Some comments on these readings for today have been taken or adapted from comments in my devotional email of Monday, November 3, 2003, for the readings of Tuesday, November 4, 2003.

Nehemiah 12:27-31a, 42b-47

Dedication of the City Wall

27 Now at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem they sought out the Levites in all their places, to bring them to Jerusalem to celebrate the dedication with rejoicing, with thanksgivings and with singing, with cymbals, harps, and lyres. 28 The companies of the singers gathered together from the circuit around Jerusalem and from the villages of the Netophathites; 29 also from Beth-gilgal and from the region of Geba and Azmaveth; for the singers had built for themselves villages around Jerusalem. 30 And the priests and the Levites purified themselves; and they purified the people and the gates and the wall.

31 Then I brought the leaders of Judah up onto the wall, and appointed two great companies that gave thanks and went in procession.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

And the singers sang with Jezrahiah as their leader. 43 They offered great sacrifices that day and rejoiced, for God had made them rejoice with great joy; the women and children also rejoiced. The joy of Jerusalem was heard far away.

Temple Responsibilities

44 On that day men were appointed over the chambers for the stores, the contributions, the first fruits, and the tithes, to gather into them the portions required by the law for the priests and for the Levites from the fields belonging to the towns; for Judah rejoiced over the priests and the Levites who ministered. 45 They performed the service of their God and the service of purification, as did the singers and the gatekeepers, according to the command of David and his son Solomon. 46 For in the days of David and Asaph long ago there was a leader of the singers, and there were songs of praise and thanksgiving to God. 47 In the days of Zerubbabel and in the days of Nehemiah all Israel gave the daily portions for the singers and the gatekeepers. They set apart that which was for the Levites; and the Levites set apart that which was for the descendants of Aaron. (Nehemiah 12:27-31a, 42b-47, NRSV)

On November 6, 2007 (Tuesday 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 November 1, 2005 (Tuesday in the week of the Sunday closest to November 2, Year One). On that day it was noted that some comments on these readings were taken or adapted from comments in my devotional email of Monday, November 3, 2003, for the readings of Tuesday, November 4, 2003. The comments of November 6, 2007, are repeated again here.

It’s time to celebrate! Especially in the reading from Nehemiah. We know from other parts of the book that there was a dark side, but in Today’s reading it’s party time! The shadows appear in the other readings, “the beast from the bottomless pit,” the “Dragnet” that separates people at the judgment, but celebration breaks through in the praise of the elders for God, who is in control, and the immeasurable value of the Treasure and the Pearl. For those who have suffered the loss of loved ones or other seeming defeats–hurricanes, or whatever–God has promised that he can bring good out of “all things” (Rom. 8:28). It may still be time to celebrate the presence of loved ones with the Lord, according to his promise. There may be other hidden values in our experiences. I pray that it may be so.

“Now at the dedication of the wall,” says Nehemiah, “they sought out the Levites in all their places, to bring them to Jerusalem to celebrate the dedication with rejoicing, with thanksgivings and with singing, with cymbals, harps, and lyres” (Neh. 12:27). “The companies of the singers gathered together from the circuit around Jerusalem,” we are told, “and from the villages of the Netophathites” (v. 28). Netophath is about three or four miles south of Bethlehem, judging from the scale in Map 10 of the New Oxford Annotated Bible (Michael D. Coogan et al., edd., 3^rd ed., augmented, 2007). It is called

a Judean hill village near Bethlehem (1 Chron. 2:54; Ezra 2:21-22; Neh. 7:26). It was the home of two of David’s mighty men. Maharai and Heleb (2 Sam. 23:28-29; 1 Chron. 11:30. It was also the home of Gedaliah’s supporter Seraiah, after Jerusalem’s fall to Babylon (586 B.C.; 2 Kings 25:23; Jer. 40:8-9). Various levitical and other returnees from exile in Babylon counted it their home (Ezra 2:22; Neh. 7:26; 1 Chron. 8:16. It may be modern Khirbet Bedd Faluh, some three and a half miles southeast of Bethlehem. The modern spring ‘Ain en-Natuf may reflect the name. (Harper’s Bible Dictionary, rev. ed., 1996, s.v. Netophah)

Singers also came “from Beth-gilgal [17 mi. NE of Jerusalem] and from the region of Geba [6 or 7 mi. NNE of Jerusalem] and Azmaveth [5 mi. NE of Jerusalem]; for the singers had built for themselves villages around Jerusalem” (v. 29; cf. Beth-gilgal and Geba on Map 10, NOAB, 3^rd ed., augmented, 2007). According to Dennis R. Bratcher, Azmaveth is “A village of the postexilic community, identified with the modern Ras-Dhukeir or El-Hizma, about five miles northeast of Jerusalem” (Dennis R. Bratcher, Harper’s Bible Dictionary, rev. ed., 1996, s.v. Asmaveth, no. 6). And Nehemiah says, “the priests and the Levites purified themselves; and they purified the people and the gates and the wall” (v. 30). It was clearly a time of celebration for the entire region. According to Hindy Najman, “Scholars note that this section resumes the Nehemiah memoir from 7:5. After a long interruption from the Ezra memoir, which is inserted into the Book of Nehemiah, the dedication of the Jerusalem wall provides closure” (The Jewish Study Bible, 2004, on Neh. 12:27-43). Tamara Cohn Eskenazi, apparently comparing this occasion to another under Ezra’s leadership, says “The initiative for the grand finale again comes from the community (cf. 8:1)” (NOAB, 3^rd ed., augmented, 2007, on Neh. 12:27).

In any event, Nehemiah says, “Then I brought the leaders of Judah up onto the wall, and appointed two great companies that gave thanks and went in procession” (Neh. 12:31a). In the section passed over by the lectionary reference, according to Eskenazi, “Two groups circled the city [in procession] on the wall and alongside it” (ibid., on 12:31-42). After naming many places along the wall and many persons who participated in the procession, Nehemiah tells us that “the singers sang with Jezrahiah as their leader” (v. 42b), and that “They offered great sacrifices that day and rejoiced, for God had made them rejoice with great joy; the women and children also rejoiced. The joy of Jerusalem was heard far away” (v. 43). According to Eskenazi, the singing was “antiphonal . . . by the professional liturgical singers” (ibid., on v. 42).

Following what Arthur Jeffrey and John J. Collins describe as “dedication of the walls, with music, purification, procession, and sacrifice” (Neh. 12:27-43), and“arrangements for temple revenues” (NOAB, 2^rd ed., 1994, on vv. 44-47), “On that day,” says Nehemiah, “men were appointed over the chambers for the stores, the contributions, the first fruits, and the tithes, to gather into them the portions required by the law for the priests and for the Levites from the fields belonging to the towns; for Judah rejoiced over the priests and the Levites who ministered” (v. 44). And accordingly, “They performed the service of their God and the service of purification, as did the singers and the gatekeepers, according to the command of David and his son Solomon” (v. 45; cf. 1 Chron. 16:37-42; chaps. 22-26; 2 Chron 5:2-6:11; 7:1-11). Nehemiah reflects further on the days of the first temple. “For in the days of David and Asaph long ago there was a leader of the singers, and there were songs of praise and thanksgiving to God” (Neh. 12:46). Many of the Psalms are attributed to David, and several to Asaph (e.g., Pss. 50, 73-83). But Nehemiah apparently looks back to the time of Zerubbabel. “In the days of Zerubbabel and in the days of Nehemiah (hyAm4H,n4 ymeyb9U lb,BAruz4 ymeyB9, bîmê z ^erubbābel ûbîmê n ^echemyāh) all Israel gave the daily portions for the singers and the gatekeepers. They set apart that which was for the Levites; and the Levites set apart that which was for the descendants of Aaron” (Neh. 12:47). According to Najman, “Zerubbabel and Nehemiah are treated as contemporaries, which is historically inaccurate” (op. cit., on v. 47). But that appears to be a matter of interpretation. The conjunction, -v4 (w-), connects, but does not usually imply identity. Eskenazi says this verse reflects the time “from the beginning of the return (Ezra 2) to Nehemiah” (op. cit., on v. 47). David J. A. Clines calls 12:44-13:3 “an idealized summary of the postexilic community: the clergy are properly maintained by the community, and they perform the worship of God as prescribed in ancient times” (HarperCollins Study Bible, rev. ed., 2006, on Neh. 12:44-13:3). With reference to the interval between today’s reading and tomorrow’s (i.e., Neh. 13:1-3), Clines adds, “The integrity of the worshiping community is secured by the exclusion of all foreigners forbidden in the law (Num. 21:21-23; 22:24; Deut. 23-3-6)” (ibid.).

or Ezra 4:7, 11-24 (alternative reading, Presbyterian and Lutheran traditions)

For texts and comments on this alternative reading, see the text and comments of Saturday, October 24, 2009, ten days ago.

Revelation 11:1-19

The Two Witnesses

11:1 Then I was given a measuring rod like a staff, and I was told, "Come and measure the temple of God and the altar and those who worship there, 2 but do not measure the court outside the temple; leave that out, for it is given over to the nations, and they will trample over the holy city for forty-two months. 3 And I will grant my two witnesses authority to prophesy for one thousand two hundred sixty days, wearing sackcloth."

4 These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. 5 And if anyone wants to harm them, fire pours from their mouth and consumes their foes; anyone who wants to harm them must be killed in this manner. 6 They have authority to shut the sky, so that no rain may fall during the days of their prophesying, and they have authority over the waters to turn them into blood, and to strike the earth with every kind of plague, as often as they desire.

7 When they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up from the bottomless pit will make war on them and conquer them and kill them, 8 and their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city that is prophetically called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified. 9 For three and a half days members of the peoples and tribes and languages and nations will gaze at their dead bodies and refuse to let them be placed in a tomb; 10 and the inhabitants of the earth will gloat over them and celebrate and exchange presents, because these two prophets had been a torment to the inhabitants of the earth.

11 But after the three and a half days, the breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and those who saw them were terrified. 12 Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, "Come up here!" And they went up to heaven in a cloud while their enemies watched them. 13 At that moment there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell; seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.

14 The second woe has passed. The third woe is coming very soon.

The Seventh Trumpet

15 Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying,

"The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord

and of his Messiah,

and he will reign forever and ever."

16 Then the twenty-four elders who sit on their thrones before God fell on their faces and worshiped God, 17 singing,

"We give you thanks, Lord God Almighty,

who are and who were,

for you have taken your great power

and begun to reign.

18 The nations raged,

but your wrath has come,

and the time for judging the dead,

for rewarding your servants, the prophets

and saints and all who fear your name,

both small and great,

and for destroying those who destroy the earth."

19 Then God's temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant was seen within his temple; and there were flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake, and heavy hail. (Revelation 11:1-19, NRSV)

The two parts of today’s reading, Revelation 11:1-14 and verses 14-19 were the readings for October 27 and 28, 2008 (Monday and Tuesday in the week of the Sunday closest to October 26, Year Two), when comments were based on those of November 6, 2007 (Tuesday in the week of the Sunday closest to November 2, Year One), when the reading was Revelation 11:1-19, and comments were repeated from October 30 and 31, 2006 (Monday and Tuesday in the week of the Sunday closest to October 26, Year Two), when comments were combined and revised from October 25 and 26, 2004, two years earlier, and from November 3, 2005 (Tuesday in the week of the Sunday closest to November 2, Year One). The comments are repeated again here with some editing and supplement.

As noted yesterday, 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; yesterday’s reading and part of today’s are found in the interlude between the sixth (9:13-21) and seventh (11:14-19) trumpets, though today’s includes the seventh trumpet. In this second vision between the sixth and seventh trumpets, the scene is getting more complex. “Then,” says John, “I was given a measuring rod like a staff, and I was told, ‘Come and measure the temple of God and the altar and those who worship there” (Rev. 11:1). According to Bruce M. Metzger, the measuring of “the sanctuary and those who worship there” is “with a view to their preservation (as in Zech. 2:1-5); compare Ezek. 40:3-42:20)” (NOAB, 2^rd ed., 1994, on Rev. 11:1; cf. Jean-Pierre Ruiz, NOAB, 3^rd ed., augmented, 2007, on Rev. 11:1). The “temple of God,” says David E. Aune, means “here the temple in Jerusalem, not in heaven” (HarperCollins Study Bible, rev. ed., 2006, on Rev. 11:1). He refers to his note on 11:19, where he describes the “temple in heaven [as] the counterpart to the temple in Jerusalem” (ibid., on v. 19). The nations, however, are not granted this protection, for John is told not to “measure the court outside the temple” which “is given over to the nations, and they will trample over the holy city for forty-two months” (v. 2). “The court outside,” says Metzger, is “the court of the Gentiles,” and “the holy city” is “Jerusalem (Mt. 4:5; 27:53).” He adds that “forty-two months = 1260 days = 3½ years (Dan. 7:25; 12:7)” (op. cit., on v. 2). Following Metzger, Ruiz reports the same data, adding that “3½ years [is] a number that symbolizes the period of eschatological tribulation (Dan. 7:25; 9:27; 12:7, 11-12). As half of seven, the number of completeness, it also symbolizes radical incompleteness” (op. cit., on v. 2). But the nations trampling the holy city (v. 2) are to be countered by “two witnesses.” John is further told, apparently by either the mighty angel (10:1, 8) or the voice from heaven (10:8), or both (“they,” 10:11), “And I will grant my two witnesses (mavrtureV, martyres) authority to prophesy for one thousand two hundred sixty days, wearing sackcloth” (11:3). The message, of course, is from God, whether through the angel or the voice from heaven. “My two witnesses,” says Metzger, are “unnamed but resembling Zerubbabel and Joshua (Zech. 3:1-4, 14) as well as Elijah (vv. 5-6; 2 Kings 1:10) and Moses (v. 6; Ex. 7:17, 19)” (op. cit., on v. 3). He adds that their being clothed in sackcloth [is] a sign that their prophecy was of repentance” (ibid.). Ruiz elaborates: “While the two witnesses are unnamed here, it has been suggested that they represent prophetic figures who were expected to return in the end-time, possibly Enoch (Gen. 5:24) and Elijah (2 Kings 2:1-11; Mal. 4:5) or Moses (Deut. 18:15, 18) and Elijah” (op. cit., on v. 3).

It appears that the “two witnesses” are identified with the “two olive trees” and the “lampstand” described by Zechariah (Zech. 4:1-14). “These (ou|toi, houtoi),” John is told, “are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth,” John is told (Rev. 11:4). In Zechariah, an angel explains the vision to the prophet. “He [i.e., the angel] said to me [i.e., Zechariah], ‘What do you see?’ And I said, ‘I see a lampstand (hrAOnm4, m ^enôrāh) all of gold, with a bowl on the top of it; there are seven lamps on it, with seven lips on each of the lamps that are on the top of it. And by it there are two olive trees, one on the right of the bowl and the other on its left’ ” (Zech. 4:2-3). The two olive trees are said to supply the lampstand with oil (cf. v. 12). In Zechariah’s vision the lampstand corresponds to the golden lampstand prepared for the wilderness tabernacle (Exod. 25:31-40; 37:17-24), followed by “ten golden lampstands (1 Kings 7:49) . . . [that] stood in the Solomonic temple” (cf. Carol L. Meyers, Harper’s Bible Dictionary, rev. ed., 1996, s.v. lampstand). And the two olive trees–or perhaps the “two branches”–that are said to “pour out the oil,” presumably to keep the lampstand lit, are identified as “the two anointed ones (rh!7c4y09ha-yn2B4, b ^enê-hayyitshār, lit. ‘sons of olive-oil,’ those anointed, cf. Wallace, op. cit., s.v. rhAc4y9, yitshār) who stand by the Lord of the whole earth” (v. 14). According to Gregory Mobley, they “likely represent Joshua and Zerubbabel” (NOAB, 3^rd ed., augmented, 2007, on Zech. 4:3). These would be the High Priest and the governor of Judah (Hag. 1:1), the grandson of King Jehoiachin of Judah (cf. Hag. 1:1; Ezra 3:2; 1 Chron. 3:19) in Zechariah’s time. Though theses references differ as to which son of Jehoiachin was Zerubbabel’s father (cf. Peter R. Ackroyd, Harper’s Bible Dictionary, rev. ed., 1996, s.v. Zerubbabel), they agree that he was Jehoiachin’s grandson.

In Revelation, the testimony of these two witnesses is powerful, like that of Moses and Elijah. “And if anyone wants to harm them,” says John, “fire pours from their mouth and consumes their foes; anyone who wants to harm them must be killed in this manner” (Rev. 11:5). Their authority brings judgment on the earth. “They have authority to shut the sky, so that no rain may fall during the days of their prophesying, and they have authority over the waters to turn them into blood, and to strike the earth with every kind of plague, as often as they desire” (v. 6). Elijah, as we remember, caused a drought. “As the LORD the God of Israel lives, before whom I stand,” he says to Ahab, “there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word” (1 Kgs. 17:1). And as we know, “after a while . . . there was no rain in the land” (v. 7).

In Revelation, the two witnesses face serious opposition. “When they have finished their testimony, the beast (to; qhrivon, to thērion) that comes up from the bottomless pit will make war on them and conquer them and kill them, and their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city that is prophetically called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified” (Rev. 11:7-8). The term qhrivon (thērion) is a common term for “any living creature, excluding humans, animal, beast,” and so “of real animals,” or “of animal-like beings of a transcendent kind . . . [and so of] the ‘beasts’ or ‘animals’ of Rev. 11:7; 13:1ff, 11f, 14f, 17f; 14:9, 11; 15:2; 16:2, 10, 13; 17:3, 7f, 11ff, 16f; 19:19f; 20:4, 10” (Bauer-Danker-Arndt-Gingrich [BDAG], A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and other Early Christian Literature, 3^rd ed., 2000, s.v. qhrivon, thērion, meanings no. (1) (a) and (b) ). Although John can refer to “the beast”(to; qhrivon, to thērion) as the primary enemy of Christ and the Christians (e.g. 14:9, 11; 15:2 etc.), there is reference to “another beast” (a[llo qhrivon, allo thērion) in 13:11.

But, for now, we will focus on chapter 11. “The beast (or ‘the monster’),” says Metzger, “is the Antichrist (17:8; Dan. 7:3, 7, 21)” (op. cit., on Rev. 11:7). David E. Aune agrees: The “beast [is] the antichrist, a tyrannical ruler who opposes Christ and Christians (13:1-10; 17:8; 1 Jn. 2:18; 4:3)” (op. cit.., on 11:7). For “the bottomless pit,” Ruiz refers to his note on 9:1, which says, “The bottomless pit is the abyss, the underworld, from which the beast arises (11:7; 17:8)” (op. cit. on 11:7 and 9:1). Compare Aune, who says the “the bottomless pit [is] the abode of the dead (see Ps. 107:26; Rom. 10:7) and the place where demons (Lk. 8:31; 1 Enoch 1`8-21) and Satan (Rev. 20:1-3) are imprisoned” (op. cit., on 9:1, ref. from 11:7). In 11:7, “kill them [i.e., the two witnesses],” says Aune, “[is] adapted from Dan. 7:21. Death was frequently the expected fate of faithful prophets (see 2 Chr. 24:19; Neh. 9:26; Mt. 23:34-35; Lk. 11:49-51)” (ibid., on 11:7). John’s prophecy continues: “and their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city that is prophetically called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified” (v. 8). According to Metzger, “the name Sodom is applied to Jerusalem in Isa. 1:10; Jer. 23:14; Ezek. 16:46-56” (op. cit., on v. 8). Ruiz says “The great city is identified here prophetically, i.e., allegorically or spiritually rather than literally by its proper name. While the majority of scholars understand the city as Jerusalem, others suggest that the city is Rome, as is Babylon in 17:1-6” (op. cit., on v. 8). The witnesses’ dead bodies will be treated shamefully and outrageously. “For three and a half days members of the peoples and tribes and languages and nations will gaze at their dead bodies and refuse to let them be placed in a tomb; and the inhabitants of the earth will gloat over them and celebrate and exchange presents, because these two prophets had been a torment to the inhabitants of the earth” (vv. 9-10). “Prophets had been a torment,” says Metzger, “to those who have guilty consciences” (op. cit., on [v. 10]). Ruiz explains that they were “preaching an unpopular message of repentance” (op. cit. on v. 10).

With a new paragraph, we note a change from future tense prediction (“will make war,” v. 7; “will lie in the street,” v. 8; “will gaze at their dead bodies,” v. 9; “will gloat . . . and celebrate,” v. 10), to past tense reporting. “But after the three and a half days, the breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and those who saw them were terrified. Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, ‘Come up here!’ And they went up to heaven in a cloud while their enemies watched them” (vv. 11-12). “The witnesses are resuscitated,” says Metzger, “(compare Ezek. 37:5, 10) and taken to heaven (2 Kings 2:11)” (ibid., on vv. 11-12). For “Come up here!” Ruiz refers to “4:1” (op. cit.., on v. 12). “In Jewish and Christian tradition clouds serve as divine vehicles (Pss. 68:4; 104:7; Isa. 19:1; 2 Esd. 13:3) and as means of heavenly ascent (Acts 1:9) and descent (Rev. 1:7; Dan. 7:13; Mt. 24:30; 26:64)” (op. cit., on v. 12). “At that moment,” says John, there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell; seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven” (v. 13). “Gave glory to the God of heaven,” says Ruiz, indicates “a positive outcome of the great earthquake” (ibid., on v. 13). Aune says the phrase means the rest “were converted (16:9; Dan. 4:34; 1 Esd. 9:8; Acts 13:48)” (op. cit., on v. 13).

The reading begins by announcing that “the second woe,” that is, the plague announced by the sixth trumpet (Rev. 9:13), “has passed,” and “the third woe is coming very soon” (11:14; cf. the fifth trumpet, 9:1 and the passing of the first woe, 9:12). The seventh trumpet (11:14-19) would be the third of three woes (9:12; cf. 8:13); a new series, of the seven bowls of the wrath of God, comes later (15:1-16:21).

John tells us that when “the seventh angel blew his trumpet . . . there were loud voices in heaven saying,

‘The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord

and of his Messiah (“Gk. Christ” NRSV text note b)

and he will reign forever and ever’.” (Rev. 11:15 NRSV)

According to Bruce M. Metzger, “the seventh trumpet announces the consummation of God’s Kingdom (10:7)” (NOAB, 2^nd ed.1994, on Rev. 11:14-19). In response to this announcement, “the twenty-four elders who sit on their thrones [cf. 4:4] before God fell on their faces and worshipped God” in song (v. 16). The song rejoices in God’s victory: “We give you thanks, Lord God Almighty, / who are and who were (oJ w]n kai; oJ h\n, ho ōn kai ho ēn), / for you have taken your great power / and begun to reign (v. 17). To the words “who are and who were,” compare the description of God at the outset, “the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come (oJ w]n kai; oJ h\n kai; oJ ejrcovmenoV, ho ōn kai ho ēn kai erchomenos), the Almighty” (1:8). The song continues: “The nations raged, / but your wrath has come, / and the time for judging the dead, / for rewarding your servants, the prophets, / and saints and all who fear your name, / both small and great, / and for destroying those who destroy the earth” (vv. 17-18). So, in spite of the beast and the woes, God is in control, and there is blessing for those who belong to Him. This good news for the saints and the vision of the redeemed (14:1-5) bracket the account of the atrocities of the dragon and the two beasts (chaps. 12-13). I take comfort in this song of victory and reference to the redeemed.

After the song, we see that “God’s temple in heaven [is] opened, and the ark of his covenant [is] seen within,” but “flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake, and heavy hail” (v. 19) introduce the vision of chapter 12.

Matthew 13:44-52

Three Parables

44 "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

45 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; 46 on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.

47 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and caught fish of every kind; 48 when it was full, they drew it ashore, sat down, and put the good into baskets but threw out the bad. 49 So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous 50 and throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Treasures New and Old

51 "Have you understood all this?" They answered, "Yes." 52 And he said to them, "Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like the master of a household who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old." (Matthew 13:44-52, NRSV)

The following comments are repeated here from November 6, 2007 (Tuesday in the week of the Twenty-third Sunday after Pentecost, references for the week of the Sunday closest to November 2, Year One):

On October 1, 2006 (the Sunday closest to September 28, Year Two), comments were repeated from June 5, 2005 (Monday of the week of Pentecost Sunday, Year Two), when comments were combined and revised from May 31, 2004 (Monday of the week of Pentecost, Year Two) in an email sent May 31, 2004 for May 30 through June 6:, and from November 1, 2005 (Tuesday of the week of the Twenty-Fourth Sunday after Pentecost, Year One); they are repeated again here:

The series of parables in Matthew chapter 13 concludes with the Parables of Hidden Treasure (v. 44, cf. Gospel of Thomas 109), the Pearl of Great Value (vv. 45-46, cf. Gospel of Thomas 76), and the Dragnet (vv. 47-51, cf. Gospel of Thomas 8). There are no parallel versions of these parables in the other Canonical Gospels.

The Parable of the Dragnet refers to “the end of the age” at which time “the angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous” (Mt. 13:49. The evil will be thrown “into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (v. 50). In Matthew’s version, the net catches “fish of every kind” (Mt. 13:47), and the point is the end-time sorting by the angels who “separate the evil from the righteous” (v. 49 understood as the meaning of putting the good fish in baskets but throwing out the bad (v. 48). If the great value of the gospel of salvation is the meaning of the pearl and the treasure, the outcome at Judgment Day is a key part of this value. Matthew’s Parable of Weeds Among the Wheat (13:24-30) makes a similar point; whereas the parallel in Mark 4:26-29 makes no reference to weeds, but focuses on the growth of the seed, though the one who scattered the seed “does not know how” (Mk. 4:27). This theme of eschatological judgment is not found in the Gospel of Thomas 8:

And he said: Man is like a wise fisherman who cast his net into the sea (thalassa); he drew it out of the sea (thalassa) when it was full of little fishes. Among them the wise fisherman found a large good fish. The wise fisherman cast all the little fishes down into the sea (thalassa) (and) chose the large fish without (chōris) difficulty. He who has ears to hear, let him hear. (Trans., Bruce M. Metzger)

Another translation:]

And he said, “The person is like a wise fisherman who cast his net into the sea and drew it up from the sea full of little fish. Among them the wise fisherman discovered a fine large fish. He threw all the little fish back into the sea, and easily chose the large fish. Anyone here with two good ears had better listen! (Gospel of Thomas 8, trans. Stephen Patterson and Marvin Meyer, http://www.misericordia.edu/users/davies/thomas/Trans.htm, accessed again, Nov. 5, 2007)

The Pearl of Great Price (Mt. 13:46 KJV; “pearl of great value” NRSV) is one of three treasures appearing in brief parables in Matthew, chapter 13, with the “treasurer hidden in a field” (v. 44) and the boat full of fish (v. 47). You and I might define “treasure” as a strong 401(k) or other retirement plan. That’s apparently what the man who hid the treasure in the field so he could buy the field and obtain the treasure saw in it. We may question his ethics, but the point is the great value of the treasure, and of the pearl in the “twin parables” (Dennis C. Duling, HarperCollins Study Bible on Mt. 13:44-46). One version of the Dragnet Parable (Mt. 13:47-50), as cited in the Gospel of Thomas (see above), makes a similar point.

The value of the large fish is apparently the point in the Gospel of Thomas version. But In Matthew’s version, the net catches “fish of every kind” (Mt. 13:47), and the point is the end-time sorting by the angels who “separate the evil from the righteous” (v. 49 understood as the meaning of putting the good fish in baskets but throwing out the bad (v. 48). If the great value of the gospel of salvation is the meaning of the pearl and the treasure, the outcome at Judgment Day is a key part of this value. Matthew’s Parable of Weeds Among the Wheat (13:24-30) makes a similar point; whereas the parallel in Mark 4:26-29 makes no reference to weeds, but focuses on the growth of the seed, though the one who scattered the seed “does not know how” (Mk. 4:27).

The following comments are repeated here from September 28, 2008 (the Sunday closest to September 28, Year Two), when comments were repeated from June 2, 2008 (Monday in the week of the Sunday closest to June 1, Year Two), when they were repeated with editing and supplement from November 6, 2007 (Tuesday in the week of the Sunday closest to November 2, Year One), when comments were repeated from October 1, 2006 (the Sunday closest to September 28, Year Two), which then were repeated from June 5, 2006 (Monday in the week of the Sunday closest to June 1), when comments were combined and revised from earlier (as noted there); the combined comments are repeated again here with minor editing:

The series of parables in Matthew chapter 13 concludes with the Parables of Hidden Treasure (v. 44, cf. Gospel of Thomas 109), the Pearl of Great Value (vv. 45-46, cf. Gospel of Thomas 76), and the Dragnet (vv. 47-50), cf. Gospel of Thomas 8). There are no parallel versions of these parables in the other Canonical Gospels. Neither the Canonical Gospels nor the Gospel of Thomas has a parallel to the statement about the Christian scribe. The following table compares these parables from Matthew with those in the Gospel of Thomas:

Earlier we have noted that the Gospel of Thomas lacks interpretations of the Parable of the Sower (Mt. 13:18-23; Mk. 4:13-20; Lk. 8:11-15) and the Parable of the Wheat and the Weeds (Mt. 13:36-43). Whereas some see the interpretations in the Canonical Gospels as later expansions of the more primitive tradition as found in the Gospel of Thomas, we suggested rather that the interpretations were omitted by the Gospel of Thomas because they did not fit its theology. For two parables in today’s reading, the Parable of the Hidden Treasure (Mt:13:44; GT 109) and the Parable of the Pearl of Great Value (Mt. 13:45-46; GT 76), the Gospel of Thomas appears to be expanded considerably with several details. It thus appears that the Gospel of Thomas is not above expanding his tradition, though it could be that Matthew has done some abbreviating here.

For Matthew, the Parable of the Hidden Treasure focuses on the value of the treasure itself, which is compared to the value of the kingdom of heaven. One is motivated to sell “all that he has and [buy] that field” in order to acquire the treasure. In the Gospel of Thomas version, the focus is rather on the ignorance of the father and the son, neither of whom are aware of the treasure. In Gnosticism, which some find in some of the sayings of the Gospel of Thomas, knowledge, rather than faith, is the key to salvation. In the Gospel of Thomas version, the man who bought the field doesn’t merely focus on the value of the treasure; rather, when he finds the treasure while ploughing, his life changes as he begins “to lend money at interest to [whomever] he wished.” The kingdom, elsewhere called “the kingdom of the Father,” is not apocalyptically conceived as the end of the age, but rather amounts to a change in vocation and life style.

For Matthew, the Parable of the Pearl of Great Value also focuses on the value of the treasure itself, and again it is the value of the kingdom of heaven that is at stake. The merchant who recognizes its value sells everything he has in order to get it. Compare Jesus’ words to the one who asked about eternal life (Mt. 19:16-22; Mk. 10:17-22; Lk. 18:18-25), whom we know by combining the records as the rich young ruler: “If you wish to be perfect, go, sell your possessions, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me” (Mt. 19:21). Again, the Gospel of Thomas version of the Parable of the Pearl of Great Value expands the parable as compared to Matthew, though the main lines of action are essentially the same. In both the merchant sells his pearls (Mt.) or merchandise (GT) in order to buy the one pearl of great value. In this instance it is the Gospel of Thomas version that seeks to drive the point home, “You also must seek for the treasure which does not perish, which abides where no moth comes near to eat and (where) no (oujdev [oude] worm destroys.” This emphasizes the value and the permanence of the pearl, which could be understood as the way of gnosticism, or that of other movements.

In the Parable of the Dragnet, the different emphases of Matthew and of the Gospel of Thomas come into sharper relief. The story itself is similar. In Matthew “the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and caught fish of every kind” (Mt:13:47). In the Gospel of Thomas, we are informed that “Man is like a wise fisherman who cast his net into the sea; he drew it out of the sea when it was full of little fishes.” So far, the narrative is similar. But as they continue, in Matthew the fishermen sort out the fish, keeping the good but throwing out the bad (Mt. 13:48). This represents the last judgment “at the end of the age” (v. 49a), when the angels “will come out and separate the evil from the righteous” (v. 49b; cf. vv. 40-42; 15:41-46). In the Gospel of Thomas version, “the wise fisherman” finds “a large good fish,” which he saves, and throws back the small fish. Thus there is emphasis on the value of the large fish, but nothing of the apocalyptic perspective of Matthew’s version. If the great value of the gospel of salvation is the meaning of the pearl and the treasure, the outcome at Judgment Day is a key part of this value. Matthew’s Parable of Weeds Among the Wheat (13:24-30) makes a similar point; whereas the parallel in Mark 4:26-29 makes no reference to weeds, but focuses on the growth of the seed, though the one who scattered the seed “does not know how” (Mk. 4:27).

As noted above, only Matthew presents Jesus’ saying about the Christian scribe. “Have you understood all this?” Jesus asks, and the disciples answer, “Yes” (Mt. 13:51). Then Jesus says, “Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like the master of a household who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.” (v. 52). On the word “scribe,” Elwyn E. Tilden and Bruce M. Metzger say, “an expert in the Mosaic law, having become a disciple of Jesus, is able to preserve past insights and enlarge them” (NOAB, 2^nd ed., on Mt. 13:52). Dennis C. Duling sees “scribe” as “a reference to the disciples in the Matthean groups . . . both the old scriptures and their new fulfillment in Jesus’ ministry are valued” (HarperCollins Study Bible, rev. ed., 2006, on Mt. 13:52).

Ronald D. Worden, Ph.D.

rdworden@hgst.edu

deanworden@comcast.net