Ecclesiasticus (Sirach) 38:24-34

Trades and Crafts

24 The wisdom of the scribe depends on the opportunity of leisure;

only the one who has little business can become wise.

25 How can one become wise who handles the plow,

and who glories in the shaft of a goad,

who drives oxen and is occupied with their work,

and whose talk is about bulls?

26 He sets his heart on plowing furrows,

and he is careful about fodder for the heifers.

27 So it is with every artisan and master artisan

who labors by night as well as by day;

those who cut the signets of seals,

each is diligent in making a great variety;

they set their heart on painting a lifelike image,

and they are careful to finish their work.

28 So it is with the smith, sitting by the anvil,

intent on his iron-work;

the breath of the fire melts his flesh,

and he struggles with the heat of the furnace;

the sound of the hammer deafens his ears,

and his eyes are on the pattern of the object.

He sets his heart on finishing his handiwork,

and he is careful to complete its decoration.

29 So is it with is the potter sitting at his work

and turning the wheel with his feet;

he is always deeply concerned over his products,

and he produces them in quantity.

30 He molds the clay with his arm

and makes it pliable with his feet;

he sets his heart to finish the glazing,

and he takes care in firing the kiln.

31 All these rely on their hands,

and all are skillful in their own work.

32 Without them no city can be inhabited,

and wherever they live, they will not go hungry.

Yet they are not sought out for the council of the people,

33 nor do they attain eminence in the public assembly.

They do not sit in the judge’s seat,

nor do they understand the decisions of the courts;

they cannot expound discipline or judgment,

and they are not found among the rulers.

34 But they maintain the fabric of the world,

and their concern is for the exercise of their trade.

How different the one who devotes himself

to the study of the law of the Most High! (Ecclesiasticus 38:24-34, NRSV)

The following comments are repeated here with revision and supplement from November 1, 2004 (Monday of the week of the Sunday closest to November 2, Year Two):

In this reading, ben Sira compares the work of a scribe–people like himself–and its value with that of various kinds of craftsmen. “The wisdom of the scribe depends on the opportunity of leisure,” he says; “only the one who has little business can become wise” (Sirach 38:24). Augustine suggests that leisure is a necessary, though not necessarily a sufficient, condition of wisdom, when he says, referring to some scholars, “For even these men themselves, endowed though they are with so much genius, burning with zeal, abounding in leisure, tracking some things by the aid of human conjecture, searching into others with the aids of history and experience, have not found out all things; and even their boasted discoveries are oftener mere guesses than certain knowledge” (Enchiridion, I, 9, online at http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/1302.htm, accessed November 5, 2006). In another context he suggest that the unmarried have more “leisure in the love of wisdom” (Confessions, Part 9, Book XII, sec. 21, online at http://www.iclnet.org/pub/resources/text/ipb-e/epl-01/agcon-09.txt, accessed November 5:2006). According to Bruce M. Metzger and Roland E. Murphy, “The highest vocation is that of the scribe” and the wisdom with which the scribe is concerned is “the law, wisdom (i.e., the Writings), and prophecies; this reflects the threefold division of the Hebrew Bible (39:1-3; see also the Prologue by Ben Sira’s grandson)” (NOAB, 3^rd ed. on Sirach 38:34b-39:11).

Much of this reading is about the value of various kinds of skilled workmanship and the artisans who do such work. Ben Sira speaks well of the farmer, but asks “How can one become wise who handles the plow, / and who glories in the shaft of a goad, / who drives oxen and is occupied with their work, / and whose talk is about bulls?” (Sirach 38:25). The farmer “sets his heart on plowing furrows, / and he is careful about fodder for the heifers” (v. 26). “So it is,” says ben Sira, with various other workmen, artisans (v. 27), smiths (v. 28), and potters (vv. 29-30). “All these rely on their hands, / and all are skillful in their own work,” he says (Sirach 38:31). “Without them, he says, “no city can be inhabited, / and wherever they live, they will not go hungry” (vv. 32a, b). But such workmen are so busy with their work that “they are not sought out for the council of the people” (v. 32c), “nor do they attain eminence in the public assembly,” says ben Sira (v. 33a). They do not serve as judges, nor “understand the decisions of the courts” (v. 33b, c), “they cannot expound discipline or judgement, / and they are not found among the rulers” (v. 33d, 3). Yet they provide a necessary function, for “they maintain the fabric of the world, / and their concern is for the exercise of their trade” (v. 34a, b). The final lines of this reading are just the beginning of ben Sira’s praise of the scribe (continuing through 39:11). With these lines he anticipates the emphasis and value placed on the study of the Torah as wisdom in later Judaism. “How different [from the artisans is] the one who devotes himself / to the study of the law (nomos [= torah]) of the Most High!” (Sirach 38:34c, d NRSV = 39:1a LXX).

Zephaniah 1:7-13 (Presbyterian and Lutheran traditions–This passage is not included in the Daily Office Lectionary of the Book of Common Prayer.)

7 Be silent before the Lord GOD!

For the day of the LORD is at hand;

the LORD has prepared a sacrifice,

he has consecrated his guests.

8 And on the day of the LORD’s sacrifice

I will punish the officials and the king’s sons

and all who dress themselves in foreign attire.

9 On that day I will punish

all who leap over the threshold,

who fill their master’s house

with violence and fraud.

10 On that day, says the LORD,

a cry will be heard from the Fish Gate,

a wail from the Second Quarter,

a loud crash from the hills.

11 The inhabitants of the Mortar wail,

for all the traders have perished;

all who weigh out silver are cut off.

12 At that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps,

and I will punish the people

who rest complacently on their dregs,

those who say in their hearts,

“The LORD will not do good,

nor will he do harm.”

13 Their wealth shall be plundered,

and their houses laid waste.

Though they build houses,

they shall not inhabit them;

though they plant vineyards,

they shall not drink wine from them. (Zephaniah 1:7-13, NRSV)

The prophet Zephaniah announces that “the day of the LORD is at hand” (Zeph. 1:7b), in which “the LORD has prepared a sacrifice” (v. 7c). This sacrifice is “a slaughter of sinners” ( R. Lansing Hicks and Walter Brueggemann, NOAB, 2^nd ed. on Zeph. 1:7). The sacrifice will be a time when the LORD “will punish the officials and the king’s sons / and all who dress themselves in foreign attire” (v. 8b, c). Punishment will extend to “all who leap over the threshold” (v. 9b), “a pagan religious practice,” say Hicks and Brueggemann (on v. 9 with ref. to 1 Sam. 5:5). Gregory Mobley calls it “a Philistine rite” (NOAB, 3^rd ed. on v. 9). These sinners are charged with “violence and fraud” (v. 9d).

The punishments are described in graphic detail. Wailing and crying will be heard from various locations in Jerusalem, “the Fish Gate,” “the Second Quarter,” “the hills,” and “the Mortar” (vv. 10, 11a). According to Hicks and Brueggemann, “the enemy will approach Jerusalem from the north, first through the Fish Gate” (on v. 10). The “traders” who have perished (v. 11b) are “literally, ‘people of Canaan’” (Hicks and Brueggemann on v. 11; cf. Mobley on v. 11). When the LORD searches “Jerusalem with lamps,” his intention is to “punish the people / who rest complacently on their dregs” (v. 12a, b, c). Hicks and Brueggemann call this “a figure drawn from wine-making to portray indolence. If wine is not stirred up while it is fermenting, it becomes thick and lacks strength” (on v. 12). These people are further defined as saying “in their hearts, ‘The LORD will not do good, / nor will he do harm’” (v. 12d, e, f). For this complacency, they will lose their houses and vineyards (v. 13).

Revelation 14:1-13

The Lamb and the 144,000

14:1 Then I looked, and there was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion! And with him were one hundred forty-four thousand who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads. 2 And I heard a voice from heaven like the sound of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder; the voice I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps, 3 and they sing a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and before the elders. No one could learn that song except the one hundred forty-four thousand who have been redeemed from the earth. 4 It is these who have not defiled themselves with women, for they are virgins; these follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They have been redeemed from humankind as first fruits for God and the Lamb, 5 and in their mouth no lie was found; they are blameless.

The Messages of the Three Angels

6 Then I saw another angel flying in midheaven, with an eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth-to every nation and tribe and language and people. 7 He said in a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory, for the hour of his judgment has come; and worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water.”

8 Then another angel, a second, followed, saying, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.”

9 Then another angel, a third, followed them, crying with a loud voice, “Those who worship the beast and its image, and receive a mark on their foreheads or on their hands, 10 they will also drink the wine of God’s wrath, poured unmixed into the cup of his anger, and they will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. 11 And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever. There is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and its image and for anyone who receives the mark of its name.”

12 Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and hold fast to the faith of Jesus.

13 And I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who from now on die in the Lord.” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them.” (Revelation 14:1-13, NRSV)

The following comments are combined with revision and supplement here from November 1, 2004 (Monday of the week of the Sunday closest to November 2, Year Two), from November 3, 2005 (Thursday of the week of the Sunday closest to November 2, Year One), and from September 20, 2006 (the Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost, Year Two [for the Sunday closest to Sept. 7?]):

Earlier in Revelation, war broke out in heaven, and “the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world–he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him” (Rev. 12:9). This conflict continues in chapters 12 and 13, but encouragement is provided by the vision of the Lamb with those “redeemed from humankind” (14:4), the announcement that “Babylon” is fallen (14;8), the blessing on “the dead who . . . die in the Lord” (v. 13) and demonstration of God’s power, the God “who lives for ever and ever” (15:7). In Revelation, chapter 14, we meet “the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion! And with him . . . one hundred forty-four thousand who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads” (v. 1), not the mark of the beast (13:16-17; 14:9. They “have been redeemed from the earth” and “they sing a new song before the throne” (14:3). The “eternal gospel,” from the first angel, is to be proclaimed “to those who live on the earth–to every nation and tribe and language and people” (v. 6). The angel calls upon them to “Fear God and give him glory, for the hour of his judgment has come; and worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water” (v. 7). The second angel announces the fall of Babylon (v. 8). The third angel warns against worshiping “the beast” or receiving his “mark” (v. 9), for if they do, “they will also drink the wine of God's wrath, poured unmixed into the cup of his anger, and they will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever” (vv. 10-11a). In the midst of judgment, “the wine of God’s wrath” (v. 10), there is “a call for the endurance of the saints” who “keep the commandments of God and hold fast to the faith of Jesus” (v. 12), and the labors, for their deeds follow them” (v. 13). Those who “die in the Lord” are blessed.

Luke 12:49-59

Jesus the Cause of Division (Mt 10.34-39)

49 “I came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! 50 I have a baptism with which to be baptized, and what stress I am under until it is completed! 51 Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division! 52 From now on five in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three; 53 they will be divided:

father against son

and son against father,

mother against daughter

and daughter against mother,

mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law

and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”

Interpreting the Time (Mt 16.1-4)

54 He also said to the crowds, “When you see a cloud rising in the west, you immediately say, ‘It is going to rain’; and so it happens. 55 And when you see the south wind blowing, you say, ‘There will be scorching heat’; and it happens. 56 You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time?

Settling with Your Opponent

57 “And why do you not judge for yourselves what is right? 58 Thus, when you go with your accuser before a magistrate, on the way make an effort to settle the case, or you may be dragged before the judge, and the judge hand you over to the officer, and the officer throw you in prison. 59 I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the very last penny.” (Luke 12:49-59, NRSV)

The following comments are combined with revision and supplement here from November 1, 2004 (Monday of the week of the Sunday closest to November 2, Year Two), and from June 25, 2006 (the third Sunday after Pentecost, Year Two):

In Luke's Gospel, Jesus speaks of the end of the age. "I came to bring fire to the earth" (Lk. 12:49. He says he has not come to bring "peace" but "division" (v. 51), which is explained as division of households (vv. 52-53). Such sayings relate to the unique circumstances of the coming spiritual crisis. According to David L. Tiede, in this passage (Lk. 12:49-56), “Jesus defines his ministry in terms of division and judgment” (HarperCollins Study Bible, on Lk. 12:49-56). The “fire” (v. 49) is “a symbol of judgment” (Marion Lloyd Soards, NOAB, 3^rd ed., on Lk. 12:49). The “baptism” with which Jesus is “to be baptized” is “here meant figuratively [and] probably refers to his death” (Tiede on v. 50; so Soards). Jesus asks–rhetorically–“Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? (v. 51a, cf. Mt. 10:34), and he answers his own question, “No, I tell you, but rather division! (v. 51b). Matthew has “a sword” where Luke has “division.” The sayings which put family members against one another (Lk. 12:53; cf. Mt. 10:35-36) suggest heart-wrenching divisions within families, but “sword” suggests war. It’s surely a symbol for the disruptions caused by the Gospel, and perhaps Luke’s term “division” is an interpretation. “The promise of peace . . . becomes a threat of division if the Messiah is rejected” (Tiede, on Lk. 12:51).

The sayings on interpreting the times (Lk. 12:54-56; Mt. 16:2-3) are found in different contexts. (Parallel passages for these texts from Luke are in a separate file, Divisions.) It appears here that Matthew and Luke have use common sayings of Jesus material each in his own context. The “crowds” (Lk.) or “the Pharisees and Sadducees (Mt.) can read signs of the weather (Lk. 12:54-6) but do not "know how to interpret the present time" (v. 56). Matthew’s framework follows Mark 8:11-13, which includes the Pharisees seeking a sign (Mk. 8:11) and the reply that no sign will be given (Mk. 8:12), but adds the reference to the sign of Jonah (Mt. 16:4; 12:39; Lk. 11:29). The references to discerning the weather are expressed differently by Matthew and Luke. Matthew emphasizes the red sky, which indicates fair weather in the evening but stormy weather in the morning (Mt. 16:2-3), but Luke refers to “a cloud rising in the west” as a sign of rain (Lk. 12:54), and the heat brought by the south wind. But both draw the conclusion, “You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time?” (Lk. 12:56; cf. Mt. 16:3b). In our day, we have come to marvel at technology-based weather forecasting. But how well does our spiritual forecasting work?

Luke’s concluding verses (12:57-59; cf. Mt. 5:25-26) warn that one should seek to settle with an accuser out of court rather than be “dragged before the judge” (Lk. 12:58, cf. vv. 57-59). If the judge delivers him to prison, he “will never get out until [he has] paid the last penny (leptos)” (v. 59). Matthew says, “Truly I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny (kodrantēs)” (Mt. 5:26). Luke’s term leptos refers to “the smallest Greek coin in circulation” (Elwyn E. Tilden and Bruce M. Metzger, NOAB, 2^nd ed. on Lk. 12:50), worth “a fraction of a cent” (F. Wilbur Gingrich, Shorter Lexicon of the Greek New Testament, 1965, s.v. leptos). Matthew’s term kodrantēs is a Latin loan word and refers to a coin of similar value. According to Mark 12:42, the widow’s offering was “two small copper coins,” that is, two lepta, “which are worth a penny (kodrantēs).” Tilden and Metzger equate the latter to the quadrans (on Lk. 12:59; cf. Mt. 5:26 in the Latin Vulgate). G. W. H. Lampe sees Luke’s version of these sayings as referring “to the urgent need for Israel to take action to avoid the imminent judgment, by repentance; perhaps also the further thought that failure to repent will mean political destruction” (Peake’s Commentary on the Bible, sec. 729f, p. 835 on Lk. 12:58-59).

Ronald D. Worden, Ph.D.

rdworden@hgst.edu

rworden@houston.rr.com