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2023, December 10 ~ Isaiah 40:1-11; 2 Peter 3:8-15a; Mark 1:1-8

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TODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
DECEMBER 10, 2023

Isaiah 40:1-11

Reading

1 Comfort, O comfort my people, says your God.
2 Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that she has served her term, that her penalty is paid, that she has received from the LORD’s hand double for all her sins.

3 A voice cries out: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
4 Every valley shall be lifted up and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain.
5 Then the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all people shall see it together, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”

6 A voice says, “Cry out!” And I said, “What shall I cry?” All people are grass, their constancy is like the flower of the field.
7 The grass withers, the flower fades, when the breath of the LORD blows upon it; surely the people are grass.
8 The grass withers, the flower fades; but the word of our God will stand for ever.
9 Get you up to a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good tidings; lift up your voice with strength,
O Jerusalem, herald of good tidings, lift it up, do not fear; say to the cities of Judah, “Here is your God!”
10 See, the LORD God comes with might, and his arm rules for him; his reward is with him,
and his recompense before him.
11 He will feed his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms, and carry them in his bosom, and gently lead the mother sheep.

Commentary

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

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

Today’s reading sets the tone and essence of “Second Isaiah.” It was written during the ending years of the Babylonian Exile and referred to the Exile as a “penal servitude” in which the Judeans had paid double for their sins (v.2). YHWH (“your God”) referred to the Judeans as “my people” (v.1) The prophet emphasized that YHWH had not broken the Covenant and that there were no impediments to the salvation of the Judeans.

The Jewish Study Bible observes that the prophet “frequently borrows and revises material from older biblical texts. This tendency to allude to earlier compositions is especially evident in these eleven verses which use the terms and images from Chapter 6 [the call of Isaiah].”

The prophet analogized the declining Babylonian Empire (which was conquered by the Persians in 539 BCE) to “withered grass” (v. 6-8).

The references to “preparing the way of the LORD/YHWH” (vv. 3-5) referred to facilitating the Judeans’ return to Jerusalem so that YHWH would again be present in Jerusalem. These verses also convey the notion that the “Presence” of YHWH left Israel and came with the Judeans to Babylon, and now will return with them to Jerusalem. The “Presence” of YHWH was also presented as an important theological component of the time in the Wilderness in the Book of Exodus.

The JSB notes that verses 9 to 11 convey God’s arrival in Jerusalem: “Normally, a herald would inform a city that an army was arriving, but here God arrives as a gentle shepherd not to destroy, but to protect.” The familiar image of God as shepherd (v.11) conveyed God’s care that will come to the people in Jerusalem.

Verses 3 to 5 were adapted by Mark in today’s Gospel and by the other Gospel writers to describe the ministry of John the Baptizer in preparing the way for Jesus of Nazareth.

2 Peter 3:8-15a

Reading

8 Do not ignore this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like one day. 9 The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some think of slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance. 10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, and the elements will be dissolved with fire, and the earth and everything that is done on it will be disclosed.

11 Since all these things are to be dissolved in this way, what sort of persons ought you to be in leading lives of holiness and godliness, 12 waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set ablaze and dissolved, and the elements will melt with fire? 13 But, in accordance with his promise, we wait for new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness is at home.

14 Therefore, beloved, while you are waiting for these things, strive to be found by him at peace, without spot or blemish; 15 and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation.

Commentary

In the First and Second Centuries, it was not uncommon to write something in another person’s name so that the writing would have extra “authority” – particularly when the writer believed he knew what the “authority” (in this case, Peter) would have said.

The Second Letter of Peter was likely written after 100 CE (Peter died in the 60’s CE) and conveyed the understandings of the Jesus Follower Movement in the late First Century. It used terms from Hellenistic philosophy and was written in the popular Greek rhetorical style of the age, not a style that would have been customary for a Galilean fisherman.

The letter was presented as if it were a “testament” (final advice and warnings) by Peter – written in the first person — based on his own experiences. Most scholars do not think that the authors of 1 Peter and 2 Peter were the same person.

This short (three chapters) letter emphasized the dangers of false prophets and presented a vision of the world so corrupt that it can be saved only by the Second Coming of the Christ. In that sense, the letter presented an “apocalyptic” vision of the world — one in which the situation is so dire that only an intervening event (the “Day of the Lord”) can change it.

Refuting those who denied that there will ever be a Day of the Lord because it had not yet come, the author reminded his hearers that God’s “time” is not our time (v. 8-9). In making this statement, the author relied upon Psalm 90:4 which reads: “For a thousand years in your [God’s] sight are like yesterday when it is past, or like a watch in the night.” The reference to the Day of the Lord coming like a “thief” (v.10) is also found in 1 Thess. 5:2 and Matt. 24:43.

The author said the world as we know it will be transformed by fire (vv.10,12) and there will be a new earth where right relationships (“righteousness”) will prevail (v.13). He urged the hearers of the letter to live blamelessly and at peace (v.14), and to follow the advice of “our beloved brother Paul” (v.15b) to use the time to repent. The Jewish Annotated New Testament observes that this letter referred to Paul’s letters as authoritative scripture (v.16) and is “one of the earliest indications of general Christian acceptance of the Pauline literature.”

Mark 1:1-8

Reading

1 The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

2 As it is written in the prophet Isaiah, “See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way; 3 the voice of one crying out in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight,’”

4 John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5 And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. 6 Now John was clothed with camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. 7 He proclaimed, “The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals. 8 I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

Commentary

The Gospel According to Mark was the first of the Gospels to be written, and was composed around the year 70 CE, when the Romans destroyed the Temple in Jerusalem in putting down the Jewish Revolt that began in 66 CE.

It is the shortest of the gospels and formed the basis for the other Synoptic Gospels – Matthew and Luke. Like all the other gospels, it is anonymous (the names of the gospels were given in the late 2d Century CE). The New Oxford Annotated Bible describes it as a story of Jesus of Nazareth’s “multiple conflicts” — with the high priestly rulers and their Roman overlords and with his disciples (who consistently failed to understand him and deserted him at the end).

The Gospel was written in “everyday” (koine) Greek, and its style was not as elegant as Luke’s. The gospel introduced a new literary genre, the evangelion (or “good news”), which was distinguished from a “history.” The NAOB points out that the “good news” always referred either to the act of preaching or its content. Outside the Christian Scriptures, the term was used for various happy announcements such as a military victory, the birth of a son or a wedding. The Jewish Annotated New Testament suggests that the word was intended to suggest the good news of God’s deliverance.

The NOAB observes that the noun “evangelion” was not used for a literary genre until the mid-2nd century CE, and that Jesus’ preaching and manifestation of the Kingdom of God “as a decisive new development in the history of Israel, not as the beginning of a new religion.”

In some respects, Mark has a “lower Christology” than the other gospels in that it placed more emphasis on Jesus’ humanity. Each of the gospels has its own “special theme” – and Mark’s presentation of Jesus used the motifs and imagery of the “Suffering Servant” found in Isaiah 52 and 53. It also substantially based many of the details of the Crucifixion on Psalm 22.

Today’s reading is the opening verses of the Gospel, and the author identified Jesus as “the Christ” (v.1), a title applied in the Hebrew Scriptures to kings, prophets, the high priests and even to Cyrus of Persia. The NRSV translators’ note points out, however, that the words “the Son of God” are absent from some ancient authorities – a reflection of the fact that the texts of the gospels appear to have evolved over time.

Although the text says “as is written in the prophet Isaiah,” the phrase “see I am sending my messenger” (v.2) actually comes from Exodus 23:20 and Malachi 3:1. Verse 3 is a paraphrase of Isaiah 40:3.

The JANT says: “Mark may have known these texts from ‘testimonia,’ collections of verses on a common theme: in this case, on God’s way [v.3]. ‘Way’ is a technical term in Greek, Jewish, and Christian ethical discourse on choosing the good, albeit difficult, path as opposed to the immoral, easy path.” According to Acts of the Apostles 9:2, Jesus Followers did not call themselves Christians, but “belonging to the Way.”

John the Baptist was presented as a new Elijah in his garb and eating (v.6). This would have been seen as a fulfillment of Malachi 3:5 (“Lo, I [YHWH] will send you the prophet Elijah before the great and terrible day of the LORD comes.”)

The NOAB sees the Baptism of John as a “ritual of entrance into God’s renewed covenant with Israel in which those ready to change their ways are baptized as forgiven for having broken the covenantal laws.” The JANT sees John’s Baptism as a parallel to the Jewish practice of bathing to cleanse ritual “impurities” that John the Baptist transformed into “a public testimony of repentance and preparation for the in-breaking of God’s Kingdom.”

2023, December 3 ~ Isaiah 64:1-9; 1 Corinthians 1:3-9; Mark 13:24-37

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TODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
DECEMBER 3, 2023

Isaiah 64:1-9

Reading

1 O that you would tear open the heavens and come down, so that the mountains would quake at your presence —
2 as when fire kindles brushwood and the fire causes water to boil — to make your name known to your adversaries, so that the nations might tremble at your presence!
3 When you did awesome deeds that we did not expect, you came down, the mountains quaked at your presence.
4 From ages past no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who works for those who wait for him.
5 You meet those who gladly do right, those who remember you in your ways. But you were angry, and we sinned; because you hid yourself, we transgressed.
6 We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy cloth.
We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.
7 There is no one who calls on your name or attempts to take hold of you; for you have hidden your face from us and have delivered us into the hand of our iniquity.
8 Yet, O LORD, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand.
9 Do not be exceedingly angry, O LORD, and do not remember iniquity forever. Now consider, we are all your people.

Commentary

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

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

Today’s reading is from the chapters called “Third Isaiah” and the ideas expressed in these verses indicate that they were composed before the Temple was rebuilt in the period from 516 to 505 BCE. This is also shown by the verse preceding today’s reading (“Your holy people took possession for a little while; but now her adversaries have trampled down your sanctuary.” 63:18) and the two verses following it (“Our holy cities have become a wilderness….Our holy and beautiful house where our ancestors praised you has been burned by fire….” vv.10a,11a).

The Jewish Study Bible points out that there are two verses (63:17a and 64:4b) that are “remarkable and rather daring for their assertion that God, too, must accept some responsibility for the Judeans’ sins.” These verses read: “Why LORD do you make us stray from your ways and turn our hearts away from revering you?” and “It is because You are angry that we have sinned.” (The JSB uses the Jewish Publication Society translation which is slightly different from the NRSV.)

The reading is a lament and prayer to the LORD/YHWH (vv. 8-9). It confessed the sinfulness of the Judeans (vv. 5b-7) and is one of the Bible’s most poignant expressions of the Judeans’ perception of YHWH’s hiddenness (v.7) from them. The concluding verses appealed to YHWH as a father and as a potter who molded the people (v.8). Jeremiah also used the image of a potter to describe YHWH who molded the people (Jer. 18:6).

1 Corinthians 1:3-9

Reading

3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

4 I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that has been given you in Christ Jesus, 5 for in every way you have been enriched in him, in speech and knowledge of every kind — 6 just as the testimony of Christ has been strengthened among you – 7 so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ. 8 He will also strengthen you to the end, so that you may be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God is faithful; by him you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

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 mid-50’s (CE) and presented his views on many issues that were controversial in this Jesus Follower Community. According to Acts 18, Paul spent over a year organizing several house-assemblies after arriving in Corinth around the year 50. The letter is primarily addressed to Gentile Jesus Followers.

The Jewish Annotated New Testament points out that 1 Corinthians is “one of the New Testament’s most important books” because it includes one of the earliest proclamations of both Jesus’ death on behalf of sinners and Jesus’ resurrection, and has a basic formula for the celebration of the Lord’s Supper (Communion/Eucharist).

The JANT also notes that the letter is considered to have been written by Paul “with the exception of 14.33b-35, whose content – the silencing of women in the assemblies – contradicts 11.5 where Paul mentions, approvingly, women praying and prophesying.” The JANT observes that the later-written Pastoral Letters (1 Timothy and Titus) advocate women’s subordination, and speculates that the authors of those letters may have inserted these verses about women into Paul’s original letter.

Today’s reading from the opening chapter of the letter is a salutation customary in ancient Greek letters (vv. 1-3) followed by a thanksgiving for the grace of God given to the Jesus Followers in Corinth through Christ Jesus (vv.4-7). Using irony as a rhetorical device, Paul praised the Corinthians for their speech and knowledge (v.5) and spiritual gifts (v.7) as a prelude to discussing these qualities more critically in the body of the letter. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary points out that the phrase in verse 7 (“as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ”) was intended by Paul to remind the Corinthians that completeness was reserved to the future (the Parousia or Second Coming of the Christ).

Paul told them that the Lord Jesus Christ will strengthen them so they will be blameless at the time of judgment and fulfillment – the “day of our Lord Jesus Christ” (v. 8). In this verse, Paul gave a hint of a theme he discussed at length in chapter 15 regarding resurrection of all the faithful and the fullness of the resurrection of the Christ.

In a call for unity, Paul reminded them that they were called into “the fellowship of the Son” (v.9). Having praised the Corinthians and reminded them of the gifts they had received from God, then Paul launched into his arguments in the verses that follow today’s reading, and appealed that “there be no divisions among you” (v.10).

Mark 13:24-37

Reading

24 Jesus said, “In those days, after that suffering, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light,
25 and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.
26 Then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in clouds’ with great power and glory. 27 Then he will send out the angels, and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.
28 “From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. 29 So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates. 30 Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. 31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

32 “But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33 Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come. 34 It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his slaves in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to be on the watch. 35 Therefore, keep awake — for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or at dawn, 36 or else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly. 37 And what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake.”

Commentary

The Gospel According to Mark was the first of the Gospels to be written, and was composed around the year 70 CE, when the Romans destroyed the Temple in Jerusalem in putting down the Jewish Revolt that began in 66 CE.

It is the shortest of the gospels, and formed the basis for the other Synoptic Gospels, Matthew and Luke. Like all the other gospels, it is anonymous (the names of the gospels were given in the late 2d Century CE). The New Oxford Annotated Bible describes it as a story of Jesus of Nazareth’s “multiple conflicts” — with the high priestly rulers and their Roman overlords and with his disciples (who consistently fail to understand him and desert him at the end).

The Gospel was written in “everyday” (koine) Greek, and its style was not as elegant as Luke’s. The gospel introduced a new literary genre, the evangelion (or “good news”), which was distinguished from a “history.” The NAOB describes Jesus’ preaching and manifestation of the Kingdom of God “as a decisive new development in the history of Israel, not as the beginning of a new religion.”

In many respects, Mark has a “lower Christology” than the other gospels, and emphasized Jesus’ humanity more. Each of the gospels has its own “special theme” – and Mark’s presentation of Jesus used the motifs and imagery of the “Suffering Servant” found in Isaiah 52 and 53. It also substantially based many of the details of the Crucifixion on Psalm 22.

Today’s reading is the concluding part of Chapter 13, which is sometimes called the “Markan Apocalypse” in that it contains a prediction of the destruction of the Temple (vv.1-2) and other signs of the “end times” – the end of the world as we know it. The Jewish Annotated New Testament says the main themes in today’s reading are that “many apocalyptic messengers are deceitful and that discerning people will watch and wait for the real end.”

The NOAB observes that verses 24 and 25 are “a traditional prophetic portrayal of God’s coming in judgment drawn from Isaiah, Ezekiel and Joel.” The image of the Son of Man (v.26) is derived from Daniel 7:13 (“I saw one like a human being coming with the clouds of heaven, and he came to the Ancient One and was presented before him. To him was given dominion and glory and kingship, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him.”)

The New Jerome Biblical Commentary points out that the Son of Man’s “gathering the elect from the four winds” (v.27) reverses Zechariah 2:6 (“I [the LORD] have spread you [the Judeans] abroad like the four winds of heaven.”)

The NJBC also points out that the statement that the Son does not know the day or hour of the end times (v.32) was used “in patristic debates about the divinity of Jesus … as an opposing argument.” The underlying assumption in the debate and in this verse is that God has “knowledge” – which attributes a human skill to the Sacred.

2023, November 26 ~ Ezekiel 34:11-24; Ephesians 1:15-23; Matthew 25: 31-46

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TODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
NOVEMBER 26, 2023
FEAST OF CHRIST THE KING

Ezekiel 34:11-24

Reading

11 Thus says the LORD God: I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out. 12 As shepherds seek out their flocks when they are among their scattered sheep, so I will seek out my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places to which they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness. 13 I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land; and I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the watercourses, and in all the inhabited parts of the land. 14 I will feed them with good pasture, and the mountain heights of Israel shall be their pasture; there they shall lie down in good grazing land, and they shall feed on rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. 15 I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I will make them lie down, says the LORD God. 16 I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, but the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them with justice.

20 Therefore, thus says the LORD God to them: I myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep. 21 Because you pushed with flank and shoulder, and butted at all the weak animals with your horns until you scattered them far and wide, 22 I will save my flock, and they shall no longer be ravaged; and I will judge between sheep and sheep.

23 I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he shall feed them: he shall feed them and be their shepherd. 24 And I, the LORD, will be their God, and my servant David shall be prince among them; I, the LORD, have spoken.

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 of the House of Zadok. (Zadok was the High Priest appointed by Solomon and the predecessor of the First Century priests called Sadducees). Ezekiel 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).

The Jewish Study Bible says that Ezekiel “presents some of the most theologically challenging and dynamic material among the prophets of the Bible and some of the most difficult and bizarre passages….He wrestles with the problems posed by the tragedies of Jerusalem’s destruction and the Babylonian exile: Why did God allow the Temple and Jerusalem to be destroyed? Why did God allow the people of Israel to be carried away into exile? What future is there for Israel?” The JSB continues: “The book of Ezekiel, like other biblical writings, attempts to justify the tragedy of the Babylonian exile by arguing that it was a divine punishment for the people’s sin and by pointing to God’s mercy in the future restoration.”

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

Today’s reading is from the prophesies of hope. Ezekiel spoke for YHWH who was presented as a gathering shepherd (an image also found in Isaiah 40 and Jeremiah 31) who will bring all the dispersed Israelites into their own land (v.13). These assertions follow a condemnation of the “shepherds of Israel” (the kings) who took care of themselves but did not feed the sheep (vv. 2-10). The kings are the “fat and strong sheep” whom YHWH will destroy (v.16) because they neglected the people. YHWH will judge between the good sheep and those who mistreated the weak (vv. 20-22).

The prophet asserts that God’s rule will be manifested in the establishment of David as ruler (vv. 23-24). Although numerous passages imagine a descendant of David as the ideal ruler, this passage seems to envisage a return of David himself. The JSB points out that verse 24 seems to expect a shared rule between YHWH and David, and David will be a “prince” rather than a king, an apparent diminution of royal power.

The creation of a new Davidic order was an important part of the Messianic expectations in Israel after the time of Babylonian Exile. This expectation was grounded on the promise to David in 2 Samuel 7:12-13 that “I [YHWH] will establish his royal throne forever.”

Ephesians 1:15-23

Reading

15 I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, and for this reason 16 I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers. 17 I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, 18 so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, 19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of his great power. 20 God put this power to work in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come. 22 And he has put all things under his feet and has made him the head over all things for the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

Commentary

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

The Jewish Annotated New Testament points out that the letter contains 80 terms that are not in those letters of Paul whose authorship is not in dispute. For this reason, and because the letter gave different meanings to some of Paul’s characteristic terms, most scholars believe that this letter was written by one of Paul’s disciples late in the First Century. The JANT observes, for example: “For Paul, salvation is a future event, while in Ephesians it is a present experience (2.8).”

The letter may have been written to a number of communities, but it was clearly intended to unify the Jesus Follower community in Ephesus. To this end, it presented the author’s vision of the church. The first three chapters of the letter are theological teachings and focus on the church as a new community in which Jews and Gentiles share equally in God’s blessings. The last three chapters of the letter contain ethical exhortations.

Today’s reading is an introductory thanksgiving prayer for wisdom and for knowledge of the power of Jesus the Christ. The author understood the heart as the seat of understanding so that when the “eyes of the heart were enlightened” (v.18), it would lead to the hope to which the Christ had called the Ephesians.

The author affirmed that this power for belief was given to the Christ through the Resurrection and the seating of the Christ “at God’s right hand” (v.20), a phrase used for Davidic rulers in Psalm 110:1. The Resurrection and exaltation gave the Christ power over hostile spiritual powers (“rule, power and dominion”) for all time (v.21-22). The author spoke of the church as the body of the Christ, and the Christ at its head (vv.22-23).

Matthew 25:31- 46

Reading

31 Jesus said, “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, 33 and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. 34 Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; 35 for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? 38 And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? 39 And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ 40 And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’ 41 Then he will say to those at his left hand, ‘You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; 42 for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ 44 Then they also will answer, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?’ 45 Then he will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ 46 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

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 continues the theme of Chapter 25 – descriptions of the Kingdom of Heaven. The “Son of Man” (v.31) (ben adam in Hebrew and bar adam in Aramaic – literally, son of the human being) is an apocalyptic figure derived largely from Daniel 7:13-14 (“I saw one like a human being coming with the clouds of heaven, and he came to the Ancient One and was presented before him. To him was given dominion and glory and kingship that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that shall not pass away, and his kingship is one that shall never be destroyed.”)

The separation of the sheep from the goats is a motif from Ezekiel 34, a portion of which is read today. The New Oxford Annotated Bible points out that the right hand (v.33) is the hand with which a blessing would be given. The JANT states that the right hand is the side of righteousness and justice.

The NOAB notes that the reference to “eternal fire” may be derived from 1 Enoch 10.13 which reads: “In those days they [the evildoers] shall be led off to the abyss of fire: and to the torment and the prison in which they shall be confined for ever.”

There are four Books of Enoch and they are described in The Other Bible as intertestamental [i.e. between 200 BCE and 40 CE] apocalyptic writings. They are not included in the Hebrew Bible or the Christian Scriptures but “represent the development of that side of Judaism, to which historically Christendom in large measure owes its existence. Notions such as the conversion of the Gentiles and the coming of the Messiah, the ‘Son of man’ are obvious examples of the continuation in the New Testament of intertestamental Jewish notions.”

The “person” Enoch was a prediluvian patriarch mentioned in Genesis 5:18-24. According to Genesis, Enoch lived 365 years and is one of the two persons in the Hebrew Bible taken up bodily into the presence of God without dying. (The prophet Elijah is the other.) The Other Bible suggests that because Enoch was enraptured or translated bodily into Heaven, he became the center of the apocalyptic tradition and four books of pseudepigrapha bear his name.

The NOAB also observes that the notion of punishment/eternal life after death (v.46) is derived from Dan. 12:2, the first clear biblical reference to resurrection, final judgment and afterlife (“Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.”)

The NJBC observes that this passage involves “binary thinking” that “stems from the Deuteronomistic theology of a covenant conditioned by human obligation (as opposed to the covenant of unconditional divine commitment represented in the New Testament by Paul’s theology.”

In her book The Difficult Words of Jesus, Amy-Jill Levine discussed the topic of eternal punishment and made these observations: the Hebrew Bible does not have a notion of hell as a place of eternal punishment for the wicked; by the First Century, because of the books of Daniel, Maccabees and Enoch, the idea of resurrection at the end times was a popular belief among Jews; in the First Century, the idea that the righteous would be rewarded and the wicked punished was a firmly entrenched view; that the Gospels portray “hell” as a place of obliteration, not torment; that the “outer darkness” is not hell, but is the “back of the line” where the last will be first and the first will be last; that heaven and hell as “real places” gained more traction after Christianity became the State Religion, and this was eventually softened by the development of the concept of Purgatory; and that a belief in a literal hell for “evildoers” is prevalent among persons and in societies where God’s “justice” is seen as retribution (rather than setting all things right) and where God is seen as judgmental rather than merciful and loving.

2023, November 19 ~ Judges 4:1-7; Zephaniah 1:7, 12-18; 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11; Matthew 25:14-30

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TODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
NOVEMBER 19, 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.

Judges 4:1-7

Reading

1 The Israelites again did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, after Ehud died. 2 So the LORD sold them into the hand of King Jabin of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor; the commander of his army was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth-ha-goiim. 3 Then the Israelites cried out to the LORD for help; for he had nine hundred chariots of iron and had oppressed the Israelites cruelly twenty years.

4 At that time Deborah, a prophetess, wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel. 5 She used to sit under the palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim; and the Israelites came up to her for judgment. 6 She sent and summoned Barak son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali, and said to him, “The LORD, the God of Israel, commands you, ‘Go, take position at Mount Tabor, bringing ten thousand from the tribe of Naphtali and the tribe of Zebulun. 7 I will draw out Sisera, the general of Jabin’s army, to meet you by the Wadi Kishon with his chariots and his troops; and I will give him into your hand.’”

Commentary

The Book of Judges is part of the “Deuteronomic History” consisting of Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings. The over-all message of these books is that the fortunes of Ancient Israel depended on faithfulness of the people and their kings in worshiping YHWH. The Deuteronomists were generally opposed to Israel’s having a temporal king, and there are numerous statements in favor of a theocracy, in which the king of Israel is YHWH (8.23).

This Book “recounted” the “history” of Israel from the death of Joshua to the time of Samuel. If it is historical, the time would have been from about 1,200 to 1,050 BCE.

The Book of Judges described a downward spiral in the moral, religious, and political fortunes of Israel. The recurring pattern was one of worshiping false gods; the LORD’s enabling Israel’s enemies to overcome them; the Israelites crying out to the LORD for help; the LORD raising a deliverer – a “judge” (a person who set things right) who subdued the oppressors; and after the time of the judge, the people backslid into false worship, and the cycle repeated itself.

The New Oxford Annotated Bible observes: “The book is not primarily interested in the real history of this period. Rather, the book’s selective presentation is clearly designed to instruct the reader, to communicate a coherent, didactic message concerning the consequences of disobedience to God.”

The book has six major judge cycles, and the judgeship of Samson (who failed to observe most of the laws of the Torah) was seen as the moral nadir of the period of the Judges.

Today’s reading begins after the death of the Moabite king Eglon at the hands of the left-handed judge, Ehud, in a graphic and scatological manner (3:21-22) and picks up the story of the third major judge of Israel, Deborah.

Deborah was the only female judge of Israel (and one of the few prophetesses beside Miriam and Huldah) and she commanded the Israelite general Barak to assemble an army to defeat King Jabin of Canaan and his general, Sisera (v.6-7), notwithstanding the enormity of Jabin’s forces (900 iron chariots) (v.3). Speaking for YHWH, Deborah assured Barak that YHWH would give him the victory (v.7). The Jewish Study Bible points out that Hazor (v.2) is located in the upper Galilee and was known as a very important city, and Mount Tabor (v.6) is also in that area. The Wadi Kishon (v.7) was one of the most important brooks in the Jezreel Valley – an important agricultural area to this day.

In the verses that follow today’s reading, Barak declined to oppose Sisera unless Deborah would go to the battle with him (v.8). She agreed to accompany him but told him that a woman would have the honor of killing Sisera (v.9).

Barak assembled an army and Sisera was defeated (v.16) because YHWH “threw Sisera and all his chariots and army into a panic” (v.15). Sisera escaped on foot but was seduced by a non-Israelite woman, Jael, who killed him while he was sleeping. She drove a tent peg into his temple. (v.21). There are many famous paintings of this scene.

Zephaniah 1:7, 12-18

Reading

7 Be silent before the LORD God! For the day of the LORD is at hand; the LORD has prepared a sacrifice, he has consecrated his guests.
12 At that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps, and I will punish the people who rest complacently on their dregs, those who say in their hearts, “The LORD will not do good, nor will he do harm.”
13 Their wealth shall be plundered, and their houses laid waste. Though they build houses, they shall not inhabit them; though they plant vineyards, they shall not drink wine from them.
14 The great day of the LORD is near, near and hastening fast; the sound of the day of the LORD is bitter, the warrior cries aloud there.
15 That day will be a day of wrath, a day of distress and anguish, a day of ruin and devastation, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness,
16 a day of trumpet blast and battle cry against the fortified cities and against the lofty battlements.
17 I will bring such distress upon people that they shall walk like the blind; because they have sinned against the LORD, their blood shall be poured out like dust, and their flesh like dung.
18 Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to save them on the day of the LORD’s wrath; in the fire of his passion the whole earth shall be consumed; for a full, a terrible end he will make of all the inhabitants of the earth.

Commentary

Zephaniah is another of the 12 “Minor” Prophets. He was a prophet to Judea during the reign of the good King Josiah (640-609 BCE). Because Zephaniah prophesied against many of the practices prohibited by the Book of Deuteronomy, his prophesy is generally dated to 630-620 BCE, the time just before Josiah’s reforms began in 621 BCE. (The Book of Deuteronomy was “discovered” in 622 BCE according to 2 Kings 22).

The New Jerome Biblical Commentary observes that Zephaniah may have been a descendant of King Hezekiah (who thwarted the Assyrian blockade of Jerusalem in 701 BCE). It also notes that during the reign of King Josiah there was a serious effort to undo the apostasy of Josiah ‘s predecessor, Manasseh.

The Book of Zephaniah is only three chapters, and most of the Book concerned the Day of the LORD/YHWH in which YHWH was expected to pour out anger on the people (1:2-6). Zephaniah saw the fate of nations in YHWH’s hands.

In today’s reading, the prophet (speaking for YHWH) noted that the LORD had prepared a “sacrifice” (v.7) which The NAOB understands to mean a “slaughter of evildoers.” The JSB regards this verse as “intentionally ambiguous” and The NJBC notes that the guests were “consecrated” (v.7) in the sense of being prepared as victims.

The remaining verses in today’s reading described punishments for those who “rest complacently on their dregs” (i.e. who become dull from drinking the wine they have stored” (v. 12), those who rely on their wealth (v.18) and those who do not recognize the power of YHWH (v.12).

The LORD’s wrath (v.18) will be visited not only upon the people of Judea, but on “all the inhabitants of the earth” (v.18).

In the last part of Chapter 3 in Zephaniah, however, the message in the Book shifted to oracles of salvation so that the “proudly exultant ones” (3:11) will be removed and only the humble and lowly will be left (3:12). The “remnant” (3:13) — a code word for the Judeans in exile in Babylon – will return to Jerusalem.

1 Thessalonians 5:1-11

Reading

1 Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers and sisters, you do not need to have anything written to you. 2 For you yourselves know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 3 When they say, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them, as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and there will be no escape! 4 But you, beloved, are not in darkness, for that day to surprise you like a thief; 5 for you are all children of light and children of the day; we are not of the night or of darkness. 6 So then let us not fall asleep as others do but let us keep awake and be sober; 7 for those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who are drunk get drunk at night. 8 But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, and put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. 9 For God has destined us not for wrath but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep we may live with him. 11 Therefore encourage one another and build up each other, as indeed you are doing.

Commentary

Thessalonica is a seaport city and was the capital of Macedonia. It was an important city in Paul’s day for economic, commercial and political reasons. Even today, Thessaloniki (as it is now called) is a charming city of one million persons, and the cultural center of Greece. The saying there is that “Thessaloniki is to Athens as San Francisco is to Los Angeles.”

Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians was Paul’s first letter and was written around 50 CE. Accordingly, it is the oldest writing in the Christian Scriptures. According to Acts 16 and 17, Paul went to Philippi and then to Thessalonica. He spoke gratefully in Philippians 4:16 of gifts sent to him by Philippians when he was in Thessalonica.

The letter encouraged the community to be steadfast in the face of persecution. Today’s reading is from the last chapter in the letter in which Paul reflected on the implications of the eschaton (the “end times” in the sense of the end of the world as we now know it) for those who are alive. He expressed his expectation that the day of the Lord (v.2) was immanent and would be sudden and unexpected (v.3). The Jewish Annotated New Testament understands that the phrase “peace and security” that “they” will say (v.3) is “the (false) promise of the Roman Empire” referencing Josephus and Tacitus.

The NAOB points out that the phrase “children of light” (v.5) is also found in the Qumran Literature of the Essenes to distinguish the righteous from the non-righteous. The JANT observes that light is associated with Torah in Proverbs 6:23 and that God is pictured as light in Psalm 104.

Paul reinterpreted the Day of the Lord, however, from an eschatological day of punishment (as it is often described by the prophets, including Zephaniah) and instead presented the Day of the Lord as a return of the Christ (4:17-18) — the Parousia. He urged the Thessalonians to be ready and reassured them that they were destined for salvation (v.9). Paul noted that salvation is destined for all – whether alive or dead (“awake or asleep”).

Matthew 25:14-30

Reading

14 Jesus said, “It is as if a man, going on a journey, summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them; 15 to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. 16 The one who had received the five talents went off at once and traded with them, and made five more talents. 17 In the same way, the one who had the two talents made two more talents. 18 But the one who had received the one talent went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. 19 After a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. 20 Then the one who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five more talents, saying, ‘Master, you handed over to me five talents; see, I have made five more talents.’ 21 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’ 22 And the one with the two talents also came forward, saying, ‘Master, you handed over to me two talents; see, I have made two more talents.’ 23 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’ 24 Then the one who had received the one talent also came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew that you were a harsh man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed; 25 so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.’ 26 But his master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy slave! You knew, did you, that I reap where I did not sow, and gather where I did not scatter? 27 Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have received what was my own with interest. 28 So take the talent from him, and give it to the one with the ten talents. 29 For to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. 30 As for this worthless slave, throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’”

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 continues the series of descriptions of the Kingdom of Heaven in Chapter 25. In recent weeks, the Kingdom of Heaven (referred to as the Kingdom of God in Mark and Luke) was presented a something that comes unexpectedly – as a thief in the night (24:43) or as a master who returns unexpectedly (24:50), or as a bridegroom who arrives at midnight (25:6). Here, the master gave five Talents (about $4.5 million) to one slave/servant, two Talents ($1.8 Million) to another and one Talent ($900 K) to the third slave. These are large sums and would have been overwhelming amounts in the First Century, but the story assumes that the servants had the skills to manage these large amounts.

The treatment by the master of the first two servants is clear — they are given greater responsibilities and “enter into the joy” of the master (v.23). The third servant, however, seemed to accuse the master of some form of dishonesty in saying that he “reaped where he did not sow” and “gathered where he did not scatter.” The response of the master to “invest the money with bankers” to earn interest would, however, been seen as usury in the First Century. The statement that “those who have” will be given more but “from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away” (v.29) is difficult, as is the statement about being cast into outer darkness with weeping and gnashing of teeth (v.30).

The JANT understands the hiding of one’s Talent as referring to those who fail to act righteously, “outer darkness” as eschatological punishment, and “gnashing of teeth” as a sign of anger or frustration.

The NJBC sees the story as recommending a proper use of one’s talents before the Son of Man returns, and speculates that the story may be a criticism of “a static (Sadducean?) attitude toward religious tradition.”

In her book The Difficult Words of Jesus, Amy-Jill Levine analyzed the phrase “outer darkness” and provided these insights: the Hebrew Bible does not have a notion of hell as a place of eternal punishment for the wicked; by the First Century, because of the books of Daniel, Maccabees and Enoch, the idea of resurrection at the end times was a popular belief among Jews; in the First Century, the idea that the righteous would be rewarded and the wicked punished was a firmly entrenched view; that the Gospels portray “hell” as a place of obliteration, not torment; that the “outer darkness” is not hell, but is the “back of the line” where the last will be first and the first will be last; that heaven and hell as “real places” gained more traction after Christianity became the State Religion, and this was eventually was softened by the development of the concept of Purgatory; and that a belief in a literal hell for “evildoers” is prevalent among persons and in societies where God’s “justice” is seen as retribution and where God is seen as judgmental rather than merciful.