Acts 16:16-34

Reading

16 With Paul and Silas, we came to Philippi in Macedonia, a Roman colony, and, as we were going to the place of prayer, we met a slave girl who had a spirit of divination and brought her owners a great deal of money by fortune-telling. 17 While she followed Paul and us, she would cry out, “These men are slaves of the Most High God, who proclaim to you a way of salvation.” 18 She kept doing this for many days. But Paul, very much annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I order you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And it came out that very hour.

19 But when her owners saw that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace before the authorities. 20 When they had brought them before the magistrates, they said, “These men are disturbing our city; they are Jews 21 and are advocating customs that are not lawful for us as Romans to adopt or observe.” 22 The crowd joined in attacking them and the magistrates had them stripped of their clothing and ordered them to be beaten with rods. 23 After they had given them a severe flogging, they threw them into prison and ordered the jailer to keep them securely. 24 Following these instructions, he put them in the innermost cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.

25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. 26 Suddenly there was an earthquake, so violent that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were unfastened. 27 When the jailer woke up and saw the prison doors wide open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, since he supposed that the prisoners had escaped. 28 But Paul shouted in a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.” 29 The jailer called for lights, and rushing in, he fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. 30 Then he brought them outside and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31 They answered, “Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” 32 They spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. 33 At the same hour of the night he took them and washed their wounds; then he and his entire family were baptized without delay. 34 He brought them up into the house and set food before them; and he and his entire household rejoiced that he had become a believer in God.

Commentary

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

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

Today’s reading continues where last week’s reading left off by recounting Paul’s Second Missionary Journey, but the cast of characters is confusing. In 16:1-15, it seems that Paul’s companion was Timothy. But in 16:19, the story recounted that Paul and Silas were seized. Consistent with that statement, the compilers of the Revised Common Lectionary added the words “With Paul and Silas, we came to Philippi in Macedonia, a Roman colony, and” to the NRSV at the beginning of today’s reading.

As noted, Paul and Silas were going to the synagogue to make converts of “God Fearers” (Gentile sympathizers to Hellenistic Judaism who observed some Jewish practices and customs). According to Acts, this was Paul’s usual practice when he came to a new place.

As they went to the synagogue, a slave-girl who had powers of divination followed them for a number of days and called them “slaves of the Most High God” (v.17). The Jewish Annotated New Testament notes that “Most High God” appears in numerous books of the Hebrew Bible, and also was applied to pagan deities. It was therefore also familiar to non-Jews. Paul got annoyed and exorcised the spirit of divination out of the slave-girl (v.18).

According to the story, the slave-girl “brought her owners a great deal of money by fortune telling” (v.16) and the owners of the slave-girl realized they had lost a lot of money because of Paul’s action. (The JANT observes that in other places, Acts disparages religious activities that yield financial gain.) The owners accused Paul and Silas of “advocating customs that are not lawful for us as Romans to adopt or observe” (v.21). The New Oxford Annotated Bible understands this as an accusation that Paul and Silas were trying to convert Romans, which The NOAB says was unlawful. But The JANT says “while Roman magistrates might condemn anyone for offending public order, there was no general policy against Jews teaching non-Roman customs. No specific customs are mentioned; rather, Acts uses the general charge to impugn Jewish customs and perhaps Jews themselves, as being incompatible with Roman society.” The New Jerome Biblical Commentary says: “Their accusers attack them as Jews, based on the known Roman contempt for Jewish customs (citing Tacitus).”

Paul and Silas were flogged and imprisoned.

Just as the apostles were miraculously released from prison in Chapter 5 and Peter was freed in Chapter 12 of Acts, Paul and Silas’ chains were broken by an earthquake, another divine act. Though they were freed, they did not run away. The jailer’s thought of killing himself (v.27) was not an over-reaction. Herod had killed the guards when Peter escaped from prison with the assistance of an angel (Acts 12:19). The jailer was so moved by Paul’s and Silas’ remaining in the jail that he and all his household became Jesus Followers.

Revelation 22:12-14, 16-17, 20-21

Reading

12 At the end of the visions I, John, heard these words: “See, I am coming soon; my reward is with me, to repay according to everyone’s work. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”

14 Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they will have the right to the tree of life and may enter the city by the gates.

16 “It is I, Jesus, who sent my angel to you with this testimony for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.”

17 The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” And let everyone who hears say, “Come.” And let everyone who is thirsty come. Let anyone who wishes take the water of life as a gift.

20 The one who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!

21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all the saints. Amen.

Commentary

The Book of Revelation is also known as the “Apocalypse” (from a Greek word meaning an “unveiling” or “disclosure” of a new age or of heaven, or both). Apocalyptic writing generally described a dire situation ruled by evil powers that could be overcome only by the “in-breaking” of a force (such as God) to bring about a new age.

Like the apocalyptic writings in the Hebrew Bible, the Book of Revelation used extreme images and metaphors to describe the conflict between good and evil. Apocalyptic literature is often presented as a revelation from God conveyed by an angel or other heavenly body. Apocalyptic writings used symbolic language to convey God’s hidden plan.

The author identified himself as “John” but most scholars conclude that the author of Revelation was not John the Apostle because of the reference to the 12 apostles in 21:14. Because of the internal references in the Book, most scholars date the book to the late First Century.

Today’s reading consists of portions of the last chapter of Revelation – which chapter is regarded by scholars as an epilogue of visions, warnings and exhortations. In the chapter, the person speaking to John changes. Initially, it was an angel (vv.1,8), and then shifted to the risen Christ (v. 12) and Jesus (v.16). The risen Christ was presented as being the “Alpha and Omega” (v.13) and the images in verse 16 (“root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star”) are described by The JANT as “traditional Jewish messianic titles.” The speaker (presumably the Christ) says “I am coming soon” (v. 20).

Those who wash their robes in the Blood of the Lamb are understood to be those who have suffered persecution. They will have a right to the Tree of Life (v.14) and to enter the New Jerusalem.

The NJBC says this of the reference to “the bride” (v.17): “The bride is not simply a metaphor for the Christian community. Like the Spirit, she is an aspect of the divine which calls humanity to salvation.”

The JANT describes the closing (“Come Lord, come!”) as transliterated Greek from the Aramaic word “maranatha” (which also appears in 1 Cor. 16:22). It says that the phrase “may serve as an audience response to the preceding prophetic oracle, but its ritual function was to usher Christ’s eschatological return.”

It regards the last verse (“grace of the Lord be with all the saints”) as “John’s or an editor’s deliberate attempt to appropriate Pauline epistolary style into the prophetic framework.”

John 17:20-26

Reading

20 Jesus prayed for his disciples, and then he said. “I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word, 21 that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one, 23 I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. 24 Father, I desire that those also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory, which you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.

25 “Righteous Father, the world does not know you, but I know you; and these know that you have sent me. 26 I made your name known to them, and I will make it known, so that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.”

Commentary

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

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

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. Most agree that the Prayer in Chapter 17 constituted a separate unit.

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 is the last part of the prayer for the disciples and is also a prayer for all who will believe though the word of the disciples (v.20). This prayer concluded both the Farewell Discourses that began in 13:31 and the Jesus Prayer in Chapter 17. It is a prayer that Jesus offered for himself, for his disciples, and for future believers.

The prayer is consistent with the Prologue to the Fourth Gospel in that Jesus said, “you loved me before the foundation of the world” (v.24) just as the Prologue asserted “In the beginning was the LOGOS (1:1).

The prayer offered a sense of “vertical” unity between the Father and the Christ and also a “horizontal” unity between the Father/Son and the disciples/believers (v.21). The prayer continued that Jesus the Christ has made God’s name known to believers (v.26).

In The Fourth Gospel: Tales of a Jewish Mystic (pp. 205-206), Bishop John Shelby Spong offered this understanding of the final part of Jesus’ Prayer in Chapter 17 of the Gospel:

Unity, the inner connectedness of life and love, brings together God and the human, the Ground of Being and being. Again and again the Fourth Gospel drives home its point. God is not an external, distant entity; God is a life we enter, a love we share, the ground in which we are rooted. The call of Christ is not into religion, but into a new mystical oneness. The death of Jesus will not be the end of his life; it will be the moment when the meaning of God is ultimately revealed, the moment in which Jesus will be glorified, because the world will see God in him when he is on the cross. There Jesus will reveal God as the portrait of expanded life, limitless love, and enhanced being . It is an invitation to walk through the door of Christ (“I am the door,” John 10:9), to follow the way of Christ (“I am the way,” John 14:6) and to enter into the expanded life of Christ (I am the resurrection,” John 11:25).

The final part of this prayer asks that those who become followers may be with Christ “where I am to behold my glory “ (John 17:24). This is not a request to go to a place where one can be reassured by seeing what eyes cannot normally see. It is instead a request that the life of God, found in the person of the Christ, can be seen in the followers of Jesus and that we too may reveal the glory of God. It is a prayer that the essence of love may be “in them as I am in them.” The good news of the gospel, as John understands it, is not that you – a wretched, miserable, fallen sinner — have been rescued from your fate and saved from your deserved punishment by the invasive power of a supernatural, heroic God who came to your aid. Nowhere does John give credibility to the dreadful, guilt-producing and guilt-filled mantra that “Jesus died for my sins.” There is rather an incredible new insight into the meaning of life. We are not fallen; we are simply incomplete. We do not need to be rescued, but to experience the power of an all-embracing love. Our call is not to be forgiven or even to be redeemed; it is to step beyond our limits into a new understanding of what it means to be human. It is to move from a status of self-consciousness to a realization that we share in a universal consciousness. John’s rendition of Jesus’ message is that the essence of life is discovered when one is free to give life away, that love is known in the act of loving and the call of human life is to be all that each of us can be and then to be an agent of empowering others to be all that they can be.

That is the meaning to which the signs in John’s gospel point. That is the message spoken over and over in the Farewell Discourses. That is the essence of this prayer, which John has created to place upon the lips of Jesus.

Acts 16:9-15

Reading

9 During the night Paul had a vision: there stood a man of Macedonia pleading with him and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” 10 When he had seen the vision, we immediately tried to cross over to Macedonia, being convinced that God had called us to proclaim the good news to them.

11 We set sail from Troas and took a straight course to Samothrace, the following day to Neapolis, 12 and from there to Philippi, which is a leading city of the district of Macedonia and a Roman colony. We remained in this city for some days. 13 On the sabbath day we went outside the gate by the river, where we supposed there was a place of prayer; and we sat down and spoke to the women who had gathered there. 14 A certain woman named Lydia, a worshiper of God, was listening to us; she was from the city of Thyatira and a dealer in purple cloth. The Lord opened her heart to listen eagerly to what was said by Paul. 15 When she and her household were baptized, she urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come and stay at my home.” And she prevailed upon us.

Commentary

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

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

The Gospel According to Luke and the Acts of the Apostles see the Holy Spirit as the driving force for all that happens. The events surrounding today’s reading exemplify this. As with many of the events in Acts, they are initiated after a vision or one sort or another.

Today’s reading is one of the first stories from the second half of Acts which describes Paul’s missionary journeys. This trip is described as “Paul’s Second Missionary Journey” because it was a trip to “every city where we [Paul and Barnabas] proclaimed the word of the Lord” (15:36).

Regarding Paul’s vision (v.9) The New Jerome Biblical Commentary notes: “This is the first of five visions for Luke’s Paul [citing examples], all of which but one come at night and fit into the broad stream of biblical and extra-biblical dream lore…. Like other venerated figures, Paul gets instruction and encouragement from heaven in dreams that precede momentous stages of his mission, particularly amid dangers that put its successful completion in doubt.”

At the time of his vision, Paul was in the areas called Troas (the largest city in which was Troy), a part of what is now northwestern Türkiye near the Strait of the Dardanelles. The trip from Troas to Philippi, an important Roman colony in Macedonia (northern Greece), was a sea voyage of about 75 miles from Troas with a stop at the island of Samothrace. Macedonia included Thessalonica, Philippi and Beroea.

Somewhat curiously, in the verses preceding Paul’s vision, he was “forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia” (v.6) and “the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them” to go into Bithynia (v.8). Asia was a Roman province in western Asia Minor to the east of Troas and Bithynia was anoother Roman province to the east of Asia.

For the first time in Acts, the narrator became plural (“we immediately tried” in v.10), a usage that continued intermittently during the balance of the book. Based on the text of 16:1-8, it appears that the “we” is Paul, Timothy (Paul’s valued companion), and the author. The Jewish Annotated New Testament suggests the usage “may reflect either Luke’s use of an eyewitness source or his desire to create that impression.”

According to The New Oxford Annotated Bible, Philippi was “populated by discharged Roman soldiers [the enlistment term of Roman soldiers was 20-25 years] who received grants of land and enjoyed the special civil rights that pertained to a Roman Colony freedom from taxation, Roman legal procedures.”) Paul established a Jesus Follower community there and wrote at least one letter to the Philippians.

According to Acts, Paul often went to synagogues as a likely place to make converts to the Jesus Follower Movement (the Way), particularly among Gentiles who were sympathetic to Judaism (called “God Fearers”) and would have been in synagogue for Sabbath worship.

In today’s account, Lydia was described as “a worshiper of God” and a dealer in purple cloth (v.14). The NOAB says the phrase “worshiper of God” is understood as equivalent to a “God Fearer” or a “proselyte” or a person considering being a convert to Judaism. Purple cloth was one of the most expensive and was the color for rulers. As a dealer in purple cloth, Lydia was a person of means who had a “household” (v.15).

In saying that the “Lord opened Lydia’s heart” (v.14) – the author of Luke/Acts emphasized that the Holy Spirit was the force that brought about conversions to the Jesus Follower Movement. As was customary at the time, dependents followed the head of the household in religious matters, so Lydia’s household was also baptized (v.15).

Revelation 21:10, 22 – 22:5

Reading

10 In the spirit the angel carried me away to a great, high mountain and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God.

22 I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. 23 And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God is its light, and its lamp is the Lamb. 24 The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. 25 Its gates will never be shut by day– and there will be no night there. 26 People will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations. 27 But nothing unclean will enter it, nor anyone who practices abomination or falsehood, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

22:1 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2 through the middle of the street of the city. On either side of the river is the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, producing its fruit each month; and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. 3 Nothing accursed will be found there any more. But the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him; 4 they will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. 5 And there will be no more night; they need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.

Commentary

The Book of Revelation is unique in the Christian Scriptures, and also known as the “Apocalypse” (from a Greek word meaning an “unveiling” or “disclosure” of a new age or of heaven, or both). Apocalyptic writing generally described a dire situation ruled by evil powers that could be overcome only by the “in-breaking” of a force (such as God) to bring about a new age. The JANT points out that Revelation is focused on immanent events (“for the time is near” v.1:3).

The New Oxford Annotated Bible notes that most scholars agree that the Book of Revelation “involves a series of parallel, interconnected, and yet ever progressing sections. It begins with a prologue, an epistolary salutation, and an inaugural vision which are followed by messages to each of the seven churches.

Apocalyptic literature was often presented as a revelation from God of heavenly secrets and prophesy (a disclosure of divine intentions) conveyed by an angel or other heavenly body. Like the apocalyptic writings in the Hebrew Bible, the Book of Revelation used extreme images and metaphors to describe the conflict between good and evil and to convey God’s hidden plan.

This book purported to be a revelation by God through Jesus the Christ that was conveyed by an angel to “John” (1:1). Most scholars conclude that the author of Revelation was not John the Apostle because of the reference to the 12 apostles in 21:14. Because of the internal references in the Book, most scholars date the book to the late First Century.

The author of Revelation had extensive knowledge of the Hebrew Bible, and the New Jerusalem was presented as an “idealized” place.

Today’s reading is from the last two chapters of Revelation and has a vision of a New Jerusalem coming out of heaven (v.10). (Most of Jerusalem, including the Temple, was destroyed by the Romans in 70 CE, about 30 years before Revelation was written.) The NJBC suggests that this mountain is the “idealized Mount Zion” and “river of living water” (v.22:1) reflects “the traditional idea that a sacred stream issues forth from the cosmic mountain.”

The NOAB describes the phrase “in the spirit” (v.10) as “a state of prophetic ecstasy, a state of altered consciousness” similar to that found in the Book of Ezekiel. The tour of the heavenly city recalled God’s heavenly temple in Ezekiel 40-42.

The New Jerusalem needed no Temple (v.22) because God and the Lamb are its “Temple.” The New Jerusalem was a place of safety (its gates never need to close). It did not need the sun or the moon to give it light (v.23).The river of the water of life (v.1) was a reference to Eden in Genesis. In the New Jerusalem, the people see God’s face (are fully aware of God’s presence), just as Moses spoke with God face to face.

The phrase “nothing accursed shall be found there” (v.3) was a reversal of the curses (bad consequences) of the Disobedience Event in Eden (Gen. 3:14-19). The NJBC notes that the phrase represents “the idea of the separation of the holy and the common or profane as in Ezek. 44:23” and that “God is reconciled with the nations rather than cursing them (as in Isaiah 34).”

The Jewish Annotated New Testament comments on this passage as follows: “Given God’s inextricable connection to the Jerusalem Temple in biblical tradition [citing passages], it is no surprise that texts from Ezekiel and Deutero-Isaiah to 1 Enoch and the Dead Sea Scrolls all imagined a great eternal Temple as the centerpiece of God’s new creation [citing numerous examples]. In deliberately noting the absence of an eschatological Temple, John perhaps imagines that such a structure will not exist…. But here in Revelation, the divine presence is imagined as dwelling in the heavenly Jerusalem by virtue of its purity and architecture, not a temple per se.”

John 14:23-29

Reading

23 Jesus said to Judas (not Iscariot), “Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. 24 Whoever does not love me does not keep my words; and the word that you hear is not mine but is from the Father who sent me.

25 “I have said these things to you while I am still with you. 26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid. 28 You heard me say to you, `I am going away, and I am coming to you.’ If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father, because the Father is greater than I. 29 And now, I have told you this before it occurs, so that when it does occur, you may believe.”

Commentary

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

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

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. Most agree that the Prayer in Chapter 17 constituted a separate unit.

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 is part of the first section, and Jesus’ response was to a question posed by Judas (not Iscariot), “Lord, how is it that you will reveal yourself to us, and not to the world?”

The Fourth Gospel followed the tradition from Luke 6:16 and Acts 1.13, that there were two apostles named Judas – Judas, son of James and Judas Iscariot. Other (and slightly different) lists of the 12 apostles are in Matt. 10 and Mark 3 and these lists contain only one Judas. All the lists of the apostles put Peter first and Judas last.

An interpretation of Jesus’ response offered by Bishop John Shelby Spong in The Fourth Gospel: Tales of a Jewish Mystic is informative.

Jesus says: You must understand that this manifestation is an internal one, not an external one. The revelation of God comes with the ability to love beyond your limits. If you love me, you will keep my word to love one another and the Father will love you as the Father has loved me. Then the Father and the son will come to you and dwell in you. We will make our home in you – this is Jesus’ summation.

Jesus concludes this part of the discourse by saying, “I have spoken to you while I am still with you” (John 14:25). He then tries to prepare his disciples for his absence. The Holy Spirit will come when I am gone, he says. The spirit will teach you all things and will bring to remembrance all that I have said. I leave you with peace. It is not the kind of peace the world seeks, but it is the kind of peace that will enable you to grasp the reality you will have to endure. Rejoice, because I go to the Father and only when I depart can the spirit come to you . Please recognize that the world has no power over me. The world can not kill who I am. I am part of who God is and you will be also. I do what the Father commands because I love the Father. You do what I command because you love me. That is the pathway to understanding.

Regarding the “Advocate, the Holy Spirit” (v.26), The JANT says: “Gk. parakletos, one who stands beside, a supporter or comforter who is the Sprit of Truth….This passage influenced Christian thought about the nature and role of the Holy Spirit.”

Acts 11:1-18

Reading

1 Now the apostles and the believers who were in Judea heard that the Gentiles had also accepted the word of God. 2 So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers criticized him, 3 saying, “Why did you go to uncircumcised men and eat with them?” 4 Then Peter began to explain it to them, step by step, saying, 5 “I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance, I saw a vision. There was something like a large sheet coming down from heaven, being lowered by its four corners; and it came close to me. 6 As I looked at it closely, I saw four-footed animals, beasts of prey, reptiles, and birds of the air. 7 I also heard a voice saying to me, `Get up, Peter; kill and eat.’ 8 But I replied, `By no means, Lord; for nothing profane or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’ 9 But a second time the voice answered from heaven, `What God has made clean, you must not call profane.’ 10 This happened three times; then everything was pulled up again to heaven. 11 At that very moment three men, sent to me from Caesarea, arrived at the house where we were. 12 The Spirit told me to go with them and not to make a distinction between them and us. These six brothers also accompanied me, and we entered the man’s house. 13 He told us how he had seen the angel standing in his house and saying, `Send to Joppa and bring Simon, who is called Peter; 14 he will give you a message by which you and your entire household will be saved.’ 15 And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them just as it had upon us at the beginning. 16 And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said, `John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ 17 If then God gave them the same gift that he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could hinder God?” 18 When they heard this, they were silenced. And they praised God, saying, “Then God has given even to the Gentiles the repentance that leads to life.”

Commentary

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

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

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

Today’s reading serves as a predicate for the decision made at the so-called Council of Jerusalem.

In his response in Jerusalem to the “circumcised believers,” Peter defended his eating with Gentiles (which would have rendered him ritually unclean) by recounting his vision of foods that was previously described in Acts 10:10-16. In the vision, God told Peter not to call “profane” that which God made clean (10:15 and 11:9). The Jewish Annotated New Testament observes: “The objection to Peter’s eating with Gentiles, rather than converting Jews, reinforces an image that Jews are the xenophobic.” The JANT continues: “It was not unlawful for a Jew to associate with or or to visit a Gentile. While some Jews may have concurred with Peter’s statement (10:28), most would have had regular contacts with Gentiles, while probably taking care to avoid idolatry and prohibited foods [citing sources]. Nonetheless, the idea that Jews did not associate with Gentiles was common [citing Philo and Tacitus].”

Peter went on to tell the Jesus Followers in Jerusalem that the Holy Spirit “fell upon them [the Gentiles] just as it had upon us at the beginning” (v.15) – a reference to the tongues of fire upon the disciples on Pentecost (2:1-4). The JANT notes that the conversion of the head of a household brought about the conversion of the entire household (v.18).

The entire account re-emphasized the role of the Holy Spirit as the force that brought the Gospel to the Gentiles.

Revelation 21:1-6

Reading

1 I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them as their God; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them;

4 he will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away.”

5 And the one who was seated on the throne said, “See, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true.” 6 Then he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give water as a gift from the spring of the water of life.”

Commentary

The Book of Revelation is unique in the Christian Scriptures, and also known as the “Apocalypse” (from a Greek word meaning an “unveiling” or “disclosure” of a new age or of heaven, or both). Apocalyptic writing generally described a dire situation ruled by evil powers that could be overcome only by the “in-breaking” of a force (such as God) to bring about a new age. The JANT points out that Revelation is focused on immanent events (“for the time is near” v.3).

The New Oxford Annotated Bible notes that most scholars agree that the Book of Revelation “involves a series of parallel, interconnected, and yet ever progressing sections. It begins with a prologue (1.13), an epistolary salutation (1.4-8), and an inaugural vision (1.9-20), which are followed by messages to each of the seven churches (2.1-3.22).

Apocalyptic literature was often presented as a revelation from God of heavenly secrets and prophesy (a disclosure of divine intentions) conveyed by an angel or other heavenly body. This book purported to be a revelation by God through Jesus the Christ that was conveyed by an angel to “John” (1:1). Most scholars conclude that the author of Revelation was not John the Apostle because of the reference to the 12 apostles in 21:14. Because of the internal references in the Book, most scholars date the book to the late First Century.

Like the apocalyptic writings in the Hebrew Bible, the Book of Revelation used extreme images and metaphors to describe the conflict between good and evil.

Today’s reading is from the next to last chapter of the book. In it, the author stated that good has prevailed, the world entered a new phase, and the time of the New Jerusalem has begun. It is a time of renewal of creation, freed of imperfections, and transformed by God. The New Jerusalem was presented as a bride (v.2) who welcomed the Lamb (v.9) as her husband (19:7-10), in contrast to Rome portrayed as the whore Babylon in Chapters 17 and 18.

The author declared that turbulence and unrest (using the metaphor of the sea as a symbol of chaos and disorder) have been overcome (v.1), a victory of creation over chaos and life over death. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary points out that these verses present the seventh vision in the last series and focus on salvation. The old heaven and earth are destroyed (20:11). The New Jerusalem will be a home to God among mortals (v.3).

Echoing Ezekiel 37 (the Valley of the Dry Bones), the author affirmed that God will be with his “peoples” (v.3) – a reference to both Jews and Gentiles. The author also quoted from the “Isaiah Apocalypse” (Isaiah 25) and declared that death is no more (v.4). As Christians, we affirm that Resurrection overcomes death for all.

God speaks directly in verses 5 and 6 as the one who is making all things new, and as Alpha and Omega, an echo of 1:8. The promise of water is derived from Isaiah 55:1a (“Ho, everyone who thirsts, come to the water.”)

The JANT notes that in spite of the Biblical tradition in the Hebrew Scriptures of God’s connection to the Jerusalem Temple, the author of Revelation deliberately eliminated a Temple. Instead, “the very boundaries of John’s holy city, not a particular building in it, constitutes the perfection that allows the divine presence to dwell there….In Revelation, the divine presence is imagined as dwelling in the heavenly Jerusalem by virtue of its purity and architecture, not a temple per se.”

John 13:31-35

Reading

31 At the last supper, when Judas had gone out, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. 32 If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once. 33 Little children, I am with you only a little longer. You will look for me; and as I said to the Jews so now I say to you, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come.’ 34 I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Commentary

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

The chronology of events is also different in the Fourth Gospel. For example, the Temple Event (“Cleansing of the Temple”) occurred early in Jesus’ Ministry in the Fourth Gospel, rather than late as in the Synoptic Gospels. In the Synoptic Gospels, the Last Supper was a Passover Seder, but in the Fourth Gospel, it occurred the day before the first day of Passover so that Jesus (who is described as “the Lamb of God” in the Fourth Gospel) died at the same time lambs were sacrificed at the Temple for the Passover Seder that was to be held the night he died. At the Last Supper in this Gospel, there was no institution of the Eucharist, and Jesus washed the feet of the disciples.

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 placed between the departure of Judas to betray Jesus (v.30) and the exchange between Jesus and Peter in which Jesus predicted Peter would deny him three times (vv. 36-38).

Today’s reading is the beginning of the “Farewell Discourse” of Jesus that continued in Chapters 14, 15, 16 and 17. The Farewell Discourse is reminiscent of Moses’ farewell discourse (the Book of Deuteronomy) and the shorter farewell speech of King David (2 Sam. 23).

The reading is significant in that Jesus announced his departure to a place the disciples “cannot come” (v.33); and there is a statement that the Son of Man has been “glorified” and that God has been “glorified in him” (v.31).

In his book, The Fourth Gospel: Tales of a Jewish Mystic, Bishop Spong understands this verse as follows: “It is a strange sentence, but what it is saying is that when Jesus reveals that he can give himself away totally, people will see God’s glory in him and he will become part of who God is and God will become part of who he is. In Jesus’ humanity – his full unbroken humanity – the divine presence will be revealed. The human and the divine are not two separate realms. God is not external. God does not have to enter the world from some other realm. When a human life is open to all that humanity can be, humanity and divinity flow together as one. It was and is a radical insight, and one the consciousness of the mystic is destined to understand.”

In these verses, Jesus also gave a “new” commandment (v.34) that the disciples (and by extension, we) should love one another as he loved them. The Jewish Annotated New Testament points out that the commandment is not entirely “new” in that it is largely based on Lev.19:18b (“You shall love your neighbor as yourself”) and Lev.19:34 (“You shall love the alien as yourself”), both of which Jesus would have known well.

The New Jerome Biblical Commentary asserts, however, that the commandment is “new” because “it is grounded not in the love commands of the Jewish tradition… but in the self-offering of Jesus.”

Again, Bishop Spong is instructive: “In the first epistle of John…God is defined as love. Love is not an entity so much as it is a penetrating experience. ‘God is love’ this epistle states. Might the author also mean that ‘love is God’ flowing through human life? Love is seen in the ability to be free of the survival-driven existence, free to give one’s life away. Love embraces people just as they are. Love is not separate from God. One cannot say: ‘I love God’ and hate one’s brother or sister. No one can create love. One can only receive it, and when it has been received it must be immediately shared. Love cannot be stored. It cannot be saved for a rainy day. It cannot be used later like leftovers. Love that is not passed on dies. Love is the power that binds us to God and to one another. Love is the meaning of Jesus.”

Acts 9:36-43

Reading

36 Now in Joppa there was a disciple whose name was Tabitha, which in Greek is Dorcas. She was devoted to good works and acts of charity. 37 At that time she became ill and died. When they had washed her, they laid her in a room upstairs. 38 Since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples, who heard that Peter was there, sent two men to him with the request, “Please come to us without delay.” 39 So Peter got up and went with them; and when he arrived, they took him to the room upstairs. All the widows stood beside him, weeping and showing tunics and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was with them. 40 Peter put all of them outside, and then he knelt down and prayed. He turned to the body and said, “Tabitha, get up.” Then she opened her eyes, and seeing Peter, she sat up. 41 He gave her his hand and helped her up. Then calling the saints and widows, he showed her to be alive. 42 This became known throughout Joppa, and many believed in the Lord. 43 Meanwhile he stayed in Joppa for some time with a certain Simon, a tanner.

Commentary

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

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

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

Today’s reading follows a brief description of Paul’s activities in Damascus, in Jerusalem and his escape to Tarsus when the “Hellenists” (Greek speaking Jewish opponents of Paul) sought to kill him. It also follows a story of a healing by Peter of a man who had been paralyzed for eight years in the city of Lydda.

Today’s reading is set in Joppa (which is modern Jaffa, a city on the Mediterranean, near Tel Aviv, about 35 miles northwest of Jerusalem and 11 miles northwest of Lydda. According to the NRSV translators’ notes, the woman’s name, Tabitha (in Aramaic) or Dorcas (in Greek) means “gazelle” in both languages. Tabitha is the only woman in the Christian Scriptures who is specifically identified as a “disciple.”

Peter’s raising Tabitha from the dead is reminiscent in style and manner to Jesus’ raising Jairus’ daughter (Luke 8:41; Mark 5:22), Elijah’s raising the son of the widow of Zarephath (1 Kings 17:22), and Elisha’s raising the son of the Shunammite woman (2 Kings 4:33).

Some scholars suggest that Peter’s residing with Simon the tanner (v.43) may have been included by the author of Acts as a segue to the conversion of Cornelius the Centurion (a Gentile) in Chapter 10. The New Oxford Annotated Bible states that tanning animal hides would have rendered Simon the tanner (and perhaps his house) ritually unclean.

Revelation 7:9-17

Reading

9 I looked, and there was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, robed in white, with palm branches in their hands. 10 They cried out in a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!”

11 And all the angels stood around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 singing, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”

13 Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, robed in white, and where have they come from?” 14 I said to him, “Sir, you are the one that knows.” Then he said to me, “These are they who have come out of the great ordeal; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

15 For this reason they are before the throne of God, and worship him day and night within his temple, and the one who is seated on the throne will shelter them.

16 They will hunger no more, and thirst no more; the sun will not strike them, nor any scorching heat,

17 for the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of the water of life, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

Commentary

The Book of Revelation is also known as the “Apocalypse” (from a Greek word meaning an “unveiling” or “disclosure” of a new age or of heaven, or both). Apocalyptic writing generally described a dire situation ruled by evil powers that could be overcome only by the “in-breaking” of a force (such as God) to bring about a new age.

Like the apocalyptic writings in the Hebrew Bible, the Book of Revelation used extreme images and metaphors to describe the conflict between good and evil. Apocalyptic literature is often presented as a revelation from God conveyed by an angel or other heavenly body. Apocalyptic writings used symbolic language to convey God’s hidden plan.

The author identified himself as “John” but most scholars conclude that the author of Revelation was not John the Apostle because of the reference to the 12 apostles in 21:14. Because of the internal references in the Book, most scholars date the book to the late First Century.

Today’s reading is the last part of Chapter 7, which The NOAB describes as “an interlude between the sixth and seventh seals: two visions which provide the promise of divine protection for the faithful during the time of tribulation (vv.1-8) and assurance of ultimate salvation (vv.9-17).” It continues: “A seal (Ezek 9:4-6) marks those under God’s protection. Seals were used to signify ownership or authorship.” Regarding seals, The Jewish Annotated New Testament comments: “In the interconnected world of heavenly symbols, the seals [that were] holding the scroll closed [when they were opened] each released an angel of vengeance or catastrophe (reminiscent of those in Ezek 9.2), [and they were] each linked to horses in a way that indicates the inspiration of Zech 6.”

The JANT notes that because the great multitude (v.9) comes “from every nation, from all tribes, and peoples and languages” these were Gentiles who had “become sanctified and became like priests, servants before the heavenly throne and within the heavenly Temple.”

In today’s reading, those who worship the Lamb have symbols of righteousness (white robes) and victory (palm branches) (v.9) because blood (sacrifice) washes the robes and leads to victory (white). The idyllic state that is described in verse 16 (hunger and thirst no more) is derived from Isaiah 49:10 (which related to the return from the Exile).

Paradoxically, the Lamb is also the shepherd and is located at the center of the throne (v.17). The JANT says this “does not imply a merging with God but rather anticipates its eschatological position on Mount Zion (14.1) and at the center of the New Jerusalem (21.22-23).”

God as “shepherd” is best known from Psalm 23 and the “Good Shepherd” in the Fourth Gospel. The idea that God will wipe away every tear is derived from Isaiah 25.8, as part of what is called the “Isaiah Apocalypse.”

The verse immediately following this reading is: “When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about a half an hour” (8:1).

John 10:22-30

Reading

22 At that time the festival of the Dedication took place in Jerusalem. It was winter, 23 and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the portico of Solomon. 24 So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.” 25 Jesus answered, “I have told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name testify to me; 26 but you do not believe, because you do not belong to my sheep. 27 My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 What my Father has given me is greater than all else, and no one can snatch it out of the Father’s hand. 30 The Father and I are one.”

Commentary

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

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

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.

The Feast of the Dedication (v.22) remembered the re-dedication of the Temple in 164 BCE after it was desecrated by Antiochus IV, an event that had led to the Maccabean Revolt in 167 BCE. The Feast is celebrated now as Hanukkah. The JANT notes that it is not clear how the feast would have been celebrated in the First Century.

“The Jews” (v.24) is the “code word” in the Fourth Gospel for the Temple Authorities, High Priests, and the leaders of the Pharisees. In most places in the Fourth Gospel, it does not designate the Jewish People.

Earlier in this chapter, Jesus described himself as the “gate” through which the sheep enter (v.7) and himself as the “good shepherd” (v.11) so his response to the authorities that “you do not belong to my sheep” (v.26) reflected the incipient “parting of the ways” in the late First Century.

Jesus’ statement “The Father and I are one” would have been seen as a denial of monotheism by the Temple Authorities. The JANT observes: “The Gospel’s Jews apparently take this statement as an indication that Jesus is making himself equal to God (as in 5.17-18). In the context of the Gospel, this unity may also, or instead, refer to the singleness of purpose; since Jesus does the Father’s will, they work as one through Jesus’ activity in the world.”

The Authorities were prepared to stone him (v.31) – the prescribed punishment for blasphemy (Lev.29:16). After a short verbal exchange with the Temple Authorities (vv. 32-37), Jesus escaped across the Jordan to Perea (vv. 39-40) – an area about 20 miles from Jerusalem.

Acts 9:1-20

Reading

1 Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any who belonged to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. 3 Now as he was going along and approaching Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. 4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” 5 He asked, “Who are you, Lord?” The reply came, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. 6 But get up and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.” 7 The men who were traveling with him stood speechless because they heard the voice but saw no one. 8 Saul got up from the ground, and though his eyes were open, he could see nothing; so they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. 9 For three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank.

10 Now there was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” He answered, “Here I am, Lord.” 11 The Lord said to him, “Get up and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul. At this moment he is praying, 12 and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight.” 13 But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints in Jerusalem; 14 and here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who invoke your name.” 15 But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is an instrument whom I have chosen to bring my name before Gentiles and kings and before the people of Israel; 16 I myself will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.” 17 So Ananias went and entered the house. He laid his hands on Saul and said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on your way here, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 18 And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and his sight was restored. Then he got up and was baptized, 19 and after taking some food, he regained his strength.

For several days he was with the disciples in Damascus, 20 and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.”

Commentary

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

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

Today’s reading is the “Acts 9 version” of Saul/Paul’s conversion – his “Damascus Road Experience.” Other – and somewhat different — versions of this story can be found in Acts 22, Acts 26 and in Galatians 1.

This version of Paul’s conversion connected Saul to the stoning of Stephen in Jerusalem (Acts 7:58) and concluded with Saul’s “theophany” (an appearance of God) in which Saul had a conversation with Jesus (vv.4-6). The reference to “the Way” (v.2) is to the Jesus Follower Movement which was regarded as a sect within Judaism until late in the First Century. The New Oxford Annotated Bible and The Jewish Annotated New Testament point out that as shown by the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Essene community also referred to itself as the Way.

The JANT notes that Acts presented the Jewish priesthood as “staunchly antagonistic towards Christians” and that Acts “ascribes [in verse 2] to the high priest legal authority he did not possess over Jews in the diaspora community.” It also observes that Damascus was, at that time, a large city with a sizeable Jewish community.

According to Gal. 1:18, Paul spent three years in Damascus. Acts does not record how or when the Jesus Follower Movement came to Damascus.

After Acts 13:9, Saul was called Paul in Acts of the Apostles. “Paul” is a Roman version of the Hebrew name “Saul.” Notwithstanding Caravaggio’s famous painting, Paul would NOT have been on a horse; only ranking Romans could use and afford horses.

Verses 7 to 20 reflect the fact that the book of Acts contains materials from different traditions that developed between 40 and 85 CE. For example, this account says that the men with Saul heard a voice but saw no one. Acts 22:9 says they saw the light but did not hear the voice. The author of Acts also presented Saul as a prophet chosen for a special purpose by God (v.15). As a devout Jew, Paul began his preaching in synagogues (v.20).

The street called Straight (v.13) is identified as Darb-el-Mostakim, a major east-west street in the Old City of Damascus. Tarsus, the city from which Paul came, is a coastal city on the south shore of what is now central Türkiye.

The New Jerome Biblical Commentary points out that Paul’s baptism (v.19) is not mentioned in any of Paul’s epistles.

Revelation 5:11-14

Reading

11 I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels surrounding the throne and the living creatures and the elders; they numbered myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, 12 singing with full voice, “Worthy is the Lamb that was slaughtered to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!”

13 Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, singing, “To the one seated on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!”

14 And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” And the elders fell down and worshiped.

Commentary

The Book of Revelation is also known as the “Apocalypse” (from a Greek word meaning an “unveiling” or “disclosure” of a new age or of heaven, or both). Apocalyptic writing generally described a dire situation ruled by evil powers that could be overcome only by the “in-breaking” of a force (such as God) to bring about a new age.

Like the apocalyptic writings in the Hebrew Bible, the Book of Revelation used extreme images and metaphors to describe the conflict between good and evil. Apocalyptic literature is often presented as a revelation from God conveyed by an angel or other heavenly body. Apocalyptic writings used symbolic language to convey God’s hidden plan.

The author identified himself as “John” but most scholars conclude that the author of Revelation was not John the Apostle because of the reference to the 12 apostles in 21:14. Because of the internal references in the Book, most scholars date the book to the late First Century. The JANT points out that some Jesus Followers in the Second Century attributed authorship to John the Apostle, and this, in part, led to acceptance of the book by the Christian community.

The author of Revelation had extensive knowledge of the Hebrew Bible. Today’s reading is a part of a long series of images (Chapters 4 to 22) that are “seen” by the author. For example, the author sees “thousands and thousands of angels (v.11), an image derived from Dan. 7:10 (another apocalyptic book).

The JANT observes that Revelation was accepted by the early Christian community in large measure because it used images from the Hebrew Bible, particularly those of Ezekiel, and that these images would have been known by the Jesus Followers. The JANT points out: the author used the idea of divine marks or seals (Rev 7, 9), which was a parallel to Ezekiel 8-9. The author was instructed to eat the angel’s scroll and noted its sweet taste (Rev. 10:8-11), a theme borrowed from Ezek 3. The defeat of mysterious enemies (Gog and Magog) in Rev 19 and 20 depended on Ezekiel’s description of these peoples’ destruction in Ezek 38-39. The fall of the “whore Rome” (Rev 18) drew from Ezekiel’s “pornographic tale of the shaming of the two sisters” in Ezek 23. The measure of Jerusalem before and after its destruction (11.1-2, 21) followed Ezekiel’s actions in the heavenly Temple (Ezek 40 and 42).

The verses that precede today’s reading in Chapter 5 present a scroll (v.1) which The NOAB describes as “containing the divine plan of judgment and salvation” This scroll was sealed and was “therefore both unalterable and unknown to others, and no created being is worthy to carry out God’s plan. Only the Messiah [“the Lion of the tribe of Judah” (v.5)] can do so.” The NJBC comments: “The context suggests that the scroll with seven seals is a book of destiny in which events of the end-time are recorded (Dan 10:21; 1 Enoch 81:1-3). Opening the seals is equivalent to causing these events to occur. The eschatological events are depicted in the sequences of seven seals and seven trumpets.”

The NJBC notes that vv.13 and 14 in today’s reading can be understood as follows: “The acclamations of large numbers of beings of every class and the elders’ act of prostration recalls the honors given to the Roman emperor [citations]. The offering of these honors to God and the Lamb rather than the emperor reflects John’s vision of the conflict between the rule of God and the rule of Caesar.”

The “Lamb” (v. 12) is the Passover Lamb which brings liberation in the Hebrew Bible. Only the Fourth Gospel referred to Jesus the Christ as “the Lamb of God” (Jn. 1:29, 35). The author of Revelation said that all creatures gave praise to the Lamb and to “the one seated on the throne” (God) equally (v.13) but clearly distinguished between the two.

The New Jerome Biblical Commentary says that the “four living creatures” (v.14) is “a new literary creation, although individual motifs are borrowed from Isaiah 6 and Ezekiel 1.”

John 21:1-19

Reading

1 Jesus showed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias; and he showed himself in this way. 2 Gathered there together were Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples. 3 Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will go with you.” They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.

4 Just after daybreak, Jesus stood on the beach; but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. 5 Jesus said to them, “Children, you have no fish, have you?” They answered him, “No.” 6 He said to them, “Cast the net to the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in because there were so many fish. 7 That disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on some clothes, for he was naked, and jumped into the sea. 8 But the other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, only about a hundred yards off.

9 When they had gone ashore, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish on it, and bread. 10 Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.” 11 So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, a hundred fifty-three of them; and though there were so many, the net was not torn. 12 Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” Now none of the disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?” because they knew it was the Lord. 13 Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them and did the same with the fish. 14 This was now the third time that Jesus appeared to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.

15 When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my lambs.” 16 A second time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Tend my sheep.” 17 He said to him the third time, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter felt hurt because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” And he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep. 18 Very truly, I tell you, when you were younger, you used to fasten your own belt and to go wherever you wished. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will fasten a belt around you and take you where you do not wish to go.” 19 (He said this to indicate the kind of death by which he would glorify God.) After this he said to him, “Follow me.”

Commentary

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

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

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 almost all of Chapter 21 of the Fourth Gospel, and most scholars agree that it is an “Epilogue” and was added at some time in the Second Century. John 20:31 has a tone of finality about it (“But these are written so that you may come to believe [other authorities read “may continue to believe”] that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.”)

The two other appearances of the Resurrected Christ described by John occurred in Jerusalem but the appearance in Chapter 21 was in the Galilee.

According to The NOAB, Jesus’ addressing the disciples as “Children” in verse 5 is a colloquialism that means “boys.” The JANT points out that “it is odd that Peter dresses but then jumps into the sea” in verse 7.

Regarding the 153 fish caught (v.11), The JANT observes: “Jerome states that Greek zoologists recorded 153 types of fish, so the number symbolizes the universality of the Gospel’s message and mission; Augustine notes that 153 is the sum of all numbers from 1-17.”

These accounts continue to show that it was difficult to recognize the Resurrected Christ as Jesus. The disciple whom Jesus loved recognized him as the Lord (v.7) but the disciples seem not to be sure. This is shown by the somewhat confusing verse 12b (“Now none of the disciples dared to ask him, ‘Who are you?’ because they knew it was the Lord.”)

This account makes the Resurrected Christ more “corporeal” than the two appearances in the upper room. Jesus made a fire and cooked breakfast for the disciples. (The meal of bread and fish is a reminder of the feeding of the 5,000 in Chapter 6.)

The conversation between Jesus and Peter (vv.15-19) is a parallel to Peter’s denial of Jesus three times. The phrase “when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands” is understood as a reference to the tradition that Peter had to stretch out his arms when was crucified in Rome under Nero (64-68 CE).

Acts 5:27-32

Reading

27 When the temple police had brought the apostles, they had them stand before the council. The high priest questioned them, 28 saying, “We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and you are determined to bring this man’s blood on us.” 29 But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than any human authority. 30 The God of our ancestors raised up Jesus, whom you had killed by hanging him on a tree. 31 God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior that he might give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. 32 And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him.”

Commentary

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

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

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

Today’s reading was set in the early days of the Jesus Follower Movement in Jerusalem. The Jesus Follower Movement remained a sect within Judaism even after the Destruction of the Temple by the Romans in 70 CE.

In the verses leading up to today’s reading, the apostles were preaching in the Temple (vv.12 and 25). There, they were arrested by the Temple Authorities for heresy (v.18) and brought before the religious ruling body, the council, also called the Sanhedrin (v.27).

In today’s reading, the high priest appeared to try to exonerate the Sanhedrin from the death of Jesus by saying the apostles were “determined to bring this man’s blood on us” (v. 28). Peter and the apostles responded to their accusers by saying they “must obey God rather than any human authority” (v.29) which The Jewish Annotated New Testament points out was also voiced by Socrates, by Jewish messianic and nationalist groups such as the Fourth Philosophy (the Zealots and Sicarii), and by the leaders at Masada.

They went on by delivering a concise summary of the theology expressed in Acts of the Apostles – that Jesus is the “Leader” and Savior who brought repentance and forgiveness (v.31).

The use of the term “Leader” is an unusual title to give to Jesus the Christ. In Greek, the word used was “Archēgon” and is translated as “Prince” in some other translations. The same Greek word is used in Acts 3:15 and is translated in the NRSV as “Author” of life. In another recent translation, the phrase in 3:15 is translated as “the leader in the Way of Life.”

The reference to the death of Jesus in verse 30 (“whom you had killed”) was directed at the Sanhedrin (not all Jews). The Sanhedrin (or at least the leaders of the Sanhedrin) likely worked with the Romans in initiating the crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth.

The JANT notes that the reference “hanging him on a tree” (v.30) is derived from Deuteronomy 21:23-24 which says: “When someone is convicted of a crime punishable by death and is executed, and you hang him on a tree, his corpse must not remain all night upon the tree; you shall bury him that same day, for anyone hung on a tree is under God’s curse. You must not defile the land that the LORD your God is giving you for possession.”

The JANT interprets vv.31-32 as follows: “Obedience to God now entails acknowledging Jesus’ authority beside God, through whom comes forgiveness of sins.”

Revelation 1:4-8

Reading

4 John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.

To him who loves us and freed us from our sins by his blood, 6 and made us to be a kingdom, priests serving his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

7 Look! He is coming with the clouds; every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and on his account all the tribes of the earth will wail. So it is to be. Amen.

8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.

Commentary

The Book of Revelation is unique in the Christian Scriptures, and also known as the “Apocalypse” (from a Greek word meaning an “unveiling” or “disclosure” of a new age or of heaven, or both). Apocalyptic writing generally described a dire situation ruled by evil powers that could be overcome only by the “in-breaking” of a force (such as God) to bring about a new age. The JANT points out that Revelation is focused on immanent events (“for the time is near” v.3).

The New Oxford Annotated Bible notes that most scholars agree that the Book of Revelation “involves a series of parallel, interconnected, and yet ever progressing sections. It begins with a prologue (1.13), an epistolary salutation (1.4-8), and an inaugural vision (1.9-20), which are followed by messages to each of the seven churches (2.1-3.22).

Apocalyptic literature was often presented as a revelation from God of heavenly secrets and prophesy (a disclosure of divine intentions) conveyed by an angel or other heavenly body. This book purported to be a revelation by God through Jesus the Christ that was conveyed by an angel to “John” (1:1). Most scholars conclude that the author of Revelation was not John the Apostle because of the reference to the 12 apostles in 21:14. Because of the internal references in the Book, most scholars date the book to the late First Century.

Like the apocalyptic writings in the Hebrew Bible, the Book of Revelation used extreme images and metaphors to describe the conflict between good and evil. Apocalyptic writings used symbolic language to convey God’s hidden plan. The NOAB opined: “The seven spirits [v.4] are either a symbolic reference to the manifold energies of the spirit of God (Isa 11.2) or a reference to the seven principal angels of God (Tob 12.15; 1 Enoch 20.1-8). Seven, the number of completion or wholeness … is the most important symbolic number in Revelation.”

The JANT observes that referring to Jesus as “the firstborn of the dead” (v.5) implies his resurrection was the first of an imminent general resurrection.

The author of Revelation had extensive knowledge of the Hebrew Bible. The JANT states the references to “kingdom and priests” are “symbols of eschatological perfection paralleled at Qumran, in Jubilees, and echoed throughout Revelation.” The words “glory and dominion” (v. 6) and “coming on the clouds” (v.7) were taken from Dan. 7:13-14 (another apocalyptic book). The reference to “being pierced” (v.7) was from Zech. 12:10. By using these references, the author of Revelation sought to present Jesus the Christ in images that were familiar to his audience.

Verse 8 is one of the two times when God is identified as the speaker in Revelation. The other is 21:5-8.

John 20:19-31

Reading

19 When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. 21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” 22 When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”

24 But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.”

26 A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.” 28 Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.”

30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. 31 But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.

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.

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 another account that is not found in the Synoptic Gospels. It begins in a room that is locked “for fear of the Jews” (v.19), which should be understood as fear of the Judean Temple Authorities. The evening is on the first day of the week, the same day that Mary Magdalene went to the tomb before dawn.

Reflecting the ambivalence about the “physicality” of the Resurrected Christ, Jesus seemed to walk through walls and locked doors and stood among the disciples (v.19 and v.26). The NOAB and The JANT note that “Peace be with you” (v.19b) is a typical Jewish greeting.

The disciples did not recognize him, however, until he showed them his wounds (v.20). Only John’s Gospel speaks of a wound in Jesus’ side (19:34) which also remains (vv.20 and 27). Although invited to do so, it does not appear from the text that Thomas touched the wounds. Even in a resurrected state, Jesus (and we) will continue to have wounds.

The Commissioning of the disciples (v.21) is analogous to the Great Commission in Matt. 28:19, and the imparting of the Holy Spirit (vv.22-23) is sometimes called “Little Pentecost” – as compared to the longer Pentecost account in Acts 2:1-4. Breathing upon the disciples is also reminiscent of YHWH’s imparting the breath of life to the human made of the soil (adamah) in Genesis 2:7.

The JANT notes that Thomas’ statement (v.28) is a paraphrase of Psalm 35:23b (“My God and Lord”).

Some ancient manuscripts included a verse 31 that is translated as “you may continue to believe.” This text would have indicated that the intended audience of the Gospel was persons who were already believers. The words “you may come to believe” in verse 31 in the NRSV would indicate that the Gospel’s intended audience was non-believers.

Many scholars believe that the Fourth Gospel ended with verses 30 and 31, and that Chapter 21 (which describes an appearance of the Resurrected Christ in Tiberius by the Sea of Galilee) was added in the Second Century.

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.

2 Samuel 23:1-7

Reading

1 These are the last words of David:
The oracle of David, son of Jesse, the oracle of the man whom God exalted, the anointed of the God of Jacob, the favorite of the Strong One of Israel:
2 The spirit of the LORD speaks through me, his word is upon my tongue.
3 The God of Israel has spoken, the Rock of Israel has said to me: One who rules over people justly, ruling in the fear of God,
4 is like the light of morning, like the sun rising on a cloudless morning, gleaming from the rain on the grassy land.
5 Is not my house like this with God? For he has made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things and secure. Will he not cause to prosper all my help and my desire?
6 But the godless are all like thorns that are thrown away; for they cannot be picked up with the hand;
7 to touch them one uses an iron bar or the shaft of a spear. And they are entirely consumed in fire on the spot.

Commentary

The Book of Samuel 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 beginning of Babylonian Captivity (586 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 numerous 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 Samuel (to the extent it may be historical) covered from the end of the time of the Judges (c.1030 BCE) to the last years of the Reign of David (c. 965 BCE). Most scholars agree that it was compiled from multiple sources. For this reason, there are at least nine stories in the Book that are repeated but in a different (and sometimes contradictory) form. The Jewish Study Bible says: “These sometimes contradictory stories were probably included in the book of Samuel because they were not seen as different versions of the same story but as accounts of different events, or because of the light they shed on the protagonists.” It continues: “Consistency was not considered essential.”

Today’s readings are presented as David’s “last words” – a poetic literary tradition similar to the “last words” of Jacob (Gen. 49) and Moses (Deut. 32). The reading is inserted between a long psalm of praise (2 Sam. 22) that is essentially the same as Psalm 18, and a recounting of the warriors whom David had (2 Sam. 23:8-39), including (somewhat ironically) Uriah the Hittite (v.39), the husband of Bathsheba, whom David had murdered.

The “last words” alluded to the anointing of David as king (v.1), and portrayed him as a just ruler (v.3) and like the sun (v.4) – which The New Oxford Annotated Bible says was a common image for the king, particularly in Egypt. The words refer to the “everlasting covenant” (v. 5) that the House of David would rule forever (2 Sam. 7:16). Notwithstanding his flaws, David was consistently presented as the favorite of YHWH who was the “Strong One of Israel” (v.1).

Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14

Reading

9 As I watched, thrones were set in place, and an Ancient One took his throne, his clothing was white as snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool; his throne was fiery flames, and its wheels were burning fire.
10 A stream of fire issued and flowed out from his presence. A thousand thousands served him,
and ten thousand times ten thousand stood attending him. The court sat in judgment, and the books were opened.
13 As I watched in the night visions, I saw one like a human being coming with the clouds of heaven. And he came to the Ancient One and was presented before him.
14 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.

Commentary

The Book of Daniel has two distinct parts. Chapters 1 to 6 are stories of Daniel in the Court of the Babylonian Kings and the Persian Kings just before, during and just after the Babylonian Exile (587-539 BCE). Because the kings in the stories were presented as ignorant (but not malevolent), scholars date these six chapters to the 4th Century BCE when Judea was under the generally benevolent rule of the Persians (539-333 BCE) and the Greeks (333 to 281 BCE). Chapters 2 to 7 of the Book were written in Aramaic rather than in Hebrew.

Chapters 7 to 12 were written later – during the oppression of Antiochus IV Epiphanes (175-164 BCE) whose desecration of the Temple led to the Maccabean Revolt in 167 BCE.

These later chapters presented an apocalyptic vision – a situation so dire that an external intervention (such as by God) was needed to put things right. Like other apocalyptic writings, the Book of Daniel used dramatic images to describe the conflict between good and evil.

Today’s reading is part of Daniel’s dream in which his vision of God (“the Ancient One”) bears strong similarities to the visions of God in Isaiah 6 and Ezekiel 1. Daniel then saw (as part of the divine intervention) “one like a human being coming with the clouds of heaven” (v.13) who was presented before the Ancient One and given everlasting dominion over others.

The NOAB notes that a depiction of God as an old man became common in later Jewish and Christian traditions, but was unusual in the Hebrew Bible. It continues that the books (v.10) in which human deeds are recorded became a common image for the divine court.

“A human being” (v.13) or “THE human being” (the fullness of being a human) in Aramaic is “bar adam” – which is translated literally as “son of a human” or the son of “adam” – the first earthling. It is also translated as “Son of Man,” a title attributed to Jesus of Nazareth in the Gospels. The messianic use of this title is also found in postbiblical Jewish literature such as 1 Enoch and 2 Esdras.

In Israel in the period following the Maccabean Revolt, the “one like a human being” would have been understood as the angel Michael, the protector of Israel who opposed the four beasts who were also a part of Daniel’s “vision” (Dan.7:17). These four “beasts” were typically interpreted as the Babylonians, Medes, Persians, and Greeks. The JSB suggests that the 10 horns on the fourth beast (v.7) represented the Seleucid successors of Alexander the Great.

The Book of Daniel said that his visions occurred during the Babylonian Captivity. If that were the case, the vision of the “four beasts” would be an extraordinarily accurate foretelling of the history of Israel during and after the Captivity. In reality, however, these chapters were written around 165 BCE – well after each of the ”four beasts” had dominated Israel.

Revelation 1:4b-8

Reading

4b Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.

To him who loves us and freed us from our sins by his blood, 6 and made us to be a kingdom, priests serving his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

7 Look! He is coming with the clouds; every eye will see him, even those who pierced him;
and on his account all the tribes of the earth will wail. So it is to be. Amen.

8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.

Commentary

The Book of Revelation is also known as the “Apocalypse” (from a Greek word meaning an “unveiling” or “disclosure” of a new age or of heaven, or both). Apocalyptic writing generally described a dire situation ruled by evil powers that can be overcome only by the “in-breaking” of a force (such as God) to bring about a new age.

Like apocalyptic writings in the Hebrew Bible, the Book of Revelation used dualistic (either/or) language and extreme images and metaphors to describe the conflict between good and evil. Apocalyptic literature is often presented as “a literary disclosure of heavenly secrets” – a revelation from God conveyed by an angel or other heavenly body. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary notes that a revelation from another heavenly being differntiates it from an “oracle” in which the communication is received directly from God. Apocalyptic writings used symbolic language to convey God’s hidden plan and presented a vision of an eschatological victory leading to a “New Jerusalem.”

The author of Revelation identified himself as “John” (v.1) but most scholars conclude that the author was not John the Apostle because of (among other things) the reference to the 12 apostles in 21:14. Because of the internal references in the Book, most scholars date Revelation to the late First Century and describe the author as “John of Patmos.”

The NOAB points out: “The destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in 70 CE gave John ample cause to identify Rome as Babylon, recalling the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BCE.” It continues: “With its symbolic numbers and colors, animals, and angelic and demonic beings, and replete with echoes and images drawn from the literature of the ancient Near East, the Hebrew Bible, Greece, and Rome, the Book of Revelation is so notoriously complex the church father Jerome (345-420 CE) was led to remark that it contains as many mysteries as it contains words.”

The author of Revelation had a profound knowledge of the Hebrew Bible. Although the author rarely quoted the Hebrew Bible, more than half the verses in Revelation alluded to passages in the Hebrew Bible. His reference in today’s reading to Jesus as “coming with the clouds” tied back to today’s reading in Dan. 7:13. The reference to “those who pierced him” was derived from a Messianic oracle in Zech. 12:10. The statement that Jesus’ side was pierced appears only in the Fourth Gospel, and John 19:37 explicitly referred to this verse in Zechariah.

The Jewish Annotated New Testament understands the reference to Jesus as “the firstborn of the dead” (v.5) as implying that Jesus’ resurrection was the first of an imminent general resurrection. It notes that “Christ transforms his followers into a kingdom and priests – symbols of eschatological perfection paralleled at Qumran, in Jubilees and echoed throughout Revelation [citing verses].”

John 18:33-37

Reading

33 Pilate entered the headquarters again, summoned Jesus, and asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” 34 Jesus answered, “Do you ask this on your own, or did others tell you about me?” 35 Pilate replied, “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests have handed you over to me. What have you done?” 36 Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.” 37 Pilate asked him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.”

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 on the cross at the time lambs were being sacrificed at the Temple for the Passover Seders to be held that night.

Today’s reading contains an exchange between Jesus and Pilate which followed – according to the account – the questioning of Jesus by Annas, the father-in-law of the High Priest Caiaphas (vv. 19-24) and by Caiaphas. The NOAB notes that the author of the Gospel saw a Jew’s entering the home of a Gentile such as Pilate as “defiling” them so they could not eat the Passover. The NJBC doubts that the author of the Fourth Gospel is correct in this evaluation.

The exchange between Pilate and Jesus in the Fourth Gospel is much longer than the ones described in the Synoptic Gospels where Pilate asked Jesus if he was the King of the Jews, and Jesus remained silent or responded, “You say so.” (Mark 15:2-5). In the account in the Fourth Gospel, Jesus’ responses were more extensive.

The JANT understands the words “my kingdom is not from this world” (v.36) as an argument in the Gospel against seeing Jesus as a political threat. The JANT also notes that “handed over to the Jews” (v.36b) was not in fact what was happening – even if one understands “the Jews” as the Temple Authorities. The JANT says that this verse was intended to keep readers/hearers focused on “the Jews” as the true culprits.

The first reading is from either the Wisdom of Solomon or Isaiah.

Wisdom 3:1-9

Reading

1 The souls of the righteous are in the hand of God, and no torment will ever touch them.
2 In the eyes of the foolish they seemed to have died, and their departure was thought to be a disaster,
3 and their going from us to be their destruction; but they are at peace.
4 For though in the sight of others they were punished, their hope is full of immortality.
5 Having been disciplined a little, they will receive great good, because God tested them and found them worthy of himself;
6 like gold in the furnace he tried them, and like a sacrificial burnt offering he accepted them.
7 In the time of their visitation they will shine forth, and will run like sparks through the stubble.
8 They will govern nations and rule over peoples, and the Lord will reign over them forever.
9 Those who trust in him will understand truth, and the faithful will abide with him in love, because grace and mercy are upon his holy ones, and he watches over his elect.

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 a section called the Apocrypha (“hidden books”).

This difference in treatment arose because from 300 to 200 BCE, the existing Hebrew Scriptures were translated into Greek (the common language of the time). Compilations of these translations are called the “Septuagint.” The Book of Wisdom was included in most versions of the Septuagint, but it (among other writings) was not included in the Canon of the Hebrew Bible (the “TaNaK”) when the TaNaK was codified in the period from 90 CE to 110 CE by the Pharisees/Rabbis after the Destruction of the Temple in 70 CE.

When he was translating the Bible into Latin, Jerome included Wisdom and other books that were part of the Septuagint in the Vulgate (the Latin translation of the Hebrew and the Christian Scriptures completed around 405 CE). Jerome wrote prefaces to some books that they 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 includes the books that were in the Septuagint as included by Jerome.

Luther and other Protestants followed the Jewish Canon of the Hebrew Bible and put other 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 928 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 New Jerome Biblical Commentary suggests that the place of composition was Alexandria, the great intellectual and scientific center of the Mediterranean world, and one of the largest centers the Jewish diaspora, and the author was familiar with Hellenistic philosophy, rhetoric and culture.

The author’s intent was to show to his fellow Jews the superiority of Judaism in terminology that was relevant to persons familiar with both the Hebrew Scriptures (likely the LXX) and Greek philosophy. For this reason, there is an emphasis on Platonic ideas such as immortality, the guiding force of Sophia (Wisdom), and the division of a human into a body and a soul.

In today’s reading, the author stated that the righteous (those in right relation with God and man) who have died are at peace (v.3) because their souls are in the hand of God (v.1) and their hope was in immortality (v.4).

Isaiah 25:6-9

Reading

6 On this mountain the LORD of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wines, of rich food filled with marrow, of well-aged wines strained clear.
7 And he will destroy on this mountain the shroud that is cast over all peoples, the sheet that is spread over all nations;
8 he will swallow up death forever. Then the LORD God will wipe away the tears from all faces, and the disgrace of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the LORD has spoken.
9 It will be said on that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, so that he might save us. This is the LORD for whom we have waited; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.

Commentary

The Book of Isaiah is a composite of writings from three distinct periods in Ancient Israel’s history. The writings were made from about 700 BCE to about 300 BCE, and then assembled into a single book.

Chapters 1-39 are called “First Isaiah” and are the words of a prophet (one who speaks for YHWH – translated as “LORD” in all capital letters in the NRSV) who called for Israel and Judea to repent in the years before Israel was conquered by the Assyrians in 722 BCE and Jerusalem came under siege by the Assyrians in 701 BCE. “Second Isaiah” is Chapters 40 to 55. In these chapters, a prophet brought hope to the Judeans during the Exile in Babylon (587 to 539 BCE) by telling them they had suffered enough and would return to Jerusalem. “Third Isaiah” is Chapters 56 to 66 in which a prophet gave encouragement to the Judeans who had returned to Jerusalem (which was largely destroyed by the Babylonians in 587 BCE) after the Exile had ended.

Today’s reading is part of four chapters (24-27) that are called the “Isaiah Apocalypse” because of the eschatological (end of times as we know them) themes in them. Although they are included in First Isaiah (Ch. 1-39), most scholars date these four chapters to the Persian Period (539-333 BCE) or the early Hellenistic Period (333-300 BCE). Chapter 24 describes great destruction, but the next three chapters speak of an eschatological renewal and restoration.

Today’s verses depicted God’s victory over evil, sorrow and death. The Jewish Study Bible says they are “the rejoicing of the faithful remnant and the end of sorrow in the future.” The image presented is an eschatological banquet reminiscent of the banquet on Mount Sinai alluded to in Exodus 24:11. This image was linked in Ancient Israel with an expected Messiah through whom YHWH would swallow up death forever. The JSB understands the “covering” (v.7) as “when the new cosmic order emerges, the illusions that befuddle the nations will disappear, and the survivors from all nations will enjoy access to true teachings, which emanate from the God of Zion.”

Because YHWH will “swallow up death forever” (v.8), this reversed the image of death swallowing up everything. Accordingly, these verses are often read at funerals, for Easter and on All Saints’ Day.

Revelation 21:1-6a

Reading

1 I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying,
“See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them as their God; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them;
4 he will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away.”
5 And the one who was seated on the throne said, “See, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true.”
6a Then he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end.”

Commentary

The Book of Revelation is also known as the “Apocalypse” (from a Greek word meaning an “unveiling” or “disclosure” of a new age or of heaven, or both). Apocalyptic writing generally described a dire situation ruled by evil powers that can be overcome only by the “in-breaking” of a force (such as God) to bring about a new age.

Like apocalyptic writings in the Hebrew Bible, the Book of Revelation used dualistic (either/or) language and extreme images and metaphors to describe the conflict between good and evil. Apocalyptic literature was often presented as a revelation from God conveyed by an angel or other heavenly body. Apocalyptic writings used symbolic language to convey God’s hidden plan and presented a vision of an eschatological victory leading to a “New Jerusalem.”

The author of Revelation identified himself as “John” but most scholars conclude that the author was not John the Apostle because of (among other things) the reference to the 12 apostles in 21:14. Because of the internal references in the Book, most scholars date Revelation to the late First Century. The author of Revelation had a profound knowledge of the Hebrew Bible and more than half the verses in Revelation alluded to passages in the Hebrew Bible.

Today’s reading is from the next to last chapter of the book. Good has prevailed, the world has entered a new phase, and the time of the New Jerusalem has begun. The author declared that turbulence and unrest (using the metaphor of the sea) have been overcome. Echoing today’s reading from Isaiah, the author declared that death is no more. As Christians, we understand the Resurrection as overcoming death for all.

John 11:32-44

Reading

32 When Mary came where Jesus was and saw him, she knelt at his feet and said to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” 33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved. 34 He said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” 35 Jesus began to weep. 36 So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” 37 But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?”

38 Then Jesus, again greatly disturbed, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. 39 Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, already there is a stench because he has been dead four days.” 40 Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?” 41 So they took away the stone. And Jesus looked upward and said, “Father, I thank you for having heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I have said this for the sake of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me.” 43 When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” 44 The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”

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 today’s reading, 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 in Holy Week 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 in this Gospel as “the Lamb of God”) died at the time lambs were being sacrificed at the Temple for the Passover Seder to be held that night.

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.

In the Synoptic Gospels, the Temple Event was the “last straw” that caused the chief priests and scribes to look for a way to kill Jesus (Mark 11:18). In the Fourth Gospel, however, the Raising of Lazarus caused the Temple Authorities (referred to as “the Jews” in this Gospel) to be concerned that “everyone will believe in him and the Romans will come and destroy our holy place and our nation” (11:48). The high priest Caiaphas said: “It is better for you [the Temple Authorities] to have one man die for the people than to have the whole nation destroyed” (11:50).

Regarding the story itself, The New Oxford Annotated Bible notes that “Lazarus” is the Greek version of the Hebrew name Eleazar (the son of Aaron and which means “God has helped.”)

The NJBC observes that Jesus’ delay in going to see Martha, Mary and Lazarus (11:1-16) was intended to demonstrate that Lazarus was truly dead. It notes that in the Synoptic Gospels, persons raised by Jesus has just died and might be seen to have been in a coma.

The JANT observes that according to some rabbinic sources and Zoroastrianism, the spirit hovers near the body for three days. The statement that Lazarus had been dead for four days and that there was a stench (v.39) emphasized that Lazarus was truly dead and the marvel of his return to life.

It goes on to say: “In the first century, Jews were buried in linen shrouds; corpses were laid in a sealed tomb so that the flesh would decompose. After 11 months, the tomb would be unsealed, and the bones would be placed in an ossuary (bone box) and stored on a shelf in the tomb.”

Revelation 7:9-17

Reading

9 After this I, John, looked, and there was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, robed in white, with palm branches in their hands. 10 They cried out in a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!”

11 And all the angels stood around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 singing, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might
be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”

13 Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, robed in white, and where have they come from?” 14 I said to him, “Sir, you are the one that knows.” Then he said to me, “These are they who have come out of the great ordeal; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

15 “For this reason they are before the throne of God, and worship him day and night within his temple, and the one who is seated on the throne will shelter them.

16 They will hunger no more, and thirst no more; the sun will not strike them, nor any scorching heat;

17 for the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of the water of life, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

Commentary

The Book of Revelation is also known as the “Apocalypse” (from a Greek word meaning an “unveiling” or “disclosure” of a new age or of heaven, or both). Apocalyptic writing generally described a dire situation ruled by evil powers that can be overcome only by the “in-breaking” of a force (such as God) to bring about a new age.

Like apocalyptic writings in the Hebrew Bible, the Book of Revelation used dualistic (either/or) language and extreme images and metaphors to describe the conflict between good and evil. Apocalyptic literature is often presented as a revelation from God conveyed by an angel or other heavenly body. Apocalyptic writings used symbolic language to convey God’s hidden plan and presents a vision of an eschatological victory leading to a “New Jerusalem.”

The author of Revelation identified himself as “John” but most scholars conclude that the author was not John the Apostle because of (among other things) the reference to the 12 apostles in 21:14. Because of the internal references in the Book, most scholars date Revelation to the late First Century. The author of Revelation had a profound knowledge of the Hebrew Bible and more than half the verses in Revelation alluded to passages in the Hebrew Bible.

The New Oxford Annotated Bible points out that the today’s verses are an “interlude between the 6th and 7th seals.” (The “seals” are sealed scrolls that are — according to Revelation — delivered to Jesus depicted as a Lamb who received the seven sealed scrolls that come from the hand of God. The scrolls give a series of visions.) This interlude contained “two visions which provide the promise of divine protection for the faithful during the time of tribulation (vv.1-8) and the assurance of ultimate salvation (vv.9-17). The verses preceding today’s reading spoke of 144,000 persons from the 12 Tribes of Israel being “sealed” (vv.4-8).

The Jewish Annotated New Testament points out: “In 14.1-5, the 144,000 are credited with a special degree of purity that involved celibacy, whether out of priestly tradition or reflecting rules for holy war (Ex 19.15; Lev 22.1-9; 1 Sam 21.4).”

In today’s reading, those who worship the Lamb were “a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages” (v.9). They have symbols of righteousness (white robes) and victory (palm branches – 1 Macc. 13:51) (v. 9) because blood (sacrifice) leads to victory (white).

Verse 12 gave seven qualities of God in the form of praise. The idyllic state that is described in verse 16a (hunger and thirst no more) was derived from Isaiah 49:10, and “the sun will not strike them” (v.16b) was based on Psalm 121:6. Paradoxically, the Lamb is also the shepherd (verse 17). God as “shepherd” is best known from Psalm 23 and the Fourth Gospel.

The JANT also observes that the idea of purification by means of martyrdom may have been inspired by Dan. 11:35 (“Some of the wise shall fall, so that they may be refined, purified, and cleansed, until the time of the end, for there is still an interval until the time appointed.”) and that the idea of great tribulation was common among early Jesus Followers.

1 John 3:1-3

Reading

1 See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2 Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is. 3 And all who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.

Commentary

First John is the traditional title of one of the three documents collectively called “the Johannine letters.” None of the three letters named the author or claimed to have been written by the author of the Fourth Gospel.

The author of the First Letter of John was likely a disciple of the author of the Fourth Gospel, and part of a group of teachers (“We declare to you” – 1:1). The letter was written after 100 CE to a group of Jesus Followers who were receiving conflicting messages about the messiahship of Jesus. Some false teachers denied the humanity of Jesus; others denied the equivalence of the Son and the Father. The letter was written in opposition to these false teachers.

Because the letter does not contain citations from the Hebrew Bible, The JANT concludes that this letter was written to a Gentile audience that was unfamiliar with Jewish Scripture.

Eusebius (c.260-340 CE) attributed the letter the author of the Fourth Gospel. Eusebius was a bishop who wrote the first “history” of Christianity during and after the reign of the Roman Emperor Constantine (272-337 CE). Scholars today recognize that although many of the phrases in 1 John remind readers of the Fourth Gospel, both the language and the theology indicate that it was written by a person who was part of a group of followers of the author of the Fourth Gospel.

Today’s reading emphasized that God shares God’s love with us, and we can therefore be called “children of God.” As such, we are called to become like Jesus the Christ. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary understands today’s reading as follows: “Affirming the present reality of God’s love in making Christians ‘children of God’ has three consequences. Christians do not belong to the world which failed to receive Jesus. Christians will lead lives of holiness like the Christ. Christians are confident of an even greater salvation in the future.” It understands verse 2 to say that “a common theme in Hellenistic religion was that ‘like would know like’ — the human being who knows God is divinized…and this experience is mediated through Jesus.”

Matthew 5:1-12

1 When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. 2 Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
5 “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

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 known as “The Beatitudes” from the Latin word “beatus” (meaning “blessed”) which is a translation from the Greek “makarios” (which means “fortunate”). The Beatitudes are the first part of the Sermon on the Mount (Chapters 5 to 7), which has similarities to the shorter “Sermon on the Plain” in Luke 6:17-38. Luke has four Beatitudes and Matthew has eight. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary says that both the Sermons are “Q” materials.

The ascent up the mountain to teach (v.1) is reminiscent of Moses’ going up the Holy Mountain (Sinai or Horeb, depending on the source) to receive the Teaching (the Torah). The Sermon on the Mount is part of Matthew’s presentation of Jesus of Nazareth as a “New Moses” whose life was threatened by the temporal king (Pharaoh/Herod), who traveled to Egypt, came back from Egypt to Israel (the Exodus/return to Israel in Matt. 2:21), went into the water (Moses in the bulrushes and the Sea of Reeds/Jesus’ Baptism), spent time in the Wilderness (40 years/40 days), and taught from the mountain.

The Jewish Annotated New Testament notes that similar blessings appear in Jewish literature and that the word “makarioi” appears 68 times in the Septuagint, usually as a translation of the Hebrew word “ashrei” meaning “happy are …” The JANT points out that “meek shall inherit the earth” (v.5) is similar to Ps. 37:11 (“But the meek shall inherit the land”). The JANT interprets the “meek” as those who do not take advantage of their position, and notes that in Jewish literature, the “heart” (v.8) represented the center of thought and conviction.

The New Oxford Annotated Bible offers similar interpretations and sees “meek” not as submissive or inconsequential, but rather aware of one’s proper position and not overweening. “Pure in heart” (v.8) is understood as sincere and free from mixed motives.

Verses 11 and 12 reflect the fact that the Jesus Follower Community in the late First Century faced hostility from both Jews and pagans. Prophets who were persecuted (v.12) include Elijah, Amos, and Jeremiah.

Acts 16:16-34

Reading

16 With Paul and Silas, we came to Philippi in Macedonia, a Roman colony, and, as we were going to the place of prayer, we met a slave girl who had a spirit of divination and brought her owners a great deal of money by fortune-telling. 17 While she followed Paul and us, she would cry out, “These men are slaves of the Most High God, who proclaim to you a way of salvation.” 18 She kept doing this for many days. But Paul, very much annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I order you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And it came out that very hour.

19 But when her owners saw that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace before the authorities. 20 When they had brought them before the magistrates, they said, “These men are disturbing our city; they are Jews 21 and are advocating customs that are not lawful for us as Romans to adopt or observe.” 22 The crowd joined in attacking them and the magistrates had them stripped of their clothing and ordered them to be beaten with rods. 23 After they had given them a severe flogging, they threw them into prison and ordered the jailer to keep them securely. 24 Following these instructions, he put them in the innermost cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.

25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. 26 Suddenly there was an earthquake, so violent that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were unfastened. 27 When the jailer woke up and saw the prison doors wide open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, since he supposed that the prisoners had escaped. 28 But Paul shouted in a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.” 29 The jailer called for lights, and rushing in, he fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. 30 Then he brought them outside and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31 They answered, “Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” 32 They spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. 33 At the same hour of the night he took them and washed their wounds; then he and his entire family were baptized without delay. 34 He brought them up into the house and set food before them; and he and his entire household rejoiced that he had become a believer in God.

Commentary

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

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

Today’s reading continues where last week’s reading left off by recounting Paul’s Second Missionary Journey. In Philippi, a Roman colony in Macedonia (northern Greece), Paul and Silas were again going to the synagogue to make converts of “God Fearers” (Gentile sympathizers to Hellenistic Judaism who observed some Jewish practices and customs).

As they went to the synagogue, a slave-girl who had powers of divination followed them for a number of days and called them “slaves of the Most High God” (v.17). Paul got annoyed and exorcised the spirit of divination out of the slave-girl (v.18).

The slave-girl had “brought her owners a great deal of money by fortune telling” (v.16) and the owners of the slave-girl realized they had lost a lot of money. They accused Paul and Silas of trying to convert Romans (which was unlawful). Paul and Silas were flogged and imprisoned.

Just as the apostles had been miraculously released from prison in Chapter 5 of Acts, Paul and Silas’ chains were broken by an earthquake. Though they were freed, they did not run away. The jailer’s thought of killing himself (v.27) was not an over-reaction. Herod had killed the guards when Peter escaped from prison with the assistance of an angel (Acts 12:19). The jailer was so moved by Paul’s and Silas’ remaining in the jail that he and all his household became Jesus Followers.

Revelation 22:12-14, 16-17, 20-21

Reading

12 At the end of the visions I, John, heard these words: “See, I am coming soon; my reward is with me, to repay according to everyone’s work. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”

14 Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they will have the right to the tree of life and may enter the city by the gates.

16 “It is I, Jesus, who sent my angel to you with this testimony for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.”

17 The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” And let everyone who hears say, “Come.” And let everyone who is thirsty come. Let anyone who wishes take the water of life as a gift.

20 The one who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!

21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all the saints. Amen.

Commentary

The Book of Revelation is also known as the “Apocalypse” (from a Greek word meaning an “unveiling” or “disclosure” of a new age or of heaven, or both). Apocalyptic writing generally described a dire situation ruled by evil powers that could be overcome only by the “in-breaking” of a force (such as God) to bring about a new age.

Like the apocalyptic writings in the Hebrew Bible, the Book of Revelation used extreme images and metaphors to describe the conflict between good and evil. Apocalyptic literature is often presented as a revelation from God conveyed by an angel or other heavenly body. Apocalyptic writings used symbolic language to convey God’s hidden plan.

The author identified himself as “John” but most scholars conclude that the author of Revelation was not John the Apostle because of the reference to the 12 apostles in 21:14. Because of the internal references in the Book, most scholars date the book to the late First Century.

Today’s reading is regarded by scholars as an epilogue and consisted of portions of the last chapter of Revelation. It presented Jesus as being the “Alpha and Omega” (v.13) and a vision of the coming of Jesus which will happen “soon” (v. 20).

Those who wash their robes in the Blood of the Lamb are understood to be those who have suffered persecution and they will have a right to the Tree of Life (v.14) and to enter the New Jerusalem. The grace of the Lord will be with all the saints (v.21).

John 17:20-26

Reading

20 Jesus prayed for his disciples, and then he said. “I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word, 21 that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one, 23 I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. 24 Father, I desire that those also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory, which you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.

25 “Righteous Father, the world does not know you, but I know you; and these know that you have sent me. 26 I made your name known to them, and I will make it known, so that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.”

Commentary

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

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

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. Most agree that the Prayer in Chapter 17 constituted a separate unit.

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 is the last part of the prayer and is a prayer for all who will believe though the word of the disciples (v.20). This prayer concluded both the Farewell Discourses that began in 13:31 and the Jesus Prayer in Chapter 17. It is a prayer that Jesus offered for himself, for his disciples, and for future believers.

The prayer is consistent with the Prologue to the Fourth Gospel in that Jesus said, “you loved me before the foundation of the world” (v.24) just as the Prologue asserted “In the beginning was the LOGOS (1:1).

The prayer offered a sense of “vertical” unity between the Father and the Christ and also a “horizontal” unity between the Father/Son and the disciples/believers (v.21). The prayer continued that Jesus the Christ has made God’s name known to believers (v.26).

In The Fourth Gospel: Tales of a Jewish Mystic, Bishop John Shelby Spong offered this understanding of the final part of Jesus’ Prayer in Chapter 17:

Unity, the inner connectedness of life and love, brings together God and the human, the Ground of Being and being. Again and again the Fourth Gospel drives home its point. God is not an external, distant entity; God is a life we enter, a love we share, the ground in which we are rooted. The call of Christ is not into religion, but into a new mystical oneness. The death of Jesus will not be the end of his life; it will be the moment when the meaning of God is ultimately revealed, the moment in which Jesus will be glorified, because the world will see God in him when he is on the cross. There Jesus will reveal God as the portrait of expanded life, limitless love, and enhanced being . It is an invitation to walk through the door of Christ (“I am the door,” John 10:9), to follow the way of Christ (“I am the way,” John 14:6) and to enter into the expanded life of Christ (I am the resurrection,” John 11:25).

The final part of this prayer asks that those who become followers may be with Christ “where I am to behold my glory “ (John 17:24). This is not a request to go to a place where one can be reassured by seeing what eyes cannot normally see. It is instead a request that the life of God, found in the person of the Christ, can be seen in the followers of Jesus and that we too may reveal the glory of God. It is a prayer that the essence of love may be “in them as I am in them.” The good news of the gospel, as John understands it, is not that you – a wretched, miserable, fallen sinner—have been rescued from your fate and saved from your deserved punishment by the invasive power of a supernatural, heroic God who came to your aid. Nowhere does John give credibility to the dreadful, guilt-producing and guilt-filled mantra that “Jesus died for my sins.” There is rather an incredible new insight into the meaning of life. We are not fallen; we are simply incomplete. We do not need to be rescued, but to experience the power of an all-embracing love. Our call is not to be forgiven or even to be redeemed; it is to step beyond our limits into a new understanding of what it means to be human. It is to move from a status of self-consciousness to a realization that we share in a universal consciousness. John’s rendition of Jesus’ message is that the essence of life is discovered when one is free to give life away, that love is known in the act of loving and the call of human life is to be all that each of us can be and then to be an agent of empowering others to be all that they can be.

That is the meaning to which the signs in John’s gospel point. That is the message spoken over and over in the Farewell Discourses. That is the essence of this prayer, which John has created to place upon the lips of Jesus.