Zechariah 11:4-17

4 Thus said the LORD my God: Be a shepherd of the flock doomed to slaughter. 5 Those who buy them kill them and go unpunished; and those who sell them say, "Blessed be the LORD, for I have become rich"; and their own shepherds have no pity on them. 6 For I will no longer have pity on the inhabitants of the earth, says the LORD. I will cause them, every one, to fall each into the hand of a neighbor, and each into the hand of the king; and they shall devastate the earth, and I will deliver no one from their hand.

7 So, on behalf of the sheep merchants, I became the shepherd of the flock doomed to slaughter. I took two staffs; one I named Favor, the other I named Unity, and I tended the sheep. 8 In one month I disposed of the three shepherds, for I had become impatient with them, and they also detested me. 9 So I said, "I will not be your shepherd. What is to die, let it die; what is to be destroyed, let it be destroyed; and let those that are left devour the flesh of one another!" 10 I took my staff Favor and broke it, annulling the covenant that I had made with all the peoples. 11 So it was annulled on that day, and the sheep merchants, who were watching me, knew that it was the word of the LORD. 12 I then said to them, "If it seems right to you, give me my wages; but if not, keep them.” So they weighed out as my wages thirty shekels of silver. 13 Then the LORD said to me, "Throw it into the treasury" -this lordly price at which I was valued by them. So I took the thirty shekels of silver and threw them into the treasury in the house of the LORD. 14 Then I broke my second staff Unity, annulling the family ties between Judah and Israel.

15 Then the LORD said to me: Take once more the implements of a worthless shepherd. 16 For I am now raising up in the land a shepherd who does not care for the perishing, or seek the wandering, or heal the maimed, or nourish the healthy, but devours the flesh of the fat ones, tearing off even their hoofs.

17 Oh, my worthless shepherd,

who deserts the flock!

May the sword strike his arm

and his right eye!

Let his arm be completely withered,

his right eye utterly blinded! (Zechariah 11:4-17, NRSV)

The following comments are repeated here from November 23, 2004, two years ago (Tuesday of the week of the Sunday closest to November 23, Year Two):

The reading from Zechariah pictures two kinds of shepherds. Israel’s shepherds (i.e. leaders, rulers) are corrupt. There are two kinds of bad shepherds. “Those who buy them kill them and go unpunished; and those who sell them say, ‘Blessed be the LORD, for I have become rich’; and their own shepherds have no pity on them” (Zech. 11:5). “Those who buy and sell are the Ptolemaic overlords [i.e. Hellenistic rulers of Egypt who controlled Judah in the third century B.C.]; their own shepherds are native appointees” ( R. Lansing Hicks and Walter Brueggemann, NOAB, 2^nd ed., on Zech. 11:5). That would be rather late, but Hicks and Brueggemann cite the reference to Greece in Zechariah 9:13. Earlier, Ezekiel had denounced the shepherds of Israel for failure in leadership (Ezek. 34). In any case, here God will replace the bad “shepherds”; he directs the prophet to “Be a shepherd of the flock doomed to slaughter” (Zech. 11:4). The prophet says, “I became the shepherd of the flock doomed to slaughter. I took two staffs; one I named Favor, the other I named Unity, and I tended the sheep” (v. 7). But conflict with “the three shepherds” (v. 8) leads the prophet-shepherd to break the staff Favor “annulling the covenant” (v. 10). Apparently, the people reject the prophet’s leadership. He takes his “wages,” “thirty shekels of silver” and throws them “into the treasury in the house of the LORD” (vv. 12-13). Thursday’s reading will return to the subject of the “shepherd.”

1 Corinthians 3:10-23

10 According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building on it. Each builder must choose with care how to build on it. 11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one that has been laid; that foundation is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw- 13 the work of each builder will become visible, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each has done. 14 If what has been built on the foundation survives, the builder will receive a reward. 15 If the work is burned up, the builder will suffer loss; the builder will be saved, but only as through fire.

16 Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? 17 If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy that person. For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple.

18 Do not deceive yourselves. If you think that you are wise in this age, you should become fools so that you may become wise. 19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written,

"He catches the wise in their craftiness,"

20 and again,

"The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise,

that they are futile."

21 So let no one boast about human leaders. For all things are yours, 22 whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future-all belong to you, 23 and you belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God. (1 Corinthians 3:10-23, NRSV)

The following comments are combined with revision and supplement here from November 23, 2004, two years ago (Tuesday of the week of the Sunday closest to November 23, Year Two), from February 5, 2005 (the Second Sunday of Lent, Year One), and from September 16, 2005 (Friday in the week of the Sunday closest to September 14, Year One). The September 16, 2005, comments were repeated on March 10, 2006 (Friday in the week of the First Sunday of Lent, Year Two).

Paul has been informed of factionalism in the church at Corinth, a tendency to form separate groups with special loyalty to one or another of their apostles (1 Cor. 1:11-12). After discussing the Corinthian tendency to form cliques or parties attached to one apostle/missionary or the other–“What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you came to believe . . .” (1 Cor. 3:5), Paul compares the process to a garden or plants. Each contributed, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth” (v. 6). He explains how the work of these, especially of himself and Apollos, was that of servants sharing in the planting and caring for God’s “harvest” (1 Cor. 3:6-8).

But his metaphor changes as the chapter progresses. The church at Corinth, first described as a planting of God, is then described as a building with different contributions. “I laid a foundation, and someone else is building on it” (v. 10). One must be sure to lay the proper foundation. “For no one can lay any foundation other than the one that has bee laid,” says Paul; “that foundation is Jesus Christ” (v. 11). One must also carefully choose the right building materials, for the choices made, whether “gold, silver, precious, wood, hay, [or] stray” (v. 12), will be tested and revealed in the Day of judgment by fire (v. 13). Paul surely has his own work in mind, as well as that of other apostles, when he says that a well-built structure will survive and “the builder will receive a reward” (v. 14), if the structure “is burned up, the builder will suffer loss; the builder will be saved, but only as through fire” (v. 15)

After drawing conclusions about judgment passed on the builders’ work (vv. 13-15), he then compares the church–the local Christian community in Corinth– to the temple. “Do you not know that you [plural] are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?” (v. 16). The Spirit works in the church through his gifts (chap. 12). Paul has a special warning for “anyone [who] destroys God’s temple.” He says, “God will destroy that person. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple” (v. 17).

The contrast of the gospel with “the wisdom of this world,” which “is foolishness with God” (3:19) continues (cf. 1:18-25), as Paul refers again to the contrast between true wisdom (cf. 1:17-25) and “the wisdom of this world” (3:19, cf. the quotations: “He catches the wise in their craftiness” (v. 19, citing Job 5:13), and “The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, / that they are futile” (v. 20, citing Ps. 94:11). The issue is not “human leaders” (3:21), for “all belong to you” (v. 21), but only as “you [Corinthians] belong to Christ” (v. 23). Here, says Ben Witherington III, “Paul returns to the language of inversion and paradox. The kingdom’s coming has turned things upside-down: Human wisdom is foolishness, what seems foolish to common sense is Gods wisdom, leaders are servants, the poor are exalted” (Conflict & Community in Corinth, 135, on vv. 18-23).

Paul forbids “boast[ing] about human leaders,” for “all things are yours,” he says (v. 21), and “whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present ore the future–all belong to you, and you belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God” (vv. 22-23). This accumulation of relationships reminds us of Paul’s list of things in which we are “more than conquerors” (Rom. 8:37, cf. vv. 37-39). But here in 1 Corinthians, “;Referring to the slogans of 1:12, Paul reverses the possessive relationship, so that all of the ‘servants’ along with life or death, etc. belong to the Corinthians, and then subordinates all to Christ and finally to God” (Richard A. Horsley, NOAB, 3^rd ed., on 1 Cor. 3:21-23).

Here, it is the Christian community as a whole that is “God’s temple” (1 Cor. 3:16), which is not to be destroyed by divisions (1:12-13). Later, in the warning to “shun fornication” (6:12-20), it is the individual’s body that is “a temple of the Holy Spirit” (v. 19), and is not to be “united to a prostitute” (v. 16). Don’t involve your individual bodies in sexual sin because “your [plural] body [singular] is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you” (6:19).

Luke 18:31-43

A Third Time Jesus Foretells His Death and Resurrection (Mt 20.17-19; Mk 10.32-34)

31 Then he took the twelve aside and said to them, "See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished. 32 For he will be handed over to the Gentiles; and he will be mocked and insulted and spat upon. 33 After they have flogged him, they will kill him, and on the third day he will rise again.” 34 But they understood nothing about all these things; in fact, what he said was hidden from them, and they did not grasp what was said.

Jesus Heals a Blind Beggar Near Jericho (Mt 20.29-34; Mk 10.46-52)

35 As he approached Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. 36 When he heard a crowd going by, he asked what was happening. 37 They told him, "Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.” 38 Then he shouted, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" 39 Those who were in front sternly ordered him to be quiet; but he shouted even more loudly, "Son of David, have mercy on me!" 40 Jesus stood still and ordered the man to be brought to him; and when he came near, he asked him, 41 "What do you want me to do for you?" He said, "Lord, let me see again.” 42 Jesus said to him, "Receive your sight; your faith has saved you.” 43 Immediately he regained his sight and followed him, glorifying God; and all the people, when they saw it, praised God. (Luke 18:31-43, NRSV)

The following comments are combined with revision and supplement here from November 23, 2004, two years ago (Tuesday of the week of the Sunday closest to November 23, Year Two), and from June 6, 2005 (Monday in the week of the Sunday closest to June 8, Year One):

Luke presents another Passion Predictions by Jesus. “But they understood nothing about all these things; in fact, what he said was hidden from them, and they did not grasp what was said” (Lk. 18:34). This is Luke’s version of Jesus’ Third Passion Prediction (Mk. 10:32-34; Mt. 20:17-19; Lk. 18:31-34). Minor differences include Luke’s omission of the narrative introduction, “They were on the road, going up to Jerusalem” (Mk. 10:32; cf. Mt. 20:20), which is repeated in Jesus own words, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem” (Mk. 10:33; Mt. 20:18; Lk. 18:31). In Luke, the journey to Jerusalem has been in progress since 9:51, but it only becomes explicit here in Matthew and Mark. At the end he emphasizes the disciples’ misunderstanding (Lk. 18:34). Luke emphasizes the fact that the coming events

are to take place . . . in ‘accomplishment’ of all the prophetic witness to the “Son of Man (the same verb that is used of Jesus’ time in Jerusalem at 13:32). Nothing is said (as at 22:66-71) of his condemnation by the Jews. At the conclusion of Jesus’ disclosure, Luke alone points to the twelve’s total lack of understanding (cf. 9:45). Luke could hardly have given this a greater emphasis. They still have much to learn. (Eric Franklin, The Oxford Bible Commentary, p. 951, on Lk. 18:31-34)

Perhaps the healing of the blind man at Jericho (vv. 35-43) provided some enlightenment, but they would fully understand only after the crucifixion and resurrection. The healing of the blind man (Bartimaeus, Mk. 10:46) is on the approach to Jericho (Lk. 18:35) in Luke, rather than “as he and his disciples and a large crowd were leaving Jericho” (Mk. 10:46; cf. Mt. 20:29) “in order to accommodate the story of Zacchaeus that Jesus uses as a climax” (Franklin, 951). The blind man recognizes Jesus as “Son of David” (Lk. 18:38, 39) and boldly cries out “have mercy on me!” (vv. 38, 39). It is noteworthy that the verb for healing is “saved” (sesōken, the perfect tense of sōzō). “Receive your sight; your faith has saved you” (v. 42). Franklin notes that the disciples rebuked Jesus, but he rebuked them. “It is these therefore who are themselves rebuked by Jesus’ action in stopping his progress in order to respond to the pleas of the blind man and heal him” (p. 951, on vv. 35-43).

Ronald D. Worden, Ph.D.

rdworden@hgst.edu

rworden@houston.rr.com