TODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
OCTOBER 16, 2022
During Pentecost Season 2022, 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.
Jeremiah 31:27-34
Reading
27 The days are surely coming, says the LORD, when I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of humans and the seed of animals. 28 And just as I have watched over them to pluck up and break down, to overthrow, destroy, and bring evil, so I will watch over them to build and to plant, says the LORD. 29 In those days they shall no longer say: “The parents have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge.”
30 But all shall die for their own sins; the teeth of everyone who eats sour grapes shall be set on edge.
31 The days are surely coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. 32 It will not be like the covenant that I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt– a covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, says the LORD. 33 But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34 No longer shall they teach one another, or say to each other, “Know the LORD,” for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the LORD; for I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more.
Commentary
After the righteous and reforming King Josiah was killed in battle at Megiddo (from which we get the Greek word Armageddon) in 609 BCE, the fortunes of Judea took a sharp downward turn. Babylon threatened Judea’s existence, and Judea had a series of hapless kings from 609 until Jerusalem was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BCE. The Babylonians deported many Judean leaders to Babylon in 597 and a larger number in 586 (the Babylonian Exile). Jeremiah’s prophesy (i.e., speaking for YHWH) began around 609 and continued until 586 BCE when he died in Egypt.
Most Bible scholars agree that the Book of Jeremiah underwent substantial revisions between the time of Jeremiah (627 to 586 BCE) and the First Century. In the Dead Sea Scrolls, there were different versions of the Book of Jeremiah. The Greek Septuagint Translation (the LXX – dating from 300 to 200 BCE) has some chapters that are not in the Hebrew versions.
Sections in the book that are in “poetry style” are generally attributed to the prophet, and parts in “prose style” were added later by writers whose theological outlook was closely aligned with the Deuteronomists. (In fact, Chapter 52 in Jeremiah is virtually word-for-word with 2 Kings 24:18 to 25:30 written by the Deuteronomists after the Exile.)
Today’s reading is in prose and was a late insertion. It has an “eschatological” (end times) tone (“the days are surely coming” in v.27) and affirmed the restoration of the houses of both Judah (the south) and Israel (the north). In the verse preceding today’s reading, Jeremiah was said to be sleeping, and his “vision” is recounted in this reading.
The reference to “sour grapes” (vv.29 and 30) was a statement that there should be personal responsibility for one’s actions and that the “sins of the fathers” will not be borne by the children. This is consistent with the theology found in Ezekiel, another prophet of the Exile, particularly in Ezekiel 18:2-4. In Jeremiah, this personal responsibility will be true in the future (“in those days”) but in Ezekiel it is seen as true in his own time (the Exile). The shift from collective responsibility to individual responsibility was an important change in the theology of Ancient Israel.
The writer went on to say that in the “end times” YHWH would make a “new covenant” with Judah and Israel (v.31), the law would be written on their hearts (v.33), and YHWH would forgive their iniquity (v.34). Many Christians have taken the reference to a new covenant as prophesying the New Covenant through Jesus the Christ.
Genesis 32:22-31
Reading
22 The same night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two maids, and his eleven children, and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. 23 He took them and sent them across the stream, and likewise everything that he had. 24 Jacob was left alone; and a man wrestled with him until daybreak. 25 When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he struck him on the hip socket; and Jacob’s hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. 26 Then he said, “Let me go, for the day is breaking.” But Jacob said, “I will not let you go, unless you bless me.” 27 So he said to him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.” 28 Then the man said, “You shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with humans, and have prevailed.” 29 Then Jacob asked him, “Please tell me your name.” But he said, “Why is it that you ask my name?” And there he blessed him. 30 So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, “For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life is preserved.” 31 The sun rose upon him as he passed Penuel, limping because of his hip.
Commentary
Genesis is the first book of the Torah (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy). The Torah also called the Pentateuch (“five books”) in Greek. Genesis covers the period from Creation to the deaths of Jacob and his 11th son, Joseph, in about 1650 BCE, if the accounts are historical.
The Book of Genesis (like the Torah as a whole) is an amalgam of religious traditions, some of which are dated to about 950 BCE and some of which were developed as late as 450 BCE. Since the late 19th Century, Biblical scholars have recognized four major “strands” or sources in the Torah, and these sources are identified (among other ways) by their different theological emphases, names for God, names for the holy mountain, and portrayals of God’s characteristics.
The first 11 Chapters of Genesis are called the “primeval history” which ends with the Tower of Babel story — an “etiology” (story of origins) relating to the scattering of humankind and the multiplicity of languages. The last chapter of the primeval history also traces Abram’s lineage back to Noah’s son, Shem (which means “name” in Hebrew and from which we get the word “Semites”).
The background to today’s reading includes Jacob’s supplanting his fraternal twin (but older) brother, Esau, by tricking Isaac into giving him the blessing that properly belonged to Esau.
Jacob sought to find his wife Rachel in Haran (the land from which Abraham came) and was tricked into working for his uncle, Laban, for 14 years. Jacob had 12 sons (six by Leah, Rachel’s older sister; two by Bilhah, Rachel’s maid; two by Zilpah, Leah’s maid; and two by Rachel). Ten of these sons (along with Joseph’s two sons), became the 12 tribes of Israel. (Levi and Joseph were not included in the 12 tribes when the lands were later divided.)
Many years passed, and Jacob was very wealthy. Jacob and his wives, children and flocks traveled from Haran toward Canaan, but had to pass near Edom, the land of his twin brother, Esau.
Jacob learned that Esau was coming toward him with 400 men, so he divided all that he had into two groups so that one group might escape and be preserved if Esau attacked him. He prayed to YHWH and sent Esau a substantial gift of livestock in hopes of appeasing him.
Today’s reading was set in the night before Jacob and Esau met. It recounted Jacob’s wrestling with someone identified variously as a man (v.24), a spirit/angel (which would disappear at daybreak, v.26), and as God (v.28). Jacob’s tried to obtain the wrestler’s name (v.29) which would have given him “control” over the wrestler, but this was refused. Instead, God gave Jacob a new name so that he was no longer known as Jacob (“supplanter”) but as “Israel,” which originally meant “El rules” — but the text says it means “one who strives with God and humans” (v.28).
At the end of the story, Jacob changed the name of this place to Peniel (“face of El”) because he had seen God face to face (v.30). “El” is the most ancient name for God in the Middle East. In Hebrew, the suffix “el” appears in many other names that have meanings “of God” such as Gabriel (God is my strength), Daniel (God is my judge), Beth-el (House of God), “Peniel” (Face of God), Samuel (Name of God), and the like.
In the remaining chapters of Genesis, the name used for this patriarch will sometimes be “Jacob” and sometimes be “Israel” depending on the source of the story.
2 Timothy 3:14-4:5
Reading
14 As for you, continue in what you have learned and firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it, 15 and how from childhood you have known the sacred writings that are able to instruct you for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work.
4:1 In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I solemnly urge you: 2 proclaim the message; be persistent whether the time is favorable or unfavorable; convince, rebuke, and encourage, with the utmost patience in teaching. 3 For the time is coming when people will not put up with sound doctrine, but having itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own desires, 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander away to myths. 5 As for you, always be sober, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, carry out your ministry fully.
Commentary
The Letters to Timothy and Titus are called “Pastoral Letters” because they concerned the internal life, governance and behavior of the early Christian churches and their members. Most scholars agree they were written in the early Second Century in Paul’s name by some of his followers (Paul died in 63 CE). Writing a document in someone else’s name was a common practice in the First and Second Centuries. By then, the Jesus Follower Community had become more institutionalized and concerns about “heresy” had arisen.
The Pastoral letters were written to Paul’s “co-workers” but have a broader audience. By the time they were written, Paul was regarded as an authoritative figure of the past. The Jewish Annotated New Testament points out that unlike Paul’s genuine letters, the opponents are seen as false teachers within the Jesus Follower Movement rather than non-messianic pagans or Jews.
2 Timothy is more personal than 1 Timothy. The author, writing as Paul, treated Timothy as his “beloved child,” loyal disciple and his spiritual heir. In the letter, Paul was portrayed as near death.
Today’s reading continues the author’s exhortation to follow the teachings of Paul (v.14).
In the early Second Century, there was no codification of the Christian Scriptures, even though some of Paul’s authentic letters were likely in circulation and Jesus Followers may have known of some of the four Gospels that were later included in the Christian Bible. The reference to “the sacred writings” (v.15) was to the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible, known as the Septuagint (LXX).
The statement that “all scripture is inspired by God” is an expansion of the Greek term “theopneutos” (“pneuma” means “wind” or “breath”) so the phrase literally is that scripture is “God-inspirited” – the spirit of God is makes the scripture useful (v.16).
The reference in 4:1 to Jesus’ appearing does not seem to be a reference to the life of Jesus of Nazareth on earth, but instead is in connection with his judging the living and the dead.
The author warns about the danger of turning away from “sound doctrine” (v. 3) and wandering away to “myths” (v.4).
Luke 18:1-8
Reading
1 Jesus told his disciples a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart. 2 He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor had respect for people. 3 In that city there was a widow who kept coming to him and saying, `Grant me justice against my opponent.’ 4 For a while he refused; but later he said to himself, `Though I have no fear of God and no respect for anyone, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will grant her justice, so that she may not wear me out by continually coming.'” 6 And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7 And will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long in helping them? 8 I tell you, he will quickly grant justice to them. And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”
Commentary
The Gospel According to Luke is generally regarded as having been written around 85 CE. Its author also wrote the Acts of the Apostles. Both books were written in elegant and deliberatively crafted Greek and presented Jesus of Nazareth as the universal savior of humanity. Both emphasized the Holy Spirit as the “driving force” for events.
The Gospel followed the same general chronology of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection as the Gospel of Mark, and more than 40% of Luke’s Gospel was based on Mark. The other portions of Luke include (a) sayings shared with the Gospel According to Matthew but not found in Mark and (b) stories that are unique to Luke such as the Annunciation, the Visitation, the Presentation in the Temple, the Prodigal Son, and the Good Samaritan.
Today’s reading appears only in Luke. The New Oxford Annotated Bible suggests that the aim of the story about the need to pray (v.1) is carefully stated because the details are incongruous, just as in the story of the master and the unjust steward (16:1-9). Prayer is important in Luke and is emphasized in many of the stories.
The plea of the widow to be granted justice (v.3) is grounded in Deut. 27:19 (“Cursed be anyone who deprives the alien, the orphan, and the widow of justice.”) – a saying that would have been known to Jesus’ audience. The Jewish Annotated New Testament points out that the words translated as “grant me justice” (v.3) are literally “avenge me” and the words “wear me out” (v.5) can also be translated as “slap me in the face.”
The thrust of the story is that if even an unjust judge will grant justice, how much more certain one can be that a just judge (God) will grant justice (v.7).
The last part of the concluding verse ties in two thoughts: the Son of Man’s coming is anticipated by Dan. 7:13 (“As I watched in the night visions, I saw one like a human being [bar adam — Son of Man] coming with the clouds of heaven.”). The question “will he find faith on earth?” ties back to the apostles’ request for an increase in “faith” in 17:5.
2022, December 11 ~ Isaiah 35:1-10; James 5:7-10; Matthew 11:2-11
/in Uncategorized /by Thomas O'BrienTODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
DECEMBER 11, 2022
Isaiah 35:1-10
Reading
1 The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad, the desert shall rejoice and blossom; like the crocus 2 it shall blossom abundantly and rejoice with joy and singing.
The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the majesty of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the LORD, the majesty of our God.
3 Strengthen the weak hands and make firm the feeble knees.
4 Say to those who are of a fearful heart, “Be strong, do not fear! Here is your God. He will come with vengeance, with terrible recompense. He will come and save you.”
5 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped;
6 then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the speechless sing for joy. For waters shall break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert;
7 the burning sand shall become a pool, and the thirsty ground springs of water; the haunt of jackals shall become a swamp, the grass shall become reeds and rushes.
8 A highway shall be there, and it shall be called the Holy Way; the unclean shall not travel on it,
but it shall be for God’s people; no traveler, not even fools, shall go astray.
9 No lion shall be there, nor shall any ravenous beast come up on it; they shall not be found there, but the redeemed shall walk there.
10 And the ransomed of the LORD shall return and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
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 Judeans who had returned to Jerusalem (which was largely destroyed by the Babylonians in 587 BCE) after the Exile ended.
Today’s reading is the entirety of Chapter 35. As an analysis of the chapters surrounding Chapter 35 shows, this chapter is an insert into the Book of Isaiah that demonstrates the “patchwork quilt” quality of the Book.
Chapter 34 is an oracle (actually, a diatribe) against Edom – the neighbor of Judea to the East that despoiled Judea during the Exile. Chapter 34, although it is included in First Isaiah, was based on events that occurred during the Exile, so it was clearly written after the Exile (as was Psalm 137 which has many of the same themes).
Chapters 36 to 39 are another insert into the Book and are an “Historical Appendix” that parallels 2 Kings 18 to 20. These chapters describe events in the last days of King Hezekiah (around 701 to 698 BCE).
Chapter 35, as an insert, connects thematically with Chapters 40 to 42 and can be seen as presenting an eschatological vision of a restored and ideal Judea after the Exile. In this sense, Chapter 35 would be a link to “Second Isaiah” in that the prophet presented hope to the Judeans that they would be the “ransomed of YHWH” (v.10).
The Jewish Study Bible also suggests that Chapter 35 presented an alternative path from Babylon to Jerusalem. The “normal” route from Babylon would require traveling northwest along the Euphrates River, and then south through Syria (Aram) to Israel. Seen as an alternative path, the desert will be transformed into a fertile area so that the “remnant” (the ransomed of the LORD v.10) could go due west from Babylon to Jerusalem. This return is portrayed in Second Isaiah as a new Exodus. The JSB says that in this understanding, the remnant was ritually clean (v.8) as it traversed this Sacred Way.
James 5:7-10
Reading
7 Be patient, therefore, beloved, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious crop from the earth, being patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains. 8 You also must be patient. Strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near. 9 Beloved, do not grumble against one another, so that you may not be judged. See, the Judge is standing at the doors! 10 As an example of suffering and patience, beloved, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.
Commentary
Although the authorship of this epistle is not known, it has traditionally been attributed to James, the brother of Jesus, who is presented in Chapters 12 and 15 of the Acts of the Apostles as the leader of the Jesus Follower community in Jerusalem.
This James (sometimes called “James the Just”) is distinguished from “James the Great” (the apostle, brother of John, and son of Zebedee) and “James the Less” (apostle and son of Alphaeus). “James” is the Greek version of the Hebrew name “Jacob.”
The letter is seen by some scholars as the expansion of a sermon likely delivered by James prior to his martyrdom in 62 CE. The sermon was edited and expanded by someone skilled in Hellenistic rhetoric. It was addressed to Jewish Jesus Followers and emphasized the importance of good works. It mentioned Jesus of Nazareth only twice in the letter.
This emphasis on works has been understood by some (including Luther) as being opposed to Paul’s position (particularly in Romans) that one is saved by Faith.
These positions are not, in fact, opposed and can be reconciled by recognizing that salvation/wholeness (however defined and understood) is the byproduct of the combination of Faith/Trust that leads to good works and to Faithfulness in doing good works.
Today’s reading is from the last chapter of the Epistle. The first six verses of the chapter are a condemnation of rich persons for their focus on accumulating wealth and for treating laborers fraudulently. The chapter then shifted in tone and offered consolation to the hearers.
Like many other writings from the late First Century, this reading expressed the understanding that a Second Coming of the Lord was near (v.8). The idea of a Second Coming arose among the Jesus Followers because they affirmed that Jesus was the Christ (Messiah), but many of the expectations (based on scripture) regarding the Messiah that were prevalent in the First Century had not occurred. For example, a “New David” had not united the dispersed Jews, restored the nation, and overthrown the Roman overlords. There was not a general peace and good order (Shalom).
The expectation of a Second Coming among Jesus Followers gradually evolved into the belief that the Second Coming would bring about (or be a sign of) the fullness of the Kingdom of God on earth.
The last verse referred to suffering and patience, and the verses that follow spoke of the “endurance” of Job (v.11).
Matthew 11:2-11
Reading
2 When John heard in prison what the Messiah was doing, he sent word by his disciples 3 and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?” 4 Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: 5 the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them. 6 And blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me.”
7 As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to look at? A reed shaken by the wind? 8 What then did you go out to see? Someone dressed in soft robes? Look, those who wear soft robes are in royal palaces. 9 What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. 10 This is the one about whom it is written, ‘See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.’
11 “Truly I tell you, among those born of women no one has arisen greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.”
Commentary
The Gospel of Matthew highlights Jesus’ origins and identity. Written around 85 CE by an anonymous author, the Gospel began Jesus’s 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.
Having been 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). 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.
Matthew’s Gospel, like that of Mark, identified Jesus as the Messiah (the Christ) from its first verse. (Mark, in some later versions, add “Son of God” in 1:1. In Luke, the angels announced to the shepherds that the child who was born was the Savior, the Messiah, the Lord. Luke 2:11).
Today’s reading is “Q” material and is found only in Matthew and Luke.
John’s imprisonment (v.2) is also mentioned by the First Century historian, Josephus.
The New Oxford Annotated Bible notes that many First Century groups, including the Essenes (as shown by the Dead Sea Scrolls), expected a messianic or redemptive figure to overthrow the Romans and unite the people of Israel. Accordingly, John the Baptist’s question was understandable in this context.
Consistent with Matthew’s prediction-fulfillment mode of presenting Jesus as the Messiah, the answer that Jesus gave (vv.6-9) paraphrased a number of messianic predictions of Isaiah (29:18, 35:5, 42:18 and 61:1).
The New Jerome Biblical Commentary points out that Jesus’ response was a statement that his messiahship is not one of sovereignty and judgment, but one of healing and helping those in need. The Jewish Annotated New Testament suggests that Jesus did not directly answer the question posed by John’s disciples lest a claim by Jesus of messiahship be reported to Herod Antipas by Herod’s guards.
Jesus’ statement about John (v.10) as God’s messenger is a “fulfillment” based on Malachi 3:1 and Isaiah 40:3.
2022, December 4 ~ Isaiah 11:1-10; Romans 15:4-13; Matthew 3:1-12
/in Uncategorized /by Thomas O'BrienTODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
DECEMBER 4, 2022
Isaiah 11:1-10
Reading
1 A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots.
2 The spirit of the LORD shall rest on him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.
3 His delight shall be in the fear of the LORD. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide by what his ears hear;
4 but with righteousness he shall judge the poor and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.
5 Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist, and faithfulness the belt around his loins.
6 The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them.
7 The cow and the bear shall graze; their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
8 The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder’s den.
9 They will not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain; for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.
10 On that day the root of Jesse shall stand as a signal to the peoples; the nations shall inquire of him, and his dwelling shall be glorious.
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 Judeans who had returned to Jerusalem (which was largely destroyed by the Babylonians in 587 BCE) after the Exile ended.
Today’s reading is part of an extended messianic and eschatological prophesy in Chapter 11. Although Chapter 11 is included in “First Isaiah” – the period from 730 to 701 BCE — there are differing scholarly opinions as to the time of the composition of the poem in Chapter 11. In particular, verses 6 to 9 are very similar to portions of Isaiah 57 and 65. According to The New Oxford Annotated Bible, many scholars see today’s reading as part of post-Exilic messianic expectations.
In saying that a “shoot shall come from the stump of Jesse [David’s father]” (v.1), the writer said that the Messiah will be from the House of David. (The Jewish Study Bible points out that the Hebrew word “geza” (translated as “stump”) can refer to not only the stump of a tree that has been cut down, but also to the stump/roots of a living tree.)
The understanding that the Messiah would come from Jesse was combined with the promise by YHWH to David (spoken through Nathan) in 2 Sam.7:13-16 (“I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever… your throne shall be established forever”).
The Gospels according to Matthew and Luke both state the birthplace of Jesus of Nazareth was Bethlehem, the town from which David came (1 Sam.16).
The Jewish Study Bible notes that in this prophesy of a new age, the poor and the wicked will still be present (v.4), but one of the main attributes of the messianic ruler will be the firm and equitable administration of justice (vv.3-5).
In addition to bringing about peace, harmony, and “righteousness” (everything in proper relationship with everything else), the concluding verse (v.11) implied a restoration of the Davidic Kingdom in which the root of Jesse would “stand as a signal” for the “peoples” and the “nations.” The Hebrew word (goyim) and the Greek word (ethnē) for “peoples” and “nations” are also translatable as “Gentiles.”
Romans 15:4-13
Reading
4 Whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, so that by steadfastness and by the encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope. 5 May the God of steadfastness and encouragement grant you to live in harmony with one another, in accordance with Christ Jesus, 6 so that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
7 Welcome one another, therefore, just as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God. 8 For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the circumcised on behalf of the truth of God in order that he might confirm the promises given to the patriarchs, 9 and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written, “Therefore I will confess you among the Gentiles, and sing praises to your name;”
10 and again he says, “Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people;”
11 and again, “Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and let all the peoples praise him;”
12 and again Isaiah says, “The root of Jesse shall come, the one who rises to rule the Gentiles;
in him the Gentiles shall hope.”
13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Commentary
Paul’s letter to the Romans was his longest, last, and most complex letter. It was written in the late 50s or early 60s (CE) to a Jesus Follower community that Paul did not establish. Among other messages in the letter, Paul sought to encourage respectful and supportive relationships between the Gentile Jesus Followers and the Jewish Jesus Followers in Rome.
The Roman Emperor Claudius had expelled the Jews from Rome in 49 CE. His successor, Nero (54-68 CE), allowed Jews (including Jewish Jesus Followers) to return to Rome, and this created tensions about leadership and worship within the Jesus Follower Community. (They were not called “Christians” until the 80’s.)
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.
Today’s reading is the continuation of an exhortation by Paul to “we who are strong” (v.1) to “sustain the powerless in their weakness.” This is the literal translation of the words the NRSV translates as “put up with the failings of the weak.” The Jewish Annotated New Testament points out that the NRSV translation supports the “traditional” interpretation that the “weak” did not trust God’s faithfulness enough to give up a belief that faithfulness included Torah observance.
Instead, the JANT suggests, Paul himself was an Israelite who was personally Torah-observant and who believed that Jewish Jesus Followers should remain Torah-observant. At the same time, Paul believed that (a) the faithfulness of the Christ brought “righteousness” (a right relation with God) to all peoples, including Gentiles and (b) believers have an obligation to support those Israelites who did not believe that the Christ brought righteousness to all people.
In this context, Paul affirmed the importance of the Scriptures (v.4), which (by definition) were the Hebrew Scriptures. He urged both Jewish and Gentile Jesus Followers to glorify God with one voice (v.6) and noted the Jewishness of Jesus of Nazareth (“servant of the circumcised” (v.9).
In verses 9, 10 and 11, Paul emphasized the interwoven destinies of Jews and Gentiles. He loosely paraphrased (most likely because he relied on the LXX Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible) verses from Psalm 18:49, Deuteronomy 32:43 and Psalm 117:1. In verse 12, he paraphrased the last verse of today’s reading from Isaiah and stated that the “root of Jesse” would “rule the Gentiles.”
Matthew 3:1-12
Reading
1 In those days John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea, proclaiming, 2 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” 3 This is the one of whom the prophet Isaiah spoke when he said, “The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.’”
4 Now John wore clothing of camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. 5 Then the people of Jerusalem and all Judea were going out to him, and all the region along the Jordan, 6 and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.
7 But when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Bear fruit worthy of repentance. 9 Do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our ancestor’; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. 10 Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
11 “I baptize you with water for repentance, but one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 12 His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and will gather his wheat into the granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”
Commentary
The Gospel of Matthew highlights Jesus’ origins and identity. Written around 85 CE by an anonymous author, the Gospel began Jesus’s 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.
Having been 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). 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.
In today’s reading, Matthew moved from the travel of Joseph, Mary, and Jesus to Nazareth after their time in Egypt (2:23) to the appearance of John the Baptist in the wilderness and at the River Jordan preaching repentance. (This is where the Gospel of Mark begins.)
Matthew’s account followed Mark with some exceptions. Matthew had John speak of the “Kingdom of Heaven” (v.2) — his customary circumlocution for the Kingdom of God. This is a recognition that Matthew’s audience was primarily Jewish Jesus Followers for whom the word “God” was not to be spoken or written.
Like Mark, this gospel used hyperbole and claimed that all Judea (v.5) came to be baptized by John. John’s dress and diet (v.4) were derived from Elijah (2 Kings 1:8 and Zech. 13:4).
In Jesus’ time, according to Josephus (a First Century historian), the three principal sects within Judaism were the Sadducees (hereditary priesthood who understood the Torah literally and exclusively), the Pharisees (learned in the Law and who claimed there was also an “oral Torah” or interpretations – sometimes called the “traditions of the elders”), and the Essenes (who were separated from the mainstream).
The “brood of vipers” condemnation (v.7) is “Q” material and is only in Matthew and Luke. In Luke, John condemned “the crowds” (Luke 3:7) rather than the Sadducees and Pharisees. In Matthew’s Gospel, the Sadducees were seen as significant in persuading Pilate to order Jesus’ crucifixion. By 85 CE, the Pharisees were the opponents of the Jesus Followers for control of the future of Judaism after the Destruction of the Temple in 70 CE.
Because a person performing a baptism is often seen as “superior” to the baptized person, Jesus’ baptism by John created a “need” to show John’s subordination. All four gospels contain language about his unworthiness to untie Jesus’ sandals (Matthew said “carry” which The New Jerome Biblical Commentary suggests may reflect a later rabbinic refinement). After today’s reading, Matthew added a colloquy in which John said to Jesus that he ought to be baptized by Jesus, but Jesus told him to proceed with the baptism to “fulfill all righteousness” (3:14-15).
In A Season for the Spirit, Martin Smith suggests that Jesus’ Baptism was a statement of Jesus’ essential humanity and his relationship with us. Although aware of his sinless state, Jesus did not stand apart from sinners but submitted to baptism as one of us.
2022, November 27 ~ Isaiah 2:1-5; Romans 13:11-14; Matthew 24:36-44
/in Uncategorized /by Thomas O'BrienTODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
NOVEMBER 27, 2022
FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT
Isaiah 2:1-5
Reading
1 The word that Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
2 In days to come the mountain of the LORD’s house shall be established as the highest of the mountains and shall be raised above the hills; all the nations shall stream to it.
3 Many peoples shall come and say, ‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.’ For out of Zion shall go forth instruction, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
4 He shall judge between the nations and shall arbitrate for many peoples; they shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning-hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.
5 O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the LORD!
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 Judeans who had returned to Jerusalem (which was largely destroyed by the Babylonians in 587 BCE) after the Exile ended.
Today’s reading is from First Isaiah and is set in the time from 733 to 701 BCE. The opening verse is similar to Isaiah 1:1 and is another “superscription” or introduction to the prophet’s words. The fact that there are two superscriptions strongly supports the conclusion that the Book of Isaiah is an amalgam of once independent collections of Isaiah’s prophesies.
As a “prophet,” Isaiah did not foretell the future, and the word translated as “saw” (v.1) is from a Hebrew word that is literally translated as “saw in a vision.”
In verses 2 to 4, Isaiah saw the restoration of Israel through the power of YHWH and many peoples and nations coming to Jerusalem for instruction (in Hebrew, “Torah”). The root of the word translated as “nations” and “peoples” is “goyim” which is also translatable as “Gentiles.” These verses are repeated in Micah 4:1-4. Micah was a younger contemporary of First Isaiah.
The last verse is the beginning of a call for the House of Jacob (i.e. Israel) to reform and walk in the light of YHWH.
Romans 13:11-14
Reading
11 You know what time it is, how it is now the moment for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we became believers; 12 the night is far gone, the day is near. Let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armor of light; 13 let us live honorably as in the day, not in reveling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarreling and jealousy. 14 Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.
Commentary
Paul’s letter to the Romans was his longest, last, and most complex letter. It was written in the late 50s or early 60s (CE) to a Jesus Follower community that Paul did not establish. Among other messages in the letter, Paul sought to encourage respectful and supportive relationships between the Gentile Jesus Followers and the Jewish Jesus Followers in Rome.
The Roman Emperor Claudius had expelled the Jews from Rome in 49 CE. His successor, Nero (54-68 CE), allowed Jews (including Jewish Jesus Followers) to return to Rome, and this created tensions about leadership and worship within the Jesus Follower Community. (They were not called “Christians” until the 80’s.)
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.
Today’s reading is the concluding verses of Chapter 13 in which Paul exhorted the community to practice conventional civic virtues: be subject to governing authorities (v.1), pay taxes (v.7) and love one another (vv.8-9). Some scholars conclude that Paul expressed these views because he was aware of recent pogroms against Jews in Alexandria around 40 CE and the expulsion of Jews from Rome by Claudius. He therefore urged civil obedience by the Jesus Follower Community so that the Jewish Jesus Followers would not be vulnerable.
In today’s verses, Paul urged his hearers to live honorably because “salvation” (understood as the Return of the Christ) was perceived to be near (v.11). He urged them to ”live honorably as in the day” (13). The Jewish Annotated New Testament suggests that “the point is to behave as if everything is observed fully by God and humankind rather than as if something can be gotten away with if unseen.”
Paul told the community to “put on the Lord Jesus Christ” – a metaphor for baptism (v.14). In speaking of “the flesh,” Paul was not referring to the human body, but instead (as he did consistently in his epistles) equated “the flesh” with self-centeredness, striving for power, and selfishness.
Matthew 24:36-44
Reading
36 Jesus said to the disciples, “But about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 37 For as the days of Noah were, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying, and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark, 39 and they knew nothing until the flood came and swept them all away, so too will be the coming of the Son of Man. 40 Then two will be in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. 41 Two women will be grinding meal together; one will be taken and one will be left. 42 Keep awake therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. 43 But understand this: if the owner of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.”
Commentary
The Gospel of Matthew highlights Jesus’ origins and identity. Written around 85 CE by an anonymous author, the Gospel began Jesus’s 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 Septuagint Greek Translation) to illustrate that Jesus was the Messiah.
Having been 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). There are a substantial number of stories that are unique to Matthew: the Annunciation of Jesus’ conception as 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 an extended eschatological presentation by Jesus. Chapter 24 is a long discourse about the coming of the Son of Man (a reference to Dan. 7:13) and the end of the age as we know it, including a prediction of the destruction of the Temple (24:1-2).
Jesus retired to the Mount of Olives and spoke to his disciples “privately” (v.3) about the signs of the coming of the Son of Man (v. 27). Today’s verses emphasized that the coming of the Son of Man would occur at an unexpected time and urged that followers be ready for it at any time.
2022, November 20 ~ Jeremiah 23:1-6; Colossians 1:11-20; Luke 23:33-43
/in Uncategorized /by Thomas O'BrienTODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
NOVEMBER 20, 2022
FEAST OF CHRIST THE KING
Jeremiah 23:1-6
Reading
1 Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! says the LORD. 2 Therefore thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, concerning the shepherds who shepherd my people: It is you who have scattered my flock, and have driven them away, and you have not attended to them. So I will attend to you for your evil doings, says the LORD. 3 Then I myself will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the lands where I have driven them, and I will bring them back to their fold, and they shall be fruitful and multiply. 4 I will raise up shepherds over them who will shepherd them, and they shall not fear any longer, or be dismayed, nor shall any be missing, says the LORD.
5 The days are surely coming, says the LORD, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. 6 In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. And this is the name by which he will be called: “The LORD is our righteousness.”
Commentary
After the righteous and reforming King Josiah was killed in battle at Megiddo (from which we get the Greek word Armageddon) in 609 BCE, the fortunes of Judea took a sharp downward turn. Babylon threatened Judea’s existence, and Judea had a series of hapless kings from 609 until Jerusalem was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BCE. The Babylonians deported many Judean leaders to Babylon in 597 and a larger number in 586 (the Babylonian Exile). Jeremiah’s prophesy (i.e., speaking for YHWH) began around 609 and continued until 586 BCE when he died in Egypt.
Most Bible scholars agree that the Book of Jeremiah underwent substantial revisions between the time of Jeremiah (627 to 586 BCE) and the First Century. In the Dead Sea Scrolls, there were different versions of the Book of Jeremiah. The Greek Septuagint Translation (the LXX – dating from 300 to 200 BCE) has some chapters that are not in the Hebrew versions.
Jeremiah is largely a prophet of doom and gloom, so much so that the English word “jeremiad” is defined as a long, mournful complaint or lamentation, a list of woes. In the Bible, the Book of Lamentations was placed after the Book of Jeremiah because of the (incorrect) view that Jeremiah wrote the Book of Lamentations.
Sections in the book that are in “poetry style” are generally attributed to the prophet, and parts in “prose style” were mostly added later by writers whose theological outlook was closely aligned with the Deuteronomists. (In fact, Chapter 52 in Jeremiah is virtually word-for-word with 2 Kings 24:18 to 25:30 written by the Deuteronomists after the Exile.)
One of the consistent themes in Jeremiah was his ongoing battles with the “court” prophets who told the king what the king wanted to hear and who opposed Jeremiah at every turn.
Today’s reading is in prose style and attacked the kings and priests (the “shepherds”). Consistent with the “do bad, get bad” theology of the Deuteronomists, YHWH (“LORD” in all capital letters) will “attend to” them for their “evil doings” (v.2).
The writers then held up the promise that YHWH would raise up for “David” (Judea) a righteous king who would enable Israel to live in safety and righteousness (v.5). For the Deuteronomists, YHWH was in charge of everything, and YHWH caused the Exile, the end of the Exile through Cyrus of Persia, the return of the Judeans to Jerusalem, and the relatively peaceful Persian Era (539 to 333 BCE).
If these “predictions” of YHWH’s promises were in fact made after the Exile, the writers had “20/20 hindsight” that the “remnant” (a common designation for the Judeans who returned to Jerusalem after the Exile) would be “fruitful and multiply” – the command given by God to humans in Gen. 1:28.
These prophesies by Jeremiah remained an important part of Ancient Israel’s understandings (and expectations) of what the Messiah would be and do.
Colossians 1:11-20
Reading
11 May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from his glorious power, and may you be prepared to endure everything with patience, while joyfully 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light. 13 He has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; 16 for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers– all things have been created through him and for him. 17 He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross.
Commentary
Colossae was a town in what is now western Turkey. A Jesus Follower community was founded there by Paul’s associate, Epaphras (1:7). The letter is short (three chapters) and expressed concern about apocalyptic and mystical practices that were inconsistent with Paul’s understanding of what it meant to be a Jesus Follower.
Scholars debate whether this letter was written by Paul or by his disciples in the decades after Paul’s death in 63 CE. It lacks many terms used in Paul’s authentic letters and its style is more liturgical than Paul’s other letters.
The first part of today’s reading is part of a prayer for spiritual wisdom for the Colossians. The author adopted an apocalyptic theme by contrasting light and darkness (vv. 12-13). He expressed the theme that believers are redeemed and receive forgiveness of sin in the Christ (v. 14). “Redemption” conveyed the sense of being bought back, the way something already owned is redeemed from a pawn shop.
The second part of the reading is a hymn to the Christ. The author described Jesus of Nazareth as the “image” (or symbol or manifestation) of the invisible God (v.15) and described the Cosmic Christ as the unifying force for all created things, the one who brings life to us even though we encounter our own deaths, and the force that reconciles all things in the God of Love. The Christ is the firstborn of all creation (v.15) and the firstborn of the dead (v.18) – the first person raised from the dead.
Luke 23:33-43
Reading
33 When they came to the place that is called The Skull, they crucified Jesus there with the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. 34 Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” 35 And they cast lots to divide his clothing. The people stood by, watching Jesus on the cross; but the leaders scoffed at him, saying, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Messiah of God, his chosen one!” 36 The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine, 37 and saying, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!” 38 There was also an inscription over him, “This is the King of the Jews.”
39 One of the criminals who were hanged there kept deriding him and saying, “Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” 40 But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? 41 And we indeed have been condemned justly, for we are getting what we deserve for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong.” 42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” 43 He replied, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”
Commentary
The Gospel According to Luke is generally regarded as having been written around 85 CE. Its author also wrote the Acts of the Apostles. Both books were written in elegant and deliberatively crafted Greek and presented Jesus of Nazareth as the universal savior of humanity. Both emphasized the Holy Spirit as the “driving force” for events.
The Gospel followed the same general chronology of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection as the Gospel of Mark, and more than 40% of Luke’s Gospel was based on Mark. The other portions of Luke include (a) sayings shared with the Gospel According to Matthew but not found in Mark and (b) stories that are unique to Luke such as the Annunciation, the Visitation, the Presentation in the Temple, the Prodigal Son, and the Good Samaritan.
Although the Passion in Luke generally follows the Passion as recounted in Mark (which, in turn, relied on many motifs from Psalm 22), Luke’s account contained a number of episodes and sayings not found in any of the other gospels. For example, only in Luke did Jesus appear before Herod Antipas (23:6-12). Only in Luke did Jesus say, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing” (v.34) – a verse not found in all ancient manuscripts. The essence of this prayer was repeated by Stephen (the first martyr) in Acts 7:6, also written by the author of Luke.
In today’s reading, another exchange unique to Luke is the one between Jesus and the so-called “Good Thief” who rebuked the other criminal (v.40), asked to be remembered when Jesus came into his kingdom (v.42) and received the promise to be with Jesus “in Paradise” (v.43). The New Oxford Annotated Bible notes that “Paradise was originally a term for the garden of Eden (Gen. 2.8-10) and was a contemporary [in the First Century] term for the lodging place of the righteous dead prior to the resurrection.”
2022, November 13 ~ Isaiah 65:17-25; Malachi 4:1-2a; 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13; Luke 21:5-19
/in Uncategorized /by Thomas O'BrienTODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
NOVEMBER 13, 2022
During Pentecost Season 2022, 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.
Isaiah 65:17-25
Reading
17 For I am about to create new heavens and a new earth; the former things shall not be remembered or come to mind.
18 But be glad and rejoice forever in what I am creating; for I am about to create Jerusalem as a joy, and its people as a delight.
19 I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and delight in my people; no more shall the sound of weeping be heard in it, or the cry of distress.
20 No more shall there be in it an infant that lives but a few days, or an old person who does not live out a lifetime; for one who dies at a hundred years will be considered a youth, and one who falls short of a hundred will be considered accursed.
21 They shall build houses and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
22 They shall not build and another inhabit; they shall not plant and another eat; for like the days of a tree shall the days of my people be, and my chosen shall long enjoy the work of their hands.
23 They shall not labor in vain, or bear children for calamity; for they shall be offspring blessed by the LORD — and their descendants as well.
24 Before they call, I will answer, while they are yet speaking, I will hear.
25 The wolf and the lamb shall feed together; the lion shall eat straw like the ox; but the serpent — its food shall be dust! They shall not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain, says the LORD.
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 Third Isaiah and appears to be a late insert into Chapter 65. The first seven verses in the Chapter are a lament by YHWH that the people had not asked for assistance even though YHWH was ready to assist. The Jewish Study Bible points out that the fact that YHWH “spread out My hands” (v.2) meant that YHWH assumed a human-like posture of prayer. Verses 8 to 16 are a statement by YHWH that those who are his servants shall prosper, but those who forsake YHWH and worship foreign gods will perish.
Verses 17 to 25 have an apocalyptic tone – the existing dire situation will be reversed because divine intervention will bring about a profound change. Similar eschatological motifs are found in the so-called “Isaiah Apocalypse” in Chapters 24 to 27.
The reading presents a “new world” (v.17) in which there is no infant mortality and persons will live more than 100 years (v.20). This eschatological vision reversed some of the consequences of the “Disobedience Event” in the Garden of Eden. Endless and sometimes futile toil (Gen. 3:17-18) is changed into “you shall not labor in vain” (v. 23). As in the Garden of Eden before the Disobedience Event (Gen. 1:29-30), no creatures (human or animal) will kill for food (v.25).
The images in verse 25 (“the lion and the lamb shall feed together” and “the lion shall eat straw like the ox”) became integrated into the expected signs of the Messiah’s presence and the Shalom (peace, good order) that the Messiah is expected to bring.
The Jewish Study Bible notes that although the new era will be one in which persons will live to an old age, there is no prediction of eternal life or resurrection in these passages. The JSB also notes that there are passages in Daniel and in the Isaian Apocalypse that did form a basis for Rabbinic Judaism to formulate a belief in the resurrection of all.
Malachi 4:1-2a
Reading
1 See, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble; the day that comes shall burn them up, says the LORD of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. 2a But for you who revere my name the sun of righteousness shall rise, with healing in its wings.
Commentary
The Book of Malachi is the last book of the 12 “Minor” Prophets – so called because these 12 books are much shorter than the three “Major” Prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel). His name literally means “my messenger” and the book appears to have been written in the 5th Century BCE, after the Second Temple was built.
Malachi held a high view of the Temple priesthood and its responsibilities and wrote to an audience that was disheartened that the hopes of the “restoration prophets” (Haggai and Zechariah) had not materialized. Malachi asserted that YHWH (“LORD” in all capital letters) had been true to God’s promises, but that the hopes of the other prophets were not fulfilled because Judah (Judea and Jerusalem) had not been faithful.
Malachi asserted that the “Day of the LORD” was coming soon, and the “messenger” of the Day of the LORD was later identified as Elijah (4:5). In most prophetic books, the Day of the LORD was presented as a time of wrath, darkness, fear, and trembling.
In today’s reading from the last chapter in the book, the author reiterated that the Day of the LORD will be terrible for the arrogant and evildoers, but that those who revere YHWH’s name will rise (v.2). The Jewish Study Bible suggests that a “sun of righteousness” (or “victory” in the Jewish Publication translation) in v.2a is a metaphor for a new “day” – a new era of history.
In the Hebrew Bible, the Books of the Prophets are in the middle of the Bible and are followed by the Writings. In Christian Bibles, Malachi is the last book of the Hebrew Bible, so that when one turns the page, a prophet much like Elijah (John the Baptist) is encountered in the Gospel According to Matthew.
2 Thessalonians 3:6-13
Reading
6 Now we command you, beloved, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to keep away from believers who are living in idleness and not according to the tradition that they received from us. 7 For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us; we were not idle when we were with you, 8 and we did not eat anyone’s bread without paying for it; but with toil and labor we worked night and day, so that we might not burden any of you. 9 This was not because we do not have that right, but in order to give you an example to imitate. 10 For even when we were with you, we gave you this command: Anyone unwilling to work should not eat. 11 For we hear that some of you are living in idleness, mere busybodies, not doing any work. 12 Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living. 13 Brothers and sisters, do not be weary in doing what is right.
Commentary
Thessalonica, a port city in northern Greece, was capital of the Roman province of Macedonia in the First Century. Paul’s First Letter to the Thessalonians is the oldest part of the Christian Scriptures and was written by Paul before 50 CE, about 20 years before the first Gospel (Mark) was written. A principal theme of both 1 and 2 Thessalonians is the return of the Lord Jesus in the end time.
In 2 Thessalonians, however, there was what appears to be a conscious imitation of 1 Thessalonians, an emphasis on living in the present, and warnings about forgeries of Paul’s writings. For these reasons, many scholars conclude that 2 Thessalonians was written by one of Paul’s disciples after Paul’s death in 64 CE. Unlike Paul’s authentic letters, this letter is addressed only to Gentiles and, although the author appears well-grounded in Jewish thought, nothing is said about Jews or Judaism.
The New Oxford Annotated Bible observes that in 1 Thessalonians assumes that the Christ’s reappearance will be a surprise, but that 2 Thessalonians suggests that it will come only after a struggle with evil and an unidentified “lawless one” (2:3) at some future time (2:8). The letter addressed problems perceived at the time: persecutions, disagreements about the end-times, and a refusal to work.
Today’s reading is from the final chapter in the letter and was an exhortation to the entire community. The writer presented his own behavior as the model for the community (v.7) and commanded that those who were able to work must do so (v.10).
The verses that follow today’s reading closed the letter with a wish of peace for the community and an assertion by “Paul” that he wrote the letter with his own hand – a claim that ironically shows that the author was concerned about the authenticity and authority of the letter.
Luke 21:5-19
Reading
5 When some were speaking about the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and gifts dedicated to God, Jesus said, 6 “As for these things that you see, the days will come when not one stone will be left upon another; all will be thrown down.”
7 They asked him, “Teacher, when will this be, and what will be the sign that this is about to take place?” 8 And he said, “Beware that you are not led astray; for many will come in my name and say, `I am he!’ and `The time is near!’ Do not go after them.
9 “When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for these things must take place first, but the end will not follow immediately.” 10 Then he said to them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; 11 there will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and plagues; and there will be dreadful portents and great signs from heaven.
12 “But before all this occurs, they will arrest you and persecute you; they will hand you over to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors because of my name. 13 This will give you an opportunity to testify. 14 So make up your minds not to prepare your defense in advance; 15 for I will give you words and a wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to withstand or contradict. 16 You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, by relatives and friends; and they will put some of you to death. 17 You will be hated by all because of my name. 18 But not a hair of your head will perish. 19 By your endurance you will gain your souls.”
Commentary
The Gospel According to Luke is generally regarded as having been written around 85 CE. Its author also wrote the Acts of the Apostles. Both books were written in elegant and deliberatively crafted Greek and presented Jesus of Nazareth as the universal savior of humanity. Both emphasized the Holy Spirit as the “driving force” for events.
The Gospel followed the same general chronology of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection as the Gospel of Mark, and more than 40% of Luke’s Gospel was based on Mark. The other portions of Luke include (a) sayings shared with the Gospel According to Matthew but not found in Mark and (b) stories that are unique to Luke such as the Annunciation, the Visitation, the Presentation in the Temple, the Prodigal Son, and the Good Samaritan.
After the Babylonian Exile (586-539 BCE), a modest Temple in Jerusalem was built in the period from 515 to 505 BCE. This is called the “Second Temple” in recognition of the Biblical account of Solomon’s building a Temple in Jerusalem from 961 to 954 BCE (1 Kings 6). Solomon’s Temple was modest (about 15% the size of his Palace).
In 37 BCE, Herod the Great became the King of the Jews and he reigned until 4 BCE. Herod had what has been described as an “Edifice Complex” – he greatly enlarged the Temple starting in 19 BCE so that it covered 20% of the area of Jerusalem inside the walls. It was adorned with gold and was a magnificent structure. He also built the port and amphitheater at Caesarea, and the Fortress at Masada.
Today’s reading is the “foretelling” of the Destruction of the Temple in 70 CE during the Jewish-Roman War from 66 to 73 CE. This foretelling is also described in similar detail in Mark 13 and Matt. 24:1-28.
The New Oxford Annotated Bible observes: “Numerous writers, Jewish and Christian, and also Stoic philosophers, shared the belief that history was headed for some great transforming cataclysm. The destruction of the Jerusalem Temple in 70 CE was seen as the beginning of the end.”
Jesus’ speech used apocalyptic motifs in verses 7 to 11 to caution against over-interpreting any of these apparently apocalyptic events: the Destruction of the Temple (v.6), the claims of false Messiahs (v.7), wars and insurrections (v.9), and earthquakes, famines, and plagues (v.11), each of which were often seen as signs the end is near. Instead, he noted that “the end will not follow immediately” (v.9).
Verses 12 to 17 described the persecution Jesus predicted for the disciples, including being handed over to synagogues (v.12). It is difficult to know if this was a statement made by the Historical Jesus or was an expression by the gospel writing communities after the Destruction of the Temple that recognized some of the consequences of the intensifying struggle between two remaining Jewish sects — the Pharisaic Movement and the Jesus Follower Movement — for control of the future of Judaism.
2022, November 6 ~ Daniel 7:1-3,15-18; Ephesians 1:11-23; Luke 6:20-31
/in Uncategorized /by Thomas O'BrienTODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
NOVEMBER 6, 2022
ALL SAINTS’ DAY OBSERVED
Daniel 7:1-3, 15-18
Reading
1 In the first year of King Belshazzar of Babylon, Daniel had a dream and visions of his head as he lay in bed. Then he wrote down the dream: 2 I, Daniel, saw in my vision by night the four winds of heaven stirring up the great sea, 3 and four great beasts came up out of the sea, different from one another.
15 As for me, Daniel, my spirit was troubled within me, and the visions of my head terrified me. 16 I approached one of the attendants to ask him the truth concerning all this. So he said that he would disclose to me the interpretation of the matter: 17 “As for these four great beasts, four kings shall arise out of the earth. 18 But the holy ones of the Most High shall receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom for ever — for ever and ever.”
Commentary
The Book of Daniel is part of the Prophets in the Christian Bible and is placed after the three Major Prophets and before the 12 Minor Prophets. In the Hebrew Bible, Daniel is not included with the Prophets and instead is part of the Writings. It is placed after Esther and before Ezra and Nehemiah (all of which are included among the Historical Books in the Christian Bible).
The Jewish Study Bible suggests that this different treatment of Daniel arose because the First (and early Second) Century Rabbis were aware that early Christianity saw a prefiguration of the Christ and resurrection in the Book of Daniel. Accordingly, it was not placed with the Prophets.
The Book of Daniel has two distinct parts. Chapters 1 to 6 are six “court legends” — stories of Daniel in the Court of the Babylonian Kings and the Persian Kings before, during and just after the Exile (587-539 BCE). Because these kings are presented as ignorant (but not malevolent), scholars date these six chapters to the time when Judea was under the generally benevolent rule of the Persians (539 to 333 BCE) and the Greeks (333 to 281 BCE).
Chapters 2 to 7 of the Book were written in Aramaic rather than Hebrew. (Aramaic was the common language of the Middle East from the time of the Babylonian Exile until the Hellenistic period.) The folktales in these chapters emphasized personal piety and divine intervention and provided encouragement to Jews living under foreign rule.
Chapters 7 to 12 were written later – during the oppression of Antiochus IV Epiphanes (175-164 BCE) whose desecration of the Temple led to the Maccabean Revolt in 167 BCE. These chapters contain four apocalyptic visions told in the first person. They depict hostility to foreign governments and presented visions of situations so dire that an external intervention (such as by God) was needed to put things right. Like other apocalyptic writings, the Book of Daniel used strong images to describe the conflict between good and evil. In the first six chapters, Daniel was an interpreter of dreams, but in the second part he was presented as a visionary himself.
Today’s reading was set in 553 BCE (v.1), and Daniel’s dream “foretold” (with 20-20 hindsight), a vision coming out of “the great sea” (v.2), a symbol of chaos. The dream saw the conquest of Judea by four “beasts” (v.3) – generally seen Babylon, Media, Persia, and Greece (v.17). The mixed natures of the beasts implied uncleanliness as understood in Leviticus – a lion with wings (v.4), a bear with tusks (v.5), a leopard with wings and four heads (v.6), and a beast with 11 horns (v.7).
In the omitted verses, Daniel saw “one like a human being [bar adam] coming with the clouds of heaven” (v.13) – language that developed into the phrase “Son of Man.”
The “holy ones” (v.18) who received the kingdom are interpreted by The New Oxford Annotated Bible as either the heavenly court or as the Jews persecuted by Antiochus IV Epiphanes.
Ephesians 1:11-23
Reading
11 In Christ we have also obtained an inheritance, having been destined according to the purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to his counsel and will, 12 so that we, who were the first to set our hope on Christ, might live for the praise of his glory. 13 In him you also, when you had heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and had believed in him, were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit; 14 his is the pledge of our inheritance toward redemption as God’s own people, to the praise of his glory.
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. This letter was intended to unify them.
Because the letter contained many terms not used in Paul’s other letters and gave new meanings to some of Paul’s characteristic terms, most scholars believe that this letter was written by one of Paul’s disciples late in the First Century. The first three chapters are theological teachings, and the last three chapters consist of ethical exhortations.
In the verses before today’s reading, the author celebrated his vision of the Church and began working his way up to the main theme of unity. This unity between Jews and Gentiles was part of God’s eternal plan to unify them through the death and resurrection of Jesus the Christ. He referred to the Christ as eternal and preexisting (“from the foundation of the world” in v.4).
This portion of the letter that is today’s reading was addressed to Gentile Jesus Followers (“you” in verse 13, as shown in 2:11 referring to them as uncircumcised and 3:1 referring to them as Gentiles).
The Jewish Annotated New Testament sees “the word of truth” (v.13) as referring to both the gospel and to the Christ (“believed in him”) – just as the Prologue to the Fourth Gospel referred to the Christ as the Logos/Word. The JANT also notes that the “seal of the Holy Spirit ” (v.13) was a sign of ownership.
The author spoke of the love of the Jesus Followers for “all the saints” (v.15). The Greek word is “hagioi” and is understood as “holy ones” or those set apart and sanctified by God through faith in the Christ. He gave thanks for the faith of the community and prayed that the “eyes of their hearts” will be enlightened (v.18). The reference to the Christ at the right hand of God (v.20) is derived from Psalm 110:1.
Luke 6:20-31
Reading
20 Jesus looked up at his disciples and said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.
21 “Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled. “Blessed are you who weep now,
for you will laugh.
22 “Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man. 23 Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven; for that is what their ancestors did to the prophets.”
24 “But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation.
25 “Woe to you who are full now, for you will be hungry. “Woe to you who are laughing now,
for you will mourn and weep.
26 “Woe to you when all speak well of you, for that is what their ancestors did to the false prophets.
27 “But I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. 29 If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. 30 Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again. 31 Do to others as you would have them do to you.
Commentary
The Gospel According to Luke is generally regarded as having been written around 85 CE. Its author also wrote the Acts of the Apostles. Both books were written in elegant and deliberatively crafted Greek and presented Jesus of Nazareth as the universal savior of humanity. Both emphasized the Holy Spirit as the “driving force” for events.
The Gospel followed the same general chronology of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection as the Gospel of Mark, and more than 40% of Luke’s Gospel was based on Mark. The other portions of Luke include (a) sayings shared with the Gospel According to Matthew but not found in Mark and (b) stories that are unique to Luke such as the Annunciation, the Visitation, the Presentation in the Temple, the Prodigal Son, and the Good Samaritan.
Today’s reading is called the Sermon on the Plain (“he stood on a level place”) (v.17) and is comparable to (but different from) Matthew’s Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5-7) and Matthew’s Beatitudes (Matt. 5:3-12). As The New Oxford Annotated Bible points out, the Beatitudes of Luke focus on economic and social conditions, not spiritual states as in Matthew.
For example, Luke said “Blessed are you who are poor” whereas Matthew’s version said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit.” Both conclude “for yours is the kingdom of heaven (Matt) or God” (Luke). Because Matthew was writing for a Jewish audience, he rarely used the word “God” in the Gospel.
Unlike Matthew who expressed nine “Blessings,” Luke expressed four “Blessings” and four “Woes” which are the antitheses of the Blessings. The NOAB sees the Blessings and Woes eschatologically and says that “the early status of those addressed will be reversed in the divinely determined future.”
The reading’s concluding verses articulated a Commandment of Love that is similar to the expression in Matt. 5:38-48. It demands love of one’s enemies, non-violent responses to violence, unhesitating charity toward those less fortunate, and an expression of the “Golden Rule” to do to others as you would have them do to you.
The Jewish Annotated New Testament compares Luke’s “Golden Rule” with that of Hillel. Hillel was born (according to tradition) in Babylon c.110 BCE and died in 10 CE in Jerusalem (so he lived 120 years just as Moses did (Deut. 34:7). He was a Jewish religious leader, sage and scholar associated with the development of the Mishnah and the Talmud.
He is popularly known as the author of two sayings: (1) “If I am not for myself, who will be for me? And being only for myself, what am I? And if not now, when?” and (2) the expression of the ethic of reciprocity or “Golden Rule”: “That which is hateful to you, do not do unto your fellow. That is the whole Torah; the rest is commentary; now go and learn.”
2022, October 30 ~ Habakkuk 1:1-4,2:1-4; Isaiah 1:10-18; 2 Thessalonians 1:1-4,11-12; Luke 19:1-10
/in Uncategorized /by Thomas O'BrienTODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
OCTOBER 30, 2022
During Pentecost Season 2022, 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.
Habakkuk 1:1-4, 2:1-4
Reading
1 The oracle that the prophet Habakkuk saw.
2 O LORD, how long shall I cry for help, and you will not listen? Or cry to you “Violence!” and you will not save?
3 Why do you make me see wrong-doing and look at trouble? Destruction and violence are before me; strife and contention arise.
4 So the law becomes slack and justice never prevails. The wicked surround the righteous–
therefore judgment comes forth perverted.
2:1 I will stand at my watchpost, and station myself on the rampart; I will keep watch to see what he will say to me, and what he will answer concerning my complaint.
2 Then the LORD answered me and said: Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so that a runner may read it.
3 For there is still a vision for the appointed time; it speaks of the end and does not lie. If it seems to tarry, wait for it; it will surely come, it will not delay.
4 Look at the proud! Their spirit is not right in them, but the righteous live by their faith.
Commentary
Habakkuk is one the “Minor Prophets” – the 12 prophets whose works are much shorter than those of the “Major Prophets” (Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel) and are found in a single scroll.
Because of the reference to the Chaldeans (Babylonians) in v.1:6, Habakkuk is considered a contemporary of Jeremiah. His prophesy – speaking for YHWH – is dated after 612 BCE when the Babylonians gained domination of the Middle East. His messages are similar to Jeremiah’s.
After the righteous and reforming king, Josiah, was killed at Megiddo in 609 BCE, Judea had a series of hapless kings until the first deportation of exiles to Babylon in 597 BCE. The book of Habakkuk reflected the difficulties that faced Judea during this 12-year period. Habakkuk lamented the destruction and violence in Judea and the lack of justice.
Today’s reading is structured as a dialogue between Habakkuk and YHWH (“LORD” in all capital letters) in which the prophet asserted that YHWH was not listening (v.1). The prophet also noted that the reforms of Josiah were not being followed by King Jehoiakim who reigned from 608 to 598 BCE (“the law (Torah) becomes slack” v.1.4) and stated – just as Jeremiah did – that injustice was prevailing.
In the omitted verses between the two parts of today’s reading, Habakkuk asserted on behalf of the LORD that the Babylonians (Chaldeans) would serve as YHWH’s instrument of divine justice.
In the second part of today’s reading, Habakkuk was directed (v.2) by the LORD to make a record of the visons presented by the LORD. YHWH responded that there was “still a vision for the appointed time” (v.3), a phrase interpreted in Judaism as referring to a future Messianic time. Christians have also interpreted it as a prophesy of the Messiah.
In verse 4, YHWH was understood to say that the “righteous” (the Judahites) would survive in spite of the “proud” (the Chaldeans/Babylonians). The Jewish Study Bible notes that the last part of verse 4 (“the righteous shall live by their faith”) had an important influence in Christianity and in the doctrine of justification through faith as expressed in Romans and Galatians.
The JSB also noted that the Dead Sea Scrolls contain a commentary on Habakkuk written in the First Century BCE in which the Chaldeans/Babylonians were understood to be the then-contemporaneous Romans – demonstrating that prophetic works were seen as having information about the life of the current community and not merely “an arcane report of past historical periods.”
Isaiah 1:10-18
Reading
10 Hear the word of the LORD, you rulers of Sodom! Listen to the teaching of our God, you people of Gomorrah!
11 What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices? says the LORD; I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fed beasts; I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs, or of goats.
12 When you come to appear before me, who asked this from your hand? Trample my courts no more; bringing offerings is futile; incense is an abomination to me. New moon and sabbath and calling of convocation — I cannot endure solemn assemblies with iniquity.
14 Your new moons and your appointed festivals my soul hates; they have become a burden to me, I am weary of bearing them.
15 When you stretch out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood.
16 Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your doings from before my eyes; cease to do evil,
17 learn to do good; seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow.
18 Come now, let us argue it out, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be like snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.
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. The name “Isaiah” means “YHWH has saved” or “May YHWH save.”
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.
The Jewish Study Bible points out that one of major religious issues faced by First Isaiah was the extent to which Judea should attempt to confront its enemies by using military and diplomatic means or, alternatively, the extent it should rely on YHWH to protect them. Isaiah (unlike most of his contemporaries) preferred the latter option.
The New Oxford Annotated Bible observes that two themes dominate the book of Isaiah as it now exists: (1) that YHWH controls all historical events and (2) the centrality of Jerusalem for Israel, both for kingship and for worship.
Today’s reading is from First Isaiah. A later editor inserted verse 1:1 to set the time period for Isaiah as from 740 BCE (the ending years of the reign of Uzziah – also known as Azariah) to the 14th year of the reign of Hezekiah (701 BCE – when the Assyrians conquered most of Judea and besieged Jerusalem). This was a time of the ascendancy of the Assyrian Empire which conquered Northern Israel in 722 BCE and threatened Judea during all this time.
Today’s reading is a strong prophetic statement condemning worship divorced from social justice (vv. 10-17), a theme also found in Amos, Micah, and Jeremiah. Sodom and Gomorrah (v.10) – and their destruction — were commonly used symbols for divine judgement on immorality. In Genesis, the evil done by those cities was not showing hospitality (a high value) by threatening to commit sexual violence upon visitors to Lot’s home (Gen.19:5).
The call for purification (v.16) was not presented as a substitute for moral purification, but a sign of the purification that would occur when the people learned to do good and seek justice (v.17).
The verses then shifted from condemnation to a legal argument (v.18) in which YHWH offered forgiveness if Judea repented but said Judea would be “devoured by the sword” (v.20) if it did not repent. Except for a period of Deuteronomic reform under King Josiah (640 to 609 BCE), Jerusalem did not repent and it was conquered by the Babylonians – the successors to the Assyrians – in 597 BCE. The First Exile began in 587 BCE.
The Jewish Publication Society translation takes a different approach to v.18a. Instead of “let us argue it out” as in the NRSV, the JPS translates the phrase as “Come, let us reach an understanding.” Annotations in both the NOAB and the JSB acknowledge that the meaning of the Hebrew is unclear.
2 Thessalonians 1:1-4, 11-12
Reading
1 Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:
2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
3 We must always give thanks to God for you, brothers, and sisters, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of everyone of you for one another is increasing. 4 Therefore we ourselves boast of you among the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith during all your persecutions and the afflictions that you are enduring.
11 To this end we always pray for you, asking that our God will make you worthy of his call and will fulfill by his power every good resolve and work of faith, 12 so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Commentary
Thessalonica, a port city in northern Greece, was capital of the Roman province of Macedonia in the First Century. Paul’s First Letter to the Thessalonians is the oldest part of the Christian Scriptures and was written by Paul before 50 CE, about 20 years before the first Gospel (Mark) was written. A principal theme of both 1 and 2 Thessalonians was the return of the Lord Jesus in the end time.
In 2 Thessalonians, however, there was an emphasis on living in the present and warnings about forgeries of Paul’s writings. For these reasons, most scholars conclude that 2 Thessalonians was written by one of Paul’s disciples late in the First Century.
In today’s reading, the salutation was identical to 1 Thessalonians, followed by a thanksgiving for the faith of the community. “Love for one another” (v.3) is a statement of their solidarity and separated them from outsiders.
The author referred to “persecutions and afflictions” (v.4), an indication that the letter was written in the late First Century because there is little evidence of major persecutions in the mid-century when Paul was still alive.
The omitted verses (5 -10) assert that God would afflict the persecutors and work vengeance on those who did not obey the gospel of the Lord Jesus.
Today’s reading concluded with an intercessory prayer that God will make the people worthy of God’s call so that the name of the Lord Jesus will be glorified in the believers’ lives.
Both The New Oxford Annotated Bible and The Jewish Annotated New Testament see Isaiah 66:5 as the basis of the idea “the glory of the name” (v. 12) — except that in Isaiah, it is YHWH’s name that is glorified.
Luke 19:1-10
Reading
1 Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through it. 2 A man was there named Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was rich. 3 He was trying to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was short in stature. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to see him, because he was going to pass that way. 5 When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down; for I must stay at your house today.” 6 So he hurried down and was happy to welcome him. 7 All who saw it began to grumble and said, “He has gone to be the guest of one who is a sinner.” 8 Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, “Look, half of my possessions, Lord, I will give to the poor; and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much.” 9 Then Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he too is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost.”
Commentary
The Gospel According to Luke is generally regarded as having been written around 85 CE. Its author also wrote the Acts of the Apostles. Both books were written in elegant and deliberatively crafted Greek and presented Jesus of Nazareth as the universal savior of humanity. Both emphasized the Holy Spirit as the “driving force” for events.
The Gospel followed the same general chronology of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection as the Gospel of Mark, and more than 40% of Luke’s Gospel was based on Mark. The other portions of Luke include (a) sayings shared with the Gospel According to Matthew but not found in Mark and (b) stories that are unique to Luke such as the Annunciation, the Visitation, the Presentation in the Temple, the Prodigal Son, and the Good Samaritan.
The story of Zacchaeus is found only in Luke. The setting, Jericho, was an important customs center because of its location. As the chief tax collector, Zacchaeus (whose name – ironically — is derived from the Hebrew word for “righteous” or “upright”) would have contracted with the Roman overlords to collect these taxes or fees and would have been despised by his neighbors for his active role in the Roman domination system.
Zacchaeus’ response to Jesus was presented by Luke as a sharp contrast to story of the “certain ruler” in Luke 18:18 who had asked what he needed to do to inherit eternal life but went away sad (v.23) when he was told to sell all he owned and distribute the money to the poor (v.22).
Zacchaeus said he would give “half his possessions to the poor” and pay back anyone he had defrauded four times the amount by which he defrauded them. This was consistent with Exodus 22:1 which mandated that someone who stole a sheep had to repay it four times over.
The last two verses of the reading need interpretation. In a footnote, The NOAB described “salvation” as “the kingdom of God that has come to this house in Jesus’ presence and message and evinces itself in Zacchaeus’s transformation.” (Italics in original) This interpretation in The NAOB seems to raise more questions than it answers.
If this were the correct understanding, why does the text go on to say that salvation has come “because he too is a son of Abraham.” (v.9b)? Regarding this phrase, when Jesus cured the woman who was crippled (13:13), he referred to her as a “daughter of Abraham” (13:16) meaning that she was Jewish. Is Jesus saying that salvation came to Zacchaeus’ house simply because he was Jewish? Or have Zacchaeus’ actions transformed him into a devout Jew who is following the Torah? Or is the ”house” to which salvation has come the house of Israel?
Saying that the Son of Man (a term derived from Daniel and Ezekiel) came to save the “lost” (v.10) is a theme that occurs numerous times in Luke – in the Prodigal Son, the Lost Sheep, the Lost Coin, and in other stories in this gospel.
2022, October 23 ~ Joel 2:23-32; Sirach 35:12-17; Jeremiah 14:7-10, 19-22; 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18; Luke 18:9-14
/in Uncategorized /by Thomas O'BrienTODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
OCTOBER 23, 2022
During Pentecost Season 2022, 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. In Track 2 today, congregations have a choice of a reading from Sirach or Jeremiah.
The reading from the Epistle is the same in both tracks.
Joel 2:23-32
Reading
23 O children of Zion, be glad and rejoice in the LORD your God; for he has given the early rain for your vindication, he has poured down for you abundant rain, the early and the later rain, as before.
24 The threshing floors shall be full of grain; the vats shall overflow with wine and oil.
25 I will repay you for the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter, my great army, which I sent against you.
26 You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and praise the name of the LORD your God, who has dealt wondrously with you. And my people shall never again be put to shame.
27 You shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I, the LORD, am your God and there is no other. And my people shall never again be put to shame.
28 Then afterward I will pour out my spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions.
29 Even on the male and female slaves, in those days, I will pour out my spirit.
30 I will show portents in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke. 31 The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and terrible day of the LORD comes. 32 Then everyone who calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved; for in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those who escape, as the LORD has said, and among the survivors shall be those whom the LORD calls.
Commentary
Joel is one the “Minor Prophets” – the 12 prophets whose works are much shorter than those of the “Major Prophets” (Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel) and are found in a single scroll.
Joel (whose name means “YHWH is God”) is located in the Bible between Hosea and Amos (two early prophets – in the 700’s BCE) because some of the themes in Joel are similar to those in Amos.
Joel’s prophesy, however, was much later and contained no direct reference to either the Assyrians or Babylonians. It is dated in the Persian Period (539 to 333 BCE) when the Persians ruled over Israel and Judea. Scholars think Joel was active from about 400 BCE to 350 BCE – a time of relative calm under the generally benevolent rule of the Persians.
The New Oxford Annotated Bible calls today’s reading an “Oracle of Salvation” in that God promised remission of the plague (vv.20, 25), the return of fertility (vv.21-24), the removal of shame, and the restoration of the covenantal blessing (vv.26-27).
The reference to a prior locust plague (v.25) can be understood literally and cam also be seen as the invading Babylonian army that destroyed Jerusalem in 586 BCE. Both were understood as a call to repentance and resulted from YHWH’s judgment upon the people.
The Jewish New Year starts in the Autumn, and the “early” rain refers to Autumn rains and the “later” rain (v.23) comes in the Spring. Spring and Autumn are the two rainy seasons in Israel.
The entire community, even slaves, will share the immediacy and intimacy of the relationship with God (vv.28-29).
The final verses are apocalyptic in tone and describe Judah’s ultimate vindication. The “Day of the Lord” (vv.30-31) turned the agricultural images to cosmic images. Some of the descriptions of the Day of the Lord s (particularly the sun being turned to darkness) (v.31) were adopted by the authors of the Gospels according to Mark, Matthew, and Luke (the “Synoptic Gospels”) to describe the time that Jesus of Nazareth was on the Cross.
Sirach 35:12-17
Reading
12 Give to the Most High as he has given to you, and as generously as you can afford.
13 For the Lord is the one who repays, and he will repay you sevenfold.
14 Do not offer him a bribe, for he will not accept it
15 and do not rely on a dishonest sacrifice; for the Lord is the judge, and with him there is no partiality.
16 He will not show partiality to the poor; but he will listen to the prayer of one who is wronged.
17 He will not ignore the supplication of the orphan, or the widow when she pours out her complaint.
Commentary
The Book of Sirach is not included in the Jewish version of the Hebrew Bible but is included in the Roman Catholic and Orthodox versions of the Bible. Protestants place Sirach in a separate section of the Bible called the “Apocrypha” (which means “hidden books”).
The book is known by the name of its author, and its full title is “The Wisdom of Jesus [which is Greek for Yeshua or Joshua], son of Sirach.” In the Roman Catholic tradition, the book is known as “Ecclesiasticus” (“the Church’s book”).
It was written between 200 and 180 BCE, when the Seleucids (from Syria) ruled Judea and tried to impose Greek gods upon the Judeans. Ben Sira described himself as a “scribe” (a person of learning).
The Prologue to Sirach (written by Sirach’s grandson after 132 BCE) contains the first reference in Jewish Literature to “the Law, the Prophesies, and the rest of the books” – the division of the Hebrew Bible into three parts. Sirach primarily consists of “traditional” advice to young Jewish men, consistent with the advice given to young men in the Book of Proverbs.
Today’s reading is part of a chapter in which Sirach urged sincere and cheerful generosity to the Most High (i.e. at the Temple) advising that the Lord will repay sevenfold (v. 13) and will listen to the prayers of those who have been wronged (v. 16). The orphan and the widow (v.17) are to be protected because of their powerlessness and the Most High will hear their supplications.
Jeremiah 14:7-10, 19-22
Reading
7 Although our iniquities testify against us, act, O LORD, for your name’s sake; our apostasies indeed are many, and we have sinned against you.
8 O hope of Israel, its savior in time of trouble, why should you be like a stranger in the land,
like a traveler turning aside for the night?
9 Why should you be like someone confused, like a mighty warrior who cannot give help? Yet you, O LORD, are in the midst of us, and we are called by your name; do not forsake us!
10 Thus says the LORD concerning this people: Truly they have loved to wander, they have not restrained their feet; therefore the LORD does not accept them, now he will remember their iniquity and punish their sins.
19 Have you completely rejected Judah? Does your heart loathe Zion? Why have you struck us down so that there is no healing for us? We look for peace but find no good; for a time of healing, but there is terror instead.
20 We acknowledge our wickedness, O LORD, the iniquity of our ancestors, for we have sinned against you.
21 Do not spurn us, for your name’s sake; do not dishonor your glorious throne; remember and do not break your covenant with us.
22 Can any idols of the nations bring rain? Or can the heavens give showers? Is it not you, O LORD our God? We set our hope on you, for it is you who do all this.
Commentary
After the righteous and reforming King Josiah was killed in battle at Megiddo (from which we get the Greek word Armageddon) in 609 BCE, the fortunes of Judea took a sharp downward turn. Babylon threatened Judea’s existence, and Judea had a series of hapless kings from 609 until Jerusalem was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BCE. The Babylonians deported many Judean leaders to Babylon in 597 and a larger number in 586 (the Babylonian Exile). Jeremiah’s prophesy (i.e., speaking for YHWH) began around 609 and continued until 586 BCE when he died in Egypt.
Most Bible scholars agree that the Book of Jeremiah underwent substantial revisions between the time of Jeremiah (627 to 586 BCE) and the First Century. In the Dead Sea Scrolls, there were different versions of the Book of Jeremiah. The Greek Septuagint Translation (the LXX – dating from 300 to 200 BCE) has some chapters that are not in the Hebrew versions.
Sections in the book that are in “poetry style” are generally attributed to the prophet, and parts in “prose style” were added later by writers whose theological outlook was closely aligned with the Deuteronomists. (In fact, Chapter 52 in Jeremiah is virtually word-for-word with 2 Kings 24:18 to 25:30 written by the Deuteronomists after the Exile.)
Most of today’s reading is in “poetry style.” It follows a section (vv. 1-6) that described a severe drought that Judah suffered. Jeremiah understood this drought as demonstrating divine judgment against the nation. The Jewish Study Bible points out that because God was portrayed in the Bible as controlling the cosmos, YHWH could cause rain to fall so that the people could grow crops and raise cattle. A drought meant starvation for many.
The first part of today’s reading (vv.7-9) is in poetry style and was a lament that confessed Judea’s sins, bemoaned YHWH’s absence, and asked that YHWH not forsake the people (v.9).
In The Jewish Study Bible (but not the NRSV), the next verse is in prose form and its content is Deuteronomic: YHWH said God would punish the people because they “love to wander” (v.10).
The omitted verses (11-16) are in prose form, but the last verses in today’s reading are in poetry form. Jeremiah criticized the priests and prophets who “ply their trade” (v.18), presented the plight of the Judeans (v.19); acknowledged the people’s wickedness (v.20); appealed to YHWH’s reputation (v.21); and prayed that YHWH’s power would bring rain to the land (v.22).
2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18
Reading
6 I am already being poured out as a libation, and the time of my departure has come. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 From now on there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have longed for his appearing.
16 At my first defense no one came to my support, but all deserted me. May it not be counted against them! 17 But the Lord stood by me and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion’s mouth. 18 The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and save me for his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
Commentary
The Letters to Timothy and Titus are called “Pastoral Letters” because they concerned the internal life, governance and behavior of the early Christian churches and their members. Most scholars agree they were written in the early Second Century in Paul’s name by some of his followers (Paul died in 63 CE). Writing a document in someone else’s name was a common practice in the First and Second Centuries. By then, the Jesus Follower Community had become more institutionalized and concerns about “heresy” had arisen.
The Pastoral letters were written to Paul’s “co-workers” but have a broader audience. By the time they were written, Paul was regarded as an authoritative figure of the past.
Today’s reading is from the last chapter of the letter. “Paul” was portrayed as near death (“the time of my departure”) and stated (v.6) that his life was a sacrifice (a “libation”) and an athletic contest (“the good fight”)(v.7). The New Oxford Annotated Bible sees the “crown of righteousness” (v.8) as a symbol of positive judgment from the Lord at his Second Coming.
“Paul” asked forgiveness for those who opposed his message (v.16) and praised the Lord for the strength to proclaim the Gospel to the Gentiles (v.17). The reference to being rescued from the “lion’s mouth” (v. 17) recalled Daniel in the lion’s den (Dan. 6:21).
Luke 18:9-14
Reading
9 Jesus told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt: 10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee, standing by himself, was praying thus, `God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income.’ 13 But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even look up to heaven, but was beating his breast and saying, `God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ 14 I tell you, this man went down to his home justified rather than the other; for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted.”
Commentary
The Gospel According to Luke is generally regarded as having been written around 85 CE. Its author also wrote the Acts of the Apostles. Both books were written in elegant and deliberatively crafted Greek and presented Jesus of Nazareth as the universal savior of humanity. Both emphasized the Holy Spirit as the “driving force” for events.
The Gospel followed the same general chronology of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection as the Gospel of Mark, and more than 40% of Luke’s Gospel was based on Mark. The other portions of Luke include (a) sayings shared with the Gospel According to Matthew but not found in Mark and (b) stories that are unique to Luke such as the Annunciation, the Visitation, the Presentation in the Temple, the Prodigal Son, and the Good Samaritan.
Today’s reading is called the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector and is found only in Luke. The Jewish Annotated New Testament points out that the story often leads Christian readers to see the Pharisee as a symbol of all Pharisees as “hypocritical, sanctimonious, and legalistic.” This understanding is not only unfair to Pharisees in general, but can urge Christian readers to say, in effect, “thank God I am not like this Pharisee.” In doing this, the parable leads those readers to see themselves as better than someone else – to take the same position they condemn in the Pharisee.
Tax collectors were generally hated by the population because Rome employed them and they kept the excess funds that they were able to extort above the “quota” they were required to deliver to Rome. The JANT also points out the tax collector’s standing “far off” (v.13) was not a sign that he was ostracized or ritually impure – to even enter the Temple in the first place, one had to be ritually pure.
The thrust of the parable is that being “righteous” (v.9) (or in a right relationship with God and others) is not a matter of “good deeds” as recited by the Pharisee (vv.11-12). Instead, being “justified” (v.14) and restored to a right relationship with God requires that one be “humble.” Being humble is not a matter of having a falsely low view of oneself, but also means not being arrogant or having a falsely exalted view of oneself.
The JANT also notes that the Greek word (par) translated as “rather than” (v.14) can also be translated as “alongside” – which would mean that both the Pharisee and the tax collector were justified.
2022, October 16 ~ Jeremiah 31:27-34; Genesis 32:22-31; 2 Timothy 3:14-4:5; Luke 18:1-8
/in Uncategorized /by Thomas O'BrienTODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
OCTOBER 16, 2022
During Pentecost Season 2022, 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.
Jeremiah 31:27-34
Reading
27 The days are surely coming, says the LORD, when I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of humans and the seed of animals. 28 And just as I have watched over them to pluck up and break down, to overthrow, destroy, and bring evil, so I will watch over them to build and to plant, says the LORD. 29 In those days they shall no longer say: “The parents have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge.”
30 But all shall die for their own sins; the teeth of everyone who eats sour grapes shall be set on edge.
31 The days are surely coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. 32 It will not be like the covenant that I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt– a covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, says the LORD. 33 But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34 No longer shall they teach one another, or say to each other, “Know the LORD,” for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the LORD; for I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more.
Commentary
After the righteous and reforming King Josiah was killed in battle at Megiddo (from which we get the Greek word Armageddon) in 609 BCE, the fortunes of Judea took a sharp downward turn. Babylon threatened Judea’s existence, and Judea had a series of hapless kings from 609 until Jerusalem was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BCE. The Babylonians deported many Judean leaders to Babylon in 597 and a larger number in 586 (the Babylonian Exile). Jeremiah’s prophesy (i.e., speaking for YHWH) began around 609 and continued until 586 BCE when he died in Egypt.
Most Bible scholars agree that the Book of Jeremiah underwent substantial revisions between the time of Jeremiah (627 to 586 BCE) and the First Century. In the Dead Sea Scrolls, there were different versions of the Book of Jeremiah. The Greek Septuagint Translation (the LXX – dating from 300 to 200 BCE) has some chapters that are not in the Hebrew versions.
Sections in the book that are in “poetry style” are generally attributed to the prophet, and parts in “prose style” were added later by writers whose theological outlook was closely aligned with the Deuteronomists. (In fact, Chapter 52 in Jeremiah is virtually word-for-word with 2 Kings 24:18 to 25:30 written by the Deuteronomists after the Exile.)
Today’s reading is in prose and was a late insertion. It has an “eschatological” (end times) tone (“the days are surely coming” in v.27) and affirmed the restoration of the houses of both Judah (the south) and Israel (the north). In the verse preceding today’s reading, Jeremiah was said to be sleeping, and his “vision” is recounted in this reading.
The reference to “sour grapes” (vv.29 and 30) was a statement that there should be personal responsibility for one’s actions and that the “sins of the fathers” will not be borne by the children. This is consistent with the theology found in Ezekiel, another prophet of the Exile, particularly in Ezekiel 18:2-4. In Jeremiah, this personal responsibility will be true in the future (“in those days”) but in Ezekiel it is seen as true in his own time (the Exile). The shift from collective responsibility to individual responsibility was an important change in the theology of Ancient Israel.
The writer went on to say that in the “end times” YHWH would make a “new covenant” with Judah and Israel (v.31), the law would be written on their hearts (v.33), and YHWH would forgive their iniquity (v.34). Many Christians have taken the reference to a new covenant as prophesying the New Covenant through Jesus the Christ.
Genesis 32:22-31
Reading
22 The same night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two maids, and his eleven children, and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. 23 He took them and sent them across the stream, and likewise everything that he had. 24 Jacob was left alone; and a man wrestled with him until daybreak. 25 When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he struck him on the hip socket; and Jacob’s hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. 26 Then he said, “Let me go, for the day is breaking.” But Jacob said, “I will not let you go, unless you bless me.” 27 So he said to him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.” 28 Then the man said, “You shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with humans, and have prevailed.” 29 Then Jacob asked him, “Please tell me your name.” But he said, “Why is it that you ask my name?” And there he blessed him. 30 So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, “For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life is preserved.” 31 The sun rose upon him as he passed Penuel, limping because of his hip.
Commentary
Genesis is the first book of the Torah (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy). The Torah also called the Pentateuch (“five books”) in Greek. Genesis covers the period from Creation to the deaths of Jacob and his 11th son, Joseph, in about 1650 BCE, if the accounts are historical.
The Book of Genesis (like the Torah as a whole) is an amalgam of religious traditions, some of which are dated to about 950 BCE and some of which were developed as late as 450 BCE. Since the late 19th Century, Biblical scholars have recognized four major “strands” or sources in the Torah, and these sources are identified (among other ways) by their different theological emphases, names for God, names for the holy mountain, and portrayals of God’s characteristics.
The first 11 Chapters of Genesis are called the “primeval history” which ends with the Tower of Babel story — an “etiology” (story of origins) relating to the scattering of humankind and the multiplicity of languages. The last chapter of the primeval history also traces Abram’s lineage back to Noah’s son, Shem (which means “name” in Hebrew and from which we get the word “Semites”).
The background to today’s reading includes Jacob’s supplanting his fraternal twin (but older) brother, Esau, by tricking Isaac into giving him the blessing that properly belonged to Esau.
Jacob sought to find his wife Rachel in Haran (the land from which Abraham came) and was tricked into working for his uncle, Laban, for 14 years. Jacob had 12 sons (six by Leah, Rachel’s older sister; two by Bilhah, Rachel’s maid; two by Zilpah, Leah’s maid; and two by Rachel). Ten of these sons (along with Joseph’s two sons), became the 12 tribes of Israel. (Levi and Joseph were not included in the 12 tribes when the lands were later divided.)
Many years passed, and Jacob was very wealthy. Jacob and his wives, children and flocks traveled from Haran toward Canaan, but had to pass near Edom, the land of his twin brother, Esau.
Jacob learned that Esau was coming toward him with 400 men, so he divided all that he had into two groups so that one group might escape and be preserved if Esau attacked him. He prayed to YHWH and sent Esau a substantial gift of livestock in hopes of appeasing him.
Today’s reading was set in the night before Jacob and Esau met. It recounted Jacob’s wrestling with someone identified variously as a man (v.24), a spirit/angel (which would disappear at daybreak, v.26), and as God (v.28). Jacob’s tried to obtain the wrestler’s name (v.29) which would have given him “control” over the wrestler, but this was refused. Instead, God gave Jacob a new name so that he was no longer known as Jacob (“supplanter”) but as “Israel,” which originally meant “El rules” — but the text says it means “one who strives with God and humans” (v.28).
At the end of the story, Jacob changed the name of this place to Peniel (“face of El”) because he had seen God face to face (v.30). “El” is the most ancient name for God in the Middle East. In Hebrew, the suffix “el” appears in many other names that have meanings “of God” such as Gabriel (God is my strength), Daniel (God is my judge), Beth-el (House of God), “Peniel” (Face of God), Samuel (Name of God), and the like.
In the remaining chapters of Genesis, the name used for this patriarch will sometimes be “Jacob” and sometimes be “Israel” depending on the source of the story.
2 Timothy 3:14-4:5
Reading
14 As for you, continue in what you have learned and firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it, 15 and how from childhood you have known the sacred writings that are able to instruct you for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work.
4:1 In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I solemnly urge you: 2 proclaim the message; be persistent whether the time is favorable or unfavorable; convince, rebuke, and encourage, with the utmost patience in teaching. 3 For the time is coming when people will not put up with sound doctrine, but having itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own desires, 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander away to myths. 5 As for you, always be sober, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, carry out your ministry fully.
Commentary
The Letters to Timothy and Titus are called “Pastoral Letters” because they concerned the internal life, governance and behavior of the early Christian churches and their members. Most scholars agree they were written in the early Second Century in Paul’s name by some of his followers (Paul died in 63 CE). Writing a document in someone else’s name was a common practice in the First and Second Centuries. By then, the Jesus Follower Community had become more institutionalized and concerns about “heresy” had arisen.
The Pastoral letters were written to Paul’s “co-workers” but have a broader audience. By the time they were written, Paul was regarded as an authoritative figure of the past. The Jewish Annotated New Testament points out that unlike Paul’s genuine letters, the opponents are seen as false teachers within the Jesus Follower Movement rather than non-messianic pagans or Jews.
2 Timothy is more personal than 1 Timothy. The author, writing as Paul, treated Timothy as his “beloved child,” loyal disciple and his spiritual heir. In the letter, Paul was portrayed as near death.
Today’s reading continues the author’s exhortation to follow the teachings of Paul (v.14).
In the early Second Century, there was no codification of the Christian Scriptures, even though some of Paul’s authentic letters were likely in circulation and Jesus Followers may have known of some of the four Gospels that were later included in the Christian Bible. The reference to “the sacred writings” (v.15) was to the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible, known as the Septuagint (LXX).
The statement that “all scripture is inspired by God” is an expansion of the Greek term “theopneutos” (“pneuma” means “wind” or “breath”) so the phrase literally is that scripture is “God-inspirited” – the spirit of God is makes the scripture useful (v.16).
The reference in 4:1 to Jesus’ appearing does not seem to be a reference to the life of Jesus of Nazareth on earth, but instead is in connection with his judging the living and the dead.
The author warns about the danger of turning away from “sound doctrine” (v. 3) and wandering away to “myths” (v.4).
Luke 18:1-8
Reading
1 Jesus told his disciples a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart. 2 He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor had respect for people. 3 In that city there was a widow who kept coming to him and saying, `Grant me justice against my opponent.’ 4 For a while he refused; but later he said to himself, `Though I have no fear of God and no respect for anyone, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will grant her justice, so that she may not wear me out by continually coming.'” 6 And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7 And will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long in helping them? 8 I tell you, he will quickly grant justice to them. And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”
Commentary
The Gospel According to Luke is generally regarded as having been written around 85 CE. Its author also wrote the Acts of the Apostles. Both books were written in elegant and deliberatively crafted Greek and presented Jesus of Nazareth as the universal savior of humanity. Both emphasized the Holy Spirit as the “driving force” for events.
The Gospel followed the same general chronology of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection as the Gospel of Mark, and more than 40% of Luke’s Gospel was based on Mark. The other portions of Luke include (a) sayings shared with the Gospel According to Matthew but not found in Mark and (b) stories that are unique to Luke such as the Annunciation, the Visitation, the Presentation in the Temple, the Prodigal Son, and the Good Samaritan.
Today’s reading appears only in Luke. The New Oxford Annotated Bible suggests that the aim of the story about the need to pray (v.1) is carefully stated because the details are incongruous, just as in the story of the master and the unjust steward (16:1-9). Prayer is important in Luke and is emphasized in many of the stories.
The plea of the widow to be granted justice (v.3) is grounded in Deut. 27:19 (“Cursed be anyone who deprives the alien, the orphan, and the widow of justice.”) – a saying that would have been known to Jesus’ audience. The Jewish Annotated New Testament points out that the words translated as “grant me justice” (v.3) are literally “avenge me” and the words “wear me out” (v.5) can also be translated as “slap me in the face.”
The thrust of the story is that if even an unjust judge will grant justice, how much more certain one can be that a just judge (God) will grant justice (v.7).
The last part of the concluding verse ties in two thoughts: the Son of Man’s coming is anticipated by Dan. 7:13 (“As I watched in the night visions, I saw one like a human being [bar adam — Son of Man] coming with the clouds of heaven.”). The question “will he find faith on earth?” ties back to the apostles’ request for an increase in “faith” in 17:5.
2022, October 9 ~ Jeremiah 29:1,4-7; 2 Kings 5:1-3, 7-15c; 2 Timothy 2:8-15; Luke 17:11-19
/in Uncategorized /by Thomas O'BrienTODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
OCTOBER 9, 2022
During Pentecost Season 2022, 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.
Jeremiah 29:1, 4-7
Reading
1 These are the words of the letter that the prophet Jeremiah sent from Jerusalem to the remaining elders among the exiles, and to the priests, the prophets, and all the people, whom Nebuchadnezzar had taken into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon.
4 Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5 Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat what they produce. Take wives and have sons and daughters; 6 take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease. 7 But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.
Commentary
After the righteous and reforming King Josiah was killed in battle at Megiddo (from which we get the Greek word Armageddon) in 609 BCE, the fortunes of Judea took a sharp downward turn. Babylon threatened Judea’s existence, and Judea had a series of hapless kings from 609 until Jerusalem was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BCE. The Babylonians deported many Judean leaders to Babylon in 597 and a larger number in 586 (the Babylonian Exile). Jeremiah’s prophesy (i.e., speaking for YHWH) began around 609 and continued until 586 BCE when he died in Egypt.
Most Bible scholars agree that the Book of Jeremiah underwent substantial revisions between the time of Jeremiah (627 to 586 BCE) and the First Century. In the Dead Sea Scrolls, there were different versions of the Book of Jeremiah. The Greek Septuagint Translation (the LXX – dating from 300 to 200 BCE) has some chapters that are not in the Hebrew versions.
Sections in the book that are in “poetry style” are generally attributed to the prophet, and parts in “prose style” were added later by writers whose theological outlook was closely aligned with the Deuteronomists. (In fact, Chapter 52 in Jeremiah is virtually word-for-word with 2 Kings 24:18 to 25:30 written by the Deuteronomists after the Exile.)
Today’s reading is part of an extended insertion in the Book of Jeremiah that begins with Chapter 26. The incidents reported in these four chapters (26-29) represent an early interpretation of the significance of the life and message of Jeremiah and were likely written by the Deuteronomists in 75 years the after the Exile (which ended in 539 BCE).
The “elders among the exiles” (v.1) would have been those leaders sent to Babylon in the first wave of the Exile in 597 BCE. (A larger group was sent in 586 when the Temple was destroyed.)
The “directions” given by YHWH in verses 4 to 7 are what actually – as a matter of history – had happened in Babylon when the Exiles were there. In effect, after the Exile, the Deuteronomists interpreted the behaviors of the Judeans in Babylon during the Exile as reflecting the “will” of YHWH. Later in the chapter, the Deuteronomist said that YHWH will “visit” the Judeans only after their seventy years in Babylon (597 to 539 BCE) are completed (v.10).
2 Kings 5:1-3, 7-15c
Reading
1 Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Aram, was a great man and in high favor with his master, because by him the LORD had given victory to Aram. The man, though a mighty warrior, suffered from leprosy. 2 Now the Arameans on one of their raids had taken a young girl captive from the land of Israel, and she served Naaman’s wife. 3 She said to her mistress, “If only my LORD were with the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.”
7 When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes and said, “Am I God, to give death or life, that this man sends word to me to cure a man of his leprosy? Just look and see how he is trying to pick a quarrel with me.”
8 But when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, he sent a message to the king, “Why have you torn your clothes? Let him come to me, that he may learn that there is a prophet in Israel.” 9 So Naaman came with his horses and chariots and halted at the entrance of Elisha’s house. 10 Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go, wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored and you shall be clean.” 11 But Naaman became angry and went away, saying, “I thought that for me he would surely come out, and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, and would wave his hand over the spot, and cure the leprosy! 12 Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them, and be clean?” He turned and went away in a rage. 13 But his servants approached and said to him, “Father, if the prophet had commanded you to do something difficult, would you not have done it? How much more, when all he said to you was, `Wash, and be clean’?” 14 So he went down and immersed himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God; his flesh was restored like the flesh of a young boy, and he was clean.
15 Then he returned to the man of God, he and all his company; he came and stood before him and said, “Now I know that there is no God in all the earth except in Israel.”
Commentary
The authors of the Book of Kings were also the authors of the books of Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges and Samuel. These books were given their final form around 550 BCE – long after the events they described. The authors used the stories in these books to demonstrate that it was the failures of the Kings of Israel and the Kings of Judea to worship YHWH and obey God’s commands that led to the conquest of Northern Israel in 722 BCE by the Assyrians and the conquest of Judea by the Babylonians in 597 BCE. (The conquests were not seen as the result of the Assyrians’ and Babylonians’ greater wealth and more powerful armies.)
After Solomon’s death in 928 BCE, the nation divided in two. The Northern Kingdom consisted of 10 tribes and was called “Israel.” The Southern Kingdom had two tribes, Judah and Benjamin and was called “Judea.” For the most part, the Deuteronomists portrayed the Kings of the North as unfaithful to YHWH, and Ahab (873-852 BCE) was one of the worst offenders. His wife was the Baal-worshiping foreigner, Jezebel.
Consistent with the theological view that YHWH controlled all that occurs, the authors of Kings asserted, somewhat surprisingly, that YHWH gave victory to Naaman, a general of Aram (modern Syria) over Israel around 850 BCE (v. 1). This occurred presumably because King Ahab and his successors did not worship YHWH faithfully.
Elisha, the successor to Elijah, was in Samaria, the capital of Northern Israel at this time. The King of Aram heard from his wife (who learned from an Israeli slave girl) that Elisha was a prophet who could cure Naaman of his leprosy (which could have been any skin ailment). The King sent Naaman to Elisha and to the King of Israel along with staggeringly generous offerings (750 lbs. of silver and 150 lbs. of gold). Naaman also had a letter from the King of Aram to the King of Israel asking that Naaman be cured of his leprosy (v.5).
The King of Israel’s reaction emphasized that YHWH controlled life and death (v.7) and it also showed the foolishness of the Kings of Israel. The King refused the gifts and (in his anger and frustration) was about to tell Naaman to return to Aram. Elisha prevailed on the King of Israel to allow Naaman to come to see that he (Elisha) was a true prophet (speaker for God).
Elisha’s prescription did not involve divine guidance or prayer as Naaman expected (v.13). Instead, Elisha directed Naaman to wash seven times in the River Jordan. After initially refusing to do so, Naaman’s servants convinced him, and he went to the River Jordan and was healed (v.14).
In the verses that follow today’s reading, Naaman stated that YHWH’s power was not territorially limited to the lands of Israel and Judea – it extended to the whole world (v.15), an important theological message the Deuteronomists sought to convey. Naaman also took some soil from Israel so he could make offerings to YHWH (v.17).
The Jewish Study Bible points out: “One motif of the story is that people of higher status are dependent on people of lower status: Naaman on counsel from his wife reporting information from and Israelite slave girl (vv.2-3); the king of Aram on the king of Israel, and the latter on Elisha (vv.5-8); and Naaman on the advice of his own servants and Elisha (vv.13-15).”
2 Timothy 2:8-15
Reading
8 Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, a descendant of David — that is my gospel, 9 for which I suffer hardship, even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But the word of God is not chained. 10 Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, so that they may also obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory. 11 The saying is sure: If we have died with him, we will also live with him; 12 if we endure, we will also reign with him;
if we deny him, he will also deny us; 13if we are faithless, he remains faithful — for he cannot deny himself.
14 Remind them of this and warn them before God that they are to avoid wrangling over words, which does no good but only ruins those who are listening. 15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved by him, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly explaining the word of truth.
Commentary
The Letters to Timothy and Titus are called “Pastoral Letters” because they concerned the internal life, governance and behavior of the early Christian churches and their members. Most scholars agree they were written in the early Second Century in Paul’s name by some of his followers (Paul died in 63 CE). Writing a document in someone else’s name was a common practice in the First and Second Centuries. By then, the Jesus Follower Community had become more institutionalized and concerns about “heresy” had arisen.
The Pastoral letters were written to Paul’s “co-workers” but have a broader audience. By the time they were written, Paul was regarded as an authoritative figure of the past.
2 Timothy is more personal than 1 Timothy. The author, writing as Paul, treated Timothy as his “beloved child,” loyal disciple and his spiritual heir. In the letter, Paul was portrayed as near death.
Today’s reading includes a synopsis of the “gospel” (good news) that Paul preached in his epistles (e.g. Rom. 1.3). Jesus is the Messiah, was resurrected, and is a royal ruler (v.8). A recitation of hardships was a common motif in Paul’s epistles and are repeated here (vv.9-10) to emphasize the depth of “Paul’s” faithfulness.
The sayings in verses 11 to 13 are likely a quotation from a hymn that would have been used in the Jesus Follower Community early in the Second Century.
Luke 17:11-19
Reading
11 On the way to Jerusalem Jesus was going through the region between Samaria and Galilee. 12 As he entered a village, ten lepers approached him. Keeping their distance, 13 they called out, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” 14 When he saw them, he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were made clean. 15 Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice. 16 He prostrated himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him. And he was a Samaritan. 17 Then Jesus asked, “Were not ten made clean? But the other nine, where are they? 18 Was none of them found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” 19 Then he said to him, “Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well.”
Commentary
The Gospel According to Luke is generally regarded as having been written around 85 CE. Its author also wrote the Acts of the Apostles. Both books were written in elegant and deliberatively crafted Greek and presented Jesus of Nazareth as the universal savior of humanity. Both emphasized the Holy Spirit as the “driving force” for events.
The Gospel followed the same general chronology of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection as the Gospel of Mark, and more than 40% of Luke’s Gospel was based on Mark. The other portions of Luke include (a) sayings shared with the Gospel According to Matthew but not found in Mark and (b) stories that are unique to Luke such as the Annunciation, the Visitation, the Presentation in the Temple, the Prodigal Son, and the Good Samaritan.
In today’s reading, Jesus was traveling between the Galilee and Samaria (v.11). The 10 lepers who approached nevertheless “kept their distance” (v.12) as prescribed by Leviticus 13.
Jesus directed the lepers to “show themselves to the priests” (v.14), so the “other nine” – presumably Jewish — lepers would have gone to Jerusalem where the priests were at the Temple. On the other hand, as The Jewish Annotated New Testament points out, the Samaritan leper would have been going to Mount Gerizim in Samaria.
Commentators point out that the phrase translated as “made you well” is the Greek word “sesōken” which is literally translated as “saved you.”