2 Kings 6:1-23

Miracles of Elisha

Floating Ax Head

6:1 Now the company of prophets said to Elisha, "As you see, the place where we live under your charge is too small for us. 2 Let us go to the Jordan, and let us collect logs there, one for each of us, and build a place there for us to live." He answered, "Do so." 3 Then one of them said, "Please come with your servants." And he answered, "I will." 4 So he went with them. When they came to the Jordan, they cut down trees. 5 But as one was felling a log, his ax head fell into the water; he cried out, "Alas, master! It was borrowed." 6 Then the man of God said, "Where did it fall?" When he showed him the place, he cut off a stick, and threw it in there, and made the iron float. 7 He said, "Pick it up." So he reached out his hand and took it.

Elijah’s Prophetic Gift as Military Intelligence

8 Once when the king of Aram was at war with Israel, he took counsel with his officers. He said, "At such and such a place shall be my camp." 9 But the man of God sent word to the king of Israel, "Take care not to pass this place, because the Arameans are going down there." 10 The king of Israel sent word to the place of which the man of God spoke. More than once or twice he warned such a place so that it was on the alert.

11 The mind of the king of Aram was greatly perturbed because of this; he called his officers and said to them, "Now tell me who among us sides with the king of Israel?" 12 Then one of his officers said, "No one, my lord king. It is Elisha, the prophet in Israel, who tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your bedchamber." 13 He said, "Go and find where he is; I will send and seize him." He was told, "He is in Dothan." 14 So he sent horses and chariots there and a great army; they came by night, and surrounded the city.

There Are More with Us than There Are with Them

15 When an attendant of the man of God rose early in the morning and went out, an army with horses and chariots was all around the city. His servant said, "Alas, master! What shall we do?" 16 He replied, "Do not be afraid, for there are more with us than there are with them." 17 Then Elisha prayed: "O LORD, please open his eyes that he may see." So the LORD opened the eyes of the servant, and he saw; the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. 18 When the Arameans came down against him, Elisha prayed to the LORD, and said, "Strike this people, please, with blindness." So he struck them with blindness as Elisha had asked. 19 Elisha said to them, "This is not the way, and this is not the city; follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom you seek." And he led them to Samaria.

20 As soon as they entered Samaria, Elisha said, "O LORD, open the eyes of these men so that they may see." The LORD opened their eyes, and they saw that they were inside Samaria. 21 When the king of Israel saw them he said to Elisha, "Father, shall I kill them? Shall I kill them?" 22 He answered, "No! Did you capture with your sword and your bow those whom you want to kill? Set food and water before them so that they may eat and drink; and let them go to their master." 23 So he prepared for them a great feast; after they ate and drank, he sent them on their way, and they went to their master. And the Arameans no longer came raiding into the land of Israel. (2 Kings 6:1-23, NRSV)

The following comments are repeated here with some editing from September 26, 2007 (Wednesday in the week of the Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost, references for the week of the Sunday closest to September 21, Year One):

The stories of Elisha’s miracles continue. As Iain W. Provan puts it, “God looks after individual Israelites as well as Israel through the medium of Elisha’s prophetic ministry” (NOAB, 3^rd ed., augmented, 2007, on 2 Kgs. 6:1-23). Today’s reading begins with a dialogue, a request from Elisha’s followers: “Now the company of prophets (Myx9yb9n04ha-yneb4, b ^enê-hann ^evî’ îm, ‘the sons of the prophets’ AV/KJV) said to Elisha, ‘As you see, the place where we live under your charge is too small for us. Let us go to the Jordan, and let us collect logs there, one for each of us, and build a place there for us to live.’ He answered, ‘Do so’ ” (2 Kgs. 6:1-2). For “company” (v. 1 NRSV), “sons” (AV/KJV), the recent Jewish translation has “disciples” (NJPS 1985, 1999). According to Ziony Zevit, “Elisha much more than Elijah is associated with a prophetic company” (The Jewish Study Bible, 2004, on 2 Kgs. 6:1). On the words, “place where we live,” he adds, “This seems to imply a regular community under Elisha’s direction [NJPS; ‘charge’ NRSV]” (ibid.). Robert R. Wilson suggests that “The company of prophets, or prophetic guild, has probably outgrown its meeting space. The other stories about this group suggest that its members do not all live together but do gather periodically, probably for instruction from Elisha (see, e.g., 4:1-2, 38; 5:22)” (HarperCollins Study Bible, rev. ed., 2006, on 2 Kgs. 6:1). When Elisha agrees, “Do so” (end of v. 2), he is asked, and agrees, to accompany them. They say, “Please come with your servants,” thereby acknowledging his leadership–as if anyone were in doubt–and again, his answer is short and to the point: “I will” (v. 3).

“So he went with them,” we are told. “When they came to the Jordan, they cut down trees” (v. 4). “Trees,” says Zevit, “and therefore a log [for each], would be more readily found near the Jordan” (op. cit., on v. 2). But there is a setback, for “as one was felling a log, his ax head fell into the water; he cried out, ‘Alas, master! It was borrowed’ ” (v. 5). But Elisha is up to the challenge. “Where,” he asks, “did it fall,” and when he is shown the place, we are told, “he cut off a stick, and threw it in there, and made the iron float” (v. 6). At that, he directs the man to “Pick it up,” which he does by reaching out his hand (v. 7). “Elisha,” says Provan, “has past experience of manipulating the waters of the Jordan (2:14; cf. 5:10) and he is able, miraculously, to make the iron float like the piece of wood he has thrown in beside it” (op. cit., on vv. 1-7). According to Wilson, “the legend [story told?] of the floating ax head is another illustration of the prophet’s extraordinary powers” (op. cit., on vv. 1-7). He adds, “Elisha’s use of a new ax handle [the stick?] rather than the old one may imply that the miracle requires the use of new objects. Not, e.g., the new bowl in 2:20, and cf. the use of a new garment in Ahijah’s prophet act (1 Kings 11:29).

Further evidence of Elisha’s prophetic powers is presented in the story of it’s use as military intelligence, which confounds the enemy, the king of Aram (Syria). “Once when the king of Aram was at war with Israel,” says the narrator, “he took counsel with his officers. He said, ‘At such and such a place shall be my camp’ ” (v. 8). But Elisha knows about this plan–not from spies, but from divine revelation. According to Wilson, “Elijah apparently got the information through extrasensory perception (cf. 5:26)” (ibid., on v. 9). So “the man of God sent word to the king of Israel, ‘Take care not to pass this place, because the Arameans are going down there’ ” (v. 9). The narrator tells us, “The king of Israel sent word to (-lx,, ’el-) the place of which the man of God spoke” (v. 10a NRSV). One would think the message would be sent about the place where the Arameans were going, not to the place–unless it is assumed that the Israelite army was already approaching “the place.” According to William L. Holladay, the preposition’s “basic meaning” is “toward,” but other meanings, variations on “toward” are listed, including “with regard to” (A Concise Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament, 1971, 10^th corrected impression 1988, s.v. lx,, ’el, cf. meanings no. (1) and (8) ). The lexicon also notes that “’el often represents ‘al [lfa] (& vice versa)” (ibid., meaning no. 3). The latter can mean “with regard to, concerning” (ibid., s.v. lfa, ‘al, meaning no. 3), but whether this is the meaning Holladay intends in the comparison is not clear.

In any event, Elisha’s warning through the king of Israel, “more than once or twice” (v. 10b), was enough to frustrate the king of Aram’s (Syria’s) plans for battle against Israel. He suspects espionage or infiltration of his advisers. It is reported that “The mind of the king of Aram was greatly perturbed because of this; he called his officers and said to them, ‘Now tell me who among us sides with the king of Israel?’ ” (v. 11). In response, “then one of his officers said, ‘No one, my lord king. It is Elisha, the prophet in Israel, who tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your bedchamber’ ” (v. 12). At that, the king of Aram turns his enmity against Elisha himself. “"Go and find where he is,” says the king; “I will send and seize him” (v. 13a). And the king was told, “He is in Dothan” (v. 13b), so the king “sent horses and chariots there and a great army; they came by night, and surrounded the city” (v. 14). According to Wilson, “The story is set in a period when Aramean troops regularly made incursions deep into Israel, south of the Jezreel Valley, and were even able to attack the city of Dothan. The details, however, are insufficient to place them into a specific chronological setting” (op. cit., on vv. 8-13).

In merely human terms, it would seem that Elisha is confronted by overwhelming odds. And so it appears to Elisha’s attendant who, upon arising the next morning, goes out and sees that “an army with horses and chariots was all around the city,” causing him a measure of despair. “Alas, master!” he says to Elisha, “What shall we do?” (v. 15). But Elisha responds with confidence and assurance. “Do not be afraid,” he says, “for there are more with us than there are with them” (v. 16). And so Elisha prays, not for deliverance, but for assurance for his servant. “Then,” we are told, “ Elisha prayed: ‘O LORD, please open his eyes that he may see.’ So the Lord opened the eyes of the servant, and he saw; the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha” (v. 17). “Aramean troops may surround the city,” says Provan, “but Elisha himself is surrounded by the army of the LORD” (op. cit., on vv. 15-17, with ref. to 2:11, where his note refers to “The divine army, last encountered waging war on Ahab (1 Kings 22:1-38).

On this occasion, “When the Arameans came down against him, Elisha prayed to the LORD, and said, ‘Strike this people, please with blindness (Myr97v2n4s0aBa, bassanwērîm).’ So he [i.e., the LORD] struck them with blindness (Myr97v2n4s0aBa, bassanwērîm) as Elisha had asked” (v 18 NRSV). According to William L. Holladay, the term translated as “blindness” here means “dazzling light (A concise Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament, 1971, 4^th impression, 1978, s.v. Myr97v2n4s0aBa, bassanwērîm). The term occurs only twice in the Hebrew Bible, here and in Genesis 19:11 (ibid., as marked with the dagger, †, indicating that “all undisputed instances have been cited,” p. xx). In the recent Jewish translation, Elisha prays, “Please strike this people with a blinding light,” and the translation adds, “And He struck them with a blinding light, as Elisha had asked” (v. 18 NJPS). Zevit says, “Elisha prays twice, once that his servant will see that his master is surrounded and protected by an invisible force and once that the Arameans will be blinded by light so that they cannot sea. When Elisha requires miraculous intervention for himself, he prays for it” (op. cit., on vv. 17-18).

And so, blinded as they are, Elisha is able to redirect the Aramean army to another location. “Elisha said to them, ‘This is not the way, and this is not the city; follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom you seek.’ And he led them to Samaria” (v. 19). Ironically, the man they are seeking, unrecognized, takes them where they don’t want to go. According to Nancy L. Lapp, Samaria is some ten miles south of Dothan (Harper’s Bible Dictionary, rev. ed., 1996, s.v. Dotham; cf. the scale of Map 6, NOAB, 3^rd ed., augmented, 2007). “As soon as they entered Samaria,” we are told, “Elisha prayed to the LORD, and said, ‘O LORD, open the eyes of these men so that they may see.’ The LORD opened their eyes, and they saw that they were inside Samaria” (v. 20). At this turn of events, the unnamed king of Israel is perplexed. “When the king of Israel saw them,” says the narrator, “he said to Elisha, ‘Father, shall I kill them? Shall I kill them?’ ” (v. 21). Again, according to Wilson, “the use of the title father . . . here implies that the king acknowledges the authority of the prophet” (op. cit., on v. 21; cf. 5:13). To the king’s question, Elisha gives a most unusual answer. “No! Did you capture with your sword and your bow those whom you want to kill? Set food and water before them so that they may eat and drink; and let them go to their master” (v. 22). And so for the invading army, “Elisha prepared for them a great feast; after they ate and drank, he sent them on their way, and they went to their master” (v. 23a). As the reading concludes, we are told that “the Arameans no longer came raiding into the land of Israel” (v. 23b).

The next reading skips ahead to chapter 9, but we may perhaps take note of the sequel here. According to what follows today’s reading, “Some time later King Ben-hadad of Aram mustered his entire army; he marched against Samaria and laid siege to it” (v. 24). This appears to directly contradict the preceding verse. We should note, however, that, due the failure to mention the kings by name, the setting of the preceding events is not clear, as noted by Zevit, above. Here he says, “This introduction, contradicting v. 23, indicates these stories have not been combined in historical order. This siege story may have originally followed the story of the Moabite campaign (3:27). Ralbag’s comment on v. 23 suggests how the author may have interpreted the two verses in a non-contradictory manner. Ralbag interprets vv. 23-24 as meaning that the Arameans stopped sending in contingents of soldiers and amassed a single army that besieged Samaria” (op. cit. on v. 24). Provan, however, without mentioning the “contradiction,” says, “the second siege of Samaria by Ben-hadad of Aram is significantly more serious than the first (cf. 1 Kings 20:1) and inflicts much greater hardship on the population of the city” (op. cit., on 6:24-7:20). And, for now, we must leave it at that.

1 Corinthians 5:9-6:11

Warnings about Associating with Immoral Persons and Lawsuits in Secular Courts

9 I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral persons-- 10 not at all meaning the immoral of this world, or the greedy and robbers, or idolaters, since you would then need to go out of the world. 11 But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother or sister who is sexually immoral or greedy, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or robber. Do not even eat with such a one. 12 For what have I to do with judging those outside? Is it not those who are inside that you are to judge? 13 God will judge those outside. "Drive out the wicked person from among you."

6:1 When any of you has a grievance against another, do you dare to take it to court before the unrighteous, instead of taking it before the saints? 2 Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases? 3 Do you not know that we are to judge angels--to say nothing of ordinary matters? 4 If you have ordinary cases, then, do you appoint as judges those who have no standing in the church? 5 I say this to your shame. Can it be that there is no one among you wise enough to decide between one believer and another, 6 but a believer goes to court against a believer--and before unbelievers at that?

7 In fact, to have lawsuits at all with one another is already a defeat for you. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be defrauded? 8 But you yourselves wrong and defraud–and believers at that.

9 Do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived! Fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, male prostitutes, sodomites, 10 thieves, the greedy, drunkards, revilers, robbers--none of these will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And this is what some of you used to be. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God. (1 Corinthians 5:9-6:11, NRSV)

On February 20, 2008 (Wednesday in the week of the Second Sunday of Lent, Year Two), comments were repeated with editing and supplement from September 26, 2007 (Wednesday in the week of the Sunday closest to September 21, Year One), when comments were based on comments from the Wednesday portion of an email sent March 7, 2004 for the week of the Second Sunday in Lent), comments from September 21, 2005 (Wednesday in the week of the Sunday closest to September 21, Year One), and comments from March 15, 2006 (Wednesday in the week of the Second Sunday of Lent, Year Two); the combined comments are repeated here with editing and supplement:

First Corinthians was not Paul’s first letter to the Corinthian Christian believers; he refers here to what “I wrote [past tense] to you in my letter” (1 Cor. 5:9). That would be a previous letter, in which he instructed them “not to associate with sexually immoral persons–not at all meaning the immoral of this world, or the greedy and robbers, or idolaters, since you would then need to go out of the world” (vv. 9-10). They apparently thought he meant outsiders, that is, non-Christians. But he explains, “now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother or sister who is sexually immoral or greedy, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or robber. Do not even eat with such a one” (v. 11). This more general reference serves to reinforce the instruction to excommunicate the immoral person (v. 1). Paul explains that he is not referring to outsiders, asking, “For what have I to do with judging those outside? Is it not those who are inside that you are to judge?” They are to focus on those within the Christian community. “God will judge those outside. ‘Drive out ( ejxavrate, exarate, 2^nd person plural verb) the wicked person from among you (ejx uJmw:n, ex hymōn, “you” plural)’ ” (v. 13). The quotation within verse 13 cites “So you (2^nd person singular) shall purge the evil from your (2^nd person singular) midst” (Deut. 17:7 = 19:19 = 22:21 = 22:22 = 22:24 = 24:7). In each of these places the Hebrew text reads, j~B,%r4q09m8 frAhA T!r4fab9%U, ûvi‘artā hārā’ miqqirbekā). And in each of these places the Septuagint text reads, kai; ejxarei:V (2^nd person singular ‘you’) to;n ponhro;n ejx uJmw:n aujtw:n, kai exareis ton ponēron ex hymōn autōn). Paul uses a plural verb, “drive out” for the second person singular verb in the Septuagint (plural in 17:7 ms. A), where the Hebrew text has a second person singular verb meaning “burn,” “burn up” (“purge” NRSV). Paul personalizes “the evil,” as oJ ponhrovV (ho ponēros), with the Septuagint. This severe punishment is prescribed in Deuteronomy for one who commits idolatry (Deut. 17:3), or is a false witness (19:16-19), or a bride who is not a virgin (22:16-17, 20), or a couple caught in adultery (22:22), or a couple where the woman is “a virgin already engaged to be married [to another man]” (22:23), or “someone . . . caught kidnaping another Israelite, enslaving or selling the Israelite” (24:7). Paul clearly regards the case of immorality (v. 11, cf. v. 1) as a serious matter.

Paul then continues by advising the use of a Christian Bet Din (rabbinical court, perhaps an “in house Synagogue Court”). They should settle disputes among themselves rather than engage in lawsuits in the Roman courts (6:1-8; cf. Mt. 18:15-20). “When any of you has a grievance against another,” he asks, “do you dare to take it to court before the unrighteous, instead of taking it before the saints?” (1Cor. 6:1). Paul says that the Christians ought to be able deal with such cases. “Do you not know,” he asks, “that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases? Do you not know that we are to judge angels–to say nothing of ordinary matters?” (vv. 2-3). In another rhetorical question, he asks, “If you have ordinary cases, then, do you appoint as judges those who have no standing in the church?” (v. 4), apparently with reference again to outsiders, though, as Victor Paul Furnish says, some suggest that “those who have no standing in the church” are “persons within the church” (HarperCollins Study Bible, rev. ed., 2006, on 1 Cor. 6:4). But the continuation implies the use of outsiders as judges.

At this point, Paul’s rebuke is severe. “ I say this to your shame. Can it be that there is no one among you wise enough to decide between one believer and another, but a believer goes to court against a believer–and before unbelievers at that?” (vv. 5-6). According to Richard A. Horsley, “That Paul now does say this to your shame, having hesitated to shame them in his long opening argument (4:14), indicates how serious the issue is for him” (NOAB, 3^rd ed., 2001, on 1 Cor. 6:5-6). Paul is attempting to get the Corinthian Christian believers not merely to behave in a Christian manner, but to understand the Christian community as transformed by Christian values, no longer stratified in classes with varying privilege. According to Ben Witherington III,

Paul argues that by taking disputes to a pagan court . . . one is violating Christian community and Christian witness. He uses several sarcastic rhetorical questions, not detailed arguments, to express himself here. Especially sarcastic is the question whether there is not one sophos (wise person) among the Corinthian Christians who could judge the matter (v. 5), in view of their claims about being wise” (Conflict & Community in Corinth, 1994, p. 164).

“In fact,” says Paul, “to have lawsuits at all with one another is already a defeat for you. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be defrauded? But you yourselves wrong and defraud–and believers at that” (vv. 7-8). “The reference to being defrauded suggests that the litigant was pursuing an economic matter” (Horsley, on vv. 7-8).

In the next three verses, included by the Presbyterian and Lutheran traditions, but passed over by the Episcopal Daily Office Lectionary, Paul presents a severe warning against various sexual sins. “Do you not know,” he asks, “that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived!” (v. 9a). He continues with a list: “Fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, male prostitutes, sodomites, thieves, the greedy, drunkards, revilers, robbers–none of these will inherit the kingdom of God” (vv. 9b, 10). According to Horsley, “The Greek terms translated male prostitutes and sodomites do not refer to ‘homosexuals,’ as in inappropriate older translations; ‘masturbators’ and male prostitutes might be a better translation” (on vv. 9-10). He adds, “While continuing the emphasis on economic offenders, the list expands the sexual offenders . . . anticipating 6:12-20). Paul reminds the readers that they have been rescued from these kinds of wrongdoing. “And this is what some of you used to be. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God” (v. 11).

Matthew 5:38-48

Turn the Other Cheek; Love Your Enemies

38 "You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' 39 But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also; 40 and if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give your cloak as well; 41 and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile. 42 Give to everyone who begs from you, and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you.

43 "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' 44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. (Matthew 5:38-48, NRSV)

On April 19, 2008 (Saturday in the week of the Fourth Sunday of Easter, Year Two), comments were repeated from September 26, 2007 (Wednesday in the week of the Sunday closest to September 21, Year One), when comments were combined from September 21, 2005 (Wednesday in the week of the Sunday closest to September 21, Year One), and from May 13, 2006 (Saturday in the week of the Fourth Sunday of Easter, Year Two). The combined comments are repeated here:

Matthew, chapter 5, concludes with Jesus' instructions in regard to the law of retribution (Mt. 5:38; cf. Ex. 21:24; Lev. 24:30; Deut. 19:21), and his admonition to us to love our enemies. Jesus says, “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth’ ” (Mt. 5:38). C. G. Montefiore comments, “The literal application of the so-called Lex Talionis, or tit for tat, Exodus xxi.24, etc., had been abolished by the Rabbis, probably as early as the age of Jesus, though this cannot be definitely proved. If a man in a quarrel knocked out another's tooth, the tooth of the evildoer could not be knocked out as a punishment. All that happened was a monetary fine, quite in accordance with modern ideas” (The Synoptic Gospels; Edited with an Introduction and a Commentary, vol. II, 2^nd ed., 1968, p. 70, on Mt. 5:38). Montefiore finds similarities in the way both Jesus and the Rabbis stress the underlying principles.

Jesus then reverses this instruction with his interpretation. “But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer,” he says (Mt. 5:39a). On the contrary, says Jesus, “But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also; and if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give your cloak as well” (v. 39b; cf. Lk. 6:29a). Jesus continues with further examples, saying, “if anyone wants to sue you (soi kriqh:nai, soi krithēnai) and take your coat (citwvn, chitōn), give your cloak ( iJmavtion, himation) as well” (Mt. 5:40). For this, Luke has, “from anyone who takes away your coat ( iJmavtion, himation) do not withhold even your shirt (citwvn, chitōn)” (Lk. 6:29b). In this instance the order differs; notwithstanding the different translations (NRSV) of the same Greek terms, Matthew and Luke have the same Greek terms in reverse order. In Luke’s version, the outer garment is taken first, then the inner garment, which suggests, perhaps, a mugging. Matthew’s version, in which the inner garment is taken first, is about a lawsuit, “if anyone wants to sue you” (cf. above). Luke does not have Jesus’ final example in Matthew, “and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile” (Mt. 5:41). But, according to Jesus, one must go beyond merely refraining from retaliation. “Give (dovV, dos, aorist imperative) to everyone who begs from you (tw:/ aijtou:ntiv se, tō(i) aitounti se, lit., ‘to the one who asks you’),” says Jesus in Matthew, “and do not refuse (mh; ajpostrafh:/V, mē apostraphēs, aorist subjunctive, a prohibition) anyone who wants (to;n qevlonta, ton thelonta, lit. ‘the one wanting’) to borrow from you” (Mt. 5:42). For this, Luke has, “Give (divdou, didou, present tense imperative) to everyone who begs from you (panti; aijtou:ntiv se, panti aitounti se, lit. ‘to everyone who asks you’) and if anyone takes away (ajpo; tou: ai[rontoV, apo tou airontos, lit. ‘from the one taking away’) your goods, do not ask (mh; ajpaivtei, mē apaitei, present tense imperative) for them again” (Lk. 6:30). Within the context of Matthew’s Sermon on the Mount, Jesus, of course, is defining a life style for Christian believers, but it is interesting that where Matthew’s language implies a single instance. “Give” (dovV, dos, aorist imperative) calls for a single instance of giving, and the word “everyone” (pa:V, pas, i.e., Luke’s dative form pantiv, panti) is in Luke but not in Matthew (in spite of the NRSV translation, cf. “to the one who asks you,” TNIV). On the other hand, Luke’s version uses present tense imperatives, and “to everyone who asks/begs” (see above), which implies an ongoing life style. This apparently makes clear what is implied as well by the context in Matthew. Luke is not falsifying what Jesus said, but presenting it in a form relevant for the lives of believers in his Christian community.

David C. Allison, Jr., says:

The brief scenes vividly represent the demand for an unselfish temperament, for naked humility and a willingness to suffer the loss of one’s personal rights; evil should be requited with good. There is no room for vengeance on a personal level (cf. Rom. 12:19). (The Oxford Bible Commentary, 2001, p. 855, on Mt. 5:38-42)

At this point, Luke includes his version of the “golden rule,” “Do to others as you would have them do to you” (Lk. 6:31), which Matthew presents later in the sermon, “In everything do to others as you would have them do to you; for this is the law and the prophets” (Mt. 7:12).

Jesus calls on us to love our enemies. In Matthew, he says, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Mt. 5:43-44). As elsewhere in the sermon, Luke lacks the “antithesis formula,” but he elaborates a bit on how we are to treat enemies. “But I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you” (Lk. 6:27-28). This teaching is echoed by Paul. “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them” (Rom. 12:14). “Beloved, never avenge yourselves . . . No, ‘if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, given them something to drink . . .” (Rom. 12:19-20). In Luke, this precedes the instruction on retaliation (see above). In Matthew, an explanation is given for such treatment of one’s enemies: “so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous” (Mt. 5:45). Compare Luke’s repetition of the admonition to love one’s enemies and the reason given. “But love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High; for he is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked” (Lk. 6:35). In Matthew, Jesus continues with an explanation. “For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? (Mt. 5:46-47). In Luke parallel sayings to this follow the “golden rule.” “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. If you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive as much again” (Lk. 6:32-34). We note that in Matthew, the contrast with the behavior of “tax collectors” and “Gentiles” is generalized to that of “sinners,” perhaps adapted to Luke’s non-Palestinian audience.

The reading from Matthew closes with Jesus call for us to be “perfect”: “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Mt. 5:48), The parallel verse in Luke calls for us to be “merciful”: “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful” (Lk. 6:36). T. W. Manson compares these verses and suggests that Jesus used the term “merciful,” for the model is God’s mercy. “For ‘merciful’ (Lk.) Mt. has ‘perfect.’ In favour of the former is the fact that in the Old Testament the epithet ‘merciful’ is given to God, hardly ever to man; and the epithet ‘perfect’ to man, never to God. As God is the standard of comparison, we expect a recognised Divine attribute to be mentioned” (The Sayings of Jesus, reprint 1975, p. 55). The term “perfect is frequently applied to God in the Old Testament, whereas “perfect” (tevleioV, teleios) is a term applied to human beings, e.g. Noah, who “was perfect (Mym9TA, tāmîm) in his generation” (Gen. 6:9 AV; ‘blameless’ NRSV), and Job (Job: 1:1, 8; 2:3, MTA, tām, ‘perfect” AV, ‘blameless’ NRSV).

Ronald D. Worden, Ph.D.

rdworden@hgst.edu

deanworden@comcast.net