusceptible to disease, death, and decay.”
In the verses that follow today’s reading, Paul spoke of resurrection at the end times: “For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For this perishable body must put on imperishability and this mortal body must put on immortality” (vv. 52-53).
Luke 6:27-38
Reading
27 Jesus said, “I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. 29 If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. 30 Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again. 31 Do to others as you would have them do to you.
32 “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. 33 If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. 34 If you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive as much again. 35 But love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High; for he is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. 36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
37 “Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven; 38 give and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap; for the measure you give will be the measure you get back.”
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 has comparable sayings as found in Matt. 5:38-48, an early portion of the Sermon on the Mount. Because they are in both Matthew and Luke but are not in Mark, the source of these sayings is “Q” (the “Sayings Source”).
The moral imperative presented in these passages is high. Not only must one follow the “Golden Rule” of “do unto others as you would have them do unto you” (v.31), but we are told to love our enemies and do good to those who hate us (v.27). Retaliation is forbidden (v.29a) and the standard for generosity is very high (vv. 29b and 30). We are told not to judge others (v.37a) and that if we want to be forgiven, we are required to forgive others (v.37b).
The JANT points out that the last part of verse 38 is similar to sayings in Exodus 22:22-24 and Obadiah 1:15.
These values continued to be presented in Luke in stories that emphasized compassion, such as the Good Samaritan. They are also exhibited by Jesus’ healing of the ear of the high priest’s servant in Gethsemane, in the forgiveness of one’s enemies by Jesus on the Cross (Luke 23:34), and by Stephen, the first martyr, in his dying words (Acts 7:60). God’s mercy (v.36) and kindness even to the “ungrateful and wicked” (v.35b) is exemplified in the Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32).
2025, March 9 ~ Deuteronomy 26:1-11; Romans 10:8b-13; Luke 4:1-13
by Thomas O'BrienTODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
MARCH 9, 2025
Deuteronomy 26:1-11
Reading
1 When you have come into the land that the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance to possess, and you possess it, and settle in it, 2 you shall take some of the first of all the fruit of the ground, which you harvest from the land that the LORD your God is giving you, and you shall put it in a basket and go to the place that the LORD your God will choose as a dwelling for his name. 3 You shall go to the priest who is in office at that time, and say to him, “Today I declare to the LORD your God that I have come into the land that the LORD swore to our ancestors to give us.” 4 When the priest takes the basket from your hand and sets it down before the altar of the LORD your God, 5 you shall make this response before the LORD your God: “A wandering Aramean was my ancestor; he went down into Egypt and lived there as an alien, few in number, and there he became a great nation, mighty and populous. 6 When the Egyptians treated us harshly and afflicted us, by imposing hard labor on us, 7 we cried to the LORD, the God of our ancestors; the LORD heard our voice and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression. 8 The LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with a terrifying display of power, and with signs and wonders; 9 and he brought us into this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey. 10 So now I bring the first of the fruit of the ground that you, O LORD, have given me.” You shall set it down before the LORD your God and bow down before the LORD your God. 11 Then you, together with the Levites and the aliens who reside among you, shall celebrate with all the bounty that the LORD your God has given to you and to your house.
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). The pious stories of the “discovery” of the “book of the law” during renovations of the Temple and its “confirmation” by the prophetess Huldah are recounted in 2 Kings 22.
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 Deuteronomic History emphasized the need for worship at the Temple in Jerusalem. The Temple is described in today’s passage as “the place the LORD God [YHWH] will choose as a dwelling for his name” (v.2). It is noteworthy that the Temple is not where YHWH resides, but only the “Presence” or the Name.
Today’s reading prescribed actions at the Temple for the Festival of Weeks, a celebration of the Spring harvest. After the Babylonian Exile, the Festival also came to be associated with the giving of the Law at Sinai and was later called Pentecost (50 days after Passover) in First Century Judaism (Acts 2:1). As The New Oxford Annotated Bible observes, today’s passage gave a theological and historical basis for two laws regarding tithing that were already in Deuteronomy 14:22-29. The NOAB also notes that in verse 4, the priest sets down the offering, but in verse 10, the individual does so. It suggests that verses 3 and 4 are a “later addition intended to emphasize the role of priests in the ceremony.”
The Festival of Weeks was one of the three festivals in which Jews were expected to go the Temple in Jerusalem each year to make offerings. The other two were Passover and the celebration of the Fall harvest, called the Festival of Booths or Tabernacles (remembering the flimsy dwellings inhabited during the time in the Wilderness). Verses 3 and 4 are seen as a later insert to emphasize the role of the priests at the Temple.
Today’s reading also contains an early synopsis of the story of the Exodus and the entry into Israel (vv.5b-9). This synopsis does not contain the giving of the Law at Sinai or many of the details in Genesis and Exodus. It is much shorter than the synopsis of Jewish History from Abraham to the Destruction of Jerusalem contained in Nehemiah 9:7-31 – an account written after the Exile and about 200 years after the first version of Deuteronomy.
When Nehemiah was written, the stories in Genesis and Exodus had been more fully developed by the priestly writers and were included in the Torah that was read by Ezra to the people in 443 BCE (Neh.8). The Jewish Study Bible observes that “the inclusion of the Sinai/Horeb narrative is a relatively late, secondary addition [to the Torah]. Sinai seems to be incorporated into the larger narrative only in exilic or later texts (Ps. 106; Neh. Ch.9).”
Romans 10:8b-13
Reading
8b “The word is near you, on your lips and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); 9 because if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For one believes with the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved. 11 The scripture says, “No one who believes in him will be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all and is generous to all who call on him. 13 For, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
Commentary
Paul’s letter to the Romans was his longest, last, and most complex letter. It was written in the late 50s or early 60s (CE) to a Jesus Follower community that Paul did not establish. Among other messages in the letter, Paul sought to encourage respectful and supportive relationships between the Gentile Jesus Followers and the Jewish Jesus Followers in Rome.
The “backstory” is that in 49 CE, Emperor Claudius expelled all Jews from Rome, including Jewish Jesus Followers. The next Emperor was Nero who reigned from 54 to 68 CE. Nero reversed his predecessor’s decree and allowed Jews to return to Rome. This return caused tensions within the Jesus Follower Community in which Gentiles had become prominent.
In today’s reading, Paul paraphrased Isaiah 28:16 (“One who trusts [in the cornerstone YHWH is laying in Zion] will not panic”) by saying that “no one who believes in Jesus as Lord will be put to shame” (v.11). The Jewish Annotated New Testament says: “Isaiah’s original meaning of trust in God to avoid fear here becomes a promise of vindication.”
Paul emphasized that “there is no distinction [among the Jesus Followers] between Jew and Greek (Gentiles); the same Lord is Lord of all” (v.12). As support for this assertion, Paul interpreted Deuteronomy 30:14 (“The word [the Torah, the commandments] is very near to you; it is in your mouth and in your heart for you to observe”) as establishing that the “word of faith” is on each believer’s lips and in their hearts (v.8b).
The Jewish Annotated New Testament understands that proclamation of the good news was an important theme for Paul and the phrase “confess with your lips” (v.9) expressed his concern that some Israelites were not proclaiming the good news that Jesus is Lord and God raised him from the dead (v.9).
Paul took the phrase “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (v.13) from the prophet Joel, who wrote about the “terrible Day of the LORD [YHWH]” in which only those who call upon the LORD would be saved (Joel 2:32). Paul’s used this phrase as part of his over-all message that “belief in your heart that God raised [the Christ] from the dead” (v.9) is transformative and causes the true believer to be “justified” – in a right relationship with God and others. The JANT sees righteousness as an expression of one’s intent, of doing right for the right reasons (v.10).
The NOAB points out that calling Jesus “Lord” is the same as referring to Jesus the Christ as “God.” The word in Greek for Lord is “Kyrios” – the same word used to translate YHWH in the Septuagint.
Luke 4:1-13
Reading
1 After his baptism, Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, 2 where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing at all during those days, and when they were over, he was famished. 3 The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a loaf of bread.” 4 Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone.'”
5 Then the devil led him up and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. 6 And the devil said to him, “To you I will give their glory and all this authority; for it has been given over to me, and I give it to anyone I please. 7 If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” 8 Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.'”
9 Then the devil took him to Jerusalem, and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, 10 for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you, to protect you,’ 11 and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.'”
12 Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'” 13 When the devil had finished every test, he departed from him until an opportune 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 the “Temptation in the Wilderness.” An abbreviated version appears in Mark 1:12-13 in which the Spirit “drove” Jesus to the Wilderness. Matthew 4:1-11 presented the same three temptations (showing that the source is “Q”), but in a different order.
The period of 40 days is reminiscent of the 40 years the Israelites were said to have been in the Wilderness during the Exodus, The word “forty” is a translation of a word that means “a long time” just as “three days” is a euphemism for “a short time.” We use the same metaphors when we say: “I’ll be there in a second” or “I’ll be with you in a minute.”
The JANT points out that the quotations from the Hebrew Bible that were reportedly used by the Satan and Jesus are paraphrases of verses from the Septuagint and are different from the Masoretic Texts.
In First Century Jewish thought, the Satan was not considered the embodiment of evil (as Satan later became) but rather was a part of the heavenly court whose role was to test the righteous.
Luke uses the word “diaboulou” which is generally translated as “the devil” and reflects movement towards seeing the tempter as evil. Although both Matthew and Luke both contain an offer by the devil to give Jesus all the kingdoms of the world (vv.5-6), only Luke makes the point that all these kingdoms “have been given over” (v.6) to the devil so that he presently rules the world and can give the kingdoms to whom he pleases.
The JANT notes that the quote used by the devil “he will command his angels to protect you” (vv.10-11) is (somewhat ironically) taken from Psalm 91:11-12, in which God promises to protect the people against demonic foes.
The departure of the devil “until an opportune time” (v.13) foreshadowed the devil’s reappearance in Luke 22:3 when “Satan (in Greek satanas) entered into Judas called Iscariot.”
2025, March 2 ~ Exodus 24:29-35; 2 Corinthians 3:12-4:2; Luke 9:28b-43a
by Thomas O'BrienTODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
MARCH 2, 2025
Exodus 34:29-35
Reading
29 Moses came down from Mount Sinai. As he came down from the mountain with the two tablets of the covenant in his hand, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God. 30 When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, the skin of his face was shining, and they were afraid to come near him. 31 But Moses called to them; and Aaron and all the leaders of the congregation returned to him, and Moses spoke with them. 32 Afterward all the Israelites came near, and he gave them in commandment all that the LORD had spoken with him on Mount Sinai. 33 When Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil on his face; 34 but whenever Moses went in before the LORD to speak with him, he would take the veil off, until he came out; and when he came out, and told the Israelites what he had been commanded, 35 the Israelites would see the face of Moses, that the skin of his face was shining; and Moses would put the veil on his face again, until he went in to speak with him.
Commentary
The Book of Exodus is the second book of the Torah/Pentateuch and covers the period from the slavery in Egypt under Pharaoh (around 1250 BCE, if the account is historical), the Exodus itself, and the early months in the Wilderness.
Today’s reading is set at Mount Sinai (“Horeb” in other parts of Exodus and in Deuteronomy) during the time in the Wilderness.
Because of this reading from the Hebrew Bible and today’s Gospel reading, many Christians refer to this Sunday as “Transfiguration Sunday.” In this reading, Moses’ face shone when he came down from Mount Sinai after speaking with YHWH (translated as LORD in all capital letters). On the mountain, he (Moses) wrote the “words of the covenant” (the Ten Commandments or the Ten Words) on tablets as directed by YHWH (34:27-28).
The account in today’s reading was Moses’ second return from the top of Mount Sinai. Just a few chapters earlier, Moses came down from the mountain with the Commandments written by YHWH in the first account (31:18). In that instance, when Moses and YHWH saw that the Israelites built a Golden Calf, YHWH threatened to destroy them. Moses pleaded with YHWH to reverse that decision and YHWH relented (Chapters 32 and 33). The Jewish Study Bible notes: “The present text appears to combine two different traditions about what the terms of the covenant were.”
There also appear to be multiple sources as to when Moses put a veil over his face. In one instance, he put it on after he gave the people the Commandments (v.33), but in another verse and he put the veil over his face when speaking to the Israelites and removed it whenever he spoke to YHWH face-to-face (v.34).
The Hebrew words saying that Moses’ face “shone” (v.29) or in other translations “was radiant” shares an etymological root with the word “horn” (as in a source of sound projection). In his translation of the Bible into Latin (the Vulgate), Jerome rendered these Hebrew words as “was horned.” This unfortunate translation was the basis for Michelangelo’s statue of Moses showing him with horns and led to the anti-semitic belief that Jews had horns.
Moses’ speaking with God face-to-face became an important aspect of the description of the expected Messiah when this account in Exodus was combined with two verses in the Book of Deuteronomy. In one verse, YHWH promised to “raise up for them [the people of Israel] a prophet like you [Moses].” (Deut. 18.18) The other verse stated that no other prophet in Israel has been known by God face-to-face (Deut. 34.10).
Today’s Gospel reading presents Jesus of Nazareth as conversing with Moses and Elijah, and notes that “the appearance of his face changed and his clothes became dazzling white” (Luke 9:29).
2 Corinthians 3:12 – 4:2
Reading
12 Since then, we have such a hope, we act with great boldness, 13 not like Moses, who put a veil over his face to keep the people of Israel from gazing at the end of the glory that was being set aside. 14 But their minds were hardened. Indeed, to this very day, when they hear the reading of the old covenant, that same veil is still there, since only in Christ is it set aside. 15 Indeed, to this very day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their minds; 16 but when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit.
4:1 Therefore, since it is by God’s mercy that we are engaged in this ministry, we do not lose heart. 2 We have renounced the shameful things that one hides; we refuse to practice cunning or to falsify God’s word; but by the open statement of the truth we commend ourselves to the conscience of everyone in the sight of God.
Commentary
Corinth, a large port city in Greece, was among the early Jesus Follower communities that Paul founded. Its culture was diverse and Hellenistic. Corinthians emphasized reason and secular wisdom. In addition to Paul, other Jesus Followers taught in Corinth, sometimes in ways inconsistent with Paul’s understandings of what it meant to be a Jesus Follower.
Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians was written in the 50’s (CE) and presented his views on many issues that were controversial in this Jesus Follower Community. Paul’s Second Letter to the Corinthians is considered an authentic letter of Paul’s and was written in opposition to “false apostles” (11.13). It seems to be a composite of fragments from at least two – and perhaps five — other letters that have been lost, some of which are referred to in the letter with which we are presented. Some of the statements in the letter are inconsistent with other statements in Paul’s epistles.
Moses’ veil was presented in the Hebrew Bible as a protection for the Israelites (Ex. 34:35) because looking at Moses’ shining face was too overpowering. Moses put a veil over his face after he gave the people the Commandments (v.33) and he removed the veil whenever he spoke to YHWH face-to-face (v.34).
But in today’s reading and in the verses preceding today’s reading, Paul described the Israelites existence under the law of Moses as a “ministry of death” (v.7). Paul said the “glory” (Torah) was being set aside (v.13) and he reinterpreted the veil worn by Moses as a metaphor for unenlightenment (vv.14-15). Paul’s comments were supersessionist and argued that the minds of the “people of Israel” were “hardened” (v.14).
Paul stated the veil is only set aside in Christ (v.14) and we (Christians) now see the glory of the Lord because we have “unveiled faces” and are being “transformed from one degree of glory to another” (v.18).
The Jewish Annotated New Testament observes: “Even the places in which Paul differs from Jewish thinking — his negative attitude towards the law (e.g., his interpretation [3.12-18] of Moses’ veil in Ex 34 as showing that the law is obsolete and not a path to true knowledge of God) … suggests he consistently thinks within a Jewish framework. It is one more irony of this letter that in order to deny the validity of the “old” covenant of the flesh that God made with the Jews, Paul depends on proof from those biblical writings that embody that covenant, through which he loudly and proudly proclaims his own Jewish heritage.”
Luke 9:28b-43a
Reading
28b Jesus took with him Peter and John and James and went up on the mountain to pray. 29 And while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white. 30 Suddenly they saw two men, Moses and Elijah, talking to him. 31 They appeared in glory and were speaking of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. 32 Now Peter and his companions were weighed down with sleep; but since they had stayed awake, they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. 33 Just as they were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah” — not knowing what he said. 34 While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were terrified as they entered the cloud. 35 Then from the cloud came a voice that said, “This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!” 36 When the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and in those days told no one any of the things they had seen.
37 On the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, a great crowd met him. 38 Just then a man from the crowd shouted, “Teacher, I beg you to look at my son; he is my only child. 39 Suddenly a spirit seizes him, and all at once he shrieks. It convulses him until he foams at the mouth; it mauls him and will scarcely leave him. 40 I begged your disciples to cast it out, but they could not.” 41 Jesus answered, “You faithless and perverse generation, how much longer must I be with you and bear with you? Bring your son here.” 42 While he was coming, the demon dashed him to the ground in convulsions. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the boy, and gave him back to his father. 43 And all were astounded at the greatness 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 follows the accounts of Peter’s confession that Jesus is the Messiah (9:18-20), Jesus’s first prediction of his death (vv.21-22), and his statement that discipleship will require followers to take up their cross daily (v.23).
Jesus took his “inner circle” (Peter, James, and John) and went up on an unspecified mountain where he was transfigured and appeared with Moses (representing the Torah) and Elijah (representing the prophets). The New Oxford Annotated Bible notes: “This account recalls an intense religious experience, the exact nature of which is uncertain. The aura of unnatural brilliance is associated with mystical experiences elsewhere (Ex 34.29-35; Mt 17.9; Acts 9.3).” The JANT opines, however, that Moses and Elijah do not represent Torah and the Prophets and more likely represent Israel’s preeminent prophets both of whom faced rejection.
The New Jerome Biblical Commentary points out that only Luke recounts the topic of the conversation among Jesus, Moses and Elijah – “his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem” (v.31).
The statement that Peter, James, and John were “weighed down with sleep” (v.32) may indicate that the Transfiguration occurred at night and anticipated the same sleeping condition when they were supposed to keep watch for Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane (22:45).
Peter’s desire to make three dwellings (v.33) was his reaction to make permanent a numinous moment and to keep Moses and Elijah present.
The “cloud” is a customary image for God (as in Exodus 13) and the “voice” is similar to the voice and words spoken at Jesus’ baptism (3:22).
In the second part of today’s reading, the healing of the child possessed by a spirit is also found in the other Synoptic Gospels (Mark 9:14 and Matt. 17:14).
The JANT says that calling the people “a faithless and perverse generation” was reminiscent of Moses’ last words to the Israelites before they entered the Promised Land – “degenerate children who have dealt falsely with him [YHWH] a perverse and crooked generation” (Deut. 32:5, 20). Most scholars agree that this Deuteronomic ”Song of Moses” in Chapter 32 was a late insertion reflecting the Judeans’ faithlessness that led to the Exile.
2025, February 23 ~ Genesis 45:3-11,15; 1 Corinthians 15:35-38, 42-50; Luke 6:27-38
by Thomas O'BrienTODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
FEBRUARY 23, 2025
Genesis 45:3-11, 15
Reading
3 Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph. Is my father still alive?” But his brothers could not answer him, so dismayed were they at his presence.
4 Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come closer to me.” And they came closer. He said, “I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. 5 And now do not be distressed, or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life. 6 For the famine has been in the land these two years; and there are five more years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest. 7 God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors. 8 So it was not you who sent me here, but God; he has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt. 9 Hurry and go up to my father and say to him, ‘Thus says your son Joseph, God has made me lord of all Egypt; come down to me, do not delay. 10 You shall settle in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near me, you and your children and your children’s children, as well as your flocks, your herds, and all that you have. 11 I will provide for you there–since there are five more years of famine to come–so that you and your household, and all that you have, will not come to poverty.'”
15 And he kissed all his brothers and wept upon them; and after that his brothers talked with him.
Commentary
Today’s reading is near the conclusion of the story of Joseph, the longest continuous story about a single person in the Bible (Chapters 37 to 50 in the Book of Genesis). The Jewish Study Bible describes it as a “coherent novella, with a subtle and well-crafted plot.”
Joseph was the 11th son of Jacob. He and Benjamin (the 12th son) were the sons of Rachel and were Jacob’s favorites. His 10 older brothers were jealous of him and threw him in a pit to die. At the suggestion of Judah (the fourth son), Joseph’s life was spared and he was sold into slavery to Ishmaelites (descendants of Abraham’s son by Hagar) and taken to Egypt by Midianites. There, he was sold to Potiphar, an officer of the Pharaoh, who put him in charge of his house.
Joseph was very handsome, and Potiphar’s wife tried to seduce him. When Joseph refused her, she falsely accused him of rape and Joseph was imprisoned. When in prison, Joseph interpreted dreams for the Pharaoh’s cupbearer and baker. Later, Joseph interpreted Pharaoh’s dreams and Pharaoh placed Joseph in charge of the affairs of the nation. Joseph’s interpretation of the Pharaoh’s dreams was accurate and Egypt prepared for (and survived) a famine.
The famine also hit Israel, and Jacob sent his 10 oldest sons to Egypt to buy grain. Joseph did not identify himself to them. Later, when grain ran out again for Jacob and his sons, they went back to Egypt a second time to buy grain. As demanded by Joseph in the first visit, they brought Jacob’s youngest son, Benjamin, with them.
Joseph directed his steward to hide his silver cup in Benjamin’s sack of grain, and then accused the brothers of stealing his silver cup. He demanded that Benjamin remain in Egypt as his slave.
Judah knew this would break Jacob’s heart and he agreed to be Joseph’s slave if Joseph would spare Benjamin. Judah’s selflessness showed Joseph that he (Judah) was a true brother to Benjamin and his other brothers.
Hearing this affirmation of brotherhood, Joseph identified himself to his brothers in today’s emotional reading. In the reading, he attributed all of the events of his life (including his being sold into slavery) as actions directed by God. Joseph expressed the theology that for God, the last word is a word of life (vv. 5, 7).
The JSB observes that the theology of the Joseph story is different from most of the rest of Genesis. “Whereas the patriarchal narrative is replete with appearances of God or His messengers, and oracles from them, Joseph never sees or hears God or his messengers….Rather, God works here in a hidden way, secretly guiding the course of human events, even bringing good out of human evil (50.20).”
The Joseph Story came from at least two different sources. This is shown by the references in Chapter 37 to both Ishmaelites and Midianites, and the references to God both as YHWH (translated as LORD in all capital letters) in Chapter 39 and in 49:18, and as “Elohim” (translated as “God”) in the remaining chapters. In the final chapters of Genesis, Jacob is sometimes called “Israel” the name given to him by the man/angel/God with whom he wrestled in Chapter 32 of Genesis.
The New Oxford Annotated Bible observes: “[Judah’s agreement to be Joseph’s slave] is a prime example of a text in the Joseph story where Judah, rather than the elder Reuben, plays the role of the most powerful and prominent son [citing other texts, including the recommendation to spare Joseph’s life in Gen. 37:26-27]. These texts have typically been assigned to the early Yahwist or Judah-Israel layer of the story.”
1 Corinthians 15:35-38, 42-50
Reading
35 Someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?” 36 Fool! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. 37 And as for what you sow, you do not sow the body that is to be, but a bare seed, perhaps of wheat or of some other grain. 38 But God gives it a body as he has chosen, and to each kind of seed its own body.
42 So it is with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable, what is raised is imperishable. It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. 43 It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. 44 It is sown a physical body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a physical body, there is also a spiritual body. 45 Thus it is written, “The first man, Adam, became a living being”; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. 46 But it is not the spiritual that is first, but the physical, and then the spiritual. 47 The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven. 48 As was the man of dust, so are those who are of the dust; and as is the man of heaven, so are those who are of heaven. 49 Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we will also bear the image of the man of heaven.
50 What I am saying, brothers and sisters, is this: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.
Commentary
Corinth, a large port city in Greece, was among the early Jesus Follower communities that Paul founded. Its culture was diverse and Hellenistic, and Corinthians emphasized reason and secular wisdom. In addition to Paul, other Jesus Followers also taught in Corinth, sometimes in ways inconsistent with Paul’s understandings of what it meant to be a Jesus Follower. Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians was written in the 50’s (CE) (likely while Paul was in Ephesus) and presented his views on several issues.
It is one of Paul’s most important letters because it is one of the earliest proclamations of Jesus’ death on behalf of sinners and his resurrection, and it contains the basic formula for celebrating the Lord’s Supper.
Today’s reading continues Paul’s extended discussion of “resurrection.” The Corinthians were Hellenists who generally accepted the Platonic division between the body and the “immortal soul.”
Paul asserted that there is both a “physical body” (v.44) that will perish when it is “sown” like a grain of wheat (v.37), and a “spiritual body” when it is raised (v.44). To make this clear, Paul stated that Adam was a “man of dust” and that when persons are resurrected, they bear “the image of the man of heaven” (v.49). It is noteworthy that in verse 47 Paul reversed the two Creation Myths. In the first, humans were in the “image of God” and in the second, the human (adam) was made from adamah, fertile earth.
In analyzing this passage, The Jewish Annotated New Testament says;”The resurrected body, including that of Jesus, is compositionally different from the mortal body (see 15.42n.)” which, footnote, in turn, reads “Sown, the body in which one is born. Imperishable, unsusceptible to disease, death, and decay.”
In the verses that follow today’s reading, Paul spoke of resurrection at the end times: “For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For this perishable body must put on imperishability and this mortal body must put on immortality” (vv. 52-53).
Luke 6:27-38
Reading
27 Jesus said, “I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. 29 If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. 30 Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again. 31 Do to others as you would have them do to you.
32 “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. 33 If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. 34 If you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive as much again. 35 But love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High; for he is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. 36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
37 “Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven; 38 give and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap; for the measure you give will be the measure you get back.”
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 has comparable sayings as found in Matt. 5:38-48, an early portion of the Sermon on the Mount. Because they are in both Matthew and Luke but are not in Mark, the source of these sayings is “Q” (the “Sayings Source”).
The moral imperative presented in these passages is high. Not only must one follow the “Golden Rule” of “do unto others as you would have them do unto you” (v.31), but we are told to love our enemies and do good to those who hate us (v.27). Retaliation is forbidden (v.29a) and the standard for generosity is very high (vv. 29b and 30). We are told not to judge others (v.37a) and that if we want to be forgiven, we are required to forgive others (v.37b).
The JANT points out that the last part of verse 38 is similar to sayings in Exodus 22:22-24 and Obadiah 1:15.
These values continued to be presented in Luke in stories that emphasized compassion, such as the Good Samaritan. They are also exhibited by Jesus’ healing of the ear of the high priest’s servant in Gethsemane, in the forgiveness of one’s enemies by Jesus on the Cross (Luke 23:34), and by Stephen, the first martyr, in his dying words (Acts 7:60). God’s mercy (v.36) and kindness even to the “ungrateful and wicked” (v.35b) is exemplified in the Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32).
2025, February 16 ~ Jeremiah 17:5-10; 1 Corinthians 15:12-20; Luke 6:17-26
by Thomas O'BrienTODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
FEBRUARY 16, 2025
Jeremiah 17:5-10
Reading
5 Thus says the LORD: Cursed are those who trust in mere mortals and make mere flesh their strength, whose hearts turn away from the LORD.
6 They shall be like a shrub in the desert and shall not see when relief comes. They shall live in the parched places of the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land.
7 Blessed are those who trust in the LORD, whose trust is the LORD.
8 They shall be like a tree planted by water, sending out its roots by the stream. It shall not fear when heat comes, and its leaves shall stay green; in the year of drought it is not anxious, and it does not cease to bear fruit.
9 The heart is devious above all else; it is perverse– who can understand it?
10 I the LORD test the mind and search the heart, to give to all according to their ways, according to the fruit of their doings.
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 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.)
Today’s reading is in “poetry style” and reflects an over-arching theme found in the Deuteronomic History (Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings) — that the downfalls of Northern Israel in 722 BCE and Judea in 587 BCE were the result of the failure of the people and their kings to trust in YHWH and worship YHWH faithfully.
The New Jerome Biblical Commentary sees chapters 14 through 17 as a unit, the general theme of which is the sins of the people and the vengeance of YHWH. This section opens with the description of a drought (14:1-15:9).
In the verses that immediately precede today’s reading, the prophet asserted that the guilt of Judah was “inscribed with a stylus of iron, engraved with a diamond point on the tablet of their hearts” (17:1). The Jewish Study Bible notes that “in Jeremiah, this engraved sin will ultimately be replaced by divine instruction (Torah) written on the heart when the covenant is restored see 31:31-34.”
Today’s verses are seen as “wisdom” verses, and used imagery from the Psalms and Proverbs. The prophet said, “Those who trust in mere mortals” are “cursed” and will live in “an uninhabited salt land.” (vv.5-6). He continued that those who trust in YHWH (translated LORD in all capital letters) will bear fruit (v.8). YHWH would give to all according to their ways – the fruit of their doings (v.10).
This Deuteronomic worldview can be summarized as “Do good, get good. Do bad, get bad.” This view 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).
1 Corinthians 15:12-20
Reading
12 Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 If there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised; 14 and if Christ has not been raised, then our proclamation has been in vain and your faith has been in vain. 15 We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified of God that he raised Christ–whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised. 17 If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have died in Christ have perished. 19 If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.
20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have died.
Commentary
Corinth, a large port city in Greece, was among the early Jesus Follower communities that Paul founded. Its culture was diverse and Hellenistic, and Corinthians emphasized reason and secular wisdom. In addition to Paul, other Jesus Followers also taught in Corinth, sometimes in ways inconsistent with Paul’s understandings of what it meant to be a Jesus Follower. Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians was written in the 50’s (CE) (likely while Paul was in Ephesus) and presented his views on several issues.
It is one of Paul’s most important letters because it is one of the earliest proclamations of Jesus’ death on behalf of sinners and his resurrection and it contains the basic formula for celebrating the Lord’s Supper.
Today’s reading continued Paul’s extended discussion of “resurrection of the dead.” The Corinthians were Hellenists who generally accepted the Platonic division between the body and the “immortal soul.” In this Chapter, Paul emphasized that “there are both heavenly bodies and earthly bodies” (v.40). What is sown [buried] is a “physical body, it is raised as a spiritual body.” (v.44).
In today’s verses, Paul argued that the Corinthians’ belief that Christ was raised from the dead can only be true if the notion of resurrection of the dead is a reality. “For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised” (v.16).
Notwithstanding his earlier statement in 15:3 (“Christ died for our sins”), Verse 17 makes clear Paul’s understanding that the Resurrection is the event that frees us from sin (“If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.”)
Describing the Resurrection of the Jesus the Christ as “the first fruits of those who have died” (v.20), Paul went on (in next week’s reading) to affirm the powerful and hopeful belief that “all will be made alive in Christ” (v.22) so that Jesus’ Resurrection is not a “one time event” but the inauguration of the general resurrection of all (v.20).
The Jewish Annotated New Testament, citing Josephus, points out that Pharisees, but not all Jews of the Second Temple period, expected bodily resurrection at the end times.
Luke 6:17-26
Reading
17 Jesus came down with the twelve apostles and stood on a level place, with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea, Jerusalem, and the coast of Tyre and Sidon. 18 They had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases; and those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured. 19 And all in the crowd were trying to touch him, for power came out from him and healed all of them.
20 Then he looked up at his disciples and said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.
21 “Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled. “Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.
22 “Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man. 23 Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven; for that is what their ancestors did to the prophets.”
24 “But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation.
25 “Woe to you who are full now, for you will be hungry. “Woe to you who are laughing now, for you will mourn and weep.
26 “Woe to you when all speak well of you, for that is what their ancestors did to the false prophets.”
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 first part of Luke’s “Sermon on the Plain” (a “level place” v.17) and is an analogue to Matthew’s Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5-7). The two Sermons do not appear in other Gospels and are considered based on “Q” material.
Understanding the Bible notes that “the Lukan Beatitudes are shorter, simpler, and directed at the hearers – you! [“disciples” v.20] Whereas Matthew spiritualizes their meaning ‘blessing those who hunger and thirst to see right prevail,’ Luke gives a bluntly material version. .. In a passage unique to his Gospel, Luke concludes the Beatitudes with ‘woes’ (‘alas for you’) in which the ‘rich’ and ‘well fed’ are cursed with future loss and hunger.” The “woes” are the antitheses of the blessings in verses 20-23.
The crowd, if it came from “all Judea, Jerusalem, Tyre and Sidon” (v.17) would have been large indeed. Most likely, this is Lukan hyperbole. The New Oxford Annotated Bible observes that “unclean” spirits (v.18) is a religious term representing degrees of holiness.
Unlike Matthew’s Beatitudes which relate to spiritual conditions, these Beatitudes refer to economic, social, and emotional conditions. Some scholars have suggested that the Greek word Makarioi that is translated as “Blessed” or “Fortunate” is itself a translation of an Aramaic word (the language Jesus spoke) that connotes “being on the right path.”
Luke again emphasized that the “ancestors” spoke well of false prophets, but treated true prophets badly. He cautioned his listeners that they as the followers of the Son of Man will be excluded, reviled, and defamed (v.23) – most likely a reference by Luke to the difficult relationship between Jesus Followers and the Pharisees in the late First Century.
Isaiah 6:1-13; 1 Corinthians 15:1-11; Luke 5:1-11
by Thomas O'BrienTODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
FEBRUARY 9, 2025
Isaiah 6:1-13
Reading
1 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lofty; and the hem of his robe filled the temple. 2 Seraphs were in attendance above him; each had six wings: with two they covered their faces, and with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. 3 And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory.”
4 The pivots on the thresholds shook at the voices of those who called, and the house filled with smoke. 5 And I said: “Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; yet my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”
6 Then one of the seraphs flew to me, holding a live coal that had been taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. 7 The seraph touched my mouth with it and said: “Now that this has touched your lips, your guilt has departed and your sin is blotted out.” 8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I; send me!” 9 And he said, “Go and say to this people: `Keep listening, but do not comprehend; keep looking, but do not understand.’
10 Make the mind of this people dull, and stop their ears, and shut their eyes, so that they may not look with their eyes, and listen with their ears, and comprehend with their minds, and turn and be healed.” 11 Then I said, “How long, O Lord?” And he said: “Until cities lie waste without inhabitant, and houses without people, and the land is utterly desolate; 12 until the Lord sends everyone far away, and vast is the emptiness in the midst of the land.
13 Even if a tenth part remain in it, it will be burned again, like a terebinth or an oak whose stump remains standing when it is felled.” The holy seed is its stump.
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 referred to as “the Call of Isaiah.” To identify years in which events occurred, it was common to use the year of a particular king’s reign. Isaiah’s call is dated to the year King Uzziah of the Kingdom of Judea died (v.1). This was 742 or 733 BCE (scholars are not sure of the chronology), but it was clearly a time when the Assyrian Empire was becoming more dominant. The Assyrians conquered the Kingdom of Israel (the Northern 10 Tribes) in 722 BCE. The New Oxford Annotated Bible points out that Isaiah’s ”call” served as an introduction to the prophet’s comments on Judean politics and treaties in chapters 7 and 8.
The scene of Isaiah’s Call was intended to inspire awe and it used hyperbole (the hem of the Lord’s robe fills the temple) (v.1) to create that sense. The LORD was surrounded by angels – seraphs (literally, “burning ones”) with six wings, two of which cover their faces (so as not to look upon God), two of which cover their “feet” (a customary euphemism in Hebrew Scriptures for one’s private parts), and two of which to maintain their position around the throne). The Jewish Study Bible notes: “This is one of many passages indicating that some biblical authors conceive of God as a physical being whom a few people can see.”
Using a customary literary device (as Moses did when he was called by YHWH), Isaiah protested that he could not speak for the LORD. Isaiah said he had “unclean lips” (v.5) and was unworthy to be in the LORD’s presence. In a metaphorical response, a seraph touched Isaiah’s lips with a live coal (v.7). After this purification, just as Samuel responded to the LORD’s call in 1 Sam. 3, Isaiah responded with the same words: “Here I am, send me” (v.8).
The refusal of persons to listen and understand the prophet’s message was expressed in ironic terms (vv. 9-10) and “explained” the failure of the people and kings of Judea to change their behaviors. It also assumed (as most of the Hebrew Bible did) that the LORD controls all that happens, including the refusal of people to hear a prophet’s message. The JSB notes: “God no longer desires repentance; rather, God wants to vent divine anger on the nation.”
The NOAB suggests that the LORD’s sending “everyone far away” (v.12) anticipated “the devastation of Judah during the Assyrian campaign of 701 BCE.” It is also regarded by some scholars as a post-exilic addition that referred to the Babylonian Exile from 587 to 539 BCE. The NOAB agrees that the “stump” (v.13) was also a post-exilic reference to the “remnant” – the Judeans who returned to Jerusalem after the Exile.
1 Corinthians 15:1-11
Reading
1 I would remind you, brothers and sisters, of the good news that I proclaimed to you, which you in turn received, in which also you stand, 2 through which also you are being saved, if you hold firmly to the message that I proclaimed to you — unless you have come to believe in vain.
3 For I handed on to you as of first importance what I in turn had received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, 4 and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 8 Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. 9 For I am the least of the apostles, unfit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me has not been in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them — though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. 11 Whether then it was I or they, so we proclaim and so you have come to believe.
Commentary
Corinth, a large port city in Greece, was among the early Jesus Follower communities that Paul founded. Its culture was diverse and Hellenistic, and Corinthians emphasized reason and secular wisdom. In addition to Paul, other Jesus Followers also taught in Corinth, sometimes in ways inconsistent with Paul’s understandings of what it means to be a Jesus Follower. Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians was written in the 50’s (CE) (likely while Paul was in Ephesus) and presented his views on several issues.
It is one of Paul’s most important letters because it is one of the earliest proclamations interpreting Jesus’ death as being on behalf of sinners (v.3), proclaiming his resurrection (v.4), and because it contains the basic formula for celebrating the Lord’s Supper (11:17-34).
In today’s reading, Paul presented an early creed about the death and resurrection of Jesus the Christ. In saying that “Christ died for our sins,” (v.3) the word “for” can be understood as “on account of” or “because of” or “to atone for.” The Jewish Annotated New Testament suggests that the phrase “for our sins” may evoke part of the Suffering Servant Songs, Isaiah 53:5 (“But he was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the punishment that made us whole, and by his bruises we are healed”.)
The phrase that the Christ was raised “in accordance with the scriptures” (v.4) became part of the Nicene Creed. The JANT notes that it is not clear to which scriptures Paul referred in this phrase. It suggests that the “scriptures” may be Jeremiah 23:5 (“I will raise up for David a righteous branch”) and Hosea 6:2 (“On the third day, he will raise us up and we shall be whole by his favor.”)
Corinthians was written before any of the Gospels and it is therefore the first discussion of the appearances of the risen Christ. Paul asserted that the risen Christ appeared first to Cephas (Peter) and the twelve (v.5) — rather than to women as presented in Matt. 28:9, or Mary Magdalene (Mark 16:9 and John 20:14), or to two disciples at the inn on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:31).
Paul then said the Christ appeared to James (presumably the brother of Jesus) and then to “all the apostles.” (v.7), which seems to contradict his earlier statement about the appearance to “the twelve.” Finally, Paul listed himself as a person to whom the Christ “appeared” though there is no suggestion in the Epistles (or in Acts 8, 22 or 26) that this appearance (presumably Paul’s Damascus Road Experience) was a physical appearance of the Christ.
Paul described himself “untimely born” and as “the least” of the apostles (v.9). The JANT says: “untimely born, like a stillbirth, referring either to Paul’s appearance or early hostility to the gospel.” In claiming to be “the least” Paul was still making clear to the Corinthians that his authority arose from his being an “apostle.” He asserted that he “worked harder” (v.10) than any of the other apostles.
Today’s reading served as an introduction to Paul’s extended discussion of “resurrection of the dead” in Chapter 15. The Corinthians were Hellenists who generally accepted the Platonic division between the body and the “immortal soul.” Paul emphasizes that not only the body is resurrected, but the entire person, and Paul used the “resurrection of the dead” to encompass the entirety of resurrection.
Luke 5:1-11
Reading
1 Once while Jesus was standing beside the lake of Gennesaret, and the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, 2 he saw two boats there at the shore of the lake; the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. 3 He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little way from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat. 4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.” 5 Simon answered, “Master, we have worked all night long but have caught nothing. Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets.” 6 When they had done this, they caught so many fish that their nets were beginning to break. 7 So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both boats, so that they began to sink. 8 But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!” 9 For he and all who were with him were amazed at the catch of fish that they had taken; 10 and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. Then Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people.” 11 When they had brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed 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 has a number of elements that appear in other gospels. Teaching by the Sea of Galilee (or Gennesaret) appeared in the other Synoptic Gospels, as does the call of the fishermen to become “fishers of people” (v.10). The huge draught of fish appeared in the Fourth Gospel in an Epilogue (21:4-7) as a post-resurrection event.
The JANT understands “hearing the Word of God” (v.1) as meaning hearing the Torah as interpreted by Jesus, and “Master” (v.5) as the word Luke used for “Rabbi.” The decision to “leave everything” (v.11) included one’s home, business, and family. This decision to leave fishing and follow Jesus also appears in the other Synoptic Gospels.
The JANT also notes that “Lord” (v.8) is kyrios in Greek, which can be understood as “sir” (Adon in Heb.), and is the same word used in the LXX to translate YHWH.
The New Jerome Biblical Commentary points out that this story “paints the first strokes of his [Luke’s] very flattering and deeply appreciative portrait of Peter.” It continues: “Luke has the deepest respect for Simon Peter, describing his founding role in the primitive church in Acts. Luke also eliminates negative remarks found about Peter in Mark 8:32-33 (when Peter rebuked Jesus for saying he would be killed and Jesus referred to Peter as “Satan”).”
2025, February 2 ~ Malachi 3:1-4; Hebrews 2:14-18; Luke 2:22-40
by Thomas O'BrienTODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
FEBRUARY 2, 2025
Malachi 3:1- 4
Reading
1 See, I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me, and the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple. The messenger of the covenant in whom you delight — indeed, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts. 2 But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears?
For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap; 3 he will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the descendants of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, until they present offerings to the LORD in righteousness. 4 Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the LORD as in the days of old and as in former years.
Commentary
The Book of Malachi is the last book of the 12 “Minor” Prophets – so called because these books are much shorter than the three “Major” Prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel). Malachi’s name literally means “my messenger” and the book appears to have been written in the Persian Period – the 5th Century BCE, after the Second Temple was built around 505 BCE and close in time to Ezra and Nehemiah (c. 475-450 BCE).
Malachi asserted that the “Day of the Lord” was coming soon, and the “messenger” of the Day of the Lord was identified as Elijah (4:5). In most prophetic books, the Day of the Lord was presented as a time of wrath, darkness, fear, and trembling.
The New Oxford Annotated Bible observes: “The extravagant hopes of the restoration prophets had not materialized (Hag 2.6-9; Zech 8.15, 20-23). The Temple had been rebuilt but the ideal age had not begun. Malachi probably spoke to a disheartened audience which questioned both the love (1.2) and justice (2.17) of God. Malachi reversed the discussion: God, he avers, has been faithful to the covenant (1.2; 2.5-7; and esp. 3.6 ‘For I the LORD do not change’); it is Judah that has been faithless (1.6; 2.8, 14; 3.8). Furthermore, any lingering doubts about divine justice will be addressed and overcome, the prophet states, soon enough when the LORD comes in judgment (2.17-3.5; 3.16-4.6).”
The Jewish Study Bible notes: “As a whole, the book is aimed at persuading its readership to follow the Torah of Moses or at strengthening their resolve to continue to do so. This message must be understood within the book’s historical setting, soon after the canonization of the Torah. Thus, the book presents a prophetic voice that ultimately asserts the superiority of Torah over prophecy.”
In today’s reading, Malachi described YHWH’s messenger (v.2) as one who is like “refiner’s fire and fuller’s soap.” (Fuller’s soap is a harsh clay/soap/lye used to whiten clothes or remove impurities from wool.) After the refining and cleansing, the offerings of Judah/Jerusalem would again be pleasing to YHWH (v.4).
In the Synoptic Gospels, the “messenger” was identified as John the Baptist (Matt.11:10-14; Mark 1:2-4; Luke 1:17, 76). John the Baptist was described in many ways as a “new Elijah.”
Hebrews 2:14-18
Reading
Since God’s children share flesh and blood, Jesus himself likewise shared the same things, so that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by the fear of death. For it is clear that he did not come to help angels, but the descendants of Abraham. Therefore he had to become like his brothers and sisters in every respect, so that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make a sacrifice of atonement for the sins of the people. Because he himself was tested by what he suffered, he is able to help those who are being tested.
Commentary
The Letter to the Hebrews was an anonymous sermon addressed to both Jewish and Gentile Jesus Followers which urged them to maintain their Faith in the face of persecution. The Jewish Annotated New Testament points out that it is the only document in the Scriptures that contains a sustained discussion on the nature of the Christ, and that the letter was supersessionist in stating that the temple cult (which had to be repeated, and was therefore inferior – 10:1-5) was superseded by the “superior” one-time sacrifice of Jesus.
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. According to The JANT, the language, style and purpose of the letter to the Hebrews is markedly different from the authentic Pauline epistles. The letter used the most sophisticated Greek in the New Testament and introduced a number of important theological themes such as the idea of the Christ as the “high priest of our confession” (3:1) and simultaneously, the perfect sacrifice (5:8). The first four chapters explored the word of God as spoken through the Son (v.2).
The JANT observes that Hebrews has a Platonic philosophical orientation resembling that of Philo of Alexandria and that it contains the New Testament’s most sophisticated Greek. Understanding the Bible states: “Employing a popular form of Platonic thought, the writer assumes the existence of two parallel worlds: the eternal and perfect realm of spirit above, and the inferior, constantly changing world below. Alone among New Testament authors, he attempts to show how Christ’s sacrificial death links the two opposing realms of perishable matter and eternal spirit.”
The NOAB and The JANT agree that the author sought both to ground his arguments in scripture (using the Septuagint) to argue that Jesus is superior to Jewish traditions. The JANT states: “Hebrews offers a distinct and elevated Christology. As the Son of God, Jesus is superior to all other beings, including angels — he is uncreated, immortal, and permanent. He is also superior to all biblical heroes, including Moses and Abraham, as well as institutions like the Levitical priesthood. As both perfect sacrifice and heavenly priest who intercedes for humans, Jesus supersedes the Jewish sacrificial system, rendering it obsolete.”
At the same time, the author argued in today’s reading that Jesus was fully human (‘shared flesh and blood” v.14) so that by destroying the power of the devil, he would free others from the fear of death. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary observes that Hellenistic Judaism understood that death was not part of God’s plan for human beings, and that death was brought into the world in the Disobedience Event in the Garden of Eden (Gen 3:17-19). The JANT notes that the author in using the phrase “make a sacrifice of atonement for the sins of the people” (v.17) accepted the traditional view that atonement required sacrifices.
The JANT continues: “Because Hebrews argues for Jesus’ superiority over all else and the obsolescence of the covenant God made with Moses at Mount Sinai, it expresses what scholars call supersessionist theology. Supersessionism is the idea that Christ’s entry into human history replaces all that has come before, including God’s unique covenant bond with Israel. The same idea is sometimes referred to as rejection/replacement theology.”
The NJBC observes that the author of Hebrews overstates the case: “God’s preferring obedience to sacrifice is interpreted as God’s repudiation of the OT sacrifices and their replacement by the self offering of Jesus.”
Luke 2:22-40
Reading
22 When the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, the parents of Jesus brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male shall be designated as holy to the Lord”), 24 and they offered a sacrifice according to what is stated in the law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.”
25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; this man was righteous and devout, looking forward to the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit rested on him. 26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. 27 Guided by the Spirit, Simeon came into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him what was customary under the law, 28 Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying,
29 “Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace, according to your word;
30 for my eyes have seen your salvation,
31 which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles
and for glory to your people Israel.”
33 And the child’s father and mother were amazed at what was being said about him. 34 Then Simeon blessed them and said to his mother Mary, “This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed 35 so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed– and a sword will pierce your own soul too.”
36 There was also a prophet, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, having lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, 37 then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped there with fasting and prayer night and day. 38 At that moment she came, and began to praise God and to speak about the child to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.
39 When they had finished everything required by the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. 40 The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon 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 50% 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.
According to The NOAB and The JANT, there were no prescribed rites of purification for the father or a newborn. There was a rite of purification for the mother of a son 40 days after birth as prescribed in Leviticus 12. Apart from today’s passage, neither Simon nor Anna is otherwise known from the scriptures. The JANT points out that persons did not reside in the Temple (v.37).
The statement that every firstborn male shall be designated as “holy to the Lord” (v.23) was based on Exodus 13:2, and The NJBC suggests that the story of the presentation of Jesus by Luke may be intended as an echo of Samuel’s presentation by Hannah at the “house of the LORD” at Shiloh (1 Sam. 1:24).
2025, January 26 ~ Nehemiah 8:1-3,5-6,8-10; 1 Corinthians 12:12-31a; Luke 4:14-21
by Thomas O'BrienTODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
JANUARY 26, 2025
Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10
Reading
1 All the people of Israel gathered together into the square before the Water Gate. They told the scribe Ezra to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the LORD had given to Israel. 2 Accordingly, the priest Ezra brought the law before the assembly, both men and women and all who could hear with understanding. This was on the first day of the seventh month. 3 He read from it facing the square before the Water Gate from early morning until midday, in the presence of the men and the women and those who could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive to the book of the law. 5 And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was standing above all the people; and when he opened it, all the people stood up. 6 Then Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God, and all the people answered, “Amen, Amen,” lifting up their hands. Then they bowed their heads and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground. 8 So they read from the book, from the law of God, with interpretation. They gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading.
9 And Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, “This day is holy to the LORD your God; do not mourn or weep.” For all the people wept when they heard the words of the law. 10 Then he said to them, “Go your way, eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions of them to those for whom nothing is prepared, for this day is holy to our LORD; and do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”
Commentary
The Babylonian Exile ended in 539 BCE when the Persians defeated the Babylonians. Cyrus the Great then directed the Judeans to return to Jerusalem. Jerusalem was destroyed by the Babylonians in 587 BCE, and the reconstruction of Jerusalem took more than 90 years.
Ezra (mentioned in today’s reading) was sent to Jerusalem by the Persian King, Darius, in 458 BCE. According to the Books of Ezra and Nehemiah, Ezra was a priest with direct lineage to Aaron (the brother of Moses), and a scribe (a highly educated person). Many Biblical scholars conclude that Ezra was the final “redactor” (editor and combiner) of the four literary sources (called J, E, D and P) from which the first five books of the Bible (the Torah) were derived.
The Books of Ezra and Nehemiah are often treated as a single book in the Bible, but scholars today note that there are linguistic differences in the books and therefore have different authors. These books are part of the “Writings” (Kethuvim) in the Hebrew Canon and are part of the “Historical Books” in Christian Scriptures. Most scholars date the books to the 4th Century BCE because, although it recounted events of the 5th Century BCE, it contained references to events that occurred later.
The stories in Ezra-Nehemiah began where 2 Chronicles ended – Cyrus’ sending of the Jews in Exile back to Jerusalem in 538 BCE. The Book of Ezra focused on the rebuilding of the Temple whereas the Book of Nehemiah focused on the resettlement of the returnees and the rebuilding of Jerusalem and the Jerusalem wall.
The Jewish Study Bible points out that both books emphasize their continuity with the Israelite preexilic past. “Ezra explicitly appropriates Mosaic authority as he is represented as regiving the Torah in a kind of repetition of the Sinai event. Indeed, Ezra and Nehemiah insist that their legal innovations are already part of the Mosaic Torah, i.e., that they are accurate applications of Mosaic Torah and have authoritative Mosaic status.”
Nehemiah was a Jew who was cupbearer to the King of Persia. In 445 BCE, the King sent Nehemiah to rebuild Jerusalem and its walls. Nehemiah was a capable administrator and accomplished his tasks in a little more than a year.
Today’s reading recounted the first reading of the “book of the law of Moses” (the Torah). It was read aloud by Ezra in 443 BCE to all the people (men and women) to celebrate the restoration of Jerusalem and was done “with interpretation” (v.8) so the people would understand it. The New Oxford Annotated Bible says “either the Hebrew was translated into the more familiar Aramaic or the content was expounded for greater clarity.”
Ezra is presented as a “New Moses.” According to The Jewish Study Bible: “The importance of Ezra for the creation and formation of what came to be known as rabbinic Judaism cannot be overestimated.”
During the period of Persian rule over Judea (539 to 333 BCE), Judea generally prospered, and the Judeans reconstituted themselves as “People of the Book.” During this time, many books of the Hebrew Bible were written (such as Jonah, Job and Ruth) and others were codified in what was close to their final forms.
1 Corinthians 12:12-31a
Reading
12 Just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body–Jews or Greeks, slaves or free–and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.
14 Indeed, the body does not consist of one member but of many. 15 If the foot would say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. 16 And if the ear would say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. 19 If all were a single member, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many members, yet one body. 21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” 22 On the contrary, the members of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and those members of the body that we think less honorable we clothe with greater honor, and our less respectable members are treated with greater respect; 24 whereas our more respectable members do not need this. But God has so arranged the body, giving the greater honor to the inferior member, 25 that there may be no dissension within the body, but the members may have the same care for one another. 26 If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it.
27 Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. 28 And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers; then deeds of power, then gifts of healing, forms of assistance, forms of leadership, various kinds of tongues. 29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? 30 Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? 31 But strive for the greater gifts.
Commentary
Corinth, a large port city in Greece, was among the early Jesus Follower communities that Paul founded. Its culture was diverse and Hellenistic, and Corinthians emphasized reason and secular wisdom. In addition to Paul, other Jesus Followers also taught in Corinth, sometimes in ways inconsistent with Paul’s understandings of what it means to be a Jesus Follower. Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians was written in the 50’s (CE) (likely while Paul was in Ephesus) and presented his views on several issues.
It is one of Paul’s most important letters because it is one of the earliest proclamations of Jesus’ death on behalf of sinners and his resurrection and it contains the basic formula for celebrating the Lord’s Supper.
Today’s reading is a continuation of last week’s reading in which Paul emphasized that all spiritual gifts come from God and are manifestations of the Spirit for the common good. In this continuation, Paul emphasized diversity in unity through the Spirit between Jewish Jesus Followers and Gentile Jesus Followers (“Jews or Greeks” v.13).
He analogized the Jesus Follower Community to the human body (vv.14-24) and rejected a separatist or individualistic attitudes by any part of the body to other parts. He noted that all members have different gifts and roles to play in the Jesus Follower Community, just as each of our body parts functions as part of one human body.
The NOAB concludes that in proposing this metaphor, Paul rejected the class system that existed in the hierarchical structures of Greek Culture and the Roman Empire. The NOAB says: “After verse 27, Paul adds two new twists. First, he now explicitly ranks the gifts, pointedly placing ‘tongues’ last. Second, the series of rhetorical questions suggests that some [in Corinth] are encouraging others to experience tongues.”
Luke 4:14-21
Reading
14 Jesus, filled with the power of the Spirit, returned to Galilee, and a report about him spread through all the surrounding country. 15 He began to teach in their synagogues and was praised by everyone.
16 When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read 17 and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written:
18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
20 And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. Then he began to say to them, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”
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 50% 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 comes immediately after Luke’s version of the temptations of Jesus in the wilderness. It is often referred to as the “Programmatic Discourse” – a statement in this Gospel of what the author perceived Jesus’ “program” was, particularly verses 18 and 19. Although Mark and Matthew have scenes in which Jesus taught in a synagogue, this explication of a program based on Isaiah is unique to Luke. As he does elswhere (2:41-42). Luke emphasized that Jesus was a devout Jew in that it was his “custom” (v. 16) to go to synagogue.
The ”program” was an amalgam of verses from Isaiah – 61:1, 58:6 and 61:2, so Jesus would not have been making a continuous reading. If the synagogue in Nazareth were prosperous enough to own a scroll of Isaiah, the reading would be of the “haftarah” – a reading from the prophets as a supplement to the weekly Torah portion. The reading of the haftarah in synagogues was a practice that developed during the First Century and continues today. (The Jewish Annotated New Testament points out that the fully preserved Isaiah scroll from Qumran is 24 feet high and has 54 columns.)
The Gospel author referred to “their” synagogues (v.15). In Jesus’ own time, the synagogues would have been the local gathering place for all Jews, but by the time the Gospel of Luke was written, according to some of the gospels, the Jesus Followers were often not permitted access to the synagogues by the Pharisees.
Use of the synagogues was part of the contest between the Jesus Followers and the Pharisees for the control of Judaism. The Jesus Followers and the Pharisees were the only two sects that had survived after the Destruction of the Temple in 70 CE and their contest eventually led to the so-called “Parting of the Ways” in which the Pharisaic Movement morphed into Rabbinic Judaism and the Jesus Follower Movement morphed into Christianity.
In the verses that follow today’s reading, Jesus noted that a prophet is not accepted in his hometown. Mark 6:1-6 and Matthew (13:54-58) contain similar (but shorter) accounts of Jesus’ being rejected in Nazareth. The theme of Jesus as a “rejected prophet” is prominent in Luke.
2025, January 12 ~ Isaiah 62:1-5; 1 Corinthians 12:1-11; John 2: 1-11
by Thomas O'BrienTODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
JANUARY 19, 2025
Isaiah 62:1-5
Reading
1 For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, until her vindication shines out like the dawn, and her salvation like a burning torch.
2 The nations shall see your vindication, and all the kings your glory; and you shall be called by a new name that the mouth of the LORD will give.
3 You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the LORD, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God.
4 You shall no more be termed Forsaken, and your land shall no more be termed Desolate; but you shall be called My Delight Is in Her, and your land Married; for the LORD delights in you, and your land shall be married.
5 For as a young man marries a young woman, so shall your builder marry you, and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you.
Commentary
The Book of Isaiah is a composite of writings from three distinct periods in Ancient Israel’s history. The writings were compiled from about 700 BCE to about 300 BCE.
Chapters 1-39 are called “First Isaiah” and are the words of a prophet (one who speaks for YHWH – translated as “LORD” in all capital letters in the NRSV) who called for Jerusalem to repent in the 30 years before Jerusalem came under siege by the Assyrians in 701 BCE. “Second Isaiah” is Chapters 40 to 55. In these chapters, a prophet brought hope to the Judeans during the Exile in Babylon (587 to 539 BCE) by telling them they had suffered enough and would return to Jerusalem. “Third Isaiah” is Chapters 56 to 66 in which a prophet gave encouragement to 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 from Third Isaiah and is part of an extended poem that begins in Chapter 60. The prophet asserted in a poetic manner that he would continue to speak for God until Jerusalem was restored (v.1) and had a new name (a new beginning), namely, “My Delight is in Her” (v.2).
As is often characteristic of poetic verses in the Hebrew Bible (and also true of ancient Canaanite poetry), the verses are repetitive – the idea in one phrase is repeated in slightly different words in the next. For example, “Nations shall see your victory” is followed by “And every king your majesty.” “You shall wear a glorious crown” is followed by “a royal diadem.” The same pattern is followed in verses 4 and 5.
The “nations” (v.2) means non-Jews (Gentiles) and is sometimes (depending on the context) translated in the Hebrew Bible as “the peoples.” The derivation is goyim (Heb) = ethne (Gk) = gentes (Lat) = peoples, nations, Gentiles.
The reading concluded with marriage symbolism in which YHWH rejoiced over his bride, Jerusalem. The New Oxford Annotated Bible suggests that the marriage symbolism in verse 5 is based on Hosea 1-3.
The New Jerome Biblical Commentary describes this reading as “a song of splendid impatience” and notes that “the theme of Yahweh as a spouse is not just repeated, but adulterous Israel is restored to that joyful innocent age of long ago when she was the virgin spouse of God.”
1 Corinthians 12:1-11
Reading
1 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed. 2 You know that when you were pagans, you were enticed and led astray to idols that could not speak. 3 Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking by the Spirit of God ever says, “Let Jesus be cursed!” and no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except by the Holy Spirit.
4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5 and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; 6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. 7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 8 To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the discernment of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses.
Commentary
Corinth, a large port city in Greece, was among the early Jesus Follower communities that Paul founded. Its culture was diverse and Hellenistic, and Corinthians emphasized reason and secular wisdom. In addition to Paul, other Jesus Followers also taught in Corinth, sometimes in ways inconsistent with Paul’s understandings of what it means to be a Jesus Follower. Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians was written in the 50’s (CE) (likely while Paul was in Ephesus) and presented his views on several issues.
It is one of Paul’s most important letters because it is one of the earliest proclamations of Jesus’ death on behalf of sinners and his resurrection and it contains the basic formula for celebrating the Lord’s Supper.
Today’s reading began “Now concerning.” This indicates that Paul was responding to something written to him by the Jesus Follower Community in Corinth.
The Jewish Annotated New Testament points out that the use of maledictions or curses (v.3) was not uncommon, and that even Paul invoked a curse “Let anyone be accursed who has no love for the Lord” (16:22).
The NJBC observes that Paul offered a “heirarchy of spiritual gifts” because “he discerned an egocentric competiitvenss that was detrimental to church unity.” He emphasized that all spiritual gifts come from God (v.6) and are manifestations of the Spirit for the common good (v.7). He listed (v.8) gifts that Greeks would value most (wisdom and knowledge) and affirmed that they come from the Spirit. He then enumerated other gifts (faith, healing, miracles, prophesy, tongues) as being equally important and also as coming from the Spirit. Paul emphasized that gifts are allocated by the Spirit (v.11) and are not allocated on the basis of merit or skill.
The verses which follow today’s reading make clear that the diversity of gifts exists within unity. “We were all baptized into one body – Jews [Jewish Jesus Followers] or Greeks [Gentile Jesus Followers], slaves or free” (v.13).
John 2:1-11
Reading
1 On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. 2 Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. 3 When the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” 4 And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what concern is that to you and to me? My hour has not yet come.” 5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” 6 Now standing there were six stone water jars for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. 7 Jesus said to them, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. 8 He said to them, “Now draw some out, and take it to the chief steward.” So they took it. 9 When the steward tasted the water that had become wine and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the steward called the bridegroom 10 and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and then the inferior wine after the guests have become drunk. But you have kept the good wine until now.” 11 Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.
Commentary
The Fourth Gospel is different in many ways from the Synoptic Gospels. The “signs” (miracles) and many stories in the Fourth Gospel are unique to it, such as the Wedding at Cana, Jesus’ conversation with the Samaritan woman at the well, and the Raising of Lazarus.
The chronology of events is also different in the Fourth Gospel. For example, the Temple Event (“Cleansing of the Temple”) occurred early in Jesus’ Ministry in the Fourth Gospel, rather than late as in the Synoptic Gospels. In the Synoptic Gospels, the Last Supper was a Passover Seder, but in the Fourth Gospel, it occurred the day before the first day of Passover so that Jesus (who is described as “the Lamb of God” in the Fourth Gospel) died at the same time lambs were sacrificed at the Temple for the Passover Seder that was to be held the night he died.
Today’s reading recounted the First Sign – the changing of water to wine at a wedding in the town of Cana. Cana is about 9 miles north of Nazareth and is still a small village. In the Fourth Gospel (unlike Matthew and Luke) the “mother of Jesus” is never mentioned by name. The NOAB says that Jesus’ calling his mother “Woman” (v.4) was a “term of respect and affection.” The JANT disagrees and describes it as “and unusual and discourteous address to one’s mother, though Jesus uses it elsewhere to introduce a revelation [citing verses]. The mode of address implies a distance between Jesus and his mother, and it contrasts with the importance attached in this Gospel to the Father-Son relationship.”
The water jars are large which indicated that the number of guests would have been large, and the fact that they are empty shows that the guests had already ceremoniously washed their hands.
The NAOB opines that in the Fourth Gospel, the actions of Jesus are called “signs” which demonstrated Jesus’ Messiahship rather than “miracles” which astound those who observe them. In The Fourth Gospel:Tales of a Jewish Mystic, Bishop Spong describes the abundance of wine as an overwhelming symbol of new life.
Understanding the Bible (by Stephen L. Harris) says the Wedding Feast at Cana “foreshadows a more solemn celebration described at the end of John’s narrative — that of Jesus’ glorious death on the cross. Using the images of water and wine — and the blood these liquids symbolize — the author thematically links the beginning of Jesus’ ministry at Cana with its culmination at Golgotha, where a Roman soldier thrusts his spear into Jesus’ body, releasing a flow of ‘blood and water’ (19:34). Underscoring the connection between these two framing incidents, John has Jesus’ mother present at both Cana and the Crucifixion, the only two occasions in which she appears in his Gospel.”
2025, January 12 ~ Isaiah 43:1-7; Acts 8:14-17; Luke 3:15-17,21-22
by Thomas O'BrienTODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
JANUARY 12, 2025
Isaiah 43:1-7
Reading
1 Thus says the LORD, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.
2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.
3 For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. I give Egypt as your ransom, Ethiopia and Seba in exchange for you.
4 Because you are precious in my sight, and honored, and I love you, I give people in return for you, nations in exchange for your life.
5 Do not fear, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east, and from the west I will gather you;
6 I will say to the north, “Give them up,” and to the south, “Do not withhold; bring my sons from far away and my daughters from the end of the earth —
7 everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.”
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 from Second Isaiah and is a poetic oracle of salvation in which the prophet spoke for YHWH who emphasized a close relationship with Jacob/Israel.
The prophet (speaking for YHWH) told the Exiles in Babylon that all Israel would be redeemed and its sons and daughters would be brought back to Israel. Verses 3 and 4 “anticipated” (with 20-20 hindsight) that Cyrus the Great of Persia would conquer Babylon, Egypt, Ethiopia, and Saba (Arabia). (The Jewish Study Bible points out that, in fact, Cyrus never conquered Egypt but his son, Cambyses, did.) The JSB also observes that some Judean refugees fled to Egypt and other areas after the Babylonian Conquest.
The “people” and “nations” (i.e., Gentiles) would, according to the prophet, be given as ransom for the Judeans (v.4).
Understanding the Bible (by Stephen L. Harris) notes that Second Isaiah emphasized that Israel’s God remained in full control of human history. It also observes that, unlike Isaiah of Jerusalem (First Isaiah), the exilic prophet did not look to a Davidic heir to rehabilitate the covenant community. Instead, he declared that Cyrus was YHWH’s anointed, his Messiah (45:1). UTB says: “Second Isaiah, more than any other prophet before him, makes categorical declarations about the uniqueness, universality, and eternity of the biblical God. Without beginning or ending, Yahweh alone is the Creator and Ruler of the cosmos; other gods do not exist: ‘they are nothing … their images [are] wind and emptiness’ (41:29).”
Acts 8:14-17
Reading
14 When the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. 15 The two went down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit 16 (for as yet the Spirit had not come upon any of them; they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus). 17 Then Peter and John laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.
Commentary
The book called “The Acts of the Apostles” was written around 85 to 90 CE by the anonymous author of the Gospel According to Luke. The first 15 chapters of Acts are a didactic “history” of the early Jesus Follower Movement starting with the Ascension of the Christ and ending at the so-called Council of Jerusalem where it was agreed that Gentiles did not have to be circumcised and keep all the Kosher dietary laws to become Jesus Followers.
Chapters 16 to 28 of Acts are an account of Paul’s Missionary Journeys, his arrest, and his transfer to Rome – and the stories are not always consistent with Paul’s letters.
Today’s reading described the spread of the Jesus Follower Movement from Jerusalem to Samaria. Ever since Samaria was conquered by the Assyrians in 722 BCE and Samaritans intermarried with non-Jews, Samaritans were looked down upon by Jews from both Judea and Galilee. Samaritans worshipped at Mount Gerizim (not Jerusalem) and had their own version of the Torah.
In the verses just before today’s reading, the author stated that persecutions against Jesus Followers occurred in Jerusalem, and Philip (one of the seven deacons appointed by the apostles in Acts 6) went to Samaria and “proclaimed the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ” (v.12). Men and women were baptized.
The apostles (who remained in Jerusalem and were coordinating the spread of the good news) sent Peter and John to convey the Holy Spirit by laying hands (a ritual of consecration) on the Samaritans who had been baptized (v.17). The Jewish Annotated New Testament points out that the coming of the Spirit in Samaria was seen in Acts as fulfilling a prophesy attributed to Jesus in Acts 1:8.
Today’s passage reflects a continuing theological evolution in the Jesus Follower Movement in the First Century. According to the author of Acts, Baptism “in the name of Lord Jesus” (v.16) was not seen as infusing the baptized with the Holy Spirit. In other parts of Acts, however, the Holy Spirit came upon persons who were baptizes (2:38) and to Gentiles listening to Peter even before they were baptized (10:44). Later in Acts, Paul encountered 12 disciples of John the Baptist who had received the “baptism of repentance.” Paul had them baptized in the name of Jesus and then laid hands upon them so they would receive the Holy Spirit. (Acts 19:1-5)
One of the major themes of both the Gospel According to Luke and the Acts of the Apostles is the impact of the Holy Spirit – often portrayed as the driving force for all that happens. Today’s reading is an example of the importance the author of Luke-Acts gave to the Holy Spirit.
Luke 3:15-17, 21-22
Reading
15 As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, 16 John answered all of them by saying, “I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 17 His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”
21 Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, 22 and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”
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 50% 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.
All the Gospels contain a description of Jesus’ Baptism by John and statements by John that he was not the Messiah and that one to come after him was more powerful (vv. 16-17).
In the First Century, there was a tradition that Jesus had been a disciple of John before he (Jesus) began his public ministry. In addition, a baptizer was generally seen as superior to the person being baptized. For these reasons, all the Gospels emphasized that John was not the Messiah and that Jesus was more powerful than John and also was “superior” to him.
The “baptism by the Holy Spirit” (v.16) that JTB said Jesus would bring was accomplished at Pentecost in tongues of fire (Acts 2:3).
The omitted verses (18-20) recounted that Herod Antipas imprisoned John because John criticized Herod for divorcing his wife and marrying his niece, Herodias (who had been married to Herod Antipas’ brother, Herod Phillip). Reflecting the fact that the Gospels were pieced together, John’s imprisonment is presented before Jesus’ Baptism.
Although each of the Synoptic Gospels included the Spirit descending “like a dove” at Jesus’ Baptism, only Luke added that the Spirit descended upon him “in bodily form like a dove.” (v.22) The New Jerome Biblical Commentary observes that, unlike the other Synoptic Gospels, Luke specified that Jesus was at prayer (v.21) when he was baptized and the voice came from heaven. The NJBC cites numerous instances in Luke-Acts in which prayer was emphasized.
In Mark and Luke, the voice from heaven spoke to Jesus (“You are my Son”) but in Matthew, the voice was addressed to those present (“This is my Son.) The concept of God’s decreeing that someone is God’s Son was derived from Psalm 2:7, a psalm that was likely a coronation song for David. The JANT notes that calling Jesus God’s “Beloved” is an echo of God’s reference to Isaac (Gen. 22.2) in the story of the Near Sacrifice of Isaac.
According to The New Oxford Annotated Bible, the dove was a symbol of new creation in the Flood story (Gen.8:8).
2025, January 5 ~ Jeremiah 31:7-14; Ephesians 1:3-6, 15-19a; Matthew 2:1-12
by Thomas O'BrienTODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
JANUARY 5, 2025
Jeremiah 31:7-14
Reading
7 Thus says the LORD: Sing aloud with gladness for Jacob and raise shouts for the chief of the nations; proclaim, give praise, and say, “Save, O LORD, your people, the remnant of Israel.”
8 See, I am going to bring them from the land of the north and gather them from the farthest parts of the earth, among them the blind and the lame, those with child and those in labor, together; a great company, they shall return here.
9 With weeping they shall come, and with consolations I will lead them back, I will let them walk by brooks of water, in a straight path in which they shall not stumble; for I have become a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn.
10 Hear the word of the LORD, O nations, and declare it in the coastlands far away; say, “He who scattered Israel will gather him, and will keep him as a shepherd a flock.”
11 For the LORD has ransomed Jacob and has redeemed him from hands too strong for him.
12 They shall come and sing aloud on the height of Zion, and they shall be radiant over the goodness of the LORD, over the grain, the wine, and the oil, and over the young of the flock and the herd; their life shall become like a watered garden, and they shall never languish again.
13 Then shall the young women rejoice in the dance, and the young men and the old shall be merry. I will turn their mourning into joy, I will comfort them, and give them gladness for sorrow.
14 I will give the priests their fill of fatness, and my people shall be satisfied with my bounty, says the LORD.
Commentary
After the righteous and reforming King Josiah was killed in battle at Megiddo (from which we get the Greek word Armageddon) in 609 BCE, the fortunes of Judea took a sharp downward turn. Babylon threatened Judea’s existence, and Judea had a series of hapless kings from 609 until Jerusalem was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BCE. The Babylonians deported many Judean leaders to Babylon in 597 and a larger number in 586 (the Babylonian Exile). Jeremiah’s prophesy (i.e., speaking for YHWH) began around 609 and continued until 586 BCE when he died in Egypt.
Most Bible scholars agree that the Book of Jeremiah underwent substantial revisions between the time of Jeremiah (627 to 586 BCE) and the First Century. In the Dead Sea Scrolls, there were different versions of the Book of Jeremiah. The Greek Septuagint Translation (the LXX – dating from 300 to 200 BCE) has some chapters that are not in the Hebrew versions.
Sections in the book that are in “poetry style” are generally attributed to the prophet, and parts in “prose style” were added later by writers whose theological outlook was closely aligned with the Deuteronomists. (In fact, Chapter 52 in Jeremiah is virtually word-for-word with 2 Kings 24:18 to 25:30 written by the Deuteronomists after the Exile.)
The Jewish Study Bible sees the book of Jeremiah as “the product of a debate within Jewish circles from the late monarchy [610-586 BCE] and the exilic periods [586-539 BCE] concerning the question of theodicy or the righteousness of God. Although fully aware of the theological problems posed by the destruction of the Temple and the exile of the Jewish people, the book affirms God’s existence and righteousness as well as the future of the restored nation Israel on its land.”
Understanding the Bible says: “in Jeremiah’s view, Judah’s failure to enforce Mosaic principles that protected impoverished laborers and their families, coupled with the government’s implied mandate for the rich to use any means, including fraud and violence, to increase their wealth, compelled Yahweh to bring the entire system to an end.” UTB continues: “Jeremiah struggled to make Judah’s leaders realize that the newly reborn Babylonian Empire was Yahweh’s judgment on his people for their faithlessness, idolatry, and social injustice.”
Today’s reading is in “poetry style” and comes from a two-chapter section of Jeremiah called “The Book of Consolation.” It described a return from Babylon by the Judeans and the reunification of Samaria and Judea, called “the remnant” (v.7), as well as those in “the northland” (v.8) which The JSB says refers to those exiled from the north to Mesopotamia after the Assyrian Conquest in 722 BCE.
In this reading, the prophet spoke for YHWH (translated as LORD in all capital letters) and went so far as to say that YHWH would reunify all Israel. The prophet used “Jacob” and “Israel” interchangeably (“Jacob” in vv. 7 and 11) because Jacob’s name was changed to “Israel” when he wrestled with an angel/God in Genesis 32.
The prophet urged the people to sing with gladness (vv.7 and 12), and to pray to YHWH to save the “remnant” (the usual term for those taken away in the Babylonian Exile).
Ephraim, called YHWH’s firstborn (v.9), was the largest of the 10 tribes in Northern Israel and was also shorthand for Israel (the Northern 10 Tribes) after the division of the nation in 930 BCE. Ephraim was one of Joseph’s sons (Gen.48).
Ephesians 1:3-6, 15-19a
Reading
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4 just as he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love. 5 He destined us for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace that he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.
15 I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, and for this reason 16 I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers. 17 I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, 18 so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, 19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe.
Commentary
Ephesus was a large and prosperous city in what is now western Türkiye. In the Acts of the Apostles and 1 Corinthians, Paul is said to have visited there. In Ephesus, there were Jesus Followers who were Jews and Jesus Followers who were Gentiles, and they did not always agree on what it meant to be a Jesus Follower.
Because the letter contained many terms not used in Paul’s other letters and gave new meanings to some of Paul’s characteristic terms, most scholars believe that this letter was written by one of Paul’s disciples late in the First Century. The letter was intended to unify the Jesus Follower community in Ephesus, but (as The Jewish Annotated New Testament points out) it was a “circular letter” that spoke to numerous audiences to which it might be circulated. The first three chapters are theological teachings, and the last three chapters consist of ethical exhortations.
In today’s reading from the first chapter, the author was working his way up to the main theme of unity. He emphasized that the Christ mediates all the blessings we receive (v.3), that the Christ was at the “foundation of the world” (v.4) and that the Jesus Followers were adopted as God’s children through the Christ (v.5).
He went on to give thanksgiving for the faith of the community (v.15) and prayed that the “eyes of their hearts” will be enlightened (v.18).
Matthew 2:1-12
Reading
1 In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, 2 asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising and have come to pay him homage.” 3 When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; 4 and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. 5 They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet: 6 `And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who is to shepherd my people Israel.'”
7 Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. 8 Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.” 9 When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. 11 On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.
Commentary
Although the Gospel According to Matthew is the first gospel presented in Christian Bibles, most scholars agree that it was written about 15 years after the Gospel According to Mark – which was written around 70 CE, the time of the destruction of the Temple. It was written primarily for a Jewish Jesus Follower audience as shown by the numerous references to prophets in the Hebrew Bible as “predicting” aspects of the life of Jesus the Christ.
Matthew’s Gospel follows the same general chronology as Mark’s and is one of the “Synoptic” Gospels. Over 50% of Matthew comes from Mark, and the other two sources for Matthew are (a) “sayings” that are also found in Luke’s Gospel (but which are not in Mark) and (b) material that is found only in Matthew.
“Special Matthew” material includes a genealogy of Jesus of Nazareth (1:1-17) that is different from the genealogy used by Luke, particularly in that it begins with Abraham (not Adam, as in Luke) and includes four women (Tamar, Ruth, Bathsheba, Rahab) who acted scandalously at times but played a significant role in the Davidic line.
Other materials unique to Matthew are the unstated assumption that Mary and Joseph resided in Bethlehem where Jesus was born (2:1), the appearance of angels in dreams to Joseph (1:20, 2:13 and 2:19), the visit and gifts of the Magi, the flight to Egypt, the decision to move to Nazareth after Herod’s death, the Slaughter of the Innocents by Herod, and the extended Sermon on the Mount (Chapters 5 to 7). Matthew is intentional in presenting Jesus as “the New Moses” (“raise up a prophet like me [Moses]” Deut. 18:15) whom the temporal powers seek to kill as a child (Pharaoh/Herod); goes to Egypt; returns to Promised Land; and goes to the mountain to receive the Law/deliver the Sermon on the Mount.
Herod the Great was the king of Judea from 37 BCE to 4 BCE, so if there is any historical basis for the story that is today’s reading, Jesus would have been born in or before 4 BCE. In Greek, the “wise men” are Magi, a word related to the English word “magic.”
The prophet on whom the chief priests relied in stating the Messiah would be in Bethlehem was Micah 5:2 – which was a recent reading (Fourth Sunday of Advent).
Although there are traditionally said to be three wise men because of the three symbolic gifts suitable for a king (v.13), the text does not identify the number of Magi. Calling the wise men “kings” did not occur until substantially later, perhaps as a way to assert that secular kings were subservient to Jesus the Christ. The Jewish Annotated New Testament says that First Century Jews would have thought of them as Zoroastrian priests and “early Jewish readers may have regarded them as Persian astrologers and not as wise but as foolish [citing Philo].”
Regarding the star, The JANT says: “no ancient sources confirm this astronomical phenomenon, and no star in the sense we know it today could stop over a house without incinerating the earth.” The New Jerome Biblical Commentary suggests that the star is a “midrashic element derived from Num 22-24, the Balaam narrative, esp. 24:17” (“a star shall come out of Jacob and the scepter shall rise out of Israel”).
Matthew’s account of the flight to Egypt (vv. 13-15) cannot be harmonized with Luke’s account of the Holy Family’s actions after the birth of Jesus. In Luke, Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to the Temple in Jerusalem 40 days after his birth for Mary’s purification and for Jesus to be presented (Luke 2:22-38). At that time, Simeon and Anna offered public prayers of praise.
There is no evidence outside Matthew’s Gospel for Herod’s killing children under age 2 who lived in and around Bethlehem.