Ecclesiasticus (Sirach) 38:24-34

Trades and Crafts

24 The wisdom of the scribe depends on the opportunity of leisure;

only the one who has little business can become wise.

25 How can one become wise who handles the plow,

and who glories in the shaft of a goad,

who drives oxen and is occupied with their work,

and whose talk is about bulls?

26 He sets his heart on plowing furrows,

and he is careful about fodder for the heifers.

27 So it is with every artisan and master artisan

who labors by night as well as by day;

those who cut the signets of seals,

each is diligent in making a great variety;

they set their heart on painting a lifelike image,

and they are careful to finish their work.

28 So it is with the smith, sitting by the anvil,

intent on his iron-work;

the breath of the fire melts his flesh,

and he struggles with the heat of the furnace;

the sound of the hammer deafens his ears,

and his eyes are on the pattern of the object.

He sets his heart on finishing his handiwork,

and he is careful to complete its decoration.

29 So is it with is the potter sitting at his work

and turning the wheel with his feet;

he is always deeply concerned over his products,

and he produces them in quantity.

30 He molds the clay with his arm

and makes it pliable with his feet;

he sets his heart to finish the glazing,

and he takes care in firing the kiln.

31 All these rely on their hands,

and all are skillful in their own work.

32 Without them no city can be inhabited,

and wherever they live, they will not go hungry.

Yet they are not sought out for the council of the people,

33 nor do they attain eminence in the public assembly.

They do not sit in the judge’s seat,

nor do they understand the decisions of the courts;

they cannot expound discipline or judgment,

and they are not found among the rulers.

34 But they maintain the fabric of the world,

and their concern is for the exercise of their trade.

How different the one who devotes himself

to the study of the law of the Most High! (Ecclesiasticus 38:24-34, NRSV)

On November 6, 2006 (Monday in the week of the Sunday closest to November 2, Year Two), comments were repeated with revision and supplement from November 1, 2004 (Monday of the week of the Sunday closest to November 2, Year Two); they are repeated again here with editing and supplement:

This chapter begins with admonition to “honor physicians for their services, / for the Lord created them” (Ecclus. 38:1). Their gift of healing comes from God, and Ben Sira praises physicians and pharmacists for their God-given skill in promoting health (vv. 1-8), and admonishes us to use them when we are ill (vv. 9-15). After further advice on limited mourning for the dead (vv. 16-23), he brings us to today’s reading. In yesterday’s reading we noted several differences in verse numbering in the different texts and translation. A few such differences occur here beginning with verse 32c (NRSV) is v. 33a (LXX and KJV Apoc.). Verse 33a, b, c (NRSV) is v. 33b, c, d (LXX and KJV Apoc.).

Verse 33d, e (NRSV) is verse 34a, b (LXX), but verse 33e, f (KJV Apoc.). Verse 34a, b (NRSV and KJV Apoc.) is verse 34c, d (LXX). Verse 34c, d (NRSV and KJV Apoc.) is 39:1a, b (LXX). The Hebrew text as cited yesterday regarding chapter 36 is lacking for these verses. Compare the notes below.

At the outset of today’s reading, Ben Sira compares the work of a scribe–people like himself–and its value with that of various kinds of craftsmen. “The wisdom of the scribe depends on the opportunity of leisure (eujkairiva scolh:V, eukairia scholēs), he says; “only the one who has little business can become wise” (Ecclus. 38:24). While etymology is not always a perfect guide to meeting, it is interesting to note that the English word “school” is derived ultimately “from Latin schola, leisure, school, from Greek skholē, leisure (devoted to learning), lecture, school” (The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 1969, s.v. school); compare derivations of “scholar” and “scholastic.” Augustine suggests that leisure is a necessary, though not necessarily a sufficient, condition of wisdom, when he says, referring to some scholars, “For even these men themselves, endowed though they are with so much genius, burning with zeal, abounding in leisure, tracking some things by the aid of human conjecture, searching into others with the aids of history and experience, have not found out all things; and even their boasted discoveries are oftener mere guesses than certain knowledge” (Enchiridion, I, 9, online at http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/1302.htm, accessed again November 2, 2008). In another context he suggest that the unmarried have more “leisure in the love of wisdom” (Confessions, Book VI, Chapter XII, sec. 21. According to Bruce M. Metzger and Roland E. Murphy, “The highest vocation is that of the scribe” and the wisdom with which the scribe is concerned is “the law, wisdom (i.e., the Writings), and prophecies; this reflects the threefold division of the Hebrew Bible (39:1-3; see also the Prologue by Ben Sira’s grandson)” (NOAB, 2^nd ed., 1994, on Ecclus. 38:34b-39:11).

Much of this reading is about the value of various kinds of skilled workmanship and the artisans who do such work. Ben Sira speaks well of the farmer, but asks “How can one become wise who handles the plow, / and who glories in the shaft of a goad, / who drives oxen and is occupied with their work, / and whose talk is about bulls?” (Ecclus. 38:25). The farmer “sets his heart on plowing furrows, / and he is careful about fodder for the heifers” (v. 26). “So it is,” says Ben Sira, “with every artisan and master artisan / who labors by night as well as by day; / those who cut the signets of seals, / each is diligent in making a great variety; / they set their heart on painting a lifelike image, / and they are careful to finish their work” (v. 27). From a certain perspective, one might see this as high praise for artisans and craftsmen, but in this context, the praise is tempered by the comparison with the superior vocation of the “wisdom of the scribe” (v. 24). Similar reflections are presented on the work of the smith. “So it is with the smith, sitting by the anvil, / intent on his iron-work; / the breath of the fire melts his flesh, / and he struggles with the heat of the furnace; / the sound of the hammer deafens his ears, / and his eyes are on the pattern of the object. / He sets his heart on finishing his handiwork, / and he is careful to complete its decoration” (v. 28). Ben Sira’s next example is the potter. “So is it with is the potter sitting at his work / and turning the wheel with his feet; / he is always deeply concerned over his products, / and he produces them in quantity. / He molds the clay with his arm / and makes it pliable with his feet; / he sets his heart to finish the glazing, / and he takes care in firing the kiln” (vv. 29-30). Metzger and Murphy note that “various craftsmen [are] contrasted with the scribe, a student of divine wisdom. Sirach,” they say, “shows high regard for the farmer and seal-maker, the smith and the potter, and he describes their work with enthusiasm” (op. cit., on Ecclus. 38:24-39-11).

Ben Sira certainly takes note of the value of these craftsmen. “All these rely on their hands, / and all are skillful in their own work,” he says (Ecclus. 38:31). “Without them, he says, “no city can be inhabited, / and wherever they live, they will not go hungry” (vv. 32a, b). Yet they are not sought out for the council of the people,” says Ben Sira, nor do they attain eminence in the public assembly” (vv. 32c, 33a NRSV = v. 33a, b LXX and KJV Apoc.). “They do not sit in the judge’s seat,” he adds, “nor do they understand the decisions of the courts; / they cannot expound discipline or judgment, / and they are not found among the rulers” (v. 33b, c, d, e NRSV = vv. 33c, d, 34a, b LXX = v. 33c, d, e, f KJV Apoc). Although Ben Sira notes these limitations, he does concede that the artisans and craftsmen are essential in the civilized world. “But they maintain the fabric of the world,” he says, “and their concern is for the exercise of their trade” (v. 34a, b NRSV and KJV Apoc. = v. 34c, d LXX). And the contrast is emphasized in the transition to the description of the work of the scribe. The final lines of this reading are just the beginning of Ben Sira’s praise of the scribe (continuing through 39:11). With these lines he anticipates the emphasis and value placed on the study of the Torah as wisdom in later Judaism. “How different [from the artisans is] the one who devotes himself / to the study of the law (nomos [= hr!OT, torah]) of the Most High!” (Ecclus. 38:34c, d NRSV = 39:1a, b LXX).

According to Burton L. Mack, revised by Benjamin G. Wright III, this poem

has been compared with the Egyptian Instruction of Duauf, sometimes called a ‘Satire on the Trades,’ which was written from the elitist perspective of the scribal vocation. Ben Sira’s poem does not, however, engage in satire. The crafts are set in contrast to the vocation of the scribe (vv. 24, 32-33) without ridicule. In fact, he notes in v. 34a that craftsmen maintain the fabric of the world. The point of contrast is that artisans must concentrate their attention upon their handiwork and therefore have no time for the pursuit of learning, which requires leisure. The examples given, farmer, artisan, smith, and potter, when combined with the mention of rulers, judges, scribes, and public assemblies, provide a sketch of the productive society of Ben Sira’s time. (HarperCollins Study Bible, rev. ed., 2006, on Ecclus. 38:24-34)

Zephaniah 1:7-13 (Presbyterian and Lutheran traditions–This passage is not included in the Daily Office Lectionary of the Book of Common Prayer.)

7 Be silent before the Lord GOD!

For the day of the LORD is at hand;

the LORD has prepared a sacrifice,

he has consecrated his guests.

8 And on the day of the LORD’s sacrifice

I will punish the officials and the king’s sons

and all who dress themselves in foreign attire.

9 On that day I will punish

all who leap over the threshold,

who fill their master’s house

with violence and fraud.

10 On that day, says the LORD,

a cry will be heard from the Fish Gate,

a wail from the Second Quarter,

a loud crash from the hills.

11 The inhabitants of the Mortar wail,

for all the traders have perished;

all who weigh out silver are cut off.

12 At that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps,

and I will punish the people

who rest complacently on their dregs,

those who say in their hearts,

“The LORD will not do good,

nor will he do harm.”

13 Their wealth shall be plundered,

and their houses laid waste.

Though they build houses,

they shall not inhabit them;

though they plant vineyards,

they shall not drink wine from them. (Zephaniah 1:7-13, NRSV)

The following comments are repeated here with editing and supplement from November 6, 2006 (Monday in the week of the Sunday closest to November 2, Year Two):

Following the apparent threat of “universal destruction” announced by the prophet Zephaniah in yesterday’s reading (cf. Gregory Mobley’s subtitle, NOAB, 3^rd ed., 2001, on Zeph. 1:2-6), in today’s reading the prophet announces, “Be silent before the Lord GOD (hv9hy4 yn!dox3, ’ ^adōnāy YHWH)! / For the day of the LORD (hv!hy4, YHWH) is at hand (Zeph. 1:7a, b). On this day “the LORD has prepared a sacrifice, / he has consecrated his guests” (v. 7c, d). This sacrifice, say R. Lansing Hicks and Walter Brueggemann, is “a slaughter of sinners” (, NOAB, 2^nd ed. on Zeph. 1:7). Ehud Ben Zvi comments on the recent Jewish translation: “For the LORD has prepared a sacrificial feast [‘i.e., a slaughter of sinners,’ text note b], / Has bidden His guests purify themselves” (NJPS 1985, 1999). “The last two lines in the v.,” he says, “can be translated as ‘the LORD has prepared a sacrifice; he has consecrated those he has invited’ [cf. ‘guests’ NRSV]. This translation communicates better the double entendre of the Heb. Are the guests consecrated so they can take part in the sacrificial meal? Or, are they consecrated because they are about to be slaughtered for the meal? Are they going to be at the meal, or be the ‘meal’? The Heb. is likely intentionally ambiguous” (The Jewish Study Bible, 2004, on Zeph. 1:7).

“And on the day of the LORD’s sacrifice,” says Zephaniah, “I will punish the officials and the king’s sons and all who dress themselves in foreign attire” (v. 8). “King’s sons,” says Ben Zvi, “refers to the royal family in general, and perhaps even to royal officers; in other words, to the elite of the kingdom, which was understood as the ‘king’s house(hold)’ over which the king rules as a ‘father’ ” (ibid., on v. 8). Punishment will extend to “all who leap over the threshold” (v. 9b), “a pagan religious practice,” say Hicks and Brueggemann (op. cit., on v. 9 with ref. to 1 Sam. 5:5). Gregory Mobley calls it “a Philistine rite” (NOAB, 3^rd ed. on v. 9). These sinners are charged with “violence and fraud” (v. 9d). Ben Zvi takes note of this interpretation as a pagan, Philistine rite (“e.g., Targum, and most of recent scholarship”), but also of a second interpretation, according to which “everyone who steps [‘all who leap’ NRSV] over the threshold . . . points to social injustice, oppression, and thievery (e.g., Radak; Ibn Ezra)” (op. cit., on v. 9).

The punishments are described in graphic detail. Wailing and crying will be heard from various locations in Jerusalem, “the Fish Gate,” “the Second Quarter,” “the hills,” and “the Mortar” (vv. 10, 11a). According to Hicks and Brueggemann, “the enemy will approach Jerusalem from the north, first through the Fish Gate” (on v. 10). The “traders” who have perished (v. 11b) are “literally, ‘people of Canaan’” (op. cit., on v. 11; cf. Mobley on v. 11). When the LORD searches “Jerusalem with lamps,” his intention is to “punish the people / who rest complacently on their dregs” (v. 12a, b, c). Hicks and Brueggemann call this “a figure drawn from wine-making to portray indolence. If wine is not stirred up while it is fermenting, it becomes thick and lacks strength” (op. cit., on v. 12). These people are further defined as saying “in their hearts, ‘The LORD will not do good, / nor will he do harm’ ” (v. 12d, e, f). For this complacency, they will undergo devastating loss. “Their wealth shall be plundered, / and their houses laid waste. / Though they build houses, / they shall not inhabit them; / though they plant vineyards, / they shall not drink wine from them” (v. 13).

Revelation 14:1-13

The Lamb and the 144,000

14:1 Then I looked, and there was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion! And with him were one hundred forty-four thousand who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads. 2 And I heard a voice from heaven like the sound of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder; the voice I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps, 3 and they sing a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and before the elders. No one could learn that song except the one hundred forty-four thousand who have been redeemed from the earth. 4 It is these who have not defiled themselves with women, for they are virgins; these follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They have been redeemed from humankind as first fruits for God and the Lamb, 5 and in their mouth no lie was found; they are blameless.

The Messages of the Three Angels

6 Then I saw another angel flying in midheaven, with an eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth–to every nation and tribe and language and people. 7 He said in a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory, for the hour of his judgment has come; and worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water.”

8 Then another angel, a second, followed, saying, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.”

9 Then another angel, a third, followed them, crying with a loud voice, “Those who worship the beast and its image, and receive a mark on their foreheads or on their hands, 10 they will also drink the wine of God’s wrath, poured unmixed into the cup of his anger, and they will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. 11 And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever. There is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and its image and for anyone who receives the mark of its name.”

12 Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and hold fast to the faith of Jesus.

13 And I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who from now on die in the Lord.” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them.” (Revelation 14:1-13, NRSV)

The following comments are repeated here from comments on Revelation 14:1-7, 13, from September 7, 2008 (the Sunday closest to September 7, Y:ear Two), when comments were repeated from November 8, 2007 (Thursday in the week of the Sunday closest to November 2, Year One), and earlier as noted there:

Earlier in Revelation, war broke out in heaven, and “the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world–he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him” (Rev. 12:9). This conflict continues in chapters 12 and 13, but encouragement is provided by the visions of chapter fourteen, that Jean-Pierre Ruiz calls “a series of three visions intended to reassure the faithful of ultimate victory and vindication” (NOAB, 3^rd ed., 2001, on Rev. 14:1-20; cf. Bruce M. Metzger, NOAB, 2^nd ed., 1994, on Rev. 14:1-20). John “looked, and there was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion! And with him were one hundred forty-four thousand who had his name and his Father’s name written on their forehead” (Rev. 14:1). We observe that it is the Father’s name, not the mark of the beast (13:16-17; 14:9), that they bear on their foreheads. David E. Aune explains “Mount Zion, i.e., Jerusalem as the center of God’s eschatological action (Ps. 2:6; Isa. 24:23; 40:9-11; 2 Esd. 13:35-40; Heb. 12:22-24)” (HarperCollins Study Bible, rev. ed., 2006, on Rev. 14:1; cf. Ruiz, on v. 1). As part of the vision, John hears “a voice from heaven like the sound of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder [which would overpower one with decibels–or so one would think]; the voice I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps [a gentle, melodious and harmonious aspect] ” (v. 2). In the vision of the Son of Man in Revelation, chapter one, John says “his voice [i.e., that of the Son of Man] was like the sound of many waters” (1:15). Ruiz calls the phrase “sound of many waters, a frequent accompaniment of divine appearance; see Ps. 29:3; 93:4; Ezek. 1:24; 43:2; cf. Dan. 10:6” (op. cit., on Rev. 1:15). In a “preparatory heavenly scene” (Aune, on Rev. 14:2-3), “they sing a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and before the elders” (14:3a). The singers here are “the one hundred forty-four thousand” (Ruiz, on 14:3). The references to the “throne” and the “four living creatures” remind us of the vision of the heavenly throne room in chapter four. John tells us that “no one could learn that song except the one hundred forty-four thousand who have been redeemed from the earth” (v. 3b). And he describes these for us. “It is these who have not defiled themselves with women, for they are virgins; these follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They have been redeemed from humankind as first fruits (ajparchv, aparchē) for God and the Lamb, and in their mouth no lie was found; they are blameless” (vv. 4-5). “They are virgins,” explains Metzger, “that is, chaste, in contrast to the devotees of the pagan cults (2:20-22)” (op. cit., on v. 4). For Ruiz, this is “a characterization of the 144,000 that should be understood metaphorically in terms of the sexual abstinence required before contact with the divine (Ex. 19:15; Deut. 23:10-14) and of warriors before battle (1 Sam. 21:5; 2 Sam. 11:9-13)” (op. cit., on v. 4). “Follow the Lamb,” says Aune, is “a metaphor for discipleship and martyrdom (see Mt. 19:28; Lk. 9:5;7-58; Jn. 12:26)” (op. cit., on v. 4; cf. Ruiz, loc. cit.). Aune adds that “the word translated first fruits [ajparchv, aparchē] actually means ‘servants devoted to God’ and has nothing to do with first fruits as a sacrificial harvest metaphor. Here the term is applied to martyrs as sacrificial victims (cf. Jer. 2:3; Rom. 16:5; 1 Cor. 15:20, 23)” (ibid.). But the connotations of the harvest metaphor need not be excluded. The sense of the word as a “cultic technical term [for] first fruits, first portion of any kind (including animals, both domesticated and wild  . . .), which were holy to the divinity and were consecrated before the rest could be put to secular use” (Bauer-Danker-Arndt-Gingrich [BDAG], A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and other Early Christian Literature, 3^rd ed., 2000, s.v. ajparchv, aparchē, meaning no. (1) ), can also be used in a figurative sense, as Paul does in reference to “Epaenetus, who was the first convert (ajparchv, aparchē) in Asia” (Rom. 16:5). In Revelation 14:4, “the emphasis is less on chronological sequence than on quality” (BDAG, meaning no. (1) (b). John concludes the description of the 144,000, adding, “in their mouth no lie was found; they are blameless” (Rev. 14:5; cf. the later exclusion of liars from the holy city (21:8, 27).

In the present chapter these verses (14:1-5) set the scene for three visions introduced by three angels. Introducing the first, John says, “then I saw another angel flying in midheaven, with an eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth–to every nation and tribe and language and people” (v. 6). Ruiz compares the flight of the eagle “in midheaven,” crying “Woe, woe, woe to the inhabitants of the earth” (8:13; op. cit., on 14:6). But in the present context, the angel has “an eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth–to every nation and tribe and language and people” (14:7). According to Aune, the “eternal gospel” here is “not the saving message of Jesus’ death and resurrection, but the message referred to in v. 7” (op. cit., on v. 6). “He [the angel] said in a loud voice, ‘Fear God and give him glory, for the hour of his judgment has come; and worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water’ ” (v. 7). According to Ruiz, “worship” here “acknowledges God’s cosmic sovereignty as Creator” (op. cit., on v. 7).

In following verses, the second angel announces the fall of Babylon (v. 8). The third angel warns against worshiping “the beast” or receiving his “mark” (v. 9), for if they do, “they will also drink the wine of God's wrath, poured unmixed into the cup of his anger, and they will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever” (vv. 10-11a). In the midst of judgment, “the wine of God’s wrath” (v. 10), there is “a call for the endurance of the saints” who “keep the commandments of God and hold fast to the faith of Jesus” (v. 12), and the labors, for their deeds follow them” (v. 13).

After the interval today’s reading concludes with a blessing on “the dead who from now on die in the Lord”: “And I heard a voice from heaven saying, ‘Write this: Blessed are the dead who from now on die in the Lord.’ ‘Yes,’ says the Spirit, ‘they will rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them’ ” (v. 13). At this point, Ruiz notes the “promise assured by the Spirit” and recalls the blessing of 1:3 (ibid., on 14:13): “Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of the prophecy, and blessed are those who hear and who keep what is written in it; for the time is near” (1:3). In the midst of preparation for further judgment (chaps. 15-20), we find assurance for those who are faithful to Christ.

Luke 12:49-59

Jesus the Cause of Division (Mt 10.34-39)

49 “I came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! 50 I have a baptism with which to be baptized, and what stress I am under until it is completed! 51 Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division! 52 From now on five in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three; 53 they will be divided:

father against son

and son against father,

mother against daughter

and daughter against mother,

mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law

and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”

Interpreting the Time (Mt 16.1-4)

54 He also said to the crowds, “When you see a cloud rising in the west, you immediately say, ‘It is going to rain’; and so it happens. 55 And when you see the south wind blowing, you say, ‘There will be scorching heat’; and it happens. 56 You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time?

Settling with Your Opponent

57 “And why do you not judge for yourselves what is right? 58 Thus, when you go with your accuser before a magistrate, on the way make an effort to settle the case, or you may be dragged before the judge, and the judge hand you over to the officer, and the officer throw you in prison. 59 I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the very last penny.” (Luke 12:49-59, NRSV)

On June 22, 2008 (the Sunday closest to June 22, Year Two), when the reading was Luke 12:49-56, comments were repeated from November 6, 2006 (Monday in the week of the Sunday closest to November 2, Year Two), when the reading was Luke12:40-59, comments that were combined with revision and supplement from November 1, 2004 (Monday of the week of the Sunday closest to November 2, Year Two), and from June 25, 2006 (the third Sunday after Pentecost, Year Two). The comments are repeated here:

Today’s reading includes three paragraphs from Luke that have parallels in Matthew, but not in Mark or John. A question about the disciples being “baptism that I [Jesus] am baptized with” (Mk. 10:38; cf. Lk 12:50) comes in a different context in Mark (cf. Mk. 10:35-45; Mt. 20:20-28). For parallel passages for the present reading, see the separate file, Divisions within Households, Interpreting the Times, Agreeing with One’s Accuser. The three consecutive paragraphs in Luke have parallels in Matthew from three different contexts. On the theory–a probable theory–that Matthew and Luke draw on a separate source (Q) in addition to their respective uses of Mark, we can observe here how Matthew apparently separated these paragraphs from the sequence represented by Luke due to his [Matthew’s] topical arrangement of material.

In Luke's Gospel, Jesus speaks of the end of the age. "I came to bring fire to the earth" (Lk. 12:49. He says he has not come to bring "peace" but "division" (v. 51; cf. the “sword,” Mt. 10:34), which is explained as division of households (Lk. 12:52-53; cf Mt. 10:35-36). Such sayings relate to the unique circumstances of the coming spiritual crisis. According to David L. Tiede, in this passage (Lk. 12:49-56), “Jesus defines his ministry in terms of division and judgment” (HarperCollins Study Bible, 1^st ed., 1993, on Lk. 12:49-56). The “fire” (v. 49) is “a symbol of judgment” (Marion Lloyd Soards, NOAB, 3^rd ed., 2001, on Lk. 12:49). The “baptism” with which Jesus is “to be baptized” is “here meant figuratively [and] probably refers to his death” (Tiede, on v. 50; so Soards). Jesus asks–rhetorically–“Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth?” (v. 51a, cf. Mt. 10:34), and he answers his own question, “No, I tell you, but rather division!” (v. 51b). Matthew has “a sword” where Luke has “division.” The sayings which put family members against one another (Lk. 12:53; cf. Mt. 10:35-36) suggest heart-wrenching divisions within families, but “sword” suggests war. It’s surely a symbol for the disruptions caused by the Gospel, and perhaps Luke’s term “division” is an interpretation. “The promise of peace . . . becomes a threat of division if the Messiah is rejected” (Tiede, on Lk. 12:51). The related sayings from the Gospel of Thomas (in the separate file, Divisions within Households, Interpreting the Times, Agreeing with One’s Accuser) refer to “fire upon the world” (GT 10), to divisions among peoples, that is “divisions upon the earth, fire, sword [and] war,” and among families (GT 16). These sayings are neither clearly apocalyptic, nor clearly–as some have characterized the Gospel of Thomas–Gnostic. Other Gospel of Thomas sayings do give evidence of Gnostic leanings, for example

Jesus saw children that were being suckled. He said to his disciples (maqhthvV, mathētēs): These children being suckled are like those who enter the kingdom. They said to him, If we are children, shall we enter the kingdom? Jesus said to them: When (o{tan, [hotan]) you make the two one, and make the inside like the outside, and the outside like the inside, and the upper side like the under side, and when you make the male and the female into a single one, so that the male will not be male and the female will <not> be female; when enter the kingdom. They said to him, If we are children, shall we enter the kingdom? Jesus said to them: When (o{tan, [hotan]) you make eyes in place of an eye, and a hand in place of a hand, and a foot in place of a foot, an image (eijkwvn [eikōn]) in place of an image (eijkwvn [eikōn]), then (tovte [tote]) you shall enter [the kingdom]. (GT 22, transl., Bruce M. Metzger)

As noted above, the sayings on interpreting the times (Lk. 12:54-56; Mt. 16:2-3) are found in different contexts. It appears here that Matthew and Luke have use common sayings of Jesus material each in his own context. The “crowds” (Lk.) or “the Pharisees and Sadducees (Mt.) can read signs of the weather (Lk. 12:54-6) but do not "know how to interpret the present time" (v. 56). Matthew’s framework follows Mark 8:11-13, which includes the Pharisees seeking a sign (Mk. 8:11) and the reply that no sign will be given (Mk. 8:12), but adds the reference to the sign of Jonah (Mt. 16:4; 12:39; Lk. 11:29). The references to discerning the weather are expressed differently by Matthew and Luke. Matthew emphasizes the red sky, which indicates fair weather in the evening but stormy weather in the morning (Mt. 16:2-3), but Luke refers to “a cloud rising in the west” as a sign of rain (Lk. 12:54), and the heat brought by the south wind. But both draw the conclusion, “You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time?” (Lk. 12:56; cf. Mt. 16:3b). In our day, we have come to marvel at technology-based weather forecasting. But how well does our spiritual forecasting work?

Ronald D. Worden, Ph.D.

rdworden@hgst.edu

deanworden@comcast.net