Daily Scripture Readings

Daily Scripture Readings
Monday (July12, 2010)*
*Daily Office Lectionary, The Book of Common Prayer,* the Episcopal Church in the U.S.A., 1979; cf. The Revised Common Lectionary (RCL), Abingdon Press, 1992	*Daily Lectionary, Book of Common Worship,* the Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A., 1993	Daily Lectionary, *Book of Worship* Inter-Lutheran Commission on Worship, c. 1978 (2002 printing) ‡
http://www.satucket.com/lectionary/index.htm http://www.pcusa.org/cgi-bin/lectiond.cgi YOU MAY NEED TO COPY AND PASTE THESE URLs IN YOUR BROWSER
‡ Daily Lectionary, *Evangelical Lutheran Worship, ELCA, 2006. In the Evangelical Lutheran Worship* book of 2006, the Daily Lectionary (pp. 1121-1153) is revised to correlate with the Sunday Lectionary (the Revised Common Lectionary) on the three year cycle: Year A, Year B (now current), Year C. “The readings are chosen so that the days leading up to Sunday (Thursday through Saturday) prepare for the Sunday readings. The days flowing out from Sunday (Monday through Wednesday) reflect upon the Sunday readings” (p. 1121).
Unless otherwise indicated, the scripture texts quoted are from The New Revised Standard Version (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers), 1989.
Monday AM Psalm 25 PM Psalm 9, 15 Joshua 2:1‑14 Rom. 11:1‑12 Matt. 25:1‑13 [Nathan Söderblom] http://bible.oremus.org/?passage=Matthew+25:1‑13 Psalm 133 2 Kings 22:3‑13; 1 Corinthians 1:10‑18; John 13:31‑35 Eucharistic Readings: Isaiah 1:10‑17; Psalm 50:7‑15 Matthew 10:34‑11:1	Monday Morning: Psalms 5; 145 Joshua 2:1‑14 Rom. 11:1‑12 Matt. 25:1‑13 Evening: Psalms 82; 29	Monday Morning Pss.: 62, 145 Num. 22:1‑21 Rom. 6:12‑23 Matt. 21:12‑22 Evening Pss.: 73, 9
		Year C Daily Readings Psalm 25:11-20 Job 24:1-8 James 2:1-7
* Monday in the week of the Seventh Sunday after Pentecost, references for the week of the Sunday closest to July 13, Year Two

For the Lutheran Readings for today, and comments on them, see the Episcopal Readings in the file for June 28, 2010, two weeks ago. These traditions differ in relating readings to the weeks following Pentecost.

Episcopal and Presbyterian Readings:

Joshua 2:1‑14

Spies Sent to Jericho (Heb 11.31)

2:1 Then Joshua son of Nun sent two men secretly from Shittim as spies, saying, AGo, view the land, especially Jericho.@ So they went, and entered the house of a prostitute whose name was Rahab, and spent the night there. 2 The king of Jericho was told, ASome Israelites have come here tonight to search out the land.@ 3 Then the king of Jericho sent orders to Rahab, ABring out the men who have come to you, who entered your house, for they have come only to search out the whole land.@ 4 But the woman took the two men and hid them. Then she said, ATrue, the men came to me, but I did not know where they came from. 5 And when it was time to close the gate at dark, the men went out. Where the men went I do not know. Pursue them quickly, for you can overtake them.@ 6 She had, however, brought them up to the roof and hidden them with the stalks of flax that she had laid out on the roof. 7 So the men pursued them on the way to the Jordan as far as the fords.

8 Before they went to sleep, she came up to them on the roof 9 and said to the men: AI know that the LORD has given you the land, and that dread of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land melt in fear before you. 10 For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites that were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you utterly destroyed. 11 As soon as we heard it, our hearts melted, and there was no courage left in any of us because of you. The LORD your God is indeed God in heaven above and on earth below. 12 Now then, since I have dealt kindly with you, swear to me by the LORD that you in turn will deal kindly with my family. Give me a sign of good faith 13 that you will spare my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them, and deliver our lives from death.@ 14 The men said to her, AOur life for yours! If you do not tell this business of ours, then we will deal kindly and faithfully with you when the LORD gives us the land.@ (Joshua 2:1-14, NRSV)

The following comments are repeated here with some editing from July 14, 2008 (Monday in the week of the Sunday closest to July 13, Year Two), when comments were repeated with editing and supplement from July 14, 2006 (Monday in the week of the Sunday closest to July 13, Year Two), when some comments were repeated from July 12, 2004, in an email sent July 12, 2004 for July 12-18.

In yesterday=s reading Joshua was commissioned and encouraged by the LORD God himself (Josh. 1:1-9). The Israelite people are told to prepare for crossing the Jordan (vv. 10-11), the trans-Jordanian tribes are reminded of their obligation to participate in the conquest of Canaan west of the Jordan River (vv. 12-15), and these tribes respond affirmatively. AJust as we obeyed Moses in all things, so we will obey you. Only may the LORD your God be with you, as he was with Moses!@ (v. 17, cf. vv. 16-18).

So the Israelite people are at Shittim, poised and ready to cross over into Canaan. Shittim was “a place in the territory of Moab north of Mt. Nebo and Heshbon and across the border from Jericho (Num. 33:48-49)” (The HarperCollins Bible Dictionary, 2nd ed., 1996, s.v. Shittim). Joshua needed information, so he “sent two men secretly from Shittim as spies, saying, ‘Go, view the land, especially Jericho’ ” (Josh. 2:1a). According to Carol Meyers,

The story of the capture of Jericho in ch. 6 is anticipated by the narrative of ch. 2, in which the two spies are sent to investigate the area west of the Jordan. In commissioning this reconnaissance, Joshua reflects the actions of his predecessor Moses, who had earlier sent out spies, according to Num. ch. 13. This evidence for the continuity of leadership was important in Jewish tradition and is marked by the fact that the haftarah for Shelach-Lekha (Num. chs. 13-15) is Josh. ch. 2). (The Jewish Study Bible, 2004, p. 466, on Josh. 2:1-24)

AShittim,@ says Rabbi J. H. Hertz, is literally A >acacia trees=; the place of the encampment opposite Jericho, on the Eastern side of the Jordan@ (Pentateuch & Haftorahs, 2^nd ed., 24^th printing, 1981, p. 635, on Josh. 2:1). Others, for example, K. Lawson Younger, call attention to Shittim as Athe infamous place where the men of Israel had sexual relations with the women of Moab (Num. 25:1)” (NOAB, 3^rd ed., augmented, 2007, on Josh. 2:1; cf. Meyers, op. cit., on v. 1). AThe mention of Shittim [here],@ says Meyers, “is a fitting introduction to the reconnaissance narrative because of the sexual occupation of the woman who shelters the spies” (ibid.).

ASo they [i.e., the spies] went,@ we are told, Aand entered the house of a prostitute (hn!Oz hw0Ax9, ’išš~h zôn~h, >harlot= AV/KJV, JPS 1917, NJPS 1985, 1999) whose name was Rahab, and spent the night there@ (v. 1b NRSV, cf. TNIV). Myers points out that ARahab, a harlot . . . is mentioned by name . . . while the spies are not named.@ She adds,

The idea of a prostitute as the hero of the narrative was troubling to the Rabbis. Thus she is said (Sifre Num., 78; Zuta=., 75) to have become a pious convert because of her encounter with the spies; she then marries Joshua and becomes the ancestor of nine prophets, including Huldah. In Christian tradition she is reckoned as an ancestor of Jesus (Matt. 1:5) and as an example of living by faith (Hebrews 11:31). An alternate solution, based on a wordplay with >zonah,= >harlot=Balready found in the Targum and some medieval Jewish commentatorsBis the claim that Rahab was an innkeeper, who provided food (mazon=). (op. cit., on Josh. 2:2)

Rabbi Hertz comments on the words, Aa harlot@: ABetter, an innkeeper, or purveyor of food, from Nvz (z-w-n) ‘to provide’ (Targum, Rashi, Kimchi). Women were frequently innkeepers in ancient Egypt and Greece.” And he adds, “According to Rabbinical tradition, she became a sincere convert to the religion of Israel after the fall of Jericho” (op. cit., p. 635, on v. 1). The word hn!Oz (zôn~h), understood as the participle, or a noun derivative, of the verb hn!z! (z~n~h; cf. William L. Holladay, A Concise Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament, 1971, 10^th corrected impression, s.v. hn!z!, z~n~h and hn!zo, hn!Oz, zÇn~h, zôn~h), is frequently translated as Aprostitute@ (e.g., Gen. 38:15; Lev. 21:7, 14; Deut. 23:19 NRSV). The Rabbi=s translation, Ainnkeeper,@ is based on derivation from a different Hebrew verb, Nvz [z-w-n], not found in the Hebrew Bible except as a conjecture, or correction, in Job 36:31 (cf. Holladay, Lexicon, s.v. Nvz, z-w-n; cf. Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia, apparatus ad loc.). The word is common, however, in post-Biblical Hebrew and Aramaic (cf. Marcus Jastrow, A Dictionary of the Targum, the Talmud Babli and Yerushalmi, and the Midrashic Literature, two vols., 1950, s.v. NUuz, zûn Heb. and Ch. = Aramaic).

As the narrator continues, we are told that word of the coming of the spies has reached the king of Jericho. AThe king of Jericho was told, >Some Israelites have come here tonight to search out the land= ” (Josh. 2:2). AThe spies entered the city,@ says Rabbi Hertz, Awithout at first attracting attention. The inhabitants were evidently accustomed to the passing to and fro of Bedouin and other visitors from beyond the Jordan” (op. cit., on v. 2). But the king=s informers have specific information, for Athe king of Jericho sent orders to Rahab, >Bring out the men who have come to you, who entered your house, for they have come only to search out the whole land” (v. 3). But Rahab defies the king. She Atook the two men and hid them (OnP4c4T9v1, titsp^enô)@ (v. 4a). ALiterally,@ says the Rabbi, A >and hid him=; an idiomatic use of the singular [pronominal suffix] for the plural to indicate that she hid each one separately. She was faithful,@ he adds, Ato the Oriental conception of hospitality, which demands protection for the guest at whatever cost@ (ibid., on v. 4). As the story continues, AThen she said, >True, the men came to me, but I did not know where they came from= ” (v. 4b). And she claims that they have gone. AAnd when it was time to close the gate at dark,@ she says, Athe men went out. Where the men went I do not know. Pursue them quickly, for you can overtake them” (v. 5).

But though her words seem to offer help to the king=s messengers, she is sending them down the wrong path. AShe had, however, brought them [i.e., the Israelite spies] up to the roof and hidden them with the stalks of flax that she had laid out on the roof@ (v. 6). According to Younger, Athe just harvested (see 3:15) flax had been laid on the flat roof to dry” (op. cit., on v. 6; cf. Meyers, op. cit., on v. 6, and Rabbi Hertz, op. cit., on v. 6). And Athe men,@ the king=s messengers, Apursued them [i.e., the spies, or so they thought] on the way to the Jordan as far as the fords@ (v. 7a). Ironically, at this point, the king=s men were, so to speak, trapped outside the city while the Israelite spies were safe within. AAs soon as the pursuers had gone out, the gate was shut@ (v. 7b). AJericho,” says the Rabbi, Awas strongly fortified, and could effectively be barred and bolted, >straitly shut up= (vi, 1 [citing the JPS 1917 translation]). This was partly due to the fact that it had only one gate” (on v. 5, cf. v. 7). So when Joshua sends two spies to Jericho, they are hidden and protected by Rahab from the men sent to search for them by the king of Jericho.

ABefore they went to sleep, she came up to them on the roof” (v. 8). And she tells the spies that she knows of the LORD=s promise to give the Israelites the land. AI know that the LORD has given you the land,” she says, Aand that dread of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land melt in fear before you” (v. 9). On the phrase, Ayour terror is fallen upon us@ (JPS 1917, for NRSV >dread of you has fallen on us=), the Rabbi quotes Garstang, A >The presence of the host of the Israelites on the opposite bank, and the known tendency of nomads to push into the country when opportunity afforded, must have filled the king and people of Jericho with misgiving and perplexity= (Garstang)@ (op. cit., on v. 9). Rahab apparently knows much of the story of Israel=s exodus from Egypt and military victories during their progress through the wilderness. AFor we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt,@ she says, Aand what you did to the two kings of the Amorites that were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you utterly destroyed (Mt!&Ox MT,m4raH$h, hech^eramtem ’ôth~m)” (v. 10). According to Younger, the words Autterly destroyed@ here are Athe first use of the >cherem= terminology@ (op. cit., on v. 10). As Rahab continues, she describes the fear of the Israelites that gripped her people. AAs soon as we heard it, our hearts melted, and there was no courage left in any of us because of you. The LORD your God is indeed God in heaven above and on earth below@ (v. 11). According to Myers, AThe designation of the LORD as the only God in heaven above and on earth below [citing the NJPS translation 1985, 1999] is rare in the Bible. Calling the LORD the only deity is usually associated with 6^th-century BCE prophecy (see Isa. 45:18)” (op. cit., on v. 11). Younger, in essential agreement with Myers on this point, adds Abut here,@ he says, Athe acknowledgment of the LORD as the God of heaven and earth (v. 11) . . . anticipates the Divine Warrior=s mighty actions once at the Jordan (chs. 3-4), once at Jericho (ch. 6) and twice in the skies over Gibeon (ch. 10)” (op. cit., on v. 11).

Rahab continues with a request of the spies. “Now then, since I have dealt kindly with you, swear to me by the LORD that you in turn will deal kindly with my family. Give me a sign of good faith that you will spare my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them, and deliver our lives from death@ (vv. 12-13). The spies respond in kind, but with a condition. According to the narrator, Athe men said to her, >Our life for yours! If you do not tell this business of ours, then we will deal kindly and faithfully with you when the LORD gives us the land= @ (v. 14). According to Myers, AThe spies pledge loyalty to Rahab, but with conditions that minimize the danger to them. In contrast, Rahab=s loyalty to them is absolute; it involves risks and is thus heroic@ (op cit., on vv. 14-22; cf. Younger, op. cit., on vv. 14-21).

Meyers notes a number of parallels between Joshua and Moses:

Joshua [the book] has many features in common with some of those books [i.e. the Torah], especially Deuteronomy. Some passages are nearly direct quotations of texts from Deuteronomy. In addition, just as Deuteronomy is cast as a series of hortatory speeches by Moses, Joshua is replete with declamatory speechesBby Joshua, the leaders, Rahab, the people, and even God. As in Deuteronomy, the focus on the covenant is central to Joshua, with obedience to the covenant a prerequisite for God=s blessings. (Meyers, p. 462 in the Introduction to Joshua)

She comments further:

Just as Moses led a miraculous crossing of the parted waters of the Reed Sea, so Joshua leads a miraculous crossing of the divided waters of the Jordan. Both leaders send out spies and apportion the land. The exodus itself is thus replicated, to a certain extent, in the experiences of the Israelites described in Joshua. (Meyers, p. 464 in the Introduction to Joshua)

As noted above, the Jewish Sedrah Shelach Lecha (Num. 13-15 is paired with the Haftorah Shelach Lecha (Joshua 2:1-24), thus emphasizing the parallel. Rabbi J. H. Hertz says,

But whereas the report of the former [the 12 spies sent by Moses], with its fears and exaggerations, was followed by the tragic consequences of unbelief, the latter [i.e. Joshua=s two spies], with their inspiring declaration, >The LORD hath delivered into our hands all the land,= thrilled the people with the assurance of victory that awaited them. (op. cit., p. 635 on Josh. 2:1-24).

H. G. May notes that Rahab Arequired that the spies swear by the God whom she had just acknowledged [v. 11], the God of the spies.@ AJewish tradition makes Joshua her husband. She and her household were apparently accepted within the Israelite community (see 6:25)” (Peake=s Commentary on the Bible, sec. 251i on Josh. 2:12-14).

Romans 11:1‑12

Israel=s Rejection Is Not Final (Cp Ps 69.22‑23; Isa 29.10)

11:1 I ask, then, has God rejected his people? By no means! I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin. 2 God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew. Do you not know what the scripture says of Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel? 3 ALord, they have killed your prophets, they have demolished your altars; I alone am left, and they are seeking my life.@ 4 But what is the divine reply to him? AI have kept for myself seven thousand who have not bowed the knee to Baal.@ 5 So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace. 6 But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace would no longer be grace.

7 What then? Israel failed to obtain what it was seeking. The elect obtained it, but the rest were hardened, 8 as it is written,

AGod gave them a sluggish spirit,

eyes that would not see

and ears that would not hear,

down to this very day.@

9 And David says,

ALet their table become a snare and a trap,

a stumbling block and a retribution for them;

10 let their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see,

and keep their backs forever bent.@ (citing Ps. 68:23-24 LXX)

The Salvation of the Gentiles

11 So I ask, have they stumbled so as to fall? By no means! But through their stumbling salvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make Israel jealous. 12 Now if their stumbling means riches for the world, and if their defeat means riches for Gentiles, how much more will their full inclusion mean! (Romans 11:1-12, NRSV)

The following comments are repeated here from April 2, 2009 (Thursday in the week of the Fifth Sunday of Lent, Year One):

On July 14, 2008 (Monday in the week of the Sunday closest to July 13, Year Two), comments were repeated from March 29, 2007 (Thursday in the week of the Fifth Sunday of Lent, Year One), when comments were combined with some revision from July 12, 2004, in an email sent July 12, 2004 for July 12-18, from March 17, 2005 (Thursday of the week of the Fifth Sunday of Lent, Year One), and from July 17, 2006 (Monday in the week of the Sunday closest to July 13, Year Two). The combined comments are repeated here with some editing and supplement:

Paul ended Romans chapter ten by pointing out that though Israel has had every opportunity to hear and understand the Agood news@ (eujaggevlion, euaggelion = Agospel,@ Rom. 10:16, based on the participial form of eujaggelizomai, euaggelizomai, Ahave the gospel preached to one,@ v. 15, citing Isa. 52:7), they have refused. AAll day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people@ (Rom. 10:21, citing Isa. 65:1-2). He continues in chapter eleven with a rhetorical question. AI ask, then, has God rejected his people?@ And the answer? ABy no means! I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin@ (Rom. 11:1). AGod has not rejected his people whom he foreknew,@ says Paul (v. 2a). And for good measure, he cites the example of Elijah=s complaint to God : ADo you not know what the scripture says of Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel? >Lord, they have killed your prophets, they have demolished your altars; I alone left [as faithful in Israel, and not worshiping Baal], and they are seeking my life= @ (Rom. 11:2b, 3, citing 1 Kgs. 19:14). ABut what is the divine reply to him?@ asks Paul. AI have kept for myself seven thousand who have not bowed the knee to Baal@ (Rom. 11:4, citing 1 Kgs. 19:18). Paul applies this historical example to his own time: Athere is a remnant, chosen by grace. But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace would no longer be grace@ (Rom. 11:5b, 6).

So there is a remnant (v. 5), whose existence, says T. W. Manson, Ais a demonstration of divine grace rather than human merit@ (Peake=s Commentary on the Bible, 1962, reprinted 1972, sec. 824 j, p. 948, on Rom. 11:6). Paul finds something positive even in their rejection of Christ. ASo I ask, have they stumbled so as to fall? By no means! But through their stumbling [paravptwma, paraptÇma, >transgression= NRSV note b] salvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make Israel jealous. Now if their stumbling means riches for the world, and if their defeat means riches for Gentiles, how much more will their full inclusion mean!@ (vv. 11-12)

There is a series of related words in this passage, a kind of play on words, noted in part by C. K. Barrett (The Epistle to the Romans, Harper=s New Testament Commentaries, 1957, p. 208, on Rom. 11:3, 5). AI alone am left@ (uJpeleivfqhn, hypeleiphth‘n, Rom. 11:3), citing 1 Kings 19:14 (Engl.)/10 (Heb.), rteU!x9v!, wa= iww~th‘r (Heb.), uJpolevleimmai, hypoleleimmai (LXX). AI have kept for myself@ (Katevlipon, Katelipon, Rom. 11:4), citing 1 Kings 19:18, yT9r4xaw4h9v4, w^ehish= artî (Heb.), kai; kataleipseiV, kai kataleipseis (LXX). ASo too at the present time there is a remnant (lei:mma, leimma), chosen by grace@ (Rom. 11:5), compare a Afavorite word of Isaiah@ (Holladay, Lexicon), rx1w4, sh^e= ~ r, Aremainder, remnant,@ translated as katavleimma, kataleimma (Isa. 10:22 LXX).

Barrett points out:

As the last clause [of v. 6] shows, Paul is here defining his terms rather than offering a constructive argument. If you confuse such opposites as faith and works, then words will simply lose their meaning. Paul does not, of course, deny that the remnant had performed >works of law=Bhe had performed many himself (Gal. I, 14; Phil. iii, 6)Bbut insists that the election was not dependent upon them, since God=s choices are eternal as he is eternal, and the election is therefore antecedent to all works. That is why it is by grace. (op. cit., p. 209. on Rom. 11:6):

What Israel Awas seeking,” says Barrett, but failed to obtain (Rom. 11:7) was Arighteousness, the proper relation between man and God (or, people and God), in which alone are life and salvation” (ibid., 210, based on Rom. 9:30-33; 10:3). The further biblical quotations (vv. 7-10) emphasize the fact that Israel (much of Israel) was Ahardened@ (v. 7). But the case is not hopeless, as Paul hastens to add.

The Aimmediate result@ was that Athrough their [i.e. the Jews=] stumbling salvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make Israel jealous”:

This was the immediate result of the Jewish apostasy; it had, however, a further purpose. The inclusion of the Gentiles would provoke the Jews to envy. . . . Israel, seeking righteousness by works, did not believe; the Gospel was accordingly sent to the Gentiles, who accepted righteousness by faith. So far Paul can use past tenses; the next stages must be expressed in terms of purpose and hope. Israel will be provoked to envy by the Gentile attainment of righteousness, and so fly to God=s mercy, so that God may in the end bestow righteousness upon her too. (ibid., p. 213, on Rom 11:11)

Again, I should say, we each need to respond to God=s grace for ourselves. God is in the business of rescuing people, not rejecting them. AThe Lord . . . is patient with you, not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance@ (2 Pet. 3:9).

Matthew 25:1‑13

The Parable of the Ten Bridesmaids

25:1 AThen the kingdom of heaven will be like this. Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. 3 When the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them; 4 but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. 5 As the bridegroom was delayed, all of them became drowsy and slept. 6 But at midnight there was a shout, >Look! Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.= 7 Then all those bridesmaids got up and trimmed their lamps. 8 The foolish said to the wise, >Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.= 9 But the wise replied, >No! there will not be enough for you and for us; you had better go to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.= 10 And while they went to buy it, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went with him into the wedding banquet; and the door was shut. 11 Later the other bridesmaids came also, saying, >Lord, lord, open to us.= 12 But he replied, >Truly I tell you, I do not know you.= 13 Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour. (Matthew 25:1-13, NRSV)

The following comments are repeated here from December 17, 2009 (Thursday in the week of the Third Sunday of Advent, Year Two), when comments were based on those of November 30, 2008 (the First Sunday of Advent, Year One), and earlier comments, from July 14, 2008 (Monday in the week of the Sunday closest to July 13, Year Two), when comments were based, with editing and revision, on earlier comments from an email sent December 17, 2003, from July 12, 2004, in an email sent July 12, 2004 for July 12-18, comments from November 28, 2004 (Monday of the week of the First Sunday in Advent), from December 15, 2005 (Thursday in the week of the Third Sunday of Advent, Year Two), from July 14, 2006 (Monday in the week of the Sunday closest to July 13, Year Two), and from December 20, 2007 (Thursday in the week of the Third Sunday of Advent, Year Two).

The Parable of the Ten Bridesmaids is presented only by Matthew. But its admonitions to be watchful and ready are similar to admonitions in Mark and Luke, of which some are indicated in the separate file, Parable of the Ten Bridesmaids.

In Matthew, Jesus introduces the parable, saying, AThen the kingdom of heaven will be like this@ (Mt. 25:1a). Coming as it does after the eschatological teaching of chapter twenty‑four, Jesus= parable of the wise and foolish bridesmaids has the obvious sense, ABe ready for the coming of the Lord!” Krister Stendahl notes the future reference here, Awhile the parables about the Kingdom in ch. 13 were introduced by the formula >The Kingdom of Heaven is like . . .= we read here >Then the Kingdom of Heaven shall be like . . .@ (Peake=s Commentary on the Bible, 1962, reprint 1972, sec. 692 l, p. 794 on Mt. 25:1-13). According to Dennis C. Duling, this is the first of Athree major parables about the coming (Greek parousia [parousiva] ) of the Son of Man for final judgment@ (HarperCollins Study Bible, rev. ed., 2006, on Mt. 25:1-46). He calls the AParable of the ten bridesmaids, an allegory about readiness for the unexpected Parousia@ (ibid., on vv. 1-13).

ATen bridesmaids (parqevnoi, parthenoi; >virgins= AV/KJV) took their lamps,@ says Jesus, Aand went to meet the bridegroom@ (v. 1b). According to Stendahl, ASome good MSS read >the bridegroom and the bride= in [v.] 1 and this may well be the original reading. By omitting >the bride= the parable becomes an allegory, the groom being the Messiah (cf. 9:15 and 22:1-14)@ (ibid.). However, while the longer reading, including Athe bride,@ is supported by Manuscripts D (5th/6th c.) X* (10^th c.) Q (9^th c.) and others, including early Latin and Syriac manuscripts, the shorter reading is supported by Manuscripts x (4^th c.) B (4^th c.) K (9^th c.) L (8^th c.) W (5^th c.) and others. K. Aland and others omit kai; th:V nuvmfhV (kai t‘s nymph‘s, Aand the bride@) from their printed text and use the letter A to indicate that, in the judgment of the committee, Athe text is virtually certain@ (The Greek New Testament, 3^rd ed., 1975, apparatus to Mt. 25:1; cf. p. xii). Bruce M. Metzger explains the committee=s reasoning:

It can be argued that the words kai; th:V numfh:V [kai t‘s nymph‘s] (>and the bride=), which are witnessed by a rather strong combination of Western and Caesarean witnesses, were omitted because they were felt to be incompatible with the widely held view that Christ, the bridegroom, would come to fetch his bride, the church. But it is doubtful whether copyists would have been so sensitive to the logic of the allegory. Furthermore, those who omitted the words envisaged the wedding as taking place in the home of the fiancée; those who added the words envisaged the bringing of the bride by the bridegroom to his home (or the home of his parents) where the wedding takes place. Since the latter custom was more common in the ancient world,¹ it is probable that the words are an interpolation by copyists who did not notice that the mention of the bride would disturb the allegorical interpretation of the parable. Only the bridegroom is mentioned in what follows. (A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament, 1971, p. 62, on Mt. 25:1)

Metzger=s footnote 1 compares AHilma Granqvist, Marriage Conditions in a Palestine Village, [vol.] II, 1935 and works by Joachim Jeremias.

In the parable, Jesus distinguishes two groups. AAFive of them were foolish, and five were wise@ (v. 2). The wisdom of the five wise bridesmaids is illustrated by their preparations. AWhen the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them; but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps.@ (vv. 3-4). While Luke does not include the Parable of the Ten Bridesmaids as such, he does include instruction that makes a similar point. After Jesus= instructions to his disciples not to worry (Lk. 12:22-34; cf. Mt. 6:25-34), he presents instructions that, as Stendahl puts it, use Athe wedding motif as well as the basic point of [Matthew=s] parable@ (loc. cit.). ABe dressed for action and have your lamps lit,@ says Jesus; Abe like those who are waiting for their master to return from the wedding banquet, so that they may open the door for him as soon as he comes and knocks@ (Lk. 12:35-36, cf. vv. 37-38; cf. also Mk. 13:33-37; Lk. 13:25-28; 12:40Btexts all included in the table in the separate file, Parable of the Ten Bridesmaids). Stendahl says that Athe point in Mt. is made by stressing the wisdom of five of the maidens, the careful planning ([v.] 2: phronimos [frovnimoV]; cf. 25:45), rather than the staying awake@ (loc. cit.).

The delayed return of the bridegroom, AAs the bridegroom was delayed, all of them became drowsy and slept@ (Mt. 25:5), can be compared to the Awaiting [of slaves] for their master to return from the wedding@ of those mentioned in Luke 12:36; compare the charge to the slaves to Abeware, keep alert . . . Therefore, keep awake@ when their master goes Aon a journey,@ Mk. 13:33-35). In Matthew, Jesus= parable continues with the actual coming of the bridegroom: ABut at midnight [cf. Lk. 12:38; Mk. 13:35b] there was a shout, >Look! Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him@ (Mt. 25:6); compare the possible nighttime return suggested in Luke, AIf he comes during the middle of the night, or near dawn@ (Lk. 12:38), and in Mark, Afor you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or at dawn@ (Mk. 13:35).

While the sayings in Luke briefly describe what is to be expected at the master=s return, Matthew=s parable gives a detailed account. AIf he comes during the middle of the night, or near dawn, and finds them so [i.e. >alert,= v. 37],@ says Jesus, Ablessed are those slaves@ (Lk. 12:38). In another context in Luke, Jesus says, AThen you will begin to say, >We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.= But he will say, >I do not know where you come from; go away from me, all you evildoers!= There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrown out@ (Lk. 13:26-28; cf. Mt. 7:22-23; 25:41). In Matthew=s parable, the bridesmaids respond to the midnight shout. AThen all those bridesmaids got up and trimmed their lamps@ (Mt. 25:7). But some have a problem. AThe foolish said to the wise, >Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.= But the wise replied, >No! There will not be enough fore you and for us; you had better go to the dealers and buy some for yourselves= @ (vv. 8-9). One might wonder who would be selling lamp oil at midnight, but that would not necessarily relate to Jesus= point here. AAnd while they went to buy it,@ says Jesus, Athe bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him into the wedding banquet; and the door was shut@ (v. 10). And Jesus tells us that the foolish bridesmaids were thus locked out. ALater,@ he says, Athe other bridesmaids came also, saying, >Lord, lord, open to us.= But he replied, >Truly I tell you, I do not know you= @ (vv. 11-12). And Jesus concludes the parable with the admonition, AKeep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour@ (v. 13; cf. Lk. 12:35; Mk. 13:33; Mt. 24:42; Lk. 12:40). Stendahl notes repetition here of Athe refrain from the preceding chapter [cf. Mt. 24:42], but,@ he says, it Adoes not fit too well for the details of the Matthean parable since all ten fell asleep (5)@ (loc. cit.).

Some who read Jesus' parable of the wise and foolish bridesmaids (Mt. 25:1‑13) are inclined to interpret it as an allegory, letting the oil which the wise bridesmaids took with them, and the foolish bridesmaids neglected, represent the Holy Spirit. Having the oil, that is, the Holy Spirit, makes all the difference in the outcome. AAnyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him@ (Rom. 8:9b). Dale C. Allison, Jr., calls the parable

an allegory of the parousia of Christ, the heavenly bridegroom: the virgins represent the Christian community, the delay of the bridegroom is the delay of the Son of Man=s return, the sudden coming is the unexpected arrival of his parousia, and the spurning of the foolish virgins is the great assize [judgment]. (The Oxford Bible Commentary, 2001, p. 878, on Mt. 25:1-13)

Allison adds that the delay of the parousia Ameans yet again that no one knows the date of the Son of Man=s parousia,@ that the wise virgins Areveal that religious prudence will gain eschatological reward,@ and that the foolish virgins Areveal that those unprepared at the end will suffer eschatological punishment@ (ibid.).

I would see the main point of the parable as emphasizing the need to be ready when the Lord comes. But if for Zerubbabel, it was "not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, says the LORD," how much more is it so for us? Jesus said, AI will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate [or Helper], to be with you forever" (Jn. 14:16). He "will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you" (Jn. 14:26). "When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth" (Jn. 16:13). May you know the spiritual power that comes through God's Spirit, and find his renewal and refreshment.

As noted above, for the Lutheran Readings for today, and comments on them, see the Episcopal Readings in the file for June 28, 2010, two weeks ago. These traditions differ in relating readings to the weeks following Pentecost.

Ronald D. Worden, Ph.D.

rdworden@hgst.edu

deanworden@comcast.net