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2021, July 18 ~ 2 Samuel 7:1-14a; Jeremiah 23:1-6; Ephesians 2:11-22: Mark 6:30-34, 53-56

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TODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
JULY 18, 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 7:1-14a

Reading

1 When the king was settled in his house, and the LORD had given him rest from all his enemies around him, 2 the king said to the prophet Nathan, “See now, I am living in a house of cedar, but the ark of God stays in a tent.” 3 Nathan said to the king, “Go, do all that you have in mind; for the LORD is with you.”

4 But that same night the word of the LORD came to Nathan: 5 Go and tell my servant David: Thus says the LORD: Are you the one to build me a house to live in? 6 I have not lived in a house since the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I have been moving about in a tent and a tabernacle. 7 Wherever I have moved about among all the people of Israel, did I ever speak a word with any of the tribal leaders of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, saying, “Why have you not built me a house of cedar?” 8 Now therefore thus you shall say to my servant David: Thus says the LORD of hosts: I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep to be prince over my people Israel; 9 and I have been with you wherever you went and have cut off all your enemies from before you; and I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth. 10 And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, so that they may live in their own place, and be disturbed no more; and evildoers shall afflict them no more, as formerly, 11 from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel; and I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover, the LORD declares to you that the LORD will make you a house. 12 When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come forth from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 14 I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me.

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 one of the most important passages in the Deuteronomic Corpus. In it, the Deuteronomists articulated three major religious ideas by casting them as pronouncements and promises by YHWH. The passages in today’s reading formed the scriptural bases for three critical understandings held by Ancient Israel: (1) Jerusalem was the central place for the worship of YHWH, the place where the Temple would be, and the place where the “presence” of YHWH would reside; (2) the “House” of David would be eternal (v.13); and (3) Israel will have rest from its enemies (v.11).

These promises were so central to Judaism that they were repeated in Psalms 89 and 132, and in 1 Chronicles 22.

For the Deuteronomists, the destruction of the Temple by the Babylonians, the interruption of the line of Davidic kings after 587 BCE because of the Babylonian Exile, and the occupation of Israel by (successively) the Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, Greeks, Seleucids, and Romans were all the result of the failure of Israel to worship YHWH properly. Notwithstanding these events, the promises of YHWH were seen by the Deuteronomists as remaining in full force and effect, but the behaviors of the kings and people caused YHWH’s promises to be “suspended” for a time.

The “suspension” did not mean the promises were abrogated. Instead, YHWH’s promise regarding the Davidic line became one of the key characteristics of one of the understandings of the Messiah who was to come. The Messiah was to come from the House of David, and (for some) would unify the nation and drive out the outside occupiers.

In today’s reading, YHWH was presented anthropomorphically as having conversations with the prophet Nathan who, in turn, recounted YHWH’s words to David. As part of this conversation, YHWH promised that David’s offspring would build a “house” for YHWH’s name (v.13). Later in the Books of Samuel and Kings, Nathan and Bathsheba conspired to arrange for David’s 7th son (Solomon) to become king. Solomon caused the First Temple to be built during his reign.

Jeremiah 23:1-6

Reading

1 Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! says the LORD. 2 Therefore thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, concerning the shepherds who shepherd my people: It is you who have scattered my flock, and have driven them away, and you have not attended to them. So, I will attend to you for your evil doings, says the LORD. 3 Then I myself will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the lands where I have driven them, and I will bring them back to their fold, and they shall be fruitful and multiply. 4 I will raise up shepherds over them who will shepherd them, and they shall not fear any longer, or be dismayed, nor shall any be missing, says the LORD.

5 The days are surely coming, says the LORD, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. 6 In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. And this is the name by which he will be called: “The LORD is our righteousness.”

Commentary

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

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

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

Today’s reading is in prose style and attacked the kings and priests (the “shepherds”).

Consistent with the “do bad, get bad” theology of the Deuteronomists, YHWH (“LORD” in all capital letters) will “attend to” them for their “evil doings” (v.2). Consistent with the reading from Samuel for today, the writers held up the promise that YHWH would raise up for “David” (Judea) a righteous king who would enable Israel to live in safety and righteousness (v.5). For the Deuteronomists, YHWH controlled everything. YHWH caused the Exile, the end of the Exile through Cyrus of Persia in 539 BCE, the return of the Judeans to Jerusalem, and the relatively peaceful Persian Era (539 to 333 BCE).

If these “predictions” by the prophet were in fact made after the Exile, the writers had “20/20 hindsight” that the “remnant” (a “code word” for the Judeans who returned to Jerusalem after the Exile) would be “fruitful and multiply” – the command given by God to the humans in Gen. 1:28.

These prophesies by Jeremiah remained an important part of the 1st Century CE understanding (and expectation) of what the Messiah would be and do.

Ephesians 2:11-22

Reading

11 Remember that at one time you Gentiles by birth, called “the uncircumcision” by those who are called “the circumcision” — a physical circumcision made in the flesh by human hands — 12 remember that you were at that time without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For he is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us. 15 He has abolished the law with its commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new humanity in place of the two, thus making peace, 16 and might reconcile both groups to God in one body through the cross, thus putting to death that hostility through it. 17 So he came and proclaimed peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near; 18 for through him both of us have access in one Spirit to the Father. 19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God, 20 built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. 21 In him the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord; 22 in whom you also are built together spiritually into a dwelling place for God.

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 spoke mostly to the Gentile (“uncircumcised”) Jesus Followers (v.11) and reminded them that through Jesus the Christ they were brought into the Covenants of promise that formerly were only for the Jews (v.13). The author said that by Jesus’ life, death and resurrection, Jesus created a New Covenant open to both Jews and Gentiles. Gentile and Jewish Jesus Followers are now “one new humanity in place of the two” (v.15) and “members of the household of God” (v.19), a phrase used in welcoming newly Baptized persons into the Church (BCP p.308)

Historical note: The question “Does a Gentile have to become a Jew (be circumcised and follow Kosher dietary rules) as a prerequisite to becoming a Jesus Follower?” was supposedly “answered” in the negative at Jerusalem in 49 CE (recounted in Acts 15). Many scholars, however, see Acts 15 as a “compression” of events that continued well past 49 CE until Acts of the Apostles was written around 85 CE by the same person who wrote the Gospel According to Luke.

The notion that the Christ “abolished the law” (v.15) is a late development and not a position taken by Paul in his authentic letters. For example, in the Letter to the Romans his view is more nuanced, and he acknowledged that the Law was still binding on Jewish Jesus Followers, even if it was not fully binding on Gentiles.

Mark 6:30-34, 53-56

Reading

30 The apostles gathered around Jesus and told him all that they had done and taught. 31 He said to them, “Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. 32 And they went away in the boat to a deserted place by themselves. 33 Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they hurried there on foot from all the towns and arrived ahead of them. 34 As he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things.

53 When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret and moored the boat. 54 When they got out of the boat, people at once recognized him, 55 and rushed about that whole region and began to bring the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. 56 And wherever he went, into villages or cities or farms, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged him that they might touch even the fringe of his cloak; and all who touched it were healed.

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 follows the story of the beheading of John the Baptizer and gives the author’s sense of the excitement that Jesus’ presence and healings caused. The reference to sheep and a shepherd (v.34) is a common one and echoes the metaphor used in the reading today from Jeremiah.

Gennesaret was a small town on the western (Jewish) side of the Sea of Galilee, about four miles south of Capernaum. (Sometimes the Sea of Galilee was referred to as the Lake of Gennesaret.)

The omitted verses today recount Mark’s version of the feeding of the 5,000, Jesus’ telling the disciples to row north to Bethsaida, his walking on the water during the night, and calming the sea when he got into the boat. Notwithstanding these events, the disciples “did not understand … because their hearts were hardened (v.52).

Mark’s mention of the fringes on Jesus’ cloak is a reference to the blue threads (tzitzit) worn (even today) by devout Jewish men on the corners of their cloaks as directed by Num. 15:37-40. As with the woman with the hemorrhage, merely touching the fringes of Jesus’ cloak led to healing.

2020, November 29 ~ Isaiah 64:1-9; and 1 Corinthians 1:3-9

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Isaiah 64:1-9

Reading

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

Commentary

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

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

Today’s reading is from the chapters called “Third Isaiah” and the ideas expressed in these verses indicate that they were composed before the Temple was rebuilt in the period from 516 to 505 BCE. This is also shown by the two verses immediately preceding today’s reading (63:18-19) and the two verses following it (vv. 10-11), all of which refer to the destruction of Jerusalem.

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

1 Corinthians 1:3-9

Reading

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

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

Commentary

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

Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians was written in the 50’s (CE) and presented his views on many issues that were controversial in this Jesus Follower Community.

Today’s reading from the opening chapter of the letter is a salutation customary in ancient Greek letters (vv. 1-3) followed by a thanksgiving for the grace of God given to the Jesus Followers in Corinth through Christ Jesus (vv.4-7). Using irony as a rhetorical device, Paul praised the Corinthians for their speech and knowledge (v.5) and spiritual gifts (v.7) as a prelude to discussing these qualities more critically in the body of the letter. He told them that the Lord Jesus Christ will strengthen them so they will be blameless at the time of judgment and fulfillment – the “day of our Lord Jesus Christ” (v. 8). In a call for unity, Paul reminded them that they were called into “the fellowship of the Son” (v.9).

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

2020, February 9 ~ Isaiah 58:1-12 and 1 Corinthians 2:1-16

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Isaiah 58:1-12

Reading

1 Shout out, do not hold back! Lift up your voice like a trumpet! Announce to my people their rebellion, to the house of Jacob their sins.
2 Yet day after day they seek me and delight to know my ways, as if they were a nation that practiced righteousness and did not forsake the ordinance of their God; they ask of me righteous judgments, they delight to draw near to God.
3 “Why do we fast, but you do not see? Why humble ourselves, but you do not notice?” Look, you serve your own interest on your fast day, and oppress all your workers.
4 Look, you fast only to quarrel and to fight and to strike with a wicked fist. Such fasting as you do today will not make your voice heard on high.
5 Is such the fast that I choose, a day to humble oneself? Is it to bow down the head like a bulrush, and to lie in sackcloth and ashes? Will you call this a fast, a day acceptable to the Lord?
6 Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke?
7 Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and bring the homeless poor into your house;
when you see the naked, to cover them, and not to hide yourself from your own kin?
8 Then your light shall break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up quickly; your vindicator shall go before you, the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.
9 Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry for help, and he will say, Here I am.
If you remove the yoke from among you, the pointing of the finger, the speaking of evil,
10 if you offer your food to the hungry and satisfy the needs of the afflicted, then your light shall rise in the darkness and your gloom be like the noonday.
11 The Lord will guide you continually, and satisfy your needs in parched places, and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters never fail.
12 Your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations;
you shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to live in.

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.

In today’s reading from Third Isaiah, the prophet was told by YHWH to reveal to the people (“the house of Jacob”) who returned to Jerusalem that their way of living was immoral, and that prayer and sacrifices without serious moral reformation did not please YHWH (vv. 1-5).

Instead, the LORD wanted justice, freedom for the oppressed, sharing of food, bringing the homeless into one’s home, and sharing one’s goods and clothing (vv. 6-8). The LORD told them to “remove the yoke” from the downtrodden and stop having contempt for one another (“pointing the finger”).

When these things are done, YHWH would guide the people, make them prosperous and the ruins of Jerusalem would be rebuilt (vv. 9-12).

1 Corinthians 2:1-16

Reading

1 When I came to you, brothers and sisters, I did not come proclaiming the mystery of God to you in lofty words or wisdom. 2 For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified. 3 And I came to you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling. 4 My speech and my proclamation were not with plausible words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom but on the power of God.
6 Yet among the mature we do speak wisdom, though it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to perish. 7 But we speak God’s wisdom, secret and hidden, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. 8 None of the rulers of this age understood this; for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 9 But, as it is written,
“What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the human heart conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him”— 10 these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. 11 For what human being knows what is truly human except the human spirit that is within? So also no one comprehends what is truly God’s except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit that is from God, so that we may understand the gifts bestowed on us by God. 13 And we speak of these things in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual things to those who are spiritual.
14 Those who are unspiritual do not receive the gifts of God’s Spirit, for they are foolishness to them, and they are unable to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. 15 Those who are spiritual discern all things, and they are themselves subject to no one else’s scrutiny.
16 “For who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.

Commentary

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

Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians was written in the 50’s (CE) and presented his views on many issues that were controversial in this Jesus Follower Community.

Today’s reading is the entirety of Chapter 2. In it, Paul continued his opposition to worldly wisdom and asserted that the Corinthians became believers because of the power of the Spirit and God, not because of lofty words (v.1).

Paul said he could speak God’s wisdom among those spiritually mature because the Spirit enabled them to understand the gifts bestowed by God. He continued to distinguish this wisdom from secular wisdom (“the wisdom of this age”) and the wisdom of the “rulers of this age” [the Romans] (v.6).

Scholars are not sure of the source of the words quoted by Paul in verse 9, but they bear some similarity to Isaiah 64:4, a verse that describes the incomparability of YHWH.

Those who are “unspiritual” (or natural) regard the gifts of God’s Spirit as foolishness, but those who are spiritual have the mind of Christ. For Paul, heavenly wisdom is identical with the Spirit. In verse 16, Paul paraphrases Isaiah 40:13, a verse that said that YHWH is beyond instruction from another source.

In Chapter 3, Paul will describe the Corinthians as spiritual infants because of their quarreling.

2019, October 6 ~ Lamentations 1:1-6 and 2 Timothy 1:1-14

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Lamentations 1:1-6

In Christian versions of the Bible, Lamentations is included between Jeremiah and Ezekiel because of a tradition that the book was written by Jeremiah (just as the Psalms were incorrectly attributed to David and most Wisdom Literature was attributed to Solomon). In the Hebrew Bible, Lamentations is not included with the Prophets, but is situated among the “Writings.”

Lamentations consists of a sequence of five lyric poems that lament the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians and the beginning of the Exile in 586 BCE. It was written in the period from 586 BCE and 520 BCE when the Exile was over and the Temple was being rebuilt.

The first four chapters of Lamentations are written as an acrostic in which the first letter of each successive verse follows the sequence of the Hebrew alphabet.

Today’s verses are the opening part of an extended lament over Jerusalem, which has lost its lovers (i.e. allies) (v.2) and now lives among the “nations” (Gentiles) (v.3). The theology of the verses is consistent with the Deuteronomic belief that if one engages in “bad acts” the consequences will be bad, and YHWH was punishing Jerusalem for its transgressions (v.5).

2 Timothy 1:1-14

The Letters to Timothy and Titus are called “Pastoral Letters” because they concerned the internal life, governance and behavior of the early Christian churches and their members. Most scholars agree they were written in the early Second Century in Paul’s name by some of his followers (Paul died in 63 CE). Writing a document in someone else’s name was a common practice in the First and Second Centuries. By then, the Jesus Follower Community had become more institutionalized and concerns about “heresy” had arisen.

The Pastoral letters were written to Paul’s “co-workers” but have a broader audience. By the time they were written, Paul was regarded as an unambiguously authoritative figure of the past.

2 Timothy is more personal than 1 Timothy. The author, writing as Paul, treated Timothy as his “beloved child” (v.2), loyal disciple and his spiritual heir. In the letter, Paul was portrayed as near death.

Today’s reading contains a typical “Pauline salutation” followed by a “thanksgiving” for Timothy’s faith (vv. 3-7). “Paul” showed his connection to Judaism in saying that he worshiped “as my ancestors did” (v.3). Speaking as Paul, the author emphasized that his understanding of the gospel is the true one, and presented the gospel proclamation in shorthand form in verses 9 and 10.

“Paul” asserted his status as a herald, apostle, teacher and sufferer (vv. 11-12) as a prelude to criticizing persons who “have turned away from me” (v.15). The reference to “that day” in verse 12 shows the growing belief within the Jesus Follower Movement in a Second Coming of Christ when the Kingdom of God would be fulfilled.

2019, September 22 ~ Jeremiah 8:18-9:1 and 1 Timothy 2:1-7

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Jeremiah 8:18 – 9:1

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

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

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

Today’s reading is in “poetry style” and (except for YHWH’s interjection about the worship of foreign idols in verse 19b) was structured as a lament by the City of Jerusalem over its fate. In verses 19a and 20, the writer quoted the people of Judah (which included Jerusalem) who bemoaned their situation – either in anticipation of the conquest by the Babylonians or after it.

“Balm in Gilead” (v. 22) refers to the medicinal resin of the storax tree found in Gilead, an area east of the Jordan River in what is now modern Jordan.

1 Timothy 2:1-7

The Letters to Timothy and Titus are called “Pastoral Letters” because they concerned the internal life, governance and behavior of the early Christian churches and their members. Most scholars agree they were written in the early Second Century in Paul’s name by some of his followers (Paul died in 63 CE). Writing a document in someone else’s name was a common practice in the First and Second Centuries. By then, the Jesus Follower Community had become more institutionalized and concerns about “heresy” had arisen.

The Pastoral letters were written to Paul’s “co-workers” but have a broader audience. By the time they were written, Paul was regarded as an unambiguously authoritative figure of the past.

Today’s reading urged accommodation by the Jesus Followers to the worldly authorities for the sake of the peace of the church. In urging this, the writer did not address the fact that the Roman Emperor claimed to be divine and worthy of worship. The writer affirmed that there is “one God” (v.5), a reformulation of the Jewish statement (the “Shema”) found in Deut. 6:4-9.

The idea of Christ Jesus as a “ransom” (v. 6) traces back to Mark 10:45 (“For the Son of Man came … to give his life as a ransom for many”). This idea, in turn, was primarily derived from the Fourth Servant Poem of Isaiah (Is. 52:13 to 53:12) which portrayed Judea as a suffering servant during the Babylonian Exile (587-539 BCE).

2019, September 15 ~ Jeremiah 4:11-12, 22-28 and 1 Timothy 1:12-17

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Jeremiah 4:11-12, 22-28

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

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

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

In today’s reading, the first two verses are in “prose style” and serve as an introduction to the warnings to Jerusalem given in the years just before the Babylonian conquest in 597 BCE and the Babylonian Exile in 587 BCE.

The balance of the reading (except for verse 27) is in “poetry style.” In it, YHWH condemns evil (v.22) and sees the cities in ruins because of YHWH’s fierce anger (v.26). Verse 27 is a later insertion (after the Exile ended in 539 BCE) that YHWH would not make the destruction a “full end” and that there would be a restoration.

1 Timothy 1:12-17

The Letters to Timothy and Titus are called “Pastoral Letters” because they concerned the internal life, governance and behavior of the early Christian churches and their members. Most scholars agree they were written in the early Second Century in Paul’s name by some of his followers (Paul died in 63 CE). Writing a document in someone else’s name was a common practice in the First and Second Centuries. By then, the Jesus Follower Community had become more institutionalized and concerns about “heresy” had arisen.

The Pastoral letters were written to Paul’s “co-workers” but have a broader audience. By the time they were written, Paul was regarded as an unambiguously authoritative figure of the past.

In today’s reading, as a prelude to opposing false teachings, “Paul” asserted his authority by saying that his conversion occurred “because [Jesus] judged me faithful and appointed me to his service (v.12). He stated that Jesus the Christ came to save sinners (v.15) and made him “an example to those who would come to believe in [Jesus] for eternal life” (v. 16).

2019, January 27 ~Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10; and 1 Corinthians 12:12-31a

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Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10

The Babylonian Exile ended in 539 BCE when the Persians defeated the Babylonians. Cyrus the Great then directed the Judeans to return to Jerusalem. Jerusalem had been destroyed by the Babylonians in 587 BCE, and the reconstruction of Jerusalem took more than 90 years.

Ezra (mentioned in today’s reading) was sent to Jerusalem by the Persian King in 458 BCE. According to the Books of Ezra and Nehemiah, he was a priest with direct lineage to Aaron (the brother of Moses), and a scribe (a highly educated person). Many Biblical scholars conclude that Ezra was the final “redactor” (editor and combiner) of the four literary sources (called J, E, D and P) from which the first five books of the Bible (the Torah) were derived.

Nehemiah was a Jew who was cupbearer to the King of Persia. In 445 BCE, the King sent Nehemiah to rebuild Jerusalem and its walls. Nehemiah was a capable administrator, and accomplished his tasks in a little more than a year.

Today’s reading recounts the first reading of the “book of the law of Moses” (the Torah). It was read aloud by Ezra in 443 BCE to all the people to celebrate the restoration of Jerusalem, and was done “with interpretation” (v.8) so the people would understand it.

During the period of Persian rule over Judea (539 to 333 BCE), Judea generally prospered, and the Judeans reconstituted themselves as “People of the Book.” During this time, many books of the Hebrew Bible were codified in what was close to their final form.

1 Corinthians 12:12-31a

Corinth, a large port city in Greece, was among the early Jesus Follower communities that Paul founded. Its culture was diverse and Hellenistic. Corinthians emphasized reason and secular wisdom. In addition to Paul, other Jesus Followers taught in Corinth, sometimes in ways inconsistent with Paul’s understandings of what it meant to be a Jesus Follower. Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians was written in the 50’s (CE) and presented his views on many issues that were controversial in this Jesus Follower Community.

Today’s reading is a continuation of last week’s reading in which Paul emphasized that all spiritual gifts come from God and are manifestations of the Spirit for the common good. In the continuation, Paul emphasized unity through the Spirit between Jewish Jesus Followers and Gentile Jesus Followers (“Jews or Greeks”). He analogized the Jesus Follower Community to the human body (vv.14-24) and rejected a separatist or individualistic attitude by any part of the body to other parts. He noted that all members have different gifts and roles to play in the Jesus Follower Community, just as each of our body parts functions as part of one human body.

2019, January 20 ~ Isaiah 62:1-5 and 1 Corinthians 12:1-11

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Isaiah 62:1-5

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) who called for Jerusalem to repent in the 20 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. For the most part, a prophet gave encouragement to Judeans who returned to Jerusalem (which was largely destroyed by the Babylonians in 587 BCE) after the Exile.

Today’s reading is from Third Isaiah. The prophet asserted in a poetic manner that he would continue to speak for God until Jerusalem was restored (v.1) and had a new name (a new beginning), namely, “My Delight is in Her” (v.2).

As is often characteristic of poetic verses in the Hebrew Bible (and also true of ancient Canaanite poetry), the verses are repetitive – the idea in one phrase is repeated in slightly different words in the next. For example, “Nations shall see your victory” is followed by “And every king your majesty.” “You shall wear a glorious crown” is followed by “a royal diadem.” The same pattern is followed in verses 4 and 5.

The “nations” (v.2) means non-Jews (Gentiles) and is sometimes (depending on the context) translated in the Hebrew Bible as “the peoples.” The derivation is goyim (Heb) = ethne (Gk) = gentes (Lat) = peoples, nations, Gentiles.

The reading concluded with marriage symbolism in which YHWH (translated as “LORD” in all capital letters) rejoiced over his bride, Jerusalem.

1 Corinthians 12:1-11

Corinth, a large port city in Greece, was among the early Jesus Follower communities that Paul founded. Its culture was diverse and Hellenistic. Corinthians emphasized reason and secular wisdom. In addition to Paul, other Jesus Followers taught in Corinth, sometimes in ways inconsistent with Paul’s understandings of what it meant to be a Jesus Follower. Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians was written in the 50’s (CE) and presented his views on many issues that were controversial in this Jesus Follower Community.

Today’s reading began “Now concerning.” This indicates that Paul was responding to something written to him by the Jesus Follower Community in Corinth. Here, Paul emphasized that all spiritual gifts come from God (v.6) and are manifestations of the Spirit for the common good (v.7). He listed (v.8) gifts that Greeks would value most (wisdom and knowledge) and affirmed that they come from the Spirit. He then enumerated other gifts (faith, healing, miracles, prophesy, tongues) as being equally important and also as coming from the Spirit.

The verses which follow today’s reading make clear that the diversity of gifts exists within unity. “We were all baptized into one body – Jews [Jewish Jesus Followers] or Greeks [Gentile Jesus Followers], slaves or free” (v.13).

2019, January 6 ~ Isaiah 60:1-6 and Ephesians 3:1-12

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Isaiah 60:1-6

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) who called for Jerusalem to repent in the 20 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. For the most part, a prophet gave encouragement to Judeans who returned to Jerusalem (which was largely destroyed by the Babylonians in 587 BCE) after the Exile.

Today’s reading is from “Third Isaiah” and speaks of a time of restoration and glory for Zion/Jerusalem, and (by extension) all of Israel. The “peoples” (v.2) and the “nations” (v.3) are non-Jews (“goyim” in Hebrew) who will be in darkness (v.2). YHWH (translated as LORD in all capital letters) will give glory to Zion, and “foreigners/nations” will come to the light of Zion. Isaiah does not say that a Messiah will cause this transformation of Zion; YHWH will bring it about. The wealth of the “nations” shall come to Zion, including camels from Midian (in the Sinai) and Sheba (either Arabia or Ethiopia, scholars are not sure).

The author of the Gospel According to Matthew used the motif of foreigners bringing gifts of gold and frankincense (60:6) as a basis for the Gifts of the Magi (Matt. 2:11).

Ephesians 3:1-12

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 didn’t always agree on what it meant to be a Jesus Follower.

Because the letter contains a number of terms not used in Paul’s other letters and gives 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 (speaking as Paul) describes himself as a prisoner of (or for) Christ Jesus, and says the “mystery” (v.3) was made known to him by revelation. He hopes to convey to the Gentiles this “mystery of Christ” (v.4). This mystery is described in 1:9 as God’s plan for the fullness of time in which all things will be gathered up into the Christ, including the uniting of Gentiles and Jews as Jesus Followers. This “plan” is the “eternal purpose that he [God] has carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord” (v.11).

2018, July 1 ~ Wisdom 1:13-15, 2:23-24; and 2 Corinthians 8:7-15

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Wisdom 1:13-15, 2:23-24

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 “TaNaK”) 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 they 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 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. For this reason, there is an emphasis on Platonic ideas such as 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

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 church. Chapter 9 repeats much of Chapter 8 and may be from a different letter making the same appeal for the poor in Jerusalem.