Daily Scripture Readings     

Sunday (August 1, 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 93, 96

PM Psalm 34

Judges 6:1-24

2 Cor. 9:6-15

Mark 3:20-30

From the Sunday Lectionary:

(Cf. the RCL)

Hosea 11:1-11 & Psalm 107:1-9, 43 or

Ecclesiastes 1:2, 12-14; 2:18-23 & Psalm 49:1-11;

Colossians 3:1-11; Luke 12:13-21

(Cf. BCP)

Psalm 49 or 49:1-11

Ecclesiastes 1:12-14; 2:(1-7, 11) 18-23

Colossians 3:(5-11) 12-17

Luke 12:13-21

Sunday

Morning: Psalms 108; 150

Judges 6:1-24

2 Cor. 9:6-15

Mark 3:20-30

Evening: Psalms 66; 23

Sunday

Morning Pss.: 67, 150

Joshua 6:15-27

Acts 22:30-23:11

Mark 2:1-12

Evening Pss.: 46, 93

18th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

Hosea 11:1-11

Psalm 107:1-9, 43

Colossians 3:1-11

Luke 12:13-21

Sunday, July 24-30, Year C

Ecclesiastes 1:2, 12-14; 2:18-23

Psalm 49:1-12 (3)

Colossians 3:1-11

Luke 12:13-21

Semicontinuous reading and psalm

Hosea 11:1-11

Psalm 107:1-9, 43 (8)

* The Tenth Sunday after Pentecost, references for the Sunday closest to August 3, Year Two

 

For the Lutheran Readings for today, and comments on them, see the Episcopal Readings in the file for July 18, 2010, two weeks ago. These traditions differ in relating readings to the weeks following Pentecost.

 

Episcopal and Presbyterian Readings:

 

Judges 6:1-24

 

The Midianite Oppression

 

            6:1 The Israelites did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, and the LORD gave them into the hand of Midian seven years. 2 The hand of Midian prevailed over Israel; and because of Midian the Israelites provided for themselves hiding places in the mountains, caves and strongholds. 3 For whenever the Israelites put in seed, the Midianites and the Amalekites and the people of the east would come up against them. 4 They would encamp against them and destroy the produce of the land, as far as the neighborhood of Gaza, and leave no sustenance in Israel, and no sheep or ox or donkey. 5 For they and their livestock would come up, and they would even bring their tents, as thick as locusts; neither they nor their camels could be counted; so they wasted the land as they came in. 6 Thus Israel was greatly impoverished because of Midian; and the Israelites cried out to the LORD for help.

            7 When the Israelites cried to the LORD on account of the Midianites, 8 the LORD sent a prophet to the Israelites; and he said to them, "Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: I led you up from Egypt, and brought you out of the house of slavery; 9 and I delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians, and from the hand of all who oppressed you, and drove them out before you, and gave you their land; 10 and I said to you, 'I am the LORD your God; you shall not pay reverence to the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you live.' But you have not given heed to my voice."

 

The Call of Gideon

 

            11 Now the angel of the LORD came and sat under the oak at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, as his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the wine press, to hide it from the Midianites. 12 The angel of the LORD appeared to him and said to him, "The LORD is with you, you mighty warrior." 13 Gideon answered him, "But sir, if the LORD is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all his wonderful deeds that our ancestors recounted to us, saying, 'Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt?' But now the LORD has cast us off, and given us into the hand of Midian." 14 Then the LORD turned to him and said, "Go in this might of yours and deliver Israel from the hand of Midian; I hereby commission you." 15 He responded, "But sir, how can I deliver Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family." 16 The LORD said to him, "But I will be with you, and you shall strike down the Midianites, every one of them." 17 Then he said to him, "If now I have found favor with you, then show me a sign that it is you who speak with me. 18 Do not depart from here until I come to you, and bring out my present, and set it before you." And he said, "I will stay until you return."

            19 So Gideon went into his house and prepared a kid, and unleavened cakes from an ephah of flour; the meat he put in a basket, and the broth he put in a pot, and brought them to him under the oak and presented them. 20 The angel of God said to him, "Take the meat and the unleavened cakes, and put them on this rock, and pour out the broth." And he did so. 21 Then the angel of the LORD reached out the tip of the staff that was in his hand, and touched the meat and the unleavened cakes; and fire sprang up from the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened cakes; and the angel of the LORD vanished from his sight. 22 Then Gideon perceived that it was the angel of the LORD; and Gideon said, "Help me, Lord GOD! For I have seen the angel of the LORD face to face." 23 But the LORD said to him, "Peace be to you; do not fear, you shall not die." 24 Then Gideon built an altar there to the LORD, and called it, The LORD is peace. To this day it still stands at Ophrah, which belongs to the Abiezrites. (Judges 6:1-24, NRSV)

 

The following comments are repeated here with editing and supplement from August 3, 2008 (the Sunday closest to August 3, Year Two), when they were repeated from August 6, 2006 (the Sunday closest to August 3, Year Two):

 

Today’s reading is the first of five on Gideon (Judg., chaps. 6-8). The name Gideon probably calls to mind for many of us his call, his testing God by putting out the fleece, and his victory over the Midianites. We may not remember his idolatry (Judg. 8:24-28), or his other name Jerubbaal, a compound of “Baal” (6:32; 7:1; 8:29; 9:1). The story of Gideon destroying the altar of Baal (6:28-32, in tomorrow’s reading) explains the name, perhaps with a “spin”: “Therefore on that day Gideon was called Jerubbaal, that is to say, ‘Let Baal contend (br@y!, y~rev) against him,’ because he pulled down his altar” (6:32). Gideon’s father worshipped Baal–the altar was his (6:29)–and “As soon as Gideon died, the Israelites relapsed and prostituted themselves with the Baals, making Baal-berith their god” (8:33). According to K. Lawson Younger, “Baal berith (‘lord’ [or ‘Baal’] of the covenant) was probably an epithet for the god El-berith (9:46)” (NOAB, 3rd ed., augmented, 2007, on 8:33). On the bright side, it is perhaps remarkable that in spite of this context, Gideon was able to respond to the LORD (YHWH) and be used by the LORD to deliver Israelites from Midianite oppression. But it is not without reason that Ailish Ferguson Eves gives Gideon a mixed review: “Gideon is a decidedly ambivalent figure, a doubtful and doubt-full roll model. He is perhaps braver than Barak, but the incidents of his life–the call, the fleeces and the battle–need to be interpreted in the light of the outcome” (The IVP Women’s Bible Commentary, 2001, p. 135 on Judg. 6:1-8:32). “Covenant faithfulness,” says Younger, “was the problem at the beginning of the cycle (cf. 6:7-10) and is still the problem after the death of Gideon” (op. cit., on 8:33).

 

The story of Gideon begins with a continuation of the cycle of Israel’s unfaithfulness and oppressions “The Israelites did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, and the LORD gave them into the hand of Midian seven years” (Judg. 6:1). “The hand of Midian prevailed over Israel,” says the narrator; “and because of Midian the Israelites provided for themselves hiding places in the mountains, caves and strongholds” (v. 2). “Midian,” says Robert G. Boling, revised by Richard D. Nelson, “was a desert confederation sometimes in alliance (Ex. 2:15-4:31; 18:1-27) and sometimes at war (Num. 25-31) with Israel” (The HarperCollins Study Bible, rev. ed., 2006, on Judg. 6:2). In Gideon’s time, they and the Amalekites would destroy Israel’s crops. “For whenever the Israelites put in seed, the Midianites and the Amalekites and the people of the east would come up against them. They would encamp against them and destroy the produce of the land, as far as the neighborhood of Gaza, and leave no sustenance in Israel, and no sheep or ox or donkey” (vv. 3-4). “Amalekites,” say Boling and Nelson, “were traditional enemies during the wilderness era (Ex. 17:8-16)” (ibid., on v. 3). Furthermore, “they and their livestock would come up, and they would even bring their tents, as thick as locusts; neither they nor their camels could be counted; so they wasted the land as they came in” (v. 5). In consequence, “Israel was greatly impoverished because of Midian; and the Israelites cried out to the LORD for help” (v. 6). On “as locusts,” Yairah Amit says it is “an image emphasizing a large number and severe damage. Cf. Joel 1:6-7)” (The Jewish Study Bible, 2004, on Judg. 6:5). “Thus,” says the narrator, “Israel was greatly impoverished because of Midian; and the Israelites cried out to the LORD for help” (v. 6). When they did so (v. 7), they were reminded of their unfaithfulness to the LORD, for

 

the LORD sent a prophet to the Israelites; and he said to them, ‘Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: I led you up from Egypt, and brought you out of the house of slavery; and I delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians, and from the hand of all who oppressed you, and drove them out before you, and gave you their land; and I said to you, “I am the LORD your God; you shall not pay reverence to the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you live.” But you have not given heed to my voice.’ (Judg. 6:8-10 NRSV)

 

According to Boling and Nelson, “The warning in 2:3 that other gods would be a snare is coming true. This time, when Israelites cried, instead of the expected deliverer the Lord sends a prophet who delivers an indictment, as the angel of the Lord did in 2:1-5” (op. cit., on vv. 7-10).

 

But a deliverer, reluctant at first, is introduced. “Now the angel of the LORD came and sat under the oak at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, as his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the wine press, to hide it from the Midianites” (v. 11). Boling and Nelson point out that “Gideon (in contrast to Othniel, Ehud, and Deborah) is first approached by the angel of the LORD, a visible manifestation of the Lord’s presence in human form, who at points becomes transparent to the Lord himself” (ibid., on v. 11). According to Amit, “There are several other places bearing this name [i.e., Ophrah]. Ophrah of the Abiezrites (v. 24) is located within the territory of the Abiezer clan, one of the important families in Manasseh, who is mentioned in the Samaria Ostraca from the mid-8th century BCE” (op. cit., on v. 11). Of the “winepress,” he adds, “in contrast to a threshing floor, [it] is sunk in the ground, and thus is more effective for hiding the grain from the Midianites” (ibid.).

 

As Gideon was beating out the wheat, “the angel of the LORD appeared to him and said to him, ‘The LORD is with you, you mighty warrior (ly9H!&h,e rOBG9, gibbôr hechāyil). At that point, Gideon probably didn’t feel very “mighty” as he was, in a sense, hiding his threshing activity from the Midianites. Boling and Nelson say, “The designation mighty warrior sounds ironic; it does not describe Gideon in chs. 6-7 very well” (op. cit., on v. 12). “Valiant warrior” (NJPS 1985, 1999, for NRSV “mighty warrior”), says Amit, is “an allusion to the military role that Gideon is expected to play” (op. cit., on v. 12). Of “The LORD is with you,” he says it is “a conventional formula of blessing and encouragement (Ruth 2:4)” (ibid.). To this approach from God, Gideon’s first response is less than one would expect. “Gideon answered him, ‘But sir (yn9dox3 yB96, bî ’adōnî), if the LORD is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all his wonderful deeds that our ancestors recounted to us, saying, “Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt?” But now the LORD has cast us off, and given us into the hand of Midian’ ” (v. 13). According to William L. Holladay, the expression translated “But sir (yn9dox3 yB96, bî ’adōnî) in the NRSV is a “formula to open conversation with a superior, = with your permission; elliptically < ‘on me, my lord (let there come whatever unwelcome or hurtful thing our conversation might bring)’ ”(A Concise Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament, 1971, 10th corrected impression, 1988, s.v. yn9dox3 yB96, bî ’adōnî). Daniel I. Block says,

 

On the surface Gideon’s initial response, ‘Excuse me, my lord!’ [cf. ‘Pardon me, my lord!’ TNIV] sounds polite, but the expression may also be interpreted less positively. In the following comment he disregards the divine envoy’s personal flattery and answers with a cheeky and sarcastic focus on the theological incongruity: ‘If the LORD is with us, then why our present crisis! And where are all his miracles which the ancestors talked about? (Judges, Ruth, The New American Commentary, vol. 6, 1999, p. 260 on Judg. 6:13)

 

Gideon is directed to take action against Midian. “Then the LORD turned to him and said, ‘Go in this might of yours and deliver Israel from the hand of Midian; I hereby commission you’ ” (v. 14). Here, Boling and Nelson say, “The figure of the angel of the Lord becomes transparent to the LORD himself” (op. cit., on v. 14). But Gideon has another objection. “He responded, ‘But sir (yn9dox3 yB96, bî ’adōnî [cf. v. 13]), how can I deliver Israel? My clan is the weakest (lDa6ha, haddal) in Manasseh, and I am the least (ryf9c0Aha, hatstsā‘îr) in my family’ ” (v. 15). “Humblest . . . youngest, says Amit, is “a polite refusal characteristic of appointment stories, since Gideon’s family is depicted as prosperous (vv. 19, 25, 27; cf. 1 Sam. 9:21). The choice of the youngest is also a repeated motif (e.g., 1 Sam. 16:11), whose function is to emphasize divine intervention through the unexpected” (op. cit., on v. 15). “Gideon’s opening response to the envoy’s second speech,” says Block, “sounds polite, but his tone continues to be cynical. He obviously does not yet recognize the person who has addressed him. Like Moses in an earlier era, Gideon expresses his sense of incompetence and inadequacy, particularly his lack of social standing in Israel” (op. cit., on v. 15). The LORD offers reassurance. “But I will be with you, and you shall strike down the Midianites, every one of them” (v. 16). Nevertheless, Gideon requires a “sign.” Then he [i.e., Gideon] said to him [i.e., the LORD], ‘If now I have found favor with you, then show me a sign that it is you who speak with me” (v. 17). Gideon even keeps the LORD waiting while he prepares a “sign.” “ ‘Do not depart from here until I come to you’,” says Gideon, “ ‘and bring out my present, and set it before you.’ And he said, ‘I will stay until you return’ ” (v. 18).

 

Gideon proceeds with another test. He “went into his house and prepared a kid, and unleavened cakes from an ephah of flour; the meat he put in a basket, and the broth he put in a pot, and brought them to him under the oak and presented them” (v. 19). “An ephah of flour,” say Boling and Nelson, is “more than a bushel [and] signals Gideon’s commendably generous hospitality” (op. cit., on v. 19). But, as it turns out, the angel is not prepared to eat a meal. “The angel of God said to him, ‘Take the meat and the unleavened cakes, and put them on this rock, and pour out the broth.’ And he did so” (v. 20). According to Amit,

 

The first sign that this mysterious stranger is an angel is his avoidance of eating; instead he uses the materials from the meal for a cultic ceremony: The meat is a sacrificial offering, the cakes are a meal offering, and the gravy is a substitute for the libation. (op. cit., on v. 20)

 

“Then,” says the narrator, “the angel of the LORD reached out the tip of the staff that was in his hand, and touched the meat and the unleavened cakes; and fire sprang up from the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened cakes; and the angel of the LORD vanished from his sight” (v. 21). Amit says,

 

The second sign is the appearance of fire from the rock (cf. 13:20; 1 Kings 18:38; etc.) consuming the materials of the meal; the third sign is the miraculous disappearance of the angel. This piling up of signs is later mirrored in the signs that Gideon requests at the end of the ch.). (ibid., on v. 21).

 

We are reminded of Elijah’s later confident call for fire from heaven to consume his sacrifice (1 Kgs. 18). But though Gideon now understands the situation, he has misgivings. “Then Gideon perceived that it was the angel of the LORD; and Gideon said, ‘Help me Lord GOD! For I have seen the angel of the LORD face to face’ ” (Judg. 6:22). According to Boling and Nelson, “Gideon’s response is typical” (op. cit., on v. 22). “But,” says the narrator, “the LORD said to him, ‘Peace be to you; do not fear, you shall not die’ ” (v. 23). Amit says, “Once Gideon realized that he had seen God’s angel, he was afraid that this contact with the divine might prove fatal, since encounter with the divine is typically fraught with danger (see Exod. 20:15; Judg. 13:22)” (op. cit., on v. 22). But reassured by the LORD, “then Gideon built an altar there to the LORD, and called it, The LORD is peace (MOlwA hvhy, YHWH š~lôm). To this day it still stands at Ophrah, which belongs to the Abiezrites” (v. 24). According to Boling and Nelson, “One reason the tradition preserved this story was to validate a local altar of sacrifice and explain its name. Peace (Hebrew shalom) implies comprehensive well-being, individual and communal” (op. cit., on v. 24).

 

2 Corinthians 9:6-15

 

            6 The point is this: the one who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the one who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7 Each of you must give as you have made up your mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that by always having enough of everything, you may share abundantly in every good work. 9 As it is written,

"He scatters abroad, he gives to the poor;

his righteousness endures forever."

10 He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. 11 You will be enriched in every way for your great generosity, which will produce thanksgiving to God through us; 12 for the rendering of this ministry not only supplies the needs of the saints but also overflows with many thanksgivings to God. 13 Through the testing of this ministry you glorify God by your obedience to the confession of the gospel of Christ and by the generosity of your sharing with them and with all others, 14 while they long for you and pray for you because of the surpassing grace of God that he has given you. 15 Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift! (2 Corinthians 9:6-15, NRSV)

 

The following comments are repeated here from relevant comments, basically all, on 2 Corinthians 9:1-15 of June 6, 2009 (Saturday in the week of the Sunday closest to June 1, Year One), when comments were based on those of August 3, 2008 (the Sunday closest to August 3, Year Two) on 2 Corinthians 9:6-15, that were repeated from June 9:2007 (Saturday in the week of the Sunday closest to June 1, Year One), when comments were combined with revision and supplement from June 4, 2005, (Saturday in the week of the Sunday closest to June 2, Year One), and from comments on 2 Corinthians 9:6-15 from August 6, 2006 (the Sunday closest to August 3, Year Two).

 

Today’s reading is a part of a long section in which Paul urges the Corinthian Church to participate in his collection for the poor at Jerusalem, for the Macedonians have participated generously in spite of “a severe ordeal of affliction” (2 Cor. 8:2). This collection is mentioned in Galatians 2:20, where Paul reports the agreement between Barnabas and himself with “James and Cephas and John, who were acknowledged pillars” (Gal. 2:9, cf. vv. 7-10). Paul has given previous instructions to the Corinthians about the collection (1 Cor. 16:1-4), and apparently this final appeal in 2 Corinthians was successful, for Paul, writing to the Romans, most probably from Corinth, reports that it is complete (Rom. 15:25-28), and says that “Macedonia and Achaia [the province which includes Corinth] have been pleased to share their resources with the poor among the saints at Jerusalem” (Rom. 15:26).

 

Sze-kar Wan sees 2 Corinthians 8:1-24 as a “letter of appeal to the Corinthians for the collection” (NOAB, 3rd ed., 2001, on 2 Cor. 8:1-24), and 9:1-15 as a separate, “second letter of appeal for the collection” (ibid., on 9:1-15). If that is correct, this would be at least Paul’s third appeal, but what he takes as a new beginning may just be transition in the letter. “Now it is not necessary for me to write to you about the ministry to the saints,” Paul says (2 Cor. 9:1), “for I know your eagerness, which is the subject of my boasting about you to the people of Macedonia, saying that Achaia has been ready since last year; and your zeal has stirred up most of them” (v. 2). Connection is made with chapter 8 as Paul refers briefly to the envoys mentioned there, Titus (8:6, 16-17, 23) and two others, unnamed (8:18-19 and v. 22). In the present chapter, Paul simply refers to “the brothers” (vv. 3, 5), which would clearly be understood as a reference to earlier in the same letter, but, though possible, not so clearly so if the reference is to an earlier letter. “But I am sending the brothers in order that our boasting about you may not prove to have been empty in this case, so that you may be ready, as I said you would be; . . . So I thought it necessary to urge the brothers to go on ahead to you, and arrange in advance for this bountiful gift that you have promised, so that it may be ready as a voluntary gift and not as an extortion” (vv. 3,5). Paul emphasizes his desire to avoid humiliation–both for the Corinthians and for himself: “Otherwise,” he says, “if some Macedonians come with me and find that you are not ready, we would be humiliated–to say nothing of you–in this undertaking” (v. 4).

 

As a part of Paul’s appeal to the Corinthians, he reminds them of the principle of sowing and reaping, “the one who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the one who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully” (v. 6). Each must decide for himself or herself about participation in the collection, “not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver” (v. 7). They will be blessed in return, says Paul, for “God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that by always having enough of everything, you may share abundantly in every good work” (v. 8). In support of the admonition to share abundantly, Paul quotes a Psalm, “They have distributed freely, they have given to the poor; / their righteousness endures forever” (Ps. 112:9a, b): the Hebrew and Septuagint texts of Psalm 112 have singular verbs in verse 9, which are retained in the RSV (1952), “He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor; / his righteousness endures for ever” (Ps. 112:9a, b RSV). The plural verbs in the NRSV are due to the gender inclusive policy. The Psalm begins, “Praise the LORD. / Blessed is the man who fears the LORD” (Ps. 112:1a RSV), which is rendered in the NRSV as “Praise the LORD! / Happy are those who fear the LORD,” thus understanding “man” (AV/KJV, RSV), wyx9(’îsh), in a generic sense (compare William L. Holladay’s meaning number 4, “man (as a human being), person” (A Concise Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament, 1971, 10th corrected impression 1988, s.v. wyx9, ’îsh). The reference to “righteousness” here reminds us of rabbinic associations of “righteousness” (hqAdAc4, tsed~q~h) with almsgiving. According to Krister Stendahl, “In the terminology of the synagogue ‘righteousness’ could have the specific meaning of ‘alms’ ” (Peake’s Commentary on the Bible, 1962, 10th printing 1972, sec. 680 a, p. 778 on Mt. 6:1-18).

 

Paul adds, addressing the Corinthians, “He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness” (2 Cor. 9:10), with reference to Isaiah 55:10, where the providential effects of rain and snow which give “seed to the sower and bread to the eater” demonstrate that God’s “word (rbADA, d~var) . . . shall accomplish that which I purpose” (Isa. 55:11). The Corinthians, says Paul, “will be enriched in every way for your great generosity, which will produce thanksgiving to God through us” (2 Cor. 9:11); their generosity “not only supplies the needs of the saints but also overflows with many thanksgivings to God” (v. 12). According to Wan, “One possible motive for Paul’s working tirelessly on the collection is the apocalyptic vision of Gentiles pouring into Jerusalem, rendering overflowing thanksgiving to God” (op. cit., on 2 Cor. 9:11-12). Their participation in the collection will serve as a positive Christian witness. “Through the testing of this ministry you glorify God by your obedience to the confession of the gospel of Christ and by the generosity of your sharing with them and with all others” (v. 13). In return, those who receive the collection will “long for you and pray for you because of the surpassing grace of God that he has given you (v. 14). As we reach the conclusion of the chapter, and the present appeal, it seems that Paul is telling us that we cannot out-give God. “Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!” (v. 15), by which Paul surely means God’s gift of Christ (cf. Ben Witherington III, Conflict & Community in Corinth, 1994, p. 428 on 2 Cor. 9:15).

 

Mark 3:20-30 (19b-30)

 

            Then he went home; 20 and the crowd came together again, so that they could not even eat. 21 When his family heard it, they went out to restrain him, for people were saying, "He has gone out of his mind." 22 And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, "He has Beelzebul, and by the ruler of the demons he casts out demons." 23 And he called them to him, and spoke to them in parables, "How can Satan cast out Satan? 24 If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. 26 And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but his end has come. 27 But no one can enter a strong man's house and plunder his property without first tying up the strong man; then indeed the house can be plundered.

            28 "Truly I tell you, people will be forgiven for their sins and whatever blasphemies they utter; 29 but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit can never have forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin"- 30 for they had said, "He has an unclean spirit. (Mark 3:19b-30, NRSV)

 

The following comments are based on relevant comments from those on Mark 3:19b-35 of March 2, 2010 (Tuesday in the week of the Second Sunday of Lent, Year Two), when comments were based on those of July 18, 2009 (Saturday in the week of the Sunday closest to July 13, Year One), when comments were repeated with adaptation from January 20, 2009 (Tuesday in the week of the Second Sunday after the Epiphany, Year One), when comments were repeated from August 3, 2008 (the Sunday closest to August 3, Year Two), when the reading was Mark 3:20-30, and comments were repeated from February 19, 2008 (Tuesday in the week of the Second Sunday of Lent, Year Two), when comments on Mark 3:19b-35 were repeated from July 21, 2007 (Saturday in the week of the Sunday closest to July 13, Year One), when they were repeated from January 16, 2007 (Tuesday in the week of the Second Sunday after the Epiphany, Year One); on the latter date, they were combined with revision and supplement from January 18, 2005 (Tuesday in the week of the Second Sunday after the Epiphany, Year One), comments which were repeated on March 14, 2006 (Tuesday in the week of the Second Sunday of Lent, Year Two), and on July 16, 2005 (Saturday in the week of the Sunday closest to July 13, Year One).

 

Parallel passages to this reading in Mark are presented in a separate file, Jesus and Beelzebul. For recent comments on Matthew 12:22-32, see the Archive for May 24, 2010 (Monday in the week of the Sunday closest to May 25, Year Two). For recent comments on Luke 11:14-23, see the Archive for May 30, 2009 (Saturday in the week of the Seventh Sunday of Easter, Year One).

 

In Mark, after Jesus appoints the Twelve (Mk. 3:13-19a), we are told “Then he went home; and the crowd came to gether again, so that they could not even eat” (Mk.3:19b-20). One index of the sudden burst of activity at the beginning of Jesus ministry–in Mark’s account–may be the concern of his family. “When his family heard it, they went out to restrain him, for people were saying, ‘He has gone out of his mind’ ” (Mk. 3:21). This statement is omitted by Matthew, and by Luke. According to Elwyn E. Tilden and Bruce M. Metzger, “His family (perhaps his mother and his brothers, v. 31) were concerned both for his safety, amidst the intense emotions rising round him, and his sanity” (Elwyn E. Tilden and Bruce M. Metzger, NOAB, 2nd ed., 1994, on Mk. 3:21). But “the Pharisees attribute his acts to demonic power.” According to Mark, “the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, ‘He has Beelzebul, and by the ruler of the demons he casts out demons’ ” (Mk. 3:22; cf. Mt. 12:24; 9:34; Lk. 11:15; cf. also Jn. 7:20; 10:20; 8:48, 52). Tilden and Metzger add that Beelzebul, a pagan god [cf. 2 Kgs. 1:2] is “identified here with Satan” (ibid., on v. 22).

 

Events are happening swiftly in Mark, chapter 3, for two groups of leaders, the Pharisees and Herodians, have conspired to destroy Jesus (Mk.3:6), Jesus is thronged and plied with multiple requests for healing (vv. 7-8), he withdraws in a boat (vv. 9-13), he goes “up the mountain” and appoints the twelve apostles (vv. 13-19a). Even when he went home (v. 19b), “the crowd came together again, so that they could not even eat (v. 20). Is it any wonder that his family was concerned? Or that they sought to restrain him (v. 21)? The words “people were saying” (v. 21) are ambiguous. The word “people” (NRSV) translates the impersonal third person plural verb ending of “were saying” ( e[legon, elegon); others translate as “they were saying” (KJV, NIV, NASB), which seems to mean that Jesus’ own family were saying, “He has gone out of his mind” (v. 21). We know that “not even his brothers believed in him” (Jn. 7:5), but to take the word “they” as a reference to Jesus’ family (including Mary?) who were saying “He has gone out of his mind” seems incredibly harsh! Of course, “the scribes who came down from Jerusalem” went much further in saying, “He has Beelzebul, and by the ruler of the demons he casts out demons” (v. 22; cf. Mt. 12:24; 9:34; Lk. 11:15; Jn. 10:20). It is they whom Jesus implies have blasphemed the Holy Spirit (Mk. 3:28; cf. Mt. 12:31a; Lk. 12:10a).

 

Jesus, says Mark, “called them”–presumably the scribes just mentioned–“to him and spoke to them in parables” (Mk. 3:23a). His response fits their challenge, and in the following chapter Jesus will explain that “parables “ are “for those outside” (4:11). Richard A. Horsley defines “parables” here as “extended metaphors or analogies; cf. 4:2, 33” (NOAB, 3rd ed., augmented, 2007, on Mk. 3:23). “How can Satan cast out Satan?” asks Jesus (Mk. 3:23b). “If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand” (Mk. 3:24; cf. Mt. 12:25b; Lk. 11:17b). And with the analogy changed from “kingdom” to “household,” he adds, “And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand” (Mk. 3:25; cf. Mt. 12:25c; Lk. 11:17c). The “kingdom” or “household” implied by the accusation of the scribes would be that of Satan. And Jesus drives the point home. “And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but his end has come” (Mk. 3:26; cf. Mt. 12:26; Lk. 11:18a). Jesus’ conclusion, contrary to the accusation, implicit in Mark, is stated by Matthew and Luke. “But if is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come to you” (Mt. 12:28; cf. Lk. 11:20, with “finger of God,” for “Spirit of God”). Luke’s “finger of God” is likely original, with Matthew’s “Spirit of God” as explanation. The expression comes from Exodus 18:19. When Aaron was able to strike the dust of the earth with his staff so that it became gnats (Exod. 18:16-17) but the magicians of Egypt could not (v. 18), they said, “This is the finger of God!” (v. 19a). “Finger stands for God’s power,” says Marion Lloyd Soards (NOAB, 3rd ed., augmented, 2007, on Lk. 11:20).

 

The analogy of the household returns. “But no one can enter a strong man's house and plunder his property without first tying up the strong man; then indeed the house can be plundered” (Mk. 3:27; cf. Mt. 12:29; Lk. 11:21-22). C. Clifton Black, revised by Adela Yarbro Collins, compares Isaiah 49:24-25 (HarperCollins Study Bible, rev. ed., 2006, on Mk. 3:27): “Can the prey be taken from the mighty, / or the captives of a tyrant be rescued? / But thus says the LORD: / Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken, / and the prey of the tyrant be rescued; / for I will contend with those who contend with you, / and I will save your children” (Is. 49:24-25, NRSV).

 

“Truly I tell you,” says Jesus, “people will be forgiven for their sins and whatever blasphemies they utter; but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit can never have forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin” (Mk. 3:28-29; cf. Mt. 12:31-32; Lk. 12:10). This comment is applied by Mark to the scribes addressed here by Jesus, explaining, “for they had said, ‘He has an unclean spirit’ ” (Mk. 3:30). According to Black and Collins, “To link the Holy Spirit (see 1:8, 10, 12) or the Spirit’s agent (3:30; Lk. 11:20) with demons is to be guilty of an eternal sin (cf. 1 Jn. 5:16)” (ibid., on v. 29). The brief reference here to what has been called the “unpardonable sin” (vv. 28-30) raises a serious issue–blaspheming the Holy Spirit, the agent of grace (cf. Rom. 8:9-11)–but I should think that anyone who is at all concerned about it has surely not crossed that line!

 

The visit of Jesus’ family, that is, his flesh and blood relatives, provides an opportunity for him to redefine the family of God. Jesus’ “mother and his brothers came; and standing outside, they sent to him and called him” (Mk. 3:31; cf. Mt. 12:46; Lk. 8:19). When the crowd informs Jesus of their presence (Mk. 3:32; cf. Mt. 12:47; Lk. 8:20), he asks, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” (Mk. 3:33; cf. Mt. 12:48). And he answers his own question. “And looking at those who sat around him, he said, ‘Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother” (Mk. 3:34-35; cf. Mk. 12:49-50; Lk. 8:21). According to Horsley, this is “not necessarily an attack on his [i.e., Jesus’] family (but see [Mk. 3:] 21), but rather an indication that within the Jesus-movement and its communities, those who do the will of God are Jesus’ and each others’ brother and sister and mother” (op. cit., on vv. 31-35). As we have suggested (above), verse 21 is not necessarily an attack on Jesus’ family. In any event, I see no reason at all to see any disrespect for Mary or for Jesus’ brothers in this remark (vv. 33-35), but as we are reminded by R. McL. Wilson (Peake’s Commentary on the Bible, 1962, sec. 699 f, p. 803, on Mk. 3:31-35), “The point . . . lies in the saying in vv. 34-35, that the ties of common obedience to God take precedence over those of kinship. As on the mission field today, this must have had a very real relevance for members of the early Church.” So when Jesus redefines his “family,” it’s not a matter of disrespecting Mary (cf. Jn. 19:26-27), but the new definition includes us as part of Jesus’ family!

 

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