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2022, July 24 ~ Hosea 1:2-10; Genesis 18:20-32; Colossians 2:6-19; Luke 11:1-13

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TODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
JULY 24, 2022

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

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

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

Hosea 1:2-10

Reading

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

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

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

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

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

Commentary

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Genesis 18:20-32

Reading

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

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

Commentary

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Colossians 2:6-19

Reading

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

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

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

Commentary

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

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

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

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

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

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

Luke 11:1-13

Reading

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

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

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

Commentary

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

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

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

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

2022, March 20 ~ Exodus 3:1-15; 1 Corinthians 10:1-13; Luke 13:1-9

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TODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
MARCH 20, 2022

Exodus 3:1-15

Reading

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

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

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

Commentary

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

Just prior to today’s story, Moses escaped from Pharaoh who heard that Moses killed an Egyptian who was beating a “Hebrew” (2:11-12). Moses went to Midian, which is east of the Sinai Peninsula and the Gulf of Aqaba, about 250 miles southeast of Egypt. There, he married the daughter of the high priest, Reuel (2:18).

Today’s reading is the first account of the “Call of Moses” at Mount Horeb (sometimes called “Sinai” as in Ex. 19:11). (A second – and different – Priestly account of the call of Moses is in Exodus 6.) In today’s story, Moses saw a burning bush (v.2) when he was tending the flocks of his father-in-law, Jethro (v.1).

The fact that the holy mountain has two names (Horeb and Sinai) and that Jethro is also called Reuel (2:18), all show that today’s reading (like most of the Torah) was woven together from several sources. The verses that refer to God as “LORD” are translations of YHWH, the sacred name in the “J” (Yahwistic) Source. The verses in today’s reading that use the word “God” are translations of the Hebrew word “Elohim” and are from the “E” (Elohistic) Source. YHWH was presented in the Torah as anthropomorphic – a God who spoke with humans and walked in the Garden of Eden. Elohim, on the other hand, was remote and transcendent. Verse 15 of today’s reading presented both understandings of the Sacred.

When Moses asked for God’s name (v.13), he was seeking to “control” God. Names in Ancient Israel described who and what something or someone was. In Genesis, Adam named the animals and later – as a sign of the disorder from the Disobedience Event – named the woman “Eve.” Naming meant that the name-giver had some control over what or who was named.

Instead of being told a name, the story says that Moses received four Hebrew letters that emphasized the unfathomable mystery of God (v.14). These four letters (YHWH) are variously translated as “I AM WHO I AM” or “I WILL BE WHAT I WILL BE” or “I AM BECOMING WHAT I AM BECOMING.” In addition to emphasizing the Mystery of God, the “name” also conveys God’s dynamism and changing manifestations.

1 Corinthians 10:1-13

Reading

1 I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, 2 and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, 3 and all ate the same spiritual food, 4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was Christ. 5 Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them, and they were struck down in the wilderness.

6 Now these things occurred as examples for us, so that we might not desire evil as they did. 7 Do not become idolaters as some of them did; as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink, and they rose up to play.” 8 We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. 9 We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did, and were destroyed by serpents. 10 And do not complain as some of them did and were destroyed by the destroyer. 11 These things happened to them to serve as an example, and they were written down to instruct us, on whom the ends of the ages have come. 12 So if you think you are standing, watch out that you do not fall. 13 No testing has overtaken you that is not common to everyone. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it.

Commentary

Corinth, a large port city in Greece, was among the early Jesus Follower communities that Paul founded. Its culture was diverse and Hellenistic, and Corinthians emphasized reason and secular wisdom. In addition to Paul, other Jesus Followers also taught in Corinth, sometimes in ways inconsistent with Paul’s understandings of what it meant to be a Jesus Follower. Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians was written in the 50’s (CE) (likely while Paul was in Ephesus) and presented his views on several issues.

It is one of Paul’s most important letters because it is one of the earliest proclamations of Jesus’ death on behalf of sinners and his resurrection and it contains the basic formula for celebrating the Lord’s Supper.

Paul saw the time in the Wilderness as a time of unending apostacy. In today’s reading, Paul used examples from stories of the Israelites in the Wilderness to warn the Corinthians against idolatry and eating food offered to idols. In 10:7, he referred unfavorably to the Israelites’ eating and drinking after worshiping the Golden Calf (Ex. 32:6). As a self-described Pharisee (Phil. 3:5), Paul knew the Hebrew Scriptures and often invoked them to emphasize his messages.

The footnotes in The New Oxford Annotated Bible are helpful: “That Paul uses distinctively Corinthian terms of “spiritual” people and things in vv.3-4 and then abruptly cites God’s displeasure with those who consume “spiritual” food and drink in v. 5 suggests that he is again borrowing and countering Corinthian language.” In verse 4, “Paul attempts to replace the Corinthians’ “Wisdom” with his own “Christ” as the agent of salvation.”

Luke 13:1-9

Reading

1 At that very time there were some present who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. 2 He asked them, “Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were worse sinners than all other Galileans? 3 No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as they did. 4 Or those eighteen who were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them–do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others living in Jerusalem? 5 No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish just as they did.”

6 Then he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and found none. 7 So he said to the gardener, ‘See here! For three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and still I find none. Cut it down! Why should it be wasting the soil?’ 8 He replied, ‘Sir, let it alone for one more year, until I dig around it and put manure on it. 9 If it bears fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.'”

Commentary

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

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

Today’s reading contains two stories. The first is about random suffering and recounts two “events” that are not reported in any of the other Gospels or in other secular histories of the times.

It would have been common for Galileans to offer sacrifice at the Temple, and Pilate’s ruthless treatment of those he ruled is attested in Josephus, Philo, and others. The prevailing Jewish belief was that suffering and painful experiences were signs of God’s adverse judgment (the story of Job notwithstanding), and Jesus used the two “events” as a call to repentance (vv. 3, 5). The Tower of Siloam was in the southeast corner of Jerusalem where the Pool of Siloam (referred to in John 9:7) was located. There is, however, no attestation of the Tower collapsing.

The ”parable” of the fig tree appears in all the Synoptic Gospels, but in very different forms. In Mark 11:12-14, Jesus was walking from Bethany to Jerusalem, was hungry, went to a fig tree that had leaves but no fruit (because figs were not yet in season) and said, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.”

In Matthew 21:18-19, the story is the same but Jesus said, “May no fruit ever come from you again.” And the fig tree withered at once.

Luke’s account is different, and the fig tree gets another year to produce fruit, but its fate is unknown. The Jewish Annotated Study Bible suggests that the story means the people have one more year in which to repent. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary opines that it may be a parable of compassion. The fig tree in the Synoptic Gospels may also be an analogue for the prevalent Judaism of Jesus’ time, or for the Pharisaic Judaism of the Gospel writers’ times.

2022, February 6 ~ Isaiah 6:1-13; 1 Corinthians 15:1-11; Luke 5:1-11

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TODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
FEBRUARY 6, 2022

Isaiah 6:1-13

Reading

1 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lofty; and the hem of his robe filled the temple. 2 Seraphs were in attendance above him; each had six wings: with two they covered their faces, and with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. 3 And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory.”

4 The pivots on the thresholds shook at the voices of those who called, and the house filled with smoke. 5 And I said: “Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; yet my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”

6 Then one of the seraphs flew to me, holding a live coal that had been taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. 7 The seraph touched my mouth with it and said: “Now that this has touched your lips, your guilt has departed and your sin is blotted out.” 8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I; send me!” 9 And he said, “Go and say to this people: `Keep listening, but do not comprehend; keep looking, but do not understand.’

10 Make the mind of this people dull, and stop their ears, and shut their eyes, so that they may not look with their eyes, and listen with their ears, and comprehend with their minds, and turn and be healed.”

11 Then I said, “How long, O Lord?” And he said: “Until cities lie waste without inhabitant, and houses without people, and the land is utterly desolate;

12 until the Lord sends everyone far away, and vast is the emptiness in the midst of the land.

13 Even if a tenth part remain in it, it will be burned again, like a terebinth or an oak whose stump remains standing when it is felled.” The holy seed is its stump.

Commentary

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

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

Today’s reading is referred to as “the Call of Isaiah.” To identify years in which events occurred, it was common to use the year of a particular king’s reign. Isaiah’s call is dated to the year King Uzziah of the Kingdom of Judea died (v.1). This was 742 or 733 BCE (scholars are not sure of the chronology), but it was clearly a time when the Assyrian Empire was becoming more dominant. The Assyrians conquered the Kingdom of Israel (the Northern 10 Tribes) in 722 BCE. Isaiah’s ”call” served as an introduction to the prophet’s comments on Judean politics and treaties in chapters 7 and 8.

The scene of Isaiah’s Call was intended to inspire awe and it used hyperbole (the hem of the Lord’s robe fills the temple) (v.1) to create that sense. The LORD was surrounded by angels – seraphs (literally, “burning ones”) with six wings, two of which cover their faces (so as not to look upon God), two of which cover their “feet” (a customary euphemism in Hebrew Scriptures for one’s private parts), and two of which to maintain their position around the throne).

Using a customary literary device (and as Moses did when he was called by YHWH), Isaiah protested that he would not be able to speak for the LORD. Isaiah said he had “unclean lips” (v.5). In a metaphorical response, a seraph touched Isaiah’s lips with a live coal (v.7). After this purification, just as Samuel responded to the LORD’s call in 1 Sam. 3, Isaiah responded with the same words: “Here I am, send me” (v.8).

The refusal of persons to listen and understand the prophet’s message (vv. 9-10) “explains” the failure of the people and kings of Judea to change their behaviors. It also assumed (as much of the Hebrew Bible did) that the LORD controls all that happens, including the refusal of people to hear a prophet’s message.

The LORD’s sending “everyone far away” (v.12) is regarded by scholars as a post-exilic addition that referred to the Babylonian Exile from 587 to 539 BCE. The “stump” (v.13) was also a post-exilic reference to the “remnant” – the Judeans who returned to Jerusalem after the Exile.

1 Corinthians 15:1-11

Reading

1 I would remind you, brothers and sisters, of the good news that I proclaimed to you, which you in turn received, in which also you stand, 2 through which also you are being saved, if you hold firmly to the message that I proclaimed to you — unless you have come to believe in vain.

3 For I handed on to you as of first importance what I in turn had received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, 4 and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 8 Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. 9 For I am the least of the apostles, unfit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me has not been in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them — though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. 11 Whether then it was I or they, so we proclaim and so you have come to believe.

Commentary

Corinth, a large port city in Greece, was among the early Jesus Follower communities that Paul founded. Its culture was diverse and Hellenistic, and Corinthians emphasized reason and secular wisdom. In addition to Paul, other Jesus Followers also taught in Corinth, sometimes in ways inconsistent with Paul’s understandings of what it means to be a Jesus Follower. Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians was written in the 50’s (CE) (likely while Paul was in Ephesus) and presented his views on several issues.

It is one of Paul’s most important letters because it is one of the earliest proclamations interpreting Jesus’ death as being on behalf of sinners (v.3), proclaiming his resurrection (v.4), and because it contains the basic formula for celebrating the Lord’s Supper (11:17-34).

In today’s reading, Paul presented an early creed about the death and resurrection of Jesus the Christ. In saying that “Christ died for our sins,” (v.3) the word “for” can be understood as “on account of” or “because of” or “to atone for.” The phrase that the Christ was raised “in accordance with the scriptures” (v.4) became part of the Nicene Creed.

In discussing the appearances of the risen Christ, Paul asserted that the risen Christ appeared first to Cephas (Peter) and the twelve (v.5) — rather than to women as presented in Matt. 28:9, or Mary Magdalene (Mark 16:9 and John 20:14), or to two disciples at the inn on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:31).

Paul then said the Christ appeared to James (presumably the brother of Jesus) and then to “all the apostles.” (v.7), which seems to contradict his earlier statement about the appearance to “the twelve.” Finally, Paul listed himself as a person to whom the Christ “appeared” though there is no suggestion in the Epistles (or in Acts 8, 22 or 26) that this appearance (presumably Paul’s Damascus Road Experience) was a physical appearance of the Christ.

Although Paul described himself as “the least” of the apostles (v.9), he made clear to the Corinthians that his authority arose from the fact that he was an “apostle.” He asserted that he “worked harder” (v.10) than any of the other apostles.

Today’s reading also served as an introduction to Paul’s extended discussion of “resurrection of the dead” in Chapter 15. The Corinthians were Hellenists who generally accepted the Platonic division between the body and the “immortal soul.” Paul emphasizes that not only the body is resurrected, but the entire person, and Paul used the “resurrection of the dead” to encompass the entirety of resurrection.

Luke 5:1-11

Reading

1 Once while Jesus was standing beside the lake of Gennesaret, and the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, 2 he saw two boats there at the shore of the lake; the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. 3 He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little way from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat. 4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.” 5 Simon answered, “Master, we have worked all night long but have caught nothing. Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets.” 6 When they had done this, they caught so many fish that their nets were beginning to break. 7 So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both boats, so that they began to sink. 8 But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!” 9 For he and all who were with him were amazed at the catch of fish that they had taken; 10 and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. Then Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people.” 11 When they had brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed him.

Commentary

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

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

Today’s reading has a number of elements that appear in other gospels. Teaching by the Sea of Galilee (or Gennesaret) appears in the other Synoptic Gospels, as does the call of the fishermen to become “fishers of people” (v.10). The huge draught of fish appeared in the Fourth Gospel in an Epilogue (21:4-7) as a post-resurrection event.

Hearing the “Word of God” (v.1) means hearing the Torah as interpreted by Jesus, and “Master” (v.5) is the word Luke uses for “Rabbi.” The decision to “leave everything” (v.11) included one’s home, business, and family. This decision to leave fishing and follow Jesus also appears in the other Synoptic Gospels.

2021, August 1 ~ 2 Samuel 11:36-12:13a; Exodus 16:2-4, 9-15; Ephesians 4:1-16; John 6:24-35

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TODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
AUGUST 1, 2021

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

2 Samuel 11:26-12:13a

Reading

26 When the wife of Uriah heard that her husband was dead, she made lamentation for him. 27 When the mourning was over, David sent and brought her to his house, and she became his wife, and bore him a son.

But the thing that David had done displeased the LORD, 12:1 and the LORD sent Nathan to David. He came to him, and said to him, “There were two men in a certain city, the one rich and the other poor. 2 The rich man had very many flocks and herds; 3 but the poor man had nothing but one little ewe lamb, which he had bought. He brought it up, and it grew up with him and with his children; it used to eat of his meager fare, and drink from his cup, and lie in his bosom, and it was like a daughter to him. 4 Now there came a traveler to the rich man, and he was loath to take one of his own flock or herd to prepare for the wayfarer who had come to him, but he took the poor man’s lamb, and prepared that for the guest who had come to him.” 5 Then David’s anger was greatly kindled against the man. He said to Nathan, “As the LORD lives, the man who has done this deserves to die; 6 he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.”

7 Nathan said to David, “You are the man! Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: I anointed you king over Israel, and I rescued you from the hand of Saul; 8 I gave you your master’s house, and your master’s wives into your bosom, and gave you the house of Israel and of Judah; and if that had been too little, I would have added as much more. 9 Why have you despised the word of the LORD, to do what is evil in his sight? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and have taken his wife to be your wife, and have killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. 10 Now therefore the sword shall never depart from your house, for you have despised me, and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife. 11 Thus says the LORD: I will raise up trouble against you from within your own house; and I will take your wives before your eyes, and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this very sun. 12 For you did it secretly; but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun.” 13 David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the LORD.”

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) covers from the end of the time of the Judges (c.1030 BCE) to the last years of the Reign of David (c. 965 BCE).

Today’s reading picks up where last week’s reading ended – David sent a letter carried by Uriah to Joab to have Uriah placed in the front lines. In the omitted verses, Uriah was killed, and Joab sent a messenger to tell David that the battle did not go well, but then to tell him that Uriah was killed so that he (David) would not become angry (v.23).

Bathsheba mourned for the prescribed seven days, and David made her one of his wives, and she bore a son.

YHWH was not pleased with David’s behavior (v.27) and sent Nathan to tell a parable to David about a rich man and a poor man. David became angry and said the rich man was required to repay the poor man fourfold (v.6). This was prescribed by Ex. 22:1 in the NRSV and by Ex. 21:37 in the Jewish Publication Society Version.

YHWH (through Nathan) verbally chastised David for his ingratitude and noted that YHWH gave David the “house” (sometimes translated as “daughters”) of Saul (“your master”), Saul’s concubines, and the house of Israel and Judah (v.8). The distinction between Israel and Judah shows that this text was written after the division that occurred in 930 BCE after Solomon’s death.

YHWH told David that the sword would never depart from his house (v.10) because David “despised” (“spurned” in the JPS) YHWH. In the balance of the Book of Samuel, most of David’s problems arose because of his sons.

In the verses just after today’s reading, Nathan told David that YHWH had remitted his sin, but YHWH afflicted the child that Bathsheba bore (v.15). David fasted and prayed for the child’s recovery, but the son died after seven days. David “consoled” Bathsheba and she bore another son.

In the NRSV, it says David named this son Solomon, but in the JPS it says “she” named him (v.24). The name “Solomon” means “his replacement.” In the next verse, YHWH named the child Jedidiah, which means “beloved of the LORD” (v.25).

Exodus 16:2-4, 9-15

Reading

2 The whole congregation of the Israelites complained against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. 3 The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the fleshpots and ate our fill of bread; for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.”

4 Then the LORD said to Moses, “I am going to rain bread from heaven for you, and each day the people shall go out and gather enough for that day. In that way I will test them, whether they will follow my instruction or not.”

9 Then Moses said to Aaron, “Say to the whole congregation of the Israelites, ‘Draw near to the LORD, for he has heard your complaining.’“ 10 And as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the Israelites, they looked toward the wilderness, and the glory of the LORD appeared in the cloud. 11 The LORD spoke to Moses and said, “I have heard the complaining of the Israelites; say to them, ‘At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning, you shall have your fill of bread; then you shall know that I am the LORD your God.’“

13 In the evening quails came up and covered the camp; and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. 14 When the layer of dew lifted, there on the surface of the wilderness was a fine flaky substance, as fine as frost on the ground. 15 When the Israelites saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. Moses said to them, “It is the bread that the LORD has given you to eat.”

Commentary

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

In today’s reading, the Israelites had not yet reached Sinai, and were complaining (once again) to Moses that it would have been better to have died at the hand of YHWH in Egypt than to starve in the Wilderness.

Because YHWH was perceived as controlling everything in much of the Hebrew Bible, the writers of this story said that the Israelites’ deaths in Egypt would have been at the hand of YHWH (v.3) rather than at the hand of Pharaoh.

The God presented in this story is very human-like. YHWH “heard” their complaining (v.7). YHWH “spoke” to Moses (v.4) and responded (twice – one in v.4 and again in v.11) by sending the Israelites manna and quail. The fact of two responses indicates that this story is an amalgam of two traditions.

Man hu are the Hebrew words for “What is it?” (v. 15), so the name of the substance is also a play on words. “Manna” is a real thing. The New Oxford Annotated Bible says it is “the carbohydrate-rich excretion of two scale-insects that feed on the twigs of the tamarisk tree.” In Israel today, something called “manna” is sometimes available for purchase in Arab markets. It is sweet and sticky.

In the omitted verses (5-7) the Israelites were directed to collect manna each day, collect two days’ supply of manna on the sixth day, and not to collect manna on the Sabbath. This shows the story was written (at least in part) by the Priestly writers – for whom the Sabbath was most important.

In Numbers 11 contains another story about YHWH’s sending quail to the Israelites in such quantity that they gorged themselves and were struck by a great plague that killed many of them.

Ephesians 4:1-16

Reading

1 I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.
7 But each of us was given grace according to the measure of Christ’s gift. 8 Therefore it is said,
“When he ascended on high, he made captivity itself a captive; he gave gifts to his people.”

9 (When it says, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower parts of the earth? 10 He who descended is the same one who ascended far above all the heavens, so that he might fill all things.) 11 The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ. 14 We must no longer be children, tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of doctrine, by people’s trickery, by their craftiness in deceitful scheming. 15 But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body’s growth in building itself up in love.

Commentary

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

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

In today’s reading, the author continued to urge the Jewish Jesus Followers and the Gentile Jesus Followers in Ephesus to be unified in Christ. He urged them to be humble, patient, “bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (v.3).

He emphasized that there is “one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.” Christ both ascended and descended (into Sheol?) so that he might come to all persons. Each person has different gifts for the body’s growth in building itself up in love (v.11-12). A perfect (i.e. complete) church is modeled on Christ himself.

John 6:24-35

Reading

24 The next day, when the people who remained after the feeding of the five thousand saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum looking for Jesus.

25 When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?” 26 Jesus answered them, “Very truly, I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. 27 Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For it is on him that God the Father has set his seal.” 28 Then they said to him, “What must we do to perform the works of God?” 29 Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” 30 So they said to him, “What sign are you going to give us then, so that we may see it and believe you? What work are you performing? 31 Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” 32 Then Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” 34 They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.”

35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”

Commentary

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

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

Today’s reading is part of a longer discussion in the Fourth Gospel that is sometimes called “The Bread of Life Discourse” that is not found in the other Canonical Gospels. Conversely, this Gospel, unlike the Synoptic Gospels, does not include an institution of the Eucharist at the Last Supper. (Instead, Jesus washes the apostles’ feet at the Last Supper in the Fourth Gospel.)

The account contains terms that have deeper meanings. In saying that the Son of Man will “give you the food that endures for eternal life” (v.27) the author drew upon the Jewish understanding of the Son of Man as the messenger of God (Dan. 7:13) who makes God known (Jn.3:13).

The references to “my Father” and the “I am” statement reflect the greater emphasis in the Fourth Gospel on the divinity of Jesus and his connection with the Father. All the “I am” statements in the Fourth Gospel echo the response from the Burning Bush in Exodus 3 – “I am what I am” – to Moses’ question about the name of God.

2021, July 18 ~ 2 Samuel 7:1-14a; Jeremiah 23:1-6; Ephesians 2:11-22: Mark 6:30-34, 53-56

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TODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
JULY 18, 2021

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

2 Samuel 7:1-14a

Reading

1 When the king was settled in his house, and the LORD had given him rest from all his enemies around him, 2 the king said to the prophet Nathan, “See now, I am living in a house of cedar, but the ark of God stays in a tent.” 3 Nathan said to the king, “Go, do all that you have in mind; for the LORD is with you.”

4 But that same night the word of the LORD came to Nathan: 5 Go and tell my servant David: Thus says the LORD: Are you the one to build me a house to live in? 6 I have not lived in a house since the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I have been moving about in a tent and a tabernacle. 7 Wherever I have moved about among all the people of Israel, did I ever speak a word with any of the tribal leaders of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, saying, “Why have you not built me a house of cedar?” 8 Now therefore thus you shall say to my servant David: Thus says the LORD of hosts: I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep to be prince over my people Israel; 9 and I have been with you wherever you went and have cut off all your enemies from before you; and I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth. 10 And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, so that they may live in their own place, and be disturbed no more; and evildoers shall afflict them no more, as formerly, 11 from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel; and I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover, the LORD declares to you that the LORD will make you a house. 12 When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come forth from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 14 I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me.

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) covers from the end of the time of the Judges (c.1030 BCE) to the last years of the Reign of David (c. 965 BCE).

Today’s reading is one of the most important passages in the Deuteronomic Corpus. In it, the Deuteronomists articulated three major religious ideas by casting them as pronouncements and promises by YHWH. The passages in today’s reading formed the scriptural bases for three critical understandings held by Ancient Israel: (1) Jerusalem was the central place for the worship of YHWH, the place where the Temple would be, and the place where the “presence” of YHWH would reside; (2) the “House” of David would be eternal (v.13); and (3) Israel will have rest from its enemies (v.11).

These promises were so central to Judaism that they were repeated in Psalms 89 and 132, and in 1 Chronicles 22.

For the Deuteronomists, the destruction of the Temple by the Babylonians, the interruption of the line of Davidic kings after 587 BCE because of the Babylonian Exile, and the occupation of Israel by (successively) the Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, Greeks, Seleucids, and Romans were all the result of the failure of Israel to worship YHWH properly. Notwithstanding these events, the promises of YHWH were seen by the Deuteronomists as remaining in full force and effect, but the behaviors of the kings and people caused YHWH’s promises to be “suspended” for a time.

The “suspension” did not mean the promises were abrogated. Instead, YHWH’s promise regarding the Davidic line became one of the key characteristics of one of the understandings of the Messiah who was to come. The Messiah was to come from the House of David, and (for some) would unify the nation and drive out the outside occupiers.

In today’s reading, YHWH was presented anthropomorphically as having conversations with the prophet Nathan who, in turn, recounted YHWH’s words to David. As part of this conversation, YHWH promised that David’s offspring would build a “house” for YHWH’s name (v.13). Later in the Books of Samuel and Kings, Nathan and Bathsheba conspired to arrange for David’s 7th son (Solomon) to become king. Solomon caused the First Temple to be built during his reign.

Jeremiah 23:1-6

Reading

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

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

Commentary

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

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

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

Today’s reading is in prose style and attacked the kings and priests (the “shepherds”).

Consistent with the “do bad, get bad” theology of the Deuteronomists, YHWH (“LORD” in all capital letters) will “attend to” them for their “evil doings” (v.2). Consistent with the reading from Samuel for today, the writers held up the promise that YHWH would raise up for “David” (Judea) a righteous king who would enable Israel to live in safety and righteousness (v.5). For the Deuteronomists, YHWH controlled everything. YHWH caused the Exile, the end of the Exile through Cyrus of Persia in 539 BCE, the return of the Judeans to Jerusalem, and the relatively peaceful Persian Era (539 to 333 BCE).

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

These prophesies by Jeremiah remained an important part of the 1st Century CE understanding (and expectation) of what the Messiah would be and do.

Ephesians 2:11-22

Reading

11 Remember that at one time you Gentiles by birth, called “the uncircumcision” by those who are called “the circumcision” — a physical circumcision made in the flesh by human hands — 12 remember that you were at that time without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For he is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us. 15 He has abolished the law with its commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new humanity in place of the two, thus making peace, 16 and might reconcile both groups to God in one body through the cross, thus putting to death that hostility through it. 17 So he came and proclaimed peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near; 18 for through him both of us have access in one Spirit to the Father. 19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God, 20 built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. 21 In him the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord; 22 in whom you also are built together spiritually into a dwelling place for God.

Commentary

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

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

In today’s reading, the author spoke mostly to the Gentile (“uncircumcised”) Jesus Followers (v.11) and reminded them that through Jesus the Christ they were brought into the Covenants of promise that formerly were only for the Jews (v.13). The author said that by Jesus’ life, death and resurrection, Jesus created a New Covenant open to both Jews and Gentiles. Gentile and Jewish Jesus Followers are now “one new humanity in place of the two” (v.15) and “members of the household of God” (v.19), a phrase used in welcoming newly Baptized persons into the Church (BCP p.308)

Historical note: The question “Does a Gentile have to become a Jew (be circumcised and follow Kosher dietary rules) as a prerequisite to becoming a Jesus Follower?” was supposedly “answered” in the negative at Jerusalem in 49 CE (recounted in Acts 15). Many scholars, however, see Acts 15 as a “compression” of events that continued well past 49 CE until Acts of the Apostles was written around 85 CE by the same person who wrote the Gospel According to Luke.

The notion that the Christ “abolished the law” (v.15) is a late development and not a position taken by Paul in his authentic letters. For example, in the Letter to the Romans his view is more nuanced, and he acknowledged that the Law was still binding on Jewish Jesus Followers, even if it was not fully binding on Gentiles.

Mark 6:30-34, 53-56

Reading

30 The apostles gathered around Jesus and told him all that they had done and taught. 31 He said to them, “Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. 32 And they went away in the boat to a deserted place by themselves. 33 Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they hurried there on foot from all the towns and arrived ahead of them. 34 As he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things.

53 When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret and moored the boat. 54 When they got out of the boat, people at once recognized him, 55 and rushed about that whole region and began to bring the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. 56 And wherever he went, into villages or cities or farms, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged him that they might touch even the fringe of his cloak; and all who touched it were healed.

Commentary

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

Today’s reading follows the story of the beheading of John the Baptizer and gives the author’s sense of the excitement that Jesus’ presence and healings caused. The reference to sheep and a shepherd (v.34) is a common one and echoes the metaphor used in the reading today from Jeremiah.

Gennesaret was a small town on the western (Jewish) side of the Sea of Galilee, about four miles south of Capernaum. (Sometimes the Sea of Galilee was referred to as the Lake of Gennesaret.)

The omitted verses today recount Mark’s version of the feeding of the 5,000, Jesus’ telling the disciples to row north to Bethsaida, his walking on the water during the night, and calming the sea when he got into the boat. Notwithstanding these events, the disciples “did not understand … because their hearts were hardened (v.52).

Mark’s mention of the fringes on Jesus’ cloak is a reference to the blue threads (tzitzit) worn (even today) by devout Jewish men on the corners of their cloaks as directed by Num. 15:37-40. As with the woman with the hemorrhage, merely touching the fringes of Jesus’ cloak led to healing.

2021, June 13 ~ 1 Samuel 15:34-16:13; Ezekiel 17:22-24; 2 Corinthians 5:6-17; Mark 4:26-34

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TODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
JUNE 13, 2021

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

1 Samuel 15:34 – 16:13

Reading

34 Samuel went to Ramah; and Saul went up to his house in Gibeah of Saul. Samuel did not see Saul again until the day of his death, but Samuel grieved over Saul. And the LORD was sorry that he had made Saul king over Israel.

16:1 The LORD said to Samuel, “How long will you grieve over Saul? I have rejected him from being king over Israel. Fill your horn with oil and set out; I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons.” 2 Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears of it, he will kill me.” And the LORD said, “Take a heifer with you, and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.’ 3 Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do; and you shall anoint for me the one whom I name to you.” 4 Samuel did what the LORD commanded and came to Bethlehem. The elders of the city came to meet him trembling, and said, “Do you come peaceably?” 5 He said, “Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the LORD; sanctify yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice.” And he sanctified Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.

6 When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, “Surely the LORD’s anointed is now before the LORD.” 7 But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for the LORD does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.” 8 Then Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. He said, “Neither has the LORD chosen this one.” 9 Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, “Neither has the LORD chosen this one.” 10 Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel, and Samuel said to Jesse, “The LORD has not chosen any of these.” 11 Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all your sons here?” And he said, “There remains yet the youngest, but he is keeping the sheep.” And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and bring him; for we will not sit down until he comes here.” 12 He sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and had beautiful eyes, and was handsome. The LORD said, “Rise and anoint him; for this is the one.” 13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers; and the spirit of the LORD came mightily upon David from that day forward. Samuel then set out and went to Ramah.

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) covers from the end of the time of the Judges (c.1030 BCE) to the last years of the Reign of David (c. 965 BCE).

Today’s reading is about the selection of David to be Saul’s successor and the first anointing of David as king (there are three different anointing stories). It follows a story that “explains” the “reason” YHWH rejected Saul as King.

In Chapter 15, Samuel (speaking for YHWH) told Saul to attack the Amalekites, a nomadic people who lived south of Judea and who had opposed the Israelites’ passage to the Promised Land (recounted in Exodus 17). YHWH directed Saul to “utterly destroy” the Amalekites and everything they owned. Saul defeated the Amalekites but spared their king and the best of the livestock and brought them back to Gilgal.

YHWH told Samuel that he (YHWH) regretted making Saul the king because Saul had not obeyed him. Samuel confronted Saul who told him that he spared the best of the animals to be able to make sacrifices to YHWH. Samuel responded that obedience is better than sacrifices (15:22). Although Saul pleaded to be forgiven, Samuel told Saul that YHWH would not forgive him, had rejected him, and (unlike a human) would not change his mind. Samuel then hacked the king of the Amalekites to pieces. Samuel then went to Ramah (v.34) and, according to this tradition, never saw Saul again – although there is a story from another tradition in which Saul encountered Samuel (19:24).

In today’s story, YHWH directed Samuel to find a new king from among Jesse’s sons in Bethlehem. Recognizing that this was an act of treason (Saul was still king), YHWH and Samuel developed a subterfuge (to offer a sacrifice) to “cover” his trip to Bethlehem. Because of Samuel’s power as prophet and kingmaker, the elders of the town were naturally worried by Samuel’s arrival (v.4).

The story of Samuel’s looking at each of Jesse’s sons from the oldest to the youngest was high drama. Scholars suggest that Samuel used a device such as Urim and Thummim (an early form of dice) to determine whether YHWH looked upon each son favorably.

David, the eighth son, was a shepherd and was described as handsome and “ruddy” (having reddish hair and complexion). Red hair would have been rare in the Middle East. From this point on in First Samuel, the stories (derived from multiple sources) recount the unusual relationship between David and Saul until the death of Saul at the hands of the Philistines.

Ezekiel 17:22-24

Reading

22 Thus says the LORD God: I myself will take a sprig from the lofty top of a cedar; I will set it out. I will break off a tender one from the topmost of its young twigs; I myself will plant it on a high and lofty mountain.

23 On the mountain height of Israel I will plant it, in order that it may produce boughs and bear fruit and become a noble cedar. Under it every kind of bird will live; in the shade of its branches will nest winged creatures of every kind.

24 All the trees of the field shall know that I am the LORD. I bring low the high tree. I make high the low tree; I dry up the green tree and make the dry tree flourish. I the LORD have spoken;
I will accomplish it.

Commentary

Ezekiel (whose name means “God strengthens”) is one of the three “Major” Prophets – so called because of the length of the books of Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel. Ezekiel was a priest who was among the first group of persons deported by the Babylonians when they captured Jerusalem in 597 BCE.

The Book of Ezekiel is in three parts: (1) Chapters 1 to 24 are prophesies of doom against Jerusalem before the destruction of the Temple in 586 BCE; (2) Chapters 25 to 32 are prophesies against foreign nations; and (3) Chapters 33 to 48 are prophesies of hope for the Judeans written during the Babylonian Exile (586-539 BCE).

Like other prophets, Ezekiel “prophesied” by speaking for YHWH (translated as LORD in capital letters). Prophesy in the Hebrew Bible was not about telling the future. A prophet was one who spoke for YHWH.

Two of Ezekiel’s most enduring theological developments were that (1) through repentance, sin could be forgiven, and Israel could live into a restored covenantal relationship with YHWH, and (2) the Jews had to accept personal responsibility for their own situation rather than blaming it on the sins of their predecessors.

In the first part of Chapter 17, Ezekiel presented an allegory on behalf of YHWH which told that Judea and its king (Zedekiah) would be defeated by the Babylonians and taken to Babylon because they did not keep their covenant with YHWH.

In today’s verses, Ezekiel continued to speak for YHWH who said he would take a sprig from a cedar tree (v.22) and plant it so that it would grow to a mighty cedar (v.23). This was a metaphor for the restored Jerusalem after the Babylonian Exile and that was also used by Isaiah (Ch.11) and Jeremiah (Ch.23) as a symbol of the Messiah that was to come.

2 Corinthians 5:6-17

Reading

6 We are always confident; even though we know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord – 7 for we walk by faith, not by sight. 8 Yes, we do have confidence, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. 9 So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. 10 For all of us must appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each may receive recompense for what has been done in the body, whether good or evil.

11 Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we try to persuade others; but we ourselves are well known to God, and I hope that we are also well known to your consciences. 12 We are not commending ourselves to you again, but giving you an opportunity to boast about us, so that you may be able to answer those who boast in outward appearance and not in the heart. 13 For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. 14 For the love of Christ urges us on, because we are convinced that one has died for all; therefore, all have died. 15 And he died for all, so that those who live might live no longer for themselves, but for him who died and was raised for them.

16 From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view; even though we once knew Christ from a human point of view, we know him no longer in that way. 17 So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!

Commentary

Corinth, a large port city in Greece, was among the early Jesus Follower communities that Paul founded. Its culture was diverse and Hellenistic, and Corinthians emphasized reason and secular wisdom. In addition to Paul, other Jesus Followers also taught in Corinth, sometimes in ways inconsistent with Paul’s understandings of what it means to be a Jesus Follower. Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians was written in the 50’s (CE) (likely while Paul was in Ephesus) and presented his views on several issues.

Paul’s controversies with the Corinthians continued, and he wrote at least four letters to them. The Second Letter is a composite of fragments from these letters. In the Second Letter, Paul countered some Jewish Jesus Followers who were disagreeing with Paul and undermining his authority.

Today’s reading reflects the multiple components in this letter. In the first part of today’s reading, Paul spoke of his desire to be “at home with the Lord” (v.8) and noted that while we are alive (“at home in the body”), the body will remain a barrier to being with Christ more perfectly – it keeps one “away from the Lord” (v.6).

In the second part of today’s reading, Paul discussed his relationship with the Corinthians – a relationship that was sometimes painful for both Paul and the Corinthians (2:1-2). He expressed hope that he was well known to the Corinthians’ consciences (v.11) but declined from “commending ourselves” to them (v.12). Those who “boast in outward appearance” (v.12b) was likely a reference to those Jewish Jesus Followers who advocated circumcision for non-Jewish church members.

Paul may have been criticized by his opponents for lack of ecstatic experience (12:1). In response, he spoke of being “besides ourselves,” and said ecstatic experiences were “for God” (v.13). Acknowledging the prevalent Hellenistic rationality in Corinth, Paul stated that if he was in his “right mind,” it was for benefit of the Corinthians (v.13b). He noted that Christ’s love for us urges us on (v.14)

In the last part of today’s reading, Paul shifted his message to convey the idea that if one is “in Christ” they are a “new creation” (v.17). This is an eschatological reversal of the primordial fall – the old way of looking at reality from a merely human vantage point has passed. .

Mark 4:26-34

Reading

26 Jesus said, “The kingdom of God is as if someone would scatter seed on the ground, 27 and would sleep and rise night and day, and the seed would sprout and grow, he does not know how. 28 The earth produces of itself, first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head. 29 But when the grain is ripe, at once he goes in with his sickle, because the harvest has come.”

30 He also said, “With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable will we use for it? 31 It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth; 32 yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs, and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.”

33 With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it; 34 he did not speak to them except in parables, but he explained everything in private to his disciples.

Commentary

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

Today’s reading presents a parable that gives the understanding that the Kingdom of God will surely come to fruition just as seeds miraculously and inexplicably sprout, grow, and produce a harvest (vv.26-29).

The next parable compared the Kingdom of God to a mustard seed, which produces invasive shrubs that grow only a few feet high. Mustard grows rapidly and randomly – in the same way that kudzu does. Would a farmer plant a shrub in which birds will nest, given the fact that birds attack crops and eat them? For this reason, this parable is often seen as satirical and humorous, and is contrasted with the imperial metaphor of the cedar tree in Ezek.17.

Scholars generally agree that parables were likely used by the historical Jesus. According to the gospel writers, sometimes the disciples understood the parables, but sometimes they asked for an explanation (as in the Parable of the Sower that preceded the parables in today’s reading). According to verse 34, Jesus explained the parables to the disciples in private.

In Mark 4:11, Jesus lamented that, just as YHWH told Isaiah would happen in Is.6:9-10, he would speak and his listeners would hear, but they would not understand.

In all the gospels, it is ambiguous whether the Kingdom of God/Heaven is already present or lies in the future. Some scholars suggest that this is not an either/or proposition, but is instead a “both/and.” The inbreaking of the Kingdom has begun and so it is “now,” but the fulness of the kingdom will not be realized until the eschaton (the end of the world as we know it now — not the end of the world).

2021, March 7 ~ Exodus 20:1-17; 1 Corinthians 1:18-25; John 2:13-22

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TODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
MARCH 7, 2021

Exodus 20:1-17

Reading

1 Then God spoke all these words:

2 I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; 3 you shall have no other gods before me.

4 You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, punishing children for the iniquity of parents, to the third and the fourth generation of those who reject me, 6 but showing steadfast love to the thousandth generation of those who love me and keep my commandments.

7 You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not acquit anyone who misuses his name.

8 Remember the sabbath day and keep it holy. 9 For six days you shall labor and do all your work. 10 But the seventh day is a sabbath to the LORD your God; you shall not do any work—you, your son, or your daughter, your male or female slave, your livestock, or the alien resident in your towns. 11 For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but rested the seventh day; therefore, the LORD blessed the sabbath day and consecrated it.

12 Honor your father and your mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.

13 You shall not murder.
14 You shall not commit adultery.
15 You shall not steal.
16 You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
17 You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or male or female slave, or ox, or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.

Commentary

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

Today’s reading is set at Mount Sinai (“Horeb” in other parts of Exodus and in Deuteronomy) during the time in the Wilderness. In it, YHWH (“LORD” in all capital letters in the NRSV) gave the Decalogue – the “ten words” (v.1) – often called the Ten Commandments. The LORD is stated to be the author of the Ten Words. Implicit in this attribution of authorship is the notion that the LORD is the “king” of Israel – just as kings were the lawgivers in other ancient societies.

The structure of the Decalogue was a covenant: YHWH recounted what had been done for the Israelites (v.2) and then directed reciprocal obligations of the people (vv.3-17). Verse 3 does not command monotheism (there is only one God), but states that the people shall not worship any other gods, a belief system called “henotheism.” The worship of an imageless God (v.4) distinguished the Israelites from its neighbors. Verses 5 and 6 presented perceptions of God as “jealous” and “punishing those who reject me” but showing steadfast love to those who love the LORD and obey God’s laws. Commentators suggest that the notion that God is “jealous” is an anthropomorphism and that “jealousy” is the feeling that a faithful spouse (God) expects their spouse (Israel) to be faithful as well.

This is one of three versions of the Decalogue. It is called the “Priestly Decalogue” because it refers to the Priestly account of creation in which God rested on the seventh day. Other versions of the Decalogue appear in Exodus 34:11-26 (the “Ritual Decalogue”) and in Deuteronomy 5:6-21. In the Deuteronomic version, wives do not “belong” to men (Dt. 5:21), and the rationale for observing the Sabbath is the liberation of the Israelites from Egypt rather than God’s resting on the seventh day of creation.

1 Corinthians 1:18-25

Reading

18 The message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.”

20 Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, God decided, through the foolishness of our proclamation, to save those who believe. 22 For Jews demand signs and Greeks desire wisdom, 23 but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, 24 but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength.

Commentary

Corinth, a large port city in Greece, was among the early Jesus Follower communities that Paul founded. Its culture was diverse and Hellenistic. Corinthians emphasized reason and secular wisdom. In addition to Paul, other Jesus Followers taught in Corinth, sometimes in ways inconsistent with Paul’s understandings of what it meant to be a Jesus Follower. Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians was written in the 50’s (CE) and presented his views on many issues that were controversial in this Jesus Follower Community.

In today’s reading, Paul criticized of the “wisdom of the world” and asserted that “God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom” (v.25). He explained that selfless love (the cross) is foolishness to those who rely on the so-called wisdom of the world (v. 18, 20). As he often did, Paul paraphrased (and modified) verses from the prophets. Verse 19 is loosely based on Isaiah 29:14.

God’s wisdom (v. 21) is the plan of salvation and includes the crucifixion of the Christ/Messiah/Anointed One of God. For Jews, a crucified Messiah was indeed a “stumbling block” (v. 23) because a Messiah who suffered was not a generally accepted notion in First Century Judaism. Because crucifixion was a particularly painful and degrading Roman form of execution, it was also inconsistent with the secular wisdom of the Greeks that expected kings and wise persons to overcome their enemies.

John 2:13-22

Reading

13 The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 In the temple he found people selling cattle, sheep, and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables. 15 Making a whip of cords, he drove all of them out of the temple, both the sheep and the cattle. He also poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. 16 He told those who were selling the doves, “Take these things out of here! Stop making my Father’s house a marketplace!” 17 His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.” 18 The Jews then said to him, “What sign can you show us for doing this?” 19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” 20 The Jews then said, “This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and will you raise it up in three days?” 21 But he was speaking of the temple of his body. 22 After he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this; and they believed the scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.

Commentary

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

The chronology of the Fourth Gospel is also different. In the Synoptic Gospels, Jesus made one trip to Jerusalem as an adult just before the Crucifixion. In the Fourth Gospel, he made three trips. In the Synoptic Gospels, the Incident in the Temple occurred after Palm Sunday and is presented as the “last straw” for the Romans and the Temple Authorities. In the Fourth Gospel, the Incident – usually referred to as the “Cleansing of the Temple” – occurred in Jesus’ first trip to Jerusalem.

The introductory phrase “the Passover of the Jews” shows that the author of the Gospel considered it necessary to explain this feast to some of the Gentile audience. The designation “the Jews” is a shorthand reference used by the author of the Fourth Gospel for the Temple Authorities and the Pharisees. It is not a reference to the Jewish people, especially since Jesus was a Jew, and his disciples were Jews.

Because animal sacrifice was performed in the Temple until 70 CE when the Romans destroyed it, and because the Temple tax had to be paid in the official half-shekel, it is not clear that the activities being conducted in the Temple were improper. Jesus’ actions reported in all four gospels can be seen, however, as fulfilling the prophesy in Zechariah 14:21 that on the Day of the LORD, there would no longer be traders in the house of the LORD. In verse 17, the saying about zeal for God’s house is taken from Psalm 69:9.

In verse 22, the author was saying that, after the Resurrection, the disciples treated Jesus’ statements during his lifetime as “the word” and the equivalent of scripture.

2021, February 14 ~ 2 Kings 2:1-12; 2 Corinthians 4:3-6; Mark 9:2-9

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TODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
FEBRUARY 14, 2021

2 Kings 2:1-12

Reading

1 When the LORD was about to take Elijah up to heaven by a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal. 2 Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here; for the LORD has sent me as far as Bethel.” But Elisha said, “As the LORD lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel. 3 The company of prophets who were in Bethel came out to Elisha, and said to him, “Do you know that today the LORD will take your master away from you?” And he said, “Yes, I know; keep silent.”

4 Elijah said to him, “Elisha, stay here; for the LORD has sent me to Jericho.” But he said, “As the LORD lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they came to Jericho. 5 The company of prophets who were at Jericho drew near to Elisha, and said to him, “Do you know that today the LORD will take your master away from you?” And he answered, “Yes, I know; be silent.”

6 Then Elijah said to him, “Stay here; for the LORD has sent me to the Jordan.” But he said, “As the LORD lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So the two of them went on. 7 Fifty men of the company of prophets also went, and stood at some distance from them, as they both were standing by the Jordan. 8 Then Elijah took his mantle and rolled it up and struck the water; the water was parted to the one side and to the other, until the two of them crossed on dry ground.

9 When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me what I may do for you, before I am taken from you.” Elisha said, “Please let me inherit a double share of your spirit.” 10 He responded, “You have asked a hard thing; yet, if you see me as I am being taken from you, it will be granted you; if not, it will not.” 11 As they continued walking and talking, a chariot of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them, and Elijah ascended in a whirlwind into heaven. 12 Elisha kept watching and crying out, “Father, father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” But when he could no longer see him, he grasped his own clothes and tore them in two pieces.

Commentary

The Book of Kings is part of the “Deuteronomic History” that includes the books of Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings. These books are a didactic history of Ancient Israel from the time in the Wilderness (c. 1250 BCE, if the account is historical) to the Babylonian Captivity in 587 BCE. They emphasize that God controls history, and when the people (and their kings) worship Yahweh properly, good things happen to them. When the kings and people worship false gods, however, bad events overtake them.

Today’s story recounts the succession of the prophet Elijah by his faithful disciple, Elisha, who asks for a “double share” (the share of an oldest son) of Elijah’s spirit (v.9). According to Biblical chronology, the events took place about 840 BCE, after the reigns of Ahab and the two kings who followed him.

The account has many parallels to the stories of Moses and his successor, Joshua. Elijah and Elisha crossed from the west bank of the Jordan River to the east bank (v.8), just as Moses and Joshua crossed the Sea of Reeds. After Elijah was taken up to heaven in a fiery chariot in the area near Mount Nebo where Moses died (v.11), Elisha parted the Jordan and crossed to the west side just as Joshua did (v.14).

Because Elijah was raised to heaven, his return to earth is seen as a harbinger of the coming of the Messiah (Mal. 3:23-24). A place/chair for Elijah is left open at table (and often the doors of homes are left open) at Passover Seders in the event Elijah might return that night. In many ways, John the Baptist is portrayed as an Elijah-like figure in the Gospels.

2 Corinthians 4:3-6

Reading

3 Even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. 4 In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 5 For we do not proclaim ourselves; we proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and ourselves as your slaves for Jesus’ sake. 6 For it is the God who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

Commentary

Corinth, a large port city in Greece, was among the early Jesus Follower communities that Paul founded. Its culture was diverse and Hellenistic, and Corinthians emphasized reason and secular wisdom. In addition to Paul, other Jesus Followers also taught in Corinth, sometimes in ways inconsistent with Paul’s understandings of what it means to be a Jesus Follower. Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians was written in the 50’s (CE) (likely while Paul was in Ephesus) and presented his views on several issues.

Paul’s controversies with the Corinthians continued, and he wrote a number of letters to them. The Second Letter is a composite of fragments from these letters. In the Second Letter, Paul countered some Jewish Jesus Followers who were disagreeing with Paul and undermining his authority.

In today’s reading, Paul’s reference to “the god of this world” (v.4), meant the Roman authorities as well as the secular wisdom of the current age. Paul affirmed that Jesus the Christ is the “image of God” (v.4) and the “Lord” (v.5). Paul paraphrased part of the First Creation Story in Genesis regarding the creation of light and said that the light of the knowledge of God is found in Jesus the Christ (v.6).

Today’s reading comes right after Paul’s interpretation of Exodus 34, in which Moses’ face shone after talking with God and receiving the tablets of the (3:16). Similarly, the gospel is “veiled to those who are perishing” (4:3).

Mark 9:2-9

Reading

2 Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, 3 and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no one on earth could bleach them. 4 And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, who were talking with Jesus. 5 Then Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” 6 He did not know what to say, for they were terrified. 7 Then a cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud there came a voice, “This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!” 8 Suddenly when they looked around, they saw no one with them any more, but only Jesus.

9 As they were coming down the mountain, he ordered them to tell no one about what they had seen, until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead.

Commentary

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

Because the original ending of Mark’s Gospel did not include any resurrection appearances by Jesus, some scholars see the Transfiguration account in today’s reading as a resurrection appearance placed back into the lifetime of Jesus.

Moses (representing the covenant of the Torah) and Elijah (representing prophetic denunciations of corruption and idolatry) were the two greatest prophets of the Hebrew Bible. Although Moses’ death is recorded, his burial place is unknown (Deut.34:6) and Elijah was taken up to heaven in fiery chariot. Accordingly, both were seen to stand in God’s presence and to communicate God’s word.

Peter’s suggestion to make three dwellings (v.5) is reminiscent of Sukkot, the Feast of Booths/Tabernacles. Sukkot is a harvest festival and a reminder of living in tents during the Israelites’ time in the Wilderness. In First Century Israel, it was one of the three feasts each year during which Jews were expected to make a pilgrimage for a week to the Temple in Jerusalem.

The reference to the “Son of Man” is a reminder of the messianic vision in Daniel 7:13 – “I saw one like a human being [son of man] coming with the clouds of heaven.”

2021, February 7 ~ Isaiah 40:21-31; 1 Corinthians 9:16-23; Mark 1:29-39

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TODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
FEBRUARY 7, 2021

Isaiah 40:21-31

Reading

21 Have you not known? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning?
Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?
22 It is he who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers,
who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them like a tent to live in,
23 who brings princes to naught and makes the rulers of the earth as nothing.
24 Scarcely are they planted, scarcely sown, scarcely has their stem taken root in the earth,
when he blows upon them, and they wither, and the tempest carries them off like stubble.
25 To whom then will you compare me, or who is my equal? says the Holy One.
26 Lift up your eyes on high and see: Who created these? He who brings out their host and numbers them, calling them all by name; because he is great in strength, mighty in power,
not one is missing.
27 Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel, “My way is hidden from the LORD, and my right is disregarded by my God”?
28 Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable.
29 He gives power to the faint and strengthens the powerless.
30 Even youths will faint and be weary, and the young will fall exhausted,
31 but those who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.

Commentary

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

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

Today’s reading is from the first chapter from “Second Isaiah.” This chapter that told the Judeans they had “paid their penalty” (v.2) and reassured them that YHWH is the creator of the universe and has power over all nations (vv.22-23). Accordingly, YHWH will restore them to Jerusalem.

YHWH also has power over the heavenly bodies because they are not divine beings and are created by YHWH (v.26). This presentation of YHWH as a cosmic god for all peoples is a shift from the understanding of YHWH as a “national god” only for Israel.

1 Corinthians 9:16-23

Reading

16 If I proclaim the gospel, this gives me no ground for boasting, for an obligation is laid on me, and woe to me if I do not proclaim the gospel! 17 For if I do this of my own will, I have a reward; but if not of my own will, I am entrusted with a commission. 18 What then is my reward? Just this: that in my proclamation I may make the gospel free of charge, so as not to make full use of my rights in the gospel.

19 For though I am free with respect to all, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I might win more of them. 20 To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though I myself am not under the law) so that I might win those under the law. 21 To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law) so that I might win those outside the law. 22 To the weak I became weak, so that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that I might by all means save some. 23 I do it all for the sake of the gospel, so that I may share in its blessings.

Commentary

Corinth, a large port city in Greece, was among the early Jesus Follower communities that Paul founded. Its culture was diverse and Hellenistic, and Corinthians emphasized reason and secular wisdom. In addition to Paul, other Jesus Followers also taught in Corinth, sometimes in ways inconsistent with Paul’s understandings of what it means to be a Jesus Follower. Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians was written in the 50’s (CE) (likely while Paul was in Ephesus) and presented his views on several issues.

In today’s reading, Paul emphasized that his preaching of the gospel was an “obligation laid on me” (v.16) – just as prophets were “required” to speak the word of God. He then continued to urge the Corinthians to rise above their own sense of “liberty” (freedom from the constraints of ordinary human affairs through “secular wisdom”) so that the Corinthians would participate fully in the gospel of love and enable others to participate also. For Paul, being able to proclaim the gospel was its own reward (v.18).

Paul said that to spread the gospel he became “as a Jew,” “as one under the law,” and as one “outside the law” (v.20-21). Paul – who was a Jewish Jesus Follower — was referring, respectively, to Jews, to “God Fearers” who were not Jews but who observed some of the Jewish Law, and to Gentiles. Paul stated, in effect, that he presented the gospel in terms with which each group might resonate.

His statement that he “became weak” and “became all things to all people” (v.22) reflects his empathetic presentation of the gospel. The reference to “the weak” also related back to the last part of Chapter 8 in which Paul urged the Corinthians not to eat meat sacrificed to idols if this would cause someone whose conscience is weak to fall (8:10-13).

In Paul’s view, the gospel transformed the exclusively Jewish Torah covenant into the Gentile-inclusive Christ’s law. The freedom vis-à-vis the Jewish law that had been transformed into the law in Christ was not a license to immorality but rather a freedom to live righteously.

Mark 1:29-39

Reading

29 After Jesus and his disciples left the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. 30 Now Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they told him about her at once. 31 He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up. Then the fever left her, and she began to serve them.

32 That evening, at sundown, they brought to him all who were sick or possessed with demons. 33 And the whole city was gathered around the door. 34 And he cured many who were sick with various diseases and cast out many demons; and he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him.

35 In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed. 36 And Simon and his companions hunted for him. 37 When they found him, they said to him, “Everyone is searching for you.” 38 He answered, “Let us go on to the neighboring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there also; for that is what I came out to do.” 39 And he went throughout Galilee, proclaiming the message in their synagogues and casting out demons.

Commentary

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

In today’s reading, there is the story of the healing of Simon’s mother-in-law, which is repeated verbatim in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. She is not encountered again.

With his customary hyperbole, the author says “all” who were sick or possessed by demons were brought to Jesus (v.32) and the “whole city” gathered around the door (v.33).

Scholars are not sure what kinds of ailments are encompassed within “possession by demons” but they might (in today’s vocabulary) include any form of mental illness or aberration.

The reference in verse 39 to “their” synagogues is an anachronism. During Jesus’ lifetime, his followers would have (as Jews) regarded the synagogues as their own just as any other Jews. In last week’s gospel, Jesus was teaching in a synagogue in Capernaum (Mk. 1:21).

It is not until after the Destruction of the Temple in 70 CE and the “Parting of the Ways” in the next 30 years that Matthew and Luke began to refer to the synagogues as “theirs” – meaning the Pharisees, the predecessors of Rabbinic Judaism (for example, Matt. 23:34).

2021, January 31 ~ Deuteronomy 18:15-20; 1 Corinthians 8:1-13; Mark 1:21-28

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TODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
JANUARY 31, 2021

Deuteronomy 18:15-20

Reading

15 Moses said: The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you shall heed such a prophet. 16 This is what you requested of the LORD your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly when you said: “If I hear the voice of the LORD my God any more or ever again see this great fire, I will die.” 17 Then the LORD replied to me: “They are right in what they have said. 18 I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their own people; I will put my words in the mouth of the prophet, who shall speak to them everything that I command. 19 Anyone who does not heed the words that the prophet shall speak in my name, I myself will hold accountable. 20 But any prophet who speaks in the name of other gods, or who presumes to speak in my name a word that I have not commanded the prophet to speak—that prophet shall die.”

Commentary

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

In today’s reading, Moses tells the Israelites that YHWH will raise up a prophet “like me” [Moses] as requested by the people at Horeb (the Deuteronomists’ name for Mount Sinai). Moses “recounts” that YHWH told him that the prophet would be from “their own people, YHWH would put words in the prophet’s mouth, and the prophet would speak in YHWH’s name (v.18). The appointment by YHWH will make the prophet independent of all institutions and able to challenge them. The Deuteronomists saw Moses as the paradigmatic prophet.

These verses in Deuteronomy formed the basis for the vision that the Messiah would be a prophet and the “New Moses.” This vision was one among many different visions of the Messiah in circulation in the First Century, including the “New David,” the suffering servant, the Paschal Lamb, the Son of Man, and the New High Priest.

The Gospel According to Matthew specifically presented Jesus of Nazareth as the New Moses. This Gospel contains stories about Jesus that are not in any other Gospels and are direct parallels to stories about Moses in the Hebrew Bible. For example, by unusual means, Moses and Jesus avoided death at the hands of rulers (Pharaoh and Herod) who tried to kill all the male infants. Moses and Jesus both left Egypt for the Promised Land under God’s protection. Moses went up on the mountain (Sinai or Horeb) to obtain the Law, and Jesus gave the Sermon on the Mount to fulfill the Law.

1 Corinthians 8:1-13

Reading

1 Now concerning food sacrificed to idols: we know that “all of us possess knowledge.” Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. 2 Anyone who claims to know something does not yet have the necessary knowledge; 3 but anyone who loves God is known by him.

4 Hence, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that “no idol in the world really exists,” and that “there is no God but one.” 5 Indeed, even though there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth—as in fact there are many gods and many lords— 6 yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.

7 It is not everyone, however, who has this knowledge. Since some have become so accustomed to idols until now, they still think of the food they eat as food offered to an idol; and their conscience, being weak, is defiled. 8 “Food will not bring us close to God.” We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do. 9 But take care that this liberty of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. 10 For if others see you, who possess knowledge, eating in the temple of an idol, might they not, since their conscience is weak, be encouraged to the point of eating food sacrificed to idols? 11 So by your knowledge those weak believers for whom Christ died are destroyed. 12 But when you thus sin against members of your family, and wound their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. 13 Therefore, if food is a cause of their falling, I will never eat meat, so that I may not cause one of them to fall.

Commentary

Corinth, a large port city in Greece, was among the early Jesus Follower communities that Paul founded. Its culture was diverse and Hellenistic, and Corinthians emphasized reason and secular wisdom. In addition to Paul, other Jesus Followers also taught in Corinth, sometimes in ways inconsistent with Paul’s understandings of what it means to be a Jesus Follower. Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians was written in the 50’s (CE) (likely while Paul was in Ephesus) and presented his views on several issues.

In today’s reading, it is difficult to know exactly when Paul is quoting Hellenistic/Corinthian “knowledge” and whether he is quoting it approvingly or not. (Quotation marks were unknown in the First Century. The early predecessors to quotation marks were not used until the 3rd or 4th Century CE. Quotation marks as we know them were developed in the 17th Century.)

In Corinth, sacrificing meat to idols was a normal part of the social fabric. Paul walked a fine line: he did not forbid Corinthians from eating this meat, but he cautioned Jesus Followers that if they ate meat sacrificed to idols (particularly if they thought they had “knowledge” or religious wisdom), this might harm those who did not fully understand that “no idol in the world really exists” (v.4) and those for whom eating meat sacrificed to idols was a “stumbling block” (v.9). Paul admonished that wounding the conscience of one who is weak in this matter would be a sin against the Christ (v.12).

Mark 1:21-28

Reading

21 Jesus and his disciples went to Capernaum; and when the sabbath came, he entered the synagogue and taught. 22 They were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. 23 Just then there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit, 24 and he cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.” 25 But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!” 26 And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying with a loud voice, came out of him. 27 They were all amazed, and they kept on asking one another, “What is this? A new teaching—with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.” 28 At once his fame began to spread throughout the surrounding region of Galilee.

Commentary

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

In the first part of the First Century (before the Destruction of the Temple in 70 CE), synagogues were just coming into existence as local Jewish town meetings or civic associations, but they were also beginning to be centers of study and worship. Because Mark noted that the people gathered on the sabbath (v.21), Mark assumed the synagogue had a worship function also.

Capernaum is a town on the northern tip of the Sea of Galilee and appears to have been the center of Jesus’ ministry in the Galilee. Even today, there are remains of a Second Century synagogue there as well as the traditional site of Peter’s home.

In Mark’s Gospel, the attribution of “authority” (exousia in Greek) and “power” (dunamis) are common notions. In attributing “authority” to Jesus, the Gospel writer noted that Jesus did not generally rely on the prior thinking of others to express his understandings of the inbreaking of the kingdom of God. The “scribes” (v.22) to whom Jesus was compared were the literate elite scholars-lawyers who represented and advised the Jerusalem priestly rulers, the Sadducees.

The translation that Jesus told the unclean spirit to “be silent” (v.25), the Greek words are literally “be muzzled” — a phrase that appears other times when Jesus confronts unclean spirits in this gospel.