Wisdom of Solomon 7:3-14, Episcopal Tradition

Solomon Like Other Mortals

            7:1      I also am mortal, like everyone else,

a descendant of the first-formed child of earth;

and in the womb of a mother I was molded into flesh,

            2          within the period of ten months, compacted with blood,

from the seed of a man and the pleasure of marriage.

            3          And when I was born, I began to breathe the common air,

and fell upon the kindred earth;

my first sound was a cry, as is true of all.

            4          I was nursed with care in swaddling cloths.

            5          For no king has had a different beginning of existence;

            6          there is for all one entrance into life, and one way out.

Solomon’s Respect for Wisdom (1 Kings 3.3-9; Wis 9.1-18)

            7          Therefore I prayed, and understanding was given me;

I called on God, and the spirit of wisdom came to me.

            8          I preferred her to scepters and thrones,

and I accounted wealth as nothing in comparison with her.

            9          Neither did I liken to her any priceless gem,

because all gold is but a little sand in her sight,

and silver will be accounted as clay before her.

            10        I loved her more than health and beauty,

and I chose to have her rather than light,

because her radiance never ceases.

            11        All good things came to me along with her,

and in her hands uncounted wealth.

            12        I rejoiced in them all, because wisdom leads them;

but I did not know that she was their mother.

            13        I learned without guile and I impart without grudging;

I do not hide her wealth,

            14        for it is an unfailing treasure for mortals;

those who get it obtain friendship with God,

commended for the gifts that come from instruction. (Wisdom of Solomon 7:3-14, NRSV)

The following comments are based on those on Wisdom 7:1-14, of May 9, 2009 (Saturday in the week of the Fourth Sunday of Easter, Year One), when comments were repeated with editing and supplement from May 5, 2007 (Saturday in the week of the Fourth Sunday of Easter, Year One), when comments were repeated from April 23, 2005 (Saturday in the week of the Fourth Sunday of Easter, Year One):

In the fourth and fifth weeks of Easter, Year One, a series of readings covers much of the Book of the Wisdom of Solomon. But in the present period we have a single selection from Wisdom, in “the central part of the book,” which, according to David Winston, revised by Thomas H. Tobin, is “written in the first-person singular . . . Although his name is never mentioned,” they say, “the fictive speaker is clearly Solomon, and his speech in 7:1-8:21 has its roots in 1 Kings 3:3-15; 2 Chr. 1:7-13. Wisdom is a much more prominent and complex figure in this part of the book than in either the preceding or the following part. See Prov. 8:22-31; Sir. 24:1-29” (HarperCollins Study Bible, rev. ed., 2006, on Wisd. 6:22-20:21). According to Walter T. Wilson, “the Wisdom of Solomon was written as a message of encouragement and exhortation for Jews living somewhere in the Diaspora (the Jewish communities outside the land of Israel) during the Greco-Roman era” (NOAB, 3^rd ed., augmented, 2007, in the Introduction to the Wisdom of Solomon). Wilson describes these Jewish readers as “immersed in a cosmopolitan, pagan culture, one that generally viewed Judaism with suspicion if not contempt,”in which, accordingly, “many Jews felt hard-pressed to remain loyal to the basic principles and practices of their faith.” So the book “simultaneously affirms the basis of that faith and critiques those who oppose it, in the interest of promoting adherence to Jewish traditions in changing, difficult circumstances” (ibid.).

On Wisdom 7:1-6

The theme for today’s reading is set by the two preceding verses, which form a transition from the description of Wisdom as a transcendent being (Wisd. 6:12-25). The reading for the Fourth Sunday of Easter, Year One, includes 7:1-2. “Solomon” explains that he was born, as were other human beings, in the normal way: “I also am mortal,” he says, “like everyone else, / a descendant of the first-formed child of earth; / and in the womb of a mother I was molded into flesh” (Wisd. 7:1). According to Wilson, “King Solomon does not claim divinity (as many ancient monarchs did), but begins his pursuit of wisdom like everyone else” (ibid., on Wisd. 7:;1-6). He continues to describe his birth, “within the period of ten months, compacted with blood, from the seed of a man and the pleasure of marriage” (v. 2). “Ten months,” says Wilson, was ten “lunar months of four weeks, for a total of forty weeks of gestation” (ibid., on v. 2). According to Winston and Tobin, “a widespread view in the ancient world was that pregnancy lasted ten months. According to Roman law, ten lunar months made up the full period of gestation” (op. cit.., on v. 2). “And when I was born, I began to breathe the common air, / and fell upon the kindred ( oJmoiopaqh:, homoiopathē ) earth; / my first sound was a cry, as is true of all” (v. 3). The adjective oJmoiopaqhV (homoiopathēs) means, “having like feelings or passions to someone,” or “affected in the same way” (Liddell-Scott-Jones, A Greek-English Lexicon, 9^th ed., 1940, reprinted 1966, s.v. oJmoiopaqhV, homoiopathēs). For this context, Winston and Tobin say, “Kindred, better ‘that suffers the same from all,’ i.e. mother earth, which all both use and misuse” (op. cit., on v. 3).

“I was nursed with care in swaddling cloths,” says “Solomon.” “For no king has had a different beginning of existence” (vv. 4-6a). Just as kings, like other mortals, “go the way of all the earth” when they die (cf. David’s words in 1 Kgs. 2:2), so when born they “come the way of all the earth,” for “there is for all one entrance into life, and one way out” (v. 6b). According to Winston and Tobin, “the speaker is like other human beings . . . In keeping with the Jewish view, the author emphasizes the human side of the king, unlike pagan writers, who often treated the king as divine (cf. Letter of Aristeas 352-63; 282)” (op. cit., on vv. 1-6). Wilson says, “Insofar as the goal of Jewish religion is to live wisely and to rule with God (see 3:8-9; 4:16; 5:16; 6:20; 9:3; 10:2), Solomon is a model for the readers to emulate, the ideal sage and ruler” (loc. cit.).

On Wisdom 7:7-14

We come now to the section entitled (in some NRSV printings), “Solomon’s Respect for Wisdom” (Wisd. 7:7-14; see above, with the text). “Therefore I prayed,” says “Solomon,” “and understanding (frovnhsiV, phronēsis) was given me; / I called on God, and the spirit of wisdom (pneu:ma sofivaV, pneuma sophias) came to me” (v. 7). “Solomon’s” statement that he received “understanding” and “wisdom” in answer to prayer is based on 1 Kings 3:5-14, where God offered Solomon anything: “Ask what I should give you” (1 Kgs. 3:5) and Solomon asked for (an understanding mind to govern your people, able to discern between good and evil” (v. 9). The “Solomon” of the Wisdom of Solomon had his prayer answered when “understanding was given me . . . and the spirit of wisdom came to me” (v. 7). For “prayed,” Winston and Tobin refer to “1 Kings 3:6-15; 8:12-53; Sir. 51:13” (op. cit., on v. 7). The Prologue of Proverbs (Prov. 1:2-7) lists a number of synonyms for “wisdom,” including “words of insight (hnAyb9 yrem4x9, ’imrê bînāh, LXX lovgoi fronhvsewV, phronēseōs). In Wisdom, “Solomon” continues. “I preferred her [i.e., Wisdom] to scepters and thrones, / and I accounted wealth as nothing in comparison with her” (Wisd. 7:8). Wisdom’s value to “Solomon” surpasses the value of gold, silver and “priceless gem[s]”: “Neither did I liken to her [Wisdom] any priceless gem, / because all gold is but a little sand in her sight, / and silver will be accounted as clay before her” (v. 9). Even “health and beauty” cannot surpass the value of Wisdom. “I loved her more than health and beauty, / and I chose to have her rather than light, / because her radiance never ceases” (v. 10). Although preferring Wisdom to any material goods one might mention, “Solomon” discovers that Wisdom brings such things. “All good things came to me along with her, / and in her hands uncounted wealth” (v. 11). Wilson says, “Solomon desires wisdom above all else since she is the source of all good things” (op. cit., on vv. 7, 11). But one might rather see here that “Solomon” desires wisdom for its intrinsic value, not as a means to wealth and honor.

Of the “good things” that came to “Solomon” with Wisdom, he says, “I rejoiced in them all, because wisdom leads them; / but I did not know that she was their mother” (v. 12). “Wisdom,” says Wilson, “is further personified as the mother of all external goods (see 6:12-16n.; 7:22; 8:5-6)” (ibid., on vv. 11-12). But “Solomon” seems to anticipate and disclaim the charge that he sought wisdom only for the wealth it would bring him. “I learned without guile and I impart without grudging; / I do not hide her wealth” (v. 13). But he asserts that wisdom is a treasure–not, we may assume, of the material kind, “for it is an unfailing treasure for mortals; / those who get it obtain friendship with God, / commended for the gifts that come from instruction” (v. 14). According to Wilson, “Abraham in particular was known for his friendship with God (2 Chr. 20:7; Isa. 41:8; Jas. 2:23); see also [Wisd.] 7:27; 8:18; Job 29:4; Ps. 25:14; Jer. 3:4)” (ibid., on v. 14). We sometimes differentiate wisdom from knowledge as the proper use of the latter, but the conception here seems to coalesce the two (joining what we call pure and applied science?). However, one must not neglect the religious aspect of wisdom as advocated here.

In the Book of 1 Kings, a somewhat less glowing picture of Solomon is presented, but the following reading focuses on the prayer to which the Wisdom of Solomon reading alludes.

1 Kings 3:5-14, Presbyterian and Lutheran Traditions

5 At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, "Ask what I should give you." 6 And Solomon said, "You have shown great and steadfast love to your servant my father David, because he walked before you in faithfulness, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart toward you; and you have kept for him this great and steadfast love, and have given him a son to sit on his throne today. 7 And now, O LORD my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David, although I am only a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in. 8 And your servant is in the midst of the people whom you have chosen, a great people, so numerous they cannot be numbered or counted. 9 Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, able to discern between good and evil; for who can govern this your great people?"

10 It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this. 11 God said to him, "Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches, or for the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, 12 I now do according to your word. Indeed I give you a wise and discerning mind; no one like you has been before you and no one like you shall arise after you. 13 I give you also what you have not asked, both riches and honor all your life; no other king shall compare with you. 14 If you will walk in my ways, keeping my statutes and my commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your life." (1 Kings 3:5-14, NRSV)

The following comments are repeated here from December 31, 2009, three days ago. The sources in previous comments are indicated there.

In the first two chapters of 1 Kings, we read of the final illness and passing of David, and the struggles for his succession which brought Solomon to the throne. After Adonijah’s attempts to become king and other challenges are thwarted, we are told, “So the kingdom was established in the hand of Solomon (1 Kgs. 2:46b). Chapter 3 begins by reporting Solomon’s “marriage alliance with Pharaoh king of Egypt.” Solomon “took Pharaoh’s daughter and brought her into the city of David, until he had finished building his own house and the house of the LORD and the wall around Jerusalem” (3:1). And so, at the very beginning the seeds of his downfall (chap. 11) appear; compare the reference to “the daughter of Pharaoh,” as the first in the list of “many foreign women” (11:1). By “city of David,” is meant, according to Frank S. Frick, the “oldest part of Jerusalem . . . located in the southeastern part of present-day Jerusalem on a land peninsula that is formed by the Kidron Valley on the east and the Tyropoeon Valley (Gk., ‘Valley of the Cheese-makers’) on the west” (Harper’s Bible Dictionary, rev. ed., 1996, s.v. David, City of). Frick adds that Solomon “expanded the city to the north, where he constructed a large platform on which he built the Temple and other elaborate royal buildings (1 Kings 6-7).” Ziony Zevit calls the report of this marriage, and the time reference, “until he had finished building his own house and the house of the LORD and the wall around Jerusalem” (1:1b), “Brief comments introducing themes and ideas developed later in the book” (Ziony Zevit, The Jewish Study Bible, 2004, p. 677, on 1 Kings 3:1-4). According to Robert R. Wilson, Solomon’s “political alliance with an unnamed king of Egypt indicates that Solomon is now powerful enough to be part of the world of international politics” (HarperCollins Study Bible, rev. ed., 2006, on 1 Kings 3:1-2). But Zevit says, “Since Egyptian sources indicate that it is unlikely that the actual daughter of a reigning Pharaoh would have been given in marriage to a non-Egyptian, ‘daughter’ may refer to a woman closely related to or descended from the royal family” (on v. 1).

Another issue that repeatedly comes up in the Books of Kings is raised here, that is, worship in the “high places,” which the final editors of these books consider a contributing factor to the disaster of the eventual Babylonian conquest (cf. 2 Kings 17:9). “The people were sacrificing at the high places, however, because no house had yet been built for the name of the LORD” (1 Kings 3:2). And Solomon himself engaged in such worship. Although he “loved the LORD, walking in the statutes of his father David,” he “sacrificed and offered incense at the high places” (v. 3). And furthermore, “the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was the principal high place; Solomon used to offer a thousand burnt offerings on that altar” (v. 4). This is counted as an exception to the otherwise favorable estimate of Solomon (v. 3). There are those, of course who would see Deuteronomy and the legislation against the high places as coming later than Solomon’s time by a couple centuries (see below).

But it is the LORD, whom Solomon meets at Gibeon. When we think of Solomon, we think of wisdom. At Gibeon in a dream he is offered a request, when God says “Ask what I should give you” (1 Kgs. 3:5). His request for “an understanding mind (f1mewo ble, lēv šōmē ^a‘ ) to govern your people, able to discern between good and evil” (v. 9), is preceded by a kind of preamble which reviews the LORD’s former blessings, and echoes some of David’ final words to him (cf. 2:1-4).

You have shown great and steadfast love to your servant my father David, because he walked before you in faithfulness, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart toward you; and you have kept for him this great and steadfast love, and have given him a son to sit on his throne today. And now, O LORD my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David, although I am only a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in. And your servant is in the midst of the people whom you have chosen, a great people, so numerous they cannot be numbered or counted. (1 Kings 3:6-8, NRSV)

With these words, says Iain W. Provan, “Solomon implicitly admits that his royal rule thus far has been flawed. The self-serving wisdom of ch. 2 must be replaced with a higher wisdom (3:12) so that the king may rule justly and well over his subjects (vv. 9, 11). Without it, Solomon is like a little child who does not know how to go out or to come in (v. 7; the phrase probably implies a lack of military experience)” (NOAB, 3^rd ed., augmented, 2007, on vv. 4-15). Referring to Solomon’s request for “an understanding mind,” Wilson says it is literally a “listening heart,” and adds, “The heart was considered both the seat of the intellect and an organ of perception, so a listening heart is one open to divine direction. Only such a heart is capable of governing God’s people and distinguishing good from evil” (op. cit., on v. 9).

The LORD, we are told, is pleased with Solomon’s request. “It pleased the Lord that Solomon asked this” (v. 10). In the dream (vv. 5, 15), God addresses Solomon directly:

Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches, or for the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, I now do according to your word. Indeed I give you a wise and discerning mind; no one like you has been before you and no one like you shall arise after you. I give you also what you have not asked, both riches and honor all your life; no other king shall compare with you. If you will walk in my ways, keeping my statutes and my commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your life. (1 Kings 3:11-14, NRSV)

As it turns out, this was a dream. “Then Solomon awoke,” we are told; “it had been a dream. He came to Jerusalem where he stood before the ark of the covenant of the LORD. He offered up burnt offerings and offerings of well-being, and provided a feast for all his servants” (v. 15). Provan observes that, “Both Solomon’s wisdom and his wealth are themes developed in the following account of his reign” (op. cit., on 1 Kings 3:12-13). But we might ask a few questions. How wise was it to begin his reign by marrying an Egyptian princess (v. 1)? Marriage with foreign wives was forbidden (Deut. 7:3, though the nations mentioned are principally the former inhabitants of Canaan). Or how wise was it to make an alliance with Egypt (v. 1) in the light of Deuteronomy 17:16? Earlier David’s advice to Solomon about dealing with Joab mentions Solomon’s “wisdom”: “Act therefore according to your wisdom, but do not let his [Joab’s] gray head go down to Sheol in peace” (1 Kgs. 2:6). By his earlier “wisdom” Solomon swiftly disposed of people who could potentially threaten his position as king. According to Provan, Solomon’s “old ‘wisdom’ had led to the use of the sword only for arguably unjust executions. His new wisdom leads to a more positive use of his weapon (v. 24), threatening execution in order to achieve justice” (ibid., on vv. 16-28). Solomon accomplished many things, some that David wanted, but was not allowed, to do. But it’s hard to think of these things without remembering the assessment of him in chapter 11–the dark side of his reign, so to speak. And one might say that shadows of this dark side appear right from the beginning. What was he doing in one of the “high places,” for goodness sake? Gibeon was “the principal high place” (1 Kgs. 3:4; cf. Deut. 12:2-7).

We should remember that 1 Kings and 2 Kings were a continuous story–and for that matter, so was Samuel-Kings. There are two books of each because an ancient scroll would only hold so much. The final authors/editors of Kings were concerned to understand the disaster of the Babylonian conquest and the demolition of the first temple. They represent a prophetic viewpoint and conclude that the disaster was God’s punishment for the sin of idolatry, forsaking the LORD their God. In their judgment, the kings of Israel and Judah bear primary responsibility for this idolatry and apostasy. And so these editors apparently took some pains to suggest that it began with Solomon. There are those who think Deuteronomy wasn’t written yet, and Solomon is perhaps unjustly blamed by the standards of a later time. But idolatry is recurrent throughout the historical books–the ones the Jews call the “Former Prophets”–and it is denounced repeatedly by the prophets. However, the later concern is the worship of other gods, not the LORD (YHWH), whom Solomon meets in his dream at Gibeon.

Colossians 3:12-17

12 As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. 13 Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14 Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God. 17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. (Colossians 3:12-27, NRSV)

The following comments are based on those of May 9, 2009 (Saturday in the week of the Fourth Sunday of Easter, Year One), when relevant comments, those on Colossians 3:12-17,were repeated from April 12, 2008 (Saturday in the week of the Third Sunday of Easter, Year Two). Comments on Colossians 3:1-11 from April 12, 2008, were used on May 8, 2009. Notes there indicate when earlier versions of the comments were used.

After being reminded to put away the sins of our former, pre-Christian lives, we are now instructed to practice the virtues of the new life in Christ. “As God’s chosen ones ( ejklektoiv, eklektoi), holy and beloved,” says Paul, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience” (Col. 3:12). The language about removing and putting on clothes was used earlier. “But now you must get rid of (ajpovqesqe, apothesthe) all such things–anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive language from your mouth” (v. 8). Ridding oneself of such is compared with removing clothing–presumably soiled–to be replaced with clean clothing. “Do not lie to one another,” says Paul, “seeing that you have stripped off the old self with its practices and have clothed yourselves ( ejndusavmenoi, endysamenoi, aorist participle middle voice of ejnduvw, endyō ) with the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge according to the image of its creator” (vv. 9-10). By “image of its creator,” says J. Paul Sampley, is meant “the image of Christ. See 1:15; see also 2 Cor. 4:4” (HarperCollins Study Bible, rev. ed., 2006, on Col. 3:10). “In that renewal,” says Paul, “there is no longer Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and free; but Christ is all and in all!” (v. 11). Paul advises, “Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. Above all,” he adds, “clothe yourselves with love (hJ ajgavph, hē agapē ), which binds everything together in perfect harmony” (vv. 13-14). The word translated “get rid of” (v. 8) means “put away, lay aside, rid oneself of ” (Frederick W. Danker, The Concise Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, 2009, s.v. ajpotivqhmi apotithēmi). The word form translated “have clothed yourselves” (v. 10) means “clothe oneself in, put on, wear ” (ibid., s.v. ejnduvw, endyō ). According to Sampley, “The language of disrobing (get rid of, stripped off ) and being clothed, associated with baptism (see note on 2:11), is here applied to ethical behavior” (op. cit., on 3:8-14). In the earlier note he says, “At baptism (see v. 12), new believers put off their old garments and afterwards were clothed in new ones; see also 3:9-10; Eph. 4:22-24” (ibid., on 2:11). So the underlying metaphor is a complete change of wardrobe. We are to “get rid of” the listed sins (cf. vv. 5-9), and put on the virtues listed in verses 12-14: compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience (v. 12); bearing with one another, forgiving each other (v. 13), and above all, love (v. 14). As in 1 Corinthians 13, love is the key. “If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal” (1 Cor. 13:1). Love “binds everything together in perfect harmony” (Col. 3:14). Verses 12 through 14 are one sentence in Greek, coming to a climax in “love” (hJ ajgavph, hē agapē ). This perfect harmony includes the ruling of the peace of God in our hearts. “And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called ( ejklhvqhte, eklēthēte) in the one body. And be thankful” (v. 15). “Called,” says Sampley, “has the same meaning as chosen in v. 12” (op. cit., on v. 15). Perhaps so, but the words are from different roots ( ejklevgw, eklegō, “choose, select”; and kalevw, kaleō, “call”).

We are to celebrate this new peace and life style. “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly,” says Paul; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God” (v. 16). “Believers,” says Sampley, “are to teach each other as the author has taught them; see 1:28.” And for “singing psalms . . . and . . . songs,” he adds, “see 1 Cor. 14:26; Eph. 5:19” (ibid., on v. 16). F. F. Bruce comments as follows:

Plainly, when early Christians came together for worship, they not only realized the presence of Christ in the breaking of the bread but also addressed prayers and praises to him in a manner which tacitly, and at times expressly, acknowledged him to be no less than God. If here the Colossian Christians are encouraged to sing in their hearts to God, the parallel Ephesians passage speaks of ‘singing and making melody in your hearts to the Lord’ (meaning, presumably, Christ). The voice must express the praise of the heart if the singing is to be really addressed to God. Again, the necessity of a thankful spirit is emphasized, although the phrase rendered ‘with thanksgiving’ might mean ‘with grace’ or ‘in a state of grace.’ (The Epistles to the Colossians, to Philemon, and to the Ephesians, NICNT, 1984, p. 159, on Col. 3:16)

In the concluding verse, Paul presents a comprehensive guideline. “And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (v. 17). From this, Bruce infers the following:

The Christian (whether of the apostolic age or any other generation), when confronted by a moral issue, may not find any explicit word of Christ relating to its particular details. But the question may be asked: ‘What is the Christian thing to do here? Can I do this without compromising my Christian confession? Can I do it (that is to say) ‘in the name of the Lord Jesus’--whose reputation is at stake in the conduct of his known followers? And can I thank God the Father through him for the opportunity of doing this thing?’ Even then, the right course of action may not be unambiguously clear, but such questions, honestly faced, will commonly provide surer ethical guidance than special regulations may do. It is often easy to get around special regulations; it is less easy to get around so comprehensive a statement of Christian duty as this verse supplies.In the NT and the OT alike it is insisted that our relation to God embraces and controls the whole of life, and not only those occasions which are sometimes described as ‘religious’ in a narrow sense of the word. (ibid., p. 160, on Col. 3:17)

John 6:41-47

41 Then the Jews began to complain about him because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” 42 They were saying, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?” 43 Jesus answered them, “Do not complain among yourselves. 44 No one can come to me unless drawn by the Father who sent me; and I will raise that person up on the last day. 45 It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me. 46 Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God; he has seen the Father. 47 Very truly, I tell you, whoever believes has eternal life. (John 6:41-47, NRSV)

The following comments are based on relevant comments from those on John 6:41-51 of March 26, 2009 (Thursday in the week of the Fourth Sunday of Lent, Year One), comments repeated there from January 4, 2009 (the Second Sunday after Christmas, Year One), and earlier comments as indicated there.

Most of John, chapter six, is devoted to a discussion of Jesus with Jews of Galilee following–and in the main based upon–the Feeding of the Five Thousand (Jn. 6:1-15; cf. Mt. 14:13-21; Mk. 6:32-44; Lk. 9:10-17). This miracle, as is frequently pointed out, is the only miracle reported in each of the four Gospels (except, of course, the supreme miracle of Jesus’ resurrection). It is followed in three Gospels by the report of Jesus Walking on the Sea (Mt. 14:22-27; Mk. 6:45-51; Jn. 6:16-21). Luke omits most of the following material from Mark through the report of Healing a Blind Man at Bethsaida (Mk. 8:22-26), as he moves toward the Journey to Jerusalem (Lk. 9:51-18:14) and the preparation in Jesus’ Passion Predictions (Lk. 9:22; 43b-45; 18:31-34 and parallel passages).

Jesus’ discussion of the bread of life continues in John, chapter six. “Then the Jews began to complain about him,” we are told, “because he said, ‘I am the bread that came down from heaven’ ” (Jn. 6:41). In yesterday’s comments we took note of a comparison of Jesus and the feeding of 5000 with Moses’ feeding of the Israelites with manna (cf. Jn. 6:14; Deut. 18:15, 18). Here, the Pharisees (“Jews”) object that Jesus is an ordinary human being. “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?” (v. 42). The Evangelist John (i.e., the Gospel’s author) has already informed the readers that Jesus is “the one who comes from above . . . who comes from heaven” (3:31), the one “whom God has sent” (v. 34). Jesus responds to the Jews’ complaint, answering them, “Do not complain among yourselves” (6:43). He reiterates his claim. “No one can come to me unless drawn by the Father who sent me; and I will raise that person up on the last day” (v. 44). “Unless drawn by the Father,” says Obery M. Hendricks, means “allow themselves to hear God’s call through Jesus” (NOAB, 3^rd ed., augmented, 2007, on Jn. 6:44-45). Jesus alludes to support in the prophets, for those who will learn. “It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me” (v. 45; cf. Isa. 54:13). According to Donald G. Miller and Bruce M. Metzger, “They should have “heard and learned God’s voice in their scriptures” so they “would have recognized its accents in him who alone has direct communion with God” (NOAB, 2^nd ed., 2001, on Jn. 6:44-45). “Not that anyone has seen the Father,” says Jesus, “except the one who is from God; he has seen the Father” (v 46; cf. 1:18). Raymond E. Brown comments on “not that anyone has seen the Father,” saying, “This is the same theme as i 18; and the contrast with Moses suggested there . . . is probably in mind here as well, in view of vs. 32” (The Gospel according to John I-XII, Anchor Bible 29, 1966, on 6:46). So Jesus reiterates the claim that only he, who has come from God, has seen God (v. 46). And he repeats the promise, “Very truly, I tell you, whoever believes has eternal life” (v. 47; cf. 3:16, 36; 4:14 and passim).

Ronald D. Worden, Ph.D.

rdworden@hgst.edu

deanworden@comcast.net