7 On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, the month of Shebat, in the second year of Darius, the word of the LORD came to the prophet Zechariah son of Berechiah son of Iddo; and Zechariah said, 8 In the night I saw a man riding on a red horse! He was standing among the myrtle trees in the glen; and behind him were red, sorrel, and white horses. 9 Then I said, "What are these, my lord?" The angel who talked with me said to me, "I will show you what they are." 10 So the man who was standing among the myrtle trees answered, "They are those whom the LORD has sent to patrol the earth." 11 Then they spoke to the angel of the LORD who was standing among the myrtle trees, "We have patrolled the earth, and lo, the whole earth remains at peace." 12 Then the angel of the LORD said, "O LORD of hosts, how long will you withhold mercy from Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, with which you have been angry these seventy years?" 13 Then the LORD replied with gracious and comforting words to the angel who talked with me. 14 So the angel who talked with me said to me, Proclaim this message: Thus says the LORD of hosts; I am very jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion. 15 And I am extremely angry with the nations that are at ease; for while I was only a little angry, they made the disaster worse. 16 Therefore, thus says the LORD, I have returned to Jerusalem with compassion; my house shall be built in it, says the LORD of hosts, and the measuring line shall be stretched out over Jerusalem. 17 Proclaim further: Thus says the LORD of hosts: My cities shall again overflow with prosperity; the LORD will again comfort Zion and again choose Jerusalem. (Zechariah 1:7-17, NRSV)

For several days our Old Testament readings have focused on the period of restoration after the Babylonian exile. For the time being, we have one reading from Zechariah, the first of eight visions. Zechariah saw “a man on a red horse,” with “red, sorrel, and white horse” behind him (Zech. 1:8). Apparently, the others have riders as well. Zechariah asks, “What are these, my lord?” and the angel promises an answer (v. 9). “They are those whom the LORD has sent to patrol the earth” (v. 10). They report that “the whole earth remains at peace” (v. 11). But the angel asks, “O LORD of hosts, how long will you withhold mercy from Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, with which you have been angry these seventy years?” (v. 12). The answer, after the LORD express anger at the nations who “made the disaster worse” (v. 15), says he has “returned to Jerusalem with compassion” and “my house shall be built in it” (v. 16). He adds, “My cities shall again overflow with prosperity; the LORD will again comfort Zion and again choose Jerusalem” (v. 17).

45:1 The word that the prophet Jeremiah spoke to Baruch son of Neriah, when he wrote these words in a scroll at the dictation of Jeremiah, in the fourth year of King Jehoiakim son of Josiah of Judah: 2 Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, to you, O Baruch: 3 You said, "Woe is me! The LORD has added sorrow to my pain; I am weary with my groaning, and I find no rest." 4 Thus you shall say to him, "Thus says the LORD: I am going to break down what I have built, and pluck up what I have planted-that is, the whole land. 5 And you, do you seek great things for yourself? Do not seek them; for I am going to bring disaster upon all flesh, says the LORD; but I will give you your life as a prize of war in every place to which you may go." (Jeremiah 45:1-5, NRSV)

In Jeremiah, chapter 36, we are told that Jeremiah dictated a scroll which Baruch wrote, and when it was burned by King Jehoiakim, Jeremiah dictated another (Jer. 36:32). Both chapter 36 and chapter 45 are dated “in the fourth year of King Jehoiakim” (36:1; 45:1). For Kathleen M. O’Connor, “Ch. 45 concludes chs. 26-45 by asserting that the prophetic word will survive because Baruch will ‘gain his life as a prize of war’ (v. 5)” (The Oxford Bible Commentary, p. 521). This would be good to know, since it appears that Jeremiah ended his life in obscurity in Egypt (chaps. 43-44). There are various opinions about what was in the scrolls dictated by Jeremiah. Mark E. Biddle, for example, says that “a superficial reading of 45:1 would suggest that the material falling between chs. 36 and 45 constituted the second scroll Baruch wrote at Jeremiah’s dictation. The events narrated, however, took place after Jehoiakim’s reign” (NOAB, 3^rd ed., on Jer. 45:1-5). In any case, it appears to me that we owe it to Baruch for preserving much of Jeremiah’s preaching and the story of his ministry in Judah.

Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.

To him who loves us and freed us from our sins by his blood, 6 and made us to be a kingdom, priests serving his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

8 "I am the Alpha and the Omega,' says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty. (Revelation 1:4-8, NRSV)

This passage takes the form of a salutation as in many of the New Testament’s Epistles. The “seven churches” (Rev. 1:4) are the recipients of the messages, one for each, in chapters 2 and 3. Note that this “Epistle” is from “Jesus Christ,; the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth” (v. 5a), but also from God himself, “him who is and who was and who is to come” (v. 4, cf. 8). This salutation incorporates Christology, with an ascription “To him who loves us and freed us from our sins by his blood, and made us to be a kingdom, priests serving his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen” (v. 5b-6) and the reference to his “coming with the clouds” (v. 7; cf. Dan. 7:13; Zech. 12:10-12).

Jean-Pierre Ruiz interprets the reference to the Greek alphabet, “‘I am the Alpha and the Omega,’ says the Lord God” (v. 8), as “the beginning and end of all things” NOAB, 3^rd ed., on v. 8). There’s no intrinsic connection, of course, but I’m reminded that news reports noted the formation of Tropical Storm Alpha in the Atlantic Ocean today (Oct. 23, 2004). While hurricanes are very difficult to understand, we believe that our times–including the weather-- are in the Lord’s hands.

9 I, John, your brother who share with you in Jesus the persecution and the kingdom and the patient endurance, was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. 10 I was in the spirit on the Lord's day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet 11 saying, "Write in a book what you see and send it to the seven churches, to Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamum, to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea."

12 Then I turned to see whose voice it was that spoke to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, 13 and in the midst of the lampstands I saw one like the Son of Man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash across his chest. 14 His head and his hair were white as white wool, white as snow; his eyes were like a flame of fire, 15 his feet were like burnished bronze, refined as in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of many waters. 16 In his right hand he held seven stars, and from his mouth came a sharp, two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining with full force.

17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he placed his right hand on me, saying, "Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, 18 and the living one. I was dead, and see, I am alive forever and ever; and I have the keys of Death and of Hades. 19 Now write what you have seen, what is, and what is to take place after this. 20 As for the mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand, and the seven golden lampstands: the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches. (Revelation 1:9-20, NRSV)

John describes his circumstances, the least of which, you might say, is his being a prisoner “on the island called Patmos” (Rev. 1:9). More importantly, he “was in the spirit on the Lord’s day” (v. 10) and the recipient of divine revelation (vv. 10-11). The vision of Christ described in verses 12-18 draws imagery from various Old Testament texts, and presents “a vision of terrifying majesty” (Bruce M. Metzger, NOAB, 2^nd ed., on Rev. 1:12-16). For the effect, “When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead” (v. 17a), compare Isaiah’s response to his vision in the temple (Isa. 6:5). But the Lord (Christ) raises him up. “I am the first and the last” (v. 17; cf. God as “the Alpha and the Omega,” v. 8). Christ’s self-description continues: he is “the living one. I was dead, and see, I am alive forever and ever; and I have the keys of Death and of Hades” (v. 18). John is told to write what he has seen (v. 19).

The Return of the Evil Spirit*
Matthew 12:43-50	Lk 11.24-26
43 "When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it wanders through waterless regions looking for a resting place, but it finds none. 44 Then it says, 'I will return to my house from which I came.' When it comes, it finds it empty, swept, and put in order. 45 Then it goes and brings along seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and live there; and the last state of that person is worse than the first. So will it be also with this evil generation.	24 "When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it wanders through waterless regions looking for a resting place, but not finding any, it says, 'I will return to my house from which I came.' 25 When it comes, it finds it swept and put in order. 26 Then it goes and brings seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and live there; and the last state of that person is worse than the first."
Kurt Aland, Synopsis of the Four Gospels*, 1982, sec. 120, p. 112.

Except for the application to “this evil generation” in the final statement, Matthew’s account of this quotation from Jesus is practically identical with that of Luke. (Minor variations in wording of the English translations are in bold print. The Greek texts have two or three differences in word order and two or three in wording that do not show up in the translations, for example, Matthew’s initial conjunction de (“And/But,” Mt. 12:43, lacking in Lk. 11:24) and different verbs translated as “return” (epistrepsō, Mt. 12:44, hypostrepsō, Lk. 11:24, both of which could translate the Aramaic twb, cf. Dan. 4:31, 33). William Barclay’s subtitle for this paragraph is “The Peril of the Empty Heart,” but he also calls it “this compact and eerie little parable about the haunted house” (The Gospel of Matthew, The Daily Study Bible Series, vol. 2, pp. 50-51, on Mt. 12:43-45). He finds three lessons here: (1) The evil spirit tries to return, for “Evil is a force which may be at bay but is never eliminated.” (2) “A negative religion can never be enough.” (3) The only permanent cure for evil action is Christian action. Barclay summarizes, “To put it quite simply, the Church will most easily keep her converts when she gives them Christian work to do” (pp. 51-52).

Jesus’ True Kindred‡
	Mark 3:19b-21
	Then he went home; 20 and the crowd came together again, so that they could not even eat. 21 When his family heard it, they went out to restrain him, for people were saying, "He has gone out of his mind."
Matthew 12:46-50†	Mark 3:31-35†	Luke 8:19-21†
46 While he was still speaking to the crowds, his mother and his brothers were standing outside, wanting to speak to him. 47 Someone told him, "Look, your mother and your brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you." 48 But to the one who had told him this, Jesus replied, "Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?" 49 And pointing to his disciples, he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers! 50 For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother."	31 Then his mother and his brothers came; and standing outside, they sent to him and called him. 32 A crowd was sitting around him; and they said to him, "Your mother and your brothers and sisters are outside, asking for you." 33 And he replied, "Who are my mother and my brothers?" 34 And looking at those who sat around him, he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers! 35 Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother."	19 Then his mother and his brothers came to him, but they could not reach him because of the crowd. 20 And he was told, "Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, wanting to see you." 21 But he said to them, "My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it."
†Cf. John 15:14, You are my friends if you do what I command you.
‡Aland, Synopsis, sec. 121, pp. 112-113.

The following is repeated from my comments on October 21, 2005 (last Friday, three days ago. It was especially in reference to Mark 3:19b-21:

In spite of the generally parallel sequences in Matthew and Mark, the specific context of the Beelzebul controversy is different. Matthew begins with the healing of a blind and mute demoniac (Mt. 12:22; cf. 9:32–a mute demoniac–and Lk. 11:14), which becomes the occasion of the Pharisees’ accusation. Mark “sandwiches” the story between two parts of an account of Jesus’ relation to his family (Mk. 3:19b-21, 31-35). Some take Mark 3:21 to mean that Jesus’ family thought he was “out of his mind,” as in the New International Version, “When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, ‘He is out of his mind.’” But the two instances of “they” are indefinite–third person verb endings, sometimes the equivalent of an indefinite pronoun–and the NRSV distinguishes the first “they” (the family) from the second: “When his family heard it, they went out to restrain him, for people [NIV’s ‘they’] were saying, ‘He has gone out of his mind.’” If, as many believe, Mark is one of Matthew’s sources, Matthew chose to pass over this comment in silence. If Matthew 12:47 (missing in some manuscripts) is an original part of Matthew’s text, their accounts of what Jesus said about his true family (Mt. 12:46-50; Mk. 3:31-35); are very similar.

Matthew 12:46-50, on Jesus’ true family, has parallels in Mark and Luke, but the note that some (his family?) were saying, "He has gone out of his mind” (Mk. 3:21) is found only in Mark. But the positive emphasis upon followers of Jesus as a family is very significant. It is reflected in “the language of fictive kinship” used within the early Church (a phrase used by Dr. Wayne Meeks of Yale University in a seminar for college teachers on “The Social World of Early Christianity,” Summer 1979. Paul, for example, appeals to “you . . . brothers” (adelphoi) (Rom. 12:1, “brothers and sisters,” NRSV), and refers to “our sister Phoebe” (Rom. 16:1). He expresses concern that, when he came to Troas, he “did not find my brother Titus there” (2 Cor. 2:13). It is significant that all four Gospels emphasize this family relationship to Jesus. In John the disciples are “friends” (philoi, Jn. 15:14; cf. v. 10, “If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love” [agape]). “There is no essential difference between being Christ’s philos [‘friend’] and abiding in his agape [love]” (C. K. Barrett, The Gospel according to St. John, S.P.C.K, 1955, reprinted 1960, p. 398 on Jn. 15:14). William L. Gather has incorporated this family relationship in his gospel song, “The Family of God” (on the Internet, with music, at http://my.homewithgod.com/heavenlymidis2/family.html).

The four Gospel texts in the table above state a condition: “For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother” (Mt. 12:50; cf. Mk. 3:35–both including “sister,” adelphē–Lk. 8:21 and Jn. 15:14). Such obedience is a service of love. Wouldn’t we say it’s worth it?

Daily Scripture Readings
Monday (October 24, 2005)
Daily Office Lectionary, The Book of Common Prayer, the Episcopal Church in the U.S.A.	Daily Lectionary, The Book of Worship, the Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A.	Daily Lectionary, Book of Worship Inter-Lutheran Commission on Worship, c. 1978 (2002 printing)
http://www.satucket.com/lectionary/index.htm http://www.pcusa.org/cgi-bin/lectiond.cgi
Unless otherwise indicated, the scripture texts quoted are from The New Revised Standard Version (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers), 1989.
According to Proper25*	According to Proper 25*	According to Proper 24*
Monday AM Psalm 41, 52 PM Psalm 44 Zech. 1:7-17 Rev. 1:4-20 Matt. 12:43-50 St. James of Jerusalem: http://www.satucket.com/lectionary/James_Jerusalem.htm AM: Psalm 119:145-168; Jeremiah 11:18-23; Matthew 10:16-22 PM: Psalm 122, 125; Isaiah 65:17-25; Hebrews 12:12-24 From Sunday Lectionary Psalm 1; Acts 15:12-22a; 1 Corinthians 15:1-11; Matthew 13:54-58	Morning: Psalm 62:1-12 Zechariah 1:7-17 or Jeremiah 45:1-5 Revelation 1:4-20 Matthew 12:43-50 Evening: Psalm 73:1-28	Morning Pss.: 62, 145 Jeremiah 44:1-14 or Jeremiah 29:1, 4-14 1 Corinthians 15:30-41 Matthew 11:16-24 Evening Pss.: 73, 9
*For this week (of the Twenty-third Sunday after Pentecost): the Lutheran tradition remains a week behind the Episcopal and Presbyterian traditions.