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2023, October 8 ~ Exodus 20:1-4, 7-9, 12-20; Isaiah 5:1-7; Philippians 3:4b-14; Matthew 21:33-46

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TODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
OCTOBER 8, 2023

During Pentecost Season 2023, the Revised Common Lectionary offers two “tracks” of readings from the Hebrew Bible. Congregations may choose either track.

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

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

Exodus 20:1-4, 7-9, 12-20

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.
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.
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.

18 When all the people witnessed the thunder and lightning, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking, they were afraid and trembled and stood at a distance, 19 and said to Moses, “You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, or we will die.” 20 Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid; for God has come only to test you and to put the fear of him upon you so that you do not sin.”

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.

The Book of Exodus (like the Torah as a whole) is an amalgam of religious traditions, some of which were written about 950 BCE and some of which were developed as late as 450 BCE. Since the late 19th Century, Biblical scholars have recognized four major “strands” or sources in the Torah, called “J” (Yahwistic), “E” (Elohistic), “D” (Deuteronomic) and “P” (Priestly). These sources are identified (among other ways) by their different theological emphases, names for God, names for the holy mountain, and portrayals of God’s characteristics.

In last week’s story, after the Israelites complained, Moses struck a rock at Horeb (another name for the mountain called “Sinai” in other Torah sources) to provide water for the Israelites during the time in the Wilderness. This story also appears in Numbers 20:2-13.

In the intervening chapters, the Israelites were attacked by the Amalekites, described by The New Oxford Annotated Bible as “a widespread semi-nomadic group [which] claimed control of the wilderness in the region of Kadesh, where Meribah is.” The Jewish Study Bible observes that the Amalekites in later Jewish tradition came to symbolize anti-Semites in general. The story introduced Joshua, a young warrior, who defeated the Amalekites and was victorious so long as Moses raised his arms to hold the rod which he had used to defeat Pharaoh (17:11-12). The Israelites continued to battle with the Amalekites over the next centuries until they were exterminated during the reign of Hezekiah (727-688 BCE) (1 Chr 4:41-43).

Moses was visited by his father-in-law, Jethro (also called Hobab by a different source), who brought Moses’ wife and sons back to him (in one tradition, they were sent back to Midian when Moses went to Egypt). Jethro urged Moses to appoint judges to relieve his administrative burdens (18:15-27). The JSB observes that this incident was likely chronologically misplaced in the Torah because later passages in Exodus assume a pre-Jethro judicial system. The JSB goes on to say: “Talmudic sages recognized that the Torah sometimes narrates events out of their chronological sequence for literary or rhetorical purposes (‘there is no earlier or later in the Torah’).” It notes that the incident may have been placed here to juxtapose the Midianites’ friendliness with the enmity of the Amalekites and therefore served as a “guide” for future dealings with these two nations.

In Chapter 19, the Israelites came to Mount Sinai where they remained for a year as recounted from Exodus 19 to Numbers 10:10. The events at Mount Sinai began on the third new moon after leaving Egypt (19:1) “on that very day” – a clear indicator of the Priestly source.

At Sinai, the Israelites entered a number of covenants with YHWH. The first was a conditional covenant with YHWH (“If you obey my [YHWH’s] voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession out of all the peoples.”)(19:5). The JSB notes that the word for “treasured possession” is segulah, “signifying a king’s private property, as distinct from that used for public purposes.” There was a ceremonial purification in which there was a theophany (appearance of God in thunder, lightning, and earthquake).

Today’s reading is part of Chapters 19 to 24, which The JSB describes as “the defining and seminal moment in Israel’s relationship to God.” It points out that the sequence of events in these chapters is “extraordinarily difficult to follow” because they “were transmitted in multiple versions that differed about the nature of the event and what God communicated to the people.”

In the theophany in today’s reading, YHWH gave the Decalogue – literally, the “ten words” (v.1) – often called the Ten Commandments. The words are presented as coming directly from God.

The structure of the Decalogue was as an exclusive covenant similar to a Lord-Vassal relationship in the Ancient Middle East: YHWH recounted what had been done for the Israelites (v.2) and then directed reciprocal obligations of the Israelites (vv. 3-17). There are no punishments stated for not obeying the words, but the omitted verses (5 and 6) state that the guilt of the parents who reject YHWH will be visited upon their children to the third and fourth generations.

The Commandments are divided into two groups: duties to God (vv. 2,4,7,8) and to other humans (vv.12-17). Because Ancient Israel was a patriarchal society, the Ten Words were addressed to males. Wives “belonged to” men, just as houses, oxen and other items did (v.17).

The words in verse 3 (part of the First Commandment) (“you shall have no other gods before me”) does not deny the existence of other gods but asserts that Israel shall acknowledge no other gods than the God who liberated them. This is generally called “henotheism.”

The NOAB observes that “imageless worship of God [‘not make any idol,’ vv. 4-5] distinguishes Israel’s religion from those of its neighbors whose deities are typically depicted in animal or human form.” It notes that a “jealous god [v.5] will tolerate no rivals for Israel’s devotion (34.14)”

This version of the Decalogue is called the “Priestly Decalogue” because of its emphasis on the Sabbath, particularly in the omitted verses 10 and 11. Other versions of the Decalogue appear in Exodus 34:11-26 (the “Ritual Decalogue”) and in Deuteronomy 5:6-21, and both are different in some respects from the Priestly Decalogue.

In the Deuteronomic version of the 10 Commandments, for example, wives do not “belong” to men (Dt. 5:21), and the rationale for observing the Sabbath is the liberation from Egypt rather than YHWH’s resting on the seventh day of creation (vv.9-11).

Isaiah 5:1-7

Reading

1 Let me sing for my beloved my love-song concerning his vineyard: My beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill.
2 He dug it and cleared it of stones, and planted it with choice vines; he built a watchtower in the midst of it, and hewed out a wine vat in it; he expected it to yield grapes, but it yielded wild grapes.
3 And now, inhabitants of Jerusalem and people of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard.
4 What more was there to do for my vineyard that I have not done in it? When I expected it to yield grapes, why did it yield wild grapes?
5 And now I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard. I will remove its hedge, and it shall be devoured; I will break down its wall, and it shall be trampled down.
6 I will make it a waste; it shall not be pruned or hoed, and it shall be overgrown with briers and thorns; I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it.
7 For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the people of Judah are his pleasant planting; he expected justice, but saw bloodshed; righteousness, but heard a cry!

Commentary

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

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

Today’s verses from First Isaiah (c. 730 BCE) used a vineyard as a metaphor for Israel (the northern 10 tribes) and Judea. It began as a love song to the beloved (YHWH) but turned into an indictment by YHWH of Israel and Judea. In speaking for YHWH, the prophet spoke in the third person (vv. 1-2) and expressed how his beloved (YHWH) loved the vineyard and cared for it.

In verses 3 to 6, YHWH was the speaker and expressed disappointed that the carefully cultivated vineyard yielded only “wild grapes” (v.4) unsuitable for wine. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary observes that the Hebrew word be’usim means “not strictly wild grapes but rotten ones (from a root that means ‘to stink’).”

In verses 5 and 6, YHWH said the vineyard would become “a waste.” (The Assyrians conquered Israel in 722 BCE, and the Babylonians conquered Judea in 597 and destroyed the Temple in 586 BCE.) The NOAB observes that “the verdict reflects a type of treaty and covenant curse [citing verses]. The curse on the vineyard will be reversed in 27.2-6.” It also notes that “briars and thorns are a frequently occurring motif in Isaiah connoting infertility of the land, ecological degradation, with a moral dimension [citing verses].”

In Verse 7, the voice is again that of the prophet. This verse contains two word plays in Hebrew: YHWH expected justice (mishpat) but saw bloodshed (mishpah) and expected righteousness (tsedaqah) but heard a cry (tse’aqah).

Philippians 3:4b-14

Reading

4b If anyone else has reason to be confident in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised on the eighth day, a member of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless.

7 Yet whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ. 8 More than that, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but one that comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God based on faith. 10 I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death, 11 if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

12 Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the goal; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. 13 Beloved, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.

Commentary

Philippi was a major city in Macedonia on the Roman road to Byzantium (Istanbul). Most of its inhabitants were Roman citizens, including veterans of Roman armies. Paul had deep affection for the Jesus Followers in Philippi and thanked them for gifts sent to him in prison (4:18). Paul wrote this letter from prison, but it is not clear if he was in Rome, Caesarea, or Ephesus. If the letter was written from Rome, it would have been written around 62 CE. Other scholars note that Paul was also imprisoned earlier in Ephesus and made trips to Philippi from Ephesus. Some scholars see the letter as a conflation of a number of letters Paul wrote to this community.

The NOAB points out that the immediate occasion of Paul’s writing was the return to Philippi of Epaphroditus (2:25-30), described in verse 25 as “my brother and co-worker and fellow soldier, your messenger and minister to my need,” who had been sent by the Philippian community with gifts for Paul.

As the early (c. 55-60 CE) Jesus Follower community tried to determine what it meant to be Jesus Followers in terms of beliefs and practices, it is not surprising that disagreements arose. At the time of Paul’s writing to the Philippians, none of the Gospels had been written (“Mark” was written around 70 CE) and it took many years for “orthodox” positions and practices to develop.

Today’s reading follows verses (2-4a) in which Paul opposed “Judaisers” (whom he called “dogs” in v.2) – Jesus Followers who claimed that Gentiles needed to be circumcised to be Jesus Followers. This was a major issue in the early Jesus Follower Movement and was a primary topic of a “Council” in Jerusalem described in Acts 15. Paul stated that he was circumcised — “we who are the circumcision” (v.3a).

Regarding the use of the term “dogs,” The Jewish Annotated New Testament notes: “The ancient world was generally unfamiliar with warm interactions of masters with domesticated varieties of dogs (see Isa 56.10-11), a term usually meant as insulting… Vicious or otherwise detestable, most dogs were uninhibitedly unclean in their shameful public scavenging (2 Kings 9.10, 36), so that terming anyone ‘dog’ was derogatory [citing numerous Biblical examples].”

In other epistles, Paul used “flesh” (v.4b) to mean human weakness and the tendency to adopt the values of the world rather than compassionate love. Here, however, he used “flesh” to mean an emphasis on physical rituals. Paul spoke of his own Jewish credentials (v.5-6) but rejected them as “rubbish” (his actual word in Greek is translatable as “dog poop”) because he said he was now in “righteousness” (a right relationship) with God through his faith in the resurrection of Jesus the Christ (v.9-10). The NJBC understands “knowing Christ Jesus my Lord” (v.8) as “going beyond intellectual knowledge to include in the OT sense experience and deep personal involvement; it also transforms the subject into the likeness of the one known (cf. 2 Cor 3:18).”

The NOAB notes that Paul’s self-description as a “Pharisee” meant he was a “member of the group most concerned with interpretation of the law” and The JANT adds “and more expert in the Law than his opponents.”

Paul’s designation of himself as a “persecutor” (v.6) is found in Acts 9, 1 Corinthians 15, and Galatians 1. The NOAB understands “righteousness under the law, blameless” (v.6) to mean that “Paul did not see himself as guilty or incomplete before [that is, prior to] his encounter with Christ.” The JANT understands Paul’s description of himself as a “Hebrew born of Hebrews” as a reference to his parentage. The NJBC sees the term “Hebrew” to mean a Greek-speaking Jew who also spoke Hebrew or Aramaic.

These verses reflect Paul’s view that “righteousness” did not come through his own efforts by obeying the law (v.9) but from God through faith. “Faith” for Paul was not a matter of intellectual assent to a series of propositions (as it has become for most post-Enlightenment persons). The Greek word pistis that Paul used (usually translated as “faith”) has an active component and is better understood as “faithfulness” – the active living into a life of love. The JANT understands the words “if somehow” in verse 11 as an expression of humility, not doubt.

Matthew 21:33-46

Reading

33 Jesus said, “Listen to another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a watchtower. Then he leased it to tenants and went to another country. 34 When the harvest time had come, he sent his slaves to the tenants to collect his produce. 35 But the tenants seized his slaves and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. 36 Again he sent other slaves, more than the first; and they treated them in the same way. 37Finally he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 38 But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir; come, let us kill him and get his inheritance.” 39 So they seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. 40 Now when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” 41 They said to him, “He will put those wretches to a miserable death, and lease the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the produce at the harvest time.”

42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the scriptures: ‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord’s doing,
and it is amazing in our eyes’?

43 Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that produces the fruits of the kingdom. 44 The one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and it will crush anyone on whom it falls.”

45 When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they realized that he was speaking about them. 46 They wanted to arrest him, but they feared the crowds, because they regarded him as a prophet.

Commentary

The Gospel of Matthew highlights Jesus’ origins and identity. Written around 85 CE by an anonymous author, the Gospel began Jesus’ genealogy with Abraham and depicted Jesus as a teacher of the Law like Moses. More than any other Gospel, Matthew quoted from the Hebrew Scriptures (using the Greek Septuagint translation) to illustrate that Jesus was the Messiah.

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

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

Today’s reading is part of the continuing controversies between Jesus and the Temple Authorities during Jesus’ last week in Jerusalem. It follows the reading from last week in which Jesus spoke of the son who obeyed and the one who did not (21:28-32).

This “parable” is also in Mark 12 and Luke 20, and is more like an allegory. A vineyard was a traditional metaphor for Israel. The NOAB points out: “the the vineyard is Jerusalem, the tenants the religious authorities (see v. 45), the slaves the prophets, and the son Jesus himself.” Verse 33 is almost a direct quote from Isaiah 5:2, a reference which would have been known to Jesus’ hearers.

The NOAB also notes that the customary economic arrangement would have been for the tenants to contract with the owner to give him an agreed-upon portion of the crop and that they would be able to keep what is left.

The JANT observes that the killing of the son “outside the vineyard” (v.39) reflects the fact that, according to the Gospel accounts, Jesus was crucified outside Jerusalem’s walls.

Verse 42 is a close paraphrase of Psalm 118:22-23, a psalm of thanksgiving that reflected a positive reversal of Judea’s fortunes. The JANT points out that the identification of Jesus with the cornerstone became a “proof text” in the early Jesus Follower Movement (See Acts 4:11).

The NJBC observes that the “wicked tenants” are not killed (v.41) — “he will put those wretches to a miserable death” — but the Kingdom of God is taken away from them (v.43). This is one of the few times Matthew used “Kingdom of God” rather than “Kingdom of Heaven.”

The JANT states that Matthew’s references to Jesus as a “prophet” (vv.11 and 46) would have been supported by Josephus and others who took the position that prophecy continued through the late Second Temple period, that is until 70 CE. According to The JANT, later rabbinic sources claimed that prophesying ended after the Exile (587-539 BCE).

2023, October 1 ~ Exodus 17:1-7; Ezekiel 18:1-4, 25-32; Philippians 2:1-13; Matthew 21:23-32

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TODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
OCTOBER 1, 2023

During Pentecost Season 2023, the Revised Common Lectionary offers two “tracks” of readings from the Hebrew Bible. Congregations may choose either track.

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

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

Exodus 17:1-7

Reading

1 From the wilderness of Sin the whole congregation of the Israelites journeyed by stages, as the LORD commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. 2 The people quarreled with Moses, and said, “Give us water to drink.” Moses said to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the LORD?” 3 But the people thirsted there for water; and the people complained against Moses and said, “Why did you bring us out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and livestock with thirst?” 4 So Moses cried out to the LORD, “What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me.” 5 The LORD said to Moses, “Go on ahead of the people, and take some of the elders of Israel with you; take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. 6 I will be standing there in front of you on the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it, so that the people may drink.” Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel. 7 He called the place Massah and Meribah, because the Israelites quarreled and tested the LORD, saying, “Is the LORD among us or not?”

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.

The Book of Exodus (like the Torah as a whole) is an amalgam of religious traditions, some of which were written about 950 BCE and some of which were developed as late as 450 BCE. Since the late 19th Century, Biblical scholars have recognized four major “strands” or sources in the Torah, called “J” (Yahwistic), “E” (Elohistic), “D” (Deuteronomic) and “P” (Priestly). These sources are identified (among other ways) by their different theological emphases, names for God, names for the holy mountain, and portrayals of God’s characteristics.

Last week’s reading recounted that YHWH provided manna and quails to the Israelites after their complaints about not having food. The remaining part of this story came from the Priestly writers and emphasized that the Israelites were directed to collect only so much manna as they needed for the day and if they collected too much it became foul. On the sixth day of the week, however, they were to collect enough manna for two days so that they would not have to work on the Sabbath (16:30). The Jewish Study Bible points out that providing “double the bread” in this story is the source of the Jewish custom of placing two loaves of bread on the table at Sabbath and festival meals.

Today’s reading recounts Moses’ striking a rock at Horeb (another name for the mountain called “Sinai” in other Torah sources) to provide water for the Israelites during the time in the Wilderness. This story also appears in Numbers 20:2-13, but in that version, Moses struck the rock twice (which was understood as his not having enough confidence in YHWH). For this lack of faith, he and Aaron were not permitted to enter the Promised Land with the Israelites.

The JSB points out that “In the Sinai, there are limestone rocks from which small amounts of water drip, and a blow to their soft surface can expose a porous inner layer containing water.”

The “test” by the Israelites (v.2) was their demand for proof that YHWH was among them and controlling events (v.7). The names given to the places (v.7) reflect the Hebrew words for “quarrel” and “test.”

Although Meribah is one of the springs at Kadesh (-Barnea) in the northern part of the Sinai Peninsula (the Negev), archeologists cannot determine the location of the Wilderness of Sin or Rephidim, and no archeological evidence of substantial numbers of persons inhabiting the Sinai Peninsula at any time before 1000 BCE has ever been found. As a result, many scholars doubt that these accounts are historical.

Notwithstanding the Bible’s use of hyperbole to emphasize a point, Numbers 1:46 contains a “census” of the Israelites in the Wilderness and says the men older than 20 years numbered more than 603,000. Adding women and children would bring the total number of persons to over 1.2 million. If each person received a half pound of food and a pint of water each day, 300 tons of food and 150,000 gallons of water would have been needed every day for 40 years.

The accounts are a reminder, however, that even if the Bible is not always historically or scientifically true, the stories are “profoundly true.” By expressing in story the various authors’ perceptions of the Sacred, these accounts help us understand our relationships with God and others.

Ezekiel 18:1-4, 25-32

Reading

1 The word of the LORD came to me: 2 What do you mean by repeating this proverb concerning the land of Israel, “The parents have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge”? 3 As I live, says the LORD God, this proverb shall no more be used by you in Israel. 4 Know that all lives are mine; the life of the parent as well as the life of the child is mine: it is only the person who sins that shall die.

25 Yet you say, “The way of the LORD is unfair.” Hear now, O house of Israel: Is my way unfair? Is it not your ways that are unfair? 26 When the righteous turn away from their righteousness and commit iniquity, they shall die for it; for the iniquity that they have committed they shall die. 27 Again, when the wicked turn away from the wickedness they have committed and do what is lawful and right, they shall save their life. 28 Because they considered and turned away from all the transgressions that they had committed, they shall surely live; they shall not die. 29 Yet the house of Israel says, “The way of the LORD is unfair.” O house of Israel, are my ways unfair? Is it not your ways that are unfair?

30 Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, all of you according to your ways, says the LORD God. Repent and turn from all your transgressions; otherwise iniquity will be your ruin. 31 Cast away from you all the transgressions that you have committed against me and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! Why will you die, O house of Israel? 32 For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, says the LORD God. Turn, then, and live.

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 God. Prophesy in the Hebrew Bible was not about telling the future. A prophet was one who spoke for YHWH.

In today’s reading, YHWH was presented as rejecting the idea that a prior generation’s wrongs are borne by later generations (v.3). This is at variance with other portions of the Hebrew Bible in which the sins of the parents are visited upon the children to the third and fourth generation (Ex. 20:5 and 34:7, Deut. 5:9) or to the next generation (1 Kings 21:29). The NOAB observes: “In the exiles’ current situation, however, it is not appropriate for them to blame their ancestors for their misfortunes as they were doing (Jer 31.29-30). Ezekiel’s audience is far from an innocent generation. Nevertheless, individuals within the community can take responsibility, turn from sin and choose life amidst the coming corporate (communal) punishment.”

For Ezekiel, the fall of Jerusalem and fall of the House of David in 586 BCE was seen as resulting from the actions of the kings who reigned after the death of Josiah in 609 BCE during the years prior to the Exile and the failure of the people to worship YHWH properly.

In the omitted verses (5-24), Ezekiel gave a number of examples of personal responsibility and recounted three stages of individual responsibility – fathers, sons and grandsons.

This emphasis in the Book of Ezekiel on personal moral responsibility (rather than seeing acts of prior generations as the cause of the Exile) was a new development in the theology of Ancient Israel. As a corollary to this, Ezekiel said that because the community in Exile was responsible for its own plight, repentance by that community was the way to a restored life (vv.27-32).

The JSB notes that verse 32 “repent therefore and live” plays a significant part in the high holy day liturgy, a period of retrospection and personal repentance.

Philippians 2:1-13

Reading

1 If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, 2 make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. 3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others.
5 Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus,
6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited,
7 but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form,
8 he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death — even death on a cross.
9 Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name,
10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

12 Therefore, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed me, not only in my presence, but much more now in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; 13 for it is God who is at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

Commentary

Philippi was a major city in Macedonia on the Roman road to Byzantium (Istanbul). Most of its inhabitants were Roman citizens, including veterans of Roman armies. Paul had deep affection for the Jesus Followers in Philippi and thanked them for gifts sent to him in prison (4:18). Paul wrote this letter from prison, but it is not clear if he was in Rome, Caesarea, or Ephesus. If the letter was written from Rome, it would have been written around 62 CE. Other scholars note that Paul was also imprisoned earlier in Ephesus and made trips to Philippi from Ephesus. Some scholars see the letter as a conflation of a number of letters Paul wrote to this community.

The New Oxford Annotated Bible points out that the immediate occasion of Paul’s writing was the return to Philippi of Epaphroditus (2:25-30), described in verse 25 as “my brother and co-worker and fellow soldier, your messenger and minister to my need,” who had been sent by the Philippian community with gifts for Paul.

As the early (c. 55-60 CE) Jesus Follower community tried to determine what it meant to be Jesus Followers in terms of beliefs and practices, it is not surprising that disagreements arose. At the time of Paul’s writing to the Philippians, none of the Gospels had been written (“Mark” was written around 70 CE) and it took many years for “orthodox” positions and practices to develop.

The first part of today’s reading (vv. 1-4) contains a common theme in Paul’s letters — a call for unity. He asked the Philippians to “be of the same mind, having the same love, and being in full accord.”

The last part of today’s reading is the best-known part of this Epistle and is derived from a hymn that was already in use in Jesus Follower communities, perhaps in a Baptism liturgy. It emphasized the divinity of the Christ (“in the form [essence] of God” v.6), the self-emptying love of Jesus (“kenosis” v.7), Jesus’ servant ministry (“form [essence] of a slave” v.7), and that (like all human beings – “in human form [essence]”) Jesus was subject to death, even a degrading death on a cross (v.8).

The New Jerome Biblical Commentary points out that the Greek word morphē (translated as “form”) (v.6) is that which “denotes the mode of being or appearance from which the essential character or status of something can be known.”

The statement that Jesus took the form of a slave/servant and emptied himself (poured himself out) for others were themes taken from Isaiah 53, the Suffering Servant Song. For this, the servant has been highly exalted (resurrected) (v.9).

The phrases “every knee should bend” (v.10) and “every tongue confess” (v.11) were echoes of Isaiah 45:23 in which the prophet (speaking for YHWH) asserted YHWH had power to free the Judeans from Babylon and “to me [YHWH] every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear.”

This Hymn affirms the Jesus as The Christ was both divine and human. Instead of exploiting his being “in the form of God” (v.6), — that is sharing the essence and nature of God — Jesus of Nazareth as a human being had the form of (the essence or nature of) a human/slave/servant (v.7) and emptied himself (poured himself out) for others. Paul continued that Jesus as the Christ has been highly exalted (resurrected) by God (v.9).

The Letter to the Philippians contains some of Paul’s strongest assertions that Jesus the Christ is “Lord” and therefore equivalent to YHWH. The NRSV translates the Greek word Kyrios in the Christian Scriptures (which were written in Greek) as “Lord” with a capital “L.” When the Hebrew Bible was translated into Greek in the Septuagint in the period from 300 to 200 BCE, the name for God, YHWH, was also translated as “Kyrios.” The NRSV translates the letters “YHWH” from the Hebrew Scriptures (which were written in Hebrew) as “LORD” with all capital letters.

Paul asserted that at the name of Jesus (rather than at Caesar’s name) every knee should bend. The Hymn’s statements are not only religious, but they are also political (v.11). The Roman Caesars claimed to be “in the form of God” and (as rulers) to be the “Lord.”

The Jewish Annotated New Testament contains an extended discussion of the “Christ-Hymn” (vv.6-11). It notes that it is “the earliest extant material underpinning later Christology and is the New Testament’s most explicit exposition of the nature of Christ’s incarnation.” The Hymn portrays the pre-existing Christ as emptying himself by incarnation and taking the form of a slave/servant and living a life in which he poured himself out for others. Because of these humbling actions, God exalted the Christ by giving him a “name” in the Biblical sense of that which truly expresses character, power and status. The JANT continues that if one in the form of God could humbly abdicate the dignity of his original station in obedience to the divine will and not exploit his connectedness to God, surely the Philippians could follow his conduct in humility and obedience.

Matthew 21:23-32

Reading

23 When Jesus entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him as he was teaching, and said, “By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?” 24 Jesus said to them, “I will also ask you one question; if you tell me the answer, then I will also tell you by what authority I do these things. 25 Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin?” And they argued with one another, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say to us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ 26 But if we say, ‘Of human origin,’ we are afraid of the crowd; for all regard John as a prophet.” 27 So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And he said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.

28 “What do you think? A man had two sons; he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ 29 He answered, ‘I will not’; but later he changed his mind and went. 30 The father went to the second and said the same; and he answered, ‘I go, sir’; but he did not go. 31 Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you. 32 For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him; and even after you saw it, you did not change your minds and believe him.

Commentary

The Gospel of Matthew highlights Jesus’ origins and identity. Written around 85 CE by an anonymous author, the Gospel began Jesus’ genealogy with Abraham and depicted Jesus as a teacher of the Law like Moses. More than any other Gospel, Matthew quoted from the Hebrew Scriptures (using the Greek Septuagint translation) to illustrate that Jesus was the Messiah.

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

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

Today’s reading was set during the last week Jesus spent in Jerusalem that ended with his crucifixion . It comes the day after Jesus drove the money changers out of the Temple. The NOAB understands the question “who gave you this authority?” (v.23) as implying that the Temple Authorities saw Jesus as no more than a rabble rouser, given the fact that he was not a Jewish priest of the Tribe of Levi. It is noteworthy that Jesus responded to their inquiry “in rabbinic fashion” by asking a question in return.

The JANT understands the Parable of the Two Sons as follows: the first son represents those who repent, but the second son (a liar and hypocrite) represents those who preach but do not practice.

The NOAB says the parable “addresses the subject of why those who are lax in observing the Mosaic Law receive the Kingdom of God” and condemns Jesus’ opponents for unbelief” in John the Baptist’s message of repentance and righteousness.

The NJBC equates “changing one’s mind” (vv. 29 and 32) as repenting.

2023, September 24 ~ Exodus 16:2-15; Jonah 3:10-4:11; Philippians 1:21-30; Matthew 20:1-16

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TODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
SEPTEMBER 24, 2023

During Pentecost Season 2023, the Revised Common Lectionary offers two “tracks” of readings from the Hebrew Bible. Congregations may choose either track.

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

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

Exodus 16:2-15

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. 5 On the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, it will be twice as much as they gather on other days.” 6 So Moses and Aaron said to all the Israelites, “In the evening you shall know that it was the LORD who brought you out of the land of Egypt, 7 and in the morning you shall see the glory of the LORD, because he has heard your complaining against the LORD. For what are we, that you complain against us?” 8 And Moses said, “When the LORD gives you meat to eat in the evening and your fill of bread in the morning, because the LORD has heard the complaining that you utter against him—what are we? Your complaining is not against us but against the LORD.”

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

The Book of Exodus (like the Torah as a whole) is an amalgam of religious traditions, some of which were written about 950 BCE and some of which were developed as late as 450 BCE. Since the late 19th Century, Biblical scholars have recognized four major “strands” or sources in the Torah, called “J” (Yahwistic), “E” (Elohistic), “D” (Deuteronomic) and “P” (Priestly). These sources are identified (among other ways) by their different theological emphases, names for God, names for the holy mountain, and portrayals of God’s characteristics.

Today’s reading was set one month after the Crossing of the Sea of Reeds. As in numerous other places in the stories set in the time in the Wilderness, the Israelites complained to Moses and Aaron about their food, water, and other matters, in a manner that (for the reader) is mildly humorous. Although the Israelites say to them “you brought us out” (v.4b), The Jewish Study Bible observes that it is God, not Moses and Aaron, who took them out of Egypt, and their complaints are really against God.

This reading combines two traditional stories that use (and greatly expand) two foods found in the Sinai at various times – manna and quail. An expanded story about food – particularly quail — is in Chapter 11 of the Book of Numbers.

The manna story is Priestly (dated to about 550-450 BCE) as shown by the prohibition on collecting manna on the Sabbath (v. 5). Manna (which is an Arabic word that means “what is it?”) is the carbohydrate-rich excretion of two scale insects that feed on twigs of tamarisk trees. It can be purchased, even today, in the Arab Quarter of Jerusalem. The JSB notes that manna is still found in parts of the Sinai in June and July. Bedouins use it as a sweetener. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary points out that manna contains glucose and fructose but no protein and cannot be harvested in quantity.

Regarding the quail, The JSB notes: “Quail migrating, often in great numbers, between Africa and Europe in the spring and fall often drop exhausted in the Sinai and are caught by hunters…. The quail were not a supernatural phenomenon, but their timely appearance at God’s promise was an act of divine providence.”

One of the overarching themes of the Book of Exodus is acknowledging that YHWH is Israel’s God, and Moses and Aaron emphasized this to the Israelites (vv. 6-7). As The New Oxford Annotated Bible points out: “In the Priestly view expressed here, the divine glory is an envelope of light (associated with the pillar of cloud and fire [citing verses] which veils God’s being. Though human beings cannot see the deity, they can perceive the glory that signifies God’s presence.”

Jonah 3:10-4:11

Reading

3:10 When God saw what the people of Nineveh did, how they turned from their evil ways, God changed his mind about the calamity that he had said he would bring upon them; and he did not do it.

4:1 But this was very displeasing to Jonah, and he became angry. 2 He prayed to the LORD and said, “O LORD! Is not this what I said while I was still in my own country? That is why I fled to Tarshish at the beginning; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and ready to relent from punishing. 3 And now, O LORD, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.” 4 And the LORD said, “Is it right for you to be angry?” 5 Then Jonah went out of the city and sat down east of the city and made a booth for himself there. He sat under it in the shade, waiting to see what would become of the city.

6 The LORD God appointed a bush, and made it come up over Jonah, to give shade over his head, to save him from his discomfort; so Jonah was very happy about the bush. 7 But when dawn came up the next day, God appointed a worm that attacked the bush, so that it withered. 8 When the sun rose, God prepared a sultry east wind, and the sun beat down on the head of Jonah so that he was faint and asked that he might die. He said, “It is better for me to die than to live.”

9 But God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry about the bush?” And he said, “Yes, angry enough to die.” 10 Then the LORD said, “You are concerned about the bush, for which you did not labor and which you did not grow; it came into being in a night and perished in a night. 11 And should I not be concerned about Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also many animals?”

Commentary

The Book of Jonah is one of the shortest in the Bible and is included in the Bible with the 12 Minor Prophets. Even though Jonah is never described in the Book as a “prophet,” he is a “reluctant prophet” who speaks for YHWH (translated as “LORD” in the NRSV) by urging the Assyrians to repent (3:4). Ironically, although Jonah initially rejected YHWH’s call, he was — according to the story – the most successful prophet ever. Unlike the other books in the Prophetic Corpus, the Book of Jonah is a narrative; it contains no divine announcements (oracles), and Jonah is the only prophet who openly rebels against God.

The Book of Jonah was written during the “Persian Period” (539 BCE to 333 BCE). The story, however, was necessarily set hundreds of years earlier in the period of Assyrian power – a time of Assyrian conquests and threats against Israel and Judea (850 to 650 BCE).

Sending Jonah to convert Nineveh (the Assyrian capital, and modern-day Mosul) at the height of Assyria’s power would be seen by everyone as a “Mission Impossible” task. When told by God to go to Nineveh, Jonah effectively refused and he got on a ship for Tarshish (the end of the earth for a Mediterranean person, namely, Spain) – about as far from Assyria as he could possibly go.

Notwithstanding his attempts to avoid his mission to Nineveh, the story recounted that Jonah was thrown overboard by the sailors because his disobedience of God’s directive caused a great storm. He was thrown overboard by the sailors to quiet the storm, and was then swallowed by a fish, spit out by the fish on the shore and went to Nineveh. Nineveh is described as so large it took three days to walk across it (3:3). Such a city would be over 100 miles wide and long (walk at 3 MPH x 12 hours per day x 3 days = 108 miles.) Modern excavations show the city was large – about 3 miles wide and that it had a wall about eight miles around it.

Once in Nineveh, Joshua warned the Assyrians of impending destruction if they did not repent. To Jonah’s amazement and chagrin, the Assyrians and their king repented. God’s mind was changed by this repentance, and God decided not to punish them. Jonah wanted a God who would engage in retributive justice and punish the Assyrians, rather than a God whose “judgment” is one of divine grace.

Today’s reading recounts Jonah’s anger with God for being merciful to the Assyrians. Echoing YHWH’s “self-description” in Exodus 34:6 that God is merciful and abounding in steadfast love, Jonah told YHWH that he fled to Tarshish precisely because he knew God would be willing to relent from punishing the Assyrians (4:2). Jonah wanted Nineveh to be punished and was so angry about God’s relenting that he preferred to die (4:3, 4:8) rather than see the “enemy” repent and receive God’s mercy.

The Jonah story is not history. Nineveh never repented in the 8th Century BCE. The Assyrian Empire destroyed the Northern 10 tribes (Israel) in 722 BCE. Assyria put Judea under siege for many years around 700 BCE. By the time of the writing of this story, Nineveh had long since been destroyed by the Babylonians in 612 BCE.

The NOAB points out that the intentionally humorous notion of animals in the sackcloth (3:8) makes a serious point: mercy is not restricted to God’s human creations.

The JSB observes: “The particular plant described here (v.6) belongs to the realm of the fantastic that is provided only by God, just as was the ‘great fish’ in whose belly a man can be accommodated. This plant suddenly grows to provide shade over Jonah’s head and just as suddenly it withers.”

The New Jerome Biblical Commentary notes that the author of the book of Jonah likely intended a parallel with Elijah ‘s request for death in 1 Kings 19:4. “The contrast between the two situations is not lacking in irony: Elijah asks for death because his preaching has failed to effect conversion, while Jonah makes the same request because his preaching has been an overwhelming success.”

Among its other messages, the Book of Jonah emphasized the inclusivity of God’s love and mercy for all, not just the people of Israel and Judea. Similarly, the Book of Ruth (in which a Moabite woman – the Moabites were a hated enemy of Judea — became the great grandmother of King David) and portions of the Book of Isaiah conveyed the message that God’s mercy and love are inclusive and not limited only to Jews.

Other books of the Bible, however, such as Ezra and Nehemiah (written around 450 BCE), required the Jewish people be exclusive. Some of the Jews who remained in Jerusalem during the Exile had intermarried. After the Exile, Ezra required them to send away their foreign wives and the children they had by them (Ezra 10:3).

The tension (and disagreement within Judaism) between inclusivity and exclusivity continued into the First Century of the Common Era. In opposition to the exclusivist Sadducees, Jesus of Nazareth was clearly presented in the Gospels as an inclusivist.

Both the Gospels of Matthew and Luke recount Jesus’ referring to the “sign of Jonah” but they do so in very different ways and with different meanings. In Matt. 12:39-41, Jesus says, “An evil and adulterous generation asks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so for three days and three nights the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth. The people of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the proclamation of Jonah, and see, something greater than Jonah is here.”

Luke 11:29b-30, on the other hand, has Jesus say: “This generation is an evil generation; it asks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah. For just as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so the Son of Man will be to this generation.”

Philippians 1:21-30

Reading

21 To me, living is Christ and dying is gain. 22 If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which I prefer. 23 I am hard pressed between the two: my desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better; 24 but to remain in the flesh is more necessary for you. 25 Since I am convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with all of you for your progress and joy in faith, 26 so that I may share abundantly in your boasting in Christ Jesus when I come to you again.

27 Only, live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that, whether I come and see you or am absent and hear about you, I will know that you are standing firm in one spirit, striving side by side with one mind for the faith of the gospel, 28 and are in no way intimidated by your opponents. For them this is evidence of their destruction, but of your salvation. And this is God’s doing. 29 For he has graciously granted you the privilege not only of believing in Christ, but of suffering for him as well — 30 since you are having the same struggle that you saw I had and now hear that I still have.

Commentary

Philippi was a major city in Macedonia on the Roman road to Byzantium (Istanbul). Most of its inhabitants were Roman citizens, including veterans of Roman armies. Paul had deep affection for the Jesus Followers in Philippi and thanked them for gifts sent to him in prison (4:18). Paul wrote this letter from prison, but it is not clear if he was in Rome, Caesarea, or Ephesus. If the letter was written from Rome, it would have been written around 62 CE. Other scholars note that Paul was also imprisoned earlier in Ephesus and made trips to Philippi from Ephesus. Some scholars see the letter as a conflation of a number of letters Paul wrote to this community.

The NOAB points out that the immediate occasion of Paul’s writing was the return to Philippi of Epaphroditus (2:25-30) who had been sent by the Philippian community with gifts for Paul.

As the early (c. 55-60 CE) Jesus Follower community tried to determine what it meant to be a Jesus Follower in terms of beliefs and practices, it is not surprising that disagreements arose. At the time of Paul’s writing to the Philippians, none of the Gospels had been written (“Mark” was written around 70 CE) and it took many years for “orthodox” positions and practices to develop.

Today’s reading reflects Paul’s personal tension between living in the flesh and seeing dying as “gain” for living in Christ (v. 21). As The NJBC points out, the ultimate goal for Paul is Resurrection, but Paul envisions “being with Christ” (v.23) in some state prior to the general resurrection.

In his epistles, Paul used the phrase “living in the flesh” in two different ways – to denote a life that is governed by the values of the world and, in other contexts, to simply be alive as a human being. Here, he used it in the latter sense and noted that the Philippian community would benefit from his staying alive (v.24).

The Jewish Annotated New Testament understands the phrase “boasting in Christ Jesus” (v.26) as meaning that the Philippians will “speak exultantly of another, as of the Lord’s attributes and deeds.”

Paul’s exhortation to “live in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ” (v.27) was a subversive statement for Roman citizens in that it presented Jesus the Christ as Lord rather than Caesar as Lord. Paul recognized that having Jesus as Lord might lead to suffering but that it would bring salvation (wholeness) for the Philippians (vv. 28-29).

Matthew 20:1-16

Reading

1 Jesus said, “The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. 2 After agreeing with the laborers for the usual daily wage, he sent them into his vineyard. 3 When he went out about nine o’clock, he saw others standing idle in the marketplace; 4 and he said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ So they went. 5 When he went out again about noon and about three o’clock, he did the same. 6 And about five o’clock he went out and found others standing around; and he said to them, ‘Why are you standing here idle all day?’ 7 They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard.’ 8 When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his manager, ‘Call the laborers and give them their pay, beginning with the last and then going to the first.’ 9 When those hired about five o’clock came, each of them received the usual daily wage. 10 Now when the first came, they thought they would receive more; but each of them also received the usual daily wage. 11 And when they received it, they grumbled against the landowner, 12 saying, ‘These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.’ 13 But he replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage? 14 Take what belongs to you and go; I choose to give to this last the same as I give to you. 15 Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or are you envious because I am generous?’ 16 So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”

Commentary

The Gospel of Matthew highlights Jesus’ origins and identity. Written around 85 CE by an anonymous author, the Gospel began Jesus’ genealogy with Abraham and depicted Jesus as a teacher of the Law like Moses. More than any other Gospel, Matthew quoted from the Hebrew Scriptures (using the Greek Septuagint translation) to illustrate that Jesus was the Messiah.

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

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

Today’s reading is unique to Matthew, and presents an understanding of God much like the presentation of God in the story of Jonah and Luke’s Parable of the Prodigal Son. As The NOAB points out, it “is a deliberate challenge to conventional views of just reward.”

In many Biblical stories, Israel is presented as God’s vineyard.

The NOAB notes that a denarius (the usual daily wage) (v.9) was sufficient to provide one day’s food for a family. Under Jewish Law (Lev. 19:13 and Deut. 24:15), laborers were to be paid before sundown on the same day they had worked.

2023, September 17 ~ Exodus 14:19-31; Genesis 50:15-21; Romans 14:1-12; Matthew 18:21-35

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TODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
SEPTEMBER 17, 2023

During Pentecost Season 2023, the Revised Common Lectionary offers two “tracks” of readings from the Hebrew Bible. Congregations may choose either track.

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

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

Exodus 14:19-31

Reading

19 The angel of God who was going before the Israelite army moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud moved from in front of them and took its place behind them. 20 It came between the army of Egypt and the army of Israel. And so the cloud was there with the darkness, and it lit up the night; one did not come near the other all night.

21 Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea. The LORD drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night and turned the sea into dry land; and the waters were divided. 22 The Israelites went into the sea on dry ground, the waters forming a wall for them on their right and on their left. 23 The Egyptians pursued, and went into the sea after them, all of Pharaoh’s horses, chariots, and chariot drivers. 24 At the morning watch the LORD in the pillar of fire and cloud looked down upon the Egyptian army and threw the Egyptian army into panic. 25 He clogged their chariot wheels so that they turned with difficulty. The Egyptians said, “Let us flee from the Israelites, for the LORD is fighting for them against Egypt.”

26 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea, so that the water may come back upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots and chariot drivers.” 27 So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at dawn the sea returned to its normal depth. As the Egyptians fled before it, the LORD tossed the Egyptians into the sea. 28 The waters returned and covered the chariots and the chariot drivers, the entire army of Pharaoh that had followed them into the sea; not one of them remained. 29 But the Israelites walked on dry ground through the sea, the waters forming a wall for them on their right and on their left.

30 Thus, the LORD saved Israel that day from the Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. 31 Israel saw the great work that the LORD did against the Egyptians. So, the people feared the LORD and believed in the LORD and in his servant Moses.

Commentary

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

The Book of Exodus (like the Torah as a whole) is an amalgam of religious traditions, some of which were written about 950 BCE and some of which were developed as late as 450 BCE. Since the late 19th Century, Biblical scholars have recognized four major “strands” or sources in the Torah, called “J” (Yahwistic), “E” (Elohistic), “D” (Deuteronomic) and “P” (Priestly). These sources are identified (among other ways) by their different theological emphases, names for God, names for the holy mountain, and portrayals of God’s characteristics.

In last week’s reading, YHWH gave Moses and Aaron specific instructions about the conduct of the Passover ritual and directed the Israelites to put blood on their doors so that YHWH (or the “destroyer” 12:23) would pass over their houses and not kill the firstborn. At midnight, YHWH struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, including the firstborn of Pharaoh. This tenth “plague” convinced Pharaoh and the Egyptians to tell the Israelites to leave. (As part of the departure, the Isrealites asked the Egyptians for silver and gold and were given it! The silver and gold show up in the story of the Golden Calf in Chapter 32.)

Consistent with Numbers 1:46, 600,000 men with children, flocks and herds (women were completely ignored) departed Rameses and began the trip to the Promised Land after 430 years in Egypt (12:40). At Succoth, YHWH gave further instructions for Passover when the Israelites were in their own land and also directed that the firstborn should be set apart for YHWH (13:12).

YHWH led them in a “roundabout way toward the Red Sea” (13:18) to avoid the Philistines. (This is an anachronism. The Philistines did not come into these lands until the 12th Century BCE.) As to the body of water to be crossed, The New Oxford Annotated Bible explains: “The Hebrew name for Red Sea is ‘yam suf’ which can mean both Sea of Reeds and Sea of the End (that is, distant). Some retain the traditional meaning, the Red Sea, while others think a shallow body of water farther north, perhaps in the area of Lake Timsah is meant. It seems more fitting contextually that the climax of the liberating process should involve a miraculous splitting of a great and distant sea rather than a storm in a shallow lake.” The traditional designation “Red Sea” resulted from the translation into Greek in the Septuagint (LXX) in the 4th Century BCE.

YHWH then told Moses to tell the Israelites to turn back and pitch a camp so that the Egyptians would pursue them. YHWH said, “I will harden Pharaoh’s heart and he will pursue them so that I will gain glory for myself over Pharaoh and all his army and the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD” (14:4). The approach of the Egyptians with hundreds of chariots made the Israelites fearful. As part of a pattern of complaining during the Exodus, they asked Moses “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us bringing us out of Egypt?” (14:11).

YHWH told Moses to reassure the Israelites that he (YHWH) would defeat the Egyptians and “gain glory for myself over Pharaoh and all his army, his chariots and his chariot drivers” (14:17).

Today’s reading tells the story of the deliverance of the Israelites from Pharaoh by the parting of the Sea of Reeds/Red Sea. It combines at least two traditions, one in which the sea was turned into dry land (vv.21 and 29) and another in which the mud clogged the wheels of the Egyptians’ chariots (v.25). The two traditions are also shown by the statements that both an angel and a pillar of cloud led them (v.19).

In this portion of the Exodus, the focus was on the power of YHWH versus the power of Pharaoh (whom Egyptians saw as a god). The exercise of YHHW’s power led the Israelites to “fear the LORD and believe in YHWH and his servant Moses” (v. 31).

The story of the deliverance through the sea is found a number of times in Exodus and in Psalms 78:13, 53 and 106:9. The oldest account is the “Song of Moses” and is in poetry form in Chapter 15:1-20. In that reading, Miriam (identified as Aaron’s sister) is described as a prophet because she led the celebration of the deliverance (15:20).

Genesis 50:15-21

Reading

15 Realizing that their father was dead, Joseph’s brothers said, “What if Joseph still bears a grudge against us and pays us back in full for all the wrong that we did to him?” 16 So they approached Joseph, saying, “Your father gave this instruction before he died, 17 ‘Say to Joseph: I beg you, forgive the crime of your brothers and the wrong they did in harming you.’ Now therefore please forgive the crime of the servants of the God of your father.” Joseph wept when they spoke to him. 18 Then his brothers also wept, fell down before him, and said, “We are here as your slaves.” 19 But Joseph said to them, “Do not be afraid! Am I in the place of God? 20 Even though you intended to do harm to me, God intended it for good, in order to preserve a numerous people, as he is doing today. 21 So have no fear; I myself will provide for you and your little ones.” In this way he reassured them, speaking kindly to them.

Commentary

The word “Genesis” means “origin” and the Book of Genesis starts with the two Creation Stories and concludes with the death of Joseph (Jacob’s son) in Egypt. If the stories about Abraham, Isaac and Jacob are historical, these events took place in the period from 1900 to 1700 BCE.

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

Today’s reading continues the story of Joseph. In the last reading, Joseph was reconciled with his brothers (Ch. 45). In the intervening chapters, Jacob and his family relocated to Goshen in Egypt (47:27); Jacob blessed Joseph’s sons and favored the younger son, Ephraim (48:20); Jacob gave blessings to each of his sons (Ch.49); and Jacob/Israel died and was buried at Mamre with Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebekah, and Leah (Gen.50:1-14).

Today’s reading is from the last chapter of Genesis. The Jewish Study Bible states: “The overall mood of this chapter is marked by reverence for these larger-than-life figures and awareness that the promise that started their ancestor Abraham on his fateful journey (12:1-3) that has now amazingly largely been fulfilled.” It adds that a “discordant note” is “the anxiety of Joseph’s brothers that their earstwhile victim will seek revenge now that he is no longer accountable to his father” (v.15).

The New Jerome Biblical Commentary observes: “Now that Jacob has died, what will Joseph be like? [The brothers’] message to Joseph (vv.16-17) is the first explicit request for forgiveness that is recorded and they slyly invoke their father’s command [to seek forgiveness]. No wonder Joseph wept. Would they ever learn? Their second attempt begins with the sign of abjection (v.18). Joseph does not deny their evildoing, but points to a higher factor, God’s doing.”

The NOAB notes: “Since [the brothers] had just spoken of themselves as God’s slaves/servants (v.17), their description of themselves as Joseph’s slaves/servants (v.18) implicitly equated him [Joseph] with God. Echoing his father’s words to Rachel (“Am I in the place of God? 30:2), Joseph rejected this equation, attributing his dominion over his brothers as resulting from God’s plan for him to provide for them (v.21).”

Joseph told them that even though they intended to do harm to him, God intended their sale of him into slavery “for good, in order to preserve a numerous people” (v. 20). This statement reflected two important theological ideas of the authors of Genesis and Exodus – that God controls everything and God’s purposes are not always readily apparent.

Other portions of the Hebrew Scriptures, such as much of the Deuteronomic History, Ezekiel, and some of the Minor Prophets, emphasize the importance of human “agency” and the idea that the decisions which people make have an effect on outcomes.

Romans 14:1-12

Reading

1 Welcome those who are weak in faith, but not for the purpose of quarreling over opinions. 2 Some believe in eating anything, while the weak eat only vegetables. 3 Those who eat must not despise those who abstain, and those who abstain must not pass judgment on those who eat; for God has welcomed them. 4 Who are you to pass judgment on servants of another? It is before their own lord that they stand or fall. And they will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make them stand.

5 Some judge one day to be better than another, while others judge all days to be alike. Let all be fully convinced in their own minds. 6 Those who observe the day, observe it in honor of the Lord. Also, those who eat, eat in honor of the Lord, since they give thanks to God; while those who abstain, abstain in honor of the Lord and give thanks to God.

7 We do not live to ourselves, and we do not die to ourselves. 8 If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s. 9 For to this end Christ died and lived again, so that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living.

10 Why do you pass judgment on your brother or sister? Or you, why do you despise your brother or sister? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. 11 For it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall give praise to God.” 12 So then, each of us will be accountable to God.

Commentary

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

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

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

In today’s reading, Paul urged Gentile Jesus Followers not to look down on (“despise” v.3) Jewish Jesus Followers who follow the Kosher laws (vv. 2-3) and who observe the Lord’s Day (Sabbath) on a different day (v. 5-6). Paul emphasized that Jews and Gentiles both live in honor of the Lord (v.8). Paraphrasing (and expanding) Isaiah 45:23b, Paul urged both groups to honor God and reminded them that they will each be accountable in their own ways (v.12).

The NOAB observes: “Those who eat only vegetables are most likely keeping kosher by avoiding ‘unclean’ meat (v.14) or meat ‘sacrificed to idols’ (Acts 15:29). Paul calls them weak in faith (or “conviction”), not because they adhere to the Torah, but because they are scandalized by Gentile Christians who eat non-kosher food (vv.13,15,20). The NJBC notes: “Once it is seen that such an issue is not related to the essentials of Christian faith, the obligation of mutual charity becomes clear. Each must accept the other as God would.”

The Jewish Annotated New Testament notes that “day” (v.6) “is not specified; it could be the Sabbath or other feast days, but could also reflect disputes regarding correct observance based on differing calendars.”

Matthew 18:21-35

Reading

21 Peter came and said to Jesus, “Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?” 22 Jesus said to him, “Not seven times, but I tell you, seventy-seven times.

23 “For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. 24 When he began the reckoning, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him; 25 and, as he could not pay, his lord ordered him to be sold, together with his wife and children and all his possessions, and payment to be made. 26 So the slave fell on his knees before him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ 27 And out of pity for him, the lord of that slave released him and forgave him the debt. 28 But that same slave, as he went out, came upon one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and seizing him by the throat, he said, ‘Pay what you owe.’ 29 Then his fellow slave fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ 30 But he refused; then he went and threw him into prison until he would pay the debt. 31 When his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their lord all that had taken place. 32 Then his lord summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked slave! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. 33 Should you not have had mercy on your fellow slave, as I had mercy on you?’ 34 And in anger his lord handed him over to be tortured until he would pay his entire debt. 35 So my heavenly Father will also do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”

Commentary

The Gospel of Matthew highlights Jesus’ origins and identity. Written around 85 CE by an anonymous author, the Gospel began Jesus’ genealogy with Abraham and depicted Jesus as a teacher of the Law like Moses. More than any other Gospel, Matthew quoted from the Hebrew Scriptures (using the Greek Septuagint translation) to illustrate that Jesus was the Messiah.

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

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

Today’s reading is in two parts. The first is “Q” material, and appears in Luke 17:4 (with forgiveness seven times). The idea of “seventy-seven” as representing a large number is found in Genesis 4:24.

The second part of the reading is the “Parable of the Unjust Servant” and is found only in Matthew. The NOAB points out that a Talent was worth more than 15 years wages of a laborer. If (in today’s dollars), a laborer was paid $100 a day or $30,000 in a year, a Talent would be $450,000, and 10,000 Talents would be $4.5 Billion. By comparison, a denari was a day’s wages ($100 in today’s dollars) and the slave who owed 100 denarii would have owed about $10,000.

The NJBC comments that the Parable of the Unjust Servant “is only loosely attached to this teaching [in vv. 21-22]. It is properly a homiletic midrash on the instruction of Matthew in 6:12, 14-15 [The Our Father and verses following], probably composed by the evangelist himself to make part of the Lord’s Prayer vivid to his people.”