TODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
JUNE 20, 2021
During this Pentecost Season, there are two “Tracks” of Scriptures that are offered, and congregations may choose which Track they will follow. The first two readings presented are the readings from Tracks 1 and 2, respectively. The third and fourth readings are the same in both Tracks.
Today, Track 1 offers two different readings from 1 Samuel 17 so there are a total of five readings.
1 Samuel 17:1a, 4-11, 19-23, 32-49
Reading
1a The Philistines gathered their armies for battle. 4 And there came out from the camp of the Philistines a champion named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. 5 He had a helmet of bronze on his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail; the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of bronze. 6 He had greaves of bronze on his legs and a javelin of bronze slung between his shoulders. 7 The shaft of his spear was like a weaver’s beam, and his spear’s head weighed six hundred shekels of iron; and his shield-bearer went before him. 8 He stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, “Why have you come out to draw up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves and let him come down to me. 9 If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will be your servants; but if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall be our servants and serve us.” 10 And the Philistine said, “Today I defy the ranks of Israel! Give me a man, that we may fight together.” 11 When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid.
19 Now Saul, and they, and all the men of Israel, were in the valley of Elah, fighting with the Philistines. 20 David rose early in the morning, left the sheep with a keeper, took the provisions, and went as Jesse had commanded him. He came to the encampment as the army was going forth to the battle line, shouting the war cry. 21 Israel and the Philistines drew up for battle, army against army. 22 David left the things in charge of the keeper of the baggage, ran to the ranks, and went and greeted his brothers. 23 As he talked with them, the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, came up out of the ranks of the Philistines, and spoke the same words as before. And David heard him.
32 David said to Saul, “Let no one’s heart fail because of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.” 33 Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are just a boy, and he has been a warrior from his youth.” 34 But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep sheep for his father; and whenever a lion or a bear came, and took a lamb from the flock, 35 I went after it and struck it down, rescuing the lamb from its mouth; and if it turned against me, I would catch it by the jaw, strike it down, and kill it. 36 Your servant has killed both lions and bears; and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, since he has defied the armies of the living God.” 37 David said, “The LORD, who saved me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, will save me from the hand of this Philistine.” So Saul said to David, “Go, and may the LORD be with you!”
38 Saul clothed David with his armor; he put a bronze helmet on his head and clothed him with a coat of mail. 39 David strapped Saul’s sword over the armor, and he tried in vain to walk, for he was not used to them. Then David said to Saul, “I cannot walk with these; for I am not used to them.” So David removed them. 40 Then he took his staff in his hand, and chose five smooth stones from the wadi, and put them in his shepherd’s bag, in the pouch; his sling was in his hand, and he drew near to the Philistine.
41 The Philistine came on and drew near to David, with his shield-bearer in front of him. 42 When the Philistine looked and saw David, he disdained him, for he was only a youth, ruddy and handsome in appearance. 43 The Philistine said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. 44 The Philistine said to David, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and to the wild animals of the field.” 45 But David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with sword and spear and javelin; but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 This very day the LORD will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head; and I will give the dead bodies of the Philistine army this very day to the birds of the air and to the wild animals of the earth, so that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, 47 and that all this assembly may know that the LORD does not save by sword and spear; for the battle is the LORD’s and he will give you into our hand.”
48 When the Philistine drew nearer to meet David, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine. 49 David put his hand in his bag, took out a stone, slung it, and struck the Philistine on his forehead; the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell face down on the ground.
Commentary
The Book of Samuel is part of the “Deuteronomic History” that includes the books of Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings. These books are a “didactic history” that covered the period from just before the entry into the Promised Land (c.1220 BCE, if the account is historical) to the beginning of Babylonian Captivity (586 BCE). The books were written in the period from 640 BCE to 550 BCE and continued to be revised even after that.
The authors of the Deuteronomic Books artfully wove their stories from numerous sources. They then used the stories in these books to demonstrate that that God controls history and to assert that it was the failures of the kings of Israel and the kings of Judea to worship YHWH and obey God’s commands that led to the conquest of Northern Israel in 722 BCE by the Assyrians and the conquest of Judea by the Babylonians in 597 BCE. (The conquests were not seen as the result of the Assyrians’ and Babylonians’ greater wealth and more powerful armies.)
The Book of Samuel (to the extent it may be historical) covers from the end of the time of the Judges (c.1030 BCE) to the last years of the Reign of David (c. 965 BCE).
The story of the killing of Goliath appears twice in the Book of Samuel. The older version is in 2 Sam. 21:19, in which Goliath of Gath was killed by Elhanan, the son of a Bethlehemite. Today’s account is the better-known story. In the Bible, it follows an account in which Saul (who was being tormented by “an evil spirit”) sent messengers to Jesse (David’s father) to have David come to him to play his lyre for him. David’s music soothed Saul and the evil spirit departed from Saul when David played (16:23). David’s lyre playing became the basis for the fiction that David was the author of the psalms.
The description of Goliath is fearsome. A cubit was about 18” so he was 9 feet tall. His armor weighed about 130 pounds and his spear weighed 15 pounds. Scholars have noted that the shepherd boy vs. the giant incorporated many fairy tale motifs.
Having each side represented by a hero was not uncommon in literature, particularly in The Iliad in which Paris opposed Menelaus and Hector opposed Ajax.
In today’s reading, David was sent by Jesse to bring food to his three older brothers who were in Saul’s army. In this version of the Goliath story, it appeared that David met Saul for the first time when David volunteered to fight the Philistine (vv. 31-37). (As an attempt to reconcile the accounts, verse 15 – a later addition — suggests David was shuttling back and forth from playing his lyre for Saul and then returning to Bethlehem to watch the flocks.)
The promise by Saul to give his daughter in marriage (v.25) to the person who defeated Goliath was upheld, and one of David’s first wives was Michel (18:27). (Michel loved David (18:20) and served him well for many years, choosing David over her father in some instances. She was later effectively banished because she criticized David for dancing naked in the streets of Jerusalem after he brought the Ark of Covenant there. (2 Sam.6:20-23.)
Referring to the Philistine as “uncircumcised” (v.26) was intended as an insult and may also reflect a later addition. In opposition to the Philistine’s taunts, David gave a theological speech about the power of YHWH (vv.45-47).
In today’s reading, David killed Goliath with the stone. In the verses that follow, David beheaded Goliath (v.51) and brought the head to Jerusalem (v.54). This is clearly an anachronism, because – according to another tradition — Jerusalem was not conquered by David until later (2 Sam. 5:6-9).
1 Samuel 17:57-18:5, 10-16
Reading
57 On David’s return from killing the Philistine, Abner took him and brought him before Saul, with the head of the Philistine in his hand. 58 Saul said to him, “Whose son are you, young man?” And David answered, “I am the son of your servant Jesse the Bethlehemite.”
18:1 When David had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was bound to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. 2 Saul took him that day and would not let him return to his father’s house. 3 Then Jonathan made a covenant with David, because he loved him as his own soul. 4 Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that he was wearing, and gave it to David, and his armor, and even his sword and his bow and his belt. 5 David went out and was successful wherever Saul sent him; as a result, Saul set him over the army. And all the people, even the servants of Saul, approved.
10 The next day an evil spirit from God rushed upon Saul, and he raved within his house, while David was playing the lyre, as he did day by day. Saul had his spear in his hand 11 and Saul threw the spear, for he thought, “I will pin David to the wall.” But David eluded him twice.
12 Saul was afraid of David, because the LORD was with him but had departed from Saul. 13 So Saul removed him from his presence and made him a commander of a thousand; and David marched out and came in, leading the army. 14 David had success in all his undertakings; for the LORD was with him. 15 When Saul saw that he had great success, he stood in awe of him. But all Israel and Judah loved David; for it was he who marched out and came in leading them.
Commentary
The alternative Track 1 Reading for today continued the account in Samuel after the killing of Goliath. It was derived from another source — as shown by the anomaly that David brought the Philistine’s head to Saul (v.57), even though v.54 said he brought it to Jerusalem. David’s introduction to Saul by Abner was presented as if it were the first meeting between David and Saul (Saul asked David who was his father in v.58), notwithstanding the stories in Chapter 16 and the conversation between David and Saul in Chapter 17.
Scholars agree that verses 1-5 are an insert to establish the depth of the relationship between Saul’s son, Jonathan, and David. The omitted verses (6-9) stated that the crowds gave greater glory to David than to Saul because of his prowess in battle, and this made Saul angry and jealous of David (v.9).
This jealousy explained Saul’s throwing a spear at David while he was playing his lyre (v.11). Saul’s decision to put David in charge of a large army group (a “thousand”) was done because Saul was afraid to have David nearby and hoped David might be killed in battle.
The relationship between David and Jonathan is developed in the balance of 1 Samuel, and Jonathan (like his sister, Michel) was loyal to David rather than his father.
Job 38:1-11
Reading
1 The LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind:
2 “Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?
3 Gird up your loins like a man, I will question you, and you shall declare to me.
4 “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding.
5 Who determined its measurements—surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it?
6 On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone
7 when the morning stars sang together, and all the heavenly beings shouted for joy?
8 “Or who shut in the sea with doors when it burst out from the womb?—
9 when I made the clouds its garment, and thick darkness its swaddling band,
10 and prescribed bounds for it, and set bars and doors,
11 and said, ‘Thus far shall you come, and no farther, and here shall your proud waves be stopped’?”
Commentary
The Book of Job is a unique poetic story in the Hebrew Scriptures. Job was presented as a righteous person (in right relation with God and others) and as a non-Jew living in the land of Uz (somewhere in what is now Saudi Arabia).
Satan (the “adversary” – not the post-First Century name of the devil) made a wager with God that Job was righteous only because he had health, family, and riches. Satan bet God that Job would curse God if he lost his family, health, and wealth.
Satan took everything from Job, but Job did not curse God. His friends came to “comfort” him and (using typical Deuteronomic thought) told him that his deprivations must be the result of a sin by him or his forebears.
Job denied this reasoning and (contrary to the claim in the traditional translation of Jas. 5:11) Job was anything but “patient.” He “endured,” was steadfast and in some respects, defiant. He asked for someone to judge whether a God who caused a person to suffer is really a just God and worthy to be called “God.” He asked to confront God face-to-face.
Today’s reading is the beginning of a four-chapter “response” by God to Job. The “response” is structured by the author (called “Poet-Job”) as a series of rhetorical questions from God to Job that demonstrated the complexity of created reality and presented an imaginative inspection of the cosmos. God did not, however, give Job a “straight answer” to his question.
After the theophany (the appearance of God to Job), Job acknowledged his limitations as a human (“dust and ashes”). In a later-added Epilogue, Job’s riches were restored, he had another family, and the LORD told Job’s friends that they had not “spoken the truth about Me as did My servant Job (42:7).
The Book of Job does not “answer” the question “Why do bad things happen to good people?” Bad things just happen, and humans cannot demand that a God of Mystery must act in a certain way to be “worthy” to be known as God.
2 Corinthians 6:1-13
Reading
1 As we work together with Christ, we urge you also not to accept the grace of God in vain. 2 For he says, “At an acceptable time I have listened to you, and on a day of salvation I have helped you.”
See, now is the acceptable time; see, now is the day of salvation! 3 We are putting no obstacle in anyone’s way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, 4 but as servants of God we have commended ourselves in every way: through great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, 5 beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; 6 by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, holiness of spirit, genuine love, 7 truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; 8 in honor and dishonor, in ill repute and good repute. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; 9 as unknown, and yet are well known; as dying, and see– we are alive; as punished, and yet not killed; 10 as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing everything.
11 We have spoken frankly to you Corinthians; our heart is wide open to you. 12 There is no restriction in our affections, but only in yours. 13 In return — I speak as to children — open wide your hearts also.
Commentary
Corinth, a large port city in Greece, was among the early Jesus Follower communities that Paul founded. Its culture was diverse and Hellenistic. Corinthians emphasized reason and secular wisdom. Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians was written in the 50’s (CE) and presented his views on many issues that were controversial in this Jesus Follower Community.
Based on internal references in the two remaining letters to the Corinthians, scholars agree that Paul likely wrote at least four letters to the Corinthians. The so-called Second Letter to the Corinthians is composed of fragments of these letters.
Paul’s relationship with the Corinthians was sometimes strained (2:2-4). In today’s reading, Paul paraphrased Isaiah 49:8 in which the prophet, speaking for YHWH, told the Judeans that they would be delivered from the Babylonian Exile. Paul used this verse to urge the Corinthians to accept God’s grace as an inbreaking of salvation.
He continued his defense of his ministry (v.3), enumerated his sufferings (v.4-5), defended his works (v.6-7), and countered charges against him (v.8-10). He claimed that his affection for the Corinthians is unrestricted, but the affections of the Corinthians are limited (v.11).
Paul’s use of contrasting pairs in verses 8-10 are not paradoxes to show that he was imperturbable (like an ideal sage in Stoic philosophy) but antitheses to refute charges made against him.
Mark 4:35-41
Reading
35 When evening had come, Jesus said to his disciples, “Let us go across to the other side.” 36 And leaving the crowd behind, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. Other boats were with him. 37 A great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. 38 But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke him up and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” 39 He woke up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” Then the wind ceased, and there was a dead calm. 40 He said to them, “Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?” 41 And they were filled with great awe and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”
Commentary
The Gospel According to Mark was the first Gospel that was written and is generally dated to the time around the Destruction of the Temple in 70 CE. Mark’s Gospel is the shortest gospel and forms the core for the Gospels According to Matthew and Luke (both of which were written around 85 CE). Over 50% of the material in those two Gospels is based on Mark. Because these three Gospels follow similar chronologies of Jesus’ life and death, they are called “Synoptic Gospels” for the Greek words meaning “Same Look/View.”
Today’s reading (and readings that follow up to Chapter 8) emphasize Jesus’ connection to both Moses and Elijah with sea crossings, exorcisms, healings, and wilderness feedings. These actions occur in the face of opposition and the disciples’ misunderstandings about the person of Jesus and his ministry.
In today’s story, Jesus was going from the Jewish/Western side of the Sea of Galilee to the Gentile/Eastern side. Like Jonah, Jesus was asleep in the boat during a storm. The disciples were presented here (and elsewhere) by Mark as uncomprehending, weak-willed or cowardly. The boat may also be a symbol for the small Jesus Follower community in 70 CE.
The sea was often portrayed as a metaphor for confusion or chaos. Control of the sea and the restoration of order (shalom) was a divine power.
2021, July 11 ~ 2 Samuel 6:1-5, 12b-19; Amos 7:7-15; Ephesians 1:3-14; Mark 6:14-29
/in Uncategorized /by Thomas O'BrienTODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
JULY 11, 2021
During this Pentecost Season, there are two “Tracks” of Scriptures that are offered, and congregations may choose which Track they will follow. The first two readings presented are the readings from Tracks 1 and 2, respectively. The third and fourth readings are the same in both Tracks.
2 Samuel 6:1-5, 12b-19
Reading
1 David again gathered all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand. 2 David and all the people with him set out and went from Baale-judah, to bring up from there the ark of God, which is called by the name of the LORD of hosts who is enthroned on the cherubim. 3 They carried the ark of God on a new cart, and brought it out of the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill. Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, were driving the new cart 4 with the ark of God; and Ahio went in front of the ark. 5 David and all the house of Israel were dancing before the LORD with all their might, with songs and lyres and harps and tambourines and castanets and cymbals.
12b So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom to the city of David with rejoicing; 13 and when those who bore the ark of the LORD had gone six paces, he sacrificed an ox and a fatling. 14 David danced before the LORD with all his might; David was girded with a linen ephod. 15 So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouting, and with the sound of the trumpet.
16 As the ark of the LORD came into the city of David, Michal, the daughter of Saul, looked out of the window and saw King David leaping and dancing before the LORD; and she despised him in her heart.
17 They brought in the ark of the LORD, and set it in its place, inside the tent that David had pitched for it; and David offered burnt offerings and offerings of well-being before the LORD. 18 When David had finished offering the burnt offerings and the offerings of well-being, he blessed the people in the name of the LORD of hosts, 19 and distributed food among all the people, the whole multitude of Israel, both men and women, to each a cake of bread, a portion of meat, and a cake of raisins. Then all the people went back to their homes.
Commentary
The Book of Samuel is part of the “Deuteronomic History” that includes the books of Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings. These books are a “didactic history” that covered the period from just before the entry into the Promised Land (c.1220 BCE, if the account is historical) to the beginning of Babylonian Captivity (586 BCE). The books were written in the period from 640 BCE to 550 BCE and continued to be revised even after that.
The authors of the Deuteronomic Books artfully wove their stories from numerous sources. They then used the stories in these books to demonstrate that that God controls history and to assert that it was the failures of the kings of Israel and the kings of Judea to worship YHWH and obey God’s commands that led to the conquest of Northern Israel in 722 BCE by the Assyrians and the conquest of Judea by the Babylonians in 597 BCE. (The conquests were not seen as the result of the Assyrians’ and Babylonians’ greater wealth and more powerful armies.)
The Book of Samuel (to the extent it may be historical) covers from the end of the time of the Judges (c.1030 BCE) to the last years of the Reign of David (c. 965 BCE).
Last week’s reading was from first verses in Chapter 5 and recounted David’s anointing (again) as king over all Israel. The remaining parts of Chapter 5 tell of David’s successful campaigns against the Philistines.
In today’s reading, David brought the “Ark of God” (v.2) to Jerusalem from a small town about 10 miles west of Jerusalem. This made Jerusalem the political and the religious center of the nation. The Ark of God was seen as a symbol of the presence of YHWH and as the “throne” of YHWH. According to 1 Sam. 4:4, it contained the Tablets of the Covenant referred to in Deuteronomy 9:11. (The Ark was the holiest object in the First Temple but was not in the Second Temple.)
In the Books of Samuel and Kings, there are four persons named Abinadab: David’s older brother and the second son of Jesse; a son of Saul who was killed with Saul at Mount Gilboa; the father of one of Solomon’s sons-in-law; and a Levite who lived in the town in which the Ark resided for 20 years (after it was returned like a “hot potato” by the Philistines). It was from this town that the Ark was brought to Jerusalem by two of Abinadab’s sons.
In the omitted verses (6 to 12a), Uzzah (a son of Abinadab) touched the Ark to keep it from falling off the ox cart that was carrying it. YHWH became angry and struck Uzzah dead because of the awesome holiness of the Ark This made David angry, and he refused to bring the Ark into Jerusalem. For three months, the Ark was placed in the home of a Philistine from Gath.
During the procession into Jerusalem, David wore a linen ephod, an apron usually worn by priests (v.14). The text suggests that David was wearing little else – which caused one of his wives (Saul’s daughter, Michal) to “despise” him (v.16).
In the verses that follow today’s reading, Michal criticized David to his face for “uncovering himself” in public in front of young women. David responded by saying in effect, ”YHWH made me king instead of your father; the maids will honor me.” The chapter’s last verses say that Michal was childless to her death, presumably because David had no relations with her. If Michal had borne David a son, the child would have been a grandson of Saul, and this might have raised issues about who would succeed David.
Amos 7:7-15
Reading
7 This is what the LORD GOD showed me: the LORD was standing beside a wall built with a plumb line, with a plumb line in his hand. 8 And the LORD said to me, “Amos, what do you see?” And I said, “A plumb line.” Then the LORD said, “See, I am setting a plumb line in the midst of my people Israel; I will never again pass them by, 9 the high places of Isaac shall be made desolate, and the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste, and I will rise against the house of Jeroboam with the sword.”
10 Then Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, sent to King Jeroboam of Israel, saying, “Amos has conspired against you in the very centre of the house of Israel; the land is not able to bear all his words. 11 For thus Amos has said, ‘Jeroboam shall die by the sword, and Israel must go into exile away from his land.’ ”
12 And Amaziah said to Amos, “O seer, go, flee away to the land of Judah, earn your bread there, and prophesy there; 13 but never again prophesy at Bethel, for it is the king’s sanctuary, and it is a temple of the kingdom.”
14 Then Amos answered Amaziah, “I am no prophet, nor a prophet’s son; but I am a herdsman, and a dresser of sycamore trees, 15 and the LORD took me from following the flock, and the LORD said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel.’”
Commentary
After Solomon died in 930 BCE, the Kingdom of Israel split into two parts, the North (called Israel with 10 tribes) and the South (called Judea with two tribes). Each of the Kingdoms had its own king.
The reign of King Jeroboam II of Israel (788-747 BCE) was very prosperous but was a time of great inequality between rich and poor in which large landowners gained control of the lands of small farmers. (A three-liter bottle of wine is called a “Jeroboam.”)
Amos was a cattle or sheep herder and also cared for fig trees in Judea (v.14), but he was called by YHWH to go north to prophesy (speak for the LORD) against Israel from about 760 to 750 BCE. Amos is one of the 12 “minor” prophets whose works are shorter than the three “major” prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel). He was the first (chronologically) of the prophets whose words left an indelible stamp on later thought in Israel about God.
In today’s reading, Amos told Israel/Isaac (the northern 10 tribes) that it was not measuring up to YHWH’s plumb line and that it and its “high places” (shrines) would be destroyed if it did not reform (vv.8-9).
Amos then disputed with the King’s appointed priest, Amaziah, who told Amos to stop prophesying in Israel, and to go back to Judea (vv. 12-13). Amos responded that he was not a “professional” prophet but had been called by YHWH to prophesy to Israel (vv. 14-15), thus lending additional authority to what he was saying.
In 722 BCE, just as YHWH told Amos to say, the Assyrians conquered Israel. Samaria was the capital of Israel, and because Assyrians intermarried with Samaritans, Samaritans were later looked down upon by Judeans.
Ephesians 1:3-14
Reading
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4 just as he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love. 5 He destined us for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace that he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace 8 that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and insight 9 he has made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure that he set forth in Christ, 10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to gather up all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. 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 this is the pledge of our inheritance toward redemption as God’s own people, to the praise of his glory.
Commentary
Ephesus was a large and prosperous city in what is now western Turkey. In the Acts of the Apostles and 1 Corinthians, Paul is said to have visited there. In Ephesus, there were Jesus Followers who were Jews and Jesus Followers who were Gentiles, and they did not always agree on what it meant to be a Jesus Follower.
Because the letter contained many terms not used in Paul’s other letters and gave new meanings to some of Paul’s characteristic terms, most scholars believe that this letter was written by one of Paul’s disciples late in the First Century. The letter was intended to unify the Jesus Follower community in Ephesus. The first three chapters are theological teachings, and the last three chapters consist of ethical exhortations.
In today’s reading, the author emphasized the shared beliefs for Jesus Followers, and that the Christ is the mediator of divine blessings. Following the theology expressed in the Fourth Gospel, the letter asserts the pre-existence of the Christ (v.4). Through adoption by God (v.5), believers are heirs of God with all the attendant rights and responsibilities.
In gathering “all things in him” (v.10), the Christ gathers both Jews and Gentiles as God’s chosen people and children. Because the letter is addressed to Ephesians (who were Gentiles), the “you” in verses 13 and 14 are Gentiles who have received the pledge of redemption.
Mark 6:14-29
Reading
14 King Herod heard of Jesus and his disciples, for Jesus’ name had become known. Some were saying, “John the baptizer has been raised from the dead; and for this reason, these powers are at work in him.” 15 But others said, “It is Elijah.” And others said, “It is a prophet, like one of the prophets of old.” 16 But when Herod heard of it, he said, “John, whom I beheaded, has been raised.”
17 For Herod himself had sent men who arrested John, bound him, and put him in prison on account of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, because Herod had married her. 18 For John had been telling Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.” 19 And Herodias had a grudge against him and wanted to kill him. But she could not, 20 for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he protected him. When he heard him, he was greatly perplexed; and yet he liked to listen to him. 21 But an opportunity came when Herod on his birthday gave a banquet for his courtiers and officers and for the leaders of Galilee. 22 When his daughter Herodias came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his guests; and the king said to the girl, “Ask me for whatever you wish, and I will give it.” 23 And he solemnly swore to her, “Whatever you ask me, I will give you, even half of my kingdom.” 24 She went out and said to her mother, “What should I ask for?” She replied, “The head of John the baptizer.” 25 Immediately she rushed back to the king and requested, “I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter.” 26 The king was deeply grieved; yet out of regard for his oaths and for the guests, he did not want to refuse her. 27 Immediately the king sent a soldier of the guard with orders to bring John’s head. He went and beheaded him in the prison, 28 brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl. Then the girl gave it to her mother. 29 When his disciples heard about it, they came and took his body, and laid it in a tomb.
Commentary
The Gospel According to Mark was the first Gospel that was written and is generally dated to the time around the Destruction of the Temple in 70 CE. Mark’s Gospel is the shortest gospel and forms the core for the Gospels According to Matthew and Luke (both of which were written around 85 CE). Over 50% of the material in those two Gospels is based on Mark. Because these three Gospels follow similar chronologies of Jesus’ life and death, they are called “Synoptic Gospels” for the Greek words meaning “Same Look/View.”
In the First Century, it was not uncommon for people to think of someone as a reincarnation of another, and Herod saw Jesus as a reincarnation of John the Baptist, particularly because of his preaching of the need for repentance.
Josephus, the First Century Jewish/Roman historian, gave more commentary in his books to John the Baptizer than he gave to Jesus of Nazareth. Josephus indicated that John was a well-known and respected figure. The Gospel of Luke claimed that Jesus and John were cousins because Mary was a “relative” of Elizabeth (Luke 1:36). Some scholars suggest that Jesus was a disciple of John’s before he began his own active ministry.
When Herod the Great died in 4 BCE, his kingdom was split into four “tetrarchs.” The Herod in this part of Mark’s Gospel was Herod Antipas who ruled as Tetrarch of Galilee and Perea from 4 BCE to 39 CE.
“Levirate” Law (Deut. 25:5-6) required a brother to marry his brother’s widow only if the couple died childless. Herod Antipas’ brother, Herod Philip, died in 24 CE but he did not die childless. John the Baptist publicly condemned Herod Antipas for marrying his brother’s wife, Herodias, as a violation of the prohibition on incest in Leviticus 18:16 and 20:21. This angered Herodias.
The text in the Gospel seems confused when it said, “when his daughter Herodias came in and danced” (v.22). Other ancient texts said, “when the daughter of Herodias herself” came in and danced. This daughter is identified as Salome by Josephus, and the story makes better sense if Salome did the dancing and was urged by her mother (Herodias) to ask for the head of John the Baptizer who was being held in prison by Herod Antipas.
2021, July 4 ~ 2 Samuel 5:1-5, 9-10; Ezekiel 2:1-5; 2 Corinthians 12:2-10; Mark 6:1-13
/in Uncategorized /by Thomas O'BrienTODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
JULY 4, 2021
During this Pentecost Season, there are two “Tracks” of Scriptures that are offered, and congregations may choose which Track they will follow. The first two readings presented are the readings from Tracks 1 and 2, respectively. The third and fourth readings are the same in both Tracks.
2 Samuel 5:1-5, 9-10
Reading
1 All the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron, and said, “Look, we are your bone and flesh. 2 For some time, while Saul was king over us, it was you who led out Israel and brought it in. The LORD said to you: It is you who shall be shepherd of my people Israel, you who shall be ruler over Israel.” 3 So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron; and King David made a covenant with them at Hebron before the LORD, and they anointed David king over Israel. 4 David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years. 5 At Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months; and at Jerusalem he reigned over all Israel and Judah thirty-three years.
9 David occupied the stronghold and named it the city of David. David built the city all around from the Millo inwards. 10 And David became greater and greater, for the LORD, the God of hosts, was with him.
Commentary
The Book of Samuel is part of the “Deuteronomic History” that includes the books of Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings. These books are a “didactic history” that covered the period from just before the entry into the Promised Land (c.1220 BCE, if the account is historical) to the beginning of Babylonian Captivity (586 BCE). The books were written in the period from 640 BCE to 550 BCE and continued to be revised even after that.
The authors of the Deuteronomic Books artfully wove their stories from numerous sources. They then used the stories in these books to demonstrate that that God controls history and to assert that it was the failures of the kings of Israel and the kings of Judea to worship YHWH and obey God’s commands that led to the conquest of Northern Israel in 722 BCE by the Assyrians and the conquest of Judea by the Babylonians in 597 BCE. (The conquests were not seen as the result of the Assyrians’ and Babylonians’ greater wealth and more powerful armies.)
The Book of Samuel (to the extent it may be historical) covers from the end of the time of the Judges (c.1030 BCE) to the last years of the Reign of David (c. 965 BCE).
Last week’s reading (2 Sam. 1) was David’s “lament” after the deaths of Saul and Jonathan. In the three chapters between it and today’s reading, David (who had been anointed king by Samuel in Bethlehem in 1 Sam. 16:13) was anointed king of Judah (2 Sam. 2.4), and then conducted a successful war against the sons of Saul.
In today’s reading, all the tribes assembled in Hebron, a city about 15 miles south of Jerusalem, and anointed David as king of all the tribes of Israel. In stating the David reigned “forty years” (v.5) scholars recognize the “forty” is a euphemism for a long time. Nevertheless, the dates of David’s reign are customarily set at 1005 BCE to 965 BCE.
In the omitted verses (6-8), David and his army marched against the Jebusites, who were said to be the inhabitants of Jerusalem. The “Millo” (v.9) was a landfill or fortification. In selecting Jerusalem as the capital, it was closer in geography to the Northern Tribes than other cities in Judea.
Ezekiel 2:1-5
Reading
1 The LORD said to me: O mortal, stand up on your feet, and I will speak with you. 2 And when he spoke to me, a spirit entered into me and set me on my feet; and I heard him speaking to me. 3 He said to me, Mortal, I am sending you to the people of Israel, to a nation of rebels who have rebelled against me; they and their ancestors have transgressed against me to this very day. 4 The descendants are impudent and stubborn. I am sending you to them, and you shall say to them, “Thus says the LORD GOD.” 5 Whether they hear or refuse to hear (for they are a rebellious house), they shall know that there has been a prophet among them.
Commentary
Ezekiel is one of the three “Major” Prophets – so called because of the length of the books of Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel. Ezekiel was a Zadokite priest (descended from the High Priest Zadok in the time of David and Solomon) and was among the first group of persons deported by the Babylonians to Babylon when they captured Jerusalem in 597 BCE. His name means “God strengthens.”
The Book of Ezekiel is in three parts: (1) Chapters 1 to 24 are prophesies of doom against Jerusalem before the destruction of the Temple in 586 BCE; (2) Chapters 25 to 32 are prophesies against foreign nations; and (3) Chapters 33 to 48 are prophesies of hope for the Judeans written during the Babylonian Exile (586-539 BCE).
Similar to other prophets, Ezekiel “prophesies” by speaking for God. Prophesy in the Hebrew Scriptures is not about telling the future. A prophet is one who speaks for YHWH.
Today’s reading is part of the “Call of Ezekiel” and followed the nearly psychedelic visions of God described in Chapter 1. These verses are part of the “Commissioning” of Ezekiel to give him authority to speak for YHWH and to imbue him with the spirit of God (v.2).
In verse 1, Ezekiel said that God addressed him as “O mortal” – the translation used 93 times in the Book of Ezekiel for the Hebrew words “ben adam.” “Ben adam” literally means “son of the earthling/human.” “Adam” was the “name” of the person who was fashioned from fertile earth (in Hebrew, “adamah”) by YHWH in Genesis.
“Ben adam” is elsewhere translated in Scripture as “Son of Man” or “human being” in Daniel 7:13, and Son of Man is a frequent title given to Jesus of Nazareth in the Gospels.
The charge of Israel’s rebellion against God is a constant theme in the prophets and is understood as justifying Israel’s suffering as a divine punishment.
In the verses that follow today’s reading, Ezekiel was directed by God to eat a scroll of Scripture — which Ezekiel found was as sweet as honey (3:3).
2 Corinthians 12:2-10
Reading
2 I know a person in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven — whether in the body or out of the body I do not know; God knows. 3 And I know that such a person—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know; God knows — 4 was caught up into Paradise and heard things that are not to be told, that no mortal is permitted to repeat. 5 On behalf of such a one I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, except of my weaknesses. 6 But if I wish to boast, I will not be a fool, for I will be speaking the truth. But I refrain from it, so that no one may think better of me than what is seen in me or heard from me, 7 even considering the exceptional character of the revelations. Therefore, to keep me from being too elated, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me, to keep me from being too elated. 8 Three times I appealed to the LORD about this, that it would leave me, 9 but he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.” So, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. 10 Therefore, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities for the sake of Christ; for whenever I am weak, then I am strong.
Commentary
Corinth, a large port city in Greece, was among the early Jesus Follower communities that Paul founded. Its culture was diverse and Hellenistic. Corinthians emphasized reason and secular wisdom. Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians was written in the 50’s (CE) and presented his views on many issues that were controversial in this Jesus Follower Community.
Based on internal references in the two remaining letters to the Corinthians, scholars agree that Paul likely wrote at least four letters to the Corinthians. The so-called Second Letter to the Corinthians is composed of fragments of these letters.
In today’s reading, Paul described his own mystical experience of God as validation of his own spiritual authority. His experience was an ecstatic one (“whether in the body or out of the body I do not know” (v.3). Paul said the things he heard are “not to be told” – consistent with the notion that mystical revelations are to be kept secret.
In verse 7b, Paul then spoke of a “thorn” with which he was afflicted, the nature of which is not known. Rather than asserting the Hellenistic ideal of sufficiency to transcend hardships, Paul accepted the hardships as real and as coming from God who would also give grace that would be sufficient (v.9). His recapitulation of them (v.10) contrasted with the ecstatic experience described in verses 1-7a.
Mark 6:1-13
Reading
1 Jesus came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him. 2 On the sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astounded. They said, “Where did this man get all this? What is this wisdom that has been given to him? What deeds of power are being done by his hands! 3 Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. 4 Then Jesus said to them, “Prophets are not without honor, except in their hometown, and among their own kin, and in their own house.” 5 And he could do no deed of power there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and cured them. 6 And he was amazed at their unbelief.
Then he went about among the villages teaching. 7 He called the twelve and began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. 8 He ordered them to take nothing for their journey except a staff; no bread, no bag, no money in their belts; 9 but to wear sandals and not to put on two tunics. 10 He said to them, “Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave the place. 11 If any place will not welcome you and they refuse to hear you, as you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them.” 12 So they went out and proclaimed that all should repent. 13 They cast out many demons and anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them.
Commentary
The Gospel According to Mark was the first Gospel that was written and is generally dated to the time around the Destruction of the Temple in 70 CE. Mark’s Gospel is the shortest gospel and forms the core for the Gospels According to Matthew and Luke (both of which were written around 85 CE). Over 50% of the material in those two Gospels is based on Mark. Because these three Gospels follow similar chronologies of Jesus’ life and death, they are called “Synoptic Gospels” for the Greek words meaning “Same Look/View.”
The notion that a prophet has no honor in his hometown was also a common theme in the Hebrew Bible – particularly with prophets such as Jeremiah and Amos.
In Mark, the lack of faith by others in Jesus meant he “could do no deed of power” (v.5). Matthew 13:58 says, “he did not do many deeds of power there.” In Luke 4, Jesus was rejected in Nazareth but there is no mention of his not performing deeds of power.
The commissioning of the twelve is generally seen as the appointment of symbolic heads of the renewed Israel while expanding Jesus’ mission of proclamation, exorcism, and healing.
2021, June 27 ~ 2 Samuel 1:1, 17-27; Wisdom 1:13-15, 2:23-24; 2 Corinthians 8:7-15; Mark 5:21-43
/in Uncategorized /by Thomas O'BrienTODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
JUNE 27, 2021
During this Pentecost Season, there are two “Tracks” of Scriptures offered, and congregations may choose which Track they follow. The first two readings presented are the readings from Tracks 1 and 2, respectively. The third and fourth readings are the same in both Tracks.
2 Samuel 1:1, 17-27
Reading
1 After the death of Saul, when David had returned from defeating the Amalekites, David remained two days in Ziklag.
17 David intoned this lamentation over Saul and his son Jonathan. 18 (He ordered that The Song of the Bow be taught to the people of Judah; it is written in the Book of Jashar.) He said:
19 Your glory, O Israel, lies slain upon your high places! How the mighty have fallen!
20 Tell it not in Gath, proclaim it not in the streets of Ashkelon; or the daughters of the Philistines will rejoice, the daughters of the uncircumcised will exult.
21 You mountains of Gilboa, let there be no dew or rain upon you, nor bounteous fields! For there the shield of the mighty was defiled, the shield of Saul, anointed with oil no more.
22 From the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty, the bow of Jonathan did not turn back,
nor the sword of Saul return empty.
23 Saul and Jonathan, beloved and lovely! In life and in death they were not divided; they were swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions.
24 O daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, who clothed you with crimson, in luxury, who put ornaments of gold on your apparel.
25 How the mighty have fallen in the midst of the battle! Jonathan lies slain upon your high places.
26 I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan; greatly beloved were you to me; your love to me was wonderful, passing the love of women.
27 How the mighty have fallen, and the weapons of war perished!
Commentary
The Book of Samuel is part of the “Deuteronomic History” that includes the books of Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings. These books are a “didactic history” that covered the period from just before the entry into the Promised Land (c.1220 BCE, if the account is historical) to the beginning of Babylonian Captivity (586 BCE). The books were written in the period from 640 BCE to 550 BCE and continued to be revised even after that.
The authors of the Deuteronomic Books artfully wove their stories from numerous sources. They then used the stories in these books to demonstrate that that God controls history and to assert that it was the failures of the kings of Israel and the kings of Judea to worship YHWH and obey God’s commands that led to the conquest of Northern Israel in 722 BCE by the Assyrians and the conquest of Judea by the Babylonians in 597 BCE. (The conquests were not seen as the result of the Assyrians’ and Babylonians’ greater wealth and more powerful armies.)
The Book of Samuel (to the extent it may be historical) covers from the end of the time of the Judges (c.1030 BCE) to the last years of the Reign of David (c. 965 BCE).
Last week’s readings from 1 Samuel (there were two of them) gave accounts of David’s slaying of Goliath, the jealousy of Saul against David because the people acclaimed David more than Saul, and the beginning of the relationship between David and Jonathan, Saul’s son.
The remaining chapters of 1 Samuel have a “soap opera” quality about them and reflect the numerous sources from which the Book is constructed. Many of the stories in this part of 1 Samuel are not in the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible done in Alexandria from 300 BCE to 200 BCE).
In brief, although Saul was afraid of David (18:12), he offered David his first daughter in marriage, but then reneged on his promise (18:19). Saul’s next daughter, Michal, loved David (v.20) and they married, but Saul then realized YHWH was with David. Saul became David’s enemy (v.29).
From that point on, Saul tried to kill David (or hoped the Philistines would kill him) but Jonathan often thwarted Saul’s plans. At one point, Saul even tried to kill Jonathan (19:33) and pursued David to try to kill David. David had an opportunity to kill Saul but spared his life (24:10). David married two other women (25:42-43), and Saul gave Michal as a wife to another person. David spared Saul a second time (26:9), and then went over to fight for the Philistines (Chapter 27).
After Samuel died, Saul consulted a medium at Endor (the so-called “Witch of Endor”) who conjured up the spirit of Samuel. The spirit told Saul again that YHWH had rejected him because of his disobedience regarding the annihilation of Amalekites (28:18).
The Philistine leaders then decided they did not want David and his men to fight on their side (Chapter 29). David left the Philistine camp and attacked and vanquished the Amalekites (Chapter 30). The Philistines attacked Saul and killed his sons and severely wounded Saul who then fell on his own sword (31:4).
Today’s reading is from the first chapter of 2 Samuel (1 and 2 Samuel were a single book but were divided so each would fit on one scroll.)
The verses omitted from today’s reading (2-16) give an account of Saul’s death that is different from the one at the end of 1 Sam and is from a different source. In the omitted verses, an Amalekite soldier brought David the crown and armlet of Saul and told David (expecting a reward) that he had (at Saul’s request) put him out of his wounded misery by killing him (1:10). David, however, killed the Amalekite soldier because he “killed the LORD’s anointed” (v.16).
The lament of David refers to a lost type of song (“The Bow”) and a lost collection of poems that is also mentioned in Joshua 10:13. Given the strained relationship between Saul and David, the description of Saul as “beloved” (v.23) shows that these verses come from a different source. Scholars suggest that the reference to Philistines as “uncircumcised” is intended to disparage them. Scholars opine that the closeness of David’s relationship with Jonathan (“passing the love of women” in v. 26) does not necessarily imply a sexual relationship.
Wisdom 1:13-15, 2:23-24
Reading
13 God did not make death, and he does not delight in the death of the living.
14 For he created all things so that they might exist; the generative forces of the world are wholesome, and there is no destructive poison in them, and the dominion of Hades is not on earth.
15 For righteousness is immortal.
2:23 God created us for incorruption and made us in the image of his own eternity,
24 but through the devil’s envy death entered the world, and those who belong to his company experience it.
Commentary
The Book of Wisdom, also known as “The Wisdom of Solomon,” is not part of the “Canon” (accepted books) of the Hebrew Bible. It is, however, included as part of the Hebrew Scriptures in Roman Catholic and Orthodox Church Bibles as “deutero-canonical” – part of a “second” Canon. In Protestant Bibles, Wisdom is not included in the Hebrew Scriptures but is part of the Apocrypha (“hidden books”).
This difference in treatment arises because in the period from 300 to 200 BCE, the existing Hebrew Scriptures were translated into Greek (the common language of the time). Compilations of these translations were called the “Septuagint.” The Book of Wisdom was included in most versions of the Septuagint, but this book (among others) was not included in the Canon of the Hebrew Bible (the “TaNaKh”) when it was codified around 90 CE by the Pharisees/Rabbis after the Destruction of the Temple in 70 CE.
Jerome included “Wisdom” and the other books that were part of the Septuagint in the Vulgate (the Latin translation of the Hebrew and the Christian Scriptures around 405 CE). Jerome wrote prefaces to some books that were not in the Jewish Canon of the Hebrew Bible. Later compilers overlooked Jerome’s prefaces, and the Council of Trent in 1546 decreed that the Roman Catholic Canon of the Old Testament included the books that were in the Septuagint.
Luther and other Protestants followed the Jewish Canon of the Hebrew Bible and put books from the Septuagint (such as Wisdom) in a separate section called the Apocrypha.
The Wisdom of Solomon purports to be written by Solomon (who reigned in Israel from 965 to 930 BCE). It was actually written in Greek by an anonymous Hellenistic Jew in the late First Century BCE or the early First Century CE. The author’s intent was to show the superiority of Judaism in terms that were relevant to persons familiar with Greek philosophy, and to encourage Jews in the Diaspora during the Greco-Roman Era. For this reason, there is an emphasis on Platonic ideas such as soul, immortality, and the guiding force of Sophia (Wisdom).
Today’s reading (v.14) refers to Hades, the Greek abode of the dead (“Sheol” in Judaism) and affirms that “righteousness” (right relation with God, others, and the world) is immortal.
2 Corinthians 8:7-15
Reading
7 As you excel in everything — in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in utmost eagerness, and in our love for you– so we want you to excel also in this generous undertaking.
8 I do not say this as a command, but I am testing the genuineness of your love against the earnestness of others. 9 For you know the generous act of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich. 10 And in this matter, I am giving my advice: it is appropriate for you who began last year not only to do something but even to desire to do something – 11 now finish doing it, so that your eagerness may be matched by completing it according to your means. 12 For if the eagerness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has– not according to what one does not have. 13 I do not mean that there should be relief for others and pressure on you, but it is a question of a fair balance between 14 your present abundance and their need, so that their abundance may be for your need, in order that there may be a fair balance. 15 As it is written,
“The one who had much did not have too much, and the one who had little did not have too little.”
Commentary
Corinth, a large port city in Greece, was among the early Jesus Follower communities that Paul founded. Its culture was diverse and Hellenistic. Corinthians emphasized reason and secular wisdom. Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians was written in the 50’s (CE) and presented his views on many issues that were controversial in this Jesus Follower Community.
Based on internal references in the two remaining letters to the Corinthians, scholars agree that Paul likely wrote at least four letters to the Corinthians. The so-called Second Letter to the Corinthians is composed of fragments of these letters.
Today’s reading contains part of Paul’s exhortation to Jesus Followers in Corinth to give generously to a collection Paul was taking up on behalf of the Jerusalem Jesus Follower community. Chapter 9 repeats much of Chapter 8 and may be from a different letter that made the same appeal for the poor in Jerusalem.
In verse 15, Paul paraphrased Exodus 16:18 which described the amount of manna each Israelite received in the Wilderness – neither too much nor too little.
Mark 5:21-43
Reading
21 When Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a great crowd gathered around him; and he was by the sea. 22 Then one of the leaders of the synagogue named Jairus came and, when he saw him, fell at his feet 23 and begged him repeatedly, “My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well, and live.” 24 So he went with him.
And a large crowd followed him and pressed in on him. 25 Now there was a woman who had been suffering from hemorrhages for twelve years. 26 She had endured much under many physicians and had spent all that she had; and she was no better, but rather grew worse. 27 She had heard about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, 28 for she said, “If I but touch his clothes, I will be made well.” 29 Immediately her hemorrhage stopped; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. 30 Immediately aware that power had gone forth from him, Jesus turned about in the crowd and said, “Who touched my clothes?” 31 And his disciples said to him, “You see the crowd pressing in on you; how can you say, ‘Who touched me?’” 32 He looked all around to see who had done it. 33 But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling, fell down before him, and told him the whole truth. 34 He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace and be healed of your disease.”
35 While he was still speaking, some people came from the leader’s house to say, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the teacher any further?” 36 But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the leader of the synagogue, “Do not fear, only believe.” 37 He allowed no one to follow him except Peter, James, and John, the brother of James. 38 When they came to the house of the leader of the synagogue, he saw a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly. 39 When he had entered, he said to them, “Why do you make a commotion and weep? The child is not dead but sleeping.” 40 And they laughed at him. Then he put them all outside and took the child’s father and mother and those who were with him and went in where the child was. 41 He took her by the hand and said to her, “Talitha cum,” which means, “Little girl, get up!” 42 And immediately the girl got up and began to walk about (she was twelve years of age). At this they were overcome with amazement. 43 He strictly ordered them that no one should know this and told them to give her something to eat.
Commentary
The Gospel According to Mark was the first Gospel that was written and is generally dated to the time around the Destruction of the Temple in 70 CE. Mark’s Gospel is the shortest gospel and forms the core for the Gospels According to Matthew and Luke (both of which were written around 85 CE). Over 50% of the material in those two Gospels is based on Mark. Because these three Gospels follow similar chronologies of Jesus’ life and death, they are called “Synoptic Gospels” for the Greek words meaning “Same Look/View.”
In last week’s reading, Jesus crossed to the east/Gentile side of the Sea of Galilee and calmed the storm. While there, he confronted the Gerasene Demoniac (5:2-13) and caused the evil spirits within the Demoniac to enter 2,000 swine who rushed into the sea and drowned (v.13). Not surprisingly (after this economic disaster), the people begged Jesus to leave them. The man who had been possessed by demons asked Jesus to be allowed to go with him, but Jesus refused and told him to go around the Decapolis proclaiming what had done for him (v.20).
Today’s reading picked up after Jesus returned to the western/Jewish side of the Sea of Galilee. In these verses, the author has “sandwiched” separate healing stories.
At these times, “leaders of the synagogue” (v.22) would not have been religious figures but were prominent persons in the community.
Jewish Law distinguished between a woman having her period, and one suffering from a genital hemorrhage. In either case, this woman was regarded as ritually unclean and in an continuously impure state – which also would have affected the community’s response to her. The healing occurs because of her faith.
The healing of Jairus’ daughter is not unlike Elijah’s raising of the widow’s son (1 Kings 17:22). In both stories, the child was understood by others to be dead. Noting that the girl’s age (12) is the same number of years as the woman suffered from a hemorrhage, some scholars regard the stories as a reference to the renewal of the 12 tribes of Israel. Jairus called the child “little daughter” (v. 23) and Jesus called her “little girl” (v.41) even though she was on the cusp of marriageable age in the First Century. .
2021, June 20 ~ 1 Samuel 12:1a, 4-11, 19-23, 32-49; 1 Samuel 17:57-18:10-16; Job 38:1-11; 2 Corinthians 6:1-13; Mark 4:35-41
/in Uncategorized /by Thomas O'BrienTODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
JUNE 20, 2021
During this Pentecost Season, there are two “Tracks” of Scriptures that are offered, and congregations may choose which Track they will follow. The first two readings presented are the readings from Tracks 1 and 2, respectively. The third and fourth readings are the same in both Tracks.
Today, Track 1 offers two different readings from 1 Samuel 17 so there are a total of five readings.
1 Samuel 17:1a, 4-11, 19-23, 32-49
Reading
1a The Philistines gathered their armies for battle. 4 And there came out from the camp of the Philistines a champion named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. 5 He had a helmet of bronze on his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail; the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of bronze. 6 He had greaves of bronze on his legs and a javelin of bronze slung between his shoulders. 7 The shaft of his spear was like a weaver’s beam, and his spear’s head weighed six hundred shekels of iron; and his shield-bearer went before him. 8 He stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, “Why have you come out to draw up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves and let him come down to me. 9 If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will be your servants; but if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall be our servants and serve us.” 10 And the Philistine said, “Today I defy the ranks of Israel! Give me a man, that we may fight together.” 11 When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid.
19 Now Saul, and they, and all the men of Israel, were in the valley of Elah, fighting with the Philistines. 20 David rose early in the morning, left the sheep with a keeper, took the provisions, and went as Jesse had commanded him. He came to the encampment as the army was going forth to the battle line, shouting the war cry. 21 Israel and the Philistines drew up for battle, army against army. 22 David left the things in charge of the keeper of the baggage, ran to the ranks, and went and greeted his brothers. 23 As he talked with them, the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, came up out of the ranks of the Philistines, and spoke the same words as before. And David heard him.
32 David said to Saul, “Let no one’s heart fail because of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.” 33 Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are just a boy, and he has been a warrior from his youth.” 34 But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep sheep for his father; and whenever a lion or a bear came, and took a lamb from the flock, 35 I went after it and struck it down, rescuing the lamb from its mouth; and if it turned against me, I would catch it by the jaw, strike it down, and kill it. 36 Your servant has killed both lions and bears; and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, since he has defied the armies of the living God.” 37 David said, “The LORD, who saved me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, will save me from the hand of this Philistine.” So Saul said to David, “Go, and may the LORD be with you!”
38 Saul clothed David with his armor; he put a bronze helmet on his head and clothed him with a coat of mail. 39 David strapped Saul’s sword over the armor, and he tried in vain to walk, for he was not used to them. Then David said to Saul, “I cannot walk with these; for I am not used to them.” So David removed them. 40 Then he took his staff in his hand, and chose five smooth stones from the wadi, and put them in his shepherd’s bag, in the pouch; his sling was in his hand, and he drew near to the Philistine.
41 The Philistine came on and drew near to David, with his shield-bearer in front of him. 42 When the Philistine looked and saw David, he disdained him, for he was only a youth, ruddy and handsome in appearance. 43 The Philistine said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. 44 The Philistine said to David, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and to the wild animals of the field.” 45 But David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with sword and spear and javelin; but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 This very day the LORD will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head; and I will give the dead bodies of the Philistine army this very day to the birds of the air and to the wild animals of the earth, so that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, 47 and that all this assembly may know that the LORD does not save by sword and spear; for the battle is the LORD’s and he will give you into our hand.”
48 When the Philistine drew nearer to meet David, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine. 49 David put his hand in his bag, took out a stone, slung it, and struck the Philistine on his forehead; the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell face down on the ground.
Commentary
The Book of Samuel is part of the “Deuteronomic History” that includes the books of Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings. These books are a “didactic history” that covered the period from just before the entry into the Promised Land (c.1220 BCE, if the account is historical) to the beginning of Babylonian Captivity (586 BCE). The books were written in the period from 640 BCE to 550 BCE and continued to be revised even after that.
The authors of the Deuteronomic Books artfully wove their stories from numerous sources. They then used the stories in these books to demonstrate that that God controls history and to assert that it was the failures of the kings of Israel and the kings of Judea to worship YHWH and obey God’s commands that led to the conquest of Northern Israel in 722 BCE by the Assyrians and the conquest of Judea by the Babylonians in 597 BCE. (The conquests were not seen as the result of the Assyrians’ and Babylonians’ greater wealth and more powerful armies.)
The Book of Samuel (to the extent it may be historical) covers from the end of the time of the Judges (c.1030 BCE) to the last years of the Reign of David (c. 965 BCE).
The story of the killing of Goliath appears twice in the Book of Samuel. The older version is in 2 Sam. 21:19, in which Goliath of Gath was killed by Elhanan, the son of a Bethlehemite. Today’s account is the better-known story. In the Bible, it follows an account in which Saul (who was being tormented by “an evil spirit”) sent messengers to Jesse (David’s father) to have David come to him to play his lyre for him. David’s music soothed Saul and the evil spirit departed from Saul when David played (16:23). David’s lyre playing became the basis for the fiction that David was the author of the psalms.
The description of Goliath is fearsome. A cubit was about 18” so he was 9 feet tall. His armor weighed about 130 pounds and his spear weighed 15 pounds. Scholars have noted that the shepherd boy vs. the giant incorporated many fairy tale motifs.
Having each side represented by a hero was not uncommon in literature, particularly in The Iliad in which Paris opposed Menelaus and Hector opposed Ajax.
In today’s reading, David was sent by Jesse to bring food to his three older brothers who were in Saul’s army. In this version of the Goliath story, it appeared that David met Saul for the first time when David volunteered to fight the Philistine (vv. 31-37). (As an attempt to reconcile the accounts, verse 15 – a later addition — suggests David was shuttling back and forth from playing his lyre for Saul and then returning to Bethlehem to watch the flocks.)
The promise by Saul to give his daughter in marriage (v.25) to the person who defeated Goliath was upheld, and one of David’s first wives was Michel (18:27). (Michel loved David (18:20) and served him well for many years, choosing David over her father in some instances. She was later effectively banished because she criticized David for dancing naked in the streets of Jerusalem after he brought the Ark of Covenant there. (2 Sam.6:20-23.)
Referring to the Philistine as “uncircumcised” (v.26) was intended as an insult and may also reflect a later addition. In opposition to the Philistine’s taunts, David gave a theological speech about the power of YHWH (vv.45-47).
In today’s reading, David killed Goliath with the stone. In the verses that follow, David beheaded Goliath (v.51) and brought the head to Jerusalem (v.54). This is clearly an anachronism, because – according to another tradition — Jerusalem was not conquered by David until later (2 Sam. 5:6-9).
1 Samuel 17:57-18:5, 10-16
Reading
57 On David’s return from killing the Philistine, Abner took him and brought him before Saul, with the head of the Philistine in his hand. 58 Saul said to him, “Whose son are you, young man?” And David answered, “I am the son of your servant Jesse the Bethlehemite.”
18:1 When David had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was bound to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. 2 Saul took him that day and would not let him return to his father’s house. 3 Then Jonathan made a covenant with David, because he loved him as his own soul. 4 Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that he was wearing, and gave it to David, and his armor, and even his sword and his bow and his belt. 5 David went out and was successful wherever Saul sent him; as a result, Saul set him over the army. And all the people, even the servants of Saul, approved.
10 The next day an evil spirit from God rushed upon Saul, and he raved within his house, while David was playing the lyre, as he did day by day. Saul had his spear in his hand 11 and Saul threw the spear, for he thought, “I will pin David to the wall.” But David eluded him twice.
12 Saul was afraid of David, because the LORD was with him but had departed from Saul. 13 So Saul removed him from his presence and made him a commander of a thousand; and David marched out and came in, leading the army. 14 David had success in all his undertakings; for the LORD was with him. 15 When Saul saw that he had great success, he stood in awe of him. But all Israel and Judah loved David; for it was he who marched out and came in leading them.
Commentary
The alternative Track 1 Reading for today continued the account in Samuel after the killing of Goliath. It was derived from another source — as shown by the anomaly that David brought the Philistine’s head to Saul (v.57), even though v.54 said he brought it to Jerusalem. David’s introduction to Saul by Abner was presented as if it were the first meeting between David and Saul (Saul asked David who was his father in v.58), notwithstanding the stories in Chapter 16 and the conversation between David and Saul in Chapter 17.
Scholars agree that verses 1-5 are an insert to establish the depth of the relationship between Saul’s son, Jonathan, and David. The omitted verses (6-9) stated that the crowds gave greater glory to David than to Saul because of his prowess in battle, and this made Saul angry and jealous of David (v.9).
This jealousy explained Saul’s throwing a spear at David while he was playing his lyre (v.11). Saul’s decision to put David in charge of a large army group (a “thousand”) was done because Saul was afraid to have David nearby and hoped David might be killed in battle.
The relationship between David and Jonathan is developed in the balance of 1 Samuel, and Jonathan (like his sister, Michel) was loyal to David rather than his father.
Job 38:1-11
Reading
1 The LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind:
2 “Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?
3 Gird up your loins like a man, I will question you, and you shall declare to me.
4 “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding.
5 Who determined its measurements—surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it?
6 On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone
7 when the morning stars sang together, and all the heavenly beings shouted for joy?
8 “Or who shut in the sea with doors when it burst out from the womb?—
9 when I made the clouds its garment, and thick darkness its swaddling band,
10 and prescribed bounds for it, and set bars and doors,
11 and said, ‘Thus far shall you come, and no farther, and here shall your proud waves be stopped’?”
Commentary
The Book of Job is a unique poetic story in the Hebrew Scriptures. Job was presented as a righteous person (in right relation with God and others) and as a non-Jew living in the land of Uz (somewhere in what is now Saudi Arabia).
Satan (the “adversary” – not the post-First Century name of the devil) made a wager with God that Job was righteous only because he had health, family, and riches. Satan bet God that Job would curse God if he lost his family, health, and wealth.
Satan took everything from Job, but Job did not curse God. His friends came to “comfort” him and (using typical Deuteronomic thought) told him that his deprivations must be the result of a sin by him or his forebears.
Job denied this reasoning and (contrary to the claim in the traditional translation of Jas. 5:11) Job was anything but “patient.” He “endured,” was steadfast and in some respects, defiant. He asked for someone to judge whether a God who caused a person to suffer is really a just God and worthy to be called “God.” He asked to confront God face-to-face.
Today’s reading is the beginning of a four-chapter “response” by God to Job. The “response” is structured by the author (called “Poet-Job”) as a series of rhetorical questions from God to Job that demonstrated the complexity of created reality and presented an imaginative inspection of the cosmos. God did not, however, give Job a “straight answer” to his question.
After the theophany (the appearance of God to Job), Job acknowledged his limitations as a human (“dust and ashes”). In a later-added Epilogue, Job’s riches were restored, he had another family, and the LORD told Job’s friends that they had not “spoken the truth about Me as did My servant Job (42:7).
The Book of Job does not “answer” the question “Why do bad things happen to good people?” Bad things just happen, and humans cannot demand that a God of Mystery must act in a certain way to be “worthy” to be known as God.
2 Corinthians 6:1-13
Reading
1 As we work together with Christ, we urge you also not to accept the grace of God in vain. 2 For he says, “At an acceptable time I have listened to you, and on a day of salvation I have helped you.”
See, now is the acceptable time; see, now is the day of salvation! 3 We are putting no obstacle in anyone’s way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, 4 but as servants of God we have commended ourselves in every way: through great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, 5 beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; 6 by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, holiness of spirit, genuine love, 7 truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; 8 in honor and dishonor, in ill repute and good repute. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; 9 as unknown, and yet are well known; as dying, and see– we are alive; as punished, and yet not killed; 10 as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing everything.
11 We have spoken frankly to you Corinthians; our heart is wide open to you. 12 There is no restriction in our affections, but only in yours. 13 In return — I speak as to children — open wide your hearts also.
Commentary
Corinth, a large port city in Greece, was among the early Jesus Follower communities that Paul founded. Its culture was diverse and Hellenistic. Corinthians emphasized reason and secular wisdom. Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians was written in the 50’s (CE) and presented his views on many issues that were controversial in this Jesus Follower Community.
Based on internal references in the two remaining letters to the Corinthians, scholars agree that Paul likely wrote at least four letters to the Corinthians. The so-called Second Letter to the Corinthians is composed of fragments of these letters.
Paul’s relationship with the Corinthians was sometimes strained (2:2-4). In today’s reading, Paul paraphrased Isaiah 49:8 in which the prophet, speaking for YHWH, told the Judeans that they would be delivered from the Babylonian Exile. Paul used this verse to urge the Corinthians to accept God’s grace as an inbreaking of salvation.
He continued his defense of his ministry (v.3), enumerated his sufferings (v.4-5), defended his works (v.6-7), and countered charges against him (v.8-10). He claimed that his affection for the Corinthians is unrestricted, but the affections of the Corinthians are limited (v.11).
Paul’s use of contrasting pairs in verses 8-10 are not paradoxes to show that he was imperturbable (like an ideal sage in Stoic philosophy) but antitheses to refute charges made against him.
Mark 4:35-41
Reading
35 When evening had come, Jesus said to his disciples, “Let us go across to the other side.” 36 And leaving the crowd behind, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. Other boats were with him. 37 A great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. 38 But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke him up and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” 39 He woke up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” Then the wind ceased, and there was a dead calm. 40 He said to them, “Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?” 41 And they were filled with great awe and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”
Commentary
The Gospel According to Mark was the first Gospel that was written and is generally dated to the time around the Destruction of the Temple in 70 CE. Mark’s Gospel is the shortest gospel and forms the core for the Gospels According to Matthew and Luke (both of which were written around 85 CE). Over 50% of the material in those two Gospels is based on Mark. Because these three Gospels follow similar chronologies of Jesus’ life and death, they are called “Synoptic Gospels” for the Greek words meaning “Same Look/View.”
Today’s reading (and readings that follow up to Chapter 8) emphasize Jesus’ connection to both Moses and Elijah with sea crossings, exorcisms, healings, and wilderness feedings. These actions occur in the face of opposition and the disciples’ misunderstandings about the person of Jesus and his ministry.
In today’s story, Jesus was going from the Jewish/Western side of the Sea of Galilee to the Gentile/Eastern side. Like Jonah, Jesus was asleep in the boat during a storm. The disciples were presented here (and elsewhere) by Mark as uncomprehending, weak-willed or cowardly. The boat may also be a symbol for the small Jesus Follower community in 70 CE.
The sea was often portrayed as a metaphor for confusion or chaos. Control of the sea and the restoration of order (shalom) was a divine power.
2021, June 13 ~ 1 Samuel 15:34-16:13; Ezekiel 17:22-24; 2 Corinthians 5:6-17; Mark 4:26-34
/in Uncategorized /by Thomas O'BrienTODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
JUNE 13, 2021
During this Pentecost Season, there are two “Tracks” of Scriptures that are offered, and congregations may choose which Track they will follow. The first two readings presented are the readings from Tracks 1 and 2, respectively. The third and fourth readings are the same in both Tracks.
1 Samuel 15:34 – 16:13
Reading
34 Samuel went to Ramah; and Saul went up to his house in Gibeah of Saul. Samuel did not see Saul again until the day of his death, but Samuel grieved over Saul. And the LORD was sorry that he had made Saul king over Israel.
16:1 The LORD said to Samuel, “How long will you grieve over Saul? I have rejected him from being king over Israel. Fill your horn with oil and set out; I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons.” 2 Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears of it, he will kill me.” And the LORD said, “Take a heifer with you, and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.’ 3 Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do; and you shall anoint for me the one whom I name to you.” 4 Samuel did what the LORD commanded and came to Bethlehem. The elders of the city came to meet him trembling, and said, “Do you come peaceably?” 5 He said, “Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the LORD; sanctify yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice.” And he sanctified Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.
6 When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, “Surely the LORD’s anointed is now before the LORD.” 7 But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for the LORD does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.” 8 Then Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. He said, “Neither has the LORD chosen this one.” 9 Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, “Neither has the LORD chosen this one.” 10 Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel, and Samuel said to Jesse, “The LORD has not chosen any of these.” 11 Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all your sons here?” And he said, “There remains yet the youngest, but he is keeping the sheep.” And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and bring him; for we will not sit down until he comes here.” 12 He sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and had beautiful eyes, and was handsome. The LORD said, “Rise and anoint him; for this is the one.” 13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers; and the spirit of the LORD came mightily upon David from that day forward. Samuel then set out and went to Ramah.
Commentary
The Book of Samuel is part of the “Deuteronomic History” that includes the books of Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings. These books are a “didactic history” that covered the period from just before the entry into the Promised Land (c.1220 BCE, if the account is historical) to the beginning of Babylonian Captivity (586 BCE). The books were written in the period from 640 BCE to 550 BCE and continued to be revised even after that.
The authors of the Deuteronomic Books artfully wove their stories from numerous sources. They then used the stories in these books to demonstrate that that God controls history and to assert that it was the failures of the kings of Israel and the kings of Judea to worship YHWH and obey God’s commands that led to the conquest of Northern Israel in 722 BCE by the Assyrians and the conquest of Judea by the Babylonians in 597 BCE. (The conquests were not seen as the result of the Assyrians’ and Babylonians’ greater wealth and more powerful armies.)
The Book of Samuel (to the extent it may be historical) covers from the end of the time of the Judges (c.1030 BCE) to the last years of the Reign of David (c. 965 BCE).
Today’s reading is about the selection of David to be Saul’s successor and the first anointing of David as king (there are three different anointing stories). It follows a story that “explains” the “reason” YHWH rejected Saul as King.
In Chapter 15, Samuel (speaking for YHWH) told Saul to attack the Amalekites, a nomadic people who lived south of Judea and who had opposed the Israelites’ passage to the Promised Land (recounted in Exodus 17). YHWH directed Saul to “utterly destroy” the Amalekites and everything they owned. Saul defeated the Amalekites but spared their king and the best of the livestock and brought them back to Gilgal.
YHWH told Samuel that he (YHWH) regretted making Saul the king because Saul had not obeyed him. Samuel confronted Saul who told him that he spared the best of the animals to be able to make sacrifices to YHWH. Samuel responded that obedience is better than sacrifices (15:22). Although Saul pleaded to be forgiven, Samuel told Saul that YHWH would not forgive him, had rejected him, and (unlike a human) would not change his mind. Samuel then hacked the king of the Amalekites to pieces. Samuel then went to Ramah (v.34) and, according to this tradition, never saw Saul again – although there is a story from another tradition in which Saul encountered Samuel (19:24).
In today’s story, YHWH directed Samuel to find a new king from among Jesse’s sons in Bethlehem. Recognizing that this was an act of treason (Saul was still king), YHWH and Samuel developed a subterfuge (to offer a sacrifice) to “cover” his trip to Bethlehem. Because of Samuel’s power as prophet and kingmaker, the elders of the town were naturally worried by Samuel’s arrival (v.4).
The story of Samuel’s looking at each of Jesse’s sons from the oldest to the youngest was high drama. Scholars suggest that Samuel used a device such as Urim and Thummim (an early form of dice) to determine whether YHWH looked upon each son favorably.
David, the eighth son, was a shepherd and was described as handsome and “ruddy” (having reddish hair and complexion). Red hair would have been rare in the Middle East. From this point on in First Samuel, the stories (derived from multiple sources) recount the unusual relationship between David and Saul until the death of Saul at the hands of the Philistines.
Ezekiel 17:22-24
Reading
22 Thus says the LORD God: I myself will take a sprig from the lofty top of a cedar; I will set it out. I will break off a tender one from the topmost of its young twigs; I myself will plant it on a high and lofty mountain.
23 On the mountain height of Israel I will plant it, in order that it may produce boughs and bear fruit and become a noble cedar. Under it every kind of bird will live; in the shade of its branches will nest winged creatures of every kind.
24 All the trees of the field shall know that I am the LORD. I bring low the high tree. I make high the low tree; I dry up the green tree and make the dry tree flourish. I the LORD have spoken;
I will accomplish it.
Commentary
Ezekiel (whose name means “God strengthens”) is one of the three “Major” Prophets – so called because of the length of the books of Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel. Ezekiel was a priest who was among the first group of persons deported by the Babylonians when they captured Jerusalem in 597 BCE.
The Book of Ezekiel is in three parts: (1) Chapters 1 to 24 are prophesies of doom against Jerusalem before the destruction of the Temple in 586 BCE; (2) Chapters 25 to 32 are prophesies against foreign nations; and (3) Chapters 33 to 48 are prophesies of hope for the Judeans written during the Babylonian Exile (586-539 BCE).
Like other prophets, Ezekiel “prophesied” by speaking for YHWH (translated as LORD in capital letters). Prophesy in the Hebrew Bible was not about telling the future. A prophet was one who spoke for YHWH.
Two of Ezekiel’s most enduring theological developments were that (1) through repentance, sin could be forgiven, and Israel could live into a restored covenantal relationship with YHWH, and (2) the Jews had to accept personal responsibility for their own situation rather than blaming it on the sins of their predecessors.
In the first part of Chapter 17, Ezekiel presented an allegory on behalf of YHWH which told that Judea and its king (Zedekiah) would be defeated by the Babylonians and taken to Babylon because they did not keep their covenant with YHWH.
In today’s verses, Ezekiel continued to speak for YHWH who said he would take a sprig from a cedar tree (v.22) and plant it so that it would grow to a mighty cedar (v.23). This was a metaphor for the restored Jerusalem after the Babylonian Exile and that was also used by Isaiah (Ch.11) and Jeremiah (Ch.23) as a symbol of the Messiah that was to come.
2 Corinthians 5:6-17
Reading
6 We are always confident; even though we know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord – 7 for we walk by faith, not by sight. 8 Yes, we do have confidence, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. 9 So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. 10 For all of us must appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each may receive recompense for what has been done in the body, whether good or evil.
11 Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we try to persuade others; but we ourselves are well known to God, and I hope that we are also well known to your consciences. 12 We are not commending ourselves to you again, but giving you an opportunity to boast about us, so that you may be able to answer those who boast in outward appearance and not in the heart. 13 For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. 14 For the love of Christ urges us on, because we are convinced that one has died for all; therefore, all have died. 15 And he died for all, so that those who live might live no longer for themselves, but for him who died and was raised for them.
16 From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view; even though we once knew Christ from a human point of view, we know him no longer in that way. 17 So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!
Commentary
Corinth, a large port city in Greece, was among the early Jesus Follower communities that Paul founded. Its culture was diverse and Hellenistic, and Corinthians emphasized reason and secular wisdom. In addition to Paul, other Jesus Followers also taught in Corinth, sometimes in ways inconsistent with Paul’s understandings of what it means to be a Jesus Follower. Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians was written in the 50’s (CE) (likely while Paul was in Ephesus) and presented his views on several issues.
Paul’s controversies with the Corinthians continued, and he wrote at least four letters to them. The Second Letter is a composite of fragments from these letters. In the Second Letter, Paul countered some Jewish Jesus Followers who were disagreeing with Paul and undermining his authority.
Today’s reading reflects the multiple components in this letter. In the first part of today’s reading, Paul spoke of his desire to be “at home with the Lord” (v.8) and noted that while we are alive (“at home in the body”), the body will remain a barrier to being with Christ more perfectly – it keeps one “away from the Lord” (v.6).
In the second part of today’s reading, Paul discussed his relationship with the Corinthians – a relationship that was sometimes painful for both Paul and the Corinthians (2:1-2). He expressed hope that he was well known to the Corinthians’ consciences (v.11) but declined from “commending ourselves” to them (v.12). Those who “boast in outward appearance” (v.12b) was likely a reference to those Jewish Jesus Followers who advocated circumcision for non-Jewish church members.
Paul may have been criticized by his opponents for lack of ecstatic experience (12:1). In response, he spoke of being “besides ourselves,” and said ecstatic experiences were “for God” (v.13). Acknowledging the prevalent Hellenistic rationality in Corinth, Paul stated that if he was in his “right mind,” it was for benefit of the Corinthians (v.13b). He noted that Christ’s love for us urges us on (v.14)
In the last part of today’s reading, Paul shifted his message to convey the idea that if one is “in Christ” they are a “new creation” (v.17). This is an eschatological reversal of the primordial fall – the old way of looking at reality from a merely human vantage point has passed. .
Mark 4:26-34
Reading
26 Jesus said, “The kingdom of God is as if someone would scatter seed on the ground, 27 and would sleep and rise night and day, and the seed would sprout and grow, he does not know how. 28 The earth produces of itself, first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head. 29 But when the grain is ripe, at once he goes in with his sickle, because the harvest has come.”
30 He also said, “With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable will we use for it? 31 It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth; 32 yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs, and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.”
33 With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it; 34 he did not speak to them except in parables, but he explained everything in private to his disciples.
Commentary
The Gospel According to Mark was the first Gospel that was written and is generally dated to the time around the Destruction of the Temple in 70 CE. Mark’s Gospel is the shortest gospel and forms the core for the Gospels According to Matthew and Luke (both of which were written around 85 CE). Over 50% of the material in those two Gospels is based on Mark. Because these three Gospels follow similar chronologies of Jesus’ life and death, they are called “Synoptic Gospels” for the Greek words meaning “Same Look/View.”
Today’s reading presents a parable that gives the understanding that the Kingdom of God will surely come to fruition just as seeds miraculously and inexplicably sprout, grow, and produce a harvest (vv.26-29).
The next parable compared the Kingdom of God to a mustard seed, which produces invasive shrubs that grow only a few feet high. Mustard grows rapidly and randomly – in the same way that kudzu does. Would a farmer plant a shrub in which birds will nest, given the fact that birds attack crops and eat them? For this reason, this parable is often seen as satirical and humorous, and is contrasted with the imperial metaphor of the cedar tree in Ezek.17.
Scholars generally agree that parables were likely used by the historical Jesus. According to the gospel writers, sometimes the disciples understood the parables, but sometimes they asked for an explanation (as in the Parable of the Sower that preceded the parables in today’s reading). According to verse 34, Jesus explained the parables to the disciples in private.
In Mark 4:11, Jesus lamented that, just as YHWH told Isaiah would happen in Is.6:9-10, he would speak and his listeners would hear, but they would not understand.
In all the gospels, it is ambiguous whether the Kingdom of God/Heaven is already present or lies in the future. Some scholars suggest that this is not an either/or proposition, but is instead a “both/and.” The inbreaking of the Kingdom has begun and so it is “now,” but the fulness of the kingdom will not be realized until the eschaton (the end of the world as we know it now — not the end of the world).
2021, June 6 ~ 1 Sam. 8:4-20, 11:14-15; Gen. 3:8-15; 2 Cor. 4:13-5:1; Mark 3:20-35
/in Uncategorized /by Thomas O'BrienTODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
JUNE 6, 2021
During this Pentecost Season, there are two “Tracks” of Scriptures that are offered, and congregations may choose which Track they will follow. The first two readings presented are the readings from Tracks 1 and 2, respectively. The third and fourth readings are the same in both Tracks.
1 Samuel 8:4-20, 11:14-15
Reading
8:4 All the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah, 5 and said to him, “You are old, and your sons do not follow in your ways; appoint for us, then, a king to govern us, like other nations.” 6 But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to govern us.” Samuel prayed to the LORD, 7 and the LORD said to Samuel, “Listen to the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them. 8 Just as they have done to me, from the day I brought them up out of Egypt to this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so also they are doing to you. 9 Now then, listen to their voice; only—you shall solemnly warn them, and show them the ways of the king who shall reign over them.”
10 So Samuel reported all the words of the LORD to the people who were asking him for a king. 11 He said, “These will be the ways of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and appoint them to his chariots and to be his horsemen, and to run before his chariots; 12 and he will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and some to plow his ground and to reap his harvest, and to make his implements of war and the equipment of his chariots. 13 He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. 14 He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive orchards and give them to his courtiers. 15 He will take one-tenth of your grain and of your vineyards and give it to his officers and his courtiers. 16 He will take your male and female slaves, and the best of your cattle and donkeys, and put them to his work. 17 He will take one-tenth of your flocks, and you shall be his slaves. 18 And in that day, you will cry out because of your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves; but the LORD will not answer you in that day.”
19 But the people refused to listen to the voice of Samuel; they said, “No! but we are determined to have a king over us, 20 so that we also may be like other nations, and that our king may govern us and go out before us and fight our battles.”
11:14 Samuel said to the people, “Come, let us go to Gilgal and there renew the kingship.” 15 So all the people went to Gilgal, and there they made Saul king before the LORD in Gilgal. There they sacrificed offerings of well-being before the LORD, and there Saul and all the Israelites rejoiced greatly.
Commentary
The Book of Samuel is part of the “Deuteronomic History” that includes the books of Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings. These books are a “didactic history” that covered the period from just before the entry into the Promised Land (c.1220 BCE, if the account is historical) to the beginning of Babylonian Captivity (586 BCE). The books were written in the period from 640 BCE to 550 BCE and continued to be revised even after that.
The authors artfully wove together numerous sources. They used the stories in these books to demonstrate that that God controls history and to assert that it was the failures of the kings of Israel and the kings of Judea to worship YHWH and obey God’s commands that led to the conquest of Northern Israel in 722 BCE by the Assyrians and the conquest of Judea by the Babylonians in 597 BCE. (The conquests were not seen as the result of the Assyrians’ and Babylonians’ greater wealth and more powerful armies.)
The Books of Samuel (to the extent it may be historical) covers from the end of the Time of the Judges (c.1030 BCE) to the last years of the Reign of David (c. 965 BCE). Because the Book of Judges ended on such a low note in terms of YHWH worship, “the word of the LORD was rare in those days” (v.1), the Book of Samuel presented a return to worship of YHWH – although this return was viewed (in retrospect by the authors) as uneven.
Today’s reading described the request by the elders to Samuel to appoint a king because they wanted to replace Samuel’s sons who were dishonest (v. 3). This account about having a king reflects two different retrospectives on whether having a king was good for Ancient Israel or not. On the one hand, a king was seen by some as unifying the tribes into a nation and helping them to overcome Israel’s enemies. On the other hand, having a king was seen by others as a rejection of the reign of YHWH (a theocracy), and showed a distrust that YHWH would protect Israel from its enemies.
The litany of troubles that a king would bring (vv. 11-17) were a paraphrase of the abuses during Solomon’s reign as reported by the Deuteronomists in 1 Kings 4 and 5. Nevertheless, according to the story, the people insisted on having a king (vv.19-20).
In the three chapters of 1 Samuel that are omitted from today’s reading, YHWH relented and told Samuel to set a king over the people of Israel. Samuel found Saul and anointed him the first king of Israel. (There are two stories about his selection that are woven together.)
The final two verses of today’s reading present a second tradition regarding Saul’s anointing.
Genesis 3:8-15
Reading
8 They heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the LORD God called to the man, and said to him, “Where are you?” 10 He said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.” 11 He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” 12 The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate.” 13 Then the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent tricked me, and I ate.”
14 The LORD God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, cursed are you among all animals and among all wild creatures; upon your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat
all the days of your life. 15 I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.”
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 1,650 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 by scholars 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.
Today’s reading is part of the Second Account of Creation that begins in Gen. 2:4. The Second Account is attributed to the “Jahwistic” Source and is generally dated to about 950 BCE. This Source presents God’s name as YHWH (translated as LORD or LORD God) and gives God many anthropomorphic qualities such as speaking with humans.
The reading today continues the story of the Disobedience Event. The man and the woman ate the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and they realized they were naked (v.7). God then confronted them in the Garden.
The negative consequences of the disobedience by the man and the woman include their sense of separation from YHWH (they hid themselves from the “presence” of the LORD God in v. 8), vulnerability (sense of their nakedness in v.10) and failing to accept responsibility for one’s actions (the man blamed the woman, and the woman blamed the serpent in verses 13 and 14).
The “curse” upon the serpent (v.15) likely had its roots in the archetypal fear and hostility most humans have toward snakes. Some Christians, however, interpret the enmity between the serpent and the woman as a prefiguring of the serpent’s relationship with Mary whose offspring (Jesus) would strike the head of the serpent. The so-called “Miraculous Medal” worn by some Christians shows Mary standing on the body of a serpent.
2 Corinthians 4:13-5:1
Reading
13 Just as we have the same spirit of faith that is in accordance with scripture—“I believed, and so I spoke” —we also believe, and so we speak, 14 because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and will bring us with you into his presence. 15 Yes, everything is for your sake, so that grace, as it extends to more and more people, may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God.
16 So we do not lose heart. Even though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day. 17 For this slight momentary affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all measure 18 because we look not at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen; for what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal.
5:1 For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.
Commentary
Corinth, a large port city in Greece, was among the early Jesus Follower communities that Paul founded. Its culture was diverse and Hellenistic, and Corinthians emphasized reason and secular wisdom. In addition to Paul, other Jesus Followers also taught in Corinth, sometimes in ways inconsistent with Paul’s understandings of what it means to be a Jesus Follower. Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians was written in the 50’s (CE) (likely while Paul was in Ephesus) and presented his views on several issues.
Paul’s controversies with the Corinthians continued, and he wrote at least four letters to them. The Second Letter is a composite of fragments from these letters. In the Second Letter, Paul countered some Jewish Jesus Followers who were disagreeing with Paul and undermining his authority.
In today’s reading, Paul used dualistic language that would have been characteristic of Hellenistic thought to reflect the tension between present afflictions and inner renewal (vv.16-18). The “temporary” and the “eternal” are not presented as opposed but are seen as overlapping. Paul emphasized that we will also be raised (v.14) just as Jesus was raised and will be with God in an eternal “house” (5:1).
Mark 3:20-35
Reading
20 The crowd came together again, so that Jesus and his disciples could not even eat. 21 When his family heard it, they went out to restrain him, for people were saying, “He has gone out of his mind.” 22 And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, “He has Beelzebul, and by the ruler of the demons he casts out demons.” 23 And he called them to him, and spoke to them in parables, “How can Satan cast out Satan? 24 If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. 26 And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but his end has come. 27 But no one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his property without first tying up the strong man; then indeed the house can be plundered.
28 “Truly I tell you, people will be forgiven for their sins and whatever blasphemies they utter; 29 but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit can never have forgiveness but is guilty of an eternal sin”— 30 for they had said, “He has an unclean spirit.”
31 Then his mother and his brothers came; and standing outside, they sent to him and called him. 32 A crowd was sitting around him; and they said to him, “Your mother and your brothers and sisters are outside, asking for you.” 33 And he replied, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” 34 And looking at those who sat around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! 35 Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.”
Commentary
The Gospel According to Mark was the first Gospel that was written and is generally dated to the time around the Destruction of the Temple in 70 CE. Mark’s Gospel is the shortest gospel and forms the core for the Gospels According to Matthew and Luke (both of which were written around 85 CE). Over 50% of the material in those two Gospels is based on Mark. Because these three Gospels follow similar chronologies of Jesus’ life and death, they are called “Synoptic Gospels” for the Greek words meaning “Same Look/View.”
Today’s reading followed the appointing of the 12 apostles and Jesus’ return to “home” (v.19b). In the Synoptic Gospels, the family of Jesus was sometimes portrayed as being concerned for his safety and his sanity (v.21).
The term “Beelzebul” was derived from name of the Canaanite fertility god, Baal, later demonized into the chief power of evil, or Satan.
In Mark’s Gospel, those who opposed Jesus were the scribes from Jerusalem, not the Pharisees (as in Matthew and Luke) or “the Jews” (meaning the Temple Authorities and the Pharisees) as in the Fourth Gospel.
In this gospel and in Matthew’s Gospel, blasphemies against the Holy Spirit cannot be forgiven (v.29). There are many commentaries online about what this might mean.
If we understand that God is Love, we might see the “Holy Spirit” as the “Force” behind all the manifestations of Love in the universe. “Blasphemy” against the Holy Spirit then would be the intentional denial that (a) Love, Goodness and Compassion exist, (b) persons perform acts of love, goodness and compassion, and (c) there are forces, urgings and impulses that move persons towards acts of love, goodness and compassion.
2021, May 30 ~ Isaiah 6:1-8; Romans 8:12-17; John 3:1-17
/in Uncategorized /by Thomas O'BrienTODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
MAY 30, 2021
Isaiah 6:1-8
Reading
1 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lofty; and the hem of his robe filled the temple. 2 Seraphs were in attendance above him; each had six wings: with two they covered their faces, and with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. 3 And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory.”
4 The pivots on the thresholds shook at the voices of those who called, and the house filled with smoke. 5 And I said: “Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; yet my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”
6 Then one of the seraphs flew to me, holding a live coal that had been taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. 7 The seraph touched my mouth with it and said: “Now that this has touched your lips, your guilt has departed, and your sin is blotted out.” 8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I; send me!”
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 usually referred to as “the Call of Isaiah.” Using the reigns of kings as a way of denoting years was a common method, and King Uzziah of the Kingdom of Judea died in 733 BCE, at a time when the Assyrian Empire was dominant. The Assyrians conquered the Kingdom of Israel (the Northern 10 Tribes) in 722 BCE.
The scene of Isaiah’s Call is intended to inspire awe and uses hyperbole (the hem of the LORD’s robe fills the temple) (v.1) to create that sense. The LORD is surrounded by angels – seraphs (literally, “burning ones”) with six wings, two of which cover their “feet” (a customary euphemism in Hebrew Scriptures for one’s private parts).
Just as Samuel responded to the LORD’s call in 1 Sam. 3, Isaiah responds with the same words: “Here I am; send me” (v.8).
Romans 8:12-17
Reading
12 So then, brothers and sisters, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh – 13 for if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. 15 For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, “Abba! Father!” 16 it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ– if, in fact, we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.
Commentary
Paul’s letter to the Romans was his longest, last, and most complex letter. It was written in the late 50s or early 60s (CE) – about ten years before the first Gospel (Mark) was written – to a Jesus Follower community that Paul did not establish. Among other messages in the letter, Paul sought to encourage respectful and supportive relationships between the Gentile Jesus Followers and the Jewish Jesus Followers in Rome.
The “backstory” is that the Roman Emperor Claudius 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. (Jesus Followers were not called “Christians” until the 80’s.)
Paul was a Jew who became a Jesus Follower who saw the Jesus Follower Movement as part of a broader Judaism. As such, he continued to have expectations about the fullness of the Coming of the Messiah/the Christ. Reflecting his Jewish roots, Paul exhorted the Jesus Follower Community in Rome to follow the Commandments, particularly to love one another as neighbors.
Today’s verses placed in opposition “the Spirit” on the one hand and “the flesh” and “the body” on the other. In doing this, Paul was using these terms as “verbal shorthand” for concepts he developed in this and other epistles.
Paul was not denigrating human bodies as intrinsically opposed to the Spirit. Instead, he used “the flesh” and “the body” to as shorthand for the “values of the world” – or “the System” – values that exalt power, self-centeredness, autonomy, and personal achievement as measures of a person’s worth. Similarly, Paul criticized the idea that slavish obedience to the Law would enable one to “earn” or “merit” salvation or wholeness.
Salvation is a byproduct (not the goal) of living in the Spirit, and the Spirit bears witness to the fact that we are children of God and heirs of God with Christ (v.17). We only need accept that gift and live into it.
John 3:1-17
Reading
1 There was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. 2 He came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God.” 3 Jesus answered him, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.” 4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born?” 5 Jesus answered, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. 6 What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not be astonished that I said to you, ‘You must be born from above.’ 8 The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” 9 Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” 10 Jesus answered him, “Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things?
11 “Very truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen; yet you do not receive our testimony. 12 If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. 14 And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.
16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.
17 “Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
Commentary
The Fourth Gospel is different in many ways from the Synoptic Gospels. The “signs” (miracles) and many of the stories in the Fourth Gospel are unique to it, such as the Wedding at Cana, Jesus’ conversation with the Samaritan woman at the well, and the Raising of Lazarus.
The chronology of events is also different in the Fourth Gospel. For example, the Temple Event (“cleansing of the Temple”) occurred early in Jesus’ Ministry in the Fourth Gospel, rather than late as in the Synoptic Gospels. In the Synoptic Gospels, the Last Supper was a Passover Seder, but in the Fourth Gospel, it occurred the day before the first day of Passover so that Jesus (who is described as “the Lamb of God”) died at the time lambs were being sacrificed at the Temple for the Passover Seder to be held that night.
Today’s reading is also unique to the Fourth Gospel. Nicodemus is identified as a Pharisee, and as a “leader off the Jews” (v.1). He may have been a member of the ruling council, the Sanhedrin, that was responsible for the internal and autonomous affairs of the Jewish people. Because of his position, Nicodemus came to Jesus secretly “at night” (v.2)
In the Fourth Gospel, the phrase “the Jews” almost always meant “the Jewish ruling authorities” and was not reference to the Jewish people generally.
As often occurred in stories in the Fourth Gospel, the “foil” (Nicodemus) took the words of Jesus literally (v.4) rather than understanding the spiritual import of them. In verse 7, the word in Greek for “you” is plural, so the message in the Gospel was presented as being intended for persons in addition to Nicodemus. The words “born from above” can also be translated as “born anew.” ”Wind” in verse 8 can also be translated as “the breath” or “the spirit.”
Given the difficult relationship between the Jesus Followers and the Pharisees at the time the Fourth Gospel was written (c.95 CE), this exchange was critical of the Pharisees who “do not understand” (vv. 10-12).
The reference to the story of Moses’ lifting the bronze serpent in the wilderness (v.14) looked back to the account in Num.21:9 in which the Israelites complained again about their food. In this story, YHWH got angry and attacked the Israelites with poisonous snakes and many people died until Moses intervened and put a bronze serpent on a pole so that people who were bitten might live if they looked upon the bronze serpent. Because Jesus as the Son of Man brings eternal life, he was portrayed as superior to Moses.
Because Greek texts did not include punctuation (such as quotation marks), it is not clear if the statements in verses 16 and 17 were attributed by the author of the Fourth Gospel as quotes from Jesus or if they are statements by the author of the Gospel.
2021, May 23 ~ Acts 2:1-21; Ezekiel 37:1-14; Romans 8:22-27; John 15:26-27,16:4b-15
/in Uncategorized /by Thomas O'BrienTODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
MAY 23, 2021
For this Pentecost, the Revised Common Lectionary prescribed the Reading from Acts and either the Reading from Ezekiel or Romans. The order of the Readings my vary from congregation to congregation.
Acts 2:1-21
Reading
1 When the day of Pentecost had come, the disciples were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.
5 Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. 6 And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. 7 Amazed and astonished, they asked, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? 9 Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, 11 Cretans and Arabs– in our own languages we hear them speaking about God’s deeds of power.” 12 All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” 13 But others sneered and said, “They are filled with new wine.”
14 But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, “Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. 15 Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o’clock in the morning. 16 No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel:
17 `In the last days it will be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams.
18 Even upon my slaves, both men and women, in those days I will pour out my Spirit; and they shall prophesy.
19 And I will show portents in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and smoky mist.
20 The sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the coming of the Lord’s great and glorious day.
21 Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’ ”
Commentary
The book called “The Acts of the Apostles” was written around 85 to 90 CE by the anonymous author of the Gospel According to Luke. The first 15 chapters of Acts are a didactic “history” of the early Jesus Follower Movement starting with the Ascension of the Christ and ending at the so-called Council of Jerusalem where it was agreed that Gentiles did not have to be circumcised and keep all the Kosher dietary laws to become Jesus Followers.
Chapters 16 to 28 of Acts are an account of Paul’s Missionary Journeys, his arrest, and his transfer to Rome – and the stories are not always consistent with Paul’s letters.
The Gospel According to Luke and Acts of the Apostles see the Holy Spirit as the driving force for all that happens. The events surrounding today’s reading exemplify this.
Pentecost (also known in Judaism as Shavuot and the Feast of Weeks) celebrated the Spring Harvest 50 days after Passover. It was observed in Ancient Israel from at least the Fifth Century BCE and was one of three feasts in which Jews came to the Temple in Jerusalem to make offerings. It is therefore not surprising that Acts reported that there were large numbers of devout Jews in Jerusalem (v.5) for Pentecost.
After the Destruction of the Temple in 70 CE, offerings could no longer be made there. The feast of Pentecost n Judaism then became a celebration of the giving of the Torah 50 days after (according to the Book of Exodus) the Israelites celebrated the First Passover and left Egypt.
Today’s Pentecost Story contains images of fire and wind – common “descriptions” of the Spirit of God that knows no boundaries. For example, the presence of YHWH is in the Burning Bush in Exodus 3 and tongues of fire are present in Isaiah 5:24.
Many Bible scholars note that persons’ hearing the disciples speaking their own languages (v.11) can be seen as the Spirit’s reversal of the Tower of Babel Story in which YHWH intentionally confused the languages of the earth (Gen.11:9). The Babel Story is generally considered an “etiology” (a myth-story of origins) rather than a literal account about the multiplicity of languages on earth.
The verses quoted from the prophet Joel 2:28-31 described an eschatological event in which Israel would be delivered from its sufferings. Using some the existing traditions about the Day of the LORD, Joel prophesied that God’s people would never again be put to shame (v.27).
The author of Acts used the images in these verses and added the words “In the last days it will be, God declares” (v.17). In this way, he used the verses from Joel to support a claim that God’s plan was being fulfilled by the giving of the Spirit in Pentecost. The author of Acts presented the day as “glorious” (v.20) rather than “terrible” (Joel 2:31).
Ezekiel 37:1-14
Reading
1 The hand of the LORD came upon me, and he brought me out by the spirit of the LORD and set me down in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. 2 He led me all around them; there were very many lying in the valley, and they were very dry. 3 He said to me, “Mortal, can these bones live?” I answered, “O LORD GOD, you know.” 4 Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones, and say to them: O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD. 5 Thus says the LORD GOD to these bones: I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. 6 I will lay sinews on you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live; and you shall know that I am the LORD.”
7 So I prophesied as I had been commanded; and as I prophesied, suddenly there was a noise, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone. 8 I looked, and there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them; but there was no breath in them. 9 Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, mortal, and say to the breath: Thus says the LORD GOD: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.” 10 I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood on their feet, a vast multitude.
11 Then he said to me, “Mortal, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are cut off completely.’ 12 Therefore prophesy and say to them: Thus says the LORD GOD: I am going to open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people; and I will bring you back to the land of Israel. 13 And you shall know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people. 14 I will put my spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you on your own soil; then you shall know that I, the LORD, have spoken and will act,” says the LORD.
Commentary
Ezekiel (whose name means “God strengthens”) is one of the three “Major” Prophets – so called because of the length of the books of Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel. Ezekiel was a priest who was among the first group of persons deported by the Babylonians when they captured Jerusalem in 597 BCE.
The Book of Ezekiel is in three parts: (1) Chapters 1 to 24 are prophesies of doom against Jerusalem before the destruction of the Temple in 586 BCE; (2) Chapters 25 to 32 are prophesies against foreign nations; and (3) Chapters 33 to 48 are prophesies of hope for the Judeans written during the Babylonian Exile (586-539 BCE).
Like other prophets, Ezekiel “prophesied” by speaking for YHWH (translated as LORD in capital letters). Prophesy in the Hebrew Bible was not about telling the future. A prophet was one who spoke for YHWH.
Two of Ezekiel’s most enduring theological developments were that (1) through repentance, sin could be forgiven, and Israel could live into a restored covenantal relationship with YHWH, and (2) the Jews had to accept personal responsibility for their own situation rather than blaming it on the sins of their predecessors.
Today’s reading is the “Valley of the Dry Bones” in which Ezekiel was called by YHWH to “prophesy” (speak for God) to the bones (which is a metaphor for the Judeans in Exile). YHWH addressed Ezekiel as “Mortal” (v.3) which in Hebrew is “ben adam” – which can also be translated as “Son of Man.”
Just as YHWH gave life to the “adam” (the earthling made from fertile earth in Genesis) by putting breath/spirit/life in him (Gen. 2:7), the LORD said that breath will be put in the dry bones (v. 5) and sinews will bind the bones together (v. 6). After this happens, breath/wind/life will come to those slain (v. 9) and a multitude stood on its feet. The “multitude” continued the metaphor of the people of Judea who would be restored to Jerusalem.
The writing (vv. 11-14) contains the metaphor of resurrection (“I am going to bring you up from your graves”), to describe the restoration of the Judeans to Jerusalem. The idea of resurrection is also found in later writings in the Hebrew Bible in Daniel 12 and 2 Maccabees 7 and 9.
Romans 8:22-27
Reading
22 We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now; 23 and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.
26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. 27 And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.
Commentary
Paul’s letter to the Romans was his longest, last and most complex letter. It was written in the late 50s or early 60s (CE) – about ten years before the first Gospel (Mark) was written – 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.
Paul died in 62 or 63 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 continued to have expectations about the fullness of the Coming of the Messiah. This is the “glory about to be revealed to us” (v.18).
Paul’s views were “apocalyptic” in that he anticipated a breakthrough from the current time to a new and better age. In today’s reading, he used the image of the “freedom of the glory of God” to represent the new age, and metaphors of labor pains (v.22) and waiting for adoption and redemption (v.23) as characteristics of the transitional time to this fullness.
Like most apocalyptic writers, Paul saw God as the moving force for this change (v.27) by God’s willing that the Spirit help us to pray (v. 26) and to intercede for the “saints” (believers).
John 15:26-27, 16:4b-15
Reading
26 Jesus said to his disciples,” When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who comes from the Father, he will testify on my behalf. 27 You also are to testify because you have been with me from the beginning.
16:4b “I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you. 5 But now I am going to him who sent me; yet none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ 6 But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your hearts. 7 Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. 8 And when he comes, he will prove the world wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 about sin, because they do not believe in me; 10 about righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will see me no longer; 11 about judgment, because the ruler of this world has been condemned.
12 “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. 14 He will glorify me, because he will take what is mine and declare it to you. 15 All that the Father has is mine. For this reason, I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.
Commentary
The Fourth Gospel is different in many ways from the Synoptic Gospels. The “signs” (miracles) and many of the stories in the Fourth Gospel are unique to it, such as the Wedding at Cana, Jesus’ conversation with the Samaritan woman at the well, and the Raising of Lazarus.
The chronology of events is also different in the Fourth Gospel. For example, the Temple Event (“cleansing of the Temple”) occurred early in Jesus’ Ministry in the Fourth Gospel, rather than late as in the Synoptic Gospels. In the Synoptic Gospels, the Last Supper was a Passover Seder, but in the Fourth Gospel, it occurred the day before the first day of Passover so that Jesus (who is described as “the Lamb of God”) died at the time lambs were being sacrificed at the Temple for the Passover Seder to be held that night.
Today’s reading is also unique to the Fourth Gospel and is part of “the Farewell Discourses” (Chapters 14 to 16) in which Jesus gave insights and instructions to his disciples at the Last Supper.
The Advocate promised in verse 26 is the Holy Spirit, that will only come to the disciples if Jesus “goes away” (v.7). The Greek word “parakletos” is sometimes translated “Paraclete” and is understood as “one who stands beside” another, or a supporter or comforter.
In the Fourth Gospel, the Resurrected Christ “breathed” on the disciples (gave them “new life”) in the locked room late in the day of the Resurrection (when Thomas was not there) and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” Jn.20:22. This event is sometimes called “Little Pentecost.”
The verses that speak of the Father, the Spirit and Jesus (vv. 13-14) anticipate the doctrine of the Trinity developed at the Council of Nicea in 325 CE.
The omitted verses (16:1-4a) spoke of the Jesus Followers being “put out of the synagogues” and the idea that a time is coming when “those who kill you … think…they are offering worship to God.” The notion of the Jesus Followers being put out of the synagogues would have been anachronistic in Jesus’s own time. Some Jewish scholars question whether expulsions of Jesus Followers from the synagogues have an historical referent.
2021, May 16 ~ Acts 1:15-17, 21-26; 1 John 5:9-13; John 17:6-19
/in Uncategorized /by Thomas O'BrienTODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
MAY 16, 2021
Acts 1:15-17, 21-26
Reading
15 In those days Peter stood up among the believers (together the crowd numbered about one hundred twenty persons) and said, 16 “Friends, the scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit through David foretold concerning Judas, who became a guide for those who arrested Jesus – 17 for he was numbered among us and was allotted his share in this ministry.
21 So one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, 22 beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up from us — one of these must become a witness with us to his resurrection.” 23 So they proposed two, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was also known as Justus, and Matthias. 24 Then they prayed and said, “Lord, you know everyone’s heart. Show us which one of these two you have chosen 25 to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place.” 26 And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias; and he was added to the eleven apostles.
Commentary
The book called “The Acts of the Apostles” was written around 85 to 90 CE by the anonymous author of the Gospel According to Luke. The first 15 chapters of Acts are a didactic “history” of the early Jesus Follower Movement starting with the Ascension of the Christ and ending at the so-called Council of Jerusalem where it was agreed that Gentiles did not have to be circumcised and keep all the Kosher dietary laws to become Jesus Followers.
Chapters 16 to 28 of Acts are an account of Paul’s Missionary Journeys, his arrest, and his transfer to Rome – and the stories are not always consistent with Paul’s letters.
The Gospel According to Luke and Acts of the Apostles see the Holy Spirit as the driving force for all that happens. The events surrounding today’s reading exemplify this.
Today’s reading takes place after the description of the Ascension and the disciples’ return to Jerusalem. It is the first of Peter’s four speeches in the first four chapters of Acts.
Peter stated that the Holy Spirit (through David – the traditional author of the Psalms) foretold Judas’ betrayal. (The verses omitted from today’s reading (18-20) describe Judas’ death and give the Aramaic name for the place of Judas’ death – the Field of Blood.)
Peter’s speech continued with a call to replace Judas. Because there were 12 Tribes of Israel, 12 was regarded as a sacred number, and the disciples decided to elect a successor to Judas. The “requirement” that the person to be selected needed to have been with the apostles during all of Jesus’ public ministry eliminated Paul as a candidate to be one of the 12 apostles. Paul elsewhere referred to himself as a “apostle.” 1 Cor. 15:9.
The use of “lots” (a form of dice) was a common Biblical way to make choices on the theory that God would control the lots to choose the correct person. The lot fell upon Matthias and he was added to the 11 remaining apostles. Nothing else is known about either Matthias or the other candidate, Joseph called Barsabbas, also known as Justus.
In another reference to lots, and using Psalm 22:18 as a model, the Synoptic Gospels said that soldiers cast lots for Jesus’ clothing at the Crucifixion (Mark 15:24; Matt 27:35; Luke 23:34).
1 John 5:9-13
Reading
9 If we receive human testimony, the testimony of God is greater; for this is the testimony of God that he has testified to his Son. 10 Those who believe in the Son of God have the testimony in their hearts. Those who do not believe in God have made him a liar by not believing in the testimony that God has given concerning his Son. 11 And this is the testimony: God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.
13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.
Commentary
There are three letters attributed to “John” – an attribution given in the late 2nd Century about the same time that the four canonical Gospels were attributed to Mark, Matthew, Luke, and John. (We do not know the actual authors of any of the Gospels.)
Scholars also conclude that the three letters attributed to “John” were written after 100 CE because they do not reflect the tense relationships found in the Fourth Gospel between the Jesus Followers and the Temple Authorities (in Jesus’ lifetime and until 70 CE) and the Pharisees (from 70 CE until the “parting of the ways” around 100 CE).
The author of 1 John was likely an individual speaking on behalf of a community of followers of the author of the Fourth Gospel.
Today’s reading is from the concluding chapter of the letter, and repeated themes from the Fourth Gospel. True faith is testified to by not only humans, but also by the Son and by God (v. 9). This is a theme in the Fourth Gospel (John 5:31-38) in which Jesus said he was speaking for the Father.
The statement that belief in the Son will bring eternal life (v.13) parallels the last verse of the Fourth Gospel – “and that through believing [that Jesus is the Messiah] you may have life in his name” (John 20:31).
John 17:6-19
Reading
6 [Jesus prayed for his disciples,] “I have made your name known to those whom you gave me from the world. They were yours, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. 7 Now they know that everything you have given me is from you; 8 for the words that you gave to me I have given to them, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. 9 I am asking on their behalf; I am not asking on behalf of the world, but on behalf of those whom you gave me, because they are yours. 10 All mine are yours, and yours are mine; and I have been glorified in them. 11 And now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one. 12 While I was with them, I protected them in your name that you have given me. I guarded them, and not one of them was lost except the one destined to be lost, so that the scripture might be fulfilled. 13 But now I am coming to you, and I speak these things in the world so that they may have my joy made complete in themselves. 14 I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. 15 I am not asking you to take them out of the world, but I ask you to protect them from the evil one. 16 They do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. 17 Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you have sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. 19 And for their sakes I sanctify myself, so that they also may be sanctified in truth.”
Commentary
The Fourth Gospel is different in many ways from the Synoptic Gospels. The “signs” (miracles) and many of the stories in the Fourth Gospel are unique to it, such as the Wedding at Cana, Jesus’ conversation with the Samaritan woman at the well, and the Raising of Lazarus.
The chronology of events is also different in the Fourth Gospel. For example, the Temple Event (“cleansing of the Temple”) occurred early in Jesus’ Ministry in the Fourth Gospel, rather than late as in the Synoptic Gospels. In the Synoptic Gospels, the Last Supper was a Passover Seder, but in the Fourth Gospel, it occurred the day before the first day of Passover so that Jesus (who is described as “the Lamb of God”) died at the time lambs were being sacrificed at the Temple for the Passover Seder to be held that night.
Today’s reading is also unique to the Fourth Gospel and is part of “Jesus’ Final Prayer” (Chapter 17) which follows the “Farewell Discourse” (13:31 to the end of Chapter 16). The first five verses of Chapter 17 are a prayer Jesus offered for himself, and today’s reading is his prayer to God for the disciples. (The introductory words “Jesus prayed for his disciples” are not in the canonical text.)
In the prayer, “you” and “your” refer to God the Father, not to the disciples. In the prayer, references to “the world” are not references to the earth as such but are references to the values of the world (or “the System”), including striving for power, wealth, control, self-interest.
In this prayer, there are some “echoes” of the Our Father as it appears in Matthew and in Luke, but in those passages, Jesus was presented as teaching his disciples how to pray. Here, Jesus was praying to the Father on their behalf.
The one “destined to be lost” (v.12) was Judas Iscariot, and the “evil one” (v.15) is Satan.
2021, May 9 ~ Acts 10:44-48; 1 John 5:1-6; John 15:9-17
/in Uncategorized /by Thomas O'BrienTODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
MAY 9, 2021
Acts 10:44-48
Reading
44 While Peter was still speaking, the Holy Spirit fell upon all who heard the word. 45 The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astounded that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles, 46 for they heard them speaking in tongues and extolling God. Then Peter said, 47 “Can anyone withhold the water for baptizing these people who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” 48 So he ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they invited him to stay for several days.
Commentary
The book called “The Acts of the Apostles” was written around 85 to 90 CE by the anonymous author of the Gospel According to Luke. The first 15 chapters of Acts are a didactic “history” of the early Jesus Follower Movement starting with the Ascension of the Christ and ending at the so-called Council of Jerusalem where it was agreed that Gentiles did not have to be circumcised and keep all the Kosher dietary laws to become Jesus Followers.
Chapters 16 to 28 of Acts are an account of Paul’s Missionary Journeys, his arrest, and his transfer to Rome – and the stories are not always consistent with Paul’s letters.
The Gospel According to Luke and Acts of the Apostles see the Holy Spirit as the driving force for all that happens. The events surrounding today’s reading exemplify this.
As background to today’s reading in Chapter 10, Peter fell into a trance (v.10) and saw a sheet filled with foods regarded by Jews as profane or unclean. A voice admonished him that what God made clean shall not be called profane (v. 15). Soon after, Peter converted a Gentile, Cornelius the Centurion, at the behest of the Spirit (v.19). Peter then gave a speech that was a synopsis of the major themes in the Gospel According to Luke (vv. 34-43).
In today’s reading, the Holy Spirit fell upon all who heard Peter’s speech. The “circumcised believers” (v. 45) were Jewish Jesus Followers. They were astounded that the Holy Spirit had been poured out upon Gentiles (v. 47). Peter baptized these Gentile Jesus Followers.
These three events – the sheet of “unclean foods,” the conversion of Cornelius, and the baptism of the Gentiles upon whom the Holy Spirit was poured – are presented in Acts as critical “precedents” to the spread of the Jesus Follower Movement to Gentiles. This expansion was “ratified” at the so-called Council of Jerusalem in 49 CE (Acts 15). At this “Council,” Peter and Paul testified about the Spirit’s coming upon Gentiles. James (the brother of Jesus and head of the Jerusalem Jesus Follower Community) made the decision that Gentiles did not have to convert to Judaism by observing a strict kosher diet and by being circumcised to become Jesus Followers.
Following the Council, Acts of the Apostles turned its focus to Paul’s missions to the Gentiles.
1 John 5:1-6
Reading
1 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the parent loves the child. 2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. 3 For the love of God is this, that we obey his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome, 4 for whatever is born of God conquers the world. And this is the victory that conquers the world, our faith. 5 Who is it that conquers the world but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
6 This is the one who came by water and blood, Jesus Christ, not with the water only but with the water and the blood. And the Spirit is the one that testifies, for the Spirit is the truth.
Commentary
There are three letters attributed to “John” – an attribution given in the late 2nd Century about the same time that the four canonical Gospels were attributed to Mark, Matthew, Luke, and John. (We do not know the actual authors of any of the Gospels.)
Scholars also conclude that the three letters attributed to “John” were written after 100 CE because they do not reflect the tense relationships found in the Fourth Gospel between the Jesus Followers and the Temple Authorities (in Jesus’ lifetime and until 70 CE) and the Pharisees (from 70 CE until the “parting of the ways” around 100 CE).
The author of 1 John was likely an individual speaking on behalf of a community of followers of the author of the Fourth Gospel.
Today’s reading emphasized themes found in the Fourth Gospel – belief in Jesus as The Messiah accompanied by love of others are the hallmarks of a Jesus Follower. This belief and action allow one to “conquer the world” (v.4). As used in the Fourth Gospel and in this letter, the “world” is better understood as “the System” – the systems of human power, ego, and self-interest.
The Fourth Gospel is the only gospel in which a soldier lanced Jesus’ side with a spear, producing blood and water (Jn. 19:34). Today’s reading repeated this unique theme (v.6).
John 15:9-17
Reading
9 Jesus said to his disciples, “As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love. 10 If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. 11 I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete.
12 “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command you. 15 I do not call you servants any longer, because the servant does not know what the master is doing; but I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask him in my name. 17 I am giving you these commands so that you may love one another.”
Commentary
The Fourth Gospel is different in many ways from the Synoptic Gospels. The “signs” (miracles) and many of the stories in the Fourth Gospel are unique to it, such as the Wedding at Cana, Jesus’ conversation with the Samaritan woman at the well, and the Raising of Lazarus.
The chronology of events is also different in the Fourth Gospel. For example, the Temple Event (“cleansing of the Temple”) occurred early in Jesus’ Ministry in the Fourth Gospel, rather than late as in the Synoptic Gospels. In the Synoptic Gospels, the Last Supper was a Passover Seder, but in the Fourth Gospel, it occurred the day before the first day of Passover so that Jesus (who is described as “the Lamb of God”) died at the time lambs were being sacrificed at the Temple for the Passover Seder to be held that night.
Today’s reading is also unique to the Fourth Gospel and is part of “the Farewell Discourses” (Chapters 14 to 16) in which Jesus gave insights and instructions to his disciples at the Last Supper.
Once again, the author of the Fourth Gospel used the word “abide” in the phrase “abide in my love” (vv. 9, 10). The word “abide” has numerous meanings, but the one generally accepted in the context of this reading is to maintain such a close relationship as to be integrated into the other or to “live in and with the other.”
The commandment in verse 12 is considered the most central of the exhortations in the Fourth Gospel.