Exodus 34:1-17

Moses Makes New Tablets (Deut 10.1-5)

34:1 The LORD said to Moses, "Cut two tablets of stone like the former ones, and I will write on the tablets the words that were on the former tablets, which you broke. 2 Be ready in the morning, and come up in the morning to Mount Sinai and present yourself there to me, on the top of the mountain. 3 No one shall come up with you, and do not let anyone be seen throughout all the mountain; and do not let flocks or herds graze in front of that mountain." 4 So Moses cut two tablets of stone like the former ones; and he rose early in the morning and went up on Mount Sinai, as the LORD had commanded him, and took in his hand the two tablets of stone. 5 The LORD descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name, "The LORD." 6 The LORD passed before him, and proclaimed,

"The LORD, the LORD,

a God merciful and gracious,

slow to anger,

and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness,

7 keeping steadfast love for the thousandth generation,

forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin,

yet by no means clearing the guilty,

but visiting the iniquity of the parents

upon the children

and the children's children,

to the third and the fourth generation."

8 And Moses quickly bowed his head toward the earth, and worshiped. 9 He said, "If now I have found favor in your sight, O Lord, I pray, let the Lord go with us. Although this is a stiff-necked people, pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for your inheritance."

The Covenant Renewed (Ex 23.14-19; Deut 7.1-6; 16.1-17)

10 He said: I hereby make a covenant. Before all your people I will perform marvels, such as have not been performed in all the earth or in any nation; and all the people among whom you live shall see the work of the LORD; for it is an awesome thing that I will do with you.

11 Observe what I command you today. See, I will drive out before you the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. 12 Take care not to make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land to which you are going, or it will become a snare among you. 13 You shall tear down their altars, break their pillars, and cut down their sacred poles 14 (for you shall worship no other god, because the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God). 15 You shall not make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, for when they prostitute themselves to their gods and sacrifice to their gods, someone among them will invite you, and you will eat of the sacrifice. 16 And you will take wives from among their daughters for your sons, and their daughters who prostitute themselves to their gods will make your sons also prostitute themselves to their gods.

17 You shall not make cast idols. (Exodus 34:1-17, NRSV)

The following comments are repeated here from April 17, 2008 (Thursday in the Fourth Week of Easter, Year Two), when comments were repeated with editing and supplement from May 11, 2006 (Thursday in the week of the Fourth Sunday of Easter, Year Two), when comments were repeated from May 6, 2004 (Thursday of the week of the Fourth Sunday of Easter, Year Two), in an email sent on May 5, 2004, for May 6-9, 2004).

Bernard W. Anderson has characterized Exodus, chapter 34, as “The renewal of the covenant, symbolized by the rewriting of the commandments (NOAB, 2^nd ed., 1994, on Exod. 34). The ceremony in chapter 24 first ratified the covenant and concluded a series of related events, the theophany at Sinai (chap. 19), the Ten Commandments (chap. 20), and the "Covenant Code" (20:22-23:33). Renewal was required because the covenant was broken by the incident of the Golden Calf (chap. 32). So now, Moses is directed to prepare a second set of tablets (34:1-4) to receive the words from the first set of tablets (24:12-14). The LORD says, “Cut two tablets of stone like the former ones, and I will write on the tablets the words that were on the former tablets, which you broke” (Exod. 34:1). According to Jeffrey H. Tigay, “God now prepares to formally restore the covenant by replacing the broken tablets . . . But whereas the first tablets were made by God (32:16), these would be man-made, though inscribed by God. Sforno infers from the difference that God did not forgive Israel completely” (The Jewish Study Bible, 2004, on Exod. 34:1). Moses is instructed to return to the top of the mountain. “Be ready in the morning, and come up in the morning to Mount Sinai and present yourself there to me, on the top of the mountain” (v. 2). “Be ready,” says Rabbi J. H. Hertz, means, “Even a man living a life so consecrated as Moses must ‘prepare to meet his God’ by self-purification; cf. xix, 10)” (Pentateuch & Haftorahs, 2^nd ed., 24^th printing, 1981, on Exod. 34:2). On “top of the mount” (JPS 1917, for NRSV “top of the mountain”), the Rabbi says, “from whence God had proclaimed the Ten Words (xix, 20)” (ibid.). But Moses is to come alone. “No one shall come up with you,” says the LORD, “and do not let anyone be seen throughout all the mountain; and do not let flocks or herds graze in front of that mountain” (v. 3). As when the terms of the covenant were first proclaimed,” says Tigay, “access to the mountain is restricted (cf. 19:12, 21-24) in preparation for God’s descending to it (v. 5)” (op. cit., on v. 3). Rabbi Hertz notes that “Moses alone was this time to witness the Revelation,” and adds, “The Rabbis remark that the first Tables were given amid great pomp and upheaval, physical and psychic; and they were destroyed. The Second Revelation was given in silence, to one human soul alone in mystic communion with His Maker; and these Tables endured, for the salvation of Israel and mankind” (op. cit., on v. 3).

“So,” according to the narrator, “Moses cut two tablets of stone like the former ones; and he rose early in the morning and went up on Mount Sinai, as the LORD had commanded him, and took in his hand the two tablets of stone” (v. 4). According to Rabbi Hertz, “Tradition relates that Moses ascended on the first day of Ellul [the 6^th month, August-September], and after remaining on the Mount forty days, descended on the tenth of Tishri [the 7^th month, September-October], the Day of Atonement, on which day he brought the tidings of God’s perfect pardon unto the sinful people” (ibid., on v. 4). So Moses goes up, and the LORD comes down to meet him. “The LORD descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name, ‘The LORD (hv!&hy4, YHWH)’ ” (v. 5). So there is a new theophany–appearance of the LORD–(34:5-9) without the storms of chapter 19, and witnessed only by Moses. According to Rabbi Hertz, “God’s ‘ways’ are now proclaimed unto Moses in the thirteen characteristic qualities of the Divine Nature, enumerated in v. 6 and 7” (op. cit., on vv. 5-7).

“Judaism,” says the Rabbi,

has been very chary of definitions of God. He is the En sof, the Infinite, the Undefinable. However, the Thirteen Attributes give us a definition of God in ethical terms. All schools of Jewish thought agree that these momentous and sublime attributes enshrine some of the most distinctive doctrines of Judaism. The Rabbis made v. 6 and 7, containing the Thirteen Attributes of Divine Mercy, the dominant refrain in all prayers of repentance. (ibid.)

In response to the LORD’s appearance and his words, “Moses quickly bowed his head toward the earth, and worshipped” (v. 8). Of “made haste” (JPS, for NRSV “quickly”), the Rabbi says, “Upon learning the prominent place that mercy holds in the Divine Nature, Moses immediately supplicates God to exercise His quality of mercy in favour of Israel” (ibid., on v. 8). Moses prays, “If now I have found favor in your sight, O Lord, I pray, let the Lord go with us. Although this is a stiff-necked people, pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for your inheritance (UnT!&l4Han4U, ûn ^echaltānû)” (v. 9). “Ignoring God’s punitive attributes,” says Tigay, “Moses invokes His magnanimous attributes and pleads that He cancel His refusal to go in Israel’s midst (vv. 3, 5) and forgive its sin. Take us for your own” (NJPS 1985, 1999, for NRSV “take us for your inheritance”) [means] reestablish Israel as His own people” (op. cit., on vv. 8-9). The Rabbi observes, “Moses identifies himself with his people. He speaks of ‘our’ iniquity. Similarly in the Liturgy of the Synagogue, especially in the Confession of the Day of Atonement, the prayers are composed in the plural (‘we have sinned,’ etc.); for the Rabbis exhort, ‘The individual should associate himself with the Community in all his supplications’ ” (ibid., on v. 9). “That Moses’ fourth intercession succeeds,” says Judith E. Sanderson, “will become clear in the climax of the book (40:34-38)” (NOAB, 3^rd ed., 2001, on Exod. 34:9).

At this point we come to a section (Exod. 34:10-28) entitled, “the Covenant Renewed” (NRSV, subtitle in some printings). In response to Moses’ intercession, the LORD says, “I hereby make a covenant. Before all your people I will perform marvels, such as have not been performed in all the earth or in any nation; and all the people among whom you live shall see the work of the LORD; for it is an awesome thing that I will do with you” (v. 10). According to Tigay, “God will (re)establish the covenant. He will lead Israel to the promised land with unprecedented miracles (cf. 9:13-20:29 n.). In return, Israel is to obey the following terms” (op. cit., on v. 10). In his earlier note, Tigay said, “The unprecedented character of the plagues in this triad shows the incomparability of the LORD who causes them (9:14, 18; 10:6, 14)” (ibid., on 9:13-10:29).

“Observe what I command you today,” says the LORD. “See, I will drive out before you the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites” (v. 11). But the people are warned against adopting the religious practices of Canaan. “Take care,” says the LORD, “not to make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land to which you are going, or it will become a snare among you” (v. 12). Commenting on “a snare,” Rabbi Hertz says, “Fraternization with the heathen would inevitably lead to idol-worship, and bring disaster upon the Israelites, as was proved abundantly in the time of the Judges” (op. cit., on v. 12). In fact, they are instructed to destroy “their altars, break their pillars, and cut down their sacred poles (for you shall worship no other god, because the LORD, whose name is Jealous (xn0!8q1, qannāh), is a jealous (xn0!q1, qannāh) God)” (vv. 13-14). Commenting earlier on “jealous,” the Rabbi said,

The Heb. root for ‘jealous,’ kanna, designates the just indignation of one injured; used here [i.e., 20:5] of the all-requiting righteousness of God. God desires to be all in all to His children, and claims an exclusive right to their love and obedience. He hates cruelty and unrighteousness, and loathes impurity and vice; and, even as a mother is jealous of all evil influences that rule her children, He is jealous when, instead of purity and righteousness, it is idolatry and unholiness that command their heart-allegiance. It is, of course, evident that terms like ‘jealousy’ or ‘zeal’ are applied to God in an anthropomorphic sense. It is also evident that this jealousy of God is of the very essence of His holiness. (op. cit., on 20:5)

The warning against participating in Canaanite worship uses sexual language for the worship of their gods: “You shall not make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, for when they prostitute themselves (Un8z!v4, w ^ezānû) to their gods and sacrifice to their gods, someone among them will invite you, and you will eat of the sacrifice” (v. 15). According to Sanderson, “sexual metaphors are often used in the Bible for covenant loyalty and disloyalty (see esp. Ezek. 16; 23; Hos. 1-3)” (on vv 15-16). And the people are warned against intermarriage with the Canaanites, which would lead to participation in their worship. “And you will take wives from among their daughters for your sons, and their daughters who prostitute themselves (Un8z!v4, w ^ezānû) to their gods will make your sons also prostitute themselves (Unz4h9v4, w ^ehiznû, same verb, future tense [i.e., perfect with waw consecutive]) to their gods” (v. 16). According to Rabbi Hertz,

The dangers of intermarriage from the spiritual point of view were recognized by the Patriarchs (Gen. xxiv and xxviii). They are emphasized by Moses (Deut. vii, 3 f) and by Joshua (Josh. xxiii, 12). The danger, though of a different character, is just as real to-day. The training of every Jewish child should be3 such that he remain part of Israel, that he continue the work of Israel, and that he make the building of a home in Israel the ambition of his youth and manhood. Intermarriage would then be out of the question for any son or daughter of Israel. (ibid., on v. 16).

The list of statutes continues, but today’s reading concludes with a specific prohibition: “You shall not make cast idols” (v. 17). Commenting on “molten gods” (JPS, for NRSV “cast idols”), the Rabbi says, “The ‘pillars’ and ‘asherim’ having been condemned as objects of worship, the warning against molten gods of silver and gold is repeated (xx, 20)” (ibid., on v. 17). The prohibition of “molten gods” (NJPS 1985, 1999, for NRSV “cast idols”), says Tigay, is “essentially a restatement of 20:4 in terms relevant to the present circumstances (32:4, 8)” (op. cit., on v. 17).

1 Thessalonians 2:13-20

13 We also constantly give thanks to God for this, that when you received the word of God that you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word but as what it really is, God's word, which is also at work in you believers. 14 For you, brothers and sisters, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea, for you suffered the same things from your own compatriots as they did from the Jews, 15 who killed both the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and drove us out; they displease God and oppose everyone 16 by hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles so that they may be saved. Thus they have constantly been filling up the measure of their sins; but God's wrath has overtaken them at last.

Paul's Desire to Visit the Thessalonians Again

17 As for us, brothers and sisters, when, for a short time, we were made orphans by being separated from you–in person, not in heart–we longed with great eagerness to see you face to face. 18 For we wanted to come to you–certainly I, Paul, wanted to again and again–but Satan blocked our way. 19 For what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting before our Lord Jesus at his coming? Is it not you? 20 Yes, you are our glory and joy! (1 Thessalonians 2:13-20, NRSV)

The following comments are based on those of December 3, 2008 (Wednesday in the week of the First Sunday of Advent, Year One), when comments were repeated from April 17, 2008 (Thursday in the week of the Fourth Sunday of Easter, Year One), when comments were repeated from December 6, 2006 (Wednesday in the week of the First Sunday of Advent, Year One), when comments were combined with revision and supplement from December 1, 2004, (Wednesday of the week of the First Sunday of Advent, Year One), and from May 11, 2005 (Thursday of the week of the Fourth Sunday of Easter, Year Two).

Paul again expresses thanks for the Thessalonian believers. He expresses thanks for the Thessalonian believers' eager and sincere acceptance of his preaching. “We also constantly give thanks to God for this, that when you received the word (lovgoV, logos) of God that you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word (lovgoV, logos) but as what it really is, God’s word (lovgoV, logos), which is also at work in you believers” (1 Thess. 2:13). The word “word” (lovgoV, logos) is defined as “a communication whereby the mind finds expression, word [used] of utterance, chiefly oral, as expression, word,” and more particularly in this context, it is used “of the divine revelation through Christ and his messengers” (Bauer-Danker-Arndt-Gingrich [BDAG], A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and other Early Christian Literature, 3^rd ed., 2000, s.v. lovgoV, logos, meanings no. (1) (a) a and b ). Paul expresses his awareness of the Thessalonians’ suffering. “For you, brothers and sisters, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea, for you suffered the same things from your own compatriots as they did from the Jews” (v. 14). The suffering of Christians in Judea was, to a certain extent, perpetrated by Paul (Saul) himself before his conversion (Acts 8:1-3), but undoubtedly not limited to his actions. In Judea, the “compatriots of the Jewish Christians “killed both the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and drove us out; they displease God and oppose everyone” (v. 15). This persecution is clearly more than that perpetrated by Paul. In fact, as his sentence continues, he blames the persecutors for “hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles so that they may be saved (v. 16a). “Thus,” adds Paul, “they have constantly been filling up the measure of their sins; but God’s wrath has overtaken them at last” (v. 16b). The “wrath” that has overtaken some Jews would not be the Roman victory in the Jewish war with the devastation of Jerusalem and the temple, for that would come later (A.D. 66-70). “Perhaps,” says Abraham Smith, “the wrath of God is not an explicit occurrence (such as the expulsion of the Jews in 49 CE from Rome or the massacre of Jews in the Temple court in 49 CE [see Josephus, War, 2.12.1]), but simply God’s justice (as in 1:10) in preventing opponents anywhere from destroying God’s churches” (NOAB, 3^rd ed., augmented, 2007, on 1 Thess. 2:16). According to Paul J. Achtemeier, Joel B. Green, and Marianne Maye Thompson, As a result of accepting Paul’s message, the Thessalonians “recapitulated in their life as a Christian community the kind of experiences undergone by the original Christian communities in Judea, namely, suffering at the hands of their compatriots for their acceptance of the apostolic message” (Introducing the New Testament, 2001, p. 430).

Luke. of course, notes a period of “peace,” that is, relief from persecution (Acts 9:31). In the present context, of course, Paul refers to the suffering of Thessalonian Christian believers, endured from their own Thessalonian people. And Paul moves on, to describe his desire to visit the Thessalonians again. “As for us, brothers and sisters, when, for a short time, we were made orphans (ajporfanisqevnteV, aporphanisthentes) by being separated from you–in person, not in heart–we longed with great eagerness to see you face to face” (1 Thess. 2:17). The verb (participle) translated “were made orphans” occurs only here in the New Testament (cf. F. Wilbur Gingrich, Shorter Lexicon of the Greek New Testament, 1965, s.v. ajporfanivzw, aporphanizō ). According to Frederick William Danker, it means, “ ‘to cause separation from someone , bereave,’ [that is] ‘cause to be without parents,’ make an orphan of, in imagery, passive, be separated” (The Concise Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, 2009, s.v. ajporfanivzw, aporphanizō ). Paul’s familial feelings for the people of his churches are strong, even remarkable. Being separated from the Thessalonians was felt as deprivation. Paul blames Satan for the separation. “For we wanted to come to you–certainly I, Paul, wanted to again and again–but Satan blocked our way” (v. 18). By his love and longing to see the Thessalonian believers, Paul demonstrates this saying of Jesus, “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (Jn. 13:35). According to Edgar M. Krentz, “Paul’s frustrated attempts to visit the Thessalonians are part of the apocalyptic struggle between God and Satan; see also Rom. 16:20; 2 Cor. 2:11; 11:14; 12:7” (HarperCollins Study Bible, rev. ed., 2006, on 1 Thess. 2:18).

Paul concludes today’s reading with further affirmation of his love for the Thessalonians. “For what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting before our Lord Jesus at his coming? Is it not you? Yes, you are our glory and joy!” (vv. 19-20). “A crown,” says Richard A. Horsley, “is the laurel wreath won by an athletic victor” (NOAB, 3^rd ed., augmented, 2007, on 1 Thess. 2:19). Krentz calls it “a symbol of victory or praise. See Phil. 2;16; 4:1” (op. cit., on v. 19).

Matthew 5:21-26

Concerning Anger (Lk 12.57-59)

21 "You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, 'You shall not murder'; and 'whoever murders shall be liable to judgment.' 22 But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment; and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council; and if you say, 'You fool,' you will be liable to the hell of fire. 23 So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, 24 leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift. 25 Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are on the way to court with him, or your accuser may hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. 26 Truly I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny. (Matthew 5:21-26, NRSV)

The following comments are repeated here from September 21, 2009 ( Monday in the week of the Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost, References for the week of the Sunday closest to September 21, Year One), when comments were repeated with editing and supplement from September 14, 2008 (the Sunday closest to September 14, Year Two), when comments were repeated from April 17, 2008 (Thursday in the week of the Fourth Sunday of Easter, Year One), when comments were repeated with editing from September 24, 2007 (Monday in the week of the Sunday closest to September 21, Year One), when comments were repeated with editing and supplement from September 17, 2006 (the Sunday closest to September 14, Year Two), and from May 11, 2006 (Thursday in the week of the Fourth Sunday of Easter, Year Two), when they were repeated from earlier, May 6, 2004 (Thursday of the week of the Fourth Sunday of Easter, Year Two), in an email sent on May 5, 2004, for May 6-9, 2004).

In the reading from the Sermon on the Mount (Mt. 5:21-26), Jesus presents the first of six “antitheses,” in which he cites an application of law from the Old Testament or current Jewish practice, and calls on the Christians to live by a stricter interpretation, thus demonstrating that they heed his warning, “unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (Mt. 5:20). In this first antithesis (vv. 21-26), he interprets the Sixth Commandment (the Fifth, as some count the Commandments): “You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not murder’; and ‘whoever murders shall be liable to judgment’ ” (Mt. 5:21, citing Exod. 20:13; Deut. 5:17). In Jesus’ interpretation, it is not merely the act of murder that is forbidden, but the forms of anger and insult that may lead to murder. “But I say to you,” he says, “that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment; and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council; and if you say, ‘You fool,’ you will be liable to the hell (gevenna, geenna) of fire” (v. 22). According to Frederick William Danker, the word translated “hell” here is the Greek form of a Hebrew word, “Valley of Hinnom, Gehenna, in NT only in imagery of fiery judgment after death” (The Concise Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, 2009, s.v. gevenna, geenna). The Hebrew phrase Mno0h9-Nb, xyGe (gê’ ben-hinnōm), “valley of the son of Hinnom,” occurs in Jeremiah 7:31; 19:2, 6; 2 Chronicles 28:3 and 33:6. According to Leo G. Perdue, revised by Robert R. Wilson,

Topheth . . . [the] cultic place for child sacrifice was located in the valley of the son of Hinnom (Gehenna), just west and south of the walls of Jerusalem. The valley received notoriety for being the site of idolatrous practices, including child sacrifice (2 Chr. 28:3; 33:6). The law requiring the giving of the firstborn to God (Ex. 22:29-30) may have been interpreted to mean child sacrifice, a view Jeremiah counters (see Lev. 18:21). (HarperCollins Study Bible, rev. ed., 2006, on Jer. 7:31)

The word “gehenna” does not appear in the Hebrew Bible as such, but does occur in later Jewish texts. Marcus Jastrow defines Mn0!yh9yGe, Mn0!h9yGe, Mn0!yh9Ge (gêhînnom, etc.), as “a glen to the south of Jerusalem where Molokh was worshipped; whence place of punishment of the wicked in the hereafter, hell, opposed to Ndf Ng [gān ‘ēden, ‘garden of Eden] paradise” (A Dictionary of the Targumim, the Talmud Babli and Yerushalmi, and the Midrashic Literature, 1903, 1950, vol. I, s.v. Mn0!yh9yGe, Mn0!h9yGe, Mn0!yh9Ge, gêhînnom, etc.).

Jesus’ emphasis on the inner feelings and intentions that will lead to murder, and not merely on the act itself, may be compared with Jeffrey H. Tigay’s comment on the commandment not to covet (Exod. 20:17 NRSV = Heb. = v. 14 NJPS 1985, 1999):

Some view this [‘You shall not covet’] as an ethical exhortation to master the kinds of impulses that would lead to violation of the preceding commandments, but the Heb. verb [dm1H!, chāmad] sometimes refers to having designs on a desired object, perhaps even to scheming or maneuvering to acquire it (see especially 34:24). Hence, the sense could be ‘do not scheme to acquire . . .’ Your neighbor’s house: that is, ‘household,’ which the second clause explicates as consisting of wife, servants, and livestock. In Deut. 5:18, which places the wife in the first clause and the house, field, servants, and cattle in the second, ‘house’ means dwelling. The wording in Exodus reflects conditions when the Israelites lived as nomadic herders without real estate (Gen. 12:5, 16; 26:14; Num. 16:30, 32; Deut. 11:6); Deut. refers to the kinds of property people will own after settlement in Canaan. (The Jewish Study Bible, 2004, pp. 150-151 on Exod. 20:14 [NRSV v. 17 = Heb.]).

Rather than harboring the feelings that may lead to murder, one is to seek reconciliation instead. “So when you are offering your gift at the altar,” says Jesus, “if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift” (vv. 23-24). And similar advice applies when one is facing a court case. The importance of reconciliation is stressed. “Come to terms quickly with your accuser,” says Jesus, “while you are on the way to court with him, or your accuser may hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison” (v. 25). This advice seems to come from a source that was also available to Luke (“Q”), according to whom, Jesus says essentially the same thing, “Thus, when you go with your accuser before a magistrate, on the way make an effort to settle the case, or you may be dragged before the judge, and the judge hand you over to the officer, and the officer throw you in prison” (Lk. 12:57). Luke’s context, a series of Jesus’ teachings, is rather different, but the conclusion of this advice is practically identical in Matthew and Luke. “ Truly I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny” (Mt. 5:26); “I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the very last penny” (Lk. 12:59).

Ronald D. Worden, Ph.D.

rdworden@hgst.edu

deanworden@comcast.net