Exodus 13:1-2, 11-16

The Consecration of the Firstborn

13:1 The LORD said to Moses: 2 Consecrate to me all the firstborn; whatever is the first to open the womb among the Israelites, of human beings and animals, is mine.

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11 "When the LORD has brought you into the land of the Canaanites, as he swore to you and your ancestors, and has given it to you, 12 you shall set apart to the LORD all that first opens the womb. All the firstborn of your livestock that are males shall be the LORD's. 13 But every firstborn donkey you shall redeem with a sheep; if you do not redeem it, you must break its neck. Every firstborn male among your children you shall redeem. 14 When in the future your child asks you, 'What does this mean?' you shall answer, 'By strength of hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt, from the house of slavery. 15 When Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the LORD killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from human firstborn to the firstborn of animals. Therefore I sacrifice to the LORD every male that first opens the womb, but every firstborn of my sons I redeem.' 16 It shall serve as a sign on your hand and as an emblem on your forehead that by strength of hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt. (Exodus 13:1-2, 11-16, NRSV)

The following comments are based on those of March 28, 2008 (Friday of Easter Week, Year Two), when comments were repeated with some editing and supplement from April 21, 2006 (Friday of Easter Week, Year Two):

Today’s reading forms a sort of sandwich pattern around yesterday’s reading, which focused on the Passover Festival (Exod. 13:3-10). As the chapter opens, we are told, “The LORD said to Moses: Consecrate to me all the firstborn; whatever is the first to open the womb among the Israelites, of human beings and animals, is mine” (Exod. 13:1-2). As noted yesterday, according to Edward L. Greenstein, “The law to consecrate Israel’s human and animal firstborn is juxtaposed with the slaying of Egypt’s firstborn, as in 34:18-20; Deut. 15:19-16:8” (HarperCollins Study Bible, rev. ed., 2006, on Exod. 13:1-2). Rabbi J. H. Hertz says,

Just as the annual celebration of the Passover served to remind the Israelites of the great Redemption, so the sanctification of every male first-born would keep the memory fresh in every home blessed with a first-born son. The rite is still remembered in the ceremony of ‘Redeeming the son’ (pidyon habben) which is solemnized on the thirty-first day of the child’s birth; see Authorized Prayer Book, p. 308. First-born Israelites keep the fourteenth day of Nisan as a fast, in commemoration of the miracle wrought for their ancestors. (Pentateuch & Haftorahs, 2^nd ed., 24^th printing, 1981, on Exod. 13:2)

Both readings look forward to the time “when the LORD has brought you into the land of the Canaanites, as he swore to you and your ancestors, and has given it to you” (v. 11), compare “Remember this day on which you came out of Egypt . . .” (v. 3). And both refer to signs of God’s deliverance of Israel from Egypt, yesterday: “It shall serve for you as a sign (tOx, ’ôth) on your hand and a reminder (NOrK!z9, zikkārôn) on your forehead” (v. 9a NRSV, cf. NJPS 1985, 1999). The older Jewish Publication Society translation (1917) is more literal: “And it shall be for a sign unto thee upon thy hand, and for a memorial between thine eyes (j~yn@yf2 NyB26, bên ‘êneykā).” And today: “It shall serve as a sign on your hand and as an emblem (‘symbol’ NJPS) on your forehead that by strength of hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt” (v. 16 NRSV with text note a on ‘emblem’: “Or as a frontlet; meaning of Heb. uncertain”; cf NJPS text note a). Again the older JPS translation is more literal: “And it shall be for a sign [‘token’ AV/KJV] upon thy hand, and for frontlets (tpoF!OF4l4U, ûl^etôtāfōth) between thine eyes (j~yn@yf2 NyB26, bên ‘êneykā)” (JPS 13:16a; cf. AV/KJV). The word tpoF!OF4, tôtāfōth is defined as “signs on forehead & arm, phylacteries” (William L. Holladay, Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon, 1971, corrected printing, 1988, s.v. tpoF!OF4, tôtāfōth), and is so understood by Rabbi Hertz (op. cit., on Exod. 13:16). Jeffrey H. Tigay says,

This shall serve you as a sign. It is not clear what shall serve as a sign: either something mentioned in the preceding vv. or in the second half of the present v. [i.e. v. 9]. One or several of these things must be remembered well so that the LORD’s teaching will be remembered well. The same interpretation applies to v. 16. The sacrifice of redemption of the firstborn (vv. 12-15) is to be ‘as a sign . . . and as a frontlet” (see [NJPS] translators’ note b). As noted by Rashbam, ‘sign,’ ‘memorial,’ and ‘frontlet’ are here used metaphorically to indicate that these things are to be remembered well (cf. the metaphoric use of other ornaments and items of apparel in Isa. 62:3; Jer. 13:11; Prov. 6:21; 7:3; and elsewhere). In neither case does ‘it shall be a sign’ represent an additional observance beyond those mentioned in vv. 2-8 and 12:15. (The Jewish Study Bible, 2004, on Exod. 13:9-10).

According to Tigay, the similar commands in Deuteronomy 6:8 and11:18 “are used literally to indicate that God’s words are to be ‘bound’ as a sign on the arm and as a frontlet on the forehead, and this is accompanied by the injunction to write those words on the doorposts and city gates” (ibid.).

The LORD’s command to consecrate the firstborn continues: “you shall set apart to the LORD all that first opens the womb. All the firstborn of your livestock that are males shall be the LORD's” (Exod. 13:12). This instruction is clarified: “But every firstborn donkey you shall redeem with a sheep; if you do not redeem it, you must break its neck. Every firstborn male among your children you shall redeem.” (v. 13). As in the instructions for the Passover meal (12:1-28), the children’s question is anticipated: “When in the future your child asks you, ‘What does this mean?’ ” (13:14a; cf. 12:26). And the response for explanation is given: “By strength of hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt, from the house of slavery. When Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the LORD killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from human firstborn to the firstborn of animals. Therefore I sacrifice to the LORD every male that first opens the womb, but every firstborn of my sons I redeem” (vv. 14b, 15).

The firstborn must be consecrated to the LORD. Firstborn animals that are male are to be sacrificed to the LORD (vv. 12, 15b), but firstborn human males (boys) are to be redeemed (vv. 13b, 15c). According to Judith E. Sanderson, “Unclean animals, of which the donkey is typical (Lev. 11; Deut. 14:3-21), and male . . . children may be redeemed by substituting a sheep (34:19-20); cf. Gen 22:13). In Num. 3:12-13 the service of the Levites is a substitute for the firstborn of the other Israelites” (NOAB, 3^rd ed., augmented, 2007, on Exod. 13:11-16). According to Rabbi Hertz, the requirement that if the donkey is not redeemed, its neck must be broken (v. 13b) “ensured the scrupulous execution of the law of redemption in regard to unclean animals, as every one would prefer parting with a lamb to losing an ass” (op. cit., on Exod. 13:13).

In noting that verses 14-16 are “to form the answer of the father to the question put by his son,” Rabbi Hertz says, “The religious education of the children is a Divine command, and the future of religion depends upon this precept being loyally obeyed. In addition to these signs and observances, both the Sabbath, and even those Festivals that have other historic associations, are all spoken of in the Liturgy as myrcm txycyl rkz ‘memorials of the Going forth out of Egypt’” (ibid., on v. 16)). We are reminded that the exodus, God’s deliverance of Israel from Egypt, is the central formative experience for Judaism, comparable in that respect to Christians’ understanding of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus as the central formative experiences for Christianity. While their religious calendars are not directly linked, the proximity of Passover and Easter in the spring should remind us of Christianity’s origins within Judaism and the debt we owe to the Jewish heritage.

1 Corinthians 15:51-58

51 Listen, I will tell you a mystery! We will not all die, but we will all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53 For this perishable body must put on imperishability, and this mortal body must put on immortality. 54 When this perishable body puts on imperishability, and this mortal body puts on immortality, then the saying that is written will be fulfilled:

"Death has been swallowed up in victory."

55 "Where, O death, is your victory?

Where, O death, is your sting?"

56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

58 Therefore, my beloved, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the work of the Lord, because you know that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. (1 Corinthians 15:51-58, NRSV)

The following comments are based on those of October 21, 2009 (Wednesday in the week of the Sunday closest to October 19, Year One), when comments were based on those of March 28, 2008 (Friday of Easter Week, Year Two), when comments were repeated with editing and supplement from October 24, 2007 (Wednesday in the week of the Sunday closest to October 19, Year One), when comments were repeated from April 21, 2006 (Friday of Easter Week, Year Two), when they were repeated with some supplementing from October 19, 2005 (Wednesday of the week of the Sunday closest to October 19, Year One).

This reading brings Paul’s chapter on resurrection to a close. He has contrasted the “physical body” and the “spiritual body,” the former “sown,” and the latter “raised” (1 Cor 15:44, cf. vv. 42-44, 46). He then compared Adam, “the first man . . . from the earth,” the “man of dust” (vv. 45, 47-48), with Christ, “the last Adam [‘man’], “the second man . . . from heaven,” the “man of heaven” (vv. 45, 47-48). Whereas the first “became a living being,” the second “became a life-giving spirit” (v. 45). Yesterday’s reading concluded with the promise that “we will . . . bear the image of the man of heaven” (v. 49), and the clarification that “flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable” (v. 50).

Paul’s continuation today explains something of how we will “bear the image of the man of heaven,” and “inherit the imperishable.” “Listen,” he says, “I will tell you a mystery! We will not all die, but we will all be changed” (v. 51). According to Victor Paul Furnish, “Paul believes that at least some Christians (likely including himself) will survive until Christ’s return; see also 1 Thess. 4:15” (HarperCollins Study Bible, rev. ed., 2006, on 1 Cor. 15:51). This change will happen “in a moment,” says Paul, “in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed” (1 Cor. 15:52). For “the last trumpet,” Furnish refers to “Mt. 24:31; 1 Thess. 4:16; Rev. 8:2; also Isa. 27:13,” and for the words, “we will be changed,” he refers to Phil. 3:21; 2 Baruch 51:1-6” (ibid., on v. 52). Paul spells out his expectation for the Second Coming of Christ “at the last trumpet.” What he says here may be compared with 1 Thessalonians 4:14-17, where the expression, “to meet the Lord,” has been described as “to form a delegation to greet a ruler” (Abraham Smith, NOAB, 3^rd ed., augmented, 2007, on 1 Thess. 4:17).

Paul continues to discuss the resurrection body, saying, “For this perishable body must put on imperishability, and this mortal body must put on immortality” (v. 53). For “put on immortality,” Furnish refers to 2 Cor. 5:4 (ibid., on v. 53). Here Paul’s focus is on the change from the physical body to the spiritual. There is a change from “this perishable body” and “this mortal body” to “imperishability” and “immortality” (vv. 53, 54). As noted, this change has been anticipated by the metaphor of the seed that is “sown in dishonor, [but] raised in glory” (v. 43; cf. vv. 36-38), and the related references to “both heavenly bodies and earthly bodies” (v. 40) and the contrast between Adam, “the first man [who] was from the earth” and Christ, “the second man [who] is from heaven” (v. 47), the “man of dust” and “the man of heaven” (v. 48). “When this perishable body puts on imperishability, and this moral body puts on immortality,” says Paul, a scriptural saying “will be fulfilled” (v. 54a). “Death has been swallowed up in victory,” says Paul (v. 54b, citing Isa. 25:8). Continuing to quote, Paul asks–better, exclaims–“Where, O death is your victory? / Where, O death, is your sting” (v. 55, citing Hos. 13:14). Death does not win the battle against us for, though “the sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law” (v. 56), nevertheless, “thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (v. 57). That would be victory over death. “Therefore, my beloved” he concludes, “be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the work of the Lord, because you know that in the Lord your labor is not in vain” (v. 58). Richard A. Horsley takes note of Paul’s burst of enthusiasm here:

In the final step of his argument–and of the whole body of the letter–Paul suddenly, in an almost ecstatic exclamation, launches into his own distinctive vision. As in 2:7-8, he identifies this as a mystery, the technical term in Jewish revelatory literature for God’s plan of fulfillment of history. This ‘mystery’ seems particularly appropriated to the Corinthian situation, with its emphasis on suddenness and the transformation when the dead will be raised imperishable. (NOAB, 3^rd ed., augmented, 2007, on 1 Cor. 15:58).

Luke 24:1-12

The Resurrection of Jesus (Mt 28.1-10; Mk 16.1-8; Jn 20.1-10)

24:1 But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb, taking the spices that they had prepared. 2 They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they went in, they did not find the body. 4 While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men in dazzling clothes stood beside them. 5 The women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, "Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. 6 Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, 7 that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again." 8 Then they remembered his words, 9 and returning from the tomb, they told all this to the eleven and to all the rest. 10 Now it was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them who told this to the apostles. 11 But these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. 12 But Peter got up and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; then he went home, amazed at what had happened. (Luke 24:1-12, NRSV)

The following comments are based on those of March 28, 2008 (Friday of Easter Week, Year Two), when comments were repeated from July 10, 2007 (Tuesday in the week of the Sunday closest to July 6, Year One), when comments were combined with editing and supplement from July 5, 2005 (Tuesday in the week of Sunday closest to July 6, Year One), and from comments on Luke 24:1-12 from April 21, 2006 (Friday of Easter Week, Year Two). For a table of references for Resurrection Appearance Narratives, see the separate file, The Resurrection of Jesus.

Luke has reported that “the women who had come with him [Jesus] from Galilee” observed the burial of Jesus (Lk. 23:55), and he also reports their preparation of spices and ointments (v. 56a). But “on the sabbath they rested according to the commandment” (v. 56b). Now he reports the events of Sunday morning. “But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared” (Lk. 24:1; cf. Mk. 16:1). They were expecting a sad but necessary service of anointing his dead body with spices. However, “they found the stone rolled away from the tomb” (Lk. 24:2), to their amazement and perplexity, “when they went in, they did not find the body” (v. 3). “The stone,” according to David L. Tiede, revised by Christopher R. Matthews, “would probably have been in the shape of a large wheel that rolled in a channel to seal the door of the tomb” (HarperCollins Study Bible, rev. ed., 2006, on Lk. 24:2). “While they were perplexed about this [i.e., the stone rolled away and the missing body], suddenly,” we are told, “two men in dazzling clothes stood beside them” (v. 4). Tiede and Matthews point out that the “men in dazzling clothes [are] identified as angels in v. 23 (see also Acts 1:10; 10:30; cf. Lk. 9:29-31)” (ibid., on v. 4).

Compare Mark’s reference to “a young man dressed in a white robe” (Mk. 16:5), and Matthew’s to an angel whose “appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow” (Mt. 28:2-3).

The women’s immediate response to the appearance of these men is terror. “The women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, ‘Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here but has risen” (Lk. 24:5; cf. Mk. 16:6; Mt. 28:5-6). Matthew attributes the fear to the guards: “For fear of him [i.e., the angel] the guards shook and became like dead men” (Mt. 28:4), though he later adds that the women “left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy” (v. 8). According to Luke, the two men say, “Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Mah must be handed over to sinners, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again” (Lk. 24:7; cf. “as he said” Mt. 28:6). “What the women are prompted to remember,” say Tiede and Matthews, implies that they were present for the predictions given in 9:22, 44” (ibid., on v. 7). “Then they remembered his words,” says Luke, and returning from the tomb, they told all this to the eleven and to all the rest” (vv. 8-9; cf. Mt. 28:8). At this point, Luke identifies “the women who had come with him from Galilee” (Lk. 23:55), who “prepared spices and ointments” (v. 56) and early on Sunday “came to the tomb” (24:1): “Now it was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them who told this to the apostles” (Lk. 24:10; cf. earlier reference to Mary Magdalene, Joanna, “and Susanna, and many others,” Lk. 8:2-3). Tiede and Matthews point out that “the first witnesses are all women (see also vv. 22-24), of whom three are named” (ibid., on v. 10).

But the women’s report was first met with disbelief. “But these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they [i.e., ‘the apostles,’ v. 10] did not believe them” (v. 11). According to Tiede and Matthews, “The disbelief and amazement of the apostles anticipate later revelation and reprimand (vv. 25-27, 31). “But Peter got up,” says Luke, “and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; then he went home, amazed at what had happened” (Lk. 24:12; cf. Jn. 3-9). All of the Evangelists report that women were the first to visit the empty tomb and learn that Jesus had arisen. According to John, it was Mary Magdalene (Jn. 20:1-3; cf. vv. 11-18), but she says to “Simon Peter and the other disciple” “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him” (v. 2). Matthew names “Mary Magdalene and the other Mary” (Mt. 28:1). Mark names “Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses” as witnesses of the burial (Mk. 15:47) and reports that “Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome brought spices” on the morning of the resurrection (Mk. 16:1). But when Luke finally names “the women who had followed him from Galilee” (Lk. 23:49, cf. v. 55), he includes “Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women” (Lk. 24:10). If we assume that Mary the mother of James, Mary the mother of Joses and Mary the wife of Clopas (Jn. 19:25) are the same person (cf. Winsome Munro, Harper’s Bible Dictionary, rev. ed., 1996, s.v. Mary), we have five distinct named persons–three Marys, Salome, and Joanna–in addition to one or more unnamed women (since Luke names four plus “the other women,” plural) who are cited as witnesses to the empty tomb and/or the risen Christ. It is evident that the first Christian believers to proclaim the risen Lord were these women. The incredulity of the apostles, to whom “these words seemed . . . an idle tale” (Lk. 24:11) may be explained as cultural bias, but the witness of these women is a permanent treasure of the Christian tradition..

Catherine Clark Kroeger says:

The women accomplish the mission of declaring the news that the men refuse to accept. Just as they had resisted the three-fold prediction of Jesus, so now they repudiate the news that the women bring. Peter is able to substantiate the fact that the tomb is empty of the body although the grave clothes remain. He returns incredulous but unwilling to accept the angels’ testimony that the women have relayed to him. (The IVP Women’s Bible Commentary, p. 583 on Lk. 24:1-12).

She adds:

Luke’s account has presented women as the primary witnesses of the birth, crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ. They are followers who accompany his ministry and faithful friends who attend him even in death. When the qualifications for an apostle are listed, it is clear that Jesus’ women disciples possess the necessary qualifications (Acts 1:21-22). (p. 584, in summary–the final paragraph on Luke in the commentary)

Ronald D. Worden, Ph.D.

rdworden@hgst.edu

deanworden@comcast.net