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 25:15-28

15 With patience a ruler may be persuaded,

and a soft tongue can break bones.

16 If you have found honey, eat only enough for you,

or else, having too much, you will vomit it.

17 Let your foot be seldom in your neighbor's house,

otherwise the neighbor will become weary of you and hate you.

18 Like a war club, a sword, or a sharp arrow

is one who bears false witness against a neighbor.

19 Like a bad tooth or a lame foot

is trust in a faithless person in time of trouble.

20 Like vinegar on a wound

is one who sings songs to a heavy heart.

Like a moth in clothing or a worm in wood,

sorrow gnaws at the human heart.

21 If your enemies are hungry, give them bread to eat;

and if they are thirsty, give them water to drink;

22 for you will heap coals of fire on their heads,

and the LORD will reward you.

23 The north wind produces rain,

and a backbiting tongue, angry looks.

24 It is better to live in a corner of the housetop

than in a house shared with a contentious wife.

25 Like cold water to a thirsty soul,

so is good news from a far country.

26 Like a muddied spring or a polluted fountain

are the righteous who give way before the wicked.

27 It is not good to eat much honey,

or to seek honor on top of honor.

28 Like a city breached, without walls,

is one who lacks self-control. (Proverbs 25:15-28, NRSV)

The following comments are repeated here from May 31, 2008 (Saturday in the week of the Sunday closest to May 25, Year Two):

This selection of proverbs from the second collection of sentence proverbs (25:1-29:27, called “Book IV,” Ronald Worden, A Topical Arrangement of Proverbs, 2^nd ed., 1985, p. ii, based on R.B.Y. Scott, Proverbs; Ecclesiastes; introduction, translation, and notes, Anchor Bible, 18, 1965), represents the last daily lectionary reading from Proverbs within the present series of readings. The proverbs in today’s reading are sorted by topic in the following table:

As in the earlier collection, Book II (Prov. 10:1-22:16), most of the two-line (or two half-line) verses each stands on its own as a separate proverb. But 25:21-22 forms a unit, and v. 20, with four lines (or half-lines), presents a pair of related proverbs about the sorrowful heart. So this table represents thirteen proverbs, including six from the miscellaneous categories (various virtues, other vices and follies). The remaining seven represent five different topics, with two on the topic, “foolish talk, temperate speech, and wise silence”: “With patience a ruler (Nyc9q!, qātsîn) may be persuaded, / and a soft tongue can break bones” (25:15); and “It is not good to eat much honey, / or to seek honor on top of honor” (25:27). Richard J. Clifford says “According to this paradox about wisdom and power, one who does nothing wins over the commander. Context suggests that qātsîn means a military leader here, which is its meaning in Josh. 10:24; Judg. 11:6, 11; Dan. 11:18.” On the words, “a soft tongue can break bones,” he adds that “The verb for ‘to persuade’ is negative (‘to deceive, seduce’) in its four other occurrences in Proverbs, but it has a positive meaning here and in Hos. 2:16 and Judg. 14:15” (Proverbs, The Old Testament Library, 1999, p. 225, on Prov. 25:15). Clifford believes that the other proverb in this pair (25:27) is “corrupt beyond recovery”:

Verses 16-17 used the analogy of eating honey to excess to teach that the sweetness of friendship is best enjoyed in moderation. One would expect that colon B [i.e., the second ‘half-line”] in this saying would counsel moderation in seeking the honor that Proverbs views as a fruit of wise living. Unfortunately, colon B is corrupt beyond recovery (lit., ‘and the searching out of their honor is honor’). Many translations propose ‘[nor;] to seek honor on top of honor,’ but the verb chāqar means to investigate rather than to seek. One can conjecture that the original point is that one ought to be as moderate with regard to honor as with honey, but the precise meaning of colon B is not recoverable with any certainty. (Ibid., p. 227, on Prov. 25:27)

The NRSV text agrees with Clifford’s “to seek honor on top of honor” (see above); the New Jewish Publication Society translation (1985, 1999) is similar, but not identical: “Nor is it honorable to search for honor” (Prov. 25:27b NJPS), and text note a says the “Meaning of Heb. uncertain.”

Another pair of proverbs fall under the same topic, but with some variation in emphasis. “Like a war club, a sword, or a sharp arrow / is one who bears false witness (rq@w! df2, ‘ēd šāqēr) against a neighbor” (25:18); “The north wind produces rain, / and a backbiting tongue, angry looks” (25:23). Both are listed under the topic “gossip and slander” (Topical Arrangement, p. 27), but “false witness” would suggest a court scene, whereas “a backbiting tongue” would suggest a more or less face-to-face quarrel. And here again, according to Clifford, there is some uncertainty about the text. After referring to various translations, he adds:

One problem is that in Palestine it is the west wind rather than the north (tsāpōm) that brings rain. The word for ‘north’ may have been chosen not for meteorological reasons but because it is a wordplay on tsāpan, ‘to conceal.’ Perhaps the meaning is that both the north (etymologically, ‘concealed’) wind and a secret (= concealed) tongue have bad effects. In one case the effect is rain and in the other it is the angry looks of people angered by a slanderous tongue. Or perhaps the northwest is meant, an attempt to preserve the wordplay and be reasonably faithful to Palestinian weather patterns. In any event, slander stirs up anger. (op. cit., pp. 226-227, on v. 23).

Among the other proverbs here, we may note the two-verse proverb that Paul quotes. “If your enemies are hungry, give them bread to eat; / and if they are thirsty, give them water to drink; / for you will heap coals of fire on their heads, / and the LORD will reward you” (25:21-22). After quoting Deut. 32:35, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord” (quoted in Rom. 12:19), Paul adds: “No, ‘if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink; for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their head’ ” (Rom. 12:20, citing Prov. 25:21-22). Michael V. Fox comments on the Proverbs text. “Rather than seeking vengeance, treat a vulnerable enemy kindly. Then he will be ashamed and God will reward your kindness.” And Fox adds, with reference to an Egyptian wisdom text often compared with parts of Proverbs, “Amenemope (sec. 2) advises that when the wicked man is in trouble, ‘Fill his belly with bread of your own, that he be sated and weep’ ” (The Jewish Study Bible, 2004, on Prov. 25:21-22).

Other proverbs here may be noted briefly, for example, the expression of joy at receiving good news (25:25), and the complaint about “a contentious wife” (25:24). I once heard a lecture by a scholar who had studied Jesus’ proverbial expressions in comparison with others, those of the ancient Greeks, for example, of the Jews, including the Hebrew Bible, and even some from Confucian China. One remarkable difference between those of Jesus and all the others, including those of the Hebrew Bible, he said, was the tendency to put women down. This, he said, was totally absent from the sayings of Jesus. For the rest, proverbs in this section–as many earlier in Proverbs–stand on their own merits, which was part of the motivation for my collecting them in the Topical Arrangement.

1 Timothy 6:6-21

6 Of course, there is great gain in godliness combined with contentment; 7 for we brought nothing into the world, so that we can take nothing out of it; 8 but if we have food and clothing, we will be content with these. 9 But those who want to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and in their eagerness to be rich some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains.

11 But as for you, man of God, shun all this; pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, gentleness. 12 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. 13 In the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you 14 to keep the commandment without spot or blame until the manifestation of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 which he will bring about at the right time–he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords. 16 It is he alone who has immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see; to him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.

17 As for those who in the present age are rich, command them not to be haughty, or to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but rather on God who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. 18 They are to do good, to be rich in good works, generous, and ready to share, 19 thus storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of the life that really is life.

20 Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you. Avoid the profane chatter and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge; 21 by professing it some have missed the mark as regards the faith.

Grace be with you. 1 Timothy 6:6-21 NRSV)

The following comments are based on comments on 1 Timothy 6:12-16 of March 28, 2010 (Palm Sunday, Year Two), when comments were based on those of April 5:2009 (Palm Sunday, Year One), from comments on 1 Timothy 6:6-21 of May 31, 2008 (Saturday in the week of the Sunday closest to May 25, Year Two), on comments of March 16, 2008 (Palm Sunday, Year Two) and earlier comments, as indicated there.

This reading comes from the concluding chapter of 1 Timothy. It follows another warning against the false teachings and their effects (1 Tim. 6:3-5). On the positive side, Paul says, “Of course, there is great gain in godliness (eujsevbeia, eusebeia) combined with contentment (aujtavrkeia, autarkeia)” (v. 6). According to Frederick William Danker, the word translated “godliness” is, “in the New Testament limited to ‘devotion to and awesome respect for the deity and religious tradition,’ a characteristic highly valued in the Mediterranean world and frequently associated with dikaiosuvnh [dikaiosyne], devoutness, piety” (The Concise Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, 2009, s.v. eujsevbeia, eusebeia). He defines the word translated “contentment” as “1. objectively: ‘condition of having one’s needs adequately met,’ sufficiency 2 Cor 9:8.–2. subjectively: ‘satisfaction from having one’s needs met,’ contentment 1 Tim. 6:6” (ibid., s.v. ajutavrkeia, autarkeia). According to Margaret M. Mitchell, “Contentment (also v. 8 [the verb ajrkesqhsovmeqa, arkesthēsometha, ‘we will be content’]), ‘autarkeia’ [is] a Stoic term meaning ‘self-sufficiency’ ” (NOAB, 3^rd ed., augmented, 2007, on 1 Tim. 6:6). So godliness brings “great gain,” especially when “combined with contentment.” Paul explains, “for we brought nothing into the world, so that we can take nothing out of it; but if we have food and clothing, we will be content (ajrkesqhsovmeqa, arkesthēsometha) with these (vv. 7-8). “But those who want to be rich,” says Paul, “fall into temptation and are trapped by many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction” (v. 9). “The disasters which overtake the covetous,” says A. J. B. Higgins, “prove the truth of the proverb quoted in [v.] 10a” (Peake’s Commentary on the Bible, 1962, reprinted 1972, sec. 876e, p. 1004, on 1 Tim. 6:2b-10). “For the love of money,” says Paul, “is a root of all kinds of evil, and in their eagerness to be rich some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains” (v. 10). Higgins refers to other authors who cite Greek and Latin parallels to this “proverb,” but gives no examples. But he adds, “love of money may lead to the worst of disasters, apostasy” (ibid., on v. 10b).

Paul advises Timothy to shun the previously mentioned evils and pursue righteousness. “But as for you, man of God shun all this; pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, gentleness” (v. 11). According to Jouette M. Bassler, “The title man of God (translated ‘everyone who belongs to God’ in 2 Tim. 3:17) appears frequently in the OT to designate someone with a special commission from God; see Deut. 33:1; 1 Sam. 9:6-10; 1 Kings 17:18; 2 Kings 4:7; Neh. 12:24. Here it refers to the ordained church leader” (HarperCollins Study Bible, rev. ed., 2006, on 1 Tim. 6:11).

Paul continues this advice to Timothy. “Fight the good fight of the faith (hJ pivstiV, hē pistis); take hold of the eternal life (aijwvnioV zwhv, aiōnios zōē), to which you were called and for which you made the good confession ( oJmologiva, homologia) in the presence of many witnesses” (v. 12). Paul reminds Timothy of his “good confession” and urges him to “fight the good fight of the faith.” The term “faith” here means “That which is believed, body of faith/belief/teaching” (BDAG [Bauer-Danker-Arndt-Gingrich], A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 3^rd ed., 2000, s.v. pistis, meaning no. 3), a sense that occurs early in Paul’s writings (Rom. 1:5; Gal:1:23, refs. in BDAG), but differs from the frequent sense of “trust, confidence, faith” as often in Paul’s writings (ibid., meaning no. 2). For the term “eternal life,” compare John 3:16). “The good confession,” says Bassler, “was made at baptism or, more probably, ordination (see 2 Tim. 2:2)” (op. cit., on v. 12).

Timothy is formally charged again. Bassler refers to “the formal style and language [which] suggest that this section was a liturgical fragment” (ibid., on vv. 13-16). He is reminded again to be faithful to the message that Paul has taught, and not “to teach any different doctrine” (cf. 1:3). “In the presence of God,” says Paul, “who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you” (v. 13). According to Mitchell, this is “the only New Testament reference to the Roman governor of Judea [Pontius Pilate] (see Mt. 27:2; Lk. 3:1) outside the Gospels and Acts” (op. cit., on v. 13). “The content of Jesus’ good confession is not stressed,” says Bassler; “see, e.g., Mt. 27:11; Jn. 18:33-37” (op. cit., on v. 13). Paul thus reminds Timothy of the example of Christ; but the charge is “to keep the commandment (hJ ejntolhv, hē entolē ) without spot or blame until the manifestation (ejpifavneia, epiphaneia) of our Lord Jesus Christ” (v. 14). According to Warren A. Quanbeck and William A. Beardslee, “The commandment, here [is] probably synonymous with the Christian way of life” (NOAB, 2^nd ed., 1994, on 1 Tim. 6:14). According to Danker, “ejpifavneia (epiphaneia) [means an] ‘extraordinary coming into view,’ appearing, appearance, probably with connotation of splendor” (The Concise Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, 2009, s.v. ejpifavneia, epiphaneia). The reference is to the Parousia (hJ parousiva, hē parousia, cf. 1 Thess. 4:15), or the Second Coming of Christ. According to Mitchell, the “manifestation,” “(lit. ‘epiphany’) [is] a reference to the Second Coming ([but is] a favored term in the Pastorals; 2. Tim. 1:10; 4:1, 8; Titus 2:13)” (op. cit., on v. 14).

This manifestation, the Second Coming, says Paul, “he will bring about at the right time (kairoi:V ijdivoiV, kairois idiois, dative plural of kairovV i[dioV, kairos idios, lit ‘at’ or ‘in his own times’)–he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords” (v. 15). Paul doesn’t set a date; rather it will happen in God’s own time. Danker defines kairovV (kairos) as “ ‘appropriate/set temporal segment’ time,” and in some contexts, “with focus on a special time, especially relating to the end-time” (op. cit., on kairovV, kairos). With reference to God, whom he has described as “the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords” (v. 15, cf. Deut. 10:127; 2 Macc. 13:4; 3 Macc. 5:35; and especially Rev. 17:14), Paul says “It is he alone who has immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see; to him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen” (v. 16). At this point William Barclay notes the fourth of the things Timothy must remember:

And above all he is to remember God. And what a memory that is! He is to remember the one who is king of every king, and Lord of every Lord; the One who possesses life eternal to give to men; the One whose holiness and majesty are such that no man can ever dare to look upon them. The Christian must ever remember God, and then he must say: ‘If God be for us, who can be against us?’ (The Letters to Timothy, Titus and Philemon, The Daily Study Bible, 2^nd. ed., 1960, p. 158, on 1 Tim. 6:12-16)

Paul has further instructions, but today’s reading concludes here.

Matthew 13:36-43

The Parable of the Weeds Interpreted

36 Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples approached him, saying, "Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field." 37 He answered, "The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man; 38 the field is the world, and the good seed are the children of the kingdom; the weeds are the children of the evil one, 39 and the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. 40 Just as the weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. 41 The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, 42 and they will throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Let anyone with ears listen! (Matthew 13:36-43, NRSV)

The following comments are based on those of November 2, 2009 (Monday in the week of the Sunday closest to November 2, Year One), when comments were repeated from May 31, 2008 (Saturday in the week of the Sunday closest to May 25, Year Two), when comments were repeated with some editing and supplement from November 5, 2007 (Monday in the week of the Sunday closest to November 2, Year One).

There is no parallel in the Canonical Gospels to Matthew’s Parable of the Weeds (Mt. 13:24-30), but, as noted earlier, there is a close parallel in the Gospel of Thomas. Matthew’s version seems longer because he includes details that are assumed in the Gospel of Thomas version. Matthew’s version says, “So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared as well” (Mt 13:26), which Thomas’ version assumes. Where Thomas has “The man did not allow them to pull up the weeds” followed by his instruction, Matthew has a dialogue initiated by “the slaves of the householder” (Mt. 13:27). There is little significant difference in substance between the two versions of the parable. It seems apparent to me that Thomas has abbreviated Matthew’s version, or the version in the source which Matthew used. But Thomas has nothing comparable to Matthew’s account of Jesus’ interpretation of the parable. To this “apocalyptic interpretation to the parable of the weeds and wheat,” J. Andrew Overman compares 2 Baruch 70:2 (NOAB, 3^rd ed., augmented, 2007, on Mt. 13:36-43), which reads as follows:

Behold! the days come, and it shall be when the time of the age has ripened,

And the harvest of its evil and good seeds has come,

That the Mighty One will bring upon the earth and its inhabitants and upon its rulers

Perturbation of spirit and stupor of heart. (trans., R. H. Charles, 1913, Edited and adapted by George Lyons for the Wesley Center for Applied Theology at Northwest Nazarene University; on the internet at http://www.pseudepigrapha.com/pseudepigrapha/2Baruch.html, accessed again May 28, 2010).

Jesus interrupts his discourse to the crowds. “Then he left the crowds and went into the house” (Mt. 13:36a). It was there, in the house, where his disciples asked him, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field” (v. 36b). He explains that the Son of Man “sows the good seed” (Mt. 13:37) in the “field” which “is the world, and the good seed are the children of the kingdom; the weeds are the children of the evil one, and the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels” (vv. 38-39). Jesus often refers to himself as “the Son of Man” (e.g. 8:20). By the phrase “end of the age,” according to Overman, Jesus means “the decisive break between one era and the next, or the end of the world in judgment” (op. cit., on v. 39). The “harvest” is reaped by “angels” at “the end of the age” (v. 39). Jesus calls attention again to the point of the parable. “Just as the weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age” (v. 40); in other words, “the children of the evil one (v. 38) will be destroyed at that time. “The Son of Man will send his angels,” says Jesus, “and they will collect out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, and they will throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (vv. 41-42). In contrast, says Jesus, “then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father” (v. 43a; cf. Dan. 12:3). And he adds emphasis: “Let anyone with ears listen!” (v. 43b).

The Gospel of Thomas version does mention the harvest, “ For on the day of the harvest the weeds will be plainly visible, and they will be pulled up and burned.” (cf. GT 73, “Jesus said: The harvest is indeed (men [mevn]) great, but (de [dev]) the laborers are few; but (de [dev]) pray the Lord to send laborers ergatēs [ejrgavthV]) into the harvest” (trans., Bruce M. Metzger; cf. Mt. 9:37; Lk. 10:2; Jn. 4:35), which indicates separating out the weeds for burning, but this one sentence is about as close as the Gospel of Thomas comes to using any of the eschatological themes and motifs that are prominent in Matthew and the other Canonical Gospels. Many regard the Gospel of Thomas as a later work with Gnostic tendencies characteristic of second century Gnosticism. The point of Jesus’ interpretation as presented by Matthew is to answer the call to be a part of God’s kingdom as “good seed,” not “evildoers.” The fact that neither here, nor in the Parable of the Sower (GT 9; cf. Mk. 4:1-9; Mt. 13:1-9; Lk. 8:4-8), does the Gospel of Thomas include Jesus’ interpretation of the parable (Mk. 4:13-20; Mt. 13:18-23; Lk. 8:11-15), indicates its tendencies. Some apparently regard the interpretations as expansions in the Canonical Gospels of the more “primitive” tradition as represented by the Gospel of Thomas, but it seems more likely to me that the interpretations were rejected by the Thomas tradition as not agreeing with its Gnostic theology. (The translation of the Gospel of Thomas by Thomas O. Lambdin is available on the Internet web site of the Gnostic Society Library, at http://www.gnosis.org/naghamm/gthlamb.html, accessed again May 28, 2010).

Presbyterian Readings

Prov. 8:22-36

22 The LORD created me at the beginning of his work,

the first of his acts of long ago.

23 Ages ago I was set up,

at the first, before the beginning of the earth.

24 When there were no depths I was brought forth,

when there were no springs abounding with water.

25 Before the mountains had been shaped,

before the hills, I was brought forth–

26 when he had not yet made earth and fields,

or the world's first bits of soil.

27 When he established the heavens, I was there,

when he drew a circle on the face of the deep,

28 when he made firm the skies above,

when he established the fountains of the deep,

29 when he assigned to the sea its limit,

so that the waters might not transgress his command,

when he marked out the foundations of the earth,

30 then I was beside him, like a master worker;

and I was daily his delight,

rejoicing before him always,

31 rejoicing in his inhabited world

and delighting in the human race.

32 "And now, my children, listen to me:

happy are those who keep my ways.

33 Hear instruction and be wise,

and do not neglect it.

34 Happy is the one who listens to me,

watching daily at my gates,

waiting beside my doors.

35 For whoever finds me finds life

and obtains favor from the LORD;

36 but those who miss me injure themselves;

all who hate me love death." (Proverbs 8:22-36, NRSV)

The following comments are repeated here from May 24, 2008 (Saturday in the week of Trinity Sunday, refs. for the week of the Sunday closest to May 18, Year Two), when comments were based on those of February 25, 2006 (Saturday in the week of the Seventh Sunday after the Epiphany, Year Two), and those of December 27, 2007 (Thursday, the Feast of St. John, Year Two), which were repeated from December 27, 2005, the Feast of St. John, Year Two, when some of the comments related to this reading from Proverbs were repeated with adaptation from December 28, 2004 (the Feast of St. John, transferred then from 12/27):

In this passage from Proverbs, “Wisdom” (hm!k4Ho, chōkmāh)” is personified and speaks for herself. “The LORD created me at the beginning of his work,” she says (Prov. 8:22a), elaborating on this as “the first of his acts of long ago” (v. 22b), “before the beginning of the earth” (v. 23b), “when there were no depths” or “springs” of water (v. 24), “before the mountains had been shaped” (v. 25a). When the LORD “established the heavens,” says Wisdom, “I was there” (v. 27a), and the same is true of “when he drew a circle on the face of the deep” (v. 27b), “when he made firm the skies above” and “established the fountains of the deep” (v. 28), and when he separated the waters from the dry land (v. 29; cf. Gen. 1:9). Wisdom had a role in the creation, “then I was beside him, like a master worker; / and I was daily his delight, / rejoicing before him always, / rejoicing in his inhabited world / and delighting in the human race)” (vv. 30-31).

The theme continues here from 3:19-20, where Wisdom is not the speaker, but “The LORD by wisdom founded the earth; / by understanding he established the heavens; / by his knowledge the deeps broke open, / and the clouds drop down the dew.” And it is found in other Jewish Wisdom Literature as well. In the Wisdom of Solomon, “Solomon” elaborates this theme, saying,

            I learned both what is secret and what is manifest,

for wisdom, the fashioner of all things, taught me. (Wisd. Sol. 7:21-22 NRSV)

Later he continues,

4 For she [wisdom] is an initiate in the knowledge of God,

and an associate in his works.

5 If riches are a desirable possession in life,

what is richer than wisdom, the active cause of all things?

6 And if understanding is effective,

who more than she is fashioner of what exists? (Wisd. Sol 8:4-6 NRSV)

Because of Wisdom’s role in chapter 8 and elsewhere in Jewish Wisdom Literature, the motif has been compared to John 1:1-3, which describes Jesus as the “Word” (Logos) through whom “all things came into being” (Jn. 1:3). It is perhaps a very small step to move from "The LORD by wisdom founded the earth" (Prov. 3:19) to the Lord by his Word (Logos) created the world. The theme of Wisdom as the agent of creation is echoed in other New Testament passages as well in reference to Christ. This has been called a “wisdom Christology,” a way that New Testament authors have sought to understand the significance of Christ (cf. 1 Cor. 1:30; Col. 1:15-20). “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers–all things have been created through him” (Col. 1:15-16). “In the beginning was the Word [lovgoV, logos, cf. Wisdom], and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being” (Jn. 1:1-3).

The standard lexicon for New Testament Greek refers to “the independent personified expression of God, the Logos,” and explains:

Our lit[erature] shows traces of a way of thinking that was widespread in contemporary syncretism, as well as in Jewish wisdom lit[erature] and Philo, the most prominent feature of which is the concept of the Logos, the independent, personified "word' (of God): G Js [Gospel of James/Protoevangelium Jacobi) 11:2 (word of the angel to Mary) sunlhvmyh/ ejk Lovgou aujtou: (sc. tou: pavntwn Despovtou) [synlēmpsē ek Logou autou, (sc. tou pantōn Despotou) = “you will receive from his Logos (namely from the Lord/Master of all)]). J[n.] 1:1a, b, c, 14 (cp. Just[in Martyr], A I. [Apology] 23, 2; Mel[ito of Sardis], P[aschal Homily] 9, 61 and oft[en] by all apolog[ists], except] Ar[istides]). It is the distinctive teaching of the Fourth Gospel that this divine ‘Word’ took on human form in a historical person, that is, in Jesus. (Bauer-Danker-Arndt-Gingrich [BDAG], A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and other Early Christian Literature, 3^rd. ed., 2000, s.v. lovgoV (logos), meaning no. 3).

In the continuation of today’s reading from Proverbs, chapter 8, Wisdom calls upon her “children” (students) to “listen to [her]: / [for] happy are those who keep my ways” (v. 32). “Hear instruction,” she says, “and be wise, / and do not neglect it” (v. 33). “Happy (yr@w4x1, ’ašrê, LXX makavrioV, makarios; cf. Ps. 1:1 and the Beatitudes [with plural forms], Mt. 5:3-11) is the one who listens to me,” says Wisdom, “watching daily at my gates, / waiting beside my doors” (Prov. 8:34). She promises life to those who find her, but predicts death for those who fail to find her. “For whoever finds me finds life / and obtains favor from the LORD; / but those who miss me injure themselves; / all who hate me love death” (vv. 35-36). It’s not, of course that they truly love death; but the antithetic parallelism sets up the contrast. To hate wisdom is to reject it, and the consequence is death. Harold C. Washington puts it simply: “The speech concludes with an offer of life in place of death” (NOAB, 3^rd ed., augmented, 2007, on Prov. 8:32-36).

3 John 1-15

Salutation

1 The elder to the beloved Gaius, whom I love in truth.

Gaius Commended for His Hospitality

2 Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, just as it is well with your soul. 3 I was overjoyed when some of the friends arrived and testified to your faithfulness to the truth, namely how you walk in the truth. 4 I have no greater joy than this, to hear that my children are walking in the truth.

5 Beloved, you do faithfully whatever you do for the friends, even though they are strangers to you; 6 they have testified to your love before the church. You will do well to send them on in a manner worthy of God; 7 for they began their journey for the sake of Christ, accepting no support from non-believers. 8 Therefore we ought to support such people, so that we may become co-workers with the truth.

Diotrephes and Demetrius

9 I have written something to the church; but Diotrephes, who likes to put himself first, does not acknowledge our authority. 10 So if I come, I will call attention to what he is doing in spreading false charges against us. And not content with those charges, he refuses to welcome the friends, and even prevents those who want to do so and expels them from the church.

11 Beloved, do not imitate what is evil but imitate what is good. Whoever does good is from God; whoever does evil has not seen God. 12 Everyone has testified favorably about Demetrius, and so has the truth itself. We also testify for him, and you know that our testimony is true.

Final Greetings

13 I have much to write to you, but I would rather not write with pen and ink; 14 instead I hope to see you soon, and we will talk together face to face.

15 Peace to you. The friends send you their greetings. Greet the friends there, each by name. (3 John 1-15, NRSV)

The following comments are repeated here from December 30, 2009 (Wednesday in the week of the First Sunday after Christmas, ref. for Dec. 30, Year Two), when they were based on earlier comments, those of May 2, 2009 (Saturday in the week of the Third Sunday of Easter, Year One), when comments were repeated with some editing from May 24, 2008 (Saturday in the week of the Sunday closest to May 18, Year Two), when comments were repeated with editing and supplement from April 28, 2007 (Saturday in the week of the Third Sunday of Easter, Year One), when comments were repeated from December 30, 2005 (Friday in the week of Christmas Day, Year Two), when they were repeated from April 16, 2005 (Saturday in the week of the Third Sunday of Easter, Year One).

The opening of Third John is brief and to the point: “The elder to the beloved Gaius, whom I love in truth” (3 Jn. 1). The writer calls himself “the elder,” as in Second John 1, and though 1 John does not name it’s author, the church has traditionally accepted the three of them as from John, the author of the Fourth Gospel. The three letters reflect circumstances within what scholars call the Johannine community, probably a group of house churches separated by some distance and requiring hospitality for traveling missionaries–something Diotrephes has refused to offer (3 Jn. 10).

As in Second John, the “greeting” here takes an unusual form (cf. comments yesterday). The elder does not follow the reference to the recipient, “the beloved Gaius” (v. 1) with “grace, [mercy,] and peace to . . .” as in Paul’s letters, or even the simple “Greetings” (caivrein, chairein) of James (1:1). In fact the elder here omits the greeting as such, and moves on to the “health wish and/or prayer on behalf of the reader” (cf. Paul J. Achtemeier, Joel B. Green, and Marianne Meye Thompson, Introducing the New Testament; Its Literature and Theology, 2001, p. 276). “Beloved (ajgaphtev, agapēte, singular),” says the elder, “I pray that all may go well with you (se, se, singular) and that you may be in good health, just as it is well with your soul” (3 Jn. 2). Pheme Perkins calls this a “secular opening (contrast 2 Jn. 1-3) [that] indicates that this is a private letter from the Elder (of 2 Jn. 2) to Gaius” (NOAB, 3^rd ed., augmented, 2007, on 3 Jn. 1-2). By “secular” she apparently means the lack of such Christian terms as “grace, mercy and peace” (2 Jn. 3); but there is, of course, nothing overtly “pagan” here. And the term “beloved” here (v. 2) implies the relationship that characterizes the Johannine community, or at least the elder hopes so. For Perkins, “beloved (vv. 2, 5, 11) indicates the relationship of friendship and hospitality that this letter seeks to establish” (ibid.).

In contrast to Diotrephes, Gaius, to whom Third John is addressed, is commended for his “faithfulness to the truth”: “I was overjoyed,” says John, “when some of the friends arrived and testified to your faithfulness to the truth (ajlhvqeia, alētheia), namely how you walk in the truth. I have no greater joy than this, to hear that my children are walking in the truth” (vv. 3-4). By “truth” John appears to mean especially the emphases of First John and Second John. “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the parent loves the child” (1 Jn. 5:1). “Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action. And by this we will know that we are from the truth and will reassure our hearts before him” (1 Jn. 3:18-19). “Many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh; any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist!” (2 Jn. 7). Gaius–probably not the associate of Paul (cf. Rom. 16:23; 1 Cor. 1:14), since it was a common name–is also commended for doing “faithfully whatever you do for the friends, even though they are strangers (xevnoi, xenoi) to you” (v. 5). The elder says that “they [apparently, the strangers] have testified to your love before the church” (v. 6a). “You will do well,” says the elder, “to send them on in a manner worthy of God; for they began their journey for the sake of Christ, accepting no support from non-believers” (vv. 6b, 7). “Therefore,” he explains, “we ought to support such people, so that we may become co-workers with the truth” (v. 8). From this description, it appears that the “strangers” are traveling Christian evangelists or missionaries. Perkins puts it this way: “Other missionaries have given a glowing report about Gaius, testified to your love before the church (v. 6). Traveling missionaries need to receive help from fellow Christians so that they will not have to turn to unbelievers (v. 7)” (ibid., on vv. 3-8).

The elder has severe criticism for Diotrephes. “I have written something to the church ( ejkklhsiva, ekklēsia),” he says, but Diotrephes, who likes to put himself first, does not acknowledge our authority” (v. 9). Diotrephes seems to feel threatened by leadership from outside his local community. “So if I come,” says the elder, “I will call attention to what he is doing in spreading false charges against us” (v. 10a). But there is more, for the elder adds, “And not content with those charges, he refuses to welcome the friends, and even prevents those who want to do so and expels them from the church” (v. 10b). According to David K. Rensberger, revised by Harold W. Attridge, “Diotrephes . . . uses something like the elder’s own tactics (2 Jn. 10-11) against him.” With reference to “likes to put himself first,” they add,

This vague description may allude to the role of Diotrephes as a local bishop, an office that came to prominence in the late first or early second century. For evidence of an emerging hierarchy, see 1 Tim. 3:1-7 and the letters of Ignatius, bishop of Antioch, from the early second century. In those letters the position of a singular bishop who heads a local Christian community is clear. (HarperCollins Study Bible, rev. ed., 2006, on 3 Jn. 9-12)

Perkins puts it this way:

The Elder is turning to Gaius because a prominent Christian in the region, Diotrephes, now refuses to have anything to do with missionaries sent by the Elder (vv. 9-10) . . . Does not acknowledge our authority implies that Diotrephes refused to accept a previous letter from the Elder to the church in the region. However, a personal visit could heal the breach (v. 10). (op. cit., on vv. 9-11)

The elder calls upon Gaius to do the right thing. “Beloved (ajgaphtev, agapēte, singular), do not imitate what is evil but imitate what is good. Whoever does good is from God; whoever does evil has not seen God” (v. 11). He gives strong praise to Demetrius, “who,” according to Perkins, “may have brought the letter to Gaius” (ibid., on v. 12). “Everyone has testified favorably about Demetrius, and so has the truth itself. We also testify for him, and you know that our testimony is true” (v. 12).

The elder has more to say, but prefers to do so in a personal visit, not in writing. “I have much to write to you, but I would rather not write with pen and ink; instead I hope to see you soon, and we will talk together face to face” (vv. 13-14; cf 2 Jn. 12). And so he closes the letter: “Peace to you. The friends send you their greetings. Greet the friends there, each by name” (v. 15). According to Achtemeier, Green and Thompson, Third John “may well have been a letter of commendation for Demetrius, to be carried by Demetrius himself” (op. cit., p. 551).

Matthew 12:15-21

God's Chosen Servant

15 When Jesus became aware of this, he departed. Many crowds followed him, and he cured all of them, 16 and he ordered them not to make him known. 17 This was to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah:

18 "Here is my servant, whom I have chosen,

my beloved, with whom my soul is well pleased.

I will put my Spirit upon him,

and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles.

19 He will not wrangle or cry aloud,

nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets.

20 He will not break a bruised reed

or quench a smoldering wick

until he brings justice to victory.

21 And in his name the Gentiles will hope." (Matthew 12:15-21, NRSV)

The following comments are repeated here from January 6, 2010 (Epiphany, Year Two), when the reading was Matthew 12:14-21, and comments were based on comments on Matthew 12:15-21 from October 22, 2009 (Thursday in the week of the Sunday closest to October 19, Year One), when comments were repeated from January 6, 2009 (Epiphany, Year One), and earlier comments, as noted there.

Matthew presents a series of episodes in chapters twelve and thirteen which follow Mark’s content and sequence in chapters two to four rather closely, except that, for Matthew, this whole block of material has been included later, after the Sermon on the Mount (chaps. 5-7), for example, and an earlier block of Markan material in Matthew, chapters eight and nine (cf. Mk. 1:40-2:22). Matthew has listed the names of the Twelve later in general in reference to Mark and Luke, but earlier in reference to the present context (Mt. 10:1-4; Mk. 3:13-19a; Lk. 6:12-16). This oversimplifies the situation somewhat (cf. Kurt Aland, ed., Synopsis of the Four Gospels, Rev. ed., 1985, in his Index of Gospel Parallels, pp. 344-346), but helps to explain common sequence here, though the material in Matthew is later in his overall outline. For parallel passages to the reading from Matthew, see the separate file Jesus Heals Multitudes by the Sea.

Following two accounts in which Pharisees accuse Jesus of sabbath-breaking, but Jesus gives priority to human need, they “went out and conspired against him, how to destroy him” (Mt. 12:14; cf. Mk. 3:6; Lk. 6:11). Matthew then summarizes more of Jesus' healing ministry (Mt. 12:15-16; cf. Mk 3:7-12; Lk. 6:17-19). In so doing, Matthew passes over most of the details in Mark’s summary account of many healings of people from Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, beyond the Jordan, and the region around Tyre and Sidon (Mk. 3:8, cf. vv. 7-12). Matthew condenses this to the following: “When Jesus became aware of this, he departed. Many crowds followed him, and he cured all of them, and he ordered them not to make him known (Mt. 12:15-16). The omission of reference to Gentile territories may fit Matthew’s understanding of Jesus’ mission as focused only on Israel (Mt. 10:5-6), but in the quotation from the Hebrew Bible which follows, there are two references to the “Gentiles” (Mt. 12:18, 21). As one of his “formula quotations (e.g., Mt. 1:22-23; 2:17-18; 4:14-16, etc.), Matthew cites Isaiah 42:1-4, 9 (cited in Mt. 12:17-21). The citation has no parallel in Mark or Luke. The quotation supplies a kind of description of Jesus’ ministry. The Spirit of God is upon Jesus as he proclaims “justice to the Gentiles” (v. 18). He will be peaceful (v. 19) and gentle, but will bring “justice to victory” (v. 20). According to Dennis C. Duling, “Isa. 42:1-4 is here freely rendered from Hebrew, emphasizing major themes in Matthew” (HarperCollins Study Bible, 2^nd ed., 2006, on Mt. 12:17-21). The words “my chosen, in whom my soul delights” (Isa. 42:1b) become “whom I have chosen, my beloved, with whom my soul is well-pleased” (Mt. 12:13), echoing the words from heaven at Jesus' baptism (Mt. 3:17). Reference to the Spirit, justice, not crying aloud and not breaking a bruised reed reflect Isaiah's language. Proclaiming “justice to the Gentiles” (Mt. 12:18) reflects bringing forth “justice to the nations (My9OGl1, laggôyim, LXX e[qnesin, ethnesin, dative plural of e[qnh, ethnē, ‘nations, gentiles’),” and reminds us of Matthew's great commission, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations (pavnta ta; e[qnh, panta ta ethne)” (Mt. 28:19). Healing for the nations is not the whole Christian gospel, but in recent times that have seen many major catastrophes–fires, hurricanes, tornadoes, not to mention wars–one takes special note of the connection Matthew made between the healing ministry of Jesus and the passage from Isaiah 42. “He will bring forth justice to the nations” (Isa. 42:1d).

Lutheran Readings

Ezekiel 47:1-12

Water Flowing from the Temple

47:1 Then he brought me back to the entrance of the temple; there, water was flowing from below the threshold of the temple toward the east (for the temple faced east); and the water was flowing down from below the south end of the threshold of the temple, south of the altar. 2 Then he brought me out by way of the north gate, and led me around on the outside to the outer gate that faces toward the east; and the water was coming out on the south side.

3 Going on eastward with a cord in his hand, the man measured one thousand cubits, and then led me through the water; and it was ankle-deep. 4 Again he measured one thousand, and led me through the water; and it was knee-deep. Again he measured one thousand, and led me through the water; and it was up to the waist. 5 Again he measured one thousand, and it was a river that I could not cross, for the water had risen; it was deep enough to swim in, a river that could not be crossed. 6 He said to me, "Mortal, have you seen this?"

Then he led me back along the bank of the river. 7 As I came back, I saw on the bank of the river a great many trees on the one side and on the other. 8 He said to me, "This water flows toward the eastern region and goes down into the Arabah; and when it enters the sea, the sea of stagnant waters, the water will become fresh. 9 Wherever the river goes, every living creature that swarms will live, and there will be very many fish, once these waters reach there. It will become fresh; and everything will live where the river goes. 10 People will stand fishing beside the sea from En-gedi to En-eglaim; it will be a place for the spreading of nets; its fish will be of a great many kinds, like the fish of the Great Sea. 11 But its swamps and marshes will not become fresh; they are to be left for salt. 12 On the banks, on both sides of the river, there will grow all kinds of trees for food. Their leaves will not wither nor their fruit fail, but they will bear fresh fruit every month, because the water for them flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for healing. (Ezekiel 47:1-12, NRSV)

The following comments are repeated here from May 17, 2008 (Saturday in the week of Pentecost Sunday, refs. for the week of the Sunday closest to May 11, Year Two).

Within the final main section of Ezekiel, chapters 40-48, that Stephen I. Cook has called, “Blueprint for the restored Temple and land” (NOAB, 3^rd ed., augmented, 2007, on Ezek. 40:1-48:35), and Marvin A. Sweeney has called. “the vision of the restored Temple” (The Jewish Study Bible, 2004, p. 1045, cf. p. 1118, on Ezek. 40:1-48:35), we have subsections picturing “the new Temple” (40:1-42-50), a scene in which the glory of the LORD, that left the temple before its destruction (10:18-19; 11:22-23), returns (43:1-12), a description of “the altar of burnt offerings” (vv. 13-27), “the outer east gate” (44:1-3), “temple ordinances” (vv. 4-31), the “distribution of land” (45:1-9), regulations for offerings and festivals (45:10-46:15), “the prince’s property” (46:16-18), “sacrificial kitchens” (46:19-24), and boundary and allotment instructions (47:13-23 and 48:1-29) (divisions and titles mainly from Cook, on each section respectively).

The Second Temple, whether the modest structure built by those who first returned from Babylon (completed according to Ezra 6:13-15), or as extensively repaired and rebuilt by Herod the Great (cf. Jn. 2:20; Josephus, Antiquities, Book XV, chap. xi, 380-425), does not follow the pattern of Ezekiel’s temple. According to Cook, the reference in John 2:20 is to “the Temple begun by Herod the Great in 20 BCE [which] was finished by Herod Agrippa II in 64 CE” (op. cit., on Jn. 2:20).

Today’s reading presents Ezekiel’s vision of a river flowing out from the temple. “Then he brought me back to the entrance of the temple; there, water was flowing from below the threshold of the temple toward the east (for the temple faced east); and the water was flowing from below the south end of the threshold of the temple, south of the altar” (Ezek. 47:1). God has addressed Ezekiel directly throughout the book as “mortal,” or “human being” (lit. “son of man,” Md!x!-Nb@, ben-’ādām; 2:1, 3, 6, 8; 3:1, 3, 4 etc.). But the one–“he”–who brought Ezekiel back to the entrance of the temple (47:1) apparently refers to the man “whose appearance shone like bronze, with a linen cord and a measuring reed in his hand” (40:3) who becomes Ezekiel’s guide throughout the visions of the restored temple and land. “The man said to me, ‘Mortal, look closely and listen attentively and set your mind upon all that I shall show you, for you were brought here in order that I might show it to you; declare all that you see to the house of Israel” (v. 4). The man measures various parts of the temple (vv. 6, 8, 9, etc.). And repeatedly, we are told, “he [the man] brought me . . .” (vv. 17, 28, 32, 35, 48; 41:1, 43:1, etc., or “he [the man] led me . . .” (40:24; 42:1). We are reminded of John’s guide through the visions of Revelation, the voice “from heaven” (Rev. 4:1; 10:8), though others speak to him, for example, “one of the elders” (5:5; 7:13), an angel (10:9), “they” (v. 11), and whoever is behind the passive voice phrase “I was told” (11:1).

So after Ezekiel is brought to the entrance of the temple where water is flowing out (Ezek. 47:1), he is then taken to where the water emerges. “Then he brought me out by way of the north gate, and led me around on the outside to the outer gate that faces toward the east; and the water was coming out on the south side” (v. 2). “Once the Temple is reestablished,” says Sweeney,

water streams up from below the platform of the Temple–eastward [citing the NJPS, 1999, transl.] to water the land of Israel. This indicates the role of the Temple as the center of creation (the garden of Eden, Gen. 2:10-14; Ps. 46:4). The course of the water reflects that of the Gihon spring (cf. The Edenic river, Gen. 2:10, 13), and emerges east of the City of David where its waters flow south into the Siloam pool (see 1 Kings 1:32-40; Isa. 7:3; 2 Chron. 32:4). (op. cit., on Ezek. 47:1-12).

Cook also refers to the “paradisiacal motif here. “From the throne of God (the Temple; 43:7) issue the waters of life, making the land a new paradise. This paradisiacal motif . . . is also found in Joel3:18 and Zech. 14:8 (both Zadokite apocalyptic texts that follow in the tradition of Ezekiel)” (op. cit., on Ezek. 47:1-12). Ezekiel is shown how the waters continue to flow from the temple area, getting deeper and deeper:

Going on eastward with a cord in his hand, the man measured one thousand cubits, and then led me through the water; and it was ankle-deep. Again he measured one thousand, and led me through the water; and it was knee-deep. Again he measured one thousand, and led me through the water; and it was up to the waist. Again he measured one thousand, and it was a river that I could not cross, for the water had risen; it was deep enough to swim in, a river that could not be crossed. (Ezek. 47:3-5, NRSV)

The flowing waters irrigate the land to produce “on the bank of the river a great many trees on the one side and on the other” (v. 7). And the waters bring life to the so-called “Dead Sea”: Ezekiel is told, “This water flows toward the eastern region and goes down into the Arabah; and when it enters the sea, the sea of stagnant waters, the water will become fresh” (v. 8). But more than that, the river brings life wherever it flows. “Wherever the river goes, every living creature that swarms will live, and there will be very many fish, once these waters reach there. It will become fresh; and everything will live where the river goes” (v. 9). As a result, “People will stand fishing beside the sea from En-gedi to En-eglaim; it will be a place for the spreading of nets; its fish will be of a great many kinds, like the fish of the Great Sea [i.e., the Mediterranean]” (v. 10). According to Sweeney, “The water flows into the Jordan Valley and eventually into the Arabah (the Jordan rift where the Dead Sea is located) to transform the waters of the Dead Sea into fresh water that supports fish and fruit trees (see Gen. 2:1-14)” (loc. cit.). But the transformations are controlled, for “its swamps and marshes will not become fresh; they are to be left for salt” (v. 11). According to Cook, “a source of salt would supply Temple rituals (43:24)” (on v. 11). The refreshment and bounty provided by this river remind us of “the river of the water of life, bright as crystal,” that flows “from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city,” that is, the new Jerusalem (Rev. 22:1-2a). “On the banks, on both sides of the river [Ezekiel’s river], there will grow all kinds of trees for food. Their leaves will not wither nor their fruit fail, but they will bear fresh fruit every month, because the water for them flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for healing” (Ezek. 47:12). “On either side of the river [John’s vision of the river in the new Jerusalem] is the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, producing its fruit each month; and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations” (Rev. 22:2b).

1 John 3:11-18

Love One Another (Mt 22.39)

11 For this is the message you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. 12 We must not be like Cain who was from the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother’s righteous. 13 Do not be astonished, brothers and sisters, that the world hates you. 14 We know that we have passed from death to life because we love one another. Whoever does not love abides in death. 15 All who hate a brother or sister are murderers, and you know that murderers do not have eternal life abiding in them. 16 We know love by this, that he laid down his life for us-and we ought to lay down our lives for one another. 17 How does God’s love abide in anyone who has the world’s goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses help?

18 Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action. (1 John 3:11-18, NRSV)

The following comments are repeated here from April 25, 2009 (Saturday in the Second Week of Easter, Year One), when comments were repeated with editing and supplement from May 17, 2008 (Saturday in the week of the Sunday closest to May 11, Year Two), when comments were repeated from April 21, 2007 (Saturday in the week of the Second Sunday of Easter, Year One), when comments from April 9, 2005, (Saturday in the week of the Second Sunday of Easter, Year One) that were repeated on February 18, 2006 (Saturday in the week of the Sixth Sunday after the Epiphany, Year Two).

“The thought of these verses is highly compressed,” says C. H. Dodd:

The connection of ideas may profitably be studied with reference to a passage in the Fourth Gospel, which was probably in the author’s mind. In John viii. 37-47 we have a scene described in which the Jews of Jerusalem (prototypes of the world which hates the righteous in our passage) exhibit furious hostility to Jesus, culminating (viii. 59) in an attempt to kill him by stoning.” (Johannine Epistles, The Moffatt Commentary, 1946, pp. 82-83, on 1 Jn. 3:11-18).

The comparison he suggests is in the following table:

The emphasis is on loving one another (1 Jn. 3:11). “We must not be like Cain,” says John, “who was from the evil one and murdered his brother” (v. 12a). John explains: “And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother’s righteous” (v. 12b). “Do not be astonished, brothers and sisters,” John adds, “that the world hates you” (v. 13). There is a clear distinction between those in the Christian community who are marked by love for one another, and the hatred that pervades the outside world. “Here,” says Dodd, “the contrast [between the pagan world and the Christian dispensation] is drawn in terms of life and death; and hatred is shown to belong to the realm of death just because hatred is murder, the denial of life. By contrast, love is the mark of the realm of life” (ibid., p. 83). “We know that we have passed from death to life because we love one another” (1 Jn. 3:14). “We know love by this, that he laid down his life for us–and we ought to lay down our lives for one another” (v. 15).

Of the “four loves” discussed by C. S. Lewis, natural attraction or romantic love ( e[rwV. erōs), friendship (filiva, philia), affection (storghv, storgē) and self-sacrificing, divine love (ajgavph, agapē), the first three are known from use in many pre-Christian contexts, but ajgavph (agapē) is relatively uncommon. It is used for a range of loves in the Septuagint (Hatch-Redpath, Concordance, I, 1897, reprint, 1954, pp. 6-7), and the related verb ajgapavw (agapaō) is very common in the Septuagint (four columns = ca. 300 references, Hatch-Redpath, I, 5-6), representing nineteen different Hebrew words. Dodd notes that the noun ajgavph (agapē) “is scarcely found in non-biblical Greek” (op. cit., 111). With reference to “love” in today’s passage, Dodd says:

It was an immense strength to early Christianity as a system of ethical teaching that its regulative principle was expressed in a term--agapē, love or charity–which it was free to define afresh for itself . . . and that the content of agapē was supplied, from the outset, by reference to the concrete action of Jesus Christ upon the field of history, conceived as an expression of the eternal will of God. Thus in explaining what sort of action is intended by the commandment, ‘Love one another,’ the Christian teacher has neither to fall back upon some speculative, a priori, conception of the love of God, nor to become involved in the discrimination of various kinds of ‘love’ among the chaotic manifestations of human affections and impulses. It is strictly true, in the history of thought and language, that we know what agapē means from the fact that Christ laid down His life for us. (ibid., p. 85).

“We know love by this,” says John, “that he laid down his life for us–and we ought to lay down our lives for one another” (1 Jn. 3:16). But then a question is raised. “How does God’s love abide in anyone who has the world’s goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses help?” (v. 17). Sharing with the needy–an act of love–does not measure up to the example of love in Christ’s giving himself for us; but it is a start. And so the reading concludes with John’s exhortation to demonstrate our love in our actions. “Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action” (v. 18).

Matthew 10:34-42

Not Peace, but a Sword (cf. Lk 12.51-53; 14.26-27)

34 "Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.

35 For I have come to set a man against his father,

and a daughter against her mother,

and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;

36 and one's foes will be members of one's own household.

37 Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; 38 and whoever does not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. (Matthew 10:34-39, NRSV)

Rewards (cf. Mk 9.41)

40 "Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. 41 Whoever welcomes a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet's reward; and whoever welcomes a righteous person in the name of a righteous person will receive the reward of the righteous; 42 and whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple--truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward." (Matthew 10:40-42, NRSV)

The following comments are repeated here from October 15, 2009 (Thursday in the week of the Sunday closest to October 12, Year One), when comments were based on those of October 18, 2007 (Thursday in the week of the Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost, references for the week of the Sunday closest to October 12, Year One), of May 17, 2008 (Saturday in the week of the Sunday closest to May 11, Year Two), of May 24, 2009 (the Seventh Sunday of Easter, Year One), and earlier comments as noted on those dates respectively.

In Matthew, Jesus second major speech continues to its conclusion with the formula, “Now when Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and proclaim his message in their cities” (Mt. 11:1; cf. 7:28:29; 13:53; 19:1; 26:1). For an outline of the references for parallel passages for this discourse, see the separate file, Jesus’ Second Major Discourse References. In this part of the speech (Mt. 10:34-42), the sayings correspond to sayings in various contexts of Mark and Luke, and even of John. This pattern of relationships, explained by assuming that Matthew has drawn material together on a topical basis, is presented in the separate file, Discipleship--Divisions, Conditions, Rewards.

Jesus challenges the disciples, saying, “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword” (Mt. 10:34; cf. Lk 12:51, with “division” for Mt.’s “a sword”). The divisions within households that Jesus describes are introduced in Luke. “From now on five in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three” (Lk. 12:52). Where Matthew describes specific divisions, Luke presents them as reciprocal. “For I have come to set a man against his father,” says Jesus in Matthew (Mt. 10:35a), where in Luke he says, “they will be divided: father against son / and son against father” (Lk 12:53a, b). Where Matthew’s version pits “a daughter against her mother” (Mt. 10:35b), Luke’s version evens the balance, “mother against daughter / and daughter against mother” (Lk. 12:35c). A similar difference pertains to the reference to the “mother-in-law.” In Matthew, Jesus says, “and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law” (Mt. 10:35c), but in Luke, he says, “mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law / and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law” (Lk. 12:35d, e). In another context, Luke quotes Jesus as saying, “Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple” (Lk. 14:26). According to David L. Tiede, revised by Christopher R. Matthews, the word “hate” here is “prophetic hyperbole for the uncompromising loyalty required toward Jesus and the true family of disciples ([Lk.] 8:19-21; 9:57-62; see also 18:28-30)” (HarperCollins Study Bible, rev. ed., 2006, on Lk. 14:26). In the present context, Matthew apparently softens the “prophetic hyperbole” a little, saying, “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me” (Mt. 10:37). In both Gospels the saying is followed by the one about taking up (Mt.) or carrying (Lk.) one’s cross, “and whoever does not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me” (Mt. 10:38); “whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple” (Lk. 14:27). Matthew includes another saying here that is found elsewhere in other Gospels. “Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it” (Mt. 10:39). “Those who try to make their life secure will lose it, but those who lose their life will keep it (Lk. 17:33; cf. Jn. 12:25).

On the face of it this passage seems rather too demanding. We have a saying, “Charity begins at home,” which has been attributed to Andria Terence, a Roman comic dramatist (185-159 B.C.). And so we resist–or most of us do, hopefully–the call to a commitment that might bring dissension within the family. William Barclay explains this “terrible choice” with reference to an appeal made by Oliver Cromwell to Lord Wharton (1649). He entitles this discussion, “The Warfare of the King’s Messenger” (The Gospel of Matthew, vol. 1, rev. ed., 1975, pp. 393-397, on Mt. 10:34-39). Barclay is aware that “warfare” is a metaphor here, as is the reference to “sword” in v. 34. According to Alan Hugh McNeile, “The ‘sword’ is not literal war, but diamerismos [diamerismovV, dissension, disunity] (Lk.); cf. Heb. iv. 12: as the word of God sifts the components of man’s being, so will the same word, as proclaimed by Jesus, do in human society” (The Gospel According to St Matthew, Thornapple Commentaries, reprinted 1980 from 1915 ed., p. 147, on Mt. 10:34).

Barclay says that Jesus “offers a choice; and a man has to choose sometimes between the closest ties of earth and loyalty to Jesus Christ. He further explains with a quotation from Bunyan’s Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners:

The parting with my wife and poor children hath often been to me in this place, as the pulling the flesh from my bones; and that not only because I am somewhat too fond of these great mercies, but also because I should have often brought to my mind the many hardships, miseries, and wants that my poor family was like to meet with, should I be taken from them, especially my poor blind child, who lay nearer my heart than all I had besides. . . . But yet, recalling myself, thought I, I must venture you all with God, though it goeth to the quick to leave you; O I saw in this condition, I was a man who was pulling down his house upon the head of his wife and children; yet thought I, I must do it, I must do it. (cited by Barclay, p. 395)

Barclay sums up as follows: “Once again, this terrible choice will come very seldom; in God’s mercy to many of us it may never come; but the fact remains that all loyalties must give place to loyalty to God.” I am also reminded that the New Testament says, “And whoever does not provide for relatives, and especially for family members, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever” (1 Tim. 5:8).

J. Andrew Overman notes briefly that “Jesus’ presence creates division also” (NOAB, 3^rd ed., 2001, on Mt. 10:34-39), and refers to Micah 7:6, “for the son treats the father with contempt, / the daughter rises up against her mother, / the daughter -in-law against her mother-in-law; your enemies are members of your own household,” but that comes from what Gregory Mobley calls “a lament for a desperate society” (NOAB, 3^rd ed., augmented, 2007, on Micah 7:1-7), and contrasts with Malachi 4:6, “He [the prophet Elijah] will turn the hearts of parents to their children and the hearts of children to their parents, so that I will not come and strike the land with a curse.”

We come to a section on the Rewards of Discipleship. “Whoever welcomes you welcomes me,” says Jesus, “and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me” (Mt. 10:40. John’s version of this saying is similar. “Very truly, I tell you, whoever receives one whom I send receives me; and whoever receives me receives him who sent me” (Jn. 13:20). By describing the rewards for welcoming the disciples (Mt. 10:40) in terms comparable to the welcoming of prophets and righteous persons (v. 41), Jesus in effect characterizes their mission as prophetic. But the rewards are promised to those who provide for the needs of “one of these little ones in the name of a disciple” (v. 42). I should think that televised stories of persons helping young victims of recent hurricanes and other disasters might be included in this promise. For welcoming or receiving, Luke’s version has listening. “Whoever listens to you listens to me” (Lk. 10:16a), which implies, if not the certain effectiveness of the disciples’ witness, at least that their witness represents Jesus’ own message. In Matthew, Jesus illustrates with an example that introduces the promise of a reward. “Whoever welcomes a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet's reward; and whoever welcomes a righteous person in the name of a righteous person will receive the reward of the righteous” (Mt. 10:41). But the reward for giving a cup of water in Jesus’ name was already suggested by Mark’s version (Mk. 9:41; cf. Mt. 10:42). In Luke, the negative side of the possible response to the disciples’ witness balances the positive response. Listening to the disciples is listening to Jesus (Lk. 10:16a, as noted above), but “whoever rejects you rejects me, and whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me” (Lk. 10:16b; cf. Jn. 5:23b).

Ronald D. Worden, Ph.D.

rdworden@hgst.edu

deanworden@comcast.net