1 Maccabees 4:36-59

Cleansing and Dedication of the Temple (2 Macc 10.1—9)

36 Then Judas and his brothers said, “See, our enemies are crushed; let us go up to cleanse the sanctuary and dedicate it.” 37 So all the army assembled and went up to Mount Zion. 38 There they saw the sanctuary desolate, the altar profaned, and the gates burned. In the courts they saw bushes sprung up as in a thicket, or as on one of the mountains. They saw also the chambers of the priests in ruins. 39 Then they tore their clothes and mourned with great lamentation; they sprinkled themselves with ashes 40 and fell face down on the ground. And when the signal was given with the trumpets, they cried out to Heaven.

41 Then Judas detailed men to fight against those in the citadel until he had cleansed the sanctuary. 42 He chose blameless priests devoted to the law, 43 and they cleansed the sanctuary and removed the defiled stones to an unclean place. 44 They deliberated what to do about the altar of burnt offering, which had been profaned. 45 And they thought it best to tear it down, so that it would not be a lasting shame to them that the Gentiles had defiled it. So they tore down the altar, 46 and stored the stones in a convenient place on the temple hill until a prophet should come to tell what to do with them. 47 Then they took unhewn stones, as the law directs, and built a new altar like the former one. 48 They also rebuilt the sanctuary and the interior of the temple, and consecrated the courts. 49 They made new holy vessels, and brought the lampstand, the altar of incense, and the table into the temple. 50 Then they offered incense on the altar and lit the lamps on the lampstand, and these gave light in the temple. 51 They placed the bread on the table and hung up the curtains. Thus they finished all the work they had undertaken.

52 Early in the morning on the twenty-fifth day of the ninth month, which is the month of Chislev, in the one hundred forty-eighth year, 53 they rose and offered sacrifice, as the law directs, on the new altar of burnt offering that they had built. 54 At the very season and on the very day that the Gentiles had profaned it, it was dedicated with songs and harps and lutes and cymbals. 55 All the people fell on their faces and worshiped and blessed Heaven, who had prospered them. 56 So they celebrated the dedication of the altar for eight days, and joyfully offered burnt offerings; they offered a sacrifice of well-being and a thanksgiving offering. 57 They decorated the front of the temple with golden crowns and small shields; they restored the gates and the chambers for the priests, and fitted them with doors. 58 There was very great joy among the people, and the disgrace brought by the Gentiles was removed.

59 Then Judas and his brothers and all the assembly of Israel determined that every year at that season the days of dedication of the altar should be observed with joy and gladness for eight days, beginning with the twenty-fifth day of the month of Chislev. (1 Maccabees 4:36-59, NRSV)

On November 23, 2007 (Friday in the week of the Twenty-fifth Sunday after Pentecost, references for the week of the Sunday closest to November 16, Year One), comments were repeated with extensive editing and supplement from November 18, 2005 (Friday in the week of the week of the Sunday closest to November 16, Year One), when there was some adaptation from an email message sent November 20, 2003, for November 21, 2003. The revised comments are repeated here:

In yesterday’s reading we learned that Judas and his forces won the battle of Emmaus against Syrian forces that Lysias had deployed against them under the leadership of Gorgias (1 Macc. 4:1-25; cf. 3:38, 4:1). That battle is dated “in the one hundred and forty-seventh year” (3:37), that is, 165 B.C. (NRSV text note c). In the interval–passed over by the daily reading references–we read that Lysias himself learned of this defeat (4:26), and, “perplexed” by it (v. 27), made plans to attack Judea again, “the next year” (= 164 B.C., v. 28a, cf. v. 52 and NRSV text note b). Lysias “mustered sixty thousand picked infantry and five thousand cavalry to subdue them [i.e., to subdue the Jews]” (4:28). They came into Idumea and encamped at Beth-Zur, and Judas met them with ten thousand men” (v. 29). According to Daniel J. Harrington, “Though exaggerated, the numbers suggest that, although still vastly outnumbered, Judas’s army was growing larger (see v. 6)” (HarperCollins Study Bible, rev. ed., 2006, on 1 Macc. 4:28-29). Before going into battle, Judas prays again (vv. 30-33), and the clash, as “both sides attacked,” had a similar result, for “there fell of the army of Lysias five thousand men; they fell in action” (v. 34). Lysias, seeing “the rout of his troops and . . . the boldness that inspired those of Judas,” withdraws and rethinks his strategy (v. 35a, c). In particular, he noted that Judas’s troops “were ready . . .either to live or to die nobly” (v. 35b); so “he withdrew to Antioch and enlisted mercenaries in order to invade Judea again with an even larger army” (v. 35c). According to Mary Chilton Callaway, “The account in 2 Macc. 11:6-15 agrees that Judas won the battle, but states that there was a negotiated peace” (NOAB, 3^rd ed., augmented, 2007, on 1 Macc. 4:34-35).

In today’s reading the attention of Judas turns to the temple. Although he says, “See, our enemies are crushed” (v. 36a), further battles lie ahead, for example, against “those in the citadel” (v. 41), and “the Gentiles all around” (5:1-8). But Judas says, “let us go up to cleanse the sanctuary and dedicate it” (v. 36b). So the army comes “to Mount Zion” (v. 37), where there is horror at the desolation of the temple: “There they saw the sanctuary desolate, the altar profaned, and the gates burned” (v. 38a). As if that weren’t enough, “In the courts they saw bushes sprung up as in a thicket, or as on one of the mountains. They saw also the chambers of the priests in ruins” (v. 38b, c). “Chambers of the priests,” says Callaway, “perhaps surrounded the sanctuary on three sides” (ibid., on v. 38).

Their first step is lamenting and prayer. “Then they tore their clothes and mourned with great lamentation; they sprinkled themselves with ashes and fell face down on the ground. And when the signal was given with the trumpets, they cried out to Heaven” (vv. 39-40). Judas, we are told, “detailed men to fight against those in the citadel until he had cleansed the sanctuary” (v. 41). Earlier, after the Syrians had “plundered the city” (1:31), “they fortified the city of David with a great strong wall and strong towers, and it became their citadel” (v. 33). But now, it seems, with Judas in control of Jerusalem, his forces are able to reclaim the citadel. The narrative continues by reporting the cleansing of the sanctuary. Judas “chose blameless priests devoted to the law, and they cleansed the sanctuary and removed the defiled stones to an unclean place” (4:42-43).

For a special problem, “they deliberated about what to do about the altar of burnt offering, which had been profaned” (v. 44). After deliberation, “they thought it best to tear it down, so that it would not be a lasting shame to them that the Gentiles had defiled it. So they tore down the altar, and stored the stones in a convenient place on the temple hill until a prophet should come to tell what to do with them” (vv. 45-46). Callaway says, “The expectation of an authoritative prophet who would herald God’s intervention was based on Deut. 18:18 and Mal. 4:5; this was an important belief among some Jewish groups during the Second Temple period” (ibid., on v. 46). The stones that were stored were replaced by “unhewn stones, as the law directs, and [they] built a new altar like the former one” (v. 47). According to Callaway, “as the law directs” refers to Exodus 20:25 and Deuteronomy 27:5-6 (ibid. on v. 47). We are told that “they also rebuilt the sanctuary and the interior of the temple, and consecrated the courts” (v. 48). They refurnished the temple with “new holy vessels, and brought the lampstand, the altar of incense, and the table into the temple” (v. 49). Harrington notes that “the temple furnishings, plundered by Antiochus IV (1:21-24), are restored in accord with Ex. 25-27” (on vv. 47-51; cf. Callaway on v. 49). And so preparations for worship resume at this point. “Then they offered incense on the altar and lit the lamps on the lampstand, and these gave light in the temple” (v. 50). But preparations are completed as “they placed the bread on the table and hung up the curtains. Thus they finished all the work they had undertaken” (v. 51)

But the moment of the formal resumption of temple worship is marked. “Early in the morning on the twenty-fifth day of the ninth month, which is the month of Chislev [= November-December], in the one hundred forty-eighth year [164 B.C., NRSV text note a], they rose and offered sacrifice, as the law directs, on the new altar of burnt offering that they had built” (vv. 52-53). The narrator notes the significance of the timing of this rededication. “At the very season and on the very day that the Gentiles had profaned it, it was dedicated with songs and harps and lutes and cymbals” (v. 54). According to Callaway, “Judas set the rededication of the Temple exactly three years after its pollution (1:54) and three and a half years after Antiochus’s capture of Jerusalem (Dan. 7:25; but see 2 Macc. 10:3)” (op. cit., on vv. 52-59). It was a time of celebration, as “the people fell on their faces and worshiped and blessed Heaven [= God], who had prospered them” (v. 55). The celebration of “the dedication of the altar” lasted “for eight days,” as they “joyfully offered burnt offerings [as well as] a sacrifice of well-being and a thanksgiving offering” (v. 56). Restoration continues with decoration as “they decorated the front of the temple with golden crowns and small shields [and] they restored the gates and the chambers for the priests, and fitted them with doors” (v. 57). There was a joyous sense of closure for the people as “the disgrace brought by the Gentiles was removed” (v. 58).

Today’s reading closes with the report that the celebration of this rededication of the temple is made a permanent Jewish holiday. “Then Judas and his brothers and all the assembly of Israel determined that every year at that season the days of dedication of the altar should be observed with joy and gladness for eight days, beginning with the twenty-fifth day of the month of Chislev” (v. 59). Hanukkah is celebrated for eight days and nights, starting on the 25th of Kislev on the Hebrew calendar (which is November-December on the Gregorian calendar). In Hebrew, the word “Hanukkah” means “dedication.” According to the History Channel, “The holiday commemorates the rededication of the holy Temple in Jerusalem after the Jews’ 165 B.C.E. victory over the Hellenist Syrians. Antiochus, the Greek King of Syria, outlawed Jewish rituals and ordered the Jews to worship Greek gods” (“The History of Hanukkah, http://www.historychannel.com/exhibits/holidays/hanukkah/history.html, accessed again November 19, 2009). There was a Jewish victory in 165 B.C. (1 Macc. 3:27-4:35, cf. 3:38), but the rededication, as described in today’s reading, is put in the year 164 B.C. (4:53 and NRSV text note a).

In the current Jewish year 5770 (2009-2010), Hanukkah begins at sundown on the evening of December 11, since Kislev 25, December 12 this year, begins at sundown the day before (compare “When is Hanukkah 2009?” on the Internet web site About.com, Judaism, at http://judaism.about.com/od/holidays/a/cal_09hol.htm, accessed Nov. 19, 2009).

Nehemiah 9:26-38 (alternative reading, Presbyterian [?] and Lutheran traditions)

For the text and comments on this reading see the text and comments of Tuesday, November 10, 2009, ten days ago.

Revelation 22:6-13

6 And he said to me, “These words are trustworthy and true, for the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent his angel to show his servants what must soon take place.”

7 “See, I am coming soon! Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.”

8 I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed them to me; 9 but he said to me, “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your comrades the prophets, and with those who keep the words of this book. Worship God!”

10 And he said to me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near. 11 Let the evildoer still do evil, and the filthy still be filthy, and the righteous still do right, and the holy still be holy.”

12 “See, I am coming soon; my reward is with me, to repay according to everyone’s work. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” (Revelation 22:6-13, NRSV)

On November 23, 2007 (Friday in the week of the Twenty-fifth Sunday after Pentecost, references for the week of the Sunday closest to November 16, Year One), comments were based on those of November 18, 2005 (Friday in the week of the week of the Sunday closest to November 16, Year One), comparison with comments of December 24, 2006 (the Fourth Sunday of Advent, Year One), adaptation from an email message sent November 20, 2003, for November 21, 2003. The following comments are based on the earlier comments.

With the completion of John's picture of the New Jerusalem (cf. yesterday’s reading), the readings for Friday and Saturday turn to confirmation and encouragement: John tells us, “And he said to me, ‘These words are trustworthy and true, for the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent his angel to show his servants what must soon take place’ ” (Rev. 22:6). One might suppose that the speaker here is the angel who showed John “the river of the water of life” (22:1), but Bruce M. Metzger says, “He said [refers to] an angel (v. 8), perhaps the one referred to in 1:1.” And Metzger adds, “These words [means] the contents of this book [i.e., the Book of Revelation],” and “The God of the spirits of the prophets [is] the one who inspired the spirits of the prophets” (NOAB, 2^nd ed., 1994, on Rev. 22:6; cf. Jean-Pierre Ruiz, NOAB, 3^rd ed., augmented, 2007, on Rev. 22:6). David E. Aune says “the spirits of the prophets [means] the individual spirits of all the prophets (see 1 Cor14:32)” (HarperCollins Study Bible, rev. ed., 2006, on Rev. 22:6).

Metzger calls the next verse “a parenthesis, reporting the words of Christ (compare 16:15)” (op. cit., on 22:7; cf. Ruiz, op. cit., on 22:7). “See, I am coming soon! Blessed (makavrioV, makarios) is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book” (Rev. 22:7). The first “beatitude” in Revelation said, “Blessed (makavrioV, makarios) is the one who reads aloud the words of the prophecy, and blessed (the word is understood, from the single predicate adjective for a compound subject) are those who hear and who keep what is written in it; for the time is near” (Rev. 1:3). The plural form of “blessed” (makavrioi, makarioi) is the first word in each of the beatitudes in Matthew’s Sermon on the Mount (Mt. 5:3-11; cf. Lk. 6:20-22). MakavrioV (Makarios) is the first word in the Septuagint translation of Psalm 1, for Hebrew yrew4xa (’ašrê, “fortunate, blessed,” cf. William L. Holladay, A concise Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament, 1971, 4^th impression, 1978, s.v. yrew4xa, ’ašrê). With the beatitude of 1:3, and two in this chapter (22:7, 14, an inclusio is formed–“bookends,” you might say–that encloses the content of the book. Following Metzger, Jean-Pierre Ruiz lists seven beatitudes in the book, including 1:3; 14:13; 16:15; 19:9; 20:6; 22:7, 14 (cf. his comments on 1:3 and 22:7, 14, NOAB, 3^rd ed., augmented, 2007).

As the Epilogue begins (cf. the label, “Epilogue and Benediction” for 22:8-21, in some printings of the NRSV), the voice of John resumes with reference to the whole book. “I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things” (v. 8a). “And when I heard and saw them,” he says, “I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed them to me” (v. 8b). But John is reminded that our worship is only for God. “You must not do that!” says the angel. “I am a fellow servant with you and your comrades the prophets, and with those who keep the words of this book. Worship God!” (v. 9). Metzger refers for comparison to the angel’s similar statement in 19:10 (op. cit., on 22:8-9; cf. Ruiz, op. cit., on 22:8-9).

And the angel adds, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near” (v. 10). Metzger says, “Do not seal [means] this book is intended for all to read” (op. cit., on v. 10). Following Metzger, Ruiz refers to Isaiah 8:16 and Daniel 12:4, and says, “This book is to remain unsealed because the end is imminent” (op. cit., on v. 10). Aune explains, “Jewish apocalypses sometimes contain a command to seal the book until the end (see Dan. 12:4, 9). “Let the evildoer still do evil,” says the angel, “and the filthy still be filthy, and the righteous still do right, and the holy still be holy” (Rev. 22:11). Note the contrast between those who “do right” and are “holy,” on the one hand, and those who “do evil” and are “filthy,” on the other hand. Metzger says, “The end of the age is too near to allow time for change” (op. cit., on v. 11). Apparently Metzger means there will not be time for repentance in John’s visionary projection of the future end-time, not at the actual time of John’s writing. John would have thought the time was short, but one purpose of his writing would be for people to respond to the closing invitation (22:17).

Today’s reading concludes with Christ’s warning (promise?), “See, I am coming soon; my reward is with me, to repay according to everyone’s work” (v. 13). For “my reward is with me,” Metzger refers to Isaiah 40:10 and Jeremiah 17:10 (ibid., on v. 12; cf. Ruiz, op. cit., on v. 12). Christ identifies himself: “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end” (v. 13). Metzger says, “Christ applies God’s title to himself (see 1:8 n.)” (op. cit., on v. 13). In the earlier note Metzger explains that “Alpha and Omega [are] the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet (like our ‘A to Z’); hence, the beginning and end of all things (Isa. 44:6)” (ibid., on 1:8). Along with the beatitudes as brackets (mentioned above), this title serves to enclose the book in brackets; but more than that, it indicates the deity of Christ and the relationship to God the Father.

Matthew 18:10-20

The Parable of the Lost Sheep (Lk 15.1—7)

10 “Take care that you do not despise one of these little ones; for, I tell you, in heaven their angels continually see the face of my Father in heaven. 12 What do you think? If a shepherd has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? 13 And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. 14 So it is not the will of your Father in heaven that one of these little ones should be lost.

Dealing with an Offending Church Member (cf. Lk. 17:3)

15 “If another member of the church sins against you, go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone. If the member listens to you, you have regained that one. 16 But if you are not listened to, take one or two others along with you, so that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses. 17 If the member refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if the offender refuses to listen even to the church, let such a one be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. 18 Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. 19 Again, truly I tell you, if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them. (Matthew 18:10-20)

On June 14, 2009 (the Sunday closest to June 15, Year One) and October 26, 2008 (the Sunday closest to October 26, 2008, Year Two), comments on Matthew 18:1-14 and 15-20 were repeated from June 18 and 19, 2008 (Wednesday and Thursday in the week of the Sunday closest to June 15, Year Two), when comments were repeated from earlier dates as noted there, including some adaptation from an email message sent November 20, 2003, for November 21, 2003. Relevant comments for today’s reading are repeated here with some editing and adjustment:

The parable of the Lost Sheep is found in Matthew (Mt. 18:10-14) and in Luke (Lk. 15:1-7). While the parable itself is similar in both Gospels, more succinct in Matthew, the contexts are different. In Matthew the shepherd leaves “the ninety-nine on the mountains” to search for the lost sheep (Mt. 18:12), but in Luke he leaves them “in the wilderness” (Lk. 15:4), which, given the topography of Israel, might not be very different. In Luke’s version, the shepherd calls his friends and neighbors together to share in the rejoicing (v. 6), and “there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents” (v. 7), but in Matthew’s version, it is only the shepherd whose rejoicing is singled out (Mt. 18:13). For texts of the parallel versions see the separate file, the Parable of the Lost Sheep.

In Matthew the parable begins with an admonition: “Take care that you do not despise one of these little ones (mikroiv, mikroi),” says Jesus; for, I tell you, in heaven their angels continually see the face of my Father in heaven” (Mt. 18:10). The reference to “little ones” recalls the same term in v. 6, where Dennis C. Duling said, “Little ones who believe in me [is] no longer the literal children of vv. 1-4, but believers. It is not clear whether they are missionaries (see 10:42), disciples, recent converts, those of low social or economic status . . . or those weak in faith” (HarperCollins Study Bible, rev. ed., 2006, on Mt. 18:6). J. Andrew Overman sees the “little ones” as “socially inferior or more vulnerable members of the church.” And in reference to “their angels,” he says, “it was believed that one’s guardian represented one in heaven (Acts. 12:15). In Acts, the believers at the home of Mary, John Mark’s mother do not believe Rhoda when she tells them Peter, released from prison, was “standing at the gate” (Acts 12:14). “They said, ‘You are out of your mind!’ But she insisted that it was so. They said, ‘It is his angel’ ” (v. 15). In Luke, the Jesus tells the parable of the Lost Sheep on an occasion when “all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to him” (Lk. 15:1). On that occasion, “the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, ‘This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them’ ” (Lk. 15:1-2). David L. Tiede, revised by Christopher R. Matthews, notes that in Luke, chapter 15, there are “three parables on the lost and found. Only the first has a parallel in Matthew” (HarperCollins Study Bible, rev. ed., 2006, on Lk. 15:1-32). They describe verses 1 and 2 as “the audience for the parables and a definition of the ‘lost’ ” (ibid., on vv. 1-2).

The NRSV text note b on Matthew 18:10 says, “Other ancient authorities add verse 11, For the Son of Man came to save the lost.” Many of the oldest and best manuscripts omit this verse. Bruce M. Metzger puts it this way:

There can be little doubt that the words h\lqen ga;r oJ uiJo;V tou; ajnqrwvpou ( zhthvsai kai;) sw;sai to; ajpolwlovV [ēlthen gar ho huios tou anthrōpou (zētēsai kai) sōsai to apolōlos, cf the text note cited above] are spurious here, being omitted by the earliest witnesses representing several textual types (Alexandrian, pre-Caesarean, Egyptian, Antiochian), and manifestly borrowed by copyists from Lk. 19:10. The reason for the interpolation was apparently to provide a connection between ver. 10 and verses 12-14. (A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament, 1971, p. 44, on Mt. 18:11)

The “definition of the ‘lost’ ” seen by Tiede and Matthew in Luke’s present context may also have been a factor.

So we continue with the parable. In Matthew, Jesus says, “What do you (uJmi:n, hymin, ‘you’ plural, dative case due to the idiom, Tiv uJmi:n dokei:; Ti hymin dokei, lit. ‘What does it seem to you?’) think?” (Mt. 18:12a). The question is directed to the disciples (18:1). In Luke, Jesus says, “So he told them [i.e., the Pharisees and scribes who were grumbling about his welcoming and eating with sinners, v. 2] this parable” (Lk. 15:3a). In Matthew’s version of the parable, Jesus says, “If a shepherd has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray” (Mt. 18:12b, 13). While Luke’s version begins with a situation quite similar to that of Matthew’s version, Luke elaborates the shepherd’s rejoicing with friends and neighbors. “Which one of you,” says Jesus in Luke, “having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it? When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost’ ” (Lk. 15:4-6).

And the lessons drawn in the two versions differ. “So,” says Jesus in Matthew, “it is not the will of your Father in heaven that one of these little ones should be lost” (Mt. 18:14). “A shepherd,” says Overman, “a common image for a community leader (Num. 27:17; Jer. 3:15), must seek out even the lowliest person” (op. cit., on Mt. 18:12). In Luke, Jesus says, “Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance” (Lk. 15:7). According to Marion Lloyd Soards, “The mention of joy anticipates the declarations of joy in the following two parables, which share the theme of lost and found” (NOAB, 3^rd ed., augmented, 2007, on Lk. 15:6-7). The reference to needing no repentance is ironic for as noted above, in Luke, the parable is a response to the grumbling of the Pharisees and the scribes who were criticizing Jesus for welcoming sinners and eating with them” (15:2).

In Matthew, the Parable of the Lost Sheep emphasizes care for “one of these little ones” (v. 10). It is the third of six paragraphs that make up the fourth major speech of Jesus in Matthew. In Luke, the parable is one of a series of parables and related teachings on discipleship: “Parable on Humility” (Lk. 14:7-14), “Parable of the great dinner” (vv. 15-24; cf. Mt. 22:1-14), “the costs of discipleship” (vv. 25-33; cf. Mt. 10:37-38), “sayings about salt” (14:34-35; cf. Mt. 5:13; Mk. 9:49-50); the “Parable of the Lost Sheep” (15:1-9; cf. Mt. 18:12-14), the “Parable of the Lost Coin” (15:8-10), the “Parable of the Lost Prodigal Son” (15:11-32), and the “Parable of the Dishonest Manager” (16:1-9; titles from Marion Lloyd Soards, NOAB, 3^rd ed., on these respective units [mostly traditional titles, in any case]). These arrangements reflect the editing and topical arrangement of both evangelists, each in his own way. Parables continue in Luke’s “Travel Narrative,” for example, the “Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus” (16:9-31) and the “Parable of the Unjust Judge and the Persistent Widow” (18:1-8, also both titles from Soards). But the set of three parables on lost people or things in Luke 15 stands out, emphasizing the Father’s (God’s) concern to redeem the lost. “Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance” (Lk. 15:7). The reference to needing no repentance is ironic for, in Luke, the parable is a response to the grumbling of the Pharisees and the scribes who were criticizing Jesus for welcoming sinners and eating with them” (15:2). In Matthew as well, the parable underscores God’s concern for every individual person. “It is not the will of your Father in heaven that one of these little ones should be lost” (v. 14). A Gospel song, “The Ninety and Nine,” may be found on the Internet at http://www.scriptureandmusic.com/Music/Text_Files/The_Ninety_And_Nine.html (accessed November 20, 2009; you may need to copy and paste the URL). The words are by Elizabeth C. Clephane, in 1868; the hymn tune (his first) by Ira Sankey (who worked with Dwight L. Moody), in 1874.

As we continue, Jesus gives advice about how a Christian believer should deal with a fellow Christian who has sinned against him or her. Duling, with reference to Matthew’s version, says “the author [i.e., the evangelist Matthew] expands Q [the hypothetical source used by Matthew and Luke] into a formal procedure for settling disputes within the church” (op. cit., on Mt. 18:15-20). I would agree that Matthew’s reports this teaching of Jesus in a way that reflects his experience within his own Christian community, but I would maintain that Matthew’s report remains true to the substance and intent of Jesus’ teaching–that he does not falsify it. “If another member of the church sins against you,” says Jesus, “go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone. If the member listens to you, you have regained that one” (Mt. 18:15). Luke also reports this saying of Jesus (Lk. 17:3) in the context of sayings about not causing temptation (Lk. 17:1-2; cf. Mk. 9:42; Mt. 18:6-7), a saying about repeated forgiveness of another disciple (Lk. 17:4; cf. Mt. 18:21-22), and on faith (Lk. 17:5-6; cf. Mk. 9:28-29; Mt. 17:19-21). But Luke does not include the saying about what to do if the offender does not accept the reproof. “But if you are not listened to,” says Jesus, “take one or two others along with you, so that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses” (Mt. 18:16). Further advice is given if this fails. “If the member refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if the offender refuses to listen even to the church, let such a one be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector” (v. 17). We remember that Matthew himself was a tax collector before he became a disciple of Jesus (9:9). In the present context, being “to you as a Gentile and a tax collector” means that the offender is to be excluded from the community. But, one hopes, the process will have the happier result of restoring the offender, not excluding him. The description of this procedure for dealing with an offender follows Matthew’s version of the parable of the lost sheep (Mt. 18:10-14). “Truly I tell you (uJmi:n, hymin, ‘you’ plural), whatever you bind (dhvshte, dēsēte, 2^nd person plural verb form) on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose (luvshte, lusēte, 2^nd person plural verb form) on earth will be loosed in heaven" (v. 18). Note that this pronoun “you” is plural in Greek (“ye” KJV, “Y'all” in Texas). Two chapters earlier, Jesus says the same thing to Peter, ". . .  whatever you bind (dhvsh/V, dēsē(i)s, 2^nd person singular verb form) on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose (luvvsh/V, lysē(i)s, 2^nd person singular verb form) on earth will be loosed in heaven" (Mt. 16:19). Jesus addresses Peter with a singular "you" ("thou" KJV). But, as the repetition in chapter 18 shows, this power of binding and loosing, or better, this mission of binding and loosing, is not limited to Peter. There are times when we represent Christ to those who otherwise would not know him. We do what we can to help rescue his lost sheep.

According to J. Andrew Overman, this “process of disciplining a member of the church” is “similar [to a] process [that] was used by the Essenes (cf. 1QS 6 [i.e., the Qumran Manual of Discipline, col. 6] and CD 9 [i.e., the Damascus Document, col. 9]” (NOAB, 3^rd ed., 2001, on Mt. 18:15-17). Duling has an extensive list of comparisons with this passage from Matthew:

Reproof was based on interpretations of Lev. 19:17-18: one should not allow anger to simmer inside, but confront one’s ‘brother,’ friend, or neighbor openly. See, e.g., Sir 18:13-14; 19:13-17; Testament of Gad 4:1-4; 6:1-6; 4 Ezra 14:13-22; rabbinic texts (Sifra Lev. 9:17; Babylonian Talmud Bava Mezi‘a 31a, emphasizing unending forgiveness, as in Mt. 18:21-22; Targum Ps-Jonathan Lev. 19:17); Dead Sea Scrolls, Community Rule (1QS [= Manual of Discipline, above]) 9:2-8; 5:24-6:1; 7:2-3, which stipulates that reproof is required on the same day; Damascus Document (CD) 9:6; 9:16b-22. Cf. also Heb. 3:113. (loc. cit.)

Ronald D. Worden, Ph.D.

rdworden@hgst.edu

deanworden@comcast.net