Joel 2:21-27

21 Do not fear, O soil;

be glad and rejoice,

for the LORD has done great things!

22 Do not fear, you animals of the field,

for the pastures of the wilderness are green;

the tree bears its fruit,

the fig tree and vine give their full yield.

23 O children of Zion, be glad

and rejoice in the LORD your God;

for he has given the early rain for your vindication,

he has poured down for you abundant rain,

the early and the later rain, as before.

24 The threshing floors shall be full of grain,

the vats shall overflow with wine and oil.

25 I will repay you for the years

that the swarming locust has eaten,

the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter,

my great army, which I sent against you.

26 You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied,

and praise the name of the LORD your God,

who has dealt wondrously with you.

And my people shall never again be put to shame.

27 You shall know that I am in the midst of Israel,

and that I, the LORD, am your God and there is no other.

And my people shall never again be put to shame. (Joel 2:21-27, NRSV)

On November 16, 2006 (Thursday in the week of the Sunday closest to November 9, Year Two), comments were repeated with minor revision and supplement from November 11, 2004 (Thursday of the week of the Sunday closest to November 9, Year Two); they are repeated here with editing and supplement:

Joel presents God’s answer, “in response” (Joel 2:19a), to the prayer of repentance he called for in yesterday’s lesson (vv. 15, 17). “I am sending you / grain, wine, and oil, / and you will be satisfied,” says the LORD; “and I will no more make you / a mockery among the nations” (v. 19b, c, d, e, f.). As noted yesterday, Ehud Ben Zvi reminds us of the earlier reference to the locusts’ devastation, depriving the people of grain, wine and oil (1:10) needed for offerings (1:9), but also to the LORD’s frequent promise to bless them with grain, wine and oil (Deut. 7:13; 11:14; 14:23; 33:28; Jer. 31:12 and Hos. 2:10 [NJPS 1985, 1999 = Heb. = 2:8 NRSV]) (The Jewish Study Bible, 2004, on Joel 2:19). And yesterday as well we noted the enigmatic reference to “the northern army” that the LORD will remove “far from you [i.e., from Judah],” that some understand to represent the locusts and others understand to be the enemy army of which the locusts are an image. Yesterday we cited Ben Zvi’s reference to the Babylonian Talmud, where the “northern army” is the “yetzer ha-ra‘, that is, “the evil inclination,” a rabbinical concept that in some respects approximates the “carnal nature” discussed by Christian theologians (ibid., on v. 20).

As today’s reading continues the prophet speaks for the LORD, first addressing the land itself. “Do not fear, O soil; / be glad and rejoice, / for the LORD has done great things!” (v. 21). And he addresses the land’s animals and plants. “Do not fear, you animals of the field, / for the pastures of the wilderness are green; / the tree bears its fruit, / the fig tree and vine give their full yield” (v. 22). He thus announces the reversal of the devastation brought by the locusts (cf. 1:4, 7, 9-10, 11-13, 16-18, 19-20). The blessings of adequate rainfall will be restored. “O children of Zion, be glad / and rejoice in the LORD your God; / for he has given the early rain (hr@Om0h1-tx@, ’eth-hammôreh) for your vindication (hq!d!c4l9, litsdāqāh), / he has poured down (dr!Oy0v1, wayyôred) for you abundant rain (Mw@G!, gešem), / the early (hr@Om, môreh [‘mlt (many) mss. Hrvy (yôreh)’ BHS]) and the later rain (wOql4m1U, ûmalqôš), as before” (v. 23). According to Gregory Mobley, “the early rain (in October-November) and the later rain in March-April were rewards of the covenant with the LORD (Deut. 11:14)” (NOAB, 3^rd ed., 2001, on Joel 2:23). Based on the recent Jewish translation, “For he has given you the early rain in [His] kindness” (Joel 2:23c NJPS 1985, 1999), Ben Zvi find a group of intriguing possible meanings here:

Other possibilities for the meaning of this sentence include: ‘For He has given you the early rain in its season’; ‘For He has given you the early rain for your vindication’; ‘For He has given you back your teacher in righteousness’; ‘For He has given you a teacher for righteousness’; ‘For He has given you a righteous teacher.’ The word translated ‘rain’ (‘moreh,’ the same as in Ps. 84:7) is usually ‘yoreh,’ and ‘moreh’ can mean ‘teacher.’ If the word is understood as ‘teacher,’ then who is the teacher? The LORD? Furthermore, it is possible that this is another case of a main denoted meaning (probably ‘the early rain in its season’) along with a connoted meaning (‘teacher’). The Qumran community seems to have derived their conception of the teacher of righteousness, an early leader of the group, from this v[erse]. (op. cit., on v. 23)

In any event, the promise of rain is included, with the result that, “The threshing floors shall be full of grain, / the vats shall overflow with wine and oil” (v. 24). As the LORD speaks through the prophet again–note the switch from third person to first person–the reversal of devastation is made explicit. “I will repay you for the years / that the swarming locust has eaten, / the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter, / my great army, which I sent against you” (v. 25). According to Richard A. Henshaw, revised by Marvin a Sweeney, “The reversal of fortune refers to the locusts, now an army, in the same terms as in 1:4” (HarperCollins Study Bible, rev. ed., 2006, on Joel 2:25). And as a result, says the LORD, “You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, / and praise the name of the LORD your God, / who has dealt wondrously with you. / And my people shall never again be put to shame” (v. 26). As a further result, says the LORD, “You shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, / and that I, the LORD, am your God and there is no other. / And my people shall never again be put to shame” (v. 27). According to Henshaw and Sweeney, “This assurance of YHWH’s presence has the tone of an ending, delineating one of the several divisions in the book,” and they add that “never again” means that “the invasions will not occur over and over again, as in the past, but will come to an end. The theme is repeated in 3:17” (ibid., on v. 27). And so, here as in other prophetic books, pronouncements of judgment are followed by promises of mercy and grace.

Because tomorrow’s reading continues beginning with verse 28, we may note that 2:28 NRSV is 3:1 in the Hebrew text (and the NJPS 1985, 1999 text). Joel 2:28-32 NRSV is the equivalent of 3:1-5 Hebrew and NJPS. Chapter 3 NRSV (3:1-21) is numbered as chapter 4 (4:1-21) in Hebrew and NJPS.

James 1:1-15

Salutation

1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,

To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion:

Greetings.

Faith and Wisdom

2 My brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of any kind, consider it nothing but joy, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance; 4 and let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking in nothing.

5 If any of you is lacking in wisdom, ask God, who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly, and it will be given you. 6 But ask in faith, never doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind; 7 for the doubter, being double-minded and unstable in every way, must not expect to receive anything from the Lord.

Poverty and Riches

9 Let the believer who is lowly boast in being raised up, 10 and the rich in being brought low, because the rich will disappear like a flower in the field. 11 For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the field; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. It is the same way with the rich; in the midst of a busy life, they will wither away.

Trial and Temptation

12 Blessed is anyone who endures temptation. Such a one has stood the test and will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him. 13 No one, when tempted, should say, “I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil and he himself tempts no one. 14 But one is tempted by one’s own desire, being lured and enticed by it; 15 then, when that desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and that sin, when it is fully grown, gives birth to death. (James 1:1-15, NRSV)

On June 24, 2007 (the Sunday closest to June 22, Year One), comments were repeated from November 16, 2006 (Thursday in the week of the Sunday closest to November 9, Year Two), when comments were combined with revision and supplement from comments of November 11, 2004, (Thursday of the week of the Sunday closest to November 9, Year Two), from comments on James 1:1-18 on June 19, 2005 (the Sunday closest to June 22, Year One), and from May 14, 2007 (Monday in the week of the Sixth Sunday of Easter, Year One). The combined comments are repeated here with some editing and supplement:

On James 1:1

The letter is addressed to scattered Christians in general. The term “the twelve tribes” assumes that the Christians are heirs of the promises to Abraham. James addresses his letter “to the twelve tribes in the Dispersion” (Jas. 1:1), which Cain Hope Felder understands as a reference to “scattered Christians” [i.e. understanding “Dispersion” as a metaphor for Christians] with reference to 1 Pet. 1:1, NOAB, 3^rd ed., 2001, on Jas. 1:1). But James B. Addison takes the term “the Dispersion” literally, as a reference to Jews. “If he [James] has a new spiritual meaning for the twelve tribes he must not at once add of the dispersion, for this at once anchors it in the old historical application” (The Epistle of James, NICNT, 1976, p. 49, on Jas. 1:1). “In our view, then, James is addressing his Epistle both to Christian and (hopefully) to non-Christian Jews, outside and within Palestine itself” (Ibid., p. 51, on Jas. 1:1). The difference here is perhaps not so important as the fact that both see the letter as addressed to Christian believers. The Jewish character is prominent throughout the book as well.

 This is the only New Testament Letter that uses the standard greeting found in many letters of that time, “Greetings” (caivrein, chairein, James 1:1c). As a form of the verb caivrw (chairō, “rejoice”), which is used as a form of address (cf. Cai:re, Chaire, “Greetings!,” Lk. 1:28; Mt. 26:49), the infinitive form caivrein (chairein) is used “elliptically at the beginning of a letter, caivrein (chairein), greetings Ac 15:23 [the letter sent under James’ supervision [!] by the Apostles reporting the decision of the Jerusalem Conference]; 23:26 [the letter sent by the tribune, ‘Claudius Lysias to his Excellency the governor Felix,’ caivrein, greetings]; Js. 1:1,” (F. Wilbur Gingrich and Frederick W. Danker, Shorter Lexicon of the Greek New Testament, 1983, s.v. chairō). The Pauline letters use cavriV (charis, “grace”) and eijrhvnh (eirēnē, “peace,” the equivalent of Heb. MOlw!, šālôm). Peter uses Paul’s terms, but adds “be multiplied” (plhqunqeivh, plēthyntheiē). Jude’s greeting is, “May mercy ( e[leoV, eleos), peace (eijrhvnh, eirēnē), and love (ajgavph, agapē) be yours in abundance” (Jude 2). The Johannine Letters do not use formal greetings, but do express affection for the readers at the outset (cf. 1 Jn. 1:4; 2 Jn. 3, “Grace, mercy and peace be with us from God the Father, and from Jesus Christ, the Father’s Son, in truth and love”; 3 Jn. 1, “The elder to the beloved Gaius, whom I love in truth”).

            On James 1:2-11

James pronounces a blessing on “anyone who endures temptation” (Jas. 1:12), and advises us to “consider it nothing but joy” “whenever you face trials of any kind” (v. 2). Testing produces endurance (v. 3) and leads to maturity: “let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking in nothing” (v. 4). According to Sophie Laws, “One virtue leads to another” (HarperCollins Study Bible, 1^st ed., 1993, on Jas. 1:2-4, cf. Rom 5:3-4; 1 Pet. 1:6-7). Addison emends the text of verse 3, substituting “in endurance” (uJpomonh:/, hypomonē(i), dative case) for “endurance” (uJpomonhvn, hypomonēn, accusative case). “In the usual text “endurance” is the result achieved; in our emended text, in endurance [dative of means], it is the means and method by which we strive for (and, we hope, win) approbation” (op. cit., p. 55, on Jas. 1:3-4. cf. the Excursus, pp. 90-92).

We are promised wisdom, if we ask (v. 5), for God gives it to all “generously” (NRSV), “freely” (ibid., p. 56) or “as a simple (unconditional) gift” (ibid., p. 55). In chapter 3, we are advised to demonstrate wisdom: “Show by your good life that your works are done with gentleness born of wisdom” (3:13). Here (1:5) James promises that God will give wisdom. Compare Jesus’ statement that God will give “good things” (Mt. 7:11) or “the Holy Spirit” (Lk. 11:13) to those who ask. Wisdom, sofiva (sophia), gives Greek philosophy its name–philo-sophia–but the wisdom mentioned here has in mind the biblical background, hm!k4H! (chokmāh), which was with God in the creation (Proverbs 8:22-31, but in general, is practical wisdom for living. “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; / fools despise wisdom and instruction” (Prov. 1:7). In the Jewish tradition, says Addison,

Sometimes “Wisdom means Law (Torah),” says an old commentary on Ps. 99:4 (Midr. Ps. on 99:4). This Wisdom / Law was needed for defeating the wiles of the Evil Spirit in man; but wisdom is a gift, from on high, which cannot be bought by man; its sole source is God: so OT Wisdom literature, Philo, and the rabbis. “Blessed be Thou, O Lord our God, King of the universe, who hast imparted of Thy wisdom to flesh and blood. (op. cit., p. 56, on Jas. 1:5)

For Christians facing trials and “lowly” conditions in life, things are not what they seem. They have a hope for a future with God, so they should have joy in spite of present circumstances, asking wisdom from God and looking forward to God’s reversal of the situation, when “the rich will disappear like a flower in the field” (James 1:10). It’s not that the rich are wicked simply because they are rich. “Wealthy people can be Christians,” says Felder; “the issue is not social standing but unjust behavior; see 2:2-6; 5:1-6)” (op. cit., on 1:9-11). But the warning is given: “For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the field; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. It is the same way with the rich; in the midst of a busy life, they will wither away” (v. 11).

            On James 1:12-15

A particular form of trial for the Christian is temptation. James blesses the one “who endures temptation” (James 1:12). He also reminds us that God does not tempt persons to sin. “No one, when tempted, should say, ‘I am being tempted by god’; for God cannot be tempted by evil and he himself tempts no one’ ” (v. 13). On the contrary, says James, “one is tempted by one’s own desire, being lured and enticed by it; then, when that desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and that sin, when it is fully grown, gives birth to death” (vv. 14-15). According to Felder, “some Hellenistic Jews believed that each person has both an evil inclination and a good inclination; because God created both, the individual might blame God for moral lapses. James vigorously refutes this position (see Sir 15:11-20) without compromising a pastoral stance (my beloved)” (ibid., on vv. 13-16).

In these early paragraphs, James refers briefly to some themes that will be treated at greater length later in the book, for example, faith (1:3, 6; 2:14-26), the lowly and the rich (1:9-11; 2:1-7; 5:1-6), and temptation (1:12-16; cf. the sources of conflicts, 4:1-10, and the call for patience, 5:7-11). God’s most significant gift for us is “birth by the word of truth, so that we would become a kind of first fruits of his creatures” (1:18).

Luke 15:1-2, 11-32

15:1 Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to him. 2 And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, “This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.” (Luke 15:1-2, NRSV)

The Parable of the Prodigal and His Brother

11 Then Jesus said, “There was a man who had two sons. 12 The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the property that will belong to me.’ So he divided his property between them. 13 A few days later the younger son gathered all he had and traveled to a distant country, and there he squandered his property in dissolute living. 14 When he had spent everything, a severe famine took place throughout that country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed the pigs. 16 He would gladly have filled himself with the pods that the pigs were eating; and no one gave him anything. 17 But when he came to himself he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired hands have bread enough and to spare, but here I am dying of hunger! 18 I will get up and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me like one of your hired hands.” ‘ 20 So he set off and went to his father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion; he ran and put his arms around him and kissed him. 21 Then the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ 22 But the father said to his slaves, ‘Quickly, bring out a robe-the best one-and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 And get the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; 24 for this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!’ And they began to celebrate.

25 “Now his elder son was in the field; and when he came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 He called one of the slaves and asked what was going on. 27 He replied, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fatted calf, because he has got him back safe and sound.’ 28 Then he became angry and refused to go in. His father came out and began to plead with him. 29 But he answered his father, ‘Listen! For all these years I have been working like a slave for you, and I have never disobeyed your command; yet you have never given me even a young goat so that I might celebrate with my friends. 30 But when this son of yours came back, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fatted calf for him!’ 31 Then the father said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. 32 But we had to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead and has come to life; he was lost and has been found.’ “ (Luke 15:11-32, NRSV)

On May 30, 2007 (Wednesday in the week of the Sunday closest to May 25, Year One), comments were repeated with some revision from November 16, 2006 (Thursday in the week of the Sunday closest to November 9, Year Two), and from May 25, 2005, (Wednesday in the week of Pentecost Sunday, Year One), when comments were used from November 11, 2004 (Thursday of the week of the Sunday closest to November 9, Year Two). The revised comments are repeated here:

If we review some of Luke’s earlier material, we see that some perhaps well-meaning Pharisees warned Jesus, “Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you” (Luke 13:31). Jesus’ response implies that there’s no stopping him now. “I am casting out demons and performing cures today and tomorrow, and on the third day I finish my work” (v. 32). Jesus continues to address the Pharisees and associates (at a meal in the house of a leader of the Pharisees (14:1). He addresses the crowds about discipleship (14:25-35), but before addressing the disciples again (16:1), he tells three parables for the “benefit” of the Pharisees and scribes who “were grumbling and saying, ‘This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them’” (15:2).

It is frequently pointed out that the prodigal son’s elder brother represents the complaining Pharisees (Lk 15:2). “By calling his brother ‘this son of yours’ he fails to recognize his brotherhood with outcast sinners” (G. W. H. Lampe, Peake’s Commentary on the Bible, 1962, reprinted 1972, sec. 730h, p. 836, on Lk. 15:29-30). “The basis of his relationship to his father is servitude, and keeping the commandments in a Pharisaic manner. . . . Luke, says Lampe, always sees the Christian mission as directed in the first instance to the Jews as the chosen people” (ibid., on v. 31).

But though the parable has a lesson for the “elder brothers” of the world, it speaks to all of us as well. We should not forget the seriousness of sin, all sin, whether the pride and blindness of the elder brother, or the willful departure of the younger brother. Older translations say “he gathered (sunavgw, synagō) all together” (Lk. 15:13 AV/KJV), and recent translations are similar “the younger son gathered all he had” (NRSV). But commercial papyri discovered in modern times, and recent Lexicons, suggest that he “cashed it all in.” Verse thirteen means “gather everything together, perhaps in the sense or with the connotation turn everything into cash” (Bauer-Arndt-Gingrich-Danker [BADG], A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and other Early Christian Literature, 2^nd ed., 1979, s.v. sunavgw, synagō). He perhaps didn’t recognize the Devil’s signature on the contract, but by his squandering of property “in dissolute living” (v. 13), he sold himself out, down the river, so to speak. For such people, the only hope is the grace of God. Such people also are clearly in a place to recognize their lostness, and to determine to return to the father. In some ways, the older brother was just as lost, but less likely to recognize his condition and do something about it.

On one level, Eric Franklin observes that the actions of the younger son at the beginning of the parable are outrageous:

His initial request of the father has been seen as one which totally disregards the fifth commandment (Ex. 20:12), his realizing of his assets as giving little heed to the Jewish belief in the land as God’s gift to his people (1 Kings 21:3), his squandering of his money as a sign of his loose living, and his hiring of himself to a Gentile as a witness to his contempt for the covenantal people. (The Oxford Bible Commentary, 2001, p. 947, on Lk. 15:1-31)

It seems that the son is on a downhill slide that has been greased.

The story builds up his offences in a spectacular way to make him a strong foil to the actions of the father which demand some evaluation and on which the point of the story depends. (ibid.)

But did the prodigal repent? The words, “But when he came to himself” (Lk. 15:17), have

sometimes been claimed as a Semitism which carries the meaning ‘to repent’. This, however is by no means clear. The Greek can rather mean ‘starting to think straight’, that is to stop being in despair and to be logical. v. 17b bases his rethinking on self-centered considerations, and it is these that determine the words of his approach to the father which could as easily give expression to calculation as to genuine penitence. Some interpreters would see a change of heart at v. 21 [“Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.”] , and think that this is brought about by the father’s initiative. This appears to be more in keeping with the story as a whole, though a genuine repentance remains a possibility rather than a certainty. (ibid.)

I would respond to Franklin by saying any turn toward God is a turn in the right direction, however imperfect the motivation for turning. Franklin assesses the Father’s actions. “It is generally agreed that the father’s act of running to meet his son and the manner of his embrace would be regarded as demeaning for a Near-Eastern parent.” He refers to a Jewish parable (cited elsewhere) which has been compared to the Prodigal Son, that “portrays a father who, though equally concerned for his son and anxious for his return, takes an initiative which is nevertheless consistent with his own honour.” The father’s earlier actions have been compared to Jewish law, which “made provision for his actions in dividing his ‘living’ (the Gk. In 12b is a stronger term [bivoV, bios, “means of subsistence”] than that used in 12a [oujsiva, ousia, “property, wealth] and really suggests ‘his means of living’), though Sir. 33:19-23 warns against it. A safeguard was possible which, by the use of the phrase, ‘From today and after my death’, guaranteed the future gift but allowed no use of it until then . . . The father ignores this safeguard. He has acted generously, even foolishly, towards his son’s demands,” says Franklin (ibid., 947). But when the son returns, can we call it “unreasonable, superabounding grace”?

This parable, and the paragraph about the elder son, bring two chapters to a climax that have been mainly focused on the Pharisees. They have shown some concern for Jesus’ safety, warning him about Herod (13:31). They have shared a meal with him (14:1), but looked on in stony silence when he cured the man with dropsy (14:2). They listened to his criticism for seeking the seats of honor (14:7-11), and his advice to invite “the poor, the crippled, the lame and the blind” to their dinner parties (14:11-14). One even looks forward with some anticipation to the “blessing” of eating “bread in the kingdom of God” (14:15). But they still complained that he “welcomes sinners and eats with them” (15:2). So they readily recognize themselves in the elder brother, and understand Jesus’ challenge to them. Franklin characterizes the elder brother:

He has often been seen as hard, dutiful but unloving ungenerous in his actions and dismissive in his judgements both of the brother and his father. vv. 29-30 certainly portray anger, fury even, and resentment. Whilst not meant to present him in a good light, it should not be assumed, however, that they express an outlook that merits instant condemnation. No doubt already critical of his brother, and, indeed, of his father’s indulgence of him, he hears of the latest happenings from a servant after a day’s work in the fields. [“Where was my invitation?!”] Festivities are happening because of events that concern him fundamentally, and he is left to discover them for himself. The father’s indulgence of one son amounts to a seeming indifference to the other. But appearances are wrong. The father is as concerned for him as for the other, and all that he has is his (v. 31). He is faced nevertheless with a radical challenge. If he does go in, the learning experience for him will be almost as great as it must be for the younger brother. He will have to see himself and his relationships with both his father and his brother in a wholly new way. (ibid., p. 948, on Lk. 15:1-31)

Ronald D. Worden, Ph.D.

rdworden@hgst.edu

deanworden@comcast.net