Ecclesiasticus (Sirach) 35:1-17

The Law and Sacrifices (Cp 2 Cor. 9:7)

35:1 The one who keeps the law makes many offerings;

2 one who heeds the commandments makes an offering of well-being.

3 The one who returns a kindness offers choice flour,

4 and one who gives alms sacrifices a thank offering.

5 To keep from wickedness is pleasing to the Lord,

and to forsake unrighteousness is an atonement.

6 Do not appear before the Lord empty-handed,

7 for all that you offer is in fulfillment of the commandment.

8 The offering of the righteous enriches the altar,

and its pleasing odor rises before the Most High.

9 The sacrifice of the righteous is acceptable,

and it will never be forgotten.

10 Be generous when you worship the Lord,

and do not stint the first fruits of your hands.

11 With every gift show a cheerful face,

and dedicate your tithe with gladness.

12 Give to the Most High as he has given to you,

and as generously as you can afford.

13 For the Lord is the one who repays,

and he will repay you sevenfold.Divine Justice

14 Do not offer him a bribe, for he will not accept it;

15 and do not rely on a dishonest sacrifice;

for the Lord is the judge,

and with him there is no partiality.

16 He will not show partiality to the poor;

but he will listen to the prayer of one who is wronged.

17 He will not ignore the supplication of the orphan,

or the widow when she pours out her complaint. (Ecclesiasticus 35:1-17, NRSV)

The following comments are repeated with revision and supplement here from October 30, 2004, two years ago (Saturday of the week of the Sunday closest to October 26, Year Two):

Although the prophets have warned against relying on sacrifices when “your hands are full of blood” (Isa. 1:15), Ben Sira urges his people to heed the commandments and also offer sacrifices. “The one who keeps the law makes many offerings,” he says (Sirach 35:1). In what follows he seems to list needed ritual sacrifices, the “offering of well-being” (v. 2; cf. Lev. 3:1-17), “choice flour” (v. 3; cf. Lev. 2:1-16, the “grain offering”), and the “thank offering” (v. 4; cf. Lev. 7:12-15). However, one might read these verses as saying that pious deeds are the true sacrifices. The “one who heeds the commandments [by so doing?] makes an offering of well-being” (v. 2). “The one who returns a kindness offers choice flour, / and one who gives alms sacrifices a thank offering” (vv. 3-4). And so, “To keep from wickedness is pleasing to the Lord, / and to forsake unrighteousness is an atonement” (v. 5). According to Harold C. Washington, “Ethical obedience, especially almsgiving, is as worthy as many offerings” (NOAB, 3^rd ed. on Sirach 35:1-5).

But the actual offerings at the temple are important in ben Sira’s mind, for he says, “Do not appear before the Lord empty-handed, / for all that you offer is in fulfillment of the commandment” (vv. 6-7). “The offering of the righteous enriches the altar,” he says, and its pleasing odor rises before the Most High” (v. 8). It’s not a question of either/or, that is, “to obey is better than sacrifice” (1 Sam. 15:22; cf. Micah 6:6-8), but rather, both/and. “The sacrifice of the righteous is acceptable, / and it will never be forgotten” (v. 9). The one who worships God should “be generous” (v. 10) and “cheerful,” dedicating “your tithe with gladness” (v. 11; cf. 2 Cor. 9:7). One’s giving should be commensurate with God’s blessings, “and as generously as you can afford” (v. 12). The reading concludes with warnings against offering God “a bribe” or “a dishonest sacrifice” (vv. 14, 15), and against partiality. “He [the Lord] will not show partiality to the poor; / but he will listen to the prayer of one who is wronged” (v. 16; cf. James 2:1-4). “He [God] will not ignore the supplication of the orphan, / or the widow when she pours out her complaint” (v. 17).

Nahum 3:8-19 (Presbyterian and Lutheran traditions–This passage is not included in the Daily Office Lectionary of the Book of Common Prayer.)

8 Are you better than Thebes

that sat by the Nile,

with water around her,

her rampart a sea,

water her wall?

9 Ethiopia was her strength,

Egypt too, and that without limit;

Put and the Libyans were her helpers.

10 Yet she became an exile,

she went into captivity;

even her infants were dashed in pieces

at the head of every street;

lots were cast for her nobles,

all her dignitaries were bound in fetters.

11 You also will be drunken,

you will go into hiding;

you will seek

a refuge from the enemy.

12 All your fortresses are like fig trees

with first-ripe figs-

if shaken they fall

into the mouth of the eater.

13 Look at your troops:

they are women in your midst.

The gates of your land

are wide open to your foes;

fire has devoured the bars of your gates.

14 Draw water for the siege,

strengthen your forts;

trample the clay,

tread the mortar,

take hold of the brick mold!

15 There the fire will devour you,

the sword will cut you off.

It will devour you like the locust.

Multiply yourselves like the locust,

multiply like the grasshopper!

16 You increased your merchants

more than the stars of the heavens.

The locust sheds its skin and flies away.

17 Your guards are like grasshoppers,

your scribes like swarms of locusts

settling on the fences

on a cold day-

when the sun rises, they fly away;

no one knows where they have gone.

18 Your shepherds are asleep,

O king of Assyria;

your nobles slumber.

Your people are scattered on the mountains

with no one to gather them.

19 There is no assuaging your hurt,

your wound is mortal.

All who hear the news about you

clap their hands over you.

For who has ever escaped

your endless cruelty? (Nahum 3:8-19, NRSV)

As the Book of Nahum draws to a close, judgment on Nineveh is unrelenting. “Are you better than Thebes” asks the prophet, that sat by the Nile, / with water around her, her rampart a sea, / water her wall?” (Nahum 3:8). According to Gregory Mobley, “The Egyptian capital Thebes (Jer. 46:25; Ezek. 30:14) had been captured by the Assyrians themselves in 663 BCE)” (NOAB, 3^rd ed. on Nahum 3:8). Kingdoms near to Thebes, Ethiopia, Egypt, Put and Libya are mentioned as her “strength” and “helpers” (v. 9). But in spite of her favored position and the support and strength of her neighbors, Thebes “became an exile” who “went into captivity” with her infants “dashed in pieces” (cf. Ps. 137:9) and her dignitaries “bound in fetters” (v. 10). Nahum predicts a similar fate for Nineveh. “You also will be drunken, / you will go into hiding; / you will seek / a refuge from the enemy” (v. 11). Nineveh’s fortresses are compared to fig trees, which, if shaken, will lose their “first-ripe figs,” which will “fall / into the mouth of the eater” [i.e. the attacker]” (v. 12). When Nahum calls Nineveh’s troops “women” (v. 13a, b), he is not being politically correct; he is mocking their weakness. Nineveh’s gates lay “wide open to your foes” because “fire has devoured the bars of your gates” (v. 13c, d, e). “Draw water for the siege,” warns Nahum; “strengthen your forts; / trample the clay, / tread the mortar, / take hold of the brick mold!” But this advice to prepare for defense against attack is given in irony. The warnings here are called “satirical” by Mobley; “Nineveh is doomed” (on vv. 14-15). In spite of the preparations, “the fire will devour you, / the sword will cut you off. / It will devour you like the locust” (v. 15a, b, c). For Nineveh’s population to multiply like the locust or grasshopper would not help (v. 15d, e). “The locust [who] sheds its skin, . . . may refer to the foreign merchants fleeing their stalls in the bazaars” (Mobley on v. 16). Nineveh’s guards and scribes have fled like grasshoppers (v. 17); her shepherds (rulers) are asleep on the job (v. 18). Nineveh’s “wound is mortal,” and all rejoice, “For who has ever escaped your endless cruelty” (v. 10).

Revelation 13:11-18

The Second Beast

11 Then I saw another beast that rose out of the earth; it had two horns like a lamb and it spoke like a dragon. 12 It exercises all the authority of the first beast on its behalf, and it makes the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose mortal wound had been healed. 13 It performs great signs, even making fire come down from heaven to earth in the sight of all; 14 and by the signs that it is allowed to perform on behalf of the beast, it deceives the inhabitants of earth, telling them to make an image for the beast that had been wounded by the sword and yet lived; 15 and it was allowed to give breath to the image of the beast so that the image of the beast could even speak and cause those who would not worship the image of the beast to be killed. 16 Also it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, 17 so that no one can buy or sell who does not have the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name. 18 This calls for wisdom: let anyone with understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a person. Its number is six hundred sixty-six. (Revelation 13:11-18, NRSV)

The following comments are repeated here with revision and supplement from October 30, 2004, two years ago (Saturday of the week of the Sunday closest to October 26, Year Two):

John now turns to the other beast: “The beast from the earth, called the false prophet (19:20), enforces Emperor worship ([13:]12), and produces great signs (v. 13) to deceive the people (v. 14; compare Deut. 13:1-5; Mt. 24:24; 2 Thess. 2:9)” (Bruce M. Metzger, NOAB, 2^nd ed. on Rev. 13:11-18). In the situation described, the governing authorities are controlled by Satan, and “the beast that had been wounded . . . was allowed to give breath to the image of the beast so that the image of the beast could even speak and cause those who would not worship the image of the beast to be killed” (Rev. 13:14-15). “Also,” says John, “it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, so that no one can buy or sell who does not have the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name” (vv. 16-17). According to Metzger, they are “marked in imitation of the sealing of God’s servants (7:2-4), resulting in economic boycott against the Christians” (on vv. 16-17; cf. Jean-Pierre Ruiz, NOAB, 3^rd ed. on the same verses). As for the “number of the beast,” which is “the number of a person,” that is, “six hundred sixty-six” (v. 18), Metzger says, “Since Hebrew and Greek letters have numerical equivalents, the number of the beast (666) is the sum of the separate letters of his name. Of countless explanations, the most probable is Neron Caesar (in Hebrew letters), which, if spelled without the final n [i.e., the Latin spelling], also accounts for the variant reading, 616 (see [NRSV] note q)” (NOAB, 2^nd ed. on v. 18; cf. Ruiz on v. 18, and S. MacLean Gilmour, The Interpreter’s One-Volume Commentary on the Bible, 1971, p. 961 on Rev. 13:18).

It is interesting to note the difference between Romans 13 and Revelation 13 in reference to the governing authorities. Paul, writing late in the decade of the 50s, when Nero was emperor, but before Nero’s worst days and his persecution of the Christians, advises, “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities; for there is no authority except from God, and those authorities that exist have been instituted by God” (Rom. 13:1). Nero, of course, was no saint! He came to power in A.D. 54, apparently because his mother had Emperor Claudius poisoned, and Nero would not only soon have Britannicus murdered, but eventually murder his own mother! But, to my knowledge, Nero was not demanding to be worshiped as a god, as Domitian later did, “the first of the emperors to deify himself during his lifetime by assuming the title of ‘Lord and God’” (http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05114b.htm, accessed again November 3, 2006). John implies that when the governing authorities are clearly Satanic, for example, the Nazis, Christians should not worship them, even at the risk of death (Rev. 13:15).

Luke 12:32-48

32 “Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. 33 Sell your possessions, and give alms. Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Watchful Slaves

35 “Be dressed for action and have your lamps lit; 36 be like those who are waiting for their master to return from the wedding banquet, so that they may open the door for him as soon as he comes and knocks. 37 Blessed are those slaves whom the master finds alert when he comes; truly I tell you, he will fasten his belt and have them sit down to eat, and he will come and serve them. 38 If he comes during the middle of the night, or near dawn, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves.

39 “But know this: if the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. 40 You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.” (Luke 12:32-40, NRSV)

The following comments on Luke 12:32-40 are repeated here with revision and supplement from relevant parts of the comments on Luke 12:32-48 of October 30, 2004, two years ago (Saturday of the week of the Sunday closest to October 26, Year Two):

In the reading from Luke’s Gospel, Jesus concludes his reassurance for anxious disciples. “Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom” (Lk. 12:32; cf. vv. 22-31 and Mt. 6:25-34, 19-21). For such a long set of nearly verbatim parallel passages, the difference is striking between the concluding verses (Lk. 12:32; Mt. 6:34), but the explanation is the difference in contexts. For parallels to the first part of today’s reading from Luke, see the separate file, Reassurance, True Treasures, Watchfulness and Faithfulness.

Jesus’ advice about treasure in heaven follows immediately in Luke (Lk. 12:33-34), but in Matthew, it comes earlier (Mt. 6:19-21) and is separated by the sayings about the lamp (Mt. 6:22-23; Lk. 11:34-36, cf comments Tues., Oct. 31) and on not serving two masters (Mt. 6:24) from the paragraph on not being anxious (vv. 25-33 [34]; Lk. 12:22-32 {32], cf. comments yesterday). Matthew offers parallel sentence structure:

Do not store up for yourselves / treasures on earth, / where moth and rust consume / and where thieves break in and steal;

but store up for yourselves / treasures in heaven, / where neither most nor rust consumes / and where thieves do not break in and steal. (Mt. 6:19-20, NRSV)

Luke’s simpler structure begins with an interpretation, “Sell your possessions and give alms” (Lk. 12:33a), and continues by varying the metaphors, “Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys” (v. 33b). Both versions lead to the same conclusion, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Lk. 12:34 = Mt. 6:21).

The advice that follows in Luke, “Be dressed for action and have your lamps lit; be like those who are waiting for their master to return from the wedding banquet, so that they may open the door for him as soon as he comes and knocks” (Lk. 12:35-36), echoes the earlier saying on the lamp (mentioned above), but especially reminds us of the Parable of the Ten Virgins (Mt. 25:1-13). Luke does not present the full-length parable as such, but follows with descriptions of similar situations when watchfulness is essential. Slaves should be alert and ready for the return of their master (Lk. 12:37a). Luke focuses on the needed expectancy, whereas similar sayings in Matthew and Mark focus on the slaves’ need to be found busy at their work (Mt. 24:46; Mk. 13:34). Matthew and Luke both emphasize the blessedness of being found alert (Mt. 24:46; Lk. 12:37); Mark warns against being found asleep (Mk. 13:36), but Matthew describes a situation in which the slave who is in charge mistreats the other slaves and faces terrible punishment upon the return of his master (Mt. 14:45-51; see further below). Luke moves quickly from the blessing of slaves being found awake (Lk. 12:37-38), to the situation of the “owner of the house” who fails to anticipate the coming of thieves (v. 39; cf. Mt. 24:43). This advice to be alert and watchful is directed to being ready for the coming of the Son of Man (Lk. 12:40; Mt. 24:44; cf. Mk. 13:32)

The Faithful or the Unfaithful Slave (Mt 24.45-51)

41 Peter said, “Lord, are you telling this parable for us or for everyone?” 42 And the Lord said, “Who then is the faithful and prudent manager whom his master will put in charge of his slaves, to give them their allowance of food at the proper time? 43 Blessed is that slave whom his master will find at work when he arrives. 44 Truly I tell you, he will put that one in charge of all his possessions. 45 But if that slave says to himself, ‘My master is delayed in coming,’ and if he begins to beat the other slaves, men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk, 46 the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour that he does not know, and will cut him in pieces, and put him with the unfaithful. 47 That slave who knew what his master wanted, but did not prepare himself or do what was wanted, will receive a severe beating. 48 But the one who did not know and did what deserved a beating will receive a light beating. From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required; and from the one to whom much has been entrusted, even more will be demanded. (Luke 12:41-48, NRSV)

The following comments on Luke 12:41-48 are combined here with revision and supplement from relevant parts of the comments on Luke 12:32-48 of October 30, 2004, two years ago (Saturday of the week of the Sunday closest to October 26, Year Two), and from June 18, 2006 (the Second Sunday after Pentecost, Year Two, where comments were combined and revised from earlier dates as noted there):

The reading from Luke now turns to warning against being like a slave whom the master puts in charge of his slaves, but who turns out to be unworthy: He “begins to beat the other slaves, men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk” (Lk. 12:45). Although Luke’s version of this parable (or “comparison,” Lk. 12:41-48) comes much earlier in the narrative than Matthew’s version (Mt. 24:45-51), it’s context is a collection of “sayings on watchfulness and faithfulness” (Marion Lloyd Soards, NOAB, 3^rd ed., on Lk. 12:35-48) with an eschatological import, “You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour” (Lk. 12:40). Matthew places the parable in the context of Jesus’ final eschatological speech (Mt. 24-25), after an extensive list of the “signs of your coming and of the end of the age” (Mt. 24:3, cf. vv. 4-44, which includes material with parallels in Lk. 17 and 21). This is apparently another example of an event which Luke puts in its context in the course of Jesus’ ministry, but Matthew combines with similar material in a topical arrangement. Here Luke has Peter ask about the previous saying about the householder who didn’t expect the thief (Lk. 12:39-40; Mt. 24:37-44), “Lord, are you telling this parable for us, or for everyone?” (Lk. 12:41), which introduces Jesus’ parable. In a similar way, Luke’s version of the Lord’s Prayer is put in context by a question from the disciples, “Lord, teach us to pray as John taught his disciples” (Lk. 11:1, cf. vv. 2-4), whereas Matthew includes the Lord’s Prayer in a group of instructions about personal piety (Mt. 6:9-13, cf. vv. 1-24). Matthew’s next parable here, the Ten Virgins (Mt. 25:1-13), clearly also stresses the need for watchfulness.

Jesus comments on the parable about the Faithful or the Unfaithful Slave: “Blessed are those slaves whom the master finds alert when he comes; truly I tell you, he will fasten his belt and have them sit down to eat, and he will come and serve them” (Lk. 12:37). The reference is to being watchful for the Lord’s coming. “You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour” (v. 40). “Who then is the faithful and prudent manager whom his master will put in charge of his slaves, to give them their allowance of food at the proper time? Blessed is that slave whom his master will find at work when he arrives” (vv. 42-43). Apart from Luke’s introduction with a question from Peter (Lk. 12:41), the two versions are nearly verbatim, up to a point (Lk. 12:vv. 42-46a; Mt. 24:45-51a). (For the parallel texts, see the file Faithful or Unfaithful Slave). The phrase “allowance of food” (Mt. 24:45; Lk. 12:42) represents different Greek words (trophē in Mt. and sitometrion in Lk.; also the infinitive “to give” is aorist, dounai, in Mt., but present tense, didonai, in Lk.). Luke adds “in coming” to Matthew’s “is delayed” (Mt. 24:48; Lk. 12:45). The faithful slave attends to his duties in the master’s absence, but the unfaithful slave “begins to beat his fellow slaves, and eats and drinks with drunkards” in Matthew (Mt. 24:49), but in Luke he “begins to beat the other slaves, men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk” (Lk. 12:45). In both Gospels this statement is conditional, introduced by “if” (ean). The master who is delayed “will come on a day when he [the wicked slave] does not expect him” (Mt. 24:50; Lk. 12:46). From many of us “to whom much has been given, much will be required” (Lk. 12:48).

The point is that the Christian believers must be faithful, and ready for the Lord’s return at any time, a point to be elaborated by the parables of Matthew, chapter 25.

The endings differ more in Matthew and Luke, but in both, the consequences for the unfaithful slave are graphic. But Luke includes an emphasis on fidelity in taking care of one’s assigned responsibilities in the meantime. “ That slave who knew what his master wanted, but did not prepare himself or do what was wanted, will receive a severe beating. But the one who did not know and did what deserved a beating will receive a light beating (vv. 47-48a). Matthew’s version doesn’t differentiate between the slave “who knew what his master wanted” (Lk. 12:47) and the one who didn’t; but, assuming the slave did know, Matthew’s version pictures severe punishment. “He [the master] will cut him [the wicked slave] in pieces and put him with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Mt. 24:51). J. Andrew Overman says, “Matthew has combined this image of punishment [i.e. ‘cut him in pieces’] with another, weeping and gnashing of teeth, producing an incongruous image” NOAB, 3^rd ed. on Mt. 24:51). This “final warning addresses leaders in the Christian community” (Overman on Mt. 24:45-51).

 If you think about it, Luke’s final challenge is rather daunting. “From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required; and from the one to whom much has been entrusted, even more will be demanded” (v. 48). We Americans know that most of us have been given much more than most of the rest of the world. What will be required of us?

Ronald D. Worden, Ph.D.

rdworden@hgst.edu

rworden@houston.rr.com