Isaiah 1:10-20

10 Hear the word of the LORD,

you rulers of Sodom!

Listen to the teaching of our God,

you people of Gomorrah!

11 What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices?

says the LORD;

I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams

and the fat of fed beasts;

I do not delight in the blood of bulls,

or of lambs, or of goats.

12 When you come to appear before me,

who asked this from your hand?

Trample my courts no more;

13 bringing offerings is futile;

incense is an abomination to me.

New moon and sabbath and calling of convocation–

I cannot endure solemn assemblies with iniquity.

14 Your new moons and your appointed festivals

my soul hates;

they have become a burden to me,

I am weary of bearing them.

15 When you stretch out your hands,

I will hide my eyes from you;

even though you make many prayers,

I will not listen;

your hands are full of blood.

16 Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean;

remove the evil of your doings

from before my eyes;

cease to do evil,

17 learn to do good;

seek justice,

rescue the oppressed,

defend the orphan,

plead for the widow.

18 Come now, let us argue it out,

says the LORD:

though your sins are like scarlet,

they shall be like snow;

though they are red like crimson,

they shall become like wool.

19 If you are willing and obedient,

you shall eat the good of the land;

20 but if you refuse and rebel,

you shall be devoured by the sword;

for the mouth of the LORD has spoken. (Isaiah 1:10-20, NRSV)

On December 4, 2006 (Monday in the week of the First Sunday of Advent, Year One), comments were repeated with revision and supplement from November 29, 2004 (Monday in the week of the First Sunday of Advent, Year One):

Yesterday’s reading concluded with a comparison of desolated Judah to Sodom and Gomorrah.. As the prophet continues the LORD’s indictment of his people in today’s reading, Judah’s rulers are addressed as “rulers of Sodom,” and the people as “people of Gomorrah,” implying similarity not only in terms of the desolating punishment, but especially in terms of character. “Hear the word of the LORD, / you rulers of Sodom!” says the prophet. “Listen to the teaching of our God, / you people of Gomorrah!” (Isa. 1:10). “In the prophets,” says Joseph Blenkinsopp, “Sodom and Gomorrah (see Gen. 18:16-19:28) became bywords for spectacular divine judgment on immoral conduct” (NOAB, 3^rd ed., 2001, on Isa. 1:10). Speaking through the prophet, the LORD deplores their superficial religious practices when he asks, “What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices? / says the LORD; / I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams / and the fat of fed beasts; / I do not delight in the blood of bulls, / or of lambs or of goats (v. 11; cf. Amos 5:21-24; Jer. 6:20). Benjamin D. Sommer’s subheading for verses 10-20 is “Rite and Right”; and he summarizes the section: “The sacrifices and prayers offered by Isaiah’s contemporaries are useless because they are not accompanied by ethical action. This is a frequent prophetic theme; see esp. Amos 5:21-25; Isa. 58:1-9” (The Jewish Study Bible, 2004, on Isa. 1:10–20). The people don’t know how to come into the LORD’s presence. “When you come to appear before me, / who asked this from your hand?” (v. 12a, b). Their offerings and incense are futile. “Trample my courts no more,” says the LORD; bringing offerings is futile; / incense is an abomination to me” (vv. 12c, 13a, b). Sommer, following the recent Jewish translation, which is very close to the NRSV here, comments on verses 10-15, especially 12-13, with the subheading “God’s attitude toward ritual”: According to the translation of vv. 12-13 above, God rejects sacrifice altogether; but according to the alternative in the translators’ note, God rejects only the vain rituals of unethical people. Both renderings are linguistically defensible; rabbinic commentators prefer the latter (cf. Prov. 21:27)” (ibid., on vv. 10-15). The translation he uses reads as follows, with the “translators’ note in square brackets:

That you come to appear before Me–Who asked that ^c-of you? / Trample My courts ¹³no more; / Bringing oblations is futile,^-c [“To trample My courts? / ¹³Bring no more vain oblations.”] / Incense is offensive to Me.” (Isa. 1:12-13a, b NJPS 1985, 1999)

Sommer’s alternatives apparently turn on whether to interpret xv4w! (šāw’) as an adverb, “Bringing oblations is futile” (NJPS), “bringing offerings is futile” (NRSV), or as an adjective, “Bring no more vain oblations” (NJPS text note c). William L. Holladay supports the latter, defining xv4w! (šāw’) as “worthless Is 1:12,” though he includes the adverbial sense for Ps. 89:48 (A Concise Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament, 1971, 10^th corrected impression 1988, s.v. xv4w!, šāw’, meanings no. 1 and 3).

Isaiah, speaking for the LORD, singles out and rejects certain assemblies. “New moon and sabbath and calling of convocation–I cannot endure solemn assemblies with iniquity (hr!c!f3v1 Nv@x!, ’āwen wa‘ ^atsārāh)” (v. 13c, d NRSV). Both the NRSV and the NJPS have “assemblies with iniquity” here, though a text note in the latter says “Septuagint “Fast and Assembly”; cf. Joel 1:14.” (NJPS text note d). Assuming the validity of the condition, that the LORD hates their sacrifices, offerings and festal assemblies because of their sin and not outright as such–the traditional view, including that of rabbinical commentary mentioned above by Sommer–we can understand the call for repentance that follows (vv. 18-20). But first we are told that God has become weary of their various festivals. “Your new moons and your appointed festivals / my soul hates; / they have become a burden to me, / I am weary of bearing them” (v. 14). Their sinful and rebellious condition (cf. vv. 2, 5) prevents God from hearing their prayers. “When you stretch out your hands, / I will hide my eyes from you; / even though you make many prayers, / I will not listen; / your hands are full of blood” (v. 15). For “when you stretch out your hands” (Mk@yP2K1 Mk@W4r9p!b4U, ûv^ephāriśkem kappêkem), “when you lift up your hands” (NJPS 1985, 1999), Sommer says, “People lifted up their hands when praying in ancient Israel; cf. Exod. 9:29, 33; 1 Kings 8:38, 54” (op. cit., on v. 15).

The remedy is repentance and cleansing: “Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; / remove the evil of your doings / from before my eyes; / cease to do evil, / learn to do good (vv. 16-17a). They need to turn away from injustice, “seek justice” (v. 17b), turn away from oppression (v. 17c), “defend the orphan” (v. 17d) and “plead for the widow” (v. 17e). Blenkinsopp calls this “a very strong statement of the prophetic protest against worship divorced from social justice (cf. Am. 5:21-24; Mic. 6:6-8; Jer6:20-21; 7:1-15)” (on vv. 10-17). “Because of their relative powerlessness,” says J. J. M. Roberts, “orphans and widows were two classes of people often subject to oppression in ancient Near Eastern societies. Following the Near Eastern legal tradition, Israelite law extended special concern for their protection (Es. 22:21; Deut 24:17; 27:19), and this concern is also reflected in Israel’s other religious literature (Job 31:16; Ps. 94:6; Jer. 7:6; Zech. 7:10)” (HarperCollins Study Bible, rev. ed., 2006, on Isa. 1:17).

The basis for the hope seen here by Benjamin D. Sommer (cf. the citation in yesterday’s comments (op. cit., on Isa. 1:2-31) is a call to repentance. “Come now, let us argue it out, / says the LORD: / though your sins are like scarlet, / they shall be like snow; / though they are red like crimson, / they shall become like wool” (v 18). This cleansing is conditional: on the one hand, “If you are willing and obedient, / you shall eat the good of the land,” says the LORD (v. 19); but on the other hand, “if you refuse and rebel, / you shall be devoured by the sword; / for the mouth of the LORD has spoken” (v. 20). “The unit,” says Sommer, with reference to verses 2-20 or 2-31, does not confine itself to complaint but ends with an invitation to repentance and ethical action. Calls to repentance are rare in Isaiah, especially compared with the work of other prophets; they never appear from ch. 6 through 31:6” (ibid., on 1:16-20).

1 Thessalonians 1:1-10

Salutation

1:1 Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy,

To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:

Grace to you and peace.

The Thessalonians’ Faith and Example

2 We always give thanks to God for all of you and mention you in our prayers, constantly 3 remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. 4 For we know, brothers and sisters beloved by God, that he has chosen you, 5 because our message of the gospel came to you not in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction; just as you know what kind of persons we proved to be among you for your sake. 6 And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for in spite of persecution you received the word with joy inspired by the Holy Spirit, 7 so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. 8 For the word of the Lord has sounded forth from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but in every place your faith in God has become known, so that we have no need to speak about it. 9 For the people of those regions report about us what kind of welcome we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols, to serve a living and true God, 10 and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead-Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath that is coming. (1 Thessalonians 1:1-10, NRSV)

On April 15, 2008 (Tuesday in the week of the Fourth Sunday of Easter, Year Two), comments were repeated from December 4, 2006 (Monday in the week of the First Sunday of Advent, Year One), when comments were combined with revision and supplement from November 29, 2004, (Monday in the week of the First Sunday of Advent, Year One), and from May 9, 2006 (Tuesday in the week of the Fourth Sunday of Easter, Year Two). The combined comments are repeated here with editing and supplement:

First Thessalonians is one of Paul’s earliest Letters, perhaps the first New Testament book written. Some, who hold to an early date for Galatians, would put it before First Thessalonians. They identify the “Galatians” addressed as the peoples of southeast Asia Minor evangelized by Paul and Barnabas on their first missionary Journey (Acts 13-14). These people are in the Roman Province of “Galatia,” extended south from the territory of ethnic “Galatians.” They would assume that the Letter to the Galatians was written before the Jerusalem Conference (Acts 15), which resolved issues addressed in Galatians. Others hold to the view that by “Galatia,” Paul means the territory of ethnic Galatians (who migrated there earlier from Gaul, modern France), in the highlands of north-central Asia Minor (modern Turkey). The first reference in Acts to Galatia (Acts 16:6) comes after the Jerusalem Conference, early in the second missionary journey. In any case, whether Galatians or First Thessalonians was written first, the latter was likely written soon after Paul’s hasty departure from Thessalonica (Acts 17:10, cf. vv. 5-9), to address misunderstandings he would have addressed had he remained longer. (It’s possible, however, that there was another visit not described in detail in Acts. Paul’s own description of his work at Thessalonica, 1 Thess. 2:1-12, implies a longer period. “You remember our labor and toil, brothers and sisters; we worked night and day, so that we might not burden any of you while we proclaimed to you the Gospel of God,” 2:9).

Paul’s customary salutation, the briefest of the Pauline Epistles, includes Silvanus (Silas) and Timothy as senders (1 Thess. 1:1a), who, though Paul was alone at Athens (Acts 17:16), caught up with him at Corinth (Acts 18:5; cf. 17:15), probably bringing some of the financial assistance for which Paul thanks the Philippians {Phil. 4:10-20; cf. 1:5). Although Paul engaged in “tent-making” at Corinth with Aquila and Priscilla, preaching in the synagogue (Acts 18:2-4), when Silas and Timothy arrived, he “was occupied with proclaiming the word, testifying to the Jews that the Messiah was Jesus” (v. 5). In 1 Thessalonians, Paul’s salutation continues by identifying those to whom he writes as “the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ (1 Thess. 1:1b) and his customary greeting, “Grace (cavriV, charis, adapted from the standard “Greetings,” caivrein, chairein, Jas. 1:1; cf. Acts 15:23; 23:26) to you and peace (eijrhvnh, eirênê, cf Heb. MOlw!, šā lôm).

In his typical thanksgiving, Paul says that he gives “thanks to God” for all of the Thessalonian believers, mentioning them “in our prayers, constantly”(v. 2). He remembers their “work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ” (v. 3). He elaborates by reference to God’s choice of them (v. 4) and the coming of the gospel to them. He remembers delivering his “message of the gospel . . . not in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction ” (v. 5a). And he claims that his message was backed up by his manner of living: “just as you know what kind of persons we proved to be among you for your sake” (v. 5b).

His thanksgiving praises the Thessalonian believers in words that stand out here. “And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for in spite of persecution you received the word with joy inspired by the Holy Spirit, so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia" (vv. 6-7). Note that their exemplary faith was in spite of persecution. He praises them because “the word of the Lord has sounded forth from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but in every place your faith in God has become known” (v. 8a). Because their faith is known “in every place,” Paul adds, “we have no need to speak about it” (v. 8b). Paul describes this reputation of the Thessalonian believers as related to Paul and his work in establishing the church there. “For the people of those regions report about us what kind of welcome we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols, to serve a living and true God” (v. 9). As Paul reminds them, “turned to God from idols, indicates,” according to Abraham Smith, “(cf. Acts 17:1-4) the strictly Gentile background of Paul’s Thessalonian converts (2:14)” (NOAB, 3^rd ed., 2001, on 1 Thess. 1:9). As often in Paul’s letters, his thanksgiving serves as something of an introduction and an indication of significant topics to follow in the main body of the letter. His reference to their reception of his gospel message (vv. 3-9) anticipates more detailed reference to that in chapter two. And the final verse here reminds them that they have turned from their former religious ways “to serve a living, and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead–Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath that is coming” (vv. 9b, 10). Apart from general moral and ethical admonitions, the coming of the Lord will be a significant topic in chapters 4 and 5.

Luke 20:1-8

The Authority of Jesus Questioned (Mt 21.23-27; Mk 11.27-33)

20:1 One day, as he was teaching the people in the temple and telling the good news, the chief priests and the scribes came with the elders 2 and said to him, “Tell us, by what authority are you doing these things? Who is it who gave you this authority?” 3 He answered them, “I will also ask you a question, and you tell me: 4 Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin?” 5 They discussed it with one another, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Why did you not believe him?’ 6 But if we say, ‘Of human origin,’ all the people will stone us; for they are convinced that John was a prophet.” 7 So they answered that they did not know where it came from. 8 Then Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.” (Luke 20:1-8, NRSV)

On June 16, 2007 (Saturday in the week of the Sunday closest to June 8, Year One), comments were repeated with some editing and supplement mainly from December 4, 2006 (Monday in the week of the First Sunday of Advent, Year One), though there is some use of comments from June 11, 2005 (Saturday in the week of the Sunday closest to June 8, Year One); the comments are repeated again here with editing and supplement.

In each of the Synoptic Gospels, the account of Jesus’ Cleansing of the Temple (Mt. 21:12-23; Mk. 11:15-17; Lk. 9:45-46) is soon followed by the Questioning of his Authority by the Chief Priests, the Scribes [omitted by Matthew] and the Elders (Mt. 21:23-27; Mk. 11:27-33; Lk. 20:1-8). The parallel accounts are in the separate file, Question about Authority. In each Gospel the introduction of the question about authority fits the context. In Matthew, after cleansing the temple, Jesus leaves the city for the night (Mt. 21:17), and as he returns in the morning, he withers the fig tree for its lack of fruit (vv. 18-22) before being confronted in the temple by “the chief priests and the elders of the people” (v. 23). Mark has a similar sequence except that the fig tree episode is divided. He finds it lacking fruit and curses it as he enters Jerusalem (Mk. 11:12-14) before the cleansing of the Temple (vv. 15-17). The discovery of the tree withered away occurs as they return to the city the following morning (vv. 20-24 [25]). Immediately after the cleansing, Mark and Luke report the conspiracy of the chief priests and scribes against Jesus (Mk. 11:18-19; Lk. 19:47-48). In Matthew this seems to be formalized in 26:3-5 (cf. Mk. 14:1b, 2; Lk. 22:2), though it is anticipated in 21:45-46 (cf. Mk. 12:12; Lk. 20:19) when the chief priests and Pharisees realized that they were the point of Jesus’ Parable of the Wicked Tenants (Mt. 21:33-46). In Matthew, especially, it seems that this conspiracy is always just below the surface. In Mark it’s clear that the authority question comes on the morning when Jesus has returned to Jerusalem after the cleansing of the temple (cf. Mk. 11:19, 20; 27), but Luke is less definite. “Every day he was teaching in the temple” (Lk. 19:47a), and “One day, as he was teaching the people in the temple and telling the good news, the chief priests and the scribes came with the elders” (20:1).

According to Luke, it was “as he [Jesus] was teaching the people in the temple and telling the good news” when he was confronted by the question. (Lk. 20:1). On his visit to the temple at age twelve, Jesus answers the question of his parents who had been searching for him by asking, “Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” (Lk. 2:49 NRSV). The alternative translation, “be about my Father’s interests” (NRSV note f) is closer to the literal sense: “Did you not know that it is necessary for me to be in [‘taking care of] the things ( ejn toi:V, en tois) of my Father?” So we now find him still pursuing the Father’s interests, “teaching the people in the temple and telling the good news.” In this first of a series of controversies during Holy Week, Jesus and officials of Judaism exchange questions and answers in typical Rabbinic fashion, “similar to such material in the Talmud” (Krister Stendahl, Peake’s Commentary on the Bible, 1962, reprint 1972, sec. 690f, p. 791, on Mt. 21:23-27).

The account of the debate is essentially the same, with a few differences of style in the wording of each Gospel. “Tell us,” say the chief priests, scribes and elders, “by what authority are you doing these things? Who is it who gave you this authority?” (Lk. 20:2). The question is essentially the same in the parallels, though Mark and Matthew lack the words “Tell us” (Mk. 11:28; Mt. 21:23b). Jesus responds, “I will also ask you a question, and you tell me” (Lk. 20:3; cf. Mk 11:29a; Mt. 21:25a), but Luke omits Jesus’ redundant repetition of their question, “and I will tell you by what authority I do these things (Mk. 11:29b; cf. Mt. 21:24b). Jesus’ question, “Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin?” (Lk. 20:4; Mk. 11:30; Mt. 21:25a). puts them “between a rock and a hard place,” so to speak. Their response is the same in each Gospel except for the follow-up in Mark, “Answer me.” “They discussed it (sunelogivsanto, synelogisanto) with one another,” says Luke (20:5a), or “argued (dielogivzonto, dielogizonto; ‘reasoned’ AV/KJV) with one another (Mk. 11:31a; Mt. 21:25b). The verbs are close to synonymous, but Luke’s verb, meaning “reason, discuss, debate,” occurs only here in the New Testament (Bauer-Danker-Arndt-Gingrich [BDAG], A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and other Early Christian Literature, 3^rd ed., 2000, s.v. sullogivzomai, sullogizomai). Mark’s verb, followed by Matthew, is frequent in the New Testament, meaning “to discuss a matter in some detail, consider and discuss, argue” in a few passages (BDAG, s.v. dialogivzomai, dialogizomai, meaning no. 2, which includes Mk. 11:31 with a question mark), but “to think or reason carefully, especially about the implications of something, consider, ponder, reason” in many passages, including both Mt. 21:25 and Mk. 11:31, meaning no. 1). Why the Lexicon would distinguish the meanings in Matthew and Mark is not clear; perhaps due to the prepositional phrases, pro;V [often ‘toward’] eJautouvV, pros heautous (Mk.), ejn [‘among’] eJautoi:V, en heautois (Mt.), both translated “with one another.” Jesus’ opponents recognize the dilemma in his challenge, and spell it out in their deliberations. “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Why [then, Mt. Mk.] did you not believe him?’ ” (Lk. 20:5b; Mk. 11:31b; Mt. 21:25c). They conclude that the alternative, saying, “Of human origin,” would have unacceptable consequences, for “all the people will stone us; for they are convinced that John was a prophet” (Lk. 20:6). Mark’s version, “they were afraid of the crowd, for all regarded John as truly a prophet” (Mk. 22:32), is put in the first person in Matthew, “we are afraid of the crowd; for all regard John as a prophet” (Mt. 21:26). Their answer, reported in the first person in Matthew and Mark, “We do not know” (Mt. 21:27a; Mk. 11:33a), is presented indirectly by Luke, “So they answered that they did not know where it came from” (Lk. 20:7). They as much as admit that Jesus has caught them on the horns of a dilemma. Either answer, from heaven, or of human origin, would embarrass them. Jesus concludes the discussion, saying, “Neither will [not can] I tell you by what authority I am doing these things” (Lk. 20:8 = Mk. 11:33b = Mt. 21:27b).

Eric Franklin says, “Elsewhere, when Jesus is questioned, and even when the question is motivated by hostility, he deals with it seriously (10:25; 17:20). Here, he engages in a form of one-upmanship” (The Oxford Bible Commentary 2001, p. 952, on Lk. 20:1-8). Franklin suggests that it was shaped by later Jewish-Christian debates. But at this point, it would seem that Jesus has given them ample opportunity to recognize him as “the Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord” (1:11). Their question challenged Jesus’ authority for the Cleansing of the Temple (19:45-46), says G. W. H. Lampe, “ but Jesus question dares them to admit that “through John’s baptism Jesus was marked out as the Messianic Son of God” (Peake’s Commentary on the Bible, 1962, reprint 1972, sec. 731c, p. 838, on Lk. 20:1-8), which they were not prepared to do.

Ronald D. Worden, Ph.D.

rdworden@hgst.edu

deanworden@comcast.net