Jeremiah 38:14-28

Bad News for Zedekiah

14 King Zedekiah sent for the prophet Jeremiah and received him at the third entrance of the temple of the LORD. The king said to Jeremiah, "I have something to ask you; do not hide anything from me." 15 Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, "If I tell you, you will put me to death, will you not? And if I give you advice, you will not listen to me." 16 So King Zedekiah swore an oath in secret to Jeremiah, "As the LORD lives, who gave us our lives, I will not put you to death or hand you over to these men who seek your life."

17 Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, "Thus says the LORD, the God of hosts, the God of Israel, If you will only surrender to the officials of the king of Babylon, then your life shall be spared, and this city shall not be burned with fire, and you and your house shall live. 18 But if you do not surrender to the officials of the king of Babylon, then this city shall be handed over to the Chaldeans, and they shall burn it with fire, and you yourself shall not escape from their hand." 19 King Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, "I am afraid of the Judeans who have deserted to the Chaldeans, for I might be handed over to them and they would abuse me." 20 Jeremiah said, "That will not happen. Just obey the voice of the LORD in what I say to you, and it shall go well with you, and your life shall be spared. 21 But if you are determined not to surrender, this is what the LORD has shown me-- 22 a vision of all the women remaining in the house of the king of Judah being led out to the officials of the king of Babylon and saying,

'Your trusted friends have seduced you

and have overcome you;

Now that your feet are stuck in the mud,

they desert you.'

23 All your wives and your children shall be led out to the Chaldeans, and you yourself shall not escape from their hand, but shall be seized by the king of Babylon; and this city shall be burned with fire."

24 Then Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, "Do not let anyone else know of this conversation, or you will die. 25 If the officials should hear that I have spoken with you, and they should come and say to you, 'Just tell us what you said to the king; do not conceal it from us, or we will put you to death. What did the king say to you?' 26 then you shall say to them, 'I was presenting my plea to the king not to send me back to the house of Jonathan to die there.' " 27 All the officials did come to Jeremiah and questioned him; and he answered them in the very words the king had commanded. So they stopped questioning him, for the conversation had not been overheard. 28 And Jeremiah remained in the court of the guard until the day that Jerusalem was taken. (Jeremiah 38:14-28, NRSV)

On October 19, 2007 (Friday in the week of the Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost, references for the week of the Sunday closest to October 12, Year One), comments were repeated with editing and supplement from October 14, 2005 (Friday in the week of the Sunday closest to October 12, Year One); they are repeated again here with some editing and supplement:

In a second secret inquiry of Jeremiah (Jer. 38:14; cf. 37:17), King Zedekiah sends for Jeremiah, who comes to “the third entrance of the temple of the LORD,” where ‘Zedekiah says, “ I have something to ask you; do not hide anything from me” (38:14). Marvin A. Sweeney says, “The third entrance to the Temple is unknown, although Radak speculates that it was an entrance by which the people could go from the king’s palace to the temple” (The Jewish Study Bible, 2004, on Jer. 38:14). After all that has happened to him, Jeremiah hesitates. “If I tell you,” he asks, “you will put me to death, will you not?” And Jeremiah says, “if I give you advice, you will not listen to me” (v. 15). Zedekiah, according to Mark E. Biddle, is “uncertain and fearful,” but Jeremiah is “Justifiably suspicious,” [so he] exact[s] an oath from Zedekiah for his safety” (NOAB, 3^rd ed., augmented, 2007, on Jer. 38:14-28). “So King Zedekiah swore an oath in secret to Jeremiah, ‘As the LORD lives, who gave us our lives, I will not put you to death or hand you over to these men who seek your life’ ” (v. 16). So Jeremiah, with this promise of protection from the king, warns Zedekiah that he must surrender to the Babylonians.

Thus says the LORD, the God of hosts, the God of Israel, If you will only surrender to the officials of the king of Babylon, then your life shall be spared, and this city shall not be burned with fire, and you and your house shall live. But if you do not surrender to the officials of the king of Babylon, then this city shall be handed over to the Chaldeans, and they shall burn it with fire, and you yourself shall not escape from their hand. (Jer. 38:17-18, NRSV)

“Jeremiah’s advice to surrender to the Babylonians,” says Sweeney, “is consistent with his earlier position (chs. 25-29)” (op. cit., on vv.17-18). So Zedekiah, uncertain about the situation under siege, learns the truth in this secret visit with Jeremiah, but in the end, fails to follow Jeremiah’s advice. He offers a lame excuse. “I am afraid of the Judeans who have deserted to the Chaldeans, for I might be handed over to them and they would abuse me” (v. 19). The Babylonians clearly hold the balance of power, so why should Zedekiah fear the Judeans, even those who have deserted to the Babylonians? Jeremiah responds: “That will not happen. Just obey the voice of the LORD in what I say to you, and it shall go well with you, and your life shall be spared” (v. 20). Biddle notes that Jeremiah “repeated his counsel of ‘surrender and live’ (20:1-16; 21:4-10; 27:1-11)” (loc. cit.). If Zedekiah does not agree to surrender (v. 21a), Jeremiah paints a bleak picture of, “what the LORD has shown me” (v. 21b):

a vision of all the women remaining in the house of the king of Judah being led out to the officials of the king of Babylon and saying,

‘Your trusted friends have seduced you

and have overcome you;

Now that your feet are stuck in the mud,

they desert you.’

All your wives and your children shall be led out to the Chaldeans, and you yourself shall not escape from their hand, but shall be seized by the king of Babylon; and this city shall be burned with fire. (Jer. 38:22-23, NRSV)

According to Sweeney, “Jeremiah outlines the consequences of continued resistance; i.e., the men will be killed, the women taken by the Babylonians, and the city destroyed” (op. cit., on vv. 22-23). As before (37:17-21), Zedekiah listens to the word of the LORD, but does not follow through and do what Jeremiah has said he must do to escape disaster. “Do not let anyone else know of this conversation,” says Zedekiah, “or you will die” (38:24). Zedekiah anticipates trouble from his officials. “If the officials should hear that I have spoken with you,” he says, “and they should come and say to you, ‘Just tell us what you said to the king; do not conceal it from us, or we will put you to death. What did the king say to you?’ then you shall say to them, ‘I was presenting my plea to the king not to send me back to the house of Jonathan to die there’ ” (vv. 25-26). Zedekiah must have known his officials well, for they do come and question Jeremiah, and get the answer that Zedekiah has dictated (v. 27a). They had to let the matter rest there, because “the conversation [between Zedekiah and Jeremiah] had not been heard” (v. 27b). From this it appears that the officials have a similar respect for Jeremiah’s words. According to Leo G. Perdue, revised by Robert R. Wilson, “In this final consultation between Jeremiah and Zedekiah, Jeremiah advises the king to surrender in order to save the city and himself. Zedekiah’s fear of both the pro-Babylonian and pro-Egyptian factions is obvious” (HarperCollins Study Bible, rev. ed., 2006, on Jer. 38:14-28). So Jeremiah’s situation remains unchanged–at least he is not executed by the Judeans–for he “remained in the court of the guard until the day that Jerusalem was taken” (v. 28).

1 Corinthians 15:1-11

Resurrection of Christ (Cp Mk 16.9-20)

15:1 Now I would remind you, brothers and sisters, of the good news that I proclaimed to you, which you in turn received, in which also you stand, 2 through which also you are being saved, if you hold firmly to the message that I proclaimed to you-unless you have come to believe in vain.

3 For I handed on to you as of first importance what I in turn had received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, 4 and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 8 Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. 9 For I am the least of the apostles, unfit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me has not been in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them-though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. 11 Whether then it was I or they, so we proclaim and so you have come to believe. (1 Corinthians 15:1-11, NRSV)

On March 24, 2008 (Monday of Easter Week, Year Two), comments were repeated from October 19, 2007 (Friday in the week of the Sunday closest to October 12, Year One), comments that were repeated on April 17, 2006 (Monday of Easter Week, Year Two) from October 14, 2005 (Friday of the week of the Twenty-First Sunday after Pentecost, Year One). The comments are repeated again here with editing and supplement:

The resurrection of Christ is fundamental to Christian faith and decisive in the formation of the Christian church and its gospel. The resurrection appearance-narratives of the early Christian traditions, including this passage (1 Cor. 15:1-11) as well as those included in the Gospels (e.g. Mt. 28:16-20; Jn. 20:26-29) provide an invaluable basis for Christian faith in the resurrection. When we consider the fact that leading New Testament scholars date Paul’s writing of this passage in the middle of the 50s (i.e. ca. A.D. 55), at least a decade earlier than the writing of any of the Gospels–though the traditions and remembrances upon which the Gospels were based were being used at this time were of course earlier–this passage takes on special importance as evidence for Christ’s resurrection. “Here,” says Victor Paul Furnish, “Paul lays the theological foundation for the last major topic of the Letter, the resurrection of the dead (see v. 12)” (HarperCollins Study Bible, rev. ed., 2006, on 1 Cor. 15:1-11). Compare the analysis of Richard A. Horsley, “The issue is not identified until v. 12: Some of the Corinthians are denying the resurrection of the dead ” (NOAB, 3^rd ed., augmented, 2007, on 1 Cor. 15:1-58).

“Now I would remind you, brothers and sisters,” says Paul, “of the good news (to; eujaggevlion, to euangelion, ‘the Gospel,’ cf. NRSV text note d) that I proclaimed (eujhggelisavmhn, euēngelisamēn) to you, which you in turn received (parelavbete, parelabete), in which also you stand, through which also you are being saved, if you hold firmly to the message that I proclaimed (eujhggelisavmhn, euēngelisamēn) to you–unless you have come to believe in vain” (1 Cor. 15:1-2). When combined with the following statement, this uses technical terminology for the passing on of a religious tradition. “For I handed on (parevdwka, paredōka) to you as of first importance what I in turn had received (parevlabon, parelabon)” (v. 3a). Two verbs refer to the receiving of tradition from an earlier source, and of passing, or handing, it on. The former is defined as, “to gain control of or receive jurisdiction over, take over receive . . . [as used] of a mental or spiritual heritage (Herodotus [5^th c., B.C.] . . . also the rabbinic term lBeq9 [qibbē l] ti; something 1 Cor. 15:3 (with paradivdwmi [paradidōmi], as Josephus, Antiquities 19, 31)” (Bauer-Danker-Arndt-Gingrich [BDAG], A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and other Early Christian Literature, 3^rd ed., 2000, s.v. paralambavnw, paralambanō , meaning no. (2) (b) g.). What is received in this instance is the “good news,” the “gospel” (to; eujaggevlion, to euangelion) (v. 1). The other verb is translated as “to pass on to another what one knows, of oral or written tradition, hand down, pass on, transmit, relate, teach” (BDAG, s.v. paradivdwmi, paradidōmi, meaning no (3), with reference to 1 Cor. 11:23a; 15:3). In chapter 11, the tradition was about the Lord’s Supper (11:23-26). Here, Paul defines the tradition that he had received and passed on: “that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures, and that he appeared (w[fqh, ōphthē ) (15:3b-5a). The verb translated “he appeared” (w[fqh, ōphthē ) is in the aorist, that is, past tense and the passive voice, a form of the verb oJravw (horaō ), “to see.” In the passive voice, “to be seen” is “to appear.” Jesus “was raised on the third day,” and he “was seen” alive, that is, he “appeared” to a number of witnesses. Using the verb w[fqh (ōphthē ), “he appeared,” Paul lists six of these appearances:

and that he appeared (w[fqh, ōphthē ) to Cephas [i.e., to Simon Peter], then (ei\ta, eita) [he appeared, w[fqh, ōphthē , understood] to the twelve. Then ( e[peita, epeita) he appeared (w[fqh, ōphthē ) to more than five hundred brothers and sisters at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. Then ( e[peita, epeita) he appeared (w[fqh, ōphthē ) to James, then (ei\ta, eita) to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born ( e[ktrwma, ektrōma, ‘untimely birth, miscarriage,’ F. Wilbur Gingrich and Frederick W. Danker, Shorter Lexicon of the Greek New Testament, 2^nd ed., 1983), he appeared (w[fqh, ōphthē ) also to me. (1 Cor. 15:5-8 NRSV with Greek words included parenthetically)

The kinds of traditions which Paul says he “received,” and in turn “proclaimed to you [Corinthians]” (1 Cor. 15:1a) illustrate what must have been the kinds of traditions upon which the written Gospels were based. They “received” this good news (euaggelion, “gospel”), “in which,” says Paul, “you stand” (v. 1b). As noted above, he adds that they are being saved through this good news “if you hold firmly to the message that I proclaimed to you–unless you have come to believe in vain” (v. 2). But the focus here–the heart of this “good news,” or “gospel,” is the tradition about Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection.

The list of Jesus’ resurrection appearance narratives given here is not exhaustive, as one sees from comparing the various resurrection appearance narratives in the Gospels. For a complete list, see the separate file Resurrection Appearances of Jesus. We note that, with a qualification, Paul includes the Lord’s appearance to him–on the Damascus Road, no doubt (Acts 9:3-6; but cf. Gal. 1:12; 2 Cor. 12:1-10)–as on a par with those in the Gospels. Paul refers to Jesus’ appearance to him as an untimely birth or miscarriage ( e[ktrwma, ektrōma). But it was very real, of course. According to Ben Witherington III, the words “eita . . . epeita . . . epeita . . . eita (‘then, afterward, afterward, then’) in vv. 5-7 [indicate] that he [i.e., Paul] refers to the appearances in Chronological order” (Conflict & Community in Corinth, 1995, p. 300, on 1 Cor. 15:5-8). He interprets the list:

The appearance to Cephas, that is, Peter, is not recorded in the Gospels other than a passing reference in Luke 24. The appearance to the Twelve (which by then were the Eleven) is probably another of the Jerusalem appearances. The appearances to the five hundred, to James, and to “all the apostles” may have occurred in Galilee (cf. Matt. 28:16ff.). James is apparently Jesus’ brother (cf. 9:5); if another James, such as Zebedee’s son, were meant, there would be no reason to single him out from the Twelve. It is unclear what Paul means by “all the apostles,” but they are distinguished from the Twelve, and in Paul’s mind would likely include Barnabas, Andronicus, Junia, and others (cf. Rom. 16:7). (ibid.)

Paul’s explanation of Jesus’ appearance to him, “as to one untimely born” (v. 8) is his way of distinguishing his Damascus Road experience from other resurrection appearance-narratives. His explanation reflects a certain humility. “For I am the least of the apostles, unfit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God” (v. 9). But he is confident in God’s grace. “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me has not been in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them–though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me” (v. 10). And he reminds the Corinthians that they, whether through his preaching or that of another (cf. 1:12; 3:3-15), they have heard the proclamation of the good news and so “have come to believe” (15:11).

“The function of Paul’s rhetoric in ch. 15,” says Witherington, “is not to do apologetics but to correct Christians gone significantly astray. His major tactic is to show ‘some’ of the Corinthians the logical implications of their position, cited in v. 12, that ‘there is no resurrection of the dead’ ” (ibid., p. 291, on 1 Cor. 15:1-58). But that brings us to tomorrow’s reading.

Matthew 11:1-6

Conclusion of Jesus’ Instructions When Sending Out the Disciples

11:1 Now when Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and proclaim his message in their cities.

Messengers from John the Baptist (cf. Lk 7.18-23)

2 When John heard in prison what the Messiah was doing, he sent word by his disciples 3 and said to him, "Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?" 4 Jesus answered them, "Go and tell John what you hear and see: 5 the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them. 6 And blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me." (Matthew 11:1-6, NRSV)

On December 19, 2008 (Friday in the week of the Third Sunday of Advent, Year One), when the reading was Matthew 11:2-15,comments were repeated from October 19 and 20, 2007 (Friday and Saturday in the week of the Sunday closest to Oct. 12, Year One), when comments on Matthew 11:1-6, and on verses 7-15, were repeated respectively with some editing and supplement from October 14, 2005 (Friday in the week of the Sunday closest to October 12, Year One), and from October 15, 2006 (Saturday in the week of the Sunday closest to October 12, 2007) and from December 22, 2006 (Friday in the week of the Third Sunday of Advent, Year One), when comments were repeated from December 17, 2004 (Friday in the week of the Third Sunday of Advent, Year One). One will note that the comments of December 19, 2008, would apply to the readings for today and tomorrow. The following comments are based on the portion relevant for today.

This reading from Matthew follows Jesus’ speech instructing the Twelve Disciples as he sent them out on mission (Mt. 10:5-42), and begins with the concluding formula: “Now when Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and proclaim his message in their cities” (Mt. 11:1). Compare similar formulas which close the Sermon on the Mount (7:28-29), the series of parables in chapter 13 (13:53), the discourse on various aspects of Christian life in community in chapter 18 (19:1), and the eschatological discourse in chapters 24-25, including the woes against the Pharisees in chapter 23 (26:1). These formulae are indications of Matthew’s methods in bringing together related parts of the Gospel traditions. In saying that “he [i.e., Jesus] went on from there” (11:1), Matthew apparently intends to describe a continuation of the preaching and healing tour described in 9:35-36 which, with the saying about the harvest and the need for laborers (vv. 37-38) leads into the selection of the twelve disciples (10:1-4) and the speech commissioning them to go out and do his form of ministry (10:5-42).

Matthew next tells us that John the Baptist sent messengers to Jesus with a question. In a different context, Luke has a parallel passage (Lk. 7:18-23) to Matthew’s report (Mat. 11:2-6). These passages are presented in the separate file, Baptist’s Question, Jesus’ Answer. According to Matthew, “When John heard in prison what the Messiah [‘Or the Christ,’ NRSV text note a] was doing, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another ( e[teroV, heteros)?’ ” (Mt. 11:2-3). Luke’s version calls special attention to the disciples of John, who “reported all these things to him [i.e., to John]” (Lk. 7:18a). In other words, John’s disciples were able to inform him about the character and scope of Jesus’ ministry. “All these things” should not be limited to the two preceding miracles, the healing of the centurion’s servant (Lk. 7:1-10; cf. Mt. 8:5-13; Jn. 4:46b-54) and the raising of the widow’s son at Nain (Lk. 7:11-17). These were followed by the report that “this word about him [i.e., about Jesus] spread throughout Judea and all the surrounding country” (Lk. 7:17); compare “Jesus had just then cured many people of diseases, plagues, and evil spirits, and had given sight to many who were blind” (v. 21; cf. Mt. 4:23; Mk. 3:10). “So John summoned two of his disciples,” says Luke, “and sent them to the Lord to ask, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another (a[lloV, allos)?’ ” (Lk. 7:18b-19). According to Marion Lloyd Soards, “Lord [is] Luke’s own title for Jesus” (NOAB, 3^rd ed., augmented, 2007, on Lk. 7:19; cf. “the Messiah,” Mt. 11:2, and “to him, v. 3). Note that the question is the same in both Gospels, in English, and so in Greek except for different words translated “another.” Matthew’s word can mean “other of two, contrasting a definite person or thing with another” (Bauer-Danker-Arndt-Gingrich [BDAG], A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and other Early Christian Literature, 3^rd ed., 2000, s.v. e{teroV, heteros, meaning no. (1) (a) ), but it can also mean “another,” that is, “of more than two” (ibid., meaning no. (1) (b) a), and even be “used interchangeably with a[lloV [allos], which is felt to be its equivalent” (ibid., meaning no. (1) (b) g).

And Jesus’ answer as reported by Matthew is nearly the same as that reported by Luke. “Jesus [‘and he,’ Lk.] answered them, ‘Go and tell John what you hear and see [‘what you have seen and heard,’ Lk.]: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and [omit ‘and,’ Lk.] the poor have good news brought to them’ ” (Mt. 11:4-5; cf. Lk. 7:22). There is a different distribution of the conjunction kaiv (kai), “and” in the series in Greek. Matthew’s series of six actions in verse 5 uses the conjunction kai (“and”) four times. There are one or two instances of this conjunction in Luke’s series, with variation in the manuscripts. Otherwise, the only significant difference is the present tense of “what you hear and see” in Matthew’s version, where Luke has the aorist (past) tense of “what you have seen and heard.” This difference in Greek is correctly reflected in the translation. In both Gospels John’s question provides the evangelist an opportunity to summarize Jesus’ mighty works. “The deeds of chs. 8-9,” says Dennis C. Duling, “are summarized in language from Isa. 35:5-6; see also Isa. 26:19; 29:18; 42.7, 18; 61:1” (HarperCollins Study Bible, rev. ed., 2006, on Mt. 11:5). David L. Tiede, revised by Christopher R. Matthews, presents a similar view in regard to Luke’s version. “In what John’s disciples have now seen and heard, Jesus’ earlier words are fulfilled (4:18-19); see also Deut. 18:21-22; Isa. 26:19; 35:5-6; 61:1); see also Lk. 14:13, 21).

Jesus’ reply to John closes with a blessing on “anyone who takes no offense at me” (Mt. 11:6; Lk. 7:23), and as the messengers leave, he addresses the crowds about John (Mt. 11:7; Lk. 7:24). But that brings us to tomorrow’s reading. Sometimes, waiting for the fulfillment of God’s promises can be difficult, especially under such circumstances as John was enduring.

Ronald D. Worden, Ph.D.

rdworden@hgst.edu

deanworden@comcast.net