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2024, March 17 ~ Jeremiah 31:31-34; Hebrews 5:5-10; John 12:20-33

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TODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
MARCH 17, 2024

Jeremiah 31:31-34

Reading

31 The days are surely coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. 32 It will not be like the covenant that I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt—a covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, says the LORD. 33 But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34 No longer shall they teach one another, or say to each other, “Know the LORD,” for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the LORD; for I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more.

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 part of a two-chapter “Book of Consolation” (Chapters 30 and 31). Today’s section is in prose style, and although it purports to be written during the Exile (586-539 BCE), it is considered by many scholars to be part of a “late stage” of the Deuteronomists’ continuing development of the Book of Jeremiah after the Exile. The thoughts in these chapters are similar to Second Isaiah (Isaiah of the Exile) in stating that Jerusalem would be restored.

This reading is seen by The New Oxford Annotated Bible as being part of a “chain of eschatological texts.” It notes that the passage “presumes and interweaves the language of ancestral apostasy” and has an allusion to Judah’s hardened heart.

The passage claimed that the houses of Israel (Northern 10 tribes) and Judah (southern 2 Tribes) broke the Sinai Law Covenant (v. 32). YHWH promised to make a new covenant with them and write the Law on their hearts (vv. 31, 33) so they would know YHWH who will forgive them (v.34). For Jeremiah, the content of the new covenant is not different from the one at Sinai, but the difference is how the covenant is learned.

The Jewish Study Bible observes: “The new covenant [v.31] has been interpreted by Christians as a prophecy of the new covenant through Jesus, … but here it refers to the restoration of Israel after the Babylonian exile and the reconstruction of the Temple.”

The New Jerome Biblical Commentary points out that this passage is the only time the phrase “new covenant” was used in the Hebrew Scriptures and that for the Israelites, the concept of “heart” refers to human intelligence and willpower. Accordingly, The NJBC continues that the novelty of the new covenant is that it is situated in humankind itself — which now has the power to fulfill the plans that God has for it.

Hebrews 5:5-10

Reading

5 Christ did not glorify himself in becoming a high priest but was appointed by the one who said to him, “You are my Son, today I have begotten you” 6 as he says also in another place, “You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek.”

7 In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. 8 Although he was a Son, he learned obedience through what he suffered; 9 and having been made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him, 10 having been designated by God a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek.

Commentary

The Letter to the Hebrews was an anonymous sermon addressed to both Jewish and Gentile Jesus Followers which urged them to maintain their Faith in the face of persecution. The JANT points out that it is the only document in the Scriptures that contains a sustained discussion on the nature of the Christ, and that the letter was supersessionist in stating that the temple cult (which had to be repeated, and was therefore inferior – 10:1-5) was superseded by the “superior” one-time sacrifice of Jesus.

Although the Letter to the Hebrews is sometimes attributed to Paul, most scholars agree that it was written substantially after Paul’s death in 63 CE, but before 100 CE. According to The JANT, the language, style and purpose of the letter to the Hebrews is markedly different from the authentic Pauline epistles. The letter used the most sophisticated Greek in the Christian Scriptures and the author introduced a number of important theological themes such as the idea of the Christ as the “high priest of our confession” (3:1) and simultaneously, the perfect sacrifice (5:8). The first four chapters explored the word of God as spoken through the Son (v.2).

Today’s reading created the image of Jesus the Christ as being designated by God as a high priest of the order of Melchizedek (vv.6,10). Melchizedek was introduced in the Book of Genesis as the King of Salem (an ancient name for Jerusalem). He was also a High Priest of El (one of the oldest names for God and still found in names like Beth-el – House of God). Melchizedek made an offering of bread and wine and blessed Abram (Gen.14:18).

Here, the author of the letter used Psalm 2:7 (which was addressed to the House of David) to assert that Jesus the Christ is God’s begotten Son (v.5) who, by his obedience and his suffering, became the source of eternal salvation (vv.7-9). In verse 6, the author quoted Psalm 110:4 (which was also addressed to David) to assert that Jesus was a “priest.” He then expanded the title by changing it from “priest” to “high priest” (v.10).

The NAOB points out that the loud cries (v.7) are often understood as relating to Gethsemane, but the description can also portray other Jewish heroes such as Abraham or Moses who “prayed loudly to God for deliverance.” The JANT points out that the idea of steadfastness in suffering (v.7-8) which results in redemption (v.9) also appears in 2 Maccabees 6:12-16. Similarly, regarding verse 9, The JANT notes: “the idea that a martyr’s death atones for others is prominent in 4 Maccabees, an early Jewish text that became popular in Christian circles and continued to reverberate in various forms in rabbinic literature.”

John 12:20-33

Reading

20 Now among those who went up to worship at the festival were some Greeks. 21 They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and said to him, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” 22 Philip went and told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. 23 Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24 Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. 25 Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. Whoever serves me, the Father will honor.

27 “Now my soul is troubled. And what should I say – ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it is for this reason that I have come to this hour. 28 Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.” 29 The crowd standing there heard it and said that it was thunder. Others said, “An angel has spoken to him.” 30 Jesus answered, “This voice has come for your sake, not for mine. 31 Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. 32 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” 33 He said this to indicate the kind of death he was to die.

Commentary

The Fourth Gospel is different in many ways from the Synoptic Gospels. The “signs” (miracles) and many of the 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 “festival” referred to in verse 20 was the Passover, and today’s reading follows immediately after a description of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem in which the people greeted him with palm branches and continued to testify about the raising of Lazarus (v.17), much to the consternation of the Pharisees (v.19).

Unlike the Synoptic Gospels (particularly Mark), Jesus is not presented as vulnerable, and the cross in the Fourth Gospel is not about suffering. The cross is where Jesus, as Son of Man, is lifted up and glorified (v.23). This message is not only for the Jews, but also for the Greeks (v.20) – the Gentiles. Indeed, the author asserts, when Jesus is lifted up from the earth, “all people” will be drawn to him (v.32). Rather than asking the Father to “remove this cup from me” (Mark 14:36), Jesus asserted that being crucified is his mission (v.27).

The JANT describes the voice from heaven heard by the crowd as thunder or as angels (vv. 28-29) as “a rare form of direct revelation.”

In affirming that a grain of wheat must die to bring fruit, the author may have drawn on a similar thought in 1 Corinthians 15:36 which was expressed about 40 years earlier by Paul.

According to the author, Jesus’ death will reverse the “judgment of the world” and will drive out the “ruler of the world” (Satan – or the forces of evil) (v.31). The NJBC observes that Satan as the ruler of the world in its opposition to God is a frequent figure in Jewish apocalyptic literature.

2023, September 3 ~ Exodus 3:1-15; Jeremiah 15:15-21; Romans 12:9-21; Matthew 16:21-28

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TODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
SEPTEMBER 3, 2023

During Pentecost Season 2023, 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.

Exodus 3:1-15

Reading

1 Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian; he led his flock beyond the wilderness, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire out of a bush; he looked, and the bush was blazing, yet it was not consumed. 3 Then Moses said, “I must turn aside and look at this great sight and see why the bush is not burned up.” 4 When the LORD saw that he had turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” 5 Then he said, “Come no closer! Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” 6 He said further, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.

7 Then the LORD said, “I have observed the misery of my people who are in Egypt; I have heard their cry on account of their taskmasters. Indeed, I know their sufferings, 8 and I have come down to deliver them from the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the country of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. 9 The cry of the Israelites has now come to me; I have also seen how the Egyptians oppress them. 10 So come, I will send you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.” 11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” 12 He said, “I will be with you; and this shall be the sign for you that it is I who sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God on this mountain.”

13 But Moses said to God, “If I come to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” 14 God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” He said further, “Thus you shall say to the Israelites, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’“ 15 God also said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the Israelites, ‘The LORD, the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you’: This is my name forever, and this my title for all generations.

Commentary

The Book of Exodus is the second book of the Bible and covers the period from the slavery of the Israelites in Egypt under Pharaoh (around 1250 BCE, if the account is historical), the Exodus itself, and the early months in the Wilderness.

The Book of Exodus (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” (Yahwistic), “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.

Today’s reading is the first account of the Call of Moses and is from both the Yahwistic Source and Elohistic Source, melded together. For example, in verse 4, both the name YHWH and Elohim are used, and verses 7 and 8 from the J Source are duplicated by verses 9-10 from the E Source. Consistent with the J Source, God was presented anthropomorphically and had a conversation with Moses. Another account of Moses’ call is in Exodus 6 and comes from the Priestly Source.

Prior to today’s reading, Moses fled from Egypt after killing an Egyptian who was beating a Hebrew. (As The New Oxford Annotated Bible points out, notwithstanding his Egyptian upbringing and appearance (see 2:19), Moses identified with his own people.) Two Hebrew men saw the incident and Moses realized he would be found out. Indeed, according to the story, when the Pharoah heard of the event, he sought to kill Moses (2:15).

Moses fled to Midian where he rescued the seven daughters of the high priest at a well (2:16), and there met his wife, Zipporah (2:21). Later, while tending his father-in-law’s flocks, he came to Horeb (called “Sinai” in other parts of Exodus and the Tanakh). The NAOB says that Horeb (or Sinai) was “likely a Midianite sacred place. Its location is unknown but three poems support the notion here that it is southeast of Israel [nearer to Midian] rather than in what we now call the Sinai Peninsula.”

At Horeb, Moses encountered an angel of YHWH in a burning bush, turned away, and heard YHWH’s voice. After being commissioned by YHWH to bring the Israelites out of Egypt, Moses asked, in effect, which of the gods was directing him. He asked God’s name.

In the Bible, a name usually described a person’s qualities and functions. The power to name someone and, to a lesser extent, the power to call someone by name gave the ability to control them. The Jewish Study Bible says: “Not having been raised among his own people, Moses (like Pharaoh in 5.2) is ignorant of their [the Hebrews’] God’s name and fears he [Moses] will lack credibility with them. He is told God’s name, which the people evidently know already, though 6.3 implies otherwise. (Source critics assign 6.3 to the Priestly source while 3.9-15 are said to be from E).”

When Moses asks for God’s name, the elliptical response he received was “YHWH” – a form of the Hebrew word “to be.”

The name Moses received from the burning bush showed that God is not to be controlled. “YHWH” is variously translated as “I AM WHAT I AM” or “I WILL BE WHAT I WILL BE” (which The JSB understands to mean “My nature will become evident from My actions”) or “I AM BECOMING WHAT I AM BECOMING” or even “I AM HE WHO CAUSES TO BE.” One of the great insights of the Hebrew Bible is that YHWH is a God of Mystery, is active (as verbs are active) and is not a fixed being that can be described by a noun.

This story seems to indicate that the name “YHWH” was being introduced for the first time. But it also appeared in Genesis 4:26 and 13:4 as part of the Yahwistic tradition.

Jeremiah 15:15-21

Reading

15 O LORD, you know; remember me and visit me, and bring down retribution for me on my persecutors. In your forbearance do not take me away; know that on your account I suffer insult.
16 Your words were found, and I ate them, and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart; for I am called by your name, O LORD, God of hosts.
17 I did not sit in the company of merrymakers, nor did I rejoice; under the weight of your hand I sat alone, for you had filled me with indignation.
18 Why is my pain unceasing, my wound incurable, refusing to be healed? Truly, you are to me like a deceitful brook, like waters that fail.

19 Therefore, thus says the LORD: If you turn back, I will take you back, and you shall stand before me. If you utter what is precious, and not what is worthless, you shall serve as my mouth. It is they who will turn to you, not you who will turn to them.
20 And I will make you to this people a fortified wall of bronze; they will fight against you, but they shall not prevail over you, for I am with you to save you and deliver you, says the LORD.
21 I will deliver you out of the hand of the wicked and redeem you from the grasp of the ruthless.

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 the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem 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 are 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’s predictions of harsh times for Judea and Jerusalem were rejected by the kings and the “court prophets.” Because he opposed the power structure, he was ridiculed and mistreated.

Today’s reading is in poetry form and is a lament by Jeremiah in which he asked YHWH to vindicate him and bring retribution upon his opponents (v.15). He reported that he internalized and repeated YHWH’s words (“I ate them” v.16) (a similar notion of eating God’s words appears in Ezek. 2:8-3:3 where the prophet said the scroll tasted like honey.) Jeremiah said he was suffering deep pain/an incurable wound (v.18) and that he felt abandoned by YHWH whom he analogized to “a deceitful brook” (v.18b). The New Jerome Biblical Commentary notes that in Palestine in the summer, many brooks dry up and that the image of a “treacherous brook” also appears in Job 6:15-18.

In verses 19-21, YHWH replied to Jeremiah. The NOAB sees verse 19 as saying that YHWH took Jeremiah’s lament “as an abandonment of his prophetic commission” and that the concluding verses evoke “a recommissioning of the prophet” so that he would be delivered and redeemed.

The JSB sees Jeremiah’s recounting of his suffering and anguish to God in his own life as a model of Jerusalem and Judah’s suffering. The JSB sees God’s response as drawing a parallel “in measure-for-measure fashion between Jeremiah and Jerusalem — if Jeremiah/Jerusalem repents, God will take him back.” It understands the phrase “and you shall stand before me” (v.19) as suggesting “that Jeremiah at some point was stripped of his prophetic status, perhaps because he protested too strongly against God, siding with the people….Verse 20…may then be viewed as a recommissioning of Jeremiah as a prophet.”

Because Jeremiah is largely a prophet of doom and gloom, the English word “jeremiad” means a long, mournful complaint or lamentation, a list of woes. Because of Jeremiah’s laments, authorship of the Book of Lamentations was incorrectly attributed to him.

Romans 12:9-21

Reading

9 Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; 10 love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. 11 Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. 12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. 13 Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers.

14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are. 17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. 18 If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. 19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God; for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” 20 No, “if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink; for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Commentary

Paul’s letter to the Romans was his longest, last, and most complex letter. It was written in the late 50s or early 60s (CE) (about 10 years before the earliest Gospel (Mark) was written) to a Jesus Follower community that Paul did not establish. Among many messages in the letter, Paul sought to encourage respectful and supportive relationships between the Gentile Jesus Followers and the Jewish Jesus Followers in Rome.

The “backstory” is that in 49 CE, Emperor Claudius expelled all Jews from Rome, including Jewish Jesus Followers. The next Emperor was Nero who reigned from 54 to 68 CE. Nero reversed his predecessor’s decree and allowed Jews to return to Rome. This return caused tensions within the Jesus Follower Community in which Gentiles had become prominent.

Paul died in 63 or 64 CE. Accordingly, the Temple in Jerusalem (which was destroyed in 70) was in full operation all during Paul’s life. As a Jew who was also a Jesus Follower, Paul saw the Jesus Follower Movement as part of a broader Judaism and continued to have expectations about the fullness of the Coming of the Messiah/the Christ. The term “Christian” had not been invented in his lifetime.

Today’s reading is a continuation of a three-chapter portion of Romans in which Paul urged the Jesus Followers in Rome to engage in good conduct, particularly to each other. Building on his prior discussions, Paul urged all the Jesus Followers in Rome to love one another (v.10) and live in harmony (v.16). The NJBC notes that Paul used “philadelphia” (mutual love or brotherly love) in verse 10 to distinguish it from the wider obligation of agapē.

In verse 19, Paul paraphrased Deuteronomy 32:35 to say “vengeance” is God’s, but a better translation is “vindication” (or wholeness) because the idea in the paraphrased verse in Deuteronomy was that God would bring about justice (in the sense of making things right) — rather than revenge. The NRSV translator’s notes observe that the words “of God” are not in the original Greek texts in verse 19.

The NOAB understands “heap burning coals on their heads” (v.20) as intended to “make enemies feel ashamed and perhaps remorseful” with a reference to Proverbs 25:21-22, the notes to which say, “In an Egyptian ritual, perhaps known to the biblical sages, submitting to coals on the head demonstrated contrition. The sense here seems to be that undeserved kindness awakens the remorse and hence conversion of the enemies.” The Jewish Annotated New Testament offers: “heap burning coals perhaps indicates the blood rising for one who is shamed by the receipt of kindness from one to whom the recipient has been unkind.”

Matthew 16:21-28

Reading

21 Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and undergo great suffering at the hands of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. 22 And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you.” 23 But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.”

24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 25 For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. 26 For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life? Or what will they give in return for their life?

27 “For the Son of Man is to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay everyone for what has been done. 28 Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”

Commentary

The Gospel of Matthew highlights Jesus’ origins and identity. Written around 85 CE by an anonymous author, the Gospel began Jesus’ 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.

Because it was 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 stories and sayings found in Matthew and Luke but not in Mark and John. There are also a substantial number of stories that are unique to Matthew: the Annunciation of Jesus’ conception was revealed to Joseph in a dream (rather than by an angel to Mary as in Luke); the Visit of the Magi; the Slaughter of the Innocents by Herod; the Flight to Egypt; the Laborers in the Vineyard; and the earthquake on Easter Morning, among others.

Today’s reading is Jesus’ first prediction in Matthew of his own suffering and death. (The others are in 17:22-23 and 20:18-19.) In this chapter, Matthew copied Mark and said that he would “undergo great suffering at the hands of the “elders, chief priests and the scribes” (v.21). The NJBC says that the “elders” were lay leaders. It is noteworthy that the Pharisees and the Romans are absent from the list of those imposing the suffering. “On the third day be raised” (v.21) is a reference back to Hosea 6:2 (“After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will raise us up that we may live before him.”)

In Chapter 20, Matthew added that Jesus would be handed over to the Gentiles to be crucified (20:19).

The JANT observed that there are instances in Isaiah, Hosea, Zechariah and Daniel prior to the time of redemption. The NOAB sees Peter as representative of the disciples in failing to grasp that Jesus was to be a suffering Messiah.

The NJBC says: “It is unlikely that Jesus would have spoken in such precise terms of his fate (though neither crucifixion nor Gentiles are mentioned). In this sense it is a prophecy after the fact. But Jesus did very likely reflect on his future death at the hands of the authorities and on its meaning in God’s plan of salvation [citing a secondary resource].”

The concept of “Satan” was continuing to evolve in the First Century CE and The NOAB observes that it meant both “adversary” and “tempter” in this context. In the Book of Job, “ha satan” is not a tempter, but in the Gospel accounts of the temptations in the wilderness, the tempter is “the devil” (4:1) and “Satan” (4:10).

The JANT understands “taking up one’s cross” (v.24) as risking suffering and death. The NJBC says: “This is not an allusion to Jesus crucifixion. This horrible death was common in antiquity and the cross was a proverbial term for suffering, agony.”

The JANT notes that verse 25 is a paradox – by holding tightly to something, one risks losing it; letting go preserves it. The NJBC observes that it expresses a “profound psychological truth that happiness eludes those who seek it directly rather than seeking first the will of God, i.e. what is right.”

The Son of Man (v.27) is derived from Daniel 7:13-14 (“As I watched in the night visions, I saw one like a human being [Son of Man] coming with the clouds of heaven. And he came to the Ancient One and was presented before him. To him was given dominion and glory and kingship, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that shall not pass away, and his kingship is one that shall never be destroyed.”)

The phrase “will not taste death” (v.28) indicated the continuing understanding in the early Jesus Follower community that the fullness of the messianic era was imminent.

2023, July 2 ~ Genesis 22:1-14; Jeremiah 28:5-9; Romans 6:12-23; Matthew 10:40-42

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TODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
JULY 2, 2023

During Pentecost Season 2023, 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.

Genesis 22:1-14

Reading

1 God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” 2 He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains that I shall show you.” 3 So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac; he cut the wood for the burnt offering, and set out and went to the place in the distance that God had shown him. 4 On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place far away. 5 Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; the boy and I will go over there; we will worship, and then we will come back to you.” 6 Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. So the two of them walked on together. 7 Isaac said to his father Abraham, “Father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” He said, “The fire and the wood are here, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” 8 Abraham said, “God himself will provide the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So the two of them walked on together.

9 When they came to the place that God had shown him, Abraham built an altar there and laid the wood in order. He bound his son Isaac, and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10 Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to kill his son. 11 But the angel of the LORD called to him from heaven, and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” 12 He said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.” 13 And Abraham looked up and saw a ram, caught in a thicket by its horns. Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14 So Abraham called that place “The LORD will provide”; as it is said to this day, “On the mount of the LORD it shall be provided.”

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” (Yahwistic), “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”).

In the prior chapter, Abraham sent away his firstborn son, Ishmael, at Sarah’s insistence. In today’s account, the reader was told (v.1) that God tested Abraham by telling him to offer “your only son whom you love” (v.2) as a burnt offering. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary notes that “only son” is inaccurate since Abraham had another son, Ishmael, and says that the LXX correctly interpreted the Hebrew word as “favored.”

Just as Abraham was asked by God in Chapter 12 to “go from your country,” in today’s reading, he responded promptly and “rose early in the morning” (v.3) to go to the place God would show him. The Jewish Study Bible says: “There is no good English equivalent for the Hebrew ‘hineni’ translated in this verse [vv.1 and 7] as Here I am. The term indicates readiness, alertness, attentiveness, receptivity, and responsiveness to instructions.”

Although the Akedah — the Binding of Isaac (as the story is known in Jewish tradition) — has been understood by some as a condemnation of child sacrifice, most scholars observe that there was no general practice of child sacrifice in Ancient Israel, particularly because of the large number of verses in the Bible that condemn the practice as Canaanite idol worship.

The New Oxford Annotated Bible says: “The story does not presuppose a general practice of sacrifice of the firstborn but does suggest that such a practice could be performed under extraordinary circumstances (see 2 Kings 3:27).” The NJBC observes: “Infant sacrifice was widely practiced in Canaan and in Phoenician colonies of North Africa. It was even practiced in Israel as the OT polemic against it shows (2 Kgs 16:3; Mic 6:7) in critical times as a means of averting divine wrath. Israel recognized that the firstborn belonged to Yahweh (Exodus 13:11-16; 34:19-20) but ‘redeemed’ firstborn human beings by an alternative sacrifice.”

The JSB observes: “The context of the Akedah is sacrificial. A sacrifice is not an execution, and in a sacrificial context the unblemished condition of the one offered does not detract from, but rather commends, the act.”

The NAOB notes that Abraham’s promise “we will come back to you” (v.5) may “suggest a faith that God will work out an alternative sacrifice (see v. 8)” but The JSB observes that “Abraham may be concealing the truth from his servants (lest they prevent him from carrying out God’s will), from Isaac (lest he flee) and from himself (lest the frank acknowledgement of his real intention cause his resolve to break).”

It is difficult to know how old Isaac was in the story. He was old enough to carry the wood for the burnt offering (v.6) and to ask about the lamb for the sacrifice (v.7). Some Jewish commentators see Isaac as an adult and a willing participant in his own sacrifice – a prototype of the Jewish martyr. Some Christian interpreters see Isaac as a “type” anticipating Jesus’ carrying of the cross.

Regarding the phrase “fear of God” (v.12), The JSB notes: “In the Tanakh, the ‘fear of God’ denotes an active obedience to the divine will. God is now able to call the last trial of Abraham off because Abraham has demonstrated that this obedience is uppermost for him, surpassing even his paternal love for Isaac.”

The NAOB points out that “like other characters in Genesis (e.g. Jacob in 28.19 and 32.2, 30), Abraham named the place in response to his encounter with God” but “the name The LORD will provide is not attested elsewhere as a place name.” In this reading, the name of God from verse 1 to 13 is Elohim but in verses 14-16 it is YHWH, indicating that the stories came from two sources.

The location of Moriah is not known, but 2 Chronicles 3:1 (written around 450 BCE) identified it as the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, a tradition that continues to today.

Based on Surah 37 of the Qur’an, Muslims believe that the son whom Abraham was asked to sacrifice was Ishmael.

Jeremiah 28:5-9

Reading

5 The prophet Jeremiah spoke to the prophet Hananiah in the presence of the priests and all the people who were standing in the house of the LORD; 6 and the prophet Jeremiah said, “Amen! May the LORD do so; may the LORD fulfill the words that you have prophesied and bring back to this place from Babylon the vessels of the house of the LORD, and all the exiles. 7 But listen now to this word that I speak in your hearing and in the hearing of all the people. 8 The prophets who preceded you and me from ancient times prophesied war, famine, and pestilence against many countries and great kingdoms. 9 As for the prophet who prophesies peace, when the word of that prophet comes true, then it will be known that the LORD has truly sent the prophet.”

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 Babylon destroyed Jerusalem in 586 BCE.

The Babylonians deported most of the Judean leaders to Babylon in 597 and took most of the treasures from the Temple. In 586, the Babylonians deported a larger number (the beginning of the Babylonian Exile) and destroyed the Temple. 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.

Jeremiah is largely a prophet of doom and gloom, and the English word “jeremiad” means a long, mournful complaint or lamentation, a list of woes.

Sections in the book that are in “poetry style” are generally attributed to the prophet, and parts in “prose style” were likely 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 is set in the period from 597 to 594 BCE. The NJBC sees this chapter as biographical and suggests it may have been written by Baruch, the secretary to Jeremiah.

A false prophet, Hananiah, prophesied that the treasures from the Temple that were taken as spoils by the Babylonian King, Nebuchadnezzar, would be returned soon (v.3) and that King Jehoiachin would return – even though Judah had not repented and Babylon was as strong as ever.

In today’s verses, Jeremiah said he hoped Hananiah’s prophesies would come true (v.6) but suggested they would not (vv.8-9). In the verses that follow today’s reading, Hananiah broke the wooden yoke that had been placed on Jeremiah (v.12) to symbolically show the liberation of Judea. After a short time, YHWH told Jeremiah to tell Hananiah that an iron yoke would be placed upon Judea (v.13). Jeremiah told Hananiah that he did not have a commission from God, asserted that the Babylonians would continue to enslave the Judeans, and told Hananiah that he would die within a year (v.16) – which (according to the account) is what happened (v.17).

Romans 6:12-23

Reading

12 Do not let sin exercise dominion in your mortal bodies, to make you obey their passions. 13 No longer present your members to sin as instruments of wickedness but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life and present your members to God as instruments of righteousness. 14 For sin will have no dominion over you since you are not under law but under grace.

15 What then? Should we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! 16 Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? 17 But thanks be to God that you, having once been slaves of sin, have become obedient from the heart to the form of teaching to which you were entrusted, 18 and that you, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. 19 I am speaking in human terms because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to greater and greater iniquity, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness for sanctification.

20 When you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. 21 So what advantage did you then get from the things of which you now are ashamed? The end of those things is death. 22 But now that you have been freed from sin and enslaved to God, the advantage you get is sanctification. The end is eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Commentary

Paul’s letter to the Romans was his longest, last, and most complex letter. It was written in the late 50s or early 60s (CE) (about 10 years before the earliest Gospel (Mark) was written) to a Jesus Follower community that Paul did not establish. Among many messages in the letter, Paul sought to encourage respectful and supportive relationships between the Gentile Jesus Followers and the Jewish Jesus Followers in Rome.

The “backstory” is that in 49 CE, Emperor Claudius expelled all Jews from Rome, including Jewish Jesus Followers. The next Emperor was Nero who reigned from 54 to 68 CE. Nero reversed his predecessor’s decree and allowed Jews to return to Rome. This return caused tensions within the Jesus Follower Community in which Gentiles had become prominent.

Paul died in 63 or 64 CE. Accordingly, the Temple in Jerusalem (which was destroyed in 70) was in full operation all during Paul’s life. As a Jew who was also a Jesus Follower, Paul saw the Jesus Follower Movement as part of a broader Judaism and continued to have expectations about the fullness of the Coming of the Messiah/the Christ. The term “Christian” had not been invented in his lifetime.

The Jewish Annotated New Testament observes that the Letter to the Romans is written as a diatribe, a rhetorical technique using questions and answers and changes in voice to represent different points of view. The use of this technique makes it difficult to distinguish whether we are encountering Paul’s views directly or those of others as presented by Paul.

Today’s reading continued Paul’s discussion of the effects of Baptism (which joins us in the death of Christ Jesus and unites us with him in overcoming death through resurrection).

In speaking of “sin” rather than “sins” (v.12), Paul was referring to the human propensity to assert one’s own ego and power rather than living as “instruments of righteousness” (v.13) – living in right relationships with God and others. The word “instruments” is literally “weapons” and The NAOB suggests that “through martial imagery Paul calls Christians not to surrender themselves as sins prisoners of war.”

The JANT understands the phrase “not under the law” as meaning “not circumcised” and this would mean that this section was addressed to Gentile Jesus Followers. When Paul referred to the law and grace (vv.14-15), he also expressed the view that mere obedience to rules will not bring about human wholeness or salvation or righteousness or Eternal Life (v.22), terms which Paul uses interchangeably. The NAOB interprets Paul’s words this way: “If grace provided immunity from the law’s verdict, then we might well ‘continue in sin.’”

Matthew 10:40-42

Reading

40 Jesus said, “Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. 41 Whoever welcomes a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward; and whoever welcomes a righteous person in the name of a righteous person will receive the reward of the righteous; and 42 whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple — truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward.”

Commentary

The Gospel of Matthew highlights Jesus’ origins and identity. Written around 85 CE by an anonymous author, the Gospel began Jesus’ 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.

Because it was 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 stories and sayings found in Matthew and Luke but not in Mark and John. There are also a substantial number of stories that are unique to Matthew: the Annunciation of Jesus’ conception was revealed to Joseph in a dream (rather than by an angel to Mary as in Luke); the Visit of the Magi; the Slaughter of the Innocents by Herod; the Flight to Egypt; the Laborers in the Vineyard; and the earthquake on Easter Morning, among others.

Today’s reading is the conclusion of a series of instructions given by Jesus to his disciples. The NAOB sees today’s verses as saying that “mutual support and provision is a hallmark of the communities gathered around Jesus.” A prophet (one who speaks for God) is “equivalent to God who sent him (Ex.16.8; 1 Sam 8.7).”

The NJBC states that this principle was based on a “legal principle governing a Jewish emissary that a man’s agent is like himself.” Similar statements that Jesus’ disciples can speak for him are found in Luke 10:16, John 13:20 and Mark 9:37.

2023, June 25 ~ Genesis 21:8-21; Jeremiah 20:7-13; Romans 6:1b-11; Matthew 10:24-39

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TODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
JUNE 25, 2023

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.

Genesis 21:8-21

Reading

8 The child grew and was weaned; and Abraham made a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned. 9 But Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, playing with her son Isaac. 10 So she said to Abraham, “Cast out this slave woman with her son; for the son of this slave woman shall not inherit along with my son Isaac.” 11 The matter was very distressing to Abraham on account of his son. 12 But God said to Abraham, “Do not be distressed because of the boy and because of your slave woman; whatever Sarah says to you, do as she tells you, for it is through Isaac that offspring shall be named for you. 13 As for the son of the slave woman, I will make a nation of him also, because he is your offspring.” 14 So Abraham rose early in the morning, and took bread and a skin of water, and gave it to Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, along with the child, and sent her away. And she departed and wandered about in the wilderness of Beer-sheba.

15 When the water in the skin was gone, she cast the child under one of the bushes. 16 Then she went and sat down opposite him a good way off, about the distance of a bowshot; for she said, “Do not let me look on the death of the child.” And as she sat opposite him, she lifted up her voice and wept. 17 And God heard the voice of the boy; and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven, and said to her, “What troubles you, Hagar? Do not be afraid; for God has heard the voice of the boy where he is. 18 Come, lift up the boy and hold him fast with your hand, for I will make a great nation of him.” 19 Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water. She went, and filled the skin with water, and gave the boy a drink.

20 God was with the boy, and he grew up; he lived in the wilderness and became an expert with the bow. 21 He lived in the wilderness of Paran; and his mother got a wife for him from the land of Egypt.

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 Stories 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” (Yahwistic), “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”).

The verses before today’s reading tell of the conception of Isaac by the 90+ year old Sarah and his birth when Abraham was 100 (v.5). Hagar, Sarah’s Egyptian slave, gave birth to Abraham’s first son, Ishmael, 14 years before Isaac’s birth when Abraham was 86 (16:16). Hagar was presented as a person who spoke directly with YHWH (16:10-12) and named God as “El-roi” – God who sees (16:13).

Today’s account is another etiology – a story of the origins of the non-Jewish Semitic peoples who claim their ancestral fatherhood of Abraham through Ishmael. In the story, God said, “I will make a great nation of him” to Abraham (v.13) and to Hagar (v.18).

Sarah became upset because Ishmael was “playing with her son Isaac” (v.9). Literally, the words are “”making him laugh” but other translations are Ishmael was “toying with” or “laughing at” Isaac. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary and the NRSV translator’s notes observe that the words “with her son Isaac” are not in the Masoretic Text even though they are in the LXX and the Vulgate. This was likely a copying error. The Jewish Study Bible’s
JPS translation does not include the words. The JSB suggests that “playing” is another pun on Isaac’s name and that Ishmael was “Isaacing” or “taking Isaac’s place.”

The JSB also states that the expulsion of Hagar in Chapter 16 is an account attributed to “J” but the account in today’s reading is attributed to “E.” The name YHWH never appears in this reading. For example, God (not YHWH) urged Abraham to acquiesce to Sarah’s demand that he cast out the slave woman, Hagar, and her son (v.10).

Although the passage referred to Ishmael as a “boy” (v.12) and as a “child” (v.16), the chronology of the over-all story indicates that the events occurred after Isaac had been weaned (v.8), so this meant that three years had passed since Isaac’s birth. The NJBC says that three years was the age for weaning and showed that Isaac would survive in an age of high infant mortality.

Abraham was 86 when Ishmael was born (16:16) and was 100 when Isaac was born (21:5), so Ishmael would have been at least 16 or 17 years old when he and Hagar were expelled. Notwithstanding this, the account said that Hagar placed the food and water (and the child Ishmael) over her shoulder (v.14). The JSB accounts for this discrepancy based on “source criticism” and notes that although the story in today’s reading comes from “E,” the chronology comes from “P.”

When Hagar and Ishmael ran out of water and food (v.15), God heard Hagar’s lament (“Ishmael” means “God hears”) and protected both Hagar and Ishmael.

The New Oxford Annotated Bible sees a parallel between the endangerment of Ishmael’s life in this story and the near sacrifice of Isaac in Chapter 22. In both stories, Abraham rose early in the morning to fulfill God’s commands (21.14 and 22:3); the child was delivered from danger when an angel of God/the LORD intervened (21:17 and 22:11); and Hagar and Abraham found ways to save the sons (21:19 and 22:13).

Based on the Qur’an, Mohammed (who was from what is now Saudi Arabia) traced his hereditary roots to Abraham through Ishmael. Muslims trace their religious roots to Abraham.

Jeremiah 20:7-13

Reading

7 O LORD, you have enticed me, and I was enticed; you have overpowered me, and you have prevailed. I have become a laughingstock all day long; everyone mocks me.
8 For whenever I speak, I must cry out, I must shout, “Violence and destruction!” For the word of the LORD has become for me a reproach and derision all day long.
9 If I say, “I will not mention him, or speak any more in his name,” then within me there is something like a burning fire shut up in my bones; I am weary with holding it in, and I cannot.
10 For I hear many whispering: “Terror is all around! Denounce him! Let us denounce him!” All my close friends are watching for me to stumble. “Perhaps he can be enticed, and we can prevail against him, and take our revenge on him.”
11 But the L0RD is with me like a dread warrior; therefore, my persecutors will stumble, and they will not prevail. They will be greatly shamed, for they will not succeed. Their eternal dishonor will never be forgotten.
12 O LORD of hosts, you test the righteous, you see the heart and the mind; let me see your retribution upon them, for to you I have committed my cause.
13 Sing to the LORD; praise the LORD! For he has delivered the life of the needy from the hands of evildoers.

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 the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem in 586 BCE. The Babylonians deported most of the Judean leaders to Babylon in 597 and a larger number in 586 (the beginning of 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.

Jeremiah is largely a prophet of doom and gloom, and the English word “jeremiad” means a long, mournful complaint or lamentation, a list of woes.

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

Today’s reading is in “poetry style” and is the fifth (of six) of Jeremiah’s laments. In it, he claimed that YHWH exerted such irresistible power over him (v.7) that he could not help but proclaim the unpopular message that unless the king and people reformed, Babylon would overcome them and place them in captivity. The JSB points out that the word “entice” (vv. 7 and 12) is used in other contexts in the Hebrew Scriptures to denote the seduction of a woman by a man (Judg.14:15 and 16:5) or of a man by a woman (Hos. 2:16).

Notwithstanding his lament and the plotting of his enemies (v.10), Jeremiah expressed confidence in the LORD’s God’s protection for those who rely on YHWH (v.13).

Romans 6:1b-11

Reading

1b Should we continue in sin in order that grace may abound? 2 By no means! How can we who died to sin go on living in it? 3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.

5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin. 7 For whoever has died is freed from sin. 8 But if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. 10 The death he died, he died to sin, once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. 11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

Commentary

Paul’s letter to the Romans was his longest, last, and most complex letter. It was written in the late 50s or early 60s (CE) (about 10 years before the earliest Gospel (Mark) was written) to a Jesus Follower community that Paul did not establish. Among many messages in the letter, Paul sought to encourage respectful and supportive relationships between the Gentile Jesus Followers and the Jewish Jesus Followers in Rome.

The “backstory” is that in 49 CE, Emperor Claudius expelled all Jews from Rome, including Jewish Jesus Followers. The next Emperor was Nero who reigned from 54 to 68 CE. Nero reversed his predecessor’s decree and allowed Jews to return to Rome. This return caused tensions within the Jesus Follower Community in which Gentiles had become prominent.

Paul died in 63 or 64 CE. Accordingly, the Temple in Jerusalem (which was destroyed in 70) was in full operation all during Paul’s life. As a Jew who was also a Jesus Follower, Paul saw the Jesus Follower Movement as part of a broader Judaism and continued to have expectations about the fullness of the Coming of the Messiah/the Christ. The term “Christian” had not been invented in his lifetime.

The Jewish Annotated New Testament observes that much of the Letter to the Romans is written as a diatribe, a rhetorical technique using questions and answers and changes in voice to represent different points of view. The use of this technique makes it difficult to distinguish whether the reader is encountering Paul’s views directly or those of others as presented by Paul.

Today’s reading begins with a “leading question” which Paul used as a rhetorical vehicle to present his views. The NAOB suggests that the underpinning of the question was the notion (which Paul rejects) that grace is “simply a matter of being relieved of the punishment for trespasses.” For Paul, grace is much more this, and led to his discussion of the effects of Baptism. The NJBC says “the baptismal rite symbolically represents the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. The convert descends into the baptismal bath, is covered with its waters, and emerges to a new life.”

Paul asserted that in our Baptism we are united with Christ Jesus in his death, and we will be united with the Christ in resurrection (v. 5). He urged that we consider ourselves “dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus” (v.11). For Paul, “sin” (as contrasted with “sins”) can be understood as our human propensity to put ourselves and our egos in first place rather than (as Jesus did) having the good of others as our primary focus. The NJBC says “For Christ was raised from the dead not merely to publicize his good news or to confirm his messianic character, but to introduce human beings into a new mode of life and give them a new principle of vital activity, the Spirit.”

Paul was clear that Christ was raised (vv.4 and 9) — the “actor” was God and Jesus the Christ was acted upon. It is not clear, however, when Paul thought our “resurrection” would occur. In one verse, Paul suggested that Baptism allows us to “walk in newness of life” (v.4). In verse 5, he suggested that we “will” be united with Jesus the Christ “in a resurrection like his.” In verses 10 and 11, he seems to suggest that our resurrection is now because we are “alive to God in Christ Jesus.” The JANT understands “once and for all” in this way: “though the death was a past event, it is operative (in a way not specified) on behalf of everyone now.”

Matthew 10:24-39

Reading

24 Jesus said to the twelve disciples, “A disciple is not above the teacher, nor a slave above the master; 25 it is enough for the disciple to be like the teacher, and the slave like the master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household!

26 “So have no fear of them; for nothing is covered up that will not be uncovered, and nothing secret that will not become known. 27 What I say to you in the dark, tell in the light; and what you hear whispered, proclaim from the housetops. 28 Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. 30 And even the hairs of your head are all counted. 31 So do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows.

32 “Everyone therefore who acknowledges me before others, I also will acknowledge before my Father in heaven; 33 but whoever denies me before others, I also will deny before my Father in heaven. 34 “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35 For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; 36 and one’s foes will be members of one’s own household.

37 Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; 38 and whoever does not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.”

Commentary

The Gospel of Matthew highlights Jesus’ origins and identity. Written around 85 CE by an anonymous author, the Gospel began Jesus’ 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.

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

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

Today’s reading continues to present Jesus’ teaching to the disciples. His statements about slaves/servants not being above their masters (v.24) is echoed in the Fourth Gospel in 13:16 and 15:20. In commenting on the verse that the disciple is not above his teacher (v.24a), The NJBC observes that “disciple” means learner or student. The NJBC continues: “In the background stands the Jewish school relationship of that time but precisely that [relationship] poses a danger. In the normal school relationship, once the disciple has learned what the master has to teach, he moves on to another master or becomes a teacher himself. This is what the gnostics did — make Jesus only one among many teachers. It was to block the possibility of twisting Jesus’ original simple statement (as it still can be found in Luke 6:40 – “A disciple is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully qualified will be like the teacher.”) in a gnostic direction that Matthew reshaped it to include the words ‘nor a slave above his lord.’ This means that for the believer Jesus is not only a teacher but also an abiding lord.”

In verse 25, the “they” who call the master of the house Beelzebul (the original name of the Canaanite god, Baal) were the Pharisees (9:34). The JANT notes that the name means “lord of lofty abode,” but when changed to Beelzebub in 2 Kings 1:2, it means “lord of the flies” which The NAOB suggests was intended to express the Deuteronomists’ scorn for this deity.

The teachings found in vv. 26-34 are “Q” material and are found in Luke 12:2-9. The NAOB understands verse 27 (“What I say to you in the dark, tell in the light”) as a “denial of any secret or esoteric teaching.” The NJBC understands the phrase “destroy both soul and body” (v.28) as presupposing a Hellenistic view that the soul is intrinsically immortal. Verses 34-39 have parallels in Luke and are largely derived from Micah 7:6.

2023, April 9 ~ Acts 10:34-43; Jeremiah 31:1-6; Colossians 3:1-4; John 20:1-18; Matthew 28:1-10

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TODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
APRIL 9, 2023
EASTER SUNDAY

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.

2022, November 20 ~ Jeremiah 23:1-6; Colossians 1:11-20; Luke 23:33-43

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TODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
NOVEMBER 20, 2022
FEAST OF CHRIST THE KING

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.”

2022, October 23 ~ Joel 2:23-32; Sirach 35:12-17; Jeremiah 14:7-10, 19-22; 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18; Luke 18:9-14

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TODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
OCTOBER 23, 2022

During Pentecost Season 2022, 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. In Track 2 today, congregations have a choice of a reading from Sirach or Jeremiah.

The reading from the Epistle is the same in both tracks.

Joel 2:23-32

Reading

23 O children of Zion, be glad and rejoice in the LORD your God; for he has given the early rain for your vindication, he has poured down for you abundant rain, the early and the later rain, as before.
24 The threshing floors shall be full of grain; the vats shall overflow with wine and oil.
25 I will repay you for the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter, my great army, which I sent against you.
26 You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and praise the name of the LORD your God, who has dealt wondrously with you. And my people shall never again be put to shame.
27 You shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I, the LORD, am your God and there is no other. And my people shall never again be put to shame.
28 Then afterward I will pour out my spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions.
29 Even on the male and female slaves, in those days, I will pour out my spirit.
30 I will show portents in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke. 31 The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and terrible day of the LORD comes. 32 Then everyone who calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved; for in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those who escape, as the LORD has said, and among the survivors shall be those whom the LORD calls.

Commentary

Joel is one the “Minor Prophets” – the 12 prophets whose works are much shorter than those of the “Major Prophets” (Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel) and are found in a single scroll.

Joel (whose name means “YHWH is God”) is located in the Bible between Hosea and Amos (two early prophets – in the 700’s BCE) because some of the themes in Joel are similar to those in Amos.

Joel’s prophesy, however, was much later and contained no direct reference to either the Assyrians or Babylonians. It is dated in the Persian Period (539 to 333 BCE) when the Persians ruled over Israel and Judea. Scholars think Joel was active from about 400 BCE to 350 BCE – a time of relative calm under the generally benevolent rule of the Persians.

The New Oxford Annotated Bible calls today’s reading an “Oracle of Salvation” in that God promised remission of the plague (vv.20, 25), the return of fertility (vv.21-24), the removal of shame, and the restoration of the covenantal blessing (vv.26-27).

The reference to a prior locust plague (v.25) can be understood literally and cam also be seen as the invading Babylonian army that destroyed Jerusalem in 586 BCE. Both were understood as a call to repentance and resulted from YHWH’s judgment upon the people.

The Jewish New Year starts in the Autumn, and the “early” rain refers to Autumn rains and the “later” rain (v.23) comes in the Spring. Spring and Autumn are the two rainy seasons in Israel.

The entire community, even slaves, will share the immediacy and intimacy of the relationship with God (vv.28-29).

The final verses are apocalyptic in tone and describe Judah’s ultimate vindication. The “Day of the Lord” (vv.30-31) turned the agricultural images to cosmic images. Some of the descriptions of the Day of the Lord s (particularly the sun being turned to darkness) (v.31) were adopted by the authors of the Gospels according to Mark, Matthew, and Luke (the “Synoptic Gospels”) to describe the time that Jesus of Nazareth was on the Cross.

Sirach 35:12-17

Reading

12 Give to the Most High as he has given to you, and as generously as you can afford.
13 For the Lord is the one who repays, and he will repay you sevenfold.
14 Do not offer him a bribe, for he will not accept it
15 and do not rely on a dishonest sacrifice; for the Lord is the judge, and with him there is no partiality.
16 He will not show partiality to the poor; but he will listen to the prayer of one who is wronged.
17 He will not ignore the supplication of the orphan, or the widow when she pours out her complaint.

Commentary

The Book of Sirach is not included in the Jewish version of the Hebrew Bible but is included in the Roman Catholic and Orthodox versions of the Bible. Protestants place Sirach in a separate section of the Bible called the “Apocrypha” (which means “hidden books”).

The book is known by the name of its author, and its full title is “The Wisdom of Jesus [which is Greek for Yeshua or Joshua], son of Sirach.” In the Roman Catholic tradition, the book is known as “Ecclesiasticus” (“the Church’s book”).

It was written between 200 and 180 BCE, when the Seleucids (from Syria) ruled Judea and tried to impose Greek gods upon the Judeans. Ben Sira described himself as a “scribe” (a person of learning).

The Prologue to Sirach (written by Sirach’s grandson after 132 BCE) contains the first reference in Jewish Literature to “the Law, the Prophesies, and the rest of the books” – the division of the Hebrew Bible into three parts. Sirach primarily consists of “traditional” advice to young Jewish men, consistent with the advice given to young men in the Book of Proverbs.

Today’s reading is part of a chapter in which Sirach urged sincere and cheerful generosity to the Most High (i.e. at the Temple) advising that the Lord will repay sevenfold (v. 13) and will listen to the prayers of those who have been wronged (v. 16). The orphan and the widow (v.17) are to be protected because of their powerlessness and the Most High will hear their supplications.

Jeremiah 14:7-10, 19-22

Reading

7 Although our iniquities testify against us, act, O LORD, for your name’s sake; our apostasies indeed are many, and we have sinned against you.
8 O hope of Israel, its savior in time of trouble, why should you be like a stranger in the land,
like a traveler turning aside for the night?
9 Why should you be like someone confused, like a mighty warrior who cannot give help? Yet you, O LORD, are in the midst of us, and we are called by your name; do not forsake us!
10 Thus says the LORD concerning this people: Truly they have loved to wander, they have not restrained their feet; therefore the LORD does not accept them, now he will remember their iniquity and punish their sins.

19 Have you completely rejected Judah? Does your heart loathe Zion? Why have you struck us down so that there is no healing for us? We look for peace but find no good; for a time of healing, but there is terror instead.
20 We acknowledge our wickedness, O LORD, the iniquity of our ancestors, for we have sinned against you.
21 Do not spurn us, for your name’s sake; do not dishonor your glorious throne; remember and do not break your covenant with us.
22 Can any idols of the nations bring rain? Or can the heavens give showers? Is it not you, O LORD our God? We set our hope on you, for it is you who do all this.

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.)

Most of today’s reading is in “poetry style.” It follows a section (vv. 1-6) that described a severe drought that Judah suffered. Jeremiah understood this drought as demonstrating divine judgment against the nation. The Jewish Study Bible points out that because God was portrayed in the Bible as controlling the cosmos, YHWH could cause rain to fall so that the people could grow crops and raise cattle. A drought meant starvation for many.

The first part of today’s reading (vv.7-9) is in poetry style and was a lament that confessed Judea’s sins, bemoaned YHWH’s absence, and asked that YHWH not forsake the people (v.9).
In The Jewish Study Bible (but not the NRSV), the next verse is in prose form and its content is Deuteronomic: YHWH said God would punish the people because they “love to wander” (v.10).

The omitted verses (11-16) are in prose form, but the last verses in today’s reading are in poetry form. Jeremiah criticized the priests and prophets who “ply their trade” (v.18), presented the plight of the Judeans (v.19); acknowledged the people’s wickedness (v.20); appealed to YHWH’s reputation (v.21); and prayed that YHWH’s power would bring rain to the land (v.22).

2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18

Reading

6 I am already being poured out as a libation, and the time of my departure has come. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 From now on there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have longed for his appearing.

16 At my first defense no one came to my support, but all deserted me. May it not be counted against them! 17 But the Lord stood by me and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion’s mouth. 18 The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and save me for his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

Commentary

The Letters to Timothy and Titus are called “Pastoral Letters” because they concerned the internal life, governance and behavior of the early Christian churches and their members. Most scholars agree they were written in the early Second Century in Paul’s name by some of his followers (Paul died in 63 CE). Writing a document in someone else’s name was a common practice in the First and Second Centuries. By then, the Jesus Follower Community had become more institutionalized and concerns about “heresy” had arisen.

The Pastoral letters were written to Paul’s “co-workers” but have a broader audience. By the time they were written, Paul was regarded as an authoritative figure of the past.

Today’s reading is from the last chapter of the letter. “Paul” was portrayed as near death (“the time of my departure”) and stated (v.6) that his life was a sacrifice (a “libation”) and an athletic contest (“the good fight”)(v.7). The New Oxford Annotated Bible sees the “crown of righteousness” (v.8) as a symbol of positive judgment from the Lord at his Second Coming.

“Paul” asked forgiveness for those who opposed his message (v.16) and praised the Lord for the strength to proclaim the Gospel to the Gentiles (v.17). The reference to being rescued from the “lion’s mouth” (v. 17) recalled Daniel in the lion’s den (Dan. 6:21).

Luke 18:9-14

Reading

9 Jesus told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt: 10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee, standing by himself, was praying thus, `God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income.’ 13 But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even look up to heaven, but was beating his breast and saying, `God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ 14 I tell you, this man went down to his home justified rather than the other; for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted.”

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 called the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector and is found only in Luke. The Jewish Annotated New Testament points out that the story often leads Christian readers to see the Pharisee as a symbol of all Pharisees as “hypocritical, sanctimonious, and legalistic.” This understanding is not only unfair to Pharisees in general, but can urge Christian readers to say, in effect, “thank God I am not like this Pharisee.” In doing this, the parable leads those readers to see themselves as better than someone else – to take the same position they condemn in the Pharisee.

Tax collectors were generally hated by the population because Rome employed them and they kept the excess funds that they were able to extort above the “quota” they were required to deliver to Rome. The JANT also points out the tax collector’s standing “far off” (v.13) was not a sign that he was ostracized or ritually impure – to even enter the Temple in the first place, one had to be ritually pure.

The thrust of the parable is that being “righteous” (v.9) (or in a right relationship with God and others) is not a matter of “good deeds” as recited by the Pharisee (vv.11-12). Instead, being “justified” (v.14) and restored to a right relationship with God requires that one be “humble.” Being humble is not a matter of having a falsely low view of oneself, but also means not being arrogant or having a falsely exalted view of oneself.

The JANT also notes that the Greek word (par) translated as “rather than” (v.14) can also be translated as “alongside” – which would mean that both the Pharisee and the tax collector were justified.

2022, October 16 ~ Jeremiah 31:27-34; Genesis 32:22-31; 2 Timothy 3:14-4:5; Luke 18:1-8

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TODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
OCTOBER 16, 2022

During Pentecost Season 2022, the Revised Common Lectionary offers two “tracks” of readings from the Hebrew Bible. Congregations may choose either track.

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

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

Jeremiah 31:27-34

Reading

27 The days are surely coming, says the LORD, when I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of humans and the seed of animals. 28 And just as I have watched over them to pluck up and break down, to overthrow, destroy, and bring evil, so I will watch over them to build and to plant, says the LORD. 29 In those days they shall no longer say: “The parents have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge.”

30 But all shall die for their own sins; the teeth of everyone who eats sour grapes shall be set on edge.

31 The days are surely coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. 32 It will not be like the covenant that I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt– a covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, says the LORD. 33 But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34 No longer shall they teach one another, or say to each other, “Know the LORD,” for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the LORD; for I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more.

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.)

Today’s reading is in prose and was a late insertion. It has an “eschatological” (end times) tone (“the days are surely coming” in v.27) and affirmed the restoration of the houses of both Judah (the south) and Israel (the north). In the verse preceding today’s reading, Jeremiah was said to be sleeping, and his “vision” is recounted in this reading.

The reference to “sour grapes” (vv.29 and 30) was a statement that there should be personal responsibility for one’s actions and that the “sins of the fathers” will not be borne by the children. This is consistent with the theology found in Ezekiel, another prophet of the Exile, particularly in Ezekiel 18:2-4. In Jeremiah, this personal responsibility will be true in the future (“in those days”) but in Ezekiel it is seen as true in his own time (the Exile). The shift from collective responsibility to individual responsibility was an important change in the theology of Ancient Israel.

The writer went on to say that in the “end times” YHWH would make a “new covenant” with Judah and Israel (v.31), the law would be written on their hearts (v.33), and YHWH would forgive their iniquity (v.34). Many Christians have taken the reference to a new covenant as prophesying the New Covenant through Jesus the Christ.

Genesis 32:22-31

Reading

22 The same night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two maids, and his eleven children, and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. 23 He took them and sent them across the stream, and likewise everything that he had. 24 Jacob was left alone; and a man wrestled with him until daybreak. 25 When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he struck him on the hip socket; and Jacob’s hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. 26 Then he said, “Let me go, for the day is breaking.” But Jacob said, “I will not let you go, unless you bless me.” 27 So he said to him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.” 28 Then the man said, “You shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with humans, and have prevailed.” 29 Then Jacob asked him, “Please tell me your name.” But he said, “Why is it that you ask my name?” And there he blessed him. 30 So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, “For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life is preserved.” 31 The sun rose upon him as he passed Penuel, limping because of his hip.

Commentary

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

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

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

The background to today’s reading includes Jacob’s supplanting his fraternal twin (but older) brother, Esau, by tricking Isaac into giving him the blessing that properly belonged to Esau.

Jacob sought to find his wife Rachel in Haran (the land from which Abraham came) and was tricked into working for his uncle, Laban, for 14 years. Jacob had 12 sons (six by Leah, Rachel’s older sister; two by Bilhah, Rachel’s maid; two by Zilpah, Leah’s maid; and two by Rachel). Ten of these sons (along with Joseph’s two sons), became the 12 tribes of Israel. (Levi and Joseph were not included in the 12 tribes when the lands were later divided.)

Many years passed, and Jacob was very wealthy. Jacob and his wives, children and flocks traveled from Haran toward Canaan, but had to pass near Edom, the land of his twin brother, Esau.

Jacob learned that Esau was coming toward him with 400 men, so he divided all that he had into two groups so that one group might escape and be preserved if Esau attacked him. He prayed to YHWH and sent Esau a substantial gift of livestock in hopes of appeasing him.

Today’s reading was set in the night before Jacob and Esau met. It recounted Jacob’s wrestling with someone identified variously as a man (v.24), a spirit/angel (which would disappear at daybreak, v.26), and as God (v.28). Jacob’s tried to obtain the wrestler’s name (v.29) which would have given him “control” over the wrestler, but this was refused. Instead, God gave Jacob a new name so that he was no longer known as Jacob (“supplanter”) but as “Israel,” which originally meant “El rules” — but the text says it means “one who strives with God and humans” (v.28).

At the end of the story, Jacob changed the name of this place to Peniel (“face of El”) because he had seen God face to face (v.30). “El” is the most ancient name for God in the Middle East. In Hebrew, the suffix “el” appears in many other names that have meanings “of God” such as Gabriel (God is my strength), Daniel (God is my judge), Beth-el (House of God), “Peniel” (Face of God), Samuel (Name of God), and the like.

In the remaining chapters of Genesis, the name used for this patriarch will sometimes be “Jacob” and sometimes be “Israel” depending on the source of the story.

2 Timothy 3:14-4:5

Reading

14 As for you, continue in what you have learned and firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it, 15 and how from childhood you have known the sacred writings that are able to instruct you for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work.

4:1 In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I solemnly urge you: 2 proclaim the message; be persistent whether the time is favorable or unfavorable; convince, rebuke, and encourage, with the utmost patience in teaching. 3 For the time is coming when people will not put up with sound doctrine, but having itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own desires, 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander away to myths. 5 As for you, always be sober, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, carry out your ministry fully.

Commentary

The Letters to Timothy and Titus are called “Pastoral Letters” because they concerned the internal life, governance and behavior of the early Christian churches and their members. Most scholars agree they were written in the early Second Century in Paul’s name by some of his followers (Paul died in 63 CE). Writing a document in someone else’s name was a common practice in the First and Second Centuries. By then, the Jesus Follower Community had become more institutionalized and concerns about “heresy” had arisen.

The Pastoral letters were written to Paul’s “co-workers” but have a broader audience. By the time they were written, Paul was regarded as an authoritative figure of the past. The Jewish Annotated New Testament points out that unlike Paul’s genuine letters, the opponents are seen as false teachers within the Jesus Follower Movement rather than non-messianic pagans or Jews.

2 Timothy is more personal than 1 Timothy. The author, writing as Paul, treated Timothy as his “beloved child,” loyal disciple and his spiritual heir. In the letter, Paul was portrayed as near death.

Today’s reading continues the author’s exhortation to follow the teachings of Paul (v.14).

In the early Second Century, there was no codification of the Christian Scriptures, even though some of Paul’s authentic letters were likely in circulation and Jesus Followers may have known of some of the four Gospels that were later included in the Christian Bible. The reference to “the sacred writings” (v.15) was to the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible, known as the Septuagint (LXX).

The statement that “all scripture is inspired by God” is an expansion of the Greek term “theopneutos” (“pneuma” means “wind” or “breath”) so the phrase literally is that scripture is “God-inspirited” – the spirit of God is makes the scripture useful (v.16).

The reference in 4:1 to Jesus’ appearing does not seem to be a reference to the life of Jesus of Nazareth on earth, but instead is in connection with his judging the living and the dead.

The author warns about the danger of turning away from “sound doctrine” (v. 3) and wandering away to “myths” (v.4).

Luke 18:1-8

Reading

1 Jesus told his disciples a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart. 2 He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor had respect for people. 3 In that city there was a widow who kept coming to him and saying, `Grant me justice against my opponent.’ 4 For a while he refused; but later he said to himself, `Though I have no fear of God and no respect for anyone, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will grant her justice, so that she may not wear me out by continually coming.'” 6 And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7 And will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long in helping them? 8 I tell you, he will quickly grant justice to them. And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”

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 appears only in Luke. The New Oxford Annotated Bible suggests that the aim of the story about the need to pray (v.1) is carefully stated because the details are incongruous, just as in the story of the master and the unjust steward (16:1-9). Prayer is important in Luke and is emphasized in many of the stories.

The plea of the widow to be granted justice (v.3) is grounded in Deut. 27:19 (“Cursed be anyone who deprives the alien, the orphan, and the widow of justice.”) – a saying that would have been known to Jesus’ audience. The Jewish Annotated New Testament points out that the words translated as “grant me justice” (v.3) are literally “avenge me” and the words “wear me out” (v.5) can also be translated as “slap me in the face.”

The thrust of the story is that if even an unjust judge will grant justice, how much more certain one can be that a just judge (God) will grant justice (v.7).

The last part of the concluding verse ties in two thoughts: the Son of Man’s coming is anticipated by Dan. 7:13 (“As I watched in the night visions, I saw one like a human being [bar adam — Son of Man] coming with the clouds of heaven.”). The question “will he find faith on earth?” ties back to the apostles’ request for an increase in “faith” in 17:5.

2022, October 9 ~ Jeremiah 29:1,4-7; 2 Kings 5:1-3, 7-15c; 2 Timothy 2:8-15; Luke 17:11-19

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TODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
OCTOBER 9, 2022

During Pentecost Season 2022, the Revised Common Lectionary offers two “tracks” of readings from the Hebrew Bible. Congregations may choose either track.

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

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

Jeremiah 29:1, 4-7

Reading

1 These are the words of the letter that the prophet Jeremiah sent from Jerusalem to the remaining elders among the exiles, and to the priests, the prophets, and all the people, whom Nebuchadnezzar had taken into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon.

4 Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5 Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat what they produce. Take wives and have sons and daughters; 6 take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease. 7 But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.

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.)

Today’s reading is part of an extended insertion in the Book of Jeremiah that begins with Chapter 26. The incidents reported in these four chapters (26-29) represent an early interpretation of the significance of the life and message of Jeremiah and were likely written by the Deuteronomists in 75 years the after the Exile (which ended in 539 BCE).

The “elders among the exiles” (v.1) would have been those leaders sent to Babylon in the first wave of the Exile in 597 BCE. (A larger group was sent in 586 when the Temple was destroyed.)

The “directions” given by YHWH in verses 4 to 7 are what actually – as a matter of history – had happened in Babylon when the Exiles were there. In effect, after the Exile, the Deuteronomists interpreted the behaviors of the Judeans in Babylon during the Exile as reflecting the “will” of YHWH. Later in the chapter, the Deuteronomist said that YHWH will “visit” the Judeans only after their seventy years in Babylon (597 to 539 BCE) are completed (v.10).

2 Kings 5:1-3, 7-15c

Reading

1 Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Aram, was a great man and in high favor with his master, because by him the LORD had given victory to Aram. The man, though a mighty warrior, suffered from leprosy. 2 Now the Arameans on one of their raids had taken a young girl captive from the land of Israel, and she served Naaman’s wife. 3 She said to her mistress, “If only my LORD were with the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.”

7 When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes and said, “Am I God, to give death or life, that this man sends word to me to cure a man of his leprosy? Just look and see how he is trying to pick a quarrel with me.”

8 But when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, he sent a message to the king, “Why have you torn your clothes? Let him come to me, that he may learn that there is a prophet in Israel.” 9 So Naaman came with his horses and chariots and halted at the entrance of Elisha’s house. 10 Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go, wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored and you shall be clean.” 11 But Naaman became angry and went away, saying, “I thought that for me he would surely come out, and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, and would wave his hand over the spot, and cure the leprosy! 12 Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them, and be clean?” He turned and went away in a rage. 13 But his servants approached and said to him, “Father, if the prophet had commanded you to do something difficult, would you not have done it? How much more, when all he said to you was, `Wash, and be clean’?” 14 So he went down and immersed himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God; his flesh was restored like the flesh of a young boy, and he was clean.

15 Then he returned to the man of God, he and all his company; he came and stood before him and said, “Now I know that there is no God in all the earth except in Israel.”

Commentary

The authors of the Book of Kings were also the authors of the books of Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges and Samuel. These books were given their final form around 550 BCE – long after the events they described. The authors used the stories in these books to demonstrate that it was the failures of the Kings of Israel and the Kings of Judea to worship YHWH and obey God’s commands that led to the conquest of Northern Israel in 722 BCE by the Assyrians and the conquest of Judea by the Babylonians in 597 BCE. (The conquests were not seen as the result of the Assyrians’ and Babylonians’ greater wealth and more powerful armies.)

After Solomon’s death in 928 BCE, the nation divided in two. The Northern Kingdom consisted of 10 tribes and was called “Israel.” The Southern Kingdom had two tribes, Judah and Benjamin and was called “Judea.” For the most part, the Deuteronomists portrayed the Kings of the North as unfaithful to YHWH, and Ahab (873-852 BCE) was one of the worst offenders. His wife was the Baal-worshiping foreigner, Jezebel.

Consistent with the theological view that YHWH controlled all that occurs, the authors of Kings asserted, somewhat surprisingly, that YHWH gave victory to Naaman, a general of Aram (modern Syria) over Israel around 850 BCE (v. 1). This occurred presumably because King Ahab and his successors did not worship YHWH faithfully.

Elisha, the successor to Elijah, was in Samaria, the capital of Northern Israel at this time. The King of Aram heard from his wife (who learned from an Israeli slave girl) that Elisha was a prophet who could cure Naaman of his leprosy (which could have been any skin ailment). The King sent Naaman to Elisha and to the King of Israel along with staggeringly generous offerings (750 lbs. of silver and 150 lbs. of gold). Naaman also had a letter from the King of Aram to the King of Israel asking that Naaman be cured of his leprosy (v.5).

The King of Israel’s reaction emphasized that YHWH controlled life and death (v.7) and it also showed the foolishness of the Kings of Israel. The King refused the gifts and (in his anger and frustration) was about to tell Naaman to return to Aram. Elisha prevailed on the King of Israel to allow Naaman to come to see that he (Elisha) was a true prophet (speaker for God).

Elisha’s prescription did not involve divine guidance or prayer as Naaman expected (v.13). Instead, Elisha directed Naaman to wash seven times in the River Jordan. After initially refusing to do so, Naaman’s servants convinced him, and he went to the River Jordan and was healed (v.14).

In the verses that follow today’s reading, Naaman stated that YHWH’s power was not territorially limited to the lands of Israel and Judea – it extended to the whole world (v.15), an important theological message the Deuteronomists sought to convey. Naaman also took some soil from Israel so he could make offerings to YHWH (v.17).

The Jewish Study Bible points out: “One motif of the story is that people of higher status are dependent on people of lower status: Naaman on counsel from his wife reporting information from and Israelite slave girl (vv.2-3); the king of Aram on the king of Israel, and the latter on Elisha (vv.5-8); and Naaman on the advice of his own servants and Elisha (vv.13-15).”

2 Timothy 2:8-15

Reading

8 Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, a descendant of David — that is my gospel, 9 for which I suffer hardship, even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But the word of God is not chained. 10 Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, so that they may also obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory. 11 The saying is sure: If we have died with him, we will also live with him; 12 if we endure, we will also reign with him;
if we deny him, he will also deny us; 13if we are faithless, he remains faithful — for he cannot deny himself.

14 Remind them of this and warn them before God that they are to avoid wrangling over words, which does no good but only ruins those who are listening. 15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved by him, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly explaining the word of truth.

Commentary

The Letters to Timothy and Titus are called “Pastoral Letters” because they concerned the internal life, governance and behavior of the early Christian churches and their members. Most scholars agree they were written in the early Second Century in Paul’s name by some of his followers (Paul died in 63 CE). Writing a document in someone else’s name was a common practice in the First and Second Centuries. By then, the Jesus Follower Community had become more institutionalized and concerns about “heresy” had arisen.

The Pastoral letters were written to Paul’s “co-workers” but have a broader audience. By the time they were written, Paul was regarded as an authoritative figure of the past.

2 Timothy is more personal than 1 Timothy. The author, writing as Paul, treated Timothy as his “beloved child,” loyal disciple and his spiritual heir. In the letter, Paul was portrayed as near death.

Today’s reading includes a synopsis of the “gospel” (good news) that Paul preached in his epistles (e.g. Rom. 1.3). Jesus is the Messiah, was resurrected, and is a royal ruler (v.8). A recitation of hardships was a common motif in Paul’s epistles and are repeated here (vv.9-10) to emphasize the depth of “Paul’s” faithfulness.

The sayings in verses 11 to 13 are likely a quotation from a hymn that would have been used in the Jesus Follower Community early in the Second Century.

Luke 17:11-19

Reading

11 On the way to Jerusalem Jesus was going through the region between Samaria and Galilee. 12 As he entered a village, ten lepers approached him. Keeping their distance, 13 they called out, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” 14 When he saw them, he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were made clean. 15 Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice. 16 He prostrated himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him. And he was a Samaritan. 17 Then Jesus asked, “Were not ten made clean? But the other nine, where are they? 18 Was none of them found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” 19 Then he said to him, “Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well.”

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 today’s reading, Jesus was traveling between the Galilee and Samaria (v.11). The 10 lepers who approached nevertheless “kept their distance” (v.12) as prescribed by Leviticus 13.

Jesus directed the lepers to “show themselves to the priests” (v.14), so the “other nine” – presumably Jewish — lepers would have gone to Jerusalem where the priests were at the Temple. On the other hand, as The Jewish Annotated New Testament points out, the Samaritan leper would have been going to Mount Gerizim in Samaria.

Commentators point out that the phrase translated as “made you well” is the Greek word “sesōken” which is literally translated as “saved you.”

2022, September 25 ~ Jeremiah 32:1-3a, 6-15; Amos 6:1a, 4-7; 1 Timothy 6:6-19; Luke 16:19-31

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TODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
SEPTEMBER 25, 2022

During Pentecost Season 2022, the Revised Common Lectionary offers two “tracks” of readings from the Hebrew Bible. Congregations may choose either track.

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

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

Jeremiah 32:1-3a, 6-15

Reading

1 The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD in the tenth year of King Zedekiah of Judah, which was the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar. 2 At that time the army of the king of Babylon was besieging Jerusalem, and the prophet Jeremiah was confined in the court of the guard that was in the palace of the king of Judah, 3 where King Zedekiah of Judah had confined him.

6 Jeremiah said, The word of the LORD came to me: 7 Hanamel son of your uncle Shallum is going to come to you and say, “Buy my field that is at Anathoth, for the right of redemption by purchase is yours.” 8 Then my cousin Hanamel came to me in the court of the guard, in accordance with the word of the LORD, and said to me, “Buy my field that is at Anathoth in the land of Benjamin, for the right of possession and redemption is yours; buy it for yourself.” Then I knew that this was the word of the LORD.

9 And I bought the field at Anathoth from my cousin Hanamel, and weighed out the money to him, seventeen shekels of silver. 10 I signed the deed, sealed it, got witnesses, and weighed the money on scales. 11 Then I took the sealed deed of purchase, containing the terms and conditions, and the open copy; 12 and I gave the deed of purchase to Baruch son of Neriah son of Mahseiah, in the presence of my cousin Hanamel, in the presence of the witnesses who signed the deed of purchase, and in the presence of all the Judeans who were sitting in the court of the guard. 13 In their presence I charged Baruch, saying, 14 Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Take these deeds, both this sealed deed of purchase and this open deed, and put them in an earthenware jar, in order that they may last for a long time. 15 For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Houses and fields and vineyards shall again be bought in this land.

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.)

Today’s reading is a portion of an extended post-Exilic prose insert that begins at Jer. 31:38. The New Oxford Annotated Bible refers to this section as an “Appendix” to the “Book of Consolation” (Chapters 30 and 31) in which the writer said that YHWH would restore Judea after the Exile.

Today’s reading purported to be set in 588 BCE (v.1), just before the Exile began. The NOAB notes that chronologically, this Chapter should follow Chapter 37. In 588, the Babylonians invaded Jerusalem for a second time, and King Zedekiah imprisoned Jeremiah. The Jewish Study Bible says that the grounds for Jeremiah’s imprisonment would have been “treason because of his claims that God had given Jerusalem into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar.” Jeremiah was able, however, (through Baruch) to arrange the purchase of land even though he was in prison.

Jeremiah’s purchase of land was intended to show a faith in the future restoration of Judea and was a metaphor for God’s promise to restore Jerusalem. The purchase price of 17 shekels of silver would have been seven ounces of silver (about $150 today) – a price much lower than the prices of other sales recorded in the Bible.

The sale of the land to Jeremiah by his cousin Hanamel was consistent with the law in Leviticus 25:25 that if a family member has financial difficulties, his land should be sold to a relative. The NAOB characterized this (vv.9-14) as “the most detailed account of a business transaction in the Bible.”

Baruch, referred to in v.13, was Jeremiah’s secretary and was said to have recorded portions of what became the “Book of Jeremiah” (Jer. 36:4).

Amos 6:1a, 4-7

Reading

1 Alas for those who are at ease in Zion, and for those who feel secure on Mount Samaria.
4 Alas for those who lie on beds of ivory, and lounge on their couches, and eat lambs from the flock, and calves from the stall;
5 who sing idle songs to the sound of the harp, and like David improvise on instruments of music;
6 who drink wine from bowls, and anoint themselves with the finest oils, but are not grieved over the ruin of Joseph!
7 Therefore they shall now be the first to go into exile, and the revelry of the loungers shall pass away.

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” 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.

In today’s reading, Amos (speaking for YHWH) harshly criticized the conspicuous consumption by the wealthy in both Jerusalem/Zion (v.1) and in Northern Israel and predicted their doom. His mention of the “ruin of Joseph” (v.6) was a colloquial reference to the impending destruction of Northern Israel by Assyria in 722 BCE.

The “back story” to this reference to “the ruin of Joseph” is that according to Numbers 18, the Tribe of Levi was not allocated land because they were priests and received tithes from the other tribes. Therefore, there would have been only 11 tribes receiving land. To fix this, Joseph was not counted as one of the 12 tribes, but Joseph’s two sons (Ephraim and Manasseh) were both counted among the 12 Tribes of Israel and allocated land.

Because the Tribe of Ephraim became the largest and most prosperous of the Northern 10 tribes and King Jeroboam was an Ephraimite, the nation of Northern Israel was sometimes referred to as “Ephraim” or “Joseph.”

The reference to David (v.5) reflected the tradition that David was an accomplished musician (1 Sam. 16:23) who played the lyre to soothe King Saul. Later Jewish tradition attributed the authorship of the entire book of Psalms to David.

The New Oxford Annotated Bible notes that revelry (v.7) was “marzeah” in Hebrew, a ritual banquet of Canaanite origin.

1 Timothy 6:6-19

Reading

6 There is great gain in godliness combined with contentment; 7 for we brought nothing into the world, so that we can take nothing out of it; 8 but if we have food and clothing, we will be content with these. 9 But those who want to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and in their eagerness to be rich some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains.

11 But as for you, man of God, shun all this; pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, gentleness. 12 Fight the good fight of the faith; take hold of the eternal life, to which you were called and for which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. 13 In the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you 14 to keep the commandment without spot or blame until the manifestation of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 which he will bring about at the right time — he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords. 16 It is he alone who has immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see; to him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.

17 As for those who in the present age are rich, command them not to be haughty, or to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but rather on God who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. 18 They are to do good, to be rich in good works, generous, and ready to share, 19 thus storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of the life that really is life.

Commentary

The Letters to Timothy and Titus are called “Pastoral Letters” because they concerned the internal life, governance and behavior of the early Christian churches and their members. Most scholars agree they were written in the early Second Century in Paul’s name by some of his followers (Paul died in 63 CE). Writing a document in someone else’s name was a common practice in the First and Second Centuries. By then, the Jesus Follower Community had become more institutionalized and concerns about “heresy” had arisen.

The Pastoral letters were written to Paul’s “co-workers” but have a broader audience. By the time they were written, Paul was regarded as an authoritative figure of the past.

Today’s reading is most of the last chapter of the letter. The author emphasized contentment (v.6), the translation of the word “autarkeia”) which The NAOB described as a Stoic term meaning “self-sufficiency.”

He cautioned against love of money as a “root of all kinds of evil” (v.10). The author encouraged the active “pursuit” of righteousness and “fighting the good fight of the faith” (v.12). The reference to Pontius Pilate in verse 13 is the only mention of him (outside the Gospels and Acts) that appears in the New Testament. The “manifestation” (epiphaneias in Greek) is a reference to the Second Coming, a term used in many of the Pastoral Letters.

The references in verses 15 and 16 of God as all powerful, immortal, and invisible reflect the influence of Greek philosophy on the Jesus Follower Movement.

Luke 16:19-31

Reading

19 Jesus said, “There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. 20 And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, 21 who longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell from the rich man’s table; even the dogs would come and lick his sores. 22 The poor man died and was carried away by the angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 In Hades, where he was being tormented, he looked up and saw Abraham far away with Lazarus by his side. 24 He called out, `Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am in agony in these flames.’ 25 But Abraham said, `Child, remember that during your lifetime you received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner evil things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in agony. 26 Besides all this, between you and us a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who might want to pass from here to you cannot do so, and no one can cross from there to us.’ 27 He said, `Then, father, I beg you to send him to my father’s house — 28 for I have five brothers– that he may warn them, so that they will not also come into this place of torment.’ 29 Abraham replied, `They have Moses and the prophets; they should listen to them.’ 30 He said, `No, father Abraham; but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ 31 He said to him, `If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.'”

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 part of a chapter that deals primarily with the danger of riches. The “rich man” (v.19) in this story has historically been named “Dives” – which is Latin for “rich man.” Being dressed in purple was a sign of wealth. Purple was difficult to produce because it was derived from a specific kind of shellfish. The rich man’s selfishness was shown by his failure to assist the poor man “at his gate” (v.20).

The poor man named “Lazarus” is not to be confused with the brother of Martha and Mary who was raised from the dead by Jesus as recounted in John 11.

The story does not describe Lazarus’ character, but his presence “with Abraham” (v.22) indicated a blessed afterlife condition. The Jewish Annotated New Testament notes that “salvation in the Gospel of Luke is not contingent upon Jesus’ sacrificial death.”

Even in Hades, the rich man saw the poor man as a servant in that he asked Abraham to send him to the rich man with a drop of water (v.24) and to send him to “my father’s house” (v.27) to warn his brothers.

Although the reference in the text to someone coming back from the dead was to the poor man (v.28), some commentators see the reference in verse 31 (“someone rising from the dead”) as evoking Jesus’ Resurrection. After the Destruction of the Temple in 70 CE, the primary division between the Jesus Followers and the Pharisees was whether Jesus had been resurrected.