Ezra 6:1-22 or Lamentations 2:8-15

See the text and comments for October 26, one week ago.

Revelation 5:1-10

See the text and comments for October 26, one week ago.

Matthew 13:10-17

See the text and comments for October 26, one week ago.

Nehemiah 13:4-22

The Reforms of Nehemiah

4 Now before this, the priest Eliashib, who was appointed over the chambers of the house of our God, and who was related to Tobiah, 5 prepared for Tobiah a large room where they had previously put the grain offering, the frankincense, the vessels, and the tithes of grain, wine, and oil, which were given by commandment to the Levites, singers, and gatekeepers, and the contributions for the priests. 6 While this was taking place I was not in Jerusalem, for in the thirty-second year of King Artaxerxes of Babylon I went to the king. After some time I asked leave of the king 7 and returned to Jerusalem. I then discovered the wrong that Eliashib had done on behalf of Tobiah, preparing a room for him in the courts of the house of God. 8 And I was very angry, and I threw all the household furniture of Tobiah out of the room. 9 Then I gave orders and they cleansed the chambers, and I brought back the vessels of the house of God, with the grain offering and the frankincense.

10 I also found out that the portions of the Levites had not been given to them; so that the Levites and the singers, who had conducted the service, had gone back to their fields. 11 So I remonstrated with the officials and said, "Why is the house of God forsaken?" And I gathered them together and set them in their stations. 12 Then all Judah brought the tithe of the grain, wine, and oil into the storehouses. 13 And I appointed as treasurers over the storehouses the priest Shelemiah, the scribe Zadok, and Pedaiah of the Levites, and as their assistant Hanan son of Zaccur son of Mattaniah, for they were considered faithful; and their duty was to distribute to their associates. 14 Remember me, O my God, concerning this, and do not wipe out my good deeds that I have done for the house of my God and for his service.

Sabbath Reforms Begun

15 In those days I saw in Judah people treading wine presses on the sabbath, and bringing in heaps of grain and loading them on donkeys; and also wine, grapes, figs, and all kinds of burdens, which they brought into Jerusalem on the sabbath day; and I warned them at that time against selling food. 16 Tyrians also, who lived in the city, brought in fish and all kinds of merchandise and sold them on the sabbath to the people of Judah, and in Jerusalem. 17 Then I remonstrated with the nobles of Judah and said to them, "What is this evil thing that you are doing, profaning the sabbath day? 18 Did not your ancestors act in this way, and did not our God bring all this disaster on us and on this city? Yet you bring more wrath on Israel by profaning the sabbath."

19 When it began to be dark at the gates of Jerusalem before the sabbath, I commanded that the doors should be shut and gave orders that they should not be opened until after the sabbath. And I set some of my servants over the gates, to prevent any burden from being brought in on the sabbath day. 20 Then the merchants and sellers of all kinds of merchandise spent the night outside Jerusalem once or twice. 21 But I warned them and said to them, "Why do you spend the night in front of the wall? If you do so again, I will lay hands on you." From that time on they did not come on the sabbath. 22 And I commanded the Levites that they should purify themselves and come and guard the gates, to keep the sabbath day holy. Remember this also in my favor, O my God, and spare me according to the greatness of your steadfast love. (Nehemiah 13:4-22, NRSV)

Nehemiah leaves Jerusalem to see the king (emperor) Artaxerxes (Neh. 13:6), in his “thirty-second year” (i.e. 433 B.C.). He returns to Jerusalem “with royal authority” (A. Jeffrey, J. J. Collins, NOAB, 2^rd ed., on Neh. 13:9). He finds it necessary to deal with various problems: a layperson, Tobiah, taking up residence in the temple (vv. 7-9), neglect of tithes for the temple staff (vv. 10-14), and commercial activity on the Sabbath (vv. 15-22). The problems of intermarriage (vv. 23-29) are beyond today’s reading, but will return in forthcoming readings from Ezra.

or Haggai 1:1-2:9

This reading is repeated from Sunday, October 23, 2005.

The Command to Rebuild the Temple (Ezra 5.1)

1:1 In the second year of King Darius, in the sixth month, on the first day of the month, the word of the LORD came by the prophet Haggai to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest: 2 Thus says the LORD of hosts: These people say the time has not yet come to rebuild the LORD's house. 3 Then the word of the LORD came by the prophet Haggai, saying: 4 Is it a time for you yourselves to live in your paneled houses, while this house lies in ruins? 5 Now therefore thus says the LORD of hosts: Consider how you have fared. 6 You have sown much, and harvested little; you eat, but you never have enough; you drink, but you never have your fill; you clothe yourselves, but no one is warm; and you that earn wages earn wages to put them into a bag with holes.

7 Thus says the LORD of hosts: Consider how you have fared. 8 Go up to the hills and bring wood and build the house, so that I may take pleasure in it and be honored, says the LORD. 9 You have looked for much, and, lo, it came to little; and when you brought it home, I blew it away. Why? says the LORD of hosts. Because my house lies in ruins, while all of you hurry off to your own houses. 10 Therefore the heavens above you have withheld the dew, and the earth has withheld its produce. 11 And I have called for a drought on the land and the hills, on the grain, the new wine, the oil, on what the soil produces, on human beings and animals, and on all their labors.

12 Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, and Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, with all the remnant of the people, obeyed the voice of the LORD their God, and the words of the prophet Haggai, as the LORD their God had sent him; and the people feared the LORD. 13 Then Haggai, the messenger of the LORD, spoke to the people with the LORD's message, saying, I am with you, says the LORD. 14 And the LORD stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people; and they came and worked on the house of the LORD of hosts, their God, 15 on the twenty-fourth day of the month, in the sixth month.

The Future Glory of the Temple

2:1 In the second year of King Darius, 1 in the seventh month, on the twenty-first day of the month, the word of the LORD came by the prophet Haggai, saying: 2 Speak now to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to the remnant of the people, and say, 3 Who is left among you that saw this house in its former glory? How does it look to you now? Is it not in your sight as nothing? 4 Yet now take courage, O Zerubbabel, says the LORD; take courage, O Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest; take courage, all you people of the land, says the LORD; work, for I am with you, says the LORD of hosts, 5 according to the promise that I made you when you came out of Egypt. My spirit abides among you; do not fear. 6 For thus says the LORD of hosts: Once again, in a little while, I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land; 7 and I will shake all the nations, so that the treasure of all nations shall come, and I will fill this house with splendor, says the LORD of hosts. 8 The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, says the LORD of hosts. 9 The latter splendor of this house shall be greater than the former, says the LORD of hosts; and in this place I will give prosperity, says the LORD of hosts. (Haggai 1:1-2:9, NRSV)

The following comments are repeated from Sunday, October 23, 2005:

Haggai is called to prophesy at a time when there has been a beginning of rebuilding the temple but the rebuilding has been aborted and the temple “lies in ruins” (Hag. 1:4). Speaking for the LORD, he accuses the people of taking care of their own affairs but neglecting work on the temple. “Is it a time for you yourselves to live in your paneled houses, while this house lies in ruins?” (1:4). His preaching takes effect when Zerubbabel and Joshua, and the people under their leadership “obeyed the voice of the LORD their God, and the words of the prophet Haggai” (v. 12). So the work resumes “on the twenty-fourth day of the month, in the sixth month” (v. 15a), which was “in the second year of King Darius” (v. 15b). Haggai encourages Zerubbabel and Joshua (2:2) with promises that the work will be accomplished with the LORD’s help. “For I am with you, says the LORD of hosts” (v. 4). “Once again, in a little while, I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land” (v. 6). “The treasure of all nations shall come, and I will fill this house with splendor” (v. 7). “The latter splendor of this house shall be greater than the former” (v. 9).

Revelation 12:1-12

The Woman and the Dragon

12:1 A great portent appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. 2 She was pregnant and was crying out in birth pangs, in the agony of giving birth. 3 Then another portent appeared in heaven: a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads. 4 His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. Then the dragon stood before the woman who was about to bear a child, so that he might devour her child as soon as it was born. 5 And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron. But her child was snatched away and taken to God and to his throne; 6 and the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, so that there she can be nourished for one thousand two hundred sixty days.

Michael Defeats the Dragon

7 And war broke out in heaven; Michael and his angels fought against the dragon. The dragon and his angels fought back, 8 but they were defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. 9 The great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world-he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.

10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, proclaiming,

"Now have come the salvation and the power

and the kingdom of our God

and the authority of his Messiah,

for the accuser of our comrades has been thrown down,

who accuses them day and night before our God.

11 But they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb

and by the word of their testimony,

for they did not cling to life even in the face of death.

12 Rejoice then, you heavens

and those who dwell in them!

But woe to the earth and the sea,

for the devil has come down to you

with great wrath,

because he knows that his time is short!" (Revelation 12:1-12, NRSV)

John sees the vision of a woman, “the heavenly representative of God's people, first as Israel...then as the Christian Church” (B.M. Metzger, NOAB, 2^nd ed.), the dragon (the Devil, or Satan) and the child, “who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron” (Rev. 12:5; vision, vv. 1-17). So war breaks out in heaven, and Satan is thrown down to the earth (v. 9). Conflict continues on earth (chaps. 12-13), but encouragement is provided by the vision of the Lamb with those “redeemed from humankind” (14:4), the announcement that “Babylon” is fallen” (14:8), the blessing on “the dead who . . . . die in the Lord” (v. 13) and demonstration of God's power, the God “who lives forever and ever” (15:7).

Matthew 13:53-58

53 When Jesus had finished these parables, he left that place.

The Rejection of Jesus at Nazareth (Mk 6.1-6; Lk 4.16-30)

54 He came to his hometown and began to teach the people in their synagogue, so that they were astounded and said, "Where did this man get this wisdom and these deeds of power? 55 Is not this the carpenter's son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? 56 And are not all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all this?" 57 And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, "Prophets are not without honor except in their own country and in their own house." 58 And he did not do many deeds of power there, because of their unbelief. (Matthew 13:53-58, NRSV)

Today’s reading begins with Matthew’s closing formula for his collection of Jesus’ parables (Mt. 13:53), which becomes the transition to a series of “events of decisive acceptance or rejection of Jesus” (Mt. 13:53-17:27, so called by E. E. Tilden and B. M. Metzger, NOAB, 2^rd ed.), beginning with the account of Jesus’ rejection at home (13:53b-58; cf. Mk. 6:1-6a; Lk. 4:16-30). Matthew’s and Mark’s accounts of this event are very similar, but Mark’s version of Jesus’ saying, includes Jesus “own kin” among those who fail to honor him. “Prophets are not without honor, except in their hometown [‘own country,’ Mt. 13:57], and among their own kin [omitted by Mt.], and in their own house” (Mk. 6:4), and he lists a few healings as exceptions to what could not be done there because of “unbelief” (m. 6:5). Luke’s Nazareth episode, perhaps a different occasion, is Jesus’ first public act of ministry, when he reads from Isaiah 61:1; 58:6; 58:6; 61:2 (Lk. 4:18-19). We rejoice, of course, that James and others from Jesus’ family later joined the Christian community and James served as a leader (Acts. 15; the Epistle of James; cf. Jude).

Ronald D. Worden, Ph.D.

rdworden@hgst.edu

rworden@houston.rr.com