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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, August 6 ~ Exodus 34:29-35; 2 Peter 1:13-21; Luke 9:28b-36

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TODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
AUGUST 6, 2023
TRANSFIGURATION SUNDAY

Exodus 34:29-35

Reading

29 Moses came down from Mount Sinai. As he came down from the mountain with the two tablets of the covenant in his hand, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God. 30 When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, the skin of his face was shining, and they were afraid to come near him. 31 But Moses called to them; and Aaron and all the leaders of the congregation returned to him, and Moses spoke with them. 32 Afterward all the Israelites came near, and he gave them in commandment all that the Lord had spoken with him on Mount Sinai. 33 When Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil on his face; 34 but whenever Moses went in before the Lord to speak with him, he would take the veil off, until he came out; and when he came out, and told the Israelites what he had been commanded, 35 the Israelites would see the face of Moses, that the skin of his face was shining; and Moses would put the veil on his face again, until he went in to speak with him.

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.

Because of this reading from the Hebrew Bible and today’s Gospel reading, many Christians refer to this Sunday as “Transfiguration Sunday.” In this reading, Moses’ face shone when he came down from Mount Sinai after speaking with YHWH (translated as LORD in all capital letters). On the mountain, he (Moses) wrote the “words of the covenant” (the Ten Commandments or the Ten Words) on tablets as directed by YHWH (34:27). Moses put a veil over his face after he gave the people the Commandments (v.33) and he removed the veil whenever he spoke to YHWH face-to-face (v.34).

Today’s reading is set at Mount Sinai (“Horeb” in other parts of Exodus and in Deuteronomy) during the time in the Wilderness.

The account in today’s reading is Moses’ second return from the top of Mount Sinai. Just a few chapters earlier, Moses came down from the mountain with the Commandments written by YHWH in the first account of the giving of the commandments (31:18). When Moses and YHWH saw that the Israelites built a Golden Calf, YHWH threatened to destroy them. Moses pleaded with YHWH to reverse that decision and YHWH relented (Chapters 32 and 33).

The Hebrew words saying that Moses’ face “shone” (v.29) – or in other translations “was radiant” – shares an etymological root with the word “horn” (as in an instrument or source of sound projections). In his translation of the Bible into Latin (the Vulgate), Jerome rendered these Hebrew words as “was horned.” This unfortunate translation was the basis for Michelangelo’s statue of Moses showing him with horns and led to the antisemitic belief that Jews had horns.

The Jewish Study Bible points out that there are passages in Ezekiel, Habakkuk, and Psalm 104 portraying the Divine Presence as surrounded by radiant luminosity and that this is a concept also found in Mesopotamian literature where it is called “fearsome radiance.” The New Jerome Biblical Commentary opines that the radiance of Moses’ face demonstrates his privileged position as a servant close to YHWH, and as reaffirming his position as the intermediary between God and the Israelites.

Moses’ speaking with God face-to-face became an important aspect of the description of the expected Messiah when this account in Exodus was combined with two verses in the Book of Deuteronomy. In one of these verses, YHWH promised to “raise up for them [the people of Israel] a prophet like you [Moses].” (Deut. 18.18) The other verse stated that no other prophet in Israel has been known by God face-to-face (Deut. 34.10).

Today’s Gospel reading presents Jesus of Nazareth as conversing with Moses and Elijah, and notes that “the appearance of his face changed and his clothes became dazzling white” (LK 9:29).

2 Peter 1:13-21

Reading

13 I think it right, as long as I am in this body, to refresh your memory, 14 since I know that my death will come soon, as indeed our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. 15 And I will make every effort so that after my departure you may be able at any time to recall these things.

16 For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we had been eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17 For he received honor and glory from God the Father when that voice was conveyed to him by the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, my Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.” 18 We ourselves heard this voice come from heaven, while we were with him on the holy mountain.

19 So we have the prophetic message more fully confirmed. You will do well to be attentive to this as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. 20 First of all you must understand this, that no prophecy of scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, 21 because no prophecy ever came by human will, but men and women moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.

Commentary

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

The Second Letter of Peter was likely written some time between 100 and 150 CE (Peter died in the 60’s CE) and it was written in the popular Greek rhetorical style of the age, not a style that would have been customary for a Galilean fisherman. The NJBC sees the letter as “written to a pluralistic Church of Jewish-Christian and a Greek converts.” It says the “language is good Greek with special attention to technical, intellectual terms, such as ‘divine nature’.”

The Jewish Annotated New Testament understands the reference to “in this body” (v.13) as a juxtaposition to the glorious, resurrected body anticipated after death. By alluding to his death “as coming soon” (v.14), the letter presented itself as a “testament” (final advice and warnings) by Peter based on his own experiences. The JANT notes that early Christian legend from the 2nd and 3rd centuries states that Peter was crucified upside-down by Nero in 64 CE.

It is not clear if the author of 1 Peter and 2 Peter was the same person.

This short (three chapters) letter emphasized the dangers of false prophets and presented a vision of the world so corrupt that it could be saved only by the Second Coming of the Christ.

In today’s reading, “Peter” claimed he was an eyewitness to the Transfiguration of Jesus (v.16) where he heard the voice of God declare that Jesus was God’s Son and God’s Beloved. The New Oxford Annotated Bible points out that the wording of the heavenly voice (v.17) is different from the words spoken at the Transfiguration as recounted in the Synoptic Gospels. The NAOB surmises that the writer of the letter may have been relying on an oral tradition rather than a written gospel. The “holy mountain” (v.18) is not identified, but The JANT points out that early (late 2nd Century and after) Church fathers such as Origen, Cyril of Jerusalem and Jerome said it was Mount Tabor. Mount Tabor is located in the Lower Galilee at the eastern end of the Jezreel Valley, 11 miles west of the Sea of Galilee.

Connecting the reference to the “morning star” (v.19) to Revelation 22:16, The NAOB interprets the morning star as the Christ who will return. The JANT sees the “lamp shining” reference (v.19) as related to Matt. 5:15 (“do not hide a lamp shining under a bushel basket”) and the “day dawns” (v.19) as a reference to Judgment Day.

“Peter” concludes that prophesy comes from God to humans who are moved by the Spirit to speak for God (v.21), which The JANT describes as “charismatic pronouncements.”

Luke 9:28b-36

Reading

28b Jesus took with him Peter and John and James and went up on the mountain to pray. 29 And while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white. 30 Suddenly they saw two men, Moses and Elijah, talking to him. 31 They appeared in glory and were speaking of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. 32 Now Peter and his companions were weighed down with sleep; but since they had stayed awake, they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. 33 Just as they were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah” — not knowing what he said. 34 While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were terrified as they entered the cloud. 35 Then from the cloud came a voice that said, “This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!” 36 When the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and in those days told no one any of the things they had seen.

Commentary

The Gospel According to Luke is generally regarded as having been written around 85 CE. Its author also wrote the Acts of the Apostles. Both books were written in elegant and deliberatively crafted Greek and presented Jesus of Nazareth as the universal savior of humanity. Both emphasized the Holy Spirit as the “driving force” for events.

The Gospel followed the same general chronology of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection as the Gospel of Mark, and more than 40% of Luke’s Gospel was based on Mark. The other portions of Luke include (a) sayings shared with the Gospel According to Matthew but not found in Mark (these portions are said to derive from the “Sayings Source” known as “Q” – the German word for which is Quelle — and (b) stories that are unique to Luke such as the Annunciation, the Visitation, the Presentation in the Temple, the Prodigal Son, and the Good Samaritan.

Today’s reading is an account of the Transfiguration and is found in all three Synoptic Gospels, but not in the Fourth Gospel. In Luke’s account, Jesus took his “inner circle” (Peter, James, and John) and went up on an unspecified mountain (sometimes identified as Mount Tabor) where he was transfigured and appeared with Moses (the lawgiver) and Elijah (the great prophet whose return would be a sign of the coming of the Messiah). The NJBC says the inclusion of Moses and Elijah shows “the road upon which Jesus is embarking is in accord with the law and the prophets.”

The JANT points out that Jesus’ face shining (v.29) is a parallel to Moses’ face shining in Exodus 34:29. The JANT continues that “dazzling” clothes suggest a mystical experience, citing Moses and Daniel 12:3 (“Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky”).

The statement that Peter, James, and John were “weighed down with sleep” (v.32) may indicate that the Transfiguration occurred at night and anticipated the same sleepy condition when they were supposed to keep watch for Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane (22:45).

Peter’s desire to make three dwellings (v.33) was a reaction to make permanent a numinous moment and to keep Moses and Elijah present. Other translations are for “tents” or “tabernacles.”

The “cloud” is a customary image for God (as in Exodus 13) and the “voice” is similar to the voice and words spoken at Jesus’ baptism (3:22).

The NJBC suggests that the teachings that Jesus gave in Luke’s Gospel just before the Transfiguration were so different and difficult (“take up your cross and follow me”) that it was necessary to present a “divine sanction” for these teachings.

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, January 1 ~ Numbers 6:22-27; Galatians 4:4-7; Philippians 2:5-11; Luke 2:15-21

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TODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
JANUARY 1, 2023
FEAST OF THE HOLY NAME OF JESUS

Numbers 6:22-27

Reading

22 The LORD spoke to Moses, saying:
23 Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, Thus you shall bless the Israelites: You shall say to them,
24 The LORD bless you and keep you;
25 the LORD make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you;
26 the LORD lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace.
27 So they shall put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.

Commentary

Numbers is the fourth book of the Torah (Hebrew meaning “teaching” or “Law”). The Torah is also called the Pentateuch (Greek meaning “Five Books”).

Numbers takes its name from the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible that was completed in the period from 300 to 200 BCE in Alexandria. Its name was derived from the fact that the first four chapters of the Book contain census numbers.

Numbers begins as the Israelites were preparing to leave Sinai to proceed into the Wilderness before entering the Promised Land. If the time in the Wilderness is historical (no convincing archeological evidence has been found to support it), this would have been around 1250 BCE.

Most of the book of Numbers was written by the “Priestly Source” during the Babylonian Exile (587-539 BCE) and the 100 years after the Exile, but there are parts of the Book that scholars date to “J” (950 BCE) and “E” (850 BCE). The Jewish Study Bible notes that there are three major units in the Book (1) the final encampment at Sinai and the preparation to resume the wilderness trek: (Ch. 1-10), (2) the generation-long march in the desert from Sinai to Moab (Ch. 10-22); and (3) the encampment in Moab before entering Canaan (Ch. 22-36).

Today’s reading is the conclusion of a chapter that specified the vows one must take to be a “nazirite” – one who is consecrated (or separated) — a type of lay priest. The vows were to abstain from fermented drinks, cutting one’s hair, and coming in contact with the dead. In the scriptures, there are only three persons who can be clearly identified as nazirites for life: Samson (who did not abide by his vows), Samuel, and John the Baptizer.

This reading is a priestly blessing from YHWH (“LORD” in all capital letters in the NRSV) on the Israelites before they went into the Wilderness.

In Post-Exilic times, this Blessing was delivered at public gatherings at the sanctuary in Jerusalem. Two silver amulets dated to the 7th and 6th Centuries BCE were found outside Jerusalem that contain versions of this Blessing.

The JSB says this blessing has been preserved to modernity in Jewish liturgy as part of the “Amidah” (the central prayer in Jewish worship) and as a part of the blessing recited by parents for their children on Friday nights.

Galatians 4:4-7

Reading

4 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 late 40’s or 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) to Jesus Followers. In particular, did Gentiles have to be circumcised and follow the Kosher dietary laws to become Jesus Followers? If not, what was the role of Torah for both Jewish and Gentile Jesus Followers?

These issues are also discussed in Paul’s letter to the Romans (written in the early 60’s) and in Chapter 15 of Acts of the Apostles.

Galatians is a “transitional” letter in that – when compared to Paul’s last letter (Romans) — it shows an evolution in his views on the relationship between the Torah and the Gentile Jesus Followers.

In his description of his confrontation with Peter in Antioch (2:11-15), Paul said that observing Jewish law was an unnecessary burden for Gentiles, particularly when Jewish Jesus Followers were not observant (v.14). He then went on to argue that observance of the Jewish Law by Gentiles was inconsistent with acceptance of the gospel (vv.15-21).

In today’s reading, Paul emphasized that Jesus of Nazareth was a human and a Jew (“born of a woman under the law”) (v.4). Paul did not assert a divine paternity to Jesus. Jesus’s mission was to “redeem those under the law” (the Jews) (v.5). The Greek word translated as “redeem” means to buy back, as in redeeming something at 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).

Philippians 2:5-11

Reading

5 Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus,
6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited,
7 but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form,
8 he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death — even death on a cross.
9 Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name,
10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Commentary

Philippi was a major city in Macedonia on the Roman road to Byzantium (Istanbul), and most of its inhabitants were Roman citizens. Paul wrote this letter from prison. For this reason, some think the letter was written from Rome around 62 CE. Other scholars note that Paul was also imprisoned earlier in Ephesus and made trips to Philippi from Ephesus. Paul had a deep affection for the believers in Philippi and thanked them for gifts sent to him in prison (4:18).

Today’s reading is the best-known part of this Epistle and is derived from a hymn that was already in use in Jesus Follower communities, perhaps in a Baptism liturgy. It emphasized the divinity of Jesus the Christ (v.6), the self-emptying love of Jesus (v.7), his servant ministry (v.7), and that (like all human beings) he was subject to death, even a degrading death on a cross (v.8).

The Jewish Annotated New Testament observes that God’s exaltation of Jesus in giving him a “name” (v.9) that is “above every name” is to be understood in the “biblical sense of that which truly expresses character, power, and status.”

The phrases “every knee should bend” (v.10) and “every tongue confess” (v.11) were echoes of Isaiah 45:23 in which the prophet (speaking for YHWH) asserted YHWH had power to free the Judeans from Babylon and “to me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear.”

The Letter to the Philippians contains some of Paul’s strongest assertions about Jesus the Christ is “Lord” and therefore equivalent to YHWH. The NRSV translates the Greek word Kyrios in the Christian Scriptures (which were written in Greek) as “Lord” with a capital “L.” When the Hebrew Bible was translated into Greek in the Septuagint in the period from 300 to 200 BCE, the name for God, YHWH, was also translated as “Kyrios.” The NRSV translates the letters “YHWH” from the Hebrew Scriptures (which were written in Hebrew) as “LORD” with all capital letters.

The statements in today’s reading are not only religious; they are also political. The Roman Caesars claimed to be “in the form of God” and “Lord.”

The statement that Jesus took the form of a slave/servant and emptied himself (poured himself out) for others were themes taken from Isaiah 53, the suffering servant song. For this, he has been highly exalted (resurrected) (v.9).

The JANT says that Paul challenged the Philippians by saying that if one “in the form of God” (v.6) could humbly abdicate the dignity of his original status and not exploit his connectedness to God, should not the Philippians do likewise?

Luke 2:15-21

Reading

15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. 17 When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. 19 But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

21 After eight days had passed, it was time to circumcise the child; and he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

Commentary

The Gospel According to Luke is generally regarded as having been written around 85 CE. Its author also wrote the Acts of the Apostles. Both books were written in elegant and deliberatively crafted Greek and presented Jesus of Nazareth as the universal savior of humanity. Both emphasized the Holy Spirit as the “driving force” for events.

The Gospel followed the same general chronology of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection as the Gospel of Mark, and more than 40% of Luke’s Gospel was based on Mark. The other portions of Luke include (a) sayings shared with the Gospel According to Matthew but not found in Mark and (b) stories that are unique to Luke such as the Annunciation, the Visitation, the Presentation in the Temple, the Prodigal Son, and the Good Samaritan.

Today’s reading is part of the extended Birth Narrative that is unique to Luke. Chapter 2 begins with a census that has no historical support outside this gospel. (There was a census in 6 CE, but not during Herod’s reign which ended in 4 BCE.)

Beginning in 2:8, angels appeared to shepherds and announced the birth of “a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord” (v.11). Although some commentators describe shepherds as lowly and as outcasts, The Jewish Annotated New Testament points out that both Moses and David were shepherds.

According to Luke 1:32, the angel told Mary that her child would be called “the Son of the Most High, and the Lord will give him the throne of his ancestor David.” The shepherds told those whom they found in the cave (Mary and Joseph) what they (the shepherds) had been told about the child (v.17).

The last verse of today’s reading noted that Jesus was circumcised – thereby affirming his Jewishness. Luke’s Gospel stressed Jesus’, Mary’s, and Joseph’s fidelity to the Mosaic Law, including the Purification of Mary and the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple 40 days after his birth (2:22-38) and the fact that the family went to the Temple “every year” (2.41) for Passover.

2022, January 23 ~ Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10; 1 Corinthians 12:12-31; Luke 4:14-21

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TODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
JANUARY 23, 2022

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

Reading

1 All the people of Israel gathered together into the square before the Water Gate. They told the scribe Ezra to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the Lord had given to Israel. 2 Accordingly, the priest Ezra brought the law before the assembly, both men and women and all who could hear with understanding. This was on the first day of the seventh month. 3 He read from it facing the square before the Water Gate from early morning until midday, in the presence of the men and the women and those who could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive to the book of the law. 5 And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was standing above all the people; and when he opened it, all the people stood up. 6 Then Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God, and all the people answered, “Amen, Amen,” lifting up their hands. Then they bowed their heads and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground. 8 So they read from the book, from the law of God, with interpretation. They gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading.

9 And Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, “This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn or weep.” For all the people wept when they heard the words of the law. 10 Then he said to them, “Go your way, eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions of them to those for whom nothing is prepared, for this day is holy to our Lord; and do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”

Commentary

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

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

The Books of Ezra and Nehemiah are often treated as a single book in the Bible, but scholars today note that there are linguistic differences in the books and therefore have different authors. These books are part of the “Writings” (Kethuvim) in the Hebrew Canon and are part of the “Historical Books” in Christian Scriptures. Most scholars date the books the 4th Century BCE because, although it recounted events of the 5th Century BCE, it contained references to events that occurred later.

The stories in Ezra-Nehemiah began where 2 Chronicles ended – Cyrus’ sending of the Jews in Exile back to Jerusalem in 538 BCE. The Book of Ezra focused on the rebuilding of the Temple whereas the Book of Nehemiah focused on the resettlement of the returnees and the rebuilding the Jerusalem wall.

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

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

Ezra is presented as a “New Moses.” According to the Jewish Study Bible: “The importance of Ezra for the creation and formation of what came to be known as rabbinic Judaism cannot be overestimated.”

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

1 Corinthians 12:12-31a

Reading

12 Just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body–Jews or Greeks, slaves or free–and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.

14 Indeed, the body does not consist of one member but of many. 15 If the foot would say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. 16 And if the ear would say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. 19 If all were a single member, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many members, yet one body. 21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” 22 On the contrary, the members of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and those members of the body that we think less honorable we clothe with greater honor, and our less respectable members are treated with greater respect; 24 whereas our more respectable members do not need this. But God has so arranged the body, giving the greater honor to the inferior member, 25 that there may be no dissension within the body, but the members may have the same care for one another. 26 If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it.

27 Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. 28 And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers; then deeds of power, then gifts of healing, forms of assistance, forms of leadership, various kinds of tongues. 29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? 30 Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? 31 But strive for the greater gifts.

Commentary

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

It is one of Paul’s most important letters because it is one of the earliest proclamations of Jesus’ death on behalf of sinners and his resurrection and it contains the basic formula for celebrating the Lord’s Supper.

Today’s reading is a continuation of last week’s reading in which Paul emphasized that all spiritual gifts come from God and are manifestations of the Spirit for the common good. In the continuation, Paul emphasized diversity in unity through the Spirit between Jewish Jesus Followers and Gentile Jesus Followers (“Jews or Greeks”).

He analogized the Jesus Follower Community to the human body (vv.14-24) and rejected a separatist or individualistic attitudes by any part of the body to other parts. He noted that all members have different gifts and roles to play in the Jesus Follower Community, just as each of our body parts functions as part of one human body. In proposing this metaphor, Paul rejected the class system that existed in the hierarchical structures of Greek Culture and the Roman Empire.

Luke 4:14-21

Reading

14 Jesus, filled with the power of the Spirit, returned to Galilee, and a report about him spread through all the surrounding country. 15 He began to teach in their synagogues and was praised by everyone.

16 When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, 17 and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written:

18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

20 And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. Then he began to say to them, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

Commentary

The Gospel According to Luke is generally regarded as having been written around 85 CE. Its author also wrote the Acts of the Apostles. Both books were written in elegant and deliberatively crafted Greek and presented Jesus of Nazareth as the universal savior of humanity. Both emphasized the Holy Spirit as the “driving force” for events.

The Gospel followed the same general chronology of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection as the Gospel of Mark, and more than 50% of Luke’s Gospel was based on Mark. The other portions of Luke include (a) sayings shared with the Gospel According to Matthew but not found in Mark and (b) stories that are unique to Luke such as the Annunciation, the Visitation, the Presentation in the Temple, the Prodigal Son, and the Good Samaritan.

Today’s reading is often referred to as the “Programmatic Discourse” – a statement in this Gospel of what the author perceived Jesus’ “program” was, particularly verses 18 and 19. This is a scene that is unique to Luke.

The ”program” was an amalgam of verses from Isaiah – 61:1, 58:6 and 61:2, so it would not have been a continuous reading. If the synagogue in Nazareth was prosperous enough to own a scroll of Isaiah, the reading would be of the “haftarah” – a reading from the prophets as a supplement to the weekly Torah portion. The reading of the haftarah in synagogues was a practice that developed during the First Century.

The Gospel author referred to “their” synagogues (v.15). In Jesus’ own time, the synagogues would have been the local gathering place for all Jews, but by the time the Gospel of Luke was written, the Jesus Followers were often not permitted access to the synagogues by the Pharisees. Use of the synagogues was part of the contest between the Jesus Followers and the Pharisees for the control of Judaism. The Jesus Followers and the Pharisees were the only two sects that had survived after the Destruction of the Temple in 70 CE and their contest eventually led to the so-called “Parting of the Ways” in which the Pharisaic Movement morphed into Rabbinic Judaism and the Jesus Follower Movement morphed into Christianity.

In the verses that follow today’s reading, Jesus noted that a prophet is not accepted in his hometown. Mark 6:1-6 contains a similar (but shorter) account of Jesus’ being rejected in Nazareth

2021, February 7 ~ Isaiah 40:21-31; 1 Corinthians 9:16-23; Mark 1:29-39

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TODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
FEBRUARY 7, 2021

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 from “Second Isaiah.” This chapter that 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.22-23). 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). This presentation of YHWH as a cosmic god for all peoples is a shift from the understanding of YHWH as a “national god” only for Israel.

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, and Corinthians emphasized reason and secular wisdom. In addition to Paul, other Jesus Followers also taught in Corinth, sometimes in ways inconsistent with Paul’s understandings of what it means to be a Jesus Follower. Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians was written in the 50’s (CE) (likely while Paul was in Ephesus) and presented his views on several issues.

In today’s reading, Paul emphasized that 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 then 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 was its own reward (v.18).

Paul said that 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, and to Gentiles. 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) reflects 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 is 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.”

In today’s reading, there is the story of the healing of Simon’s mother-in-law, which is repeated verbatim in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. She is not encountered again.

With his customary hyperbole, the author says “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 are encompassed within “possession by demons” but they might (in today’s vocabulary) include any form of mental illness or aberration.

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 is not until after the Destruction of the Temple in 70 CE and the “Parting of the Ways” in the next 30 years that Matthew and Luke began to refer to the synagogues as “theirs” – meaning the Pharisees, the predecessors of Rabbinic Judaism (for example, Matt. 23:34).

2021, January 10 ~ Genesis 1:1-5; Acts 19:1-7; Mark 1:4-11

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TODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
JANUARY 10, 2021

Genesis 1:1-5

Reading

1 In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, 2 the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters. 3 Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. 4 And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.

Commentary

Genesis is the first book of the Torah (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy). The Torah also called the Pentateuch (five books) in Greek. Genesis covers the period from Creation to the deaths of Jacob and his 11th son, Joseph, in about 1,650 BCE, if the accounts are historical.

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

Today’s reading described the first day of the seven-day “First Creation Story.” It is part of the “Priestly” tradition written in the period from 550 to 450 BCE. The name used for God in this account is “Elohim” (literally, “the gods”) and is different name from the name (YHWH or “LORD God”) used in the Second Creation Story (Gen. 2:4b – 24). The Second Creation Story is part of the “Yahwistic” tradition dated to about 970 to 930 BCE – the reigns of David and Solomon.

The First Creation Story emphasized order and categorizing by separation. Priestly writers portrayed order and precision as leading to “Shalom” (peace, good order). It is noteworthy that creation is not “out of nothing” (creation ex nihilo) but describes God as creating by bringing order out of a “formless void” (v. 2) and a watery chaos (“the deep” and “the waters”). In verse 4 and other verses, God declares that the creation is good or very good.

Overcoming the chaos of the ocean was an important theme in Middle Eastern Creation Myths such as the Babylonian Creation Myth (the “Enuma Elish”) which the Judeans would have encountered during the Babylonian Exile (587-539 BCE).

Acts 19:1-7

Reading

1 While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul passed through the interior regions and came to Ephesus, where he found some disciples. 2 He said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?” They replied, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” 3 Then he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” They answered, “Into John’s baptism.” 4 Paul said, “John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, in Jesus.” 5 On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 When Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied — 7 altogether there were about twelve of them.

Commentary

The book called “The Acts of the Apostles” was written around 85 to 90 CE by the anonymous author of the Gospel According to Luke. The first 15 chapters of Acts are a didactic “history” of the early Jesus Follower Movement starting with an account of the Ascension of Jesus and ending at the so-called Council of Jerusalem where it was agreed that Gentiles did not have to be circumcised and keep all the Kosher dietary laws to become Jesus Followers.

From Chapter 15 to Chapter 28, Paul’s missionary activities are recounted, ending with his house arrest in Rome.

Today’s reading is set in Ephesus and is part of Paul’s Third Missionary Journey, one that began in Antioch in Syria and ended in Jerusalem. Ephesus was a large and prosperous city in what is now western Turkey and was the capital of the Roman province of Asia. According to Acts 19:10, Paul spent two years in Ephesus converting both Jews and Greeks (Gentiles) and performing miracles (v.11).

One of the major themes of both the Gospel According to Luke and the Acts of the Apostles is the importance of the Holy Spirit – often portrayed as the driving force for all that happens. Today’s reading is an example of the prominence the author of Luke/Acts gives to the Holy Spirit.

Mark 1:4-11

Reading

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

9 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. 11 And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”

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.”

Unlike Matthew and Luke, Mark does not have a Birth Narrative for Jesus of Nazareth, and today’s Gospel reading is the first substantive story in this Gospel.

Like most scripture writers, the author of Mark often used hyperbole to emphasize his points. For example, in verse 5 he speaks of “people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem” going to the River Jordan.

In today’s reading, the Sonship of Jesus of Nazareth was affirmed by the voice from heaven (v.11), though it is not clear from the text whether only Jesus heard the voice or if others heard it also.

In the Gospels, the Sonship of Jesus is presented as occurring progressively earlier in his life. In Matthew and Luke, the Sonship is affirmed at his conception. In John, the identity of Jesus of Nazareth with the Word (Logos) is stated to have existed from the beginning. (Jn. 1:1)

2020, December 27 ~ 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 27, 2020

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. The first two verses (from “I will greatly rejoice” to “spring up before all the nations”) 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. For example, “I will greatly rejoice” is followed by “my whole being will exult.” Similarly, Zion is “clothed with garments of salvation” is repeated as the “robe of righteousness.”

In the verses beginning “For Zion’s sake,” the speaker shifts from Zion to the prophet, but the use of repetitive ideas continues: “I will not keep silent” is followed by “I will not rest.” You [Zion] shall wear “a crown of beauty” and “a royal diadem.”

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.

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.

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 of the Law was intended to be temporary until the coming of salvation/wholeness through the Christ.

In the second part of today’s reading (beginning with “But in the fulness of time”), 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.

John 1:1-18

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.

2020, October 25 ~ Deuteronomy 34:1-12; Leviticus 19:1-2, 15-18; and 1 Thessalonians 2:1-8

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During Pentecost Season 2020, 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.

Deuteronomy 34:1-12

Reading

1 Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which is opposite Jericho, and the LORD showed him the whole land: Gilead as far as Dan, 2 all Naphtali, the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the Western Sea, 3 the Negeb, and the Plain—that is, the valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees—as far as Zoar. 4 The LORD said to him, “This is the land of which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, ‘I will give it to your descendants’; I have let you see it with your eyes, but you shall not cross over there.” 5 Then Moses, the servant of the LORD, died there in the land of Moab, at the LORD’s command. 6 He was buried in a valley in the land of Moab, opposite Beth-peor, but no one knows his burial place to this day. 7 Moses was one hundred twenty years old when he died; his sight was unimpaired, and his vigor had not abated. 8 The Israelites wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days; then the period of mourning for Moses was ended.

9 Joshua son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, because Moses had laid his hands on him; and the Israelites obeyed him, doing as the LORD had commanded Moses.

10 Never since has there arisen a prophet in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face. 11 He was unequaled for all the signs and wonders that the LORD sent him to perform in the land of Egypt, against Pharaoh and all his servants and his entire land, 12 and for all the mighty deeds and all the terrifying displays of power that Moses performed in the sight of all Israel.

Commentary

Deuteronomy is the fifth (and last) book of the Torah and (as a literary device) is presented as Moses’ final speech to the Israelites just before they entered the Promised Land.

“Deuteronomy” comes from Greek words that mean “Second Law” and was structured as if it were a “restatement” of the laws found in the books of Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers. Parts of Deuteronomy were revised as late as 450 BCE, but the bulk of the book is generally dated to the reign of King Josiah of Judea (640-609 BCE).

It is also the first book of the didactic “Deuteronomic History” which consists of Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings. This “History” taught that when the people and kings of Israel and Judea worshiped YHWH properly, they prospered, but when they worshiped false gods, other nations (Assyria in 722 BCE and Babylon in 587 BCE) conquered them. For the Deuteronomists, these conquests occurred because of false worship, not because the Assyrians and Babylonians were wealthier countries with larger armies. In this way, the Deuteronomists “preserved” the notions of YHWH’s being the all-powerful protector of Israel and Judea and that YHWH controlled everything that occurred.

Today’s reading is the last chapter of the Torah and a segue to the Book of Joshua. It recounted Moses’ death “at the LORD’s command” (v.5) rather than his dying of old age or an infirmity. This is seen in Jewish commentaries as a great blessing on Moses. Moses’ authority was passed to Joshua (v.9), the main character in the next book of the Bible.

Moses’ burial site is unknown (v. 6) lest it become a place of veneration. Mount Nebo and Pisgah (v.1) are different places, but the authors of the book treated them as the same place to respect two different traditions about the place of Moses’ death and burial.

The statement that Moses knew YHWH “face to face” (v.10) became part of Israel’s Messianic expectation when combined with Deut. 18:18 (“I [YHWH] will raise up for them a prophet like you [Moses] from among their own people.”) The Gospel According to Matthew (unlike the other Gospels) especially portrayed Jesus of Nazareth as the New Moses.

Ironically (and reflecting different religious and theological traditions within the Torah), last week’s reading specifically said Moses could not see YHWH’s face and live (Ex. 33:20-23).

Leviticus 19:1-2, 15-18

Reading

1 The LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 2 Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them: You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy.

15 You shall not render an unjust judgment; you shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great: with justice you shall judge your neighbor. 16 You shall not go around as a slanderer among your people, and you shall not profit by the blood of your neighbor: I am the LORD.

17 You shall not hate in your heart anyone of your kin; you shall reprove your neighbor, or you will incur guilt yourself. 18 You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against any of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD.

Commentary

Leviticus is the third book of the Torah and is mostly concerned with laws and the worship of YHWH. The book gets its name from the priests who were of the Tribe of Levi. It is part of the Priestly writings and dated to the time of the Exile (587-539 BCE) and after the Exile.

Today’s reading is part of the “Holiness Code” written after the Exile that comprises Chapters 17 to 26. The opening verses call the people of Israel (and us) to be “holy” – which is understood as being “separate” (that is, not OF this world and its values, even though we are IN this world). The call to be “holy” is also found in Exodus 19:6 and Numbers 15:40.

Verse 18 (“love your neighbor as yourself”) became the Second Great Commandment in the Gospels when combined with Deut. 6:5 (“love the LORD [YHWH] your God”) (Mark 12:31).

The second part of the reading (vv. 15-18) has a tone very much like the Ten Commandments but assumes a settled society. Verse 15 is directed at judges to make fair decisions. Verse 16 prohibits spreading false rumors or profiting when a neighbor is falsely accused. Scholars suggest that verse 17 is better rendered as “Do hate your kinsfolk in your heart, rather correct your kinsman lest you incur guilt because of him.”

1 Thessalonians 2:1-8

Reading

1 You yourselves know, brothers and sisters, that our coming to you was not in vain, 2 but though we had already suffered and been shamefully mistreated at Philippi, as you know, we had courage in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in spite of great opposition. 3 For our appeal does not spring from deceit or impure motives or trickery, 4 but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the message of the gospel, even so we speak, not to please mortals, but to please God who tests our hearts. 5 As you know and as God is our witness, we never came with words of flattery or with a pretext for greed; 6 nor did we seek praise from mortals, whether from you or from others, 7 though we might have made demands as apostles of Christ. But we were gentle among you, like a nurse tenderly caring for her own children. 8 So deeply do we care for you that we are determined to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you have become very dear to us.

Commentary

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.

Thessalonica is a seaport city and was the capital of Macedonia. 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.”

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. In today’s reading, Paul spoke of having been “shamefully mistreated at Philippi” (v.2). This may refer to his imprisonment described in Acts 16:16-40 for exorcising a slave-girl who was engaged in divination and was verbally harassing Paul.

The letter to the Thessalonians encouraged the Jesus Follower community to be steadfast in the face of persecution. Paul emphasized the sincerity of his preaching to them and asserted that he considered himself entrusted with the gospel by God (v.4).
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Paul was never bashful about making the claim that he was an “apostle” (v.7) – one who is sent out with the Gospel message. In the same verse, he also described himself as a “nurse.” In Greek, the word he used is better understood as a “wet nurse” – one who feeds children from her breast, an image that conveyed Paul’s great care for the Thessalonians.

2020, August 23 ~ Exodus 1:8-2:10; Isaiah 51:1-6; Romans 12:1-8

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During Pentecost Season 2020, 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 1:8-2:10

Reading

1:8 Now a new king arose over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. 9 He said to his people, “Look, the Israelite people are more numerous and more powerful than we. 10 Come, let us deal shrewdly with them, or they will increase and, in the event of war, join our enemies and fight against us and escape from the land.” 11 Therefore they set taskmasters over them to oppress them with forced labor. They built supply cities, Pithom and Rameses, for Pharaoh. 12 But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread, so that the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites. 13 The Egyptians became ruthless in imposing tasks on the Israelites, 15 and made their lives bitter with hard service in mortar and brick and in every kind of field labor. They were ruthless in all the tasks that they imposed on them.

15 The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah and the other Puah, 16 “When you act as midwives to the Hebrew women, and see them on the birthstool, if it is a boy, kill him; but if it is a girl, she shall live.” 17 But the midwives feared God; they did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but they let the boys live. 18 So the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and said to them, “Why have you done this, and allowed the boys to live?” 19 The midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women; for they are vigorous and give birth before the midwife comes to them.” 20 So God dealt well with the midwives; and the people multiplied and became very strong. 21 And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families. 22 Then Pharaoh commanded all his people, “Every boy that is born to the Hebrews you shall throw into the Nile, but you shall let every girl live.”

2:1 Now a man from the house of Levi went and married a Levite woman. 2 The woman conceived and bore a son; and when she saw that he was a fine baby, she hid him three months. 3 When she could hide him no longer, she got a papyrus basket for him, and plastered it with bitumen and pitch; she put the child in it and placed it among the reeds on the bank of the river. 4 His sister stood at a distance, to see what would happen to him.

5 The daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river, while her attendants walked beside the river. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her maid to bring it. 6 When she opened it, she saw the child. He was crying, and she took pity on him, “This must be one of the Hebrews’ children,” she said. 7 Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and get you a nurse from the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?” 8 Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Yes.” So the girl went and called the child’s mother. 9 Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this child and nurse it for me, and I will give you your wages.” So, the woman took the child and nursed it. 10 When the child grew up, she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and she took him as her son. She named him Moses, “because,” she said, “I drew him out of the water.”

Commentary

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

Today’s reading is the familiar story of the rescue of Moses by Pharaoh’s daughter from the reeds in the Nile River. The same story was told of Sargon of Akkad (2300 BCE) and likely was the model for the Moses story. In Hebrew, the word for “ark” in the Noah story is the same word used for “basket” (v.2:3) in the Moses story. (Just as Noah’s ark rescued humankind, Moses liberated the Israelites from Pharaoh.) Moses’ priestly role is emphasized by stating that both his father and mother were Levites (v. 2:1). Moses’ sister (v. 2:4 and 7) will later be identified as Miriam (15:20).

Although the text (2:10) says Moses’ name was related to the fact that he was drawn out of the water, “Moses” is derived from an Egyptian word that means “son” or “to beget a child” and is found in names of Egyptian deities such as Thut-mose.

Isaiah 51:1-6

Reading

1 Listen to me, you that pursue righteousness, you that seek the LORD. Look to the rock from which you were hewn, and to the quarry from which you were dug.
2 Look to Abraham your father and to Sarah who bore you; for he was but one when I called him, but I blessed him and made him many.
3 For the LORD will comfort Zion; he will comfort all her waste places, and will make her wilderness like Eden, her desert like the garden of the LORD; joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the voice of song.

4 Listen to me, my people, and give heed to me, my nation; for a teaching will go out from me,
and my justice for a light to the peoples.
5 I will bring near my deliverance swiftly, my salvation has gone out and my arms will rule the peoples; the coastlands wait for me, and for my arm they hope.
6 Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look at the earth beneath; for the heavens will vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment, and those who live on it will die like gnats;
but my salvation will be forever, and my deliverance will never be ended.

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 a powerful affirmation that the promises to Abraham regarding the land and descendants (v.2) will be kept by YHWH, and Israel will be a teacher to “the peoples” (v.5). The promise of “salvation” (v.5 and 6) is the restoration of Jerusalem and the promise will even survive the created order.

The word for “peoples” is sometimes translated as “nations” or “pagans” or “Gentiles” depending on the context.

Romans 12:1-8

Reading

1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God– what is good and acceptable and perfect.

3 For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. 4 For as in one body we have many members, and not all the members have the same function, 5 so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another. 6 We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us: prophecy, in proportion to faith; 7 ministry, in ministering; the teacher, in teaching; 8 the exhorter, in exhortation; the giver, in generosity; the leader, in diligence; the compassionate, in cheerfulness.

Commentary

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

The “backstory” is that the Roman Emperor Claudius expelled the Jews from Rome in 49 CE. His successor, Nero (54-68 CE), allowed Jews (including Jewish Jesus Followers) to return to Rome, and this created tensions about leadership and worship within the Jesus Follower Community.

Today’s reading is built on the theology expressed by Paul in earlier chapters and emphasized that all members – Jewish and Gentile – of the Jesus Follower Community in Rome were “brothers and sisters” (v.1). They should not be “conformed to this world” (v.2), which is another way Paul spoke of being “subject to the flesh” – having earthly values. Paul urged the Jewish and Gentile Jesus Followers to be humble (v.3). Using the familiar metaphor of the body for the Community, Paul stated that they are one body in Christ (v.5) with many members with separate roles to play (vv.6-8).