2 Samuel 23:13-17b

13 Towards the beginning of harvest three of the thirty chiefs went down to join David at the cave of Adullam, while a band of Philistines was encamped in the valley of Rephaim. 14 David was then in the stronghold; and the garrison of the Philistines was then at Bethlehem. 15 David said longingly, "O that someone would give me water to drink from the well of Bethlehem that is by the gate!" 16 Then the three warriors broke through the camp of the Philistines, drew water from the well of Bethlehem that was by the gate, and brought it to David. But he would not drink of it; he poured it out to the LORD, 17 for he said, "The LORD forbid that I should do this. Can I drink the blood of the men who went at the risk of their lives?" Therefore he would not drink it. (2 Samuel 13:13-17b, NRSV)

The following is copied from Saturday, August 30, 2005 (Saturday of the week of the thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost, using references from Proper 15):

The end of 2 Samuel, chapters 21-24, serves as a kind of appendix with a variety of stories and poems. Three great warriors are described in 23:8-12, but the following verses are "not about the three warriors just listed but about three anonymous members of the honor guard of the thirty" (McKenzie, NOAB, 3rd ed., on vv. 13-17). “Adullam was David’s headquarters and hideout when he fled from Saul (cf. 1 Samuel 22:1-4)” (McKenzie, on v. 13). David’s refusal to drink the water was an honor, not an insult, to the three warriors. “He poured it out to the LORD, a libation or sacrifice to God, a great honor to the three men” Steven L. McKenzie, on vv. 16-17).

2 John 1-13

Salutation

1 The elder to the elect lady and her children, whom I love in the truth, and not only I but also all who know the truth, 2 because of the truth that abides in us and will be with us forever:

3 Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Father's Son, in truth and love.

Truth and Love

4 I was overjoyed to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as we have been commanded by the Father. 5 But now, dear lady, I ask you, not as though I were writing you a new commandment, but one we have had from the beginning, let us love one another. 6 And this is love, that we walk according to his commandments; this is the commandment just as you have heard it from the beginning-you must walk in it.

7 Many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh; any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist! 8 Be on your guard, so that you do not lose what we have worked for, but may receive a full reward. 9 Everyone who does not abide in the teaching of Christ, but goes beyond it, does not have God; whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. 10 Do not receive into the house or welcome anyone who comes to you and does not bring this teaching; 11 for to welcome is to participate in the evil deeds of such a person.

Final Greetings

12 Although I have much to write to you, I would rather not use paper and ink; instead I hope to come to you and talk with you face to face, so that our joy may be complete.

13 The children of your elect sister send you their greetings

The following is repeated here from Friday, April 15, 2005 (Friday of the third week of the Easter season):

The author, “the elder” (2 Jn. 1), addresses “the elect lady and her children,” probably the local Christian community, professing to love them “in the truth” and to “know the truth”(v. 1). After a typical New Testament letter greeting (v. 3), he expresses joy that they are “walking in the truth” (v. 4), but reminds them of the “new commandment,” “let us love one another” (v. 5). He warns against “deceivers . . . who do not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh” (v. 7), thus denying the doctrine of the incarnation (Jn. 1:11, 14). “Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist!” (1 Jn. 7). His opponents are apparently docetic, that is, they exaggerate the spiritual and divine side of Christ while denying that he was fully human. After a bit of elaboration (vv. 8-9), he warns against association with or hospitality for such persons (vv. 10-11).

John 2:1-11

2:1 On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. 2 Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. 3 When the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to him, "They have no wine." 4 And Jesus said to her, "Woman, what concern is that to you and to me? My hour has not yet come." 5 His mother said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you." 6 Now standing there were six stone water jars for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. 7 Jesus said to them, "Fill the jars with water." And they filled them up to the brim. 8 He said to them, "Now draw some out, and take it to the chief steward." So they took it. 9 When the steward tasted the water that had become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the steward called the bridegroom 10 and said to him, "Everyone serves the good wine first, and then the inferior wine after the guests have become drunk. But you have kept the good wine until now." 11 Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him. (John 2:1-11, NRSV)

The following is repeated here from January 7, 2005 (Friday of the week of Epiphany):

This first miracle of Jesus by John’s count “revealed his glory, and his disciples believed in him” (Jn. 2:11). Some wonder about Jesus’ response to Mary (v. 4), but Raymond E. Brown interprets the statement by comparison with an Old Testament idiom that implies no disrespect (The Gospel According to John, I-XII, Anchor Bible, no. 29, on Jn. 2:4). A large stone jar found by archaeologists in the “burnt house” at Jerusalem (destroyed by the Romans), is a likely example of the kind of jars used here (v. 6). Professor James Charlesworth sees the jars as an example of a kind of obsession with ritual purity in the first century. Ceramic jars would be much easier to work with, but were considered subject to impurity, whereas stone jars were not. Some see this story as an example of Jesus’ creative power: water to wine. At one level, what Jesus did spared the bridegroom embarrassment. The steward’s comment perhaps points to the story’s significance as a parable: while the religion of the Hebrew Bible was good, the best wine comes with Jesus and the revealing of “his glory” (v. 11).

Ronald D. Worden, Ph.D.

rdworden@hgst.edu

rworden@houston.rr.com