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2024, February 4 ~ Isaiah 40:21-31; 1 Corinthians 9:16-23; Mark 1:29-39

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TODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
FEBRUARY 4, 2024

Isaiah 40:21-31

Reading

21 Have you not known? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning?
Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?
22 It is he who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers,
who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them like a tent to live in,
23 who brings princes to naught and makes the rulers of the earth as nothing.
24 Scarcely are they planted, scarcely sown, scarcely has their stem taken root in the earth,
when he blows upon them, and they wither, and the tempest carries them off like stubble.
25 To whom then will you compare me, or who is my equal? says the Holy One.
26 Lift up your eyes on high and see: Who created these? He who brings out their host and numbers them, calling them all by name; because he is great in strength, mighty in power, not one is missing.
27 Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel, “My way is hidden from the LORD, and my right is disregarded by my God”?
28 Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable.
29 He gives power to the faint and strengthens the powerless.
30 Even youths will faint and be weary, and the young will fall exhausted,
31 but those who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.

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 first chapter in “Second Isaiah.” This chapter earlier told the Judeans they had “paid their penalty” (v.2). and reassured them that YHWH is the creator of the universe and has power over all nations (vv.12-20). Accordingly, YHWH will restore them to Jerusalem.

YHWH also has power over the heavenly bodies because they are not divine beings and are created by YHWH (v.26). The New Oxford Annotated Bible sees the concluding verses (27-31) as “an attempt to answer the crisis of faith provoked by the political disaster by presenting the LORD as a cosmic rather than a purely national deity.” The Jewish Study Bible observes: “The Judean exiles have lamented that God no longer pays attention to them (v.27). But God is still able to listen to them, for God never grows tired (vv. 28-31).”

The New Jerome Biblical Commentary points out that Second Isaiah argued that YHWH “announced” Israel’s destruction not out of weakness but out of concern for Israel’s moral integrity. It continues that Second Isaiah represented a “decided advance in Israel’s dedication to monotheism” and pointed out that the term for creating (bara) occurred for the first time in Second Isaiah. The term means the mighty act of YHWH involved the transformation of chaos into a well-ordered universe.

1 Corinthians 9:16-23

Reading

16 If I proclaim the gospel, this gives me no ground for boasting, for an obligation is laid on me, and woe to me if I do not proclaim the gospel! 17 For if I do this of my own will, I have a reward; but if not of my own will, I am entrusted with a commission. 18 What then is my reward? Just this: that in my proclamation I may make the gospel free of charge, so as not to make full use of my rights in the gospel.

19 For though I am free with respect to all, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I might win more of them. 20 To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though I myself am not under the law) so that I might win those under the law. 21 To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law) so that I might win those outside the law. 22 To the weak I became weak, so that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that I might by all means save some. 23 I do it all for the sake of the gospel, so that I may share in its blessings.

Commentary

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

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

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

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

Today’s reading is the continuation of an extended discussion in Chapter 9 in which Paul was responding to assertions that he was not entitled to be paid or receive food and drink for his work as an apostle. Paul responded (vv.1-14) that the other apostles (and priests in temples) received material benefits for their teaching and work and that he was similarly entitled. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary suggests: “Since Paul had not used an apostle’s right to be supported by the community, some concluded that he did not have the right and in consequence was not an apostle.”

But Paul said that he “made no use of any of these rights” (v.15). In today’s reading, he emphasized that he was an apostle and his preaching of the gospel was an “obligation laid on me” (v.16) – just as prophets were “required” to speak the word of God. He continued to urge the Corinthians to rise above their own sense of “liberty” (freedom from the constraints of ordinary human affairs through “secular wisdom”) so that the Corinthians would participate fully in the gospel of love and enable others to participate also. For Paul, being able to proclaim the gospel pursuant to a divine imperative (a commission) was its own reward (v.18).

As The JANT points out, Paul “asserted that he is not pretending to be something he is not in order to persuade people under false pretenses to join the community.” Rather, he said that he became a “slave” to all (v.19). To spread the gospel, he became “as a Jew,” “as one under the law,” and as one “outside the law” (v.20-21). Paul – who was a Jewish Jesus Follower — was referring, respectively, to Jews, to “God Fearers” who were not Jews but who observed some of the Jewish Law. Paul stated, in effect, that he presented the gospel in terms with which each group might resonate.

His statement that he “became weak” and “became all things to all people” (v.22) reflected his empathetic presentation of the gospel. The reference to “the weak” also related back to the last part of Chapter 8 in which Paul urged the Corinthians not to eat meat sacrificed to idols if this would cause someone whose conscience was weak to fall (8:10-13).

In Paul’s view, the gospel transformed the exclusively Jewish Torah covenant into the Gentile-inclusive Christ’s law. The freedom vis-à-vis the Jewish law that had been transformed into the law in Christ was not a license to immorality but rather a freedom to live righteously.

Mark 1:29-39

Reading

29 After Jesus and his disciples left the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. 30 Now Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they told him about her at once. 31 He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up. Then the fever left her, and she began to serve them.

32 That evening, at sundown, they brought to him all who were sick or possessed with demons. 33 And the whole city was gathered around the door. 34 And he cured many who were sick with various diseases and cast out many demons; and he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him.

35 In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed. 36 And Simon and his companions hunted for him. 37 When they found him, they said to him, “Everyone is searching for you.” 38 He answered, “Let us go on to the neighboring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there also; for that is what I came out to do.” 39 And he went throughout Galilee, proclaiming the message in their synagogues and casting out demons.

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.”

Capernaum is a town on the northern tip of the Sea of Galilee and appears to have been the center of Jesus’ ministry in the Galilee. Even today, there are remains of a Second Century synagogue there as well as the traditional site of Peter’s home.

In today’s reading, there is the story of the healing of Simon’s mother-in-law, which was repeated in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke (though in Matthew and Luke, only Peter is present). Peter’s mother-in-law was not encountered again in the gospels. The JANT points out that in saying that Peter’s mother-in-law began to “serve them” (v.31b), the Greek word is diakoneo, the root word for “deacon,” and anticipated Jesus’ commending of service to others (10:45) as well as the other women who ministered to Jesus (15:41). The NJBC observes that 1 Corinthians 9:5 suggest that Peter’s wife accompanied him on his Apostolic journeys.

With customary hyperbole, the author said “all” who were sick or possessed by demons were brought to Jesus (v.32) and the “whole city” gathered around the door (v.33).

Scholars are not sure what kinds of ailments were encompassed within “possession by demons” but they might (in today’s vocabulary) include any form of mental illness or aberration.

The NAOB points out that although Jesus commanded the demons not to speak (v.34), the hearers of the Gospel (like the demons) knew who Jesus is from the beginning (1:1). The NJBC says: “Jesus’ refusal to allow them to speak is usually taken as part of the so-called messianic secret in Mark. While the preternatural opponents of Jesus know who he is, human beings (represented by the disciples) need to get a fuller picture of Jesus before they can know him as the dying and rising Messiah.”

The reference in verse 39 to “their” synagogues is an anachronism. During Jesus’ lifetime, his followers would have (as Jews) regarded the synagogues as their own — just as any other Jews. In last week’s gospel, Jesus was teaching in a synagogue in Capernaum (Mk. 1:21).

It was not until after the Destruction of the Temple in 70 CE and the beginnings of the “Parting of the Ways” in the next 20 years that Matthew and Luke began to refer to the synagogues as “theirs” – meaning the Pharisees, the predecessors of Rabbinic Judaism (see, for example, Matt. 23:34).

2023, December 31 ~ Isaiah 61:10 – 62:3; Galatians 3:23-25, 4:4-7; John 1:1-18

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TODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
DECEMBER 31, 2023

Isaiah 61:10 – 62:3

Reading

10 I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my whole being shall exult in my God; for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation, he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
11 For as the earth brings forth its shoots, and as a garden causes what is sown in it to spring up, so the LORD God will cause righteousness and praise to spring up before all the nations.

62:1 For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, until her vindication shines out like the dawn, and her salvation like a burning torch.
2 The nations shall see your vindication, and all the kings your glory; and you shall be called by a new name that the mouth of the LORD will give.
3 You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the LORD, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God.

Commentary

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

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

Today’s reading is from “Third Isaiah” and is a series of joyful verses. In the first two verses, the prophet spoke for the Judeans who rejoiced that they received salvation and righteousness from YHWH (v.10). The people were described as a bridegroom, a bride, and the earth in springtime that brings forth its shoots. These verses are spoken by Zion/Jerusalem.

As is often characteristic of psalm-like verses in the Hebrew Bible (as was also true of ancient Canaanite poetry), the verses are repetitive – the idea in one phrase is repeated in slightly different words in the next phrase. For example, “I will greatly rejoice” (v.10a) is followed by “my whole being will exult.” Similarly, Zion is “clothed with garments of salvation” (v.10b) is repeated as the “robe of righteousness.”

The prophet said that YHWH would cause righteousness to spring up among all the nations (v.11). In the Hebrew Bible, the word that is translated as “the nations” is sometimes – depending on context – translated as “the pagans,” or “the foreigners” or “the Gentiles.”

In the verses beginning “For Zion’s sake” (62:1), the speaker shifted from Zion to the prophet, but the use of repetitive ideas continued: “I will not keep silent” (v.1a) was followed by “I will not rest.” The prophet stated that the “nations” (i.e. Gentiles) shall see your vindication (v.2) and “the kings” (i.e. foreign rulers) shall see your glory. You [Zion] shall wear “a crown of beauty” and “a royal diadem.”

The New Oxford Annotated Bible notes that being “called by a new name” meant Zion/Jerusalem will have a change of fortune and a new identity given by YHWH.

Galatians 3:23-25, 4:4-7

Reading

23 Now before faith came, we were imprisoned and guarded under the law until faith would be revealed. 24 Therefore the law was our disciplinarian until Christ came, so that we might be justified by faith. 25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer subject to a disciplinarian.

4:4 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 in order to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as children. 6 And because you are children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” 7 So you are no longer a slave but a child, and if a child then also an heir, through God.

Commentary

Galatia was a large Roman province in what is now western Turkey. This letter was likely written by Paul in the early 50’s (CE) and dealt (in part) with controversies between Jewish Jesus Followers and Gentile Jesus Followers regarding the continuing importance of Torah (Law) and whether Gentile Jesus Followers had to be circumcised and follow the Kosher dietary laws. It is a “transitional” letter in that – when compared to Paul’s last letter (Romans) — it shows his views on the relationship between the Torah and the Gentile Jesus Followers continued to evolve.

The Jewish Annotated New Testament points out: “In recent times scholars have softened the polemical edge of this letter by observing that Paul’s attack on the law was addressed to Gentile believers in Christ; his primary concern was to make sure that they did not begin to observe the Torah. Nowhere in his letters, neither in Galatians nor elsewhere, does Paul attempt to convince native Jews to abandon the Torah.”

Today’s reading unfortunately omits verses that would help the reader/hearer better understand Paul’s position on the relationship between the law (Torah) and the faithfulness of (not faith in) Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ.

The omitted verses are: 26 for in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith. 27 As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham ‘s offspring, heirs according to the promise. 4:1 My point is this: heirs, as long as they are minors, are no better than slaves, though they are the owners of all the property; but they remain under guardians and trustees until the date set by the father. So with us; while we were minors, we were enslaved to the elemental spirits of the world.

Paul stated that through the grace of the faithfulness of Jesus the Christ/Anointed, Jesus Followers were “no longer subject to a disciplinarian [the Law]” (vv.24-25). What is translated as a “disciplinarian” is the Greek word pedagogue – a household slave charged with keeping the master’s son out of trouble, who accompanied him outside the house, and punished him when necessary. This usage shows Paul’s view that the effect (and benefit) of the Law was intended to be temporary until the coming of salvation/wholeness through the Christ.

The NOAB states that verses 26 to 28 were likely part of an early baptismal formula that Paul was quoting. It goes on to observe that Christ alone is “Abraham’s offspring” (v.29) citing Gal. 3:16. It also observed that “elemental spirits” (also sometimes translated as “rudiments”) were considered the four elements (earth, air, fire and water) which in Paul’s time were seen as controlling human destiny, but that “rudiments” could also be understood as the basic principles of a philosophy or code.

The NOAB observes that minors (v.1,2) like other members of a Roman family (except for the father), had few rights.

In the second part of today’s reading (beginning with “But when the fulness of time had come”), Paul emphasized that Jesus of Nazareth was a human and a Jew (“born of a woman under the law”, v.4) to “redeem those under the law” (v.5) (the Jews).

The Greek word translated here as “redeem” (v.5) means to buy back, as in redeeming something one owns from a pawn shop. All persons, because of the Spirit of the Son, are children of God who can call God “Abba” (Aramaic for father) and are heirs of the Kingdom (v.7).

John 1:1-18

Reading

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being 4 in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.

6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. 8 He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. 9 The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.
10 He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. 12 But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.

14 And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth. 15 (John testified to him and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks ahead of me because he was before me.'”) 16 From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. 17 The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father’s heart, who has made him known.

Commentary

The Fourth Gospel is different in many ways from the Synoptic Gospels. The “signs” (miracles) and many 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, the Last Supper occurred the day before the first day of Passover so that Jesus (who was described as “the Lamb of God” in the Fourth Gospel) died at the same time lambs were being sacrificed at the Temple for the Passover Seder to be held the night he died. The Synoptic Gospels are set primarily in the Galilee with a trip to Jerusalem at the end. In the Fourth Gospel, the time of the public ministry is three years, with movement back and forth between the Galilee and Jerusalem.

Most scholars agree that the Gospel was written by an anonymous author around 95 CE, at a time when the “parting of the ways” between the Jesus Follower Movement and Rabbinic Judaism was accelerating. The NAOB says: “The major concerns of the Gospel are engendering faith in the person of Jesus (20.21) and discrediting the Temple-centered, hereditary religious authorities who present a collective obstacle to the acceptance of faith in Jesus.”

Today’s reading is the “Prologue” to the Fourth Gospel. Verses 10-12 give two of the major messages of the Gospel: Jesus of Nazareth was rejected by the “world” and that acceptance of Jesus led to one’s being a child of God. The NAOB understands the meaning of “the world” (v.10) as “the fallible social systems and social relations created by humanity (see 12.31; 16.11) and…physical creation, including humanity.”

Using “Word” to translate the Greek word “Logos” fails to capture the breadth and depth of Logos. The Jewish Annotated New Testament points out that Logos was well known in Greek philosophy as a link between the Transcendent/Divine and humanity/the terrestrial. For the First Century Alexandrian Jewish philosopher Philo, Logos was the first fruit of God’s creation. The NAOB presents the Logos as “God’s preeminent agent in the world in creating and redeeming.”

Logos was particularly important in Stoic philosophy as both a creative principle analogous to Sophia (Holy Wisdom present at Creation in Proverbs 8:22 and 30) and as that which distinguished each created thing from each other thing.

The Prologue is clear that Jesus was fully human (“the Word became flesh”) and was fully involved in human society (“and lived among us”) (v.14).

In an Essay in The JANT, the author presented a case that John 1:1-5 is not a departure in Judaism in its use of Logos theology but is a homily (or midrash) on Genesis 1:1-5 – which also opens “in the beginning.”

The JANT makes a number of important points: (a) there is a contrast between the biologically-based covenant of the Jews and the faith-based covenant presented by the Gospel; (b) stating that the Word/Logos became flesh created a paradox because “flesh” is perishable and Logos is eternal; (c) Jews in the Second Temple period believed in the existence of supernatural beings (such as angels) taking human form at times, and thus the boundaries between the human and the divine were understood in a more porous and less absolute way; and (d) the words translated “lived among us” (v.14) in the original Greek meant “tabernacled” — an allusion to the Tabernacle in the Wilderness that “contained” the presence of YHWH.

2023,November 12 ~ Joshua 24:1-3a, 14-25; Wisdom 6:12-16; Amos 5:18-24; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Matthew 25:1-13

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TODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
NOVEMBER 12, 2023

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

The first track of readings follows major stories and themes, read mostly continuously from week to week. The second track of readings thematically pairs the reading from the Hebrew Bible with the Gospel reading. This week, Track 2 offers a choice of readings between the Wisdom of Solomon or Amos.

The readings from the Epistle and the Gospel are the same in both tracks.

Joshua 24:1-3a, 14-25

Reading

1 Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and summoned the elders, the heads, the judges, and the officers of Israel; and they presented themselves before God. 2 And Joshua said to all the people, “Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: Long ago your ancestors —Terah and his sons Abraham and Nahor — lived beyond the Euphrates and served other gods. 3 Then I took your father Abraham from beyond the River and led him through all the land of Canaan and made his offspring many.

14 “Now therefore revere the LORD and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness; put away the gods that your ancestors served beyond the River and in Egypt and serve the LORD. 15 Now if you are unwilling to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served in the region beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.”

16 Then the people answered, “Far be it from us that we should forsake the LORD to serve other gods; 17 for it is the LORD our God who brought us and our ancestors up from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, and who did those great signs in our sight. He protected us along all the way that we went, and among all the peoples through whom we passed; 18 and the LORD drove out before us all the peoples, the Amorites who lived in the land. Therefore, we also will serve the LORD, for he is our God.”

19 But Joshua said to the people, “You cannot serve the LORD, for he is a holy God. He is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions or your sins. 20 If you forsake the LORD and serve foreign gods, then he will turn and do you harm, and consume you, after having done you good.” 21 And the people said to Joshua, “No, we will serve the LORD!” 22 Then Joshua said to the people, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen the LORD, to serve him.” And they said, “We are witnesses.” 23 He said, “Then put away the foreign gods that are among you, and incline your hearts to the LORD, the God of Israel.” 24 The people said to Joshua, “The LORD our God we will serve, and him we will obey.” 25 So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and made statutes and ordinances for them at Shechem.

Commentary

The authors of the Book of Joshua also wrote the books of Deuteronomy, Judges, Samuel, and Kings. These five books are usually called the “Deuteronomic History,” a didactic history of Ancient Israel from the time in the Wilderness (c.1250 BCE) to the Babylonian Captivity in 587 BCE. The Book of Joshua portrays in a simplified form the fulfillment of God’s covenantal promises to the patriarchs and serves as an introduction to the subsequent stories in the Deuteronomic History.

Portions of these five books were first written during the reign of King Josiah (640-609 BCE) and were given their final form around 500 BCE – long after the events they described. The authors used the stories to demonstrate that it was the failures of the Kings of Israel and the Kings of Judea to worship YHWH properly 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.)

Today’s reading is from the last chapter of the Book of Joshua. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary sees it as a relatively late addition to the book of Joshua and as an appropriate finale to the book.

In the earlier chapters, the Israelites (led by Joshua) entered and swiftly (and in an idealized manner) conquered the Promised Land. For example, The Jewish Study Bible points out that archeological evidence shows that the walls of Jericho ceased to exist long before any conquest in the 1200s BCE. It sees the story more symbolic than historical. The conquest involved – according to the story – the extermination of everyone and everything in Jericho except the prostitute Rahab and her family because they had hidden Joshua’s spies before the attack (6:17-19). After allocating the lands among the tribes, the Israelites entered the “Covenant at Shechem” described in today’s reading.

Shechem was a major political and religious city in Northern Israel and part of the tribe of Ephraim (one of Joseph’s sons). Joseph’s bones were buried there. Locating the making of the Covenant at Shechem showed its importance.

The Covenant is structured as a typical Middle Eastern suzerainty treaty in which the Lord (in this case, YHWH) recounted all that was done for the Israelites (vv.2-13) and the “vassal” (the Israelites) agreed to obey and serve YHWH.

Here, the Israelites swore, acting as their own witnesses against themselves (v.22), to revere and serve YHWH and to put away foreign gods (vv. 16-23). After the Covenant was made, Joshua died (v.29). After Joshua’s death, there was a downward moral and religious spiral in Israel that was recounted in the Book of Judges.

Today’s reading established the legal predicate for the Deuteronomists’ conclusion that Israel’s failure to live up to this Covenant was the cause of the conquest of Northern Israel in 722 BCE and the Babylonian Captivity in 587 BCE. The NJBC points out that verse 20 is a “succinct summary of the Deuteronomic theology.”

Wisdom 6:12-16

Reading

12 Wisdom is radiant and unfading, and she is easily discerned by those who love her, and is found by those who seek her.
13 She hastens to make herself known to those who desire her.
14 One who rises early to seek her will have no difficulty, for she will be found sitting at the gate.
15 To fix one’s thought on her is perfect understanding, and one who is vigilant on her account will soon be free from care,
16 because she goes about seeking those worthy of her, and she graciously appears to them in their paths, and meets them in every thought.

Commentary

The full title of this Book is “The Wisdom of Solomon.” This book is not in the Hebrew Bible but is in the Apocrypha (hidden books) in Protestant Bibles and is in the Wisdom Books in Roman Catholic Bibles.

Like other Wisdom Literature, it is (incorrectly) attributed to Solomon who reigned a United Israel from 968 to 928 BCE.

Although the author quotes portions of Solomon’s prayer for wisdom (1 Kings 3:6-9) in the first person (8:21-9:18), scholars agree that the Book of Wisdom was written in Greek by a Jew in the late First Century BCE to Jews living outside Israel (most likely in Alexandria). It encouraged them to maintain their Judaism while integrating it with Hellenistic culture.

The NJBC notes that the author used the Septuagint (LXX) version of the Hebrew Bible in composing the book. The author also used a number of Greek literary and philosophical ideas (such as immortality and a Greek listing of virtues). He portrayed Wisdom as an emanation of divine power that pervades the entire world and finds its most perfect expression in the revelations to Israel. According to The NJBC, the author’s view of immortality was not derived from the nature of the soul but from one’s relationship with God.

The NJBC concludes that the author attempted to create “a synthesis between anthropocentric Greek humanism and a theocentric Hebrew humanism by broadening the purely ethical connotations of wisdom to include the profane learning of Hellenism.”

Today’s reading celebrated Wisdom (“Sophia” in Greek) and described her (as does Chapter 8 in Proverbs) as a woman whom one should seek (v.12).

Amos 5:18-24

Reading

18 Thus says the LORD, the God of hosts, the LORD: Alas for you who desire the day of the LORD! Why do you want the day of the LORD? It is darkness, not light;
19 as if someone fled from a lion and was met by a bear; or went into the house and rested a hand against the wall and was bitten by a snake.
20 Is not the day of the LORD darkness, not light, and gloom with no brightness in it?
21 I hate, I despise your festivals, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies.
22 Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them; and the offerings of well-being of your fatted animals I will not look upon.
23 Take away from me the noise of your songs; I will not listen to the melody of your harps.
24 But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an everflowing stream.

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 a time of great inequality between rich and poor in which large landowners gained control of the lands of small farmers.

Amos was a cattle herder and cared for fig trees in Judea, 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.

Today’s reading amounted to a reversal of the prior understanding of the “Day of the LORD/YHWH.” The NJBC points out that the Day of the LORD had been understood as a day of rejoicing because YHWH’s enemies were assumed to be the same as Israel’s. But because of Israel’s failure to observe the covenant, the prophet (speaking for YHWH) said the Day of the LORD/YHWH will be a time of darkness (v.20). Amos/YHWH said that instead of empty rituals (vv.20-23), YHWH desired justice and righteousness (v. 24).

This was a major reinterpretation of the Day of the LORD and emphasized that Israel would also be accountable on that day. The Jewish Study Bible points out: “The text does not state that sacrifices – or any other cultic rituals – are wrong per se, but rather that those brought by people who behave in a manner offensive to God are unacceptable to God.”

The New Oxford Annotated Bible points out that the “festivals” and “assemblies” in v.21 referred to the three major pilgrimage feasts in Judaism: Passover, Pentecost and Sukkot.

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

Reading

13 We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about those who have died, so that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. 14 For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have died. 15 For this we declare to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will by no means precede those who have died. 16 For the Lord himself, with a cry of command, with the archangel’s call and with the sound of God’s trumpet, will descend from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up in the clouds together with them to meet the Lord in the air; and so we will be with the Lord forever. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.

Commentary

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

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

The letter encouraged the community to be steadfast in the face of persecution. In today’s reading, Paul (apparently responding to a question from some of the Thessalonians) reassured them that even those who die before the Parousia (Second Coming) will participate fully in it (v.14). Paul also expected the end times (not the end of the world, but the end of the world as we know it) to come during Paul’s own lifetime (v.17).

The idea of a Second Coming developed early in the Jesus Follower Movement because, in his earthly life, Jesus of Nazareth did not fulfill all the traditional “job descriptions” of the Messiah – the nation was not unified; the Romans were not expelled; Shalom (peace and order) did not reign. The expectation developed that at the Second Coming, the Kingdom of God/Heaven will be accomplished and the coming of the Messiah will be fulfilled.

The Jewish Annotated New Testament points out that verse 14 is a clear statement by Paul that those who had faith in Jesus will be resurrected. The JANT goes on to note that verses 16 and 17 are the primary source of the idea of the “Rapture” – a view developed in the late 19th Century that the righteous will be taken to heaven and escape the eschatological tribulation – the “wrath that is coming” (1:10).

Matthew 25:1-13

Reading

1 Jesus said, “Then the kingdom of heaven will be like this. Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. 3 When the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them; 4 but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. 5 As the bridegroom was delayed, all of them became drowsy and slept. 6 But at midnight there was a shout, ‘Look! Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ 7 Then all those bridesmaids got up and trimmed their lamps. 8 The foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 9 But the wise replied, ‘No! there will not be enough for you and for us; you had better go to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.’ 10 And while they went to buy it, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went with him into the wedding banquet; and the door was shut. 11 Later the other bridesmaids came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ 12 But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I do not know you.’ 13 Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.”

Commentary

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

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

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

Today’s reading is described by The NAOB as “an apocalyptic parable that exhorts the community not to lose hope or patience and to remain prepared.” The NAOB notes that typically lamps were carried in the procession with the bridegroom who would be coming from the house of the bride’s parents to his own house, and everyone would take part in the procession. The NAOB observes that the omission of the phrase “and the bride” in verse 1 may indicate an effort to allegorize the bridegroom as the Messiah. The translator’s notes point out, however, that these words are included in other ancient authorities.

The JANT and The NJBC see the oil for the lamps as an allegory for good works, suggesting that the foolish bridesmaids did not have sufficient good works. The NJBC continues: “The refusal by the wise does not constitute lack of charity or helpfulness. Their good works are not completely transferable.” Given the fact that Matthew’s Gospel was aimed at the Jewish Jesus Follower community, the emphasis on works is understandable.

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

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TODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
SEPTEMBER 24, 2023

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

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

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

Exodus 16:2-15

Reading

2 The whole congregation of the Israelites complained against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. 3 The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the fleshpots and ate our fill of bread; for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.”

4 Then the LORD said to Moses, “I am going to rain bread from heaven for you, and each day the people shall go out and gather enough for that day. In that way I will test them, whether they will follow my instruction or not. 5 On the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, it will be twice as much as they gather on other days.” 6 So Moses and Aaron said to all the Israelites, “In the evening you shall know that it was the LORD who brought you out of the land of Egypt, 7 and in the morning you shall see the glory of the LORD, because he has heard your complaining against the LORD. For what are we, that you complain against us?” 8 And Moses said, “When the LORD gives you meat to eat in the evening and your fill of bread in the morning, because the LORD has heard the complaining that you utter against him—what are we? Your complaining is not against us but against the LORD.”

9 Then Moses said to Aaron, “Say to the whole congregation of the Israelites, ‘Draw near to the LORD, for he has heard your complaining.’“ 10 And as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the Israelites, they looked toward the wilderness, and the glory of the LORD appeared in the cloud. 11 The LORD spoke to Moses and said, 12 “I have heard the complaining of the Israelites; say to them, ‘At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall have your fill of bread; then you shall know that I am the LORD your God.’“

13 In the evening quails came up and covered the camp; and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. 14 When the layer of dew lifted, there on the surface of the wilderness was a fine flaky substance, as fine as frost on the ground. 15 When the Israelites saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. Moses said to them, “It is the bread that the LORD has given you to eat.

Commentary

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Jonah 3:10-4:11

Reading

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

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

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

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

Commentary

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Philippians 1:21-30

Reading

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

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

Commentary

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Matthew 20:1-16

Reading

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

Commentary

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

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

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

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

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

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

2023, August 20 ~Genesis 45:1-15; Isaiah 56:1,6-8; Romans 11:1-2a,29-32; Matthew 15:10-28

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TODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
AUGUST 20, 2023

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

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

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

Genesis 45:1-15

Reading

1 Joseph could no longer control himself before all those who stood by him, and he cried out, “Send everyone away from me.” So, no one stayed with him when Joseph made himself known to his brothers. 2 And he wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard it, and the household of Pharaoh heard it. 3 Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph. Is my father still alive?” But his brothers could not answer him, so dismayed were they at his presence.

4 Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come closer to me.” And they came closer. He said, “I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. 5 And now do not be distressed, or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life. 6 For the famine has been in the land these two years; and there are five more years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest. 7 God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors. 8 So it was not you who sent me here, but God; he has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt. 9 Hurry and go up to my father and say to him, ‘Thus says your son Joseph, God has made me lord of all Egypt; come down to me, do not delay. 10 You shall settle in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near me, you and your children and your children’s children, as well as your flocks, your herds, and all that you have. 11 I will provide for you there—since there are five more years of famine to come—so that you and your household, and all that you have, will not come to poverty.’ 12 And now your eyes and the eyes of my brother Benjamin see that it is my own mouth that speaks to you. 13 You must tell my father how greatly I am honored in Egypt, and all that you have seen. Hurry and bring my father down here.” 14 Then he fell upon his brother Benjamin’s neck and wept, while Benjamin wept upon his neck. 15 And he kissed all his brothers and wept upon them; and after that his brothers talked with him.

Commentary

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

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

Today’s reading continues the story of Joseph. In the intervening chapters since last week’s story of Joseph’s being sold into slavery by his 10 older brothers, he was then sold to Potiphar, an officer of the Pharaoh who put him in charge of his own house. Potiphar’s wife tried unsuccessfully to seduce Joseph, then falsely accused him, and had him imprisoned. When in prison, Joseph (with YHWH’s help) interpreted dreams for the Pharaoh’s cupbearer and baker. Later, Joseph interpreted Pharaoh’s dreams and Pharaoh placed Joseph in charge of the nation. Joseph’s interpretation of the dreams was accurate, and Egypt prepared for (and survived) a famine.

The famine also hit Canaan, and Jacob/Israel sent his 10 oldest sons to Egypt where they bought grain. Joseph did not identify himself to them when they came to Egypt. When the grain ran out again in Canaan, the 10 brothers (along with Benjamin, the youngest and favorite son of Jacob) went to Egypt. After Joseph devised a ruse by which the brothers unknowingly took Joseph’s silver cup, Joseph accused them of stealing it and threatened to keep Benjamin as his slave. Judah (the fourth oldest brother) agreed to be Joseph’s slave if Joseph would spare Benjamin. In Judah’s long speech, he even suggested that Joseph would effectively kill Jacob if Joseph did not agree to return Benjamin to Jacob (44:30-31). Judah’s selflessness showed he was a true brother to Benjamin and to his other brothers.

Hearing this affirmation of brotherhood, Joseph identified himself to his brothers in today’s emotional reading. In affirming that he was the “ruler over the whole land of Egypt” (v.8), The Jewish Study Bible notes that Joseph was (in effect) answering the question posed by his brothers in 37:8 “Do you mean to rule over us?”

The author of the story conveyed the theological idea that God controls everything – that Joseph’s being sold into slavery was God’s plan (v.5); God made Joseph “a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land” (v.8); and “God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors” (v.7). Other parts of the Bible emphasize human agency to a greater extent.

It is not known where the “land of Goshen” (v.10) is located. The New Oxford Annotated Bible suggests that it is probably located in the eastern Nile delta.

The term “remnant” is a shorthand expression used in other parts of the Bible to designate those Judeans who were preserved in Babylon during the Exile and who were permitted to return to Jerusalem in 539 BCE when the Exile ended. Its use in today’s reading in anachronistic and reflects the late date at which the Joseph story was finalized.

Isaiah 56:1,6-8

Reading

1 Thus says the LORD: Maintain justice, and do what is right, for soon my salvation will come, and my deliverance be revealed.
6 And the foreigners who join themselves to the LORD, to minister to him, to love the name of the LORD, and to be his servants, all who keep the sabbath, and do not profane it, and hold fast my covenant —
7 these I will bring to my holy mountain and make them joyful in my house of prayer; their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.
8 Thus says the LORD GOD, who gathers the outcasts of Israel, I will gather others to them besides those already gathered.

Commentary

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

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

Today’s reading is part of Third Isaiah and is inclusive in tone. Speaking for YHWH, Isaiah affirmed that foreigners (Gentiles) who join themselves to YHWH and keep the sabbath will be joyful in the Temple, YHWH’s house (v.7). The NAOB notes that Sabbath observance is seen here as the distinguishing mark of the covenant with YHWH. The JSB says: “This passage shows the beginnings of the religious institution that later came to be called conversion, and rabbinic commentators understand the passage as referring to converts.”

In the omitted verses (2-5), Isaiah spoke for YHWH in giving eunuchs (generally, sexually mutilated persons) who observe the sabbath access to the Temple (v.4-5). These verses contradict the prohibitions in Lev. 21:18 and Deut. 23:1. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary understands the reason for the exclusion of eunuchs from “the assembly of the LORD” was because “it seemed improper for a person, deprived of the power of transmitting life, to associate with the God of life [citing secondary sources].”

In the period after the Exile, there was a tension between those who sought to keep Judaism only for Jews and those who were open to including Gentiles. Ezra and Nehemiah (who wrote around 450 BCE) were exclusivists who sought to keep Judeans “pure” by excluding foreigners, including the foreign wives some Jews in Jerusalem had married during the Exile (Ezra 10). An inclusivist position was taken by the authors of Third Isaiah, and the Books of Jonah and Ruth.

This disagreement continued into the First Century of the Common Era. In opposition to the exclusivist Sadducees, Jesus of Nazareth was clearly presented in the Gospels as an inclusivist. As shown in Acts of the Apostles and in the reading today from Romans, Paul saw the Jesus Follower Movement (which remained a Jewish sect for most of the First Century), as inclusive and welcoming to Gentiles.

Romans 11:1-2a, 29-32

Reading

1 I ask, then, has God rejected his people? By no means! I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin. 2a God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew.

29 For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. 30 Just as you were once disobedient to God but have now received mercy because of their disobedience, 31 so they have now been disobedient in order that, by the mercy shown to you, they too may now receive mercy. 32 For God has imprisoned all in disobedience so that he may be merciful to all.

Commentary

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

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

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

In today’s reading, Paul reaffirmed that he was an “Israelite” (v.1) and noted that God had not rejected the Israelites in favor of Gentile Jesus Followers. The NAOB describes the omitted verses and the conclusion of Chapter 11 as the “heart of the purpose” of the letter to the Romans. The NAOB continues: “Paul stated that he was obliged as apostle to the Gentiles to address the Christians of Rome and to give a solemn warning against arrogance towards the Jews.”

The NJBC summarizes this chapter as saying that Israel’s disbelief is only partial and is only temporary. In God’s plan, mercy will be shown to all, Jews included.

In other omitted verses (17-24), Paul introduced a metaphor of an olive tree to which the Gentiles who believe in the Christ have been grafted. The Jewish Annotated New Testament sees the tree as all who are in the family of God — Israelite branches as well as ones from other nations. Paul warned that the grafted branch (Gentile Jesus Followers) could be severed from the tree if it looked arrogantly upon the broken branches.

In the concluding verses of today’s reading, Paul warned against arrogance towards Jews (including Jewish Jesus Followers) by Gentile Jesus Followers (v.31-32). The JANT says: Paul urged the Gentile Jesus Followers not to be arrogant but instead to recognize that the grace with which they had been blessed should be internalized and turned to regard the Israelites’ suffering with a spirit of grace.

For Paul, the Jesus Follower Movement was a part of a reformed and expansive Judaism, one that was also open to uncircumcised Gentiles. Paul’s view was consistent with the inclusivism of Jesus in the Gospels and the inclusivism in Third Isaiah as seen in today’s reading.

Matthew 15:10-28

Reading

10 Jesus called the crowd to him and said to them, “Listen and understand: 11 it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but it is what comes out of the mouth that defiles.” 12 Then the disciples approached and said to him, “Do you know that the Pharisees took offense when they heard what you said?” 13 He answered, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. 14 Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if one blind person guides another, both will fall into a pit.” 15 But Peter said to him, “Explain this parable to us.” 16 Then he said, “Are you also still without understanding? 17 Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth enters the stomach, and goes out into the sewer? 18 But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this is what defiles. 19 For out of the heart come evil intentions, murder, adultery, fornication, theft, false witness, slander. 20 These are what defile a person, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile.”

21 Jesus left that place and went away to the district of Tyre and Sidon. 22 Just then a Canaanite woman from that region came out and started shouting, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is tormented by a demon.” 23 But he did not answer her at all. And his disciples came and urged him, saying, “Send her away, for she keeps shouting after us.” 24 He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” 25 But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.” 26 He answered, “It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.” 27 She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” 28 Then Jesus answered her, “Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.” And her daughter was healed instantly.

Commentary

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

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

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

Today’s reading has two passages that are not related. The first part of the reading is the continuation of a story about the Pharisees’ asking Jesus about his disciples’ “breaking the tradition of the elders” by not washing their hands before they eat. The “tradition of the elders” were regulations generally adopted in Judaism, but not contained in the Torah. These interpretations were also known as the “Oral Torah.” Jewish Tradition asserted that not only was the written Torah given to Moses, but also the Oral Torah, and that the religious authorities (the “elders”) were able to know and express these regulations. Eventually, the Oral Torah was written down in the Mishnah by 200 CE, and then was further interpreted in the Gemara by about 350 CE, and finally was codified in the Talmud in Babylon around 500 CE.

As the story continued in the portion before today’s reading, Jesus pushed back at the Pharisees by accusing them of breaking the commandment to honor one’s parents by engaging in a practice called “Korban.” Korban involved a vow to give funds to the Temple and using this as a reason not to support their own parents. The “theory” supporting Korban was that funds had been given to them by God and giving them to the Temple was giving them back to God. This exonerated them from having to support their parents. The NAOB points out that later rabbinic tradition said that the obligation to support one’s parents overrode a vow of giving funds to religious causes.

In today’s reading, Matthew portrayed Jesus as continuing his rejection of the Pharisees’ argument that failure to wash hands would “defile” (v.11) a person. The NAOB notes that in this context, “defiled” means being ritually unclean and therefore unable to participate in worship in the Temple. Continuing the pushback, Matthew says that Jesus referred to the Pharisees as “blind” (v.14).

The JANT observes that Matthew omitted Mark’s claim (Mk. 7:19) that Jesus declared all foods clean. For Matthew (given his Jewish Jesus Follower audience), the dietary laws remained in place but some traditions of the elders were not followed.

In the second pericope, Jesus went to Tyre and Sidon (v.21). Tyre and Sidon were cities on the Mediterranean Sea and were part of the Province of Syria. According to The JANT, these cities had been rebuked many times in the Hebrew Bible for their extravagant wealth [citing examples]. These cities were about 30 miles from Gennesaret (near the Sea of Galilee where Jesus had rebuked the Pharisees) and some scholars have speculated that (if the story is historical) Jesus was going to Tyre and Sidon for some R&R.

As he approached the region, a Canaanite woman (traditional enemies of Israel and Baal-worshipers) addressed Jesus as “Lord, Son of David” – a Jewish messianic title. In their exchange, Jesus indirectly insulted the woman by referring to her and her child as a “dog” (v.26). Her rejoinder, however, caused Jesus to understand that his mission was not only to “the lost sheep of the House of Israel” (v.24) but was to all people – a theme reiterated by Matthew in the Great Commission (28:19).

2023, August 13 ~ Genesis 37:1-4,12-28; 1 Kings 19:9-18; Romans 10:5-15; Matthew 14:22-33

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TODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
AUGUST 13, 2023

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

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

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

Genesis 37:1-4, 12-28

Reading

1 Jacob settled in the land where his father had lived as an alien, the land of Canaan. 2 This is the story of the family of Jacob.

Joseph, being seventeen years old, was shepherding the flock with his brothers; he was a helper to the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father’s wives; and Joseph brought a bad report of them to their father. 3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than any other of his children, because he was the son of his old age; and he had made him a long robe with sleeves. 4 But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably to him.

12 Now his brothers went to pasture their father’s flock near Shechem. 13 And Israel said to Joseph, “Are not your brothers pasturing the flock at Shechem? Come, I will send you to them.” He answered, “Here I am.” 14 So he said to him, “Go now, see if it is well with your brothers and with the flock; and bring word back to me.” So he sent him from the valley of Hebron.

He came to Shechem, 15 and a man found him wandering in the fields; the man asked him, “What are you seeking?” 16 “I am seeking my brothers,” he said; “tell me, please, where they are pasturing the flock.” 17 The man said, “They have gone away, for I heard them say, ‘Let us go to Dothan.’“ So Joseph went after his brothers, and found them at Dothan.18 They saw him from a distance, and before he came near to them, they conspired to kill him. 19 They said to one another, “Here comes this dreamer. 20 Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits; then we shall say that a wild animal has devoured him, and we shall see what will become of his dreams.” 21 But when Reuben heard it, he delivered him out of their hands, saying, “Let us not take his life.” 22 Reuben said to them, “Shed no blood; throw him into this pit here in the wilderness, but lay no hand on him” — that he might rescue him out of their hand and restore him to his father. 23 So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe, the long robe with sleeves that he wore; 24 and they took him and threw him into a pit. The pit was empty; there was no water in it.

25 Then they sat down to eat; and looking up they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead, with their camels carrying gum, balm, and resin, on their way to carry it down to Egypt. 26 Then Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is it if we kill our brother and conceal his blood? 27 Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and not lay our hands on him, for he is our brother, our own flesh.” And his brothers agreed. 28 When some Midianite traders passed by, they drew Joseph up, lifting him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. And they took Joseph to Egypt.

Commentary

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

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

Today’s reading jumps from the marriage of Jacob and Rachel (Chapter 29) to the long and remarkably cohesive story of Joseph and his brothers in Chapters 37 to 50. In the intervening chapters (29 to 37) Jacob had 12 sons, six by Leah, two by Leah’s maid (Zilpah), two by Rachel’s maid (Bilhah), and two by Rachel (Joseph and Benjamin). He also had a daughter, Dinah, by Leah. As the stories continued, Jacob left Haran and traveled to Canaan, wrestled with an angel/God who changed his name to “Israel” (Ch. 32) and encountered (and reconciled with) Esau along the way (Ch. 33).

Joseph was Jacob’s 11th son; his mother was Rachel, Jacob’s favorite wife. Joseph’s older brothers had antipathy and resentment toward him because of a “bad report” Joseph gave to Jacob (v. 2) and because of Jacob’s giving Joseph a robe with sleeves (not many colors notwithstanding the LXX) (v.3), a sign of royalty (See 2 Sam. 13:18). This animosity was enhanced when Joseph recounted to his brothers (in verses 5 to 11) two dreams which he interpreted as showing that he would lord over his older brothers. The New Oxford Annotated Bible notes that Jacob saw the dream as predicting that he and Joseph’s mother, Rachel, would join the brothers in submitting to Joseph (v.10). The NAOB suggests that “this episode was probably part of an independent Joseph story that originally did not follow an account of Rachel’s death [Gen.35:19].”

The New Jerome Biblical Commentary observes that the enmity caused by Joseph’s reports comes from “P”; the enmity from favoritism is from “J”; and the hostility from the “ruling” dreams is from “E.”

According to the story, Joseph traveled a long distance to find his brothers. It is about 50 miles from the valley of Hebron (v.14) to Shechem and another 20 miles north from Shechem to Dothan (v.17), a town along a trade route from Syria to Egypt, where Joseph was thrown into a pit. The NOAB observes that the pits were cisterns for storing rain water and sometimes used to imprison people. It continues: “The advice of Reuben and Judah reflects the ancient idea that blood cannot be “concealed” (v.26) but cries out for requital (See 4:10-11 [Cain and Abel].” It shows the brothers’ callousness that after throwing Joseph in a pit, they sat down to eat (v.25).

Joseph was sold into slavery (depending on the source) to Ishmaelites (v.27) (the descendants of Abraham’s son by Sarah’s maid, Hagar) or to Midianites (v.28). Joseph was and saved from death by the oldest brother, Reuben (v.22) (who planned to rescue him), and the fourth oldest brother, Judah (v.27).The Jewish Study Bible observes that Reuben and the Midianites are derived from the “E” version of the story and Judah and the Ishmaelites fare rom the “J” version.

Continuing this inconsistency from multiple sources, the story later says that Joseph was sold to Potiphar in Egypt by the Midianites (v.36) and by the Ishmaelites (39:1). Judah later took the leadership role in dealing with Joseph in Egypt. Judah’s tribe eventually inhabited Jerusalem and the area around it.

The multiplicity of sources is also shown by Jacob’s name being recounted as “Israel” (v.3) and elsewhere as Jacob (42:4).

The JSB points out that the patriarchal narrative is replete with appearances of God or his messengers and oracles from them, but Joseph never sees or hears God or his messengers. The only direct revelation in these chapters comes to Jacob in chapter 46. In the Joseph story, God is understood as working in hidden ways – secretly guiding the course of human events and even bringing good out of human evil (50:20).

1 Kings 19:9-18

Reading

9 At Horeb, the mount of God, Elijah came to a cave, and spent the night there. Then the word of the LORD came to him, saying, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 10 He answered, “I have been very zealous for the LORD, the God of hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away.”

11 He said, “Go out and stand on the mountain before the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by.” Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake; 12 and after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence. 13 When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. Then there came a voice to him that said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 14 He answered, “I have been very zealous for the LORD, the God of hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away.” 15 Then the LORD said to him, “Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus; when you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael as king over Aram. 16 Also you shall anoint Jehu son of Nimshi as king over Israel; and you shall anoint Elisha son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah as prophet in your place. 17 Whoever escapes from the sword of Hazael, Jehu shall kill; and whoever escapes from the sword of Jehu, Elisha shall kill. 18 Yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.”

Commentary

The authors of the Book of Kings also wrote the books of Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges and Samuel, usually called the “Deuteronomic History,” a didactic history of Ancient Israel from the time in the Wilderness (c. 1250 BCE) to the Babylonian Captivity in 587 BCE.

These books were given their final form around 500 BCE – long after the events they described. The authors used the stories to demonstrate that it was the failures of the Kings of Israel and the Kings of Judea to worship YHWH properly and obey God’s commands that led to the conquest of Northern Israel in 722 BCE by the Assyrians and the conquest of Judea by the Babylonians in 597 BCE. (The conquests were not seen as the result of the Assyrians’ and Babylonians’ greater wealth and more powerful armies.)

After Solomon’s death in 928 BCE, the nation divided in two. The Northern Kingdom consisted of 10 tribes and was called “Israel.” The Southern Kingdom had two tribes, Judah and Benjamin and was called “Judea.” For the most part, the Deuteronomists portrayed the Kings of the North as unfaithful to YHWH, and Ahab (873-852 BCE) was one of the worst offenders. His wife was the Baal-worshiping foreigner, Jezebel.

The prophet Elijah is the subject of today’s reading. Just prior to these verses, Elijah invoked the power of YHWH to overcome the prophets of Baal at Mount Carmel in the Northern part of Israel. He successfully urged YHWH to bring fire upon a huge sacrifice and then to bring rain to end a drought. Elijah then killed all the prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18).

King Ahab told his Baal-worshiping wife, Jezebel, what Elijah had done (19:1). Jezebel swore to kill Elijah (v.2), so he ran away as far south in Israel as he could – first to Beer-sheba and then to the Wilderness where he hoped to die (v.4). (The theme of a prophet wishing to die out of a sense of isolation and failure was repeated in Jonah 4:3.)

YHWH’s angels provided food to Elijah so he could journey to Horeb (meaning “dry place”) and continue his ministry (v.5,7). For the Deuteronomists, the holy mountain was called “Horeb” rather than Sinai. “Sinai” was the name used by most of the authors of Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers. Elijah’s receiving food in the wilderness was parallel to Hagar’s story in Genesis 21:19 and gave him strength for the journey to Horeb which took “forty days and forty nights” (v.8). Horeb was also the place where Moses had the Burning Bush experience (Ex. 3:1).

The Jewish Study Bible points out that, depending on the terrain, a person could cover 15-25 miles a day walking. If Elijah walked for 40 days and 40 nights, he could have covered between 600 and 1,000 miles. The JSB suggests that 40 is merely a “formulaic number” for “a long time” and is not to be taken literally.

When Elijah was at Horeb, the voice of YHWH came to him in the silence (vv.12-13) and told him to anoint Hazael as king of Aram (modern Syria). YHWH also told Elijah to commit treason by anointing Jehu as King of Israel even while Ahab was still alive (v.16). The NAOB says: “The new order is to succeed the old, and it is that order which will bring about the final victory over Baal worship, not through obviously spectacular demonstrations of divine power as in chapter 18, but through the (quieter) political processes as God removes certain kings and sets up others.”

This is not the first instance of treasonous activity in the Deuteronomists’ accounts. YHWH told Samuel to anoint David as King even though the anointed king, Saul, was still alive. (1 Sam.16:13).

The NAOB observes that “the emphasis at Carmel had been on God’s spectacular ways and particularly on his use of fire. The emphasis here is upon God’s quiet ways. He is not to be found on this occasion in the spectacular elements of the storm outside the cave.”

Romans 10:5-15

Reading

5 Moses writes concerning the righteousness that comes from the law, that “the person who does these things will live by them.” 6 But the righteousness that comes from faith says, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down) 7 “or ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). 8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, on your lips and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); 9 because if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For one believes with the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved. 11 The scripture says, “No one who believes in him will be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all and is generous to all who call on him. 13 For, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

14 But how are they to call on one in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in one of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone to proclaim him? 15 And how are they to proclaim him unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”

Commentary

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

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

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

The NJBC interprets the verses preceding today’s reading as follows: “They explain how Paul could not only regard Christ as the goal of the law but also look upon uprightness through faith in him as a way to fulfill the law itself and uphold all that it stood for. The prized status of uprightness before God is now available to everyone through faith.”

According to The NAOB, the righteousness from the law and righteousness from faith are not opposed since there is only God’s righteousness (v.3). It continues: “The promise of life to the person who does these things (Lev 18.5) requires not human effort to produce the messiah, but faith in the messiah whom God has sent. Such is Paul’s christological reading of Deut 30.11-14.”

Regarding today’s reading, The NAOB suggests that in verses 5-13, “using a common Jewish technique, Paul interprets one passage of scripture (Lev. 18.5) in light of others.” (Lev.18:5 reads: “You shall keep my statutes and my ordinances; by doing so one shall live; I am the LORD.”) Paul then used Deut. 30:14 (“The word is very near you.”) which Paul paraphrased in v.8; Isaiah 28:16b (“One who trusts [in the LORD] will not panic”) which Paul loosely paraphrased in verse 11; and Joel 2:32a (“Then everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved”) which Paul quoted in verse 13.

Paul used terms in Romans that need to be unpacked. “Righteousness” (v.5) is understood as being in right relationships with God and others and is sometimes translated as “justified.” A “just” person is also a “righteous” person, and “justified” (v.10) is used the same way that a page of type is “justified” – all the margins are straight and in order. The Jewish Annotated New Testament notes: “Righteousness is an expression of one’s intent, of doing right for the right reasons.”

“Faith” (v.6) is not used as an intellectual assent to one or more propositions. The Greek word for “faith” (pistis) has an active aspect and should be more properly understood as “faithfulness” – active living into one’s beliefs through grace and trust in God. Paul emphasized that “belief” is a matter of the heart (v.10), not the intellect.

As a Jewish Jesus Follower, Paul continued to respect the “law” (the Torah) but emphasized that mere obedience to the Law was not sufficient for salvation, wholeness, or righteousness. Righteousness is a matter of the heart and living in active faithfulness just as Jesus the Christ was faithful to the God of Love. The NAOB observes: “For Paul, observing Torah involves being faithful to the revelation of Christ; he is not arguing for Torah’s abolition but for recognizing its goals.”

In verse 9, Paul once again asserted God’s agency in raising Jesus from the dead. The NJBC notes that in verse 10, Paul was implying that one should not “overstress the differences between justification and salvation.”

In verses 12 and 13, Paul continued his call for unity between the Jewish Jesus Followers and the Gentile Jesus Followers (“no distinction between Jew and Greek”). The NJBC also observes: “Paul’s use of Kyrios can only refer to Jesus who is the risen Lord of the Jew and Greek.”

“Kyrios” was the Greek word used in the Septuagint to translate “YHWH,” so Paul was making a clear equivalence between YHWH as LORD and Jesus the Christ as LORD.

In the concluding verses (14 and 15), Paul asserted that God was remaining faithful to Israel by having the “good news” preached to them. Verse 15 is a paraphrase of Isaiah 52:7 (“How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of the messenger who announces peace, who brings good news, who announces salvation…”)

Matthew 14:22-33

Reading

22 Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. 23 And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, 24 but by this time the boat, battered by the waves, was far from the land, for the wind was against them. 25 And early in the morning he came walking toward them on the sea. 26 But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out in fear. 27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.”

28 Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” 29 He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came toward Jesus. 30 But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” 31 Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” 32 When they got into the boat, the wind ceased. 33 And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

Commentary

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

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

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

Today’s reading follows the story of the feeding of the 5,000 and is a story that shows Jesus’ dominion over nature. It appears in Mark and John, but not in Luke.

The NAOB points out that Jesus’ response “it is I” is literally “I am” – a reference to the divine name in Ex. 3:14 and a clear identification by the author of Jesus with God. It also notes that the story with Peter (vv. 28-31) is not found in Mark or John and is an echo of Psalm 69:1-3.

The JANT observes that the disciples’ calling Jesus “Son of God” (v.33) indicated the author’s assertion of Jesus’ divine nature. The JANT goes on to say that the phrase “may have been a messianic reference [citing sources]; no Jewish texts identify the Messiah as the son of God.”

2023, July 30 ~ Genesis 29:15-28; 1 Kings 3:5-12; Romans 8:26-39; Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52

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TODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
JULY 30, 2023

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

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

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

Genesis 29:15-28

Reading

15 Laban said to Jacob, “Because you are my kinsman, should you therefore serve me for nothing? Tell me, what shall your wages be?” 16 Now Laban had two daughters; the name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. 17 Leah’s eyes were lovely, and Rachel was graceful and beautiful. 18 Jacob loved Rachel; so he said, “I will serve you seven years for your younger daughter Rachel.” 19 Laban said, “It is better that I give her to you than that I should give her to any other man; stay with me.” 20 So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed to him but a few days because of the love he had for her.

21 Then Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife that I may go in to her, for my time is completed.” 22 So Laban gathered together all the people of the place and made a feast. 23 But in the evening, he took his daughter Leah and brought her to Jacob; and he went in to her. 24 (Laban gave his maid Zilpah to his daughter Leah to be her maid.) 25 When morning came, it was Leah! And Jacob said to Laban, “What is this you have done to me? Did I not serve with you for Rachel? Why then have you deceived me?” 26 Laban said, “This is not done in our country — giving the younger before the firstborn. 27 Complete the week of this one, and we will give you the other also in return for serving me another seven years.” 28 Jacob did so and completed her week; then Laban gave him his daughter Rachel as a wife.

Commentary

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

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

Today’s story is the concluding part of Jacob’s journey to find a wife in the land from which Abraham came, Haran. Like many other Biblical men, Jacob met his wife Rachel at a well. Rachel was Jacob’s first cousin in that her father, Laban, was Rebekah’s brother. Although Jacob was previously described in 25:27 as “a mild man who stayed in camp” (JPS) or “a quiet man, living in tents” (NRSV), when he saw Rachel he performed a feat of great strength and singlehandedly rolled the stone from the mouth of the well – a task that would have required the efforts of all the other shepherds who were there (v.10). The New Jerome Biblical Commentary notes that Jacob, the “heelgripper” (25:26), “knows how to seize the opportunity.”

When Jacob saw Rachel, he kissed her (v.11), and agreed to work for Laban for seven years so Rachel would be his wife (v.18). Scholars note that this story contains one of the few accounts of romantic love in the Bible.

Previously, Jacob (with Rebekah’s assistance) had tricked his father Isaac into giving him the blessing that belonged to Esau, his older twin brother (27:5-29). When the time came for Jacob to marry Rachel, in a clearly ironic twist, Laban tricked the trickster Jacob by substituting his older daughter (Leah) for Rachel in Jacob’s tent on his wedding night (v.23). The New Oxford Annotated Bible suggests that this exchange could be made because the bride was brought veiled to the bridegroom (24:65). The NJBC observes that although Leah’s eyes were described as “lovely” (v.17), the Hebrew word is “rak” which can also mean dull and without luster.

Jacob was understandably unhappy about this development but agreed with Laban to “complete Leah’s week” of marriage festivities, and Laban gave Rachel to Jacob as another wife (v.28). Jacob worked for Laban for another seven years (v.30). Leah bore Jacob’s first four sons, including Judah.

Continuing the theme of the “barren matriarch” that began with Sarah and Rebekah, Rachel was unable to conceive until Jacob had already sired a total of ten sons by Leah, Rachel’s maid (Bilhah) and Leah’s maid (Zilpah). After many years, Rachel gave birth to Joseph (who had the famous coat) (30:22-24) and later died in childbirth when Jacob’s last son, Benjamin, was born (35:19).

1 Kings 3:5-12

Reading

5 At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, “Ask what I should give you.” 6 And Solomon said, “You have shown great and steadfast love to your servant my father David, because he walked before you in faithfulness, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart toward you; and you have kept for him this great and steadfast love and have given him a son to sit on his throne today. 7 And now, O LORD my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David, although I am only a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in. 8 And your servant is in the midst of the people whom you have chosen, a great people, so numerous they cannot be numbered or counted. 9 Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, able to discern between good and evil; for who can govern this your great people?”

10 It pleased the LORD that Solomon had asked this. 11 God said to him, “Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches, or for the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, 12 I now do according to your word. Indeed, I give you a wise and discerning mind; no one like you has been before you and no one like you shall arise after you.”

Commentary

The authors of the Book of Kings also wrote the books of Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges and Samuel, usually called the “Deuteronomic History,” a didactic history of Ancient Israel from the time in the Wilderness (c. 1250 BCE) to the Babylonian Captivity in 587 BCE.

These books were given their final form around 500 BCE – long after the events they described. The authors used the stories to demonstrate that it was the failures of the Kings of Israel and the Kings of Judea to worship YHWH properly 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.)

Prior to today’s story, Solomon (who was David’s son by Bathsheba, and not the oldest of David’s sons) acceded to the throne upon David’s death in about 965 BCE through the machinations of Bathsheba and the prophet Nathan (1 Kings 1). Solomon was anointed king even before David’s death, and then ruthlessly eliminated those who might have challenged him as king (1 Kings 2).

Immediately before today’s reading, the author reported that Solomon made a marriage alliance with the Pharaoh and took Pharaoh’s daughter and brought her to Jerusalem (v.1) — an action which The NAOB describes as “questionable from a moral point of view” (see Deut. 17:16). The marriage, along with having other foreign wives was noted in 11:1 as one of the reasons for YHWH’s anger with Solomon (11:9). The Jewish Study Bible observes: “Since Egyptian sources indicate it is unlikely that the actual daughter of a reigning pharaoh would have been given in marriage to a non-Egyptian, “daughter” may refer to a woman closely related or descended from the royal family.”

In addition, “the people were sacrificing at high places” (v.2) – another violation of Deuteronomic Law – although (according to The JSB) this prohibition did not arise until after Solomon built the First Temple.

The NJBC takes a more generous view. It sees the marriage as “a common political practice of the day” and notes that worship of YHWH at high places was acceptable before Solomon built the First Temple. The NJBC observes that “Solomon loved YHWH, offered incense at high places” and made an extravagant (1,000 burnt offerings) at Gibeon (v.3).

Today’s story is recounted as a dream sequence in which Solomon asked YHWH for wisdom, and YHWH granted him a wise and discerning mind (v.12). The NAOB suggests that the phrase “not knowing how to go out and come in” (v.7) likely implied a lack of military experience. The notion that the people were “so numerous that they cannot not be numbered or counted” is likely a reference back to the census taken by David (2 Sam. 24) that made YHWH angry – perhaps because it was an act of pride on David’s part.

As events unfolded in 1 Kings, Solomon gained great wealth, expanded Israel’s borders, and exhibited wisdom in the famous “cut the baby in half” incident (3:16-28). But as his rule progressed, he governed Israel harshly and married many foreign wives who turned his heart away from YHWH (1 Kings 11).

According to the Deuteronomists, Solomon’s harsh rule contributed greatly to the breakup of the Kingdom in 930 BCE when he died (1 Kings 12 and 13). Eventually, both the Northern Kingdom (Israel) and the Southern Kingdom (Judea) were conquered, respectively, by the Assyrians in 722 BCE and the Babylonians (587 BCE).

Romans 8:26-39

Reading

26 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.

28 We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. 29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn within a large family. 30 And those whom he predestined he also called; and those whom he called he also justified; and those whom he justified he also glorified.

31 What then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? 32 He who did not withhold his own Son, but gave him up for all of us, will he not with him also give us everything else? 33 Who will bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? It is Christ Jesus, who died, yes, who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us. 35 Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep to be slaughtered.”

38 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 39 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Commentary

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

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

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

Today’s reading concludes Paul’s theologically dense discussion in Chapter 8. The NAOB interprets the earlier portions of this chapter as follows: The inclinations of human “flesh” prevented earlier generations – including those who received the law at Mount Sinai — from fulfilling the “just requirement of the law.” The law is “thus weakened by the flesh” but Christ satisfied “the just requirement” through “his own act of righteousness.” The law’s “just requirement” is the standard of righteous living.

The NAOB continues that when Paul spoke of “the law of the spirit of life and of death” he was not referring to two different laws but rather to God’s law experienced under two opposing dominions — sin and of righteousness.

Paul’s theology included the idea that “all things work together for good for those who love God” (v.28). Even if matters are not going well, God’s purpose nevertheless prevails (v.28). Paul asserted “foreknowledge” on God’s part (v.29) and predestination (v.30). The Jewish Annotated New Testament points out that Paul assumed in verse 30 that justification and glorification have been accomplished.

Verses 31 to 35 are presented as rhetorical questions, and The JANT suggests that verse 34b is also a rhetorical question even though the NRSV does not translate or punctuate it that way.

In verse 36, Paul quoted Psalm 44:22, a psalm in which Israel stated that it was being mistreated and implored God to intervene on its behalf.

The reading concluded with an oft-quoted affirmation that nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus (vv. 38-39).

Matthew 13:31-33,44-52

Reading

31 Jesus put before the crowds another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field; 32 it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.”

33 He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened.”

44 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; 46 on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.

47 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and caught fish of every kind; 48 when it was full, they drew it ashore, sat down, and put the good into baskets but threw out the bad. 49 So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous 50 and throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

51 “Have you understood all this?” They answered, “Yes.” 52 And he said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like the master of a household who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.”

Commentary

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

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

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

Out of respect for his Jewish Jesus Follower audience, Matthew did not refer to “the Kingdom of God,” but instead to the “kingdom of heaven.”

The parables/comparisons to the kingdom of heaven in today’s readings are all intended to convey the great value of seeking the kingdom of heaven wholeheartedly and the enormous impact that seeking the kingdom will have in the world. The parables, do not, however, make sense on a literal or practical level.

No sane farmer would sow a mustard seed in his field. A mustard bush is like kudzu – it grows wild and takes over everything in its path. Moreover, what person cultivating a field wants birds in his field where they will eat the seeds and the crops? On a non-literal level, however, the parable emphasized the enormous impact a person who is righteous (in right relation with God, others and oneself) can have. The JANT notes that Jesus was using hyperbole to refer to the growth of the kingdom of heaven.

It would be an extraordinary First Century woman who would have “three measures” (v.33) of flour – about 60 pounds. Is she making bread for the entire village? The JANT observes that it is “an account of unexpected exaggeration.” The New Jerome Biblical Commentary points out: “Leaven in Jewish tradition often had the symbolic meaning of evil, the proneness or tendency to sin in an individual, connected with the rituals of Passover as the feast of Unleavened Bread.”

Selling everything one owns (v.44) to buy a field to get a “treasure” also makes no practical sense. What would this person be left with after having the treasure? No home, no other assets to buy food or anything else. What would the person do with the treasure? Similarly, the pearl merchant was said to “sell all that he had” (v. 46). Now what? The JANT points out that in Rabbinic Literature, pearls relate to piety and Torah Study.

The comparison of the kingdom of heaven to the net (v.47) describes an apocalyptic process in which the good will be separated from the bad at the end of the age (v.48). The JANT says, “Fishermen in the Sea of Galilee would have had to separate kosher and non-kosher fish from their nets.”

Some commentators take Jesus’ question “Have you understood all this?” (v.51) as ironic in that the later behaviors of the disciples showed that they did not fully understand the importance of giving one’s full efforts to the kingdom of heaven.

Jesus’ rejoinder (vv.52-53) is interpreted by The JANT as a positive reference to “Matthew’s own scribes (citing references).” The JANT understands “what is old and what is new” as “implying that older Torah teachings are still valid, but Jesus’ new interpretations must be heeded as well. The rabbis [in the Talmud] also utilized ‘old’ and ‘new’ to refer to the teachings of the Torah and the scribal interpretations of those teachings, respectively [citing Talmud sources].”

2023, July 23 ~ Genesis 28:10-19a: Isaiah 44:6-8; Romans 8:12-25; Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43

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TODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
JULY 23, 2023

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

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

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

Genesis 28.10-19a

Reading

10 Jacob left Beer-sheba and went toward Haran. 11 He came to a certain place and stayed there for the night, because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of the place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place. 12 And he dreamed that there was a ladder set up on the earth, the top of it reaching to heaven; and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. 13 And the LORD stood beside him and said, “I am the LORD, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring; 14 and your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south; and all the families of the earth shall be blessed in you and in your offspring. 15 Know that I am with you and will keep you wherever you go and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” 16 Then Jacob woke from his sleep and said, “Surely the LORD is in this place — and I did not know it!” 17 And he was afraid, and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.”

18 So Jacob rose early in the morning, and he took the stone that he had put under his head and set it up for a pillar and poured oil on the top of it. 19a He called that place Bethel.

Commentary

Genesis is the first book of the Torah (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy). The Torah also called the Pentateuch (“five books”) in Greek. Genesis covers the period from Creation to the deaths of Jacob and his 11th son, Joseph, in about 1650 BCE, if the accounts are historical.

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

The first 11 Chapters of Genesis are called the “primeval history” which ends with the Tower of Babel story — an “etiology” (story of origins) relating to the scattering of humankind and the multiplicity of languages. The last chapter of the primeval history also traces Abram’s lineage back to Noah’s son, Shem (which means “name” in Hebrew and from which we get the word “Semites”).

In the intervening chapters since last week’s reading, after a famine, Isaac went to Abimelech, the King of the Philistines in Gerar, where he passed Rebekah off as his sister in order to save his own life (26:6) but the King found out and protected Rebekah. Isaac prospered in Gerar and then moved to Beer-sheba where God reiterated to him the promises made to Abraham (26:24). The New Jerome Biblical Commentary notes that the site of Gerar “cannot be identified with certainty but that it seems to be about midway between Beer-sheba and Gaza.”

Scholars agree that the reference to the Philistines is anachronistic in that the Philistines did not arrive in Canaan until about 1,200 BCE.

When Isaac was very old and nearly blind, Jacob (with Rebekah’s connivance) tricked Isaac into giving him the blessing that should have gone to Jacob’s older twin brother, Esau (27:1-29). Esau begged Isaac for a blessing and received one that was inferior to the one given to Jacob (27:30-40).

Regarding the “blessing,” The NJBC says it is a “vitality that is passed on by the one who is departing from life to the one who is continuing in life. Because the blessing is concerned with vitality as a whole, the blessing cannot return or be subsequently altered.”

Esau threatened to kill Jacob, and Rebekah urged Jacob to go to her brother Laban in Haran, where Abraham came from (27:43). At Rebekah’s behest, Isaac also directed Jacob to go to Laban to find a suitable (i.e. non-Canaanite) wife. The NJBC notes that according to “J,” Isaac departed to avoid Esau’s wrath but according to “P” Jacob departed to find a suitable wife.

In today’s reading, Jacob was enroute to Haran and dreamt of a ladder (preferably translated as a “stairway”) with angels descending and ascending from heaven to earth. In Jacob’s dream, YHWH stood beside Jacob and reaffirmed (vv.13-14) the promise of extensive lands and many offspring that was made to Abraham in various forms in Genesis 12, 13 and 15. The Jewish Study Bible observes “Jacob will inherit the patriarchal promise, thus demonstrating that, however deceitfully it was gotten, Isaac’s blessing on him conforms to God’s will and that Jacob’s exile will be temporary.” (As the stories progress, however, it will be 20 years before Jacob returned to Canaan.)

The JSB also notes that a “stairway” was a “ramp of the sort with which Mesopotamian temple towers (ziggurats) were equipped and atop which the deity was thought to appear to communicate to his worshippers.”

When Jacob awoke, he said this was a holy place and the “house of God” (v.19). He named the place “Bethel” because in Hebrew, “Beth” means house (as in “Bethlehem” – house of bread), and “el” is the most ancient name for God. The suffix “el” appears in many names that have meanings “of God” such as Gabriel (God is my strength), Daniel (God is my judge) and the like. The New Oxford Annotated Bible points out that naming this place “Bethel” anticipated the future of Bethel as one of the two royal sanctuaries of the Northern Kingdom.

Regarding the setting up of a pillar (v.18), The JSB observes: “The Tanakh frequently associated sacred pillars, an important element of ancient worship, especially in Canaan, with idolatry [citing examples]. Nevertheless, Moses sets up twelve of them at the foot of Mount Sinai (Exod. 24.4), and Joshua erects one in the temple at Shechem (Josh.24.26). [An important commentator in the Talmud] suggests that sacred pillars were prohibited only if they were erected to the honor of other gods. More likely is a midrash that sees in the practice a vestige of an early form of worship that was later proscribed altogether.”

Isaiah 44:6-8

Reading

6 Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god.
7 Who is like me? Let them proclaim it, let them declare and set it forth before me. Who has announced from of old the things to come? Let them tell us what is yet to be.
8 Do not fear, or be afraid; have I not told you from of old and declared it? You are my witnesses! Is there any god besides me? There is no other rock; I know not one.

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 part of Second Isaiah in which the prophet spoke for YHWH to the Judeans in Exile and reassured them that YHWH was “first and last” (v.6), unique (v.7) and the “rock” upon which they could rely (v.8). Because of YHWH’s power, the Judeans in Babylon were assured by Isaiah that they would return to Jerusalem.

The JSB interprets these verses: “The LORD is clearly unique since only the LORD predicted so far in advance events that in fact came to be. Cf.43.9-15.”

The New Jerome Biblical Commentary understands the phrase “Lord of hosts” (v.6) to mean “Yahweh has domain over the sun, moon and stars. In the present setting, however, Yahweh is discrediting the heavenly hosts, worshipped by the Babylonians, and thereby claiming for himself a cosmic sweep of power.”

Romans 8:12-25

Reading

12 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.

18 I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us. 19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God; 20 for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 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.

Commentary

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

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

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

The Jewish Annotated New Testament observes that portions of the Letter to the Romans are written as a diatribe, a rhetorical technique using questions and answers and changes in voice to represent different points of view. The use of this technique makes it difficult to distinguish whether we are encountering Paul’s views directly or those of others as presented by Paul.

Today’s reading continues Paul’s extended discussion of sin, the flesh, and the Spirit in Chapter 8. For Paul, “the flesh” is our human tendency towards self-centeredness and self-interest. “Sin” is our personal egoism that leads to “death” (both spiritual and physical). Life in the Spirit of God (or the Spirit of Christ Jesus) leads to wholeness and life. Although Paul does not generally equate the “body” with “flesh,” The NAOB says that “deeds of the body” (v.13) was being used interchangeably with the flesh in this instance. The NJBC, on the other hand, understands this phrase to be “the accomplishments of the body” which can be dominated by “flesh” and need to be put aside to “live” in the Spirit.

Paul emphasized that as children of God (v.14), we are in a new relationship with God as heirs of God and joint heirs with the Christ through the power of the Spirit (v.13). The NJBC notes that Paul used the word “huiothesia” (translated as “adoption”) from “current Hellenistic legal language and applied it to Christians … to denote that the baptized Christian has been taken into the family of God and has a status in it — not that of a slave (who belonged indeed to the ancient household) but of a son.”

If we suffer with him (v.17), we will be glorified with him. This suffering can take many forms, including rejection by those who embrace the values of the world/the flesh. The suffering is seen as transitional.

Paul also had a sense of “now, but not yet” in terms of the glory to be revealed (vv.19-23), and that God’s purposes for us are greater than the present time indicated (v.25), a theme that Paul explored more fully in Chapters 9-11. Paul’s apocalyptic view was that the present age was evil (“the bondage of decay,” v.21) and that “creation itself will be set free” (v.21). The NJBC understands it as follows: “Paul would be saying that God, though he cursed the ground because of Adam’s sin, still gave it a hope of sharing in human redemption or liberation …. Paul is actually the first biblical writer to introduce the note of ‘hope.’”

Matthew 13:24-30,36-43

Reading

24 Jesus put before the crowd another parable: “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field; 25 but while everybody was asleep, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and then went away. 26 So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared as well. 27 And the slaves of the householder came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where, then, did these weeds come from?’ 28 He answered, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The slaves said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ 29 But he replied, ‘No; for in gathering the weeds you would uproot the wheat along with them. 30 Let both of them grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Collect the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.’”

36 Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples approached him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.” 37 He answered, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man; 38 the field is the world, and the good seed are the children of the kingdom; the weeds are the children of the evil one, 39 and the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. 40 Just as the weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. 41 The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, 42 and they will throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Let anyone with ears listen!”

Commentary

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

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

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

Today’s reading is one of the parables in this chapter, and one of the few that has an allegorical explanation supplied by the evangelist. It is a parable that is unique to Matthew. The Son of Man (v.37) is a Messianic and eschatological figure derived from Daniel 7:13-14 (“one like a human being”) who comes at the end of times as we know them – the “harvest” is the “end of the age” (v.39). The phrase “the righteous will shine like the sun” (v.43) is a variation of Daniel 12:3 (“Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the sky.”)

More than any other gospel, Matthew speaks of “judgment” and used the phrase “weeping and gnashing of teeth” five times in the Gospel – 8:12, 13:42, 22:11, 24:51 and 25:30. Luke used the phrase in 13:28. The phrase “gnashing of teeth” as a sign of anger also appears in Psalm 112:10 and in Acts 7:54.

2023, July 16 ~ Genesis 25:19-34; Isaiah 55:10-13; Romans 8:1-11; Matthew 13:1-9,18-23

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TODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
JULY 16, 2023

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

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

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

Genesis 25:19-34

Reading

19 These are the descendants of Isaac, Abraham’s son: Abraham was the father of Isaac, 20 and Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah, daughter of Bethuel the Aramean of Paddan-aram, sister of Laban the Aramean. 21 Isaac prayed to the LORD for his wife, because she was barren; and the LORD granted his prayer, and his wife Rebekah conceived. 22 The children struggled together within her; and she said, “If it is to be this way, why do I live?” So she went to inquire of the LORD. 23 And the LORD said to her, “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples born of you shall be divided; the one shall be stronger than the other, the elder shall serve the younger.”

24 When her time to give birth was at hand, there were twins in her womb. 25 The first came out red, all his body like a hairy mantle; so they named him Esau. 26 Afterward his brother came out, with his hand gripping Esau’s heel; so he was named Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them.

27 When the boys grew up, Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the field, while Jacob was a quiet man, living in tents. 28 Isaac loved Esau, because he was fond of game; but Rebekah loved Jacob.

29 Once when Jacob was cooking a stew, Esau came in from the field, and he was famished. 30 Esau said to Jacob, “Let me eat some of that red stuff, for I am famished!” (Therefore he was called Edom.) 31 Jacob said, “First sell me your birthright.” 32 Esau said, “I am about to die; of what use is a birthright to me?” 33 Jacob said, “Swear to me first.” So he swore to him and sold his birthright to Jacob. 34 Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew, and he ate and drank, and rose and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.

Commentary

Genesis is the first book of the Torah (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy). The Torah also called the Pentateuch (“five books”) in Greek. Genesis covers the period from Creation to the deaths of Jacob and his 11th son, Joseph, in about 1650 BCE, if the accounts are historical.

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

The first 11 Chapters of Genesis are called the “primeval history” which ends with the Tower of Babel story — an “etiology” (a story of origins, in Greek, “etio” means a beginning and “logo” is a story) – relating to the scattering of humankind and the multiplicity of languages. The last chapter of the primeval history also traces Abram’s lineage back to Noah’s son, Shem (which means “name” in Hebrew and from which we get the word “Semites”).

Today’s reading comes after the burial of Abraham by his sons Ishmael and Isaac (25:10), and a list of the 12 tribes descended from Ishmael residing in the deserts on both sides of the Red Sea (25:13-15).

Rebekah’s barrenness for 19 years put her in the line of “barren matriarchs” (Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel and Hannah). The LORD’s response to Isaac’s plea is intended to show the power of God, just as it had in the story of Sarah.

The birth of Jacob and Esau is also an etiology a story of the origins of the Edomites and the Israelites. An anthropomorphic YHWH told Rebekah she had two nations in her womb (v.23). In these accounts, Jacob (whose name means “supplanter”) will become the father of the 12 tribes of Israel, and Esau (whose land, Edom, is a play on the word “admoni” which means “red”) will become the father of the Edomites, traditional enemies of Israel. Esau is described as “hairy” (v.25), and the Hebrew word for hairy (se’ar) is a play on the word “Seir” – a region in Edom.

In the story, the younger son Jacob bought Esau’s “birthright” (blessing, family leadership and a double share of inheritance when Isaac dies) for a bowl of stew. Esau was presented as dull-witted and willing to give up his birthright because he was temporarily famished. This was a slap at the Edomites whom Israel dominated during the reigns of David and Solomon (1005-930 BCE), but who pillaged Jerusalem during the middle years of the Babylonian Exile (587-539 BCE).

The Jewish Study Bible sees this story as another case of God’s being perceived as favoring the younger son, as with Cain and Abel, Ishmael and Isaac, and Joseph and his 10 older brothers.

Isaiah 55:10-13

Reading

10 As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return there until they have watered the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
11 so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and succeed in the thing for which I sent it.
12 For you shall go out in joy and be led back in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall burst into song, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
13 Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress; instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle and it shall be to the LORD for a memorial, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.

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 the closing verses of Second Isaiah. It emphasized the effectiveness of YHWH’s word (v.11) and the joy the people would experience (v.12) when the Exile ended when Cyrus the Great of Persia conquered the Babylonians in 539 BCE and allowed the Judeans to return to Jerusalem.

The Jewish Study Bible notes that this reading reflects the indirect manner in which God’s promises and prophecies are fulfilled. “The metaphor is significant: God sends rain which inevitably falls to the ground; then it is absorbed by soil and nourishes vegetation. Humans in turn harvest the vegetation and transform it into food. Similarly, God’s word is sure to have a series of effects, the most important of which are indirect and involve human input.”

The JSB goes on: “The nature of the fulfillment of restoration may be indirect and will depend on human response to God’s invitation. The prophet may be responding to the failure of most Judeans to move back to Zion after the Persian king Cyrus allowed them to do so in the 530s BCE.”

Romans 8:1-11

Reading

1 There is [therefore] no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. 3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do: by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and to deal with sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 so that the just requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. 6 To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. 7 For this reason the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law — indeed it cannot, 8 and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

9 But you are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit since the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. 10 But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you.

Commentary

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

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

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

The Jewish Annotated New Testament observes that portions of the Letter to the Romans are written as a diatribe, a rhetorical technique using questions and answers and changes in voice to represent different points of view. The use of this technique makes it difficult to distinguish whether we are encountering Paul’s views directly or those of others as presented by Paul.

Today’s reading continues Paul’s extended discussion of law, sin, the flesh, and the Spirit. For Paul, “the flesh” is not our bodies as such, but our human tendency towards self-centeredness and self-interest. “Sin” for Paul is our personal egoism that leads to “death,” both spiritual and physical (v.6). (Paul saw, as was common in his time, the story of Adam’s disobedience as the cause of human mortality.)

Paul uses “law” in diverse ways – in some places, it means the Torah, the Jewish Law (v.3), but in other contexts it means a “way of living” as in “the law of the Spirit in the life of Christ Jesus” (v.2) and “the law of sin and death” (v.2).

Life in the Spirit leads to wholeness and Eternal Life (v.10). The JANT sees the thrust of this chapter as follows: “Although still in the body and thus subject to human limitations, God’s Spirit lives in those who set their minds on things of the Spirit in faithfulness to Christ. Conflict between spiritual conventions and human limitations will continue, for Christ followers are still living in bodies (i.e. in the present age), but victory is assured for all creation which will be rescued when the awaited age arrives fully.”

Regarding verses 4-6, The JANT says: “Paul moves from declaring a state of change already accomplished, to a conditional state that one can accomplish in a new way, but one that requires ‘walking’ or ‘norms for living’ (i.e. ‘halakah’) to accomplish it.”

Matthew 13:1-9,18-23

Reading

1 Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. 2 Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach. 3 And he told them many things in parables, saying: “Listen! A sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. 5 Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. 6 But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away. 7 Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. 8 Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 9 Let anyone with ears listen!”

18 “Hear then the parable of the sower. 19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in the heart; this is what was sown on the path. 20 As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; 21 yet such a person has no root, but endures only for a while, and when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, that person immediately falls away. 22 As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing. 23 But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”

Commentary

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

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

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

Today’s reading is the familiar parable of the sower and the seed, one of a series of parables in Chapter 13. The New Oxford Annotated Bible describes parable (“mashal” in Hebrew) as a story, fable, proverbial saying, or a riddle. It goes on: “Narrative parables involve analogy or comparison between the situation and the subject being discussed.” This parable is also in Mark and Luke and is one of the few parables in the gospels for which an interpretation is given in the gospels.

2023, July 9 ~ Genesis 24:34-38, 42-49, 58-67; Zechariah 9:9-12; Romans 7:15-25a; Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30

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TODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
JULY 9, 2023

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

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

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

Genesis 24:34-38, 42-49, 58-67

Reading

34 The servant said to Laban, “I am Abraham’s servant. 35 The LORD has greatly blessed my master, and he has become wealthy; he has given him flocks and herds, silver and gold, male and female slaves, camels, and donkeys. 36 And Sarah my master’s wife bore a son to my master when she was old; and he has given him all that he has. 37 My master made me swear, saying, ‘You shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I live; 38 but you shall go to my father’s house, to my kindred, and get a wife for my son.’

42 “I came today to the spring, and said, ‘O LORD, the God of my master Abraham, if now you will only make successful the way I am going! 43 I am standing here by the spring of water; let the young woman who comes out to draw, to whom I shall say, “Please give me a little water from your jar to drink,” 44 and who will say to me, “Drink, and I will draw for your camels also” — let her be the woman whom the LORD has appointed for my master’s son.’

45 “Before I had finished speaking in my heart, there was Rebekah coming out with her water jar on her shoulder; and she went down to the spring and drew. I said to her, ‘Please let me drink.’ 46 She quickly let down her jar from her shoulder, and said, ‘Drink, and I will also water your camels.’ So I drank, and she also watered the camels. 47 Then I asked her, ‘Whose daughter are you?’ She said, ‘The daughter of Bethuel, Nahor’s son, whom Milcah bore to him.’ So I put the ring on her nose, and the bracelets on her arms. 48 Then I bowed my head and worshiped the LORD, and blessed the LORD, the God of my master Abraham, who had led me by the right way to obtain the daughter of my master’s kinsman for his son. 49 Now then, if you will deal loyally and truly with my master, tell me; and if not, tell me, so that I may turn either to the right hand or to the left.”

58 And they called Rebekah, and said to her, “Will you go with this man?” She said, “I will.” 59 So they sent away their sister Rebekah and her nurse along with Abraham’s servant and his men. 60 And they blessed Rebekah and said to her, “May you, our sister, become thousands of myriads; may your offspring gain possession of the gates of their foes.” 61 Then Rebekah and her maids rose up, mounted the camels, and followed the man; thus the servant took Rebekah, and went his way.

62 Now Isaac had come from Beer-lahai-roi and was settled in the Negeb. 63 Isaac went out in the evening to walk in the field; and looking up, he saw camels coming. 64 And Rebekah looked up, and when she saw Isaac, she slipped quickly from the camel, 65 and said to the servant, “Who is the man over there, walking in the field to meet us?” The servant said, “It is my master.” So she took her veil and covered herself. 66 And the servant told Isaac all the things that he had done. 67 Then Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah’s tent. He took Rebekah, and she became his wife; and he loved her. So Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.

Commentary

Genesis is the first book of the Torah (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy). The Torah also called the Pentateuch (“five books”) in Greek. Genesis covers the period from Creation to the deaths of Jacob and his 11th son, Joseph, in about 1650 BCE, if the accounts are historical.

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

The first 11 Chapters of Genesis are called the “primeval history” which ends with the Tower of Babel story — an “etiology” (story of origins) relating to the scattering of humankind and the multiplicity of languages. The last chapter of the primeval history also traces Abram’s lineage back to Noah’s son, Shem (which means “name” in Hebrew and from which we get the word “Semites”).

Today’s reading is part of the longest chapter in Genesis and is the conclusion of the story of how Abraham’s servant – not named in Chapter 24 but thought to be Eliezer of Damascus (Gen. 15:2) – obtained a wife for Isaac by going back to Haran, the land from which Abraham came.

Because of the emphasis on Isaac’s not taking a wife from the Canaanites (v.37), the story is attributed by scholars to the Deuteronomic writers (650 to 550 BCE). Intermarriage with Canaanites is strictly forbidden in Deut. 7:1-4.

In the verses before today’s reading, Abraham’s servant did what everyone looking for a wife does – he went to a well where women draw water (v.11). (Jacob and Moses also met their wives this way.) There, the servant encountered Rebekah, who was Isaac’s first cousin, once removed. (Her father, Bethuel, was Isaac’s first cousin.) Rebekah was described as very beautiful and a virgin (v.16). In response to the servant’s request, she gave him water to drink and watered his camels (v.20). The servant gave her gold jewelry, and she told him that he and his animals could come to her home (v.25). Rebekah then told her mother’s household all that had occurred (v.28).

Rebekah’s brother, Laban, met with Eliezer (vv. 31-49) who recounted to him his conversation with Rebekah in which she answered Eliezer’s questions satisfactorily (v.46). Laban and Bethuel gave her to Eliezer to be Isaac’s wife (v.51) and Eliezer brought her to Isaac (v.66).

In future readings, Rebekah will give birth to the twin brothers, Esau and Jacob.

Scholars have noted that, although camels may have been domesticated in Saudi Arabia as early as 2,500 BCE, they were not domesticated in Israel until about 1,000 BCE – long after the events in today’s reading were said to occur.

Computing the approximate dates of the events in today’s reading requires “backward” counting because there is no evidence outside the Bible for the historicity of these events. There are sources outside the Bible for the building of the store cities of Pithom and Rameses in the reign of Rameses II (1,279 -1,213 BCE) around 1,250 BCE. If the Exodus was historical, it would have occurred around 1,225 BCE. According to Ex. 12:40, the Israelites lived in Egypt for 430 years after the death of Joseph (which would mean Joseph died around 1,655 BCE). Abraham was Joseph’s great-grandfather. The patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob) had great longevity, so there were about 220 years between the events described in today’s reading and the death of Joseph at age 110 (Gen. 50:26). Isaac was 60 (25:26) when Jacob was born and he died when he was 180 (35:28). Jacob lived to 147 (47:28). Accordingly, the events in today’s reading (if they are historical) might have occurred around 1,900 to 1,875 BCE.

Zechariah 9:9-12

Reading

9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter Jerusalem! Lo, your king comes to you; triumphant and victorious is he, humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
10 He will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the war horse from Jerusalem; and the battle bow shall be cut off, and he shall command peace to the nations; his dominion shall be from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth.
11 As for you also, because of the blood of my covenant with you, I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit.
12 Return to your stronghold, O prisoners of hope; today I declare that I will restore to you double.

Commentary

Zechariah is the longest and most obscure of the “Minor” Prophets (so called because their books are much shorter than the three “Major Prophets” – Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel). The Book has 14 chapters, and Chapters 9 to 14 are referred to as “Second Zechariah” or “An Oracle” – the superscription at the beginning of Chapter 9. First Zechariah is dated to about 525 to 500 BCE and Second Zechariah is dated to about 400 to 300 BCE.

Today’s reading is one of the many (sometimes contradictory) descriptions of the anticipated Messiah found in the Hebrew Bible. The image presented here is a king who brings peace and rides on a donkey (v.9) rather than on a war-horse. The king’s dominion is not only over Israel, but is from sea to sea, from “the River” (the Euphrates in northern Syria) to the ends of the earth (v.10).

The Hebrew Bible contains many parallelisms, and the description of the king “on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey” (v.9) was intended to describe one animal. The Gospel of Matthew (unlike Mark and Luke) treated the phrase as describing two animals (Matt.21.5).

This peace-bringing king cuts off the instruments of war from “Ephraim” which was pre-Exilic Northern Israel, named for its most powerful tribe, and the war-horse of Jerusalem (v.10), the capital of Judea.

The New Jerome Biblical Commentary points out that the voice shifted from the third person to the first person in verses 11 and 12. This represents the idea that God will accomplish what is promised in these verses. The phrase “blood of my covenant with you” (v.11) referred to the covenant at Sinai that was sealed by a blood rite (Ex. 24:6-8).

Romans 7:15-25a

Reading

15 I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. 16 Now if I do what I do not want, I agree that the law is good. 17 But in fact it is no longer I that do it, but sin that dwells within me. 19 For I know that nothing good dwells within me, that is, in my flesh. I can will what is right, but I cannot do it. 19 For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do. 20 Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I that do it, but sin that dwells within me.

21 So I find it to be a law that when I want to do what is good, evil lies close at hand. 22 For I delight in the law of God in my inmost self, 23 but I see in my members another law at war with the law of my mind, making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. 24 Wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!

Commentary

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

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

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

The Jewish Annotated New Testament observes that the Letter to the Romans is sometimes written as a diatribe, a rhetorical technique using questions and answers and changes in voice to represent different points of view. The use of this technique makes it difficult to distinguish whether we are encountering Paul’s views directly or those of others as presented by Paul.

Today’s reading is part of Paul’s extended discussion of the law, sin, the flesh, and the Spirit. As a First Century Jew, Paul was recognized that Jewish Jesus Followers were still bound by the Law, but that Gentile Jesus Followers were not bound by the requirement of circumcision or the Jewish dietary laws.

As to the effects and purposes of the Law, Paul seemed ambivalent. He saw the Jewish Law as “spiritual” (v.14), but as a Jesus Follower, he recognized that mere obedience to the Law would not lead to wholeness/salvation. Sometimes he used “law” to mean a principal or norm (“I find it to be a law that when I want to do what is good, evil lies close at hand” v.21), and at other times it meant the Torah.

Without the Spirit, Paul asserted, even outward obedience to the Law could be a manifestation of “the flesh” (our human tendency towards self-centeredness and self-interest) that is grounded in sin (our personal egoism). Paul said it is through the Spirit that we can be rescued from “this body of death” (v.24).

In the early part of this chapter, Paul analogized the binding effects of the law to the convention of marriage. That is, if a person’s spouse dies, that person is no longer bound by the laws of that marriage. The Jewish Annotated New Testament says: “The convention since Adam of being slaves to sin no longer binds the Gentiles since Christ has died. They are now bound to a new life in Christ.”

The JANT continues: “The language [in this chapter] is very difficult to follow: the same terms are used with different referents and connotations….Paul’s point seems to be that these Gentiles who have turned to God in Christ are not bound to the limitations of their previous identity in Adam, in sin leading to death. They are not under Torah because they are not Israelites but they are nevertheless now free from the law of sin to live a Torah-based life, i.e. to live according to God’s standards.”

In some ways, although the Revised Common Lectionary does not include it, the last part of the concluding verse in today’s reading serves as a useful summary: “So then, with my mind I am a slave to the law of God, but with my flesh I am a slave to the law of sin” (v.25b).

Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30

Reading

16 Jesus said to the crowd, “To what will I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to one another, 17 ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we wailed, and you did not mourn.’

18 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon’; 19 the Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.”

25 At that time Jesus said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; 26 yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. 27 All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.

28 “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Commentary

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

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

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

Today’s reading follows a section in which Jesus praised John the Baptist as “no one who has arisen greater than he” (v.11) and Matthew specifically compared JTB to Elijah (v.14) whose return was to be a sign of the coming of the Messiah (Mal. 4:5).

The criticism of “this generation” (v.16) is followed by a reproach of the cities in which Jesus did “deeds of power” (v.20) but they did not repent (vv.20-24).

Regarding vv.25-27, The New Oxford Annotated Bible comments, “The nature of true wisdom is an important question in Matthew. Powerful and influential people form the opposition in Matthew’s Gospel. Ironically, it is the younger students without influence, training and power who have heard and understood the message.”

The JANT points out that the image of the “yoke” (v.29) was commonly a reference to study of the Torah (Sir. 51:26). The NJBC interprets “For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (v.30) to mean: “In comparison with the halaka of the Pharisees, Jesus’ teaching is quantitatively easier because shorter and centered on the essential. But in view of the exceeding righteousness demanded in [Matt.] 5:20, [“For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”], it is qualitatively more difficult because the demands of love of God and neighbor are inexhaustible.”