Daily Scripture Readings
Sunday (July 25, 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, Year C (now current). “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.
Sunday AM Psalm 24, 29 PM Psalm 8, 84 Joshua 24:1-15 Acts 28:23-31 Mark 2:23-28 From the Sunday Lectionary: (Cf. the RCL) Hosea 1:2-10 & Psalm 85 or Genesis 18:20-32 & Psalm 138; Colossians 2:6-15, (16-19); Luke 11:1-13 (Cf. BCP) Psalm 138 Genesis 18:20-33 Colossians 2:6-15 Luke 11:1-13	Sunday Morning: Psalms 67; 150 Joshua 24:1-15 Acts 28:23-31 Mark 2:23-28 Evening: Psalms 46; 93	Sunday Morning Pss.: 19, 150 Joshua 1:1‑18 Acts 21:3‑15 Mark 1:21‑27 Evening Pss.: 81, 113
	17^th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C Hosea 1:2-10 Psalm 85 Colossians 2:6-15, (16-19) Luke 11:1-13	Sunday, July 24-30, Year C Genesis 18:20-32 Psalm 138 (8) Colossians 2:6-15, [16-19] Luke 11:1-13 Semicontinuous reading and psalm Hosea 1:2-10 Psalm 85 (13) James, Apostle, July 25 1 Kings 19:9-18 Psalm 7:1-10 (10) Acts 11:27-12:3a Mark 10:35-45
* The Ninth Sunday after Pentecost, references for the Sunday closest to July 27, Year Two

Sermon, Hillcrest United Methodist Church, July 25, 2010

For the Lutheran Readings for today, and comments on them, see the Episcopal Readings in the file for July 11, 2010, two weeks ago. These traditions differ in relating readings to the weeks following Pentecost.

Episcopal and Presbyterian Readings:

Joshua 24:1-15

The Tribes Renew the Covenant (Cp Ex 24.9-18)

24:1 Then Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and summoned the elders, the heads, the judges, and the officers of Israel; and they presented themselves before God. 2 And Joshua said to all the people, “Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: Long ago your ancestors-Terah and his sons Abraham and Nahor-lived beyond the Euphrates and served other gods. 3 Then I took your father Abraham from beyond the River and led him through all the land of Canaan and made his offspring many. I gave him Isaac; 4 and to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. I gave Esau the hill country of Seir to possess, but Jacob and his children went down to Egypt. 5 Then I sent Moses and Aaron, and I plagued Egypt with what I did in its midst; and afterwards I brought you out. 6 When I brought your ancestors out of Egypt, you came to the sea; and the Egyptians pursued your ancestors with chariots and horsemen to the Red Sea. 7 When they cried out to the LORD, he put darkness between you and the Egyptians, and made the sea come upon them and cover them; and your eyes saw what I did to Egypt. Afterwards you lived in the wilderness a long time. 8 Then I brought you to the land of the Amorites, who lived on the other side of the Jordan; they fought with you, and I handed them over to you, and you took possession of their land, and I destroyed them before you. 9 Then King Balak son of Zippor of Moab, set out to fight against Israel. He sent and invited Balaam son of Beor to curse you, 10 but I would not listen to Balaam; therefore he blessed you; so I rescued you out of his hand. 11 When you went over the Jordan and came to Jericho, the citizens of Jericho fought against you, and also the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites; and I handed them over to you. 12 I sent the hornet ahead of you, which drove out before you the two kings of the Amorites; it was not by your sword or by your bow. 13 I gave you a land on which you had not labored, and towns that you had not built, and you live in them; you eat the fruit of vineyards and oliveyards that you did not plant.

14 “Now therefore revere the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness; put away the gods that your ancestors served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. 15 Now if you are unwilling to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served in the region beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” (Joshua 24:1-15, NRSV)

The following comments are repeated from July 27, 2008 (the Sunday closest to July 27, Year Two), when comments were repeated with editing and supplement from July 30, 2006 (the Sunday closest to July 27, Year Two), when some comments were repeated from July 25, 2004, in an email sent July 22, 2004, for July 23 to 25.

Before the final chapter of Joshua reports his death (Josh. 24:29), it describes how Joshua leads the people in a ceremony renewing the covenant. Speaking for the LORD, Joshua summarizes their history. Carol Meyers calls the historical review “partly the LORD’s review of Israel’s history (vv. 2-13)” (The Jewish Study Bible, 2004, p. 505 on Josh. 24:1-28). “Then,” says the narrator, “Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and summoned the elders, the heads, the judges, and the officers of Israel; and they presented themselves before God” (Josh. 24:1). The review begins as follows: “Long ago your ancestors–Terah and his sons Abraham and Nahor–lived beyond the Euphrates and served other gods. Then I took your father Abraham from beyond the River and led him through all the land of Canaan and made his offspring many” (vv. 2-3). This beginning reminds us of another speech, at another critical point in the life of a nation, “Fourscore and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal” (Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address). Joshua’s summary of Israelite history continues through verse 13, with reference to Isaac (v. 3), and Jacob and Esau (v. 4). It is noted that Esau was given “the hill country of Seir to possess, but Jacob and his children went down to Egypt” (v. 4). K. Lawson Younger calls verses 2 to 4 “a summary of Gen. 11:26-46:27” (The New Oxford Annotated Bible [NOAB], 3rd. edition, augmented 2007, on Josh. 24:2-4), but Jacob’s children are not named, nor are any specific events recounted from this period. Nevertheless, Meyers points out that “These verses [vv. 2-4] are central to the Haggadah’s retelling of the Passover story” (op. cit., on vv. 2-4). More attention is given to the exodus, led by Moses and Aaron, with a graphic description of the crossing of the Red Sea and how it covered the Egyptians. “Then I sent Moses and Aaron, and I plagued Egypt with what I did in its midst; and afterwards I brought you out. When I brought your ancestors out of Egypt, you came to the sea; and the Egyptians pursued your ancestors with chariots and horsemen to the Red Sea. When they cried out to the LORD, he put darkness between you and the Egyptians, and made the sea come upon them and cover them; and your eyes saw what I did to Egypt” (vv. 5-7a).

The period in the wilderness gets brief mention. “Afterwards you lived in the wilderness a long time” (v. 7b). The defeat of the Amorites is reported briefly: “Then I brought you to the land of the Amorites, who lived on the other side of the Jordan; they fought with you, and I handed them over to you, and you took possession of their land, and I destroyed them before you” (v. 8). The incident with Balak and Balaam is mentioned, when Balak “sent and invited Balaam son of Beor to curse you, but I would not listen to Balaam; therefore he blessed you; so I rescued you out of his hand” (vv. 9-10). “When you went over the Jordan and came to Jericho, the citizens of Jericho fought against you” (v. 11a). Younger suggests that this is “perhaps a different tradition about Jericho from that found in ch. 6” (op. cit., on v. 11). Seven peoples are listed who, apparently, also “fought against you” (v. 11b, cf. 11a), and the LORD adds (quoted by Joshua), “I sent the hornet ahead of you which drove out before you the two kings of the Amorites [i.e. Sihon and Og, out of sequence here]; it was not by your sword or by your bow” (v. 12). According to Meyers, “This account of the conquest of Jericho differs from that of ch. 6” (op. cit., on vv. 11-12; cf. Younger, on v. 11, cited above). The New Jewish Publication Society translation (1985, 1999) translates verse 12 as, “I sent a plague ahead of you, and it drove them out before you–[just like] the two Amorite kings–not by your sword or by your bow.” The word translated “hornet” or “plague” here ( hfAr4c&, tsir‘~h) occurs three times in the Hebrew Bible. William L. Holladay translates the word as “depression, discouragement” (A Concise Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament, 1971, s.v. hfAr4c&, tsir‘~h). In reference to this term in Exodus 23:28, Jeffrey H. Tigay says, “Plague, better ‘hornets’ or ‘wasps,’ meaning either that ferocious swarms of wasps will chase the Canaanites or that God will induce a panic or frenzy like that caused by wasps and cause the Canaanites to flee” (The Jewish Study Bible, 2004, p. 161 on Exod. 23:28). Meyers refers to this term in Joshua 24:12 “as a fulfillment of the promise in Deut. 7:20,” adding that “Its symbolism is uncertain” (p. 505 on Josh. 24:12).

The historical summary ends with God’s reminder: “I gave you a land on which you had not labored, and towns that you had not built, and you live in them; you eat the fruit of vineyards and oliveyards that you did not plant” (v. 13), which is followed by an exhortation, “Now therefore revere the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness; put away the gods that your ancestors served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD” (v. 14), and a challenge, “Now if you are unwilling to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served in the region beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD” (v. 15). (The more emphatic challenge comes in Monday’s lesson.) It’s good to be reminded of our roots, especially if it helps us act with integrity in the present and face the future with faith, hope and courage. John Wesley wrote an order of worship for covenant renewal that is used by many United Methodists even today. The text of the third (1784) edition is online in facsimile form. The following address now goes to its “Index Page”: http://wesley.nnu.edu/john_wesley/covenant/index.htm (accessed again, July 23, 2010).

Acts 28:23-31

Paul Preaches in Rome (Isa 6.9-10)

23 After they had set a day to meet with him, they came to him at his lodgings in great numbers. From morning until evening he explained the matter to them, testifying to the kingdom of God and trying to convince them about Jesus both from the law of Moses and from the prophets. 24 Some were convinced by what he had said, while others refused to believe. 25 So they disagreed with each other; and as they were leaving, Paul made one further statement: “The Holy Spirit was right in saying to your ancestors through the prophet Isaiah,

26 ‘Go to this people and say,

You will indeed listen, but never understand,

and you will indeed look, but never perceive.

27 For this people’s heart has grown dull,

and their ears are hard of hearing,

and they have shut their eyes;

so that they might not look with their eyes,

and listen with their ears,

and understand with their heart and turn—

and I would heal them.’

28 Let it be known to you then that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will listen.”

30 He lived there two whole years at his own expense and welcomed all who came to him, 31 proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance. (Acts 28:23-31, NRSV)

The following comments are repeated here from comments on Acts 28:17-31 of August 29, 2009 (Saturday in the week of the Sunday closest to August 24, Year One), when comments were based on those of October 18, 2008 (Saturday in the week of the Sunday closest to October 12, Year Two), when comments were repeated with editing and supplement from September 1, 2007 (Saturday in the week of the Sunday closest to August 24, Year One), when comments were repeated with editing and supplement from August 27, 2005 (Saturday in the week of the Sunday closest to August 24, Year One).

With his arrival in Rome and ministry there, Paul accomplishes one of his major goals, as expressed in his letter to the Christians there (Rom. 1:11-15; 15:22-33), though probably not in the manner he had envisioned. To that thought, he might well respond as he said to the Philippians, “What does it matter? Just this, that Christ is proclaimed . . .” (Phil. 1:18), though that was in reference to others who “proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition” (Phil. 1:17). We note that Acts 28 concludes with Paul’s ministry in the city of Rome, under house arrest, in what some call his “first” Roman imprisonment. In Rome, as often before in the narrative of Acts, Paul first reaches out to his own people. This time, of course, he does not start in a Synagogue, but leaders of the Jews come to him. Three days after his arrival, he calls “together the local leaders of the Jews,” and says, “Brothers, though I had done nothing against our people or the customs of our ancestors, yet I was arrested in Jerusalem and handed over to the Romans” (Acts 28:17). He claims that the Romans have found no fault in him, and wanted to release him (v. 18), but “when the Jews objected, I was compelled to appeal to the emperor–even though I had no charge to bring against my nation” (v. 19). Paul’s aim at this point is to clear his name in the eyes of fellow Jews, despite his imprisoned condition. “For this reason,” he says, “therefore I have asked to see you and speak with you, since it is for the sake of the hope of Israel that I am bound with this chain” (v. 20). But it seems that the Jews of Rome have not heard of the accusations made against Paul (Rom. 28:21). So they are willing to give him a hearing. “But we would like to hear from you what you think,” they say, “for with regard to this sect [i.e., the Christians] we know that everywhere it is spoken against” (v. 22).

In that meeting on the set day, they came to him at his lodgings in great numbers. From morning until evening he explained the matter to them, testifying to the kingdom of God and trying to convince them about Jesus both from the law of Moses and from the prophets” (v. 23). In the end, Paul’s efforts to evangelize the Jews of Rome met with limited success. “Some were convinced by what he had said, while others refused to believe” (v. 24). “So they disagreed with each other,” says Luke; “and as they were leaving, Paul made one further statement: The Holy Spirit was right in saying to your ancestors through the prophet Isaiah” (v. 25, introducing the OT quotation to follow),

Paul’s Quotation of Isaiah 6:9-10, as Reported in Acts 28:26-27 †
Isaiah 6:9-10 *	Isaiah 6:9-10 LXX **	Acts 28:26-27 ***
Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; And see ye indeed, but perceive not. Make the heart of this people fat, And make their ears heavy, And shut their eyes; Lest they see with their eyes, And hear with their ears And Understand with their heart, And turn again, And be healed.	Go thou and say unto this people, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall in no wise understand; And seeing ye shall see, and shall in no wise perceive: For this people’s heart is waxed gross, And their ears are dull of hearing, And their eyes they have closed; Lest haply they should perceive with their eyes, And hear with their ears, And understand with their heart, And should turn again, And I should heal them.	Go thou unto this people and say, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall in no wise understand; And seeing ye shall see, and shall in no wise perceive: For this people’s heart is waxed gross, And their ears are dull of hearing, And their eyes they have closed; Lest haply they should perceive with their eyes, And hear with their ears, And understand with their heart, And should turn again, And I should heal them.
† Cf. Robert G. Bratcher, Old Testament Quotations in the New Testament, Helps for Translators, rev. ed., 1961, p. 34; cf. 3^rd rev. ed., 1987, p. 37. * English Revised Version (ERV), 1881, translation of the Hebrew text. ** Bratcher, translation of the Septuagint text “in the language and style of the ERV” (op. cit., p. viii). *** ERV, translation of the Greek Text.

The texts in the above table, as noted, use the English Revised Version (ERV) of 1881 for the translations of the Hebrew text of Hebrew Bible and the Greek text of the New Testament; for the translation of the Septuagint (LXX) text, Bratcher has used “the language and style of the ERV.” “This translation was chosen,” says Bratcher, “because of its literalness in following the Hebrew and Greek originals, its high degree of consistency in employing the same English word in translating a given Hebrew or Greek word, and its differentiation between the singular and plural forms of the second person pronoun by the use of ‘thou’, ‘thee’, and ‘you’, ye’ ” (op. cit., pp. vii-viii).

The underlining of the second and third lines, and of other words, within the translation of Isaiah 6:9-10 (from Hebrew), above, indicates differences between the Old Testament text and the New Testament translation. “a solid line underscoring a passage indicates that the words underlined have no equivalents in the opposite column . . . A broken line underscoring a passage indicates that the words have their equivalents in the opposite column, but that these do not correspond in all respects” (ibid., p. viii). In Isaiah 6:9, for the words “hear ye indeed,” the Hebrew phrase, f1OmwA Ufm4w9 (šim‘û š~mô^a‘), the imperative verb followed by the infinitive absolute, is translated by Gesenius-Kautzsch-Cowley as “hear ye continually”; “the infinitive absolute after the verb, sometimes . . . to intensify the idea of the verb (especially after imperatives . . .) . . . sometimes to express the long continuance of an action; here again after an imperative [with the example of Isa. 6:9 as given above]” (Gesenius’ Hebrew Grammar, ed. E. Kautzsch, rev., trans., A. E. Cowley, 2^nd Engl. ed., 1910, 18^th impression, 1985, sec 113 r). Paul’s Greek translation of the phrase, jAkoh:/ ajkouvete (Ako‘ akouete), follows the Septuagint, as indicated by the translations in the table above.

In the third line, the Hebrew grammatical construction is the same, the imperative verb followed by the infinitive absolute, Oxr! Uxr4U (ûr^e’ û r~’ô), “see ye indeed” (ERV), and the same emphasis on “continuance” would apply: “see ye continually” (cf. notes from Gesenius-Kautzsch-Cowley, above). Again, Paul follows the Septuagint translation, kai; blevponteV blevpete (blepontes blepete). So, in the first of these two lines, the Hebrew infinitive absolute is represented by the “cognate dative,” ajkoh:/ (ako‘), the “force” of which is “to emphasize the action of the verb” (Daniel B. Wallace, Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics; an Exegetical Syntax of the New Testament, 1995, p. 168), which compares to the analysis of the Hebrew phrase above. In the second of these two lines, the Greek of the LXX and of Romans uses a Greek present tense participle for the Hebrew infinitive absolute, “seeing you will see,” which implies the “continuance” suggested above. In the Isaiah text, the emphasis on continuance leads to the prophet’s question, “How long O Lord?” (Isa. 6:11). In the New Testament contexts, the Isaiah quotation is used to relate the fact of Jewish rejection of the Christian message to prophecy (Acts 28:26-27; cf. Mt. 13:14-15; Jn. 12:40).

The report in Acts continues as Paul concludes (again) “that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will listen” (v. 28), and his ministry continues for two years, for though he is under house arrest, he “welcomed all who came to him, proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance” (vv. 30-31). According to Christopher R. Matthews, “The ‘turn to the Gentiles’ of 13:46; 18:6 is repeated. It is no more a final rejection than the previous instances were but may indicate the social reality of Luke’s day” (NOAB, 3^rd ed., on Acts 28:28). Verse 29, “And when he had said these words, the Jews departed, arguing vigorously among themselves,” relegated to a footnote by the NRSV note c, is absent from many of the older and better manuscripts, including p⁷⁴ x A B E Y 048 33 and others (Kurt Aland, et al., The Greek New Testament, UBS, 3^rd ed., 1975, in the apparatus for Acts 28:28). Apart from Chrysostom (AD 407), and Euthalius (5^th c.), essentially no witnesses are cited for including the verse prior to the ninth century. The editors of the UBS Greek New Testament exclude the verse but with “some degree of doubt,” indicate by the “B” rating of the variant. It could very well be a later scribal comment with emphasis on the Jewish uncertainty as they departed.

The two years of Paul’s ministry in Rome described here (vv. 30-31), A.D. 60-62, bring the narrative of Acts to a close. Some would date the writing of Acts at that time, but since it serves as “volume 2,” following Luke’s Gospel as “volume 1" (cf. Acts 1:1-2), and since Luke’s Gospel is usually dated later, it is highly probable that Acts was completed a few years later as well. Luke, of course, was in a position to take many notes, and perhaps to prepare early drafts before putting Luke-Acts in its present form. His goal of describing the beginnings of Christianity in the life and ministry of Jesus, and it’s spread to the capital of the Roman world with Paul’s arrival there has been accomplished. But earlier he includes Paul’s farewell speech to the elders of Ephesus (Acts 20:7-38), a fitting tribute to this “prince of the Apostles.”

Mark 2:23-28

In the Grainfields on the Sabbath (Mt 12.1-8; Lk 6.1-5)

23 One sabbath he was going through the grainfields; and as they made their way his disciples began to pluck heads of grain. 24 The Pharisees said to him, “Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the sabbath?” 25 And he said to them, “Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry and in need of food? 26 He entered the house of God, when Abiathar was high priest, and ate the bread of the Presence, which it is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and he gave some to his companions.” 27 Then he said to them, “The sabbath was made for humankind, and not humankind for the sabbath; 28 so the Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath.” (Mark 2:23-28, NRSV)

The following comments are repeated from relevant comments on Mark 2:23-3:6 of March 27, 2010 (Saturday in the week of the First Sunday of Lent, Year Two), when comments were based on those of July 16, 2009 (Thursday in the week of the Sunday closest to July 13, Year One), when comments were repeated with editing and supplement from January 17, 2009 (Saturday in the week of the First Sunday after the Epiphany, Year One), when comments were based on those of July 27, 2008 (the Sunday closest to July 27, Year Two) and those of February 16, 2008 (Saturday in the week of the First Sunday of Lent, Year Two), when comments were used from earlier as noted there.

The initial confrontations and conflicts that intersperse with Jesus’ ministry in the first chapters of Mark’s Gospel move quickly to a crisis. Challenges that Jesus and his disciples ignore the law regarding the sabbath, first by plucking and eating heads of grain (Mk. 2:23-28), and then by healing the man with the withered hand (3:1-6), lead to a conspiracy of the Pharisees with the Herodians “against him [Jesus], how to destroy him” (3:6). We turn now to the first of two episodes of controversy about the sabbath and sabbath observance presented consecutively by the Synoptic Gospels. They are presented in the separate file, Sabbath Controversies. The contexts would seem to be rather different, since these events from Mark chapters 2 and 3 have their parallels in later chapters, Luke chapter 6 and Matthew chapter 12. But allowing for the preliminary materials in the longer Gospels, Christmas stories and such, and for early sermons in Matthew and Luke, the contexts are not so different that the differences cannot be explained by the use of Mark by both, with Matthew’s topical arrangements and Luke’s historical program.

“One sabbath,” says Mark, “he [i.e., Jesus] was going through the grainfields; and as they made their way his disciples began to pluck heads of grain” (Mk. 2:23; cf. Lk. 6:1, omitting Mark’s redundant “and as they made their way”). For this indefinite reference to “one sabbath” (Mk. and Lk.), Matthew has “at that time” (Mt. 12:1; cf. 11:25), which puts the present account after Jesus’ instruction and sending the disciples out (Mt. 10:5-11:1), the messengers from John the Baptist and Jesus’ commendation of John (Mt. 11:1-19) and further sayings of Jesus (vv. 20-30). But, though Matthew does not report the return of the disciples (contrast Mk. 6:30; Lk. 9:10a), he has them with Jesus at the beginning of the sabbath controversies. “At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the sabbath; his disciples were hungry, and they began to pluck heads of grain and to eat” (Mt. 12:1). Only Luke specifies the disciples’ threshing process when he reports that the disciples “rubbed them [i.e., the ‘heads of grain’] in their hands” (Lk. 6:1b), which he apparently understood as what Marion Lloyd Soards calls the “harvesting [which] violated the sabbath rest (Ex. 34:21)” (NOAB, 3^rd ed., augmented, 2007, on Lk. 6:2).

But each Gospel presents the disciples’ actions as the occasion (pretext?) for a challenge from the Pharisees. “The Pharisees said to him [i.e., Jesus],” says Mark, “Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the sabbath?” (Mk. 2:24; cf Lk. 6:2; Mt. 12:2, who says “your disciples”). According to Richard A. Horsley, “The disciples’ action may have violated the Pharisees’ restrictions against travel as well as harvesting on the sabbath, meant to implement the fourth commandment (Ex. 20:8-10)” (NOAB, 3^rd ed., augmented, 2007, on Mk. 2:23-24). Or could it be that the travel limitation was exceeded because of the disciples’ hunger? A sabbath day’s journey was a little over half a mile:

Traveling, at least with a religious object, was not forbidden, the prohibition of Ex., xvi, 29, referring only to leaving the camp to gather food; it is implied in the institution of holy assemblies (Lev., xxiii, 2-3, Heb. text), and was customary in the time of the kings (IV Kings, iv, 23). At a later period, however, all movement was restricted to a distance of 2000 cubits (between five and six furlongs), or a "sabbath day's journey" (Acts, I, 12). (The Catholic Encyclopedia, on the Internet web site New Advent, s.v. Sabbath, online at http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/13287b.htm, accessed again July 24, 2010).

Jesus responds with reference to an action of David before he was King of Israel. “Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry and in need of food?” ( Mk. 2:25; cf Mt. 12:3; Lk. 6:3). “He entered the house of God,” says Jesus, according to Mark, “when Abiathar was high priest, and ate the bread of the Presence, which it is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and he gave some to his companions” (Mk. 2:26). The allusion here is to 1 Samuel 21:1-6, where the priest at Nob was Ahimelech, the father of Abiathar. Matthew and Luke follow Mark but omit reference to Abiathar as high priest–apparently “correcting” Mark (cf. Mt. 12:4; Lk. 6:4). In 1 Samuel, David gives as a reason for his request, not the men’s hunger (implied; stated in the Gospels), but their ritual purity (1 Sam. 21:5). “So the priest gave him [David] the holy bread,” “the bread of the Presence” (v. 6). So the issues were different, but the principle was similar. As for Mark’s apparent mistaken reference to Abiathar rather than Ahimelech, the latter is the great grandson of Eli and the father of Abiathar. According to Mordechai Cogan, Abiathar is prominent in the stories of David; he

escaped the slaughter of the priests of Nob and joined David’s outlaw band (1 Sam. 22:2-23, where he served as private chaplain (1 Sam. 23:6-11). He was rewarded by David for his loyalty with a monarchic appointment as chief priest (2 Sam. 20:25, but he was later banished by King Solomon to the family estate in Anathoth for his part in supporting Adonijah. (Harper’s Bible Dictionary, rev. ed., 1996, s.v. Abiathar)

Though his father was priest when David ate the bread, Abiathar may well have been there. In any case, as noted above, Matthew and Luke omit the name (Mt. 12:4; Lk. 6:4). The point of the story was probably used in continuing debates between early Christians and Jews, “The sabbath was made for humankind, and not humankind for the sabbath; so the Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath” (Mk. 2:27-28; cf. Lk. 6:5; Mt. 12:8). According to J. Andrew Overman, “Matthew adds to this the denunciation of the priests in the Jerusalem Temple, possibly referring to Num. 28:9-10” (NOAB, 3^rd ed., augmented, 2007, on Mt. 12:5-6). According to Krister Stendahl, “Mt’s understanding of the incident is clear from [vv.] 6 and 8: By the rabbinic principle ‘if the lesser, then the greater’ it is obvious that Jesus as the Son of Man has even more right than David and the priests to overrule the sabbath laws; and when he does so, it opens up possibilities for mercy” (Peake’s Commentary on the Bible, 1962, reprinted 1972, sec. 684 l, p. 784 on Mt. 12:1-8). (Jewish commentaries on the Gospels, e.g., that of Montefiore [The Synoptic Gospels, 1968], point out that the Rabbis make provision for merciful deeds to override ordinary sabbath regulations, as well.) The contrast with the temple continues in Matthew. “I tell you, something greater than the temple is here” (Mt. 12:6). And according to Matthew, Jesus quotes Hosea in criticism of the Jerusalem priesthood. “But if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless” (Mt. 12:7, citing Hos. 6:6, which is also cited in Mt. 9:13).

As noted above, for the Lutheran Readings for today, and comments on them, see the Episcopal Readings in the file for July 11, 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