Ecclesiasticus (Sirach) 35:1-17

The Law and Sacrifices (Cp 2 Cor. 9:7)

35:1 The one who keeps the law makes many offerings;

2 one who heeds the commandments makes an offering of well-being.

3 The one who returns a kindness offers choice flour,

4 and one who gives alms sacrifices a thank offering.

5 To keep from wickedness is pleasing to the Lord,

and to forsake unrighteousness is an atonement.

6 Do not appear before the Lord empty-handed,

7 for all that you offer is in fulfillment of the commandment.

8 The offering of the righteous enriches the altar,

and its pleasing odor rises before the Most High.

9 The sacrifice of the righteous is acceptable,

and it will never be forgotten.

10 Be generous when you worship the Lord,

and do not stint the first fruits of your hands.

11 With every gift show a cheerful face,

and dedicate your tithe with gladness.

12 Give to the Most High as he has given to you,

and as generously as you can afford.

13 For the Lord is the one who repays,

and he will repay you sevenfold.

Divine Justice

14 Do not offer him a bribe, for he will not accept it;

15 and do not rely on a dishonest sacrifice;

for the Lord is the judge,

and with him there is no partiality.

16 He will not show partiality to the poor;

but he will listen to the prayer of one who is wronged.

17 He will not ignore the supplication of the orphan,

or the widow when she pours out her complaint. (Ecclesiasticus 35:1-17, NRSV)

On November 4, 2006 (Saturday in the week of the Sunday closest to October 26, Year Two), comments were repeated with revision and supplement from October 30, 2004, (Saturday of the week of the Sunday closest to October 26, Year Two); they are repeated again here with some editing and supplement:

Although the prophets have warned against relying on sacrifices when “your hands are full of blood” (Isa. 1:15), Ben Sira urges his people to heed the commandments and also offer sacrifices. “The one who keeps the law makes many offerings,” he says (Ecclus. 35:1). In what follows he seems to list needed ritual sacrifices, the “one who heeds the commandments makes an offering of well-being” (v. 2; cf. Lev. 3:1-17), “the one who offers kindness offers choice flour” (v. 3; cf. Lev. 2:1-16, the “grain offering”), and “the one who gives alms sacrifices a thank offering” (v. 4; cf. Lev. 7:12-15). These verses seem to say that pious deeds are the true sacrifices. And so, “To keep from wickedness is pleasing to the Lord, / and to forsake unrighteousness is an atonement” (v. 5). According to Harold C. Washington, “Ethical obedience, especially almsgiving, is as worthy as many offerings” (NOAB, 3^rd ed., 2001, on Ecclus. 35:1-5).

But the actual offerings at the temple are important in Ben Sira’s mind, for he says, “Do not appear before the Lord empty-handed, / for all that you offer is in fulfillment of the commandment” (vv. 6-7). “The offering of the righteous enriches the altar,” he says, “and its pleasing odor rises before the Most High” (v. 8). It’s not a question of either/or, that is, “to obey is better than sacrifice” (1 Sam. 15:22; cf. Micah 6:6-8), but rather, both/and. “The sacrifice of the righteous is acceptable, / and it will never be forgotten” (v. 9). The one who worships God should “be generous”: “Be generous when you worship the Lord, / and do not stint the first fruits of your hands (v. 10). He should also be “cheerful”: “With every gift show a cheerful face, / and dedicate your tithe with gladness” (v. 11). One’s giving should be commensurate with Gods blessings: “Give to the Most High as he has given to you, / and dedicate your tithe with gladness” (v. 11; cf. 2 Cor. 9:7). One’s giving should be commensurate with God’s blessings: “Give to the Most High as he has given to you, / and as generously as you can afford. / For the Lord is the one who repays, / and he will repay you sevenfold” (vv. 12-13). The reading so far is summarized by Burton L. Mack, revised by Benjamin G. Wright III:

Ben Sira regards ethical piety (keeping the commandments, especially almsgiving) as effective as ritual observance (vv. 1-5), but does not conclude that the sacrificial system is therefore unimportant or ineffective (vv. 6-13). His recommended cultic practices include temple worship, support for the priests, tithes, sacrificial offerings, prayers, praise, and oaths. See 413-14; 7:9-10, 31; 14:11; 23:9-11; 28:5; 34:21-31; 35:14-26; 38:9-15; 45:6:22; 50:1-21. (HarperCollins Study Bible, rev. ed., 2006, on Ecclus. 35:1-13).

The reading concludes with some lines on what the NRSV subtitle calls “divine justice.” God does not take bribes. “Do not offer him a bribe,” says Ben Sira, “for he will not accept it” (v. 14). And God does not accept “a dishonest sacrifice; / for the Lord is the judge, / and with him there is no partiality” (v. 15; cf. Jas. 2:1-9). God “will not show partiality to the poor,” says Ben Sira, “but he will listen to the prayer of one who is wronged” (Ecclus. 35:16). In reference to “no partiality,” Washington refers to Deut. 10:17; 2 Chr. 19:7; Joab 34:19; Wis. 6:7” (op. cit., on v. 15). In particular, Ben Sira speaks in behalf of the orphan and the widow. “He [God] will not ignore the supplication of the orphan, / or the widow when she pours out her complaint” (v. 17; cf. Deut. 10:18; 14:29; 16:11, 14; 24:17, 19, 20, 21; 26:12, 13; 27:19). Washington says, “Because the orphan and the widow are especially powerless, God will defend them (cf. 4:9-10; Ps. 68:5; Prov. 23:10-11 [not to mention the Deut. texts listed above]” (op. cit., on vv. 17-18).

Nahum 3:8-19 (Presbyterian and Lutheran traditions–This passage is not included in the Daily Office Lectionary of the Book of Common Prayer.)

8 Are you better than Thebes

that sat by the Nile,

with water around her,

her rampart a sea,

water her wall?

9 Ethiopia was her strength,

Egypt too, and that without limit;

Put and the Libyans were her helpers.

10 Yet she became an exile,

she went into captivity;

even her infants were dashed in pieces

at the head of every street;

lots were cast for her nobles,

all her dignitaries were bound in fetters.

11 You also will be drunken,

you will go into hiding;

you will seek

a refuge from the enemy.

12 All your fortresses are like fig trees

with first-ripe figs-

if shaken they fall

into the mouth of the eater.

13 Look at your troops:

they are women in your midst.

The gates of your land

are wide open to your foes;

fire has devoured the bars of your gates.

14 Draw water for the siege,

strengthen your forts;

trample the clay,

tread the mortar,

take hold of the brick mold!

15 There the fire will devour you,

the sword will cut you off.

It will devour you like the locust.

Multiply yourselves like the locust,

multiply like the grasshopper!

16 You increased your merchants

more than the stars of the heavens.

The locust sheds its skin and flies away.

17 Your guards are like grasshoppers,

your scribes like swarms of locusts

settling on the fences

on a cold day-

when the sun rises, they fly away;

no one knows where they have gone.

18 Your shepherds are asleep,

O king of Assyria;

your nobles slumber.

Your people are scattered on the mountains

with no one to gather them.

19 There is no assuaging your hurt,

your wound is mortal.

All who hear the news about you

clap their hands over you.

For who has ever escaped

your endless cruelty? (Nahum 3:8-19, NRSV)

The following comments are repeated here with editing and supplement from November 4, 2006 (Saturday in the week of the Sunday closest to October 26, Year Two):

As the Book of Nahum draws to a close, judgment on Nineveh is unrelenting. “Are you better than Thebes [NOmx! Xno!]?” asks the prophet, “that sat by the Nile, / with water around her, her rampart a sea, / water her wall?” (Nahum 3:8). “No-amon,” says Ehud Ben Zvi, was “Thebes, the Egyptian capital, one of the most impressive and wealthy cities of the ancient Near East. It was conquered by Assyria in the days of Ashurbanipal (663 BCE) The main enemy of the Assyrians was an Ethiopian dynasty that ruled over Egypt. The pun on words and historical background is clear” (The Jewish Study Bible, 2004, on Nah. 3:8). “Ethiopia was her strength, / Egypt too, and that without limit; / Put and the Libyans were her helpers” (v. 9). According to Gregory Mobley, “these [i.e., Ethiopia, Put, and Lybia] are “neighboring kingdoms which were allies of Egypt” (NOAB, 3^rd ed., 2001, on Nah. 3:9).

But in spite of her favored position and the support and strength of her neighbors, Thebes “became an exile” who “went into captivity” with her infants “dashed in pieces” (cf. Ps. 137:9) and her dignitaries “bound in fetters” (v. 10). Nahum predicts a similar fate for Nineveh. “You also will be drunken, / you will go into hiding; / you will seek / a refuge from the enemy” (v. 11). Nineveh’s fortresses are compared to fig trees, which, if shaken, will lose their “first-ripe figs,” which will “fall / into the mouth of the eater” [i.e. the attacker]” (v. 12). When Nahum calls Nineveh’s troops “women” (v. 13a, b), he is not being politically correct; he is mocking their weakness. Nineveh’s gates lay “wide open to your foes” because “fire has devoured the bars of your gates” (v. 13c, d, e). “Draw water for the siege,” warns Nahum; “strengthen your forts; / trample the clay, / tread the mortar, / take hold of the brick mold!” (v. 14). But this advice to prepare for defense against attack is given in irony. The warnings here are called “satirical” by Mobley; “Nineveh is doomed” (ibid., on vv. 14-15), and that in spite of her preparations. “There,” says the prophet, “the fire will devour you, / the sword will cut you off. / / It will devour you like the locust (ql@y@, yeleq [‘grub’ NJPS 1985, 1999)” (v. 15a, b, c). And he taunts Assyria. “Multiply yourselves like the locust (ql@y@, yeleq [‘grubs’ NJPS 1985, 1999]), / multiply like the grasshopper (hB@r4x1, ’arbeh [‘locusts’ NJPS 1985, 1999)!” (v. 15d, e). For Nineveh’s population to multiply like the locust or grasshopper would not help. The recent Jewish translation recognizes that different terms represent different stages in the life-cycle of the locust (cf. Joel 1:4 with 4 terms for “locust”). According to William L. Holladay, ql@y@ (yeleq), for example, means “creeping, unwinged stage of locust” (A Concise Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament, 1971, 10^th corrected impression, 1988, s.v. ql@y@, yeleq), and is here translated “grub” (NJPS 1985, 1999). The word hB@r4x1 (’arbeh), translated as “grasshopper(s)” (vv. 15e, 17a NRSV) or “locusts” (vv. 15e, 17a NJPS 1985, 1999) is the “migratory or desert locust” (Holladay, Lexicon, s.v. hB@r4x1, ’arbeh). According to Ben Zvi, “The text p0lays on two common associations of the locust, with troops and with being a multitude (cf. Joel). Some translations have ‘locust’ or ‘chewing locust’ instead of grub in v. 15. The point is that the locust (enemy) will devour Assyria whereas its multitude (locust) of troops, merchants, scribes, and the like will not be able to save Assyria” (op. cit., on vv. 15, 17). He adds that “The word translated marshals [v. 17 NJPS 1985, 1999] may also be translated ‘scribes’ [so NRSV]” (ibid.).

According to Mobley, “the locust [who] sheds its skin, . . . may refer to the foreign merchants fleeing their stalls in the bazaars” (op. cit., on v. 16). Nineveh’s guards and scribes have fled like grasshoppers (v. 17); her shepherds (rulers) are asleep on the job (v. 18). Nineveh’s “wound is mortal,” and all rejoice, “All who hear the news about ;you / clap their hands over you. / For who has ever escaped your [i.e., Nineveh’s] endless cruelty” (v. 19). “For a biblical example of Assyrian imperial rhetoric,” says Mobley, “see Isa. 37:10-13” (ibid., on v. 19). “On clapping hands for joy,” says Ben Zvi, “cf. Ps. 47:2. Everyone has suffered because of Assyria and now rejoices in its permanent fall” (op. cit., on v. 19).

Revelation 13:11-18

The Second Beast

11 Then I saw another beast that rose out of the earth; it had two horns like a lamb and it spoke like a dragon. 12 It exercises all the authority of the first beast on its behalf, and it makes the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose mortal wound had been healed. 13 It performs great signs, even making fire come down from heaven to earth in the sight of all; 14 and by the signs that it is allowed to perform on behalf of the beast, it deceives the inhabitants of earth, telling them to make an image for the beast that had been wounded by the sword and yet lived; 15 and it was allowed to give breath to the image of the beast so that the image of the beast could even speak and cause those who would not worship the image of the beast to be killed. 16 Also it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, 17 so that no one can buy or sell who does not have the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name. 18 This calls for wisdom: let anyone with understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a person. Its number is six hundred sixty-six. (Revelation 13:11-18, NRSV)

On November 4, 2006 (Saturday in the week of the Sunday closest to October 26, Year Two), comments were repeated with revision and supplement from October 30, 2004, (Saturday of the week of the Sunday closest to October 26, Year Two); they are repeated again here with some editing and supplement:

John now turns to the other beast: “The beast from the earth, called the false prophet (19:20), enforces Emperor worship ([13:]12), and produces great signs (v. 13) to deceive the people (v. 14; compare Deut. 13:1-5; Mt. 24:24; 2 Thess. 2:9)” (Bruce M. Metzger, NOAB, 2^nd ed., 1994, on Rev. 13:11-18). In the situation described, the governing authorities are controlled by Satan, and “the beast that had been wounded . . . was allowed to give breath to the image of the beast so that the image of the beast could even speak and cause those who would not worship the image of the beast to be killed” (Rev. 13:14-15). According to Jean-Pierre Ruiz, NOAB, 3^rd ed., 2001, “The image [was] a statue of the deified emperor” (NOAB, 3^rd ed., 2001, on Rev. 13:14). That it “could even speak” was ironic, even funny if the issues were not so serious. “Also,” says John, “it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, so that no one can buy or sell who does not have the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name” (vv. 16-17). According to Metzger, they are “marked in imitation of the sealing of God’s servants (7:2-4), resulting in economic boycott against the Christians” (on vv. 16-17; cf. Ruiz, op. cit. [i.e., the 3^rd ed.] on the same verses). As for the “number of the beast,” which is “the number of a person,” that is, “six hundred sixty-six” (v. 18), Metzger says, “Since Hebrew and Greek letters have numerical equivalents, the number of the beast (666) is the sum of the separate letters of his name. Of countless explanations, the most probable is Neron Caesar (in Hebrew letters), which, if spelled without the final n [i.e., the Latin spelling], also accounts for the variant reading, 616 (see [NRSV] note q)” (NOAB, 2^nd ed. on v. 18; cf. Ruiz on v. 18, and S. MacLean Gilmour, The Interpreter’s One-Volume Commentary on the Bible, 1971, p. 961 on Rev. 13:18).

It is interesting to note the difference between Romans 13 and Revelation 13 in reference to the governing authorities. Paul, writing late in the decade of the 50s, when Nero was emperor, but before Nero’s worst days and his persecution of the Christians, advises, “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities; for there is no authority except from God, and those authorities that exist have been instituted by God” (Rom. 13:1). Nero, of course, was no saint! He came to power in A.D. 54, apparently because his mother had Emperor Claudius poisoned, and Nero would not only soon have Britannicus murdered, but eventually murder his own mother! But, to my knowledge, Nero was not demanding to be worshiped as a god, as Domitian later did, “the first of the emperors to deify himself during his lifetime by assuming the title of ‘Lord and God’” (Kevin Knight, in the New Advent [Catholic Encyclopedia] online at http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05114b.htm, accessed again October 31, 2008). John implies that when the governing authorities are clearly Satanic, for example, the Nazis, Christians should not worship them, even at the risk of death (Rev. 13:15).

Luke 12:32-48

32 “Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. 33 Sell your possessions, and give alms. Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Reassurance, True Treasures, Watchfulness and Faithfulness

35 “Be dressed for action and have your lamps lit; 36 be like those who are waiting for their master to return from the wedding banquet, so that they may open the door for him as soon as he comes and knocks. 37 Blessed are those slaves whom the master finds alert when he comes; truly I tell you, he will fasten his belt and have them sit down to eat, and he will come and serve them. 38 If he comes during the middle of the night, or near dawn, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves.

39 “But know this: if the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. 40 You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.” (Luke 12:32-40, NRSV)

The Faithful or the Unfaithful Slave (Mt 24:45-51)

41 Peter said, “Lord, are you telling this parable for us or for everyone?” 42 And the Lord said, “Who then is the faithful and prudent manager whom his master will put in charge of his slaves, to give them their allowance of food at the proper time? 43 Blessed is that slave whom his master will find at work when he arrives. 44 Truly I tell you, he will put that one in charge of all his possessions. 45 But if that slave says to himself, ‘My master is delayed in coming,’ and if he begins to beat the other slaves, men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk, 46 the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour that he does not know, and will cut him in pieces, and put him with the unfaithful. 47 That slave who knew what his master wanted, but did not prepare himself or do what was wanted, will receive a severe beating. 48 But the one who did not know and did what deserved a beating will receive a light beating. From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required; and from the one to whom much has been entrusted, even more will be demanded. (Luke 12:41-48, NRSV)

Reassurance, True Treasures, Watchfulness and Faithfulness

The following comments on Luke 12:32-40 are repeated here with some editing from June 8, 2008 (the Sunday closest to June 8, Year Two), when the were repeated from November 4, 2006 (Saturday in the week of the Sunday closest to October 26, Year Two), when comments were repeated with revision and supplement from comments of October 30, 2004, two years earlier (Saturday of the week of the Sunday closest to October 26, Year Two). (See below for the source of comments on Luke 12:41-48)

In the reading from Luke’s Gospel, Jesus concludes his reassurance for anxious disciples. “Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom” (Lk. 12:32; cf. vv. 22-31 and Mt. 6:25-34, 19-21). For such a long set of nearly verbatim parallel passages, the difference is striking between the concluding verses (Lk. 12:32; Mt. 6:34), but the explanation is the difference in contexts. For parallel passages from Matthew and Mark for today’s reading from Luke, see the separate file, Reassurance, True Treasures, Watchfulness and Faithfulness.

Jesus’ advice about treasure in heaven follows immediately in Luke (Lk. 12:33-34), but in Matthew, it comes earlier (Mt. 6:19-21) and is separated by the sayings about the lamp (Mt. 6:22-23; Lk. 11:34-36) and on not serving two masters (Mt. 6:24) from the paragraph on not being anxious (vv. 25-33 [34]; Lk. 12:22-32 {32]). Matthew offers parallel sentence structure, a typical feature of Hebrew poetry (cf. George W. Anderson, “Characteristics of Hebrew Poetry,” NOAB, 2^nd ed., 1994, pp. 393-395 NT, and Bruce M. Metzger, “Literary Forms in the Gospels,” NOAB, 2^nd ed., 1994, p.398 NT):

Do not store up for yourselves / treasures on earth, / where moth and rust consume / and where thieves break in and steal;

but store up for yourselves / treasures in heaven, / where neither most nor rust consumes / and where thieves do not break in and steal. (Mt. 6:19-20, NRSV)

Luke’s simpler structure begins with an interpretation, “Sell your possessions and give alms” (Lk. 12:33a), and continues by varying the metaphors, “Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys” (v. 33b). Both versions lead to the same conclusion, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Lk. 12:34 = Mt. 6:21). In Greek this conclusion is the same as well, except for the word order position of the verb.

The advice that follows in Luke, “Be dressed for action and have your lamps lit; be like those who are waiting for their master to return from the wedding banquet, so that they may open the door for him as soon as he comes and knocks” (Lk. 12:35-36), echoes the earlier saying on the lamp (11:33, 34, 36; cf. 8:16; Mt. 5:15; Mk. 4:21), but especially reminds us of the Parable of the Ten Virgins (Mt. 25:1-13). Luke does not present the full-length parable as such, but follows with descriptions of similar situations when watchfulness is essential. Slaves should be alert and ready for the return of their master (Lk. 12:37a). Luke focuses on the needed expectancy, whereas similar sayings in Matthew and Mark focus on the slaves’ need to be found busy at their work (Mt. 24:46; Mk. 13:34). Matthew and Luke both emphasize the blessedness of being found alert (Mt. 24:46; Lk. 12:37); Mark warns against being found asleep (Mk. 13:36), but Matthew describes a situation in which the slave who is in charge mistreats the other slaves and faces terrible punishment upon the return of his master (Mt. 14:45-51). Luke moves quickly from the blessing of slaves being found awake (Lk. 12:37-38), to the situation of the “owner of the house” who fails to anticipate the coming of thieves (v. 39; cf. Mt. 24:43). This advice to be alert and watchful is directed to being ready for the coming of the Son of Man (Lk. 12:40; Mt. 24:44; cf. Mk. 13:32)

On the Faithful or Unfaithful Slave

The following comments on Luke 12:41-48 are repeated here with editing and supplement from June 15, 2008 (the Sunday closest to June 15, Year Two), when they were repeated from November 4, 2006 (Saturday in the week of the Sunday closest to October 26, Year Two), when comments on Luke 12:41-48 were combined with revision and supplement from relevant parts of the comments on Luke 12:32-48 of October 30, 2004, (Saturday of the week of the Sunday closest to October 26, Year Two), and from June 18, 2006 (the Second Sunday after Pentecost, Year Two, where comments were combined and revised from earlier dates as noted there):

Although Luke’s version of this parable (or “comparison,” Lk. 12:41-48) comes much earlier in the narrative than Matthew’s version (Mt. 24:45-51), it’s context is a collection of “sayings on watchfulness and faithfulness” (Marion Lloyd Soards, NOAB, 3^rd ed., 2001, on Lk. 12:35-48) with an eschatological import, “You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour” (Lk. 12:40). Matthew places the parable in the context of Jesus’ final eschatological speech (Mt. 24-25), after an extensive list of the “signs of your coming and of the end of the age” (Mt. 24:3, cf. vv. 4-44, which includes material with parallels in Lk. 17 and 21). This is apparently another example of an event which Luke puts in its context in the course of Jesus’ ministry, but Matthew combines with similar material in a topical arrangement.

Peter responds to Jesus’ “parable” about the coming of thieves (Lk. 12:39-40; cf. Mt. 24:43-44; Mk. 13:33-37)–or is it response to the warning to slaves about the master’s return from the wedding banquet” (Lk. 12:35-38), both stressing the need to be alert–with a question: “Lord, are you telling this parable for us or for everyone?” (v. 41). In a similar way, Luke’s version of the Lord’s Prayer is put in context by a question from the disciples, “Lord, teach us to pray as John taught his disciples” (Lk. 11:1, cf. vv. 2-4), whereas Matthew includes the Lord’s Prayer in a group of instructions about personal piety (Mt. 6:9-13, cf. vv. 1-24). Matthew’s next parable here, the Ten Virgins (Mt. 25:1-13), clearly also stresses the need for watchfulness. In Jesus’ explanation here, apart from Luke’s introduction with a question from Peter, the two versions are nearly verbatim, up to a point (Lk. 12:42-46a; Mt. 24:45-51a). (For the parallel texts, see the file Faithful or Unfaithful Slave). Jesus asks, “Who then is the faithful and prudent manager whom his master will put in charge of his slaves, to give them their allowance of food at the proper time?” (Lk. 12:42). Matthew begins with this question, identifying Luke’s “faithful and prudent manager” (oJ pisto;V oijkonovmoV oJ frovnimoV, ho pistos oikonomos ho phronimos) as “the faithful and wise slave” (oJ pisto;V dou:loV kai; frovnimoV, ho pistos doulos kai phronimos). “Who then is the faithful and wise slave, whom his master has put in charge of his household, to give the other slaves their allowance of food at the proper time?” (Mt. 24:45). Here it is the chief slave, so to speak, that is in charge of the others. The phrase “allowance of food” (Mt. 24:45; Lk. 12:42) represents different Greek words trofhv (trophē) in Matthew and sitomevtrion (sitometrion) in Luke. Matthew’s term is general, meaning “nourishment, food ” (Bauer-Danker-Arndt-Gingrich [BDAG], A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and other Early Christian Literature, 3^rd ed., 2000, s.v. trofhv, trophē); Luke’s implies rationing, a compound of words for wheat or grain and for measuring it out, meaning “a measured allowance of grain/food, food allowance, ration” (BDAG, s.v. sitomevtrion, sitometrion). Although not significant here, the verb tense for “give” also differs, dou:nai (dounai, aorist infinitive) in Matthew, didovnai (didonai, present infinitive, perhaps implying repeated, daily distribution of the rations) in Luke. Jesus then blesses “that slave whom his master will find at work when he arrives” (Lk. 12:43; Mt. 24:46). Except for transposing the last two words (ou{twV poiou:nta, houtōs poiounta in Mt., poiou:nta ou{twV, poiounta houtōs in Lk.), the Greek text is identical in these verses. If “at work” includes the work of the “chief slave,” then Luke here identifies the “prudent manager” as a slave (cf. Lk 12:42; Mt. 24:45). But the point is failure to be alert when the master is delayed in returning. For being alert and busy when the master returns, the slave, presumably the chief slave (cf. Lk. 12:45-46; Mt. 24:48-49, will be duly rewarded. “Truly (ajmhvn, amēn in Mt., ajlhqw:V, alēthōs in Lk.) I tell you,” says Jesus, he will put that one in charge of all his possessions” (Lk. 12:44 = Mt. 24:47 except as noted).

But for slacking off and failure to be alert, and in addition, for brutality to the other slaves, the “chief slave” can expect severe reprisal. Luke puts it this way: “ But if that slave says to himself, ‘My master is delayed in coming,’ and if he begins to beat the other slaves, men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk, the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour that he does not know, and will cut him in pieces, and put him with the unfaithful’ ” (Lk. 12:45-46). Matthew’s parallel briefly describes the slave’s wicked actions, “But if that wicked slave says to himself, ‘My master is delayed,’ and he begins to beat his fellow slaves, and eats and drinks with drunkards” (Mt. 24:48-49), and also the severe consequences, “the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour that he does not know. He will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Mt. 24:50-51). Matthew’s version seems to have eschatological judgment in mind (cf. the context, Mt. 24-25), and echoes the charge of being “hypocrites” leveled repeatedly against the scribes and Pharisees in chapter 23. “He [the master] will cut him [the wicked slave] in pieces and put him with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Mt. 24:51). J. Andrew Overman says, “Matthew has combined this image of punishment [i.e. ‘cut him in pieces’] with another, weeping and gnashing of teeth, producing an incongruous image” NOAB, 3^rd ed., 2001, on Mt. 24:51). Matthew’s version doesn’t differentiate between the slave “who knew what his master wanted” (Lk. 12:47) and the one who didn’t; but, assuming the slave did know, Matthew’s version pictures severe punishment. According to Overman, this “final warning addresses leaders in the Christian community” (ibid., on Mt. 24:45-51).

Luke’s version mixes the reprisals of cutting the slave in pieces (Lk. 12:46), perhaps from the tradition (cf. Mt. 24:51) with beatings in an extended application.

That slave who knew what his master wanted, but did not prepare himself or do what was wanted, will receive a severe beating. But the one who did not know and did what deserved a beating will receive a light beating. From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required; and from the one to whom much has been entrusted, even more will be demanded. (Lk. 12:47-48 NRSV)

 If you think about it, Luke’s final challenge is rather daunting. “From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required; and from the one to whom much has been entrusted, even more will be demanded” (v. 48). We Americans know that most of us have been given much more than most of the rest of the world. What will be required of us? The point is that the Christian believers must be faithful, and ready for the Lord’s return at any time, a point to be elaborated by the parables of Matthew, chapter 25.

Ronald D. Worden, Ph.D.

rdworden@hgst.edu

deanworden@comcast.net