NOTE: Some of the comments below are adapted from a devotional email that I sent out on November 14, 2003.

1 Maccabees 2:1-28

Mattathias and His Sons

2:1 In those days Mattathias son of John son of Simeon, a priest of the family of Joarib, moved from Jerusalem and settled in Modein. 2 He had five sons, John surnamed Gaddi, 3 Simon called Thassi, 4 Judas called Maccabeus, 5 Eleazar called Avaran, and Jonathan called Apphus. 6 He saw the blasphemies being committed in Judah and Jerusalem, 7 and said,

"Alas! Why was I born to see this,

the ruin of my people, the ruin of the holy city,

and to live there when it was given over to the enemy,

the sanctuary given over to aliens?

8 Her temple has become like a person without honor;

9 her glorious vessels have been carried into exile.

Her infants have been killed in her streets,

her youths by the sword of the foe.

10 What nation has not inherited her palaces

and has not seized her spoils?

11 All her adornment has been taken away;

no longer free, she has become a slave.

12 And see, our holy place, our beauty,

and our glory have been laid waste;

the Gentiles have profaned them.

13 Why should we live any longer?"

14 Then Mattathias and his sons tore their clothes, put on sackcloth, and mourned greatly.

Pagan Worship Refused

15 The king's officers who were enforcing the apostasy came to the town of Modein to make them offer sacrifice. 16 Many from Israel came to them; and Mattathias and his sons were assembled. 17 Then the king's officers spoke to Mattathias as follows: "You are a leader, honored and great in this town, and supported by sons and brothers. 18 Now be the first to come and do what the king commands, as all the Gentiles and the people of Judah and those that are left in Jerusalem have done. Then you and your sons will be numbered among the Friends of the king, and you and your sons will be honored with silver and gold and many gifts."

19 But Mattathias answered and said in a loud voice: "Even if all the nations that live under the rule of the king obey him, and have chosen to obey his commandments, everyone of them abandoning the religion of their ancestors, 20 I and my sons and my brothers will continue to live by the covenant of our ancestors. 21 Far be it from us to desert the law and the ordinances. 22 We will not obey the king's words by turning aside from our religion to the right hand or to the left."

23 When he had finished speaking these words, a Jew came forward in the sight of all to offer sacrifice on the altar in Modein, according to the king's command. 24 When Mattathias saw it, he burned with zeal and his heart was stirred. He gave vent to righteous anger; he ran and killed him on the altar. 25 At the same time he killed the king's officer who was forcing them to sacrifice, and he tore down the altar. 26 Thus he burned with zeal for the law, just as Phinehas did against Zimri son of Salu.

27 Then Mattathias cried out in the town with a loud voice, saying: "Let every one who is zealous for the law and supports the covenant come out with me!" 28 Then he and his sons fled to the hills and left all that they had in the town. (1 Maccabees 2:1-28, NRSV)

The following comments are repeated here with editing and supplement from November 12, 2005 (Saturday in the week of the Sunday closest to November 9, Year One):

Yesterday's turning points and crises moments are to be followed by decisive action. We are introduced to Mattathias, the “son of John son of Simeon, a priest of the family of Joarib” (1 Macc. 2:1a), who, to escape "the blasphemies being committed in Judah and Jerusalem" (v. 6), “moved from Jerusalem and settled in Modein” (v. 1b). We also meet his five sons, “John surnamed Gaddi, Simon called Thassi, Judas called Maccabeus, Eleazar called Avaran, and Jonathan called Apphus” (vv. 2-5). His reaction to “the blasphemies being committed in Judah and Jerusalem” is presented as poetry of lament (2.7-13; cf., as noted yesterday, 1:24b-28, 36-40, 3:45, using references from Daniel J. Harrington, HarperCollins Study Bible, rev. ed., 2006, on 1:25-28). Mattathias’ lament begins as the lament “of Jerusalem as a [dishonored] beautiful woman” (Mary Chilton Callaway, NOAB, 3^rd ed., on vv. 7-13, with ref. to Lam. 1:1). “Alas!” she cries; “Why was I born to see this, / the ruin of my people, the ruin of the holy city, / and to live there when it was given over to the enemy, / the sanctuary given over to aliens?” (2:7). Note the synonymous parallelism, characteristic of Hebrew poetry, in the last two lines. According to Callaway, “The earliest extant manuscripts [of 1 Macc.] are from the fourth and fifth centuries CE in Greek and Latin,” but she adds that “Scholars since the time of Jerome have noticed that the Greek of 1 Maccabees reads like a translation from Hebrew, almost certainly the book’s original language” (NOAB, 3^rd ed., in the Introduction to 1 Maccabees).

Mattahias continues the lament of Jerusalem in the third person. “Her (autēs, fem.) temple,” he mourns, “has become like a person without honor; / her glorious vessels have been carried into exile. / Her infants have been killed in the streets, / her youths by the sword of the foe” (vv. 8-9). “What nation,” he asks, “has not inherited her palaces / and has not seized her spoils?” (v. 10). Mattathias mourns Jerusalem’s loss of “her (autēs, fem.) adornment,” and her present condition as “no longer free,” but as “a slave (doulēn, fem. noun)” (v. 11). Mattathias’ lament, moves on from metaphor to close with literal description . “And see,” he says, “our holy place, our beauty, / and our glory have been laid waste; / the Gentiles have profaned them. / Why should we live any longer?” (vv. 12-13). Then as in mourning, “Mattathias and his sons tore their clothes, put on sackcloth, and mourned greatly” (v. 14).

When the king's officers come to Modein to "make them offer sacrifice" (i.e. pagan sacrifice, v. 15), Mattathias rebels. A crowd is assembled, including “Mattathias and his sons” (v. 16). The king’s officers propose to “honor” Mattathias as the first to follow the king’s commands. “You are a leader,” they tell him, “honored and great in this town, and supported by sons and brothers” (v. 17). Whether this “honor” was offered sincerely or not, they invite him to “be the first to come and do what the king commands, as all the Gentiles and the people of Judah and those that are left in Jerusalem have done” (v. 18a). They offer a reward (bribe?) for compliance. “Then you and your sons will be numbered among the Friends of the king, and you and your sons will be honored with silver and gold and many gifts” (v. 18b). According to Harrington, “The rank of Friends of the king carried the privileges of members of the Seleucid royal court (see10:65; 11:27)” (op. cit., on 2:18).

But Mattathias responds with defiance and “in a loud voice: ‘Even if all the nations that live under the rule of the king obey him, and have chosen to obey his commandments, everyone of them abandoning the religion of their ancestors, I and my sons and my brothers will continue to live by the covenant of our ancestors. Far be it from us to desert the law and the ordinances. We will not obey the king's words by turning aside from our religion to the right hand or to the left’ ” (vv. 19-22). But one of the crowd was apparently attracted to the officers’ inducement. “When he [Mattathias] had finished speaking these words, a Jew came forward in the sight of all to offer sacrifice on the altar in Modein, according to the king's command” (v. 23). “Elsewhere in chs. 1-13,” says Callaway, “ ‘Israelite’ is used instead of the term Jew, which here perhaps means ‘Judean’ ” (on v. 23). But Mattathias reacts to this defection in anger. “When Mattathias saw it, he burned with zeal and his heart was stirred. He gave vent to righteous anger; he ran and killed him on the altar” (v. 24). More than that, “At the same time he killed the king's officer who was forcing them to sacrifice, and he tore down the altar. Thus he burned with zeal for the law, just as Phinehas did against Zimri son of Salu” (vv. 25-26). Harrington says, “According to Num. 25:6-15, Phineas, grandson of Aaron, showed his zeal by killing an Israelite man and a Midianite woman involved in the cult of Baal Peor, thus stopping a plague. Celebrated for his zeal for God’s covenant and worship (Ps. 106:28-31; Sir. 45:23-24), Phineas provides a model for Mattathias (v. 54)” (on v. 26).

 Following this action, Mattathias rallies the crowd to resist the Syrians. He cries “out in the town with a loud voice, saying ‘Let every one who is zealous for the law and supports the covenant come out with me!” This rallying cry in effect begins what we have come to call the Maccabean Revolt, named for Judas the Maccabee (the "Hammer"), the son of Mattathias who led the revolt after the death of Mattathias (vv. 49-70). But for now they must retreat to the hills while their movement gathers strength, for then, Mattathias “and his sons fled to the hills and left all that they had in the town” (v. 28). Their battles will continue in subsequent readings.

Nehemiah 13:4-22 (alternative reading, Presbyterian and Lutheran traditions)

For the text and comments of this reading see the text and comments of Wednesday, November 7, 2007, ten days ago.

Revelation 20:1-6

The Thousand Years

20:1 Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. 2 He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, 3 and threw him into the pit, and locked and sealed it over him, so that he would deceive the nations no more, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be let out for a little while.

4 Then I saw thrones, and those seated on them were given authority to judge. I also saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their testimony to Jesus and for the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years. 5 (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.) This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. Over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him a thousand years. (Revelation 20:1-6, NRSV)

The following comments are combined with editing and supplement from comments of December 20, 2004 (Monday in the week of the Fourth Sunday of Advent, Year One), and from comments of November 12, 2005 (Saturday in the week of the Sunday closest to November 9, Year One):

In the reading from Revelation, John sees “an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain” (Rev. 20:1). This angel seizes “the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the Devil and Satan, and [binds] him for a thousand years, and [throws] him into the pit, and [locks] and [seals] it over him, so that he [will] deceive the nations no more, until the thousand years [are] ended” (vv. 2-3). According to Bruce M. Metzger,

As other numerals in this book are to be understood symbolically and not literally, so this period of a thousand years represents the perfection and completion of the martyrs’ reign with Christ, untroubled by Satan’s wiles. The first limiting of the power of the evil one occurred during the ministry of the Seventy (Lk. 10:18). One must beware of reading more into this passage than is warranted; e.g. nothing is said here about a reign on earth. (NOAB, 2^nd ed., on Rev. 20:2).

“Then,” says John, “I saw thrones, and those seated on them were given authority to judge. I also saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their testimony to Jesus and for the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years” (v. 4). The “thrones,” says Metzger, are “thrones of judgment (Dan. 7:9, 22, 27; Mt. 19:28; Lk. 22:30), and he adds, “Those . . . beheaded for their testimony [are] martyrs (in 6:9-10) the souls of the martyrs, under the altar, cry for vengeance).” Metzger also identifies the mark mentioned here, which these martyrs had refused, as that of 13:16-17 (on v. 4). “The rest of the dead,” says John parenthetically, “did not come to life until the thousand years were ended” (v. 5a). “This,” says John, referring to those who “came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years” (v. 4), “is the first resurrection” (v. 5b). “Blessed and holy,” he says, “are those who share in the first resurrection. Over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him a thousand years” (v. 6). By the term “blessed” here, Metzger is reminded of “the first of seven beatitudes in Revelation, that is, “Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of the prophecy, and blessed are those who hear and who keep what is written in it; for the time is near” (1:3). The others are “14:13; 16:15; 19:9; 20:6 [here]; 22:7, 14” (Metzger on 20:6 and 1:3). For the term “priests,” he refers to 1:6 and 5:10, and for “second death,” he refers to 2:11 (on 20:6) and his note there, where he defines “the second death” as “the final condemnation of sinners (20:14; Mt. 10:28)” (on 2:11).

Matthew 16:21-28

Jesus Foretells His Death and Resurrection (Mk 8.31-33; Lk 9.21-22)

21 From that time on, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and undergo great suffering at the hands of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. 22 And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, "God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you." 23 But he turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things." (Matthew 16:21-23, NRSV)

The Cross and Self-Denial (Mk 8.34-9.1; Lk 9.23-27)

24 Then Jesus told his disciples, "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 25 For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. 26 For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life? Or what will they give in return for their life? (Matthew 16:24-26, NRSV)

27 "For the Son of Man is to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay everyone for what has been done. 28 Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom." (Matthew 16:27-28, NRSV)

On June 16, 2006 (Friday in the week of the Sunday closest to June 8, Year Two), comments were repeated with editing and supplement from November 12, 2005 (Saturday in the week of the Sunday closest to November 9, Year One). The combined comments are repeated here. For recent comments on Mark’s version of these passages, see the Archive for March 25, 2007 (the Fifth Sunday of Lent, Year One).

Jesus follows Peter's confession with his first Passion Prediction (Mt. 16:21-24; Mk. 8:31-33; Lk. 9:21-22), "he must go to Jerusalem and undergo great suffering...and be killed, and on the third day be raised" (Mt. 16:21). These and the related passages on the cross and self-denial (Mt. 16:24-28; Mk. 8:34-91; Lk. 9.23-27; cf. Jn. 12:25; 8:51-52; 21:20-21) are in the separate file, the First Passion Prediction. (We may note that in the three Synoptic Gospels these events lead directly to the Transfiguration, Mt. 17:1-9; Mk. 9:2-10; Lk. 9:28-36; cf. Jn. 12:28-30). The remaining two passion predictions come in the next two chapters of Mark (Mk. 9:30-32; Mk. 10:32-34) and in similar contexts in Matthew (Mt. 17:22-23; Mt. 20:17-19), but in Luke they are separated by the extensive travel narrative (Lk. 9:51-18:14), occurring in Luke 9:43b-45 and in Luke 18:32-34). Matthew adds a fourth passion prediction in 26:2, as a part of the report that the religious leaders “took counsel together in order to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him” (Mt. 26:1-5; cf. Mk. 14:1-2; Lk. 22:1-2). In all of these prediction accounts except for Luke’s second and Matthew’s fourth, Jesus specifically says he will rise on the third day (Mt. 16:21; Mk. 8:31; Lk. 9:22–Mt. 17:23; Mk. 9:31; cf. Lk. 9:44–Mt. 20:19; Mk. 10:34; Lk. 18:33–cf. Mt. 26:2). It apparently took the disciples some time to understand what Jesus meant–or to accept the fact of his predicted death–but after his resurrection the angel at the tomb tells the women, “Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for he has been raised, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay” (Mt. 28:5-6).

Matthew and Mark follow the first prediction with Peter’s objection. “God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you” (Mt. 16:22; cf. Mk. 8:32). And both report Jesus’ stern retort. “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things” (Mt. 16:23; Mk. 8:33 [omitting ‘You are a stumbling block to me’]).

The remainder of today’s reading focuses on the future of the disciples, with advice on discipleship and self-denial (Mt. 16:24-26; Mk. 8:34-36; Lk. 9:23-25) and a prediction of judgment with rewards and punishment at the coming of the Son of Man (Mt. 16:27-29; Mk. 8:37-9:1; Lk. 9:26-27; cf. Lk. 14:27; 17:33; 12:9 and the references in John from the table, the First Passion Prediction). Jesus says, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me” (Mt. 16:24; Mk. 8:34; Lk. 9:23 [adding the word daily]). He adds a reason for doing this: “For those who want to save their life (psyche) will lose it, and those who lose their life (psyche) for my sake [M. adds ‘and for the sake of the gospel’] will find [‘save,’ Mk., Lk.] it (Mt. 16:25; Mk. 8:35; Lk. 9:24). Jesus also adds a motive for the self-denial: “For what will it profit them if they [‘to’ for ‘if they,’ Mk.] gain the whole world but [‘and,’ Mk.] forfeit their life (psyche)? Or [‘Indeed,’ Mk.] what will [‘can,’ Mk.] they give in return for their life (psyche)?” (Mt. 16:26; Mk. 8:36-37); “What does it profit them if they gain the whole world, but lose or forfeit themselves (heauton, ‘himself/herself’)?” (Lk. 9:25). “Those who love their life (psyche) lose it, and those who hate their life (psyche) in this world will keep it for eternal life” (Jn. 12:25).

This finding of one’s life is related to the coming of the Son of Man with its accompanying judgment, when “he [the Father] will repay everyone for what has been done” (Mt. 16:27; cf. Mk. 8:38; Lk. 9:26). Mark and Luke refer to “those who are ashamed of me and of my words” in the present time, as those of whom “the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels” (Mk. 8:38; cf. Lk. 9:26). Of the promise that “there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom” (Mt. 16:28; cf. Mk. 9:1; Lk. 9:27), William Barclay notes that Mark uses the words, “until they see that the kingdom of God has come with power” :

As Matthew records this phrase3, it reads as if Jesus spoke as if he expected his own visible return in the lifetime of some of those who were listening to him. If Jesus said that, he was mistaken. But we see the real meaning of what Jesus said when we turn to Mark’s record of it. Mark has: And he said to them, ‘Truly I say to you, there are some who are standing her who will not taste death before they see the Kingdom of God come with power’ (Mark 9:1).

It is of the mighty working of his Kingdom that Jesus is speaking; and what he said came most divinely true. There were those standing there who saw the coming of Jesus in the coming of the Spirit at the day of Pentecost. There were those who were to see Gentile and Jew swept into the Kingdom; they were to see the tide of the Christian message sweep across Asia Minor and cover Europe until it reached Rome. Well within the life-time of those who heard Jesus speak, the Kingdom came with power. (William Barclay, The Gospel of Matthew, The Daily Study Bible Series, rev. ed., 1975, vol. 2, pp. 155-156 on Mt. 16:27-28).

“The Cross was not to be the end,” says Barclay; “it was to be the beginning of the unleashing of that power which was to surge throughout the whole world. This is a promise to the disciples of Jesus Christ that nothing men can do can hinder the expansion of the Kingdom of God” (Ibid., p. 156).

 “The Romans used crucifixion as a gruesome means of terrorizing subject peoples by hanging rebels and agitators from crosses for several days until they suffocated to death. They required condemned provincials to carry the crossbeam on which they were about to be hung” (Richard A. Horsley, NOAB, 3^rd ed., on Mk. 8:34). We know that some of the disciples would eventually become martyrs; early tradition says that Peter and Paul were both put to death at Rome during Nero’s persecutions. But, while Jesus takes the threat of persecution and martyrdom for his followers very seriously, another side of this teaching is the emphasis upon Christian commitment to servant leadership, contribution and participation in the life of the Christian community, and the coming of kingdom of God with power (Mk. 9:1).

Ronald D. Worden, Ph.D.

rdworden@hgst.edu

deanworden@comcast.net