Zechariah 1:7-17

First Vision: The Horsemen

7 On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, the month of Shebat, in the second year of Darius, the word of the LORD came to the prophet Zechariah son of Berechiah son of Iddo; and Zechariah said, 8 In the night I saw a man riding on a red horse! He was standing among the myrtle trees in the glen; and behind him were red, sorrel, and white horses. 9 Then I said, "What are these, my lord?" The angel who talked with me said to me, "I will show you what they are." 10 So the man who was standing among the myrtle trees answered, "They are those whom the LORD has sent to patrol the earth." 11 Then they spoke to the angel of the LORD who was standing among the myrtle trees, "We have patrolled the earth, and lo, the whole earth remains at peace." 12 Then the angel of the LORD said, "O LORD of hosts, how long will you withhold mercy from Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, with which you have been angry these seventy years?" 13 Then the LORD replied with gracious and comforting words to the angel who talked with me. 14 So the angel who talked with me said to me, Proclaim this message: Thus says the LORD of hosts; I am very jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion. 15 And I am extremely angry with the nations that are at ease; for while I was only a little angry, they made the disaster worse. 16 Therefore, thus says the LORD, I have returned to Jerusalem with compassion; my house shall be built in it, says the LORD of hosts, and the measuring line shall be stretched out over Jerusalem. 17 Proclaim further: Thus says the LORD of hosts: My cities shall again overflow with prosperity; the LORD will again comfort Zion and again choose Jerusalem. (Zechariah 1:7-17, NRSV)

On October 29, 2007 (Monday in the week of the Twenty-second Sunday after Pentecost, references for the week of the Sunday closest to October 26, Year One), comments were repeated with editing and supplement from October 24, 2006 (Monday in the week of the Sunday closest to October 26, Year One); they are repeated again here:

For several days our Old Testament readings have focused on the period of restoration after the Babylonian exile. For the time being, we have one reading from Zechariah, the first of eight visions. Within a three-week series of readings from Ezra and Nehemiah (last Thurs., Oct. 22, to Wed., Nov. 11), we get two readings from contemporary prophets. Yesterday, the reading Haggai 1:1-2:9, dated within “the second year of King Darius,” 620 B.C., fits into the early part of the period narrated by Ezra (“in the sixth month [Elul, August-September], on the first day,” Hag. 1:1; “in the seventh month [Tishri, September-October], the twenty-first day, 2:1). Today’s reading, Zechariah 1:7-17, is dated some four months later, “on the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month of Shebat [January-February], in the second year of Darius” (Zech. 1:7). That would be “February 15, 519 BCE,” according to W. Sibley Towner (HarperCollins Study Bible, rev. ed., 2006, on Zech. 1:7). Towner adds that “Shebat here and Chislev in 71 are the earliest uses in the Hebrew Bible of the Babylonian names of the months. Eventually these names were accepted in the Hebrew calendar” (ibid.).

Scholars have analyzed Zechariah in two parts, and have suggested that the second part comes from another prophet than the Zechariah of the first part. After calling the Book of Zechariah “the longest and most obscure of the Minor Prophets,” Mobley adds:

Formally, it divides into two parts. The first, chs. 1-8, consists of a series of vision reports. Often referred to as ‘First Zechariah,’ it is closely tied to the preceding book of Haggai by the date formulas in 1:1; 1:7; and 7:1 (cf. Hag. 1:1; 2:1) and the references to Joshua, the high priest in Jerusalem, and Zerubbabel, its governor.

The second section, chs. 9-14, is a collection of sayings organized in two parts under the title ‘An Oracle’ (9:1; 12:1). ‘Second Zechariah,’ as it is sometimes called, is similar in form to the subsequent book, Malachi, which itself begins with the same title (Mal. 1:1). These oracles cite neither specific dates nor contemporary persons. Their concerns are for ‘that day,’ the Day of the LORD (e.g., 9:16; 12:3; 13:1; 14:1), and for unnamed persons such as a king who enters Jerusalem on a donkey (9:9) and a ‘shepherd’ stricken by a divine sword (13:7). (NOAB, 3^rd ed., Introduction to Zechariah; cf. Towner, op. cit., Introduction to Zechariah)

Ehud Ben Zvi takes note of the view that the Book of Zechariah is the work of two authors, “the first eight chs . . . written before the rest–chs 9-14 are usually dated to either the late Persian or the Hellenistic period–and each part . . . written by a different author. This may well be the case, but the book of Zechariah in its present form does not ask its readers to approach it with this information in mind. To the contrary, the book associates all its texts with the prophet Zechariah mentioned in 1:1” (The Jewish Study Bible, 2004, Introduction to Zechariah).

On Shebat 24, says Zechariah, “the word of the LORD came to the prophet Zechariah son of Berechiah son of Iddo” (Zech. 1:7b). Little is known about Zechariah, apparently, apart from the book produced in his name. Philip L. Shuler says, briefly, he “one of the ‘minor prophets’ after the exile, associated with the canonical book of Zechariah” (Harper’s Bible Dictionary, rev. ed., 1996, s.v. Zechariah). According to Paul D. Hanson, the situation of the returned exiles was difficult.

The economy had suffered as a result of crop failure, there was insufficient food, and the value of personal wealth had been eroded by inflation. Haggai responded to this situation in 520 B.C. with an urgent message: the people are themselves at fault for leaving the Temple–destroyed by the Babylonians in 586–in ruins. Yet an eschatological turning point was at hand. No sooner would the people take up the task of rebuilding than God would act to restore the kingdom, which would rise to the glory of a messianic age under its Davidic prince Zerubbabel

Zechariah took up the admonition where Haggai had left off, both chronologically (520-518 B.C.) and thematically (his message is more encompassing). No doubt due in part to his encouragement, the rebuilding of the Temple was carried forward, coming to completion in 516 B.C. (Harper’s Bible Dictionary, rev. ed., 1996, s.v. Zechariah, the Book of)

Today’s reading from Zechariah presents the first of eight visions of Zechariah (Zech. 1:6-6:15). Mobley notes a pattern in the presentation of these visions: “(a) vision, (b) question about its meaning, (c) angelic interpretation” (op. cit., on Zech. 1:6-6:15). “In the night,” says Zechariah, “I saw (yt9yx9rA, rā’îthî )a man riding on a red horse! He was standing among the myrtle trees in the glen; and behind him were red, sorrel, and white horses” (1:8). In this series of eight vision reports, one form of the word hxArA (rā’āh, “to see”) or another is used to introduce each (1:8, 18 [Heb. 2:1]; 2:1 [Heb. 2:5]; 3:1; 4:2; 5:1, 5; 6:1). The term “vision” (NOyz0AH9, chizzāyôn) occurs only once in Zechariah, later in the book (13:4). Some of these visions are introduced by the phrase, “I lifted up my eyes and saw” (xr,xe5vA yn1yfe-tx, xW0Ax,vA, wā’eśśā’ ’eth-‘ênay wā’ēre’, 1:18 [Heb. 2:1]; 2:1 [Heb 2:5]) or a slight variation (5:1; 6:1).

The first vision is of a”a man riding on a red horse! He was standing among the myrtle trees in the glen; and behind him were red, sorrel, and white horses” (Zech. 1:8). As the report continues, the prophet asks, “What are these, my lord?” and is answered by “the angel who talked with me,” who says, “I will show you what they are” (v. 9). According to Ben Zvi, the term “angel [ j`xAl4ma, mal’āk] here and elsewhere in the book (e.g. vv. 11, 12; 4:1; 5:10) may be translated as ‘messenger,’ in the sense of a divine messenger” (op. cit., on v. 9). Because there is reference to a man on horseback “standing among the myrtle trees” (v. 8, cf. v. 10), and the angel “who was standing among the myrtle trees,” who says “We have patrolled the earth, and lo, the whole earth remains at peace” (v. 11), one can ask whether the reference is to one person or two. Ben Zvi asks, “Is this messenger [or angel] the same man mentioned in these verses, as Ibn Ezra and others think? Or are these two beings, one a ‘man’ and the other a ‘messenger’? The text itself leaves the question open” (ibid.).

According to Towner, “The red, sorrel and white colors of the horses might have symbolic values; however, they probably simply reflect the colors of horses known in the ancient Near East” (op. cit., on Zech. 1:8). However, this appears to be the beginning of prophetic motif that takes on a life of its own. The horses and their riders are mentioned again in verses 10 and 11). Later, in the eighth vision (6:1-8), four chariots appear, one with red horses, another with black horses (6:2), another with white horses, and another with dappled gray horses (v. 3). These are interpreted as “the four winds of heaven” who go out “after presenting themselves before the Lord of all the earth” (v. 5), and continue to patrol the earth in their respective spheres, the black horses to the north country, the white ones to the west, and the dappled ones to the south (v. 6). Within this context, says Mobley, “The North Country, Babylon, receives special attention” (op. cit., on Zech. 6:8).

In the Book of Revelation, this symbolism of colored horses finds its echo with the judgments of the first four seals (Rev. 6:1-8). John sees “a white horse! Its rider had a bow; a crown was given to him, and he came out conquering and to conquer” (Rev. 6:2). He also sees “another horse, bright red; its rider was permitted to take peace from the earth, so that people would slaughter one another; and he was given a great sword” (v. 4). The third seal reveals “a black horse! Its rider held a pair of scales in his hand” (v. 5). Famine is implied by the exorbitant prices of wheat and barley (v. 6). The fourth seal reveals a pale green horse whose “rider’s name was Death, and Hades followed with him,” bringing sword, famine and pestilence” (v. 8). But the initial vision in Zechariah, as noted above promises blessing and prosperity, not the famine, destruction and death of “the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.” According to Mobley, “Zechariah speaks in the dialect of apocalyptic, with angelic interpreters and esoteric imagery. For his city, Zechariah had utopian expectations: the rebuilding of the Temple would inaugurate nothing short of the transformation of the world” (op. cit., in the Introduction to Zechariah). Mobley adds, “Yet despite the apocalyptic style, Zech. 1-8 also has a down-to-earth focus on the rebuilding of the Temple, practical concerns such as fasting (7:1-14), and a given historical moment” (ibid.).

As for the phrase, the whole earth remains at peace,” Mobley explains, “the nations have not yet received their judgment (cf. 1:15; Hag. 2:6)” (op. cit., on v. 11). Ben Zvi, following the New Jewish Publication Society translation (NJPS 1985, 1999), says, “Tranquility [tF,q!&wo, šōqāteth, ‘peace’ NRSV; participle, lit. ‘being at peace’] carries here a negative connotation, because it is associated with a status quo in which Judah and Jerusalem have not been restored. The implicit connotation is that their (full) restoration necessitates much turmoil and probably judgment against the nations (see v. 15 and cf. ch. 14).” He adds that “Some scholars associate this tranquility with the imperial peace achieved by Darius I in his second year, though the point is not made in the text. Darius plays no active role whatsoever in the book of Zechariah” (ibid., on v. 11). We are told that “the angel of the LORD said, ‘O LORD of hosts, how long will you withhold mercy from Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, with which you have been angry these seventy years?’ ” Mobley explains the words , “Seventy years,” by saying, “the length of time since the destruction of Jerusalem was slightly less (586-519), but seventy years was a conventional term of punishment (Isa. 23:15-17, Jer. 25;11-12; 29:10)” (op. cit., on v. 12). According to Ben Zvi, “Seventy years is a clear reference to Jer. 25:11 (cf. 29:10), another clear indication that prophetic works were being studied at this period” (op. cit., on v. 12).

The prophet reports that “the LORD replied with gracious and comforting words to the angel who talked with me” (v. 13), and the angel in turn says to him, “Proclaim this message: Thus says the LORD of hosts; I am very jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion. And I am extremely angry with the nations that are at ease; for while I was only a little angry, they made the disaster worse” (vv. 14-15). This word sounds hopeful, and the angel’s message continues. “Therefore, thus says the LORD, I have returned to Jerusalem with compassion; my house shall be built in it, says the LORD of hosts, and the measuring line shall be stretched out over Jerusalem” (v. 16). Mobley interprets “the measuring line” as one of “the first signs of new construction; see 2:1-5; Jer. 32:38-39” (op. cit., on v. 16). “Proclaim further,” says the angel: “Thus says the LORD of hosts: My cities shall again overflow with prosperity; the LORD will again comfort Zion and again choose Jerusalem” (v. 17). Mobley says, “Compare with 8:3; Isa. 44:26; contrast with 2 Kings 23:27)” (ibid., on v. 17).

or Jeremiah 45:1-5 (alternative reading, Presbyterian and Lutheran traditions)

A Word of Comfort to Baruch

45:1 The word that the prophet Jeremiah spoke to Baruch son of Neriah, when he wrote these words in a scroll at the dictation of Jeremiah, in the fourth year of King Jehoiakim son of Josiah of Judah: 2 Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, to you, O Baruch: 3 You said, "Woe is me! The LORD has added sorrow to my pain; I am weary with my groaning, and I find no rest." 4 Thus you shall say to him, "Thus says the LORD: I am going to break down what I have built, and pluck up what I have planted–that is, the whole land. 5 And you, do you seek great things for yourself? Do not seek them; for I am going to bring disaster upon all flesh, says the LORD; but I will give you your life as a prize of war in every place to which you may go." (Jeremiah 45:1-5, NRSV)

On October 29, 2007 (Monday in the week of the Twenty-second Sunday after Pentecost, references for the week of the Sunday closest to October 26, Year One), comments were repeated with editing and supplement from October 24, 2006 (Monday in the week of the Sunday closest to October 26, Year One); they are repeated again here with editing and supplement:

In Jeremiah, chapter 36, eighteen or nineteen years before the fall of Jerusalem, we are told that Jeremiah dictated a scroll which Baruch wrote, and when it was burned by King Jehoiakim, Jeremiah dictated another (Jer. 36:32). Both chapter 36 and chapter 45 are dated “in the fourth year of King Jehoiakim” (605 B.C., 36:1; 45:1). The present reading begins with a label: “The word (rbaDA, dāvar) that the prophet Jeremiah spoke to Baruch son of Neriah, when he wrote these words in a scroll at the dictation of Jeremiah, in the fourth year of King Jehoiakim son of Josiah of Judah” (Jer. 45:1). This “word” was a complaint, a lament, which the LORD quotes: “Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, to you, O Baruch,” says Jeremiah (v. 2): “You said, ‘Woe is me! The LORD has added sorrow to my pain; I am weary with my groaning, and I find no rest’ ” (v. 3). This lament reminds us of Jeremiah’s own personal laments (11:18-20; 12:1-6; 15:10-21; 17:14-18; 18:18-23; 20:7-12, 14-18; cf. Leo G. Perdue, rev. by Robert R. Wilson, HarperCollins Study Bible, rev. ed., 2006, on Jer. 45:3 and 11:18-20:18). The word of the LORD through Jeremiah for Baruch, does not rescind the forecast punishments of Judah and Jerusalem, but promises safety and security for Baruch himself. “Thus says the LORD: I am going to break down what I have built, and pluck up what I have planted–that is, the whole land. And you, do you seek great things for yourself? Do not seek them; for I am going to bring disaster upon all flesh, says the LORD; but I will give you your life as a prize of war in every place to which you may go” (Jer. 45:4-5). The language about breaking down and plucking up what has been planted, refers of course to the judgment on Jerusalem and Judah, and echos the call of Jeremiah (Jer. 1:10; cf. 18:7-9; 24:6; 31:28; 42:10 and other refs.; cf. Perdue and Wilson on Jer. 1:10).

According to Marvin A. Sweeney,

The oracle is likely placed here to explain why Baruch suffers the punishment of having to go to Egypt with Jeremiah (43:6). It is one of the key texts, together with ch. 36, that points to Baruch as the author of sections of or some form of the book of Jeremiah, particularly the narratives about the prophet. Radak cites an unknown midrashic source to interpret Baruch’s expressions of pain as his statements of frustration that he was not granted the right to prophesy even though he wrote Jeremiah’s oracles. (The Jewish Study Bible, 2004, on Jer. 45:1-5)

For Kathleen M. O’Connor, “Ch. 45 concludes chs. 26-45 by asserting that the prophetic word will survive because Baruch will ‘gain his life as a prize of war’ (v. 5)” (The Oxford Bible Commentary, 2001, p. 521, on Jer. 45:1-5). This would be good to know, since it appears that Jeremiah ended his life in obscurity in Egypt (chaps. 43-44). We are told that Baruch, who was with Jeremiah when Johanan’s group planned to go to Egypt (43:3) was in Egypt (43:6). There are various opinions about what was in the scrolls dictated by Jeremiah. Mark E. Biddle, for example, says that “a superficial reading of 45:1 would suggest that the material falling between chs. 36 and 45 constituted the second scroll Baruch wrote at Jeremiah’s dictation. The events narrated, however, took place after Jehoiakim’s reign” (NOAB, 3^rd ed., on Jer. 45:1-5). In any case, it appears to me that, as Sweeney suggests (above), we owe it to Baruch for preserving much of Jeremiah’s preaching and the story of his ministry in Judah.

Revelation 1:4-20

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 1:4-8, NRSV)

A Vision of Christ

9 I, John, your brother who share with you in Jesus the persecution and the kingdom and the patient endurance, was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. 10 I was in the spirit on the Lord's day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet 11 saying, "Write in a book what you see and send it to the seven churches, to Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamum, to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea."

12 Then I turned to see whose voice it was that spoke to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, 13 and in the midst of the lampstands I saw one like the Son of Man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash across his chest. 14 His head and his hair were white as white wool, white as snow; his eyes were like a flame of fire, 15 his feet were like burnished bronze, refined as in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of many waters. 16 In his right hand he held seven stars, and from his mouth came a sharp, two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining with full force.

17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he placed his right hand on me, saying, "Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, 18 and the living one. I was dead, and see, I am alive forever and ever; and I have the keys of Death and of Hades. 19 Now write what you have seen, what is, and what is to take place after this. 20 As for the mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand, and the seven golden lampstands: the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches. (Revelation 1:9-20, NRSV)

The following comments are repeated here from October 29, 2007 (Monday in the week of the Twenty-second Sunday after Pentecost, references for the week of the Sunday closest to October 26, Year One):

The following comments are based on the comments of October 24, 2005 (Monday in the week of the Sunday closest to October 26, Year One), and comparison with comments on Revelation 1:1-8 from December 29, 2006 (Friday of Christmas week, Year One) and comments on Revelation 1:9-16 from December 30, 2006 (Saturday of Christmas Week, Year One):

The book of Revelation begins by announcing a revelation, a series of visions, that “came from God through Jesus Christ and was communicated to John by an angel (referred to again in 22:16).” Although the book as a whole is considered apocalyptic, “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” (B. M. Metzger, NOAB, 2^nd ed., on Rev. 1:1-3). “This revelation,” says Metzger, “came from God through Jesus Christ and was communicated to John by an angel (referred to again in 22:16)” (ibid., cf. Jean-Pierre Ruiz, in the 3^rd ed.).

Today’s reading begins with a salutation in the form of many in the New Testament Epistles, which anticipates the letters “to the seven churches that are in Asia” (v. 4a), separate letters to each (chaps. 2, 3). 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. Note that this “Epistle” is from “Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth” (v. 5a), but also from God himself, “him who is and who was and who is to come” (v. 4, cf. 8). This salutation incorporates Christology, with an ascription “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” (v. 5b-6) and the reference to his “coming with the clouds” (v. 7; cf. Dan. 7:13; Zech. 12:10-12).

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” NOAB, 3^rd ed., on v. 8). There’s no intrinsic connection, of course, but I’m reminded that news reports noted the formation of Tropical Storm Alpha in the Atlantic Ocean today (Oct. 23, 2004). While hurricanes are very difficult to understand, we believe that our times–including the weather-- are in the Lord’s hands.

John describes his circumstances, the least of which, you might say, is his being a prisoner “on the island called Patmos” (Rev. 1:9). More importantly, he “was in the spirit on the Lord’s day” (v. 10) and the recipient of divine revelation (vv. 10-11). The vision of Christ described in verses 12-18 draws imagery from various Old Testament texts” (Bruce M. Metzger, NOAB, 2^nd ed., on Rev. 1:12-16). In the midst of the seven lampstands John saw “one like the Son of Man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash across his chest. His head and his hair were white as white wool, white as snow; his eyes were like a flame of fire, . . . In his right hand he held seven stars, and from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining with full force” (Rev. 1:13-16). According to Bruce M. Metzger, “In the midst of the churches stands the the exalted Christ, whose royalty, eternity, wisdom, and immutability are suggested by means of symbols; the effect is that of terrifying majesty” (Ibid.).

For the effect, “When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead” (v. 17a), compare Isaiah’s response to his vision in the temple (Isa. 6:5). But the Lord (Christ) raises him up. “I am the first and the last” (v. 17; cf. God as “the Alpha and the Omega,” v. 8). Christ’s self-description continues: he is “the living one. I was dead, and see, I am alive forever and ever; and I have the keys of Death and of Hades” (v. 18). John is told to write what he has seen (v. 19). It is explained to him that “the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches,” that is, the “seven lampstands” (v. 20).

After each church is addressed in turn (chaps. 2, 3), the book is addressed to one and all among Christian believers, and the book closes with the Lord’s open-ended invitation, “‘Come!’ / And let everyone who hears say, ‘Come!’ / And let everyone who is thirsty come. / Let anyone who wishes take the water of life as a gift” (Rev. 22:17). But in today’s reading John is instructed to “write in a book what you see and send it to the seven churches” (1:11). These churches are symbolized by the “seven golden lampstands” (v. 12).

On Revelation 1:1-8 and 9-20

On December 29 and 30, 2008 (Monday and Tuesday in the week of the First Sunday after Christmas, Refs. for December 29 [Presbyterian and Lutheran] and 30, Year One), when the readings were Revelation 1:1-8 and 9-20, comments were based on earlier comments as noted there. The following comments are based on relevant comments from the earlier occasions:

The book of Revelation begins by announcing a revelation, a series of visions, that “came from God through Jesus Christ and was communicated to John by an angel (referred to again in 22:16).” Although the book as a whole is considered apocalyptic, “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” (B. M. Metzger, NOAB, 2^nd ed., on Rev. 1:1-3). “This revelation,” says Metzger, “came from God through Jesus Christ and was communicated to John by an angel (referred to again in 22:16)” (ibid., cf. Jean-Pierre Ruiz, in the 3^rd ed.).

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, NOAB, 3^rd ed., augmented, 2007; cf ‘introductory salutation,” Metzger, op. cit.). 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, op. cit., 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” (op. cit., on v. 8).

John continues to address “the seven churches that are in Asia” (1:4), but his audience is not limited to those churches when he identifies himself as “I, John, your brother who share with you in Jesus the persecution and the kingdom and the patient endurance” (v. 9a). He says he “was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus” (v. 9b). Although not a martyr–at least not yet–John was in some sense a victim of oppression and persecution perpetrated by the Roman authorities. “Patmos,” says David E. Aune, was “a populated island thirty-seven miles southwest of Ephesus. There is no evidence that it was ever a Roman penal colony, but John may have been banished from his home territory and forced to go there during the reign of the emperor who banished him” (HarperCollins Study Bible, rev. ed., 2006, on Rev. 1:9). However, more important than his physical surroundings or circumstances, John makes it plain that, like the prophets of old who spoke the word of the Lord, he writes this book under divine inspiration. “I was in the spirit on the Lord’s day,” he says, “and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet” (v. 10).

While each of the seven churches in Asia is addressed in turn (chaps. 2, 3), the book as a whole is addressed to one and all among Christian believers. It closes with the Lord’s open-ended invitation, “‘Come!’ / And let everyone who hears say, ‘Come!’ / And let everyone who is thirsty come. / Let anyone who wishes take the water of life as a gift” (22:17). But in the present context, the voice behind John instructs him to “write in a book what you see and send it to the seven churches,” which are then listed by name in the order in which they will be addressed (1:11): Ephesus (2:1-7), Smyrna (2:8-11), Pergamum (2:12-17), Thyatira (2:18-29, Sardis (3:1-6), Philadelphia (3:7-13), and Laodicea (3:14-22).

John says that he turned “to see whose voice it was that spoke to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands” (v. 12). The lampstands symbolize the seven churches, in the midst of which John sees “one like the Son of Man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash across his chest” (v. 13). In this vision John sees the presence of the exalted Christ in the midst of the churches that he is addressing. But the language continues to relate to Daniel’s vision of the “Son of Man (Dan. 7:13-14; cf. Rev. 1:7). Ruiz (building on the work of Bruce M. Metzger) calls attention to an impressive array of Old Testament imagery relating to the power and majesty of God himself.

In the midst of the churches (see v. 20) stands the exalted Christ, whose royalty, eternity, wisdom, and immutability are suggested by means of symbols; the effect is that of terrifying majesty (compare v. 17 with Isa. 6:5). [The] seven golden lampstands [are] reminiscent of those that stood in the wilderness tabernacle and in the Jerusalem Temple (cf. Zech. 4:1-14). [For] Son of Man (cf. 14:14; Mk. 2:10), a title Jesus used of himself, had two meanings (1) a typical human being in accordance with a common extended meaning of ‘son of’ (see Mt. 5:45; (2) a reference to the heavenly figure of Dan. 7:13-14 who was to embody God’s rule over the nations. (op. cit., on Rev. 1:12-26; cf. Metzger, op. cit., on Rev. 1:12-16).

The description of Christ seems to merge here into the image of the Ancient One (Dan. 7:13). “His head and his hair were white as white wool, white as snow; his eyes were like a flame of fire, his feet were like burnished bronze, refined as in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of many waters” (Rev. 1:14-15). With the words, “sound of many waters, Ezekiel also makes a similar comparison with the voice of the Almighty (Ezek. 1:24; 43:2),” says Metzger (ibid.). “In his right hand,” continues John, “he [i.e., the ‘one like the Son of Man,’ v. 13] held seven stars, and from his mouth came a sharp, two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining with full force” (v. 16).

So far, the vision of Christ is most impressive. “When I saw him,” says John, “I fell at his feet as though dead” (v. 17a). For the effect, “When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead” (v. 17a), compare Isaiah’s response to his vision in the temple (Isa. 6:5). But the Lord responds with encouragement. “But he placed his right hand on me, saying, ‘Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, and the living one. I was dead, and see, I am alive forever and ever; and I have the keys of Death and of Hades” (vv. 17b, 18). For the words, “I am the first and the last,” compare God as “the Alpha and the Omega (v. 8). Christ’s self-description continues: he is “the living one. I was dead, and see, I am alive forever and ever; and I have the keys of Death and of Hades” (v. 18). John is told to write what he has seen (v. 19). It is explained to him that “the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches,” that is, the “seven lampstands” (v. 20). As John concludes the report of his initial vision of the glorified Christ (Rev. 1:17-20), he turns to letters to the seven churches of Asia, that is, to the “angel” of each church. According to Ruiz, the message to each church contains “an address, a descriptive phrase referring to the risen Christ, a commendation, or condemnation of the church addressed, an admonition, and a concluding promise and exhortation to the faithful” (op. cit., on Rev. 2:1-3:22).

In looking ahead, we note that weekday readings will continue in the Book of Revelation for the next four weeks, but they will pass over the letters to the seven churches (chaps. 2, 3) for now. These will be included in December, from Thursday in the week of the Second Sunday of Advent through Tuesday in the week of the Third Sunday of Advent, in a series that runs from chapter 1 through chapter 6 in the second and third weeks of Advent. But tomorrow’s reading will be from Revelation, chapter 4.

Matthew 12:43-50

The return of the Unclean Spirit

43 "When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it wanders through waterless regions looking for a resting place, but it finds none. 44 Then it says, 'I will return to my house from which I came.' When it comes, it finds it empty, swept, and put in order. 45 Then it goes and brings along seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and live there; and the last state of that person is worse than the first. So will it be also with this evil generation.

The True Kindred of Jesus

46 While he was still speaking to the crowds, his mother and his brothers were standing outside, wanting to speak to him. 47 Someone told him, "Look, your mother and your brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you." 48 But to the one who had told him this, Jesus replied, "Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?" 49 And pointing to his disciples, he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers! 50 For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother." (Matthew 12:43-50, NRSV)

On May 28, 2008 (Wednesday in the week of the Sunday closest to May 25, Year Two), comments were repeated from October 29, 2007 (Monday in the week of the Sunday closest to October 26, Year One), when comments were based on comments of October 24, 2005 (Monday in the week of the Sunday closest to October 26, Year One) with some reference to various comments on the parallel passages. The following comments are based on those of May 28, 2008:

Parallels to these texts are presented in tables below. For a comprehensive table covering the texts of Matthew and parallels for Friday and Saturday (Oct. 22 and 23) as well as today, see the separate file, Jesus and Beelzebul. For comments from the perspective of Mark’s version of these passages, see comments on Mark 3:19b-35 in the Archive for January 20, 2009 (Tuesday in the week of the Second Sunday after the Epiphany, Year One); for comments from the perspective of Luke’s version, see comments on Luke 11:14-23 in the Archive for May 30, 2009 (Saturday in the Week of the Seventh Sunday of Easter, Year One).

In Matthew and Luke, the sayings about the return of the evil spirit (Mt. 12:43-45; Lk. 11:24-26) are presented in the larger context of the accusation by the Pharisees that Jesus is in collusion with Satan (Mt. 12:22-30; Mk. 3:22-27; Lk. 11:14-15, 17-23; cf. Mt. 9:32-34 and various texts in John), Jesus’ response about the sin against the Holy Spirit (Mt. 12:31-37; Mk. 3:28-30; Lk. 12:10), and, in Matthew, Jesus’ sayings about the sin against the Holy Spirit and knowing people by their fruit (Mt. 12:31-37; cf. Mk. 3:28-30; Mt. 7:16-20; Lk. 6:43-45)

Except for the application to “this evil generation” in the final statement, Matthew’s account of this quotation from Jesus is practically identical with that of Luke. (Minor variations in wording of the English translations are in bold print. The Greek texts have two or three differences in word order and two or three in wording that do not show up in the translations, for example, Matthew’s initial conjunction dev (de, ‘And/But,’ Mt. 12:43, lacking in Lk. 11:24) and different verbs translated as “return” ( ejpistrevyw epistrepsō, Mt. 12:44, +Upostrevyw, hypostrepsō, Lk. 11:24, both of which could translate the Aramaic bvt (t-w-b, cf. Dan. 4:31,33 Aramaic = vv. 34, 36 NRSV, where Nebuchadnezzar says, “my reason returned to me”). William Barclay’s subtitle for this paragraph is “The Peril of the Empty Heart,” but he also calls it “this compact and eerie little parable about the haunted house” (The Gospel of Matthew, The Daily Study Bible Series, vol. 2, rev. ed., 1975, pp. 50-51, on Mt. 12:43-45). He finds three lessons here: (1) The evil spirit tries to return, for “Evil is a force which may be at bay but is never eliminated.” (2) “A negative religion can never be enough.” (3) The only permanent cure for evil action is Christian action. Barclay summarizes, “To put it quite simply, the Church will most easily keep her converts when she gives them Christian work to do” (pp. 51-52).

In spite of the generally parallel sequences in Matthew and Mark, the specific context of the Beelzebul controversy is different. Matthew begins with the healing of a blind and mute demoniac (Mt. 12:22; cf. 9:32–a mute demoniac–and Lk. 11:14), which becomes the occasion of the Pharisees’ accusation. Mark “sandwiches” the story between two parts of an account of Jesus’ relation to his family (Mk. 3:19b-21, 31-35). Some take Mark 3:21 to mean that Jesus’ family thought he was “out of his mind,” as in the New International Version, “When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, ‘He is out of his mind.’” But the two instances of “they” are indefinite–third person verb endings, sometimes the equivalent of an indefinite pronoun–and the NRSV distinguishes the first “they” (the family) from the second: “When his family heard it, they went out to restrain him, for people [NIV’s ‘they’] were saying, ‘He has gone out of his mind.’” If, as many believe, Mark is one of Matthew’s sources, Matthew chose to pass over this comment in silence. If Matthew 12:47 (missing in some manuscripts) is an original part of Matthew’s text, their accounts of what Jesus said about his true family (Mt. 12:46-50; Mk. 3:31-35); are very similar.

In Matthew, the positive emphasis upon followers of Jesus as a family is very significant. It is reflected in “the language of fictive kinship” used within the early Church (a phrase used by Dr. Wayne Meeks of Yale University in a seminar for college teachers on “The Social World of Early Christianity,” Summer 1979. Paul, for example, appeals to “you . . . brothers” (adelphoi) (Rom. 12:1, “brothers and sisters,” NRSV), and refers to “our sister Phoebe” (Rom. 16:1). He expresses concern that, when he came to Troas, he “did not find my brother Titus there” (2 Cor. 2:13). It is significant that all four Gospels emphasize this family relationship to Jesus. In John the disciples are “friends” (fivloi, philoi, Jn. 15:14; cf. v. 10, “If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love” [ajgavph, agape]). “There is no essential difference between being Christ’s (fivloV, philos [‘friend’] and abiding in his agape [ajgavph, ‘love’]” (C. K. Barrett, The Gospel according to St. John, S.P.C.K, 1955, reprinted 1960, p. 398 on Jn. 15:14). William L. Gaither has incorporated this family relationship in his gospel song, “The Family of God” (on the Internet, with music, at http://my.homewithgod.com/heavenlymidis2/family.html accessed again Oct. 25, 2009).

The four Gospel texts in the table above state a condition: “For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother” (Mt. 12:50; cf. Mk. 3:35–both including “sister” (ajdelfhv, adelphē )–Lk. 8:21 and Jn. 15:14). Such obedience is a service of love. Wouldn’t we say it’s worth it?

Ronald D. Worden, Ph.D.

rdworden@hgst.edu

deanworden@comcast.net