2 Kings 23:36-24:17

See the text and comments for October 7, one week ago.

1 Corinthians 12:12-26

See the text and comments for October 7, one week ago.

Matthew 9:27-34

See the text and comments for October 7, one week ago.

Jeremiah 38:14-28

Bad News for Zedekiah

14 King Zedekiah sent for the prophet Jeremiah and received him at the third entrance of the temple of the LORD. The king said to Jeremiah, "I have something to ask you; do not hide anything from me." 15 Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, "If I tell you, you will put me to death, will you not? And if I give you advice, you will not listen to me." 16 So King Zedekiah swore an oath in secret to Jeremiah, "As the LORD lives, who gave us our lives, I will not put you to death or hand you over to these men who seek your life."

17 Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, "Thus says the LORD, the God of hosts, the God of Israel, If you will only surrender to the officials of the king of Babylon, then your life shall be spared, and this city shall not be burned with fire, and you and your house shall live. 18 But if you do not surrender to the officials of the king of Babylon, then this city shall be handed over to the Chaldeans, and they shall burn it with fire, and you yourself shall not escape from their hand." 19 King Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, "I am afraid of the Judeans who have deserted to the Chaldeans, for I might be handed over to them and they would abuse me." 20 Jeremiah said, "That will not happen. Just obey the voice of the LORD in what I say to you, and it shall go well with you, and your life shall be spared. 21 But if you are determined not to surrender, this is what the LORD has shown me-- 22 a vision of all the women remaining in the house of the king of Judah being led out to the officials of the king of Babylon and saying,

'Your trusted friends have seduced you

and have overcome you;

Now that your feet are stuck in the mud,

they desert you.'

23 All your wives and your children shall be led out to the Chaldeans, and you yourself shall not escape from their hand, but shall be seized by the king of Babylon; and this city shall be burned with fire."

24 Then Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, "Do not let anyone else know of this conversation, or you will die. 25 If the officials should hear that I have spoken with you, and they should come and say to you, 'Just tell us what you said to the king; do not conceal it from us, or we will put you to death. What did the king say to you?' 26 then you shall say to them, 'I was presenting my plea to the king not to send me back to the house of Jonathan to die there.' " 27 All the officials did come to Jeremiah and questioned him; and he answered them in the very words the king had commanded. So they stopped questioning him, for the conversation had not been overheard. 28 And Jeremiah remained in the court of the guard until the day that Jerusalem was taken. (Jeremiah 38:14-28, NRSV)

In a second secret inquiry of Jeremiah, King Zedekiah is warned that if he does not surrender to the Babylonian army (Jer. 38:17-18), he and the city will face disaster (v. 18). Before giving that answer, however, Jeremiah, who is a prisoner “in the court of the guard” (v. 13), gets a promise of protection from the king (Jer. 38:15-16). Ironically, the king, who is uncertain about the situation under siege and fearful of his own fate, secretly comes to Jeremiah to learn the truth, but in the end, fails to follow Jeremiah’s advice. The officials, it seems, have a similar respect for Jeremiah’s words, and Zedekiah commands Jeremiah not to tell them when they inquire of him (Jer. 28:25-26). The officials did come and inquire, but Jeremiah followed the king’s command.

Mark E. Biddle notes that Jeremiah “repeated his counsel of ‘surrender and live’ (20:1-16; 21:4-10; 27:1-11) and emphasized it by relating a vision depicting the capture of the royal household and the burning of Jerusalem (in the mud recalls Jeremiah’s own recent experience, 38:6)” (NOAB, 3^rd ed., on Jer. 38:14-28). The king expresses fear “of the Judeans who have deserted to the Chaldeans, for I might be handed over to them and they would abuse me” (v. 19; cf. 39:9), but Jeremiah assures him: “That will not happen. Just obey the voice of the LORD in what I say to you, and it shall go well with you, and your life shall be spared” (v. 20). But in the end, Zedekiah was unwilling, or unable, to follow Jeremiah’s advice.

1 Corinthians 15:1-11

Resurrection of Christ (Cp Mk 16.9-20)

15:1 Now I would remind you, brothers and sisters, of the good news that I proclaimed to you, which you in turn received, in which also you stand, 2 through which also you are being saved, if you hold firmly to the message that I proclaimed to you-unless you have come to believe in vain.

3 For I handed on to you as of first importance what I in turn had received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, 4 and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 8 Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. 9 For I am the least of the apostles, unfit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me has not been in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them-though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. 11 Whether then it was I or they, so we proclaim and so you have come to believe. (1 Corinthians 15:1-11, NRSV)

The resurrection of Christ is fundamental to Christian faith and decisive in the formation of the Christian church and its gospel. The resurrection appearance-narratives of the early Christian traditions, including this passage (1 Cor. 15:1-11) as well as those included in the Gospels (e.g. Mt. 28:16-20; Jn. 20:26-29) provide an invaluable basis for Christian faith in the resurrection. When we consider the fact that leading New Testament scholars date Paul’s writing of this passage in the middle of the 50s (i.e. ca. A.D. 55), at least a decade earlier than the writing of any of the Gospels–though the traditions and remembrances upon which the Gospels were based were being used at this time–this passage takes on special importance as evidence for Christ’s resurrection. The kinds of traditions which Paul says he “received,” and in turn “proclaimed to you [Corinthians]” (1 Cor. 15:1) illustrate what must have been the kinds of traditions upon which the written Gospels were based. After dying “for our sins in accordance with the scriptures” (v. 3), and being “buried” and “raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures” (v. 4) he appeared to several persons (vv. 5-7), and “last of all” to Paul himself, “as to one untimely born” (Paul’s way of distinguishing his Damascus Road experience from other resurrection appearance-narratives). This is indeed a matter “of first importance” (v. 3).

Matthew 11:1-6

Conclusion of Jesus’ Instructions When Sending Out the Disciples

11:1 Now when Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and proclaim his message in their cities.

Messengers from John the Baptist (cf. Lk 7.18-23)

2 When John heard in prison what the Messiah was doing, he sent word by his disciples 3 and said to him, "Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?" 4 Jesus answered them, "Go and tell John what you hear and see: 5 the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them. 6 And blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me." (Matthew 11:1-6, NRSV)

Matthew 11:1 is the formula which Matthew uses to indicate the conclusion of Jesus’ speech instructing the Twelve Disciples as he sent them out on mission. Compare similar formulas which close the Sermon on the Mount (:28-29), the series of parables in chapter 13 (13:53), the discourse on various aspects of Christian life in community in chapter 18 (19:1), and the eschatological discourse in chapters 24-25, including the woes against the Pharisees in chapter 23 (26:1). These formulae are indications of Matthew’s methods in bringing together related parts of the Gospel traditions.

John the Baptist’s question to Jesus, sent through messengers, suggests some doubt. “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?” (Mt. 11:3). Luke reports the imprisonment of John as an event prior to the beginning of Jesus’ ministry (Lk. 3:18-20), so, given the passage of time, his question is understandable. Jesus’ answer refers to his healing miracles and his preaching (Mt. 11:5). “Blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me” (v. 6). Sometimes, the waiting for the fulfillment of God’s promises can be difficult, especially under such circumstances as John was enduring.

Ronald D. Worden, Ph.D.

rdworden@hgst.edu

rworden@houston.rr.com