Joel 1:15-2:2 (3-11) (Note that with the inclusion of Joel 2:3-11 in parentheses, the readings from the Book of Common Prayer catch up with and rejoin the readings from the Presbyterian and Lutheran Books of Worship.)

15 Alas for the day!

For the day of the LORD is near,

and as destruction from the Almighty it comes.

16 Is not the food cut off

before our eyes,

joy and gladness

from the house of our God?

17 The seed shrivels under the clods,

the storehouses are desolate;

the granaries are ruined

because the grain has failed.

18 How the animals groan!

The herds of cattle wander about

because there is no pasture for them;

even the flocks of sheep are dazed.

19 To you, O LORD, I cry.

For fire has devoured

the pastures of the wilderness,

and flames have burned

all the trees of the field.

20 Even the wild animals cry to you

because the watercourses are dried up,

and fire has devoured

the pastures of the wilderness.

2: Blow the trumpet in Zion;

sound the alarm on my holy mountain!

Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble,

for the day of the LORD is coming, it is near-

2 a day of darkness and gloom,

a day of clouds and thick darkness!

Like blackness spread upon the mountains

a great and powerful army comes;

their like has never been from of old,

nor will be again after them

in ages to come. (Joel 1:15-2:2, NRSV)

For comments on Joel 1:15-2:2, see yesterday’s comments on the Presbyterian and Lutheran readings.

Joel 1:15-2:2 (3-11) or Joel 2:3-11 (Presbyterian and Lutheran references for today)

3 Fire devours in front of them,

and behind them a flame burns.

Before them the land is like the garden of Eden,

but after them a desolate wilderness,

and nothing escapes them.

4 They have the appearance of horses,

and like war-horses they charge.

5 As with the rumbling of chariots,

they leap on the tops of the mountains,

like the crackling of a flame of fire

devouring the stubble,

like a powerful army

drawn up for battle.

6 Before them peoples are in anguish,

all faces grow pale.

7 Like warriors they charge,

like soldiers they scale the wall.

Each keeps to its own course,

they do not swerve from their paths.

8 They do not jostle one another,

each keeps to its own track;

they burst through the weapons

and are not halted.

9 They leap upon the city,

they run upon the walls;

they climb up into the houses,

they enter through the windows like a thief.

10 The earth quakes before them,

the heavens tremble.

The sun and the moon are darkened,

and the stars withdraw their shining.

11 The LORD utters his voice

at the head of his army;

how vast is his host!

Numberless are those who obey his command.

Truly the day of the LORD is great;

terrible indeed-who can endure it? (Joel 2:3-11, NRSV)

The prophet continues to decry the devastation of the coming day of the LORD, using the picture of the locusts plague. “Fire devours in front of them, / and behind them a flame burns” (Joel 2:3a, b). “Before them,” says the prophet, “the land is like the garden of Eden, / but after them a desolate wilderness, / and nothing escapes them” (v. 3c, d, e). He says the locusts “have the appearance of horses, / and like war-horses they charge” (2:4). The attacking army, “as with the rumbling of chariots,” leaps “on the tops of the mountains, / like the crackling of a flame of fire / devouring the stubble, / like a powerful army / drawn up for battle” (v. 5). Their approach puts the people “in anguish,” with faces grown pale (v. 6). The approaching army is relentless, charging, scaling the wall, “each [locust-warrior?] keeps to its own course, / they do not swerve from their paths” (v. 7). Each on its own track (v. 8b), “they burst through the weapons” (v. 8c), . . . leap upon the city . . . run upon the walls . . . climb up int o the houses . . . [and] enter through the windows like a thief” (v. 9). Although “the earth quakes before them, / the heavens tremble,” and the sun, moon and stars are darkened (v. 10), the devastation is understood as God’s judgment. “The LORD utters his voice / at the head of his army; / how vast is his host! / Numberless are those who obey his command. / Truly the day of the LORD is great; / terrible indeed–who can endure it?” (v. 11). It reminds me of a statement by a seminary professor from Holland. “I felt compelled–in spite of my understanding of New Testament pacifism–to resist the Gestapo [during the Nazi period]; but we all felt that we were under the judgment of God.”

Revelation 19:1-10

19 After this I heard what seemed to be the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying,

“Hallelujah!

Salvation and glory and power to our God,

2 for his judgments are true and just;

he has judged the great whore

who corrupted the earth with her fornication,

and he has avenged on her the blood of his servants.”

3 Once more they said,

“Hallelujah!

The smoke goes up from her forever and ever.”

4 And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who is seated on the throne, saying,

“Amen. Hallelujah!”

5 And from the throne came a voice saying,

“Praise our God,

all you his servants,

and all who fear him,

small and great.”

6 Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the sound of many waters and like the sound of mighty thunderpeals, crying out,

“Hallelujah!

For the Lord our God

the Almighty reigns.

7 Let us rejoice and exult

and give him the glory,

for the marriage of the Lamb has come,

and his bride has made herself ready;

8 to her it has been granted to be clothed

with fine linen, bright and pure”–

for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.

9 And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are true words of God.” 10 Then I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your comrades who hold the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” (Revelation 19:1-10, NRSV)

The following comments are combined with revision and supplement here from November 9, 2004, two years ago (Tuesday of the week of the Sunday closest to November 9, Year Two), and from November 10, 2005 (Thursday of the week of the Sunday closest to November 9, Year One):

This reading from Revelation first celebrates the divine victory over “Babylon,” that is, over Rome (Rev. 19:1-5). John reports hearing praises in heaven: “Hallelujah!” cries “the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven”; / Salvation and glory and power to our God, / for his judgments are true and just; / he has judged the great whore / who corrupted the earth with her fornication, / and he has avenged on her the blood of his servants” (Rev. 19:1-2). The multitude sings again, “Hallelujah! / The smoke goes up from her forever and ever” (v. 3; cf. the “fire,” 18:8 and “the smoke of her burning,” 18:18). The “Amen,” and the “Hallelujah” of the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures (cf. 4:4-11) acknowledge God’s judgment on “Babylon” v. 4). A voice from the throne praises God (v. 5).

Then “the voice of a great multitude, like the sound of many waters and like the sound of mighty thunderpeals” is heard crying out: “Hallelujah! / For the Lord our God / the Almighty reigns” (v. 6). The voice of the multitude continues to rejoice and exult, glorifying God, “for the marriage of the Lamb has come, / and his bride has made herself ready” (v. 7). The Lamb is Christ and the bride is the church, to be united henceforth and forever. To the bride “has been granted to be clothed / with fine linen, bright and pure,” sings the voice of the multitude, and the explanation follows, “for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints” (v. 8), which, as Jean-Pierre Ruiz points out (NOAB, 3^rd ed., on Rev. 19:8), stands in contrast to the clothing of “Babylon”:

The woman was clothed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and jewels and pearls, holding in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of her fornication” (Rev. 17:4, NRSV)

Bruce M. Metzger says simply, “The church is holy as her members are holy (7:14, compare Mt. 22:11)” (NOAB, 2^nd ed., on Rev. 19:8). A blessing is pronounced on “those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb” (v. 9). One of my seminary professors, Dr. Dennis Kinlaw, began a sermon on Christian marriage something like this: “The Bible begins with a wedding [Adam and Eve], and ends with a wedding [the marriage supper of the Lamb]. Throughout the Bible there is frequent use of human marriage as a picture of God’s relationship with his people.” “On that day, says the LORD, you will call me, ‘My husband,’ and no longer will you call me, ‘My Baal.’ . . .And I will take you for my wife forever; I will take you for my wife in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love, and in mercy. I will take you for my wife in faithfulness; and you shall know the LORD” (Hosea 2:16, 19-20).

Luke 14:25-35

The Cost of Discipleship (Mt 10.34-39)

25 Now large crowds were traveling with him; and he turned and said to them, 26 “Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple. 27 Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. 28 For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not first sit down and estimate the cost, to see whether he has enough to complete it? 29 Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it will begin to ridicule him, 30 saying, ‘This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.’ 31 Or what king, going out to wage war against another king, will not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to oppose the one who comes against him with twenty thousand? 32 If he cannot, then, while the other is still far away, he sends a delegation and asks for the terms of peace. 33 So therefore, none of you can become my disciple if you do not give up all your possessions.

About Salt (Mt 5.13; Mk 9.50)

34 “Salt is good; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? 35 It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; they throw it away. Let anyone with ears to hear listen!” (Luke 14:25-35, NRSV)

The following comments are combined with revision and supplement from November 9, 2004, two years ago (Tuesday of the week of the Sunday closest to November 9, Year Two), and from May 23, 2005 (Monday in the week of the Sunday closest to May 25, Year One):

Jesus discusses the cost of being a disciple at some length in Luke 14:25-35. The tables which follow below (based on Kurt Aland, Synopsis of the Four Gospels, 1982, sections 217, 103, 218) show that Luke use material here that appears in a variety of contexts in the other Gospels. But the frequency of these related sayings indicates their importance for the early Christians.

In these various ways (and in other passages as well), Jesus emphasized the need for his disciples to make a whole-hearted commitment to him and to his kingdom. The statement that the disciple must hate family members is clearly hyperbole. It’s a matter of relative value, highlighting the supreme importance of God’s calling and his kingdom. Where Luke has “Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple” (v. 26), Matthew has “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me” (Mt. 10:37). One should count the cost (Lk. 14:28) and realize what he is doing, but he should be prepared to follow Jesus all the way to the cross and beyond. Marion Lloyd Soards, commenting on Luke 14:26, notes that “Hate is vivid language; the parallel passage in Mt. 10:37 reflects Jesus’ plain meaning” (NOAB, 3^rd ed.). “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me” (Mt. 10:37, emphasis in italics added). Eric Franklin comments in a similar vein:

Discipleship may be a response to grace, as Luke’s story of Jesus emphasizes, but it makes demands which mean that it should not be entered upon lightly. The requirement to ‘hate’ is ‘semitic exaggeration and may reflect an idiom which means ‘love less than’ as Mt. 10:37 correctly interprets it. Luke is certainly emphatic, and the references to ‘wife’ and ‘life itself’ may be due to him. (Eric Franklin, The Oxford Bible Commentary, 946)

The saying about carrying the cross (Lk. 14:27) has parallels in Matthew 10:38 and in Mark 8:34 and parallels (Mt. 16:24; Lk. 9:23). It “may refer rather to the shame of being an outcast than to the pains of death” (Krister Stendahl, Peake’s Commentary on the Bible, sec. 683k, p. 783, on Mt. 10:38). Luke continues with the warning to count the costs, illustrated by reference to calculations needed before building a tower (Lk. 14:28-30). The point is a call to commitment, not an excuse for turning away.

Marion Lloyd Soards, commenting on Luke 14:34-35 (NOAB, 3^rd ed.), says, “This saying warns against lackadaisical discipleship. Ancient salt was not pure sodium chloride, so the other material in the salt could go bad and cause the salt to be no good.” Salt is valued for it’s taste (Job 6:6) and for its value as a preservative (cf. Num. 18:19). Eric Franklin wonders “whether salt can lose its flavor,” which he says “has been much debated,” but his point agrees with that of Soards. “The point here of course is the contrast in this respect between salt and discipleship. What is difficult if not impossible for one, is relatively easy for the other. Discipleship which loses its commitment is worse than useless” (The Oxford Bible Commentary, 947).

Ronald D. Worden, Ph.D.

rdworden@hgst.edu

rworden@houston.rr.com