Reading

1 There will be no gloom for those who were in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he will make glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations.
2 The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness– on them light has shined.
3 You have multiplied the nation, you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as people exult when dividing plunder.
4 For the yoke of their burden, and the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor,
you have broken as on the day of Midian.

Commentary

The Book of Isaiah is a composite of writings from three distinct periods in Ancient Israel’s history. The writings were compiled from about 700 BCE to about 300 BCE.

Chapters 1-39 are called “First Isaiah” and are the words of a prophet (one who speaks for YHWH – translated as “LORD” in all capital letters in the NRSV) who called for Jerusalem to repent in the 30 years before Jerusalem came under siege by the Assyrians in 701 BCE. “Second Isaiah” is Chapters 40 to 55. In these chapters, a prophet brought hope to the Judeans during the Exile in Babylon (587 to 539 BCE) by telling them they had suffered enough and would return to Jerusalem. “Third Isaiah” is Chapters 56 to 66 in which a prophet gave encouragement to the Judeans who had returned to Jerusalem (which was largely destroyed by the Babylonians in 587 BCE) after the Exile had ended.

Today’s reading is part of a seven-verse “insert” that doesn’t fit well with the chapters and verses before and after it. These verses described a new king (likely Hezekiah who overcame the Assyrian siege of Jerusalem in 701 BCE) who will restore lands of two of the Tribes of Israel (Naphtali and Zebulun) taken by the Assyrians in 733.

In verse 4, the author recalled the victory of Gideon and 300 men with trumpets over the Midianites (Judges 7:15-25) and said the king will remove the yoke of military oppression imposed on Israel.

1 Corinthians 1:10-18

Reading

10 Now I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you be in agreement and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same purpose. 11 For it has been reported to me by Chloe’s people that there are quarrels among you, my brothers and sisters. 12 What I mean is that each of you says, “I belong to Paul,” or “I belong to Apollos,” or “I belong to Cephas,” or “I belong to Christ.” 13 Has Christ been divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? 14 I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15 so that no one can say that you were baptized in my name. 16 (I did baptize also the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.) 17 For Christ did not send me to baptize but to proclaim the gospel, and not with eloquent wisdom, so that the cross of Christ might not be emptied of its power.
18 For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

Commentary

Corinth, a large port city in Greece, was among the early Jesus Follower communities that Paul founded. Its culture was diverse and Hellenistic. Corinthians emphasized reason and secular wisdom. In addition to Paul, other Jesus Followers taught in Corinth, sometimes in ways inconsistent with Paul’s understandings of what it meant to be a Jesus Follower.

Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians was written in the 50’s (CE) and presented his views on many issues that were controversial in this Jesus Follower Community.

Today’s reading from the opening chapter of the letter follows last week’s reading. In it, Paul called for unity among the Corinthian Jesus Followers. He emphasized that loyalty to a single teacher or to one’s baptizer is not proper and noted that the Christ is not divisible (v.13).

Paul appeared to believe that the primary divisions were between followers of Apollos and himself (v.12 and 3:22). Apollos was from Alexandria in Egypt and was known for his eloquence and knowledge of scriptures (Acts 18:24-28).

Paul identified “eloquent wisdom” (v.17) as the cause of the divisions and a threat to the power of the cross of the Christ.

8

READINGS FOR CHRISTMAS I

Isaiah 9:2-7

Chapters 1-39 are called “First Isaiah” and are the words of a prophet (one who speaks for YHWH) who called for Jerusalem to repent in the 20 years before Jerusalem came under siege by the Assyrians in 701 BCE.  “Second Isaiah” is Chapters 40 to 55. In these chapters, a prophet brought hope to the Judeans during the Exile in Babylon(587 to 539 BCE) by telling them they had suffered enough and would return to Jerusalem. “Third Isaiah” is Chapters 56 to 66 and, for the most part, are the words of a prophet who gave encouragement to Judeans who returned to Jerusalem(which was largely destroyed by the Babylonians in 587 BCE) after the Exile.

The Book of Isaiah is a composite of writings from three distinct periods in Ancient Israel’s history. The writings were compiled from about 700 BCE to about 300 BCE.

In today’s reading from First Isaiah, the prophet celebrates the birth of a new king, most likely King Hezekiah of Judea, who was born c.741 BCE and reigned from c.715 to 686 BCE. He was a religious reformer, and was king when the Assyrians besieged Jerusalem unsuccessfully in 701 BCE. He is included in the genealogy of Jesus of Nazareth in the Gospel According to Matthew (Matt. 1:9-10)

Titus 2:11-14

Although Titus is not mentioned in the extensive descriptions of Paul’s journeys in the last half of Acts of the Apostles, he is mentioned in two of Paul’s authentic epistles – Galatians and Corinthians.  Titus was Paul’s co-worker and envoy, and this letter is crafted as if it were a reminder to Titus to serve the large Jewish Jesus Follower Community in Crete. The letter was structured as one intended for an audience, and not just for one person.

The Letter to Titus is one of the so-called “Pastoral Letters” (the others are 1 and 2 Timothy) which contain advice to Paul’s co-workers and to the Jesus Follower communities as they were becoming more structured.  Most scholars conclude that the Pastoral Letters were written in Paul’s name by some of Paul’s disciples well after Paul’s death in Rome in 63 CE. 

In today’s reading, the author presents succinct creed-like statements about key understandings of the meaning of the life and death of Jesus of Nazareth, and the continuing work of the Spirit. The “wait for the manifestation of the glory” in verse 13 is an example of the continued (and growing) expectation of a “Second Coming” when all the anticipated manifestations of the Coming of the Messiah (the Christ) would be fulfilled.

The Book of Isaiah is a composite of writings from three distinct periods in Israel’s history. Chapters 1-39 are called “First Isaiah” and were written in the 20 years before Jerusalem was under direct siege by the Assyrians in 701 BCE. “Second Isaiah” is Chapters 40 to 55 and brings hope to the Judeans during the time of the Exile in Babylon (587 to 539 BCE) by telling them they have suffered enough and will return to Jerusalem. “Third Isaiah” is Chapters 56 to 66 and gives encouragement to the Judeans who returned to Jerusalem after the Exile.

Today’s reading is part of a seven-verse “insert” that doesn’t fit well with the chapters and verses before and after it. These verses describe a new king (likely Hezekiah who overcame the Assyrian siege of Jerusalem in 701 BCE) who will restore lands of two of the Tribes of Israel (Naphtali and Zebulun) taken by the Assyrians in 733. In verse 4, the author recalls the victory of Gideon and 300 men with trumpets over the Midianites (Judges 7:15-25), and says the king will remove the yoke of military oppression imposed on Israel.

1 Corinthians 1:10-18

Corinth, a large port city in Greece, was among the early Jesus Follower communities that Paul founded. Its culture was Hellenistic and emphasized reason and secular wisdom. In addition to Paul, other Jesus Followers also taught in Corinth, sometimes in ways inconsistent with Paul’s understandings of what it means to be a Jesus Follower.

Today’s reading from the opening chapter of the letter follows last week’s reading. In it, Paul calls for unity among the Corinthian Jesus Followers. He emphasizes that loyalty to a single teacher or to one’s baptizer is not proper, and notes that Christ is not divisible. Paul identifies “eloquent wisdom” (v.17) as the cause of the divisions and a threat to the power of the cross of Christ.

After Solomon’s death in 930 BCE, the Unified Monarchy split in two: Israel consisting of the 10 Northern Tribes and Judea consisting of the Tribes of Judah and Benjamin. Ahaz was of the House of David (v.13) and the King of Judea around 730 BCE – when the Assyrian Empire was threatening both Israel and Judea. (Assyria conquered Israel in 722.)

In today’s reading, Ahaz is offered a sign by Yahweh to support what Isaiah is saying on God’s behalf. The sign is that a young woman (v.14) is with child and will bear a son whose name will be Immanuel (“God is with us”). This child will “eat curds and honey” (v.15) – which means in a time of prosperity and after the siege by the Assyrians ended. Most scholars opine that the “young woman” was the mother of Hezekiah who was the King of Judea when the Assyrians ended their siege of Jerusalem around the year 700 BCE.

In today’s Gospel, the author cites Isaiah 7:14 by saying a “virgin” shall conceive a son (Matt. 1:23). The reason for the difference between the two texts is that the author of the Gospel relied on a Greek translation of the Book Isaiah. In Hebrew, the word used in Isaiah is “almah” which means “young woman.” In the Greek translation of Isaiah, almah was translated as “parthenos” – which means virgin.

Romans 1:1-7

Paul’s letter to the Romans is his longest, last and most complex letter. It was written in the late 50s or early 60s (CE). Among other messages, Paul sought to encourage respectful and supportive relationships between the Gentile Jesus Followers and the Jewish Jesus Followers in Rome. (Jesus Followers were not called “Christians” until the 80’s.)

In today’s reading, Paul states that Jesus was “declared” to be Son of God by his resurrection from the dead (v.4). His reference to “Gentiles” (v.5) means the Gentile Jesus Followers. Paul then broadens his address to all the Jesus Follower Community in Rome (v.7).

The Book of Isaiah is a composite of writings from three distinct periods in Israel’s history. Chapters 1-39 are called “First Isaiah” and were mostly written in the 30 years before Jerusalem was under direct siege by the Assyrians in 701 BCE. “Second Isaiah” is Chapters 40 to 55 and brings hope to the Judeans during the time of the Exile in Babylon (587 to 539 BCE) by telling them they have suffered enough and will return to Jerusalem. “Third Isaiah” is Chapters 56 to 66 and contains encouragement to the Judeans in Jerusalem after the Exile.

Today’s reading, even though it is one of the “First Isaiah” chapters, was likely written during the time of the Exile. It promises that the “ransomed” (v.10) – a reference to the Exiles — shall return to a fruitful land with joy. The chapters that follow this reading (Ch. 36-39) are an historical appendix which (except for a few verses) parallel 2 Kings 18 -20. These chapters describe the siege of Jerusalem by the Assyrians and the Judean King (Hezekiah) foolishly turning to the Babylonians for help. The inclusion of parts of 2 Kings in the Book of Isaiah shows the continuing influence of the Deuteronomists in forming the “final” versions of both Isaiah and Jeremiah.

James 5:7-10

Although the authorship of this epistle is not known, it has traditionally been attributed to James, the brother of Jesus, who is presented in Acts of the Apostles as the leader of the Jesus Follower community in Jerusalem. This James is sometimes called “James the Just” and is distinguished from “James the Great” (an apostle, brother of John, and son of Zebedee) and from “James the Less” (apostle and son of Alphaeus).

The letter is addressed to Jewish Jesus Followers and emphasizes the importance of good works. This emphasis has been understood by some (including Luther) as being opposed to Paul’s position that one is saved by Faith alone. These positions can be reconciled by recognizing that salvation/wholeness does not come from works alone and that a saving Faith leads to good works.

Today’s reading is from the last chapter of the Epistle, and offers consolation to the hearers. Like many other writings from the late First Century, it expresses the understanding that the coming of the Lord is near. (v.8)