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 17:1-20

17:1 Better is a dry morsel with quiet

than a house full of feasting with strife.

2 A slave who deals wisely will rule over a child who acts shamefully,

and will share the inheritance as one of the family.

3 The crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold,

but the LORD tests the heart.

4 An evildoer listens to wicked lips;

and a liar gives heed to a mischievous tongue.

5 Those who mock the poor insult their Maker;

those who are glad at calamity will not go unpunished.

6 Grandchildren are the crown of the aged,

and the glory of children is their parents.

7 Fine speech is not becoming to a fool;

still less is false speech to a ruler.

8 A bribe is like a magic stone in the eyes of those who give it;

wherever they turn they prosper.

9 One who forgives an affront fosters friendship,

but one who dwells on disputes will alienate a friend.

10 A rebuke strikes deeper into a discerning person

than a hundred blows into a fool.

11 Evil people seek only rebellion,

but a cruel messenger will be sent against them.

12 Better to meet a she-bear robbed of its cubs

than to confront a fool immersed in folly.

13 Evil will not depart from the house

of one who returns evil for good.

14 The beginning of strife is like letting out water;

so stop before the quarrel breaks out.

15 One who justifies the wicked and one who condemns the righteous

are both alike an abomination to the LORD.

16 Why should fools have a price in hand

to buy wisdom, when they have no mind to learn?

17 A friend loves at all times,

and kinsfolk are born to share adversity.

18 It is senseless to give a pledge,

to become surety for a neighbor.

19 One who loves transgression loves strife;

one who builds a high threshold invites broken bones.

20 The crooked of mind do not prosper,

and the perverse of tongue fall into calamity. (Proverbs 7:1-20, NRSV)

The following comments are repeated here from May 28, 2008 (Wednesday 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.

This group of twenty proverbs includes four pairs of proverbs on the same topic, nine proverbs each on a different topic, and three more listed under “various virtues” or “various vices and virtues.” Proverbs 17:11, “Evil people seek only rebellion, / but a cruel messenger will be sent against them,” is listed under two topics, “the nemesis of folly and wrongdoing” (Topical Arrangement, p. 5) and “various vices and virtues” (p. 35). Another proverb is listed under “the nemesis of folly and wrongdoing”: “Evil will not depart from the house / of one who returns evil for good.” (v. 13). Two proverbs represent the topic, “wise men and fools” (Topical Arrangement, p. 11): “A rebuke strikes deeper into a discerning person / than a hundred blows into a fool (17:10), and “Better to meet a she-bear robbed of its cubs / than to confront a fool immersed in folly” (17:12). A number of “better . . . than” proverbs use the formula, bOF, tôv, literally “good,” for “better” and the preposition Nm9, min, or -m2, “from” for “than,” as noted yesterday. Proverbs 17:1, “Better is a dry morsel with quiet / than a house full of feasting with strife,” uses this pattern. But 17:12 is different. The initial infinitive absolute, wOgP!, pāgôš, “meeting (a bear, bdo, dōv) appears here as a “substitute . . . for the jussive . . . (let it rather meet)” (Gesenius’ Hebrew Grammar, edd. E. Kautzsch and A. E. Cowley, 2^nd English ed., 1910, reprinted 1985, sec. 113 cc). The New Jewish Publication Society puts it this way: “Sooner meet a bereaved she-bear / Than a fool with his nonsense” (Prov. 17:12 NJPS, 1985, 1999). Michael V. Fox says, “Fools are not only a nuisance, they are dangerous” (The Jewish Study Bible, 2004, p. 12). Two proverbs are listed under the topic, “character and its consequences” (Topical Arrangement, p. 15): “One who loves transgression loves strife; / one who builds a high threshold invites broken bones” (17:19), and “The crooked of mind do not prosper, / and the perverse of tongue fall into calamity.” (17:20). These are the only pair that comes back-to-back, though two of the other pairs are separated by only one proverb (17:11 and 13, 17:10 and 12). The other pair, on “quarrels” (Topical Arrangement, p. 28), is separated by several proverbs: “Better is a dry morsel with quiet / than a house full of feasting with strife” (17:1), and “The beginning of strife is like letting out water; / so stop before the quarrel breaks out” (17:14).

The variety of topics of the remaining proverbs exhibit a variety of implied motivations. Sometimes the motivation is self-interest. Be good, so to speak, because it will bring these benefits–not, be good for goodness sake. But sometimes the “self-interest” action will protect oneself from loss or harm. “It is senseless to give a pledge, / to become surety for a neighbor” (17:18, on “rash promises,” Topical Arrangement, p. 26), is a clear example. But others clearly foster social concern and benefit for the community, for example, “Those who mock the poor insult their Maker; / those who are glad at calamity will not go unpunished” (17:5, on “Cruelty and Compassion, Topical Arrangement, p. 18).

The proverb, “The crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold, / but the LORD tests the heart” (17:3 NRSV), reads as follows in the recent Jewish Publication Society translation:

For silver–the crucible;

For gold–the furnace,

And the LORD tests the mind. (Prov. 17:3 NJPS, 1985, 1999)

This proverb falls under the topic, “God’s oversight of man’s life” (Topical Arrangement, p. 1). According to Michael V. Fox, “A furnace tests or assays and purifies ore by heating it until the pure silver or gold melts and rises, where it can be separated from the heavier dross. The analogy, then, implies more than God’s just looking into the heart. It implies a painful test to prove the purity of the sufferer’s faithfulness. Prov. 3:12 expresses a similar idea” (op., cit., on Prov. 17:3).

One proverb here listed under the topic, “the discipline of education,” is ironic, practically sarcastic. “Why should fools have a price in hand / to buy wisdom, when they have no mind to learn?” (17:16). According to Richard J. Clifford, “To acquire (qānāh) wisdom is a common exhortation in Proverbs (4:5 and elsewhere). The verb qānāh can also mean ‘to purchase.’ Fools misunderstand the metaphorical exhortation, taking it literally of buying it with money. The very misunderstanding shows they have no ‘heart’ (= mind). Without a mind, they have no place to store what they have bought” (Proverbs, Old Testament Library, 1999, p. 166, on Prov. 17:16),

Paul E. Koptak finds some threads of meaning here that bring these various proverbs into a kind of unity:

Although the individual sayings of this chapter [i.e., chap. 17] seem to have little in common as compared with the arrangement of the previous chapter, some central themes emerge upon a second look. The picture here works a bit like the ‘magic eye’ illusions. If one looks straight at the details of the design, little else appears, but if one steps back a bit and lets the detai8ls merge, a larger image takes shape. Running through a melange of sayings about families (households) and larger communities are the twin themes of strife and unity. Proverbs about speech habits like gossip and quarreling are intertwined with proverbs about handling money (bribes and pledges) to show their connection with wisdom goals of justice and harmony. (Proverbs, The NIV Application Commentary, 2003, p. 432, on Prov. 17:1-28)

1 Tim. 3:1-16

3:1 The saying is sure: whoever aspires to the office of bishop desires a noble task. 2 Now a bishop must be above reproach, married only once, temperate, sensible, respectable, hospitable, an apt teacher, 3 not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, and not a lover of money. 4 He must manage his own household well, keeping his children submissive and respectful in every way- 5 for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how can he take care of God's church? 6 He must not be a recent convert, or he may be puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. 7 Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace and the snare of the devil.

8 Deacons likewise must be serious, not double-tongued, not indulging in much wine, not greedy for money; 9 they must hold fast to the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. 10 And let them first be tested; then, if they prove themselves blameless, let them serve as deacons. 11 Women likewise must be serious, not slanderers, but temperate, faithful in all things. 12 Let deacons be married only once, and let them manage their children and their households well; 13 for those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and great boldness in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.

14 I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these instructions to you so that, 15 if I am delayed, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and bulwark of the truth. 16 Without any doubt, the mystery of our religion is great:

He was revealed in flesh,

vindicated in spirit,

seen by angels,

proclaimed among Gentiles,

believed in throughout the world,

taken up in glory. (1 Timothy 3:1-16 NRSV )

The following comments are based on those of May 28, 2008 (Wednesday in the week of the Sunday closest to May 25, Year Two), when comments were repeated from May 18, 2005 (Wednesday in the week of the Sunday closest to May 18, Year One); compare the comments of May 17, 2009 (the Sixth Sunday of Easter, Year One), on 1 Timothy 3:14-16.

This lesson begins with another “sure saying” (cf. 1 Tim. 1:15), “The saying is sure: whoever aspires to the office of bishop desires a noble task” (1 Tim. 3:1). NRSV text note d, says, “Some interpreters place these words [i.e., ‘The saying is sure’] at the end of the previous paragraph. Other ancient authorities read The saying is commonly accepted.” Based on this note, Jouette M. Bassler says, “The saying is sure may refer not to 3:1 but to 2:15” (HarperCollins Study Bible, rev. ed., 2006, on 1 Tim. 3:1).

Either way, the continuation lists the qualifications, or characteristics of a bishop ( ejpivskopoV, episcopos): being “above reproach, married only once (mia:V gunaiko;V a[ndra, mias gynaikos andra, lit. ‘husband of one wife’), temperate, sensible, respectable, hospitable, an apt teacher, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, and not a lover of money” (1 Tim. 3:2-3). Bassler says, “The requirement that bishops be married only once, lit. ‘husband of one wife,’ excludes polygamists (who were rare in that culture anyway), remarried widowers, and remarried divorced men. It also excludes unmarried men and all women” (ibid., on v. 3). In addition, the bishop “must manage his own household well, keeping his children submissive and respectful in every way–for if someone does not know how to manage his own household,” Paul asks, “how can he take care of God’s church?” (vv. 4-5). The bishop “must not be a recent convert, or he may be puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil” (v. 6). “The first specifically Christian requirement for a bishop,” says Bassler, “is that he not be a recent convert. Puffed up with conceit may refer instead to being deluded, i.e., by the false teachers; see also 6:4; 2 Tim. 3:4). “Moreover,” adds Paul, the bishop “must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace and the snare of the devil” (v. 7).

The qualifications for deacons (diavkonoi, diakonoi) are similar, perhaps a bit less stringent. “Deacons likewise must be serious, not double-tongued, not indulging in much wine, not greedy for money; they must hold fast to the mystery (musthvrion, mystērion) of the faith (th:V pivstewV, tēs pisteōs) with a clear conscience (vv. 8-9). According to Frederick William Danker, the word translated “mystery” often refers in the New Testament to “divine counsel and plans that have awaited disclosure and interpretation,” but more particularly here, is used “of special truth interpreted or in need of interpretation” (The Concise Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, 2009, s.v. musthvrion, mystērion). “The mystery of the faith,” says Bassler, “is defined in 3:16; the faith is thus equivalent here to our religion (v. 16)” (op. cit., on v. 9). “And let them first be tested,” says Paul; “then, if they prove themselves blameless, let them serve as deacons” (v. 10). And Paul continues. “Women (gunai:keV, gynaikes) likewise must be serious, not slanderers, but temperate, faithful in all things” (v. 11). NRSV text note a says, “Or Their wives, or Women deacons.” “It is not clear,” says Bassler, “whether the women are wives of deacons or deacons themselves (see text note a). Paul knew women deacons (Rom. 16:1), but the many restrictions placed on women in these Letters [i.e., the Pastoral Epistles] make the first option more likely here” (ibid., on v. 11). Margaret M. Mitchell notes the ambiguity but suggests “women deacons . . . such as Phoebe (Rom. 16:1). If women deacons are intended,” she adds, “the short treatment may be due to the author’s anxiety about female leadership (see 2:9-15; 5:3-16)” (NOAB, 3^rd ed., augmented, 2007, on 1 Tim. 3:11). We may note that Phoebe is called a diavkonoV (diakonos, “deacon” NRSV, text note c “Or minister”), but also a prostavtiV (prostatis). The related verb, prostavssw (prostassō, means to “command,” “give orders.” Phoebe has been called the “pastor” of the church at Cenchreae” (Helmut Koester, in a class lecture).

Paul continues with a qualification for deacons comparable to the earlier qualification for bishops. “Let deacons be married only once (mia:V gunaiko;V a[ndra, mias gynaikos andra, lit. ‘husband of one wife’),” says Paul, “and let them manage their children and their households well; for those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and great boldness in the faith that is in Christ Jesus” (vv. 12-13). Paul adds a brief note about his travel plans. “I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these instructions to you so that, if I am delayed, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and bulwark of the truth” (vv. 14-15). According to Bassler, “The image of the church as the household of God informs many of the instructions in these Letters; see, e.g., vv. 4-5, 12; 5:1-2; 2 Tim. 2:20-21; see also Eph. 2:19-22; Heb. 3:6; 1 Pet. 2:5; 4:17. Pillar and bulwark suggests a defensive stance; see Jer. 1:18” (op. cit., on v.15). A summary of the “truth” that is being defended, “the mystery of our religion,” is presented. We see here a sharp contrast between the truth, the Christian tradition that Timothy is to pass on, and the lie, the false teaching of Paul’s opponents. In a brief passage that is comparable to the Apostle’s Creed, we are presented with what many suggest is a hymn quoted by Paul. The rhythmic pattern–even rhyme of the aorist passive verb endings (-qh, -thē) at the end of each of the six lines–sums up, in six staccato lines, key beliefs about Christ. He came in the flesh (contrast the docetic view that he “seemed” to be human); he was vindicated (presumably by resurrection); he “was seen by” (= “appeared to”) angels; he was “proclaimed among Gentiles”; he was “believed in throughout the world”; and he was “taken up in glory” (v. 16). The emphasis on his coming in the flesh apparently sets up a contrast with the heretical views attacked in 1 Timothy 4:1-5.

Claire Drury compares this passage to 1 Timothy 2:5-6.

The earlier formula in ch. 2 dwelt on the human nature of Christ; this confessional formula consists of three pairs of contrasted statements. The main point of contrast being the last word of each line: in the first pair flesh and spirit, in the second it is angels and Gentiles, in the last pair the contrast is between the world and glory. The structure is chiastic, ABBAAB (where the earthly world is represented by A, the heavenly by B) which makes the formula memorable and helps unify the whole. In every line the verb is in the same tense and is followed by a noun in the same case preceded, with one exception, by 'in'. Heaven and earth are being contrasted and yet shown to belong together, united by the revelation of Christ and its effects. (The Oxford Bible Commentary, p. 1225, on 1 Tim. 3:14-16)

Drury adds that “There is no direct reference to Christ's death and resurrection, nor to the end of the world, but a clear picture is created of the unifying and universal nature of the coming of Christ. Christ's triumph and glory are placed in contrast to the teachings of demons which are to be the subject of the next passage. The household of God rests on sure foundations” (ibid.).

Matthew 12:43-50

The return of the Unclean Spirit

43 "When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it wanders through waterless regions looking for a resting place, but it finds none. 44 Then it says, 'I will return to my house from which I came.' When it comes, it finds it empty, swept, and put in order. 45 Then it goes and brings along seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and live there; and the last state of that person is worse than the first. So will it be also with this evil generation.

The True Kindred of Jesus

46 While he was still speaking to the crowds, his mother and his brothers were standing outside, wanting to speak to him. 47 Someone told him, "Look, your mother and your brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you." 48 But to the one who had told him this, Jesus replied, "Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?" 49 And pointing to his disciples, he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers! 50 For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother." (Matthew 12:43-50, NRSV)

The following comments are repeated here from October 26, 2009 ( Monday in the week of the Sunday closest to October 26, Year One), when comments were based on those of May 28, 2008 (Wednesday in the week of the Sunday closest to May 25, Year Two), when comments were repeated from October 29, 2007 (Monday in the week of the Sunday closest to October 26, Year One), when comments were based on comments of October 24, 2005 (Monday in the week of the Sunday closest to October 26, Year One) with some reference to various comments on the parallel passages. The following comments are based on those of May 28, 2008:

Parallels to these texts are presented in tables below. For a comprehensive table covering the texts of Matthew and parallels for Thursday and Friday (May 27 and 28) as well as today, see the separate file, Jesus and Beelzebul. For comments from the perspective of Mark’s version of these passages, see comments on Mark 3:19b-35 in the Archive for March 2, 2010 (Tuesday in the week of the Second Sunday of Lent, Year Two); for comments from the perspective of Luke’s version, see comments on Luke 11:14-23 in the Archive for May 30, 2009 (Saturday in the Week of the Seventh Sunday of Easter, Year One).

In Matthew and Luke, the sayings about the return of the evil spirit (Mt. 12:43-45; Lk. 11:24-26) are presented in the larger context of the accusation by the Pharisees that Jesus is in collusion with Satan (Mt. 12:22-30; Mk. 3:22-27; Lk. 11:14-15, 17-23; cf. Mt. 9:32-34 and various texts in John), Jesus’ response about the sin against the Holy Spirit (Mt. 12:31-37; Mk. 3:28-30; Lk. 12:10), and, in Matthew, Jesus’ sayings about the sin against the Holy Spirit and knowing people by their fruit (Mt. 12:31-37; cf. Mk. 3:28-30; Mt. 7:16-20; Lk. 6:43-45)

Except for the application to “this evil generation” in the final statement, Matthew’s account of this quotation from Jesus is practically identical with that of Luke. (Minor variations in wording of the English translations are in bold print. The Greek texts have two or three differences in word order and two or three in wording that do not show up in the translations, for example, Matthew’s initial conjunction dev (de, ‘And/But,’ Mt. 12:43, lacking in Lk. 11:24) and different verbs translated as “return” ( ejpistrevyw epistrepsō, Mt. 12:44, +Upostrevyw, Hypostrepsō, Lk. 11:24, both of which could translate the Aramaic bvt (t-w-b, cf. Dan. 4:31,33 Aramaic = vv. 34, 36 NRSV, where Nebuchadnezzar says, “my reason returned to me”). William Barclay’s subtitle for this paragraph is “The Peril of the Empty Heart,” but he also calls it “this compact and eerie little parable about the haunted house” (The Gospel of Matthew, The Daily Study Bible Series, vol. 2, rev. ed., 1975, pp. 50-51, on Mt. 12:43-45). He finds three lessons here: (1) The evil spirit tries to return, for “Evil is a force which may be at bay but is never eliminated.” (2) “A negative religion can never be enough.” (3) The only permanent cure for evil action is Christian action. Barclay summarizes, “To put it quite simply, the Church will most easily keep her converts when she gives them Christian work to do” (pp. 51-52).

In spite of the generally parallel sequences in Matthew and Mark, the specific context of the Beelzebul controversy is different. Matthew begins with the healing of a blind and mute demoniac (Mt. 12:22; cf. 9:32–a mute demoniac–and Lk. 11:14), which becomes the occasion of the Pharisees’ accusation. Mark “sandwiches” the story between two parts of an account of Jesus’ relation to his family (Mk. 3:19b-21, 31-35). Some take Mark 3:21 to mean that Jesus’ family thought he was “out of his mind,” as in the New International Version, “When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, ‘He is out of his mind.’ ” But the two instances of “they” are indefinite–third person verb endings, sometimes the equivalent of an indefinite pronoun–and the NRSV distinguishes the first “they” (the family) from the second: “When his family heard it, they went out to restrain him, for people [NIV’s ‘they’] were saying, ‘He has gone out of his mind.’ ” If, as many believe, Mark is one of Matthew’s sources, Matthew chose to pass over this comment in silence. If Matthew 12:47 (missing in some manuscripts) is an original part of Matthew’s text, their accounts of what Jesus said about his true family (Mt. 12:46-50; Mk. 3:31-35); are very similar.

In Matthew, the positive emphasis upon followers of Jesus as a family is very significant. It is reflected in “the language of fictive kinship” used within the early Church (a phrase used by Dr. Wayne Meeks of Yale University in a seminar for college teachers on “The Social World of Early Christianity,” Summer 1979. Paul, for example, appeals to “you . . . brothers” (ajdelfoiv, adelphoi) (Rom. 12:1, “brothers and sisters,” NRSV), and refers to “our sister Phoebe” (Rom. 16:1). He expresses concern that, when he came to Troas, he “did not find my brother Titus there” (2 Cor. 2:13). It is significant that all four Gospels emphasize this family relationship to Jesus. In John the disciples are “friends” (fivloi, philoi, Jn. 15:14; cf. v. 10, “If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love” [ajgavph, agape]). According to C. K. Barrett, “There is no essential difference between being Christ’s (fivloV, philos [‘friend’] and abiding in his agape [ajgavph, ‘love’]” (The Gospel according to St. John, S.P.C.K, 1955, reprinted 1960, p. 398 on Jn. 15:14). William L. Gaither has incorporated this family relationship in his gospel song, “The Family of God” (on the Internet, with music, at http://my.homewithgod.com/heavenlymidis2/family.html accessed again Oct. 25, 2009).

The four Gospel texts in the table above state a condition: “For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother” (Mt. 12:50; cf. Mk. 3:35–both including “sister” (ajdelfhv, adelphē )–Lk. 8:21 and Jn. 15:14). Such obedience is a service of love. Wouldn’t we say it’s worth it?

Presbyterian Readings

Prov. 6:1-19

Practical Admonitions

6:1 My child, if you have given your pledge to your neighbor,

if you have bound yourself to another,

2 you are snared by the utterance of your lips,

caught by the words of your mouth.

3 So do this, my child, and save yourself,

for you have come into your neighbor's power:

go, hurry, and plead with your neighbor.

4 Give your eyes no sleep

and your eyelids no slumber;

5 save yourself like a gazelle from the hunter,

like a bird from the hand of the fowler.

6 Go to the ant, you lazybones;

consider its ways, and be wise.

7 Without having any chief

or officer or ruler,

8 it prepares its food in summer,

and gathers its sustenance in harvest.

9 How long will you lie there, O lazybones?

When will you rise from your sleep?

10 A little sleep, a little slumber,

a little folding of the hands to rest,

11 and poverty will come upon you like a robber,

and want, like an armed warrior.

12 A scoundrel and a villain

goes around with crooked speech,

13 winking the eyes, shuffling the feet,

pointing the fingers,

14 with perverted mind devising evil,

continually sowing discord;

15 on such a one calamity will descend suddenly;

in a moment, damage beyond repair.

16 There are six things that the LORD hates,

seven that are an abomination to him:

17 haughty eyes, a lying tongue,

and hands that shed innocent blood,

18 a heart that devises wicked plans,

feet that hurry to run to evil,

19 a lying witness who testifies falsely,

and one who sows discord in a family. (Proverbs 6:1-19, NRSV)

The following comments are repeated here from May 21, 2008 (Wednesday 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 22, 2006 (Wednesday in the week of the Seventh Sunday after the Epiphany, Year Two):

The father/teacher gives advice on practical matters. One should not co-sign for others’ loans. “If you have given your pledge to your neighbor, / if you have bound yourself to another” (Prov. 6:1), you are in big trouble. “You are snared by the utterance of your lips, / caught by the words of your mouth” (v. 2). The remedy is to hastily “plead with your neighbor” (v. 3c) and “save yourself like a gazelle from the hunter, / like a bird from the hand of the fowler” (v. 5).

The following stanza (vv. 6-11) condemns laziness and urges industrious activity like that of the ant; “consider its ways, and be wise” (v. 6). The ant “prepares its food in summer, and gathers its sustenance in harvest” (v. 8) without supervision (v. 7). Laziness and its consequences are described. “A little sleep, a little slumber, / a little folding of the hands to rest, / and poverty will come upon you like a robber, / and want, like an armed warrior” (vv. 10-11).

Another stanza warns against association with bad company, “a scoundrel and a villain” (v. 12a), whose evil deeds include “crooked speech” (v. 12b), various gestures (v. 13), and “with perverted mind devising evil, / continually sowing discord” (v. 14). They are headed for “calamity” and “damage beyond repair” (v. 15).

The last stanza of today’s reading (vv. 16-19) is a numerical saying like those that appear in chapter 30 (30:18-19 or 18-20, 21-23, 24-28, 29-31; cf. Amos 1:3-2:8). For some of these, the emphasis seems to be on the last enumerated item, for example, “the way of a man with a girl” (Prov. 30:19d) and perhaps “a maid when she succeeds her mistress” (30:23b). In Amos, the numerical sayings are oracles of indictment and judgment, first against Israel’s neighbors, circling as it were, and honing in on Israel (Amos 2:6-8), so the crescendo is not within each numerical saying as such, but within the series of numerical sayings, against Damascus (Amos 1:3-5), Gaza (vv. 6-8), Tyre (vv. 9-10), Edom (vv. 11-12), Ammon (vv. 13-15), Moab (2:1-3), (Judah (vv. 4-5), and Israel (vv. 6-8, but with continuation directed against Israel, the primary focus of Amos’ prophetic messages (1:1). There is less of an obvious crescendo in the numerical saying in Proverbs 6:16-19. All of the actions enumerated are “things that the LORD hates” (Prov. 6:16a), but the author may have had special resentment for “one who sows discord in a family” (v. 19b). The seven hateful actions make use of the figure of speech called metonymy, letting the part stand for the whole. They are “haughty eyes, a lying tongue, / and hands that shed innocent blood” (v. 17), “a heart that devises wicked plans, / feet that hurry to run to evil (v. 18), a lying witness who testifies falsely, / and one who sows discord in a family” (v. 19). The victim of any one of these actions might well feel terribly wronged.

1 John 5:1-12

Faith, the Victory that Conquers the World

5:1 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the parent loves the child. 2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. 3 For the love of God is this, that we obey his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome, 4 for whatever is born of God conquers the world. And this is the victory that conquers the world, our faith. 5 Who is it that conquers the world but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

Testimony concerning the Son of God

6 This is the one who came by water and blood, Jesus Christ, not with the water only but with the water and the blood. And the Spirit is the one that testifies, for the Spirit is the truth. 7 There are three that testify: 8 the Spirit and the water and the blood, and these three agree. 9 If we receive human testimony, the testimony of God is greater; for this is the testimony of God that he has testified to his Son. 10 Those who believe in the Son of God have the testimony in their hearts. Those who do not believe in God have made him a liar by not believing in the testimony that God has given concerning his Son. 11 And this is the testimony: God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. (1 John 5:1-12, NRSV)

The following comments are repeated here from April 29, 2009 (Wednesday in the Third Week of Easter, Year One), when comments were repeated from May 21, 2008 (Wednesday in the week of the Sunday closest to May 18, Year Two), when comments were repeated from December 27, 2007 (Tuesday after Christmas, the Feast of St. John, Year Two), when comments were repeated from December 27, 2005, (the Feast of St. John, Year Two), when comments were repeated with adaptation from Wednesday, April 13, 2005 (Wednesday of the week of the third Sunday after Easter).

John begins by repeating themes of believing “that Jesus is the Christ,” of being “born of God” and loving “the parent” (i.e. God the Father), and so loving “the child” (Jesus the Son) (1 Jn. 5:1). “By this we know that we love the children of God,” he says, “when we love God and obey his commandments” (v. 2). John explains: “For the love of God is this, that we obey his commandments” (v. 3a). The “world” has been mentioned earlier, but now John reminds us that “his [i.e., God’s] commandments are not burdensome, for whatever is born of God conquers the world” (vv. 3b, 4a). In turn, John defines this “conquering” of the world. “And this is the victory that conquers the world, our faith” (v. 4b). “Who is it that conquers the world,” asks John, “but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” (v. 5).

With this reference to Jesus, John moves on from the “faith . . . that conquers the world” to testimony about the Son of God. “This is the one who came by water and blood, Jesus Christ, not with the water only but with the water and the blood. And the Spirit is the one that testifies, for the Spirit is the truth” (v. 6). C. H. Dodd points out that the Epistle here refers to the Gospel of John. 1 John 5:6 refers to Jesus’ coming “by water and blood,” and adds reference to the Spirit (Johannine Epistles, The Moffatt Commentary, 1946, p. 128). He refers to John 1:32-34:

And John testified, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ And I myself have seen and have testified that this is the Son of God.” (John 1:32-34 NRSV)

Dodd comments:

Here we have a ‘witness’ to the fact of the Incarnation, the witness of John the Baptist; but that witness rests on a prior witness of God Himself, in the descent of the Spirit (for the Baptist did not recognize Christ until the divine sign was given). It is in accord with this that our author says that the Spirit is the witness, and (he adds) a witness to be accepted, because the Spirit is truth (cf. John xvi. 13). In history, the descent of the Spirit was evidence of the Messiahship of Jesus. In the present experience of the Church, the activity of the Spirit is evidence of His power to baptize with the Spirit, and therefore of His divine Sonship. (ibid., p. 129)

John continues: “There are three that testify:^a the Spirit and the water and the blood, and these three agree” (vv.. 7-8). The NRSV text note a to verse 7 explains that the words, “There are three that testify in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit, and these three are one. And there are three that testify on earth:” are found in “a few other authorities (with variations).” The fact is that most of the oldest and best witnesses to the New Testament text do not include these words, though on the basis of later manuscripts, they are included in 1 John 5:7-8 of the Authorized (King James) Version (1 Jn. 5:7-8). The editors of the United Bible Societies’ Greek New Testament (3rd ed.), Kurt Aland, Matthew Black, Carlo M. Martini, Bruce M. Metzger, and Allen Wikgren, use an upper case “A” to indicate that they are “virtually certain” that these words were not in the original manuscript of First John. Fortunately, the Christian doctrine of the Trinity does not depend on this one passage. But the cross-reference here to John’s Gospel, and the elaboration of these ideas is significant. According to Pheme Perkins, “One who came by water and blood [v. 6] refers to the death of Jesus as atonement for sin (1:7; 2:2; 4:10; Jn. 1:29). The witnesses, water, blood, and Spirit, are evident in John’s account of Jesus’ death (Jn. 19:34-35; for the water as Spirit, see Jn. 7:38-39)” (NOAB, 3^rd ed., augmented, 2007, on 1 Jn. 5:6-8). “If we receive human testimony,” says John, “the testimony of God is greater; for this is the testimony of God that he has testified to his Son” (v. 9).

John as much as says we really must accept this divine testimony to Jesus as the Son of God, and respond with faith. “Those who believe in the Son of God have the testimony in their hearts” (v. 10a). And he spells out the alternative. “Those who do not believe in God have made him a liar by not believing in the testimony that God has given concerning his Son” (v. 10b). Accepting this testimony and believing–having faith–in Jesus as the Son of God is the key to “eternal life.” “And this is the testimony: God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son” (v. 11). One’s relation to the Son is crucial: “Whoever has the Son has life,” says John; “whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life” (1 Jn. 5:12; cf. Jn. 3:36). Perkins says, “The true faith is based not only on human testimony (1:1-4; Jn. 1:7-8) but God’s testimony as well (cf. Jn. 5:31-38)” (op. cit., on vv. 9-12).

Matthew 11:16-24

Not Dancing to the Tunes of John or Jesus

16 "But to what will I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to one another,

17 'We played the flute for you, and you did not dance;

we wailed, and you did not mourn.'

18 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, 'He has a demon'; 19 the Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!' Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds." (Matthew 11:16-19, NRSV)

Woes to Unrepentant Cities (Gen 19.12-14; Lk 10.13-15)

20 Then he began to reproach the cities in which most of his deeds of power had been done, because they did not repent. 21 "Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the deeds of power done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. 22 But I tell you, on the day of judgment it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon than for you. 23 And you, Capernaum,

will you be exalted to heaven?

No, you will be brought down to Hades.

For if the deeds of power done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. 24 But I tell you that on the day of judgment it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom than for you." (Matthew 11:20-24, NRSV)

The following comments are repeated here from October 19, 2009 (Monday in the week of the Sunday closest to October 19, Year One), when comments were repeated from May 21, 2008 (Wednesday in the week of the Sunday closest to May 18, Year Two), when comments were repeated from October 22, 2007 (Monday in the week of the Sunday closest to October 19, Year One), though some use of comments from the perspective of Luke’s accounts was made.

These texts from Matthew may be compared with corresponding texts from Luke as follows:

There are passages in Matthew and Luke with practically verbatim (identical) texts but differences in context. Compare, for example, Jesus’ teaching about anxiety in Matthew 6:25-34 and Luke 12:22-32. Both parts of Matthew’s reading for today have nearly verbatim parallels in Luke, but, whereas the first sections (Mt. 11:16-19; Lk. 7:31-35) come in similar contexts: after Jesus responds to the messengers who brought John the Baptist’s question, he talks about the significance of John; Luke’s parallel to Matthew’s second section (Lk. 10:12-15; Mt. 11:20-24) comes after Luke’s description of Jesus sending out the Seventy on mission (Lk. 10:1-12), for which, as such, there is no Matthean parallel. Luke 10:12, the end of the paragraph about the mission of the Seventy, sets the context for the Woes on the Galilean cities, but Matthew 11:20 connects these Woes to Jesus comments about John.

The point in both passages, however, is the failure of the people to respond either to John’s message or Jesus’ preaching. Jesus compares those who have heard his message but failed to respond to “children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to one another” (Mt. 11:16b; Lk. 7:32a). “We played the flute for you,” the children cry out, “and you did not dance; / we wailed, and you did not mourn” (Mt. 11:17; Lk. 7:32b). The people’s rejection is described as an apparent contradiction. “For John came neither eating nor drinking,” says Jesus, “and they say, ‘He has a demon’ ” (Mt. 11:18; cf. Lk. 7:33). But Jesus, “the Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ ” (Mt. 11:19a; cf. Lk. 7:34). The paragraph concludes with an intriguing reference to “wisdom”: “Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds” (Mt. 11:19b); “Nevertheless, wisdom is vindicated by all her children” (Lk. 7:35). According to J. Andrew Overman, “Her deeds refers to ‘what the Messiah was doing’ (11:2),” and “Jesus is identified with wisdom in 11:28-30” (NOAB, 3^rd ed., augmented, 2007, on Mt. 11:19).

Matthew’s continuation with the woes against unrepentant cities, as noted above, comes in a different context in Luke. According to Matthew, Jesus “began to reproach the cities in which most of his deeds of power had been done, because they did not repent” (Mt. 11:20). This appears to refer in general to the reaction first to John’s preaching, and then to his own. In Luke, the context is within the instructions to the Seventy. Jesus raises the possibility that a town will not welcome the disciples, and the words, “I tell you, on that day it will be more tolerable for Sodom than for that town” (Lk. 10:12), refer specifically to “that town.” In both versions “Woe” is pronounced against “Chorazin” and “Bethsaida” (Mt. 11:21a; Lk. 10:13a), and an implied contrast is drawn. “For if the deeds of power done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago (‘sitting,’ Lk.) in sackcloth and ashes” (Mt. 11:21b; Lk. 10:13b). In consequence, says Jesus, “But I tell you, on the day of judgment it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon than for you” (Mt. 11:22; cf. Lk. 10:14). And Jesus includes the town in which he first settled, according to Matthew (Mt. 4:13), Capernaum: “And you, Capernaum, / will you be exalted to heaven? / No, you will be brought down to Hades” (Mt. 11:23a; Lk. 10:15). According to Overman,

The denunciation of the villages of Bethsaida, Chorazin, and Capernaum north of the Sea of Galilee (cf. Isa. 14:14-15) and the extolling of the non-Israelite coastal cities of Tyre and Sidon emphasize Jesus’ primary mission to Israel. Galilean towns that were home to Jesus and his first mission were granted unusual opportunities to see what was happening (see 10:15). Yet people in towns and regions peripheral to Jesus’ earliest work better appreciate its import. (ibid., on vv. 20-24)

As noted above, Luke refers to Sodom; but Matthew spells it out. “But I tell you that on the day of judgment it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom than for you” (Mt.11:24). The contrast with Sodom would be, in biblical perspective, even more severe than the comparison with Tyre and Sidon; the latter, at least, were still in existence. By describing the way that people ignored these prophetic messages in this way, and following with the passage on the woes directed against the Galilean cities, Matthew stresses the seriousness of this rejection. Luke, by putting this comparison in connection with the mission of Seventy, makes it applicable to acceptance and/or rejection of the missionary preaching of the early church, not merely that of John and Jesus.

Lutheran Readings

Ezekiel 34:1-16

Israel's False Shepherds

34 The word of the LORD came to me: 2 Mortal, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel: prophesy, and say to them–to the shepherds: Thus says the Lord GOD: Ah, you shepherds of Israel who have been feeding yourselves! Should not shepherds feed the sheep? 3 You eat the fat, you clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fatlings; but you do not feed the sheep. 4 You have not strengthened the weak, you have not healed the sick, you have not bound up the injured, you have not brought back the strayed, you have not sought the lost, but with force and harshness you have ruled them. 5 So they were scattered, because there was no shepherd; and scattered, they became food for all the wild animals. 6 My sheep were scattered, they wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill; my sheep were scattered over all the face of the earth, with no one to search or seek for them.

7 Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the LORD: 8 As I live, says the Lord GOD, because my sheep have become a prey, and my sheep have become food for all the wild animals, since there was no shepherd; and because my shepherds have not searched for my sheep, but the shepherds have fed themselves, and have not fed my sheep; 9 therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the LORD: 10 Thus says the Lord GOD, I am against the shepherds; and I will demand my sheep at their hand, and put a stop to their feeding the sheep; no longer shall the shepherds feed themselves. I will rescue my sheep from their mouths, so that they may not be food for them.

God, the True Shepherd

11 For thus says the Lord GOD: I myself will search for my sheep, and will seek them out. 12 As shepherds seek out their flocks when they are among their scattered sheep, so I will seek out my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places to which they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness. 13 I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land; and I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the watercourses, and in all the inhabited parts of the land. 14 I will feed them with good pasture, and the mountain heights of Israel shall be their pasture; there they shall lie down in good grazing land, and they shall feed on rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. 15 I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I will make them lie down, says the Lord GOD. 16 I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, but the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them with justice.

The following comments are repeated here from May 14, 2008 (Wednesday in the week of Pentecost Sunday, refs. for the week of the Sunday closest to May 11, Year Two):

In today’s reading, the LORD’s word for Ezekiel (Ezek. 34:1) uses the metaphor of shepherds and sheep for kings and their people. “Mortal, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel: prophesy, and say to them–to the shepherds: Thus says the Lord GOD: Ah, you shepherds of Israel who have been feeding yourselves! Should not shepherds feed the sheep?” (v. 2). This metaphor is well-known from biblical usage (e.g. Jer. 10:21; 23:1-4; refs. by Stephen I. Cook, NOAB, 3^rd ed., 2001, on Ezek. 34:1-10). Marvin A. Sweeney refers to common use “to portray monarchs in biblical and ancient Near Eastern literature (e.g., David, 1 Sam. 16:11; ch. 17; and much earlier, Hammurabi of Babylon)” (The Jewish Study Bible, 2004, p. 1108, on Ezek. 34:1-10). Young S. Chae cites numerous examples (Jesus as the Eschatological Davidic Shepherd, WUNT [= Wissenschaftlliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament], 2 Reihe [series], 216, pp. 20-22, available on the Internet web site, “Jesus as the eschatological Davidic shepherd” studies in the Old Testament,” at http://books.google.com/books?id=tliVZ-_MAOoC&pg=PA20&lpg=PA20&dq=Shepherd+King+Ugaritic&source=web&ots=Bw84hF-q6_&sig=kac2XNV9RWy9yyODnfpH5GFE_tk&hl=en#PPA20,M1, or by Google search for “Shepherd King Ugaritic,” accessed again May 26, 2010). According to Chae,

E. O. James suggests that the first usage of the shepherd-king motif in reference to an earthly, historical entity [i.e., not a god] occurs with Lug-exiguous, the king of Umm (ca. 2500 B.C.). This king attacked and subdued Lagash, and proclaimed himself ‘king of the Land’ with the blessing and sanction of Enlil. As he assumed his reign over the entire country, he prayed that he might fulfill his destiny and always be ‘the shepherd at the head of the flock.’ (The Ancient Gods, London: Weidenfeld and Nicholson, 1960, 118, cited by ibid., p. 20, no. 7)

In the LORD’s word for Ezekiel, the question about feeding the sheep is answered with an indictment. “You eat the fat,” the shepherds are told; “you clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fatlings; but you do not feed the sheep” (v 3). In other words, the people are not cared for by the rulers, but exploited, for the gain of the rulers. “You have not strengthened the weak,” they are told, “you have not healed the sick, you have not bound up the injured, you have not brought back the strayed, you have not sought the lost, but with force and harshness you have ruled them” (v. 4). In consequence, the “sheep” have been scattered, apparently a metaphor for the Babylonian captivity. “So they were scattered, because there was no shepherd; and scattered, they became food for all the wild animals” (v. 5). And the scattering metaphor takes on the dimensions of the widespread dispersion of the Jewish people throughout what would eventually become the Roman empire. “My sheep were scattered, they wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill; my sheep were scattered over all the face of the earth, with no one to search or seek for them” (v. 6).

Because of this oppressive exploitation of the people (“sheep”) by the rulers (“shepherds”), judgment is pronounced against the rulers. “Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the LORD” (v. 7). The consequences of their neglect are reiterated. “As I live, says the Lord GOD [hOhy9 yn!dox3], because my sheep have become a prey, and my sheep have become food for all the wild animals, since there was no shepherd; and because my shepherds have not searched for my sheep, but the shepherds have fed themselves, and have not fed my sheep” (v. 8), the shepherds are rebuked: “therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the LORD [hv!hy9]” (v. 9): “Thus says the Lord GOD [hOhy9 yn!dox3], I am against the shepherds; and I will demand my sheep at their hand, and put a stop to their feeding the sheep; no longer shall the shepherds feed themselves. I will rescue my sheep from their mouths, so that they may not be food for them” (v. 10). In other words the LORD will correct the abusive practices of the rulers, and stop their exploitation of his people.

God says that he will act as his own shepherd. “For thus says the Lord GOD: I myself will search for my sheep, and will seek them out” (v. 11). We are reminded of the Twenty-third Psalm, “The LORD is my shepherd [yf9ro], I shall not want” (Ps. 23:1). The term “my shepherd” (yf9ro) could be understood as a noun with a possessive pronominal suffix (AV/KJV, NRSV), or as a participle with the pronominal suffix as the direct object, for which this verbal aspect is reflected in the Septuagint, as in the Septuagint, KuvrioV poimaivnei me (Kyrios poimainei me, ‘The Lord shepherds me,’ Ps. 22:1 LXX = 23:1 Heb.). But either way, the shepherd metaphor holds. The use of the metaphor for God, as well as for a king, is not unprecedented in the Ancient Near East either. “Regardless of the epoch or region in the ANE examples abound that indicate how shepherd imagery was applied to both human kings and to gods. In Ugaritic texts, the supreme god El is described in terms of a shepherd-king motif, e.g., El calls himself a ‘shepherd (r‘y). Driver translates it ruler, and suggests this may be intended as a title of a god” (Chae, op. cit., p. 20, citing G. R. Driver, Canaanite Myths and Legends, Edinburgh: T & T Clark, 1956, 67, n. 9).

The LORD describes his shepherding activity. “As shepherds seek out their flocks when they are among their scattered sheep, so I will seek out my sheep” (v. 12a). Sweeney says, “God acts as the ideal ‘shepherd’ (Ps. 23) who will return the people who have been scattered” (on vv. 11-16). The LORD says, “I will rescue them from all the places to which they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness. I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land; and I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the watercourses, and in all the inhabited parts of the land” (vv. 12b, 13). As Sweeney suggests (above), God himself will return the scattered exiles to their homeland in Judah. The LORD himself “will feed them with good pasture, and the mountain heights of Israel shall be their pasture; there they shall lie down in good grazing land, and they shall feed on rich pasture on the mountains of Israel” (v. 14). “I myself,” says the LORD, “will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I will make them lie down, says the Lord GOD” (v. 15). In words that remind us of Jesus’ Parable of the Lost Sheep, in which the shepherd (Jesus? the Father?) goes after the lost sheep until he finds it (Mt. 18:12-14; Lk. 15:1-7), the LORD says, “I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak” (Ezek. 34:16a). But he has harsh words for “the fat and the strong”–that is, the bad shepherds of verses 1-6?–that he “will destroy” (v. 16b). In saying, “I will feed them with justice” (v. 16c), the reference may well be again to the sheep, rather than the bad shepherds. In comment on the NJPS translation, “I will tend them rightly,” Sweeney points to a question about the text, but he seems to coalesce the last two clauses. “The fat and healthy ones I will destroy [text note a: ‘Several ancient versions read “guard” ’]. They will be destroyed because they neglected the people. Heb reads ‘ ’shmid’ (I will destroy), the Greek Septuagint reads ‘I will tend them rightly’ (presumably based on Heb ‘ ’eshmor,’ [‘resh’ looks like ‘dalet’ and the two are often confused]; see translators’ note a)” (op. cit., p. 1109, on Ezek. 34:16).

The next reading–tomorrow–skips ahead to the latter part of chapter 37, passing over the promises of “one shepherd, my servant David” (Ezek. 34:23), “a new heart” (36:26), and more specific promises of restoration, including the vision of the valley of dry bones (37:1-14). But we are beginning to sense a real transition from bad news to good news.

1 John 2:12-17

12 I am writing to you, little children,

because your sins are forgiven on account of his name.

13 I am writing to you, fathers,

because you know him who is from the beginning.

I am writing to you, young people,

because you have conquered the evil one.

14 I write to you, children,

because you know the Father.

I write to you, fathers,

because you know him who is from the beginning.

I write to you, young people,

because you are strong

and the word of God abides in you,

and you have overcome the evil one.

15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. The love of the Father is not in those who love the world; 16 for all that is in the world–the desire of the flesh, the desire of the eyes, the pride in riches--comes not from the Father but from the world. 17 And the world and its desire are passing away, but those who do the will of God live forever. (1 John 2:12-17, NRSV)

The following comments are repeated here from relevant comments of April 18, 2010 (the Third Sunday of Easter, Year Two), when 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), and earlier comments as noted there.

Yesterday’s reading concluded with John’s commandment, called “no new commandment” (1 Jn. 2:7), but also called “a new commandment” (v. 8). The “new commandment” (vv. 7-11) echoes Jesus’ commandment “that you love one another as I have loved you” (Jn. 15:12, cf. vv. 12-17). In the Epistle, John continues: “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)

As today’s reading begins, poetic lines (vv. 12-14) describe how different groups within the Christian community are related to God. Little children’s sins are forgiven (v. 12), the fathers “know him who is from the beginning,” that is, they know God, and the young people have conquered the evil one (v. 13). As it turns out, the children also “know the father” (v. 14) which suggests that the details of each relationship are not limited to the group named–they are not mutually exclusive, but together they describe a more comprehensive relation to God.

Parallel phrasing suggests poetic style in these lines of encouragement for people of all ages in John’s Christian community. Children are addressed (tekniva, teknia, “little children,” Jn. 2:12, and paidiva, paidia, v. 14), fathers (vv. 13a, 14a, 14b) and young people (vv. 13b, 14c). The first three lines begin in the present tense, “I write,” “I am writing,” and the last three begin in the aorist tense, which might have been translated, “I have written” (AV/KJV, ASV, New King James Version), but, in recognition of the “epistolary aorist,” use of the English present tense, “I write” (NRSV, NIV, TNIV) is better. Anticipating the perspective of the reader, the letter writer uses a past tense form for what he is doing at the moment. So for him (or her) it’s a past tense form with a present tense meaning, but for the reader, the letter was written previously. Some translations use one perspective, and others the other perspective. But the time value of “have written” or “write” (v. 14) is the same as that of “am writing” (vv. 12, 13). F. F. Bruce offers a similar explanation, and adds:

The threefold grouping relates to spiritual maturity, not years reckoned by the calendar. Even if, in the third Christian generation, there was a growing tendency for spiritual maturity and natural age to coincide (as we may find in many Christian churches today when we compare the elderhood with the Bible class), nevertheless it is spiritual experience that is emphasized. (The Epistles of John, 1992, p. 58)

Bruce notes that “the younger believers have made a beginning by knowing their sins forgiven for Christ’s sake. They have also started to appreciate their new status as children of God . . . in that they have come to ‘know the Father’” (ibid.). The senior believers “have come to ‘know him who is from the beginning’,” that is, “through long experience of him, have come to know Him in a fuller and deeper fashion” (ibid.). “But,” says Bruce,

it is the young men [neanivskoi, neaniskoi, “young people NRSV] who receive chief attention–as is indicated perhaps even by their being placed last in each of the two drafts. They are the believers who have reached a stage of spiritual development where they are expected to bear the burden and the heat of the day; they are the church’s first line of defense against attack, whether that attack takes the form of overt persecution or of subtle undermining of the Christian faith and life. (ibid., p. 59).

The young people have “conquered (nenikhvkate, nenikēkate) the evil one” (v. 13), says John; they “are strong / and the word of God abides in [them], / and [they] have overcome (nenikhvkate, nenikekate) the evil one” (v. 14). According to Bruce, “In all the main Johannine writings –Gospel, First Epistle, and Revelation alike–the theme of overcoming is present, and in all, it is through Christ, the supreme Overcomer, that His people overcome” (ibid.). In our own time many of Christ’s followers have learned to sing, “We shall overcome some day.”

The next three verses warn against love of the world. “Do not love the world or the things in the world. The love of the Father is not in those who love the world; for all that is in the world–the desire of the flesh, the desire of the eyes, the pride in riches--comes not from the Father but from the world” (vv. 15-16). John contrasts the world which, with “its desire,” is “passing away” with “those who do the will of God” who will “live forever” (v. 17). These three verses provide a “true appraisal of the world” as “all that is alienated from God” (Donald G. Miller and Pheme Perkins, NOAB, 2^nd ed., 1994, on 1 Jn. 2:15-17, and on v. 15). In the second edition, Perkins says, “Though Jesus came to save the world (1 Jn. 2:2), the world also represents the false love for wealth or honor and the passions that separate people from God and one another (3:17)” (NOAB, 3^rd ed., 2001, on 1 Jn. 2:15-17).

Matthew 10:5-15

The Mission of the Twelve (Mk 6.7-13; Lk 9.1-6)

5 These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: "Go nowhere among the Gentiles, and enter no town of the Samaritans, 6 but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 7 As you go, proclaim the good news, 'The kingdom of heaven has come near.' 8 Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. You received without payment; give without payment. 9 Take no gold, or silver, or copper in your belts, 10 no bag for your journey, or two tunics, or sandals, or a staff; for laborers deserve their food. 11 Whatever town or village you enter, find out who in it is worthy, and stay there until you leave. 12 As you enter the house, greet it. 13 If the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it; but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. 14 If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet as you leave that house or town. 15 Truly I tell you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town. (Matthew 10:5-15, NRSV)

The following comments are repeated here from October 12, 2009 (Monday in the week of the Sunday closest to October 12, Year One), when comments were repeated from May 14, 2008 (Wednesday in the week of the Sunday closest to May 11, Year Two), when comments were based on earlier comments, from October 15, 2007 (Monday in the week of the Sunday closest to October 12, Year One), when comments were repeated from October 10, 2005 (Monday in the week of the Sunday closest to October 12, Year One). For comments on Mark’s version of the Mission of the Twelve, see March 9, 2010 (Tuesday in the week of the Third Sunday of Lent, Year Two).

With the final paragraph of yesterday’s reading from Matthew (Mt. 10:1-4) and the readings for today through Saturday of this week, we will cover the Second Major Discourse of Jesus as presented by Matthew. It is introduced with the words, “These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions” (Mt. 10:5a), and it is concluded with the words, “Now when Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples . . .” (11:1a; for the formula, cf. 7:28-29; 13:53; 19:1a; 26:1a). A table with references for this Discourse and parallel passages in the other Gospels is in the separate file, Jesus’ Second Major Discourse References. A table that includes the parallel passages for today’s reading is in the separate file, Commissioning the Twelve according to Matthew.

In Tuesday’s reading, we discussed Jesus’ selection and commissioning of the twelve disciples (Mt. 10:2-4; Mk. 3:13-19; Lk. 6:13-16), which in Matthew provides a transition from the preceding series of episode reports (chaps. 8-9) to the speech in which Jesus instructs the disciples as he sends them out to “Go nowhere among the Gentiles, and enter no town of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (vv. 5b, 6). This restriction is not included in the other Gospels; for Matthew it does not mean the Gentiles are permanently excluded from God’s salvation (cf. the “Great Commission,” Mt. 28:19-20; not to mention the positive role of Gentiles, e.g. Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, “the wife of Uriah” [i.e. Bathsheba], the “wise men” [Magi], in the genealogy and infancy narratives).

The purpose of the disciples’ mission according to Mark appears at first to be to exorcize unclean spirits. The twelve are sent “out two by two [with] authority over the unclean spirits” (Mk. 6:7). This aspect is expanded to include curing diseases in the reports of Luke (9:1) and Matthew (10:1), who describes the authority as “over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to cure every disease and every sickness.” But Matthew also makes explicit the message they are to proclaim. “As you go, proclaim the good news, ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near’ ” (Mt. 10:7); compare Luke’s statement that “he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal” (Lk. 9:2). In the similar instructions for the seventy who are sent out (Lk. 10:1-12), they are told to say, “The kingdom of God has come near to you” (Lk. 10:9; cf. v. 11). And Mark does indicate the disciples’ message by reference to those who “refuse to hear you” (Mk. 6:11), and the report that “they went out and proclaimed that all should repent” (v. 12). With that, and the report that “they [the disciples] cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them” (v. 13; cf. Lk. 9:6), Mark clearly reports that the disciples carried out Jesus’ instructions, a point not mentioned, but apparently left to be inferred in Matthew, chapter 10. Luke’s brief report that the disciples carried out these instructions (Lk. 9:6) is followed later by their return and report to Jesus (v. 10); compare the return and report of the seventy and Jesus’ response (Lk. 10:17-20; see below).

In Matthew, the instructions include, in addition to the basic Gospel message, “Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons” (Mt. 10:8a; cf. Mk. 6:7, 15; Lk. 9:1-2). To the disciples Jesus says, “You received without payment; give without payment” (Mt.10:8b). As for provisions for the journey–or should we say, lack of provisions--Jesus says, “Take no gold, or silver, or copper in your belts, no bag for your journey, or two tunics, or sandals, or a staff; for laborers deserve their food” (vv. 9-10; cf. Mk 6:8-9; Lk. 9:3; 10:4). According to Dennis C. Duling, who comments on “no bag” here, “Wandering Cynic philosopher-preachers carried a begging bag to symbolize their self-sufficiency.” And of “or two tunics, or sandals, or a staff,” he adds, “Josephus (War 2.125-26), says traveling Essenes did not replace clothing or sandals until they were worn out, but carried something (perhaps a staff) to ward off robbers” (HarperCollins Study Bible, rev. ed., 2006, on Mt. 10:10). If well received, the disciples are to stay as guests in homes. “Whatever town or village you enter, find out who in it is worthy, and stay there until you leave” (Mt. 10:11; cf. Mk. 6:10; Lk. 9:4; 10:5). “As you enter the house,” says Jesus in Matthew, “greet (ajspavsasqe, aspasasthe) it (Mt. 10:12). And Jesus instructs about possible responses to their greeting. “If the house is worthy, let your peace (eijrhvnh, eirēnē , cf. MOlwA, šālôm, ‘Shalom!’) come upon it; but if it is not worthy, let your peace (eijrhvnh, eirēnē , cf. MOlwA, šālôm, ‘Shalom!’) return to you. If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet as you leave that house or town” (Mt. 10:13-14; cf. Mk. 6:11; Lk. 9:5; 10:10-11a). Note that only Matthew uses the Greek equivalent of the typical Hebrew greeting here (but cf. Lk. 10:6). Only in Matthew, does Jesus continue with the warning, “Truly I tell you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town” (Mt. 10:15); but compare the explanation of shaking “off the dust of your feet as a testimony against them” (Mk. 6:11; Lk. 9:5).

The separate mission of the “seventy” (Lk. 10:1-12) has no parallel as such in Matthew or Mark, though, as noted above, Luke includes instructions that are comparable to the instructions in Matthew 10. Luke’s report of the return of the seventy (Lk. 10:17-20) emphasizes joy and rejoicing, which Jesus focuses on rejoicing “that your names are written in heaven” (Lk. 10:20).

Ronald D. Worden, Ph.D.

rdworden@hgst.edu

deanworden@comcast.net