Ecclesiasticus (Sirach) 6:5-17

Friendship, False and True

5 Pleasant speech multiplies friends,

and a gracious tongue multiplies courtesies.

6 Let those who are friendly with you be many,

but let your advisers be one in a thousand.

7 When you gain friends, gain them through testing,

and do not trust them hastily.

8 For there are friends who are such when it suits them,

but they will not stand by you in time of trouble.

9 And there are friends who change into enemies,

and tell of the quarrel to your disgrace.

10 And there are friends who sit at your table,

but they will not stand by you in time of trouble.

11 When you are prosperous, they become your second self,

and lord it over your servants;

12 but if you are brought low, they turn against you,

and hide themselves from you.

13 Keep away from your enemies,

and be on guard with your friends.

14 Faithful friends are a sturdy shelter:

whoever finds one has found a treasure.

15 Faithful friends are beyond price;

no amount can balance their worth.

16 Faithful friends are life-saving medicine;

and those who fear the Lord will find them.

17 Those who fear the Lord direct their friendship aright,

for as they are, so are their neighbors also. (Ecclesiasticus 6:5-17, NRSV)

On October 24, 2006 (Tuesday in the week of the Sunday closest to October 19, Year Two), comments were repeated with revision and supplement from October 19, 2004 , (Tuesday of the week of the Sunday closest to October 19, Year Two); they are repeated again here with editing and supplement:

Jesus Ben Sira talks about friends and friendship, true friends and those who disappointment us. Burton L. Mack, revised by Benjamin G. Wright III, explains that this reading is “a unit that contrasts true and false friends [and] shifts the preceding reflections on integrity away from students and to associates” (HarperCollins Study Bible, rev. ed., 2006, on Ecclus. 6:5-17). “Pleasant speech multiplies friends,” says Ben Sira, “and a gracious tongue multiplies courtesies” (Sirach. 6:5). One should welcome friends, for, as he says, “Let those who are friendly with you be many” (v. 6a), but such friends will not necessarily be good advisers, for he adds, “but let your advisers be one in a thousand” (v. 6b). One should not accept the advice of every friend. According to Ben Sira, even friends need to be tested. “When you gain friends,” he says, “gain them through testing, / and do not trust them hastily” (v. 7). Why? we may ask, and the answer is that “there are friends who are such when it suits them, / but they will not stand by you in time of trouble” (v. 8). Some will go farther, for “there are friends who change into enemies, / and tell of the quarrel to your disgrace” (v. 9). Some friends “who sit at your table,” are fair-weather friends who “will not stand by you in time of trouble” (v. 10). They may be attracted not by who you are, but by your wealth. “When you are prosperous,” says Ben Sira, “they become your second self, / and lord it over your servants; / but if you are brought low, they turn against you, / and hid themselves from you” (vv. 11-12). And so caution is advised: “Keep away from your enemies, / and be on guard with your friends” (v. 13). Harold C. Washington says, “Just as Wisdom tests her followers ([Sirach] 4:17; 6:21), friends are to be gained through testing ([6:]5-12)” (NOAB, 3^rd ed, 2001, on Sirach 6:5-12). According to Mack and Wright, “In Greek literature of the time, a friend was one who remained true in times of distress and could therefore be trusted with one’s official or private interests and affairs” (loc. cit.).

Following a series of admonitions that mostly warn against the wrong kind of friends, Ben Sira continues now with a few observations about “faithful friends.” “Faithful friends,” he says, “are a sturdy shelter: / whoever finds one has found a treasure” (v. 14). “Faithful friends,” he says, “are beyond price; / no amount can balance their worth” (v. 15). Faithful friendship is a mark of true piety. “Faithful friends are life-saving medicine; / and those who fear the Lord will find them” (v. 16) “Those who fear the Lord,” says Ben Sira, “direct their friendship aright, / for as they are, so are their neighbors also” (v. 17). And with that, he draws this section on friendship to a close. We are reminded of Proverbs 18:24, “Some friends play at friendship / but a true friend sticks closer than one's nearest kin” (NRSV; earlier versions say “closer than a brother”). For that kind of friendship we look to Christ.

Micah 3:1-8 (Presbyterian and Lutheran traditions–see the comments for Thursday, October 9, 2008, twelve days ago.)

Revelation 7:9-17

The Multitude from Every Nation

9 After this I looked, and there was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, robed in white, with palm branches in their hands. 10 They cried out in a loud voice, saying,

“Salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!”

11 And all the angels stood around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 singing,

“Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom

and thanksgiving and honor

and power and might

be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”

13 Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, robed in white, and where have they come from?” 14 I said to him, “Sir, you are the one that knows.” Then he said to me, “These are they who have come out of the great ordeal; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

                 15    For this reason they are before the throne of God,

and worship him day and night within his temple,

and the one who is seated on the throne will shelter them.

                 16    They will hunger no more, and thirst no more;

the sun will not strike them,

nor any scorching heat;

                 17    for the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd,

and he will guide them to springs of the water of life,

and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” (Revelation 7:9-17, NRSV)

On November 3, 2007 (Saturday in the week of the Sunday closest to October 26, Year One), when the reading was Revelation 7:(4-8 9-17, comments were combined with editing and adaptation with comments from October 29, 2005 (Saturday in the week of the Sunday closest to October 26, Year One), with comments on Revelation 7:1-8 from October 23, 2006 (Monday in the week of the Sunday closest to October 19, Year Two), and with comments on Revelation 7:9-17 from October 24, 2006 (Tuesday in the week of the Sunday closest to October 19, Year Two). Relevant comments are repeated here with some editing and supplement.

As noted yesterday, there is an interlude between the opening of the sixth seal (Rev. 6:12-17) and the seventh (8:1-5). Bruce M. Metzger says that in this “interlude between the sixth and seventh seals, [there are] two visions ([7:]1-8 and vv. 9-17) which provide assurance that God’s people are secure from the plagues and judgments” (NOAB, 2^nd ed., on Rev. l;7:1-17). As noted yesterday, though “the symbolic number 144,000, which is the square of 12 multiplied by 1000, has been interpreted variously,” says Jean Pierre Ruiz, “as a reference to the faithful remnant of Israel; the church; the martyrs; the remnant of Christians who survive the eschatological turmoil; all the redeemed (14:1, 3)” (NOAB, 2^nd ed., on Rev. 7:4), this number–144,000–does not limit the number of the redeemed, but “symbolizes completeness; not one of the redeemed is missing” (Bruce M. Metzger, NOAB, 2^nd ed., 1994, on Rev. 7:4).

After the vision of 12,000 from each of twelve tribes (7:5-8), John sees “a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, robed in white, with palm branches in their hands” (v. 9). David E. Aune says this multitude is “a heavenly assembly that may include but is not identical to the 144,000 Israelites mentioned in vv. 4-8; it represents the spiritualized fulfillment of the promise to Abraham (Gen. 22:17; 32:12; cf. Rom. 9:27)” (HarperCollins Study Bible, rev. ed., 2006, on Rev. 7:9). This multitude praises God, “Salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!” (v. 10). An angelic chorus responds, as “all the angels stood around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God” (v. 11). Their singing is a “sevenfold ascription of praise to God” (Metzger, op cit., on v. 12) bless him with singing: “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom / and thanksgiving and honor / and power and might / be to our God forever and ever! Amen” (v. 12). One of the elders puts a question to John, “Who are these, robed in white, and where have they come from?” (v. 13). Ruiz observes that this elder is “functioning in place of the more typical; figure of the interpreting angel (1:1; 17:1-18; 21:9-22:5)” (op. cit., on v. 13). When John can’t answer, he responds, “Sir, you are the one that knows” (v. 14a), and the explanation comes: “These are they who have come out of the great ordeal; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb” (v. 14b). “The blood of the Lamb,” says Metzger, “cleanses from sin (Jn. 1:29; 1 Jn. 1:7). Aune refers to this as “paradoxical metaphor referring to the forgiveness of sins through the atoning death of Jesus (see Rom. 3:25; 5:9; 1 Cor. 10:16; 1 Pet. 1:2)” (op. cit., on v. 14).

Worship in heaven is described, with these redeemed people “before the throne of God” (v. 15a), “a favored position because of their faithfulness,” says Metzger (ibid., on v. 15). They worship God “day and night within his temple, / and worship him day and night within his temple, / and the one who is seated on the throne will shelter them” (v. 15b, c). These will be most blessed, for “they will hunger no more, and thirst no more; / the sun will not strike them, / nor any scorching heat” (v. 16). Metzger calls attention to a paradox in verse 17, where “the Lamb is a Shepherd” (ibid., on v. 17): “for the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd, / and he will guide them to springs of the water of life, / and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes” (v. 17). The Lamb, of course, is Christ, celebrated later at the marriage supper of the Lamb (19:7-9), who leads the battle against the Beast and its armies (19:11-21). When I graduated from George Fox College (now George Fox University) in 1960, the Commencement Address was presented by T. Canby Jones of Wilmington College. He refers to that occasion in a recent address given to the Friends United Meeting Triennial (2005), which is available online:

I've been struggling to remember when I first became enamored with this Quaker way of describing the eternal struggle against evil into which Christians are called. Since I gave the commencement address at George Fox College, Newberg, Oregon, in June 1960 on “The Lamb's War” it must have been before that. Hugh Barbour and Arthur Roberts must have introduced me to the idea in their volume, Early Quaker Writings, which contains James Nayler's 1657 essay, “The Lamb's War and the Man of Sin.” Without their efforts and my concern, I wonder if we would be reviving the concept of enlisting in and fighting a nonviolent Lamb's War today? (http://www.fum.org/about/triennial%202005/canby.htm, accessed again Oct. 20, 2008).

John depicts a life and death struggle between the powers of darkness, led by Satan, and the powers of light, led by the Lamb. The enemy was at least personified by Lord Caesar and his Empire, but that was the side ultimately to be defeated. Are we fighting the Lamb’s war with the weapons of peace? T. Canby Jones has more to say about the Lamb’s war:

If we are committed to the Lamb's War and engaged in nonviolent force, Jesus’ command to love enemies is an inescapable demand on us. However difficult, this command is a must! If we cannot practice reconciling love toward enemies, we not only are not fit to engage in the Lamb's War, but we are also not worthy of experiencing his transforming presence and power in our lives.

I must bear personal witness to the fact that just as the act of forgiveness is a gift of sheer grace so is the act of loving our enemies. I find it extremely hard to practice such love. I am tender toward those who try but fail at it. By the same token, I am jubilant and my faith in the Lamb's War is confirmed when I observe someone actually loving an enemy or an oppressor.

It is well to remember in such difficult circumstances that Jesus has promised he will not lay on us such heavy burdens or tasks without giving us the grace and strength to carry them out. (ibid.)

Luke 10:1-16

The Mission of the Seventy

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.

Woes to Unrepentant Cities (Mt 11.20-24)

13 “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the deeds of power done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. 14 But at the judgment it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon than for you. 15 And you, Capernaum,

will you be exalted to heaven?

No, you will be brought down to Hades.

16 “Whoever listens to you listens to me, and whoever rejects you rejects me, and whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me.” (Luke 10:1-16, NRSV)

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 with minor editing.

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).

On Luke 10:13-16

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, ejgevnonto (egenonto) in Matthew, for ejgenhvqhsan (egenēthēsan) in Luke (both aorist forms meaning “had happened”). Luke includes the word “sitting” (kaqhvmenoi, 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: a{/dou, tou hadou) but Matthew, with essentially the same meaning, does not (a{/dou, hadou). In that Matthew is closer to the Septuagint text of Isaiah 14:15. 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).

Ronald D. Worden, Ph.D.

rdworden@hgst.edu

deanworden@comcast.net