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2022, August 28 ~ Jeremiah 2:4-13; Sirach 10:12-18; Proverbs 25:6-7; Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16; Luke 14:1, 7-14

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TODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
AUGUST 28, 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. Today’s track 2 has a choice of two readings.

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

Jeremiah 2:4-13

Reading

4 Hear the word of the LORD, O house of Jacob, and all the families of the house of Israel.
5 Thus says the LORD: What wrong did your ancestors find in me that they went far from me,
and went after worthless things, and became worthless themselves?
6 They did not say, “Where is the LORD who brought us up from the land of Egypt, who led us in the wilderness, in a land of deserts and pits, in a land of drought and deep darkness, in a land that no one passes through, where no one lives?”
7 I brought you into a plentiful land to eat its fruits and its good things But when you entered you defiled my land and made my heritage an abomination.
8 The priests did not say, “Where is the LORD?” Those who handle the law did not know me; the rulers transgressed against me; the prophets prophesied by Baal and went after things that do not profit.
9 Therefore once more I accuse you, says the LORD, and I accuse your children’s children.
10 Cross to the coasts of Cyprus and look, send to Kedar and examine with care; see if there has ever been such a thing.
11 Has a nation changed its gods, even though they are no gods? But my people have changed their glory for something that does not profit.
12 Be appalled, O heavens, at this, be shocked, be utterly desolate, says the LORD,
13 for my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living water,
and dug out cisterns for themselves, cracked cisterns that can hold no water.

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 “poetry style” and consists of a “covenant lawsuit” brought by YHWH (“LORD” in all capital letters) against Jacob and “all the families of Israel” (v.4). Jacob and Israel are interchangeable names – Jacob’s name was changed to “Israel” in Genesis 32 when he wrestled with a man/angel/God.

This first part of this reading was addressed to Northern Israel and is understood by The Jewish Study Bible as an attempt by Jeremiah to persuade Northern Israel (which had been conquered by the Assyrians in 722 BCE) to “accept the rule of King Josiah and the religious authority of the Jerusalem Temple, thereby reuniting all Israel as in the days of David and Solomon.” The JSB notes that verses 1 to 3 were a later addition to include Judea in the covenant lawsuit after the death of King Josiah in 609 BCE.

In the “lawsuit,” YHWH declared innocence in the relationship with Israel and said the people have been unfaithful without cause and ungrateful for all YHWH had done for them, including bringing them out of Egypt and bringing them to the Promised Land (vv. 5-8). The priests knew the law but did not know God (v.8) and false prophets preached in the name of Baal. (Archeological evidence shows that Baal worship and YHWH worship coexisted in Israel until after the Exile (587-539 BCE).

The last part of the reading is an accusation against Israel and its children – the hearers of the prophesy (v.9) – for changing its gods (v.11) and forsaking the fountain of “living water” (v. 13) The image of “living water” was used in the conversation between Jesus of Nazareth with the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4:10.

Sirach 10:12-18

Reading

12 The beginning of human pride is to forsake the Lord; the heart has withdrawn from its Maker.
13 For the beginning of pride is sin, and the one who clings to it pours out abominations. Therefore the Lord brings upon them unheard-of calamities and destroys them completely.
14 The Lord overthrows the thrones of rulers and enthrones the lowly in their place.
15 The Lord plucks up the roots of the nations, and plants the humble in their place.
16 The Lord lays waste the lands of the nations and destroys them to the foundations of the earth.
17 He removes some of them and destroys them and erases the memory of them from the earth.
18 Pride was not created for human beings, or violent anger for those born of women.

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, during a time when the Seleucids (from Syria) were ruling Judea and trying 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. The book primarily consists of “traditional” advice to young men in the Jewish community, consistent with the advice given to young men in the Book of Proverbs.

In today’s reading, Sirach stated that human pride and sin lead to retribution by the Lord – a view consistent with Deuteronomy’s over-all theme that if you do good, good things will happen, but if you do bad things (such as worship false gods), bad things will happen.

Proverbs 25:6-7

Reading

6 Do not put yourself forward in the king’s presence or stand in the place of the great;
7 for it is better to be told, “Come up here,” than to be put lower in the presence of a noble.

Commentary

In Christian Bibles, the Book of Proverbs is included in the “Wisdom Literature,” but in the Jewish Bible (the “TaNaK”), it is part of the “Writings.” The other two parts of the Jewish Bible are The Torah and The Prophets. The name “TaNaK” is an acronym for the first letters of the Hebrew words for each of these sections: the Torah, the Nevi’im, and the Ketubim.

Although Proverbs claimed to be written by Solomon (965-930 BCE) (1:1), most scholars agree that these sayings were compiled over a lengthy period and put in their final form around 450 BCE. In fact, two Chapters of Proverbs (22:17 to 24:34) were copied almost word-for-word from Egyptian wisdom literature dating to about 1100 BCE.

Most of the sayings in Proverbs were presented as teachings from the elders and were aimed at young men to enable them to cope with life. They generally advised that moral living (diligence, sobriety, self-restraint, selecting a good wife, and honesty) will lead to a good life. Unlike most guidance in the Hebrew Bible, Proverbs was aimed at individuals, rather than to the nation.

The authors of Proverbs seemed to be convinced that everyone who attended to the wisdom of the past and employed powers of reason could know what to do and what to avoid. Wisdom is the virtue that encompasses all other virtues. In that sense, there is a tension between the ”teaching” of Proverbs and the Torah – which emphasized the revealed law.

The usual translation of a recurring theme in Proverbs is that “fear” of YHWH (translated as LORD – all capital letters in the NRSV) is the beginning of wisdom. Many scholars suggest, however, that “awe of YHWH” or “reverence for YHWH” better captures the sense of the authors of the Proverbs.

Proverbs acknowledged the limitations of human wisdom but also offered a clear view of divine reward and punishment: Wisdom (equated with righteousness) would bring success, but folly (or wickedness) would lead to destruction.

Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16

Reading

1 Let mutual love continue. 2 Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it. 3 Remember those who are in prison, as though you were in prison with them; those who are being tortured, as though you yourselves were being tortured. 4 Let marriage be held in honor by all and let the marriage bed be kept undefiled; for God will judge fornicators and adulterers. 5 Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have; for he has said, “I will never leave you or forsake you.” 6 So we can say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can anyone do to me?”

7 Remember your leaders, those who spoke the word of God to you; consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith. 8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

15 Through him, then, let us continually offer a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that confess his name. 16 Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.

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.

Although the Letter to the Hebrews is sometimes attributed to Paul, most scholars agree that it was written some time after Paul’s death in 63 CE, but before 100 CE. The letter introduced a number of important theological themes. The first four chapters explored the word of God spoken through the Son.

Today’s reading is from the final chapter of the Letter and was primarily an exhortation for moral uprightness by the Jesus Followers. The Greek word for “mutual love” (v.1) is philadelphia — described in The Jewish Annotated New Testament as most commonly used to describe the affection between siblings.

The mention of “entertaining angels” (v.2) was a reference to Abraham’s over-the-top hospitality to three strangers/angels/God at Mamre (Gen. 18). The reference to “he” in verse 5 is to YHWH and a promise made by YHWH to Joshua in Josh.1:5. The purported quote in verse 6 is a loose paraphrase of Psalm 118.6.

Reflecting an evolving Christology, the author affirmed that The Christ is the same today and forever (v.8), and through The Christ – as the unifying force of all reality — the community was able to offer sacrifices pleasing to God (v. 16).

Luke 14:1, 7-14

Reading

1 On one occasion when Jesus was going to the house of a leader of the Pharisees to eat a meal on the sabbath, they were watching him closely.

7 When he noticed how the guests chose the places of honor, he told them a parable. 8 “When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, do not sit down at the place of honor, in case someone more distinguished than you has been invited by your host; 9 and the host who invited both of you may come and say to you, `Give this person your place,’ and then in disgrace you would start to take the lowest place. 10 But when you are invited, go and sit down at the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he may say to you, `Friend, move up higher’; then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at the table with you. 11 For all who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

12 He said also to the one who had invited him, “When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, in case they may invite you in return, and you would be repaid. 13 But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. 14 And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you, for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”

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.

It is difficult to gauge Jesus’ relationship with the Pharisees during his lifetime. In today’s reading, Jesus was dining (presumably by an invitation which he accepted) at the house of a leader of the Pharisees (v.1). By the time the Gospels According to Matthew, Luke and John were written, however, the relationship between the Jesus Followers and the Pharisees was competitive and strained, and these three Gospels contain criticisms of the Pharisees not found in Mark. The Jewish Annotated New Testament notes: “Scholars correctly describe [Luke’s} Gospel’s presentation of Pharisees as puzzling, inconsistent and complex.”

In the verses before today’s reading, Jesus turned the tables on the “lawyers and Pharisees” by asking them if it was lawful to cure people on the sabbath. When they were silent, he cured a man who had dropsy.

The “parable” in today’s reading was an expansion of verses from Proverbs 25 (which will not likely be read in many churches.) The notion of being “repaid at the resurrection of the righteous” was based on Dan. 12:2 (“Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to everlasting shame and contempt.” – the first clear Biblical reference to a resurrection, final judgment, and afterlife.) “Many” suggested not all will rise.

2022, June 12 ~ Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31; Romans 5:1-5; John 16:12-15

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TODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
JUNE 12, 2022

Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31

Reading

1 Does not wisdom call, and does not understanding raise her voice?
2 On the heights, beside the way, at the crossroads she takes her stand;
3 beside the gates in front of the town, at the entrance of the portals she cries out:
4 “To you, O people, I call, and my cry is to all that live.

22 The LORD created me at the beginning of his work, the first of his acts of long ago.
23 Ages ago I was set up, at the first, before the beginning of the earth.
24 When there were no depths I was brought forth, when there were no springs abounding with water.
25 Before the mountains had been shaped, before the hills, I was brought forth–
26 when he had not yet made earth and fields, or the world’s first bits of soil.
27 When he established the heavens, I was there, when he drew a circle on the face of the deep,
28 when he made firm the skies above, when he established the fountains of the deep,
29 when he assigned to the sea its limit, so that the waters might not transgress his command,
when he marked out the foundations of the earth,
30 then I was beside him, like a master worker; and I was daily his delight, rejoicing before him always,
31 rejoicing in his inhabited world and delighting in the human race.”

Commentary

In Christian Bibles, the Book of Proverbs is included in the “Wisdom Literature,” but in the Jewish Bible (the “TaNaK”), it is part of the “Writings.” The other two parts of the Jewish Bible are The Torah and The Prophets. The name “TaNaK” is an acronym for the first letters of the Hebrew words for each of these sections: the Torah, the Nevi’im, and the Ketubim.

Although Proverbs claimed to be written by Solomon (965-930 BCE) (1:1), most scholars agree that these sayings were compiled over a lengthy period and put in their final form around 450 BCE. In fact, two Chapters of Proverbs (22:17 to 24:34) were copied almost word-for-word from Egyptian wisdom literature dating to about 1100 BCE.

Most of the sayings in Proverbs were presented as teachings from the elders and were aimed at young men to enable them to cope with life. They generally advised that moral living (diligence, sobriety, self-restraint, selecting a good wife, and honesty) will lead to a good life. Unlike most guidance in the Hebrew Bible, Proverbs was aimed at individuals, rather than to the nation.

The authors of Proverbs seemed to be convinced that everyone who attended to the wisdom of the past and employed powers of reason could know what to do and what to avoid. Wisdom is the virtue that encompasses all other virtues. In that sense, there is a tension between the ”teaching” of Proverbs and the Torah – which emphasized the revealed law.

The usual translation of a recurring theme in Proverbs is that “fear” of YHWH (translated as LORD – all capital letters in the NRSV) is the beginning of wisdom. Many scholars suggest, however, that “awe of YHWH” or “reverence for YHWH” better captures the sense of the authors of the Proverbs.

Proverbs acknowledged the limitations of human wisdom but also offered a clear view of divine reward and punishment: Wisdom (equated with righteousness) would bring success, but folly (or wickedness) woud lead to destruction.

Today’s reading is about Wisdom as the feminine aspect of the Sacred (vv. 1-3) who speaks to all the people (v.4) and in particular (in an omitted verse) to the “simple ones” (v.5).

In the second part of today’s reading, Wisdom was described as being present at Creation and as the first of God’s creations (vv.22-31).

Romans 5:1-5

Reading

1 Since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God. 3 And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.

Commentary

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

Nero’s predecessor (Claudius) had expelled the Jews from Rome in 49 CE. During Nero’s reign (54-68 CE), he allowed Jews (including Jewish Jesus Followers) to return, and this created tensions within the Jesus Follower Community. (They were not called “Christians” until the 80’s.)

Paul died in 62 or 63 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 continued to have expectations about the fullness of the Coming of the Messiah, one of the important themes in Romans.

Today’s reading speaks of being “justified by faith” (v.1). Understanding these terms in Paul’s context is often challenging for modern readers. For example, “justified” (v.1) is more properly understood as “being in right relationships with God, others, the world and oneself.” (A page of type in which the right and left margins are straight is described as “justified.”)

The word “faith” is a translation of the Greek word “pistis” – a word that conveys an active quality. The word is perhaps better understood as “faith-ing” or “active faithfulness.” For Paul, “faith” was not a matter of intellectually assenting to a series of doctrines (the way many Christians today think of “Faith”). Instead, “faith” is living a life of loving faithfulness in the same way that Jesus of Nazareth lived his life in faithfulness.

John 16:12-15

Reading

12 Jesus said to the disciples, “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. 14 He will glorify me, because he will take what is mine and declare it to you. 15 All that the Father has is mine. For this reason I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.”

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 that was to be held the night he died.

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

Today’s reading is part of the “Farewell Discourse and Prayer of Jesus” that begins at 13:31 and continues to 17:26. There are numerous themes in the Discourse, and a substantial amount of repetition. Scholars suggest that some of the themes in the Discourse reflect the situation when the Gospel itself was written in the late First Century.

Generally, the lengthy Discourse is divided into four units: (a) announcement of the hour and farewell; (b) exhortation to the disciples about the community in the face of external hostility; (c) consolation for the sorrowing disciples; and (d) Jesus’ prayer for the disciples.

Today’s reading repeated John 15:15-17 and again presented Jesus’ promise to send the Holy Spirit to the disciples as a “Spirit of truth” (v.13). This promise was fulfilled in the Fourth Gospel when Jesus appeared to the disciples in the locked room on the first day of the Resurrection. John 20:21-22 reads: “When he had said this [Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.], he breathed on them and said to them ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.’ ” This imparting of the Holy Spirit is often called “Little Pentecost” as compared to the “Big Pentecost” described in Acts 2.

The statements in this reading about the “Spirit” and the “Father” became important in the eventual development of the doctrine of the Trinity.

2021, September 19 ~ Proverbs 31:10-31; Wisdom 1:16-2:1, 12-22; Jeremiah 11:18-20; James 3:13-4:3; Mark 9:30-37

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TODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
SEPTEMBER 19, 2021

During this Pentecost Season, there are two “Tracks” of Scriptures that are offered, and congregations may choose which Track they will follow. The first two readings presented are the readings from Tracks 1 and 2, respectively. The third reading today is an alternative reading for Track 2. The fourth and fifth readings are the same in both Tracks.

Proverbs 31:10-31

Reading

10 A capable wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels.
11 The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain.
12 She does him good, and not harm, all the days of her life.
13 She seeks wool and flax and works with willing hands.
14 She is like the ships of the merchant; she brings her food from far away.
15 She rises while it is still night and provides food for her household and tasks for her servant-girls.
16 She considers a field and buys it; with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard.
17 She girds herself with strength and makes her arms strong.
18 She perceives that her merchandise is profitable. Her lamp does not go out at night.
19 She puts her hands to the distaff, and her hands hold the spindle.
20 She opens her hand to the poor and reaches out her hands to the needy.
21 She is not afraid for her household when it snows, for all her household are clothed in crimson.
22 She makes herself coverings; her clothing is fine linen and purple.
23 Her husband is known in the city gates, taking his seat among the elders of the land.
24 She makes linen garments and sells them; she supplies the merchant with sashes.
25 Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come.
26 She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.
27 She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.
28 Her children rise up and call her happy; her husband too, and he praises her:
29 “Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all.”
30 Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.
31 Give her a share in the fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her in the city gates.

Commentary

In Christian Bibles, the Book of Proverbs is included in the “Wisdom Literature,” but in the Jewish Bible (the “TaNaK”), it is part of the “Writings.” The other two parts of the Jewish Bible are the Torah and the Prophets. The name “TaNaK” is an acronym for the first letters of the Hebrew words for each of these sections: the Torah, the Nevi’im, and the Ketubim.

Although Proverbs claims (v.1:1) to be written by Solomon who reigned from 965-930 BCE, most scholars agree that these sayings were compiled over a lengthy period and put in their final form around 450 BCE. In fact, two Chapters of Proverbs (22:17 to 24:34) are copied almost word-for-word from Egyptian wisdom literature dating to about 1100 BCE.

Most sayings in Proverbs are presented as teachings from the elders and are aimed at young men. They advised that moral living (diligence, sobriety, self-restraint, selecting a good wife, honesty) would lead to a good life. Proverbs contains a variety of genres in addition to short proverbs.

The authors of Proverbs suggested that attention to the Wisdom of the past and employing powers of reason would be sufficient to know what to do and what to avoid. In this sense, Proverbs has an approach that is different from those portions of the Hebrew Bible which emphasized divine revelation and the Law.

The usual translation of a recurring theme in Proverbs is that “fear” of YHWH (translated as LORD – all capital letters in the NRSV) is the beginning of wisdom. Many scholars suggest that “awe of YHWH” or “reverence for YHWH” better captures the sense of the authors of the sayings in Proverbs.

Today’s reading presents an ideal for women and is an acrostic poem in Hebrew – one in which each successive verse begins with the next letter of the Hebrew alphabet. The word “capable” (v.10) is also translated as good, perfect, virtuous, noble, and valiant, and the description “more precious than jewels” is also attributed to the personification of Wisdom in 3:15 and 8:11.

The distaff and spindle (v.19) are both instruments for spinning wool or flax. The notes to the Jewish Study Bible say: “Providing cloth for a household would require incessant spinning.”

The verses note that the ideal woman had considerable independence in conducting business (vv. 18 and 24) and may acquire real estate (v.16). This allowed her husband time to sit at the city gates, presumably conducting civic business and serving as a judge (v.23). The final verses reflect, however, the system of patriarchy in that the men to whom this was addressed were urged to “give her a share” (v.31).

These verses are traditionally recited by Jewish men to their wives at the beginning of Sabbath and at the funerals of women.

Wisdom of Solomon 1:16-2:1, 12-22

Reading

16 The ungodly by their words and deeds summoned death; considering him a friend, they pined away and made a covenant with him, because they are fit to belong to his company.
2:1 For they reasoned unsoundly, saying to themselves, “Short and sorrowful is our life, and there is no remedy when a life comes to its end, and no one has been known to return from Hades.
12 Let us lie in wait for the righteous man, because he is inconvenient to us and opposes our actions; he reproaches us for sins against the law, and accuses us of sins against our training.
13 He professes to have knowledge of God, and calls himself a child of the Lord.
14 He became to us a reproof of our thoughts;
15 the very sight of him is a burden to us, because his manner of life is unlike that of others, and his ways are strange.
16 We are considered by him as something base, and he avoids our ways as unclean; he calls the last end of the righteous happy, and boasts that God is his father.
17 Let us see if his words are true, and let us test what will happen at the end of his life;
18 for if the righteous man is God’s child, he will help him, and will deliver him from the hand of his adversaries.
19 Let us test him with insult and torture, so that we may find out how gentle he is, and make trial of his forbearance.
20 Let us condemn him to a shameful death, for, according to what he says, he will be protected.”
21 Thus they reasoned, but they were led astray, for their wickedness blinded them,
22 and they did not know the secret purposes of God, nor hoped for the wages of holiness,
nor discerned the prize for blameless souls.

Commentary

The Book of Wisdom, also known as “The Wisdom of Solomon,” is not part of the “Canon” (accepted books) of the Hebrew Bible. It is, however, included as part of the Hebrew Scriptures in Roman Catholic and Orthodox Church Bibles as “deutero-canonical” – part of a “second” Canon. In Protestant Bibles, Wisdom is not included in the Hebrew Scriptures but is part of the Apocrypha (“hidden books”).

This difference in treatment arises because in the period from 300 to 200 BCE, the existing Hebrew Scriptures were translated into Greek (the common language of the time). Compilations of these translations were called the “Septuagint.” The Book of Wisdom was included in most versions of the Septuagint, but this book (among others) was not included in the Canon of the Hebrew Bible (the “TaNaKh”) when it was codified around 90 CE by the Pharisees/Rabbis after the Destruction of the Temple in 70 CE.

Jerome included “Wisdom” and the other books that were part of the Septuagint in the Vulgate (the Latin translation of the Hebrew and the Christian Scriptures around 405 CE). Jerome wrote prefaces to some books that were not in the Jewish Canon of the Hebrew Bible. Later compilers overlooked Jerome’s prefaces, and the Council of Trent in 1546 decreed that the Roman Catholic Canon of the Old Testament included the books that were in the Septuagint.

Luther and other Protestants followed the Jewish Canon of the Hebrew Bible and put books from the Septuagint (such as Wisdom) in a separate section called the Apocrypha.

The Wisdom of Solomon purports to be written by Solomon (who reigned in Israel from 965 to 930 BCE). It was actually written in Greek by an anonymous Hellenistic Jew in the late First Century BCE or the early First Century CE. The author’s intent was to show the superiority of Judaism in terms that were relevant to persons familiar with Greek philosophy, and to encourage Jews in the Diaspora during the Greco-Roman Era. For this reason, there is an emphasis on Platonic ideas such as soul, immortality, and the guiding force of Sophia (Wisdom).

Today’s reading was structured as a Greco-Roman diatribe in which a fictional adversary was asked to respond to arguments made by the speaker. Here, the speaker criticized the “ungodly” (v.1:16) who have made a covenant with death (v.16b). The “ungodly” presented themselves as opponents of the righteous (vv.12-20). The author criticized their wickedness and their failure to know the “secret purposes of God” (v.22).

In the omitted verses (2-11) attribute to the “ungodly” some of the thoughts expressed in the Book of Job and in Ecclesiastes — that life is fleeting, we will be forgotten in time, and that enjoyment of pleasure is a proper response to living under the shadow of death.

Jeremiah 11:18-20

Reading

18 It was the LORD who made it known to me, and I knew; then you showed me their evil deeds.
19 But I was like a gentle lamb led to the slaughter. And I did not know it was against me
that they devised schemes, saying, “Let us destroy the tree with its fruit, let us cut him off from the land of the living, so that his name will no longer be remembered!”
20 But you, O LORD of hosts, who judge righteously, who try the heart and the mind, let me see your retribution upon them, for to you I have committed my cause.

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 poetry style and is Jeremiah’s first (of seven) “personal lament.” In it, Jeremiah lamented that he was opposed by the “court prophets” who told the King what the King wanted to hear. Anticipating the public humiliations that would be brought upon him in later chapters, Jeremiah compared himself to an innocent lamb (v.19) who was the subject of an assassination plot (v.19b). He asked YHWH (the “LORD” in all capital letters) to bring retribution upon his enemies (v.20).

James 3:13 – 4:3, 7-8a

Reading

13 Who is wise and understanding among you? Show by your good life that your works are done with gentleness born of wisdom. 14 But if you have bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not be boastful and false to the truth. 15 Such wisdom does not come down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, devilish. 16 For where there is envy and selfish ambition, there will also be disorder and wickedness of every kind. 17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy. 18 And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace for those who make peace.

4:1 Those conflicts and disputes among you, where do they come from? Do they not come from your cravings that are at war within you? 2 You want something and do not have it; so you commit murder. And you covet something and cannot obtain it; so you engage in disputes and conflicts. You do not have, because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, in order to spend what you get on your pleasures.

7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8a Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.

Commentary

Although the authorship of this epistle is not known, it has traditionally been attributed to James, the brother of Jesus, who is presented in Acts of the Apostles as the leader of the Jesus Follower community in Jerusalem.

This James (sometimes called “James the Just”) is distinguished from “James the Great” (the apostle, brother of John, and son of Zebedee) and “James the Less” (apostle and son of Alphaeus).

The letter is seen by some scholars as the expansion of a sermon likely delivered by James prior to his martyrdom in 62 CE. The sermon was edited and expanded by someone skilled in Hellenistic rhetoric. It was addressed to Jewish Jesus Followers and emphasized the importance of good works. It mentions Jesus of Nazareth only twice in the letter.

This emphasis on works has been understood by some (including Luther) as being opposed to Paul’s position (particularly in Romans) that one is saved by Faith.

These positions are not opposed and can be reconciled by recognizing that salvation/wholeness (however defined and understood) is the byproduct of the combination of Faith/Trust that leads to good works and Faithfulness in doing good works.

Today’s reading continued these themes and observed that good works are done with gentleness born of wisdom. This passage spoke of “wisdom from above” as the source of mercy and good fruits (deeds). Today’s reading concluded by urging submission to God and resistance to the devil.

Mark 9:30-37

Reading

30 Jesus and his disciples passed through Galilee. He did not want anyone to know it; 31 for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, “The Son of Man is to be betrayed into human hands, and they will kill him, and three days after being killed, he will rise again.” 32 But they did not understand what he was saying and were afraid to ask him.

33 Then they came to Capernaum; and when he was in the house he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the way?” 34 But they were silent, for on the way they had argued with one another who was the greatest. 35 He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, “Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.” 36 Then he took a little child and put it among them; and taking it in his arms, he said to them, 37 “Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.”

Commentary

The Gospel According to Mark was the first Gospel that was written and is usually dated to the time around the Destruction of the Temple in 70 CE. Mark’s Gospel is the shortest gospel and forms the core for the Gospels According to Matthew and Luke (both of which were written around 85 CE). Over 50% of the material in those two Gospels is based on Mark. Because these three Gospels follow similar chronologies of Jesus’ life and death, they are called “Synoptic Gospels” for the Greek words meaning “Same Look/View.”

Today’s reading is the second announcement in Mark that the Son of Man (“The Human Being”) would suffer and die – a notion that was foreign to a First Century understanding of the Messiah. The phrase “three days” is a euphemism that means “in a short time” – even though it has been generally understood literally.

In the First Century (and much of history), children were the lowest persons in a household, and the child illustrated the need for the first to become last and servant of all (v.37).

The emphasis on servanthood is found in multiple places in the Christian Scriptures: Jesus’ washing the feet of his apostles at the Last Supper in John 13, Jesus’ “emptying himself” as a servant/slave in Philippians 2:7, and the Son of Man who gives his life as “a ransom for many” in Mark 10:45 – taking a theme from the Suffering Servant poems in Isaiah 52 and 53.

2021, September 12 ~ Proverbs 1:20-33; Isaiah 50:4-9a; James 3:1-12; Mark 8:27-38

/in /by

TODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
SEPTEMBER 12, 2021

During this Pentecost Season, there are two “Tracks” of Scriptures that are offered, and congregations may choose which Track they will follow. The first two readings presented are the readings from Tracks 1 and 2, respectively. The third and fourth readings are the same in both Tracks.

Proverbs 1:20-33

Reading

20 Wisdom cries out in the street; in the squares she raises her voice.
21 At the busiest corner she cries out; at the entrance of the city gates she speaks:
22 “How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple? How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing and fools hate knowledge?
23 Give heed to my reproof; I will pour out my thoughts to you; I will make my words known to you.
24 Because I have called and you refused, have stretched out my hand and no one heeded,
25 and because you have ignored all my counsel and would have none of my reproof,
26 I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when panic strikes you,
27 when panic strikes you like a storm, and your calamity comes like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come upon you.
28 Then they will call upon me, but I will not answer; they will seek me diligently but will not find me.
29 Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the LORD,
30 would have none of my counsel, and despised all my reproof,
31 therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way and be sated with their own devices.
32 For waywardness kills the simple, and the complacency of fools destroys them;
33 but those who listen to me will be secure and will live at ease, without dread of disaster.”

Commentary

In Christian Bibles, the Book of Proverbs is included in the “Wisdom Literature,” but in the Jewish Bible (the “TaNaK”), it is part of the “Writings.” The other two parts of the Jewish Bible are the Torah and the Prophets. The name “TaNaK” is an acronym for the first letters of the Hebrew words for each of these sections: the Torah, the Nevi’im, and the Ketubim.

Although Proverbs claims (v.1:1) to be written by Solomon who reigned from 965-930 BCE, most scholars agree that these sayings were compiled over a lengthy period and put in their final form around 450 BCE. In fact, two Chapters of Proverbs (22:17 to 24:34) are copied almost word-for-word from Egyptian wisdom literature dating to about 1100 BCE.

Most sayings in Proverbs are presented as teachings from the elders and are aimed at young men. They advised that moral living (diligence, sobriety, self-restraint, selecting a good wife, honesty) would lead to a good life. Proverbs contains a variety of genres in addition to short proverbs.

The authors of Proverbs suggested that attention to the Wisdom of the past and employing powers of reason would be sufficient to know what to do and what to avoid. In this sense, Proverbs has an approach that is different from those portions of the Hebrew Bible which emphasized divine revelation and the Law.

The usual translation of a recurring theme in Proverbs is that “fear” of YHWH (translated as LORD – all capital letters in the NRSV) is the beginning of wisdom. Many scholars suggest that “awe of YHWH” or “reverence for YHWH” better captures the sense of the authors of the sayings in Proverbs.

Today’s reading presents Wisdom as a prophet who speaks publicly in the city streets, in the squares and at the gates (which were the busiest places in the city). She will scorn (“laugh at”) the fools when they need her most — when there is a “calamity” (vv. 26 and 27). Those who have ignored her will “eat the fruit of their way” (v.33) – the consequences of their evil acts.

Isaiah 50:4-9a

Reading

4 The LORD GOD has given me the tongue of a teacher, that I may know how to sustain the weary with a word. Morning by morning he wakens– wakens my ear to listen as those who are taught.
5 The LORD GOD has opened my ear, and I was not rebellious, I did not turn backward.
6 I gave my back to those who struck me, and my cheeks to those who pulled out the beard; I did not hide my face from insult and spitting.
7 The LORD GOD helps me; therefore I have not been disgraced; therefore I have set my face like flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame;
8 he who vindicates me is near. Who will contend with me? Let us stand up together. Who are my adversaries? Let them confront me.
9a It is the LORD GOD who helps me; who will declare me guilty?

Commentary

The Book of Isaiah is a composite of writings from three distinct periods in Israel’s history. Chapters 1-39 are called “First Isaiah” and called for Jerusalem to repent in the 20 years before Jerusalem was under siege by the Assyrians in 701 BCE. “Second Isaiah” is Chapters 40 to 55 and brought hope to the Judeans during the Exile in Babylon (587 to 539 BCE) by telling them they had suffered enough and would return to Jerusalem. “Third Isaiah” is Chapters 56 to 66 and, for the most part, gave encouragement to Judeans who returned to Jerusalem (which had been largely destroyed by the Babylonians in 587 BCE) after the Exile.

Today’s reading is part of Second Isaiah and is one of the “Suffering Servant” songs, the longest of which is Isaiah 52:13 to 53:12. The identity of the “Suffering Servant” is sometimes understood as the prophet Isaiah (as in today’s reading) but is more commonly is seen as Judea itself, whose suffering in the Exile (as the servant of YHWH) would lead to vindication by YHWH in the restoration to Jerusalem after 539 BCE.

The author of the Gospel According to Mark used many of the Suffering Servant themes to describe the sufferings of Jesus of Nazareth and for the representation that “the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45)

James 3:1-12

Reading

1 Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers and sisters, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. 2 For all of us make many mistakes. Anyone who makes no mistakes in speaking is perfect, able to keep the whole body in check with a bridle. 3 If we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we guide their whole bodies. 4 Or look at ships: though they are so large that it takes strong winds to drive them, yet they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. 5 So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great exploits.

How great a forest is set ablaze by a small fire! 6 And the tongue is a fire. The tongue is placed among our members as a world of iniquity; it stains the whole body, sets on fire the cycle of nature, and is itself set on fire by hell. 7 For every species of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by the human species, 8 but no one can tame the tongue– a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse those who are made in the likeness of God. 10 From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this ought not to be so. 11 Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and brackish water? 12 Can a fig tree, my brothers and sisters, yield olives, or a grapevine figs? No more can salt water yield fresh.

Commentary

Although the authorship of this epistle is not known, it has traditionally been attributed to James, the brother of Jesus, who is presented in Acts of the Apostles as the leader of the Jesus Follower community in Jerusalem.

This James (sometimes called “James the Just”) is distinguished from “James the Great” (the apostle, brother of John, and son of Zebedee) and “James the Less” (apostle and son of Alphaeus).

The letter is seen by some scholars as the expansion of a sermon likely delivered by James prior to his martyrdom in 62 CE. The sermon was edited and expanded by someone skilled in Hellenistic rhetoric. It was addressed to Jewish Jesus Followers and emphasized the importance of good works. It mentions Jesus of Nazareth only twice in the letter.

This emphasis on works has been understood by some (including Luther) as being opposed to Paul’s position (particularly in Romans) that one is saved by Faith.

These positions are not opposed and can be reconciled by recognizing that salvation/wholeness (however defined and understood) is the byproduct of the combination of Faith/Trust that leads to good works and Faithfulness in doing good works.

Today’s reading emphasizes the responsibilities of those who teach (v.1) and discusses the importance of disciplined speech. Although the human tongue is small (v.5), our speech can have a significant influence on others and on ourselves. The author asserts that what we say will be pleasing to God if we avoid unwholesome speech.

Mark 8:27-38

Reading

27 Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi; and on the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” 28 And they answered him, “John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.” 29 He asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Messiah.” 30 And he sternly ordered them not to tell anyone about him.

31 Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. 32 He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 33 But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.”

34 He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 35 For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. 36 For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life? 37 Indeed, what can they give in return for their life? 38 Those who are ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”

Commentary

The Gospel According to Mark was the first Gospel that was written and is usually dated to the time around the Destruction of the Temple in 70 CE. Mark’s Gospel is the shortest gospel and forms the core for the Gospels According to Matthew and Luke (both of which were written around 85 CE). Over 50% of the material in those two Gospels is based on Mark. Because these three Gospels follow similar chronologies of Jesus’ life and death, they are called “Synoptic Gospels” for the Greek words meaning “Same Look/View.”

The scene of today’s reading is Caesarea Philippi, an area in the northernmost area of Israel. (In the next Chapter, Jesus was transfigured on a mountain, and although the mountain is not identified in the text, the largest mountain was Mount Hermon in the north of Israel.)

The response of the disciples that Jesus might be John the Baptist or Elijah (v.28) is not surprising and represented the notion that famous persons of the past might be reincarnated in others who resembled them.

Peter’s statement (v.29) that Jesus is the Messiah led Jesus to say that the Son of Man (“The Human Being”) would be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes (v.31). From this point on in Mark’s Gospel, the Pharisees were no longer presented as being opposed to Jesus. This is a significant difference from the Gospels of Matthew and Luke in which the Pharisees were seen as the primary opponents of Jesus – a reflection of the later date of those two Gospels.

The notion that the Messiah would suffer was not common in Jesus’ lifetime, but for the audience of Mark’s Gospel, the “future” suffering of the Son of Man (v.31) was already past and confirmed by history. Mark appropriated the Suffering Servant texts from Isaiah and used them (along with Psalm 22) to describe Jesus and his Passion.

In the second part of the reading, Jesus told not only the disciples but also the crowd (v.34) of the need to deny oneself and “take up their cross.” The footnote in the NOAB states: “The Romans used crucifixion as a gruesome means of terrorizing subject peoples by hanging rebels and agitators from crosses for several days until they suffocated to death.”

The statement in v.38 about the Son of Man coming with his holy angels was a reference to Daniel 7:13 (“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.”)

2021, September 5 ~ Proverbs 22:1-2, 8-9, 22-23; Isaiah 35:4-7a; James 2:1-17; Mark 7:24-37

/in /by

TODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
SEPTEMBER 5, 2021

During this Pentecost Season, there are two “Tracks” of Scriptures that are offered, and congregations may choose which Track they will follow. The first two readings presented are the readings from Tracks 1 and 2, respectively. The third and fourth readings are the same in both Tracks.

Proverbs 22:1-2, 8-9, 22-23

Reading

1 A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, and favor is better than silver or gold.
2 The rich and the poor have this in common: the LORD is the maker of them all.

8 Whoever sows injustice will reap calamity, and the rod of anger will fail.
9 Those who are generous are blessed, for they share their bread with the poor.

22 Do not rob the poor because they are poor, or crush the afflicted at the gate;
23 for the LORD pleads their cause and despoils of life those who despoil them.

Commentary

In Christian Bibles, the Book of Proverbs is included in the “Wisdom Literature,” but in the Jewish Bible (the “TaNaK”), it is part of the “Writings.” The other two parts of the Jewish Bible are the Torah and the Prophets. The name “TaNaK” is an acronym for the first letters of the Hebrew words for each of these sections: the Torah, the Nevi’im, and the Ketubim.

Although Proverbs claims (v.1:1) to be written by Solomon who reigned from 965-930 BCE, most scholars agree that these sayings were compiled over a lengthy period and put in their final form around 450 BCE. In fact, two Chapters of Proverbs (22:17 to 24:34) are copied almost word-for-word from Egyptian wisdom literature dating to about 1100 BCE.

Most sayings in Proverbs are presented as teachings from the elders and are aimed at young men. They advised that moral living (diligence, sobriety, self-restraint, selecting a good wife, honesty) would lead to a good life.

The usual translation of a recurring theme in Proverbs is that “fear” of YHWH (translated as LORD – all capital letters in the NRSV) is the beginning of wisdom. Many scholars suggest that “awe of YHWH” or “reverence for YHWH” better captures the sense of the authors of the sayings in Proverbs.

Today’s reading emphasizes the commonality of rich and poor, even though in later verses, the “rich rule over the poor and the borrower is the slave of the lender” (v.7). Debt slavery was a reality in Ancient Israel.

The author noted that injustice leads to calamity (v.8) but those who are generous are blessed (v.9). The “gate” (v.22) was the place where judgments were rendered, and Proverbs calls for fair treatment of the poor.

Isaiah 35:4-7a

Reading

4 Say to those who are of a fearful heart, ‘Be strong, do not fear! Here is your God. He will come with vengeance, with terrible recompense. He will come and save you.’

5 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped;
6 then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the speechless sing for joy. For waters shall break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert;
7a the burning sand shall become a pool, and the thirsty ground springs of water;

Commentary

The Book of Isaiah is a composite of writings from three distinct periods in Israel’s history. Chapters 1-39 are called “First Isaiah” and called for Jerusalem to repent in the 20 years before Jerusalem was under siege by the Assyrians in 701 BCE. “Second Isaiah” is Chapters 40 to 55 and brought hope to the Judeans during the Exile in Babylon (587 to 539 BCE) by telling them they had suffered enough and would return to Jerusalem. “Third Isaiah” is Chapters 56 to 66 and, for the most part, gave encouragement to Judeans who returned to Jerusalem (which had been largely destroyed by the Babylonians in 587 BCE) after the Exile.

In spite of these seemingly clear divisions, today’s reading from Chapter 35 was likely written during the Exile and was inserted by the final compiler of the Book of Isaiah to provide a transition from First Isaiah to Second Isaiah.

Today’s reading gives hope that the Exile will end. It says that disabilities would be removed and there will be water in the wilderness. By promising that the wilderness would have water, it suggested that the Judeans would be able to return to Jerusalem by a more direct route than expected. Portions of verses 5 and 6 are paraphrased in today’s reading from Mark.

A minor point of information: the “a” in the description of the reading shows that only the first half of verse 7 is read. The second half of this verse has a number of different translations and reflects the fact that it is often difficult to determine the best text to translate.

The NRSV says: “the haunt of jackals shall become a swamp; the grass shall become reeds and rushes.” A translator’s note says that the Hebrew text is “in the haunt of jackals is her resting place.” The JPS translation of the same verse is: “the home of jackals, a pasture; the abode [of ostriches] reeds and rushes.” The JPS translator noted that 34:13b reads “a home of jackals and an abode of ostriches.”

James 2:1-17

Reading

1 My brothers and sisters, do you with your acts of favoritism really believe in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ? 2 For if a person with gold rings and in fine clothes comes into your assembly, and if a poor person in dirty clothes also comes in, 3 and if you take notice of the one wearing the fine clothes and say, “Have a seat here, please,” while to the one who is poor you say, “Stand there,” or, “Sit at my feet,” 4 have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts? 5 Listen, my beloved brothers and sisters. Has not God chosen the poor in the world to be rich in faith and to be heirs of the kingdom that he has promised to those who love him? 6 But you have dishonored the poor. Is it not the rich who oppress you? Is it not they who drag you into court? 7 Is it not they who blaspheme the excellent name that was invoked over you?

8 You do well if you really fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 9 But if you show partiality, you commit sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. 10 For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it. 11 For the one who said, “You shall not commit adultery,” also said, “You shall not murder.” Now if you do not commit adultery but if you murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. 12 So speak and so act as those who are to be judged by the law of liberty. 13 For judgment will be without mercy to anyone who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment.

14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you? 15 If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill,” and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that? 17 So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.

Commentary

Although the authorship of this epistle is not known, it has traditionally been attributed to James, the brother of Jesus, who is presented in Acts of the Apostles as the leader of the Jesus Follower community in Jerusalem.

This James (sometimes called “James the Just”) is distinguished from “James the Great” (the apostle, brother of John, and son of Zebedee) and “James the Less” (apostle and son of Alphaeus).

The letter is seen by some scholars as the expansion of a sermon likely delivered by James prior to his martyrdom in 62 CE. The sermon was edited and expanded by someone skilled in Hellenistic rhetoric. It was addressed to Jewish Jesus Followers and emphasized the importance of good works. It mentions Jesus of Nazareth only twice in the letter.

This emphasis on works has been understood by some (including Luther) as being opposed to Paul’s position (particularly in Romans) that one is saved by Faith.

These positions are not opposed and can be reconciled by recognizing that salvation/wholeness (however defined and understood) is the byproduct of the combination of Faith/Trust that leads to good works and Faithfulness in doing good works.

Today’s reading emphasized that good works include caring for the poor, not giving preference to the rich (2-7), obeying the Law to love one’s neighbors as oneself (v.8) and caring for the bodily needs of those in want. The author asserted that while faith is important, if it does not lead to good works, it is dead (v.17).

The “assembly” (v.2) is literally translated as the synagogue, showing that the letter was primarily addressed to Jewish Jesus Followers. The “law of liberty” (v.12) reflected the Jewish understanding that the point of the Law is to free humanity from the domination of evil powers.

Mark 7:24-37

Reading

24 Jesus set out and went away to the region of Tyre. He entered a house and did not want anyone to know he was there. Yet he could not escape notice, 25 but a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit immediately heard about him, and she came and bowed down at his feet. 26 Now the woman was a Gentile, of Syrophoenician origin. 27 She begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. He said to her, “Let the children be fed first, for it is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.” 28 But she answered him, “Sir, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.” 29 Then he said to her, “For saying that, you may go—the demon has left your daughter.” 30 So she went home, found the child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.

31 Then he returned from the region of Tyre and went by way of Sidon towards the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis. 32 They brought to him a deaf man who had an impediment in his speech; and they begged him to lay his hand on him. 33 He took him aside in private, away from the crowd, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spat and touched his tongue. 34 Then looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.” 35 And immediately his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. 36 Then Jesus ordered them to tell no one; but the more he ordered them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. 37 They were astounded beyond measure, saying, “He has done everything well; he even makes the deaf to hear and the mute to speak.”

Commentary

The Gospel According to Mark was the first Gospel that was written and is usually dated to the time around the Destruction of the Temple in 70 CE. Mark’s Gospel is the shortest gospel and forms the core for the Gospels According to Matthew and Luke (both of which were written around 85 CE). Over 50% of the material in those two Gospels is based on Mark. Because these three Gospels follow similar chronologies of Jesus’ life and death, they are called “Synoptic Gospels” for the Greek words meaning “Same Look/View.”

Today’s reading is presented as an “epiphany” for Jesus of Nazareth. Looking for some R&R, Jesus went to Tyre, a city in the Province of Syria, an area near the Mediterranean Sea that is north and west of the Galilee.

The woman who came to Jesus (v.25) was Syrophoenician – a Phoenician from Syria rather than from North Africa. These people were (along with the Canaanites and the Moabites) seen as the original inhabitants of the land before the Israelites arrived and were therefore viewed as inherently wicked and dangerous.

The response of Jesus to her plea on behalf of her daughter was that the “food” (his teaching of the kingdom) was only for the “children” (the people of Israel) and was not for “the dogs” (Gentiles). In the story, her rejoinder caused Jesus to recognize that the teaching of the kingdom was for both Jews and Gentiles, and the woman’s daughter was healed.

This story is contained in Matthew (but not in Luke) with some variations (the woman is described as a “Canaanite” and Jesus refers to the “lost sheep of Israel” rather than “the children.” The theological point made in both Gospels is that Jesus’ message was for Jews and Gentiles.

In the second part of the reading, the deaf man (v.32) would have been considered the equivalent of a minor – a person not responsible for observing the law. His healing brought him into the community.

The exhortations not to tell others of these events is generally called the “Messianic Secret.” This “secret” is ironically contrasted with the paraphrase in verse 37 from Isaiah 35:5-6, though the phrase “he has done everything well” is not part of the text in Isaiah.

2021, August 15 ~ 1 Kings 2:10-12, 3:3-14; Proverbs 9:1-6; Ephesians 5:15-20; John 6:51-58

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TODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
AUGUST 15, 2021

During this Pentecost Season, there are two “Tracks” of Scriptures that are offered, and congregations may choose which Track they will follow. The first two readings presented are the readings from Tracks 1 and 2, respectively. The third and fourth readings are the same in both Tracks.

1 Kings 2:10-12, 3:3-14

Reading

10 David slept with his ancestors and was buried in the city of David. 11 The time that David reigned over Israel was forty years; he reigned seven years in Hebron, and thirty-three years in Jerusalem. 12 So Solomon sat on the throne of his father David; and his kingdom was firmly established.

3:3 Solomon loved the LORD, walking in the statutes of his father David; only, he sacrificed and offered incense at the high places. 4 The king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was the principal high place; Solomon used to offer a thousand burnt offerings on that altar. 5 At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, “Ask what I should give you.” 6 And Solomon said, “You have shown great and steadfast love to your servant my father David, because he walked before you in faithfulness, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart toward you; and you have kept for him this great and steadfast love, and have given him a son to sit on his throne today. 7 And now, O LORD my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David, although I am only a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in. 8 And your servant is in the midst of the people whom you have chosen, a great people, so numerous they cannot be numbered or counted. 9 Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, able to discern between good and evil; for who can govern this your great people?”

10 It pleased the LORD that Solomon had asked this. 11 God said to him, “Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches, or for the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, 12 I now do according to your word. Indeed I give you a wise and discerning mind; no one like you has been before you and no one like you shall arise after you. 13 I give you also what you have not asked, both riches and honor all your life; no other king shall compare with you. 14 If you will walk in my ways, keeping my statutes and my commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your life.”

Commentary

The Book of Kings is part of the “Deuteronomic History” that includes the books of Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings. These books are a “didactic history” that covered the period from just before the entry into the Promised Land (c.1220 BCE, if the account is historical) to the release of the exiled king of Judah during the Babylonian Exile (562 BCE). The books were written in the period from 640 BCE to 550 BCE and continued to be revised even after that.

The authors of the Deuteronomic Books artfully wove their stories from many sources. They then used the stories in these books to demonstrate that that God controls history and to assert 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.)

The Book of Kings (to the extent it may be historical) covers from the end of the reign of David (965 BCE) to the time of the Exile (587-539 BCE).

At the end of last week’s reading, David was reported to be lamenting Absalom’s death, just as he had lamented Saul’s death – another death that had political advantages for David. In the intervening chapters, David and Joab fought battles against persons who revolted against David. In Chapter 21, there are descriptions of battles with the Philistines (which seem to be transposed from earlier in David’s reign), including the killing of Goliath by Elhanan, the Bethlehemite (21:19). Chapter 22 is virtually the same as Psalm 18, a psalm of praise of YHWH. In Chapter 24, YHWH became angry with David because he took a census. David was offered a choice of three punishments and chose to have a pestilence visited upon the people. David then built an altar at the place where Solomon built one of the altars in the Temple, and the pestilence ended.

The first chapters of the Book of Kings are a continuation of 2 Samuel and were, at one time, not divided as they are now. David was described as old and, even though he was offered Abishag, the most beautiful girl in all Israel, he had lost his sexual potency (1:4).

Adonijah was David’s fourth (and oldest surviving) son and had been born in Hebron (where David first reigned). Learning of David’s decline, he began gathering allies to support his kingship and had a celebration in anticipation of his kingship. When Nathan and Bathsheba learned of this celebration, they went to David and convinced him that he had promised her that Solomon would be David’s successor. This promise is not recounted anywhere in the Book of Samuel. The high priest, Zadok (from whose name we get the word “Sadducees”) anointed Solomon king.

In actions that “The Godfather” would later imitate, Solomon had his brother Adonijah killed for asking that Abishag be given to him as his wife; banished and later killed a rival high priest on a flimsy excuse; and had Joab killed for siding with Adonijah. He also married Pharaoh’s daughter (3:1), thus starting down a path marrying foreign wives that would lead to his downfall in Chapter 11.

After all this mayhem and murder, in today’s reading, Solomon asked for wisdom, and was granted a “wise and discerning mind.” In not knowing whether to “go out or go in” (v.7), Solomon was noting his lack of military experience. Solomon received both wisdom and wealth, both of which were themes in describing his reign – at least until Chapter 11.

Proverbs 9:1-6

Reading

1 Wisdom has built her house, she has hewn her seven pillars.
2 She has slaughtered her animals, she has mixed her wine, she has also set her table.
3 She has sent out her servant-girls, she calls from the highest places in the town,
4 “You that are simple, turn in here!” To those without sense she says,
5 “Come, eat of my bread and drink of the wine I have mixed.
6 Lay aside immaturity, and live, and walk in the way of insight.”

Commentary

In Christian Bibles, the Book of Proverbs is included in the “Wisdom Literature,” but in the Jewish Bible (the “TaNaK”), it is part of the “Writings.” The other two parts of the Jewish Bible are The Torah and The Prophets. The name “TaNaK” is an acronym for the first letters of the Hebrew words for each of these sections: the Torah, the Nevi’im, and the Ketubim.

Although Proverbs claims to be written by Solomon (v.1:1), who reigned from 965 to 930 BCE, most scholars agree that these sayings were compiled over a lengthy period and put in their final form around 450 BCE. In fact, two Chapters of Proverbs (22:17 to 24:34) are copied almost word-for-word from Egyptian wisdom literature dating to about 1100 BCE.

Most sayings in Proverbs are presented as teachings from the elders and are aimed at young men. They advised that moral living (diligence, sobriety, self-restraint, selecting a good wife, honesty) would lead to a good life.

The usual translation of a recurring theme in Proverbs is that “fear” of YHWH (translated as LORD – all capital letters in the NRSV) is the beginning of wisdom. Many scholars suggest that “awe of YHWH” or “reverence for YHWH” better captures the sense of the authors of the sayings in Proverbs.

In today’s reading, Wisdom was portrayed as a woman who invited even the “simple” and “those without sense” to share the bread and wine at her table and walk in the way of insight. In Proverbs 8:22, Wisdom was portrayed as being present at the Creation.

Ephesians 5:15-20

Reading

15 Be careful then how you live, not as unwise people but as wise, 16 making the most of the time, because the days are evil. 17 So do not be foolish but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18 Do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery; but be filled with the Spirit, 19 as you sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, singing and making melody to the Lord in your hearts, 20 giving thanks to God the Father at all times and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Commentary

Ephesus was a large and prosperous city in what is now western Turkey. In the Acts of the Apostles and 1 Corinthians, Paul is said to have visited there. In Ephesus, there were Jesus Followers who were Jews and Jesus Followers who were Gentiles, and they did not always agree on what it meant to be a Jesus Follower.

Because the letter contained terms not used in Paul’s other letters and gave new meanings to some of Paul’s characteristic terms, most scholars believe that this letter was written by one of Paul’s disciples late in the First Century. The letter sought to unify the Jesus Follower community in Ephesus. The first three chapters are theological teachings, and the last three chapters consist of ethical exhortations.

In today’s reading, the author continued to urge the Jewish Jesus Followers and the Gentile Jesus Followers in Ephesus to live wisely, soberly, and to be thankful to God. In the verses just before today’s reading, the author used light and dark imagery to show that they were all now children of the light.

John 6:51-58

Reading

51 Jesus said, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”

52 The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” 53 So Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54 Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day; 55 for my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink. 56 Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them. 57 Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like that which your ancestors ate, and they died. But the one who eats this bread will live forever.”

Commentary

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

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

Today’s reading is a continuation of the “Bread of Life Discourse” that has been the subject of the readings for the last two weeks. As usual, the author of the Fourth Gospel presents “the Jews” (the Temple Authorities and the Pharisees) as unduly literal. For them, consuming flesh was cannibalism, and blood (the lifegiving force) was reserved for God and was forbidden for humans. When animals were sacrificed at the Temple, the blood was poured on the altar. Meat that is “kosher” has all the blood drained from it.

The Bread of Life Discourse assumes the institution of the Eucharist, and the ritual of the Eucharist was part of the Jesus Followers worship by the time the Fourth Gospel was compiled late in the First Century. According to The Jewish Annotated New Testament, the ritual of “eating god” existed in some Greco-Roman mystery cults such as the cults of Demeter and Dionysius.

2019, June 16 ~ Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31 and Romans 5:1-5

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Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31

In Christian Bibles, the Book of Proverbs is included in the “Wisdom Literature,” but in the Jewish Bible (the “TaNaK”), it is part of the “Writings.” The other two parts of the Jewish Bible are The Torah and The Prophets. The name “TaNaK” is an acronym for the first letters of the Hebrew words for each of these sections: the Torah, the Nevi’im, and the Ketubim.

Although Proverbs claims to be written by Solomon (965-930 BCE) (1:1), most scholars agree that these sayings were compiled over a long period and put in their final form around 450 BCE. In fact, two Chapters of Proverbs (22:17 to 24:34) are copied almost word-for-word from Egyptian literature dating to about 1100 BCE.

Most of the sayings in Proverbs are presented as teachings from the elders and are aimed at young men. They generally advise that moral living (diligence, sobriety, self-restraint, selecting a good wife, honesty) will lead to a good life.

The usual translation of a recurring theme in Proverbs is that “fear” of YHWH (translated as LORD – all capital letters in the NRSV) is the beginning of wisdom. Many scholars suggest, however, that “awe of YHWH” or “reverence for YHWH” better captures the sense of the authors of the Proverbs.

Today’s reading is about Wisdom, which is presented as the feminine aspect of the Sacred. Wisdom is described as being present at Creation and as the first of God’s creations.

Romans 5:1-5

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

Nero’s predecessor (Claudius) had expelled the Jews from Rome in 49 CE. During Nero’s reign (54-68 CE), he allowed Jews (including Jewish Jesus Followers) to return, and this created tensions within the Jesus Follower Community. (They were not called “Christians” until the 80’s.)

Paul died in 62 or 63 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 continued to have expectations about the fullness of the Coming of the Messiah, one of the important themes in Romans.

Today’s reading speaks of being “justified by faith” (v.1). Understanding these terms in Paul’s context is often challenging for modern readers. For example, “justified” (v.1) is more properly understood as “being in right relationships with God, others, the world and oneself.” (A page of type in which the right and left margins are straight is described as “justified.”)

The term “faith” is a translation of the Greek word “pistis” – a word that conveys an active quality. The word is perhaps better understood as “faith-ing” or “active faithfulness.” For Paul, “faith” was not a matter of intellectually assenting to a series of doctrines (the way many Christians today think of “Faith”). Instead, “faith” is living a life of loving faithfulness as Jesus of Nazareth lived his life.

2018, August 19 ~ Proverbs 9:1-6 and Ephesians 5:15-20

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Proverbs 9:1-6

In Christian Bibles, the Book of Proverbs is included in the “Wisdom Literature,” but in the Jewish Bible (the “TaNaK”), it is part of the “Writings.” The other two parts of the Jewish Bible are The Torah and The Prophets. The name “TaNaK” is an acronym for the first letters of the Hebrew words for each of these sections: the Torah, the Nevi’im, and the Ketubim.

Although Proverbs claims to be written by Solomon (965-930 BCE) (v.1:1), most scholars agree that these sayings were compiled over a long period and put in their final form around 450 BCE. In fact, two Chapters of Proverbs (22:17 to 24:34) are copied almost word-for-word from Egyptian literature dating to about 1100 BCE.

Most of the sayings in Proverbs are presented as teachings from the elders and are aimed at young men. They generally advise that moral living (diligence, sobriety, self-restraint, selecting a good wife, honesty) will lead to a good life.

The usual translation of a recurring theme in Proverbs is that “fear” of YHWH (translated as LORD – all capital letters in the NRSV) is the beginning of wisdom, many scholars suggest that “awe of YHWH” or “reverence for YHWH” better captures the sense of the authors of the sayings in Proverbs.

In today’s reading, Wisdom is portrayed as a woman who invites even the “simple” and “those without sense” to share the bread and wine at her table and walk in the way of insight. In Proverbs 8:22, Wisdom was portrayed as being present at the Creation.

Ephesians 5:15-20

Ephesus was a large and prosperous city in what is now western Turkey. In the Acts of the Apostles and 1 Corinthians, Paul is said to have visited there. In Ephesus, there were Jesus Followers who were Jews and Jesus Followers who were Gentiles, and they didn’t always agree on what it meant to be a Jesus Follower.

Because the letter contains a number of terms not used in Paul’s other letters and gives new meanings to some of Paul’s characteristic terms, most scholars believe that this letter was written by one of Paul’s disciples late in the First Century. The letter was intended to unify the Jesus Follower community in Ephesus.

In today’s reading, the author continues to urge the Jewish Jesus Followers and the Gentile Jesus Followers in Ephesus to live wisely, soberly, and to be thankful to God. In the verses just before today’s reading, the author uses light and dark imagery to show that they are all now children of the light.

2016, October 23 ~ Sirach 35:12-17 or Jeremiah 14:7-10,19-22 & 2 Timothy 4:6-8,16-18

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Track 2 of the Revised Common Lectionary offers a choice between Sirach and Jeremiah.

Sirach 35:12-17

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 Hebrew 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, son of Sirach.” In the Roman Catholic tradition, the book is known as “Ecclesiasticus” (“the Church’s book”). It was written around 180 BCE, during a time when the Seleucids (from Syria) were ruling Judea and trying to impose Greek gods upon the Judeans. Ben Sira describes himself as a “scribe” (which means a person of learning). The Prologue to Sirach 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. The book primarily consists of “traditional” advice to young men in the Jewish community, consistent with advice to young men contained in the Book of Proverbs.

Today’s reading is part of a chapter in which Sirach urges 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).

Jeremiah 14:7-10, 19-22

Most Bible scholars agree that the Book of Jeremiah underwent substantial revisions between the time of Jeremiah (627 – 587 BCE) and the First Century. Many of the sections in the book that are in “poetry style” are attributed to the prophet himself, and parts in “prose style” were added later. Today’s reading is in “poetry style.” It is a lament that confesses Judea’s sins, bemoans the absence of Yahweh, recognizes the destruction of Judea at the hands of the Babylonians, and prays that Yahweh (who controls everything) will save or restore the Judeans.

2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18

The Letters to Timothy and Titus are called “Pastoral Letters” because they concern 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 64 CE). Writing something in someone else’s name was a common practice in the First and Second Centuries.

2 Timothy is more personal than 1 Timothy. In today’s reading from the last chapter of the letter, “Paul” reflects on his impending death and praises the Lord for the strength to proclaim the Gospel. The reference to the “lion’s mouth” (v. 17) recalls Daniel in the lion’s den.

2016, August 28 ~ Sirach 10:12-18 & Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16

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Sirach 10:12-18

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 Hebrew 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, son of Sirach.” In the Roman Catholic tradition, the book is known as “Ecclesiasticus” (“the Church’s book”). It was written around 180 BCE, during a time when the Seleucids (from Syria) were ruling Judea and trying to impose Greek gods upon the Judeans. Ben Sira describes himself as a “scribe” (which means a person of learning). The Prologue to Sirach 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. The book primarily consists of “traditional” advice to young men in the Jewish community, consistent with the advice to young men contained in the Book of Proverbs. In today’s reading, Sirach states that human pride and sin lead to retribution by the Lord – a view consistent with Deuteronomy’s over-all theme that if you do good, good things will happen, but if you do bad things (such as worship false gods), bad things will happen.

Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16

The Letter to the Hebrews is an anonymous sermon addressed to Jewish and Gentile Jesus Followers which urges them to maintain their Faith in the face of persecution. Most scholars agree it was written after Paul’s death in 62 CE. Today’s reading is from the last chapter of the Letter and exhorts his listeners to show mutual love and hospitality (referring to Abraham’s entertaining angels/God at Mamre). As the reading concludes, the author tells his listeners to praise God and do good deeds.