Isaiah 42:1-12 (Episcopal)

The Servant, a Light to the Nations

42:1 Here is my servant, whom I uphold,

my chosen, in whom my soul delights;

I have put my spirit upon him;

he will bring forth justice to the nations.

2 He will not cry or lift up his voice,

or make it heard in the street;

3 a bruised reed he will not break,

and a dimly burning wick he will not quench;

he will faithfully bring forth justice.

4 He will not grow faint or be crushed

until he has established justice in the earth;

and the coastlands wait for his teaching.

5 Thus says God, the LORD,

who created the heavens and stretched them out,

who spread out the earth and what comes from it,

who gives breath to the people upon it

and spirit to those who walk in it:

6 I am the LORD, I have called you in righteousness,

I have taken you by the hand and kept you;

I have given you as a covenant to the people,

a light to the nations,

7 to open the eyes that are blind,

to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon,

from the prison those who sit in darkness.

8 I am the LORD, that is my name;

my glory I give to no other,

nor my praise to idols.

9 See, the former things have come to pass,

and new things I now declare;

before they spring forth,

I tell you of them. A Hymn of Praise

10 Sing to the LORD a new song,

his praise from the end of the earth!

Let the sea roar and all that fills it,

the coastlands and their inhabitants.

11 Let the desert and its towns lift up their voice,

the villages that Kedar inhabits;

let the inhabitants of Sela sing for joy,

let them shout from the tops of the mountains.

12 Let them give glory to the LORD,

and declare his praise in the coastlands. (Isaiah 42:1-12, NRSV)

On January 12, 2007 (Friday in the week of the First Sunday after the Epiphany, Year One), comments on Isaiah 42:(1-9) 10-17 were repeated with revision and adaptation from January 14, 2005 (Friday in the week of the First Sunday after the Epiphany, Year One). Relevant comments are repeated her with some editing and supplement:

In Isaiah chapters forty to fifty-five, the term “servant” (db@f@, ‘eved) is used in two rather specialized ways. In one group of texts, the LORD, speaking through the prophet, addresses, for example, “Israel, my servant” (Isa. 41:8), “Jacob my servant” (44:1, 2), “my servant Jacob” (45:4), clearly addressing the nation of Israel or a faithful remnant within it. In another group of texts a “servant” is addressed who will “bring forth justice to the nations” (42:1), will “bring Jacob back to him [the LORD]” (49:5), will “raise up the tribes of Jacob” and be “a light to the nations” (49:6), and will “make many righteous, and . . . bear their iniquities (53:11). This group of texts has been called “Servant Songs,” including Isaiah 42:1-4; 49:1-6; 50:4-11; 52:13-53:12 ( Victor R. Gold and William L. Holladay, NOAB, 2^nd ed., 1994, on Isa. 42:1-4). For further details about the group as a whole, see the separate file, Servant Songs in Isaiah.

The daily lectionaries list Isaiah 42:(1-9) 10-17 as the Old Testament reading for today, which puts the first Servant Song proper in the optional (parenthetical) part of the reference, even including verses 5-9, which John Oswalt includes in the Servant Song. He comments on the identity of the “servant”:

The identity of this ‘servant’ [in 42:1-9] has been the source of endless controversy. The differences between him and the servant Israel are striking. The servant Israel is fearful and blind, yet God loves him and will deliver him so that he can be God’s evidence to the nations that he is indeed God. But this Servant . . . is of a different sort. He is always obedient and responsive to God, his mission is to bring justice to the nations for God, and he is to be a ‘light’ to the nations and a ‘covenant’ to the people (of Israel, see 49:6). In contrast to the promises of divine blessing constantly being given to the servant Israel, this servant receives no benefits through his ministry but only increasing difficulty. In sum, whoever this is, it is not the nation of Israel; it is another figure altogether. (John Oswalt, The NIV Application Commentary, p. 470, 2003, on Isa. 42:1-9)

By way of contrast, Benjamin D. Sommer says:

The identification of the servant in these vv. is hotly debated. Possibilities include Cyrus (according to Saadia Gaon), the prophet himself (so Ibn Ezra), the Messiah (so Targum and Radak), and the Israelite nation as a whole (so Septuagint and Rashi). . . .The term ‘servant’ in most other passages in chs 40-66 clearly refers to the nation Israel or to the faithful within Israel, and that is the most likely explanation here as well. This passage borrows vocabulary and ideas from both ch 11 and Jer. 31:31-36. Like those passages, this text looks forward to the ideal world of the future, in which justice will reign and the covenant between Israel and God will be observed perfectly. The servant in this passage is parallel to, though not identical with, the ideal Davidic king described in ch 11; promises made to the king there are transferred to the whole nation here. (The Jewish Study Bible, 2004, p. 867 on Isa. 42:1-9.

The present writer would agree with Oswalt against Sommer in reference to these two interpretations. But even if this (and other) servant song text(s) does refer to some individual person or group within the context of the Hebrew Bible and their early history, Christians may well apply the principle of the “fuller sense of Scripture” (sensus plenior) and discern the anticipation of Jesus Christ and his salvation for all within these texts.

Gold and Holladay say that God “has called Israel, his covenant people, to bring light to the nations groping in the darkness of ignorance” (op. cit., on vv. 6 and 7). The contrast with foreign deities continues. “I am the LORD, that is my name; / my glory I give to no other, / nor my praise to idols” (v. 8). The LORD has proven himself by bringing to pass former prophecies (v. 9a), and now he continues to validate himself by declaring “new things,” telling Israel of them “before they spring forth” (v. 9b, c, d).

The prophet next presents “a psalm of praise” (Joseph Blenkinsopp, NOAB, 3^rd ed., 2001, on Isa. 42:10-17). The people are called to “sing to the LORD a new song” (v. 10). The LORD deserves glory and praise (v. 10) from people of “the desert and its towns,” from “the village that Kedar inhabits,” and from the inhabitants of Sela” (v. 11). He includes praise from people “in the coastlands” (v. 12). According to Blenkinsopp, these includes lands from the Arabian peninsula to the Mediterranean coastlands (ibid., on vv. 10-17).

Although the reading for today ends here we may note that the prophet moves toward closure of today’s reading with a promise that we may apply to any who are in “the dark night of the soul”:

I will turn the darkness before them into light,

the rough places into level ground.

These are the things I will do,

and I will not forsake them. (16)

It is the idolatrous enemies of God and God’s people who will “be turned back and utterly put to shame” (v. 17).

Isaiah 29:9-24 (Presbyterian)

9 Stupefy yourselves and be in a stupor,

blind yourselves and be blind!

Be drunk, but not from wine;

stagger, but not from strong drink!

10 For the LORD has poured out upon you

a spirit of deep sleep;

he has closed your eyes, you prophets,

and covered your heads, you seers.

11 The vision of all this has become for you like the words of a sealed document. If it is given to those who can read, with the command, "Read this,” they say, “We cannot, for it is sealed.” 12 And if it is given to those who cannot read, saying, “Read this,” they say, “We cannot read.”

13 The Lord said:

Because these people draw near with their mouths

and honor me with their lips,

while their hearts are far from me,

and their worship of me is a human commandment learned by rote;

14 so I will again do

amazing things with this people,

shocking and amazing.

The wisdom of their wise shall perish,

and the discernment of the discerning shall be hidden.

15 Ha! You who hide a plan too deep for the LORD,

whose deeds are in the dark,

and who say, “Who sees us? Who knows us?”

16 You turn things upside down!

Shall the potter be regarded as the clay?

Shall the thing made say of its maker,

“He did not make me”;

or the thing formed say of the one who formed it,

“He has no understanding”?

17 Shall not Lebanon in a very little while

become a fruitful field,

and the fruitful field be regarded as a forest?

18 On that day the deaf shall hear

the words of a scroll,

and out of their gloom and darkness

the eyes of the blind shall see.

19 The meek shall obtain fresh joy in the LORD,

and the neediest people shall exult in the Holy One of Israel.

20 For the tyrant shall be no more,

and the scoffer shall cease to be;

all those alert to do evil shall be cut off-

21 those who cause a person to lose a lawsuit,

who set a trap for the arbiter in the gate,

and without grounds deny justice to the one in the right.

22 Therefore thus says the LORD, who redeemed Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob:

No longer shall Jacob be ashamed,

no longer shall his face grow pale.

23 For when he sees his children,

the work of my hands, in his midst,

they will sanctify my name;

they will sanctify the Holy One of Jacob,

and will stand in awe of the God of Israel.

24 And those who err in spirit will come to understanding,

and those who grumble will accept instruction. (Isaiah 29:9-24, NRSV)

On December 21, 2006 (Thursday in the week of the Third Sunday of Advent, Year One, ref. for Dec. 21), comments on Isaiah 29:13-24 were repeated here from December 23, 2004, (Thursday in the week of the Fourth Sunday of Advent, Year One); the comments are repeated here with some editing and supplement::

In chapter twenty-nine, Isaiah describes a process of restoration for Judah, but it must start with some purging. The prophet, speaking for the LORD, says, “Yet I [the LORD] will distress Ariel (lx2yr9x3, ’ ^a rî’ ēl ), / and there shall be moaning and lamentation, / and Jerusalem shall be to me like an Ariel. (Isa. 29:2). Victor R. Gold and William L. Holladay explain “like an Ariel” as “like an altar-hearth [of a sanctuary whose constant fire consumes the sacrifice]” (NOAB, 2^nd ed., 1994, on Isa. 29:2, and Holladay, A Concise Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament, 1971, 10^th corrected impression 1988, s.v. lx2yr9x3, ’ ^a rî’ ēl ). According to Gold and Holladay, “the entire city will be a burnt offering” (loc. cit). God will “besiege” Jerusalem as David did when he first captured the city from the Jebusites (v. 3; cf. 2 Sam. 5:6-9). Jerusalem’s voice will “come from the ground like the voice of a ghost” and “whisper out of the dust” (v. 4).

But the tables will be turned, so to speak. According to the prophet, speaking for the LORD in the third person, Judah’s enemy nations will suddenly vanish like a bad dream. “The multitude of your foes (‘Cn [= correction]: Heb. strangers [Myr9z!, zārîm]’ NRSV text note d) shall be like small dust, / and the multitude of tyrants like flying chaff” (v. 5a, b). In other words, they will simply vanish, for, as the prophet says, “in an instant, suddenly, / you will be visited by the LORD of hosts / with thunder and earthquake and great noise, with whirlwind and tempest, and / the flame of a devouring fire” (vv. 5c, 6). Judah’s enemy nations “that fight against Ariel” continue to be compared to a nightmare that goes away upon one’s awaking. For “the multitude of all the nations that fight against Ariel, / all that fight against her and her stronghold, and who distress her, / shall be like a dream, a vision of the night” (v. 7). For “just as when a hungry person dreams of eating / and wakes up still hungry,” says the prophet, “or a thirsty person dreams of drinking / and wakes up faint, still thirsty, / so shall the multitude of all the nations be / that fight against Mount Zion” (v. 8). According to Joseph Blenkinsopp, “God will allow Jerusalem to be besieged as David once besieged it (2 Sam. 5:6-9). The experience will be like a descent into the underworld (cf. 5:14-15; 8:19), but there will be a sudden deliverance–as happened when Sennacherib withdrew from Jerusalem in 701” (NOAB, 3^rd ed., 2001, on Isa. 29:1-8). Benjamin D. Sommer says, “the event described here closely resembles the sudden departure of the Assyrian army of Sennacherib during the reign of King Hezekiah in the year 701 which is narrated in chs. 36-39 . . . A crucial notion underlying this poem is the doctrine of the inviolability of Zion” (The Jewish Study Bible, 2004, on Isa. 29:1-8).

As today’s (Presbyterian) reading proper begins, the prophet describes the people’s spiritual insensibility as a blindness caused by the LORD. “Stupefy yourselves and be in a stupor,” says Isaiah, “blind yourselves and be blind! / Be drunk, but not from wine; / stagger, but not from strong drink” (v. 9). “Blindness,” says Blenkinsopp, “which also affects prophets, is a common metaphor for religious sensitivity in Isaiah; cf. 6:9-16)” (op. cit., on vv. 9-16; we might also compare Jesus’ exchange with the Pharisees after the healing of the blind man (Jn. 9:39-41). Isaiah explains the blindness as caused by the LORD. “For the LORD has poured out upon you / a spirit of deep sleep; / he has closed your eyes, you prophets, / and covered your heads, you seers” (v. 10). According to Sommer, “the people fail to understand God’s will, because God deliberately misleads them. Cf. 6:8-10” (op. cit. on vv. 9-12). If so, I should say, this misleading would be a fitting punishment for obstinacy and rebellion, a punishment to be reversed upon repentance and turning to trust in God. A further explanation is given by the prophet in a brief prose paragraph that interrupts the poetic style (vv. 11-12 NRSV, TNIV; cf. vv. 11c, 12 NJPS 1985, 1999). “The vision of all this has become for you like the words of a sealed document. If it is given to those who can read, with the command, ‘Read this,’ they say, ‘We cannot, for it is sealed.’ 12 And if it is given to those who cannot read, saying, ‘Read this,’ they say, ‘We cannot read.’ ” (vv. 11-12). A “sealed document,” says J. J. M. Roberts, is “a scroll that cannot be unrolled and read without breaking the seal that secures it” (HarperCollins Study Bible, rev. ed., 2006, on Isa. 29:11). According to Blenkinsopp, verses 11-12 are “a later comment applying the idea of literacy to the reception or nonreception of the prophet’s message in written form” (op. cit., on vv. 11-12).

The people’s spiritual insensibility and blindness is further described in terms of what Sommer calls “the Judeans’ hypocritical and useless rituals. Cf. Hos. 7:14; 8:2; 10:1-2; Mic. 3:11, 6:6; Isa. 58:2)” (op. cit., on v. 13). Isaiah says, “The Lord (yn!dox3, ’ ^a dōnāy) said, Because these people draw near with their mouths / and honor me with their lips, / while their hearts are far from me, / and their worship of me is a human commandment learned by rote” (v. 13; cf. the quotation in Mt. 15:8-9; Mk. 7:6-7), “so I will again do / amazing things with this people, / shocking and amazing. / The wisdom of their wise shall perish, / and the discernment of the discerning shall be hidden” (v. 14; cf. 1 Cor. 1:19). “Thus,” says Roberts, “even Judah’s wise cannot discern God’s plan (5:12-13)” (op. cit., on v. 14). “A surprising outcome is predicted,” says Sommer, “but not described. This may refer to either a punishment that goes beyond what even the wise can imagine in their worst nightmares or a sudden act of forgiveness, or both” (op. cit., on v. 14).

In a new stanza (cf. the text as printed in the NRSV), Isaiah addresses some who apparently think they can hide their plans from the LORD. “Ha! You who hide a plan too deep for the LORD, / whose deeds are in the dark, / and who say, ‘Who sees us? Who knows us?’ ” (v. 15). “You turn things upside down!” says the prophet, and adds rhetorical questions for emphasis: “Shall the potter be regarded as the clay? / Shall the thing made say of its maker, / ‘He did not make me’; / or the thing formed say of the one who formed it, / ‘He has no understanding’?” (v. 16). According to Gold and Holladay, “A new relationship with God, based on a positive response to his acts (Ex. 19:4-6) will replace Judah’s superficial traditionalism (ironically called wisdom and discernment; compare 1 Cor. 1:9)” (op. cit., on vv. 13-14). The attempt to be the potter rather than the clay (vv. 15-16)–“Judah’s leaders have usurped God’s prerogatives by plotting against Assyria (45:9; Jer 18:1-6; Rom. 9:20-21; Mt. 10:24).” The indictment is “against the professional purveyors of wisdom, especially in the political sphere,” says Blenkinsopp. “For the image of potter and clay,” he adds, “see 45:9: Jer. 18:1-6). Sommer may have such leaders in mind, but he refers to “the people’s haughtiness: They presume to act as if God were unaware of their actions and to second-guess God’s plans” (op. cit., on vv. 15-16). Roberts puts it this way: “Some try to keep their own political plans secret from God and his prophet (30:1-2), apparently on the premise that international politics are too subtle and complicated for the simple religious mind to grasp (28:9–10)” (op. cit., on v. 15). And he adds, “but believing plans can be hidden is to forget who is the creature and who the creator” (ibid., on v. 16).

The following stanzas represent a clear reversal, a turn from indictment and threatened punishment to the promise of salvation and a hopeful future. “Shall not Lebanon in a very little while / become a fruitful field, / and the fruitful field be regarded as a forest? asks the prophet (v. 17). The question is clearly rhetorical, a promise stated in the form of a question. A series of promises is presented related to “that [future] day”: “On that day the deaf shall hear / the words of a scroll, / and out of their gloom and darkness / the eyes of the blind shall see” (v. 18). The reversal of blindness (v. 9) is promised. “The meek shall obtain fresh joy in the LORD, / and the neediest people shall exult in the Holy One of Israel” (v. 19). An end of tyranny and oppression is promised. “For the tyrant shall be no more, / and the scoffer shall cease to be; / all those alert to do evil shall be cut off–those who cause a person to lose a lawsuit, / who set a trap for the arbiter in the gate, / and without grounds deny justice to the one in the right” (vv. 20-21).

This promised better future is related to Israel’s beginnings. “Therefore, thus says the LORD, who redeemed Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob: No longer shall Jacob be ashamed, / no longer shall his face grow pale” (v. 22). Blenkinsopp says, “Abraham, redeemed by God’s call to journey into the promised land, becomes the model for those who returned to Judah in the post-disaster period” (op. cit., on v. 22). The LORD continues, “For when he [i.e., Jacob], sees his children, / the work of my hands, in his midst, / they will sanctify my name; / they will sanctify the Holy One of Jacob, / and will stand in awe of the God of Israel” (v. 23). Although both of Jacob’s names, “Jacob,” and “Israel” (Gen. 32:2) can refer to the nation, it is tempting to see here a reference to the man Jacob seeing his children from his place in the afterlife, but that is perhaps pressing the text too far. The recent Jewish translation puts it a little differently: “For when he–that is, his children–behold what My hands have wrought in his midst, they will hallow My name” (Isa. 29:23a NJPS; cf. the translation of Blenkinsopp, Isaiah 1-39, Anchor Bible, vol. 19, p. 407). A form of repentance is anticipated, as Isaiah says, “And those who err in spirit will come to understanding, / and those who grumble will accept instruction” (v. 24).

For some, these promises are a later addition to the present context. “These verses reverse earlier judgments,” says Roberts, “and are generally dated to the later period of chs. 40-66” (op. cit., on vv. 17-24). Compare Blenkinsopp’s view, reflected in his subtitle, “a later assurance of a hopeful future” (op. cit., on vv. 17-24). But, if Sommer, shares this view of the later dating of these stanzas, he does not express it here. “Consequently,” says Sommer, referring to “the people’s haughtiness” and presumption (vv. 15-16), “evildoers are punished, but the humble will be made glad” (op. cit., on vv. 17-21).

Isaiah 11:1-9 (Lutheran [Episcopal tomorrow] )

The Peaceful Kingdom (Isa 9.1-7)

11:1 A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse,

and a branch shall grow out of his roots.

2 The spirit of the LORD shall rest on him,

the spirit of wisdom and understanding,

the spirit of counsel and might,

the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.

3 His delight shall be in the fear of the LORD.

He shall not judge by what his eyes see,

or decide by what his ears hear;

4 but with righteousness he shall judge the poor,

and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;

he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,

and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.

5 Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist,

and faithfulness the belt around his loins.

6 The wolf shall live with the lamb,

the leopard shall lie down with the kid,

the calf and the lion and the fatling together,

and a little child shall lead them.

7 The cow and the bear shall graze,

their young shall lie down together;

and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.

8 The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp,

and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder’s den.

9 They will not hurt or destroy

on all my holy mountain;

for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD

as the waters cover the sea. (Isaiah 11:1-9, NRSV)

On May 27, 2007 (Pentecost Sunday, Year One), comments were combined with revision and supplement from May 15, 2005 (Pentecost Sunday, Year One), and from December 20, 2004 (Monday in the week of the Fourth Sunday of Advent, Year One); they are repeated here:

The image of the “stump of Jesse” implies that the Davidic dynasty has been cut off, as at the time of the Babylonian exile, so a new “branch” from those “roots” would imply the restoration of the Davidic line (Isa. 11:1). The new “David” would exercise gifts of “the spirit of the LORD” which “shall rest on him”: “wisdom and understanding,” “counsel and might,” “knowledge and the fear of the LORD” (v. 2). To these six “gifts of the Spirit,” the Septuagint adds another: “the spirit of knowledge and piety: the spirit of the fear of God shall fill ( ejmplhvsei, emplēsei, future of ejmpivplhmi, empiplēmi) him” (Isa. 11:2d, 3a LXX, my translation; cf. Victor R. Gold and William L. Holladay, NOAB, 2^nd ed., 1994, on Isa. 11:2). The qualities represented by these “gifts of the spirit will characterize the new “David” and provide for the just reign described, when “with righteousness he shall judge the poor, / and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; / he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, / and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked” (v. 4). R Coggins sees six “gifts of the Spirit” here, with no reference to the Septuagint text, but says:

The Christian tradition has spoken of ‘sevenfold gifts of the Spirit’ and used vv. 2-3a as a basis, but only six gifts are in fact mentioned here. They are the characteristic charismatic qualities of the king, and of all those pictured as being especially close to YHWH (e.g. Moses and the elders, Num. 11:25-30; Elijah and Elisha, 2 Kings 22:15).There are also close links with the wisdom tradition, shown not only by the use of the word ‘wisdom’ itself but also by ‘understanding’, ‘counsel’, and ‘fear of the LORD’–all terms particularly associated with, for example, Proverbs. But here they are God’s direct gift, not dependent on the skills of human counsellors. (The Oxford Bible Commentary, 2001, p. 448, on Isa. 11:1-9)

Paul’s first two pieces of armor, “fasten the belt of truth around your waist, and put on the breastplate of righteousness” (Eph. 6:14), remind us of Isaiah’s words in verse five: “Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist, / and faithfulness (hn!Umx$, ’ ^emûnāh, cf. ajlhqeiva/, alētheia(i) ‘with truth,’ LXX) the belt around his loins. (Isa. 11:5). The word hn!Umx$ (’ ^emûnāh) sometimes means “steadiness” (Ex. 17:12), “reliability” (Dt. 32:4) or “honesty” (Jer. 5:1, 3), and is related to the adjective NUmx2 (ʼēmûn), “true, reliable” (William L. Holladay, A Concise Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament, 1971, 10^th corrected impression 1988, s.v. NUmx2, ʼēmûn, and hn!Umx$, ’ ^emûnāh). So Paul may well have had Isaiah 11:7 in mind when he spoke of “the belt of truth around your waist” (Eph. 6:14).

When all of these qualities are present, not only in the Messianic King but in his people, when the LORD “will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people” (Jer. 31:33; cf. Heb. 8:10), we will see the "peaceable kingdom" in which "the wolf shall live with the lamb" (v. 6). Isaiah puts it this way: “They will not hurt or destroy / on all my holy mountain; / for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD / as the waters cover the sea (Isa. 11:9). And so beyond the reestablishment of the Davidic kingdom, follows a glorious future in which “paradise lost” becomes “paradise regained” (to borrow phrases from John Milton), or, as Edward Hicks, the early Quaker painter called it, “the Peaceable Kingdom.” See the picture and the article, “Hicks’s Peaceable Kingdom,” by John Braostoski, in the Friends Journal (February 2000), http://www2.gol.com/users/quakers/Hicks_Peaceable_Kingdom.htm. Another link to a similar picture includes http://www.worcesterart.org/Collection/American/1934.65.html (Worcester Art Museum). These were accessed again December 17, 2008. For another, see now the picture at http://www.albrightknox.org/ArtStart/Hicks_t.html (Albright-Knox Art Gallery), accessed December 17, 2008.

Ephesians 6:10-20 (Episcopal and Lutheran)

The following text and comments are repeated here from December 18, 2006 (last Monday, when this was the Presbyterian reading):

The Whole Armor of God

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to withstand on that evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. 14 Stand therefore, and fasten the belt of truth around your waist, and put on the breastplate of righteousness. 15 As shoes for your feet put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace. 16 With all of these, take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

18 Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert and always persevere in supplication for all the saints. 19 Pray also for me, so that when I speak, a message may be given to me to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it boldly, as I must speak. (Ephesians 6:10-20, NRSV)

On January 5, 2008 (Sat. in the week of the First Sunday after Christmas, ref. for Jan.), comments were repeated from January 20, 2007 (Saturday in the week of the Second Sunday after the Epiphany, Year One), when comments on Ephesians 6:10-24 were combined with revision and adaptation from December 19, 2004 (the Fourth Sunday of Advent, Year One), January 22, 2005 (Saturday in the week of the Second Sunday after the Epiphany, Year One), from February 20, 2005 (Saturday in the week of the Second Sunday after the Epiphany), from January 5, 2006 (Thursday in the week of the First Sunday after Christmas, references listed for Jan 5, Year Two) and , from June 3, 2006 (Saturday of the week of the Seventh Sunday of Easter, Year Two). Compare comments on Ephesians 6:1-24 on May 10, 2008 (Saturday in the week of the Seventh Sunday of Easter, Year Two). The combined comments are repeated here:

As the section of Ephesians with instructions (“rules”) for living draws to a close, Paul urges us to “be strong in the Lord” (Eph. 6:10) and “Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil” (v. 11). With reference to the typical armor of a Roman soldier, he reminds us that we need “the belt of truth” and “the breastplate of righteousness” (v. 14), “shoes [to] make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace” (v. 15), “the shield of faith” (v. 16), “the helmet of salvation” and “the sword of the Spirit”–the only offensive weapon in the list–“which is the word of God” (v. 17). With all of that, we are to “stand firm” (v. 13) and “pray” (vv. 18-20). During recent armed conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, concerns were being expressed in the U.S.A. Congress and news media about the need for armor for vehicles and soldiers, both in Afghanistan and Iraq. If armor is so important in those situations–as it certainly must be!–is it not equally important for us as we face spiritual battles in our lives and ministries?

Isaiah describes the armor that God wears when he brings victory to Israel:

He saw that there was no one, / and was appalled that there was no one to intervene;

so his own arm brought him victory, / and his righteousness upheld him.

He put on righteousness like a breastplate, / and a helmet of salvation on his head;

he put on garments of vengeance for clothing, / and wrapped himself in fury as in a mantle. (Isa. 59:16-17, NRSV)

To this we may compare the messianic king’s “belts” of “righteousness” and “faith,” Isa. 11:5). Paul uses the concept to describe “the whole armor of God” which the Christian should “put on” (Eph. 6:11) for our “struggle” against “spiritual forces (v. 12). Then he concludes the Epistle with exhortations to “pray in the Spirit at all times” (v. 18), for “all the saints” (v. 18) and for “me” [i.e. Paul] (v. 19). Tychicus is probably the one who carried the letter to Ephesus (vv. 21-22), and perhaps read it as Paul’s representative (cf. Col. 4:7). He may be the same person as the Tychicus mentioned in Acts 20:4-5 (cf. 2 Tim. 4:12; Titus 3:12). The concluding benediction emphasizes peace and “love with faith” and grace for “all who have an undying love for our Lord Jesus Christ” (vv. 23-24).

Revelation 21:9-21 (Presbyterian)

9 Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and said to me, "Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb." 10 And in the spirit he carried me away to a great, high mountain and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God. 11 It has the glory of God and a radiance like a very rare jewel, like jasper, clear as crystal. 12 It has a great, high wall with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and on the gates are inscribed the names of the twelve tribes of the Israelites; 13 on the east three gates, on the north three gates, on the south three gates, and on the west three gates. 14 And the wall of the city has twelve foundations, and on them are the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

15 The angel who talked to me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city and its gates and walls. 16 The city lies foursquare, its length the same as its width; and he measured the city with his rod, fifteen hundred miles; its length and width and height are equal. 17 He also measured its wall, one hundred forty-four cubits by human measurement, which the angel was using. 18 The wall is built of jasper, while the city is pure gold, clear as glass. 19 The foundations of the wall of the city are adorned with every jewel; the first was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, 20 the fifth onyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst. 21 And the twelve gates are twelve pearls, each of the gates is a single pearl, and the street of the city is pure gold, transparent as glass. (Revelation 21:9-21, NRSV)

On November 21, 2007 (Wednesday in the week of the Sunday closest to November 16, Year One), comments were repeated from December 21, 2006 (Thursday in the week of the Third Sunday of Advent, Year One), when for the Presbyterian reading, comments were combined with revision and supplement from December 22, 2004 (Wednesday in the week of the Fourth Sunday of Advent, Year One), and from November 16, 2005 (Wednesday in the week of the Sunday closest to November 16, Year One). They are repeated again here:

John's vision of the New Jerusalem continues: “And in the spirit he [i.e. ‘One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues,’ Rev. 21:9] carried me away to a great, high mountain and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God” (Rev. 21:10). The city has “the glory of God and a radiance like a very rare jewel, like jasper, clear as crystal” (v. 11). The city’s twelve gates, “inscribed [with] the names of the twelve tribes of Israel” (v. 12), three gates on each side–reproducing the layout of the Israelite camp in the wilderness (v. 13; cf. Num. chap. 2)--are pearls (v. 21). If the Israelite tribes are used in this way on the gates to the city, its twelve foundations bear “the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb” (v. 14). At the very least, this arrangement emphasizes the continuity of Christianity with the people of the ancient covenant and the Hebrew Bible. The city itself, with dimensions that call to mind some modern futuristic visions, is a perfect cube “fifteen hundred miles” (NRSV; cf. text note d: “Gk. twelve thousand stadia) in equal length, width and height (v. 16). The wall (v. 17), “one hundred forty-four cubits” (= “almost seventy-five yards,” NRSV, text note e), “is built of jasper, while the city itself “is pure gold, clear as glass” (v. 18). “The city is represented as being a cube, symbol of perfection; its beauty and magnificence are suggested by the precious stones (Ex. 28:17-21)” (Bruce M. Metzger, NOAB, 2^nd ed., 1994, on Rev. 21:15-18, citing Exod. 18:17-21, which describes priestly vestments). Jean-Pierre Ruiz explains “the city that lies foursquare,” as having “streets that intersect at right angles, unlike the irregular walls of Palestinian cities (Ezek. 42:20)” (NOAB, 3^rd ed., 2001, on vv. 15-18).

“The foundations of the wall . . . are adorned with . . . jasper . . . sapphire . . . agate . . . emerald . . . onyx. . . . carnelian . . . chrysolite . . . beryl . . . topaz . . . chrysoprase . . . jacinth . . . amethyst” (vv. 19-20), and “the street of the city is pure gold, transparent as glass” (v. 21). It almost seems that language failed John in his attempt to fully describe his vision of the New Jerusalem. We may perhaps say of the city what has been said of Christian believers and their hope. “Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is” (1 Jn. 3:2).

John 3:16-21 (Episcopal and Lutheran)

The following text and comments are repeated here from December 18, 2006 (last Monday, when this was the Presbyterian reading):

16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.

17 “Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Those who believe in him are not condemned; but those who do not believe are condemned already, because they have not believed in the name of the only Son of God. 19 And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. 20 For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed. 21 But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God.” (John 3:16-21, NRSV)

On January 22, 2008 (Tuesday in the week of the Second Sunday after the Epiphany, Year Two), comments were repeated with some editing from December 23, 2007, when comments were repeated from earlier dates: February 17, 2005, (Thursday in the week of the First Sunday of Lent, Year One), January 17, 2006 (Tuesday in the week of the Second Sunday after the Epiphany, Year Two), August 14, 2006 (Monday of the week of the Sunday closest to August 10, Year Two) and from March 1, 2007 (Thursday in the week of the First Sunday of Lent, Year One). They are repeated again here:

 At this point we come to the favorite biblical verse of many, what has been called “the Gospel in a nutshell”: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life” (Jn. 3:16). It is worth taking note here of the emphasized statement of the source of God’s action. The word translated “so” (ou{twV, houtōs) in the phrase, “God so loved the world,” comes first in Greek for emphasis: Ou{twV ga;r hjgavphsen oJ qeo;V to;n kovsmon (houtōs gar ēgapēsin ho theos ton kosmon). The word for “world” (kovsmoV, kosmos) has a variety of meanings, including “that which serves to beautify through decoration, adornment, adorning,” a “condition of orderliness, orderly arrangement, order,” “the sum total of everything here and now, the world, the (orderly) universe, in philosophical usage.” But more particularly, in the present context (Jn. 3:16), while it can mean “humanity in general, the world” (e.g. Mt. 18:7), the term here is used “of all humanity, but especially of all believers, as the object of God’s love” (Bauer-Danker-Arndt-Gingrich [BDAG], A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and other Early Christian Literature, 3^rd ed., 2000, s.v. kovsmoV, kosmos; my emphasis with bold print). The result of such love that God has for all humanity is stated in the next clause: “God so loved (ou{twV, houtōs) . . . that (w”ste, hōste) he gave his only son.” The conjunction w”ste (hōste, “so that”) introduces “dependent clauses,” as here, “of the actual result” (BDAG, s.v. w”ste, hōste). Raymond E. Brown comments on the word “loved” (hjgavphsen, ēgapēsin). “The aorist [verb tense] implies a supreme act of love. Cf. 1 John iv 9: ‘In this way was God’s love revealed in our midst: God has sent His only Son into the world that we may have life through him.’ Notice that in 1 John the love is oriented toward Christians (‘we’) while in John iii 16 God loves the world” (The Gospel according to John I-XII, Anchor Bible 29, 1966, on Jn. 3:16).

The description here of God’s Son, whom he was moved by love to give, calls for comment. The words (to;n uiJo;n to;n monogenh: (ton huion ton monogenē , Jn. 3:16; cf. monogenh;V qeovV, monogenēs theos, variant reading monogenh;V uiJovV, monogenēs huios 1:18) have been variously translated: “his only Son” (NRSV), “his one and only Son” (TNIV), “his only begotten Son” (AV/KJV), and so forth. The word monogenhvV (monogenēs describes the “only son” of the widow at Nain (Lk. 7:12) whom Jesus raised from death (vv. 11-17), as an example of how the word pertains “to being the only one of its kind within a specific relationship, one and only, only.” But more particularly, as in John’s usage here, it pertains “to being the only one of its kind or class, unique (in kind) of something that is the only example of its category” (BDAG, s.v. monogenhvV (monogenēs). There is none other like Jesus.

The next clause is a statement of purpose, the purpose of God’s giving. He “gave his only son so that [or ‘in order that’ ( i{na, hina)] everyone who believes in him may not perish but have eternal life. The expression, “everyone who believes in him” combines the verb pisteuvw (pisteuō), “believe,” and the preposition, “in” or “into,” one expression with this verb that means “to entrust oneself to an entity in complete confidence, believe (in), trust, with implication of total commitment to the one who is trusted” (BDAG, s.v. pisteuvw, pisteuō). The Lexicon adds that in our literature “God and Christ are objects of this type of faith that relies on their power and nearness to help, in addition to being convinced that their revelations or disclosures are true.” The verb for “perish” (BDAG, s.v. ajpovllumi, apollymi), as used here (middle voice), can be a cry of anguish by sailors in a storm-tossed vessel, but especially, as here in John, reference to eternal death. But the alternative, for those who believe, is eternal life (a common theme in the Gospel of John, e.g. 3:36; 4:14; 5:24, and so forth).

John 3:16, the “Gospel in a nutshell,” has a paragraph of its own in the New Revised Standard Version. Raymond E. Brown, sees connections backward–“the theme of Jesus’ death” (vv. 14-15)–and forward: “If 16 assures us that the purpose of the Father’s giving the Son in Incarnation and death was eternal life for the believer, 17 paraphrases this in terms of salvation for the world” (op. cit., on Jn. 3:16).

In reading this chapter, I have sometimes wondered where the conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus ends, and the “commentary” of John the Evangelist begins. Ancient writers did not use quotation marks as we know them.

In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, quotation marks, the apostrophe, the dash, and the exclamation point were added to the basic set of punctuation marks in consistent use. (Allan Haley, “Punctuation,” at http://www.fonts.com/AboutFonts/Articles/Letterseries/Punctuation.htm, accessed again Dec. 22, 2008)

The King James Version of John, chapter three, has no quotation marks (nor does it have them elsewhere, e.g. in the account of the Wedding at Cana, Jn. 2:1-22, which is full of dialogue). Jesus refers to himself in the first person “I” in John 3:3, 5, 7, 11 and 12. The editors of the Revised Standard Version, New Testament Section, second edition (1971), print John 3:1-15 as a single paragraph, and enclose verses 10-15 in quotation marks as Jesus last response to Nicodemus. In the New Revised Standard Version (1989), there are paragraph breaks between verses ten and eleven, verses fifteen and sixteen, and between verses sixteen and seventeen. The quotation marks indicate that verses sixteen to twenty were spoken by Jesus, though he refers to the “Son” rather than “I” or “me.” Where to put quotation marks in a modern edition of the Bible is, of course, a decision of the modern editors. The sense is usually clear, and the placement is usually obvious, but sometimes, as here, editors must use their best judgment. Whether the words, “For God so loved the world that he gave . . .” were spoken by Jesus to Nicodemus (as in the NRSV) or they represent the Apostle John’s presentation of the significance of Jesus’ coming into the world, they are God’s inspired word of promise and invitation to us. But it is often helpful to observe such indicators as paragraphs and punctuation marks, including quotation marks, when reading the Bible. Even the King James Version, which indents the beginning of every verse, uses paragraph markers (¶).

The following verses spell out the contrast between the results for those who believe in God’s Son (v. 16), and those who do not. “Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Those who believe in him are not condemned; but those who do not believe are condemned already, because they have not believed in the name of the only Son of God” (vv. 17-18). God’s purpose was to provide for those who believe in his Son, not to condemn the rest. But the consequence for those who do not believe is spelled out; they are “condemned already.” The contrast here is explained in terms of light and darkness. “And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil” (v. 19). Not only do some “love darkness,” but “all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed” (v. 20). On the other hand, “those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God” (v. 21)

Brown notes similarities in this “dualistic vocabulary of vss. 19-21 (light/darkness; practicing wickedness/doing truth)” to the dualism of Qumran texts (i.e. Dead Sea Scrolls): “According as man’s inheritance is in truth and righteousness, so he hates evil; but insofar as his heritage is in the portion of perversity, so he abominates truth” (1QS iv 24, cited by Brown, p. 148, on Jn. 3:19-21).

If there is a twofold reaction to Jesus in John, we must emphasize that the reaction is very much dependent on man’s own choice, a choice that is influenced by his way of life, by whether his deeds are wicked or are done in God (vss. 20-21). There is a consistency in the two sides of the dualism: evildoers are disbelievers, while good works and faith go together. Thus, there is no determinism in John as there seems to be in some passages of the Qumran scrolls. . . . the idea is that Jesus brings out what a man really is and the real nature of his life. Jesus is a penetrating light that provokes judgment by making it apparent what a man is. The one who turns away is not an occasional sinner but one who “practices wickedness”; it is not that he cannot see the light, but that he hates the light. (ibid., pp. 148-149, on Jn. 3:1-21)

We need not find ourselves in that last group. “But these [signs/this book] are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name” (Jn. 20:31).

Luke 1:26-38 (Presbyterian)

The Birth of Jesus Foretold

26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, 27 to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” 29 But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. 30 The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. 33 He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” 34 Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” 35 The angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. 36 And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God.” 38 Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her. (Luke 1:26-38, NRSV)

The following comments are based with editing and supplement on those of December 21, 2006 (Thursday in the week of the Third Sunday of Advent, Year One, ref. for Dec. 21), when comments were used from December 22, 2004 (Wednesday in the week of the Fourth Sunday of Advent, Year One) and from December 20, 2005 (Tuesday in the week of the Fourth Sunday of Advent, Year Two); they are also based on those of December 22, 2004, two years ago (Wednesday in the week of the Fourth Sunday of Advent, Year One), when comments were also used from December 20, 2005.

The reading from Luke presents the Annunciation: the angel Gabriel visits Mary and announces the coming events, her conception (Lk. 1:31), when “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you” (v. 35), and the birth of Jesus (v. 31). The time is set “in the sixth month,” which would be six months after the conception of John, the child promised earlier to Zachariah and Elizabeth (vv. 13-20). We note that “after those days,” that is, after Zechariah’s time of service in the temple when he was told of the coming birth of John, “his wife Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she remained in seclusion (v. 24). So, a month later, the angel Gabriel, who had visited Zechariah and informed him about John’s coming birth (vv. 11-20), now comes to Mary. “In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin (parqevnoV, parthenos, cf. Isa. 7:14 LXX) engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary” (vv. 26-27). David L. Tiede, revised by Christopher Matthews, says, “Virgin emphasizes Mary’s youth and underlines the divine origin of Jesus (vv. 34-35; see also Isa. 7:14;Mt. 1:20-23).” Tiede and Matthews add that “Jesus’ royal lineage is traced through Joseph to David (see 2:4; 3:23; 2 Sam. 7:12; 1 Chr. 17:11)” (HarperCollins Study Bible, rev. ed., 2006, on Lk. 1:27). The angel, we are told, “came to her [i.e., to Mary] and said “Greetings (Cai:re, Chaire), favored one (kecaritwmevnh, kecharitōmenē)! The Lord is with you’ ” (v. 28). Gabriel uses a common greeting, Cai:re (Chaire), defined as “welcome, good day, hail (to you), I am glad to see you (Bauer-Danker-Arndt-Gingrich [BDAG], A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and other Early Christian Literature, 3^rd ed., 2000, s.v. caivrw, chairō, meaning no. (2) ). Jesus used this greeting, Caivrete (Chairete, 2^nd person plural) when he met the two Marys returning from the tomb (Mt.28:9). It’s ironic–to say the least–that Judas, when betraying Jesus, used the same greeting, “Greetings (Cai:re, Chaire), Rabbi!” (Mt. 26:49), and that the Roman soldiers mocked him with it, saying “Hail (Cai:re, Chaire), King of the Jews!” (Mt. 27:29). Gabriel’s other word, describing Mary as “favored,” is used twice in the New Testament. Paul says that God “destined us for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace (cavritoV, charitos, gen. of cavriV, charis) that he freely bestowed (ejcarivtwsen, echaritōsen) on us in the Beloved” (Eph. 1:5-6). The verb means “to cause to be the recipient of a benefit, bestow favor on, favor highly, bless, in our literature only with reference to the divine cavriV [charis, ‘grace’]” (BDAG, s.v. caritovw, charitoō ). So the perfect passive participle, as applied to Mary, means that she is the recipient of divine favor, “highly favored, blessed.”

We are not informed that Mary was fearful at the appearance of the angel (cf. Zachariah, v. 12), but “she was much perplexed (dietaravcqh, dietarachthē) by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be” (v. 29). The word translated “was much perplexed” occurs only here in the New Testament. The verb means “confuse, perplex (greatly),” and in the passive form in Luke 1:29 the phrase means “she was greatly perplexed at the saying” (BDAG, s.v. diataravssw, diatarassō ). Gabriel, perhaps anticipating a fearful reaction, reassures her: “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor (cavriV, charis) with God” (v. 30). And Gabriel explains: “And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus” (v. 31). Jesus ( =Ihsou:V, Iēsous) is the Greek form of “Joshua” (f1UwOhy4 or f1wuOhy4, y ^ehôšûa‘ or y ^ehôšua‘ ); the word =Ihsou:V (Iēsous) in Hebrews 4:8 actually means the Joshua of the Hebrew Bible, the successor of Moses and leader of Israel in the book of Joshua. Marion Lloyd Soards says, “Jesus [is] the Greek form of the Hebrew name Joshua, meaning ‘God has saved’ (see Mt. 1:21)” (NOAB, 3^rd ed., 2001, on Lk. 1:31). “He [i.e., Mary’s child to be, Jesus] will be great,” says Gabriel, “and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David” (v. 32). “The Son of the Most High,” says Soards, “implies both divinity (see Sir. 4:10) and royal authority (see 2 Sam. 7:13-16; cf. Lk. 2:35, 76; 6:35; 8:28; Acts 7:48; 16:7)” (ibid., on v. 32). Gabriel continues, “He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end” (v. 33). According to Tiede and Matthews, “His [i.e., Jesus’] kingdom with no end is the fulfillment of the promise to David (2 Sam. 7:16; 1 Chr. 17:14; Isa. 9:7; see also Dan. 7:14)” (op. cit., on v. 33).

At this point, if not already, Mary must have had many questions. She asks, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” (v. 34). The last phrase of her question is literally, “I do not know a man” (NRSV text note b). According to Tiede and Matthews, “Mary’s question, unlike Zechariah’s (see note on 1:18), is not taken as doubt (see vv. 38, 45)” (ibid., on v. 34). In the earlier note, Tiede and Matthews say, “Zechariah’s question [1:18] expresses doubt (see also Sarah in Gen. 18:12-14; cf. Mary in v. 34), though as a priest he should perhaps recall the biblical precedents pertinent to his situation” (ibid., on v. 18).

Gabriel’s response explains what we have come to call “the virgin birth,” but which some say we should call “the virgin conception.” “The Holy Spirit will come upon ( ejpeleuvsetai ejpiv, epeleusetai epi) you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God” (v. 35). “This verse, interprets what is said in vv. 31-33,” say Tiede and Matthews. “Luke uses come upon to describe to describe the action of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost in Acts 1:8. . . . This holy Son of God, i.e., conceived apart from natural means, surpasses David and his royal heirs, who were adopted sons of God (Ps. 2:7)” (ibid., on v. 35). Gabriel also tells Mary of Elizabeth’s good news. “And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren” (v. 36). This is a miracle in itself, given Elizabeth’s “old age.” When Gabriel says, “For nothing will be impossible with God” (v. 37), he perhaps uses the miracle of Elizabeth’s conception to encourage Mary, who, without hesitation or shrinking from the thought, says, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word,” at which point “the angel departed from her” (v.38). We would all do well to respond to the Lord’s callings and promptings as Mary did on this occasion.

Ronald D. Worden, Ph.D.

rdworden@hgst.edu

deanworden@comcast.net