Nehemiah 6:1-19

Intrigues of Enemies Foiled

6:1 Now when it was reported to Sanballat and Tobiah and to Geshem the Arab and to the rest of our enemies that I had built the wall and that there was no gap left in it (though up to that time I had not set up the doors in the gates), 2 Sanballat and Geshem sent to me, saying, "Come and let us meet together in one of the villages in the plain of Ono." But they intended to do me harm. 3 So I sent messengers to them, saying, "I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it to come down to you?" 4 They sent to me four times in this way, and I answered them in the same manner. 5 In the same way Sanballat for the fifth time sent his servant to me with an open letter in his hand. 6 In it was written, "It is reported among the nations--and Geshem also says it--that you and the Jews intend to rebel; that is why you are building the wall; and according to this report you wish to become their king. 7 You have also set up prophets to proclaim in Jerusalem concerning you, 'There is a king in Judah!' And now it will be reported to the king according to these words. So come, therefore, and let us confer together." 8 Then I sent to him, saying, "No such things as you say have been done; you are inventing them out of your own mind" 9 --for they all wanted to frighten us, thinking, "Their hands will drop from the work, and it will not be done." But now, O God, strengthen my hands.

10 One day when I went into the house of Shemaiah son of Delaiah son of Mehetabel, who was confined to his house, he said, "Let us meet together in the house of God, within the temple, and let us close the doors of the temple, for they are coming to kill you; indeed, tonight they are coming to kill you." 11 But I said, "Should a man like me run away? Would a man like me go into the temple to save his life? I will not go in!" 12 Then I perceived and saw that God had not sent him at all, but he had pronounced the prophecy against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. 13 He was hired for this purpose, to intimidate me and make me sin by acting in this way, and so they could give me a bad name, in order to taunt me. 14 Remember Tobiah and Sanballat, O my God, according to these things that they did, and also the prophetess Noadiah and the rest of the prophets who wanted to make me afraid.

The Wall Completed

15 So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of the month Elul, in fifty-two days. 16 And when all our enemies heard of it, all the nations around us were afraid and fell greatly in their own esteem; for they perceived that this work had been accomplished with the help of our God. 17 Moreover in those days the nobles of Judah sent many letters to Tobiah, and Tobiah's letters came to them. 18 For many in Judah were bound by oath to him, because he was the son-in-law of Shecaniah son of Arah: and his son Jehohanan had married the daughter of Meshullam son of Berechiah. 19 Also they spoke of his good deeds in my presence, and reported my words to him. And Tobiah sent letters to intimidate me. (Nehemiah 6:1-19, NRSV)

On November 5, 2007 (Monday in the week of the Twenty-third Sunday after Pentecost, references for the week of the Sunday closest to November 2, Year One), comments were repeated with editing and supplement from October 31, 2005 (Monday in the week of the Sunday closest to November 2, Year One); the comments are repeated here with editing and supplement:

Finishing the work on the wall (Neh. 6:15) was anticipated in the comments for last Saturday (Oct. 31, 2009), where it is reported that the work began (4:7-10). It was also noted there that the work was only completed after Nehemiah and his people endured a series of troubles. Yesterday’s reading from chapter 5 focused on difficulties within the Jewish community itself. Troubles from outside began in chapter 4, where it is reported that Sanballat, Tobiah and associates are angered by news of Nehemiah's beginning the work (4:7-10) and plotted against him to prevent his success (4:8). Their opposition continues in today’s reading.

Nehemiah tells us that “when it was reported to Sanballat and Tobiah and to Geshem the Arab and to the rest of our enemies that I had built the wall and that there was no gap left in it (though up to that time I had not set up the doors in the gates), Sanballat and Geshem sent to me, saying, ‘Come and let us meet together in one of the villages in the plain of Ono’ ” Ono was “a town near the southern end of the Plain of Sharon. It was built by Benjaminites (1 Chron. 8:12), is to be identified with modern Kefr Ana, and is mentioned in the Karnak list of Pharaoh Thutmose III. Along with Lod it was reoccupied after the Exile (Neh. 11:35)” (Harper’s Bible Dictionary, rev. ed., 1996, s.v. Ono). “The plain of Ono,” says David J. A. Clines, was “ca. twenty miles northwest of Jerusalem” (HarperCollins Study Bible, rev. ed., 2006, on Neh. 6:2); however, the distance from Jerusalem to the town of Ono was thirty miles according to the scale of Oxford University Press maps, for example the Kingdom of Judah map in the Oxford Bible Atlas (3^rd ed., ed. Herbert G. May, revised by John Day, 1984, reprinted 1985, p. 73) and Map 9 in the New Oxford Annotated Bible (Michael D. Coogan et al., edd. [NOAB], 3^rd ed., augmented, 2007). In any event, the distance was sufficient to remove Nehemiah from his safety zone. According to Tamara Cohn Eskenazi, The “Plain of Ono [was] in the northwest of the province of Yehud [i.e., Judah], far from the safety of Jerusalem” (NOAB, 3^rd ed., augmented, 2007, on Neh. 6:2). Nehemiah says, “But they intended to do me harm” (v. 2b). According to Clines, “Nehemiah does not know what kind of harm exactly” (loc. cit.).

Nehemiah declines the “invitation”: “So I sent messengers to them, saying, ‘I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it to come down to you?’ ” (v. 3). “It is a witty reply,” says Clines, “to make the work his excuse for refusing the invitation when the purpose of the invitation is to make him cease the work” (ibid., on v. 3). But Sanballat persists in his efforts to “meet” with Nehemiah. “They sent to me four times in this way,” says Nehemiah, “and I answered them in the same manner” (v. 4). But Sanballat, it seems, was determined. “In the same way,” says Nehemiah, “Sanballat for the fifth time sent his servant to me with an open letter in his hand” (v. 5). “In it was written,” he says, “ ‘It is reported among the nations--and Geshem also says it--that you and the Jews intend to rebel; that is why you are building the wall; and according to this report you wish to become their king. You have also set up prophets to proclaim in Jerusalem concerning you, “There is a king in Judah!” And now it will be reported to the king according to these words. So come, therefore, and let us confer together’ ” (vv. 6-7). This was an “open letter” containing what amounted to “a charge of treason” that, according to Clines, “could be fatal for Nehemiah” (ibid., on v. 5). “The accusation,” says Hindy Najman, “is that Judah wants to become independent of Persia, with its own king, anointed by a prophet, as was the case before 586 BCE. There is no evidence to suggest that this ever was the intention of the returnees” (The Jewish Study Bible, 2004, on Neh. 6:6-7).

“Then,” says Nehemiah, “I sent to him, saying, ‘No such things as you say have been done; you are inventing (Mxd!&OB, bôdā’m) them out of your own mind ( j~B4l09m9, millibb ^ekā, lit. ‘from your heart/mind’) them out of your own mind’ ” (v. 8 NRSV). The recent Jewish translation of the last clause is, “they are figments of your imagination” (v. 8b NJPS 1985, 1999). Nehemiah appears to be unshaken by these threats, saying, “for they all wanted to frighten us, thinking, ‘Their hands will drop from the work, and it will not be done.’ But now, O God, strengthen my hands” (v. 9). According to Clines, this is “a prayer that suits the time of the events rather than of the writing” (op. cit., on v. 9). He refers to his earlier note, “Nehemiah’s plea to God, though doubtless part of his written report of past events, is presented as a prayer composed at the time of Sanballat’s mockery” (ibid., on 4:4-5).

Sanballat and Tobiah try another ploy, hoping to discredit Nehemiah. “One day,” says Nehemiah, “when I went into the house of Shemaiah son of Delaiah son of Mehetabel, who was confined to his house, he said, ‘Let us meet together in the house of God, within the temple, and let us close the doors of the temple, for they are coming to kill you; indeed, tonight they are coming to kill you’ ” (v. 10). Nehemiah scorns the apparent threat to his life, saying “Should a man like me run away? Would a man like me go into the temple to save his life? I will not go in!” (v. 11). According to Clines, “Shemaiah seems to have been inveigling Nehemiah to enter the temple, which was forbidden to him as a layman, in order to destroy his reputation” (ibid., on vv. 10-11). But Clines raises a question. “How this is connected to what Nehemiah perceived as a threat to his life is hard to tell” (ibid.). Nehemiah sees through this maneuver as well. “Then I perceived,” he says, “and saw that God had not sent him at all, but he had pronounced the prophecy against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. He was hired for this purpose, to intimidate me and make me sin by acting in this way, and so they could give me a bad name, in order to taunt me” (vv. 12-13). “In the final attempt to distract Nehemiah,” says Najman, “a false prophet is hired to lure him into a situation that would brand him as a transgressor of Temple law. Nehemiah uncovers the plot and escapes in time” (op. cit., on vv. 10-13).

Nehemiah, it sees, prays “on the run,” so to speak. “Remember Tobiah and Sanballat, O my God, according to these things that they did, and also the prophetess (hxAyb9n04ha, hann ^evî’āh) Noadiah and the rest of the prophets who wanted to make me afraid” (v. 14). Eskenazi notes “Nehemiah’s repeated plea for divine remembrance (cf. 5:19),” but also points out that “The prophetess Noadiah is one of four named prophetesses in the Hebrew Bible (the others are Miriam, Deborah, and Huldah)” (op. cit., on Neh. 6:14). Unfortunately, she appears to be on the wrong side in this instance, but as Clines says, Nehemiah alludes here “to otherwise unknown events” (op. cit., on 6:14).

So Nehemiah is not intimidated, but sees through all these plans of his opponents. And he tells us of the completion of the wall. “So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of the month Elul [August-September], in fifty-two days” (v. 15). “Fifty-two days,” says Eskenazi, illustrates “the zeal and dedication of the volunteers under Nehemiah. Excavated remnants of Nehemiah’s wall reflect the haste of the builders” (op. cit., on v. 15). “This incredibly shor time,” says Najman, “indicates the blessing and protection of God over the work. Cf. Ezra 6:14-15” (op. cit. on vv. 15-16). Nehemiah gives credit to God for this accomplishment as he reports the fear of the surrounding nations. “And when all our enemies heard of it, all the nations around us were afraid and fell greatly in their own esteem; for they perceived that this work had been accomplished with the help of our God” (v. 16). But Nehemiah implies that the threat of opposition continues. He tells of connections with Tobiah within the Jewish community. “Moreover in those days the nobles of Judah sent many letters to Tobiah, and Tobiah's letters came to them. For many in Judah were bound by oath to him, because he was the son-in-law of Shecaniah son of Arah: and his son Jehohanan had married the daughter of Meshullam son of Berechiah” (vv. 17-18). These friends of Tobiah “spoke of his good deeds in my [i.e., Nehemiah’s] presence, and reported my words to him. And Tobiah sent letters to intimidate me” (v. 19). At this point, Clines observes that “Instead of an account of the dedication of the wall, which will come in 12:27-43, we have a further note of hostility toward Nehemiah. It is hard to see what Tobiah hoped to achieve by both threatening Nehemiah and having his friends praise him to Nehemiah” (on vv. 17-19). Later, we learn that while Nehemiah is absent from Jerusalem, but has gone to King Artaxerxes in his thirty-second year (432 B.C., Clines, on Neh. 13:6; but 433 B.C. according to Eskenazi, on Neh. 13:6), the priest Eliashib allows Tobiah to move into the temple, but that upon his return, Nehemiah evicts Tobiah (Neh. 13:4-9).

or Ezra 3:1-13 (alternative reading, Presbyterian and Lutheran traditions)

For texts and comments on this alternative reading, see the text and comments of Friday, October 23, 2009, ten days ago.

Revelation 10:1-11

The Angel with the Little Scroll

10:1 And I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven, wrapped in a cloud, with a rainbow over his head; his face was like the sun, and his legs like pillars of fire. 2 He held a little scroll open in his hand. Setting his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land, 3 he gave a great shout, like a lion roaring. And when he shouted, the seven thunders sounded. 4 And when the seven thunders had sounded, I was about to write, but I heard a voice from heaven saying, "Seal up what the seven thunders have said, and do not write it down." 5 Then the angel whom I saw standing on the sea and the land

raised his right hand to heaven

6 and swore by him who lives forever and ever,

who created heaven and what is in it, the earth and what is in it, and the sea and what is in it: "There will be no more delay, 7 but in the days when the seventh angel is to blow his trumpet, the mystery of God will be fulfilled, as he announced to his servants the prophets."

8 Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me again, saying, "Go, take the scroll that is open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land." 9 So I went to the angel and told him to give me the little scroll; and he said to me, "Take it, and eat; it will be bitter to your stomach, but sweet as honey in your mouth." 10 So I took the little scroll from the hand of the angel and ate it; it was sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it, my stomach was made bitter.

11 Then they said to me, "You must prophesy again about many peoples and nations and languages and kings." (Revelation 10:1-11, NRSV)

On October 25, 2008 (Saturday in the week of the Sunday closest to October 19, Year Two), comments were repeated from November 5, 2007 (Monday in the week of the Sunday closest to November 2, Year One), when comments were repeated from October 28, 2006 (Saturday in the week of the Sunday closest to October 19, Year Two), when comments were combined with revision and supplement from October 23, 2004, (Saturday of the week of the Sunday closest to October 19, Year Two), from May 29, 2005 (the Sunday closest to June 1, Year One), and from October 31, 2005 (Monday of the week of the Twenty-Fourth Sunday after Pentecost, Year One). The combined comments are repeated again here with editing and supplement:

The reading for Saturday (Rev. 7:4-17, Oct. 31, 2009) was from an interlude between the sixth (Rev. 6:12-17) and seventh(8:1-5) seals; today’s is part of the interlude between the sixth (9:13-21) and seventh (11:14-19) trumpets. All of these, the seals, the trumpets, and the bowls of wrath to come (chap. 15-16), portend destruction, judgment and woes. There are interludes with hopeful symbols, for example, the “two witnesses” (11:3), “the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah” (11:15), “God’s temple in heaven” with “the ark of the covenant” (11:19, the woman (12:1) and the child (12:2, 4-5), the Lamb on Mount Zion with the 144,000 redeemed (14:1), and the angel with “the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth” (14:6). And so the series of seven trumpets is interrupted by visions which offer encouragement, but also announce judgment.

Saturday’s reading, (Rev. 7:4-17, Nov. 3, 2007) was from an interlude between the sixth (Rev. 6:12-17) and seventh(8:1-5) seals; today’s is part of the interlude between the sixth (9:13-21) and seventh (11:14-19) trumpets. All of these, the seals, the trumpets, and the bowls of wrath to come (chap. 15-16), portend destruction, judgment and woes. There are interludes with hopeful symbols, for example, the “two witnesses” (11:3), “the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah” (11:15), “God’s temple in heaven” with “the ark of the covenant” (11:19, the woman (12:1) and the child (12:2, 4-5), the Lamb on Mount Zion with the 144,000 redeemed (14:1), and the angel with “the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth” (14:6). And so the series of seven trumpets is interrupted by visions which offer encouragement, but also announce judgment. John sees “another mighty angel wrapped in a cloud, with a rainbow over his head; his face was like the sun, and his legs like pillars of fire” (10:1) “Another mighty angel, says Jean-Pierre Ruiz, “in addition to the mighty angel in 5:2” (NOAB, 3^rd ed., augmented, 2007, on Rev. 10:1). “He,” says John, “held a little scroll in his right hand” (v. 2a). According to Bruce M. Metzger, “the smallness of the little scroll is emphasized in contrast to the mighty angel holding it” (NOAB, 2^nd ed., on Rev. 10:1-2). According to David E. Aune, “The little scroll represents divine revelation but is not identical to the sealed scroll of 5:1-14” (HarperCollins Study Bible, rev. ed., 2006, on Rev. 10:2). This mighty angel, “setting his foot on the sea and his left foot on the land . . . gave a great shout, like a lion roaring” (v. 2b, 3a). “This scroll is in the angel’s left hand,” says Ruiz, “since in 10:5 he raises his right hand to heaven to swear an oath (Dan. 12:7).” And he adds that “sea and land indicate the scope of the angel’s authority” (op. cit., on v. 2). “And when he [i.e., the angel] shouted,” says John, “the seven thunders sounded” (v. 3b). “And when the seven thunders had sounded, I was about to write but I heard a voice from heaven saying, ‘Seal up what the seven thunders have said, and do not write it down’ ” (v. 4). “The import of the seven thunders is unclear,” says Aune; “John apparently understood what the seven thunders said but was forbidden to write it down” (op. cit., on v. 3). Ruiz puts it this way: “John is prohibited from disclosing what the seven thunders have said, but he ‘must prophesy again’ (v. 11) after eating the little scroll” (op. cit., on v. 4). According to Aune:

            The voice from heaven [was] probably [that of] God or Christ (see 1:11, 19). In Jewish tradition a heavenly voice was called a bat qol (lit. ‘daughter of a voice’) and thought to be the revelatory voice of God, as in the heavenly voice at Jesus’ baptism (Mt. 3:17; Mk. 1:11; Lk. 3:22; 2 Pet. 1:17). The instruction to seal up (see Dan. 12:4, 9) means that some divine secrets must not be disclosed (2 Cor. 12:4). (op. cit., on v. 4)

“Then,” says John, “the angel whom I saw standing on the sea and the land [i.e., the angel of vv. 1-2]

raised his right hand to heaven

and swore by him who lives forever and ever,

who created heaven and what is in it, the earth and what is in it, and the sea and what is in it” (vv. 5, 6a; cf. Deut. 32:40; Dan. 12:7). “This scene,” says Aune, “appears to be modeled after Dan. 12:6-7” (op. cit., on vv. 5-7). “There will be no more delay,” says the angel, “but in the days when the seventh angel is to blow his trumpet, the mystery of God will be fulfilled, as he announced to his servants the prophets” (vv. 6b, 7). “No more delay,” says Metzger, “in the accomplishment of God’s will” (op. cit., on v. 6); and for “the mystery of God,” he refers to Rom. 16:25-26; Eph. 1:9; 3:3-9; Col. 1:26, 27” (ibid., on v. 7). Ruiz puts it this way: “There will be no more delay in the accomplishment of God’s will–the sounding of the seventh trumpet is imminent” (op. cit., on v. 6). With reference essentially to the same texts, Aune explains “mystery of God” as “God’s eschatological plan, hidden in OT prophetic books,” adding that “his servants the prophets [is] a frequent designation of OT prophets (2 Kings 9:7; 17:13; Jer. 7:25; Dan. 9:6; see Rev. 11:18), which here probably includes Christian prophets as well” (op. cit., on vv. 6, 7).

“Then,” says John, “the voice that I had heard from heaven [i.e., the ‘voice’ of v. 4] spoke to me again, saying, ‘Go, take the scroll that is open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land’ ” (v. 8). According to Metzger, “The scroll, which is not the sealed scroll of 5:1, is a special message from God to John” (op. cit., on v. 8). John follows this instruction. “So I went to the angel and told him to give me the little scroll; and he said to me, ‘Take it, and eat; it will be bitter to your stomach, but sweet as honey in your mouth’ ” (v. 9). “So I took the little scroll from the hand of the angel and ate it,” says John; it was sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it, my stomach was made bitter” (v. 10). It was “sweet,” says Metzger, “because it contains God’s words; bitter, because it involves his terrible judgments” (ibid., on v. 10; so Ruiz, op. cit., on v. 10). “Eating the scroll,” says Aune, “a symbolic action based on Ezek. 2:8-3:3, signifies accepting a prophetic commission” (op. cit., on vv. 9-10). As the reading (and the chapter) concludes, John’s prophetic commission is affirmed. “Then they [apparently including the angel and the ‘voice . . . from heaven, v. 8] said to me,” says John, “You must prophesy again about (Dei: se pavlin profhteu:sai ejpi . . . , Dei se palin prophēteusai epi . . .) many peoples and nations and languages and kings” (v. 11). Metzger explains: “You must, in accord with the divine will, prophesy again; the second part of the book (chs. 12-22) contains these prophecies” (op. cit., on v. 11). Following Metzger, Ruiz adds, “Peoples and nations and languages and kings (Dan 3:4, 7 [LXX]; Rev. 5:9; 7:9) suggests the broad range of John’s prophetic activity” (op. cit., on v. 11). According to Aune, “Prophesy again about has the negative meaning ‘prophesy against,’ i.e., prophesy judgment (see Jer. 25:30; Ezek. 25:2). Aune refers to the prepositional phrases Mh,ylex3 (’ ^alêhem, ‘to them,’ LXX ejp= aujtouvV, ep’ autous, Jer. 25:30 Heb. = LXX Jer. 32:30) and Mh,ylef3 (‘ ^alêhem, ‘against them,’ LXX ejp= aujtouvV, ep’ autous, Ezek. 25:2). According to William L. Holladay, the preposition lx, (’el ) “often represents ‘al [lfa] (& vice versa)” (A Concise Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament, 1971, 10^th corrected impression 1988, s.v. lx,, ’el  and lfa, ‘al). Given the range of meanings for each preparation, context is a significant factor in the interpretation. What follows in the second half of Revelation supports Aune’s view.

Matthew 13:36-43

The Parable of the Weeds Interpreted

36 Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples approached him, saying, "Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field." 37 He answered, "The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man; 38 the field is the world, and the good seed are the children of the kingdom; the weeds are the children of the evil one, 39 and the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. 40 Just as the weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. 41 The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, 42 and they will throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Let anyone with ears listen! (Matthew 13:36-43, NRSV)

On May 31, 2008 (Saturday in the week of the Sunday closest to May 25, Year Two), comments were repeated with some editing and supplement from November 5, 2007 (Monday in the week of the Sunday closest to November 2, Year One); they are repeated here:

There is no parallel in the Canonical Gospels to Matthew’s Parable of the Weeds (Mt. 13:24-30), but, as noted last Friday (Oct. 30, 2009), there is a close parallel in the Gospel of Thomas. Matthew’s version seems longer because he includes details that are assumed in the Gospel of Thomas version. Matthew’s version says, “So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared as well” (Mt 13:26), which Thomas’ version assumes. Where Thomas has “The man did not allow them to pull up the weeds” followed by his instruction, Matthew has a dialogue initiated by “the slaves of the householder” (Mt. 13:27). There is little significant difference in substance between the two versions of the parable. It seems apparent to me that Thomas has abbreviated Matthew’s version, or the version in the source which Matthew used. But Thomas has nothing comparable to Matthew’s account of Jesus’ interpretation of the parable. To this “apocalyptic interpretation to the parable of the weeds and wheat,” J. Andrew Overman compares 2 Baruch 70:2 (NOAB, 3^rd ed., augmented, 2007, on Mt. 13:36-43), which reads as follows:

Behold! the days come, and it shall be when the time of the age has ripened,

And the harvest of its evil and good seeds has come,

That the Mighty One will bring upon the earth and its inhabitants and upon its rulers

Perturbation of spirit and stupor of heart. (trans., R. H. Charles, 1913, Edited and adapted by George Lyons for the Wesley Center for Applied Theology at Northwest Nazarene University; on the internet at http://www.pseudepigrapha.com/pseudepigrapha/2Baruch.html, accessed again Nov. 1, 2009).

Jesus interrupts his discourse to the crowds. “Then he left the crowds and went into the house” (Mt. 13:36a). It was there, in the house, where his disciples asked him, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field” (v. 36b). He explains that the Son of Man “sows the good seed” (Mt. 13:37) in the “field” which “is the world, and the good seed are the children of the kingdom; the weeds are the children of the evil one, and the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels” (vv. 38-39). Jesus often refers to himself as “the Son of Man” (e.g. 8:20). By the phrase “end of the age,” according to Overman, Jesus means “the decisive break between one era and the next, or the end of the world in judgment” (op. cit., on v. 39). The “harvest” is reaped by “angels” at “the end of the age” (v. 39). Jesus calls attention again to the point of the parable. “Just as the weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age” (v. 40); in other words, “the children of the evil one (v. 38) will be destroyed at that time. “The Son of Man will send his angels,” says Jesus, “and they will collect out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, and they will throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (vv. 41-42). In contrast, says Jesus, “then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father” (v. 43a; cf. Dan. 12:3). And he adds emphasis: “Let anyone with ears listen!” (v. 43b).

The Gospel of Thomas version does mention the harvest, “ For on the day of the harvest the weeds will be plainly visible, and they will be pulled up and burned.” (cf. GT 73, “Jesus said: The harvest is indeed (men [mevn]) great, but (de [dev]) the laborers are few; but (de [dev]) pray the Lord to send laborers ergatēs [ejrgavthV]) into the harvest” (trans., Bruce M. Metzger; cf. Mt. 9:37; Lk. 10:2; Jn. 4:35), which indicates separating out the weeds for burning, but this one sentence is about as close as the Gospel of Thomas comes to using any of the eschatological themes and motifs that are prominent in Matthew and the other Canonical Gospels. Many regard the Gospel of Thomas as a later work with Gnostic tendencies characteristic of second century Gnosticism. The point of Jesus’ interpretation as presented by Matthew is to answer the call to be a part of God’s kingdom as “good seed,” not “evildoers.” The fact that neither here, nor in the Parable of the Sower (GT 9; cf. Mk. 4:1-9; Mt. 13:1-9; Lk. 8:4-8), does the Gospel of Thomas include Jesus’ interpretation of the parable (Mk. 4:13-20; Mt. 13:18-23; Lk. 8:11-15), indicates its tendencies. Some apparently regard the interpretations as expansions in the Canonical Gospels of the more “primitive” tradition as represented by the Gospel of Thomas, but it seems more likely to me that the interpretations were rejected by the Thomas tradition as not agreeing with its Gnostic theology. (The translation of the Gospel of Thomas by Thomas O. Lambdin is available on the Internet web site of the Gnostic Society Library, at http://www.gnosis.org/naghamm/gthlamb.html, accessed again Nov. 1, 2009).

Ronald D. Worden, Ph.D.

rdworden@hgst.edu

deanworden@comcast.net