Exodus 33:1-23

The Command to Leave Sinai

33:1 The LORD said to Moses, "Go, leave this place, you and the people whom you have brought up out of the land of Egypt, and go to the land of which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, 'To your descendants I will give it.' 2 I will send an angel before you, and I will drive out the Canaanites, the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. 3 Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey; but I will not go up among you, or I would consume you on the way, for you are a stiff-necked people."

4 When the people heard these harsh words, they mourned, and no one put on ornaments. 5 For the LORD had said to Moses, "Say to the Israelites, 'You are a stiff-necked people; if for a single moment I should go up among you, I would consume you. So now take off your ornaments, and I will decide what to do to you.' " 6 Therefore the Israelites stripped themselves of their ornaments, from Mount Horeb onward.

The Tent outside the Camp

7 Now Moses used to take the tent and pitch it outside the camp, far off from the camp; he called it the tent of meeting. And everyone who sought the LORD would go out to the tent of meeting, which was outside the camp. 8 Whenever Moses went out to the tent, all the people would rise and stand, each of them, at the entrance of their tents and watch Moses until he had gone into the tent. 9 When Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud would descend and stand at the entrance of the tent, and the LORD would speak with Moses. 10 When all the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance of the tent, all the people would rise and bow down, all of them, at the entrance of their tent. 11 Thus the LORD used to speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend. Then he would return to the camp; but his young assistant, Joshua son of Nun, would not leave the tent.

Moses' Intercession

12 Moses said to the LORD, "See, you have said to me, 'Bring up this people'; but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. Yet you have said, 'I know you by name, and you have also found favor in my sight.' 13 Now if I have found favor in your sight, show me your ways, so that I may know you and find favor in your sight. Consider too that this nation is your people." 14 He said, "My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest." 15 And he said to him, "If your presence will not go, do not carry us up from here. 16 For how shall it be known that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people, unless you go with us? In this way, we shall be distinct, I and your people, from every people on the face of the earth."

17 The LORD said to Moses, "I will do the very thing that you have asked; for you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name." 18 Moses said, "Show me your glory, I pray." 19 And he said, "I will make all my goodness pass before you, and will proclaim before you the name, 'The LORD'; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. 20 But," he said, "you cannot see my face; for no one shall see me and live." 21 And the LORD continued, "See, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock; 22 and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by; 23 then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back; but my face shall not be seen." (Exodus 33:1-23, NRSV)

The following comments are based on those of April 16, 2008 (Wednesday in the Fourth Week of Easter, Year Two), when they were repeated from May 10, 2006 (Wednesday in the week of the Fourth Sunday of Easter, Year Two).

This reading appears to begin with a command for the Israelites to leave Mount Sinai. “The LORD said to Moses, ‘Go, leave this place, you and the people whom you have brought up out of the land of Egypt, and go to the land of which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, “To your descendants I will give it” ’ ” (Exod. 33:1). However, they do not in fact leave for some time (Num. 10:11-36), because Moses’ efforts and intercession restore the broken relationship of God with the people. “I will send an angel before you,” says the LORD, “and I will drive out the Canaanites, the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites” (v. 2). According to Jeffrey H. Tigay, the presence of the angel who will go before them (32:34; 33:2) “is punitive: God himself will not accompany a rebellious people. The people’s misguided attempt to secure God’s Presence and guidance (32:1) has backfired, and God’s plan to abide among the people in the Tabernacle (25:8, 29:45-46) is implicitly withdrawn” (The Jewish Study Bible, 2004, on Exod. 33:1-3). The continuation of God’s instruction confirms this understanding. “Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey; but I will not go up among you, or I would consume you on the way, for you are a stiff-necked people” (33:3). Tigay adds that “all of Moses’ efforts in chs. 33-34 are directed toward ending this alienation and restoring God’s direct Presence among the people, and he succeeds step by step; see vv. 14, 17; 34:1, 10)” (ibid.).

What appears to be a definite decision of the LORD to withhold his presence from Israel begins to change as the people show signs of repentance. “When the people heard these harsh words, they mourned, and no one put on ornaments” (v. 4). Or, rather, they took them off. “For the LORD had said to Moses, ‘Say to the Israelites, “You are a stiff-necked people; if for a single moment I should go up among you, I would consume you. So now take off your ornaments, and I will decide what to do to you” ’ ” (v. 5). “Therefore,” says the narrator, “the Israelites stripped themselves of their ornaments, from Mount Horeb onward” (v. 6). “The People remove their ornaments,” says Judith E. Sanderson, “their victors’ plunder, to show contrition and try to persuade God to decide favorably” (NOAB, 3^rd ed., augmented, 2007, on Exod. 33:4-6).

The continuation (Exod. 3:7-11) describes “the Tent outside the Camp” (the NRSV subtitle, some printings). “Now Moses used to take (Hq01y9, yiqqach, imperfect tense) the tent and pitch it (Ol8-hFAn!&v4, w ^enātāh-lô, perfect tense verb with waw consecutive) outside the camp, far off from the camp; he called it the tent of meeting (df27Om lh,xo8, ’ōhel mô‘ēd)” (v. 7a). The verbs translated, “used to take” and “pitch it” represent the common narrative sequence in Hebrew in which an imperfect tense verb expresses actions or states “which continued throughout a longer or shorter period” (E. Kautzsch, ed., and A. E. Cowley, trans., Gesenius’ Hebrew Grammar, 2^nd English ed., 1910, reprinted 1985, sec. 107 b), and is followed by “the perfect consecutive [which] like the imperfect consecutive, always belongs to the period of time expressed by the preceding tense” (ibid., sec. 112 c). This consecutive relationship of the verbs continues through the paragraph, indicated by the helping verb “would” in the NRSV. What would happen again and again is thus described repeatedly by perfect tense verbs with the waw consecutive. On “pitch it,” Edward L. Greenstein says, “The Hebrew adds ‘for himself [Ol, lô, as above, lacking in LCC, cf. BHS apparatus]’ ” (HarperCollins Study Bible, rev. ed., 2006, on Exod. 33:7). “And everyone,” says the narrator, “who sought the LORD would go out to the tent of meeting, which was outside the camp” (v. 7b). “Moses pitches the tent to administer the oracle,” says Greenstein, “(see v. 9)” (ibid.). He refers to his earlier note: “Moses learns how to set up a mobile dwelling (tabernacle( for the deity in the midst of the Israelite camp and to establish its priesthood. The dwelling serves as a shrine for worship and as an oracular source (29:43-44), the tent of meeting (27:21); cf. note on 33:7)” (ibid., on 25:1-31:18). But Rabbi J. H. Hertz says, “Despite the use of the definite article, the allusion cannot be to the ‘Tent of Meeting’ mentioned in [27:21], as that was not yet in existence. It may point back to Moses’ tent, which is referred to in [18:7], where Moses used to receive the people who came to him with their disputes” (Pentateuch & Haftorahs, 2^nd ed., 24^th printing, on Exod. 33:7. Tigay says, “As a consequence of God’s refusal to abide among the people, Moses moves the site for communicating with Him outside the camp and (v. 12) resumes his dialogue with Him” (op. cit., on vv. 7-11).

“Whenever Moses went out to the tent,” we are told, “all the people would rise and stand, each of them, at the entrance of their tents and watch Moses until he had gone into the tent” (v. 8). On “rose up” (JPS 1917, for NRSV “would rise,” the Rabbi says, “in reverence,” and on “looked after Moses” (JPS, for NRSV “watch Moses”) he says, “followed him reverently with their eyes” (op. cit., on v. 8). According to Sanderson, “the people’s disrespect for Moses (32:1) is gone completely” (op. cit., on 33:8). “When Moses entered the tent,” says the narrator, “the pillar of cloud would descend and stand at the entrance of the tent, and the LORD would speak with Moses” (v. 9). “Pillar of cloud,” says Rabbi Hertz, was “the visible representation of the shechinah (xiii, 21)” (op. cit., on v. 9). A further sign of the people’s return from rebellion to reverence is presented. “When all the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance of the tent, all the people would rise and bow down (UvH3T1&w4h9v4, w ^ehištach ^awû, ‘worshipped AV/KJV, JPS), all of them, at the entrance of their tent” (v. 10). Of “worshipped” (JPS, for NRSV “would . . . bow down), the Rabbi says “prostrated themselves to the ground” (ibid., on v. 20). “Thus the LORD used to speak (rB,d9v4, w ^edibber) to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend. Then he would return to the camp; but his young assistant, Joshua son of Nun, would not leave the tent” (v. 11). Note the conclusion here of perfect tense verbs with waw consecutive continuing the sense of the initial imperfect, “Moses used to take the tent and pitch it” (v. 7). The paragraph describes a scenario that occurred again and again.

But the narrator moves on to a specific occasion. “Moses said to the LORD, ‘See, you have said to me, “Bring up this people”; but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. Yet you have said, “I know you by name, and you have also found favor in my sight.” Now if I have found favor in your sight, show me your ways, so that I may know you and find favor in your sight. Consider too that this nation is your people’ ” (vv. 12-13). Of “Thy ways” (JPS, for NRSV “your ways”), Rabbi Hertz says, “The Talmud understands Moses’ request as a desire to know the principles on which God deals with human beings, granting prosperity to some and adversity to others; to understand God’s nature, in order that he might lead and govern the people in accordance with the Divine will” (ibid., on v. 13). Sanderson says, “Because of the people’s change of heart (vv. 4-6, 8, 10) Moses intercedes a third time, and because of his special relationship with God, he succeeds” (op. cit., on vv. 12-16). God responds, “My presence (ynaPA, pānay, lit. ‘my face’) will go with you, and I will give you ( j`l!&, lāk, pausal form, ‘to you’ singular) rest” (v. 14). Of “my presence,” the Rabbi says, “Heb. panai. The expression is synonymous with ‘I’ (cf. II Sam. xvii, 11). Onkelos renders by, ‘My Shechinah’ ” (op. cit., on v. 14). Of “give thee [singular] rest” (JPS, for NRSV “give you [ambiguous] rest”), he says, “In the Promised Land. ‘Thee’ refers to the people, as in v 2 f above” (ibid.). Citing the NJPS, “I will go in the lead and will lighten your burden” (NJPS 1985, 1999, for NRSV “my presence will go with you and I will give you rest”), Tigay says, “Rather: ‘I personally will go and will deliver you to safety.’ ‘Deliver to a safe haven’ is a common meaning of the second verb (Deut. 3:20: 25:19). This is essentially the role God had promised the angel would play in v. 2 and 23:20-23, and is therefore a further concession to Moses, though he has not yet agreed to go in Israel’s midst (34:9)” (op. cit., on v. 14). Moses’ further plea amounts to a disclaimer. “And he [Moses] said to him [the LORD], ‘If your presence ( j~yn,PA, pānékā) will not go, do not carry us up from here” (v. 15). Again the NJPS differs: “Unless you go in the lead, do not make us leave this place” (v. 15 NJPS). For this, Tigay says, “Rather, ‘unless you personally go,’ as in v. 14” (ibid., on v. 15). According to Rabbi Hertz, “Unless the Divine Presence be in their midst when they proceed on their journey, Moses begs that they stay at Sinai–a spot which had been hallowed by the Revelation” (op. cit., on v. 15). “For how shall it be known,” asks Moses, “that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people, unless you go with us? In this way, we shall be distinct, I and your people, from every people on the face of the earth” (v. 16). “Israel is a unique people,” says Sanderson, “because they undertake a special journey with God leading them into the future” (op. cit., on v. 16). “Israel’s distinctiveness,” says Rabbi Hertz, “consisted solely in the Divine nearness to Israel” (op. cit., on v. 16). According to Tigay, “Moses insists that Israel enjoy the same favor that he does and reiterates that it is God’s people. The proof of divine favor is to be led by God Himself, not by an intermediary” (op. cit., on v. 16).

In response, the LORD says, “I will do the very thing that you have asked; for you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name” (v. 17). And Moses asks for more: “Show me your glory, I pray” (v. 18). Moses has made two requests, to see God’s “ways” (v. 13) and to see his “glory” (v. 18). “God replies to both of Moses’ requests,” says Tigay: “He will let him know his ways (v. 19) and grant him a partial visual experience, but a full visual experience would be fatal (vv. 20-23)” (op. cit., on vv. 19-23). The LORD promises to “make all my goodness (yb9UF, tûvî) pass pass before you,” and to “proclaim before you the name, ‘The LORD’ (hvhy, YHWH); and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy” (v. 19). Sanderson notes the similarity of the sentence, “I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious” to “I AM WHO I AM (3:14), emphasizing divine freedom.” But, “God’s actions,” she adds, “while free, are not capricious, however but express divine ‘goodness’ (34:6-7)” (op. cit., on v. 19). Rabbi Hertz relates the term “goodness” (v. 19) to “God’s moral attributes”:

The revelation of these Attributes of love and mercy is the source of the sublime principle of the Imitation of God, h`bqH lw vytvdmb tqbdh. This Jewish ideal, ‘one of the most advanced triumphs of Religion,’ goes back to the Divine demand in Lev. xix, 2, ‘Ye shall be holy: for I the LORD your God am holy.” Israel is not only to serve God, but to imitate Him. Mortal man, however cannot imitate God’s infinity, omnipotence or eternity. That side of His nature, which is beyond human comprehension, is also beyond human imitation. But we can know His ‘goodness’, and we can follow His ways of mercy and forgiveness. Thus, pity is a Divine attribute; and man is never nearer to the Divine than in his compassionate moments. God’s merciful qualities are, therefore, the most real links between God and Man. “Even as I am merciful, be thou merciful; even as I am gracious, be thou gracious,’ is the Rabbinic translation of the great commandment of the Imitation of God. (op. cit., on Exod. 33:19)

Compare the words of Jesus, “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful” (Lk. 6:36). Moses does not see God’s face. “ ‘But,’ he [i.e., God] said, ‘you cannot see my face; for no one shall see me and live’ ” (Exod. 33:20). Of “see My face,” the Rabbi says, “Moses desires to know what no human being can fathom, what no human language can express. His request, however, is not due to curiosity, but in order to confirm the promise in v. 14” (ibid., on v. 20). On “and live,” he adds, “The expression that a mortal cannot see God and live is frequently found in Scripture” (ibid.). “According to Num. 12:8,” says Tigay, “Moses sees God’s likeness (Heb. ‘’temunah,’ which appears in poetic parallelism with ‘face’ in Ps. 17:15. This may represent a different tradition than the present v., or it may represent a later stage in Moses’ relationship with God” (op. cit., on v 20). But Moses, though not permitted to see God’s face, is allowed to see God’s “back” (v. 23). We are told that “the LORD continued, ‘See, there is a place by me where you shall stand (TAb4c0an9v4, w ^enitstsavtā) on the rock (rUc0&ha, hatstsûr); and while my glory (yd9boK4, k ^evōdî ) passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock (rUc07ha tr18q4n9B4, b ^eniqrath hatstsûr), and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by” (vv. 21-22). Of “stand,” Greenstein says, “See note on 2:4 [‘station oneself’]. The Hebrew term is rendered ‘present yourself ’ in 34:2” (op. cit., on v. 21). Of “upon the rock” (JPS, for NRSV “on the rock”), Rabbi Hertz says, “Of Sinai” (op. cit., on v. 21). According to William L. Holladay, *hr!q!n4 (n ^eqārāh), “cleft, gap (in rock)” occurs only here and in Isa. 2:21 in the Hebrew Bible (A Concise Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament, 1971, 10^th corrected impression 1988, s.v. *hr!q!n4, n ^eqārāh). “Then,” continues the LORD, “I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back (yr!7Hox3, ’ ^achōrāy), but my face (yn1pAU, ûphānay) shall not be seen” (v. 23). Paul comments on this scene (2 Cor. 3:7-11), claiming that the Christian gospel has "the greater glory" (v. 10). Rabbi Hertz says, “Moses will be sheltered in ‘a cleft of the rock.’ He will thus not see ‘the face', the full Manifestation of the Divine radiance; but only its afterglow, ‘the back,' so to speak. It is, of course quite impossible to penetrate the full mystery of these words, conveying sublime truths concerning the Divine nature in the ordinary language of man. . . . Even as a ship sails through the waters of ocean and leaves its wake behind, so God may be known by His Divine ‘footprints' in human history, by His traces in the human soul” (on v. 23).

1 Thessalonians 2:1-12

2:1 You yourselves know, brothers and sisters, that our coming to you was not in vain, 2 but though we had already suffered and been shamefully mistreated at Philippi, as you know, we had courage in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in spite of great opposition. 3 For our appeal does not spring from deceit or impure motives or trickery, 4 but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the message of the gospel, even so we speak, not to please mortals, but to please God who tests our hearts. 5 As you know and as God is our witness, we never came with words of flattery or with a pretext for greed; 6 nor did we seek praise from mortals, whether from you or from others, 7 though we might have made demands as apostles of Christ. But we were gentle among you, like a nurse tenderly caring for her own children. 8 So deeply do we care for you that we are determined to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you have become very dear to us.

9 You remember our labor and toil, brothers and sisters; we worked night and day, so that we might not burden any of you while we proclaimed to you the gospel of God. 10 You are witnesses, and God also, how pure, upright, and blameless our conduct was toward you believers. 11 As you know, we dealt with each one of you like a father with his children, 12 urging and encouraging you and pleading that you lead a life worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory (1 Thessalonians 2:1-12, NRSV)

The following comments are based on those of December 2, 2008 (Tuesday in the week of the First Sunday of Advent, Year One), when comments were repeated with editing and supplement from April 16, 2008 (Wednesday in the week of the Fourth Sunday of Easter, Year Two), when comments were repeated from December 5, 2006 (Tuesday in the week of the First Sunday of Advent, Year One), when comments were combined with revision and supplement from November 30, 2004, (Tuesday of the week of the First Sunday of Advent, Year One), and from May 10, 2006 (Wednesday of the week of the Fourth Sunday of Easter, Year Two).

Paul’s Thanksgiving section, in which he thanks God for the Thessalonians’ faith and exemplary conduct in spite of persecution (1 Thess. 1:2-10) is followed by his review of his own ministry while at Thessalonica. “You yourselves know, brothers and sisters,” he says, “that our coming to you was not in vain” (1 Thess. 2:1). This, of course was already evident from his thanksgiving for their faith and Christian lives. But the emphasis turns to Paul himself, who says, “though we had already suffered and been shamefully mistreated at Philippi,” referring to his arrest, beating and imprisonment there (Acts 16:19-20), “as you know, we had courage in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in spite of great opposition” (1 Thess. 2:2; cf. Acts 17:1-9). He reminds them that he preached the gospel of God with an appeal that “does not spring from deceit or impure motives or trickery” (v. 3). Paul refers to his call, for “just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the message of the gospel,” he spoke “not to please mortals, but to please God who tests our hearts” (v. 4). Some think that opponents of Paul’s gospel sought to discredit him by comparison with wandering charlatan philosopher preachers, common at the time, including some Cynics. The name of this group means “dog-like”

probably from their manners and their meeting place, the Cynosarges, an academy for Athenian youths], ancient school of philosophy founded c.440 B.C. by Antisthenes, a disciple of Socrates. The Cynics considered virtue to be the only good, not just the highest good as Socrates had asserted. To them, virtue meant a life of self-sufficiency, of suppression of desires and restriction of wants. The Cynics paraded their poverty, their antagonism to pleasure, and their indifference to others, thereby gaining a reputation for fanatical unconventionality. After Antisthenes the principal Cynics were Diogenes of Sinope and Crates, his pupil. The Cynics, who survived until the 6th cent. A.D., influenced the Stoics, with whom they shared some philosophical objectives. (The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001-07, on the Internet at http://www.bartleby.com/65/cy/Cynics.html (accessed, Dec. 1, 2008; apparently unavailable now April 28, 2010)

Probably, not all Cynics deserved the charge of being “charlatans,” but, in any case, whether Paul responds to identification with such charlatans, or simply to charges of deception and fraud, he emphatically denies it. “As you know,” he says, “and as God is our witness, we never came with words of flattery or with a pretext for greed” (v. 5), and, he adds, “nor did we seek praise from mortals, whether from you or from others” (v. 6). He claims the right to such praise, but denies the exercise of that right, adding “though we might have made demands as apostles of Christ” (v. 7a). This, says Edgar M. Krentz, is “the only explicit reference to Paul’s apostleship in the Letter” (HarperCollins Study Bible, rev. ed., 2006, on 1 Thess. 2:7). Compare his claim to the right to a “living by the gospel” (1 Cor. 9:14, cf. vv. 4-14), of which he has “made no use” (v. 15). According to Krentz, “Using the language of philosophers of his day (deceit, impure motives, trickery, v. 3; words of flattery, pretext for greed, v. 5; praise from mortals, v. 6), Paul presents himself as an ideal philosopher whose way of life refutes the idea that he acted out of greed” (ibid., on vv. 3-8).

Paul describes his pastoral work among the Thessalonians as being “gentle among you, like a nurse tenderly caring for her own children” (v. 7b), and he expresses strong love for the Thessalonian believers: “So deeply do we care for you that we are determined to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you have become very dear to us” (v. 8). We may compare Paul’s words to the Ephesian elders as reported by Luke, who was present on that occasion:

You yourselves know how I lived among you the entire time from the first day that I set foot in Asia, serving the Lord with all humility and with tears, enduring the trials that came to me through the plots of the Jews. I did not shrink from doing anything helpful, proclaiming the message to you and teaching you publicly and from house to house, as I testified to both Jews and Greeks about repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus. (Acts 20:18b-20)

“You remember our labor and toil, brothers and sisters,” says Paul; “we worked night and day, so that we might not burden any of you while we proclaimed to you the gospel of God” (v. 9). Again, we may compare a report from Acts that, upon his arrival in Corinth, Paul plied his trade as a tentmaker, working with Aquila and Priscilla (Acts 18:3) and of his not accepting wages for preaching the gospel in Corinth (cited above, 1 Cor. 9:15). The Thessalonian believers “are witnesses,” says Paul, “and God also, how pure, upright, and blameless our conduct was toward you believers” (1 Thess. 2:10). He describes his ministry: “As you know, we dealt with each one of you like a father with his children, urging and encouraging you and pleading that you lead a life worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory” (vv. 11-12). “This self-description distances from Paul from charlatans,” says Abraham Smith (NOAB, 3^rd ed., augmented, 2007, on 1 Thess. 2:1-12). According to Krentz, “Urging and encouraging . . . and pleading are the opposite of making demands (v. 7)” (op. cit., on v. 12).

Matthew 5:17-20

17 "Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. 18 For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. 19 Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, will be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:17-20, NRSV)

In the following, comments are repeated from September 19, 2009 (Saturday in the week of the Sunday closest to September 14, Year One), when relevant comments were repeated from September 7, 2008 (the Sunday closest to September 7, Year Two), when the reading was Matthew 5:13-20, and comments were based on earlier comments, as noted there.

The following table presents the passage from Matthew on the Law and the Prophets in parallel columns with related texts from Mark and Luke. This distribution fits in well with the commonly held “Two Source Theory” of the origins of the Synoptic Gospels. On this view, Matthew 5:17-20 and Luke 16:16-17 would be based on the “Q” source, with adaptations by one or both of these evangelists, and the saying, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away” (Mk. 13:31; Mt. 24:35; Lk. 21:33), would be based on Mark as a source used by Matthew and Luke, each independently of the other.

In Matthew, Jesus claims not to abolish the Mosaic law, but to fulfill it. “Do not think,” he says, “that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill” (Mt. 5:17). As Jesus explains, “For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter ( ijw:ta, iōta), not one stroke (keraiva, keraia) of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished” (v. 18).  jIw:ta (iōta, i, i ) is the smallest letter of the Greek alphabet, and corresponds to yodh ( y, y) in the Hebrew alphabet. The word keraiva (keraia), literally a “horn,” is defined as “anything that projects like a horn, projection, hook as part of a letter, a serif ” (Bauer-Danker-Arndt-Gingrich [BDAG], A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and other Early Christian Literature, 3^rd ed., 2000, s.v. keraiva, keraia). The term is used in a passage from Plutarch’s Moralia “in the sense of something quite insignificant” (ibid.). Jesus as much as said, “Not the tiniest or least significant part of the law will pass away until all is accomplished.”

In contrast with this passage from Matthew, Luke seems to mark a clear break between the period of the law and the prophets and the period of the kingdom of God. Some suggest that this explains why he records the arrest of John the Baptist before he begins the narrative of Jesus’ public ministry (Lk.3:19-20; cf. Mk. 6:17-18; Mt. 14:3-4). According to Luke, Jesus says,

The law and the prophets were in effect until John came; since then the good news of the kingdom of God is proclaimed, and everyone tries to enter it by force. But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away, than for one stroke of a letter (keraiva, keraia) in the law to be dropped. (Lk. 16:16-17, NRSV)

According to Marion Lloyd Soards, “Here, John the Baptist is presented as the figure through whom the fulfillment of God’s promises began to appear” (NOAB, 3^rd ed., augmented, 2007, on Lk. 16:16-17). Apparently, Matthew and Luke write for different audiences, Matthew for a Christian community within close proximity to Judaism and Jewish culture, Luke for a Gentile audience. They both refer to the law and the prophets (i.e. the Hebrew scriptures), but Matthew emphasizes their fulfillment, as he quotes Jesus’ purpose “not to abolish but to fulfill [the law and the prophets]” (Mt. 5:17). Breaking these commandments, “one of the least of these commandments,” is a serious matter, and teaching “others to do the same” is even more serious (v. 19). Our righteousness must exceed “that of the scribes and Pharisees” (v. 20). (Compare Jesus statement, recorded by Matthew, that a scribe “who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven” makes a good Christian, “who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old” (Mt. 13:52). In this way, according to Matthew, Jesus prepares for what follows in chapter 5, as Jesus calls for stricter interpretation of Old Testament commandments and contemporary religious understandings of them.

However, even for Luke, says Eric Franklin, the transition from the time of “the law and the prophets,” which “were in effect until John came,” to the time of the Kingdom of God (v. 17) “does not mean an end of the righteous requirements of the law,” for in his saying about divorce” (v. 18), Jesus “actually intensifies the law’s demands” (The Oxford Bible Commentary, 2004, on vv. 16-31). Jesus’ “Free acceptance of sinners did not mean an indifferent acquiescence in their standards. Grace exposed and recreated those who responded to its gentle outreach” (ibid.). G. W. H. Lampe says, “The Law itself, however, is not repudiated by the preaching of the kingdom. It is not part of the Pharisaic ‘abomination’, but is fulfilled and so stands in its entirety. To repudiate it would be for Jesus to break the covenant or marriage-bond between God and Israel” (Peake’s Commentary on the Bible, 1962, reprint 1972, sec. 730 k, p. 837, on Lk. 16:16-18). This understanding of the “marriage-bond between God and Israel” leads to the final statement about divorce (Lk. 16:18; cf. Mk. 10:11-12; Mt. 19:9), which does not include Matthew’s exception clause, “except for unchastity” (Mt. 19:9; cf. Mt. 5:32).

In Matthew, Jesus rounds off his statement about the continuing validity of the law with a stern warning. “Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, will be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven” (Mt. 5:19). He calls for a righteousness that “exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees”: “For I tell you,” he says, “unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (v. 20). According to J. Andrew Overman, “Jesus and his followers in Matthew fulfill the law through Jesus’ teaching, though they were accused of neglecting the law (12:2)” (NOAB, 3^rd ed., augmented, 2007, on Mt. 5:17-19).

Ronald D. Worden, Ph.D.

rdworden@hgst.edu

deanworden@comcast.net