Leviticus 19:26-37

26 You shall not eat anything with its blood. You shall not practice augury or witchcraft. 27 You shall not round off the hair on your temples or mar the edges of your beard. 28 You shall not make any gashes in your flesh for the dead or tattoo any marks upon you: I am the LORD.

29 Do not profane your daughter by making her a prostitute, that the land not become prostituted and full of depravity. 30 You shall keep my sabbaths and reverence my sanctuary: I am the LORD.

31 Do not turn to mediums or wizards; do not seek them out, to be defiled by them: I am the LORD your God.

32 You shall rise before the aged, and defer to the old; and you shall fear your God: I am the LORD.

33 When an alien resides with you in your land, you shall not oppress the alien. 34 The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the citizen among you; you shall love the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.

35 You shall not cheat in measuring length, weight, or quantity. 36 You shall have honest balances, honest weights, an honest ephah, and an honest hin: I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt. 37 You shall keep all my statutes and all my ordinances, and observe them: I am the LORD. (Leviticus 19:26-37, NRSV)

The following comments are based on those of April 24, 2008 (Thursday in the week of the Fifth Sunday of Easter, Year Two), when comments were repeated from May 18, 2006 (Thursday in the week of the Fifth Sunday of Easter, Year Two).

The reading for today passes over Leviticus 19:19-25, which Rabbi J. H. Hertz subtitles “Miscellaneous Precepts” (Pentateuch & Haftorahs, 2^nd ed., 24^th printing, 1981, p. 502, on Lev. 19:19-26). These precepts forbid crossbreeding of animals (vv. 19-20) and plants (vv. 23-25), and, by extension, perhaps, as Josephus suggests, “the fear that such unnatural union in the animal world might lead to moral perversion among human beings” (cited by Hertz, ibid., on Lev. 19:19).

Beginning with verse 26, today’s reading comes to a section which the Rabbi entitles “Prohibition of Canaanite Customs” (ibid, on vv. 26-31). “You shall not eat anything with its blood. You shall not practice augury (UwH3n1&T4, t ^enach ^ašû) or witchcraft (Unn2OfT4, t ^e‘ônēnû)” (Lev. 19:26). The Rabbi explains: “The context suggests that the allusion is to a heathenish rite of divination , well-known to the Israelites” (ibid.). According to Jacob Milgrom, “with,” is “lit. ‘over’,” and the reference is to “a chthonic rite for the purpose of consulting the dead spirits (see v. 31; 17:5-7, 13-14; 20:6; 1 Sam. 14:32-25). Instead, the blood should be offered on the altar (17:3-4, 11)” (HarperCollins Study Bible, rev. ed., 2006, on Lev. 19:26). “Chthonic” means “pertaining to the gods and spirits of the underworld” (The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 1969, s.v. chthonic). Baruch J. Schwartz says, “From the context it appears that you shall not eat anything with its blood, which refers to eating meat without having drained the blood (see 17:10-14; 1 Sam. 14:32-35), must, like the two prohibitions that follow, be associated with pagan forms of divination and magic” (The Jewish Study Bible, 2004, on Lev. 19:26-28). According to Rabbi Hertz,

‘They killed a beast, received the blood in a vessel or pot, and ate of the flesh of that beast, whilst sitting round the blood. They imagined that in this manner, the spirits would come to partake of the blood which was their food; brotherhood and friendship would be established with the spirits’ (Maimonides). It is, however, taken by the Rabbis both in a literal sense (‘do not eat flesh from an animal whose blood is yet in it’, i.e. whose life has not yet departed), and as an ethical injunction (‘the members of a Court whose decree of capital punishment has been carried out shall on that day abstain from all food’). (op. cit., on v. 26)

This is followed by further precepts: “You shall not round off the hair on your temples or mar the edges of your beard. You shall not make any gashes in your flesh for the dead or tattoo any marks upon you: I am the LORD” (vv. 27-28). These, says Milgrom, were “pagan mourning rites” (op. cit., on vv. 27-28). According to Schwartz, “The acts prohibited in the next two vv. [i.e., vv. 27, 28] are extreme expressions of grief and mourning (see Deut. 14:1-2; 1 Kings 18:28); as they are associated with conjuring up dead spirits and the gods of the netherworld, they are not to be copied from the pagan peoples. Similar restrictions are placed on priests (see 21:5)” (loc. cit.). “In this [i.e., v. 27] and the following verse,” says the Rabbi, “various mourning customs connected with heathen worship of the dead are forbidden as unbecoming the dignity of God’s people and incompatible with loyalty to a God of holiness” (op. cit.., on v. 27).

“Do not profane (ll0eHaT4, t ^echallēl ) your daughter by making her a prostitute (h0t!7Onz4hal4, l ^ehaznôthāh, infinitive with pronoun suffix),” says the LORD, “that the land not become prostituted (hn@8z4T9, tizneh) and full of depravity” (v. 29). Schwartz says, “degrade” (NJPS 1985, 1999, for NRSV “profane”) is “lit. ‘profane.’ This is the opposite of holiness” (op. cit., on v. 29). According to David P. Wright, “A father might force his daughter to prostitution for economic reasons. Cf. 21:9” (NOAB, 3^rd ed., augmented, 2007, on Lev. 19:29). Rabbi Hertz apparently has a somewhat different view. Of “profane not thy daughter” (JPS 1917, for NRSV “do not profane your daughter”), he says,

A prohibition for a father to hand over his daughter to a man without the previous rites of ‘sanctification’–i.e. without a legal marriage; as well as prohibition for a woman of her own free will to consort with a man without such legal marriage (Sifra). The use of the word profane is noteworthy. It presupposes the sacredness of womanhood; and it brands such an action as a profanation and a desecration of the sacred personality of a human being. (op. cit., on v. 29)

Further instructions follow. “You shall keep my sabbaths and reverence (Uxr!7yT9, tîrā’û) my sanctuary; I am the LORD your God” (v. 30). “The parenthetical insertion of this injunction,” says Rabbi Hertz, “may be intended to impress upon the Israelite that reverence for Sabbath and Sanctuary will keep him from the heathenish rites and immoralities mentioned in the preceding verses and that following” (ibid., on v. 30). “Keep my sabbaths,” says Schwartz, “corresponds to v. 3a. Venerate My sanctuary [NJPS, for NRSV ‘reverence my sanctuary’],” he adds, means “do not trespass the bounds of the sacred. The verb corresponds to that used in the second law in 3a. This v. occurs again in 26:2” (op. cit., on v. 30).

The next injunction prohibits the use of mediums or wizards. “Do not turn (Unp4T9, tiphnû) to mediums or wizards; do not seek them out to be defiled by them: I am the LORD your God” (v. 31). “Do not turn to,” says Schwartz, corresponds “to v. 4” (ibid., on v. 31). On “familiar spirits” (JPS, for NRSV “wizards”), Rabbi Hertz says, “The English word ‘familiar’ here means ‘attendant.’ The wizard professes to know through the spirit attendant upon him, or residing within him, what is hidden from the ordinary person” (op. cit., on v. 31). On “to be defiled,” he explains, “physically, by coming into contact with the dead bones which were part of the paraphernalia of the wizard; and spiritually, by sinking into the mire of superstition inseparable from witchcraft and necromancy; see on xx, 6” (ibid.).

The LORD commands respect for the elderly. “You shall rise before the aged, and defer to the old; and you shall fear your God: I am the LORD” (v. 32). This, says Schwartz, corresponds “to [v.] 3a” (op. cit., on v. 32). On “rise up before the hoary head” (JPS, for NRSV “rise before the aged”), the Rabbi says, “ ‘hoary,’ white with age. The ethical sublimity of this exhortation is not diminished by the fact that parallels exist among other ancient peoples, and that in the Orient reverence for old age is or was the rule until the present day” (op. cit., on v. 32).

Emphasis is placed on proper treatment of aliens. “When an alien (rGe, gēr) resides with you in your land, you shall not oppress the alien. The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the citizen (Hr!z4x,, ’ezrāch) among you; you shall love (TAb4hax!&v4, w ^e’āhavtā ) the alien [lit. ‘him’] as yourself, for you were aliens (Myr9ge, gērîm) in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God” (vv. 33-34; cf. v. 18). This extends the meaning of loving “your neighbor as yourself” (v. 18), which Jesus quoted as the “second commandment” (Mt. 22:37-40; Mk. 12:28-33; Lk. 10:27; af. Rom. 13:9; Gal. 5:14). Schwartz points out that “the prohibition of exploiting the “ger” [i.e., alien] is logically grounded in Israel’s own experience; see Exod. 22:20; 23:9; Deut. 10:19” (op. cit., on v. 34). According to Rabbi Hertz,

There was to be one law only, the same for home-born and alien alike (xxiv, 22; Num. xv, 16) . . . The stranger is to share in the corners of the field, the forgotten sheaf, and every form of poor relief. The tremendous seriousness with which justice to the stranger is inculcated is seen from the fact that, among the covenant admonitions at Mount Ebal, we read ‘Cursed be he that perverteth the justice due to the stranger’ (Deut. xxvii, 19). Israel was not permitted to hate even the Egyptian, the people that enslaved him. It was to transform those memories of bitter oppression into feelings of compassion to all the friendless and downtrodden. In other ancient codes, the stranger was rightless. Thus, the Romans had originally one word, ‘hostis’ for both stranger and enemy. (ibid., on v. 34)

Further commands emphasize justice and fairness in business dealings. “You shall not cheat in measuring length, weight, or quantity. You shall have honest balances, honest weights, an honest ephah, and an honest hin: I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt” (vv. 35-36). According to Schwartz, this is “extending the law in v. 15, ‘do not commit distortion in judgment,’ by employing ‘mishpat,’ ‘judgment,’ in its additional meaning of ‘correct portion.’ These two vv. likely also refer to the ‘ger,’ warning the Israelite not to take advantage of the alien’s lack of familiarity with local weights and measures. A similar law, not connected with ‘gerim’ specifically, appears in Deut. 25:13-16” (op. cit., on vv. 35-36). And in summary, the section concludes: “You shall keep all my statutes and all my ordinances, and observe them: I am the LORD” (v. 37).

2 Thessalonians 1:1-12

Salutation

1:1 Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy,

To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:

2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Thanksgiving

3 We must always give thanks to God for you, brothers and sisters, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of everyone of you for one another is increasing. 4 Therefore we ourselves boast of you among the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith during all your persecutions and the afflictions that you are enduring.

The Judgment at Christ's Coming

5 This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, and is intended to make you worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering. 6 For it is indeed just of God to repay with affliction those who afflict you, 7 and to give relief to the afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels 8 in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 These will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, separated from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, 10 when he comes to be glorified by his saints and to be marveled at on that day among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed. 11 To this end we always pray for you, asking that our God will make you worthy of his call and will fulfill by his power every good resolve and work of faith, 12 so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Thessalonians 1:1-12, NRSV)

The following comments are based on those of December 10, 2008 (Wednesday in the week of the Second Sunday of Advent, Year One), when comments were repeated from April 24, 2008 (Thursday in the week of the Fifth Sunday of Easter, Year Two), when comments were repeated from December 13, 2006 (Wednesday in the week of the Second Sunday of Advent, Year One), when comments were repeated from May 18, 2006 (Thursday in the week of the Fifth Sunday of Easter, Year Two).

Second Thessalonians begins with a salutation (2 Thess. 1:1-2) that is very similar to that of First Thessalonians. “Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God our (hJmw:n, hēmōn) Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Thess. 1:1a, b). The equivalent in 1 Thessalonians has “God the Father,” but the article “the” is understood, lacking in Greek. The difference in Greek is the pronoun “our” ((hJmw:n, hēmōn), lacking in 1 Thessalonians 1:1. Where 1 Thessalonians continues with “Grace to you and peace,” 2 Thessalonians continues, repeating “from God our father and the Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Thess. 1:2), repeating the pronoun “our” (hJmw:n, hēmōn), though some manuscripts lack the repeated pronoun. “In the present verse,” says Bruce Metzger,

it is difficult to decide whether the pronoun was present originally but was later omitted by copyists for stylistic reasons (cf. v. 1 patri; hJmw:n, patri hēmōn), or whether the word, originally absent, was later added by copyists in imitation of the stereotyped formula. In order to represent the balance of probabilities, a majority of the Committee decided to include the word in the text, but to enclose it within square brackets. (A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament, 1971, on 2 Thess. 1:2)

In any event, the repetition is redundant. For “Grace to you and peace” (2 Thess. 1:2a = 1 Thess. 1:1c), we note the typical Pauline adaptation of the Greek greeting, caivrein (chairein, “greetings,” cf. Jas. 1:1) as cavriV (charis, “grace”), and the Hebrew greeting MOlwA (šālôm) as eijrhvnh (eirēnē, “peace”). The close similarity of the salutations in 1 and 2 Thessalonians, according to Paul J. Achtemeier, Joel B. Green and Marianne Meye Thompson, “makes it appear [to some] that the author of the second letter is dependent on the literary form of the first, unlikely if Paul is the author of both” (Introducing the New Testament, 2001, p. 444). But they respond to that by saying, “Yet the letter opening is a Pauline stereotype, and in fact the salutation in the second letter (1:2) is more in accord with normal Pauline practice than the salutation in the first letter (1:1).”

The thanksgiving (2 Thess. 1:3-4) appears to be a condensed version of the thanksgiving in 1 Thessalonians (1:2-10). “We must always give thanks to God for you, brothers and sisters,” says Paul, “as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing” (2 Thess 1:3). Compare Paul’s earlier extended thanksgiving for the Thessalonians’ faith and example (1 Thess. 1:2-10). In the later letter, Paul says, “Therefore we ourselves boast of you among the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith during all your persecutions and the afflictions that you are enduring” (2 Thess. 1:4). Compare his earlier report of the reputation the Thessalonians had for their faith (1 Thess. 1:7-10), for “in every place your faith in God has become known, so that we have no need to speak about it” (1 Thess. 1:8).

Many think that 2 Thessalonians was written shortly after 1 Thessalonians, which would explain the similarities, including the same senders (Paul, Silvanus, Timothy). and the abbreviated thanksgiving. Paul reminds them that their “persecutions and the afflictions that you are enduring” (2 Thess. 1:4) are “evidence ( e[ndeigma, endeigma) of the righteous judgment of God,” “intended to make you worthy of the kingdom of God for which you are also suffering” (v. 5). According to Frederick William Danker, the word translated “evidence,” which occurs only here in the New Testament, means “indication/evidence” (The Concise Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, 2009, s.v. e[ndeigma, endeigma). It is related to the verb which means “demonstrate/show” (ibid., s.v. ejndeivknumi, endeiknymi). “The evidence (lit. ‘sign’) of the righteous judgment of God,” says Jouette M. Bassler, “is either the steadfastness and faith of the church (v. 4; see Phil. 1:28) or its afflictions, which will make them worthy of the kingdom of God (see 1 Pet. 4:17-18)” (HarperCollins Study Bible, rev. ed., 2006, on 2 Thess. 1:5). While Paul made more explicit reference to the Thessalonians’ suffering in the first letter (1 Thess. 2:14-16), the problem has apparently persisted, so Paul continues with reference to God’s repaying the oppressors. “For it is indeed just of God to repay with affliction (qli:yiV, thlipsis) those who afflict (toi:V qlivbousin, tois thlibousin, participle, lit. ‘the ones afflicting) you” (v. 6, cf. Rom. 12:19). This retribution will “give relief to the afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus” (vv. 7-8). These afflictions and the expected retribution on the perpetrators are presented as part of what Bassler calls “an apparent digression [from the thanksgiving that] introduces a central theme of the Letter; the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus (see also 2:1-12). The author uses OT language about God to describe this event; see also 1 Enoch 1:3-9” (ibid., on vv. 5-10). These unbelievers “will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, separated from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might” (v. 9). Abraham Smith also finds here “vivid descriptions first applied to God in the Hebrew Bible,” which “now communicate something about the end-time appearance of Jesus” (NOAB, 3^rd ed., augmented, 2007, on 2 Thess. 1:7-10). Smith refers to “the angels in Zech. 14:5; the flaming fire in Isa. 66:15-16; [and] glorified in Ps. 89:7.” And so, according to Achtemeier-Green-Thompson, “the return of Jesus will mean affliction for those who afflict the Christians, and their destruction and exclusion from the presence of God” (op. cit., p. 440). One would think that some at Thessalonica had more questions than answers about the end-time after reflecting upon Paul’s first letter to them. The next chapter will address more of these concerns. But the present chapter ends with Paul’s prayer for the Thessalonians, “that our God will make you worthy of his call and will fulfill by his power every good resolve and work of faith” (v. 11), with the result “that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ (v. 12).

Matthew 6:25-34

Do Not Worry (Lk 12.22-31)

25 "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? 28 And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you-you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What will we eat?' or 'What will we drink?' or 'What will we wear?' 32 For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

34 "So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today's trouble is enough for today. (Matthew 6:25-34, NRSV)

The following comments are based on those of September 28, 2009 (Monday in the week of the Sunday closest to September 28, Year One), when comments were repeated with some editing from April 24, 2008 (Thursday in the week of the Fifth Sunday of Easter, Year Two), when comments were repeated from October 1, 2007 (Monday in the week of the Sunday closest to September 28, Year One), when comments were repeated with editing and supplement from May 18, 2006 (Thursday in the week of the Fifth Sunday of Easter, Year Two).

Jesus, after calling upon us to align our priorities with God’s (yesterday’s reading), reassures us that God has our own best interest at heart. The passage which follows bears remarkable resemblance to the parallel passage in Luke (Mt. 6:25-33//Lk. 12:22-31). The passages are presented side-by-side with differences in bold print in a separate file and a second comparison exhibiting differences with strike-out and bracketed texts: On Anxiety. Jesus tells us, “Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; or about your body, what you will wear” (Mt. 6:25a; cf. Lk. 12:22, which omits ‘or what you will drink’). Jesus asks–but the question is rhetorical, a statement in Luke–“Is not (oujciv, ouchi) life more than food, and the body more than clothing?” (Mt. 6:25b; cf. Lk 12:23). Because the question in Matthew’s version begins with the intensified negative particle oujciv ouchi, cf. ouj, ou), an affirmative answer is implied. According to Frederick William Danker, the word is used “frequently in questions with a tone suggesting that a positive answer ought to be self-evident or is a no-brainer, not” (The Concise Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, 2009, s.v. oujciv, ouchi, meaning b).

We are told to “Look at the birds of the air” (Mt. 6:26a) or “Consider the ravens” (Lk. 12:24a), “they neither sow nor reap” nor use storage (“nor gather into barns,” Mt. 6:26b//”they have neither storehouse nor barn,” Lk. 12:24b), and yet your heavenly Father (‘God’ in Luke) feeds them” (Mt. 6:26c; Lk. 12:24c). In Matthew, Jesus concludes the verse with another rhetorical question. “Are you not (oujc, ouch) of more value than they?” (Mt. 6:26d). Again, an affirmative answer, “Of course!” is implied. Luke’s equivalent is an exclamation. “Of how much more value are you than the birds!” (Lk. 12:24d). Dennis C. Duling calls attention to the a fortiori argument used here. The words “more value,” he says, present “An exegetical argument from the lesser or more obvious point to the greater or more difficult point ([a form of argument] associated with Rabbi Hillel)” (HarperCollins Study Bible, rev. ed., 2006, on Mt. 6:26, with reference also to “much more “ in v. 30).

Another rhetorical question follows: “And can any of you by worrying (merimnw:n, merimnōn) add a single hour (ph:cuV, pēchys) to your span of life (hJlikiva, hēlikia)?” (Mt 6:27 = Lk. 12:25). Danker defines the word translated “worrying” as to “ ‘be uneasy in mind or spirit’–a. with focus on worrying about meeting one’s needs be anxious/concerned (about)”(op. cit., s.v. merimnavw, merimnaō ). The word ph:cuV (pēchys) is “cubit [cf. AV/KJV], a measure of length ranging from 45 to 52 centimeters or about 18 inches . . . [but] some take Mt. 6:27; Lk. 12:25 in sense of addition to one’s lifespan” (ibid., s.v. ph:cuV, pēchys). The word hJlikiva (hēlikia) can mean “stature” (cf. AV/KJV) or “span of life” (NRSV, cf TNIV “life”). According to Danker, “Probably Mt. 6:27; Lk. 12:25 exemplify dominical humor (a suggestion of extension of life would probably be considered merely absurd, but the idea of increasing one’s height suggests a variety of risible [laughable, capable of inciting laughter] factors)” (ibid., s.v. hJlikiva, hēlikia). In Luke alone, Jesus asks, “If then you are not able to do so small a thing as that,” but the question continued in both, “And why do you worry (merimna:te, merimnate) about clothing?” (Mt. 6:28a), “why do you worry about the rest? (Lk. 12:26). Note the repetition of the word translated “worry.” “Consider (katamavqete, katamathete, Mt.; katanohvsate, katanoēsate, Lk., cf. Lk. 12:24) the lilies (ta; krivna, ta krina) of the field,” says Jesus, “how they grow; they neither toil nor spin” (Mt. 6:28b; Lk 12:27a, lacking “of the field,” perhaps a clarification in Mt.). According to Danker, Matthew’s verb “consider” means “study closely, with focus on paying careful attention to something” (ibid., s.v. katamanqavnw, katamanthanō); Luke’s verb “evokes a combination of visual and mental aspects: ‘pay close attention (to)’–a. with focus on optical aspect take close look at . . . b. with focus on reflection think about, consider” (ibid., s.v. katanoevw, katanoeō). The word for “lilies” is neuter gender, plural in Greek, which as subject can be used with plural verbs, as in Matthew, or singular verbs, as in Luke. The lack of need for worry about their clothing and appearance is set in contrast to Solomon: “yet I tell you, ( o{ti, hoti, ‘that’ in Mt., not translated) even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these” (Mt. 6:29 = Lk. 12:27b; cf 1 Kgs. 10:4-7; 2 Chron. 9:3-6). Again, the point is made by Jesus in Matthew with a rhetorical question that comes as an exclamation in Luke. “But if God so clothes (ajmfievnnusin, amphiennysin) the grass of the field (to;n covrton tou: ajgrou:, ton chorton tou agrou),” says Jesus in Matthew, “which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more (ouj pollw:/ ma:llon, ou pollō(i) mallon) clothe you–you of little faith?” (Mt. 6:30). With a few minor differences in Greek–not all evident in the English translation–in Luke Jesus says, “But if God so clothes (ajmfievzei, amphiezei) the grass of the field ( ejn ajgrw:/ to;n covrton, en agrō(i) ton chorton), which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more (povsw/ ma:llon, posō(i) mallon) will he clothe you–you of little faith!” (Lk. 12:28). Compare the reference to the a fortiori argument pointed out by Duling, above).

One should not be indolent and disregard the needs of himself or herself or those of one’s family, but we are not to worry about what to eat, drink or wear. “Therefore (ou\n, oun),” says Jesus in Matthew, “do not worry (merimnhvsate, merimnēsate, cf. the present imperative form in v. 25 = Lk. 12:22), saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ ” (Mt. 6:31). In Luke Jesus says, “And do not keep striving (zhtei:te, zēteite) for what you are to eat and what you are to drink, and do not keep worrying (metewrivzesqe, meteōrizesthe)” (Lk. 12:29). Luke’s word translated “keep worrying” occurs only here in the New Testament. Danker defines it as “ ‘be in a state of stressful uncertainty,’ be anxious, worry, compare our ‘be up-in-the-air,’ ‘be in a tizzy’ ” (ibid., s.v. metewrivzomai, meteōrizomai). It is related, he says, to metevwroV (meteōros), “in midair”) (ibid.). According to Matthew, Jesus says, “For it is the Gentiles (ta; e[qnh, ta ethnē ) who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things” (Mt. 6:32). In Luke, he says, “For it is the nations (ta; e[qnh, ta ethnē ) of the world (tou: kovsmou, tou kosmou) that strive after all these things, and your Father knows that you need them” (Lk. 12:30). Among a few minor differences, the different translations of e[qnh (ethnē ), “Gentiles” or “nations” stands out. The phrase “of the world” clearly indicates the latter for Luke’s version. “But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well (Mt. 6:33); compare “Instead, strive for his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well” (Lk. 12:31). Notable here are a couple of Matthew’s favorite expressions, “kingdom of heaven” and “righteousness.”

The reading from Matthew closes with a summary, “So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today's trouble is enough for today” (Mt. 6;34), to which we may compare the rather different continuation in Luke: “Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom” (Lk. 12:32), which is followed by reference to treasure in heaven (Lk. 12:33-34; cf. Mt. 6:19-21). If we strive for the kingdom, it is “the Father’s good pleasure to give [us] the kingdom.”

Ronald D. Worden, Ph.D.

rdworden@hgst.edu

deanworden@comcast.net