Nehemiah 2:1-20 or Lamentations 4:1-22

See the text and comments for October 28, one week ago.

Revelation 6:12-7:4

See the text and comments for October 28, one week ago.

Matthew 13:24-30

See the text and comments for October 28, one week ago.

Ezra 7:27-28; 8:21-36

27 Blessed be the LORD, the God of our ancestors, who put such a thing as this into the heart of the king to glorify the house of the LORD in Jerusalem, 28 and who extended to me steadfast love before the king and his counselors, and before all the king's mighty officers. I took courage, for the hand of the LORD my God was upon me, and I gathered leaders from Israel to go up with me. (Ezra 7:27-28, NRSV)

Ezra gives thanks (Ezra 7:27-28) for the vote of confidence represented by Artaxerxes’ letter (Ezra 7:12-26, from yesterday’s reading. The letter, addressed to Ezra (7:12) permitted Jews to accompany him to Jerusalem (v. 13), authorized him to “make inquiries about Judah and Jerusalem according to the law of your God” (v. 14) and made provision for monetary and material needs of the temple (vv. 15-20). Specific authority is given to Ezra to arrange for “a generous year’s supply of provisions for the Temple” (Tamara Cohn Eskenazi, NOAB, 3^rd ed., on vv. 21-24). Ezra is to “appoint magistrates and judges” to administer “the laws of your God” (v. 25) and “the law of the king” (i.e. the Persian Emperor, v. 26). “The crucial phrase, the law of your God and the law of the king, sets the Torah as legally authoritative for the Jewish community in Yehud. Something akin to religious autonomy and self-rule in matters of religion is implied” (Eskenazi, on v. 26).

Fasting and Prayer for Protection

21 Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river Ahava, that we might deny ourselves before our God, to seek from him a safe journey for ourselves, our children, and all our possessions. 22 For I was ashamed to ask the king for a band of soldiers and cavalry to protect us against the enemy on our way, since we had told the king that the hand of our God is gracious to all who seek him, but his power and his wrath are against all who forsake him. 23 So we fasted and petitioned our God for this, and he listened to our entreaty.

Gifts for the Temple

24 Then I set apart twelve of the leading priests: Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and ten of their kin with them. 25 And I weighed out to them the silver and the gold and the vessels, the offering for the house of our God that the king, his counselors, his lords, and all Israel there present had offered; 26 I weighed out into their hand six hundred fifty talents of silver, and one hundred silver vessels worth . . . talents, and one hundred talents of gold, 27 twenty gold bowls worth a thousand darics, and two vessels of fine polished bronze as precious as gold. 28 And I said to them, "You are holy to the LORD, and the vessels are holy; and the silver and the gold are a freewill offering to the LORD, the God of your ancestors. 29 Guard them and keep them until you weigh them before the chief priests and the Levites and the heads of families in Israel at Jerusalem, within the chambers of the house of the LORD." 30 So the priests and the Levites took over the silver, the gold, and the vessels as they were weighed out, to bring them to Jerusalem, to the house of our God.

The Return to Jerusalem

31 Then we left the river Ahava on the twelfth day of the first month, to go to Jerusalem; the hand of our God was upon us, and he delivered us from the hand of the enemy and from ambushes along the way. 32 We came to Jerusalem and remained there three days. 33 On the fourth day, within the house of our God, the silver, the gold, and the vessels were weighed into the hands of the priest Meremoth son of Uriah, and with him was Eleazar son of Phinehas, and with them were the Levites, Jozabad son of Jeshua and Noadiah son of Binnui. 34 The total was counted and weighed, and the weight of everything was recorded.

35 At that time those who had come from captivity, the returned exiles, offered burnt offerings to the God of Israel, twelve bulls for all Israel, ninety-six rams, seventy-seven lambs, and as a sin offering twelve male goats; all this was a burnt offering to the LORD. 36 They also delivered the king's commissions to the king's satraps and to the governors of the province Beyond the River; and they supported the people and the house of God. (Ezra 8:21-36, NRSV)

In the interval (Ezra 8:1-20) persons and groups are listed who will accompany Ezra on the journey from Babylon to Judah. Preparations for the journey include a fast “that we might deny ourselves before our God, to seek from him a safe journey for ourselves, our children, and all our possessions” ((v. 21). Ezra would not ask the king for military protection “since we had told the king that the hand of our God is gracious to all who seek him, but his power and his wrath are against all who forsake him” (v. 22). Priests are put in charge of money and vessels, “the offering for the house of our God” (v. 25). The journey is reported (vv. 31-32), and on the fourth day after their arrival, “the silver, the gold and the vessels were weighed into the hands of the priest Meremoth” and his associates (v. 34). The returnees offered sacrifices (v. 35) and “delivered the king’s commissions to the king’s satraps [high officials] and to the governors of the province Beyond the River” (v. 36a), “and they supported the people and the house of God” (v. 36b).

or Ezra 5:1-17

NOTE: This scripture reading and the comments on it are repeated here from Tuesday, October 25, 2005.

Resumption of Rebuilding the Temple (Hag 1.1; Zech 1.1)

5:1 Now the prophets, Haggai and Zechariah son of Iddo, prophesied to the Jews who were in Judah and Jerusalem, in the name of the God of Israel who was over them. 2 Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and Jeshua son of Jozadak set out to rebuild the house of God in Jerusalem; and with them were the prophets of God, helping them.

3 At the same time Tattenai the governor of the province Beyond the River and Shethar-bozenai and their associates came to them and spoke to them thus, "Who gave you a decree to build this house and to finish this structure?" 4 They also asked them this, "What are the names of the men who are building this building?" 5 But the eye of their God was upon the elders of the Jews, and they did not stop them until a report reached Darius and then answer was returned by letter in reply to it.

6 The copy of the letter that Tattenai the governor of the province Beyond the River and Shethar-bozenai and his associates the envoys who were in the province Beyond the River sent to King Darius; 7 they sent him a report, in which was written as follows: "To Darius the king, all peace! 8 May it be known to the king that we went to the province of Judah, to the house of the great God. It is being built of hewn stone, and timber is laid in the walls; this work is being done diligently and prospers in their hands. 9 Then we spoke to those elders and asked them, 'Who gave you a decree to build this house and to finish this structure?' 10 We also asked them their names, for your information, so that we might write down the names of the men at their head. 11 This was their reply to us: 'We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and we are rebuilding the house that was built many years ago, which a great king of Israel built and finished. 12 But because our ancestors had angered the God of heaven, he gave them into the hand of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, the Chaldean, who destroyed this house and carried away the people to Babylonia. 13 However, King Cyrus of Babylon, in the first year of his reign, made a decree that this house of God should be rebuilt. 14 Moreover, the gold and silver vessels of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple in Jerusalem and had brought into the temple of Babylon, these King Cyrus took out of the temple of Babylon, and they were delivered to a man named Sheshbazzar, whom he had made governor. 15 He said to him, "Take these vessels; go and put them in the temple in Jerusalem, and let the house of God be rebuilt on its site." 16 Then this Sheshbazzar came and laid the foundations of the house of God in Jerusalem; and from that time until now it has been under construction, and it is not yet finished.' 17 And now, if it seems good to the king, have a search made in the royal archives there in Babylon, to see whether a decree was issued by King Cyrus for the rebuilding of this house of God in Jerusalem. Let the king send us his pleasure in this matter." (Ezra 5:1-17, NRSV)

The Ezra story returns to 520 B.C., the time of Haggai, Zechariah, Jeshua and Zerubbabel (Ezra 5:1-2). Before building the temple can proceed, however, they have to get the “building permit” cleared with “City Hall;,”: so to speak. In this case, City Hall is hundreds of miles to the East in Babylon. Tattenai is governor of the province Beyond the River (Ezra 5:3), which means that part of the Persian Empire west of the Euphrates River, of which Judah was a small part. (In the Gospels, the phrase “beyond the Jordan” (peran tou Iordanou) means the area east of the Jordan [Mt. 4:25; Mk. 8:13], called Peraia, Lk. 6:17, a few witnesses, including x.) Tattenai challenges the right of the Jews to build and sends a letter to King Darius. (This letter and the letter to Artaxerxes, 4:11-23 are in Aramaic in the Hebrew Bible; in fact, all of 4:8 to 6:18 is in Aramaic, which was the official language of the Persian Empire, at least in the west.) So Tattenai’s challenge is carried to Babylon, and his letter reports the interrogation of the Jewish Elders: “Who gave you a decree to build this house and to finish this structure?” (V. 9). It then reports the Elders’ reply (vv. 11-16), which cites the decree of King Cyrus (v. 13, cf. Vv. 15, 17) and Sheshbazzar’s initial actions to fulfill it. Tattenai’s letter concludes by requesting an investigation to verify or disprove the Jewish claims (v. 17). Certification will come, but that’s in Wednesday’s reading (Ezra 6:1-22).

Revelation 15:1-8

Seven Angels with the Seven Last Plagues

15:1 Then I saw another portent in heaven, great and amazing: seven angels with seven plagues, which are the last, for with them the wrath of God is ended.

2 And I saw what appeared to be a sea of glass mixed with fire, and those who had conquered the beast and its image and the number of its name, standing beside the sea of glass with harps of God in their hands. 3 And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb:

"Great and amazing are your deeds,

Lord God the Almighty!

Just and true are your ways,

King of the nations!

4 Lord, who will not fear

and glorify your name?

For you alone are holy.

All nations will come

and worship before you,

for your judgments have been revealed."

5 After this I looked, and the temple of the tent of witness in heaven was opened, 6 and out of the temple came the seven angels with the seven plagues, robed in pure bright linen, with golden sashes across their chests. 7 Then one of the four living creatures gave the seven angels seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God, who lives forever and ever; 8 and the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from his power, and no one could enter the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were ended. (Revelation 15:1-8)

The reading from Revelation 15 introduces the “seven angels with seven plagues, which are the last” (Rev. 15:1). But before they emerge from “the temple of the tent of witness in heaven” (v. 5) to “pour out on the earth the seven bowls of the wrath of God” (16:1), we get a “preparatory vision of the victorious martyrs in heaven (8:3-5)” (Bruce M. Metzger, NOAB, 2^rd ed., on 15:2-4). The “Song of Moses” as presented in Exodus 15:1-18 and/or Deuteronomy 31:30-32:47 is not quoted directly, but its theme of judgment on the LORD’s enemies is clearly echoed here in the martyrs’ singing of “the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb” (Rev. 15:3), with the text as presented above (vv. 3, 4). “Just and true are your ways,/King of the nations!” (v. 3d, e). In the transition to the actual judgments of these plagues, the seven angels emerge, and are given the “seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God” by “one of the four living creatures” (v. 7; cf. 4:6). The “smoke from the glory of God” which fills the temple reminds us of Isaiah’s vision of God in the temple (Isa. 6:1-4; cf. Metzger on Rev. 15:8).

The Book of Revelation pictures a battle between the forces of good and the forces of evil. There are the churches that are faithful to some extent, but less than perfect. There are struggles on earth with suffering for the martyrs, the woman and the child–not to mention those who refuse the mark of the beast! But there is devastating judgement for God’s enemies, and, from start to finish, the final outcome is never in doubt. “Lord, who will not fear/and glorify your name?/For you alone are holy./All nations will come/and worship before you,/for your judgments have been revealed” (Rev. 15:4).

Matthew 14:13-21

Feeding the Five Thousand (Mk 6.30-44; Lk 9.10-17; Jn 6.1-14)

13 Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a deserted place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. 14 When he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them and cured their sick. 15 When it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, "This is a deserted place, and the hour is now late; send the crowds away so that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves." 16 Jesus said to them, "They need not go away; you give them something to eat." 17 They replied, "We have nothing here but five loaves and two fish." 18 And he said, "Bring them here to me." 19 Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. 20 And all ate and were filled; and they took up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve baskets full. 21 And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children. (Matthew 14:13-21, NRSV)

As noted yesterday, the account of John’s death and Herod Antipas’ “banquet” is followed in Matthew and Mark by the Feeding of the Five Thousand. This sequence and the related context are in the table of the Death of John the Baptist, Feeding the 5000. We noted the sharp contrast, more than the difference between midnight blackness and the brightest day.

But it’s important to remind ourselves today that the Feeding of the Five Thousand is the one miracle–apart from the resurrection of Jesus himself–that is reported in all four of the Canonical Gospels. Minor variations in the way each tells the story are trivial when compared to the significance of the miracle itself. Luke says they “withdrew privately to a city called Bethsaida,” whereas the others mention “a boat” and “a deserted place” (Mt. 14:13, 15; Mk. 6:32, 35; cf. Lk. 9:12) or “the other side of the Sea of Galilee, also called the Sea of Tiberias” (Jn. 6:1), a “mountain” (v. 15), and “the sea” (v. 16). Bethsaida is located at the north end of the Sea of Tiberias, so the place references, while apparently not precise, are understandable. Richard A. Horsley refers to this as the “first of two wilderness feedings reminiscent of God’s feeding early Israel in the wilderness through Moses (Ex. 16; Num 11)” (NOAB, 3^rd ed., on Mk. 6:30-44, with reference to Mk. 8:1-10, the Feeding of the Four Thousand).

If the Synoptic Gospel references to “a deserted place” (Mt. 14:13, 15; Mk. 6:32, 35; Lk. 9:12) allude to the manna in the wilderness, John makes the reference explicit, “Very truly, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread. For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world” (Jn. 6:32-33). In that context, Jesus goes on to assert, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty” (v. 35).

Ronald D. Worden, Ph.D.

rdworden@hgst.edu

rworden@houston.rr.com