Note: In the following the three Episcopal readings are listed (OT, Gospel, Epistle), then the three Presbyterian readings, then the Lutheran readings. These traditions differ in relating readings to the weeks following Pentecost.

Episcopal Readings:

Proverbs 15:16-33

16 Better is a little with the fear of the LORD

than great treasure and trouble with it.

17 Better is a dinner of vegetables where love is

than a fatted ox and hatred with it.

18 Those who are hot-tempered stir up strife,

but those who are slow to anger calm contention.

19 The way of the lazy is overgrown with thorns,

but the path of the upright is a level highway.

20 A wise child makes a glad father,

but the foolish despise their mothers.

21 Folly is a joy to one who has no sense,

but a person of understanding walks straight ahead.

22 Without counsel, plans go wrong,

but with many advisers they succeed.

23 To make an apt answer is a joy to anyone,

and a word in season, how good it is!

24 For the wise the path of life leads upward,

in order to avoid Sheol below.

25 The LORD tears down the house of the proud,

but maintains the widow's boundaries.

26 Evil plans are an abomination to the LORD,

but gracious words are pure.

27 Those who are greedy for unjust gain make trouble for their households,

but those who hate bribes will live.

28 The mind of the righteous ponders how to answer,

but the mouth of the wicked pours out evil.

29 The LORD is far from the wicked,

but he hears the prayer of the righteous.

30 The light of the eyes rejoices the heart,

and good news refreshes the body.

31 The ear that heeds wholesome admonition

will lodge among the wise.

32 Those who ignore instruction despise themselves,

but those who heed admonition gain understanding.

33 The fear of the LORD is instruction in wisdom,

and humility goes before honor. (Proverbs 15:16-33, NRSV)

The following comments are repeated here from May 27, 2008 (Tuesday in the week of the Sunday closest to May 25, Year Two):

The variety of topics covered by this reading is demonstrated by the following table, based on my booklet, A Topical Arrangement of Proverbs, 2^nd ed., 1985, on the pages as noted.

On the topic of happiness, the first two proverbs listed set up contrasts with the formula: “Better is . . . than . . . ,” using bOF, tôv, literally “Good,” for “better” and the preposition Nm9, min, or -m2, “from” for “than,” as in “Better is a little with the fear of the LORD / than great treasure and trouble with it” (Prov. 15:16). There are several “better . . . than . . .” proverbs in the larger collection (e.g., 12:9; 16:8, 16, 19, 32; 17:1, 12; 19:1, etc.), but only two in this reading. The other follows the first, “Better is a dinner of vegetables where love is / than a fatted ox and hatred with it” (16:17). The third happiness proverb in this reading is in the form of synonymous parallelism, that is, the second half repeats the first with different expressions, for example, “The light of the eyes rejoices the heart, / and good news refreshes the body” (15:30).

The topic, the discipline of education, is represented by a pair of proverbs. The first uses synthetic parallelism, that is, the second half extends the meaning of the first. “The ear that heeds wholesome admonition / will lodge among the wise” (15:31). The second proverb on the discipline of education uses antithetical parallelism. “Those who ignore instruction despise themselves, / but those who heed admonition gain understanding” (v. 15:32). In a pair of proverbs on behavior acceptable to God, both use antithetical parallelism. “Evil plans are an abomination to the LORD, / but gracious words are pure” (15:26), and “The LORD is far from the wicked, / but he hears the prayer of the righteous” (15:29). Another pair of proverbs on foolish talk, temperate speech, and wise silence, demonstrates both synonymous parallelism, for example, “To make an apt answer is a joy to anyone, / and a word in season, how good it is!” (15:23), and antithetical parallelism, “The mind of the righteous ponders how to answer, / but the mouth of the wicked pours out evil” (15:28). The remaining proverbs in this reading represent different topics, as indicated in the table above.

Among other characteristics of these proverbs, Richard J. Clifford notes some “catchword” relationships. Of 15:17 (cited above), he says, “This is the last of the sayings, begun in v. 13, that are linked by lēb [ble], ‘heart,’ and tôb [bOF], ‘good, better.’ The seemingly ridiculous statement that a meal of vegetables is better than a rich feast underlines the fact that a meal becomes a feast because of the joyous fellowship of the guests rather than because of the food (see v. 15)” (Proverbs, The Old Testament Library, 1999, p. 153, on Prov. 15;17). Clifford also finds catchword connections in verses 20-23, which he says “are linked by a catchword, the triliteral root ‘joy,’ in vv. 20, 21, and 23” (ibid., on v. 20). He refers to Hm01aW1y4, y ^eśammach, “makes . . . glad” (v. 20), and hH!m4W9, śimchah, “joy” (vv. 21, 23). Another catchword connection would be the use of qyD9c1 (tsaddîq), “righteous” in consecutive verses on different topics (vv. 28, 29).

With such a varied group of topics, one cannot comment in detail upon them all. But it is worth noting the emphasis on social justice in verse 25: “The LORD tears down the house of the proud, / but maintains the widow’s boundaries” (15:25), listed under the heading of providential rewards and punishments. “Boundaries,” says Harold C. Washington, are “the markers that indicate the extent of a field (see 22:28; Deut. 19:4). Since the powerful might attempt to encroach on the land of widows and orphans (Job 24:2-3), these persons were held to be under special divine protection (see 23:10-11)” (NOAB, 3^rd ed., 2001, on Prov. 15:25).

1 Timothy 1:18-2:8

18 I am giving you these instructions, Timothy, my child, in accordance with the prophecies made earlier about you, so that by following them you may fight the good fight, 19 having faith and a good conscience. By rejecting conscience, certain persons have suffered shipwreck in the faith; 20 among them are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have turned over to Satan, so that they may learn not to blaspheme.

2:1 First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone, 2 for kings and all who are in high positions, so that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and dignity. 3 This is right and is acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 5 For

there is one God;

there is also one mediator between God and humankind,

Christ Jesus, himself human,

6 who gave himself a ransom for all

--this was attested at the right time. 7 For this I was appointed a herald and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying), a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.

8 I desire, then, that in every place the men should pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or argument; (1 Timothy 1:18-2:8 NRSV)

1 Timothy 2:9-15

9 also that the women should dress themselves modestly and decently in suitable clothing, not with their hair braided, or with gold, pearls, or expensive clothes, 10 but with good works, as is proper for women who profess reverence for God. 11 Let a woman learn in silence with full submission. 12 I permit no woman to teach or to have authority over a man;she is to keep silent. 13 For Adam was formed first, then Eve; 14 and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor. 15 Yet she will be saved through childbearing, provided they continue in faith and love and holiness, with modesty. (1 Timothy 2:9-15, NRSV)

The following comments are repeated here from February 17, 2009 (Tuesday in the week of the Sixth Sunday after the Epiphany, Year One), when comments were based on those of May 27, 2008 (Tuesday in the week of the Sunday closest to May 25, Year Two), when comments were based on those of May 17, 2005 (Tuesday in the week of the Sunday closest to May 18, Year One), and comments on 1 Timothy 2:1-6 from May 23, 2006 (Tuesday in the week of the Sixth Sunday of Easter, Year Two). There was reference also to the comments of February 13, 2007 (Tuesday in the week of the Sixth Sunday after the Epiphany, Year One).

After completing the “delayed thanksgiving” (1 Tim. 1:12-17), Paul turns to instructions for Timothy. “I am giving you these instructions, Timothy, my child, in accordance with the prophecies made earlier about you, so that by following them you may fight the good fight, having faith and a good conscience” (1 Tim. 1:18, 19a). As for the prophecies, Margaret M. Mitchell refers to 4:14, “Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you through prophecy with the laying on of hands by the council of elders” (NOAB, 3^rd ed., augmented, 2007, on 1 Tim. 1:18). In other words, Paul instructs Timothy to carry out the ministry for which he was called and commissioned. He is to defend the pattern of Christian faith that he has received, a point that is emphasized later. “Fight the good fight of the faith; take hold of the eternal life, to which you were called and for which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses” (6:12). A serious threat to the true faith is defined for Timothy. “By rejecting conscience, certain persons have suffered shipwreck in the faith; among them are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have turned over to Satan, so that they may learn not to blaspheme” (1:19b, 20). These have turned to false teaching, which threatens catastrophe, “shipwreck,” for the Christian community. According to Mitchell, “Hymenaeus (unknown apart from here and 2 Tim. 2:17) and Alexander (likely to be identified with ‘Alexander the coppersmith’ in 2 Tim. 4:14; perhaps Acts 19:33), [are] characterized as blasphemers (cf. 1:13)” (ibid., on 1:20).

In chapter 2, Paul continues with instructions on prayer. “Supplications, prayers and intercessions” are to be “made for everyone” (1 Tim. 2:1). This is to include kings and others who are in positions of authority, “all who are in high positions,” and the purpose ( i{na [hina] . . .) is “that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and dignity” (v. 2). But the implied purpose goes further, for God, called “our Savior” here (v. 3, cf. 4:10), “desires everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (v. 4). Mitchell explains the request for prayers for rulers as “accommodation with worldly authorities” which is “urged for the sake of peace for the church (see Rom. 13:1-7). The irenic tone,” she says, “circumvents the difficult question of the limits of Christian acquiescence to an emperor who was honored as a god by daily worship and oaths of allegiance” (on 2:1-3). She adds that Paul “presents a “reformulation of the Shema (see Deut 6:4-9n.; cf. 1 Cor. 8:6; Eph. 4:5-6)” (on v. 5). For

there is one God;

there is also one mediator between God and humankind,

Christ Jesus, himself human,

who gave himself a ransom for all

--this was attested at the right time. (1 Tim. 2:5-6, NRSV)

Clare Drury sees here “a summary of the true teaching that is the focus of the Christian message” that is, “a succinct telling of the drama of salvation in rhythmical and poetic form–a kind of creedal statement (cf. 1 Tim. 3:16; 6:13-16; 2 Tim. 1:9-10; 2:11-13; Titus 3:4-7)” (The Oxford Bible Commentary, 2001, p. 1223 on 1 Tim. 2:5-6). Drury adds:

God is one and the Saviour of all people. Christ’s role is as mediator; he alone links God and humankind. His humanity is stressed to show solidarity with those he saves–the same word is used in Greek for ‘human’ [a[nqrwpoV, anthrōpōs, nominative singular] and ‘humankind’ [ajnqrw;pwn, anthrōpōn, genitive plural]. The word ‘mediator’ [mesivthV, mesitēs] is applied to Christ in the NT only here and in Hebrews (8:6; 9:15; 12:24, where he is mediator of the covenant as Moses was in Gal. 3:19). The emphasis upon a single God and a single mediator may be an attack on the kind of Gnostic “myths and speculations”referred to in 1:4, and the stress on Christ’s humanity may have been included to refute Docetism. (ibid.)

“Docetism” is the teaching that Jesus only “seemed” to be human. It’s an ancient heresy that emphasized Jesus’ divinity while downplaying his humanity, the reverse of some modern views. Traditional orthodox Christianity emphasizes both. The Chalcedonian Creed, adopted in A.D. 451 at the Fourth Ecumenical Council, refers to “our Lord Jesus Christ, at once complete in Godhead and complete in manhood, truly God and truly man.”

Paul relates his summary to his own calling and ministry. “For this I was appointed a herald and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying), a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth” (v. 7). And he continues the instruction about prayer. “I desire, then, that in every place the men should pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or argument” (v. 8).

The focus now turns to what Mitchell calls “the proper demeanor of faithful women” (op. cit., on 2:9-15). Paul, if it is Paul, calls for women to “dress themselves modestly . . . not with their hair braided, or with gold, pearls, or expensive clothes” (v. 9). I say “if it is Paul,” because there is good reason to believe that the Pastoral Epistles (1, 2 Tim., Titus) were put together by his followers after his death, based on records of his teaching. This would not be for purposes of deception or fraud, for the readers would know these circumstances well. The purpose would be, as Paul is quoted as saying, for Timothy and his followers to “continue in what you have learned and firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it, and how from childhood you have known the sacred writings that are able to instruct you for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus” (2 Tim. 3:14-15).

The instruction for women continues in 1 Timothy. Their adornment is to be “with good works, as is proper for women who profess reverence for God” (v. 10). In this paragraph, says Mitchell, “The author objects to the current practice of women holding leadership and teaching positions because it threatens conventional domestic order” (op. cit., on 2:9-15). Seeming to flout the social conventions of the time would have risked severe reaction against the Christian community. This brings us to a passage that has been the subject of heated controversy within the Christian tradition itself. “Let a woman learn in silence with full submission,” says 1 Timothy, “I permit no woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she is to keep silent” (2:11-12). One must recognize that, whether from Paul himself, or one of his followers, this advice is directed to specific circumstances at a specific time and place. Paul himself commends to the Roman church the work of Phoebe as a deacon (diakonos) and a presider/benefactor (prostavtiV, prostatis–a term that has been translated as “pastor”) from the church in Cenchreae (Rom. 16:1-2), and it is reported that Phoebe, together with her husband Aquilla, instructed Apollos, that is, “they took him aside and explained the Way of God to him more accurately” (Acts. 18:26, cf. vv. 24-28). Linda L. Belleville says,

1 Timothy 2:12 is a point of contrast to the preceding verse: ‘Let a woman learn quietly . . . but for a woman to either-teach-or-authentein [aujqentei:n–‘have authority, domineer over] a man, I am not permitting.’ Despite claims to the contrary, Paul cannot be categorically prohibiting women from teaching, for in a letter written about the same time, Paul commands the older women in the church to teach the younger (Titus 2:3-5). Also, the ongoing sense of the present tense of the Greek verb points to a restriction specific to the current situation at Ephesus (‘I am not permitting [an Ephesian woman]’). Nor can Paul be forbidding men to receive instruction from women, since the New Testament record shows that women did this very thing (e.g. Acts 18:26 [as noted above]). ( The IVP Women’s Bible Commentary, Catherine Clark Kroeger & Mary J. Evans, edd., 2002, p. 738, on 1 Tim. 2:11-15)

Belleville adds,

The restriction is not women teaching men in public, for Paul affirms women prophets (1 Cor. 11:5), whose task it was to speak words that ‘instruct’ the entire congregation (1 Cor. 14:19, 31). On the basis of 1 Corinthians 14:26, a woman can bring a teaching to the congregation just as readily as a man. Nor is Paul forbidding authoritative teaching, for women are praised elsewhere as apostles (e.g. Junia) and evangelists(e.g. Syntyche and Euodia) in roles comparable to that of Paul (Rom 16:7; Phil 4:2). (ibid., pp. 738, 741)

The discussion continues with reasons for the preceding advice. “For Adam was formed first, then Eve; and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor” (1 Tim. 2:13-14). According to Belleville,

Paul’s use of Adam and Eve as the prototypical relationship suggests a battle of the sexes. The women of the church (undoubtedly egged on by the false teachers) were trying to gain the advantage over the men. The men in response were becoming angry and disputing what they were doing. The prestigious Ephesian cult of Artemis may have been partly to blame (Acts 19:34 and the two-hour chant ‘Great is Artemis’). The belief that Artemis’s priority in time placed all women in a position of superiority would go a long way toward explaining Paul’s correctives. Artemis as woman’s protector ‘through childbearing’ would also explain Paul’s correction that women will be saved through bearing the Child (1 Tim. 2:15).” (ibid.)

According to William Barclay, this passage, which “deals with the place of women in the Church,” must not, indeed “cannot be read out of its historical context, for it springs entirely from the situation in which it was written” (The Letters to Timothy, Titus and Philemon, The Daily Study Bible, 2000, c1975 [from the Libronix Digital Library]; cf. the 2^nd ed., 1960, p. 76, on 1 Tim. 2:8-15). Barclay adds:

It [1 Tim. 2:8-15] is written against a double background.

(i) It was written against a Jewish background. No nation ever gave a bigger place to women in home and in family things than the Jews did; but officially the position of a woman was very low. In Jewish law she was not a person but a thing; she was entirely at the disposal of her father or of her husband. She was forbidden to learn the law; to instruct a woman in the law was to cast pearls before swine. Women had no part in the synagogue service; they were shut apart in a section of the synagogue, or in a gallery, where they could not be seen. . . .

(ii) It is written against a Greek background. The Greek background made things doubly difficult. The place of women in Greek religion was low. . . . (ibid.; cf. the 2^nd ed., pp. 76-77).

It is certainly clear that the advice given here about the roles of women was fitted to the specific situation in Ephesus at the time, and should not be generalized as categorical rules for the church in all times and places.

Matthew 12:33-42

A Tree and Its Fruit (Mt 7.15-20)

33 "Either make the tree good, and its fruit good; or make the tree bad, and its fruit bad; for the tree is known by its fruit. 34 You brood of vipers! How can you speak good things, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. 35 The good person brings good things out of a good treasure, and the evil person brings evil things out of an evil treasure. 36 I tell you, on the day of judgment you will have to give an account for every careless word you utter; 37 for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned." (Matthew 12:33-37, NRSV)

The Sign of Jonah (Lk 11.29-32)

38 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to him, "Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you." 39 But he answered them, "An evil and adulterous generation asks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40 For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so for three days and three nights the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth. 41 The people of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the proclamation of Jonah, and see, something greater than Jonah is here! 42 The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to listen to the wisdom of Solomon, and see, something greater than Solomon is here! (Matthew 12:38-42, NRSV)

The following comments are repeated here from October 24, 2009 (Saturday in the week of the Sunday closest to October 19, Year One), when they were repeated from May 27, 2008 (Tuesday in the week of the Sunday closest to May 25, Year Two), when comments were repeated from October 27, 2007 (Saturday in the week of the Sunday closest to October 19, Year One), when comments were repeated from October 22, 2005 (Saturday in the week of the Sunday closest to October 19, Year One); they are repeated here.

Near the end of the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew, Jesus uses a comparison of good fruits and weeds (Mt. 7:16-19) in a warning against “false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing” (v. 15). Matthew’s Christian community has probably been disturbed by such “false prophets.” Luke’s Sermon on the Plain has a similar comparison of fruits (Lk. 6:44), figs with the fruit of thorn [trees], perhaps something like apricots, and grapes with blackberries (the “fruit” of the bramble bush). Luke’s version is rather like comparing lemons and oranges. One would naturally choose the sweeter fruit. Today’s reading from Matthew (12:33-37) has aspects that are parallel to both of these “fruits” passages, but Jesus goes straight to the point. “Either make the tree good, and its fruit good; or make the tree bad, and its fruit bad; for the tree is known by its fruit” (Mt. 12:33). This time, it is a direct warning to the listening crowds, especially about the Pharisees who have accused him of casting out demons by Beelzebul (Mt. 12:22-32), not a warning about the threat of false prophets (or false Christian teachers), as in Matthew 7. It is perhaps of note that in the Gospel of Thomas, consecutive sayings of Jesus are about blasphemy against the Holy Spirit (no. 44) and good or bad fruit (no. 45). The appearance of the same sequence here in the Gospel of Thomas probably indicates dependance on the Gospel of Matthew, or perhaps, an early version of Matthew. Saying number 45 from the Gospel of Thomas is worth quoting here:

Jesus said: Grapes are not gathered from thorns, nor (ou[te [oute]) are figs picked from camel’s thistles; [for (gavr [gar])] they give no fruit (karpovV [karpos]). A [good (ajgaqovV [agathos])] man brings forth good (ajgaqovn [agathon]) from his treasure; a wicked (ka(kovV), [kakos]) man brings forth evil (ponhrovn [ponēron]) from his evil treasure which is in his heart, and speaks evil things (ponhrovn [ponēron]); for (gavr [gar]) out of the abundance of the heart he brings forth evil things (ponhrovn [ponēron]). (Gospel of Thomas, 45, trans. Bruce M. Metzger)

Note that the inclusion of references to Greek words in the translation of a Coptic text calls attention to the relationship between the two languages, or better, the influence of the Greek language on the ancient Christian Coptic culture.

In Matthew’s context, Jesus continues. “You brood of vipers!” says Jesus. “How can you speak good things, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks (Mt. 12:34; cf Lk. 6:45b). “The good person,” says Jesus, “brings good things out of a good treasure, and the evil person brings evil things out of an evil treasure” (Mt. 12:35; cf. Lk. 6:45a). In Matthew, Jesus continues with reference to the judgment. “I tell you, on the day of judgment you will have to give an account for every careless word you utter; for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned” (Mt. 12:36-37). It seems like a strict rule. We “will have to give an account for every careless word” (v. 36). This reference to “the day of judgment” probably was not included by the Gospel of Thomas because it did not fit its theology.

The request or demand for a sign from Jesus appears in all the Gospels, though in rather different contexts. “Then,” says Jesus in Matthew, “some of the scribes and Pharisees said to him, ‘Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you’ ” (Mt. 12:38; cf. Mk. 8:11; Lk 11:16). The stated purpose “to test him” (Mk., Lk.) is implicit in Matthew. According to Mark, Jesus “sighed deeply in his spirit and said, ‘Why does this generation ask for a sign? Truly I tell you, no sign will be given to this generation’ ” (Mk. 8:12). Jesus points out the insincerity of their request by referring to them as “an evil and adulterous generation” (Mt. 12:39; cf. Mt. 16:4; Mk. 8:12; Lk. 11:29). Matthew and Luke present an exception: “But he answered them, ‘An evil and adulterous generation asks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah’ ” (Mt. 12:39). Whereas in Matthew, this is directed to “some of the scribes and Pharisees (v. 38), Luke’s version has it addressed to the increasing crowds: “When the crowds were increasing, he began to say, ‘This generation is an evil generation; it asks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah” (Lk. 11:29). In this context, it appears evident that Matthew is combining materials from two sources, Mark and Q (i.e., the hypothetical sayings source said to be used by Matthew and Luke). It appears that the Pharisees wanted to see a miracle on a grand scale, but, as Dale C. Allison, Jr., notes, “The irony is that Jesus has already worked enough miracles to persuade an open mind” (Oxford Bible Commentary, 2001, p. 861, on Mt. 12:38-45).

The description of the “sign of Jonah” is brief in Luke, as compared with Matthew’s version. “For just as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so the Son of Man will be to this generation” (Lk. 11:29). Compare Matthew’s version: “For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so for three days and three nights the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth” (Mt. 12:40). According to John S. Kloppenborg, “This sign is not the resurrection of Jesus, as Matthew tries to interpret it” (Q, The Earliest Gospel; An Introduction to the Original Stories and Sayings of Jesus, 2008, p. 71). Dennis C. Duling says, “The author [Matthew] provides two interpretations of the sign of the prophet Jonah: Jesus’ death and resurrection (12:40; see Jon. 1:17-2:10) and Jesus’ preaching of repentance (12:42; see 3:2; 4:17; also Lk. 11:30-32; Jon. 3:4-10)” (HarperCollins Study Bible, rev. ed., 2006, on Mt. 12:39).

According to Matthew, Jesus refers to “the people of Nineveh” before referring to “the Queen of the South,” but Luke has the reverse order. “The people of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the proclamation of Jonah, and see, something greater than Jonah is here!” (Mt. 12:41; cf. Lk. 11:32). In Matthew, Jesus continues, “The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to listen to the wisdom of Solomon, and see, something greater than Solomon is here!” (Mt. 12:42; cf. Lk. 11:31). In Kloppenberg’s interpretation, the source “Q” emphasizes the preaching of Jonah and the response of the people of Nineveh in repentance as the sign. According to Kloppenborg, this source, while not discounting miracles, points “to other events that ought to lead a person of insight to acknowledge the reign of God. Q adduces the example of the Queen of the South and the people of Nineveh, neither of whom witnessed miracles, but nonetheless recognized God’s power in Solomon and Jonah. Q argues that ‘there is some-thing greater than Solomon or Jonah here’ ([Q] 11:31-32)” (op. cit.). Following the scholars’ convention, by “Q 11:31-32,” Kloppenborg uses Luke’s chapter and verse references to the hypothetical source for Luke 11:31-32 and the parallel text in Matthew 12:41-42. His reconstruction of “Q” at this point is:

³¹The queen of the South will be raised at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to the wisdom of Solomon, and look, something more than Solomon is here! ³²Ninevite men will arise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it. For they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and look, something more than Jonah is here! (ibid., p. 134)

As for what Kloppenborg calls Matthew’s reinterpretation, we don’t need to be too literal about the “three days and three nights” as a reference to Jesus time in the grave–from late on Friday to early on Sunday. The time reference is inclusive, including part of Friday and part of Sunday, which for the Judeans, began at sundown Friday. William Barclay calls attention to Luke’s wording; Luke “simply says that Jesus said, ‘For as Jonah became a sign to the men of Nineveh, so will the Son of Man be to this generation” (Luke 11:30)” (The Gospel of Matthew, Daily Study Bible, vol. 2, rev. ed., 1975, p. 49, on Mt. 12:39). Alan Hugh McNeile puts it this way: “The Son of Man will come, as it were from a foreign land, with a message of doom to this generation as Jonah did to the Ninevites” (The Gospel According to St. Matthew, Thornapple Commentaries, 1914, reprint 1980, pp. 181-182, on Mt. 12:40). On verse 42, McNeile adds, “As a Prophet Jesus was more than Jonah, as a Teacher than Solomon” (p. 182).

Presbyterian Readings

Prov. 4:1-27

Parental Advice

4 Listen, children, to a father's instruction,

and be attentive, that you may gain insight;

2 for I give you good precepts:

do not forsake my teaching.

3 When I was a son with my father,

tender, and my mother's favorite,

4 he taught me, and said to me,

"Let your heart hold fast my words;

keep my commandments, and live.

5 Get wisdom; get insight: do not forget, nor turn away

from the words of my mouth.

6 Do not forsake her, and she will keep you;

love her, and she will guard you.

7 The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom,

and whatever else you get, get insight.

8 Prize her highly, and she will exalt you;

she will honor you if you embrace her.

9 She will place on your head a fair garland;

she will bestow on you a beautiful crown."

Admonition to Keep to the Right Path

10 Hear, my child, and accept my words,

that the years of your life may be many.

11 I have taught you the way of wisdom;

I have led you in the paths of uprightness.

12 When you walk, your step will not be hampered;

and if you run, you will not stumble.

13 Keep hold of instruction; do not let go;

guard her, for she is your life.

14 Do not enter the path of the wicked,

and do not walk in the way of evildoers.

15 Avoid it; do not go on it;

turn away from it and pass on.

16 For they cannot sleep unless they have done wrong;

they are robbed of sleep unless they have made someone stumble.

17 For they eat the bread of wickedness

and drink the wine of violence.

18 But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn,

which shines brighter and brighter until full day.

19 The way of the wicked is like deep darkness;

they do not know what they stumble over.

20 My child, be attentive to my words;

incline your ear to my sayings.

21 Do not let them escape from your sight;

keep them within your heart.

22 For they are life to those who find them,

and healing to all their flesh.

23 Keep your heart with all vigilance,

for from it flow the springs of life.

24 Put away from you crooked speech,

and put devious talk far from you.

25 Let your eyes look directly forward,

and your gaze be straight before you.

26 Keep straight the path of your feet,

and all your ways will be sure.

27 Do not swerve to the right or to the left;

turn your foot away from evil. (Proverbs 4:1-27, NRSV)

The following comments are repeated here from May 20, 2008 (Tuesday in the week of Trinity Sunday, refs. for the week of the Sunday closest to May 18, Year Two), when comments were repeated from February 21, 2006 (Tuesday in the week of the Seventh Sunday after the Epiphany, Year Two):

As this reading begins by addressing “children” with “a father’s instruction,” we may assume that the advice is for children, which it may well be. But the terms “father” and “child” appear to be metaphors for the teacher and student. Either way, the advice is fitting for the young. As part of the extended introduction to Proverbs, the text still stresses the value of “instruction” and “insight” (Prov. 4:1), “precepts” and “teaching” (v. 2), “my words” and “my commandments” (v. 4), “wisdom” and “insight” (v. 5). The personification continues with a speech from Lady Wisdom (vv. 4-9):

Do not forsake her, and she will keep you;

love her, and she will guard you. (Prov. 4:6, NRSV)

8 Prize her highly, and she will exalt you;

she will honor you if you embrace her.

9 She will place on your head a fair garland;

she will bestow on you a beautiful crown. (Prov. 4:8-9, NRSV)

“The sage urges ardent loyalty toward Wisdom,” says Harold C. Washington. “The student will love her and embrace her as if she were a beloved wife” (NOAB, 3^rd ed., augmented, 2007, on Prov. 4:1-9, with reference to 5:15-20; 7:4).

A contrast is drawn between “the way of wisdom,” which follows “the paths of uprightness” (vv. 12, 18), and “the path of the wicked” which corresponds to “the way of evildoers” (vv. 14, 19). Washington calls attention to “the image of way or path for conduct of life [which] occurs frequently in the book [of Proverbs]” (ibid., on vv. 10-27). He lists 1:15-16; 2:7-20; 5:5-8:21 and other references. The doctrine, or theme, of the “Two Ways” recurs within Judaism and Christianity, for example in the Didache, or the Teaching of the Twelve Apostles (early 2^nd century, considered one work among the Apostolic Fathers). The Didache begins by saying, “There are two ways, one of life and one of death, and there is a great difference between the two ways” (Didache 1:1, my translation, from the Greek text on the Internet web site, Christian Classics Ethereal Library at http://www.ccel.org/ccel/lake/fathers2.v.html, accessed again May 24, 2010). Of “the path of the wicked,” Proverbs says, “Do not enter” it, and “do not walk in the way of evildoers. / Avoid it; do not go on it; / turn away from it and pass on” (Prov. 4:14-15). Those who take this road “cannot sleep unless they have done wrong,” for they want to make “someone stumble” (v. 16). “But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, / which shines brighter and brighter until full day” (v. 18). Advice to the child / student is to follow the one and avoid the other. “Be attentive to my words,” says the father / teacher (v. 20). “Keep your heart with all vigilance, / for from it flow the springs of life” (v. 23; cf. Jesus’ words in Mk. 7:18-23). The father / teacher advises a single-minded pursuit of righteousness (vv. 25-26). “Do not swerve to the right or to the left; / turn your foot away from evil” (v. 27).

1 John 4:7-21

God Is Love (Cp Jn 3.16)

7 Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. 9 God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us.

13 By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and do testify that the Father has sent his Son as the Savior of the world. 15 God abides in those who confess that Jesus is the Son of God, and they abide in God. 16 So we have known and believe the love that God has for us.

God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them. 17 Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness on the day of judgment, because as he is, so are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love. 19 We love because he first loved us. 20 Those who say, “I love God,” and hate their brothers or sisters, are liars; for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen. 21 The commandment we have from him is this: those who love God must love their brothers and sisters also. (1 John 4:7-21, NRSV)

The following comments are repeated here from December 25, 2009 (Christmas Day, Year Two), when comments were based on those of April 28, 2008 (Tuesday in the week of the Third Sunday of Easter, Year One), when comments were based on those of May 20, 2008 (Tuesday in the week of the Sunday closest to May 18, Year Two), on comments on 1 John 4:7-16 from December 25, 2008 (Christmas Day, Year One), and earlier comments as noted there.

This passage might be considered as extensive commentary on the verse we call “the gospel in a nutshell” (Jn. 3:16). The key to the Epistle reading is 1 John 4:9-10: “God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.” This is the basis for the initial instruction: “Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God” (v. 7a). John explains, “Everyone who loves is born of God and knows God” (v. 7b). Those who love are “born of God” and know God. Not loving is a sure sign of not knowing God. “Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love” (v. 8). But we do not initiate such love. “God's love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him” (v. 9). “True Christians,” says Pheme Perkins, “imitate the love that God has shown in sending the Son to give life to the world (3:16-22); Jn. 3:16)” (NOAB, 3^rd ed., augmented, 2007, on 1 Jn. 4:7-9).

“In this is love,” says John, “not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins” (v. 10). We ought to respond to God’s love by loving one another. “Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another” (v. 11). As a reminder, John adds, “No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us” (v. 12). Perkins says, “God’s love has been shown in the death of Jesus (Jn. 13:1). It is the basis for the command to love others (Jn. 15:12-13)” (ibid., on vv. 10-12).

So signs of our relationship to God include our loving one another (vv. 7, 12). Another sign is the presence in our lives of the Holy Spirit. “By this we know that we abide in him,” says John, “because he has given us of his Spirit” (v. 13). And another sign is the witness of the Apostles. “And we have seen and do testify,” says John, “that the Father has sent his Son as the Savior of the world” (v. 14). A correlate–not a “sign” as such–is our confession. “God abides in those who confess that Jesus is the Son of God, and they abide in God” (v. 15). In review, John says, “So we have known and believe the love that God has for us” (v. 16a). And he epitomizes this relationship. “God is love, and those who abide in love abode in God, and God abides in them” (v. 16b). Of the phrase, “God is love,” David K. Rensberger, revised by Harold W. Attridge, says, “This phrase, and the following language of ‘abiding’ summarizes the core of the Johannine message” (HarperCollins Study Bible, rev. ed., 2006, on 1 Jn. 4:16).

John Wesley sees the explanation of “if we love one another, God lives in us” (v. 12) in verses 14 to 16, and the explanation of “his love is perfected [‘has its full effect’] in us” (v. 12) in verses 17 to 19. (“Notes on the First Epistle of John,” on the Internet at the Wesley Center Online, http://wesley.nnu.edu/john_wesley/notes/1John.htm, accessed again May 23, 2010. One may have to copy and paste the URL.). Of verse 14 Wesley says, “And in consequence of this we have seen and testify that the Father sent the Son -- These are the foundation and the criteria of our abiding in God and God in us, the communion of the Spirit, and the confession of the Son.” Of verses17 and 18 he says:

Hereby - That is, by this communion with God. Is our love made perfect; that we may - That is, so that we shall have boldness in the day of judgment - When all the stout - hearted shall tremble. Because as he - Christ. Is - All love. So are we - Who are fathers in Christ, even in this world. (ibid., on v. 17)

There is no fear in love - No slavish fear can be where love reigns. But perfect, adult love casteth out slavish fear: because such fear hath torment - And so is inconsistent with the happiness of love. A natural man has neither fear nor love; one that is awakened, fear without love; a babe in Christ, love and fear; a father in Christ, love without fear. (ibid., on v. 18).

Among other things, Wesley finds here a warning about bigotry.

And this commandment have we from him - Both God and Christ. That he who loveth God love his brother - Every one, whatever his opinions or mode of worship be, purely because he is the child, and bears the image, of God. Bigotry is properly the want of this pure and universal love. A bigot only loves those who embrace his opinions, and receive his way of worship; and he loves them for that, and not for Christ's sake. (ibid., on v. 21)

If he only knew how many kinds of bigotry our own times would engender! (But perhaps that’s for another time.)

Matthew 11:7-15

Jesus Praises John the Baptist (Lk 7.24-35)

7 As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John: "What did you go out into the wilderness to look at? A reed shaken by the wind? 8 What then did you go out to see? Someone dressed in soft robes? Look, those who wear soft robes are in royal palaces. 9 What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. 10 This is the one about whom it is written,

'See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you,

who will prepare your way before you.'

11 Truly I tell you, among those born of women no one has arisen greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. 12 From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force. 13 For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John came; 14 and if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come. 15 Let anyone with ears listen! (Matthew 11:7-15, NRSV)

The following comments are repeated here from October 17, 2009 (Saturday in the week of the Sunday closest to October 12, Year One), comments were based on those of May 20, 2008 (Tuesday in the week of the Sunday closest to May 18, Year Two), that were repeated from October 20, 2007 (Saturday in the week of the Sunday closest to October 12, Year One), comments that were combined with editing and supplement from October 15, 2006 (Saturday in the week of the Sunday closest to October 12, 2007) and from December 22, 2006 (Friday in the week of the Third Sunday of Advent, Year One), when comments were repeated from December 17, 2004, two years ago (Friday of the week of the Third Sunday of Advent, Year One).

For today’s reading and the continuation, the parallel passages from Matthew and Luke are presented in the separate file, Jesus’ Witness Concerning John.

Earlier there was focus on the question sent from prison by messengers to Jesus by John the Baptist, and Jesus’ answer (Matthew 11:2-6; Luke 7.18-23). Upon the departure of the messengers, Jesus addresses the crowds with words of praise for John the Baptist: “As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John: ‘What did you go out into the wilderness to look at? A reed shaken by the wind? What then did you go out to see? Someone dressed in soft robes ( ejn malakoi:V hjmfiesmevnon, en malakois ēmphiesmenon, with iJmativoiV, himatiois, ‘robes,’as in Luke, understood)? Look, those who wear soft robes (ta; malakav, ta malaka) are in royal palaces’ ” (Mt. 11:7-8; cf. Lk. 7:24-25). The question is essentially the same, with Luke including the “robes” understood in Matthew. But for Jesus explanation, “Look, those who wear soft robes are in royal palaces” (Mt. 11:8b), Luke has “Look, those who put on fine clothing ( iJmatismovV e[ndoxoV, himatismos endoxos) and live in luxury (trufhv, tryphē) are in royal palaces” (Lk. 7:25b). Jesus repeats the question with an affirmative answer. “What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet” (Mt. 11:9 = Lk. 7:26).

Jesus explains the words “more than a prophet” with a biblical quotation. “This is the one about whom it is written,

'See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you,

who will prepare your way before you’ ” (Mt. 11:10, citing Exod. 23:20; Mal. 3:1; cf. Lk. 7:27)

Matthew’s beginning with =Idou; ejgw; ajpostevllw (Idou egō apostellō ), with the emphatic pronoun “I” (ejgw;, egō ) reflects the wording of Exodus 23:20 in the Septuagint (cf. yk9n*x3, ’ ^anōkî, Hebrew; but this pronoun, necessary with the participle, is not necessarily emphatic), and the wording of Malachi 3:1 in the Septuagint (Hebrew . . . H1lewo yn9n4h9, hinnî šōlēach), where the pronoun is emphatic (cf. William L. Holladay, A Concise Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament, 1971, 10^th corrected impression 1988, s.v. hn02h9, hinnēh). Luke’s omission of the emphatic pronoun in the quotation follows the Septuagint manuscripts B S* [Codex Sinaiticus = x] C [“another somewhat later recension (than that of Lucian), which is to be found in Origen’s (?) big Catena in XVI prophetas”] of Malachi 3:1. Note that a corrector of S included ejgwv (egō ) with AQW and Lucian (cf. the apparatus in Adolf Rahlfs, ed., Septuaginta, 7^th ed., 1962). J. Andrew Overman compares the quotation to Isaiah 40:3 (NOAB, 3^rd ed., augmented, 2007, on Mt. 11:10). The variation between “Why” (Mt. 11:8, 9 RSV) and “What” (Lk. 7:25, 26 RSV), apparently based on an editorial decision about how to punctuate the Greek text and the transposition of two words in some witnesses, is resolved in the NRSV by using “What” in Matthew 11:8 and 9. (The Greek word, tiv, ti, can mean either “what?” or “why?” depending on the context.)

“Truly I tell you,” says Jesus, “among those born of women no one has arisen greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he” (Mt. 11:11; cf. Lk. 7:28). Luke’s version, worded somewhat differently in Greek has essentially the same meaning. Matthew’s “Truly” and “kingdom of heaven” (v. 11) are characteristic of his style, whereas Luke omits the former and uses “kingdom of God” (Lk. 7:28), the latter being clearer for his mainly Gentile readership. Both use the promise of a messenger to “prepare your way” (Mt. 11:10; Lk. 7:27; cf. Mal. 3:1; Isa. 40:3) as a reference to the ministry of John the Baptist, as Matthew makes clear, “and if you are willing to accept it, he [i.e., John the Baptist] is Elijah who is to come. Let anyone with ears listen!” (Mt. 11:14-15).

Matthew’s continuation with its reference to the kingdom suffering violence and being taken by force (Mt. 11:12) is comparable to a simpler version in a different context in Luke: “since then [John the Baptist’s time] the good news of the kingdom of God is proclaimed, and everyone tries to enter it by force” (Lk. 16:16). But in this context, only Matthew identifies the one “who is to come” as Elijah (Mt. 11:14; cf. Mk. 9:11; Mt. 17:11).

Krister Stendahl sees a phrase from Matthew 11:12 as “a veritable crux of interpretation” [problematic phrase, interpreted differently by scholars]. He says that verse 12b “reads either: ‘the Kingdom of Heaven suffers violence (passive) and men of violence grab it’ or ‘the Kingdom of Heaven manifests itself violently (or: powerfully; reflexive) and keen and daring men take hold of it.’ The latter meaning fits better into Mt.’s context, but the former–taken as a reference to Zealots and others who entertain military dreams of Israel’s deliverance–is more natural from a linguistic point of view . . . In whatever way the intermediate situation be described, the prophetic ministry of John was the last phase and predicted climax before the coming of the Kingdom” (Peake’s Commentary on the Bible, 1962, reprint 1972, sec. 684e, p. 784, on Mt. 11:12).

Where Luke’s version introduces the statement about force by the words, “the law and the prophets were in effect until John came” (Lk. 16:16a, cited above), Matthew follows the statement about force “from the days of John the Baptist until now” (Mt. 11:12) by having Jesus interpret John’s coming as the predicted coming of Elijah (Mal. 45; cf. Mt. 17:10-13; Mk. 9:11-13), “For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John came; and if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come” (Mt. 11:13-14). And Matthew closes this reading with an emphatic statement. “Let anyone with ears listen!” (Mt. 11:15; cf. 13:9, 43; Mk. 4:9, 23; Lk. 8:8; 14:35; Rev. 2:7; 13:9).

William Barclay calls the saying about the kingdom of heaven suffering “violence,” and that “the violent take it by force” (Mt. 11:12) “a very difficult saying.” He suggests that Matthew and Luke understood the saying in two different ways.

It is likely that we will get the full meaning of this difficult saying by putting together the recollection of Luke and Matthew. What Jesus may well have said is: “Always my Kingdom will suffer violence; always savage men will try to break it up, and snatch it away and destroy it; and therefore only the man who is desperately in earnest, only the man in whom the violence of devotion matches and defeats the violence of persecution will in the end enter into it.” It may well be that this saying of Jesus was originally at one and the same time a warning of violence to come and a challenge to produce a devotion which would be even stronger than the violence. (The Gospel of Matthew, rev. ed., vol. 2, 1975, pp. 7-8, on Mt. 11:12).

In that context, Barclay cites James Denney, “The Kingdom of heaven is not for the well meaning but for the desperate. It must be, then, a call for whole-hearted commitment to Jesus and his ways (ibid.).

Lutheran Readings

Ezekiel 33:21-33

The Fall of Jerusalem

21 In the twelfth year of our exile, in the tenth month, on the fifth day of the month, someone who had escaped from Jerusalem came to me and said, "The city has fallen." 22 Now the hand of the LORD had been upon me the evening before the fugitive came; but he had opened my mouth by the time the fugitive came to me in the morning; so my mouth was opened, and I was no longer unable to speak.

The Survivors in Judah

23 The word of the LORD came to me: 24 Mortal, the inhabitants of these waste places in the land of Israel keep saying, "Abraham was only one man, yet he got possession of the land; but we are many; the land is surely given us to possess." 25 Therefore say to them, Thus says the Lord GOD: You eat flesh with the blood, and lift up your eyes to your idols, and shed blood; shall you then possess the land? 26 You depend on your swords, you commit abominations, and each of you defiles his neighbor's wife; shall you then possess the land? 27 Say this to them, Thus says the Lord GOD: As I live, surely those who are in the waste places shall fall by the sword; and those who are in the open field I will give to the wild animals to be devoured; and those who are in strongholds and in caves shall die by pestilence. 28 I will make the land a desolation and a waste, and its proud might shall come to an end; and the mountains of Israel shall be so desolate that no one will pass through. 29 Then they shall know that I am the LORD, when I have made the land a desolation and a waste because of all their abominations that they have committed.

Resistance to Ezekiel in Exile

30 As for you, mortal, your people who talk together about you by the walls, and at the doors of the houses, say to one another, each to a neighbor, "Come and hear what the word is that comes from the LORD." 31 They come to you as people come, and they sit before you as my people, and they hear your words, but they will not obey them. For flattery is on their lips, but their heart is set on their gain. 32 To them you are like a singer of love songs, one who has a beautiful voice and plays well on an instrument; they hear what you say, but they will not do it. 33 When this comes–and come it will!–then they shall know that a prophet has been among them. (Ezekiel 33:21-33, NRSV)

The following comments are repeated here from May 13, 2008 (Tuesday in the week of Pentecost Sunday, refs. for the week of the Sunday closest to May 11, Year Two):

This reading continues a section of Ezekiel that Stephen I. Cook calls “Prophecies of Israel’s Restoration” (NOAB, 3^rd ed., augmented, 2007, on Ezek. 33:1-39:20; cf. comments yesterday). And Marvin A Sweeney, whose overall outline of Ezekiel differs substantially from Cook’s, seems to join Cook’s outline here: “Oracles concerning the restoration of Israel” (The Jewish Study Bible, 2004, p.1045, on Ezek. 33:21-39:29). But he begins the new section with 33:21, where bad news from Jerusalem is dated. “In the twelfth year of our exile,” says the prophet, “in the tenth month, on the fifth day of the month, someone who had escaped from Jerusalem came to me and said, ‘The city has fallen’ ” (Ezek. 33:21). Sweeney translates this date as “5 Sivan BCE” (ibid., p. 1107, on Ezek. 33:21-22). He sees this “introductory date formula,” along with “the absence of another date formula until 40:1" as markers for “the twelfth major block of the book” (i.e., 33:21-39:29). Cook puts the date in our terms, “January 19, 585 BCE” (op. cit., on vv. 21-22).

On Ezekiel’s Hearing about the Fall of Jerusalem

Upon his hearing about the fall of Jerusalem, Ezekiel receives the ability to speak, of which he has been deprived since 3:26-27. “Now the hand of the LORD had been upon me the evening before the fugitive came; but he had opened my mouth by the time the fugitive came to me in the morning; so my mouth was opened, and I was no longer unable to speak” (33:22). According to Sweeney, “The prophet first receives word of Jerusalem’s fall some seven months after the event, at which time he is released from his speechlessness (3:26-27), as was predicted in 24:27” (op, cit., p. 1107, on 33:21-22).

On the Survivors in Judah

The LORD informs Ezekiel about unwarranted claims of land within Judah. “The word of the LORD came to me: Mortal, the inhabitants of these waste places in the land of Israel keep saying, ‘Abraham was only one man, yet he got possession of the land; but we are many; the land is surely given us to possess’ ” (vv. 23-24). “Those who remained behind,” says Cook, “are repeating their earlier claim to the land (11:15)” (on v. 24). The LORD directs Ezekiel to rebuke these people for their claims, with a list of their abominable deeds in disregard of God’s commandments. “Therefore say to them, Thus says the Lord GOD: You eat flesh with the blood, and lift up your eyes to your idols, and shed blood; shall you then possess the land? You depend on your swords, you commit abominations, and each of you defiles his neighbor's wife; shall you then possess the land?” (vv. 25-26). This indictment, says Cook, is “in terms echoing 18:1-20; 22:11; Lev. 19:16, 26)” (ibid, on vv. 25-26). God’s message for these people continues. “Say this to them, Thus says the Lord GOD: As I live, surely those who are in the waste places shall fall by the sword; and those who are in the open field I will give to the wild animals to be devoured; and those who are in strongholds and in caves shall die by pestilence” (v. 27). Sweeney, citing the New Jewish Publication Society translation (1985, 1999), says “Ezekiel counters the claim that those who live in these ruins [cf. ‘those who are in the waste places’ NRSV], desert nomads, will take control of the land. Ezekiel argues that they will be destroyed because they do not observe God’s requirements for holy life in the land (see Lev. chs. 17-18). For the crimes enumerated here, see [Ezek.] ch. 18” (op cit., on vv. 23-29). “On the three punishments in v. 27,” says Cook, “cf. 5:17; 14:21” (on v. 27).

In something of an aside, Sweeney cites later Jewish legend: “Following the failure of the Bar Kokhba revolt [132-135 CE], Jewish legend states that R. Shimeon dwelt in a cave for twelve years teaching his son the secrets of heaven or Jewish mysticism (b. Shab. 33b). This would help to explain his association with those who are in the strongholds and caves. He is later portrayed as a primary figure in the ‘Zohar’ ” (ibid.). The Zohar is an important work related to Jewish Kabbalah Mysticism. On the Zohar, see the Internet web site, apparently by Jay Michaelson, “Shimon bar Yochai, Legendary author of the Zohar” (http://www.learnkabbalah.com/shimon_bar_yoch/, accessed again May 24, 2010).

The punishments described in verses 28 and 29 appear to be for those remaining in Judah who claimed the land for themselves. “I will make the land a desolation and a waste, and its proud might shall come to an end; and the mountains of Israel shall be so desolate that no one will pass through. Then they shall know that I am the LORD, when I have made the land a desolation and a waste because of all their abominations that they have committed” (vv. 28-29). “In many ways,” says Sweeney, “this v. [v. 29] summarizes the main point of Ezekiel: Contrary to what many people believed, the destruction of Jerusalem does not indicate that God is powerless and has abandoned the Israelites, but that He is powerfully and legitimately punishing them for their deeds” (on v. 29).

On Resistance to Ezekiel in Exile

The scene now shifts from Judah to Babylon, where Ezekiel and many people exiled from Judah remain. “As for you, mortal,” says the LORD, “your people who talk together about you by the walls, and at the doors of the houses, say to one another, each to a neighbor, ‘Come and hear what the word is that comes from the LORD’ ” (v. 30). Cook says, “With the fulfillment of his prophecy of Jerusalem’s destruction, Ezekiel’s popularity grew among the exiles” (op. cit., on vv. 30-33). But there was something lacking. “They come to hear you as people come,” says the LORD, “and they hear your words, but they will not obey them. For flattery is on their lips, but their heart is set on their gain” (v. 31). “To them,” says the LORD to Ezekiel, “you are like a singer of love songs, one who has a beautiful voice and plays well on an instrument; they hear what you say, but they will not do it” (v. 32). “Unfortunately,” says Cook, “the response of many exiles to Ezekiel’s words was shallow, lacking personal obedience” (ibid.). Sweeney puts it this way: “God charges that people come to hear Ezekiel, but will not do as he says. That attitude, however, will change with the destruction of the Temple, when Ezekiel is fully legitimated as a true prophet” (op. cit., on vv. 30-33). Sweeney apparently distinguishes the fall of the city (v. 21, cf. 2 Kgs. 25, 3, 5) from the destruction of the temple (2 Kgs. 25:10). “When this comes,” says the LORD, “and come it will!–then they shall know that a prophet has been among them” (Ezek. 33:33).

1 John 2:1-11

Christ Our Advocate

2:1 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; 2 and he is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.

3 Now by this we may be sure that we know him, if we obey his commandments. 4 Whoever says, “I have come to know him,” but does not obey his commandments, is a liar, and in such a person the truth does not exist; 5 but whoever obeys his word, truly in this person the love of God has reached perfection. By this we may be sure that we are in him: 6 whoever says, “I abide in him,” ought to walk just as he walked.

A New Commandment

7 Beloved, I am writing you no new commandment, but an old commandment that you have had from the beginning; the old commandment is the word that you have heard. 8 Yet I am writing you a new commandment that is true in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining. 9 Whoever says, “I am in the light,” while hating a brother or sister, is still in the darkness. 10 Whoever loves a brother or sister lives in the light, and in such a person there is no cause for stumbling. 11 But whoever hates another believer is in the darkness, walks in the darkness, and does not know the way to go, because the darkness has brought on blindness. (1 John 2:1-11, NRSV)

The following comments are based on relevant comments on 1 John 2:7-17 of April 18, 2010 (the Third Sunday of Easter, Year Two), when relevant comments were repeated from those on 1 John 2:1-11 and 12-17 of April 21 and 22, 2009 (Tuesday and Wednesday in the Second Week of Easter, Year One).

In the preceding chapter of First John, we are told that, for the one who “walk[s] in the light as he himself is in the light,” “the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 Jn. 1:7). The one who confesses his sins finds forgiveness and cleansing “from all unrighteousness” (v.9). As we turn to chapter two, we are told, “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate (paravklhtoV, paraklētos) with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and he is the atoning sacrifice ( iJlasmovV, hilasmos) for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 Jn. 2:1-2). According to Frederick William Danker, the word translated “advocate” means “ ‘one who is called on to provide guidance or encouragement,’ counselor, encourager” in four passages in the Gospel of John with reference to the Holy Spirit, and it is used “of Jesus offering encouragement to a sinner in God’s presence 1 Jn. 2:1. Some prefer the rendering intercessor, esp. for 1 Jn. 2:1” (The Concise Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, 2009, s.v. paravklhtoV, paraklētos). According to C. H. Dodd, “Christ not only died for our sins . . . He also lives to intercede for us” ( C. H. Dodd, Johannine Epistles, the Moffatt Commentary, 1946, p. 24, on 1 Jn. 2:1-6).

This also is part of the Gospel . . . which contemplates us always as sinners standing before God’s judgment seat, and needing the mediation of an advocate.

The word so translated is parakletos [paravklhtoV], familiarly Englished as ‘paraclete.’ Its etymological meaning is ‘one called in’ to help, and so in the most general sense it means ‘helper,’ ‘supporter . . . But it was popularly used to denote a friend ‘called in’ to support a party to a law-suit or the defendant in a criminal trial, an ‘advocate.’ (ibid.)

When we understand that our lives are “an open book” before God, we are moved to say with Isaiah at his vision in the temple, “Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; yet my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!” (Isa. 6:5). “Every apprehension of the character of God,” says Dodd, “and of his demands upon man deepens the sense of guilt which sets a barrier between God and ourselves” (ibid.). But we also realize our need for God, our need to approach him. “How,” asks Dodd,

if their be within the divine Being Itself [i.e. in Christ] that which sympathizes with us and pleads our cause? The Christian Gospel declares that this is so; and not only so, but that this Everlasting Mercy was incarnate for us in Christ, who as Man had personal acquaintance with our moral conflict, and now represents us within the eternal Godhead. (ibid.)

“This intercessory ministry is not a new activity on His part,” says F. F. Bruce; “we recall His promise to pray for Peter that his faith might not fail (Luke 22:32) and in the upper room His high-priestly prayer” (The Epistles of John, 1992, p. 49).

There is no question of this Advocate’s having to extort a favorable verdict from a reluctant Judge; His presence before the Father is advocacy enough by itself, for He is there as the ‘propitiation’ for His people’s sins. With the word hilasmos [ iJlasmovV] (used in the New Testament only here and in 1 John 4:10) we may compare hilastērion [ iJlasthvrion] (from the same root) in Rom. 3:25. We need not stay to enquire whether ‘expiation” (RSV) or ‘remedy for defilement’ (NEB) would be a preferable rendering of hilasmos [ iJlasmovV]; ‘propitiation’ or ‘atonement’ will do well enough, if we use either word in its biblical sense – not as something which men must do to placate God, but something which God has provided in His grace to bring men into his presence with the assurance that they are accepted by Him, since He has removed the barrier that kept them at a distance – guilt, with its attendant retribution, the ‘punishment’ which is banished by ‘perfect love’ (4:18). (ibid., pp. 49-50)

Dodd agrees in principle with Bruce’s interpretation, but hesitates over the use of “propitiation” as the translation. He says that

The heavenly Advocate is also Himself the propitiation for our sins. The word propitiation, however, is a doubtful rendering. The word in the original (hilasmos [ iJlasmovV]), which occurs also in iv. 10, is derived from a verb which in pagan Greek usage generally means to ‘placate,’ ‘pacify’ or ‘propitiate’ an offended person, and in particular an offended deity. The verb, however, has another meaning, rarer in pagan writers–namely, to perform an act by which defilement (ritual or moral) is removed; to ‘expiate.’ The sense that evil doing brings with it a kind of taint is natural and general. It is related to that ‘numinous’ feeling in the presence of a mysterium tremendum in which some see the most primitive element in religion. When the object of the ‘numinous’ feeling comes to be identified with the Moral Absolute, or with a God who is ‘of purer eyes than to behold iniquity,’ the sense of defilement attaches itself more and more definitely to moral evil. In antiquity it was universally believed that the performance of prescribed rituals (which might or might not include the ritual slaughter of animals) had the value, so to speak, of a powerful disinfectant. The ritual duly performed, one could be confident that the taint was removed. For such rituals the most general term in the Greek Old Testament is the verb in question, which almost invariably bears the sense ‘to cleanse from defilement,’ ‘to expiate.’ Where priests or other men are the subject, it refers to sacrifices or lustral rites. But in Hebrew thought it is possible, as it never is in Greek paganism, for the subject of the action to be God; and then the meaning is virtually indistinguishable from ‘ to forgive’: the defilement of sin can be removed, in the last resort, only by divine forgiveness. (Dodd, op. cit., pp. 25-26, on 1 Jn. 2:1-6).

Dodd died in 1973, and Bruce in 1990, the year after the publication of the New Revised Standard Version. But both would likely appreciate the translation of hilasmos ( iJlasmovV) with “atoning sacrifice” (NRSV, 1989). Dodd was convener of the New Testament panel of scholars for work on the New English Bible translation (Bruce M. Metzger, “English Translations of the Bible, Today and Tomorrow,” Bibliotheca Sacra 150: 600 (Oct 1993) p. 397-415. [Reproduced by permission] (http://www.biblicalstudies.org.uk/article_trans_metzger4.html, accessed again February 13, 2009. One may need to copy and paste the URL.). As noted above, the NEB translation was “remedy for defilement.”

“Now,” says John, “by this we may be sure that we know him, if we obey his commandments. Whoever says, ‘I have come to know him,’ but does not obey his commandments, is a liar, and in such a person the truth does not exist” (1 Jn. 2:3-4). “Knowledge of God,” says Pheme Perkins, “requires obedience to God’s commandments (cf. Ezek. 36:26-27)” (NOAB, 3^rd ed., augmented, 2007, on 1 Jn. 2:3-5). Of “commandments,” says David K. Rensberger, revised by Harold W. Attridge, “in particular the commandment of love. See vv. 7-8; 3:22-24; 4:21; 5:2-3; Jn. 13:34; 14:15, 21; 15:10, 12-17” (HarperCollins Study Bible, rev. ed., 2006, on 1 Jn. 2:3). Of “liar,” they say, “See 1:6; 2:22; 420; also 1:10; 5:10” (ibid.). John presents the contrast: “but whoever obeys his word, truly in this person the love of God has reached perfection” (1 Jn. 2:5a). He explains: “By this we may be sure that we are in him: whoever says, ‘I abide in him,’ ought to walk just as he walked” (vv. 5b, 6).

So John moves on to the “new commandment” (1 Jn. 2:8) and, as noted, the need to obey (vv. 3-6).Is John presenting a puzzle, if not a contradiction? Is he presenting “no new commandment, but an old commandment” (1 Jn. 2:7) ? Or is he presenting “a new commandment that is true in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining” (v. 8). Sometimes we grow by seeing the old in a new way. Donald G. Miller and Pheme Perkins put it this way: “The commandment to love, though old, is never obsolete or antiquated, but ever new, being the law of the new age and overcoming the darkness of evil (Jn. 1:5; Rom. 13:12-14)” (NOAB, 2^nd ed., 1994, on 1 Jn. 2:7-11). When Jesus was asked about the greatest commandment, he quoted Deuteronomy, “you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart” (Mk. 12:30, citing Deut. 6:5) and Leviticus, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Mk. 12:31, citing Lev. 19:18). But Jesus also said, “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another” (Jn. 13:34). John insists here on genuine love that translates into action. “Whoever says, ‘I am in the light,’ while hating a brother or sister, is still in the darkness. Whoever loves a brother or sister lives in the light, and in such a person there is no cause for stumbling” (1 Jn. 2:9-10). Let us continue to live in the light, so that the closing verse does not apply to us. “But whoever hates another believer is in the darkness, walks in the darkness, and does not know the way to go, because the darkness has brought on blindness” (v. 11).

Matthew 9:35-10:4

The Harvest Is Great, the Laborers Few (cf. Lk 10.2-3)

35 Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and curing every disease and every sickness. 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; 38 therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest." (Matthew 9:35-38, NRSV)

The Twelve Apostles (cf. Mk 3.13-19a; Lk 6.12-16)

10:1 Then Jesus summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to cure every disease and every sickness. 2 These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon, also known as Peter, and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; 3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; 4 Simon the Cananaean, and Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed him. (Matthew 10:1-4, NRSV)

The following comments are based on those of October 10, 2009 (Saturday in the week of the Sunday closest to October 5, Year One), when comments were repeated with editing and supplement from May 13, 2008 (Tuesday in the week of the Sunday closest to May 11, Year Two), when comments were based on comments from October 13, 2007 (Saturday in the week of the Sunday closest to October 5, Year One), and earlier comments as noted there. For comparison of the parallel accounts here, see the separate files, The Harvest is Great and Choosing the Twelve.

The scene which pictures Jesus healing multitudes by the sea has crucial, but different, roles in each of the Synoptic Gospels. Earlier in Mark, Jesus toured Galilee, “proclaiming the message in their synagogues and casting out demons” (Mk. 1:39). But after the confrontation over the man with the withered hand and the conspiracy of the Pharisees with the Herodians to destroy him (Mk. 3:1-6), Jesus stays for a while in open country, “the sea” (3:7), on “the mountain (v. 13), and when going “home” (v. 19; cf. 19-34) doesn’t work so well, he returns to the sea (4:1) for teaching in parables (4:2-34). The contrast stands out in bold relief between the Pharisees and Herodians who “conspired . . . to destroy him [Jesus]” (Mk. 3:6), and “a great multitude” who “followed him.” Jesus’ fame is growing, and “a great multitude from Galilee followed him” (v. 7). As his fame spread, they came “in great numbers” from further away, “from Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, beyond the Jordan and the region around Tyre and Sidon” (v. 8). It seems as if they came from “all over,” especially for healing (v. 10). The unclean spirits, in spite of their recognizing him as “the Son of God” (v. 11, cf. 1:24), were surely on the side of the conspirators, not the multitude. Was the opposition the reason for Jesus’ next move, the appointing of the Twelve (Mk. 3:13-19)? Their mission was “to proclaim the message, and . . . to cast out demons” (vv. 14-15). But their number, twelve, the number of Israel’s tribes, perhaps represented a restoration of Israel. To borrow a little late twentieth century jargon, Jesus’ appointing of the Twelve was a proactive, not reactive, move. His kingdom of God program would not be stopped by opposition from men or from demons. Students of the life of Christ have called this period the “year of popularity.” It seems that a major attraction was his fame as a healer and exorcist (vv. 10-11).

In Matthew, a brief version of this scene of Jesus healing the multitudes is placed at the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry (Mt. 4:23-25) following his calling of four fishermen (vv. 18-22), and setting the stage for the Sermon on the Mount with a ready-made audience of “great crowds [who] followed him from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and from beyond the Jordan” (v. 25). It’s not that Matthew was unaware of the episodes of healing and encounters with opposition that are clustered at the beginning of Mark. Compare, for example, the Healing of Peter’s Mother-in-Law (Mt. 8:14-15; Mk. 1:29-31; Lk. 4:38-39), Healing the Sick at Evening (Mt. 8:16-17; Mk. 1:32-34; Lk. 4:40-41), the Cleansing of the Leper (Mt. 8:1-4; Mk. 1:40-45; Lk. 5:12-16), the Healing of the Paralytic (Mt. 9:1-8; Mk. 2:1-12; Lk. 5:17-26), and so forth. It’s just that Matthew postponed the use of much of this material until after the Sermon on the Mount, which, for him, inaugurates Jesus’ public ministry as the Teacher of Israel (Richard A. Burridge, Four Gospels, One Jesus? A Symbolic Reading, 2^nd ed., 2005, chap. 2, “The Teacher of Israel–Matthew’s Jesus; cf. his discussion of the “four living creatures,” and their symbolism within the Christian tradition, pp. 25-28).

In yesterday’s Gospel reading Matthew tells how Jesus healed two blind men (Mt. 9:27-31), followed by the healing of a mute demoniac (vv. 32-34). In today’s reading, this is followed with a summary that emphasizes the “crowds” for which Jesus “had compassion.” “Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and curing every disease and every sickness” (v. 35). A similar statement in Mark follows the account of Jesus’ rejection at Nazareth (Mk. 6:1-6a), “Then he went about among the villages teaching” (Mk. 6:6b). In Luke, the similar statement follows the account in which Jesus’ feet are anointed by a woman called a sinner (Lk. 7:36-50; cf. Mt. 26:6-13; Mk. 14:3-9; Jn. 12:1-8), “Soon afterwards he went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bring the good news of the kingdom of God” (Lk. 8:1a). Mark can assume the presence of the disciples (cf. Mk. 6:1), but Luke has Jesus at the home of Simon the Pharisee without the disciples (cf. Lk. 7:36), so at this point he adds, “The twelve were with him, as well as some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities” (Lk. 8:1b, 2a). The women are named (v. 2b, 3) but that’s not parallel to the reading from Matthew.

When Jesus “saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd” (Mt. 9:36). This statement comes later in Mark, after the Commissioning of the Twelve (Mk. 6:6b-13), Herod’s execution of John the Baptist (6:14-29), on the occasion of the Feeding of the Five Thousand (Mk. 6:30-44), “As he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things” (Mk. 6:34). For Matthew this need of the crowds leads into the saying about the harvest. “Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers (ejkbavlh/ ejrgavtaV, ekbalē(i) ergatas) into his harvest” (Mt. 9:37-38). This saying is identical in Luke in English, and also in Greek except for one difference in word order, ejrgavtaV ejkbavlh/ (ergatas ekbalē(i), “laborers to send out” (Lk. 10:2). The contexts are different; in Matthew the saying leads into the naming of the twelve disciples (Mt. 10:1-4) and the sending them out on mission (vv. 5-42). In Luke, it is part of Jesus’ commissioning of the “seventy others” for a similar mission trip (Lk. 10:1-12). In fact, since each part of this short section (Mt. 9:35-38) has parallels in Gospels in different contexts, it illustrates again Matthew’s method of topical arrangement. In particular, Matthew sees the story of Jesus sending out the disciples (Mt. 10:1-16; cf. Mk. 6:7-11; Lk. 9:1-5; 10:3) as the appropriate place for his list of the names of the Twelve (Mt. 10:2-4; cf. Mk. 3:13-19a; Lk. 6:12-16), thus bringing related things together for his narrative. And the list serves as a beginning of a solution to the need for laborers. We believe, of course, that there is still a need for laborers, and some of us are responding to God’s call upon our lives to help meet that need.

In Mark’s Gospel, the naming of the twelve disciples has been presented earlier (Mk. 3:13-19a); in Luke the naming of the twelve (Lk. 6:12-16) leads into the Sermon on the Plain (6:17-49); but in Matthew it leads into the Commissioning of the Twelve ((Mt. 10:1-16; cf. Mk. 6:7; 3:13-19a; 6:8-11; Lk. 91; 6:12-16; 9:2-5; 10:3; cf. Kurt Aland, Synopsis of the Four Gospels, revised printing, 1985, sec. 99, pp. 90-92). Within the lists of the names of the Twelve, apart from differences in order, the significant difference here is that Luke has “Simon, who was called the Zealot” for “Simon the Cananaean in the other two Gospels, and “Judas son of James” for “Thaddaeus” in the other two Gospels. The name “Levi” does not appear in these lists, but a person named Levi, who is called (Mk. 2:14) in a manner similar to the calling of Simon, Andrew, James and John (Mk. 1:16-20), “is identified as ‘Matthew’ in Mt. 9:9.” Richard A. Horsley calls him “a customs officer at Capernaum, a border village, working under an officer of Herod Antipas” (NOAB, 3^rd ed., augmented, 2007, on Mk. 2:14). According to Marion Lloyd Soards, “Zealots were a distinct faction of revolutionaries in the Jewish war with Rome of 66-70 CE, but whether this designation indicates that this Simon was zealous in a political fashion is debatable since it is unlikely that a Zealot party existed during Jesus’ life” (NOAB, 3^rd ed., augmented, 2007, on Lk. 6:15). It is clear, however, that persons with views similar to the Zealots were present much earlier in Israel. So, today’s reading closes with a list of the “twelve apostles” (Mt. 10:2-4), though we know that Judas Iscariot didn’t earn that title, but others did, for example, Paul of Tarsus, Andronicus and Junia (Rom. 16:7), and Barnabas (Acts 14:1, 4).

Ronald D. Worden, Ph.D.

rdworden@hgst.edu

deanworden@comcast.net