1 Samuel 1:1-2, 7b-28, Episcopal tradition

1:1 There was a certain man of Ramathaim, a Zuphite from the hill country of Ephraim, whose name was Elkanah son of Jeroham son of Elihu son of Tohu son of Zuph, an Ephraimite. 2 He had two wives; the name of the one was Hannah, and the name of the other Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children. (1 Samuel 1:1-2, NRSV)

Therefore Hannah wept and would not eat. 8 Her husband Elkanah said to her, “Hannah, why do you weep? Why do you not eat? Why is your heart sad? Am I not more to you than ten sons?”

9 After they had eaten and drunk at Shiloh, Hannah rose and presented herself before the LORD. Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat beside the doorpost of the temple of the LORD. 10 She was deeply distressed and prayed to the LORD, and wept bitterly. 11 She made this vow: “O LORD of hosts, if only you will look on the misery of your servant, and remember me, and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a male child, then I will set him before you as a nazirite until the day of his death. He shall drink neither wine nor intoxicants, and no razor shall touch his head.”

12 As she continued praying before the LORD, Eli observed her mouth. 13 Hannah was praying silently; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard; therefore Eli thought she was drunk. 14 So Eli said to her, “How long will you make a drunken spectacle of yourself? Put away your wine.” 15 But Hannah answered, “No, my lord, I am a woman deeply troubled; I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I have been pouring out my soul before the LORD. 16 Do not regard your servant as a worthless woman, for I have been speaking out of my great anxiety and vexation all this time.” 17 Then Eli answered, “Go in peace; the God of Israel grant the petition you have made to him.” 18 And she said, “Let your servant find favor in your sight.” Then the woman went to her quarters, ate and drank with her husband, and her countenance was sad no longer.

19 They rose early in the morning and worshiped before the LORD; then they went back to their house at Ramah. Elkanah knew his wife Hannah, and the LORD remembered her. 20 In due time Hannah conceived and bore a son. She named him Samuel, for she said, “I have asked him of the LORD.”

21 The man Elkanah and all his household went up to offer to the LORD the yearly sacrifice, and to pay his vow. 22 But Hannah did not go up, for she said to her husband, “As soon as the child is weaned, I will bring him, that he may appear in the presence of the LORD, and remain there forever; I will offer him as a nazirite for all time.” 23 Her husband Elkanah said to her, “Do what seems best to you, wait until you have weaned him; only-may the LORD establish his word.” So the woman remained and nursed her son, until she weaned him. 24 When she had weaned him, she took him up with her, along with a three-year-old bull, an ephah of flour, and a skin of wine. She brought him to the house of the LORD at Shiloh; and the child was young. 25 Then they slaughtered the bull, and they brought the child to Eli. 26 And she said, “Oh, my lord! As you live, my lord, I am the woman who was standing here in your presence, praying to the LORD. 27 For this child I prayed; and the LORD has granted me the petition that I made to him. 28 Therefore I have lent him to the LORD; as long as he lives, he is given to the LORD.”

She left him there for the LORD. (1 Samuel 1:7b-28, NRSV)

The following comments are repeated from June 18 and 19, 2007 (Monday and Tuesday in the week of the Sunday closest to June 15, Year One), when comments were based on those of June 13 and 14, two years earlier, and on comments of January 1, 2006 (the first Sunday after Christmas, Year Two) and from May 26, 2006 (Friday in the week of the Sixth Sunday of Easter, Year Two):

This lesson, from 1 Samuel chapter 1, introduces the parents of Samuel, with special attention to Hannah, the childless wife of Elkanah. The other (“the second,” haššēnîth) wife, Peninnah, had “sons and daughters” (1 Sam. 1:4), which made matters worse for Hannah by comparison. Elkanah probably married Peninnah because of Hannah’s failure to produce an heir (see Gen. 16:1-2)” (Steven L. McKenzie, NOAB, 3^rd ed., on 1 Sam. 1:2). “There was inevitable tension and rivalry between the two women, with Hannah being constantly provoked and distressed; this provided a perfect scene for a miraculous intervention and the subsequent contrast between her humiliation and ultimate triumph” (Gwylim H. Jones, The Oxford Bible Commentary, p. 201, on 1 Sam. 1:1-2:10).

It was Elkanah’s custom “to go up year by year from his town to worship and to sacrifice to the LORD of hosts at Shiloh” (1 Sam. 1:3). On the occasion of these sacrifices, there were portions to share with family (v. 4). According to L. H. Brockington, “there is evidence elsewhere that families shared in the sacrificial meal (Dt. 12:18; 14:22-9; 15:19-23)” (Peake’s Commentary on the Bible, sec. 274c, on 1 Sam. 1:4). At that time, Elkanah would give “a double portion” to his wife Hannah (v. 5 NRSV, cf. TNIV). The reading, “a double portion,” appears to be based on the ancient Syriac version (cf. the NRSV text note b, “Syr: Meaning of Heb. uncertain). The double portion is explained as given “because he loved her although the LORD had closed her womb” (v. 5). As a consequence, probably unintended on Elkanah’s part, “ Her rival [Peninnah] used to provoke her [Hannah] severely, to irritate her, because the LORD had closed her womb” (v. 6). Joy Osgood says,

In ancient society barrenness was regarded as a curse from God (1 Sam. 1:6), a personal disaster that condemned a woman to an uncertain future . . . Children, particularly sons, were an effective insurance policy for a mother in the event of her husband’s death. It was all very well for Elkanah to protest, ‘Am I not more to you than ten sons?’ (1 Sam. 1:8). Maybe so, while he lived, but in the event of his demise, Hannah’s future would be bitter. (The NIV Women’s Bible Commentary, 2002, pp. 154-155, on 1 Sam. 1:1-2:11)

Brockington says the gift of a double portion “would give an immediate reason for the spiteful treatment of Hannah by Peninnah” (loc. cit.), which apparently continued repeatedly, year by year, so that “Hannah wept and would not eat” (v. 7).

But on this occasion, “After they had eaten and drunk at Shiloh, Hannah rose and presented herself before the LORD” (v. 9a). At that time “Eli the priest was sitting on the seat beside the doorpost of the temple [hēkal] of the LORD” (v. 9b). The term “temple” (hēkal) apparently applies to the tabernacle here (cf. “house of the LORD,” bēt-YHWH,” v. 24). Eli, the priest noticed her distress (vv. 9-10, 12-14). In her prayer she vowed that if the LORD would give her “a male child,” then she would give him to the LORD “as a nazirite” (v. 11). “Nazirites were “devoted” to the LORD for a set period of time and were prohibited from drinking alcohol or eating grapes, cutting their hair or beards, and approaching a dead body (Num. 6:1-21)” (McKenzie, on v. 11). But Eli misunderstands and thinks she is drunk (v. 14). When she explains (vv. 15-16), he sends her away with a benediction of peace (v. 17). The reading ends with the report that her prayer was answered. “Elkanah knew his wife Hannah, and the LORD remembered her” (v. 19), and “in due time Hannah conceived and bore a son . . . Samuel” (v. 20).

Hannah does not join her husband for the next trip to Shiloh for the yearly sacrifice. As she said, "As soon as the child is weaned, I will bring him, that he may appear in the presence of the LORD, and remain there forever; I will offer him as a nazirite for all time” (1 Samuel 1:22). Her husband agrees and “When she had weaned him, she took him up with her, along with a three-year-old bull, an ephah of flour, and a skin of wine. She brought him to the house of the LORD at Shiloh; and the child was young” (v. 24). After the sacrifices (v. 25) she affirms her previous vow. “Oh, my lord! As you live, my lord, I am the woman who was standing here in your presence, praying to the LORD. For this child I prayed; and the LORD has granted me the petition that I made to him. Therefore I have lent him to the LORD; as long as he lives, he is given to the LORD” (vv. 26-28).

1 Kings 17:17-24, Presbyterian and Lutheran traditions

Elijah Revives the Widow’s Son

17 After this the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, became ill; his illness was so severe that there was no breath left in him. 18 She then said to Elijah, “What have you against me, O man of God? You have come to me to bring my sin to remembrance, and to cause the death of my son!” 19 But he said to her, “Give me your son.” He took him from her bosom, carried him up into the upper chamber where he was lodging, and laid him on his own bed. 20 He cried out to the LORD, “O LORD my God, have you brought calamity even upon the widow with whom I am staying, by killing her son?” 21 Then he stretched himself upon the child three times, and cried out to the LORD, “O LORD my God, let this child’s life come into him again.” 22 The LORD listened to the voice of Elijah; the life of the child came into him again, and he revived. 23 Elijah took the child, brought him down from the upper chamber into the house, and gave him to his mother; then Elijah said, “See, your son is alive.” 24 So the woman said to Elijah, “Now I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the LORD in your mouth is truth (1 Kings 17:17-24, NRSV)

On September 12, 2007 (Wednesday in the week of the Sunday closest to September 7, Year One), comments were repeated with editing and supplement from September 7, 2005 (Wednesday in the week of the Sunday closest to September 7, Year One). Those comments are repeated here with some adaptation and comparison with the comments of December 30, 2005 (Friday in the week of Christmas Day, Year Two).

Yesterday’s reading introduced Ahab; today’s introduces Elijah. It might seem a rather inauspicious beginning, but Elijah drops a bomb, as it were: “As the LORD the God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word” (1 Kings 17:1). The full effect of this drought is reported later: “The famine was severe in Samaria” (18:2), but in the meantime Elijah’s living conditions picture the LORD’s care amidst the drought conditions. He drinks from the Wadi Cherith (17:3-4) and is fed by the ravens (vv. 4, 6). But when the wadi dries up (v. 7) the LORD directs Elijah to move on. “Go now to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and live there; for I have commanded a widow there to feed you” (v. 9).

Elijah goes to Zarephath, where, at “the gate of the town” he sees a widow there “gathering sticks”; and he calls to her, “Bring me a little water in a vessel, so that I may drink” (v. 10). She starts to comply, but when he adds a request for “a morsel of bread” (v. 11), she hesitates, and her concerns present a graphic picture of famine conditions. “As the LORD your God lives, I have nothing baked, only a handful of meal in a jar, and a little oil in a jug; I am now gathering a couple of sticks, so that I may go home and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die” (v. 12). But Elijah–and the LORD–have something else in mind. “Do not be afraid,” says Elijah; “ go and do as you have said; but first make me a little cake of it and bring it to me, and afterwards make something for yourself and your son” (v. 13). One’s first impression is that Elijah’s main concern is for himself, but as one who brings the word of the LORD, he has assuring words for the widow. “For thus says the LORD the God of Israel: The jar of meal will not be emptied and the jug of oil will not fail until the day that the LORD sends rain on the earth” (v. 14). She follow’s Elijah’s instructions, “so that she as well as he and her household ate for many days” (v. 15). “The jar of meal was not emptied,” says the narrator, neither did the jug of oil fail, according to the word of the LORD that he spoke by Elijah” (v. 16). This salvation from famine for the widow’s household as well as for Elijah, was, of course, the LORD’s doing as predicted by Elijah (v. 14).

But soon another crisis arises, for when “the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, became ill; his illness was so severe that there was no breath left in him” (v. 17). She blames Elijah. “What have you against me, O man of God?” she asks. “You have come to me to bring my sin to remembrance, and to cause the death of my son” (v. 18). Elijah in turn take the problem to the LORD. He takes the boy “up into the upper chamber where he was lodging,” and lays him “on his own bead” (v. 19). He pleads with the LORD. “O LORD my God, have you brought calamity even upon the widow with whom I am staying, by killing her son?” (v. 20). In desperation he stretches “himself upon the child three times,” and cries out to the LORD, “O LORD my God, let this child’s life come into him again” (v. 21). We are told that “the LORD listened to the voice of Elijah; the life of the child came into him again, and he revived” (v. 22). Elijah takes the boy back down to his mother and says, “See, your son is alive” (v. 23). And the woman gives voice to what is undoubtedly the narrator’s main point. “"Now I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the LORD in your mouth is truth” (v. 24). This event, in which the widow’s son is raised from death makes it clear that a prophet is on the scene who represents the LORD, the God who controls life and death. Another effect of this incident is a significant encouragement to Elijah’s own faith before his encounter with the 400 prophets of Baal (chap. 18).

Iain W. Provan summarizes the transition from Solomon’s reign to the times of Elijah:

The major theme of chs. 12-16 has been that God is in control of history, rather than kings or the other gods whom the kings worship. Everything comes to pass just as the prophets say. The Elijah and Elisha cycles placed at the center of 1-2 Kings, further establish this perspective. In chs 17-18 in particular, the most sinful of Israel’s kings, Ahab, is forced to reckon with the most powerful of prophetic interventions, in the person of Elijah. These chapters make clear that Baal is no more a god in any real sense than Jeroboam’s calves are. The divinely ordained drought (17:1) provides the context for showing that it is the LORD and not Baal, who controls both life and death, both fertility and infertility. (NOAB, 3^rd ed., on 17:1-24).

Colossians 1:9-20, Episcopal tradition

Paul’s Thanksgiving, continued

9 For this reason, since the day we heard it, we have not ceased praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 so that you may lead lives worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, as you bear fruit in every good work and as you grow in the knowledge of God. 11 May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from his glorious power, and may you be prepared to endure everything with patience, while joyfully 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light. 13 He has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

The Supremacy of Christ

15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; 16 for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers-all things have been created through him and for him. 17 He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross. (Colossians 1:9-20, NRSV)

The following comments are repeated here from April 30, 2007 (Monday in the week of the Fourth Sunday of Easter, Year One):

The following comments were repeated from April 18, 2005, two years ago (Monday in the week of the Fourth Sunday of Easter, Year One) on January 7, 2006 (using references for The Epiphany and Following, references for Jan. 7, Year Two). They are repeated again here with some supplement from comments on Colossians 1:15-20 from May 1, 2007 (Tuesday in the week of the Fourth Sunday of Easter, Year One), when comments were repeated on May 3, 2006 (Wednesday of the week of the Third Sunday of Easter, Year Two) from April 19, 2005 (Tuesday of the week of the Fourth Sunday of Easter, Year One).

Paul continues by telling the Colossians of his prayer for their “growth in knowledge (v. 9), moral maturity (v. 10), and endurance (v. 11)” (summary by Jennifer K. Berenson Maclean, NOAB, 3rd ed., on Col. 1:9-14). In his prayer, Paul gives “thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light” (v. 12). They have been rescued “from the power of darkness and transferred . . . into the kingdom of his beloved Son” (v. 13), “in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (v. 14) . The sharp contrast between light and darkness will be elaborated further: They were “once estranged” (1:21), but are “now reconciled” (v. 22). They have “died” (3:3), but “have been raised with Christ” (3:1). Colossae is located about a hundred miles east of Ephesus, in the Lycus river valley. There are records of Jews living in the area, but the church at Colossae included mainly Gentile Christian converts. Paul criticizes religious views that apparently include aspects of Judaism, rules about “matters of food and drink or observing festivals, new moons, or sabbaths” (2:16). Although the area was devastated by an earthquake in A.D. 60, about the time when Paul wrote to the Colossians, and though Colossae “apparently never recovered as a thriving metropolis” (Paul J. Achtemeier, Joel B. Green, and Marianne Meye Thompson, Introducing the New Testament, 2001, p. 407), the area remained important for the Christian community with churches at nearby Laodicea and Hierapolis. John is critical of the church at Laodicea in Revelation. “I know your works; you are neither cold nor hot. I wish that you were either cold or hot. So, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I am about to spit you out of my mouth” (Rev. 3:15-16). Papias, bishop of Hierapolis in the second century, is famous for comments about the authorship of the Gospels cited in the fourth century by Eusebius.

This passage, Colossians 1:15-23, especially verses 15-20, has been called “The Great Christology” (C. F. D. Moule, Peake’s Commentary on the Bible, sec. 865b, p. 991, on Col. 1:15-23).

Nowhere in the Pauline epistles is there a richer and more exalted estimate of the position of Christ than here. His work is related not only to the rescue of mankind from sin, but also (perhaps with reference to current false teaching . . .) to the creation of the universe. He is associated both with the creation of the world and with God’s ‘new creation’, the church: He is both ‘the first-born of all creation’ (15) and ‘the first-born from the dead’ (18). He is the goal of creation (16, ‘all things were created . . . for him’; contrast 1 Cor 8:6 where only God himself is the goal) and ‘the head of the body, the church’ (18).

The text continues: “For in him all the fullness (plērōma) of God was pleased to dwell” (v. 19). “Thus, Jesus of Nazareth, who had been done to death as an insurrectionary some 30 years (or less) before, occupies a position uniquely close to God in His creative and redemptive work. And this is inseparably associated precisely with that death on the cross” (Moule). It was on the cross that “God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things . . . by making peace through the blood of his cross” (v. 20).

Jennifer K. Berenson Maclean sums up this paragraph (vv. 15-20) as “the supremacy of Christ over the cosmos (vv. 15-17) and the church (vv. 18-20), taken from a hymn based on the figure of Wisdom (Prov 8; Sir. 24; Wis. 6-9; see also Jn. 1:1-18; Phil. 2:6-11)” (NOAB, 3^rd ed., on Col. 1:15-20). Moule says, “It [i.e., the christology here] is (in all but the actual term) a ‘Logos’ christology, like Jn. 1:1ff.; cf. Heb. 1:1ff. But whereas the Jewish conception of God’s Wisdom or Word treats it as among created things, it would be a mistake to interpret 15 the first-born of all creation in this sense. . . . Accordingly, the phrase here must mean either ‘He who was born (later creeds would say ‘begotten’) before all creation’ (cf. 17, ‘He is before all things’), or ‘the one who holds authority over all creation’, as the first-born is supreme over the rest of the family” (loc. cit.).

3 John 1-15, Presbyterian and Lutheran Traditions

Salutation

1 The elder to the beloved Gaius, whom I love in truth.

Gaius Commended

2 Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, just as it is well with your soul. 3 I was overjoyed when some of the friends arrived and testified to your faithfulness to the truth, namely how you walk in the truth. 4 I have no greater joy than this, to hear that my children are walking in the truth.

5 Beloved, you do faithfully whatever you do for the friends, even though they are strangers to you; 6 they have testified to your love before the church. You will do well to send them on in a manner worthy of God; 7 for they began their journey for the sake of Christ, accepting no support from non-believers. 8 Therefore we ought to support such people, so that we may become co-workers with the truth.

Diotrephes and Demetrius

9 I have written something to the church; but Diotrephes, who likes to put himself first, does not acknowledge our authority. 10 So if I come, I will call attention to what he is doing in spreading false charges against us. And not content with those charges, he refuses to welcome the friends, and even prevents those who want to do so and expels them from the church.

11 Beloved, do not imitate what is evil but imitate what is good. Whoever does good is from God; whoever does evil has not seen God. 12 Everyone has testified favorably about Demetrius, and so has the truth itself. We also testify for him, and you know that our testimony is true.

Final Greetings

13 I have much to write to you, but I would rather not write with pen and ink; 14 instead I hope to see you soon, and we will talk together face to face.

15 Peace to you. The friends send you their greetings. Greet the friends there, each by name. (3 John 1-15, NRSV)

On April 28, 2007 (Saturday in the week of the Third Sunday of Easter, Year One), comments were repeated from December 30, 2005 (Friday in the week of Christmas Day, Year Two), when comments were repeated from April 16, 2005 (Saturday in the week of the Third Sunday of Easter, Year One). They are repeated again here:

The author of 2 John and 3 John calls himself “the elder” and though 1 John does not name it’s author, the church has traditionally accepted the three of them as from John, the author of the Fourth Gospel. The three letters reflect circumstances within what scholars call the Johannine community, probably a group of house churches separated by some distance and requiring hospitality for traveling missionaries–something Diotrephes has refused to offer (3 Jn. 10). Gaius, on the other hand, to whom Third John is addressed, is commended for his “faithfulness to the truth” (vv. 3-4), which appears to mean especially the emphases of First John and Second John. “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the parent loves the child” (1 Jn. 5:1). “Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action. And by this we will know that we are from the truth and will reassure our hearts before him” (1 Jn. 3:18-19). “Many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh; any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist!” (2 Jn. 7). Gaius–probably not the associate of Paul (cf. Rom. 16:23; 1 Cor. 1:14), since it was a common name–is also commended for his “love before the church” (3 Jn. 6), and urged to provide missionaries with the needed hospitality (vv. 5-8) that Diotrephes refuses to provide. Strong testimony is offered in behalf of Demetrius (v. 12), “who may have brought the letter to Gaius” (Pheme Perkins, NOAB, 3^rd ed., on 3 Jn. 12). Third John “may well have been a letter of commendation for Demetrius, to be carried by Demetrius himself” (Paul J. Achtemeier, Joel B. Green and Marianne Meye Thompson, Introducing the New Testament, p. 551).

Luke 2:22-40, Episcopal tradition

Jesus Is Presented in the Temple

22 When the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male shall be designated as holy to the Lord”), 24 and they offered a sacrifice according to what is stated in the law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.”

25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; this man was righteous and devout, looking forward to the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit rested on him. 26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. 27 Guided by the Spirit, Simeon came into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him what was customary under the law, 28 Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying,

29 “Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace,

according to your word;

30 for my eyes have seen your salvation,

31 which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,

32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles

and for glory to your people Israel.”

33 And the child’s father and mother were amazed at what was being said about him. 34 Then Simeon blessed them and said to his mother Mary, “This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed 35 so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed-and a sword will pierce your own soul too.”

36 There was also a prophet, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, having lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, 37 then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped there with fasting and prayer night and day. 38 At that moment she came, and began to praise God and to speak about the child to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.

The Return to Nazareth

39 When they had finished everything required by the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. 40 The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him.

On Tuesday of this week (Jan. 1, 2008) the Holy Day reading celebrates the circumcision, or the naming, of Jesus, “eight days” after his birth (Lk. 2:21; cf. Gen. 17:12). The Daily Office Lectionary Gospel reading for Holy Name is Matthew 1:18-25, in which the angel tells Joseph to name the son to be born “Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins” (Mt. 1:21; cf. Gabriel’s similar instruction to Mary, Lk. 1:31). According to James Kiefer,

On January 1st, we celebrate the Circumcision of Christ. Since we are more squeamish than our ancestors, modern calendars often list it as the feast of the Holy Name of Jesus, but the other emphasis is the older. Every Jewish boy was circumcised (and formally named) on the eighth day of his life, and so, one week after Christmas, we celebrate the occasion when Our Lord first shed His blood for us. It is a fit close for a week of martyrs, and reminds us that to suffer for Christ is to suffer with Him. (“The Holy Name of Jesus or, the Circumcision of Christ,” http://www.satucket.com/lectionary/Holy_Name.htm, a page on the web site, The Lectionary, Charles Wohlers, Webmaster, accessed December 25, 2007)

Today’s Daily Office Lectionary reading from Luke (Lk. 2:22-40) is also the Holy Day reading for the Feast of the Presentation of Our Lord Jesus Christ; Feast of the Purification of the Virgin; Candlemas Day. After the report of Jesus’ circumcision (v. 21), Luke tells us: “When the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the law of the Lord, ‘Every firstborn male shall be designated as holy to the Lord’ [cf. Exod. 13:2, 21, 15), and they offered a sacrifice according to what is stated in the law of the Lord, ‘a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons [cf. Lev. 12:8]’ ” (Lk. 2:22-24). According to Marion Lloyd Soards, “The phrase their purification is ambiguous and likely refers to the parents, though there was no rite of purification for the father (or the newborn)” (NOAB, 3^rd ed., on Lk. 2:22-23). The regulation for purification of a woman after childbirth first stipulates bringing “a lamb in its first year for a burnt offering, and a pigeon or a turtledove for a sin offering” (Lev. 12:6). But a qualification is added: “If she cannot afford a sheep, she shall take two turtledoves or two pigeons, one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering; and the priest shall make atonement on her behalf, and she shall be clean” (Lev. 12:8). So, by following the latter requirement, Mary and Joseph indicate their relatively low socioeconomic status. By the traditional church-year dating of events, this visit to the temple would come after the (January 6) Epiphany celebration of the visit, homage and gifts of the Magi, which Matthew suggests was providential. “ The gifts they [the Magi] presented were, gold, frankincense, and myrrh, money, and money’s-worth. Providence sent this for a seasonable relief to Joseph and Mary in their present poor condition” (Henry, M. 1996, c1991. Matthew Henry's commentary on the whole Bible : Complete and unabridged in one volume . Hendrickson: Peabody, cited from Libronix Digital Library System). But in view of Herod’s order to execute “all the children in and around Bethlehem who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had learned from the wise men” (Mt. 2:16), we may surely date the visit of the Magi after the Presentation in the Temple.

Of the celebration of the Feast of the Presentation of Our Lord Jesus Christ; Feast of the Purification of the Virgin; Candlemas Day, Kiefer says,

Counting forward from December 25 as Day One, we find that Day Forty is February 2. A Jewish woman is in semi-seclusion for 40 days after giving birth to a son, and accordingly it is on February 2 that we celebrate the coming of Mary and Joseph with the infant Jesus to the Temple at Jerusalem (1) to offer sacrifice on behalf of Mary to mark the end of her seclusion (see Le 12:1-8), and (2) to ransom or redeem (buy back) Jesus as a first-born male (see Ex 13:11-13; 22:29; Nu 18:15-16; Dt 15:19). (“Feast of the Presentation of Our Lord Jesus Christ; Feast of the Purification of the Virgin; Candlemas Day,” http://www.satucket.com/lectionary/Purification.htm,, a page on the Lectionary web site mentioned above, accessed December 25, 2007)

Luke continues by reporting the encounter of the holy family with Simeon, who “was righteous and devout, looking forward to the consolation of Israel,” and upon whom “the Holy Spirit rested” (v. 25). Luke tells us that “It had been revealed to him [i.e., Simeon] by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah” (v.26). Here, as often later in Luke-Acts, we are told that someone guided by the Holy Spirit proclaims the Lord’s salvation. “Guided by the Spirit, Simeon came into the temple,” we are told, “and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him what was customary under the law” (v. 26), “Simeon took him [Jesus] in his arms and praised God” (v. 27). Kiefer describes what happened next. As Jesus and his parents entered the temple, “they were greeted by the aged Simeon. In a Sunday-School pageant, I [Kiefer], the narrator said, ‘And now Simeon bursts into a spontaneous song of praise, assisted by the Temple Choir.’ his song, called the Nunc Dimittis, has always had a prominent role in Christian worship. Soards refers to this as “the fourth hymn” (on vv. 29-32, counting the Magnificat, 1:46-55; the Benedictus, 1:67-79; and the angels’ Gloria, 2:14 as the first three).

Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace,

according to your word;

for my eyes have seen your salvation,

which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,

a light for revelation to the Gentiles

and for glory to your people Israel. (Lk. 2:29-32, NRSV)

According to Eric Franklin, the episode in which “Jesus is Presented in the Temple” (Lk. 2:22-40) “allows Jesus to be seen as acknowledging the Jewish religious tradition which was focused ;in the temple and which ultimately made possible God’s final redemption in him. It also enables the temple to make its witness to him. Once more, Luke’s purpose in recounting the story controls the way in which he tells it” (The Oxford Bible Commentary, 2001, p. 929, on Lk. 2:22-40). Franklin notes that Simeon “is presented not merely as the ideal observer of the Jewish covenantal obligations, but also as one who is led by them to look for God’s further action,” and Franklin adds:

In words that reflect the Servant Song of Isaiah 49:5-6, Jesus is proclaimed as having a significance for ‘all peoples’. He is a ‘light’ to reveal God to the nations. God’s glory which is to be made known to them is to be seen in the child he holds in his arms whose birth in a manger causes the expectations of the earlier songs to be realized in an unexpected way. The salvation of God is to be achieved, not through naked power, but in the surrender of his Son. . . . Many will oppose him, but that will reveal the limited nature of their response to the God who has made them his people. (Ibid., p. 930)

Jesus’ parents “were amazed at what was being said about him [Jesus]” (v. 33), but Simeon explained with a blessing, “This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed–and a sword will pierce your own soul too” (vv. 34-35). Franklin adds, “Even Mary, the true Israelite, will be pierced by the sword, not only of suffering, but also of judgement as she herself is called to move into a deeper understanding of the implications of Jesus. To be real, the grounds of the confidence expressed in her song have to be reviewed in the light of the babe who confirms it and makes it possible” (Ibid.).

The holy family encounters another in the temple. “There was also a prophet, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher” (v. 37a). Luke describes her as “of a great age, having lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped there with fasting and prayer night and day” (v. 37b). She too comes and offers praise, though the wording of her praise is not quoted. “ At that moment she came, and began to praise God and to speak about the child to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem” (v. 38). “Finally,” says Franklin, “Anna makes her witness to ‘all those who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem’. Jesus is the one through whom it will be accomplished, though again not in the manner that they will be expecting. Jerusalem will reject him and will instead follow a way that will lead to disaster (19:41-4). They will seem forsaken by God, but Anna is a reminder that the disaster is not God’s last word: Jesus remains for Jerusalem a sign of hope” (Ibid.).

John 4:46-54, Presbyterian and Lutheran traditions

Jesus Heals a Royal Official’s Son

46 Then he came again to Cana in Galilee where he had changed the water into wine. Now there was a royal official whose son lay ill in Capernaum. 47 When he heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went and begged him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. 48 Then Jesus said to him, “Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.” 49 The official said to him, “Sir, come down before my little boy dies.” 50 Jesus said to him, “Go; your son will live.” The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and started on his way. 51 As he was going down, his slaves met him and told him that his child was alive. 52 So he asked them the hour when he began to recover, and they said to him, “Yesterday at one in the afternoon the fever left him.” 53 The father realized that this was the hour when Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live.’ So he himself believed, along with his whole household. 54 Now this was the second sign that Jesus did after coming from Judea to Galilee. (John 4:46-54, NRSV)

On March 6, 2007 (Tuesday in the week of the Second Sunday of Lent, Year One), comments were combined with revision and adaptation from comments of January 8, 2005 (Saturday after the Epiphany, Year One) that were used on January 23, 2006 (Monday in the week of the Third Sunday after the Epiphany, Year Two) and comments from February 22, 2005, Tuesday in the week of the Second Sunday of Lent, Year One). The combined comments that pertain to today’s reading (John 4:46-54) are repeated here:

The references to Cana, including the wedding (Jn. 2:1-11) and Jesus’ return to Cana (Jn. 4:46) bracket one of his trips to Jerusalem ((2:13-3:36) and his return through Samaria (4:1-42). Upon arriving in Cana again, Jesus encounters “a royal official” (Jn. 4:46), “probably of Herod Antipas, tetrarch of Galilee (4 BCE-39 CE)” (Obery M. Hendricks, Jr., NOAB, 3^rd ed., on Jn. 4:46). When this official “heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee,” we are told, “he went and begged him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death” (v. 47). Jesus seems, at first, to put him off, as he does the Syrophoenician woman (Mk. 7:27, cf. vv. 24-30): “Then Jesus said to him [the royal official from Capernaum], ‘Unless you see signs (sēmeia) and wonders (terata) you will not believe’” (Jn. 4:48). Jesus’ implied question asks the royal official, Is your faith more adequate than that of the Jerusalemites who believed because of my signs (2:23)? In that case, “Jesus on his part would not entrust (episteuen) himself to them, because he knew all people and needed no one to testify about anyone; for he himself knew what was in everyone” (2:24-25). Hendricks, noting the plural “you” of verse 48, “Unless you see (idēte) signs and wonders, you will not believe (pisteusēte),” infers that “the official is a representative figure exemplifying faith progressing from signs (v. 48), to individual faith (the man believed, v. 50), to collective faith (with his whole household, v. 53)” (NOAB, 3^rd ed., on Jn. 4:48-53). I note that the “you” of verse 50, “Go (Poreuou); your son (ho huios sou) will live,” resumes the singular form. Perhaps Jesus meant “People like you need signs.” Raymond E. Brown translates Jesus’ comment in verse 48, “Unless you people can see signs and wonders, you never believe” (The Gospel according to John I-XII, Anchor Bible, 29, p. 190), and explains: “The official is looked upon as representing the Galileans of vss. 44-45” (p. 191).

But the man is dead serious. “Sir, come down before my little boy dies” (v. 49). The healing of the royal official’s son, like the healing of the Centurion’s son (Mt. 8:5-13; Lk. 7:1-10), is at a distance (Jn. 4:50-51; Mt. 8:8-9, 13; Lk. 7:6-7, 10). These accounts all refer to the official’s/centurion’s faith. “The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him” (Jn. 4:50, cf. v. 53), but the centurion’s faith is commended. “In no one in Israel [Mt.], Not even in Israel [Lk] have I found such faith” (Mt. 8:10; Lk. 7:9). John’s account notes that the royal official (“a Gentile military officer,” Elwyn E. Tilden and Bruce M. Metzger, NOAB, 2^nd ed., on Jn. 4:46) “himself believed along with his whole household” (Jn. 4:53). So far, John is still counting signs: “Now this was the second sign that Jesus did after coming from Judea to Galilee” (v. 54).

Ronald D. Worden, Ph.D.

rdworden@hgst.edu

deanworden@comcast.net