Isaiah 5:1-7

The Song of the Unfruitful Vineyard

5:1 Let me sing for my beloved

my love-song concerning his vineyard:

My beloved had a vineyard

on a very fertile hill.

2 He dug it and cleared it of stones,

and planted it with choice vines;

he built a watchtower in the midst of it,

and hewed out a wine vat in it;

he expected it to yield grapes,

but it yielded wild grapes.

3 And now, inhabitants of Jerusalem

and people of Judah,

judge between me

and my vineyard.

4 What more was there to do for my vineyard

that I have not done in it?

When I expected it to yield grapes,

why did it yield wild grapes?

5 And now I will tell you

what I will do to my vineyard.

I will remove its hedge,

and it shall be devoured;

I will break down its wall,

and it shall be trampled down.

6 I will make it a waste;

it shall not be pruned or hoed,

and it shall be overgrown with briers and thorns;

I will also command the clouds

that they rain no rain upon it.

7 For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts

is the house of Israel,

and the people of Judah

are his pleasant planting;

he expected justice,

but saw bloodshed;

righteousness,

but heard a cry! (Isaiah 5:1-7, NRSV)

On December 10, 2006 (the Second Sunday of Advent, Year One), comments were repeated from December 5, 2004, (the Second Sunday of Advent, Year One); they are repeated again here with editing and supplement:

Jesus’ Parable of the Wicked Tenants, one of the readings for last Tuesday (Dec. 5), stands in the Gospels as a strong indictment of Jewish leaders. But when we remember Isaiah’s Song of the Unfruitful Vineyard (Isa. 5:1-7), and other uses of this image by Hebrew Prophets, we can appreciate how Jesus assumes the role of a prophet to his own people–from within Judaism, we can say–and is in anguish when he sees Jerusalem’s fate (Lk. 19:41-42). Hosea, for example, says, “Israel is a luxuriant vine / that yields its fruit. / The more his fruit increased / the more altars [to other gods] he built; / as his country improved, / he improved his pillars” (Hosea 10:1). In a similar way, Jeremiah speaks for the LORD: “Yet I planted you as a choice vine, / from the purest stock. / How then did you turn degenerate / and become a wild vine?” (Jeremiah 2:21).

Benjamin D. Sommer explains today’s reading as “a parable, in which God is the farmer and Israel the vineyard. At first , the identity of the characters is not evident, and only gradually does the audience realize that it is they themselves who are being rebuked. Nathan’s parable and its explanation in 2 Sam. 12:1-12 are structured similarly” The Jewish Study Bible, 2004, on Isa. 5:1-7). According to Joseph Blenkinsopp, Isaiah “composes and sings the song for his friend, identified in v. 7 as the LORD” (NOAB, 3^rd ed., 2001, on Isa. 5:1-7). The prophet says, “Let me sing for my beloved / my love-song concerning his vineyard: / My beloved had a vineyard / on a very fertile hill” (Isa. 5:1). The vineyard’s owner–the LORD–provided proper cultivation. “He dug it and cleared it of stones, / and planted it with choice vines; / he built a watchtower in the midst of it, / and hewed out a wine vat in it” (v. 2a, b, c, d). But the harvest was not what was expected; it is described with a rather harsh play on words: “he [God] expected it [Israel] to yield grapes (Myb9n!f3, ` ^anāvîm), / but it yielded wild grapes (Myw9xuB4, b^e’ushîm, literally ‘stinking things’)” (v. 2e, f, cf. v. 4c, d).

What does one do with an unfruitful vineyard? The LORD puts that question to the people. “And now, inhabitants of Jerusalem / and people of Judah, / judge between me / and my vineyard. / What more was there to do for my vineyard / that I have not done in it?” (vv. 3, 4a, b). Blenkinsopp says, “The genre of the love song is used as a parable with an explanation (cf. 2 Sam. 12:1-14) and also a poeticized form of judgment saying with indictment (vv. 1-4) and verdict (vv. 5-6)” (ibid.). As he expresses the verdict, the LORD says he will remove the vineyard’s protection. “And now I will tell you / what I will do to my vineyard. / I will remove its hedge, / and it shall be devoured; / I will break down its wall, / and it shall be trampled down” (v. 5). No longer cultivated, the vineyard will become a desolate desert. “I will make it a waste; / it shall not be pruned or hoed, / and it shall be overgrown with briers and thorns; / I will also command the clouds / that they rain no rain upon it” (v. 6).

In the verse that interprets the parable, the prophet speaks of the LORD in the third person. “For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts / is the house of Israel, / and the people of Judah / are his pleasant planting” (v. 7a, b, c, d). We are told that “he [the LORD] expected justice (FP!w4m9, mishpat), / but saw bloodshed (HP!W4m9, mishpach); righteousness (hq!d!c4, ts^edāqāh), but heard a cry (hq!f!c4, ts^e‘aqah)!” (Isa. 5:7). The latter term in each of these pairs almost rhymes–better, assonance (i.e. internal rhyme)–but is harsher, almost as though the prophet spat out the words “bloodshed!” and “outcry!”

Although in this Song, the LORD announces judgment: “I will remove its [the vineyard’s] hedge, / and it shall be devoured; / I will break down its wall, / and it shall be trampled down” (Isa. 5:5). It’s good to know that Isaiah has a more promising view of Israel as the vineyard later: “A pleasant vineyard, sing about it! / I, the LORD, am its keeper; / every moment I water it” (Isa. 27:2-3). “In days to come,” says the LORD through the prophet, “Jacob shall take root, / Israel shall blossom and put forth shoots, / and fill the whole world with fruit” (Isa. 27:6).

2 Peter 3:11-18

11 Since all these things are to be dissolved in this way, what sort of persons ought you to be in leading lives of holiness and godliness, 12 waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set ablaze and dissolved, and the elements will melt with fire? 13 But, in accordance with his promise, we wait for new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness is at home.

Final Exhortation and Doxology

14 Therefore, beloved, while you are waiting for these things, strive to be found by him at peace, without spot or blemish; 15 and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation. So also our beloved brother Paul wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, 16 speaking of this as he does in all his letters. There are some things in them hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other scriptures. 17 You therefore, beloved, since you are forewarned, beware that you are not carried away with the error of the lawless and lose your own stability. 18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen. (2 Peter 3:11-18, NRSV)

On December 6, 2007 (Thursday in the week of the First Sunday of Advent, Year Two), comments were repeated from December 10, 2006 (the Second Sunday of Advent, Year One), when comments were combined with revision and supplement from December 5, 2004, (the Second Sunday of Advent, Year One), and from December 1, 2005 (Thursday in the week of the First Sunday of Advent, Year Two). The combined comments are repeated here.

Having reminded scoffers that “the promise of his coming,” that is, the Lord’s return, though apparently delayed, will take place (“the day of the Lord will come like a thief,” 2 Pet. 3:10), Peter emphasized the fact that “the day of the Lord” will come in spite of apparent delays and the disbelief of scoffers. He described events of the last days and “the day of the Lord"” when "”the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, and the elements will be dissolved with fire, and the earth and everything that is done on it will be disclosed (euJresqhvsetai, heuresthēsetai)” (2 Pet. 3:10 NRSV, or “will be burned up (katakahvsetai, katakaēsetai)” text note y). The verb “will be disclosed,” supported by manuscripts x B K P and other manuscripts, is used in the NRSV, and the verb “will be burned up,” supported by manuscripts A 048 049 056 and others (K. Aland et al., edd., The Greek New Testament, 3^rd ed., 1976, apparatus to 2 Peter 3:10, where they use the letter D to show “that there is a very high degree of doubt concerning the reading selected for the text,” p. xiii). Bruce M. Metzger explains that “the extant witnesses present a wide variety of readings, none of which seems to be original. The oldest reading, and the one which best explains the origin of the the others that have been preserved, is euJresqhvsetai [heuresthēsetai] . . . In view of the difficulty of extracting any acceptable sense from the passage, it is not strange that copyists and translators introduce a variety of modifications” (A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament, 1971, pp. 705-706, on 2 Pet. 3:10).

The lesson Peter draws is that we should lead “lives of holiness and godliness”: “Since all these things are to be dissolved in this way, what sort of persons (potapouvV, potapous) ought you to be (dei: uJpavrcein [uJma:V], dei hyparchein [hymas] ) in leading lives of godliness” (v. 11), waiting with patience for “the coming day of God, because of which the heavens will be set ablaze and dissolved, and the elements will melt with fire?” (v. 12). There are various opinions about punctuating these two verses. Ending verse 11 with a comma and verse 12 with a question mark, as in the NRSV, is supported by AV/KJV [1611], ERV (1881), ASV (1901). Ending verse 11 with a comma and verse 12 with a period is supported by the Greek New Testaments of Westcott and Hort (1881), Bover (4^th ed., 1959), Nestle-Aland (25^th ed., 1963), and the British and Foreign Bible Society (2^nd. ed., 1958), the German translation, Die Heilige Schrift (Zürich, 1942), and the French translation, Le Nouveau Testament . . . de l’École Biblique de Jérusalem, 1958). Luther’s German translation, Das Neue Testament, revised (1956), and the RSV (1946) have a comma after verse 11 and an exclamation point after verse 12, a pattern almost reversed, with an exclamation point after verse 11 and a period after verse 12 in the NEB (1961) and the French translation of Segond, Le Nouveau Testament (1962). (These punctuations are listed in the Punctuation Apparatus, K. Aland et al., edd., op cit., for 2 Pet. 3:11-12). The New International Version (NIV 1973, 1978, 1984, followed by Today’s New International version (TNIV 2001, 2005), differing from all the above, puts the question mark within verse 11, after “ought you to be?” (1 Pet. 3:11 NIV, TNIV).

The point of the question, if it is a question, is rhetorical in verse 11–How should we live?–in light of the fact that such a day of the Lord (v. 12) is coming. The word potapouvV (potapous), accusative plural of potapovV (potapos), is an “interrogative reference to class or kind, of what sort or kind (?), . . . of persons,” cited for Mt. 8:27; 2 Pt. 3:11; Lk. 7:39 (Bauer-Danker-Arndt-Gingrich [BDAG], A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and other Early Christian Literature, 3^rd ed., 2000, s.v. potapovV, potapos). “Sometimes,” says the Lexicon, “the context calls for the sense how great, how wonderful Mk. 13:1ab [re. the stones and temple buildings]; how glorious 1 Jn.3:1 [re. God’s love]” (ibid.). The former meaning would support those who see a question here, and the latter would support those who see an exclamation here. As a rhetorical question it would imply both senses. It would be stated in such a way that the expected answer is clear. Because these future events, judgment and transformation on a cosmic scale, are certain to happen, the readers must lead “lives of holiness and godliness” as the question implies.

But there is promise for the believers as well as admonition. “But, in accordance with his promise, we wait for new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness is at home” (v. 13). In the meantime, the readers, or better, those hearing it read, are advised to “strive to be found by him at peace, without spot or blemish” (v. 14), to “regard the patience of our Lord,” the delay in his coming? “as salvation” (v. 15), and not to be “carried away with the error of the lawless and lose your own stability. But grow in the grace and knowledge of or Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (vv. 17-18).

Today’s reading ends here, and the continuation, the closing of 2 Peter, is not used either tomorrow or next Sunday, so we may take note that the letter closes with a final exhortation about how to live “while you are waiting for these things,” which means to “strive to be found by him at peace without spot or blemish” (2 Pet. 3:14). The delay is good: “regard the patience of our Lord as salvation” (v. 15a). Paul is cited as an authority in support of Peter’s view (v. 15b), even though Paul writes “some things . . . hard to understand” (v. 16a). According to Patrick A. Tiller, “Paul also taught that the delay of judgment is an opportunity to repent (Rom. 2:4; 9:22), even though false teachers are likely to misinterpret him” (NOAB, 3^rd ed., 2001, on 2 Pet. 3:15-16). The false teachers, about whom Peter warned his readers at length in chapter 2, twist Paul’s letters “to their own destruction, as they do the other scriptures” (v. 16b). The readers are not to be “carried away with the error of the lawless” (v. 17) but to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (v. 18).

Luke 7:28-35

Today’s reading from Luke is in the column to the right in the following table.

On October 8, 2008 (Wednesday in the week of the Sunday closest to October 15, Year Two), when the Gospel reading was Luke 7:18-35, in a series of continuous readings from Luke, comments were repeated from May 5, 2007 (Saturday in the week of the Fourth Sunday of Easter, Year One), when comments were repeated from December 10, 2006 (the Second Sunday of Advent, Year One), when comments were combined with revision and supplement from December 5, 2004 (the Second Sunday of Advent, Year One), from comments on Luke 7:18-35 on October 6, 2004 (Wednesday in the week of the Sunday closest to October 5, Year Two), April 23, 2005 (Saturday in the week of the Fourth Sunday of Easter, Year One), and October 11, 2006 (Wednesday in the week of the Sunday closest to October 5, Year Two). Relevant comments for today’s shorter reading, Luke 7:28-35, are repeated here.

The reading from Luke and some introductory verses (Lk. 7:24-35) and the parallel text in Matthew (Mt. 11:7-19) are presented in a table in the separate file, Jesus’ Witness about John.

After John the Baptist sends messengers to Jesus asking about his mission, and they return with Jesus’ answer (Lk. 7:18-24a), Jesus speaks about John with high praise to the crowds. He was “more than a prophet” (v. 26; Mt. 11:9), the “messenger” promised in Malachi 3:1 (v. 27; Mt. 11:10) who prepares the way, the greatest of those “born of women . . . yet the least in the kingdom of God is greater than he” (v. 28, Mt. 11:12). Matthew introduces here a saying that Luke uses later, “The law and the prophets were in effect until John came; since then the good news of the kingdom of God is proclaimed, and everyone tries to enter it by force” (Lk. 16:16). Matthew uses his familiar phrase, “the kingdom of heaven,” and emphasizes the “violence” (cf. “force” in Lk.): “From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force” (Mt. 11:12). Matthew’s phrase, “the kingdom of heaven,” respects the Jewish scruple against excessive use of the name of God, and Luke’s phrase, “the kingdom of God” interprets the phrase for a Gentile audience (as does Mark when the term arises. Or perhaps it is Matthew who interprets in a Jewish context.) Matthew elaborates the comment on the prophets, “For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John came” (v. 13), and adds the reference to John as “Elijah who is to come” (v. 14, alluding to the messenger to be sent (Mt. 11:10; Mk. 1:2; Lk. 7:27, citing Mal. 3:1; cf. 4:5; Ex. 23:20)

Luke, as narrator, using a theme that Matthew uses elsewhere (Mt. 21:31b, 32–cf. the table in the separate file, Jesus’ Witness about John), says that “all the people who heard this, including the tax collectors, acknowledged the justice of God, because they had been baptized with John’s baptism. But by refusing to be baptized by him, the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected God’s purpose for themselves” (vv. 29-30). Jesus speaks with regret about the rejection of John’s message, and the rejection of his own. He taunts “this generation” for not joining the game:

            We played the flute for you, and you did not dance;

               we wailed, and you did not weep. (Lk. 7:32; Mt. 11:17 with “mourn” for “weep”)

Jesus had a sense of humor, even when dealing with serious issues. Whether the message was musical and joyful, or the wailing of the professional mourner, there was no response, not to the austere John the Baptist, “eating no bread and drinking no wine” (v. 33a; cf. Mt. 11:18), nor to Jesus, “the Son of Man” who “has come eating and drinking” (v. 34a; cf. Mt. 11:19a). They say John “has a demon” (v. 33b; cf. Mt. 11:18b) and Jesus is “a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!” (v. 34; cf. Mt. 11:10b). The reference to “wisdom” and “her children” in verse 35 (cf. Mt. 11:19c, ‘vindicated by her deeds’) compares Jesus’ teaching and the earlier preaching of John to the teaching of Hebrew sages.

            The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge;

               fools despise wisdom and instruction. (Prov. 1:7)

Do we hear and heed Jesus any better than they? “Nevertheless / Yet wisdom is vindicated by all her children / by her deeds” (Lk. 7:35; Mt. 11:19c). Jesus had a sense of humor, even when dealing with serious issues. If our trust and commitment are with him, perhaps we can avoid taking ourselves too seriously, recognizing that “it is God who is at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for his good pleasure” (Phil. 2:13).

Ronald D. Worden, Ph.D.

rdworden@hgst.edu

deanworden@comcast.net