The Revised Common Lectionary for the Principal Service on Easter offers a choice of readings.

Acts 10:34-43

Reading

34 Peter began to speak to Cornelius and the other Gentiles: “I truly understand that God shows no partiality, 35 but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. 36 You know the message he sent to the people of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ — he is Lord of all. 37 That message spread throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John announced: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; 38 how he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. 39 We are witnesses to all that he did both in Judea and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree; 40 but God raised him on the third day and allowed him to appear, 41 not to all the people but to us who were chosen by God as witnesses, and who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. 42 He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one ordained by God as judge of the living and the dead. 43 All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”

Commentary

The book called “The Acts of the Apostles” was written around 85 to 90 CE by the anonymous author of the Gospel According to Luke. The first 15 chapters of Acts are a didactic “history” of the early Jesus Follower Movement starting with the Ascension of the Christ and ending at the so-called Council of Jerusalem where it was agreed that Gentiles did not have to be circumcised and keep all the Kosher dietary laws to become Jesus Followers.

Chapters 16 to 28 of Acts are an account of Paul’s Missionary Journeys, his arrest, and his transfer to Rome – and the stories are not always consistent with Paul’s letters.

The Gospel According to Luke and the Acts of the Apostles see the Holy Spirit as the driving force for all that happens. The events surrounding today’s reading exemplify this.

Today’s reading serves as one of the predicates for the decision made at the so-called Council of Jerusalem in 49-50 CE.

Today’s reading is part of the story of the Baptism of Cornelius. Cornelius was a centurion who led more than 100 soldiers. He was therefore a significant officer in the Roman Army. He was described in Acts 10:2 as “a devout man who feared God with all his household.” (in the First Century, a Gentile who was “devout” and sympathetic to Judaism was called a “God-fearer.”) Cornelius had a vision (10:3) and was directed by God to send some of his men from Caesarea to Joppa to find Peter.

Before Cornelius’ men arrived, Peter fell into a trace and saw a sheet being lowered that contained foods that were ritually “unclean” for Jews (10:9-14). Peter was told however, “What God has made clean, you must not call profane” (v.15). The centurion’s men then met with Peter and brought him to Caesarea.

Peter was initially reluctant to “associate with or visit a Gentile” (v.28), but he recalled his vision and Cornelius also recounted his vision to Peter. The Jewish Annotated New Testament says that refusal to associate with Gentiles was rarely reflected in Jewish writings but represented a common perspective among Gentiles in the First Century. It notes that the actual practice among Jews would not have supported this refusal to associate — as indicated by the existence of the “Court of the Gentiles” at the Temple.

On the basis of these visions, Peter gave the address that is today’s reading — a synopsis of the Gospel According to Luke. The JANT observes that verse 34 (“God shows no partiality but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him”) meant that to be God’s people was no longer constituted by the ethnic division between Jew and Gentile but by a religious distinction – those who do (and those who do not) fear God and do what is right.

In saying Jesus the Christ is “Lord of all” (v.36), Peter was proclaiming that Jesus is Lord of both Jews and Gentiles. Peter’s speech acknowledged that the resurrected Christ did not appear to all people, but only those who were chosen by God as witnesses (v.41). The statement that Jesus the Christ was “ordained by God as the judge of the living and the dead” (v.42) can be understood in the context of the Book of Judges in the Hebrew Bible – judges were persons who set things right.

In the verses that follow today’s reading, the Holy Spirit “fell upon all who heard the word” (v.44). Peter and the “circumcised believers” were “astounded that the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles” (v.45), including Cornelius. Peter therefore baptized all of them (v.48), even though they were Gentiles. The Baptism of Cornelius was presented in Acts as the decisive step in the expansion of the Jesus Follower Movement to Gentiles.

In the Council of Jerusalem story, the Baptism of Cornelius was referred to by Peter as a reason for permitting Gentiles to become Jesus Followers (15:7-8).

Jeremiah 31:1-6

Reading

1 At that time, says the Lord, I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be my people.
2 Thus says the Lord: The people who survived the sword found grace in the wilderness; when Israel sought for rest,
3 the Lord appeared to him from far away. I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore, I have continued my faithfulness to you.
4 Again I will build you, and you shall be built, O virgin Israel! Again, you shall take your tambourines, and go forth in the dance of the merrymakers.
5 Again you shall plant vineyards on the mountains of Samaria; the planters shall plant,
and shall enjoy the fruit.
6 For there shall be a day when sentinels will call in the hill country of Ephraim: “Come, let us go up to Zion, to the Lord our God.”

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.”

Jeremiah is largely a prophet of doom and gloom, but today’s reading is in poetry style and is part of a two-chapter “Book of Consolation.” The thoughts in these chapters are similar to Second Isaiah (Isaiah of the Exile) in stating that Jerusalem would be restored.

In today’s reading, the prophet spoke for YHWH to say that all the families of Israel (the 12 Tribes) would be restored (v.1), just as the Israelites were restored in the Exodus. YHWH’s covenantal love has been “everlasting” (v.3) and Israel was portrayed as YHWH’s bride (“virgin Israel’ v.4).

The prophet said that the people of Israel will have a new Exodus and will again take their tambourines (v.4), just as Miriam (Moses’ sister) and the women used tambourines to celebrate passing through the Sea of Reeds (Ex. 15:20). There would also be a renewal of pilgrimages to Jerusalem (“let us go up to Zion” v.6).

Colossians 3:1-4

Reading

1 If you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth, 3 for you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is your life is revealed, then you also will be revealed with him in glory.

Commentary

Colossae was a town in the Lycus valley in what is now western Türkiye. According to The New Jerome Biblical Commentary, it had a flourishing wool and textile industry. The population consisted of native Phrygians, Greeks and a sizable community of Jews — perhaps as many as 10,000.

A Jesus Follower community was founded there by Paul’s associate, Epaphras (1:7). The letter is short (three chapters) and expressed concern about apocalyptic and mystical practices that were inconsistent with Paul’s understanding of being a Jesus Follower.

Scholars debate whether this letter was written by Paul or by his disciples in the decades after Paul’s death in 63 CE. It lacks many terms used in Paul’s authentic letters and its style is more liturgical than Paul’s other letters.

The New Oxford Annotated Bible points out that “the letter presents the idea that the believers’ lives are completely transformed by Christ’s death and resurrection [vv.12-14], instead of Paul’s usual tension between the only partially fulfilled present and the future resurrection and full enjoyment of Christ’s benefits.”

The Jewish Annotated New Testament notes that the authentic epistles speak of “justification” and “sanctification” in the present tense but reserve “salvation” for the future. In Colossians, salvation is a present reality and justification has no place at all. The JANT also observes that Colossians contains a “hierarchical description of household relations” whereas “Paul’s own description of marital relationships [in his authentic letters] is remarkably nonhierarchical (cf. 1 Cor 7.14).”

The New Jerome Biblical Commentary describes today’s reading as a summation of the teachings of the preceding section and a foundation for the detailed ethical instructions that follow. In particular, the theme of 2:12-14 (“you were buried in Christ in baptism and you were also raised with him through faith in the power of God”) is echoed in today’s reading (vv.1-2). The NJBC notes that vv.3-4 emphasize that although the resurrection had taken place, not all the conditions of the end-times are present and that the end times would be a time when all believers will be revealed in glory.

Immediately following today’s reading is an expression one of Paul’s most important theological insights – that the Christ (the Messiah) is the ultimate unifying principle for all reality. “The Christ is all and is in all” (v.11) so that there is no longer a dichotomy between the “sacred” and the “profane” — just as there is no essential difference between a Gentile (a “Greek”) and Jew, slave and free and the like (v.11).

John 20:1-18

Reading

1 Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. 2 So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” 3 Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went toward the tomb. 4 The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there, 7 and the cloth that had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself. 8 Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; 9 for as yet they did not understand the scripture, that he must rise from the dead. 10 Then the disciples returned to their homes.

11 But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb; 12 and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet. 13 They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” 14 When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. 15 Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni!” (which means Teacher). 17 Jesus said to her, “Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” 18 Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”; and she told them that he had said these things to her.

Commentary

The Fourth Gospel is different in many ways from the Synoptic Gospels. The “signs” (miracles) and many stories in the Fourth Gospel are unique to it, such as the Wedding at Cana, Jesus’ conversation with the Samaritan woman at the well, and the Raising of Lazarus.

The chronology of events is also different in the Fourth Gospel. For example, the Temple Event (“Cleansing of the Temple”) occurred early in Jesus’ Ministry in the Fourth Gospel, rather than late as in the Synoptic Gospels. In the Synoptic Gospels, the Last Supper was a Passover Seder, but in the Fourth Gospel, it occurred the day before the first day of Passover so that Jesus (who was described as “the Lamb of God” in the Fourth Gospel) died at the same time lambs were sacrificed at the Temple for the Passover Seder to be held the night he died.

Most scholars agree that the Gospel was written by an anonymous author around 95 CE, at a time when the “parting of the ways” between the Jesus Follower Movement and the Pharisees/Rabbinic Judaism was accelerating.

There are many differences between the accounts of the Resurrection in John and in the Synoptic Gospels. In the Fourth Gospel, imagery of light and dark is significant, and it is “still dark” when Mary Magdalene (alone in this Gospel) came to the tomb. In the Synoptic Gospels, it is “toward dawn” (Matt), “the sun had risen” (Mark), and “early dawn” (Luke). The New Jerome Biblical Commentary observes that although Mary is alone, she said “we do not know” (v.2) which reflects the engrafting of another tradition into the account.

In the Synoptic Gospels, Mary Magdalene was accompanied by “the other Mary” (Matt), “Mary the mother of James and Salome” (Mark) and “Joanna and Mary the mother of James and the other women” (Luke).

In all the accounts, the stone had been rolled away (in Matthew, by an earthquake). In the Synoptic Gospels, Mary and the others saw a man/angel (two in Luke).

In the Synoptic Gospels, Mary and the others told the disciples what they had seen but they were not believed. In John, Mary told Peter and the Beloved Disciple that the body had been taken out of the tomb, and they both ran to the tomb to see for themselves. In John, Peter and the Beloved Disciple saw linen wrappings but no angels (vv.6-7). Later, Mary saw two angels in the tomb (v.12).

As the accounts continued, the disciples were told that Jesus would see them in Galilee (Matt and Mark), but in Luke and John, the initial appearances of the Risen Christ were in in Jerusalem.

The New Oxford Annotated Bible notes that the “they” to whom Mary referred (v.3) may have been grave robbers, but linens were valuable and grave robbers would not have left them behind.

The NJBC offers these insights regarding the theology of the Fourth Gospel: The concluding portions of this reading say that Jesus’ return was not to the disciples. Rather, his return was to his place with the Father (v.17). It observes that John sees Jesus’ crucifixion, resurrection, exultation, and return to heavenly glory as part of a single event. Jesus’ resurrection was not as if Jesus had returned to life and then later ascended into heaven. Rather, Jesus has passed into an entirely different reality.

In The Fourth Gospel: Tales of a Jewish Mystic, Bishop Spong analyzed the Resurrection story in depth. He noted that the earliest writings about the Resurrection portrayed it as something done to Jesus by God. “He was raised” (rather than “he rose”) is also the language used by Paul in all his epistles.

Spong observed that in the Fourth Gospel accounts of the Resurrection, there are four separable stories that have been combined: (1) the Mary Magdalene story (v.1 and 11-18; (2) the Peter and the Beloved Disciple story (vv. 2-10) which was a standalone story inserted into the account; (3) the Upper Room story in which the disciples were completely unaware of the Magdalene Story and the Peter/Beloved Disciple Story; and (4) the Doubting Thomas story dealing with the meaning of faith.

Spong describes Resurrection eloquently. He says: “Resurrection is not about physical resuscitation. It is about entering and participating in the ‘new being.’ It is about the transformative power that is found in Jesus; that which issues in new dimensions of what it means to be human.”

Later, he says: “Resurrection is not something that occurred just in the life of Jesus; it occurs or it can occur in each of us. The Christian life is not about believing creeds or being obedient to divine rules; is about living, loving, and being. Resurrection comes when we are freed to give our lives away, freed to live beyond the boundaries of our fears, freed not only to be ourselves, but to empower all others to be themselves in the full, rich variety of our multifaceted humanity. Here prejudice dies. Here wholeness is tasted. Here resurrection becomes real.”

Matthew 28:1-10

Reading

1 After the sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. 2 And suddenly there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord, descending from heaven, came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. 4 For fear of him the guards shook and became like dead men. 5 But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. 6 He is not here; for he has been raised, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He has been raised from the dead, and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him.’ This is my message for you.” 8 So they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy and ran to tell his disciples. 9 Suddenly Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came to him, took hold of his feet, and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”

Commentary

The Gospel of Matthew highlights Jesus’ origins and identity. Written around 85 CE by an anonymous author, the Gospel began Jesus’s genealogy with Abraham and depicted Jesus as a teacher of the Law like Moses. More than any other Gospel, Matthew quoted from the Hebrew Scriptures (using the Greek Septuagint Translation) to illustrate that Jesus was the Messiah.

Having been written after the Destruction of the Temple in 70 CE, the Gospel reflected the controversies between the Jesus Followers and the Pharisees for control of Judaism going forward. Accordingly, the Gospel contains many harsh sayings about the Pharisees. The Gospel is aimed primarily at the late First Century Jewish Jesus Follower community.

The Gospel relied heavily on the Gospel of Mark and included all but 60 verses from Mark. Like Luke, Matthew also used a “Sayings Source” (called “Q” by scholars) which are found in Matthew and Luke but not in Mark and John. There are also a substantial number of stories that are unique to Matthew: the Annunciation of Jesus’ conception was revealed to Joseph in a dream (rather than by an angel to Mary as in Luke); the Visit of the Magi; the Slaughter of the Innocents by Herod; the Flight to Egypt; the Laborers in the Vineyard; and the earthquake on Easter Morning, among others.

Although Matthew generally follows Mark’s account of the Resurrection, he does not include Salome (to be consistent with 27:61) or the intent of the women to anoint the body with spices (Mark 16:1) — which The New Jerome Biblical Commentary says the guards would not have permitted. The Jewish Annotated New Testament points out that women as well as men were allowed to visit and attend to tombs for both male and female deceased persons.

This account included an earthquake as the result of an angel’s rolling back the stone (v.2). As in Mark, the angel told the women to tell the disciples that the Resurrected Christ would see them in Galilee. Matthew added a meeting in Jerusalem between the women and Jesus (vv. 9-10) in which the women took hold of Jesus’ feet and worshiped him. Jesus told the women to tell “his brothers” to go to Galilee.

Jeremiah 23:1-6

Reading

1 Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! says the LORD. 2 Therefore thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, concerning the shepherds who shepherd my people: It is you who have scattered my flock, and have driven them away, and you have not attended to them. So I will attend to you for your evil doings, says the LORD. 3 Then I myself will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the lands where I have driven them, and I will bring them back to their fold, and they shall be fruitful and multiply. 4 I will raise up shepherds over them who will shepherd them, and they shall not fear any longer, or be dismayed, nor shall any be missing, says the LORD.

5 The days are surely coming, says the LORD, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. 6 In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. And this is the name by which he will be called: “The LORD is our righteousness.”

Commentary

After the righteous and reforming King Josiah was killed in battle at Megiddo (from which we get the Greek word Armageddon) in 609 BCE, the fortunes of Judea took a sharp downward turn. Babylon threatened Judea’s existence, and Judea had a series of hapless kings from 609 until Jerusalem was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BCE. The Babylonians deported many Judean leaders to Babylon in 597 and a larger number in 586 (the Babylonian Exile). Jeremiah’s prophesy (i.e., speaking for YHWH) began around 627 and continued until 586 BCE when he fled to Egypt (Ch. 43) and died there.

According to The Jewish Study Bible, Jeremiah was descended from the priestly line of Eli – who had presided as the high priest at Shiloh in the early years of Israel’s history in the land (1 Sam. 1-4). Jeremiah was presented as a priest and a prophet and his prophesying for 40 years was seen in Rabbinic Tradition as a parallel to the 40 years Moses led the Israelites in the desert.

The call of Jeremiah is said to have been in 627 BCE – “the thirteenth year of the reign of King Josiah” (1:2) and his prophesying lasted until 587 BCE, the “eleventh year of King Zedekiah” (1:3). The JSB says: “Jeremiah emerges as one of the major figures who grappled with the theological problems posed by the destruction of the nation, and who laid the foundations for the restoration of Jerusalem and the Temple in the years following the end of the exile.” He was a constant opponent of King Jehoiakim (608-598) who was an Egyptian sympathizer and of King Zedekiah (597-586), a Babylonian appointee who nevertheless went to war (unsuccessfully) with Babylon in 597 BCE.

Most Bible scholars agree that the Book of Jeremiah underwent substantial revisions between the time of Jeremiah (627 to 586 BCE) and the First Century. In the Dead Sea Scrolls, there are different versions of the Book of Jeremiah. The Greek Septuagint Translation (the LXX – dating from 300 to 200 BCE) has some chapters that are not in the Hebrew versions.

Jeremiah is largely a prophet of doom and gloom, so much so that the English word “jeremiad” is defined as a long, mournful complaint or lamentation, a list of woes. In the Bible, the Book of Lamentations was placed after the Book of Jeremiah because of the (incorrect) view that Jeremiah wrote the Book of Lamentations.

Sections in the book that are in “poetry style” are generally attributed to the prophet, and parts in “prose style” are thought to have been added later by writers whose theological outlook was closely aligned with the Deuteronomists. (In fact, Chapter 52 in Jeremiah is virtually word-for-word with 2 Kings 24:18 to 25:30 written by the Deuteronomists after the Exile.)

Today’s reading is in prose style and attacked the kings and priests (the “shepherds”). The Jewish Study Bible points out that the term “shepherds” (meaning kings) is even used in the Code of Hammurabi.

Consistent with the “do bad, get bad” theology of the Deuteronomists, YHWH (“LORD” in all capital letters) will “attend to” them for their “evil doings” (v.2).

The writers then held up the promise that YHWH would raise up for “David” (Judea) a righteous king who would enable Israel to live in safety and righteousness (v.5). For the Deuteronomists, YHWH was in charge of everything, and YHWH caused the Exile, the end of the Exile through Cyrus of Persia, the return of the Judeans to Jerusalem, and the relatively peaceful Persian Era (539 to 333 BCE).

The JSB observes: “The restoration of Davidic rule over a reunited people was one of the goals of Josiah’s reforms. The image is developed especially in the works of Second Isaiah who sees Israel’s return from Babylonian exile as a second exodus.” It has its basis in Nathan’s prophesy to David in 2 Sam. 7.

If these “predictions” of YHWH’s promises of restoration were in fact made after the Exile, the writers had “20/20 hindsight” that the “remnant” (a common designation for the Judeans who returned to Jerusalem after the Exile) would be “fruitful and multiply” – the command given by God to humans in Gen. 1:28.

Because the restoration of the Davidic kingship did not occur after the return from Exile, these prophesies by Jeremiah became (and remained) an important part of Ancient Israel’s understandings (and expectations) of what the Messiah would be and do.

The New Oxford Annotated Bible and The JSB note that the last verse includes a play on words. “Tsedeqah” is the Hebrew word for “righteousness” and is intended as a contrast to Zedekiah, the last king of Judea before the Exile.

Colossians 1:11-20

Reading

11 May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from his glorious power, and may you be prepared to endure everything with patience, while joyfully 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light. 13 He has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; 16 for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers — all things have been created through him and for him. 17 He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross.

Commentary

Colossae was a town in the Lycus valley in what is now western Türkiye. According to The New Jerome Biblical Commentary, it had a flourishing wool and textile industry. The population consisted of native Phrygians, Greeks and a sizable community of Jews — perhaps as many as 10,000.

A Jesus Follower community was founded there by Paul’s associate, Epaphras (1:7). The letter is short (three chapters) and expressed concern about apocalyptic and mystical practices that were inconsistent with Paul’s understanding of being a Jesus Follower.

Scholars debate whether this letter was written by Paul or by his disciples in the decades after Paul’s death in 63 CE. It lacks many terms used in Paul’s authentic letters and its style is more liturgical than Paul’s other letters.

The New Oxford Annotated Bible points out that “the letter presents the idea that the believers’ lives are completely transformed by Christ’s death and resurrection [vv.12-14], instead of Paul’s usual tension between the only partially fulfilled present and the future resurrection and full enjoyment of Christ’s benefits.”

The Jewish Annotated New Testament notes that the authentic epistles speak of “justification” and “sanctification” in the present tense but reserve “salvation” for the future. In Colossians, salvation is a present reality and justification has no place at all. The JANT also observes that Colossians contains a “hierarchical description of household relations” whereas “Paul’s own description of marital relationships [in his authentic letters] is remarkably nonhierarchical (cf. 1 Cor 7.14).”

The first part of today’s reading is part of a prayer for spiritual wisdom for the Colossians. The author adopted an apocalyptic theme by contrasting light and darkness (vv. 12-13). He expressed the theme that believers are redeemed and receive forgiveness of sin in the Christ (v. 14). “Redemption” conveyed the sense of being bought back, the way something already owned is redeemed from a pawn shop. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary points out that the phrase “forgiveness of sins” (v.9) does not occur in the undisputed Pauline writings.

The JANT points out that spiritual wisdom and understanding are a major theme of this letter, but that authentic Paul “contrasts the negative attributes of wisdom and understanding – which he associates with cleverness and argumentation – with ‘pneumatika,’ ‘spiritual things.’ The author of Colossians reverses Paul’s moral vocabulary: wisdom, here positive, involves knowledge (v 9), right living (v 10), and patience (v 11).”

The second part of the reading is described by The NJBC as “an independent unit that has the character of a primative Christian hymn.” The author described the Christ as the “image” (or symbol or manifestation) of the invisible God (v.15) and described the Cosmic Christ as the unifying force for all created things, the one who brings life to us even though we encounter our own deaths, and the force that reconciles all things in the God of Love. The Christ is the firstborn of all creation (v.15) and the firstborn of the dead (v.18) – the first person raised from the dead. The NOAB observes that these images are based on the figure of Wisdom found in Proverbs, Sirach and the Book of Wisdom.

Regarding the reference to thrones or dominions or rulers or powers (v.16), The NJBC notes: “In the false teaching in Colossae [Gnosticism], these entities may have been thought of as rivals of Christ or beings that provided supplementary power to that of Christ (2:10,15). Such a belief grew out of the complex and highly developed angelology that was widespread at this time.”

The JANT describes the Christology in this hymn as “perhaps the most exalted in the NT (cf. Jn 1.1-8; Phil 2.6-11).” The NJBC says that most scholars agree that the words “the church” in 18a are a later addition to the hymn and the epistle.

Luke 23:33-43

Reading

33 When they came to the place that is called The Skull, they crucified Jesus there with the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. 34 Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” 35 And they cast lots to divide his clothing. The people stood by, watching Jesus on the cross; but the leaders scoffed at him, saying, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Messiah of God, his chosen one!” 36 The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine, 37 and saying, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!” 38 There was also an inscription over him, “This is the King of the Jews.”

39 One of the criminals who were hanged there kept deriding him and saying, “Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” 40 But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? 41 And we indeed have been condemned justly, for we are getting what we deserve for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong.” 42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” 43 He replied, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”

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.

The Passion in Luke generally follows the Passion as recounted in Mark (which, in turn, relied on many motifs from Psalm 22 and the Suffering Servant Song in Second Isaiah). Luke’s account, however, contained a number of episodes and sayings not found in any of the other gospels. For example, only in Luke did Jesus appear before Herod Antipas (23:6-12). Only in Luke did Jesus say, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing” (v.34) – a verse not found in all ancient manuscripts. The essence of this prayer was repeated by Stephen (the first martyr) in Acts 7:6, also written by the author of the Gospel of Luke. The NJBC sees the prayer as “part and parcel of Luke’s theology of rejected prophet and of a Jesus who teaches and practices forgiveness of enemies (6:27-28; 17:4).”

The NRSV translators’ notes add that the words “written in Greek and Latin and Hebrew (that is, Aramaic)” are inserted after verse 38a in some ancient authorities.

In today’s reading, another exchange unique to Luke is the one between Jesus and the so-called “Good Thief” who rebuked the other criminal (v.40), asked to be remembered when Jesus came into his kingdom (v.42) and received the promise to be with Jesus “in Paradise” (v.43). The New Oxford Annotated Bible notes that “Paradise was originally a term for the garden of Eden (Gen. 2.8-10) and was a contemporary [in the First Century] term for the lodging place of the righteous dead prior to the resurrection.”

During Pentecost Season 2025, the Revised Common Lectionary offers two “tracks” of readings from the Hebrew Bible. Congregations may choose either track.

The first track of readings follows major stories and themes, read mostly continuously from week to week. The second track of readings thematically pairs the reading from the Hebrew Bible with the Gospel reading.

The readings from the Epistles are the same in both tracks.

Hosea 11:1-11

Reading

1 When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son.
2 The more I called them, the more they went from me; they kept sacrificing to the Baals and offering incense to idols.
3 Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk, I took them up in my arms; but they did not know that I healed them.
4 I led them with cords of human kindness, with bands of love. I was to them like those who lift infants to their cheeks. I bent down to them and fed them.
5 They shall return to the land of Egypt, and Assyria shall be their king, because they have refused to return to me.
6 The sword rages in their cities, it consumes their oracle-priests, and devours because of their schemes.
7 My people are bent on turning away from me To the Most High they call, but he does not raise them up at all.
8 How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I hand you over, O Israel? How can I make you like Admah? How can I treat you like Zeboiim? My heart recoils within me; my compassion grows warm and tender.
9 I will not execute my fierce anger; I will not again destroy Ephraim; for I am God and no mortal, the Holy One in your midst, and I will not come in wrath.
10 They shall go after the LORD, who roars like a lion; when he roars, his children shall come trembling from the west.
11 They shall come trembling like birds from Egypt, and like doves from the land of Assyria; and I will return them to their homes, says the LORD.

Commentary

The reign of King Jeroboam II of Israel (788-747 BCE) was very prosperous, but a time of great inequality between rich and poor in which large landowners gained control of the lands of small farmers. The Jewish Study Bible describes it as “a period of apostasy, social disintegration, wrongful leadership, failed alliances, and a lack of reverence for the LORD.” It continues: “From the Israelite perspective, the book [of Hosea] is anchored in the last period of strength of the Northern Kingdom; from the Judahite perspective, it is anchored in a period in which Israel moves from a political position of strength to the beginning of its demise in the days of Hezekiah.”

The two decades after the death of Jeroboam included six kings, four of whom were assassinated. In this period, Israel veered between appeasement with Assyria (including heavy tribute) and rebellion against Assyria with futile alliances with Syria and Egypt.

Hosea (which means “salvation” or “deliverance”) is one of the 12 “minor” prophets whose works are shorter than the three “major” prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel). He was a contemporary of Amos. His prophesying (speaking for YHWH) began towards the end of the reign of King Jeroboam II (747 BCE) and continued almost until Israel was conquered by the Assyrians in 722 BCE. He severely criticized the political, social, and religious life in the Northern Kingdom. The New Oxford Annotated Bible notes that he was the first of the prophets whose speeches were collected and edited as literary documents.

His main themes were Israel’s abandoning of the LORD, the LORD’s punishment for that abandonment, calls for Israel’s repentance, and hope of a reconciliation. Over the course of three decades (750 to 720), Hosea interpreted the unfolding disaster as a divine punishment for the violation of the exclusive demands of the LORD – the Assyrians were simply the agent of the LORD. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary observes that the heart of Hosea’s message is that the LORD provided love (hesed, or faithful love) and sought that love in return from Israel.

In today’s reading, Hosea shifted his metaphor of Israel from being an unfaithful wife to Israel (as in last week’s reading) as a special (but wayward) child of YHWH who rejected God’s call and made sacrifices to Baal (v.2). These are two of the most intimate metaphors for the relationship of Israel and YHWH.

The Jewish Study Bible observes: “The paternal metaphor was commonly used in the ancient Near East to express the relation between ruler and ruled, sovereign and subject. It is not incongruous for prophets to mix metaphors, such as Israel God’s wife and as God’s child.”

The author used a number of different names for Israel, particularly “Ephraim.” Ephraim (v.3) was one of Joseph’s sons and was the name of the largest of the 10 tribes that comprised Northern Israel. The prophet referred to the Exodus from Egypt (v.1) and emphasized the influence of YHWH in Israel’s beginnings (v.3).

Hosea noted (perhaps as a later addition to the text) that Assyria would be the “king” of Northern Israel (v.5), an event that occurred in 722 BCE when Assyria conquered Israel.

In the last half of today’s reading (vv.6-10), Hosea (still speaking for the LORD – all capital letters in the NRSV) said that YHWH’s compassion overcame divine anger. He said that YHWH would not treat Israel as Admah and Zeboiim (v.8) were treated. According to Deuteronomy 29:23, these two cities destroyed when Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed.

God’s change of heart and the decision not to obliterate Ephraim (v.9) was tied to the second part of the verse “For I am God and no mortal.” The lion’s roar (v.10) was not threatening but was a summons to its cubs to return.

Ecclesiastes 1:2, 12-14, 2:18-23

Reading

2 Vanity of vanities, says the Teacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity.

12 I, the Teacher, when king over Israel in Jerusalem, 13 applied my mind to seek and to search out by wisdom all that is done under heaven; it is an unhappy business that God has given to human beings to be busy with. 14 I saw all the deeds that are done under the sun; and see, all is vanity and a chasing after wind.

2:18 I hated all my toil in which I had toiled under the sun, seeing that I must leave it to those who come after me – 19 and who knows whether they will be wise or foolish? Yet they will be master of all for which I toiled and used my wisdom under the sun. This also is vanity. 20 So I turned and gave my heart up to despair concerning all the toil of my labors under the sun, 21 because sometimes one who has toiled with wisdom and knowledge and skill must leave all to be enjoyed by another who did not toil for it. This also is vanity and a great evil. 22 What do mortals get from all the toil and strain with which they toil under the sun? 23 For all their days are full of pain, and their work is a vexation; even at night their minds do not rest. This also is vanity.

Commentary

Ecclesiastes was written by a person known in Hebrew as Qohelet (which means the “Gatherer” of Wisdom, or “Teacher” or “Preacher”). Because the book contains Persian and Aramaic “loan-words,” the book is generally dated to the middle of the time of Persian rule of Judea (539 to 333 BCE). (Loan-words are words borrowed from one language to another. For example, “rendezvous” is a loan-word in English from French.)

The Persian Period was one of great prosperity, in large measure because of the introduction of standard coinage in the Middle East. In this period, however, the individual was an insignificant part of a large Empire.

Ecclesiastes is included in the Writings (Ketubim) in the Hebrew Bible, but is in the Wisdom Books in Christian Bibles. In Judaism today, it is read on Sukkot, the celebration of the fall harvest and the ending of the yearly Torah cycle. The JSB points out that Wisdom literature is “regularly understood to have God as its ultimate source. In the case of Ecclesiastes, the wisdom is presented as experiential.”

In verse 12, Qohelet assumed the persona of Solomon, the traditionally wise king who reigned from 968 to 928 BCE, but the book was written after 450BCE.

The over-arching theme in Ecclesiastes is that everything is “vanity” (the Hebrew word, hebel, is also translated as “vapor” or “breath” and is used 37 times in the book). Our lives are transient and insignificant. “Vanity” described all that is ephemeral, insubstantial, enigmatic, or absurd. Qohelet asserted that the fruit of one’s toil and one’s wisdom and knowledge cannot be taken with us when we die (vv.19 and 21). Death is inevitable for all. The New Oxford Annotated Bible comments: “Every generation must deal with the fact that mortals inevitably live in a world in which they do not have control (“all is vanity”) and life can only be lived before a sovereign God who alone determines all that happens on earth.”

The Jewish Study Bible notes: “The traditional doctrine of reward and punishment for the good and the wicked does not appear to work, at least in this life. In this regard, Koheleth is arguing against the position evident in the book of Deuteronomy or the bulk of Proverbs.” It notes, however, that later commentators pointed out that “futility” applies to actions by humans for themselves alone but that acts done on behalf of others in service to God can last and be worthwhile.

The NOAB points out that “Vanity of vanities” (v.2) was a way of expressing a superlative in Hebrew and means “utter vanity.” “Toil” (v.18) meant not only work, but the fruit of one’s work, and toil does not give you any advantages in the face of death. The NOAB advises that the phrase “under the sun” (vv.3, 19-20) occurs in the Bible only in Ecclesiastes but is attested elsewhere in the ancient Near East. It is a near synonym for “under the heavens” (v.13) and “refers to the land of the living as opposed to the realm of the dead.”

The concluding themes of the book are to enjoy life while you can, for after death there is nothingness. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary advises: “Like his contemporaries, Qoheleth does not believe in an afterlife (9:10).”

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 formed the basis for The Byrds’ song “There is a Season, Turn, Turn, Turn.”

Colossians 3:1-11

Reading

1 If you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth, 3 for you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is your life is revealed, then you also will be revealed with him in glory.

5 Put to death, therefore, whatever in you is earthly: fornication, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed (which is idolatry). 6 On account of these the wrath of God is coming on those who are disobedient. 7 These are the ways you also once followed, when you were living that life. 8 But now you must get rid of all such things– anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive language from your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have stripped off the old self with its practices 10 and have clothed yourselves with the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge according to the image of its creator. 11 In that renewal there is no longer Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and free; but Christ is all and in all!

Commentary

Colossae was a town in the Lycus valley in what is now western Türkiye. According to The NJBC, it had a flourishing wool and textile industry. The population consisted of native Phrygians, Greeks and a sizable community of Jews — perhaps as many as 10,000.

A Jesus Follower community was founded there by Paul’s associate, Epaphras (1:7). The letter is short (three chapters) and expressed concern about apocalyptic and mystical practices that were inconsistent with Paul’s understanding of being a Jesus Follower.

Scholars debate whether this letter was written by Paul or by his disciples in the decades after Paul’s death in 63 CE. It lacks many terms used in Paul’s authentic letters and its style is more liturgical than Paul’s other letters.

The New Oxford Annotated Bible points out that “the letter presents the idea that the believers’ lives are completely transformed by Christ’s death and resurrection instead of Paul’s usual tension between the only partially fulfilled present and the future resurrection and full enjoyment of Christ’s benefits.”

The Jewish Annotated New Testament notes that the authentic epistles speak of “justification” and “sanctification” in the present tense but reserve “salvation” for the future. In Colossians, salvation is a present reality and justification has no place at all. The JANT also observes that Colossians contains a “hierarchical description of household relations” whereas “Paul’s own description of marital relationships is remarkably nonhierarchical (cf. 1 Cor 7.14).”

In today’s reading, the author gave a series of ethical exhortations to the Colossians. These exhortations are derived from last week’s reading (“when you were buried with him in baptism, you were also raised with him through faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.” 2:12).

The New Jerome Biblical Commentary observes that the inclusion of “at the right hand of God” (v.1) is “a creedal statement based on Ps 110:1 used in the early church to show that the messianic promises had been fulfilled in Christ.”

The JANT understands “your life is hidden with Christ … you will also be revealed” (vv. 3-4) to say: “Colossians suggests the events set in motion by the Messiah’s death and resurrection are presently hidden from view but will be revealed with the Messiah’s return, where the mystery of God’s plan for humankind has been hidden but will now be revealed to the saints.” The JANT notes that Paul, however, used more conventional apocalyptic language where things presently hidden will be “unveiled.”

The sins were described as “earthly” (v.5) and the author described the pre-baptismal life as a catalogue of vices (v.8).

The author concluded with one of Paul’s most important theological insights – that the Christ (the Messiah) is the ultimate unifying principle and force for all reality. “The Christ is all and is in all” (v.11) so that there is no longer a dichotomy between the “sacred” and the “profane” just as there is no essential difference between a Gentile (a “Greek”) and Jew, slave and free and the like (v.11). According to The JANT, a “barbarian” was a person who spoke no Greek and a “Scythian” was the epitome of an uncivilized person in Greek literature.

The JANT goes on to comment: “In his own letters, Paul insists that the death and resurrection of the Messiah has leveled the social order: the natural divisions among people – ethnic, sexual, and social – are no more.…The author of Colossians borrowed this phrase, expanded it, and subtly changed its point….The author may be providing further evidence that some members of the Gentile Colossian church are enamored of the ritual laws of the Torah and have become circumcised; the antithesis in that case refers to circumcised and uncircumcised Gentiles, not the antithesis between Gentile and Jew. Colossians reflects a situation – real or imagined – in a church far removed from the concerns of the original Pauline communities.”

Luke 12:13-21

Reading

13 Someone in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.” 14 But he said to him, “Friend, who set me to be a judge or arbitrator over you?” 15 And he said to them, “Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.” 16 Then he told them a parable: “The land of a rich man produced abundantly. 17 And he thought to himself, `What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?’ 18 Then he said, `I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, `Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.’ 20 But God said to him, `You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ 21 So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God.”

Commentary

The Gospel According to Luke is generally regarded as having been written around 85 CE. Its author also wrote the Acts of the Apostles. Both books were written in elegant and deliberatively crafted Greek and presented Jesus of Nazareth as the universal savior of humanity. Both emphasized the Holy Spirit as the “driving force” for events.

The Gospel followed the same general chronology of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection as the Gospel of Mark, and more than 40% of Luke’s Gospel was based on Mark. The other portions of Luke include (a) sayings shared with the Gospel According to Matthew but not found in Mark and (b) stories that are unique to Luke such as the Annunciation, the Visitation, the Presentation in the Temple, the Prodigal Son, and the Good Samaritan.

In the first part of today’s reading, Jesus refused to enter a dispute between two brothers about an inheritance. Although the rule in Deuteronomy 21.17 mandated that the oldest brother would receive an extra share (2/3 if there were only two brothers), The JANT points out that “postbiblical practice allowed parents freedom in bequests.”

Using this dispute as an introduction, the reading continues with what is often called “The Parable of the Rich Fool.” The JANT notes that in characterizing the man as “rich” (v.16), Luke generally meant that the person did not use his wealth to support the poor.

The advice the rich man gave to his soul (“relax, eat, drink and be merry” in v.19) was a paraphrase of advice in Ecclesiastes 8:15.

The NOAB points out that phrase translated as “You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you” (v.20) literally was “Fool! In this night, your soul they demand from you.” The subject “they” may be a circumlocution for God, or angels, or the man’s possessions. (The question about whose possessions they will be echoes themes in today’s readings from Ecclesiastes.)

The notion of “store up treasures” (v.21) ties to a later exhortation in the same chapter: “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (v.34).

During Pentecost Season 2025, the Revised Common Lectionary offers two “tracks” of readings from the Hebrew Bible. Congregations may choose either track.

The first track of readings follows major stories and themes, read mostly continuously from week to week. The second track of readings thematically pairs the reading from the Hebrew Bible with the Gospel reading.

The readings from the Epistles are the same in both tracks.

Hosea 1:2-10

Reading

2 When the LORD first spoke through Hosea, the LORD said to Hosea, “Go, take for yourself a wife of whoredom and have children of whoredom, for the land commits great whoredom by forsaking the LORD.” 3 So he went and took Gomer daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son.

4 And the LORD said to him, “Name him Jezreel; for in a little while I will punish the house of Jehu for the blood of Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel. 5 On that day I will break the bow of Israel in the valley of Jezreel.”

6 She conceived again and bore a daughter. Then the LORD said to him, “Name her Lo-ruhamah, for I will no longer have pity on the house of Israel or forgive them. 7 But I will have pity on the house of Judah, and I will save them by the LORD their God; I will not save them by bow, or by sword, or by war, or by horses, or by horsemen.”

8 When she had weaned Lo-ruhamah, she conceived and bore a son. 9 Then the LORD said, “Name him Lo-ammi, for you are not my people and I am not your God.”

10 Yet the number of the people of Israel shall be like the sand of the sea, which can be neither measured nor numbered; and in the place where it was said to them, “You are not my people,” it shall be said to them, “Children of the living God.”

Commentary

After Solomon died in 928 BCE, the Kingdom of Israel split into two parts, the North (called Israel with 10 tribes) and the South (Judea with two tribes). Each Kingdom had its own king.

The reign of King Jeroboam II of Israel (788-747 BCE) was very prosperous, but a time of great inequality between rich and poor in which large landowners gained control of the lands of small farmers. The Jewish Study Bible describes it as “a period of apostasy, social disintegration, wrongful leadership, failed alliances, and a lack of reverence for the LORD.” It continues: “From the Israelite perspective, the book [of Hosea] is anchored in the last period of strength of the Northern Kingdom; from the Judahite perspective, it is anchored in a period in which Israel moves from a political position of strength to the beginning of its demise in the days of Hezekiah.”

The two decades after the death of Jeroboam included six kings, four of whom were assassinated. In this period, Israel veered between appeasement with Assyria (including heavy tribute) and rebellion against Assyria with futile alliances with Syria and Egypt.

Hosea (which means “salvation” or “deliverance”) is one of the 12 “minor” prophets whose works are shorter than the three “major” prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel). He was a contemporary of Amos. His prophesying (speaking for YHWH) began towards the end of the reign of King Jeroboam II (747 BCE) and continued almost until Israel was conquered by the Assyrians in 722 BCE. He severely criticized the political, social, and religious life in the Northern Kingdom. The New Oxford Annotated Bible notes that he was the first of the prophets whose speeches were collected and edited as literary documents.

His main themes were Israel’s abandoning of the LORD, the LORD’s punishment for that abandonment, calls for Israel’s repentance, and hope of a reconciliation. Over the course of three decades (750 to 720), Hosea interpreted the unfolding disaster as a divine punishment for the violation of the exclusive demands of the LORD – the the Assyrians were simply the agent of the LORD. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary observes that the heart of Hosea’s message is that the LORD provided love (hesed, or faithful love) and sought that love in return from Israel.

Hosea sometimes referred to the Northern Kingdom as “Ephraim” (the largest tribe and named for Joseph’s son) or “Samaria,” its capital.

He used powerful symbolic images of marriage and faithlessness to describe the covenant relationship between YHWH and Israel. He described Israel as a promiscuous woman and an unfaithful wife (v.2) and his wife’s children (some not fathered by Hosea) were given symbolic names – “God sows” (v.4), “not pitied” or “not loved” (v.6) and “not my people” (literally, “no-kin-of-mine”)(v.9).

The NOAB points out: “The marital states of Jeremiah (Jer 16.1-2) and Ezekiel (Ezek 24) also took on prophetic significance; Isaiah gave children symbolic names (Isa 7).” It continues: “Hosea’s image of Israel’s sexual misconduct may be more than symbolic….Canaanite religious practices may have included sexual rites in imitation of the gods, who, presumably, generated terrestrial fertility through sexual intercourse.”

The name “Jezreel” (God sows) is the name of an actual place in Israel. The Jezreel Valley is one of the most fertile parts of Israel (even today). It was the place where Jeroboam’s predecessors (the House of Jehu) staged a bloody coup against Ahab in 842 BCE. (According to 2 Kings 9-10, the coup by Jehu was directed by YHWH through the prophet Elisha.) The name itself also has a double meaning in that similar Hebrew words (zr and zrh) mean “to sow” and “to scatter.”

The NOAB notes: “After the destruction of Samaria, Hosea’s words were preserved and transmitted in Judah. Some or all of the references to Judah may have been added in this era as Hosea’s words were reinterpreted to address an analogous situation there.” For example, Hosea said that YHWH (“LORD” in all capital letters in the NRSV) had pity on Judea (v.7).

Although Hosea primarily addressed the situation in Northern Israel, The Jewish Study Bible points out that “its intended readers were the Judeans who could constructively reflect on the demise of the Northern Kingdom.” It continues: “Yet hope for the future, for a restoration of the ideal relation between the LORD and Israel, demands that Israel turn away from its ways and return to the LORD, so the call for repentance is an important theme in the book.”

Genesis 18:20-32

Reading

20 The LORD said to Abraham, “How great is the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah and how very grave their sin! 21 I must go down and see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry that has come to me; and if not, I will know.”

22 So the men turned from there, and went toward Sodom, while Abraham remained standing before the LORD. 23 Then Abraham came near and said, “Will you indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked? 24 Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city; will you then sweep away the place and not forgive it for the fifty righteous who are in it? 25 Far be it from you to do such a thing, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked! Far be that from you! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?” 26 And the LORD said, “If I find at Sodom fifty righteous in the city, I will forgive the whole place for their sake.” 27 Abraham answered, “Let me take it upon myself to speak to the LORD, I who am but dust and ashes. 28 Suppose five of the fifty righteous are lacking? Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five?” And he said, “I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there.” 29 Again he spoke to him, “Suppose forty are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of forty I will not do it.” 30 Then he said, “Oh do not let the LORD be angry if I speak. Suppose thirty are found there.” He answered, “I will not do it, if I find thirty there.” 31 He said, “Let me take it upon myself to speak to the LORD. Suppose twenty are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of twenty I will not destroy it.” 32 Then he said, “Oh do not let the LORD be angry if I speak just once more. Suppose ten are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of ten I will not destroy it.”

Commentary

Genesis is the first book of the Torah (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy). The Torah also called the Pentateuch (“five books”) in Greek. Genesis covers the period from Creation to the deaths of Jacob and his 11th son, Joseph, in about 1650 BCE, if the accounts are historical.

The Book of Genesis (like the Torah as a whole) is an amalgam of religious traditions, some of which are dated to about 950 BCE and some of which were developed as late as 450 BCE. Since the late 19th Century, Biblical scholars have recognized four major “strands” or sources in the Torah, and these sources are identified (among other ways) by their different theological emphases, names for God, names for the holy mountain, and portrayals of God’s characteristics.

The first 11 Chapters of Genesis are called the “primeval history” which ends with the Tower of Babel story — an “etiology” (story of origins) relating to the scattering of humankind and the multiplicity of languages. The last chapter of the primeval history traces Abram’s lineage back to Noah’s son, Shem (which means “name” in Hebrew and from which we get the word “Semites”).

This week’s reading begins after the “men” left Mamre and “looked toward” Sodom (v.16). Abraham went with them and sent them on their way. YHWH then had an internal conversation in which YHWH considered not disclosing to Abraham YHWH’s plan to destroy Sodom (v.17). Treating Abraham as a prophet (as later described in 20:7), YHWH disclosed the plan of destruction because Abraham would “become a great and prosperous nation” (v.18).

To learn if “the outrage of Sodom and Gomorrah is so great” (v.20), this anthropomorphic YHWH checked on it (v.21), just as YHWH did in deciding the fate of Babel (Gen 11:5).

In today’s reading, Abraham conducted a back-and-forth negotiation with a very human-like YHWH regarding the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. By appealing to YHWH’s sense of fairness and justice, Abraham got YHWH to reduce to 10 the number of “righteous” people needed to save the cities.

The Jewish Study Bible notes that Abraham’s plea for mercy is not that YHWH save the innocent and punish the guilty, but that the entire city be spared. YHWH agreed to forgive all for the sake of the innocent. The JSB goes on: “The underlying theology maintains that the righteous effect deliverance for the entire community….This idea is prominent in rabbinic literature where it underlies the notion of thirty six righteous individuals for whom the world endures.”

Nevertheless, the two cities were destroyed by YHWH in the next chapter.

In verse 27, Abraham referred to himself as “but dust and ashes.” This is the same phrase used by Job after his theophany near the end of the book (Job 42:6)

Colossians 2:6-19

Reading

6 As you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, continue to live your lives in him, 7 rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.

8 See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the universe, and not according to Christ. 9 For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, 10 and you have come to fullness in him, who is the head of every ruler and authority. 11 In him also you were circumcised with a spiritual circumcision, by putting off the body of the flesh in the circumcision of Christ; 12 when you were buried with him in baptism, you were also raised with him through faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead. 13 And when you were dead in trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive together with him, when he forgave us all our trespasses, 14 erasing the record that stood against us with its legal demands. He set this aside, nailing it to the cross. 15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and made a public example of them, triumphing over them in it.

16 Therefore do not let anyone condemn you in matters of food and drink or of observing festivals, new moons, or sabbaths. 17 These are only a shadow of what is to come, but the substance belongs to Christ. 18 Do not let anyone disqualify you, insisting on self-abasement and worship of angels, dwelling on visions, puffed up without cause by a human way of thinking, 19 and not holding fast to the head, from whom the whole body, nourished and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows with a growth that is from God.

Commentary

Colossae was a town in what is now western Türkiye. A Jesus Follower community was founded there by Paul’s associate, Epaphras (1:7). The letter is short (three chapters) and expressed concern about apocalyptic and mystical practices that were inconsistent with the writer’s understanding of being a Jesus Follower.

Scholars debate whether this letter was written by Paul or by his disciples in the decades after Paul’s death in 63 CE. It lacks many terms used in Paul’s authentic letters and its style is more liturgical than Paul’s letters.

Today’s reading is the theological core of the Letter to the Colossians – that Jesus the Christ is the Lord (v.6), was the living embodiment of God (v.9) and that the fullness of one’s humanity comes by “living one’s life in [Jesus the Christ]” (v.6).

The author noted that the Colossians had orally received Christ and warned against “philosophy” (which The NOAB understands as other ethical or religious teachings) and practices associated with some forms of 1st Century Judaism: “elemental spirits” (v.8) (which The NJBC understands are “angelic powers that performed some function of mediation between God and the world and had some control over the cosmic order”), physical circumcision (v.13), matters of food and drink (v.16), and observing festivals, new moons, and Sabbaths (v. 16).

The NOAB sees “spiritual circumcision” (v.11) as baptism (which The NJBC says is “a figurative equation not made elsewhere in the NT”), and the reference to the “shadow of what is to come” (v.17) as “Platonic language indicating the superiority of Christ.” The church’s growth (the body) grows through the Christ which is “growth from God” (v.19).

The Jewish Annotated New Testament notes that in this section, the author “simultaneously condemns Greek philosophical tradition, Jewish legal teaching and pagan worship.” Unlike Paul’s authentic letters, Colossians speaks of resurrection in the present (“you were also raised with him [Christ] through faith” in baptism (v.12).

The JANT continues: “For Paul, God’s covenant, the Torah, was obligatory for both Jews and Gentiles but in different ways: Jews were obliged to observe all of the statutes of the Torah (Gal 5.30); Gentiles are obliged to observe the Torah ‘written on their hearts’ (Rom 2.15). The author of Colossians, writing a generation or more later to an audience who still seem interested in observing at least some of the biblical commandments, insists that since Jesus’ death, there is no Torah, no commandments, only a new existence in a new world (Col 2.20).”

Luke 11:1-13

Reading

1 Jesus was praying in a certain place, and after he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.” 2 He said to them, “When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. 3 Give us each day our daily bread. 4 And forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone indebted to us. And do not bring us to the time of trial.”

5 And he said to them, “Suppose one of you has a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say to him, `Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; 6 for a friend of mine has arrived, and I have nothing to set before him.’ 7 And he answers from within, `Do not bother me; the door has already been locked, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything.’ 8 I tell you, even though he will not get up and give him anything, because he is his friend, at least because of his persistence he will get up and give him whatever he needs.

9 “So I say to you, Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. 10 For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. 11 Is there anyone among you who, if your child asks for a fish, will give a snake instead of a fish? 12 Or if the child asks for an egg, will give a scorpion? 13 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

Commentary

The Gospel According to Luke is generally regarded as having been written around 85 CE. Its author also wrote the Acts of the Apostles. Both books were written in elegant and deliberatively crafted Greek and presented Jesus of Nazareth as the universal savior of humanity. Both emphasized the Holy Spirit as the “driving force” for events.

The Gospel followed the same general chronology of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection as the Gospel of Mark, and more than 40% of Luke’s Gospel was based on Mark. The other portions of Luke include (a) sayings shared with the Gospel According to Matthew but not found in Mark (usually referred to as a “sayings source” named “Q” for the German word “Quelle” or Source”) and (b) stories that are unique to Luke such as the Annunciation, the Visitation, the Presentation in the Temple, the Prodigal Son, and the Good Samaritan.

Today’s reading is “Q” material and is in two parts – the first is Luke’s shorter version of the Lord’s Prayer, as compared to the one in Matthew 6:9-13. The NAOB points out that there is an eschatological cast to the petitions (“Thy kingdom come; thy will be done”) that look towards an end-times. But there are also concerns related to daily life.

The JANT notes that the reference to John (v.1) shows both a continuity with John as well as a distinction from him, and that calling God “Father” (v.2) was “a Jewish address for God, particularly in postbiblical prayers (Tob 13.4, Sir 23.1,51.10).”

The second part of the reading relates to persistence in prayer. Although it does not say that the praying person will get precisely what the person is praying for, the assurance given is that the person will “get whatever he needs” (v. 8); “the door will be opened” (v.10); and the heavenly Father will “give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him” (v.13). All of these are open-ended and indefinite but tell us that our prayers will be “answered” in some way.

During Pentecost Season 2025, the Revised Common Lectionary offers two “tracks” of readings from the Hebrew Bible. Congregations may choose either track.

The first track of readings follows major stories and themes, read mostly continuously from week to week. The second track of readings thematically pairs the reading from the Hebrew Bible with the Gospel reading.

The readings from the Epistles are the same in both tracks.

Amos 8:1-12

Reading

1 This is what the LORD GOD showed me — a basket of summer fruit. 2 He said, “Amos, what do you see?” And I said, “A basket of summer fruit.” Then the LORD said to me, “The end has come upon my people Israel; I will never again pass them by. 3 The songs of the temple shall become wailings in that day,” says the LORD GOD; “the dead bodies shall be many, cast out in every place. Be silent!”

4 Hear this, you that trample on the needy, and bring to ruin the poor of the land, 5 saying, “When will the new moon be over so that we may sell grain; and the sabbath, so that we may offer wheat for sale? We will make the ephah small and the shekel great, and practice deceit with false balances, 6 buying the poor for silver and the needy for a pair of sandals and selling the sweepings of the wheat.”

7 The LORD has sworn by the pride of Jacob: Surely, I will never forget any of their deeds.

8 Shall not the land tremble on this account, and everyone mourn who lives in it, and all of it rise like the Nile, and be tossed about and sink again, like the Nile of Egypt?

9 On that day, says the LORD GOD, I will make the sun go down at noon, and darken the earth in broad daylight.

10 I will turn your feasts into mourning, and all your songs into lamentation; I will bring sackcloth on all loins, and baldness on every head; I will make it like the mourning for an only son, and the end of it like a bitter day.

11 The time is surely coming, says the LORD GOD, when I will send a famine on the land; not a famine of bread, or a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD.

12 They shall wander from sea to sea, and from north to east; they shall run to and fro, seeking the word of the LORD, but they shall not find it.

Commentary

After Solomon died in 930 BCE, the Kingdom of Israel split into two parts, the North (called Israel with 10 tribes) and the South (called Judea with two tribes). Each of the Kingdoms had its own king.

The reign of King Jeroboam II of Israel (788-747 BCE) was very prosperous but was a time of great inequality between rich and poor in which large landowners gained control of the lands of small farmers.

Amos was a cattle herder and cared for fig trees in Judea, but he was called by YHWH to go north to prophesy (speak for the LORD) against the evils in Israel from about 760 to 750 BCE.

Amos is one of the 12 “minor” prophets whose works are shorter than the three “major” prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel). He was the first (chronologically) of the prophets whose words left an indelible stamp on later thought in Israel about God. He used vivid language and called for justice and righteousness, social equality, and concern for the disadvantaged.

His writings included announcements that the “Day of the LORD” (when YHWH would intervene in human affairs) was imminent and urged that the special covenant with the LORD entailed special ethical responsibilities. Some of his presentations are indictments, some are exhortations, and others are visions.

The Jewish Study Bible points out that Amos (c. 760 BCE) stressed social and political ills in Israel whereas Hosea (740-730 BCE) largely was concerned with improper religious worship.

In today’s reading, Amos criticized the unfair and fraudulent business practices of the wealthy and their impatience for the Holy Days to pass (v.5) so they could resume bilking the poor, enslaving them (v.6), and taking their lands.

An ephah (v.5) was about 35 pounds and making an “ephah small” would be done to cheat the customer. “False balances” (v.5) are scales that were rigged in favor of the seller.

According to The New Oxford Annotated Bible, “buying the poor … and needy” likely referred to outright slavery as opposed to “selling the righteous” (2:6) into debt slavery.

The reading has some clever linguistic aspects. According to The NOAB, in verse 2, the basket of fruit symbolized the immanence of Israel’s end. It also points out that the Hebrew words for “fruit” (qayits) and for “end” (qets) sound alike. In effect, Amos saw fruit but YHWH saw the end of Israel as an independent nation.

The reading described the “Day of the LORD” as a time of terror and mourning and darkness at noon (v. 9 and 5:20). This was a motif used by the authors of the Gospels in describing events surrounding the Crucifixion (see Mark 15:33). The NOAB notes that a solar eclipse was a customary portent for divine punishment and elicited mourning rituals. “Mourning for an only son” (v.10) is a phrase later used by Jeremiah in anticipating the conquest by the Babylonians (Jer. 6:26).

The JSB notes that some Rabbinic Sources in the Talmud expressed concern that verses 11-12 pointed to a time when the Torah would be forgotten. In an apparent response to this concern, the rabbis at Jamnia (Yabneh) in 110 CE put great emphasis on teaching and preserving the Torah.

The New Jerome Biblical Commentary says: “Because Israel has refused to heed Yahweh’s word, spoken through his prophets, he threatens an appropriate punishment — the complete cessation of the divine word in Israel. This word was important to the nation not only in the religious realm but also in the political as well. Without it – at least in theory – it would be impossible to select new leaders, to know when to wage war, etc.”

Amos said that YHWH would remember the misdeeds and punish the evildoers. In 722 BCE, only 30 years later, Assyria conquered Israel and scattered its wealthy class.

Genesis 18:1-10a

Reading

1 The LORD appeared to Abraham by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat at the entrance of his tent in the heat of the day. 2 He looked up and saw three men standing near him. When he saw them, he ran from the tent entrance to meet them, and bowed down to the ground. 3 He said, “My lord, if I find favor with you, do not pass by your servant. 4 Let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree. 5 Let me bring a little bread, that you may refresh yourselves, and after that you may pass on — since you have come to your servant.” So they said, “Do as you have said.” 6 And Abraham hastened into the tent to Sarah, and said, “Make ready quickly three measures of choice flour, knead it, and make cakes.” 8 Abraham ran to the herd, and took a calf, tender and good, and gave it to the servant, who hastened to prepare it. Then he took curds and milk and the calf that he had prepared and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree while they ate.

9 They said to him, “Where is your wife Sarah?” And he said, “There, in the tent.” 10 Then one said, “I will surely return to you in due season, and your wife Sarah shall have a son.”

Commentary

Genesis is the first book of the Torah (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy). The Torah also called the Pentateuch (“five books”) in Greek. Genesis covers the period from Creation to the deaths of Jacob and his 11th son, Joseph, in about 1650 BCE, if the accounts are historical.

The Book of Genesis (like the Torah as a whole) is an amalgam of religious traditions, some of which are dated to about 950 BCE and some of which were developed as late as 450 BCE. Since the late 19th Century, Biblical scholars have recognized four major “strands” or sources in the Torah called “J” (Jahwistic), “E” (Elohistic), “D” (Deuteronomic) and “P” (Priestly). These sources are identified (among other ways) by their different theological emphases, names for God, names for the holy mountain, and portrayals of God’s characteristics.

The first 11 Chapters of Genesis are called the “primeval history” which ends with the Tower of Babel story — an “etiology” (story of origins) relating to the scattering of humankind and the multiplicity of languages. The last chapter of the primeval history also traces Abram’s lineage back to Noah’s son, Shem (which means “name” in Hebrew and from which we get the word “Semites”).

Today’s reading is prefaced (v.1) by the statement that the LORD appeared to Abraham at Mamre. It then shifted to an account of three “men” (v.2) who came to Abraham’s tent at Mamre (whose oaks/terebinths were regarded as oracles). The New Oxford Annotated Bible says that the motif of divine visitors is widespread in folklore. The account fluidly shifts from the LORD (v.1) to “three men” (v.2) to “they” (v.9) to “one” (v.10) to “the LORD” (v.13) and to “I” and “he” in the verses immediately following.

Abraham’s hospitality to the three sacred figures was overwhelming: an entire calf and three “measures” of flour. Three measures of flour (v. 6) would have been the equivalent of about 150 pounds of flour and would have produced a huge amount of bread. Slaughtering an entire calf (v.7) would have produced about 500 pounds of meat if the calf were between 6 and 12 months old. Quite a feast for three men!

One of the “men” predicted that Sarah (who was over 90 years old by this time) would have a son in a year (v.10). In the verses that follow today’s reading, Sarah’s laughed (v.12) when she heard what the man said. This laugh anticipated the name of her son, Isaac (which means “he laughs”).

Later verses speak of the fulfillment of God’s promise of a son to this aged couple. The JSB observes that there is a midrash (interpretation) that the LORD “dealt with” (NRSV) or “took note of” (JPS) Sarah on Rosh Ha-Shanah. For this reason, today’s reading is the introductory part of the first Torah Reading on Rosh Ha-Shanah in synagogues today.

Colossians 1:15-28

Reading

15 Christ Jesus is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; 16 for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers — all things have been created through him and for him. 17 He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross.

21 And you who were once estranged and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, 22 he has now reconciled in his fleshly body through death, so as to present you holy and blameless and irreproachable before him — 23 provided that you continue securely established and steadfast in the faith, without shifting from the hope promised by the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven. I, Paul, became a servant of this gospel.

24 I am now rejoicing in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh, I am completing what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church. 25 I became its servant according to God’s commission that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, 26 the mystery that has been hidden throughout the ages and generations but has now been revealed to his saints. 27 To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. 28 It is he whom we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone in all wisdom, so that we may present everyone mature in Christ.

Commentary

Colossae was a town in the Lycus valley in what is now western Türkiye. According to The NJBC, it had a flourishing wool and textile industry. The population consisted of native Phrygians, Greeks and a sizable community of Jews — perhaps as many as 10,000.

A Jesus Follower community was founded there by Paul’s associate, Epaphras (1:7). The letter is short (three chapters) and expressed concern about apocalyptic and mystical practices that were inconsistent with Paul’s understanding of being a Jesus Follower.

Scholars debate whether this letter was written by Paul or by his disciples in the decades after Paul’s death in 63 CE. It lacks many terms used in Paul’s authentic letters and its style is more liturgical than Paul’s other letters.

The New Oxford Annotated Bible points out that “the letter presents the idea that the believers’ lives are completely transformed by Christ’s death and resurrection instead of Paul’s usual tension between the only partially fulfilled present and the future resurrection and full enjoyment of Christ’s benefits.”

The Jewish Annotated New Testament notes that the authentic epistles speak of “justification” and “sanctification” in the present tense but reserve “salvation” for the future. In Colossians, salvation is a present reality and justification has no place at all. The JANT also observes that Colossians contains a “hierarchical description of household relations” whereas “Paul’s own description of marital relationships is remarkably nonhierarchical (cf. 1 Cor 7.14).”

Today’s reading is highly theological. All of the descriptions in these readings apply to “our Lord Jesus Christ” (v.3), “Christ Jesus, (v.4), “the Lord” (v.10) and “the beloved Son of the Father” (v.13). It describes “him” as the “image of the invisible God” and the “firstborn of all creation” (v.15). He is said to exist before all things, and to have created the thrones, dominions, rulers and powers (in other words, all concentrations of power, secular and divine). He is that in which all things hold together (v.17) and maintains the universal order, a concept that is found in Philo of Alexandria.

Colossians has a “High Christology” in the sense that on a spectrum from “Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ, was fully human” to “Jesus, the Christ, is fully divine,” the presentation is much closer to the latter than the former. The JANT opines that this Christology is “more exalted” than any other New Testament Book.

The Christ more than rules the world: He has a greater role in creation (v.16) than Wisdom had in Proverbs 8. He is not only the firstborn of all creation (v.15), he is the principle of creation. He is also described as the firstborn from the dead (v.18) so that his resurrection is a prelude to the final resurrection. Just as the LOGOS is the organizing principle in John 1:1, so too is the Christ (v.17).

The fulness of God (v.19) dwelt in “our Lord Jesus Christ” (v.3).

The author referred to Gentiles as “estranged” from God (v.21) before receiving the good news. According to The JANT, the word “estranged” appeared only in the “Deutero-Pauline” letters such as Ephesians – the ones written by Paul’s disciples after Paul’s death.

The JANT points out that “faith” (or pistis) (v.23) shifted from meaning faithfulness, trust, and trustworthiness (as in Paul’s authentic letters) to a “belief” in specific statements.

In verses 23 to 29, the author of Colossians self-identified as “Paul.” In the seven authentic letters written by Paul himself, it was very rare for Paul to use his own name, except in the greetings in the letters.

As to the sufferings (v.24), The JANT explains: “For Paul to be an apostle is to imitate the Messiah in his suffering. …The authors of Ephesians and Colossians emphasize this theme. …This suffering is necessary to complete the Messiah’s mission.”

The New Jerome Biblical Commentary has an extended discussion of today’s reading. In part, it states: “It has long been recognized that verses 15-20 are an independent unit that has the character of a primitive Christian hymn…. The style and content of these verses may also be compared with the Qumran hymns and the prologue to the Gospel of John…. It is suggested that it was not composed by the author of the letter but that it is traditional material adapted by the author of Colossians to serve the instructional purposes of the letter….[Scholars have identified numerous philosophical and scriptural sources of these the verses] but these descriptions must be weighed against the atmosphere of syncretism that pervaded Asia Minor at this time….

“In the false teaching in Colossae, [the entities in verse 16] may have been thought of as rivals of Christ or beings that provided supplementary power to that of Christ (2:10,15). Such a belief grew out of a complex and highly developed angelology that was widespread at this time….

“The image of Christ as the head of the body represents a development over the Pauline idea…. In Colossians, the importance and dignity of Jesus’ human body and its saving function contrast with the depreciation of the body that seems to have been part of the false teaching of Colossae 2:18,21,23. The ‘mystery’ (v.27) refers to the divine plan of history in contrast to its use in the so-called mystery cults where mysteries were cosmic, metaphysical, or philosophical secrets available to a few privileged initiates.”

Luke 10:38-42

Reading

38 As Jesus and his disciples went on their way, Jesus entered a certain village, where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. 39 She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to what he was saying. 40 But Martha was distracted by her many tasks; so she came to him and asked, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me.” 41 But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; 42 there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.”

Commentary

The Gospel According to Luke is generally regarded as having been written around 85 CE. Its author also wrote the Acts of the Apostles. Both books were written in elegant and deliberatively crafted Greek and presented Jesus of Nazareth as the universal savior of humanity. Both emphasized the Holy Spirit as the “driving force” for events.

The Gospel followed the same general chronology of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection as the Gospel of Mark, and more than 40% of Luke’s Gospel was based on Mark. The other portions of Luke include (a) sayings shared with the Gospel According to Matthew but not found in Mark and (b) stories that are unique to Luke such as the Annunciation, the Visitation, the Presentation in the Temple, the Prodigal Son, and the Good Samaritan.

Today’s reading follows last week’s Parable of the Good Samaritan. According to John 11:1, Martha, Mary, and their brother Lazarus (who is not mentioned in any gospel except John) lived in Bethany, a town east of Jerusalem. Because Martha welcomed Jesus into “her” home (v.1), she is presented as a householder, and therefore a person of means.

According to The New Oxford Annotated Bible, “this enigmatic account affirms the importance of listening to Jesus and at the same time the account shows Jesus’ openness to and acceptance of women among his followers.”

The NJBC states that this passage shows “Lule’s universalism as he depicts Jesus thrice acting contrary to Jewish cultural norms: Jesus is alone with women who are not his relatives; a woman serves him; Jesus is teaching a woman in her own house.”

During Pentecost Season 2025, the Revised Common Lectionary offers two “tracks” of readings from the Hebrew Bible. Congregations may choose either track.

The first track of readings follows major stories and themes, read mostly continuously from week to week. The second track of readings thematically pairs the reading from the Hebrew Bible with the Gospel reading.

The readings from the Epistles are the same in both tracks.

Amos 7:7-17

Reading

7 This is what the LORD God showed me: the LORD was standing beside a wall built with a plumb line, with a plumb line in his hand. 8 And the LORD said to me, “Amos, what do you see?” And I said, “A plumb line.” Then the LORD said, “See, I am setting a plumb line in the midst of my people Israel; I will never again pass them by; 9 the high places of Isaac shall be made desolate, and the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste, and I will rise against the house of Jeroboam with the sword.”

10 Then Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, sent to King Jeroboam of Israel, saying, “Amos has conspired against you in the very center of the house of Israel; the land is not able to bear all his words. 11 For thus Amos has said, `Jeroboam shall die by the sword, and Israel must go into exile away from his land.'”

12 And Amaziah said to Amos, “O seer, go, flee away to the land of Judah, earn your bread there, and prophesy there; 13 but never again prophesy at Bethel, for it is the king’s sanctuary, and it is a temple of the kingdom.”

14 Then Amos answered Amaziah, “I am no prophet, nor a prophet’s son; but I am a herdsman, and a dresser of sycamore trees, 15 and the LORD took me from following the flock, and the LORD said to me, `Go, prophesy to my people Israel.’

16 “Now therefore hear the word of the LORD. You say, `Do not prophesy against Israel, and do not preach against the house of Isaac.’

17 Therefore thus says the LORD: `Your wife shall become a prostitute in the city, and your sons and your daughters shall fall by the sword, and your land shall be parceled out by line; you yourself shall die in an unclean land, and Israel shall surely go into exile away from its land.'”

Commentary

After Solomon died in 930 BCE, the Kingdom of Israel split into two parts, the North (called Israel with 10 tribes) and the South (called Judea with two tribes). Each of the Kingdoms had its own king.

The reign of King Jeroboam II of Israel (788-747 BCE) was very prosperous but was a time of great inequality between rich and poor in which large landowners gained control of the lands of small farmers. (A three-liter bottle of wine is called a “Jeroboam.”)

Amos was a cattle herder and cared for fig trees in Judea, but he was called by YHWH to go north to prophesy (speak for the LORD) against the evils in Israel from about 760 to 750 BCE.

Amos is one of the 12 “minor” prophets whose works are shorter than the three “major” prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel). He was the first (chronologically) of the prophets whose words left an indelible stamp on later thought in Israel about God. He used vivid language and called for justice and righteousness, terms that deal with social equality and concern for the disadvantaged.

The writings included announcements that the “Day of the LORD” (when YHWH would intervene in human affairs) was imminent and urged that the special covenant with the LORD entailed special ethical responsibilities. Some of his presentations are indictments, some are exhortations, and others are visions. Speaking for YHWH, he used harsh language: “I hate, I despise your festivals, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies. Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them; and the offerings of well-being of your fatted animals I will not look upon” (7:21-22).

The Jewish Study Bible points out that Amos (c. 760 BCE) stressed social and political ills in Israel whereas Hosea (740-730 BCE) largely was concerned with improper religious worship.

In today’s reading, Amos told Israel/Isaac (the northern 10 tribes) that Israel’s religious and political institutions did not measure up to YHWH’s plumb line and that Israel and its “high places” (shrines) would be destroyed if Israel did not reform (vv.8-9).

Amos was criticized by the King’s appointed priest, Amaziah, the priest of Bethel (the central cultic place of the Northern Kingdom). Amaziah told Amos to stop prophesying in Israel because the people would be discouraged by (“not able to bear”) what Amos said (v.10) about Jeroboam dying by the sword and Israel being exiled (v.11). The JSB says: “Amos’s prophecy was considered treasonous because it would demoralize the people.” Azamiah told Amos to go back to Judea (vv. 12-13)

Amos responded that he was not a “professional” prophet who could be “bought” but had been called by YHWH to prophesy to Israel (vv. 14-15) and had no choice — thus lending additional authority to what he was saying.

Amos said that YHWH would remember these misdeeds and punish the evildoers. In less than 30 years, in 722 BCE, Assyria conquered Israel and scattered its wealthy class. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary points out that telling Amaziah that he would “die in an unclean land” (v.17) meant he would die in a foreign land and that this would be “a particularly distasteful fate to a priest who was supposed to preserve ritual purity.”

Samaria was the capital of Israel, and because Assyrians intermarried with Samaritans, they were later looked down upon by Judeans and Galileans.

Deuteronomy 30:9-14

Reading

9 Moses said to the people of Israel, “The LORD your God will make you abundantly prosperous in all your undertakings, in the fruit of your body, in the fruit of your livestock, and in the fruit of your soil. For the LORD will again take delight in prospering you, just as he delighted in prospering your ancestors, 10 when you obey the LORD your God by observing his commandments and decrees that are written in this book of the law, because you turn to the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.

11 “Surely, this commandment that I am commanding you today is not too hard for you, nor is it too far away. 12 It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will go up to heaven for us, and get it for us so that we may hear it and observe it?’ 13 Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will cross to the other side of the sea for us, and get it for us so that we may hear it and observe it?’ 14 No, the word is very near to you; it is in your mouth and in your heart for you to observe.”

Commentary

Deuteronomy is the fifth (and last) book of the Torah and is presented as Moses’ final speech to the Israelites just before they entered the Promised Land. “Deuteronomy” comes from Greek words that mean “Second Law” and is structured as a “restatement” of the laws found in the books of Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers. Parts of it were revised as late as 450 BCE, but the bulk of the book is generally dated to the reign of King Josiah of Judea (640-609 BCE).

It is also the first book of the didactic “Deuteronomic History” which consists of Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings. This “History” teaches that when the people and kings of Israel and Judea worshiped YHWH properly, they prospered, but when they worshiped false gods, other nations (the Assyrians in 722 BCE and Babylonians in 587) conquered them.

The first part of today’s reading expressed a theme found in all the Deuteronomic books: “if you do good, you will get good, but if you do bad, you will get bad.” The covenants between the LORD and the people in these books were always conditional, as shown in verses 9 and 10 of today’s reading.

The JSB and The New Oxford Annotated Bible  observe that verses 1 to 10 in Chapter 30 are an insertion. This is shown by the reference to “this book of the law” in verse 10, and represents a later addition because the Torah itself did not exist until it was finalized and codified in the 5th Century BCE.

Similarly, the phrases “He will bring you together again” (v.3) and “the LORD will again take delight in prospering you” (v.9) show that this text was directed at the returning exiles from Babylon in 539 BCE rather than the Israelites in the Wilderness in 1200 BCE.

Verses 11 to 14 are a continuation of Chapter 29. Scholars agree that the word “Surely” (v.11) is better translated as “Because” and follows logically from the last verse of Chapter 29. The term “this commandment” (v.11) is understood by The NOAB and The JSB as a reference to the Torah as a whole, even though the reference to “this book of the law” (v.10) is a reference only to the Book of Deuteronomy.

These verses also challenged the Middle Eastern assumption that divine wisdom was not knowable. Instead, “it is very near to you and in your mouth and in your heart” (v.14). The NJBC states: “The law is not esoteric knowledge requiring that a chosen intermediary like Enoch [Gen. 5:24] ascend to heaven in order to communicate it. It is recited in the covenant festival, and God has now put the disposition to obey it in the heart (cf. Jer 31:33 [“I will put my law within them, and will write it on their hearts.”]; Ezek 36:26-27 [“A new heart I will give you, and a new spirit I will put within you; and I will remove from your body the heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. I will put my spirit within you, and make you follow my statutes and be careful to observe my ordinances.”]).

The NOAB also points out that reference to the “word” being “in your mouth” (v. 14) reflects the reality that oral transmission of texts was prevalent in non-literate societies.

Colossians 1:1-14

Reading

1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, 2 To the saints and faithful brothers and sisters in Christ in Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father.

3 In our prayers for you we always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 4 for we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, 5 because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. You have heard of this hope before in the word of the truth, the gospel 6 that has come to you. Just as it is bearing fruit and growing in the whole world, so it has been bearing fruit among yourselves from the day you heard it and truly comprehended the grace of God. 7 This you learned from Epaphras, our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf, 8 and he has made known to us your love in the Spirit.

9 For this reason, since the day we heard it, we have not ceased praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 so that you may lead lives worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, as you bear fruit in every good work and as you grow in the knowledge of God. 11 May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from his glorious power, and may you be prepared to endure everything with patience, while joyfully 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light. 13 He has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Commentary

Colossae was a town in the Lycus valley in what is now western Türkiye. According to The NJBC, it had a flourishing wool and textile industry. The population comprised native Phrygians, Greeks and a sizable community of Jews — perhaps as many as 10,000.

A Jesus Follower community was founded there by Paul’s associate, Epaphras (1:7). The letter is short (three chapters) and expressed concerns about apocalyptic and mystical practices that were occurring in Colossae and that were inconsistent with Paul’s understanding of what it means to be a Jesus Follower. The letter began with a complimentary description of the Colossians’ lives (as in today’s reading) but later portions attacked unnamed teachers who observed Jewish rituals.

Scholars debate whether this letter was written by Paul or by his disciples in the decades after Paul’s death in 63 CE. It lacks many terms used in Paul’s authentic letters and its style is more liturgical than Paul’s other letters.

The NOAB points out that “the letter presents the idea that the believers’ lives are completely transformed by Christ’s death and resurrection instead of Paul’s usual tension between the only partially fulfilled present and the future resurrection and full enjoyment of Christ’s benefits.”

The Jewish Annotated New Testament notes that the authentic epistles speak of “justification” and “sanctification” in the present tense but reserve “salvation” for the future. In Colossians, salvation is a present reality and justification has no place at all. The JANT also observes that Colossians contains a “hierarchical description of household relations” whereas “Paul’s own description of marital relationships is remarkably nonhierarchical (cf. 1 Cor 7.14).”

On the subject of Jewish ritual, The JANT notes: “When Paul wrote Galatians, Jesus’ followers were debating whether Gentile believers needed to observe distinctive Jewish rituals (especially circumcision, but also dietary regulations, practices relating to ritual purity, and Sabbath practices). Paul considers Jews to be obliged to observe the Torah (cf. Gal 5.3) but insists that Gentile believers are not to become Jews and are not to follow practices that mark Jews as distinct. For the author of Colossians, however, Jewish observance is not an option for anyone within the churches.…The letter is a window on a period when church leaders turned away from Judaism even while some church members continue to find Jewish practice meaningful.”

The NOAB observes that the author of Colossians opposed practices that were advocated by others. These practices and were seen as a threat to the faith of the Colossians and are “best understood as a form of Jewish apocalyptic mysticism, or a synthesis of Judaism and proto-Gnostic thought, local Phrygian [Turkish] religious practices, or Hellenistic philosophy.”

In today’s reading, the author mimics Paul’s salutation formula (vv. 1-2). The JANT notes that all of Paul’s letters except Romans have multiple senders and that Timothy was mentioned as a co-sender of all these letters except Galatians. The “saints” (v.2) (lit. “holy ones”) are a designation for Jesus followers.

The letter emphasized faith, love and hope as the key Christian virtues (vv. 4-5) and adopted an apocalyptic theme in contrasting light and darkness (vv. 12-13). The authors expressed the theme that believers are redeemed and receive forgiveness of sin in Christ (v. 14).

“Redemption” (apolutrosis in the Greek) (v.14) conveyed the sense of ransoming or being bought back, the way something already owned is redeemed from a pawn shop. As The JANT notes, “forgiveness” (v.15) never appears in Paul’s authentic letters but is found in Colossians and Ephesians. Because Ephesians appears to rely on Colossians, The JANT says Colossians was likely composed around 80 CE.

Luke 10:25-37

Reading

25 Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he said, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 He said to him, “What is written in the law? What do you read there?” 27 He answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.” 28 And he said to him, “You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live.”

29 But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” 30 Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead. 31 Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32 So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan while traveling came near him; and when he saw him, he was moved with pity. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, having poured oil and wine on them. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, `Take care of him; and when I come back, I will repay you whatever more you spend.’ 36 Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?” 37 He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”

Commentary

The Gospel According to Luke is generally regarded as having been written around 85 CE. Its author also wrote the Acts of the Apostles. Both books were written in elegant and deliberatively crafted Greek and presented Jesus of Nazareth as the universal savior of humanity. Both emphasized the Holy Spirit as the “driving force” for events.

The Gospel followed the same general chronology of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection as the Gospel of Mark, and more than 40% of Luke’s Gospel was based on Mark. The other portions of Luke include (a) sayings shared with the Gospel According to Matthew but not found in Mark and (b) stories that are unique to Luke such as the Annunciation, the Visitation, the Presentation in the Temple, the Prodigal Son, and the Good Samaritan.

Today’s reading is the Parable of the Good Samaritan, in which a “lawyer” (described by The NOAB as “an expert in the law of Moses and likely a scribe and affiliated with the Pharisees”) questioned Jesus. The lawyer’s response to Jesus’ question (v.27) tracked Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18. The phrase “justify himself” (v.29) is understood by The NOAB as the lawyer’s attempt to show that he was righteous and acceptable to God.

The trip from Jerusalem to Jericho was about 18 miles and involved a drop in elevation of about 1,700 feet. It was regarded as notoriously dangerous, so the situation in the story would have resonated with Jesus’ audience. The JANT points out that the Greek word for “robbers” (v.30) is lestes, which connotes violent criminals.

To Jesus’ Jewish audience, the compassionate intervention by a Samaritan would have been shocking and thoroughly unexpected. Samaritans were looked down upon by Jews because they were seen as ethnically different as a result of the intermarriage of Assyrians with persons in Samaria after the conquest of Northern Israel in 722 BCE. Samaritans had a different version of the Torah and worshiped at a different holy mountain.

The JANT discusses that the priest and a Levite (a Temple funtionary) passed by the injured man: “Contrary to one popular view, the priest and Levite do not pass the injured man because of purity concerns.” It notes that the priest is “going down” (v.31), not up to Jerusalem where impurity would have prevented him from participating in the Temple service.

It continues: “Priest and Levite indicate not an interest in purity but a point about community. Jews generally then, and now, fit into one of three groups: priests (kohanim) descended from Aaron; Levites descended from Levi (Aaron’s ancestor); and Israelites descended from children of Jacob other than Levi. Mention of the first two anticipates mention of the third. The parable shocks by making the third person not the expected Israelite but the unexpected Samaritan, the enemy of the Jews. It thus evokes 2 Chr 28.8-15 wherein enemy Samaritans care for Jewish victims, even as it refrains to lawyer’s question.”

The care provided by the Samaritan included oil (which worked as a salve) and wine which was used as an antiseptic for the wounds. According to The NOAB, two denarii would have provided about two months of lodging at an ancient inn.

The JANT and The NJBC point out that in the last verse, the lawyer cannot even bring himself to say “the Samaritan” and instead says “the one.”

The Revised Common Lectionary for the Principal Service on Easter offers a choice of readings.

Acts 10:34-43

Reading

34 Peter began to speak to Cornelius and the other Gentiles: “I truly understand that God shows no partiality, 35 but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. 36 You know the message he sent to the people of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ — he is Lord of all. 37 That message spread throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John announced: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; 38 how he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. 39 We are witnesses to all that he did both in Judea and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree; 40 but God raised him on the third day and allowed him to appear, 41 not to all the people but to us who were chosen by God as witnesses, and who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. 42 He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one ordained by God as judge of the living and the dead. 43 All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”

Commentary

The book called “The Acts of the Apostles” was written around 85 to 90 CE by the anonymous author of the Gospel According to Luke. The first 15 chapters of Acts are a didactic “history” of the early Jesus Follower Movement starting with an account of the Ascension of Jesus 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 in order to become Jesus Followers.

Today’s reading is part of the story of the Baptism of Cornelius. Cornelius was a centurion who led more than 100 soldiers. He was therefore a significant officer in the Roman Army. He was described in Acts 10:2 as “a devout man who feared God with all his household.” (in the First Century, a Gentile who was “devout” and sympathetic to Judaism was called a “God-fearer.”) Cornelius had a vision (10:3) and was directed by God to send some of his men from Caesarea to Joppa to find Peter.

Before Cornelius’ men arrived, Peter fell into a trace and saw a sheet being lowered that contained foods that were ritually “unclean” for Jews (10:9-14). Peter was told however, “What God has made clean, you must not call profane” (v.15). The centurion’s men then met with Peter and brought him to Caesarea.

Peter was initially reluctant to “associate with or visit a Gentile” (v.28), but he recalled his vision and Cornelius also recounted his vision to Peter. The Jewish Annotated New Testament says that refusal to associate with Gentiles was rarely reflected in Jewish writings but represented a common perspective among Gentiles in the First Century. It notes that the actual practice among Jews would not have supported this refusal to associate — as indicated by the existence of the “Court of the Gentiles” at the Temple.

On the basis of these visions, Peter gave the address that is today’s reading — a synopsis of the Gospel According to Luke. The JANT observes that verse 34 (‘God shows no partiality but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him”) meant that to be God’s people was no longer constituted by the ethnic division between Jew and Gentile but by a religious distinction – those who do (and those who do not) fear God and do what is right.

In saying Jesus the Christ is “Lord of all” (v.36), Peter was proclaiming that Jesus is Lord of both Jews and Gentiles. Peter’s speech acknowledged that the resurrected Christ did not appear to all people, but only those who were chosen by God as witnesses (v.41). The statement that Jesus the Christ was “ordained by God as the judge of the living and the dead” (v.42) can be understood in the context of the Book of Judges in the Hebrew Bible – judges were persons who set things right.

In the verses that follow today’s reading, the Holy Spirit “fell upon all who heard the word” (v.44). Peter and the “circumcised believers” were “astounded that the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles” (v.45), including Cornelius. Peter therefore baptized all of them (v.48), even though they were Gentiles. The baptism of Cornelius was presented in Acts as the decisive step in the expansion of the Jesus Follower Movement to Gentiles.

In the Council of Jerusalem story, the Baptism of Cornelius was referred to by Peter as a reason for permitting Gentiles to become Jesus Followers (15:7-8).

Jeremiah 31:1-6

Reading

1 At that time, says the Lord, I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be my people.
2 Thus says the Lord: The people who survived the sword found grace in the wilderness; when Israel sought for rest,
3 the Lord appeared to him from far away. I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore, I have continued my faithfulness to you.
4 Again I will build you, and you shall be built, O virgin Israel! Again, you shall take your tambourines, and go forth in the dance of the merrymakers.
5 Again you shall plant vineyards on the mountains of Samaria; the planters shall plant,
and shall enjoy the fruit.
6 For there shall be a day when sentinels will call in the hill country of Ephraim: “Come, let us go up to Zion, to the Lord our God.”

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 Ancient 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.)

Jeremiah is largely a prophet of doom and gloom, but today’s reading is in poetry style and is part of a two-chapter “Book of Consolation.” The thoughts in these chapters are similar to Second Isaiah (Isaiah of the Exile) in stating that Jerusalem would be restored.

In today’s reading, the prophet spoke for YHWH to say that all the families of Israel (the 12 Tribes) would be restored (v.1), just as the Israelites were restored in the Exodus. YHWH’s covenantal love has been “everlasting” (v.3) and Israel was portrayed as YHWH’s bride (“virgin Israel’ v.4).

The prophet said that the people of Israel will have a new Exodus and will again take their tambourines (v.4), just as Miriam (Moses’ sister) and the women used tambourines to celebrate passing through the Sea of Reeds (Ex. 15:20). There would also be a renewal of pilgrimages to Jerusalem (“let us go up to Zion” v.6).

Colossians 3:1-4

Reading

1 If you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth, 3 for you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is your life is revealed, then you also will be revealed with him in glory.

Commentary

Colossae was a town in what is now western Turkey. A Jesus Follower community was founded there by Paul’s associate, Epaphras (1:7). The letter is short (four chapters) and expressed concern about apocalyptic and mystical practices that were inconsistent with Paul’s disciples’ understanding of what it meant to be a Jesus Follower.

Scholars debate whether this letter was written by Paul or by his disciples in the decades after Paul’s death in 63 CE. It lacks many terms used in Paul’s authentic letters and its style is more liturgical than Paul’s other letters.

The New Jerome Biblical Commentary describes today’s reading as a summation of the teachings of the preceding section and a foundation for the detailed ethical instructions that follow. In particular, the theme of 2:12-14 (“you were buried in Christ in baptism and you were also raised with him through faith in the power of God”) is echoed in today’s reading (vv.1-2). The NJBC notes that vv.3-4 emphasize that although the resurrection had taken place, not all the conditions of the end-times are present and that the end times would be a time when all believers will be revealed in glory.

Immediately following today’s reading is an expression one of Paul’s most important theological insights – that the Christ (the Messiah) is the ultimate unifying principle for all reality. “The Christ is all and is in all” (v.11) so that there is no longer a dichotomy between the “sacred” and the “profane” — just as there is no essential difference between a Gentile (a “Greek”) and Jew, slave and free and the like (v.11).

John 20:1-18

Reading

1 Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. 2 So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” 3 Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went toward the tomb. 4 The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there, 7 and the cloth that had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself. 8 Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; 9 for as yet they did not understand the scripture, that he must rise from the dead. 10 Then the disciples returned to their homes.

11 But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb; 12 and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet. 13 They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” 14 When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. 15 Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni!” (which means Teacher). 17 Jesus said to her, “Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” 18 Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”; and she told them that he had said these things to her.

Commentary

The Fourth Gospel is different in many ways from the Synoptic Gospels. The “signs” (miracles) and many stories in the Fourth Gospel are unique to it, such as the Wedding at Cana, Jesus’ conversation with the Samaritan woman at the well, and the Raising of Lazarus.

The chronology of events is also different in the Fourth Gospel. For example, the Temple Event (“Cleansing of the Temple”) occurred early in Jesus’ Ministry in the Fourth Gospel, rather than late as in the Synoptic Gospels. In the Synoptic Gospels, the Last Supper was a Passover Seder, but in the Fourth Gospel, it occurred the day before the first day of Passover so that Jesus (who was described as “the Lamb of God” in the Fourth Gospel) died at the same time lambs were sacrificed at the Temple for the Passover Seder to be held the night he died.

Most scholars agree that the Gospel was written by an anonymous author around 95 CE, at a time when the “parting of the ways” between the Jesus Follower Movement and the Pharisees/Rabbinic Judaism was accelerating.

There are many differences between the accounts of the Resurrection in John and in the Synoptic Gospels. In the Fourth Gospel, imagery of light and dark is significant, and it is “still dark” when Mary Magdalene (alone in this Gospel) came to the tomb. In the Synoptic Gospels, it is “toward dawn” (Matt), “the sun had risen” (Mark), and “early dawn” (Luke). The New Jerome Biblical Commentary observes that although Mary is alone, she said “we do not know” (v.2) which reflects the engrafting of another tradition into the account.

In the Synoptic Gospels, Mary Magdalene was accompanied by “the other Mary” (Matt), “Mary the mother of James and Salome” (Mark) and “Joanna and Mary the mother of James and the other women” (Luke).

In all the accounts, the stone had been rolled away (in Matthew, by an earthquake). In the Synoptic Gospels, Mary and the others saw a man/angel (two in Luke).

In the Synoptic Gospels, Mary and the others told the disciples what they had seen but they were not believed. In John, Mary told Peter and the Beloved Disciple that the body had been taken out of the tomb, and they both ran to the tomb to see for themselves. In John, Peter and the Beloved Disciple saw linen wrappings but no angels (vv.6-7). Later, Mary saw two angels in the tomb (v.12).

As the accounts continued, the disciples were told that Jesus would see them in Galilee (Matt and Mark), but in Luke and John, the initial appearances of the Risen Christ were in in Jerusalem.

The New Oxford Annotated Bible notes that the “they” to whom Mary referred (v.3) may have been grave robbers, but linens were valuable and grave robbers would not have left them behind.

The NJBC offers these insights regarding the theology of the Fourth Gospel: The concluding portions of this reading say that Jesus’ return was not to the disciples. Rather, his return was to his place with the Father. It observes that John sees Jesus’ crucifixion, resurrection, exultation, and return to heavenly glory as part of a single event. Jesus’ resurrection was not as if Jesus had returned to life and then later ascended into heaven. Rather, Jesus has passed into an entirely different reality.

In The Fourth Gospel: Tales of a Jewish Mystic, Bishop Spong analyzed the Resurrection story in depth. He noted that the earliest writings about the Resurrection portrayed it as something done to Jesus by God. “He was raised” (rather than “he rose”) is the language used by Paul in all his epistles.

Spong observed that in the Fourth Gospel accounts of the Resurrection, there are four separable stories that have been combined: (1) the Mary Magdalene story (vv.1 and 11-18; (2) the Peter and the Beloved Disciple story (vv. 2-10) which was a standalone story inserted into the account; (3) the Upper Room story in which the disciples were completely unaware of the Magdalene Story and the Peter/Beloved Disciple Story; and (4) the Doubting Thomas story dealing with the meaning of faith.

Spong describes Resurrection eloquently. He says: “Resurrection is not about physical resuscitation. It is about entering and participating in the ‘new being.’ It is about the transformative power that is found in Jesus; that which issues in new dimensions of what it means to be human.”

Later, he says: “Resurrection is not something that occurred just in the life of Jesus; it occurs or it can occur in each of us. The Christian life is not about believing creeds or being obedient to divine rules; is about living, loving, and being. Resurrection comes when we are freed to give our lives away, freed to live beyond the boundaries of our fears, freed not only to be ourselves, but to empower all others to be themselves in the full, rich variety of our multifaceted humanity. Here prejudice dies. Here wholeness is tasted. Here resurrection becomes real.”

Matthew 28:1-10

Reading

1 After the sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. 2 And suddenly there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord, descending from heaven, came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. 4 For fear of him the guards shook and became like dead men. 5 But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. 6 He is not here; for he has been raised, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He has been raised from the dead, and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him.’ This is my message for you.” 8 So they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy and ran to tell his disciples. 9 Suddenly Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came to him, took hold of his feet, and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”

Commentary

The Gospel of Matthew highlights Jesus’ origins and identity. Written around 85 CE by an anonymous author, the Gospel began Jesus’s genealogy with Abraham and depicted Jesus as a teacher of the Law like Moses. More than any other Gospel, Matthew quoted from the Hebrew Scriptures (using the Greek Septuagint Translation) to illustrate that Jesus was the Messiah.

Having been written after the Destruction of the Temple in 70 CE, the Gospel reflected the controversies between the Jesus Followers and the Pharisees for control of Judaism going forward. Accordingly, the Gospel contains many harsh sayings about the Pharisees. The Gospel is aimed primarily at the late First Century Jewish Jesus Follower community.

The Gospel relied heavily on the Gospel of Mark and included all but 60 verses from Mark. Like Luke, Matthew also used a “Sayings Source” (called “Q” by scholars) which are found in Matthew and Luke but not in Mark and John. There are also a substantial number of stories that are unique to Matthew: the Annunciation of Jesus’ conception was revealed to Joseph in a dream (rather than by an angel to Mary as in Luke); the Visit of the Magi; the Slaughter of the Innocents by Herod; the Flight to Egypt; the Laborers in the Vineyard; and the earthquake on Easter Morning, among others.

Although Matthew generally follows Mark’s account of the Resurrection, he does not include Salome (to be consistent with 27:61) or the intent of the women to anoint the body with spices (Mark 16:1) — which The New Jerome Biblical Commentary says the guards would not have permitted. The Jewish Annotated New Testament points out that women as well as men were allowed to visit and attend to tombs for both male and female deceased persons.

This account included an earthquake as the result of an angel’s rolling back the stone (v.2). As in Mark, the angel told the women to tell the disciples that the Resurrected Christ would see them in Galilee. Matthew added a meeting between the women and Jesus (vv. 9-10) in which the women took hold of Jesus’ feet and worshiped him. Jesus told the women to tell “his brothers” to go to Galilee.

Jeremiah 23:1-6

Reading

1 Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! says the LORD. 2 Therefore thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, concerning the shepherds who shepherd my people: It is you who have scattered my flock, and have driven them away, and you have not attended to them. So I will attend to you for your evil doings, says the LORD. 3 Then I myself will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the lands where I have driven them, and I will bring them back to their fold, and they shall be fruitful and multiply. 4 I will raise up shepherds over them who will shepherd them, and they shall not fear any longer, or be dismayed, nor shall any be missing, says the LORD.

5 The days are surely coming, says the LORD, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. 6 In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. And this is the name by which he will be called: “The LORD is our righteousness.”

Commentary

After the righteous and reforming King Josiah was killed in battle at Megiddo (from which we get the Greek word Armageddon) in 609 BCE, the fortunes of Judea took a sharp downward turn. Babylon threatened Judea’s existence, and Judea had a series of hapless kings from 609 until Jerusalem was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BCE. The Babylonians deported many Judean leaders to Babylon in 597 and a larger number in 586 (the Babylonian Exile). Jeremiah’s prophesy (i.e., speaking for YHWH) began around 609 and continued until 586 BCE when he died in Egypt.

Most Bible scholars agree that the Book of Jeremiah underwent substantial revisions between the time of Jeremiah (627 to 586 BCE) and the First Century. In the Dead Sea Scrolls, there were different versions of the Book of Jeremiah. The Greek Septuagint Translation (the LXX – dating from 300 to 200 BCE) has some chapters that are not in the Hebrew versions.

Jeremiah is largely a prophet of doom and gloom, so much so that the English word “jeremiad” is defined as a long, mournful complaint or lamentation, a list of woes. In the Bible, the Book of Lamentations was placed after the Book of Jeremiah because of the (incorrect) view that Jeremiah wrote the Book of Lamentations.

Sections in the book that are in “poetry style” are generally attributed to the prophet, and parts in “prose style” were mostly added later by writers whose theological outlook was closely aligned with the Deuteronomists. (In fact, Chapter 52 in Jeremiah is virtually word-for-word with 2 Kings 24:18 to 25:30 written by the Deuteronomists after the Exile.)

One of the consistent themes in Jeremiah was his ongoing battles with the “court” prophets who told the king what the king wanted to hear and who opposed Jeremiah at every turn.

Today’s reading is in prose style and attacked the kings and priests (the “shepherds”). Consistent with the “do bad, get bad” theology of the Deuteronomists, YHWH (“LORD” in all capital letters) will “attend to” them for their “evil doings” (v.2).

The writers then held up the promise that YHWH would raise up for “David” (Judea) a righteous king who would enable Israel to live in safety and righteousness (v.5). For the Deuteronomists, YHWH was in charge of everything, and YHWH caused the Exile, the end of the Exile through Cyrus of Persia, the return of the Judeans to Jerusalem, and the relatively peaceful Persian Era (539 to 333 BCE).

If these “predictions” of YHWH’s promises were in fact made after the Exile, the writers had “20/20 hindsight” that the “remnant” (a common designation for the Judeans who returned to Jerusalem after the Exile) would be “fruitful and multiply” – the command given by God to humans in Gen. 1:28.

These prophesies by Jeremiah remained an important part of Ancient Israel’s understandings (and expectations) of what the Messiah would be and do.

Colossians 1:11-20

Reading

11 May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from his glorious power, and may you be prepared to endure everything with patience, while joyfully 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light. 13 He has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; 16 for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers– all things have been created through him and for him. 17 He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross.

Commentary

Colossae was a town in what is now western Turkey. A Jesus Follower community was founded there by Paul’s associate, Epaphras (1:7). The letter is short (three chapters) and expressed concern about apocalyptic and mystical practices that were inconsistent with Paul’s understanding of what it meant to be a Jesus Follower.

Scholars debate whether this letter was written by Paul or by his disciples in the decades after Paul’s death in 63 CE. It lacks many terms used in Paul’s authentic letters and its style is more liturgical than Paul’s other letters.

The first part of today’s reading is part of a prayer for spiritual wisdom for the Colossians. The author adopted an apocalyptic theme by contrasting light and darkness (vv. 12-13). He expressed the theme that believers are redeemed and receive forgiveness of sin in the Christ (v. 14). “Redemption” conveyed the sense of being bought back, the way something already owned is redeemed from a pawn shop.

The second part of the reading is a hymn to the Christ. The author described Jesus of Nazareth as the “image” (or symbol or manifestation) of the invisible God (v.15) and described the Cosmic Christ as the unifying force for all created things, the one who brings life to us even though we encounter our own deaths, and the force that reconciles all things in the God of Love. The Christ is the firstborn of all creation (v.15) and the firstborn of the dead (v.18) – the first person raised from the dead.

Luke 23:33-43

Reading

33 When they came to the place that is called The Skull, they crucified Jesus there with the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. 34 Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” 35 And they cast lots to divide his clothing. The people stood by, watching Jesus on the cross; but the leaders scoffed at him, saying, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Messiah of God, his chosen one!” 36 The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine, 37 and saying, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!” 38 There was also an inscription over him, “This is the King of the Jews.”

39 One of the criminals who were hanged there kept deriding him and saying, “Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” 40 But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? 41 And we indeed have been condemned justly, for we are getting what we deserve for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong.” 42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” 43 He replied, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”

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.

Although the Passion in Luke generally follows the Passion as recounted in Mark (which, in turn, relied on many motifs from Psalm 22), Luke’s account contained a number of episodes and sayings not found in any of the other gospels. For example, only in Luke did Jesus appear before Herod Antipas (23:6-12). Only in Luke did Jesus say, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing” (v.34) – a verse not found in all ancient manuscripts. The essence of this prayer was repeated by Stephen (the first martyr) in Acts 7:6, also written by the author of Luke.

In today’s reading, another exchange unique to Luke is the one between Jesus and the so-called “Good Thief” who rebuked the other criminal (v.40), asked to be remembered when Jesus came into his kingdom (v.42) and received the promise to be with Jesus “in Paradise” (v.43). The New Oxford Annotated Bible notes that “Paradise was originally a term for the garden of Eden (Gen. 2.8-10) and was a contemporary [in the First Century] term for the lodging place of the righteous dead prior to the resurrection.”

During Pentecost Season 2020, the Revised Common Lectionary offers two “tracks” of readings from the Hebrew Bible. Congregations may choose either track.

The first track of readings follows major stories and themes, read mostly continuously from week to week. The second track of readings thematically pairs the reading from the Hebrew Bible with the Gospel reading.

The readings from the Epistles are the same in both tracks.

Hosea 11:1-11

Reading

1 When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son.
2 The more I called them, the more they went from me; they kept sacrificing to the Baals and offering incense to idols.
3 Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk, I took them up in my arms; but they did not know that I healed them.
4 I led them with cords of human kindness, with bands of love. I was to them like those who lift infants to their cheeks. I bent down to them and fed them.
5 They shall return to the land of Egypt, and Assyria shall be their king, because they have refused to return to me.
6 The sword rages in their cities, it consumes their oracle-priests, and devours because of their schemes.
7 My people are bent on turning away from me To the Most High they call, but he does not raise them up at all.
8 How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I hand you over, O Israel? How can I make you like Admah? How can I treat you like Zeboiim? My heart recoils within me; my compassion grows warm and tender.
9 I will not execute my fierce anger; I will not again destroy Ephraim; for I am God and no mortal, the Holy One in your midst, and I will not come in wrath.
10 They shall go after the LORD, who roars like a lion; when he roars, his children shall come trembling from the west.
11 They shall come trembling like birds from Egypt, and like doves from the land of Assyria;
and I will return them to their homes, says the LORD.

Commentary

After Solomon died in 928 BCE, the Kingdom of Israel split into two parts, the North (called Israel with 10 tribes) and the South (Judea with two tribes). Each Kingdom had its own king.

The reign of King Jeroboam II of Israel (788-747 BCE) was very prosperous, but a time of great inequality between rich and poor in which large landowners gained control of the lands of small farmers and mistreated the poor.

Hosea is one of the 12 “minor” prophets whose works are shorter than the three “major” prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel). He was a contemporary of Amos. His prophesying (speaking for YHWH) began towards the end of the reign of King Jeroboam II and continued until Israel was conquered by the Assyrians in 722 BCE. He severely criticized the political, social, and religious life in the Northern Kingdom. He was the first of the prophets whose speeches were collected and edited as literary documents.

In today’s reading, Hosea shifted his metaphor of Israel from being an unfaithful wife to Israel as a special (but wayward) child of YHWH who rejected God’s call and made sacrifices to Baal (v.2). These are two of the most intimate metaphors for the relationship of Israel and YHWH.

In today’s reading, the author used a number of different names for Israel, particularly “Ephraim.” Ephraim (v.3) was one of Joseph’s sons and was the name of the largest of the 10 tribes that comprised Northern Israel. The prophet referred to the Exodus from Egypt (v.1) and emphasized the influence of YHWH in Israel’s beginnings (v.3).

Hosea noted (perhaps as a later addition to the text) that Assyria would be the “king” of Northern Israel (v.5), an event that occurred in 722 BCE when Assyria conquered Israel.

In the last half of today’s reading, Hosea (still speaking for the LORD – all capital letters in the NRSV) said that YHWH’s compassion overcame divine anger. He said that YHWH would not treat Israel as Admah and Zeboiim (v.8) were treated. According to Deuteronomy 29:23, these two cities destroyed when Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed.

God’s change of heart and the decision not to obliterate Ephraim (v.9) was tied to the second part of the verse “For I am God and no mortal.” The lion’s roar (v.10) was not threatening but was a summons to its cubs.

Ecclesiastes 1:2, 12-14, 2:18-23

Reading

2 Vanity of vanities, says the Teacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity.

12 I, the Teacher, when king over Israel in Jerusalem, 13 applied my mind to seek and to search out by wisdom all that is done under heaven; it is an unhappy business that God has given to human beings to be busy with. 14 I saw all the deeds that are done under the sun; and see, all is vanity and a chasing after wind.

2:18 I hated all my toil in which I had toiled under the sun, seeing that I must leave it to those who come after me – 19 and who knows whether they will be wise or foolish? Yet they will be master of all for which I toiled and used my wisdom under the sun. This also is vanity. 20 So I turned and gave my heart up to despair concerning all the toil of my labors under the sun, 21 because sometimes one who has toiled with wisdom and knowledge and skill must leave all to be enjoyed by another who did not toil for it. This also is vanity and a great evil. 22 What do mortals get from all the toil and strain with which they toil under the sun? 23 For all their days are full of pain, and their work is a vexation; even at night their minds do not rest. This also is vanity.

Commentary

Ecclesiastes was written by a person known in Hebrew as Qohelet (which means the “Gatherer” of Wisdom, or “Teacher” or “Preacher”). Because the book contains Persian and Aramaic “loan-words,” the book is generally dated to the middle of the time of Persian rule of Judea (539 to 333 BCE). (Loan-words are words borrowed from one language to another; for example, “rendezvous” is a loan-word in English from French.)

The Persian Period was one of great prosperity, in large measure because of the introduction of standard coinage in the Middle East. In this period, however, the individual was an insignificant part of a large Empire.

Ecclesiastes is included in the Writings (Ketubim) in the Hebrew Bible, but in the Wisdom Books in Christian Bibles. In Judaism today, it is read on Sukkot, the celebration of the fall harvest and the ending of the yearly Torah cycle.

In verse 12, Qohelet assumed the persona of Solomon, the traditionally wise king who reigned from 968 to 928 BCE, but the book was written much later.

The over-arching theme in Ecclesiastes is that everything is “vanity” (the Hebrew word, hebel, is also translated as “vapor” or “breath” and is used 38 times in the book). Our lives are transient and insignificant. “Vanity” described all that is ephemeral, insubstantial, enigmatic, or absurd. Qohelet asserted that the fruit of one’s toil and one’s wisdom and knowledge cannot be taken with us when we die. Death is inevitable for all.

The Jewish Study Bible notes that later commentators pointed out that “futility” applied to actions by humans for themselves alone but acts done on behalf of others in service to God can last and be worthwhile.

“Vanity of vanities” (v.2) was a way of expressing a superlative in Hebrew and means “utter vanity.” “Toil” (v.18) meant not only work, but the fruit of one’s work, and toil does not give you any advantages in the face of death.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 formed the basis for The Byrds song “There is a Season, Turn, Turn, Turn.”

The concluding themes of the book are to enjoy life while you can, for after death there is nothingness.

Colossians 3:1-11

Reading

1 If you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth, 3 for you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is your life is revealed, then you also will be revealed with him in glory.

5 Put to death, therefore, whatever in you is earthly: fornication, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed (which is idolatry). 6 On account of these the wrath of God is coming on those who are disobedient. 7 These are the ways you also once followed, when you were living that life. 8 But now you must get rid of all such things– anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive language from your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have stripped off the old self with its practices 10 and have clothed yourselves with the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge according to the image of its creator. 11 In that renewal there is no longer Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and free; but Christ is all and in all!

Commentary

Colossae was a town in what is now western Turkey. A Jesus Follower community was founded there by Paul’s associate, Epaphras (1:7). The letter is short (three chapters) and expressed concern about apocalyptic and mystical practices that were inconsistent with Paul’s understanding of being a Jesus Follower.

Scholars debate whether this letter was written by Paul or by his disciples in the decade after Paul’s death in 63 CE. It lacks many terms used in Paul’s authentic letters and its style is more liturgical than Paul’s letters.

In today’s reading, the author gave a series of ethical exhortations to the Colossians. These exhortations are derived from last week’s reading (“when you were buried with him in baptism, you were also raised with him through faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.” 2:12). The sins were described as “earthly” (v.5) and the author described the pre-baptismal life as a catalogue of vices (v.8).

The author concluded with one of Paul’s most important theological insights – that the Christ (the Messiah) is the ultimate unifying principle and force for all reality. “The Christ is all and is in all” (v.11) so that there is no longer a dichotomy between the “sacred” and the “profane” just as there is no essential difference between a Gentile (a “Greek”) and Jew, slave and free and the like (v.11). According to The Jewish Annotated New Testament, a “barbarian” was a person who spoke no Greek and a “Scythian” was the epitome of an uncivilized person in Greek literature.

Luke 12:13-21

Reading

13 Someone in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.” 14 But he said to him, “Friend, who set me to be a judge or arbitrator over you?” 15 And he said to them, “Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.” 16 Then he told them a parable: “The land of a rich man produced abundantly. 17 And he thought to himself, `What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?’ 18 Then he said, `I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, `Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.’ 20 But God said to him, `You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ 21 So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God.”

Commentary

The Gospel According to Luke is generally regarded as having been written around 85 CE. Its author also wrote the Acts of the Apostles. Both books were written in elegant and deliberatively crafted Greek and presented Jesus of Nazareth as the universal savior of humanity. Both emphasized the Holy Spirit as the “driving force” for events.

The Gospel followed the same general chronology of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection as the Gospel of Mark, and more than 40% of Luke’s Gospel was based on Mark. The other portions of Luke include (a) sayings shared with the Gospel According to Matthew but not found in Mark and (b) stories that are unique to Luke such as the Annunciation, the Visitation, the Presentation in the Temple, the Prodigal Son, and the Good Samaritan.

In the first part of today’s reading, Jesus refused to enter a dispute between two brothers about an inheritance. Although the rule in Deuteronomy 21.17 mandated that the oldest brother would receive an extra share (2/3 if there were only two brothers), The Jewish Annotated New Testament points out that “postbiblical practice allowed parents freedom in bequests.”

Using this dispute as an introduction, the reading continues with what is often called “The Parable of the Rich Fool.” In characterizing the man as “rich” (v.16), Luke generally meant that the person did not use his wealth to support the poor.

The advice the rich man gave to his soul (“relax, eat, drink and be merry” in v.19) was a paraphrase of advice in Ecclesiastes 8:15.

The phrase translated as “You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you” (v.20) literally was “Fool! In this night, your soul they demand from you.” The subject “they” may be a circumlocution for God, or angels, or the man’s possessions. The question about whose possessions they will be echoes themes in Ecclesiastes.

During Pentecost Season 2020, the Revised Common Lectionary offers two “tracks” of readings from the Hebrew Bible. Congregations may choose either track.

The first track of readings follows major stories and themes, read mostly continuously from week to week. The second track of readings thematically pairs the reading from the Hebrew Bible with the Gospel reading.

The readings from the Epistles are the same in both tracks.

Hosea 1:2-10

Reading

2 When the LORD first spoke through Hosea, the LORD said to Hosea, “Go, take for yourself a wife of whoredom and have children of whoredom, for the land commits great whoredom by forsaking the LORD.” 3 So he went and took Gomer daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son.

4 And the LORD said to him, “Name him Jezreel; for in a little while I will punish the house of Jehu for the blood of Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel. 5 On that day I will break the bow of Israel in the valley of Jezreel.”

6 She conceived again and bore a daughter. Then the LORD said to him, “Name her Lo-ruhamah, for I will no longer have pity on the house of Israel or forgive them. 7 But I will have pity on the house of Judah, and I will save them by the LORD their God; I will not save them by bow, or by sword, or by war, or by horses, or by horsemen.”

8 When she had weaned Lo-ruhamah, she conceived and bore a son. 9 Then the LORD said, “Name him Lo-ammi, for you are not my people and I am not your God.”

10 Yet the number of the people of Israel shall be like the sand of the sea, which can be neither measured nor numbered; and in the place where it was said to them, “You are not my people,” it shall be said to them, “Children of the living God.”

Commentary

After Solomon died in 928 BCE, the Kingdom of Israel split into two parts, the North (called Israel with 10 tribes) and the South (Judea with two tribes). Each Kingdom had its own king.

The reign of King Jeroboam II of Israel (788-747 BCE) was very prosperous, but a time of great inequality between rich and poor in which large landowners gained control of the lands of small farmers. The Jewish Study Bible describes it as “a period of apostasy, social disintegration, wrongful leadership, failed alliances, and a lack of reverence for the LORD.”

Hosea is one of the 12 “minor” prophets whose works are shorter than the three “major” prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel). He was a contemporary of Amos. His prophesying (speaking for YHWH) began towards the end of the reign of King Jeroboam II (747 BCE) and continued until Israel was conquered by the Assyrians in 722 BCE. He severely criticized the political, social, and religious life in the Northern Kingdom. He was the first of the prophets whose speeches were collected and edited as literary documents.

His main themes were Israel’s abandoning of the LORD, the LORD’s punishment for that abandonment, calls for Israel’s repentance, and hope of a reconciliation.

Hosea sometimes referred to the Northern Kingdom as “Ephraim” (the largest tribe and named for Joseph’s son) or “Samaria,” its capital.

Hosea used powerful symbolic images of marriage and faithlessness to describe the covenant relationship between YHWH and Israel. He described Israel as a promiscuous woman and an unfaithful wife (v.2) and his wife’s children were given symbolic names – “God sows” (v.4), “not pitied” or “not loved” (v.6) and “not my people” (literally, “no-kin-of-mine”)(v.9). Hosea interpreted the unfolding disaster as a divine punishment for Israel’s violating the commands of YHWH by worshiping other gods and saw the Assyrians as God’s instrument.

The name “Jezreel” (God sows) is the name of an actual place in Israel. The Jezreel Valley is one of the most fertile parts of Israel (even today). It was the place where Jeroboam’s predecessors (the House of Jehu) staged a bloody coup against Ahab in 842 BCE. (Ironically, according to 2 Kings 9-10, the coup by Jehu was directed by YHWH through the prophet Elisha.) The name itself also includes a double meaning in that similar Hebrew words (zr and zrh) mean “to sow” and “to scatter.”

Hosea said that YHWH (“LORD” in all capital letters in the NRSV) had pity on Judea (v.7). Although Hosea addressed the situation in Northern Israel, The Jewish Study Bible points out that “its intended readers were the Judeans who could constructively reflect on the demise of the Northern Kingdom.” This reflection on Israel’s demise and the reforms of King Josiah (640-609 BCE) did not last, however, and Judea was conquered by the Babylonians in 597 BCE.

Genesis 18:20-32

Reading

20 The LORD said to Abraham, “How great is the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah and how very grave their sin! 21 I must go down and see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry that has come to me; and if not, I will know.”

22 So the men turned from there, and went toward Sodom, while Abraham remained standing before the LORD. 23 Then Abraham came near and said, “Will you indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked? 24 Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city; will you then sweep away the place and not forgive it for the fifty righteous who are in it? 25 Far be it from you to do such a thing, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked! Far be that from you! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?” 26 And the LORD said, “If I find at Sodom fifty righteous in the city, I will forgive the whole place for their sake.” 27 Abraham answered, “Let me take it upon myself to speak to the LORD, I who am but dust and ashes. 28 Suppose five of the fifty righteous are lacking? Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five?” And he said, “I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there.” 29 Again he spoke to him, “Suppose forty are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of forty I will not do it.” 30 Then he said, “Oh do not let the LORD be angry if I speak. Suppose thirty are found there.” He answered, “I will not do it, if I find thirty there.” 31 He said, “Let me take it upon myself to speak to the LORD. Suppose twenty are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of twenty I will not destroy it.” 32 Then he said, “Oh do not let the LORD be angry if I speak just once more. Suppose ten are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of ten I will not destroy it.”

Commentary

Genesis is the first book of the Torah (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy). The Torah also called the Pentateuch (“five books”) in Greek. Genesis covers the period from Creation to the deaths of Jacob and his 11th son, Joseph, in about 1650 BCE, if the accounts are historical.

The Book of Genesis (like the Torah as a whole) is an amalgam of religious traditions, some of which are dated to about 950 BCE and some of which were developed as late as 450 BCE. Since the late 19th Century, Biblical scholars have recognized four major “strands” or sources in the Torah, and these sources are identified (among other ways) by their different theological emphases, names for God, names for the holy mountain, and portrayals of God’s characteristics.

The first 11 Chapters of Genesis are called the “primeval history” which ends with the Tower of Babel story — an “etiology” (story of origins) relating to the scattering of humankind and the multiplicity of languages. The last chapter of the primeval history traces Abram’s lineage back to Noah’s son, Shem (which means “name” in Hebrew and from which we get the word “Semites”).

This week’s reading begins after the “men” left Mamre and “looked toward” Sodom (v.16). Abraham went with them and sent them on their way. YHWH then had an internal conversation in which YHWH considered not disclosing to Abraham YHWH’s plan to destroy Sodom (v.17). Treating Abraham as a prophet (as later described in 20:7), YHWH disclosed the plan of destruction because Abraham would “become a great and prosperous nation” (v.18).

To learn if “the outrage of Sodom and Gomorrah is so great” (v.20), this anthropomorphic YHWH checked on it (v.21), just as YHWH did in deciding the fate of Babel (Gen 11:5).

In today’s reading, Abraham conducted a back-and-forth negotiation with a very human-like YHWH regarding the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. By appealing to YHWH’s sense of fairness and justice, Abraham got YHWH to reduce to 10 the number of “righteous” people needed to save the cities.

The Jewish Study Bible notes that Abraham’s plea for mercy is not that YHWH save the innocent and punish the guilty, but that the entire city be spared. YHWH agreed to forgive all for the sake of the innocent. The JSB goes on: “The underlying theology maintains that the righteous effect deliverance for the entire community….This idea is prominent in rabbinic literature where it underlies the notion of thirty six righteous individuals for whom the world endures.”

Nevertheless, the two cities were destroyed by YHWH in the next chapter.

In verse 27, Abraham referred to himself as “but dust and ashes.” This is the same phrase used by Job after the theophany near the end of the book (Job 42:6)

Colossians 2:6-19

Reading

6 As you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, continue to live your lives in him, 7 rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.

8 See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the universe, and not according to Christ. 9 For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, 10 and you have come to fullness in him, who is the head of every ruler and authority. 11 In him also you were circumcised with a spiritual circumcision, by putting off the body of the flesh in the circumcision of Christ; 12 when you were buried with him in baptism, you were also raised with him through faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead. 13 And when you were dead in trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive together with him, when he forgave us all our trespasses, 14 erasing the record that stood against us with its legal demands. He set this aside, nailing it to the cross. 15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and made a public example of them, triumphing over them in it.

16 Therefore do not let anyone condemn you in matters of food and drink or of observing festivals, new moons, or sabbaths. 17 These are only a shadow of what is to come, but the substance belongs to Christ. 18 Do not let anyone disqualify you, insisting on self-abasement and worship of angels, dwelling on visions, puffed up without cause by a human way of thinking, 19 and not holding fast to the head, from whom the whole body, nourished and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows with a growth that is from God.

Commentary

Colossae was a town in what is now western Turkey. A Jesus Follower community was founded there by Paul’s associate, Epaphras (1:7). The letter is short (three chapters) and expressed concern about apocalyptic and mystical practices that were inconsistent with Paul’s understanding of being a Jesus Follower.

Scholars debate whether this letter was written by Paul or by his disciples in the decade after Paul’s death in 63 CE. It lacks many terms used in Paul’s authentic letters and its style is more liturgical than Paul’s other letters.

Today’s reading is the theological core of the Letter to the Colossians – that Jesus the Christ was the living embodiment of God (v.9) and that the fullness of one’s humanity comes by “living one’s life in [Jesus the Christ]” (v.6).

The author noted that the Colossians had orally received Christ and warned against “philosophy” (other ethical or religious teachings) and practices associated with some forms of 1st Century Judaism: “elemental spirits” (v.8), physical circumcision (v.13), matters of food and drink (v.16), and observing festivals, new moons, and Sabbaths (v. 16).

The New Oxford Annotated Bible sees the reference to the “shadow of what is to come” (v.17) as “Platonic language indicating the superiority of Christ.” The church’s growth (the body) grows through the Christ which is “growth from God” (v.19).

The Jewish Annotated New Testament notes that in this section, the author “simultaneously condemns Greek philosophical tradition, Jewish legal teaching and pagan worship.” Unlike Paul’s authentic letters, Colossians speaks of resurrection in the present (“you were also raised with him [Christ] through faith” in baptism (v.12).

Luke 11:1-13

Reading

1 Jesus was praying in a certain place, and after he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.” 2 He said to them, “When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. 3 Give us each day our daily bread.
4 And forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone indebted to us. And do not bring us to the time of trial.”

5 And he said to them, “Suppose one of you has a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say to him, `Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; 6 for a friend of mine has arrived, and I have nothing to set before him.’ 7 And he answers from within, `Do not bother me; the door has already been locked, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything.’ 8 I tell you, even though he will not get up and give him anything, because he is his friend, at least because of his persistence he will get up and give him whatever he needs.

9 “So I say to you, Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. 10 For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. 11 Is there anyone among you who, if your child asks for a fish, will give a snake instead of a fish? 12 Or if the child asks for an egg, will give a scorpion? 13 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

Commentary

The Gospel According to Luke is generally regarded as having been written around 85 CE. Its author also wrote the Acts of the Apostles. Both books were written in elegant and deliberatively crafted Greek and presented Jesus of Nazareth as the universal savior of humanity. Both emphasized the Holy Spirit as the “driving force” for events.

The Gospel followed the same general chronology of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection as the Gospel of Mark, and more than 40% of Luke’s Gospel was based on Mark. The other portions of Luke include (a) sayings shared with the Gospel According to Matthew but not found in Mark 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.

This reading is in two parts – the first is Luke’s shorter version of the Lord’s Prayer, as compared to the one in Matthew 6:9-13. The NAOB points out that there is an eschatological cast to the petitions (“Thy kingdom come; thy will be done”) that look towards an end-times. But there are also concerns related to daily life.

The second part of the reading relates to persistence in prayer, Although it does not say that the praying person will get precisely what the person is praying for, the assurance given is that the person will “get whatever he needs” (v. 8); “the door will be opened” (v.10); and the heavenly Father will “give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him” (v.13). All of these are open-ended and indefinite but tell us that our prayers will be “answered” in some way.