Isaiah 49:13-23 (Episcopal, for Morning Prayer, Holy Infants)

13 Sing for joy, O heavens, and exult, O earth;

break forth, O mountains, into singing!

For the LORD has comforted his people,

and will have compassion on his suffering ones.

14 But Zion said, “The LORD has forsaken me,

my Lord has forgotten me.”

15 Can a woman forget her nursing child,

or show no compassion for the child of her womb?

Even these may forget,

yet I will not forget you.

16 See, I have inscribed you on the palms of my hands;

your walls are continually before me.

17 Your builders outdo your destroyers,

and those who laid you waste go away from you.

18 Lift up your eyes all around and see;

they all gather, they come to you.

As I live, says the LORD,

you shall put all of them on like an ornament,

and like a bride you shall bind them on.

19 Surely your waste and your desolate places

and your devastated land-

surely now you will be too crowded for your inhabitants,

and those who swallowed you up will be far away.

20 The children born in the time of your bereavement

will yet say in your hearing:

“The place is too crowded for me;

make room for me to settle.”

21 Then you will say in your heart,

“Who has borne me these?

I was bereaved and barren,

exiled and put away–

so who has reared these?

I was left all alone–

where then have these come from?”

22 Thus says the Lord GOD:

I will soon lift up my hand to the nations,

and raise my signal to the peoples;

and they shall bring your sons in their bosom,

and your daughters shall be carried on their shoulders.

23 Kings shall be your foster fathers,

and their queens your nursing mothers.

With their faces to the ground they shall bow down to you,

and lick the dust of your feet.

Then you will know that I am the LORD;

those who wait for me shall not be put to shame. (Isaiah 49:13-23, NRSV)

This reading from Isaiah 49:13-23 is for Holy Infants Day, December 29, transferred from December 28 in 2004 and 2008, but December 28, in 2005, 2006 and 2007. Earlier Holy Infants Day readings and the readings of January 27, 2005 (Thursday in the week of the Third Sunday after the Epiphany, Year One) and of January 25, 2007 (Thursday in the week of the Third Sunday after the Epiphany, Year One), are the basis for the following comments:

This reading appears in a context where the LORD has promised return and restoration for captive Israel “I have kept you and given you / as a covenant to the people, / to establish the land, / to apportion the desolate heritages; / saying to the prisoners, ‘Come out,’ / to those who are in darkness, / ‘Show yourselves’” (Isa. 49:8a, b, c, d, 9a, b). The promise is, “Lo, these shall come from far away, / and lo, these from the north and from the west, / and these from the land of Syene” (v. 12). This leads into the opening verse of today’s lesson, in which the whole cosmos is called upon to praise the LORD for the restoration and return of Israel promised in yesterday’s lesson. “Sing for joy, O heavens, and exult, O earth; / break forth, O mountains, into singing! / For the LORD has comforted his people / and will have compassion on his suffering ones” (Isa. 49:13). But the people express disbelief. “But Zion said, ‘The LORD has forsaken me, / my Lord has forgotten me’" (v. 14). God responds to this pessimistic view. “Can a woman forget her nursing child / or show no compassion for the child of her womb?” (v. 15a, b). Even mothers may forget (v. 15c), but God will not forget Israel. “See,” says the LORD, “I have inscribed you on the palms of my hands” (v. 16a). According to Victor R. Gold and William L. Holladay, in this way, “God protests his love for Israel” (NOAB, 2^nd ed., 1994, on Isa. 49:14-16). Jerusalem will be rebuilt. “Your builders outdo your destroyers,” she is told, and she will be freed from “those who laid you waste” (v. 17).

“The imagery shifts from builders,” says J. J. M. Roberts, for “children, and the exiles returning to repopulate Jerusalem are portrayed as ornaments of jewelry worn by the city (cf. Lam. 4:1-2)” (HarperCollins Study Bible, rev. ed., 2006, on Isa. 49:18). “Lift up your eyes all around and see; / they all gather, they come to you. / As I live, says the LORD, / you shall put all of them on like an ornament, / and like a bride you shall bind them on” (v. 18). The LORD promises that Israel will be a fully populated, perhaps even overpopulated, land. “Surely your waste and your desolate places / and your devastated land– / surely now you will be too crowded for your inhabitants, / and those who swallowed you up will be far away” (v. 19). Israelite children returning from exile will be surprised at this: “The children born in the time of your bereavement / will yet say in your hearing: / “The place is too crowded for me; / make room for me to settle” (v. 20). Benjamin D. Sommer notes that the LORD’s promises to end the devastation of Israel’s land and repopulate it (vv. 19-20), are “a recollection and reversal of the prophecy of doom in 6:10-12” (The Jewish Study Bible, 2004, on Isa. 49:19-20). The LORD predicts Zion’s response (cf. v. 14): “Who has borne me these? / I was bereaved and barren, / exiled and put away– / so who has reared these? / I was left all alone– / where then have these come from?” (v. 21).

This overpopulation (?) of Judea would raise certain issues, but the good news is the return of the exiles, especially of the children. A few years ago, we were contemplating the loss of children on a day when the newspaper headline said, “An entire generation of children--swept away” (Houston Chronicle for Dec. 28, 2004, in reference to the effects of the tsunami in ten nations of southeast Asia). Israel, depopulated first by the Assyrians, and then (in Judah) by the Babylonians, had lost a generation of children, but the promise is restoration. Early reports about the devastation of the tsunami exceeded 52,000 persons (Yahoo News), some ten times the initial estimates for the 9/11 disaster in the U.S., and many more times the final numbers. The conquest and exile of Israel, of course, was an unnatural disaster, perpetrated by evil human beings, and hopefully of a kind that will be prevented in the future (in spite of various genocides in recent decades). The death and destruction of the tsunami was not perpetrated by choice and action of evil human beings. We call such things natural disasters--some, including some insurers, call them "Acts of God." For people whose religion teaches that God is almighty and also infinitely good, those in the Judeo-Christian tradition, for example, such surd evils as this tsunami and its devastation pose severe problems, like the perplexity of Job. There often is no immediate comfortable answer. We are left to hold on and continue to believe in the God who "makes all things work together for good" (Rom. 8:28 NRSV text note n). In the meantime, tremendous human needs continue to call for compassionate action.

The assurance of restoration continues, especially the restoration of the children. And it will be "soon" “I will soon lift up my hand to the nations,” says the LORD, “and raise my signal to the peoples; / and they shall bring your sons in their bosom, / and your daughters shall be carried on their shoulders” (v. 22). “The upraised hand and signal will identify an assembly point for the repatriation of dispersed Israelites by Gentiles (cf. 11:11-12; 43:6-7; 60:9; 656:20),” says Joseph Blenkinsopp (NOAB, 3^rd ed., 2001, on Isa. 49:22-26). Israel’s former oppressors must become foster parents–nannies? household slaves?–caring for the former exiles. “Kings shall be your foster fathers, / and their queens your nursing mothers. / With their faces to the ground they shall bow down to you, / and lick the dust of your feet. / Then you will know that I am the LORD; / those who wait for me shall not be put to shame (23).

Isaiah 54:1-13 (Episcopal, for Evening Prayer, Holy Infants)

An Eternal Covenant of Peace

54:1 Sing, O barren one who did not bear;

burst into song and shout,

you who have not been in labor!

For the children of the desolate woman will be more

than the children of her that is married, says the LORD.

2 Enlarge the site of your tent,

and let the curtains of your habitations be stretched out;

do not hold back; lengthen your cords

and strengthen your stakes.

3 For you will spread out to the right and to the left,

and your descendants will possess the nations

and will settle the desolate towns.

4 Do not fear, for you will not be ashamed;

do not be discouraged, for you will not suffer disgrace;

for you will forget the shame of your youth,

and the disgrace of your widowhood you will remember no more.

5 For your Maker is your husband,

the LORD of hosts is his name;

the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer,

the God of the whole earth he is called.

6 For the LORD has called you

like a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit,

like the wife of a man's youth when she is cast off,

says your God.

7 For a brief moment I abandoned you,

but with great compassion I will gather you.

8 In overflowing wrath for a moment

I hid my face from you,

but with everlasting love I will have compassion on you,

says the LORD, your Redeemer.

9 This is like the days of Noah to me:

Just as I swore that the waters of Noah

would never again go over the earth,

so I have sworn that I will not be angry with you

and will not rebuke you.

10 For the mountains may depart

and the hills be removed,

but my steadfast love shall not depart from you,

and my covenant of peace shall not be removed,

says the LORD, who has compassion on you.

11 O afflicted one, storm-tossed, and not comforted,

I am about to set your stones in antimony,

and lay your foundations with sapphires.

12 I will make your pinnacles of rubies,

your gates of jewels,

and all your wall of precious stones.

13 All your children shall be taught by the LORD,

and great shall be the prosperity of your children. (Isaiah 54:1-13, NRSV)

This reading from Isaiah 49:13-23 is for Holy Infants Day, December 29, transferred from December 28 in 2004 and 2008, but December 28, in 2005, 2006 and 2007. The following comments are based on earlier Holy Infants Day readings and the readings of February 2, 2005 (Wednesday of the week of the Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany, Year One), and of January 31, 2007 (Wednesday in the week of the Fourth Sunday of Epiphany, Year One):

This reading begins in the chapter (Isa. 54) that follow what many have called Isaiah’s Fourth “Servant Song” (Isa. 52:13-53:12). The Servant Songs were discussed recently in the comments for December 21, 2008 (the Fourth Sunday of Advent, Year One), when the reading was Isaiah 42:1-12, the First Servant Song. In today’s reading, the prophet returns to promises and reassurances about the restoration and return of Israel. “Sing, O barren one, who did not bear,” says the LORD through the prophet; “burst into song and shout, / you who have not been in labor! / For the children of the desolate woman will be more / than the children of her that is married, says the LORD” (Isa. 54:1). The LORD refers to Jerusalem as the “desolate woman” whose children were lost to the devastation of the Babylonian conquest and exile, and to Jerusalem as “her that is married,” that is, in earlier times prior to the separation from her spouse (the LORD). According to Joseph Blenkinsopp, Jerusalem is addressed as “mother of a depressed and dispersed family, and as a woman destined no longer to be forsaken, bereaved, or infertile.” He calls this a “major motif” in this part of Isaiah, with reference to Isaiah 49:14-21, 22, 25; 51:17-20; 52:1-2, 7-10; 60:1-12; 66:7-11 (NOAB, 3^rd ed., 2001, on Isa. 54:1-3). “Enlarge the site of your tent,” says the LORD, “and let the curtains of your habitations be stretched out; / do not hold back; lengthen your cords / and strengthen your stakes” (Isa. 54:2). And he explains, “For you will spread out to the right and to the left, / and your descendants will possess the nations / and will settle the desolate towns” (v. 3).

The image shifts from mother and children to marriage, to the LORD as the husband and Israel as his unfaithful wife (cf. Hos. 1-3). This repopulation with children is related to reconciliation of Jerusalem with her “husband,” the LORD. But Jerusalem will no longer be a forsaken wife. “Do not fear, for you will not be ashamed; / do not be discouraged, for you will not suffer disgrace; / for you will forget the shame of your youth, / and the disgrace of your widowhood you will remember no more” (v. 4). The “disgrace” of her “widowhood” will be removed, as the relationship with the LORD will be restored. “For your Maker is your husband, / the LORD of hosts is his name; / the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer, / the God of the whole earth he is called” (v. 5). According to Benjamin D. Sommer, “This passage is based on Jer. 10:17-25, where the Judeans who are about to be exiled lament the loss of their children and the destruction of their tent (symbolizing the Temple), their city and kingdom, and their social structures generally” (The Jewish Study Bible, 2004, on Isa. 54:1-5).

How will the relationship be restored? “ For the LORD has called you,” Zion is told, “like a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit, / like the wife of a man’s youth when she is cast off, / says your God” (v. 6). “For a brief moment I abandoned you,” says the LORD, “but with great compassion I will gather you. / In overflowing wrath for a moment / I hid my face from you, / but with everlasting love I will have compassion on you, / says the LORD, your Redeemer” (vv. 7-8) “After the separation of the exile,” says Blenkinsopp, “there will be a spousal reconciliation between the LORD and Jerusalem (cf. Hos. 1-3)” (on vv. 4-8).

With the change of stanzas, says Sommer, “God switches from a marital metaphor to a simile based on the story of Noah (Gen. chs. 8-9)” (op., cit., on vv. 9-10). “This is like the days of Noah to me: / Just as I swore that the waters of Noah / would never again go over the earth, / so I have sworn that I will not be angry with you / and will not rebuke you” (v. 9). “The former metaphor implied,” says Sommer,

That the covenant between God and Israel is one of mutual obligation; that allusion to Noah recalls the notion of a covenant of grace, which God unilaterally grants to human beings. Deutero-Isaiah often moves back and forth between portrayals of Israel as God’s spouse and God’s child, hence insisting that both covenant models are valid; see 49:14-21; 50:1-3. (ibid.)

The following verses describe the blessings awaiting the LORD’s restored spouse. The one who has been afflicted, storm-tossed and not comforted (v. 11a), will have her stones set “in antimony,” and her foundations laid “with sapphires” (v. 11b, c). The once forsaken wife will have “pinnacles of rubies,” gates of jewels,” and a “wall of precious stones” (v. 12). Blenkinsopp compares the “new Jerusalem,” which “is adorned with precious stones and gems by builders supernaturally instructed” (Ezek. 28:13-19), and adds that “Christian apocalyptic literature draws on this imagery to describe the new Jerusalem (Rev. 21:18-21)” (op. cit., on vv. 11-13a). Jerusalem’s “children shall be taught by the LORD,” she is told, “and great shall be the prosperity of [her] children” (v. 13).

Isaiah 12:1-6 (Presbyterian and Lutheran)

Thanksgiving and Praise

12:1 You will say in that day:

I will give thanks to you, O LORD,

for though you were angry with me,

your anger turned away,

and you comforted me.

2 Surely God is my salvation;

I will trust, and will not be afraid,

for the LORD GOD is my strength and my might;

he has become my salvation.

3 With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. 4 And you will say in that day:

l

Give thanks to the LORD,

call on his name;

make known his deeds among the nations;

proclaim that his name is exalted.

5 Sing praises to the LORD, for he has done gloriously;

let this be known in all the earth.

6 Shout aloud and sing for joy, O royal Zion,

for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel. (Isaiah 12:1-6, NRSV)

The following comments are repeated here from December 29, 2006 (Friday of Christmas Week, References for December 29, Year One)

This reading brings a significant unit of the Book of Isaiah to a close. The first twelve chapters have introduced major themes that will recur throughout the book, with rebuke for sin and apostasy (e.g., chapters 1, 5) alternating with descriptions of a blessed future time of peace (e.g., 2:2-4) including a new Davidic ruler who will rule with justice (9:7; 11:1-9). This unit, to be followed by a section of oracles against foreign nations (chaps. 13-23), consists of “two short hymns of praise and thanksgiving,” according to Joseph Blenkinsopp, who describes them as “each introduced with you will say in that day” (NOAB, 3^rd ed., 2001, on Isa. 12:1-6).

The first “hymn” begins with thanks to the LORD. “I will give thanks to you, O LORD, / for though you were angry with me, / your anger turned away, / and you comforted me” (Isa. 12:1b, c, d, e). As the hymn continues, the singer says, “Surely God is my salvation (hf!Uwy4, y^eš‘ûāh); I will trust , and not be afraid, / for the LORD GOD is my strength and my might; / he has become my salvation (hf!Uwy4, y^eš‘ûāh)” (v. 2). “With joy,” adds the hymn, “you will draw water from the wells of salvation (hf!Uwy4, y^eš‘ûāh)” (v. 3). Blenkinsopp points out that these hymns “recapitulate chs. 1-11 by playing on the name Isaiah [Uhy!f4w1y4, y ^eša‘ ^eyāhû] (related to ‘salvation’ . . . ) and the title the Holy One of Israel” (ibid.). He adds that “The hymns are composed out of a patchwork of phrases from various psalms, e.g., Ps. 12:2b; cf. Ps. 118:14; Ex. 15:2.” Benjamin D. Sommer calls the passage (Isa. 12:1-6) “A song of thanksgiving to be recited in the ideal age.” He adds that “Many of these phrases occur in other songs of thanksgiving, especially those associated with the exodus from Egypt. Cf. v. 2 with Exod. 15:2 and Ps. 118:14; cf. v. 4 with Ps. 105:1 and 148:13” (The Jewish Study Bible, 2004, on Isa. 12:1-6).

The remainder of the hymn calls upon us to “Give thanks to the LORD, / call on his name; / make known his deeds among the nations; / proclaim that his name is exalted” (v. 4b, c, d, e). Compare Psalm 105:1 (as suggested by Sommer), “O give thanks to the LORD, call on his name, / make known his deeds among the people.” This hymn (or song of thanksgiving) calls upon us all to “Sing praises to the LORD, for he has done gloriously; / let this be known in all the earth. / Shout aloud and sing for joy, O royal Zion, / for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel” (vv. 5-6).

Revelation 1:1-8 (Presbyterian and Lutheran)

1 The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place; he made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, 2 who testified to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw.

3 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.

4 John to the seven churches that are in Asia:

Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.

To him who loves us and freed us from our sins by his blood, 6 and made us to be a kingdom, priests serving his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

7 Look! He is coming with the clouds;

every eye will see him,

even those who pierced him;

and on his account all the tribes of the earth will wail.

So it is to be. Amen.

8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,’ says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty. (Revelation 1:1-8).

On December 20, 2007 (Monday in the week of the Second Sunday of Advent, Year Two), comments were based on comments from December 5, 2005 (Monday in the week of the Second Sunday of Advent, Year Two), from December 29, 2006; and from October 20, 2007 (Monday in the week of the Sunday closest to October 26, Year One); the comments are repeated here:

Today’s reading begins with what has been called the “Prologue” to the Book of Revelation. namely, 1:1-3 (Bruce M. Metzger, NOAB, 2^nd ed., 1994, Introduction to Revelation). The book is called “the Revelation ( =ApokavluyiV, Apokalypsis) of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants’ what must soon take place” (Rev. 1:1a). Jean Pierre Ruiz says the term “revelation,” or apokalypsis, refers to “a literary form in which a vision from God, often under the guidance of an angel or other heavenly messenger, communicates in symbolic language God’s hidden plan for the concluding period of history. Apocalypses also include visions of the heavenly world” (NOAB, 3^rd ed., 2001, on Rev. 1:1). In this case, the author claims that Jesus Christ made the revelation known to him “by sending his angel to his servant John” (v. 1b), thereby identifying himself as “John.” Whether this is John the son of Zebedee and the likely source behind the Gospel of John, the “beloved disciple” (who is referred to in the third person by the final editor of John’s Gospel, Jn. 21:24), is a disputed point. Metzger is content to say, “it is probably that the author, whose name is John (1:1, 4, 9; 22:8), put the book in its present form toward the close of the reign of the Emperor Domitian (A.D. 81-96)” (loc. cit.). Ruiz, on the other hand, notes this John’s “self-identification to the seven churches as ‘your brother who share with you in Jesus the persecution and the kingdom and the patient endurance’ ” (1:9), but also his reference to “the twelve apostles as figures from the past (21:14) [in which he] does not refer to himself as one of them.” So Ruiz concludes, “The traditional identification of the John of the book of Revelation with the apostle of the same name is thus questionable” (op. cit., in the Introduction to Revelation).

The prologue concludes with a beatitude, a blessing pronounced on “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” (v. 3). Metzger notes that this is “the first of seven beatitudes in Revelation (compare 14:13; 16:15; 19:9; 20:6; 22:7, 14) [and that it] is pronounced upon the reader of this prophetic book in services of worship and upon the listening worshippers who heed its message” (on v. 3; cf. Ruiz, op. cit., on the same). “The words the time is near (repeated in 22:10,” says Ruiz, provide a motive for obedience by announcing the imminence of the end-time” (ibid.). One might call these beginning and ending beatitudes “brackets,” or better, “bookends,” that frame the entire book.

Although the book as a whole is considered apocalyptic, according to Metzger, “it contains other elements as well, such as the the seven letters in chs. 2 and 3 and the scattered prophetic utterances throughout its pages” (loc. cit.). So, though the literary genre (literary form or type) of Revelation is correctly identified as Apocalypse–as indicated by the title commonly used–it shares the characteristics of “circular letter,” and of “Christian prophecy” (cf. Paul J. Achtemeier, Joel B. Green, and Marianne Meye Thompson, Introduction to the New Testament; Its Literature and Theology, 2001, pp. 556-559). And immediately following the prologue, we come to an “epistolary salutation” (1:4-8, as labeled by Ruiz; cf ‘introductory salutation,” Metzger). John first identifies himself, then the addressees: “John to the seven churches that are in Asia” (v. 4a). The term “Asia” here refers to the Roman province of Asia, located in the western portion of Asia Minor, of which Ephesus was the capital. John follows with a greeting in the style of Paul’s letters, “Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne” (v. 4b). For the greeting with the words “grace” (cavriV, charis) and “peace” (eijrhvnh, eirēnē), compare those of Paul (e.g. Rom. 7:1b; 1 Cor. 1:3; 2 Cor. 1:2, etc.). The one “who is and who was and who is to come” (1:4, cf. v. 8) is the one who is enthroned (cf. chaps. 4-5), and is distinct here from “Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth” (1:5), and distinct there from the one called “the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David” (5:5), but revealed also as “a Lamb standing as if it had been slaughtered, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth” (v. 6).

A dedication is made that ascribes glory and dominion “To him who loves us and freed us from our sins by his blood, and made us to be a kingdom, priests serving his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen” (1:5b, 6). The ascription of glory and dominion is continued in poetic lines that recall Daniel’s description of dominion being given to “one like a human being” (wn!x$ rb1K4, k^ebar ’ ^enāš, lit. ‘like a son of man’) (Dan. 7:13-14). Compare the texts in the following table:

In the Daniel passage the “one like a human being” who is “coming with the clouds of heaven” is coming to “the Ancient One” who is on his throne (Dan. 7:9); in the Revelation passage, “coming with the clouds” refers to the Parousia, when “every eye will see him, / even those who pierced him” (Rev. 1:7).

The salutation closes with a self-identification of the Lord God. “I am the Alpha and the Omega,' says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty” (v. 8). In calling himself “the Alpha and the Omega,” God refers to the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet; the title is later applied to Christ (cf. Metzger on 22:13). As noted above God is here described as the one “who is and who was and who is to come”; finally, he is called “the Almighty” (oJ pantokravtwr, ho pantokratōr). The term is used of God in the Septuagint texts of Hosea 12:6 and Amos 3:13, for example. Jean-Pierre Ruiz interprets the reference to the Greek alphabet, “‘I am the Alpha and the Omega,’ says the Lord God” (v. 8), as “the beginning and end of all things” (on v. 8).

Matthew 18:1-14 (Episcopal)

18:1 At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" 2 He called a child, whom he put among them, 3 and said, "Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5 Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me. (Mt. 18:1-5; cf. Mk. 9:33-37; Lk. 9:46-48; Jn. 3:3, 5; 13:20 NRSV)

6 "If any of you put a stumbling block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for you if a great millstone were fastened around your neck and you were drowned in the depth of the sea. 7 Woe to the world because of stumbling blocks! Occasions for stumbling are bound to come, but woe to the one by whom the stumbling block comes!

8 "If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away; it is better for you to enter life maimed or lame than to have two hands or two feet and to be thrown into the eternal fire. 9 And if your eye causes you to stumble, tear it out and throw it away; it is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and to be thrown into the hell of fire. (Mt. 18:6-9; cf. Mk 9.42-48; Lk 17.1-2 NRSV)

10 "Take care that you do not despise one of these little ones; for, I tell you, in heaven their angels continually see the face of my Father in heaven. 12 What do you think? If a shepherd has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? 13 And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. 14 So it is not the will of your Father in heaven that one of these little ones should be lost. (Mt. 18:10-14; cf. Lk. 15:1-7 NRSV)

The following comments are based on comments of June 18, 2008 (Wednesday in the week of the Sunday closest to June 15, 2008) on Matthew 18:1-9, when comments were based on those of November 22, 2007 (Thursday in the week of the Sunday closest to November 16, Year One), repeated from June 17, 2007 (the Sunday closest to June 15, Year One), when comments drew on comments from several earlier occasions with revision and supplement, comments from June 12, 2005, two years earlier (the Third Sunday after Pentecost, the Sunday closest to June 15, Year One), from December 28, 2005 (references for that date, Year Two), and from June 21 and 22, 2006 (Wednesday and Thursday in week of the Sunday closest to June 15, Year Two).

Today’s reading is more than a third of the fourth major speech of Jesus presented by Matthew, dealing with issues of Christian life especially within the Christian community. The speech, Mt. 18:1-35, is concluded by Matthew’s typical closing formula, “When Jesus had finished saying these things, he left Galilee and went to the region of Judea beyond the Jordan” (19:1; cf. 7:28-29; 11:1; 13:53; 26:1). In a separate file, Greatness - Temptations - Lost Sheep, it is evident from the diverse contexts of parallel passages that Matthew has characteristically made a topical arrangement here.

In Mark and Luke, an argument about “which one of them was the greatest” (Lk. 9:46; cf. Mk. 9:33, 34) led to Jesus’ saying about welcoming the child (Lk. 9:47-48; Mk. 9:36-37), in Mark’s case, including the statement about servanthood, “Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all” (Mk.9:35b). In Matthew, the disciples ask Jesus directly, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” (Mt. 18:1), which prompts Jesus to use a child as an object lesson. “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (v . 3). In the context, being “like children” means being “without concern for social status” (Dennis C. Duling, HarperCollins Study Bible, rev. ed., 2006, on Mt. 18:3).

A common motif holds the larger passage together, the “child” (paidion, Mt. 18:2, 3 [plural], 4, 5) and the “little ones” (hoi mikroi, vv. 10, 14). Dale C. Allison, Jr., notices the change in vocabulary:

This block of moral teaching [Mt. 18:1-14], which presupposes a communal setting, begins by referring to literal children (v. 2), but by vv. 10-14 ‘little ones’ designates believers (cf. 10:42). The transition from one thing to the other is probably marked by the change in vocabulary . . . The former teaches that one should become like little children, for only by this will one enter the kingdom (v. 3). One should humble oneself as a child, for in the kingdom the humble will be great (v. 4; cf. 23:12). (Dale C. Allison, Jr., The Oxford Bible Commentary, 2001, p. 867, on Mt. 18:1-14).

Some professional therapists have much to say about one's "inner child." An internet search for this phrase will turn up an amazing variety of approaches. One sight offers a test to use in answering the question, "How Old is Your Inner Child?" One question: "What's your preferred Pet?" Some answers: "Hamster," "Puppy," and others, including "I live in a community that doesn't allow pets." Another question: "Finally, what do you want to be when you grow up?" Some answers: "Fireman," "Princess," "Not interested in growing up," "I already am grown up, thank you very much."

Sorting these approaches out, or even these answers, would take me "out of my area," so to speak. But Jesus did say, "Become like children." I sometimes wonder how to relate Jesus' call for self-denial, "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me" (Mk. 8:34), with one of the goals of therapy, insight leading to self-actualization. Can denying oneself and finding oneself be related? Jesus said, "Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me" (Mt. 18:3-5). If we believe that we are made in God's image, and continue to live thanks to his gracious provision for our lives, then we may pray with St. Augustine: "Thou movest us to delight in praising Thee; for Thou hast formed us for Thyself, and our hearts are restless till they find rest in Thee" (from his Confessions, Book 1, Chapter 1, http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf101.vi.I_1.I.html [accessed again June 7, 2008]. Pardon the old-fashioned English! It comes with this older translation.) I would add that, at least for the Christian believer, true wholeness would include respect for our most fervent desires (our "inner child"), and for God's desires for us--his commandments, if you must. God wants what is truly best for us. If we really understood that, we would want it too.

In Matthew, Jesus moves on to warnings about temptations. “If any of you put a stumbling block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for you if a great millstone (muvloV ojnikovV, mulos onikos) were fastened (kremasqh:/, kremasthē) around your neck and you were drowned in the depth of the sea” (Mt. 18:6; cf. Mk. 9:42; Lk. 17:2). Where the NRSV translations in Matthew and Luke have “stumbling block,” the Greek text has the verb skandalivzw (skandalizō ), “to cause to be brought to a downfall, cause to sin” (Bauer-Danker-Arndt-Gingrich [BDAG], A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 2000, s.v. skandalivzw, skandalizō ); compare “But whoso shall offend one of these little ones . . .” (Mt. 18:6 AV/KJV; cf. also “causes . . . to stumble” TNIV). Luke uses the same verb, skandalivzw (skandalizō ), but in his different phrasing, the NRSV translation represents the verb with an English verb, “than for you to cause one of these little ones to stumble” (Lk. 17:2b). J. Andrew Overman apparently finds the “stumbling block” implied by the expression, and refers to it “as an image for causing someone to sin (Sir. 9:5; 25:21; 34:7; 1QS 2:12; T. Reuben 4:7)” (NOAB, 3^rd ed., 2001, on Mt. 18:6). In Matthew the reference to “stumbling blocks” becomes specific in the next verse. “Woe to the world because of stumbling blocks (skavndala, skandala)! Occasions for stumbling (ta; skavndala. ta skandala) are bound to come, but woe to the one by whom the stumbling block to; skavndalon, to skandalon) comes!” (Mt. 18:7). The noun skavndalon (skandalon) is defined as “an action or circumstance that leads one to act contrary to a proper course of action or set of beliefs, temptation to sin, enticement to apostasy, false belief, etc.” (BDAG, s.v. skavndalon, skandalon).

Matthew’s “fastened” (kremasqh:/, kremasthē) replaces Mark’s “hung” (perivkeitai, perikeitai). Both verbs can refer to putting the millstone in place, in Mark, “to be positioned around some object or area, be around, surround” (BDAG, s.v. perivkeimai perikeimai), in Matthew, “to cause to hang, trans. hang (up),” active voice, but here passive, “that a millstone were hung around that person’s neck” (BDAG, s.v. kremavnnumi, kremannumi). “The verb k. [k.] by itself can also mean crucify” [supported by citations from classical Greek], cf. Acts 5:30; 10:39 (Ibid.). If Matthew had that association in mind, his change would add a certain severity to the warning. Luke retains Mark’s verb and other wording, but simplifies somewhat. “Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Occasions for stumbling are bound to come, but woe to anyone by whom they come! It would be better for you if a millstone were hung around your neck and you were thrown ( e[rriptai, erriptai, for Mark’s bevblhtai, beblētai) into the sea than for you to cause one of these little ones to stumble” (Lk. 17:1-2). Both words for “throw” imply forceful motion, but Luke’s verb rJivptw, (hriptō), “to propel something with a forceful motion, throw” is a little stronger (cf. BDAG, s.v. bavllw, ballō, and rJivptw, hriptō).

In Matthew and Mark, Jesus continues with possible causes of stumbling that one would be better to do without. “If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away; it is better for you to enter life maimed or lame than to have two hands or two feet and to be thrown into the eternal fire” (Mt. 18:8, which combines separate verses for the hand and foot in Mk. 9:43, 44); “And if your eye causes you to stumble, tear it out and throw it away; it is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and to be thrown into the hell of fire” (Mt. 17:9; cf. Mk. 9:47-48, which has “hell, where their worm never dies, and the fire is never quenched” for Matthew’s “the hell of fire”). Mark’s concluding saying about salt (Mk. 9:48-50) is rather different from the saying about salt in Matthew and Luke in a different context (probably from Q; Mt. 5:13; cf. Lk 14:34-35).

Given these warnings about putting stumbling blocks in the way of children (v. 6), and further warnings, “cut it off,” that is, your hand or foot, if it “causes you to stumble” (v. 8), or “if your eye causes you to stumble, tear it out and throw it away” (v. 9), what would Jesus say about the child abuse reported in our world? As noted above, the warning not to “put a stumbling block before one of these little ones who believe in me” (v. 6), according to Allison, refers to members of the Christian community. I should think that the warnings of verses 6-10, though they do directly refer to Christian believers, would appropriately apply also, and perhaps especially, to the treatment of children. Child abuse has been recognized as a horrific problem in our world, a problem that Jesus would surely address with such warnings. The “great millstone” (v. 8) is called a “donkey millstone” (Allison, loc. cit.). It’s a picture of certain drowning.

“Take care that you do not despise one of these little ones,” says Jesus; “for I tell you, in heaven their angels continually see the face of my Father in heaven” (Mt. 18:10). &&&

Here and above, the children ("little ones," vv. 6, 10) are perhaps "disciples of Jesus, whom he calls 'children'" (Elwyn E. Tilden and Bruce M. Metzger, NOAB, 2^nd ed., 1994, on Mt. 18:6, with cross refs. to Mk. 10:24; Mt. 11:25), but all of this teaching--the humility of children, the value of children, the warning against putting temptation in the way of children, and God's love for his children (the shepherd's concern for the lost sheep)--can apply equally well to our children, and to Christian believers, who must come as children in faith to God through Jesus Christ.

Mark 10:13-16 (Episcopal)

Jesus Blesses Little Children (Mt 19.13-15; Lk 18.15-17)

13 People were bringing little children to him in order that he might touch them; and the disciples spoke sternly to them. 14 But when Jesus saw this, he was indignant and said to them, "Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. 15 Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it." 16 And he took them up in his arms, laid his hands on them, and blessed them.

The following comments are selected from comments on Mark 10:1-16 of March 12, 2008 (Wednesday in the week of the Fifth Sunday of Lent, Year Two) when they were repeated from earlier as noted there.

The three Synoptic Gospels each report that “People were bringing little children to [Jesus] in order that he might touch them,” and each adds the stern rebuke of the disciples (Mk. 10:13; cf. Mt. 19:13; Lk. 18:15). For parallel readings, see the separate file, Blessing the Children. Mark introduces Jesus rebuke by saying he was “indignant” (Mk. 10:14a), and follows with Jesus’ saying, “Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs” (Mk. 10:14b).

When considering the best interests of persons (as above), the children are surely a high priority. These topics come back to back in Matthew (19:3-12, 13-15) as well as in Mark (10:2-12, 13-16). But for Jesus, the children represent the childlike faith that is necessary for entering the kingdom of God (Mk. 10:15; Mt. 18:3; Lk. 18:17). “And he took them up in his arms, laid his hands on them, and blessed them” (Mk. 10:16; cf. Mt. 19:14; Lk. 18:16 [The identical wording in the English translations conceals minor differences between Mt. and Lk., who have different word order in Greek, and different tenses of the infinitive “come,” aorist in Mt., present in Lk.]). Mark and Luke add Jesus’ call for receiving the call as a child: “Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it” (Mk. 10:15; Lk. 19:17; cf. Jn. 3:3, 5). Mark’s closing statement, “He [Jesus] took them [i.e., the children] up in his arms, laid his hands on them, and blessed them” (Mk. 10:16), is condensed by Matthew to “And he laid his hands on them [the children?] and went on his way” (Mt. 19:15).

C. M. Tuckett notes the repetition of the idea of Mark 9:37 in 10:15 and says that “many have regarded [9:37] as more appropriate.” He adds that:

the idea of a child as an example to imitate is not easy to interpret. Children in the ancient world were of the lowest status in society . . . [but] perhaps . . . this is precisely what Mark (unlike Matthew) has in mind. The Kingdom is for those who are like children in the ancient world, i.e. the poor, the hungry, the dispossessed, those without rights and without any esteem amongst their contemporaries . . . Followers of Jesus . . . must recognize their radical dependence on God for all that they have and all that they are . . . Taken in this way, the saying in v. 15 is not so out of place within vv. 13-16: only if disciples become like children in this sense can they be ‘received’ by Jesus, i.e. become true followers of the crucified one. (C. M. Tuckett, The Oxford Bible Commentary, 2004, p. 907 on Mk. 10:13-16)

John 7:37-52 (Presbyterian and Lutheran)

Rivers of Living Water

37 On the last day of the festival, the great day, while Jesus was standing there, he cried out, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me, 38 and let the one who believes in me drink. As the scripture has said, ‘Out of the believer’s heartshall flow rivers of living water.’ “ 39 Now he said this about the Spirit, which believers in him were to receive; for as yet there was no Spirit, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

Division among the People

40 When they heard these words, some in the crowd said, “This is really the prophet.” 41 Others said, “This is the Messiah.” But some asked, “Surely the Messiah does not come from Galilee, does he? 42 Has not the scripture said that the Messiah is descended from David and comes from Bethlehem, the village where David lived?” 43 So there was a division in the crowd because of him. 44 Some of them wanted to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him.

The Unbelief of Those in Authority

45 Then the temple police went back to the chief priests and Pharisees, who asked them, “Why did you not arrest him?” 46 The police answered, “Never has anyone spoken like this!” 47 Then the Pharisees replied, “Surely you have not been deceived too, have you? 48 Has any one of the authorities or of the Pharisees believed in him? 49 But this crowd, which does not know the law-they are accursed.” 50 Nicodemus, who had gone to Jesus before, and who was one of them, asked, 51 “Our law does not judge people without first giving them a hearing to find out what they are doing, does it?” 52 They replied, “Surely you are not also from Galilee, are you? Search and you will see that no prophet is to arise from Galilee.” (7:37-52, NRSV)

On August 29, 2008 (Friday in the week of the Sunday closest to August 24, Year Two), comments were based, with editing and supplement on comments of March 13, 2007 (Tuesday in the week of the Third Sunday of Lent, Year One), when comments were repeated from February 6, 2006 (Saturday in the week of the Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany, Year Two), comments that were repeated from March 1, 2005 (Tuesday of the week of the Third Sunday in Lent, Year One), repeated again on September 1, 2006 (Friday in the week of the Sunday closest to August 24, Year Two), and again on December 29, 2006 (Friday of Christmas Week, References for December 29, Year One). The comments are repeated here with minor editing:

Early in John, chapter 7, Jesus comes to Jerusalem for the Festival of Booths (Sukkoth, Jn. 7:2), or Tabernacles (cf. NRSV text note d), where his controversy with “the Jews,” that is, the religious authorities, “escalates” (cf. Obery M. Hendricks, Jr., NOAB, 3^rd ed., 2001, on Jn. 7:1-52). Although they tried to arrest him, they failed because, as John tells us, “his hour had not yet come” (Jn. 7:30). Some of the people do not believe that Jesus is the Messiah (v. 27), but others do believe, based on Jesus’ “signs” (shmei:a, sēmeia, v. 31). When Jesus says he will be going “to him who sent me,” that is to his Father (v. 33), adding, “You will search for me, but you will not find me, and where I am you cannot come” (v. 34), the Jews are confused about his meaning (vv. 35-37). “They miss the point,” says Hendricks, “thinking that he is going to the Jews of the Dispersion, those living outside Palestine among the Greeks (Gentiles)” (ibid., on vv. 34-35).

In the present reading, Jesus claims that the symbolic meaning of the festival is about him and the salvation available to people through him. “On the last day of the festival, the great day, while Jesus was standing there, he cried out, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me, and let the one who believes in me drink. As the scripture has said, ‘Out of the believer’s heart shall flow rivers of living water’ ” (vv. 37-38; cf. Prov. 18:4; Isa. 58:11). John explains: “Now he said this about the Spirit, which believers in him were to receive; for as yet there was no Spirit, because Jesus was not yet glorified” (v. 39; cf. 16:7; 20:22; Acts 2:4).

According to the Mishnah (Sukkah M 4:9, 10; trans. Jacob Neusner, 1988), an important part of the celebration for the Festival of Booths (Sukkoth) was the water libation:

4:9 A. The water libation: How so?

B. A golden flask, holding three logs in volume [about 1 liter], did one fill with water from Siloam.

C. [When] they reached the Water Gate, they blow a sustained, a quavering and a sustained blast on the shofar.

D. [The priest] went up on the ramp [at the south] and turned to his left [southwest].

E. There were two silver bowls there.

F. R. Judah says, “They were of plaster, but they had darkened because of the wine.”

G. They were perforated with holes like a narrow snout,

H. one wide, one narrow,

I. so that both of them would be emptied together [one of its wine, flowing slowly, the other of its water, flowing quickly].

J. The one on the west was for water, the one on the east was for wine.

K. [If] he emptied the flask of water into the bowl for wine, and the flask of wine into the bowl for water, he has nonetheless carried out the right.

L. R. Judah says, “A log [of water] would one pour out as the water libation all eight days.”

M. And to the one who pours out the water libation they say, “Lift up your hand [so that we can see the water pouring out]!

N. For one time one [priest] poured out the water on his feet.

O. And all the people stoned him with their citrons [a kind of fruit 3 ½ to 9 inches or larger]

4:10 A. As the rite concerning it [was carried out] on an ordinary day, so was the rite [carried out] on the Sabbath.

B. But on the eve of the Sabbath one would fill with water from Siloam a gold jug, which was not sanctified,

C. and he would leave it in a chamber [in the Temple].

D. [If] it was poured out or left uncovered, one would fill the jug from the laver [in the courtyard].

E. For wine and water which have been left uncovered are invalid for the altar.

Although the Mishnah records the teaching of Rabbis, some from the time of Jesus and before and some later, about the ritual for the Festival of Tabernacles–recorded at a time after the destruction of the Temple, so there was no way to carry out these instructions–Jesus probably observed a ceremony carried out as described in the above quotation. “For seven days,” says Hendricks, “water was carried in a golden pitcher from the Pool of Siloam to the Temple as a reminder of the water from the rock in the desert (Num. 20:2-13) and as a symbol of hope for the coming messianic deliverance (Isa. 12:3)” (op. cit., on Jn. 7:37-39). So when Jesus stood and cried out, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me, and let the one who believes in me drink. As the scripture has said, ‘Out of the believer’s heart shall flow rivers of living water’” (vv. 37-38), he was making a claim to be the fulfillment, the replacement, if you will, of what they were celebrating. John explains for us readers, that “he said this about the Spirit, which believers in him were to receive; for as yet there was no Spirit, because Jesus was not yet glorified” (v. 39; cf. 14:26; 16:7, 13; 20:22; Acts 2:4). But some who heard him debated whether Jesus was “really the prophet (v. 40; cf Deut. 18:15) or “the Messiah” (v. 41), who should be descended from David (cf. 2 Sam. 7:12; Ps. 89:3-4) and come from Bethlehem (v. 42; cf. Mic. 5:2; Mt. 2:5-6). The result was indecisive: “So there was a division in the crowd because of him” (v. 43), and some “wanted to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him” (v. 44). But when the temple police returned without arresting him and were questioned (v. 45; cf. v. 32), they began to sound like believers. “Never has anyone spoken like this!” (v. 46), they said, which drew an angry response: “Surely you have not been deceived too, have you?” (v. 47). Their questions claim the authority of those who should know. “Has any one of the authorities or of the Pharisees believed in him?” (v. 48). They deride those among the crowd who tend toward belief (cf. vv. 25-26, 31, 43). “But this crowd,” say the Pharisees, “which does not know the law–they are accursed” (v. 49). According to Hendricks, John thus “describes the dismissive tone of the religious authorities toward the crowd, mostly provincial pilgrims, whose spiritual welfare they are supposed to serve” (ibid., on v. 49).

At this point we meet a rather timid Nicodemus–“a leader of the Jews” (3:1) who came to Jesus earlier. Whether he was a member of the Council (Sanhedrin) is unclear, but he is called “one of them” (v. 50) that is, among the chief priests and Pharisees who challenge the police for their failure to arrest Jesus. He asks, “Our law does not judge people without first giving them a hearing to find out what they are doing, does it?” (v. 51). The question, introduced by the negative particle mhv (mē) rather than ouj (ou), implies a negative response, “No, of course it doesn’t.” According to David K. Rensberger, revised by Harold W. Attridge, “Whether John presents Nicodemus as one who truly believe in [Jesus], however is in doubt. Here Nicodemus begins to defend Jesus but goes no further than an appeal to the law (i.e., the Pharisees’ law)” (HarperCollins Study Bible, rev. ed., 2006, on Jn. 7:48-52). Even so, it is enough to evoke a scornful response from the chief priests and Pharisees. “Surely you are not also from Galilee, are you? Search and you will see that no prophet is to arise from Galilee” (v. 52, cf. vv. 40-41). According to Rensberger and Attridge, “Galilee was regarded by many Pharisees as religiously lax; see also 1:46” (ibid.).

For John it is clear that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, sent from heaven and the fulfillment of all of the Jewish hopes, including those celebrated in the ritual of the Festival of Tabernacles. But it is also clear that he meets with mixed results, largely negative responses at this time. Nevertheless, the promise of living water (vv. 37-38; cf. 4:10-15), and the anticipation of the pouring out of the Spirit (cf. 14:26; 16:13; Acts 2:4, 17) show that the seeds of faith have been planted within those who do respond, and that many others, including you and I, will “come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing [we] may have life in his name” (Jn. 20:31).

Ronald D. Worden, Ph.D.

rdworden@hgst.edu

deanworden@comcast.net