Jeremiah 38:14-28

Bad News for Zedekiah

14 King Zedekiah sent for the prophet Jeremiah and received him at the third entrance of the temple of the LORD. The king said to Jeremiah, "I have something to ask you; do not hide anything from me." 15 Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, "If I tell you, you will put me to death, will you not? And if I give you advice, you will not listen to me." 16 So King Zedekiah swore an oath in secret to Jeremiah, "As the LORD lives, who gave us our lives, I will not put you to death or hand you over to these men who seek your life."

17 Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, "Thus says the LORD, the God of hosts, the God of Israel, If you will only surrender to the officials of the king of Babylon, then your life shall be spared, and this city shall not be burned with fire, and you and your house shall live. 18 But if you do not surrender to the officials of the king of Babylon, then this city shall be handed over to the Chaldeans, and they shall burn it with fire, and you yourself shall not escape from their hand." 19 King Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, "I am afraid of the Judeans who have deserted to the Chaldeans, for I might be handed over to them and they would abuse me." 20 Jeremiah said, "That will not happen. Just obey the voice of the LORD in what I say to you, and it shall go well with you, and your life shall be spared. 21 But if you are determined not to surrender, this is what the LORD has shown me-- 22 a vision of all the women remaining in the house of the king of Judah being led out to the officials of the king of Babylon and saying,

'Your trusted friends have seduced you

and have overcome you;

Now that your feet are stuck in the mud,

they desert you.'

23 All your wives and your children shall be led out to the Chaldeans, and you yourself shall not escape from their hand, but shall be seized by the king of Babylon; and this city shall be burned with fire."

24 Then Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, "Do not let anyone else know of this conversation, or you will die. 25 If the officials should hear that I have spoken with you, and they should come and say to you, 'Just tell us what you said to the king; do not conceal it from us, or we will put you to death. What did the king say to you?' 26 then you shall say to them, 'I was presenting my plea to the king not to send me back to the house of Jonathan to die there.' " 27 All the officials did come to Jeremiah and questioned him; and he answered them in the very words the king had commanded. So they stopped questioning him, for the conversation had not been overheard. 28 And Jeremiah remained in the court of the guard until the day that Jerusalem was taken. (Jeremiah 38:14-28, NRSV)

The following comments are repeated here with editing and supplement from October 14, 2005 (Friday in the week of the Sunday closest to October 12, Year One):

In a second secret inquiry of Jeremiah (Jer. 38:14; cf. 37:17), King Zedekiah sends for Jeremiah, who comes to “the third entrance of the temple of the LORD,” where ‘Zedekiah says, “ I have something to ask you; do not hide anything from me” (38:14). After all that has happened to him, Jeremiah hesitates. “If I tell you,” he asks, “you will put me to death, will you not?” And Jeremiah says, “if I give you advice, you will not listen to me” (v. 15). Zedekiah, according to Mark E. Biddle, is “uncertain and fearful,” but Jeremiah is “Justifiably suspicious,” [so he] exact[s] an oath from Zedekiah for his safety” (NOAB, 3^rd ed., on Jer. 38:14-28). “So King Zedekiah swore an oath in secret to Jeremiah, ‘As the LORD lives, who gave us our lives, I will not put you to death or hand you over to these men who seek your life’ ” (v. 16). So Jeremiah, with this promise of protection from the king, warns Zedekiah that he must surrender to the Babylonians.

Thus says the LORD, the God of hosts, the God of Israel, If you will only surrender to the officials of the king of Babylon, then your life shall be spared, and this city shall not be burned with fire, and you and your house shall live. But if you do not surrender to the officials of the king of Babylon, then this city shall be handed over to the Chaldeans, and they shall burn it with fire, and you yourself shall not escape from their hand. (Jer. 38:17-18, NRSV)

So Zedekiah, uncertain about the situation under siege, learns the truth in this secret visit with Jeremiah, but in the end, fails to follow Jeremiah’s advice. He offers a lame excuse. “I am afraid of the Judeans who have deserted to the Chaldeans, for I might be handed over to them and they would abuse me” (v. 19). The Babylonians clearly hold the balance of power, so why should Zedekiah fear the Judeans, even those who have deserted to the Babylonians? Jeremiah responds: “That will not happen. Just obey the voice of the LORD in what I say to you, and it shall go well with you, and your life shall be spared” (v. 20). Mark E. Biddle notes that Jeremiah “repeated his counsel of ‘surrender and live’ (20:1-16; 21:4-10; 27:1-11)” (loc. cit.). If Zedekiah does not agree to surrender (v. 21a), Jeremiah paints a bleak picture, “what the LORD has shown me” (v. 21b):

a vision of all the women remaining in the house of the king of Judah being led out to the officials of the king of Babylon and saying,

‘Your trusted friends have seduced you

and have overcome you;

Now that your feet are stuck in the mud,

they desert you.’

All your wives and your children shall be led out to the Chaldeans, and you yourself shall not escape from their hand, but shall be seized by the king of Babylon; and this city shall be burned with fire. (Jer. 38:22-23, NRSV)

As before (37:17-21), Zedekiah listens to the word of the LORD, but does not follow through and do what Jeremiah has said he must do to escape disaster. “Do not let anyone else know of this conversation,” says Zedekiah, “or you will die” (38:24). Zedekiah anticipates trouble from his officials. “If the officials should hear that I have spoken with you,” he says, “and they should come and say to you, ‘Just tell us what you said to the king; do not conceal it from us, or we will put you to death. What did the king say to you?’ then you shall say to them, ‘I was presenting my plea to the king not to send me back to the house of Jonathan to die there’ ” (vv. 25-26). Zedekiah must have known his officials well, for they do come and question Jeremiah, and get the answer that Zedekiah has dictated (v. 27a). They had to let the matter rest there, because “the conversation [between Zedekiah and Jeremiah] had not been heard” (v. 27b). From this it appears that the officials have a similar respect for Jeremiah’s words. So Jeremiah’s situation remains unchanged–at least he is not executed by the Judeans–for he “remained in the court of the guard until the day that Jerusalem was taken” (v. 28).

1 Corinthians 15:1-11

Resurrection of Christ (Cp Mk 16.9-20)

15:1 Now I would remind you, brothers and sisters, of the good news that I proclaimed to you, which you in turn received, in which also you stand, 2 through which also you are being saved, if you hold firmly to the message that I proclaimed to you-unless you have come to believe in vain.

3 For I handed on to you as of first importance what I in turn had received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, 4 and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 8 Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. 9 For I am the least of the apostles, unfit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me has not been in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them-though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. 11 Whether then it was I or they, so we proclaim and so you have come to believe. (1 Corinthians 15:1-11, NRSV)

On April 17, 2006 (Monday of Easter Week, Year Two), comments were repeated from October 14, 2005 (Friday of the week of the Twenty-First Sunday after Pentecost, Year One). They are repeated again here.

The resurrection of Christ is fundamental to Christian faith and decisive in the formation of the Christian church and its gospel. The resurrection appearance-narratives of the early Christian traditions, including this passage (1 Cor. 15:1-11) as well as those included in the Gospels (e.g. Mt. 28:16-20; Jn. 20:26-29) provide an invaluable basis for Christian faith in the resurrection. When we consider the fact that leading New Testament scholars date Paul’s writing of this passage in the middle of the 50s (i.e. ca. A.D. 55), at least a decade earlier than the writing of any of the Gospels–though the traditions and remembrances upon which the Gospels were based were being used at this time–this passage takes on special importance as evidence for Christ’s resurrection. The kinds of traditions which Paul says he “received,” and in turn “proclaimed to you [Corinthians]” (1 Cor. 15:1a) illustrate what must have been the kinds of traditions upon which the written Gospels were based. They “received” this good news (euaggelion, “gospel”), “in which,” says Paul, “you stand” (v. 1b). He adds that they are being saved through this good news “if you hold firmly to the message that I proclaimed to you–unless you have come to believe in vain” (v. 2). But the focus here–the heart of this “good news,” or “gospel,” is the tradition about Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection.

After dying “for our sins in accordance with the scriptures” (v. 3), and being “buried” and “raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures” (v. 4) he appeared to several persons (vv. 5-7), and “last of all” to Paul himself, “as to one untimely born.” This list is not exhaustive, if we compare the various resurrection appearance narratives of the Gospels. According to Ben Witherington III, the words “eita . . . epeita . . . epeita . . . eita (‘then, afterward, afterward, then’) in vv. 5-7 [indicate] that he refers to the appearances in Chronological order” (Conflict & Community in Corinth, 1995, p. 300, on 1 Cor. 15:5-8). He interprets the list:

The appearance to Cephas, that is, Peter, is not recorded in the Gospels other than a passing reference in Luke 24. The appearance to the Twelve (which by then were the Eleven) is probably another of the Jerusalem appearances. The appearances to the five hundred, to James, and to “all the apostles” may have occurred in Galilee (cf. Matt. 28:16ff.). James is apparently Jesus’ brother (cf. 9:5); if another James, such as Zebedee’s son, were meant, there would be no reason to single him out from the Twelve. It is unclear what Paul means by “all the apostles,” but they are distinguished from the Twelve, and in Paul’s mind would likely include Barnabas, Andronicus, Junia, and others (cf. Rom. 16:7). (Ibid.)

“Last of all,” says Paul, “as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me” (v. 8); this is Paul’s way of distinguishing his Damascus Road experience from other resurrection appearance-narratives. His explanation reflects a certain humility. “For I am the least of the apostles, unfit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God” (v. 9). But he is confident in God’s grace. “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me has not been in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them-though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me” (v. 10). And he reminds the Corinthians that they, whether through his preaching or that of another (cf. 1:12; 3:3-15), they have heard the proclamation of the good news and so “have come to believe) (15:11).

“The function of Paul’s rhetoric in ch. 15,” says Witherington, “is not to do apologetics but to correct Christians gone significantly astray. His major tactic is to show ‘some’ of the Corinthians the logical implications of their position, cited in v. 12, that ‘there is no resurrection of the dead’ ” (Ibid., p. 291, on 1 Cor. 15:1-58). But that bring’s us to tomorrow’s reading.

Matthew 11:1-6

Conclusion of Jesus’ Instructions When Sending Out the Disciples

11:1 Now when Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and proclaim his message in their cities.

Messengers from John the Baptist (cf. Lk 7.18-23)

2 When John heard in prison what the Messiah was doing, he sent word by his disciples 3 and said to him, "Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?" 4 Jesus answered them, "Go and tell John what you hear and see: 5 the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them. 6 And blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me." (Matthew 11:1-6, NRSV)

The following comments are repeated here with some editing and supplement from October 14, 2005 (Friday in the week of the Sunday closest to October 12, Year One):

As noted yesterday, Matthew 11:1 is the formula which Matthew uses to indicate the conclusion of Jesus’ speech instructing the Twelve Disciples as he sent them out on mission. Compare similar formulas which close the Sermon on the Mount (:28-29), the series of parables in chapter 13 (13:53), the discourse on various aspects of Christian life in community in chapter 18 (19:1), and the eschatological discourse in chapters 24-25, including the woes against the Pharisees in chapter 23 (26:1). These formulae are indications of Matthew’s methods in bringing together related parts of the Gospel traditions.

The report of John the Baptist’s question and Jesus answer (Mt. 11:2-6) has a parallel passage in Luke (Lk. 7:18-23). These passages are presented in the separate file, Baptist’s Question, Jesus’ Answer. According to Matthew, “When John heard in prison what the Messiah [or the Christ, NRSV note a] was doing, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?’ ” (Mt. 11:2-3). In Luke, the question is the same, but the introduction focuses on John’s disciples: “The disciples of John reported all these thing to him. So John summoned two of his disciples, and sent them to the Lord to ask, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?’ ” (Lk. 7:18-19). According to Marion Lloyd Soards, “Lord [is] Luke’s own title for Jesus” (NOAB, 3^rd ed., on Lk. 7:19; cf. ‘to him,’ Mt. 11:3). He adds that “The one who is to come” means “the messiah” (Ibid., cf. Mt. 11:2). Earlier, Luke has reported the imprisonment of John as an event prior to the beginning of Jesus’ ministry (Lk. 3:18-20), so, given the passage of time, his question is understandable. In reporting that the men come to Jesus and ask the question as directed, Luke essentially repeats himself (Lk. 7:20). And before reporting Jesus response, Luke sets the scene. “Jesus had just then cured many people of diseases, plagues, and evil spirits, and had given sight to many who were blind” (v. 21). Jesus’ response is almost identical in both versions: “Go and tell John what you hear and see (Lk., ‘have seen and heard,’ perfect tense verbs): the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and (Lk. lacks ‘and’) the poor have good news brought to them” (Mt. 11:4-5; Lk. 7:22). Matthew’s series of six actions in verse 5 uses the conjunction kai (“and”) four times. There are one or two instances of this conjunction in Luke’s series, with variation in the manuscripts. Jesus’ reply to John closes with a blessing on “anyone who takes no offense at me” (Mt. 11:6; Lk. 7:23), and as the messengers leave, he addresses the crowds about John (Mt. 11:7; Lk. 7:24), but that is tomorrow’s reading. Sometimes, waiting for the fulfillment of God’s promises can be difficult, especially under such circumstances as John was enduring.

Ronald D. Worden, Ph.D.

rdworden@hgst.edu

deanworden@comcast.net