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2022, March 6 ~ Deuteronomy 26:1-11; Romans 10:8b-13; Luke 4:1-13

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TODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
MARCH 6, 2022

Deuteronomy 26:1-11

Reading

1 When you have come into the land that the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance to possess, and you possess it, and settle in it, 2 you shall take some of the first of all the fruit of the ground, which you harvest from the land that the LORD your God is giving you, and you shall put it in a basket and go to the place that the LORD your God will choose as a dwelling for his name. 3 You shall go to the priest who is in office at that time, and say to him, “Today I declare to the LORD your God that I have come into the land that the LORD swore to our ancestors to give us.” 4 When the priest takes the basket from your hand and sets it down before the altar of the LORD your God, 5 you shall make this response before the LORD your God: “A wandering Aramean was my ancestor; he went down into Egypt and lived there as an alien, few in number, and there he became a great nation, mighty and populous. 6 When the Egyptians treated us harshly and afflicted us, by imposing hard labor on us, 7 we cried to the LORD, the God of our ancestors; the LORD heard our voice and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression. 8 The LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with a terrifying display of power, and with signs and wonders; 9 and he brought us into this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey. 10 So now I bring the first of the fruit of the ground that you, O LORD, have given me.” You shall set it down before the LORD your God and bow down before the LORD your God. 11 Then you, together with the Levites and the aliens who reside among you, shall celebrate with all the bounty that the LORD your God has given to you and to your house.

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).

It is also the first book of the didactic “Deuteronomic History” which consists of Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings. This “History” teaches that when the people and kings of Israel and Judea worshiped YHWH properly, they prospered, but when they worshiped false gods, other nations (the Assyrians in 722 BCE and Babylonians in 587) conquered them.

The Deuteronomic History emphasized the need for worship at the Temple in Jerusalem. The Temple is described in today’s passage as “the place the LORD God [YHWH] will choose as a dwelling for his name” (v.2).

Today’s reading prescribed actions at the Temple for the Festival of Weeks, a celebration of the Spring harvest. After the Babylonian Exile, the Festival also came to be associated with the giving of the Law at Sinai and was later called Pentecost (50 days after Passover) in First Century Judaism (Acts 2:1). Today’s passage gave a theological and historical basis for two laws that were already in Deuteronomy 14:22-29.

The Festival of Weeks was one of the three festivals in which Jews were expected to go the Temple in Jerusalem to make offerings. The other two were Passover and the celebration of the Fall harvest, called the Festival of Booths or Tabernacles (remembering the flimsy dwellings inhabited during the time in the Wilderness). Verses 3 and 4 are seen as a later insert to emphasize the role of the priests at the Temple.

Today’s reading also contains an early synopsis of the story of the Exodus and the entry into Israel (vv.5b-9). This synopsis does not contain the giving of the Law at Sinai or many of the details in Genesis and Exodus. It can be compared with the synopsis of Jewish History from Abraham to the Destruction of Jerusalem contained in Nehemiah 9:7-31.

The Book of Nehemiah was written around 400 BCE, after the Exile and more than 200 years after most of Deuteronomy was written. When Nehemiah was written, the stories in Genesis and Exodus had been more fully developed and were included in the Torah read by Ezra to the people in 443 BCE (Neh.8).

Romans 10:8b-13

Reading

8b “The word is near you, on your lips and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); 9 because if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For one believes with the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved. 11 The scripture says, “No one who believes in him will be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all and is generous to all who call on him. 13 For, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

Commentary

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

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

In today’s reading, Paul paraphrased Isaiah 28:16 in saying that “no one who believes in Jesus as Lord will be put to shame” (v.11). He emphasized that “there is no distinction among the Jesus Followers between Jew and Greek (Gentiles); the same Lord is Lord of all” (v.12). As support for this assertion, Paul interpreted Deuteronomy 30:14 as establishing that the “word of faith” is on each believer’s lips and in their hearts (v.8b). In Deuteronomy, the “word” was the Commandments.

Paul took the phrase “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (v.13) from the prophet Joel, who wrote about the “terrible Day of the LORD [YHWH]” in which only those who call upon the LORD would be saved (Joel 2:32). Paul’s used this phrase as part of his over-all message that “belief in your heart that God raised [the Christ] from the dead” (v.9) is transformative and causes the true believer to be “justified” – in a right relationship with God and others and doing right for the right reasons (v.10).

Luke 4:1-13

Reading

1 After his baptism, Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, 2 where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing at all during those days, and when they were over, he was famished. 3 The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a loaf of bread.” 4 Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone.'”

5 Then the devil led him up and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. 6 And the devil said to him, “To you I will give their glory and all this authority; for it has been given over to me, and I give it to anyone I please. 7 If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” 8 Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.'”

9 Then the devil took him to Jerusalem, and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, 10 for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you, to protect you,’ 11 and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.'”

12 Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'” 13 When the devil had finished every test, he departed from him until an opportune time.

Commentary

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

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

Today’s reading is the “Temptation in the Wilderness.” An abbreviated version appears in Mark 1:12-13 in which the Spirit “drove” Jesus to the Wilderness. Matthew 4:1-11 presented the same three temptations (showing that the source is “Q”), but in a different order.

The period of 40 days is reminiscent of the 40 years the Israelites were said to have been in the Wilderness during the Exodus, The word “forty” is a translation of a word that means “a long time” just as “three days” is a euphemism for “a short time.” We use the same metaphors when we say: “I’ll be there in a second” or “I’ll be with you in a minute.”

The quotations from the Hebrew Bible that were reportedly used by the Satan and Jesus are paraphrases of verses from the Septuagint and are different from the Masoretic Texts.

In First Century Jewish thought, the Satan was not considered the embodiment of evil (as Satan later became) but rather was a part of the heavenly court whose role was to test the righteous. Luke uses the word “diaboulou” which is generally translated as “the devil” and reflects movement towards seeing the tempter as evil. Verses 5 and 6 presupposed that the devil possessed the “glory and authority” over all the kingdoms of the world and that the devil had the power to give this glory and authority to anyone the devil chose.

The departure of the devil “until an opportune time” (v.13) foreshadowed the devil’s reappearance in Luke 22:3 when “Satan (in Greek satanas) entered into Judas called Iscariot.”

2022, February 27 ~ Exodus 34:29-35; 2 Corinthians 3:12-4:2; Luke 9:28-43a

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TODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
FEBRUARY 27, 2022

Exodus 34:29-35

Reading

29 Moses came down from Mount Sinai. As he came down from the mountain with the two tablets of the covenant in his hand, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God. 30 When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, the skin of his face was shining, and they were afraid to come near him. 31 But Moses called to them; and Aaron and all the leaders of the congregation returned to him, and Moses spoke with them. 32 Afterward all the Israelites came near, and he gave them in commandment all that the LORD had spoken with him on Mount Sinai. 33 When Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil on his face; 34 but whenever Moses went in before the LORD to speak with him, he would take the veil off, until he came out; and when he came out, and told the Israelites what he had been commanded, 35 the Israelites would see the face of Moses, that the skin of his face was shining; and Moses would put the veil on his face again, until he went in to speak with him.

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.

Because of this reading from the Hebrew Bible and today’s Gospel reading, many Christians refer to this Sunday as “Transfiguration Sunday.” In this reading, Moses’ face shone when he came down from Mount Sinai after speaking with YHWH (translated as LORD in all capital letters). On the mountain, he (Moses) wrote the “words of the covenant” (the Ten Commandments or the Ten Words) on tablets as directed by YHWH (34:27). Moses put a veil over his face after he gave the people the Commandments (v.33) and he removed the veil whenever he spoke to YHWH face-to-face (v.34).

The account in today’s reading was Moses’ second return from the top of Mount Sinai. Just a few chapters earlier, Moses came down from the mountain with the Commandments written by YHWH in the first account (31:18). In that instance, when Moses and YHWH saw that the Israelites built a Golden Calf, YHWH threatened to destroy them. Moses pleaded with YHWH to reverse that decision and YHWH relented (Chapters 32 and 33).

The Hebrew words saying that Moses’ face “shone” (v.29) or in other translations “was radiant” shares an etymological root with the word “horn” (as in a source of sound projection). In his translation of the Bible into Latin (the Vulgate), Jerome rendered these Hebrew words as “was horned.” This unfortunate translation was the basis for Michelangelo’s statue of Moses showing him with horns and led to the anti-semitic belief that Jews had horns.

Moses’ speaking with God face-to-face became an important aspect of the description of the expected Messiah when this account in Exodus was combined with two verses in the Book of Deuteronomy. In one verse, YHWH promised to “raise up for them [the people of Israel] a prophet like you [Moses].” (Deut. 18.18) The other verse stated that no other prophet in Israel has been known by God face-to-face (Deut. 34.10).

Today’s Gospel reading presents Jesus of Nazareth as conversing with Moses and Elijah, and notes that “the appearance of his face changed and his clothes became dazzling white” (Luke 9:29).

2 Corinthians 3:12 – 4:2

Reading

12 Since then, we have such a hope, we act with great boldness, 13 not like Moses, who put a veil over his face to keep the people of Israel from gazing at the end of the glory that was being set aside. 14 But their minds were hardened. Indeed, to this very day, when they hear the reading of the old covenant, that same veil is still there, since only in Christ is it set aside. 15 Indeed, to this very day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their minds; 16 but when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit.

4:1 Therefore, since it is by God’s mercy that we are engaged in this ministry, we do not lose heart. 2 We have renounced the shameful things that one hides; we refuse to practice cunning or to falsify God’s word; but by the open statement of the truth we commend ourselves to the conscience of everyone in the sight of God.

Commentary

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

Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians was written in the 50’s (CE) and presented his views on many issues that were controversial in this Jesus Follower Community. Paul’s Second Letter to the Corinthians was written in opposition to “false apostles” (11.13). It seems to be a composite of fragments from other letters that have been lost, some of which are referred to in the letter with which we are presented. Some of the statements in the letter are inconsistent with other statements in Paul’s epistles.

Moses’ veil was presented as a protection for the Israelites (Ex. 34:35) because it was too overpowering for the people to look at Moses’ shining face. But in today’s reading, Paul said the “glory” (Torah) is being set aside (v.13) and he reinterpreted the veil worn by Moses as a metaphor for unenlightenment (vv.14-15).

Paul stated the veil is only set aside in Christ (v.14) and we (Christians) now see the glory of the Lord because we have “unveiled faces” and are being “transformed from one degree of glory to another (v.18).

Luke 9:28b-43a

Reading

28b Jesus took with him Peter and John and James and went up on the mountain to pray. 29 And while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white. 30 Suddenly they saw two men, Moses and Elijah, talking to him. 31 They appeared in glory and were speaking of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. 32 Now Peter and his companions were weighed down with sleep; but since they had stayed awake, they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. 33 Just as they were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah” — not knowing what he said. 34 While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were terrified as they entered the cloud. 35 Then from the cloud came a voice that said, “This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!” 36 When the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and in those days told no one any of the things they had seen.

37 On the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, a great crowd met him. 38 Just then a man from the crowd shouted, “Teacher, I beg you to look at my son; he is my only child. 39 Suddenly a spirit seizes him, and all at once he shrieks. It convulses him until he foams at the mouth; it mauls him and will scarcely leave him. 40 I begged your disciples to cast it out, but they could not.” 41 Jesus answered, “You faithless and perverse generation, how much longer must I be with you and bear with you? Bring your son here.” 42 While he was coming, the demon dashed him to the ground in convulsions. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the boy, and gave him back to his father. 43 And all were astounded at the greatness of God.

Commentary

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

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

In today’s reading Jesus took his “inner circle” (Peter, James, and John) and went up on an unspecified mountain where he was transfigured and appeared with Moses (representing the Torah) and Elijah (representing the prophets).

The statement that Peter, James, and John were “weighed down with sleep” (v.32) may indicate that the Transfiguration occurred at night and anticipated the same sleeping condition when they were supposed to keep watch for Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane (22:45).

Peter’s desire to make three dwellings (v.33) was a reaction to make permanent a numinous moment and to keep Moses and Elijah present.

The “cloud” is a customary image for God (as in Exodus 13) and the “voice” is similar to the voice and words spoken at Jesus’ baptism (3:22).

In the second part of today’s reading, the healing of the child possessed by a spirit is also found in the other Synoptic Gospels (Mark 9:14 and Matt. 17:14). Calling the people “a faithless and perverse generation” was reminiscent of Moses’ last words to the Israelites before they entered the Promised Land (Deut. 32:5, 20). Most scholars agree that this Deuteronomic ”Song of Moses” is a late insertion reflecting the Judeans’ faithlessness that led to the Exile.

2022, February 2 ~ Genesis 45:3-11,15; 1 Corinthians 15:35-38,42-50; Luke 6:27-38

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TODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
FEBRUARY 20, 2022

Genesis 45:3-11, 15

Reading

3 Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph. Is my father still alive?” But his brothers could not answer him, so dismayed were they at his presence.

4 Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come closer to me.” And they came closer. He said, “I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. 5 And now do not be distressed, or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life. 6 For the famine has been in the land these two years; and there are five more years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest. 7 God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors. 8 So it was not you who sent me here, but God; he has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt. 9 Hurry and go up to my father and say to him, ‘Thus says your son Joseph, God has made me lord of all Egypt; come down to me, do not delay. 10 You shall settle in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near me, you and your children and your children’s children, as well as your flocks, your herds, and all that you have. 11 I will provide for you there–since there are five more years of famine to come–so that you and your household, and all that you have, will not come to poverty.'”

15 And he kissed all his brothers and wept upon them; and after that his brothers talked with him.

Commentary

Today’s reading is near the conclusion of the story of Joseph, the longest continuous story about a single person in the Bible (Chapters 37 to 50 in the Book of Genesis).

Joseph was the 11th son of Jacob. He and Benjamin (the 12th son) were the sons of Rachel and were Jacob’s favorites. His 10 older brothers were jealous of him and threw him in a pit to die. At the suggestion of Judah (the fourth son), Joseph’s life was spared and he was sold into slavery to Ishmaelites (descendants of Abraham’s son by Hagar) and taken to Egypt by Midianites. There, he was sold to Potiphar, an officer of the Pharaoh, who put him in charge of his house.

Joseph was very handsome, and Potiphar’s wife tried to seduce him. When Joseph refused her, she falsely accused him of rape and Joseph was imprisoned. When in prison, Joseph interpreted dreams for the Pharaoh’s cupbearer and baker. Later, Joseph interpreted Pharaoh’s dreams and Pharaoh placed Joseph in charge of the affairs of the nation. Joseph’s interpretation of the Pharaoh’s dreams was accurate and Egypt prepared for (and survived) a famine.

The famine also hit Israel, and Jacob sent his 10 oldest sons to Egypt to buy grain. Joseph did not identify himself to them. Later, when grain ran out again for Jacob and his sons, they went back to Egypt a second time to buy grain. As demanded by Joseph in the first visit, they brought Jacob’s youngest son, Benjamin, with them.

Joseph directed that his silver cup be hidden in Benjamin’s sack of grain, and then accused the brothers of stealing his silver cup. He demanded that Benjamin remain in Egypt as his slave.

Judah knew this would break Jacob’s heart and he agreed to be Joseph’s slave if Joseph would spare Benjamin. Judah’s selflessness showed Joseph that he (Judah) was a true brother to Benjamin and his other brothers.

Hearing this affirmation of brotherhood, Joseph identified himself to his brothers in today’s emotional reading. In the reading, he attributed all of the events of his life (including his being sold into slavery) as actions directed by God. Joseph expresses the theology that for God, the last word is a word of life (vv. 5, 7).

The Joseph Story came from two different sources. This is shown by the references in Chapter 37 to both Ishmaelites and Midianites, and the references to God both as YHWH (translated as LORD in all capital letters) in Chapter 39 and in 49:18, and as “Elohim” (translated as “God”) in the remaining chapters. In the final chapters of Genesis, Jacob is sometimes called “Israel” the name given to him by the man/angel/God with whom he wrestled in Chapter 32 of Genesis.

1 Corinthians 15:35-38, 42-50

Reading

35 Someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?” 36 Fool! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. 37 And as for what you sow, you do not sow the body that is to be, but a bare seed, perhaps of wheat or of some other grain. 38 But God gives it a body as he has chosen, and to each kind of seed its own body.

42 So it is with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable, what is raised is imperishable. It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. 43 It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. 44 It is sown a physical body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a physical body, there is also a spiritual body. 45 Thus it is written, “The first man, Adam, became a living being”; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. 46 But it is not the spiritual that is first, but the physical, and then the spiritual. 47 The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven. 48 As was the man of dust, so are those who are of the dust; and as is the man of heaven, so are those who are of heaven. 49 Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we will also bear the image of the man of heaven.

50 What I am saying, brothers and sisters, is this: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.

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.

Today’s reading continues Paul’s extended discussion of “resurrection of the dead.” The Corinthians were Hellenists who generally accepted the Platonic division between the body and the “immortal soul.” Paul emphasized that not only the body is resurrected, but the entire person, and Paul used the words “resurrection of the dead” to encompass the entirety of resurrection.

Paul asserted that there is both a “physical body” that will perish when it is “sown” like a grain of wheat (v.37), and a “spiritual body” when it is raised (v.44). To make this clear, Paul stated that Adam was a “man of dust” and that when persons are resurrected, they bear “the image of the man of heaven” (v.49). It is noteworthy that in verse 47 Paul reverses the two Creation Myths. In the first, humans were in the “image of God” and in the second, the human (adam) was made from adamah, fertile earth.

Luke 6:27-38

Reading

27 Jesus said, “I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. 29 If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. 30 Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again. 31 Do to others as you would have them do to you.

32 “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. 33 If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. 34 If you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive as much again. 35 But love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High; for he is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. 36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

37 “Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven; 38 give and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap; for the measure you give will be the measure you get back.”

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 comparable sayings as found in Matt. 5:38-48, a portion of the Sermon on the Mount. Because they are in both Matthew and Luke but are not in Mark, the source of these sayings is “Q” (the “Sayings Source”).

The moral imperative is high. Not only must one follow the “Golden Rule” of “do unto others as you would have them do unto you” (v.31), but we are told to love our enemies and do good to those who hate us (v.27). Retaliation is forbidden (v.29a) and the standard for generosity is very high (vv. 29b and 30). We are told not to judge others (v.37a) and that our being forgiven requires us to be forgiving to others (v.37b).

These values continue to be presented in Luke in stories such as the Good Samaritan. They are exhibited by the healing of the ear of the high priest’s servant in Gethsemane, in the forgiveness of one’s enemies by Jesus on the Cross (Luke 23:34) and by Stephen, the first martyr (Acts 7:60).

2022, February 13 ~ Jeremiah 17:5-10; 1 Corinthians 15:12-20; Luke 6:17-26

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TODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
FEBRUARY 13, 2022

Jeremiah 17:5-10

Reading

5 Thus says the LORD: Cursed are those who trust in mere mortals and make mere flesh their strength, whose hearts turn away from the LORD.
6 They shall be like a shrub in the desert and shall not see when relief comes. They shall live in the parched places of the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land.
7 Blessed are those who trust in the LORD, whose trust is the LORD.
8 They shall be like a tree planted by water, sending out its roots by the stream. It shall not fear when heat comes, and its leaves shall stay green; in the year of drought it is not anxious, and it does not cease to bear fruit.
9 The heart is devious above all else; it is perverse– who can understand it?
10 I the LORD test the mind and search the heart, to give to all according to their ways, according to the fruit of their doings.

Commentary

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

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

Jeremiah is largely a prophet of doom and gloom, so much so that the English word “jeremiad” is defined as a long, mournful complaint or lamentation, a list of woes. In the Bible, the Book of Lamentations was placed after the Book of Jeremiah because of the (incorrect) view that Jeremiah wrote the Book of Lamentations.

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

Today’s reading is in “poetry style” and reflects an over-arching theme found in the Deuteronomic History (Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings) — that the downfalls of Northern Israel in 722 BCE and Judea in 587 BCE were the result of the failure of the people and their kings to trust in YHWH and worship YHWH faithfully.

The prophet said, “Those who trust in mere mortals” are “cursed” and will live in “an uninhabited salt land.” (vv.5-6). The prophet continued that those who trust in YHWH (translated LORD in all capital letters) will bear fruit (v.8). YHWH would give to all according to their ways – the fruit of their doings (v.10).

This Deuteronomic belief can be summarized as “Do good, get good. Do bad, get bad.” This view should be contrasted to the views in the Book of Job (bad things happen to good people) and the Book of Ecclesiastes (bad things happen at random).

1 Corinthians 15:12-20

Reading

12 Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 If there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised; 14 and if Christ has not been raised, then our proclamation has been in vain and your faith has been in vain. 15 We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified of God that he raised Christ–whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised. 17 If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have died in Christ have perished. 19 If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.

20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have died.

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.

Today’s reading continues Paul’s extended discussion of “resurrection of the dead.” The Corinthians were Hellenists who generally accepted the Platonic division between the body and the “immortal soul.” Paul emphasized that not only the body is resurrected, but the entire person, and Paul used the words “resurrection of the dead” to encompass the entirety of resurrection.

In today’s verses, Paul argued that the Corinthians’ belief that Christ was raised from the dead can only be true if the notion of resurrection of the dead is a reality. “For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised” (v.16).

Describing the Resurrection of the Jesus as the Christ as “the first fruits of those who have died” (v.20), Paul went on (in next week’s reading) to affirm the powerful and hopeful belief that “all will be made alive in Christ” (v.22) so that Jesus’ Resurrection is not a “one time event” but the inauguration of the general resurrection of all (v.20)

Luke 6:17-26

Reading

17 Jesus came down with the twelve apostles and stood on a level place, with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea, Jerusalem, and the coast of Tyre and Sidon. 18 They had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases; and those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured. 19 And all in the crowd were trying to touch him, for power came out from him and healed all of them.

20 Then he looked up at his disciples and said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.
21 “Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled. “Blessed are you who weep now,
for you will laugh.
22 “Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man. 23 Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven; for that is what their ancestors did to the prophets.”
24 “But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation.
25 “Woe to you who are full now, for you will be hungry. “Woe to you who are laughing now,
for you will mourn and weep.
26 “Woe to you when all speak well of you, for that is what their ancestors did to the false prophets.”

Commentary

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

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

Today’s reading is the first part of Luke’s “Sermon on the Plain” (a “level place” v.17) and is an analogue to Matthew’s Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5-7). The crowd, if it came from “all Judea, Jerusalem, Tyre and Sidon” (v.17) would have been large indeed.

“Unclean” spirits (v.18) is a religious term representing degrees of holiness.

Unlike Matthew’s Beatitudes which relate to spiritual conditions, these Beatitudes refer to economic, social, and emotional conditions. Some scholars have suggested that the Greek word Makarioi that is translated as “Blessed” or “Fortunate” is itself a translation of an Aramaic word (the language Jesus spoke) that connotes “being on the right path.”

Luke again emphasized that the “ancestors” badly treated prophets just as the followers of the Son of Man will be excluded, reviled, and defamed (v.23).

The “woes” are the antitheses of the blessings in verses 20-23.