Jeremiah 29:1, 4-14 (Episcopal reading; one of two readings in the Presbyterian and Lutheran traditions)

Prepare for a Seventy-year Exile in Babylon

29:1 These are the words of the letter that the prophet Jeremiah sent from Jerusalem to the remaining elders among the exiles, and to the priests, the prophets, and all the people, whom Nebuchadnezzar had taken into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. (Jeremiah 29:1, NRSV)

4 Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5 Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat what they produce. 6 Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease. 7 But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare. 8 For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Do not let the prophets and the diviners who are among you deceive you, and do not listen to the dreams that they dream, 9 for it is a lie that they are prophesying to you in my name; I did not send them, says the LORD.

10 For thus says the LORD: Only when Babylon's seventy years are completed will I visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place. 11 For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the LORD, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope. 12 Then when you call upon me and come and pray to me, I will hear you. 13 When you search for me, you will find me; if you seek me with all your heart, 14 I will let you find me, says the LORD, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, says the LORD, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile. (Jeremiah 29:4-14, NRSV)

On March 30, 2007 (Friday in the week of the Fifth Sunday of Lent, Year One), comments were combined with revision and supplement from March 18, 2005, two years ago (Friday in the week of the Fifth Sunday of Lent, Year One), and from October 16, 2005 (the Sunday closest to October 19, Year One). The combined comments are repeated here:

Jeremiah writes a letter to people deported from Jerusalem to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar in 597 B.C. (Jer. 29:1-2; cf. 2 Kgs. 24:8-12). Jeremiah writes “to the remaining elders among the exiles, and to the priests, the prophets, and all the people, whom Nebuchadnezzar had taken into exile from Jerusalem” (Jer. 29:1). Jeremiah puts this after the departure of “King Jeconiah [Jehoiachin], and the queen mother, the court officials, the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, the artisans, and the smiths” (v. 2), who were also in exile, for “King Jehoiachin of Judah gave himself up to the king of Babylon, himself, his mother, his servants, his officers, and his palace officials [as] the King of Babylon took him prisoner in the eighth year of his reign” (2 Kgs. 24:12). This deportation, in 597 B.C., would be followed by another at the time of the siege of the city and destruction of the temple (2 Kgs. 25:11).

The body of the letter is presented as a divine oracle, “Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, to all exiles whom I [not Nebuchadnezzar?] have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon” (Jer. 29:5). According to Mark E. Biddle, the Judeans taken to Babylonian exile “were being misled by the same baseless assurances of speedy return as those in Palestine (ch. 27)” (NOAB, 3^rd ed., on Jer. 29:3). According to Jack R. Lundbom, prophets in exile “are making grand claims about how things will improve markedly in Jerusalem” (Jeremiah 21-36, Anchor Bible, vol. 21B, p. 359, on Jer. 29:1-32). In Jerusalem, Jeremiah has predicted the destruction of the Jerusalem temple and the Babylonian captivity by wearing “a yoke of straps and bars” in an acted out prophecy (Jer., chap. 27). The prophet Hananiah–a false prophet–contradicts Jeremiah’s prophecies. “Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel,” says Hananiah: “I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon. Within two years I will bring back to this place all the vessels of the LORD’s house, which King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon took away from this place and carried to Babylon. I will also bring back to this place King Jeconiah son of Jehoiakim of Judah, and all the exiles from Judah who went to Babylon, says the LORD, for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon” (Jer. 28:2-4). Later in the present context, Jeremiah says, “Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, concerning Ahab son of Kolaiah and Zedekiah son of Maaseiah, who are prophesying a lie to you in my name: I am going to deliver them into the hand of King Nebuchadrezzar of Babylon, and he shall kill them before your eyes” (29:21).

In his letter to the exiles, Jeremiah counters these baseless assurances (vv. 8-9) with advice to “Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat what they produce. Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease” (vv. 5-6). They are to “seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare” (v. 7). He warns the exiles: “For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Do not let the prophets and the diviners who are among you deceive you, and do not listen to the dreams that they dream, 9 for it is a lie that they are prophesying to you in my name; I did not send them, says the LORD” (vv. 8-9).

They are to prepare for a lifetime (“seventy years,” v. 10) in Babylon. They are even to pray for Babylon’s “welfare” (v. 7). As we know from hindsight, Jeremiah’s prediction proved to be correct. The edict of Cyrus which permitted the Jews to return (538 B.C., 2 Chron. 36:22-23; Ezra 1:1-4) took some years to be fully realized, and many Jews settled permanently in Babylon. They said of Hillel that, like Ezra, he came up from Babylon to teach Jerusalem the Law. Eventually it was the Babylonian Talmud (not the Palestinian Talmud) that became the official Jewish Talmud.

Jeremiah, while giving sound advice, was hardly aware of what the centuries would bring. But he passes on the word of the LORD for the exiles. “Only when Babylon’s seventy years are completed will I visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place” (v. 10). They are not forgotten, as the word of the LORD continues, “For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the LORD, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope” (v. 11). Their restoration will require repentance, for the LORD tells the exiles, “Then when you call upon me and come and pray to me, I will hear you” (v. 12). “When you search for me,” he says, “you will find me; if you seek me with all your heart, I will let you find me” (vv. 13, 14a). And the LORD adds, “I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, says the LORD, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile” (v. 14b). Here, as often in Jeremiah, he must contradict the superficial optimism of false prophets with sound advice which may seem bitter for the moment, but in the long run, holds out more substantial hope.

Jeremiah 39:11-40:6 (Alternate reading in the Presbyterian and Lutheran traditions)

Jeremiah, the Babylonian Captain of the Guard, and Ebed-melech

11 King Nebuchadrezzar of Babylon gave command concerning Jeremiah through Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, saying, 12 "Take him, look after him well and do him no harm, but deal with him as he may ask you." 13 So Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard, Nebushazban the Rabsaris, Nergal-sharezer the Rabmag, and all the chief officers of the king of Babylon sent 14 and took Jeremiah from the court of the guard. They entrusted him to Gedaliah son of Ahikam son of Shaphan to be brought home. So he stayed with his own people.

15 The word of the LORD came to Jeremiah while he was confined in the court of the guard: 16 Go and say to Ebed-melech the Ethiopian: Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: I am going to fulfill my words against this city for evil and not for good, and they shall be accomplished in your presence on that day. 17 But I will save you on that day, says the LORD, and you shall not be handed over to those whom you dread. 18 For I will surely save you, and you shall not fall by the sword; but you shall have your life as a prize of war, because you have trusted in me, says the LORD. (Jeremiah 39:11-18, NRSV)

The following comments are repeated here with editing and supplement from October 16, 2005 (the Sunday closest to October 19, Year One):

The Babylonians, now clearly in charge, having slaughtered Zedekiah’s sons (Jer. 39:6), captured and put out the eyes of Zedekiah (v. 7), sent him bound to Babylon (v. 8), and exiled most of the rest of the people (v. 9), were prepared to deal kindly with Jeremiah. Perhaps they were aware of his repeated advice that Zedekiah should surrender to them (cf. 40:2-3). The Babylonian king gives command “through Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard” (39:11): “Take him, look after him well and do him no harm, but deal with him as he may ask you” (v. 12). As the officers carry out this command (v. 13), Jeremiah is removed “from the court of the guard,” and “entrusted . . . to Gedaliah son of Ahikam son of Shaphan to be brought home. So he stayed with his own people” (v. 14). Leo G. Perdue, in comments revised by Robert R. Wilson, says, “For a slightly different account regarding Jeremiah’s release from prison, cf. 40:1-6” (HarperCollins Study Bible, rev. ed., 2006, on Jer. 39:11-14).

Ebed-melech, the Ethiopian who rescued Jeremiah from the cistern (38:7-13), is given a promise of safety. While Jeremiah was still confined in the court of the guard, the “word of the LORD” comes to him for Ebed-melech (39:15). Jeremiah’s predictions about Jerusalem will come to pass. “Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: I am going to fulfill my words against this city for evil and not for good, and they shall be accomplished in your presence on that day” (v. 16). But Ebed-melech’s faithfulness and trust in the LORD (v. 18b) will be rewarded. “But I will save you on that day, says the LORD, and you shall not be handed over to those whom you dread. For I will surely save you, and you shall not fall by the sword; but you shall have your life as a prize of war” (vv. 17-18a),

Jeremiah and Gedaliah (cf. 2 Kings 25.22-26)

40:1 The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD after Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard had let him go from Ramah, when he took him bound in fetters along with all the captives of Jerusalem and Judah who were being exiled to Babylon. 2 The captain of the guard took Jeremiah and said to him, "The LORD your God threatened this place with this disaster; 3 and now the LORD has brought it about, and has done as he said, because all of you sinned against the LORD and did not obey his voice. Therefore this thing has come upon you. 4 Now look, I have just released you today from the fetters on your hands. If you wish to come with me to Babylon, come, and I will take good care of you; but if you do not wish to come with me to Babylon, you need not come. See, the whole land is before you; go wherever you think it good and right to go. 5 If you remain, then return to Gedaliah son of Ahikam son of Shaphan, whom the king of Babylon appointed governor of the towns of Judah, and stay with him among the people; or go wherever you think it right to go." So the captain of the guard gave him an allowance of food and a present, and let him go. 6 Then Jeremiah went to Gedaliah son of Ahikam at Mizpah, and stayed with him among the people who were left in the land. (Jeremiah 40:1-6, NRSV)

The next “word of the LORD” that came to Jeremiah is timed “after Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard had let him go from Ramah, when he took him bound in fetters along with all the captives of Jerusalem and Judah who were being exiled to Babylon” (Jer. 40:1). “Ramah,” says Mark E. Biddle, “was a transit point for deportees” (NOAB, 3^rd ed., on Jer. 40:1-6, with ref. to 31:15). As noted above, citing Perdue and Wilson, this account varies from 39:11-14, where Jeremiah is taken “from the court of the guard” (v. 14). In the present account, the Babylonian “captain of the guard” seems to be quite familiar with what Jeremiah has been proclaiming, which he summarizes: “The LORD your God threatened this place with this disaster; and now the LORD has brought it about, and has done as he said, because all of you sinned against the LORD and did not obey his voice. Therefore this thing has come upon you” (40:2-3). In this, Nebuzaradan refers to the nation, and the pronoun “you” (-kem) is plural. But then he addresses Jeremiah directly. “Now look,” he says, “I have just released you (-kā, singular) today from the fetters on your hands” (v. 4a). He offers Jeremiah a choice. “If you wish to come with me to Babylon, come, and I will take good care of you; but if you do not wish to come with me to Babylon, you need not come. See, the whole land is before you; go wherever you think it good and right to go” (v. 4b). Jeremiah’s alternative is spelled out by Nebuzaradan. “If you remain, then return to Gedaliah son of Ahikam son of Shaphan, whom the king of Babylon appointed governor of the towns of Judah, and stay with him among the people; or go wherever you think it right to go” (v. 5a), which becomes Jeremiah’s choice. He is given “an allowance of food and a present, and let . . . go” (v. 5b). So “Jeremiah went to Gedaliah son of Ahikam at Mizpah, and stayed with him among the people who were left in the land” (v. 6).

By choice, according to Biddle, Jeremiah

was placed in the custody of Gedaliah, the newly appointed governor of Judah with whose family [he] had long been friendly (26:24; 36:10). In fact, Gedaliah’s family figures prominently, not only in the life of Jeremiah, but also at the Judean court and in relation to the Deuteronomic reform. Gedaliah’s grandfather, Shaphan, delivered the newly discovered law scroll to King Josiah (2 Kings 22:3-13). Gedaliah’s father, Ahikam, a member of the delegation sent to the prophetess Huldah (2 Kings 22:12-14), was Jeremiah’s champion as well (26:24). Gedaliah’s uncle Gemariah (36:25) and first cousin (Micaiah (36:25) play similar, though unsuccessful, roles with regard to Jeremiah’s scroll that was read to king Jehoiakim. Another of Gedaliah’s uncles, Elasah, delivered Jeremiah’s letter to the exiles (29:3). The close connection between this aristocratic family, the Deuteronomic/Deuteronomistic movement, and the prose of the book of Jeremiah is intriguing. (Ibid.)

Acts 16:6-15

Come Over to Macedonia!

6 They went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. 7 When they had come opposite Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them; 8 so, passing by Mysia, they went down to Troas. 9 During the night Paul had a vision: there stood a man of Macedonia pleading with him and saying, "Come over to Macedonia and help us." 10 When he had seen the vision, we immediately tried to cross over to Macedonia, being convinced that God had called us to proclaim the good news to them. (Acts 16:6-10, NRSV)

Lydia

11 We set sail from Troas and took a straight course to Samothrace, the following day to Neapolis, 12 and from there to Philippi, which is a leading city of the district of Macedonia and a Roman colony. We remained in this city for some days. 13 On the sabbath day we went outside the gate by the river, where we supposed there was a place of prayer; and we sat down and spoke to the women who had gathered there. 14 A certain woman named Lydia, a worshiper of God, was listening to us; she was from the city of Thyatira and a dealer in purple cloth. The Lord opened her heart to listen eagerly to what was said by Paul. 15 When she and her household were baptized, she urged us, saying, "If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come and stay at my home." (Acts 16:11-15, NRSV)

On July 31, 2007 (Tuesday in the week of the Sunday closest to July 27, Year One), comments were repeated from September 19, 2006 (Tuesday in the week of the Sunday closest to September 14, Year Two), when the comments had been repeated with editing and supplement from November 16, 2005 (the Twenty-Second Sunday after Pentecost, Year One). The revised comments are repeated again here with minor adjustment.

At the beginning of Acts, chapter 5, Paul, Silas and Timothy are in the vicinity of Timothy’s hometown, Lystra (Acts 16:1-5), some 200 miles from Antioch of Syria, Paul’s home base, so to speak. Suddenly, a couple verses later, we find them having traversed the length of Asia Minor (modern Turkey), some 600 miles further west by northwest. “They went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia” (v. 6), and “When they had come opposite Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them” (v. 7). Phrygia was “a large region of interior western Asia Minor, during the NT period divided by the Romans into the provinces Asia and Galatia” (Harper’s Bible Dictionary, 1985, s.v. Phrygia, article by Dennis R. MacDonald). Mysia was “the region of northwestern Asia Minor along the Hellespont and the Aegean Sea” in which were found Troas (Acts 16:8, 11) and Assos (Acts 20:13) (Harper’s Bible Dictionary, s. v. Mysia). Bithynia was “a Roman Province in northwest Asia Minor” (Harper’s Bible Dictionary, s.v. Bithynia), mentioned with other provinces as the location of readers to whom 1 Peter was addressed. The point is that Paul passed quickly through Asia Minor, and, thanks to his vision at Troas of the man of Macedonia, who said, “Come over to Macedonia and help us” (Acts 16:9). The response of Paul, accompanied by Silas and Timothy, has come to symbolize for some the entry of the Gospel into Europe–though it may be that Christian believers were in Rome soon after Pentecost. For Luke, it represents the Holy Spirit’s guidance of the mission. They were “forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia,” as noted above (v. 6), though Paul would later spend more than two years at Ephesus (Acts 19:10), the major city in the Roman Province of Asia. They were also not allowed to “go into Bithynia” (Acts 16:7). They respond to this guidance. “When he [Paul] had seen the vision, we immediately tried to cross over to Macedonia, being convinced that God had called us to proclaim the good news to them” (v. 10). We note the preposition “they” in verses 6, 7, and 8, which becomes “we” in verses 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 (“us”), 15 (“us”), 16, and 17 (“us”). These first person references are commonly understood to indicate Luke’s presence with Paul’s group in the crossing to Macedonia and the beginnings of their ministry in Philippi. If so, Luke was present when Paul cast the spirit of divination out of the slave-girl (vv. 16-18), but apparently was not imprisoned with Paul and Silas (vv. 19-29).

But that’s a little ahead of the story. The group left Troas, sailed to the island of Samothrace, and “the following day to Neapolis,” the seaport (v. 11). Philippi, some ten miles inland, becomes the next scene of Paul’s ministry, for “from there [Neapolis, we journeyed] to Philippi, which is a leading city of the district of Macedonia and a Roman colony” (v. 12a). “We remained,” reports Luke, “in this city for some days” (v. 12b).

“On the sabbath day,” says Luke, “we went outside the gate by the river, where we supposed there was a place of prayer; and we sat down and spoke to the women who had gathered there” (v. 13). Beverly Roberts Gaventa suggests that by the expression “A place of prayer,” Luke means either a synagogue or an informal place of worship” (HarperCollins Study Bible, rev. ed., 2006, on Acts 16:13). An official Jewish synagogue would require a minyan (a quorum of ten men), so a group of women worshiping by the river would hardly be an official synagogue. Lydia is described as “a worshiper of God,” which Gaventa describes as “a Gentile who worshiped Israel’s God)” (Ibid., on v. 14). Lydia was a business woman, perhaps wealthy, “a dealer in purple cloth,” not a native of Philippi, but “from the city; of Thyatira” (v. 14a). Thyatira, which lay some 100 miles or so north of Ephesus, “lay on the road between Pergamum and Sardis in Lydia (or at times in Mysia) on the Lycus River” (Harper’s Bible Dictionary, s.v. Thyatira). The city “was in the district of Lydia, which had long been a center for the production of purple dye, a luxury good (Lk. 16:19)” (Gaventa, loc. cit.). Luke tells us that “The Lord opened her heart to listen eagerly to what was said by Paul” (v. 14b). She opened her home to the missionaries, and, though they were imprisoned briefly (vv. 23-39), they would establish an important church in Philippi, which likely met, at first, in Lydia’s home. As a business-woman, Lydia may very well have contributed substantially to the financial help for Paul’s missionary work for which his later letter to the Philippians thanks them (Phil. 1:5, 7; 2:25; 4:10-20). In writing that letter, Paul finds little to criticize in the Philippian church. He does urge two persons, Euodia and Syntyche, to “be of the same mind in the Lord” (Phil. 4:2).

Luke 10:1-12, 17-20

The Seventy Sent Out on Mission

10:1 After this the Lord appointed seventy others and sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to go. 2 He said to them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. 3 Go on your way. See, I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves. 4 Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and greet no one on the road. 5 Whatever house you enter, first say, 'Peace to this house!' 6 And if anyone is there who shares in peace, your peace will rest on that person; but if not, it will return to you. 7 Remain in the same house, eating and drinking whatever they provide, for the laborer deserves to be paid. Do not move about from house to house. 8 Whenever you enter a town and its people welcome you, eat what is set before you; 9 cure the sick who are there, and say to them, 'The kingdom of God has come near to you.' 10 But whenever you enter a town and they do not welcome you, go out into its streets and say, 11 'Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off in protest against you. Yet know this: the kingdom of God has come near.' 12 I tell you, on that day it will be more tolerable for Sodom than for that town. (Luke 10:1-12, NRSV)

The Seventy Return

17 The seventy returned with joy, saying, "Lord, in your name even the demons submit to us!" 18 He said to them, "I watched Satan fall from heaven like a flash of lightning. 19 See, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing will hurt you. 20 Nevertheless, do not rejoice at this, that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven." (Luke 10:17-20, NRSV)

The following comments are repeated here from October 16, 2005 (the Sunday closest to October 19, Year One):

The account of Jesus sending the Twelve out on mission is found in three Gospels (Mt. 10; Mk. 6; Lk. 9), but the Mission of the Seventy (Lk. 10:1-12), though it incorporates material that Matthew uses in the speech commissioning the Twelve (Mt. 9:37-38, leading up to the speech, cf. Lk. 10:2 and Jn. 4:35; Mt. 10:16, cf. Lk. 10:3; Mt. 16:9, cf. Lk. 10:4; Mt. 10:12-13, cf. Lk. 10:5-6; Mt. 10:10, cf. Lk. 10:7; Mt. 10:7, cf. Lk. 10:9, 11; Mt. 10:14, cf. Lk. 10:10; Mt. 10:15, cf. Lk. 10:12), has no parallel as such in Matthew or Mark. The fact that the Seventy were sent out “in pairs” has been used as a model for community visitation by modern churches.

Luke makes brief reference in the interval between the going out and the return of the Seventy to woes which Jesus pronounced on Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum (Lk. 10:13-15; Mt. 11:20-24). He also includes the promise that “Whoever listens to you listens to me, and whoever rejects you rejects me, and whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me” (Lk. 10:16; cf. Mt. 10:40; Jn. 13:20).

 The Seventy, upon their return, marvel that “even the demons submit to us!” (Lk. 10:17), but Jesus, who “watched Satan fall from heaven like a flash of lightning” (v. 18), tells them to rejoice rather “that your names are written in heaven” (v. 20). According to Marion Lloyd Soards, “Jesus did not regard exorcism in itself as a sign of God’s kingdom (11:19)” (NOAB, 3^rd ed., on Lk. 10:20). But Jesus’ emphasis on the long-range value of citizenship in Heaven (cf. Phil. 3:20; Heb. 11:10), is a useful reminder for us.

On May 22 and 23, 2007 (Tuesday and Wednesday in the week of the Seventh Sunday of Easter, Year One), comments were combined from several earlier dates. The comments relevant to today’s reading are repeated here.

On Luke 10:1-12

The mission of the Twelve is reported in three Gospels: Matthew 10:1-16; Mark 6:6-13; Luke 9:1-6, but the mission of the Seventy (or Seventy-two) is reported only by Luke (10:1-10, 17-20). Eric Franklin comments on the number:

The MS evidence is fairly divided and it is not easy to conclude what Luke actually wrote. Both numbers [70, 72] are linked to the two OT episodes that might be reflected in Luke’s story. Gen. 10 has a list of seventy nations of the world, though LXX has seventy-two. Num. 11 speaks of Moses choosing seventy elders upon whom a portion of the spirit that was upon him would rest, but since two others shared the gift, this could be taken as seventy-two. Which of these two episodes influenced Luke’s telling of the story is not certain. That they were sent ‘before Jesus to every town and place where he himself intended to go’ suggests the situation of the world-wide church as it preached and witnessed in anticipation of the return of Christ. On the other hand, the woes against the Galilean towns of vv. 13-15 point to Jewish perversity which was not wholly other than that which caused Moses’ appointment of the seventy elders. The episode is certainly related to the continuing mission to Israel and the varied response that this caused. Luke probably sees it as a pointer to the missionary experiences of his contemporaries as they challenged both Jews and Gentiles. (Eric Franklin, The Oxford Bible Commentary, 941)

Jesus gives similar instructions in both accounts. They go in pairs (Lk. 10:1; cf. Mk. 6:7). Jesus’ saying about the harvest provides motivation (Lk. 10:2; cf. Mt. 9:37-38). They are sent as lambs / sheep in the midst of wolves (Lk. 10:3; cf. Mt. 10:16). They are not to take money (Lk. 10:4; Mt. 10:9-10; Mk. 6:8). They are to stay where they are welcomed (Lk. 10:5-6; Mt. 10:11-13; cf. Mk. 6:10), but if not welcomed, they are to find another house (Lk. 10:6-7; cf Mt. 10:13). They are to “shake off” or “wipe off” “dust against” those who do not welcome them (Lk. 10:11; Mk. 6:11; Mt. 10:14, cf. v. 10). They are to preach the kingdom of God (Lk. 10:9; Mt. 10:7; Mk. 6:12). They went out and healed and cast out demons (Lk. 10:9, cf. vv. 17, 20; Mk. 6:7, 13; Mt. 10:1, 8). You might say I'm stretching a point to apply this by relating the Twelve to our ordained or recorded clergy and the Seventy to other Christian leaders, but as committed Christian believers we all share a common task. “The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ . . .” (Eph. 4:11-12). Elton Trueblood, for one, concludes from this passage that it is the job of the saints to do the work of ministry, and the job of pastors and teachers to equip the saints for ministry. It’s interesting to note that in both accounts of Jesus sending people out, they are sent two by two (for the Twelve, Mk. 6:7; for the Seventy/Seventy-two, Lk. 10:1). Modern pastors have inferred from this that door-to-door evangelism works best when people are sent out in pairs. The Seventy/Seventy-two are to first say, “Peace to this house! (Lk. 10:5), a form of the common greeting, Shalom! But Jesus’ purpose in sending them was to bring a profound peace. “Blessed are the peacemakers” (Mt. 5:9).

In the interval between the going out and the return of the Seventy, Luke makes brief reference to woes which Jesus pronounced on Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum (Lk. 10:13-15; Mt. 11:20-24).

The woes sayings of Matthew and Luke (Mt. 11:21; Lk. 10:13) are practically verbatim. The phrase “had been done,” the same in English in both versions, represents different but essentially synonymous Greek, egenonto in Matthew, for egenēthēsan in Luke (both aorist forms meaning “had happened”). Luke includes the word “sitting” (kathēmenoi) in the phrase, “sitting in sackcloth and ashes.” In the next verse, Matthew has “on the day of judgment” (Mt. 11:22) for Luke’s “at the judgment” (Lk. 10:14). In the saying about Capernaum being brought down to Hades (Mt. 11:23; Lk. 10:15), the English is again the same, but Luke uses the definite article with “Hades” (tou hadou) but Matthew, with essentially the same meaning, does not (hadou). There is more difference in terms of context. Matthew introduces the woe statement (Mt. 11:20 after the report of Jesus’ rebuking those who heeded neither John’s message nor his (Mt. 11:16-19; Lk. 7:31-33). Matthew’s parallel to Luke 10;16 appears to come from a different context where he combines material from Mark and from the source he shares with Luke (usually called “Q”); compare Matthew 10:40-42; Mark 9:41 and Luke 10:16. In this case, the negative side of Luke’s form of the saying, “whoever rejects you rejects me, and whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me” (Lk. 10:16b) accords with the context of the woes against the Galilean cities, which are not a part of the parallel context in Matthew. Tomorrow’s reading from Luke will focus on the return of the Seventy who were sent out (as noted above).

On Luke 10:17-20

The Gospel reading from Luke reports the return of the seventy, who rejoice in their recent experiences. “Lord in your name even the demons submit to us!” (Lk. 10:17; cf. Mk. [16:17]). Jesus responds, “I watched Satan fall from heaven like a flash of lightning” (v. 18). This, of course, is not what we might call “one-upmanship,” for he adds, “See, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing will hurt you” (v. 19; cf. Mk. [16:18]; Acts 28:3-6). (Note: the square brackets, [ ], are used in modern editions, e.g. NRSV, to indicate passages in some manuscripts that are not considered original.) The disciples’ ability to exorcise demons represents a battle victory in the war between the two kingdoms (God’s and Satan’s), but Jesus tells them to “rejoice that your names are written in heaven” (v. 20). According to Marion Lloyd Soards, “Jesus did not regard exorcism in itself as a sign of God’s kingdom (11:19)” (NOAB, 3^rd ed., on Lk. 10:20). But Jesus’ emphasis on the long-range value of citizenship in Heaven (cf. Phil. 3:20; Heb. 11:10), is a useful reminder for us.

Ronald D. Worden, Ph.D.

rdworden@hgst.edu

deanworden@comcast.net