1 Maccabees 2:1-28

Mattathias and His Sons

2:1 In those days Mattathias son of John son of Simeon, a priest of the family of Joarib, moved from Jerusalem and settled in Modein. 2 He had five sons, John surnamed Gaddi, 3 Simon called Thassi, 4 Judas called Maccabeus, 5 Eleazar called Avaran, and Jonathan called Apphus. 6 He saw the blasphemies being committed in Judah and Jerusalem, 7 and said,

"Alas! Why was I born to see this,

the ruin of my people, the ruin of the holy city,

and to live there when it was given over to the enemy,

the sanctuary given over to aliens?

8 Her temple has become like a person without honor;

9 her glorious vessels have been carried into exile.

Her infants have been killed in her streets,

her youths by the sword of the foe.

10 What nation has not inherited her palaces

and has not seized her spoils?

11 All her adornment has been taken away;

no longer free, she has become a slave.

12 And see, our holy place, our beauty,

and our glory have been laid waste;

the Gentiles have profaned them.

13 Why should we live any longer?"

14 Then Mattathias and his sons tore their clothes, put on sackcloth, and mourned greatly.

Pagan Worship Refused

15 The king's officers who were enforcing the apostasy came to the town of Modein to make them offer sacrifice. 16 Many from Israel came to them; and Mattathias and his sons were assembled. 17 Then the king's officers spoke to Mattathias as follows: "You are a leader, honored and great in this town, and supported by sons and brothers. 18 Now be the first to come and do what the king commands, as all the Gentiles and the people of Judah and those that are left in Jerusalem have done. Then you and your sons will be numbered among the Friends of the king, and you and your sons will be honored with silver and gold and many gifts."

19 But Mattathias answered and said in a loud voice: "Even if all the nations that live under the rule of the king obey him, and have chosen to obey his commandments, everyone of them abandoning the religion of their ancestors, 20 I and my sons and my brothers will continue to live by the covenant of our ancestors. 21 Far be it from us to desert the law and the ordinances. 22 We will not obey the king's words by turning aside from our religion to the right hand or to the left."

23 When he had finished speaking these words, a Jew came forward in the sight of all to offer sacrifice on the altar in Modein, according to the king's command. 24 When Mattathias saw it, he burned with zeal and his heart was stirred. He gave vent to righteous anger; he ran and killed him on the altar. 25 At the same time he killed the king's officer who was forcing them to sacrifice, and he tore down the altar. 26 Thus he burned with zeal for the law, just as Phinehas did against Zimri son of Salu.

27 Then Mattathias cried out in the town with a loud voice, saying: "Let every one who is zealous for the law and supports the covenant come out with me!" 28 Then he and his sons fled to the hills and left all that they had in the town. (1 Maccabees 2:1-28, NRSV)

On November 17, 2008 (Saturday in the week of the Twenty-fourth Sunday after Pentecost, references for the week of the Sunday closest to November 9, Year One), comments were repeated with editing and supplement from November 12, 2005 (Saturday in the week of the Sunday closest to November 9, Year One), and earlier comments, some as early as a devotional email that I sent out on November 14, 2003.

Yesterday's turning points and crises moments are to be followed by decisive action. We are introduced to Mattathias, the “son of John son of Simeon, a priest of the family of Joarib” (1 Macc. 2:1a), who, to escape "the blasphemies being committed in Judah and Jerusalem" (v. 6), “moved from Jerusalem and settled in Modein” (v. 1b). “Joarib” is apparently a short form of Jehoiarib (1 Chron. 9:10; 24:7). According to Mary Chilton Callaway, “Joarib was first in the list of divisions of priests (1 Chr. 24:7; Neh. 11:10).” And she says, “The family of Mattathias is known as Hasmoneans from a traditional ancestor Hashmonia, not mentioned in 1 Maccabees but named in Josephus (Ant. 12.6.1).The name,” she adds, “may be a rendering of Simeon, the grandfather of Mattathias” (NOAB, 3^rd ed., augmented, 2007, on 1 Macc. 2:1). And she places “Modein in the hills on the road from Beth-horon, about 30 km (18 mi.) northwest of Jerusalem” (ibid.). We also meet his five sons, “John surnamed Gaddi, Simon called Thassi, Judas called Maccabeus, Eleazar called Avaran, and Jonathan called Apphus” (vv. 2-5). According to Daniel J. Harrington, “The main characters in the book are introduced: Mattathias (ch. 2), Judas (chs. 3-8), Jonathan (chs. 9-12), and Simon (chs. 13-16)” (HarperCollins Study Bible, rev. ed., 2006, on 1 Macc. 2:1-14). According to Callaway, “Simon [was] third of the family to rule (chs. 13-16),” and the surname “Maccabeus [is] probably from a Hebrew word meaning ‘hammer.’ The other surnames are of uncertain derivation. Jonathan [was the] successor of Judas (chs. 9-12)” (op. cit., on vv. 2-5).

Mattathias reacts to “the blasphemies being committed in Judah and Jerusalem” with the poetry of lament (2.7-13; cf., as noted yesterday, 1:24b-28, 36-40, 3:45, using references from Harrington (ibid., on 1 Macc. 1:25-28). According to Callaway, Mattathias’ lament begins as the lament “of Jerusalem as a [dishonored] beautiful woman” (ibid., on 1 Macc. 2:7-13, with ref. to Lam. 1:1). “Alas!” she cries; “Why was I born to see this, / the ruin of my people, the ruin of the holy city, / and to live there when it was given over to the enemy, / the sanctuary given over to aliens?” (2:7). Note the synonymous parallelism, characteristic of Hebrew poetry, in the last two lines. According to Callaway, “The earliest extant manuscripts [of 1 Macc.] are from the fourth and fifth centuries CE in Greek and Latin,” but she adds that “Scholars since the time of Jerome have noticed that the Greek of 1 Maccabees reads like a translation from Hebrew, almost certainly the book’s original language” (op. cit., in the Introduction to 1 Maccabees).

Mattahias continues the lament of Jerusalem in the third person. “Her (aujth:V, autēs, fem.) temple,” he mourns, “has become like a person without honor; / her glorious vessels have been carried into exile. / Her infants have been killed in the streets, / her youths by the sword of the foe” (vv. 8-9). “What nation,” he asks, “has not inherited her palaces / and has not seized her spoils?” (v. 10). Mattathias mourns Jerusalem’s loss of “her (aujth:V, autēs, fem.) adornment,” and her present condition as “no longer free,” but as “a slave (douvlh, doulē, fem. noun)” (v. 11). Mattathias’ lament, moves on from metaphor to close with literal description . “And see,” he says, “our holy place, our beauty, / and our glory have been laid waste; / the Gentiles have profaned them. / Why should we live any longer?” (vv. 12-13). “The language,” says Harrington, “echoes Lamentations and Pss. 44; 74; 79” (op. cit., on vv. 7-13).Then as in mourning, “Mattathias and his sons tore their clothes, put on sackcloth, and mourned greatly” (v. 14).

At this point, we come to the first major conflict in the story. “The king's officers who were enforcing the apostasy came to the town of Modein to make them offer sacrifice” (v. 15). That would mean, as we have seen, offering sacrifice to the god of King Antiochus, not the God of Israel. And so, as Harrington puts it, “The revolt begins with Mattathias’s refusal to participate in what he perceived as pagan worship” (ibid., on 2:15-41). “Many from Israel came to them [i.e., to the king’s officers], says the narrator; “and Mattathias and his sons were assembled” (v. 16). The king’s officers propose to “honor” Mattathias as the first to follow the king’s commands. “You are a leader,” they tell him, “honored and great in this town, and supported by sons and brothers” (v. 17). Whether this “honor” was offered sincerely or not, they invite him to “be the first to come and do what the king commands, as all the Gentiles and the people of Judah and those that are left in Jerusalem have done” (v. 18a). They offer a reward (bribe?) for compliance. “Then you and your sons will be numbered among the Friends of the king, and you and your sons will be honored with silver and gold and many gifts” (v. 18b). According to Harrington, “The rank of Friends of the king carried the privileges of members of the Seleucid royal court (see10:65; 11:27)” (ibid., on 2:18).

But Mattathias responds with defiance and “in a loud voice: ‘Even if all the nations that live under the rule of the king obey him, and have chosen to obey his commandments, everyone of them abandoning the religion of their ancestors, I and my sons and my brothers will continue to live by the covenant of our ancestors. Far be it from us to desert the law and the ordinances. We will not obey the king's words by turning aside from our religion to the right hand or to the left’ ” (vv. 19-22). But one of the crowd was apparently attracted to the officers’ inducement. “When he [Mattathias] had finished speaking these words, a Jew (Ioudai:oV, Ioudaios) came forward in the sight of all to offer sacrifice on the altar in Modein, according to the king's command” (v. 23). “Elsewhere in chs. 1-13,” says Callaway, “ ‘Israelite’ is used instead of the term Jew, which here perhaps means ‘Judean’ ” (on v. 23). In Greek, we may ask, how would “Jew” and “Judean” differ? oJ =Ioudai:oV (ho Ioudaios) versus oJ =Ioudai&kovV (ho Ioudaïkos)? But, in any event, Mattathias reacts to this defection in anger. “When Mattathias saw it, he burned with zeal and his heart was stirred. He gave vent to righteous anger; he ran and killed him on the altar” (v. 24). More than that, “At the same time he killed the king's officer who was forcing them to sacrifice, and he tore down the altar. Thus he burned with zeal for the law, just as Phinehas did against Zimri son of Salu” (vv. 25-26). Harrington says, “According to Num. 25:6-15, Phineas, grandson of Aaron, showed his zeal by killing an Israelite man and a Midianite woman involved in the cult of Baal Peor, thus stopping a plague. Celebrated for his zeal for God’s covenant and worship (Ps. 106:28-31; Sir. 45:23-24), Phineas provides a model for Mattathias (v. 54)” (op. cit., on v. 26). On the words, “as Phinehas did,” says Carrington, “the whole episode is written to echo Num. 25:6-15. Phineas is praised in Sir. 45:23-24” (op. cit., on v. 26).

Following this action, Mattathias rallies the crowd to resist the Syrians. He cries “out in the town with a loud voice, saying ‘Let every one who is zealous for the law and supports the covenant come out with me!” (v. 17). This rallying cry in effect begins what we have come to call the Maccabean Revolt, named for Judas the Maccabee (the "Hammer"), the son of Mattathias who led the revolt after the death of Mattathias (vv. 49-70). But for now they must retreat to the hills while their movement gathers strength. “Then,” we are told, “he [i.e., Mattathias] and his sons fled to the hills and left all that they had in the town” (v. 28). Callaway refers to 2 Macc. 5:27 (op. cit., on 1 Macc. 2:28), apparently for the description of life in “the hills”: “But Judas Maccabeus, with about nine others, got away to the wilderness, and kept himself and his companions alive in the mountains as wild animals do; they continued to live on what grew wild, so that they might not share in the defilement” (2 Macc. 5:27). “Hills,” says Harrington, means “most likely in the district of Gophna, northeast of Modein and bordering on Samaria. But 2 Macc. 5:27 (which says nothing of the Modein incident) suggests the Judean desert” (op. cit., on 1 Macc. 2:28).

Nehemiah 13:4-22 (alternative reading, Presbyterian and Lutheran traditions)

For the text and comments on this reading see the text and comments of Wednesday, November 4, 2009, ten days ago.

Revelation 20:1-6

The Thousand Years

20:1 Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. 2 He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, 3 and threw him into the pit, and locked and sealed it over him, so that he would deceive the nations no more, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be let out for a little while.

4 Then I saw thrones, and those seated on them were given authority to judge. I also saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their testimony to Jesus and for the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years. 5 (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.) This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. Over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him a thousand years. (Revelation 20:1-6, NRSV)

On December 22, 2008 (Monday in the week of the Fourth Sunday of Advent, Year One), when the reading was Revelation 20:1-10, comments were repeated from December 19, 2008 (Friday in the week of the Third Sunday of Advent, Year One), when comments for the Presbyterian reading for December 19, were repeated from November 17 and 19, 2007 (Saturday in the week of the Sunday closest to Nov. 9, and Monday in the week of the Sunday closest to November 16, Year One), and earlier as noted there. The following comments are based on relevant comments from December 22, 2008:

In the reading from Revelation, John sees “an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain” (Rev. 20:1). This angel seizes “the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the Devil and Satan, and [binds] him for a thousand years, and [throws] him into the pit, and [locks] and [seals] it over him, so that he [will] deceive the nations no more, until the thousand years [are] ended” (vv. 2-3). For “dragon,” says David E. Aune, “see 12:3” (HarperCollins Study Bible, rev. ed., 2006, on Rev. 20:2). Earlier, John says, “then another portent appeared in heaven: a great red dragon (dravkwn, drakōn), with seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads” (12:3). Of the earlier text, Metzger says, the “Dragon [is] identified in [12:] 9 as the Devil or Satan” (NOAB, 2^nd ed., on Rev. 12:3). Aune says “Dragon [is] a designation for Satan used nine times in Revelation. The Greek translation of the OT uses the same term for Leviathan, the enemy of God (Job 41:1 [40:25]; Ps. 74:14 [73:14]; Isa. 27:1)” (op. cit., on Rev. 12:3; his references in square brackets are the chapter and verse numbers in the LXX).

According to Bruce M. Metzger,

As other numerals in this book are to be understood symbolically and not literally, so this period of a thousand years represents the perfection and completion of the martyrs’ reign with Christ, untroubled by Satan’s wiles. The first limiting of the power of the evil one occurred during the ministry of the Seventy (Lk. 10:18). One must beware of reading more into this passage than is warranted; e.g. nothing is said here about a reign on earth. (op. cit., on Rev. 20:2).

Aune says, “The reference to a thousand years, i.e., the millennium, is unparalleled in Jewish eschatology” (op. cit., on Rev. 20:2). Jean-Pierre Luiz explains. “The period of a thousand years is symbolic both here and in vv. 4-7, suggesting a temporary time of righteousness and tranquility before the final eschatological consummation. Cf. Ps. 90:4” (NOAB, 3^rd ed., augmented, 2007, on Rev. 20:2). “For a thousand years in your sight,” says the Psalmist, “are like yesterday when it is past, / or like a watch in the night” (Ps. 90:4). Ruiz continues: “Satan is locked into the pit to prevent him from carrying out his demonic work as ‘the deceiver of the whole world’ (12:9). After the thousand years though, he must be let out for a little while, but even this limited period is under God’s control (Dan. 7:25)” (op. cit., on v. 3).

“Then,” says John, “I saw thrones, and those seated on them were given authority to judge. I also saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their testimony to Jesus and for the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years” (v. 4). The “thrones,” says Metzger, are “thrones of judgment (Dan. 7:9, 22, 27; Mt. 19:28; Lk. 22:30), and he adds, “Those . . . beheaded for their testimony [are] martyrs (in 6:9-10) the souls of the martyrs, under the altar, cry for vengeance).” Metzger also identifies the mark mentioned here, which these martyrs had refused, as that of 13:16-17 (op. cit., on v. 4). “The rest of the dead,” says John parenthetically, “did not come to life until the thousand years were ended” (v. 5a). “This,” says John, referring to those who “came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years” (v. 4), “is the first resurrection” (v. 5b). “Blessed and holy,” he says, “are those who share in the first resurrection. Over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him a thousand years” (v. 6). By the term “blessed” here, Metzger is reminded of “the first of seven beatitudes in Revelation, that is, “Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of the prophecy, and blessed are those who hear and who keep what is written in it; for the time is near” (1:3). The others are “14:13; 16:15; 19:9; 20:6 [here]; 22:7, 14” (ibid., on 20:6 and 1:3). For the term “priests,” he refers to 1:6 and 5:10, and for “second death,” he refers to 2:11 (on 20:6) and his note there, where he defines “the second death” as “the final condemnation of sinners (20:14; Mt. 10:28)” (ibid., on 2:11).

Matthew 16:21-28

Jesus Foretells His Death and Resurrection (Mk 8.31-33; Lk 9.21-22)

21 From that time on, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and undergo great suffering at the hands of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. 22 And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, "God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you." 23 But he turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things." (Matthew 16:21-23, NRSV)

The Cross and Self-Denial (Mk 8.34-9.1; Lk 9.23-27)

24 Then Jesus told his disciples, "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 25 For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. 26 For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life? Or what will they give in return for their life? (Matthew 16:24-26, NRSV)

27 "For the Son of Man is to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay everyone for what has been done. 28 Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom." (Matthew 16:27-28, NRSV)

The following comments are based on those of June 13, 2008 (Friday in the week of the Sunday closest to June 8, Year Two), those of November 17, 2008 (Saturday in the week of the Twenty-fourth Sunday after Pentecost, references for the week of the Sunday closest to November 9, Year One), and earlier comments as noted there. For recent comments on these passages from the perspective of Mark’s version, see the Archive for August 5,, 2009 (Wednesday in the week of the Sunday closest to August 3, Year One); for recent comments from the perspective of Luke’s version, see the Archive for May 18, 2009 (Monday in the week of the Sixth Sunday of Easter, Year One). Note that the reading from Matthew is presented with the parallel passages in the separate file, the First Passion Prediction. We may note that in the three Synoptic Gospels these events lead directly to the Transfiguration, Mt. 17:1-9; Mk. 9:2-10; Lk. 9:28-36; cf. Jn. 12:28-30. The remaining two passion predictions come in the next two chapters of Mark (Mk. 9:30-32; Mk. 10:32-34) and in similar contexts in Matthew (Mt. 17:22-23; Mt. 20:17-19), but in Luke they are separated by the extensive travel narrative (Lk. 9:51-18:14), occurring in Luke 9:43b-45 and in Luke 18:32-34). Matthew adds a fourth passion prediction in 26:2, as a part of the report that the religious leaders “took counsel together in order to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him” (Mt. 26:1-5; cf. Mk. 14:1-2; Lk. 22:1-2). In all of these prediction accounts except for Luke’s second and Matthew’s fourth, Jesus specifically says he will rise on the third day (Mt. 16:21; Mk. 8:31; Lk. 9:22–Mt. 17:23; Mk. 9:31; cf. Lk. 9:44–Mt. 20:19; Mk. 10:34; Lk. 18:33–cf. Mt. 26:2). It apparently took the disciples some time to understand what Jesus meant–or to accept the fact of his predicted death–but after his resurrection the angel at the tomb tells the women, “Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for he has been raised, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay” (Mt. 28:5-6).

So Jesus follows Peter's confession with his first Passion Prediction (Mt. 16:21-24; Mk. 8:31-33; Lk. 9:21-22). “From that time on,” says Matthew, Jesus began to show (deiknuvein, deiknyein) his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and undergo great suffering at the hands of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised" (Mt. 16:21). Mark’s version is similar: “Then he began to teach (didavskein, didaskein) them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again” (Mk. 8:31; cf. Lk. 9:22). The different verbs, “show” and “teach,” though having similar meanings in this context, are notable. While Mark frequently stresses the work of Jesus as teaching, he presents less of Jesus’ teaching than Matthew. And it is of interest that, whereas earlier in Matthew, Jesus referred to himself as “the Son of Man” (Mt. 16:13), but in Mark and Luke with the pronoun “I” (Mk. 8:27; Lk. 9:18), here it is Matthew’s version that uses the pronoun “he” (Mt. 16:21), but the others use “the Son of Man” (Mk. 8:31; Lk. 9:22). Also notable is Luke’s condensation here. The concluding sentence from Luke’s version of Peter’s confession, “He sternly ordered and commanded them not to tell anyone” (Lk. 9:21), continues, “saying, ‘The Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised’ ” (v. 22). While the substance of the prediction is essentially the same in each Gospel, the style of each Evangelist is evident.

Matthew and Mark follow the first prediction with Peter’s objection. “God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you” (Mt. 16:22; cf. Mk. 8:32). And both report Jesus’ stern retort. “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things” (Mt. 16:23; Mk. 8:33 [omitting ‘You are a stumbling block to me’]).

The remainder of today’s reading focuses on the future of the disciples, with advice on discipleship and self-denial (Mt. 16:24-26; Mk. 8:34-36; Lk. 9:23-25) and a prediction of judgment with rewards and punishment at the coming of the Son of Man (Mt. 16:27-29; Mk. 8:37-9:1; Lk. 9:26-27; cf. Lk. 14:27; 17:33; 12:9 and the references in John from the table, the First Passion Prediction). Jesus says, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me” (Mt. 16:24; Mk. 8:34; Lk. 9:23 [adding daily, kaq= hJmevran, kath’ hēmeron]). He adds a reason for doing this: “For those who want to save their life (yuchv, psyche) will lose it, and those who lose their life (yuchv, psyche) for my sake [Mk. adds ‘and for the sake of the gospel’] will find [‘save,’ Mk., Lk.] it (Mt. 16:25; Mk. 8:35; Lk. 9:24). Jesus also adds a motive for the self-denial: “For what will it profit them if they [‘to’ for ‘if they,’ Mk.] gain the whole world but [‘and,’ Mk.] forfeit their life (yuchv, psyche)? Or [‘Indeed,’ Mk.] what will [‘can,’ Mk.] they give in return for their life (yuchv, psyche)?” (Mt. 16:26; Mk. 8:36-37); “What does it profit them if they gain the whole world, but lose or forfeit themselves ( eJautovn, heauton, ‘himself/herself’)?” (Lk. 9:25). “Those who love their life (yuchv, psyche) lose it, and those who hate their life (yuchv, psyche) in this world will keep it for eternal life” (Jn. 12:25).

This finding of one’s life is related to the coming of the Son of Man with its accompanying judgment, when “he [the Father] will repay everyone for what has been done” (Mt. 16:27; cf. Mk. 8:38; Lk. 9:26). Mark and Luke refer to “those who are ashamed of me and of my words” in the present time, as those of whom “the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels” (Mk. 8:38; cf. Lk. 9:26). Of the promise that “there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom” (Mt. 16:28; cf. Mk. 9:1; Lk. 9:27), William Barclay notes that Mark uses the words, “until they see that the kingdom of God has come with power” :

As Matthew records this phrase, it reads as if Jesus spoke as if he expected his own visible return in the lifetime of some of those who were listening to him. If Jesus said that, he was mistaken. But we see the real meaning of what Jesus said when we turn to Mark’s record of it. Mark has: And he said to them, ‘Truly I say to you, there are some who are standing her who will not taste death before they see the Kingdom of God come with power’ (Mark 9:1).

It is of the mighty working of his Kingdom that Jesus is speaking; and what he said came most divinely true. There were those standing there who saw the coming of Jesus in the coming of the Spirit at the day of Pentecost. There were those who were to see Gentile and Jew swept into the Kingdom; they were to see the tide of the Christian message sweep across Asia Minor and cover Europe until it reached Rome. Well within the life-time of those who heard Jesus speak, the Kingdom came with power. (William Barclay, The Gospel of Matthew, The Daily Study Bible Series, rev. ed., 1975, vol. 2, pp. 155-156 on Mt. 16:27-28).

“The Cross was not to be the end,” says Barclay; “it was to be the beginning of the unleashing of that power which was to surge throughout the whole world. This is a promise to the disciples of Jesus Christ that nothing men can do can hinder the expansion of the Kingdom of God” (ibid., p. 156).

According to Richard A. Horsley, “The Romans used crucifixion as a gruesome means of terrorizing subject peoples by hanging rebels and agitators from crosses for several days until they suffocated to death. They required condemned provincials to carry the crossbeam on which they were about to be hung” (NOAB, 3^rd ed., augmented, 2007, on Mk. 8:34). We know that some of the disciples would eventually become martyrs; early tradition says that Peter and Paul were both put to death at Rome during Nero’s persecutions. But, while Jesus takes the threat of persecution and martyrdom for his followers very seriously, another side of this teaching is the emphasis upon Christian commitment to servant leadership, contribution and participation in the life of the Christian community, and the coming of kingdom of God with power (Mk. 9:1).

Ronald D. Worden, Ph.D.

rdworden@hgst.edu

deanworden@comcast.net