Leviticus 19:1-18

Ritual and Moral Holiness

19:1 The LORD spoke to Moses, saying:

2 Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them: You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy. 3 You shall each revere your mother and father, and you shall keep my sabbaths: I am the LORD your God. 4 Do not turn to idols or make cast images for yourselves: I am the LORD your God.

5 When you offer a sacrifice of well-being to the LORD, offer it in such a way that it is acceptable in your behalf. 6 It shall be eaten on the same day you offer it, or on the next day; and anything left over until the third day shall be consumed in fire. 7 If it is eaten at all on the third day, it is an abomination; it will not be acceptable. 8 All who eat it shall be subject to punishment, because they have profaned what is holy to the LORD; and any such person shall be cut off from the people.

9 When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap to the very edges of your field, or gather the gleanings of your harvest. 10 You shall not strip your vineyard bare, or gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the poor and the alien: I am the LORD your God.

11 You shall not steal; you shall not deal falsely; and you shall not lie to one another. 12 And you shall not swear falsely by my name, profaning the name of your God: I am the LORD.

13 You shall not defraud your neighbor; you shall not steal; and you shall not keep for yourself the wages of a laborer until morning. 14 You shall not revile the deaf or put a stumbling block before the blind; you shall fear your God: I am the LORD.

15 You shall not render an unjust judgment; you shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great: with justice you shall judge your neighbor. 16 You shall not go around as a slanderer among your people, and you shall not profit by the blood of your neighbor: I am the LORD.

17 You shall not hate in your heart anyone of your kin; you shall reprove your neighbor, or you will incur guilt yourself. 18 You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against any of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD. (Leviticus 19:1-18, NRSV)

The following comments are based on those of April 23, 2008 (Wednesday in the week of the Fifth Sunday of Easter, Year Two), when comments were repeated with some editing from May 17, 2006 (Wednesday in the week of the Fifth Sunday of Easter, Year Two).

Leviticus chapters 19 and 20 constitute the seventh Sedrah Torah reading for the Sabbath in Leviticus, entitled Kedoshim from the plural form of "holy" in verse 2: “The LORD spoke to Moses, saying: You shall be holy (Myw96doq4, q ^edōšîm), for I the LORD your God am holy” (Exod. 19:1-2). Leviticus, chapter 19, has been called “Ritual and Moral Holiness” (a title used in some editions of the NRSV, as printed, for example, the text printed with HarperCollins Study Bible, rev. ed., 2006, and that used in the Logos Bible Software and the Libronix Digital Library System, The Holy Bible : New Revised Standard Version. 1996, c1989 . Thomas Nelson: Nashville). “This remarkable chapter,” says Rabbi J. H. Hertz, “occupies the central position in Leviticus , and therefore in the Pentateuch” (Pentateuch & Haftorahs, 2^nd ed., 24^th printing, 1981, on Lev., chap. 19). For Leviticus, “central” would not mean the midpoint of the text, for it is the 19^th of 27 chapters. By “central” the Rabbi perhaps indicates its central importance. Compare his additional note on “Thou Shalt Love Thy Neighbor As Thyself” (Lev. 19:18), (ibid., pp. 563-564). “The world at large,” he says, is unaware of the fact that this comprehensive maxim of morality–the golden rule of human conduct–was first taught by Judaism” (ibid., p. 563). The Rabbi notes that “the Rabbis rightly compared it [i.e., this chapter] as the kernel of the Law,” in which “the essentials of the Torah . . . are summarized.” He says,

The Rabbis rightly regarded it as the kernel of the Law and declared that ‘the essentials of the Torah’

(hrvt ypvg bvr [rôv gûphê tôrah?] ) are summarized therein’ (Sifra). This chapter has in fact been looked upon as a counterpart of the Decalogue itself, the Ten Commandments being in essence repeated in its verses (i and ii in v. 4; iii in v. 12; iv and v in v. 3; vi in v. 16; vii in v 29; viii and ix in v. 11-16; and x in v. 18). (ibid., on Lev. 19).

“The precepts contained in the chapter,” adds the Rabbi, “may, at first sight, appear a medley of the spiritual and ceremonial–fundamental maxims and principles of justice and morality alongside of ritual laws and observances. The Torah, however, regards human life as an indivisible whole, and declines to exclude any phase thereof from its purview” (ibid.).

As the Rabbi indicates, some of the injunctions which follow echo the Ten Commandments, for example, "You shall each revere your mother and father (cf. Exod. 20:12), and you shall keep my sabbaths: I am the LORD your God (cf. Exod. 20:8-11). Do not turn idols or make cast images for yourselves: I am the LORD your God (cf. Exod. 20:4)” (Lev. 19:3-4). But as indicated, ritual injunctions are interspersed.

When you offer a sacrifice of well-being to the LORD, offer it in such a way that it is acceptable in your behalf. It shall be eaten on the same day you offer it, or on the next day; and anything left over until the third day shall be consumed in fire. If it is eaten at all on the third day, it is an abomination; it will not be acceptable. All who eat it shall be subject to punishment, because they have profaned what is holy to the LORD; and any such person shall be cut off from the people (vv. 5-8).

Rabbi Hertz calls these “Ritual Laws” (ibid., on vv. 5-8). Of “when ye offer” (JPS 1917, for NRSV “when you offer”), he says, “Or ‘if ye offer.’ See iii, 1 and vii, 15-20. Note that the form used is not imperative–‘ye shall offer’; sacrifices are voluntary (Kimchi). The main concern of Scripture seems to be not so much that a sacrifice shall be brought, as, if brought, how it shall be brought; i.e. that it be offered in strict accordance with the regulations prescribed for avoiding heathen associations” (ibid., on v. 5). “Here,” says Jacob Milgrom, “the well-being sacrifice is limited to the freewill and votive offerings, in contrast to 7:11-16, which includes the thanksgiving offering” (HarperCollins Study Bible, rev. ed., 2006, on Exod. 19:5-8). Baruch J. Schwartz makes a similar observation, but adds, “The third type of well-being offering, that of thanksgiving (see 7:12-15) is mentioned in 22:29-30, marking the close of this section of H (chs. 19-22)” (The Jewish Study Bible, 2004, on Exod. 19:5-8).

Rabbi Hertz calls the next laws “Consideration for the Poor” (op. cit., on vv. 9-10). “When you reap the harvest of your land,” says the LORD, “you shall not reap to the very edges of your field, or gather the gleanings of your harvest. You shall not strip your vineyard bare, or gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the poor and the alien: I am the LORD your God” (vv. 9-10). Schwartz sees here “Four prohibitions, two in the field and two in the vineyard. The first in each pair is observed while reaping, the second during ingathering. All lead up to you shall leave them for the poor and the stranger [NJPS 1985, 1999, with “stranger” for “alien” NRSV].” He adds, “The command to care for the needy is fulfilled by inaction. I the LORD am your God [NJPS, for NRSV ‘I am the LORD your God’] transforms social legislation into a sacred act. Cf. Deut. 24:19-21” (op. cit., on vv. 9-10). According to Milgrom, “The widow and orphan fall under the category of the poor. The poor, however, do not appear as a separate category in the humanitarian legislation of Deuteronomy, which instead ordains for them loans (Deut. 15:7-11); i.e., they can work off their debt, something that widows and orphans cannot” (op. cit., on v. 10). Of “I am the LORD your God,” he explains by quoting Proverbs, “ ‘for the LORD pleads their cause and despoils of life those who despoil them’ (Prov. 22:23)” (ibid.).

Injunctions continue, again echoing the Ten Commandments. Schwartz sees here:

Four two-v. paragraphs, each one ending with I am the LORD, indicating that decency and honesty, ostensibly pertain to interpersonal affairs, are in fact divine concerns. All four deal with matters of conscience: Since all of the crimes are to some degree committed in secret, their perpetrators imagine that they will go undetected. The progression is from the crimes most difficult to conceal to those which can never be proven and whose victims have no remedy whatsoever, leaving detection and punishment in the hands of God alone. (op. cit., on vv. 11-18).

The first paragraph says, “You shall not steal [cf. Exod. 20:15; you shall not deal falsely [cf. Lev. 6:2 and Milgrom, ibid., on Lev. 19:11] and you shall not lie to one another [cf. Exod. 20:16]” (Lev. 19:11). The next injunction is related. “And you shall not swear falsely by my name, profaning the name of your God: I am the LORD” (Lev. 19:12; cf. Exod. 20:7, 16). Schwartz calls this “falsehood in commerce and its ramifications: see 5:20-26.” “Theft,” he adds, “naturally leads to deceit, denial, and cover-up; these are likely to be aggravated by false oath, thus profaning the sacred name of God, so God becomes a party to what began as a purely civil matter” (ibid., on vv. 11-12).

The next paragraph calls for honest dealings with one’s neighbor, prompt payment of wages, and forbids abuse of the deaf and blind. “You shall not defraud your neighbor; you shall not steal; and you shall not keep for yourself the wages of a laborer until morning. You shall not revile the deaf or put a stumbling block before the blind; you shall fear your God: I am the LORD” (vv. 13-14). According to Schwartz, this is about “taking unfair advantage.” “The first v.,” he says, “prohibits fraud, extortion, and withholding wages from the defenseless laborer; the second, speaking metaphorically and not of those literally deaf or blind, extends the principle to include exploitation of others by capitalizing on their ignorance or vulnerability” (ibid., on vv. 13-14). Of “you shall fear your God,” he adds, “The victims of such exploitation may never know how they have been used; fear of God is the only real sanction (see also v. 32 as well as 25:17, 36, 43). As noted by the Rabbis, this phrase occurs when compliance is a matter of conscience rather than legal enforcement” (ibid.).

The next paragraph calls for fairness and justice within the legal system, that is, as Schwartz puts it, it is against “perversion of justice” (ibid., on vv. 15-16). “You shall not render an unjust judgment; you shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great: with justice you shall judge your neighbor. You shall not go around as a slanderer among your people, and you shall not profit by the blood of your neighbor: I am the LORD” (vv. 15-16). According to Schwartz, “The first v. speaks directly on the corruption of judicial proceedings on the part of judges. A better rendering of v. 16 is: ‘Do not spread [false] rumors among your countrymen [to have unjust charges brought against a person]; do not stand by the blood of your fellow [i.e., ignore bloodshed, thus preventing charges from being brought against the perpetrator]’ ” (ibid.).

The next paragraph describes what Schwartz calls “pent-up hatred and its consequences” (ibid., on vv. 17-18). “You shall not hate in your heart anyone of your kin ( j~yH9xA, ’āchîkā, lit. ‘your brother’); you shall reprove your neighbor ( j~t,ym9f3, ‘ ^amîtekā ), or you will incur guilt yourself. You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against any of your people ( j~m0,fa yn26B4, b ^enê ‘ammekā ), but you shall love your neighbor ( j~f3r2%l4, l ^erē‘ ^akā ) as yourself: I am the LORD” (vv. 17-18). “The two vv. are a unit,” says Schwartz, “better rendered : ‘Do not hate your kinsfolk in your heart, rather, reprove your kinsman so as to incur no guilt because of him. In other words: Do not take vengeance or bear a grudge against your countrymen, rather, love your fellow as yourself’ ” (ibid.). Schwartz explains:

The first v. prohibits one whose fellow has wronged him from keeping his resentment inside instead of informing the wrongdoer of his action, lest the bottled-up hatred result in incurring guilt. The second v. explains: Such bearing of grudges results ultimately in vengeance, while by refraining from this course one treats his fellow with the same ‘love,’ i.e., understanding and forgiveness, one normally extends toward one’s own shortcomings. (ibid.)

And he adds,

Traditional interpretation tended to treat each phrase as a general command in its own right. For instance the words reprove our kinsman [NJPS, for NRSV ‘reprove your neighbor’] were seen as obligating competent persons to chastise their fellow Israelites for failings in their religious and ethical duties and returning them to the path of righteousness(b. ‘Arak. 16 b and many other places). Most notably, love your fellow [NRSV ‘neighbor’] as your self was generalized in Jewish and Christian tradition to serve as a brief encapsulation of the Torah’s ethics (e.g., b Shab.31a; Matt. 22:34-40) and as a blanket command covering all ethical duties not specifically mentioned (e.g.., Maimonides Yad ’Avelut 14:1; Matt. 19:16-19). (ibid.)

According to Milgrom, above this series of commands “soars the commandment to love all persons ([Lev.] 19:18), including aliens (19:34)” (op. cit., on Lev. 19:1-37), which Jesus cites as the "second" commandment (Mk. 12:31) after citing a portion of the Shema (Deut. 6:4-5) as the “first” (Mk. 12:29-30). John E. Hartley also compares this chapter to the Decalogue (cf. above) noting essentially the same parallels as those given by Rabbi Hertz (Leviticus, Word Biblical Commentary, 4, 1992, p. 310 in the analysis of “Form/Structure/Setting” of Lev., chap. 19). “While there is no direct reference to the first commandment,” says Hartley, “the entire tenor of the speech, being monotheistic, supports this commandment.) Two days ago we noted that John E. Hartley called special attention to Leviticus, chapter 16, saying that it “stands at the center of the Book of Leviticus, and, of course, the Book of Leviticus is the center of the Pentateuch” (Leviticus, Word Biblical Commentary, 4, 1992, p. 217). His emphasis there and that of Rabbi Hertz here possibly indicate their respective viewpoints, Hartley that of a Christian familiar with the discussion of the Day of Atonement and its application to Christ in Hebrews, chapters 9 and 10, on the one hand, and Hertz that of a Jew with special reverence for the Torah. But Hartley shows his unmistakable respect for chapter 19:

This speech is a loud, clear, bold call to holy living. Israel, the people of the covenant, must pursue a holy life in order to serve their holy God. Holiness is the quintessential nature of God. God alone is the Holy One, and his holiness is contagious. Whatever place he inhabitants is holy (Isa. 57:15). Thus for him to dwell among his people they must make themselves holy. While their holiness derives from God himself, they are to prepare themselves so God will be present among them, sanctifying them. This call to holy living has four major foci: The covenant people are to worship God fervently with a single mind. They are to love others. They are to practice justice and remove injustice. They are to avoid all falsehood and idolatry. (Hartley, p. 322 in the “Explanation” of Lev., chap. 19).

As noted above, this call for holy living (Lev. 19) and the following chapter (20) constitute the seventh Torah reading for the Sabbath. The related reading from the Prophets (Haftorah) is from Amos 9:7-15, where the prophet announces judgment for Israel’s sins:

The eyes of the Lord GOD are upon the sinful kingdom,

and I will destroy it from the face of the earth

–except that I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob,

says the LORD. (Amos 9:8, NRSV)

Amos is indeed severe in announcing the punishment of sinners:

All the sinners of my people shall die by the sword,

who say, ‘Evil shall not overtake or meet us.’ (Amos 9:10, NRSV)

But the promise of restoration (Amos 9:11-15) closes Amos’ book, including the following promise:

I will restore the fortunes of my people Israel,

and they shall rebuild the ruined cities and inhabit them;

they shall plant vineyards and drink their wine,

And they shall make gardens and eat their fruit. (Amos 9:14, NRSV)

1 Thessalonians 5:12-28

Final Exhortations, Greetings, and Benediction

12 But we appeal to you, brothers and sisters, to respect those who labor among you, and have charge of you in the Lord and admonish you; 13 esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves. 14 And we urge you, beloved, to admonish the idlers, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with all of them. 15 See that none of you repays evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to all. 16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not despise the words of prophets, 21 but test everything; hold fast to what is good; 22 abstain from every form of evil.

23 May the God of peace himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do this.

25 Beloved, pray for us.

26 Greet all the brothers and sisters with a holy kiss. 27 I solemnly command you by the Lord that this letter be read to all of them.

28 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. (1 Thessalonians 5:12-28, NRSV)

The following comments are repeated here from December 9, 2008 (Tuesday in the week of the Second Sunday of Advent, Year One), when comments were repeated with editing and supplement from April 23, 2008 (Wednesday in the week of the Fifth Sunday of Easter, Year Two), comments were repeated from December 12, 2006 (Tuesday in the week of the Second Sunday of Advent, Year One), when comments were combined with revision and supplement from December 7, 2004, (Tuesday in the week of the Second Sunday of Advent, Year One) and from May 17, 2005 (Wednesday in the week of the Fifth Sunday of Easter, Year Two).

Paul brings his First Letter to the Thessalonians to a close with a series of exhortations. They are to respect their leaders. “But we appeal to you, brothers and sisters, to respect those who labor among you, and have charge of you in the Lord and admonish you; esteem them very highly in love because of their work” (1 Thess. 5:12-13a). According to Abraham Smith, “the persons who have charge of you are functionaries and perhaps patrons, but not officeholders” (NOAB, 3^rd ed., augmented, 2007, on 1 Thess. 5:12). He appears to reflect the view that 1 Thessalonians is early, and that this language does not appear elsewhere as formal designation of officeholders either in Judaism or Christianity. Edgar M. Krentz refers to “ad hoc leadership roles,” because “formal clergy did not yet exist” (HarperCollins Study Bible, rev. ed., 2006, on 1 Thess. 5:12). In any event, the Thessalonian believers are to hold them in high regard.

In further advice Paul advises the Thessalonian believers to be at peace with one another, that is, “among yourselves” (v. 13b). “And you urge you, beloved,” he says, “to admonish the idlers (a[taktoi, ataktoi), encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with all of them” (v. 14). According to Smith, “Perhaps influenced by 2 Thess 3:11, some scholars (including the NRSV translators) translate ‘ataktous [accusative plural of a[taktoV, ataktos] as idlers, but the expression means ‘disorderly ones’ ” (op. cit., on v. 14). This meaning of the word is supported by the standard Lexicon: In 1 Th. 5:14, the word means “of volitional state, pertains to being out of step and going one’s own way, disorderly, insubordinate,” (Bauer-Danker-Arndt-Gingrich [BDAG], A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and other Early Christian Literature, 3^rd ed., 2000, s.v. a[taktoV (ataktos). The corresponding term in 2 Thess. 3:11, to which Smith refers, is the adverb ajtavktwV (ataktōs; cf. v. 6, and the verb hjtakthvsamen, ētaktēsamen, 1^st pl. aorist active ind. of ajtaktevw, atakteō, v. 7). The adverb means “in defiance of good order, disorderly, holding religious services without regard to established times arbitrarily 1 Cl. 40:2,” and the phrase ajtaktwV peripatei:n [ataktōs peripatein] behave irresponsibly 2 Th. 3:6 . . . apparently without respect for established custom or received instruction, as the qualifying clause [‘and not according to the tradition that they received from us’ NRSV] indicates (cp. Mk. 7:5), 11; the specific manner in which the irresponsible behavior manifests itself is described in the context: freeloading, sponging” (BDAG, s.v. ajtavktwV, ataktōs). In 2 Corinthians 3:7, Paul uses the related verb ajtaktevw (atakteō ), of himself . “For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us; we were not idle (oujk hjtakthvsamen, ouk ētaktēsamen) when we were with you” (2 Thess. 3:7). The verb is defined as “to violate prescribed or recognized order, behave inappropriately in our literature only 2 Th. 3:7 . . . we did not treat you in a free-wheeling manner” (BDAG, s.v. ajtaktevw, atakteō ). The Lexicon adds:

As the subsequent clause [‘and we did not eat anyone’s bread without paying for it’ NRSV] indicates, Paul conforms to societal proprieties and did not act as though he were entitled to free sustenance; to support his claim, he states that he ‘worked night and day so as not to be a burden to them.’ Cp. 1 Cor 10:31-11:1 . . . The translation be idle, lazy does not take adequate account of Greco-Roman social history” (ibid.)

The Lexicon refers to the contrary view in commentaries.

Paul’s admonitions in 1 Thessalonians continue. “See that none of you repays evil for evil,” he says, “but always seek to do good to one another and to all” (v. 15). Rejoice always, pray without ceasing” [and] give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” (vv. 16-18). These instructions come in rapid succession. “Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise the words of prophets, but test everything; hold fast to what is good; abstain from every form of evil” (vv. 19-22).

In a closing prayer for the Thessalonians, Paul prays, “May the God of peace himself sanctify you entirely” (v. 23a), with reference to his earlier admonition: “For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from fornication” (4:3), and he prays that their “spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (5:23b), with reference to his earlier teaching about Christ’s coming (4:13-5:11). He includes a word of assurance. “The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do this” (5:24).

Brief requests that they pray for him (v. 25), that they “Greet all the brothers and sisters with a holy kiss” (v. 26), and that “this letter be read to all” (v. 27), lead to the closing benediction, “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you” (v. 28).

Matthew 6:19-24

Treasures in Heaven

19 "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; 20 but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

22 "The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light; 23 but if your eye is unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!

24 "No one can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth. Matthew 6:19-24, NRSV)

The following comments are repeated here from September 26, 2009 (Saturday in the week of the Sunday closest to September 21, Year One), when they were repeated from April 23, 2008 (Wednesday in the week of the Fifth Sunday of Easter, Year Two), when comments were repeated with editing from September 29, 2007 (Saturday in the week of the Sunday closest to September 21, Year One), when comments included those of May 17, 2006 (Wednesday in the week of the Fifth Sunday of Easter, Year Two) with some editing and supplement.

This reading from Matthew consists of three sets of sayings from the middle part of the Sermon on the Mount for which the parallel passages in Luke are found in separate contexts. These sayings would be assigned to the so-called “Q” source, for which Luke’s sequence of material is considered more original. Through his topical arrangement of material, Matthew has filled out the Sermon on the Mount (chaps. 5-7), which, in overall structure, bears remarkable resemblance to the much shorter “Sermon on the Plain” of Luke (Lk. 6:20b-49, where though still on “the mountain,” v. 12, he “came down” some and “stood on a level place” (v. 17). Both sermons begin with beatitudes (Mt. 5:3-12; Lk. 6:20-23) and both end with an illustration with two houses, one of which survives the storm (Mt. 7:21-27; Lk. 6:46-49). Along the way, both present teaching on retaliation (Mt. 5:38-42; Lk. 6-29-30), on love of one’s enemies (Mt. 5:43-48; Lk. 6:27-36), on judging (Mt. 7:1-5; Lk. 6:37-42; cf. Mk. 4:24-25), on the Golden Rule (Mt. 7:12; Lk. 6:31), and knowing people “by their fruits” (Mt. 7:15-20; Lk. 6:43-45). Parallel passages from Luke to this reading from Matthew are presented in a separate file, On Treasures.

The immediate context of this reading from Matthew is a continuation of Jesus’ instructions on aspects of piety, part of what J. Andrew Overman calls, “a unity devoted to the subject of possessions” (NOAB, 3^rd ed., augmented, 2007, on Mt. 6:19-34). Dale C. Allison, Jr., offers a similar analysis. “The four paragraphs which make up this passage [i.e. Mt. 6:19-34] have to do with earthly treasure–vv. 19-21 with not storing it up, vv. 22-3 with being generous, v. 24 with serving God instead of mammon, and vv. 25-34 with not being anxious about food and clothing” (The Oxford Bible Commentary, 2001, p. 856, on Mt. 6:19-34).

Of treasures, Jesus says, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Mt. 6:19-21). The point is clearly a matter of values, whether one should focus on providing for life in this world (“on earth”), or do those things that will have value in the long term, that is, in relation to God and his kingdom. Where one puts his “treasure” is a clear indication of the focus of his “heart” (v. 21). The point of Luke’s version is essentially the same. “Sell your possessions, and give alms,” says Jesus. “Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Lk. 12:33-34). With reference to the purses “that do not wear out,” C. G. Montefiore suggests that “Luke’s parallel verses may be more original” because “the opening of Luke xii, 33 seems to imply: the end is near” (The Synoptic Gospels, vol. II, 1968, p.106 on Mt. 6:19-21). As to the meaning, he says, “The right use of terrestrial treasures is to use them as means for the acquisition of ‘heavenly’ treasures. The doctrine is Rabbinic. Several close parallels could be given” (ibid., pp. 106-107).

In the beginning of the saying about the healthy eye, the wording of both versions is very similar. “The eye (‘Your eye,’ Lk.) is the lamp of the body (‘your body,’ Lk.). So if (‘If,’ Lk.) your eye is healthy, your whole body will be (‘is,’ Lk.) full of light; but if your eye (‘it,’ Lk.) is unhealthy (‘is not healthy,’ Lk.), your whole body (‘your body,’ Lk.) will be (‘is,’ Lk.) full of darkness” (Mt. 6:22, 23a; Lk. 11:34). In Matthew, Jesus continues with a simple conclusion that focuses on the darkness, “If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!” (Mt. 6:23b); but in Luke, he continues with an admonition and a more elaborate conclusion that focuses on the light. “Therefore,” says Jesus, “consider whether the light in you is not darkness. If then your whole body is full of light, with no part of it in darkness, it will be as full of light as when a lamp gives you light with its rays” (Lk. 11:35-36).

The contrast here is between a healthy (aJplou:V, haplous) eye and an unhealthy (ponhrovV, ponēros) eye. The former term is defined as “single, without guile, sincere, straightforward” (Bauer-Danker-Arndt-Gingrich [BDAG], A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and other Early Christian Literature, 3^rd ed., 2000, s.v. aJplou:V, haplous). “Of the eye,” continues the lexical entry, ( . . . with ref. to frank expression) single = unjaundiced, sincere” (ibid.). The earlier edition of the the lexicon (BAGD= the Greek Lexicon of Bauer-Arndt-Gingrich-Danker, 2^nd ed. 1979, s.v. haplous), includes the following note: “HJCadbury, The Single Eye: HTR 47, ‘54, 69-74 holds out strongly for generous; opposed by T Thienemann, Gordon Review 1, ‘55, 10-22.” The meaning, “generous,” is adopted by William Barclay, “The word for single [AV = KJV, where NRSV has ‘healthy’] is haplous, and its corresponding noun is haplotes. Regularly in the Greek of the Bible these words mean generous and generosity” (The Gospel of Matthew, vol 1, rev. ed., 1975, p. 245 on Mt. 6:22-23). So his exposition recommends various forms of generosity. Allison says that these verses (vv. 22, 23)

do not liken the eyes to a window but to a lamp (cf. Dan 10:6; Zech. 4; b. Sabb. 151b). The picture is not of light going in but of light going out. This accords with the common pre-modern understanding of vision, according to which the eyes have their own light (so e.g. Plato and Augustine). To say that when one’s eye is ‘healthy’ (generous, cf. Prov. 22:9; m ’Abot 2.19) one is full of light means that generosity is proof of the light within–just as to say that when one’s eye is ‘unhealthy’ (ungenerous, cf. 20:15) one is full of darkness means that covetousness is a sign of inner darkness. (op. cit., p. 856 on Mt. 6:22-23)

Montefiore says,

In Jewish idiom a ‘good eye’ is a metaphor for liberality, ‘an evil eye’ for niggardliness. We should therefore rather expect here as a contrast to ponēros (wicked), agathos (good), rather than haplous (sound). But (1) the phrase a sound eye may have had in the original saying a wider meaning than that of liberality, which is here imparted to it by the context. There is no such limitation in the passage as it stands in Luke (2) haplous may have been chosen because it interprets agathos as ‘liberal.’ According to this interpretation [v.] 23 means that if you are miserly and grudging, then spiritual light cannot penetrate unto you, and such light as you have becomes even darker, till it ceases to be light, and becomes darkness. (Montefiori, II, pp. 107-108, on Mt. 6:22-23)

If in the second set of sayings, the two versions are in part at least very similar, in the final sayings they are essentially verbatim. Jesus says, “No one (‘No slave,’ Lk.) can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth (mamwna:V, mamōnas [Aramaic] )” (Mt. 6:24 = Lk. 16:13). For “No one” (OujdeivV, Oudeis) in Matthew, Luke has “No slave” (Oujdei;V oijkevthV, Oudeis oiketēs), a difference of the one word “slave” (once in Mt., twice in Lk.), which, repeated in Luke, only emphasizes what is implied by “masters” (kuvrioi, kyrioi) and the verb “to serve” (douleuvein, douleuein) in both versions. At bottom, the issues of where we place our treasure, and whether we are generous, become issues of who is our master. Is Jesus Christ the Lord of our lives, or not? We are admonished to serve God whole-heartedly. The admonition to serve God, not wealth, is a resounding call to have our priorities right, especially in our spiritual lives.

Ronald D. Worden, Ph.D.

rdworden@hgst.edu

deanworden@comcast.net