Micah 1:1-9

1:1 The word of the LORD that came to Micah of Moresheth in the days of Kings Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah of Judah, which he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem.

Judgment Pronounced against Samaria

2 Hear, you peoples, all of you;

listen, O earth, and all that is in it;

and let the Lord GOD be a witness against you,

the Lord from his holy temple.

3 For lo, the LORD is coming out of his place,

and will come down and tread upon the high places of the earth.

4 Then the mountains will melt under him

and the valleys will burst open,

like wax near the fire,

like waters poured down a steep place.

5 All this is for the transgression of Jacob

and for the sins of the house of Israel.

What is the transgression of Jacob?

Is it not Samaria

And what is the high place of Judah?

Is it not Jerusalem?

6 Therefore I will make Samaria a heap in the open country,

a place for planting vineyards.

I will pour down her stones into the valley,

and uncover her foundations.

7 All her images shall be beaten to pieces,

all her wages shall be burned with fire,

and all her idols I will lay waste;

for as the wages of a prostitute she gathered them,

and as the wages of a prostitute they shall again be used.

The Doom of the Cities of Judah

8 For this I will lament and wail;

I will go barefoot and naked;

I will make lamentation like the jackals,

and mourning like the ostriches.

9 For her wound is incurable.

It has come to Judah;

it has reached to the gate of my people,

to Jerusalem. (Micah 1:1-9, NRSV)

The following comments are repeated here from October 10, 2006 (Tuesday in the week of the Sunday closest to October 5, Year Two):

Micah prophesied in the eighth century B.C., as did Amos, Hosea and Isaiah. We are told that he prophesied “in the days of Kings Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah of Judah” (Mic. 1:1), which would be from 759 to 698 or 687 B.C. (cf the Chronological Table of Rulers in Michael D. Coogan, ed., The New Oxford Annotated Bible [NOAB], 3^rd ed, 2001, p. 531 ES). Isaiah is said to have prophesied “in the days of Uzziah [= Azariah, 785-733 B.C.], Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah” (Isa. 1:1). A note in the table says, “The data are inconsistent for the dates of the reigns of Ahaz, Hezekiah, and Manasseh” (ibid.). And these dates differ somewhat from the dates in the earlier edition of NOAB (2^nd ed., 2004, p. 339 OT). But other criteria tend to put Micah, at least, in the later part of this general period. According to Gregory Mobley, “Possible allusions to the fall of Samaria (1:6 [722 B.C.]) and the campaign of Sennacherib (1:10-16 [701 B.C.]) place the prophet in the final quarter of the eighth century” (NOAB, 3^rd ed. in the Introduction to Micah). The campaign of Sennacherib against Judah is reported in 2 Kings 18:13-19:37 and in Isaiah 36:1-37:37. The date 701 B.C. is based on the Assyrian records according to Joseph Blenkinsopp, who comments on: “The fourteenth year”: “Since according to Assyrian annals Sennacherib’s campaign against Judah took place in 701, Hezekiah may have come to the throne in 715, not 729 as inferred from 2 Kings 18:1, 9" (NOAB, 3^rd ed., 2001, on Isa. 36:1).

Micah begins by calling on all the peoples of the earth (Mic. 1:2a, b): “let the Lord GOD (hv9hy4 yn!dox3, ’ ^adōnāy YHWH) be a witness against you, / the Lord (yn!dox3, ’ ^adōnāy) from his holy temple” (v. 2c, d). Note that the NRSV, which usually renders YHWH [probably Yahweh] as “LORD” with all capital letters, varies the pattern when yn!dox (’ ^adōnāy) and hv9hy4 (YHWH) come together. Note that the translation here is “the Lord GOD” with the second word in all capital letters. This translation policy is explained in the prefatory essay, “To the Reader,” which is included with printed editions of the NRSV (cf. similar policies in the AV/KJV, NIV and other translations). As he continues, Micah refers directly to Yahweh, and we see “LORD” as the usual translation. “For lo, the LORD (hvohy4, YHWH) is coming out of his place, / and will come down and tread upon the high places of the earth” (v. 3). At his coming “the mountains will melt under him / and the valleys will burst open, / like wax near the fire, / like waters poured down a steep place” (v. 4). “In grand style,” says Mobley, “the LORD descends from heaven to punish Samaria” (op. cit., on vv. 2-7). Mobley adds that “this oracle is to be dated before 722 BCE when Samaria fell to the Assyrians” (see above). The LORD’s coming in judgment is “for the transgression of Jacob / and for the sins of the house of Israel” (v. 5a, b). “Jacob” is another way to refer to “Israel,” the nation, and not a reference to the person who bore both names in Genesis. These names are in synonymous parallelism in the first two lines of verse 5; in the last four lines, the parallel construction compares “Jacob” to “Judah,” that is, the northern kingdom to the southern. The “transgression of Jacob” is Samaria, its capital, and “the high place of Judah” is Jerusalem. By synonymous parallelism, the Jerusalem temple, here called a “high place,” a term usually reserved for pagan shrines, becomes “the transgression of Judah.” Later, Ezekiel’s vision will see gross idolatry practiced in the Jerusalem temple itself (Ezek. chap. 8). But here the focus remains on the northern kingdom, though its “wound has come to Judah . . . to the gate of . . . Jerusalem” (v. 9). The LORD will make Samaria, the capital city of the northern kingdom, “a heap in the open country, / a place for planting vineyards” (v. 6a, b). Vineyards could be considered a good thing–but not if one must tear out city structures to make room for them. The LORD continues by saying, “I will pour down her stones into the valley, / and uncover her foundations” (v. 6c, d). This is total devastation, destroying Samaria’s images, wages and idols (v. 7a, b, c). Apparently the reference to “wages” represents income for Samaria in connection with idolatrous cults. “The phrase wages of a prostitute,” says Mobley, “recalls the imagery of Hosea (Hos. 2:2-13)” (op. cit., on v. 7).

Beginning with verse 8, the speaker (“I”) is not the LORD, but Micah himself. He will “lament and wail,” going “barefoot and naked,” lamenting “like the jackals, / and mourning like the ostriches” (v. 8) because Samaria’s condition, “her wound,” which “is incurable . . . has come to Judah” (v. 9). As noted above, Mobley suggests that it is Sennacherib’s campaign of 701 B.C., reported in 2 Kings 18:13-19:37 and in Isaiah 36:1-37:37, that has come to the gate of Jerusalem.

Hosea 7:8-16 (Presbyterian and Lutheran traditions; this passages is not included in the current Book of Common Prayer Daily Office Lectionary series)

8 Ephraim mixes himself with the peoples;

Ephraim is a cake not turned.

9 Foreigners devour his strength,

but he does not know it;

gray hairs are sprinkled upon him,

but he does not know it.

10 Israel’s pride testifies against him;

yet they do not return to the LORD their God,

or seek him, for all this.

11 Ephraim has become like a dove,

silly and without sense;

they call upon Egypt, they go to Assyria.

12 As they go, I will cast my net over them;

I will bring them down like birds of the air;

I will discipline them according to the report made to their assembly.

13 Woe to them, for they have strayed from me!

Destruction to them, for they have rebelled against me!

I would redeem them,

but they speak lies against me.

14 They do not cry to me from the heart,

but they wail upon their beds;

they gash themselves for grain and wine;

they rebel against me.

15 It was I who trained and strengthened their arms,

yet they plot evil against me.

16 They turn to that which does not profit;

they have become like a defective bow;

their officials shall fall by the sword

because of the rage of their tongue.

So much for their babbling in the land of Egypt. (Hosea 7:8-16, NRSV)

The following comments are repeated here from October 10, 2006 (Tuesday in the week of the Sunday closest to October 5, Year Two):

Hosea’s critique of the northern kingdom of Israel continues. “Ephraim mixes himself with the peoples (Mym09f1, ‘ammîm)” (Hos. 7:8a), says the LORD, anticipating the criticism for calling upon Egypt, and going to Assyria (v. 11c). These “foreigners” are the ones who “devour his [Ephraim’s] strength (v. 9a). Ephraim is “a cake not turned” (v. 8b), “half-baked” (Gregory Mobley, NOAB, 3^rd ed. on Hos. 7:8). He does not recognize the weakness symbolized by “gray hairs” (v. 9c). Pride is misplaced; it “testifies against him,” but does not cause Ephraim to “return to the LORD their God, / or seek him for all this” (v. 10). Reliance on foreign nations is also denounced by Isaiah: “Alas for those who go down to Egypt for help / and who rely on horses, / who trust in chariots because they are many / and in horsemen because they are very strong, / but do not look to the Holy One of Israel / or consult the LORD!” (Isa., 31:1). Mobley sees the background for Hosea 7:10 [v. 11?] in 2 Kings 15:19-20, where it is reported that Menahem gave Pul (Tiglath-pileser III of Assyria) “a thousand talents of silver, so that he might help him confirm his hold on the royal power” (v. 19). Ehud Ben Zvi also notes that “Relying on other nations is viewed as tantamount to rebelling against God, a view governing other biblical texts, especially Isaiah and Chronicles (e.g. Isa. 31:1; 2 Chron 16:7-9)” (The Jewish Study Bible, 2004, on Hos. 7:11). The comparison of Israel to “a dove” (Hos. 7:11a), leads to the picture of the LORD casting his net over them to prevent these foreign alliances. “I will bring them down like birds of the air,” he says (v. 12b) . They have strayed from the LORD, rebelled against him, which brings destruction (v. 13a, b). “I would redeem them,” says the LORD, “but they speak lies against me.” (v. 13c, d). Their anguish, their cries and wailing are only “for grain and wine,” while “they rebel against me [the LORD]” (v. 14). Their power and training are from the LORD, “yet they plot evil against me,” he says (v. 15). Their value system is skewed. “They turn to that which does not profit” (v. 16a). Like “a defective bow,” they are useless (v. 16b). “Their officials shall fall by the sword / because of the rage of their tongue” (v. 16:c, d). According to Mobley, the phrase “babbling in the land of Egypt” represents “negotiations conducted in the Egyptian language” (op. cit., on v. 16).

Acts 23:12-24

The Plot to Kill Paul

12 In the morning the Jews joined in a conspiracy and bound themselves by an oath neither to eat nor drink until they had killed Paul. 13 There were more than forty who joined in this conspiracy. 14 They went to the chief priests and elders and said, “We have strictly bound ourselves by an oath to taste no food until we have killed Paul. 15 Now then, you and the council must notify the tribune to bring him down to you, on the pretext that you want to make a more thorough examination of his case. And we are ready to do away with him before he arrives.”

16 Now the son of Paul’s sister heard about the ambush; so he went and gained entrance to the barracks and told Paul. 17 Paul called one of the centurions and said, “Take this young man to the tribune, for he has something to report to him.: 18 So he took him, brought him to the tribune, and said, “The prisoner Paul called me and asked me to bring this young man to you; he has something to tell you.: 19 The tribune took him by the hand, drew him aside privately, and asked, “What is it that you have to report to me?” 20 He answered, “The Jews have agreed to ask you to bring Paul down to the council tomorrow, as though they were going to inquire more thoroughly into his case. 21 But do not be persuaded by them, for more than forty of their men are lying in ambush for him. They have bound themselves by an oath neither to eat nor drink until they kill him. They are ready now and are waiting for your consent.: 22 So the tribune dismissed the young man, ordering him, “Tell no one that you have informed me of this.”

Paul Sent to Felix the Governor

23 Then he summoned two of the centurions and said, “Get ready to leave by nine o’clock tonight for Caesarea with two hundred soldiers, seventy horsemen, and two hundred spearmen. 24 Also provide mounts for Paul to ride, and take him safely to Felix the governor.: (Acts 23:12-24, NRSV)

On August 21, 2007 (Tuesday in the week of the Sunday closest to August 17, Year One), comments were repeated with editing and supplement from October 10, 2006 (Tuesday in the week of the Sunday closest to October 5, Year Two), when they were combined from October 5, 2004 (Tuesday of the week of the Sunday closest to October 5, Year Two), and from August 16, 2005 (Tuesday in the week of the Sunday closest to August 17, Year One). The revised comments are repeated again here.

As we noted yesterday, “When the dissension [in the Sanhedrin] became violent, the tribune, fearing that they would tear Paul to pieces, ordered the soldiers to go down, take him by force, and bring him into the barracks” (Acts 23:10). During the night, “the Lord stood near him [Paul] with reassuring words. “Keep up your courage! For just as you have testified for me in Jerusalem, so you must bear witness also in Rome” (v. 11).

According to today’s reading, after the Sanhedrin's interrogation of Paul ended in confusion, Paul’s accusers, out of frustration with their lack of results from Roman justice, conspire by an oath to kill Paul (v. 12), but they are overheard. Some Jews “joined in a conspiracy and bound themselves by an oath neither to eat nor drink until they had killed Paul” (Acts 23:12). By the term “Jews,” “Luke means those who are opposed to Paul” (Loveday Alexander, The Oxford Bible Commentary, 2001, p. 1056, on Acts 23:11-22). Luke tells us that “more than forty” were party to the conspiracy (v. 13), and “they went to the chief priests and elders and said, ‘We have strictly bound ourselves by an oath to taste no food until we have killed Paul. Now then, you and the council must notify the tribune to bring him down to you, on the pretext that you want to make a more thorough examination of his case. And we are ready to do away with him before he arrives’ ” (vv. 14-15). Having failed to get a judgment against Paul from either the Roman tribune or the Jewish Council, these enemies of Paul attempt to take matters into their own hands. According to Beverly Roberts Gaventa, “there have been other plots against Paul (9:23-225, 29-30; 20:3, 19), [but] this one is the most detailed, both in its planning and in the steps taken to overturn it” (HarperCollins Study Bible, rev. ed., 2006, on Acts 23:16-22).

As it happens, Paul has a nephew in Jerusalem who “heard about the ambush” and “went and gained entrance to the barracks and told Paul” (v. 16). (This incident provides the only specific information in the New Testament about Paul’s family.) Paul, in turn, is able to get one of the centurions to take the young man to the Tribune (vv. 17-18), who is willing to listen. “What is it,” he asks, “that you have to report to me?” (v. 19). And Paul’s nephew describes the plot: “The Jews have agreed to ask you to bring Paul down to the council tomorrow, as though they were going to inquire more thoroughly into his case. But do not be persuaded by them, for more than forty of their men are lying in ambush for him. They have bound themselves by an oath neither to eat nor drink until they kill him. They are ready now and are waiting for your consent” (vv. 20-21). As a result, “the tribune dismissed the young man, ordering him, ‘Tell no one that you have informed me of this’ ” (v. 22). But he takes immediate action to foil the plot. “The prisoner Paul’s access to the commanders,” says Christopher R. Matthews, “shows some favoritism” (NOAB, 3^rd ed., on Acts 23:17-22).

The tribune summons two of the centurions and says, “Get ready to leave by nine o'clock tonight for Caesarea with two hundred soldiers, seventy horsemen, and two hundred spearmen. Also provide mounts for Paul to ride, and take him safely to Felix the governor” (vv. 23-24). In this way, he arranged to have Paul transferred from Jerusalem to Caesarea (nearly 60 miles) under protection. The Lord’s protection, which was promised to Paul (v. 11), begins to take shape.

Luke 7:1-17

Jesus Heals a Centurion’s Servant (Mt 8.5-13)

7:1 After Jesus had finished all his sayings in the hearing of the people, he entered Capernaum. 2 A centurion there had a slave whom he valued highly, and who was ill and close to death. 3 When he heard about Jesus, he sent some Jewish elders to him, asking him to come and heal his slave. 4 When they came to Jesus, they appealed to him earnestly, saying, “He is worthy of having you do this for him, 5 for he loves our people, and it is he who built our synagogue for us.: 6 And Jesus went with them, but when he was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to say to him, “Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; 7 therefore I did not presume to come to you. But only speak the word, and let my servant be healed. 8 For I also am a man set under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my slave, ‘Do this,’ and the slave does it.: 9 When Jesus heard this he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd that followed him, he said, “I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.: 10 When those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the slave in good health.

Jesus Raises the Widow’s Son at Nain

11 Soon afterwards he went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went with him. 12 As he approached the gate of the town, a man who had died was being carried out. He was his mother’s only son, and she was a widow; and with her was a large crowd from the town. 13 When the Lord saw her, he had compassion for her and said to her, “Do not weep.: 14 Then he came forward and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And he said, “Young man, I say to you, rise!” 15 The dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother. 16 Fear seized all of them; and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has risen among us!” and “God has looked favorably on his people!” 17 This word about him spread throughout Judea and all the surrounding country. (Luke 7:1-17, NRSV)

On May 4, 2007 (Friday in the week of the Fourth Sunday of Easter, Year One), comments were repeated from October 10, 2006 (Tuesday of the week of the Sunday closest to October 5, Year Two), when comments were combined from October 5, 2004 (Tuesday of the week of the Sunday closest to October 5, Year Two), and from April 23, 2005 (Friday of the week of the Fourth Sunday of Easter, Year One). The combined comments are repeated here with editing and supplement:

Luke reports two miracles of Jesus, healing the centurion's servant at a distance--"Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof . . . but only speak the word, and let my servant be healed" (Lk. 7:7)--and raising from the dead the son of the widow at Nain (7:11-17). When he said, "Young man, I say to you, rise!" (v. 14), "The dead man sat up and began to speak" (v. 15). In one case, the account closes with Jesus marveling at the faith of this Roman centurion (v. 9); the other account closes with amazement, "A great prophet has risen among us!" (v. 16). The centurion's faith puts others to shame for their lack of faith. We are reminded to keep trusting in Jesus.

On Healing the Centurion’s Servant

The first miracle in today’s reading has a parallel account in Matthew, as shown in this table:

Matthew follows the Sermon on the Mount with a series of fourteen episodes (Mt. 8:1-9:34) that include twelve miracles, including the first four episodes. Some of these have been included earlier in the narrative by Mark and Luke (cf. Kurt Aland, Synopsis of the Four Gospels, rev. printing, 1985, p. 344). His first, for example, the cleansing of the leper (Mt. 8:1-4) appears earlier in Mark (1:40-45) and Luke (5:12:16). So the healing of the centurion’s son at Capernaum (Mt. 8:5-14; Lk. 7:1-10), which follows the Sermon on the Plain in Luke, is the second episode following Matthew’s Sermon on the Mount.

Luke reports the conclusion of the sermon, “After Jesus had finished all his sayings in the hearing of the people, he entered Capernaum” (Lk. 7:1; cf. Mt. 7:28-29). In Matthew, the healing of the leper occurs at the foot of the mountain (Mt. 8:1-2), but Jesus meets the centurion as he enters Capernaum (v. 5). The centurion appeals for help immediately, “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, in terrible distress” (v. 6). And Jesus immediately offers to come. “I will come and cure him” (v. 7). In Luke, the story builds more slowly. Although in Matthew, the centurion himself comes to Jesus, in Luke, Jesus learns about the centurion indirectly. “A centurion there [i.e. in Capernaum] had a slave whom he valued highly,” says Luke, “and who was ill and close to death” (Lk. 7:2). The centurion doesn’t come to Jesus directly but, “when he heard about Jesus, he sent some Jewish elders to him, asking him to com and heal his slave” (v. 3). The Jewish elders give the centurion a strong recommendation–an unusual feature of Jesus’ miracle stories. “When they came to Jesus, they appealed to him earnestly, saying, ‘He is worthy of having you do this for him, for he loves our people, and it is he who built our synagogue for us’ ” (vv. 4-5). So Jesus responds; he “went with them, but when he was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to say to him, ‘Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof” (v. 6); compare his direct response to Jesus in Matthew’s account, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof” (Mt. 8:8a). The claim to be not worthy contrasts with the elders’ statement that he is worthy.

A key feature of this healing is that it was done at a distance, as both versions report. In Matthew’s account, the centurion tells Jesus, “but only speak the word, and my servant will be healed” (v. 8b). In Luke the centurion’s friends say, as they were told, “I did not presume to come to you. But only speak the word, and let my servant be healed” (Lk. 7:7). The centurion explains, “For I also am a man [‘set’ Lk.] under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my slave, ‘Do this,’ and the slave does it’ ” (Mt. 8:9; Lk. 7:8). According to J. Andrew Overman, “the centurion believes that, as he can command servants and soldiers, Jesus can command or control disease” (NOAB, 3^rd ed., 2001, on Mt. 8:8-10). Jesus was amazed, we are told, by this expression of faith, and says, “I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith” (Lk. 7:9); “Truly I tell you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith” (Mt. 8:10).

In Matthew, Jesus comments on the many peoples (Gentiles) who “will come from east and west and will eat with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, while the heirs of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (vv. 11-12). Luke’s parallel to this is found elsewhere (13:28-29) in connection with sayings about the kingdom of God (18:18-30). Matthew then rounds out the account of the healing of the centurion’s servant when he says to the centurion, “Go; let it be done for you according to your faith.” And Matthew adds that “the servant was healed in that hour” (Mt. 8:13). Luke’s report maintains distance between Jesus and the centurion. “When those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the slave in good health” (Lk. 7:10). According to G. W. H. Lampe,

The message of the centurion follows [the Sermon] immediately, perhaps in order that the proclamation addressed to the disciples [“I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith,” v. 9)] may lead on to an incident foreshadowing the Gentile mission. [In Luke,] Jesus does not actually meet the Gentile; Christ’s mission to Gentiles is to follow the Ascension according to the plan of Lk. In Ac. (Cf. Jn. 12:20). ‘The centurion is a pious sympathiser with the Jews, like Cornelius, but apparently not a proselyte; hence entry into his house would involve defilement for a Jew. (Peake’s Commentary on the Bible, 1962, reprint 1972, sec. 725b, p. 830, on Lk. 7:1-10).

But in Matthew’s account, Jesus has just “touched” a leper, another source of defilement (Mt. 8:3)! While Matthew is the one who reports Jesus’ words, “Go nowhere among the Gentiles, and enter no town of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Mt. 10:5-6), paradoxically, he doesn’t need a “volume two” for his account of the Great Commission: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations [pavnta ta; e[qnh panta ta ethnē, an expression which often means ‘the Gentiles’], baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Mt. 28:19).

            On Raising the Widow’s Son at Nain

“Soon after [the healing of the centurion’s servant],” says Luke, Jesus “went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went with him” (Lk. 7:11). Nain is “a village identified with modern Nein six miles southeast of Nazareth at the foot of Givat ha-Moreh in the valley of Jezreel (cf. Judg. 7:1)” (Harper’s Bible Dictionary, 1985, s.v. Nain). What Jesus did at Nain is reported only by Luke, but it has been compared to Elijah’s raising the widow’s son at Zarephath (1 Kgs. 17:17-24), and to Elisha’s raising of the Shunammite woman’s son (2 Kgs. 4:32-37). According to David L. Tiede, revised by Christopher R. Matthews, this story “was foreshadowed in [Lk.] 4:25-26.” They add that “Luke juxtaposes healing stories focused on a high-status man (vv. 1-10) and a low-status woman” (HarperCollins Study Bible, rev. ed., 2006, on Lk. 7:11-17).

As Jesus “approached the gate of the town, a man who had died was being carried out” (Lk. 7:12a). It is explained that the widow would be helpless without her son. “He was his mother’s only son, and she was a widow; and with her was a large crowd from the town (v. 12b). According to Tiede and Matthews, “The death of an only son was an economic catastrophe for a widow. She would have no legal inheritance and, deprived of her son’s economic support, would be dependent upon charity (see Deut. 26:12; 27:19; cf. Pss. 68:5; 146:9)” (ibid., on v. 12). “When the Lord saw her,” says Luke, “he had compassion for her and said to her, ‘Do not weep’ ” (v. 13). When Jesus “came forward and touched the bier . . . the bearers stood still. And he said, ‘Young man, I say to you, rise!” (v. 14; cf. the raising of Jairus’ daughter, 8:54). The result was that “the dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother” (7:15). According to Tiede and Matthews, “Jesus gave him to his mother [is] an exact quote from 1 Kings 17:23 (see also Lk. 9:42)” (ibid., on 7:15). As a result of seeing this miracle, “fear seized all of them [the crowd, cf. v. 11]; and they glorified God, saying, ‘A great prophet has risen among us!’ and ‘God has looked favorably on his people!’ ” (v. 16). And Jesus’ fame increased, for “this word about him spread throughout Judea and all the surrounding country” (v. 17). “After healing a man at the point of death,” says Lampe, “Jesus raises one about to be buried” (op. cit., sec. 725 d, p. 830, on Lk. 7:11-17). Marion Lloyd Soards observes that “Apparently the similarity of Jesus’ action to that of Elijah in raising the only son of a widow of Zarephath (1 Kings 17) elicits the reaction of the crowd” (NOAB, 3^rd ed., 2001, on Lk. 7:16). Lampe compares these two events to Jesus’ raising of Lazarus (Jn. 11:1-44) (loc. cit.).

Ronald D. Worden, Ph.D.

rdworden@hgst.edu

deanworden@comcast.net