Daily Scripture Readings

Saturday (July31, 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/lectionary

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.

Saturday

AM Psalm 75, 76

PM Psalm 23, 27

Judges 5:19-31

Acts 2:22-36

Matt. 28:11-20

Ignatius of Loyola:

http://www.satucket.com/lectionary/Ignatius_Loyola.htm

Psalm 34:1-8

1 Corinthians 10:31 - 11:1; Luke 9:57-62

Eucharistic Readings:

Jeremiah 26:11-16, 24; Psalm 140:1-5;

Matt. 14:1-12

Saturday

Morning: Psalms 122; 149

Judges 5:19-31

Acts 2:22-36

Matt. 28:11-20

Evening Psalms 100; 63

Saturday

Morning Pss.: 56, 149

Joshua 6:1-14

Rom. 13:1-7

Matt. 26:26-35

Evening Pss.: 118, 111

 

Year C Daily Readings

Psalm 49:1-12

Ecclesiastes 1:1-11

Mark 10:17-22

* Saturday in the week of the Ninth Sunday after Pentecost, references for the week of the Sunday closest to July 27, Year Two

 

For the Lutheran Readings for today, and comments on them, see the Episcopal Readings in the file for July 17, 2010, two weeks ago. These traditions differ in relating readings to the weeks following Pentecost.

 

Episcopal and Presbyterian Readings:

 

Judges 5:19-31

 

19 "The kings came, they fought;

then fought the kings of Canaan,

at Taanach, by the waters of Megiddo;

they got no spoils of silver.

20 The stars fought from heaven,

from their courses they fought against Sisera.

21 The torrent Kishon swept them away,

the onrushing torrent, the torrent Kishon.

March on, my soul, with might!

 

22 "Then loud beat the horses' hoofs

with the galloping, galloping of his steeds.

 

23 "Curse Meroz, says the angel of the LORD,

curse bitterly its inhabitants,

because they did not come to the help of the LORD,

to the help of the LORD against the mighty.

 

24 "Most blessed of women be Jael,

the wife of Heber the Kenite,

of tent-dwelling women most blessed.

25 He asked water and she gave him milk,

she brought him curds in a lordly bowl.

26 She put her hand to the tent peg

and her right hand to the workmen's mallet;

she struck Sisera a blow,

she crushed his head,

she shattered and pierced his temple.

27 He sank, he fell,

he lay still at her feet;

at her feet he sank, he fell;

where he sank, there he fell dead.

28 "Out of the window she peered,

the mother of Sisera gazed through the lattice:

'Why is his chariot so long in coming?

Why tarry the hoofbeats of his chariots?'

29 Her wisest ladies make answer,

indeed, she answers the question herself:

30 'Are they not finding and dividing the spoil?-

A girl or two for every man;

spoil of dyed stuffs for Sisera,

spoil of dyed stuffs embroidered,

two pieces of dyed work embroidered for my neck as spoil?'

 

31 "So perish all your enemies, O LORD!

But may your friends be like the sun as it rises in its might."

 

And the land had rest forty years. (Judges 5:19-31, NRSV)

 

The following comments are repeated here with some editing from August 2, 2008 (Saturday in the week of the Sunday closest to July 27, Year Two), when they were repeated with editing and supplement from August 5, 2006 (Saturday in the week of the Sunday closest to July 27, Year Two):

 

Today’s reading is from the second half of the “Song of Deborah” (Judg. 5:19-31), continuing from the earlier part that was discussed yesterday (vv. 1-18). As noted yesterday, Yairah Amit divides the body of the song into three sections. “The first (vv. 4-11c) depicts God’s theophany, the difficult situation of His people and its hope for salvation; the second (vv. 11d-23) portrays the Israelite warriors in contrast with the Canaanite kings; the third (vv. 24-30) focuses upon Jael, who represents victory, contrasted with Sisera’s mother, who represents defeat” (The Jewish Study Bible, 2004, on Judg. 5:1-31). We begin today in the middle section.

 

Earlier, “King Jabin of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor,” is identified as the current oppressor of Israel (Judg. 4:2). Here the enemy forces are described as “the kings of Canaan” who received no “spoils” for their trouble: The kings (Myk9lAm4, mel~kîm) came, they fought; / then fought the kings of Canaan (Nfan1k4 ykel4ma, malkê kena‘an), / at Taanach, by the waters of Megiddo; ‘they got no spoils of silver” (5:19). According to K. Lawson Younger, Tanaach and Megiddo “were cities that guarded two of the passes through the Carmel range into the valley of Jezreel” (NOAB, 3rd ed., augmented, 2007, on Judg. 5:19). Amit observes that “Jabin, who is mentioned in the prose story, does not appear here; v. 20 notes Sisera as heading the alliance” (op. cit., on 5:19-23, esp. v. 20). Sisera (vv. 26; cf. 4:2, 7, 12, etc., through v. 22) is no match for his divine opponent. “The stars fought from heaven, / from their courses they fought against Sisera” (v. 20). Israel’s enemy was defeated by what, in the American west, we might call a flash flood. “The torrent (lHan1, nachal) Kishon swept them away (MpAr!G4, ger~f~m), / the onrushing torrent (lHan1, nachal), the torrent (lHan1, nachal) Kishon. / March on, my soul, with might!” (v. 21). The word lHan1 (nachal), which appears here three times, refers to a (1) “stream-bed, wadi, either with perennial stream or (often) stream only in rainy season,” or (2) a “stream, small river” (William L. Holladay, A Concise Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament, 1971, 10th corrected impression, 1988, s.v. lHan1, nachal). The picture is ironic. A “dry creek” becomes a devastating torrent. As we noted earlier, Alish Ferguson Eves says that the Song of Deborah describes God’s victory in language, implying an unexpected storm on the plain of Jezreel” (The IVP Women’s Bible Commentary, 2001, p. 133 on Judg. 4:11-24; cf. 5:5:4, 21), that is, the “onrushing torrent, the torrent Kishon” (5:21). The next lines come close (in English and in Hebrew) to what we call onomatopoeia, in the sound of galloping hoofs: “Then loud beat the horses’ hoofs / with the galloping, galloping (tOrh3Da tOrh3Dam9, (middaharôth daharôth) of his steeds” (v. 22). Younger characterizes verses 19 to 23 as “vivid, emotional imagery of the defeat of the Canaanite forces” (on vv. 19-23). This section ends with a curse on another nonparticipant in Israel’s battle. “Curse Meroz, says the angel of the LORD, / curse bitterly its inhabitants, / because they did not come to the help of the LORD, / to the help of the LORD against the mighty (Myr9OBG9Ba, baggibôrîm)” (v. 23 NRSV, cf. AV/KJV). “Meroz,” says Younger, “was a nearby Israelite town that did not join in the battle and was cursed (cf. Succoth and Penuel, 8:7, 9, 16-17)” (op. cit., on v. 23).

 

The newer Jewish translation of the last line reads, “To the aid of the LORD among [text note a ‘Or ‘against.’] the warriors (Myr9OBG9Ba, baggibôrîm)” (v. 23d NJPS 1985, 1999). Here and in verse 13, Amit interprets “the mighty” (Myr9OBG9, gibôrîm) as Israelite “warriors,” whereas his text agrees with the “against the mighty/warriors” (v. 13 NRSV, NJPS) in the first instance, and is ambiguous in the latter, “among [text note a ‘Or ‘against.’] the warriors” (v. 23d NJPS), as against “against the mighty” (v. 23d NRSV, AV/KJV, TNIV). Amit says of “the warriors [that] here [v. 23] and in v. 23 it speaks of the warriors of Israel who joined the LORD’s battle” (op. cit., on v. 23). His interpretation is similar to the translation of the New English Bible, “no help to the LORD and the fighting men” (v. 23d NEB); compare “the people of the LORD marched down like warriors” (v. 13b NEB).

 

Whereas Barak and the tribes who joined in the fight against the Canaanites (vv. 12-15a) are honored by Deborah’s song, Jael is held up as the real champion. “Most blessed of women be Jael, / the wife of Heber the Kenite, / of tent-dwelling women most blessed” (v. 24). The song’s description of the encounter of Sisera with Jael includes some of the same details as the prose narrative. “He asked water and she gave him milk, / she brought him curds in a lordly bow” (5:25; cf. 4:19). “She put her hand to the tent peg, / and her right hand to the workmen’s mallet; / she struck Sisera a blow, / she crushed his head, / she shattered and pierced his temple” (5:26; cf. 4:21). But whereas the prose narrative concludes with the late arrival of Barak and Jael showing him the dead Sisera (4:22) and the summary of how “God subdued King Jabin of Canaan” (v. 23), Deborah’s song continues, describing Sisera’s death. “He sank, he fell, / he lay still at her feet (h!l@g4r1 NyB2, bên raggeleyhah); / at her feet (h!l@g4r1 NyB2, bên raggeleyhah) he sank, he fell; / where he sank, there he fell dead” (5:27). “The contrast,” says Younger, “between Jael, who participated, and Meroz in v. 23, which did not, is heightened.” He adds, “The Hebrew ‘between her legs’ (not ‘at her feet’) suggests that Jael used her sexuality to entice Sisera” (op. cit., on vv. 24-27). But Amit offers a different view. “Death at the hands of a woman was considered shameful; cf. 9:54. The appearance of Jael in the poem is not explained; furthermore, the song does not suggest that Sisera slept, implying instead that Jael struggled with Sisera. The poem describes Sisera’s death in slow motion” (op. cit., on vv. 24-27).

 

Another stanza describes the perspective of Sisera’s mother. “Out of the window she peered, / the mother of Sisera gazed through the lattice: / ‘Why is his chariot so long in coming? / Why tarry the hoofbeats of his chariots?” (v. 28). According to Robert G. Boling, revised by Richard D. Nelson, “The final scene begins with another woman, the mother of Sisera (cf. Deborah as a mother in Israel, v. 7), waiting in vain for Sisera’s triumphant return” (The HarperCollins Study Bible, rev. ed., 2006, on Judg. 5:28). They add, “The scene of a woman looking out of a window was common in ancient Near Eastern art and biblical narrative (2 Sam. 6:16; 2 Kings 9:30; Prov. 7:6). Her reference to hoofbeats sounds ironic when read in context with v. 22” (ibid.). In answer to these questions (cf. v. 20), Sisera’s mother and her “wisest ladies” assume, “Are they not finding and dividing the spoil? / A girl or two for every man; / spoil of dyed stuffs for Sisera, / spoil of dyed stuffs embroidered, / two pieces of dyed work embroidered for my neck as spoil?” (v. 30). According to Amit, “the mother’s apprehension contrasts with the ladies’ expectation of booty” (op. cit., on vv. 28-30). “Her wisest ladies make answer, / indeed, she answers the question herself: / ‘Are they not finding and dividing the spoil?–A girl or two for every man; / spoil of dyed stuffs for Sisera, / spoil of dyed stuffs embroidered, / two pieces of dyed work embroidered for my neck as spoil?’ “ (vv. 29-30). In reality, of course, they are waiting for warriors who have perished, and the song closes with the words, “So perish all your enemies, O LORD!” and the converse, “But may your friends be like the sun as it rises in its might” (v. 31).

 

Eves calls Sisera’s mother “a foil to triumphant Deborah and Jael” (op. cit., p. 134 on Judg. 5:1-31).

 

Acts 2:22-36

 

            22 "You that are Israelites, listen to what I have to say: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with deeds of power, wonders, and signs that God did through him among you, as you yourselves know–23 this man, handed over to you according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of those outside the law. 24 But God raised him up, having freed him from death, because it was impossible for him to be held in its power. 25 For David says concerning him,

 

'I saw the Lord always before me,

for he is at my right hand so that I will not be shaken;

26 therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced;

moreover my flesh will live in hope.

27 For you will not abandon my soul to Hades,

or let your Holy One experience corruption.

28 You have made known to me the ways of life;

you will make me full of gladness with your presence.'

 

            29 "Fellow Israelites, I may say to you confidently of our ancestor David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30 Since he was a prophet, he knew that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would put one of his descendants on his throne. 31 Foreseeing this, David spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, saying,

 

'He was not abandoned to Hades,

nor did his flesh experience corruption.'

 

32 This Jesus God raised up, and of that all of us are witnesses. 33 Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you both see and hear. 34 For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says,

 

'The Lord said to my Lord,

"Sit at my right hand,

35 until I make your enemies your footstool." '

 

36 Therefore let the entire house of Israel know with certainty that God has made him both Lord and Messiah, this Jesus whom you crucified." (Acts 2:22-36, NRSV)

 

The following comments are repeated here from June 18, 2009 (Thursday in the week of the Sunday closest to June 15, 2009), when they were repeated from April 13, 2009 (Monday of Easter Week, Year One), when comments on Acts 2:14, 22-32 were repeated with some editing and supplement from August 2, 2008 (Saturday in the week of the Sunday closest to July 27, Year Two), when comments on Acts 2:22-36 were based on earlier comments as noted there.

 

As this reading begins, Peter’s sermon continues. This continues Luke’s report of the events on the Day of Pentecost. We have been told about the filling of the disciples with the Holy Spirit accompanied by “a sound like the rush of a violent wind” (Acts 2:2), the “divided tongues, as of fire” (v. 3), their speaking “in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability” (v. 4), and the astonishment this produced among the Jews and proselytes from about fifteen different geographical areas (vv. 5-12). Peter’s “audience” was present for the Feast of Weeks (tfobuwA  gHa, chag š~vu‘Çth, Ex. 34:22), seven weeks after Passover, also called Pentecost (the fiftieth [day]). (Seven times seven plus one for inclusive counting equals fifty days.) For Israel, according to Rabbi J. H. Hertz, this was “one of three agricultural festivals, the feast of the first [barley] harvest Myrvkbh Mvy [yôm habbkkûrîm]” (Pentateuch & Haftorahs, 2nd ed., 24th printing, 1981, p. 521, on Lev. 23:15-21).

 

Jewish tradition, however, connects it with the Covenant on Mount Sinai, and speaks of the festival as vntrvt Ntm Nmz [zemān mattan tôrāthēnû] ‘the Season of Giving of our Torah’. The Israelites arrived at Sinai on the New Moon. On the second of the month, Moses ascended the mountain; on the third, he received the people’s reply; on the fourth, he made the second ascent and was commanded to institute three days of preparation, at the conclusion of which the Revelation took place. Hence it’s association with the Feast of Weeks, which became the Festival of Revelation. (ibid.)

 

The Jews who had come to Jerusalem for this Festival from all over the Roman Empire were amazed because “each one heard them [the disciples] speaking in the native language of each” (v. 6). “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans?” they asked (v. 7). “And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? (v. 8). Peter addressed this crowd (v. 14) and explained the manifestations of Pentecost as fulfillment of the prophecies of Joel (vv. 17-21, citing Joel 2:28-32, discussed yesterday).

 

Following the quotation, Peter’s Pentecost sermon (Acts 2:14-36) continues. He invites the attention of all those in Jerusalem, whether residents or visitors. “You that are Israelites,” he says, “listen to what I have to say” (v. 22a). And he briefly reviews the ministry of Jesus and what followed, beginning with a description of “Jesus of Nazareth, a man (a[ndra, andra, accusative case of anhvr, anēr) attested to you by God with deeds of power, wonders, and signs that God did through him among you, as you yourselves know” (v. 22b). Christopher R. Matthews comments on the words “a man,” saying, “Luke does not think of the incarnation of a divine being” NOAB, 3rd ed., augmented, 2007, on Acts 2:22), but one may rather say that the messages is adapted to the audience. The emphasis here, of course, is on Jesus being “raised up . . . and exalted at the right hand of God” (vv. 32-33a). “This man,” says Peter, “ handed over to you according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of those outside the law [i.e., the Romans]” (v. 23). Beverly Roberts Gaventa says, “Luke consistently affirms both human responsibility for the death of Jesus and the inevitability of that death in God’s plans; see, e.g., 3:14-18; 4:27-28; see also Lk. 24:26, 44-48. The existence of a divine plan for all is a prominent theme in Luke-Acts (e.g., Acts 4:28; 20:27)” (HarperCollins Study Bible, rev. ed., 2006, on v. 23). But the crucifixion, of course, was not the end of the story. Peter continues: “But God raised him up, having freed him from death, because it was impossible for him to be held in its power” (v. 24). This “impossibility” is related to the inevitability of God’s plan, but surely also to the nature of the case, including who Jesus really was. In support of Peter’s affirmation about the resurrection of Jesus–or perhaps in explanation from prophecy–Peter cites Psalm 16:8-11 (15:8-11 LXX) in wording that clearly follows the Septuagint (cf. Robert G. Bratcher, Old Testament Quotations in the New Testament, Helps for Translators, rev. ed., 1961, pp. 26-27). The past tense verb in the clause, “You have made known to me the ways of life” (Acts 2:28a) supports its application to resurrection–as if that were needed here–representing a clause that is identical in the Greek text of Acts and the Septuagint text of the Psalm: ejgnwvrisavV [aorist = past tense] moi oJdou;V zwh:V (egnÇrisas moi hodous zÇ‘s). The corresponding Hebrew verb is in the imperfect (= future) tense: yn9feyd9OT (tôdî‘‘nî), “you will cause me to know.” Other lines, as quoted from the Psalm, also support the thought of resurrection.: “moreover my flesh will live in hope” (Acts 2:26b NRSV, where the Greek is identical to Ps. 15:9b LXX [Heb. 16:9b]; cf. “my body also rests secure,” Ps. 16:9b NRSV). Consider also verse 27, “For you will not abandon (ejgkataleivyeiV, egkataleipseis) my soul to Hades, / or let (dwvseiV, dÇseis) your Holy One experience corruption” (Acts 2:27 NRSV, where the Greek text is identical to Ps. 15:10 LXX [= Heb. Ps. 16:10]), and the Hebrew Psalm text is translated as “For you do not give me up to Sheol, / or let your faithful one see the Pit” (Ps. 16:10 NRSV). In this instance, all the verbs are in the future tense: ejgkataleivyeiV (egkataleipseis) and dwvseiV (dÇseis) in Acts and the LXX Psalm, and the imperfect tense forms bzof3Ta (ta‘ a zÇv) and NTeT9, titt‘n in the Hebrew Psalm. The present tense translation of the latter in the NRSV apparently depends on Gesenius Hebrew Grammar and the defined use of the imperfect tense “in the sphere of present time . . . (a) To express actions, events, or states, which are continued for a shorter or longer time . . . [or] (b) To express actions, etc., which may be repeated at any time, including therefore the present” (E. Kautzsch and A. E. Cowley, edd., trans., 2nd Engl. ed. 1910, 18th impression, 1985, sec. 107 f and g).

 

In any event, the Psalm quotation is used by Peter to support and explain his references to Jesus’ resurrection, which he continues to describe. “Fellow Israelites,” he says, continuing to address those in Jerusalem, “I may say to you confidently of our ancestor David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day” (Acts 2:29). Although the Psalm is attributed to David, who is dead, buried, and in his tomb, the words do not apply to him as such. “Since he was a prophet,” says Peter, according to Luke, “he knew that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would put one of his descendants on his throne” (v. 30; cf. Ps. 132:11; 2 Sam. 7:12-13). And Peter affirms that David, speaking as a prophet, “spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, saying ‘He was not abandoned to Hades, / nor did his flesh experience corruption’ ” (Acts 2:31) referring to the quotation from Psalm 16, but changing the future tense verbs to the past tense (cf. v. 27, which cites Ps. 16:10). Having established Jesus, the Messiah’s resurrection through this “prophecy” of David, Peter affirms the fact that he and others were in a position to know, “This Jesus God raised up, and of that all of us are witnesses” (Acts 2:32).

 

So far Peter has established key points, Jesus’ powerful ministry (v. 22), his crucifixion by humans which was according to God’s plan (v. 23), his resurrection (v. 24) according to prophecy (vv. 25-31), of which the apostles are witnesses (v. 32). He now relates this to the experiences of the day of Pentecost. The exalted Jesus has fulfilled the promise and “poured out” the Holy Spirit: “Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you both see and hear” (v. 33). According to Gaventa, “Here the Holy Spirit is poured out by the ascending Jesus, but earlier it is identified as God’s promise (1:4-5). Again Peter contrasts David and Jesus the Messiah. “For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says, ‘The Lord said to my Lord, / “Sit at my right hand, / until I make your enemies your footstool” ’ ” (2:34-35, citing Ps. 110:1). And in closing the sermon, Peter concludes, “Therefore let the entire house of Israel know with certainty that God has made him both Lord and Messiah, this Jesus whom you crucified” (Acts 2:36). According to Gaventa, “The speech culminates in the sharp contrast between human action (this Jesus whom you crucified) and that of God (God has made him both Lord and Messiah); see also vv. 23-24; 3:15; 4:10” (op. cit., on v. 36).

 

Matthew 28:11-20

 

The Report of the Guard

 

            11 While they were going, some of the guard went into the city and told the chief priests everything that had happened. 12 After the priests had assembled with the elders, they devised a plan to give a large sum of money to the soldiers, 13 telling them, "You must say, 'His disciples came by night and stole him away while we were asleep.' 14 If this comes to the governor's ears, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble." 15 So they took the money and did as they were directed. And this story is still told among the Jews to this day.

 

The Commissioning of the Disciples (Mk 16.14-18; Lk 24.36-49; Jn 20.19-23; Acts 1.6-8)

 

            16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age." (Matthew 28:11-20, NRSV)

 

The following comments are repeated here from comments on Matthew 28:16-20 of May 13, 2010 (Ascension Day, Year Two), and earlier comments on the chapter from April 7 and 8, 2010 (Wednesday and Thursday of Easter Week, Year Two), when comments were repeated from earlier as noted there.

 

The following comments are repeated here from April 8, 2010 (Thursday of Easter Week, Year Two), when the were repeated from May 21, 2009 (Ascension Day, Year One), when comments were based on relevant comments from August 2, 2008 (Saturday in the week of the Sunday closest to July 27, Year Two), when the reading was Matthew 28:11-20, those of May 1, 2008 (Ascension Day, Year Two), and earlier comments as noted there:

 

The readings for today which bring Matthew’s Gospel to a close have no direct parallel passages, as is evident in the separate file, The Resurrection. His account of the report of the guard (Mt. 28:11-15) is unique. Some of Mark’s longer ending, which is now generally considered inauthentic, has material similar to Matthew (cf. Mt. 28:16-20 with Mk. 16:14-18, and in particular, Mt. 28:19-20 with Mk. 6:15). But Matthew’s version of the Great Commission, while just as direct as Mark 16;15, has more helpful detail, as is indicated below.

 

Matthew alone reports the request of the chief priests and the Pharisees for Pilate to secure the tomb with a guard (Mt. 27:62-66). And so only Matthew follows up with the report of the Guard. “While they [i.e., the women] were going,” says Matthew, “some of the guard went into the city and told the chief priests everything that had happened” (Mt. 28:11). Given the fact that, for fear of the angel, “the guards shook and became like dead men” (v. 4), one might wonder what they knew about what had happened. But Matthew reports that they were “bought off,” so to speak, told to lie about what had happened. “After the priests had assembled with the elders, they devised a plan to give a large sum of money to the soldiers, telling them ‘You must say, “His disciples came by night and stole him away while we were asleep.” If this comes to the governor’s ears, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble’ ” (vv. 12-14). Earlier, “the chief Priests and the Pharisees,” apparently aware that Jesus had predicted his resurrection (Mt. 27:63), commanded the sealing of the tomb (v.64a), for “otherwise his disciples may go and steal him away and tell the people, ‘He has been raised from the dead,’ and the last deception would be worse than the first” (v. 64b). According to Dennis C. Duling, “Ironically, the last deception is the opponents” (HarperCollins Study Bible, rev. ed., 2006, on Mt. 27:64; cf. his ref. to “the real ‘deception’,” on 28:13). With the payment of money and the promise of protection from retribution by Pilate, the guards “took the money and did as they were directed” (Mt. 28:15a). “And,” says Matthew, “this story is still told among the Jews to this day” (v. 15b). According to Duling, “The story was in circulation when the Gospel was written (see also 26:13; 27:8).

 

The concluding paragraph of Matthew’s Gospel, known to us as the Great Commission, reports that “the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them” (Mt. 28:16). Matthew admits to some doubt among the disciples, saying, “When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted” (v. 17). And Jesus introduces his “marching orders,” we might say, for the church. “And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me’ ” (v. 18). His final instruction here ends the chapter and the Gospel according to Matthew. “Go (poreuqevnteV, poreuthentes) therefore and make disciples (maqhteuvsate, math‘teusate) of all nations (pavnta ta; e[qnh, panta ta ethn‘ ), baptizing (baptivzonteV, baptizontes) them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching (didavskonteV, didaskontes) them to obey everything that I have commanded you” (vv. 19, 20a). The word translated “nations” ( e[qnh, ethn‘, plural of e[qnoV, ethnos) is often translated “Gentiles” (e.g., Mt. 10:5). In other words, the overall message of Matthew’s Gospel is for all people, not just for Jews, as apparently and temporarily in Matthew’s version of the mission of the twelve (10:5-15).

 

This command is one sentence with one main verb, “make disciples” (maqhteuvsate, math‘teusate). “Go,” at the beginning is a participle in Greek, aorist (past) tense: “Having gone, make disciples . . .” It has the force of a command: we are to go and make disciples, but the going, the “having gone” is a circumstantial participle. The main thing is to make disciples; it’s just that we need to go and be there in order to do that. The other verbs are present participles, which relate to what is involved in making disciples: “baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you” (vv. 19b, 20a). For you and me, as individual Christian persons, our going may have been predetermined for us, so we must make disciples where we are. For others the clear call may be to go, but in any case, to make disciples on the journey and upon arriving. But the command is followed by the reassuring promise, “And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age (aijwvn, aiÇn)” (v. 20b). The word translated “age,” according to Frederick William Danker, means “an extended period of time” defined by the context, that is, “ ‘a segment of extended time’ age, determined by qualifiers as present or future” (The Concise Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, 2009, s.v. aijwvn, aiÇn, meaning no. 2). In this context, “the end of the age” would be the Second Coming of Jesus, the last judgment, and related events. Compare the related adjective in the phrase “eternal life” (zwh; aijwvnioV, zÇ‘ aiÇnios, e.g. Jn. 3:15, 16).

 

A comparable passage in John’s Gospel quotes Jesus’ words in commissioning the disciples: “Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.’ When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained’” (Jn. 20:21-23). It is noteworthy that they are sent for ministry as Jesus was sent by the Father, and that he confers on them the Holy Spirit and affirms their power to forgive or retain sins (cf. Mt. 16:19; 18:18). The brief version of Jesus’ commission given in the “longer ending of Mark” is clearly, from manuscript and vocabulary evidence, something added to Mark’s text later: [[“Go into all the world and proclaim the good news to the whole creation” (Mt. 16:15).]] The double square brackets [[ . . . ]] which enclose Mark 16:9-20 in The Greek New Testament (Kurt Aland and others, eds., 3rd ed., 1975) and the New Revised Standard Version (1989; cf. the relegation of the passage to a footnote in TNIV) indicate the belief of experts that these verses were not an original part of Mark’s Gospel. According to the NRSV text note e,

 

Some of the most ancient authorities bring the book to a close at the end of verse 8. One authority concludes the book with the shorter ending; others include the shorter ending and then continue with verses 9-20. In most authorities verses 9-20 follow immediately after verse 8, though in some of these authorities the passage is marked as being doubtful.

 

 While the statement of Mark 16:15 as such reflects the Lord’s command, it adds nothing to Matthew’s version of the Great Commission.

 

As noted above, for the Lutheran Readings for today, and comments on them, see the Episcopal Readings in the file for July 17, 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