Daily Scripture Readings     

Friday (October 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.

Friday

AM Psalm 102

PM Psalm 107:1-32

Hosea 10:1-15

Acts 21:37-22:16

Luke 6:12-26

Remigius:

Remigius

Psalm 135:13-21

Jeremiah 10:1-11; 1 John 4:1-6; John 14:3-7

Eucharistic Readings:

Job 38:1, 12-21, 40:1-5; Psalm 139:1-17;

Luke 10:13-16

Friday

Morning: Psalms 84; 148

Hosea 4:11-19

Acts 21:37-22:16

Luke 6:12-26

Evening: Psalms 25; 40

Friday

Morning Pss.: 88, 148

Esther 1:1-4, 10-19

Acts 17:1-15

John 12:36b-43

Evening Pss.: 6, 20

 

Year C Daily Readings

Psalm 37:1-9

2 Kings 9:8-20, 35-37

Revelation 2:12-29

 

* Friday in the week of the Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost, references for the week of the Sunday closest to September 28, Year Two

 

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

 

Episcopal and Presbyterian Readings:

 

Hosea 10:1-15

 

Israel’s Sin and Captivity

 

10:1 Israel is a luxuriant vine

that yields its fruit.

The more his fruit increased

the more altars he built;

as his country improved,

he improved his pillars.

2 Their heart is false;

now they must bear their guilt.

The LORD will break down their altars,

and destroy their pillars.

 

3 For now they will say:

“We have no king,

for we do not fear the LORD,

and a king--what could he do for us?”

4 They utter mere words;

with empty oaths they make covenants;

so litigation springs up like poisonous weeds

in the furrows of the field.

5 The inhabitants of Samaria tremble

for the calf of Beth-aven.

Its people shall mourn for it,

and its idolatrous priests shall wail over it,

over its glory that has departed from it.

6 The thing itself shall be carried to Assyria

as tribute to the great king.

Ephraim shall be put to shame,

and Israel shall be ashamed of his idol.

 

7 Samaria’s king shall perish

like a chip on the face of the waters.

8 The high places of Aven, the sin of Israel,

shall be destroyed.

Thorn and thistle shall grow up

on their altars.

They shall say to the mountains, Cover us,

and to the hills, Fall on us.

 

9 Since the days of Gibeah you have sinned, O Israel;

there they have continued.

Shall not war overtake them in Gibeah?

10 I will come against the wayward people to punish them;

and nations shall be gathered against them

when they are punished for their double iniquity.

 

11 Ephraim was a trained heifer

that loved to thresh,

and I spared her fair neck;

but I will make Ephraim break the ground;

Judah must plow;

Jacob must harrow for himself.

12 Sow for yourselves righteousness;

reap steadfast love;

break up your fallow ground;

for it is time to seek the LORD,

that he may come and rain righteousness upon you.

 

13 You have plowed wickedness,

you have reaped injustice,

you have eaten the fruit of lies.

Because you have trusted in your power

and in the multitude of your warriors,

14 therefore the tumult of war shall rise against your people,

and all your fortresses shall be destroyed,

as Shalman destroyed Beth-arbel on the day of battle

when mothers were dashed in pieces with their children.

15 Thus it shall be done to you, O Bethel,

because of your great wickedness.

At dawn the king of Israel

shall be utterly cut off. (Hosea 10:1-15, NRSV)

 

The following comments are repeated here with editing and supplement from October 3, 2008 (Friday in the week of the Sunday closest to September 28, Year Two), when comments were repeated from October 6, 2008 (Friday in the week of the Sunday closest to September 28, Year Two).

 

Hosea’s denunciation of the northern kingdom continues. Although “Israel is a luxuriant vine / that yields its fruit” (Hos. 10:1a, b), clearly something is rotten. “The more his fruit increased / the more altars he built; / as his country improved, / he improved his pillars” (v. 1c, d, e, f). Gregory Mobley points out that “This luxuriant vine “is now weedy (v. 4) and overrun with thorns (v. 8)” (NOAB, 3rd ed., augmented, 2007, on Hos. 10:1-7). “Their heart is false,” says Hosea, and “now they must bear their guilt” (v. 2a, b). As punishment, “The LORD will break down their altars, / and destroy their pillars” (v. 2c, d). The “pillars” (tObc0ema, matsts‘vôth, ‘cult pillars’ NJPS 1985, 1999), says Mobley, are “standing stones, condemned by Mosaic law (Ex. 23:24)” (ibid., on v. 2), and the destruction of them with the breaking down of the altars represents judgment on the idolatrous practices. Referring to the people, the prophet says, “For now they will say: / ‘We have no king, / for we do not fear the LORD, / and a king—what could he do for us?’ ” (v. 3). In an earlier note, to which they refer here, James Luther Mays, revised by Stephen L. Cook, says, “Israel must live without its monarchy and all the other false stand-ins for its covenant Lord. . . . Hosea consistently lambastes Israel’s current hierarchically based organization (5:1; 8:4; 13:10-11)” (The HarperCollins Study Bible, rev. ed., 2006, on Hos. 3:4, with ref. from note on 10:3). Here they say, “In Hosea’s tradition, kingship is an abortive mistake (cf. 13:11; Judg. 8:23; 1 Sam. 8:7-8)” (ibid., on 10:3).

 

“They utter mere words,” says the prophet; “with empty oaths (xv4wA tOlxA, ’ālôth šāw’ ) they make covenants (tyr97B; tro8KA, kārōth berîth); / so litigation springs up like poisonous weeds / in the furrows of the field” (Hos. 10:4). For “empty oaths,” Mobley refers to Exodus 20:7 (op. cit., on v. 4).The language for making (lit., “cutting”) a covenant is correct, but the value of the covenant is negated by “empty oaths.” “The inhabitants of Samaria tremble / for the calf of Beth-aven,” says the prophet. “Its people shall mourn for it, / and its idolatrous priests (vyrAmAK;, kemārāyw) shall wail over it, / over its glory that has departed from it” (v. 5). “Beth-aven,” say Mays and Cook, is in “Hebrew, ‘house of wrong,’ a pejorative name for Bethel (cf. Am. 5:5)” (op. cit., on 4:15, with ref. from 10:5). As we remember, Jeroboam I son of Nebat put golden calves in sanctuaries in Dan and Bethel (1 Kgs. 12:28-33), so the people of the separated northern Kingdom of Israel would not go to Jerusalem (in the south) to worship. In the present context, Mays and Cook say, “The monarchy [of the north] has replaced Bethel’s Levites with idolatrous priests (Hebrew kemarim)” (ibid., on Hos. 10:5). William L. Holladay defines rm,Ko (kōmer), which occurs three times in the Hebrew Bible, as “priest (of pagan gods)” (A Concise Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament, 1971, 10th corrected impression, 1988, s.v. rm,Ko, kōmer). The recent Jewish translation calls them “priestlings” (Hos. 10:5 NJPS 1985, 1999), “Priestlings,” says Ehud Ben Zvi, is “a derogatory term for the priests of Samaria, who were condemned before (see ch. 4)” (The Jewish Study Bible, 2004, on Hos. 10:5).

 

“The thing itself shall be carried to Assyria,” says the prophet, “as tribute to the great king” (v. 6a, b). The Assyrians will take the golden calf of Bethel for its monetary value, which the people will mourn (v. 5). And so, “Ephraim shall be put to shame, / and Israel shall be ashamed of his idol (Ot&cAfEme, mē‘ atsāthô, lit. ‘his counsel’ cf. AV/KJV)” (v. 6c, d). The NRSV reading, “his idol,” is based on a correction, OBcafEme (mē‘ atsabbô, cf. BHS, 1970, apparatus for Hos. 10:6). The king in Samaria “shall perish / like a chip on the face of the waters” (v. 7). According to Mays and Cook, “Hosea seems to have been active particularly during the time of King Hoshea’s fatal rebellion against Assyria that led to the end of the Northern Kingdom in 722” (op. cit., from the Introduction to Hosea). Hoshea, of course, was the last king of the Northern Kingdom (2 Kgs. 14:23-17:41). “The high places of Aven (Nv,xA, ’āwen, lit. ‘harm, trouble . . .’), the sin of Israel, / shall be destroyed,” says the prophet (Hos. 10:8a, b). “Aven” appears to be short for “Beth-aven” (v. 5), the pejorative term for Bethel. “Thorn and thistle shall grow up / on their altars. / They shall say to the mountains, Cover us, / and to the hills, Fall on us” (v. 8c, d, e, f).

 

Hosea traces Israel’s sin from “the days of Gibeah”: “Since the days of Gibeah you have sinned, O Israel; / there they have continued. / Shall not war overtake them in Gibeah” (v. 9). The question echoes the Israelites’ questions as they prepare for war with Benjamin. “Which of us shall go up first to battle against the Benjaminites?” (Judg. 20:18). “Shall we again draw near to battle against our kinsfolk the Benjaminites?” (Judg. 20:21, cf. v. 28). The Israelites asked these questions inquiring of the LORD, but one presumes that the Assyrian army that soon would bring an end to the northern kingdom of Israel would not do that. The prophet refers here to the sordid events of Judges 19-20 where the Levite’s concubine was raped by the men of the town and he later “cut her into twelve pieces” (Judg. 19:29), leading to war between Israel and Benjamin (Judg., chap. 20). Israel will be punished with war now. “I will come against the wayward people to punish them; / and nations shall be gathered against them / when they are punished for their double iniquity” (Hos. 10:10). “Gibeah is associated with a double iniquity,” say Mays and Cook, “because, just as its gruesome crime in the village era resulted in large-scale fratricide (Judg. 19-21), so also in Hosea’s era fratricide raged in the Syro-Ephraimite war near the same locale” (op. cit., on Hos. 10:10).

 

The denunciation of Ephraim continues. She “was a trained heifer / that loved to thresh, / and I spared her fair neck” (Hos. 10:11a, b, c). The reference to sparing “her fair neck,” says Mobley, means that “she was unyoked” (op. cit., on Hos. 10:11). Earlier, Ephraim is called “a stubborn heifer” (4:16). But now the LORD “will make Ephraim break the ground”; that is, “Jacob must harrow for himself” (10:11d, f), and also, “Judah must plow” (v. 11e), applying the same to the southern kingdom. It is time to produce good crops. “So for yourselves righteousness (hqAdAc;, tsed~q~h); / reap steadfast love (ds,H,, chesed); /break up your fallow ground” (v. 12a, b, c). “For,” says the prophet, “it is time to seek the LORD, / that he may come and rain / righteousness upon you” (v. 12d, e, f). Instead, they “have plowed wickedness (fwar,, reša‘), / you have reaped injustice (hlAv4afa / htAlAv4f1,, ‘awl~h / ‘awl~th~h, ‘perversity, wickedness’ Holladay, Lexicon), / you have eaten the fruit of lies” (v. 13a, b, c). Mays and Cook say, “The metaphor of a heifer (4:16) set to plowing: sow, reap, and break up. Israel must ‘cultivate’ righteousness and steadfast love . . . to receive righteousness as a blessing” (ibid., on vv. 11-13a). “Because you have trusted in your power / and in the multitude of your warriors,” says the prophet, “therefore the tumult of war shall rise against your people, / and all your fortresses shall be destroyed, as Shalman destroyed Beth-arbel on the day of battle / when mothers were dashed in pieces with their children” (vv. 13c, d, 14). “Shalman,” says Ben Zvi, “is probably a reference to Shalmanesser V, king of Assyria, who attacked and defeated Israel. The imagery regarding the fate of women and children is relatively common; see 2 Kings 8:12; Isa. 13:16; Nah. 3:10; Ps. 137:9; Hos. 14:1” (op. cit.., on v. 14). Shalmanesser’s “destruction of Beth-arbel is as yet unattested,” say Mays and Cook, “but 2 Kings 17:3 may provide the general context” (op. cit., on v. 14). “Thus it shall be done to you, O Bethel,” says the prophet, “because of your great wickedness. / At dawn the king of Israel / shall be utterly cut off” (v. 15).

 

Hosea 4:11-19 (Presbyterian and Lutheran traditions–see the comments on this passage two days ago, Wednesday, September 29, 2010).

 

Acts 21:37-22:16

 

Paul Defends Himself

 

            37 Just as Paul was about to be brought into the barracks, he said to the tribune, “May I say something to you?” The tribune replied, “Do you know Greek? 38 Then you are not the Egyptian who recently stirred up a revolt and led the four thousand assassins out into the wilderness?” 39 Paul replied, “I am a Jew, from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of an important city; I beg you, let me speak to the people.” 40 When he had given him permission, Paul stood on the steps and motioned to the people for silence; and when there was a great hush, he addressed them in the Hebrew language, saying:

            22:1 “Brothers and fathers, listen to the defense that I now make before you.”

            2 When they heard him addressing them in Hebrew, they became even more quiet. Then he said:

            3 “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, educated strictly according to our ancestral law, being zealous for God, just as all of you are today. 4 I persecuted this Way up to the point of death by binding both men and women and putting them in prison, 5 as the high priest and the whole council of elders can testify about me. From them I also received letters to the brothers in Damascus, and I went there in order to bind those who were there and to bring them back to Jerusalem for punishment.

 

Paul Tells of His Conversion (Acts 9.1-19a; 26.12-18)

 

            6 “While I was on my way and approaching Damascus, about noon a great light from heaven suddenly shone about me. 7 I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’ 8 I answered, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ Then he said to me, ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth whom you are persecuting.’ 9 Now those who were with me saw the light but did not hear the voice of the one who was speaking to me. 10 I asked, ‘What am I to do, Lord?’ The Lord said to me, ‘Get up and go to Damascus; there you will be told everything that has been assigned to you to do.’ 11 Since I could not see because of the brightness of that light, those who were with me took my hand and led me to Damascus.

            12 “A certain Ananias, who was a devout man according to the law and well spoken of by all the Jews living there, 13 came to me; and standing beside me, he said, ‘Brother Saul, regain your sight!’ In that very hour I regained my sight and saw him. 14 Then he said, ‘The God of our ancestors has chosen you to know his will, to see the Righteous One and to hear his own voice; 15 for you will be his witness to all the world of what you have seen and heard. 16 And now why do you delay? Get up, be baptized, and have your sins washed away, calling on his name.’ (Acts 21:37-22:16, NRSV)

 

The following comments are repeated here with editing and supplement from August 14, 2009 ( Friday in the week of the Sunday closest to August 10, Year One), when comments were repeated from October 3, 2008 (Friday in the week of the Sunday closest to September 28, Year Two), when comments were repeated with editing and supplement from August 17, 2007 (Friday in the week of the Sunday closest to August 10, Year One), when comments were repeated with editing and supplement from October 6, 2006 (Friday in the week of the Sunday closest to September 28, Year Two), comments were repeated from August 12, 2005 (Friday of the week of the Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost, Year One).

 

In the reading of two days ago (Wed., Sept. 29, 2010), Paul was advised by the Christian elders of Jerusalem to demonstrate his faithfulness to the Law of Moses by joining four men under a nazirite vow in “the rite of purification” and paying “for the shaving of their heads” (Acts 21:24). In yesterday’s reading we learned that Paul’s appearance in the temple led to a riot, an attempted lynching, we might say, from which he was “rescued” when he was arrested by the Roman tribune (vv. 27-36).

 

As today’s reading begins, Luke’s narrative has the effect of providing the tribune who arrested Paul with something of an excuse. “Just as Paul was about to be brought into the barracks, he said to the tribune, ‘May I say something to you?’ ” (Acts 21:37a). Surprised, the tribune asks, “Do you know Greek?” (v. 37b). He admits to a mistake–or presents an excuse–in identifying Paul. “Then you are not the Egyptian who recently stirred up a revolt and led the four thousand assassins out into the wilderness?” (v. 38). The form of the tribune’s question, introduced by oujk (ouk, “not”), implies an affirmative answer, tempered by some uncertainty indicated by a[ra (ara, “then,” cf. Bauer-Danker-Arndt-Gingrich [BDAG], A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and other Early Christian Literature, 3rd ed., 2000, s.v. a[ra, ara, meaning no. (3) ). We might phrase the question as, “Aren’t you the Egyptian who . . . ?” Christopher R. Matthews puts it this way: “The question in Greek may be ‘Are you not the Egyptian?’ ” and explains the reference, “Concerning the Egyptian, a pseudo-messiah who, with thousands of followers, had planned to take Jerusalem from the Romans, see Josephus, War 2.261-263 (which puts the number at about 30,000); Ant. 20.169-172” (NOAB, 3rd ed., 2001, on Acts 21:38). Paul corrects this “mistaken identity” by identifying himself as “a Jew, from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of an important city” (v. 39a), and thus clearly not an Egyptian.

 

And Paul requests an opportunity to speak to the crowd. “I beg you, let me speak to the people” (v 39b). And so, “When he had given him permission, Paul stood on the steps and motioned to the people for silence; and when there was a great hush, he addressed them in the Hebrew [‘That is, Aramaic,’ NRSV text note a] language (th:/  JEbrai<di dialevktw/, tē(i) Hebraidi dialektō(i))” (v. 40). Beverly Roberts Gaventa says, “Paul’s use of Aramaic signals his identification with this Jewish audience” (The HarperCollins Study Bible, rev. ed., 2006, on Acts 21:40). Paul begins by saying, “Brothers and fathers, listen to the defense that I now make before you” (22:1). Gaventa says, “Brothers and fathers captures the audience’s attention by signaling Paul’s relationship to them (see 2:29; 7:2; 13:26; 15:7, 13)” (ibid., on 22:1). Saying this in Hebrew (i.e., Aramaic) got the crowd’s attention: “When they heard him addressing them in Hebrew [‘That is, Aramaic,’ NRSV text note a], they became even more quiet” (v. 2a). The speech (22:1-21) is sandwiched between near riots (21:30-31 and 22:22-23), but for the moment he has their attention. He begins with a brief curriculum vitae or résumé.

 

 

“I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia,” says Paul, “but brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, educated strictly according to our ancestral law, being zealous for God, just as all of you are today” (v. 3). He recalls his earlier persecution of the Christians (8:1-3; 9:1-2). “I persecuted this Way up to the point of death by binding both men and women and putting them in prison, as the high priest and the whole council of elders can testify about me” (vv. 4, 5a). In giving an account of his former persecution of Christians, he tells of his intentions when he went to Damascus. “From them [the high priest and the council] I also received letters to the brothers in Damascus, and I went there in order to bind those who were there and to bring them back to Jerusalem for punishment” (v. 5b). But, as we know, on the way to Damascus, he had an encounter with the living Christ that transformed his life. There are three accounts of Paul’s conversion in the Book of Acts, one presented as Luke’s narrative (9:1-9, 15-19), and two first person accounts as reported by Luke, here from the steps of the Jerusalem temple (22:6-21, cf. 21:40) and again before Governor Festus and King Agrippa II (26:12-18). In his Epistle to the Galatians, Paul presents a first person account of his conversion and call to mission among the Gentiles (Gal. 1:13-17). A table presents these accounts in parallel columns in the separate file, Paul’s Conversion.

 

As Paul’s speech at the temple continues, he says, “While I was on my way and approaching Damascus, about noon a great light from heaven suddenly shone about me. I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’ ” (Acts 22:6-7; cf. 9:3-4; 26:13-14). “I answered,” says Paul, “ ‘Who are you, Lord?’ Then he said to me, ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth whom you are persecuting’ ” (22:8; cf. 9:5; 26:25). In the present context, Paul’s speech from the steps in the temple, he says, “Now those who were with me saw the light but did not hear the voice of the one who was speaking to me” (22:9). In Luke’s own account, he says that “The men who were traveling with him [Paul, or rather, Saul at that time] stood speechless because they heard the voice but saw no one” (9:7). In the present account at the temple, Paul says he asked, “What am I to do, Lord?” and was told, “Get up and go to Damascus; there you will be told everything that has been assigned to you to do” (22:10). Luke’s account abbreviates, omitting Paul’s second question, but conveying the same sense. The Lord’s answer to the first question is, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But get up and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do” (9:5-6). Paul’s account before Festus and Agrippa also omits Paul’s second question, but presents the Lord’s reply in an extended version of Paul’s call to mission (26:15-18). Before Festus and Agrippa, Paul does not mention Ananias, but in the two other accounts in Acts, the detailed call to mission comes to Paul through Ananias.

 

After the initial encounter, Paul says, “Since I could not see because of the brightness of that light, those who were with me took my hand and led me to Damascus” (22:11; cf. 9:8b), another detail omitted in chapter 26, but necessary to prepare for Ananias’ visit. In Luke’s account, the Lord appears to Ananias (9:10) and, after greeting him, gives him instructions. “Get up and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man from Tarsus named Saul” (v. 11a). “At this moment he is praying,” says the Lord (v. 11b), “and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight” (v. 12). Ananias, knowing Saul’s reputation as a persecutor of the church, demurs (vv. 13-14). But the Lord insists: “Go, for he is an instrument whom I have chosen to bring my name before Gentiles and kings and before the people of Israel; I myself will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name” (vv. 15-16). At the temple, Paul does not mention Ananias’ vision and charge from the Lord–of which he had no direct knowledge in any event–but he says, “A certain Ananias, who was a devout man according to the law and well spoken of by all the Jews living there, came to me; and standing beside me, he said, 'Brother Saul, regain your sight!' In that very hour I regained my sight and saw him” (22:12-13; cf. 9:17). Although Paul says he regained his sight, he does not mention the “something like scales [that] fell from his eyes” (9:18a). In Luke’s account, Paul was baptized immediately (v. 18b), “and after taking some food he regained his strength” (v. 19). In Paul’s account at the temple, Ananias spells out Paul’s missionary assignment after the healing of his sight and before his baptism. This comes in the chapter 9 account in the Lord’s instructions to Ananias. After he regained his sight, says Paul, “Then he [Ananias] said, ‘The God of our ancestors has chosen you to know his will, to see the Righteous One and to hear his own voice; for you will be his witness to all the world of what you have seen and heard. And now why do you delay? Get up, be baptized, and have your sins washed away, calling on his name’ ” (vv. 14-16).

 

The conclusion of Paul’s speech at the Temple and the subsequent events are in tomorrow’s reading. We have noted some minor differences in these accounts. The brief account which Paul presents in the Epistle to the Galatians is often described more as a call to prophecy and mission than a conversion account, and contains few of the details from the accounts in Acts. But this is understandable, given Paul’s concern about recent events in the Galatian churches, and his emphasis on his gospel, not that of the intruders, as the true gospel. The minor differences in the Acts accounts, e.g. whether Saul’s companions “saw the light but did not hear the voice” (22:9) or “heard the voice but saw no one” (9:7), take nothing away from the general pattern. Saul was a persecutor of Christians who was stopped short by the Damascus Road experience, a transformation that involved his call to mission (9:15-16; 22:14-15, 17-18, 21; 26:16-18; Gal. 1:15-16). In the context of his speech in the temple, he includes reference to his earlier vision in the temple (Acts 22:17-21, in tomorrow’s reading), a point omitted in the other accounts. But the focus in today’s reading is on his call to “be his witness to all the world of what you have seen and heard” (v. 15).

 

Luke 6:12-26

 

Jesus Chooses the Twelve Apostles (Mt 10.1-4; Mk 3.13-19a)

 

            12 Now during those days he went out to the mountain to pray; and he spent the night in prayer to God. 13 And when day came, he called his disciples and chose twelve of them, whom he also named apostles: 14 Simon, whom he named Peter, and his brother Andrew, and James, and John, and Philip, and Bartholomew, 15 and Matthew, and Thomas, and James son of Alphaeus, and Simon, who was called the Zealot, 16 and Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.

 

Jesus Teaches and Heals (Mt 4.23-25; Mk 1.35-39; Lk 4.44)

 

            17 He came down with them and stood on a level place, with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea, Jerusalem, and the coast of Tyre and Sidon. 18 They had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases; and those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured. 19 And all in the crowd were trying to touch him, for power came out from him and healed all of them.

 

Blessings and Woes (Mt 5.1-12)

 

            20 Then he looked up at his disciples and said:

 

“Blessed are you who are poor,

for yours is the kingdom of God.

21 “Blessed are you who are hungry now,

for you will be filled.

“Blessed are you who weep now,

for you will laugh.

 

            22 “Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man. 23 Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven; for that is what their ancestors did to the prophets.

 

24 “But woe to you who are rich,

for you have received your consolation.

25 “Woe to you who are full now,

for you will be hungry.

“Woe to you who are laughing now,

for you will mourn and weep.

            26 “Woe to you when all speak well of you, for that is what their ancestors did to the false prophets. (Luke 6:12-26, NRSV)

 

The following comments are repeated here from May 5, 2009 (Tuesday in the Fourth Week of Easter, Year One), when comments were repeated from October 3, 2008 (Friday in the week of the Sunday closest to September 28, Year Two), when comments were repeated from May 1, 2007 (Tuesday in the week of the Fourth Sunday of Easter, Year One), when comments were repeated with further supplement from comments of October 6, 2006 (Friday in the week of the Sunday closest to September 28, Year Two), when comments were repeated with revision and supplement from April 19, 2005 (Tuesday in the week of the Fourth Sunday of Easter, Year One).

 

The lists of the Twelve appointed by Jesus are as follows in the three Synoptic Gospels:

 

On Choosing the Twelve †

Matthew 10:1-4 *

Mark 3:13-19a *

Luke 6:12-16 *

10 Then Jesus summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to cure every disease and every sickness. 2 These are the names of the twelve apostles:

 

 

 first, Simon, also known as Peter, and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John;

 

 

 

3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; 4 Simon the Cananaean,

 

and Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed him.

13 He went up the mountain and called to him those whom he wanted, and they came to him. 14 And he appointed twelve, whom he also named apostles, to be with him, and to be sent out to proclaim the message, 15 and to have authority to cast out demons. 16 So he appointed the twelve: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter); 17 James son of Zebedee and John the brother of James (to whom he gave the name Boanerges, that is, Sons of Thunder); 18 and Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James son of Alphaeus,

and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Cananaean,

19 and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.

12 Now during those days he went out to the mountain to pray; and he spent the night in prayer to God. 13 And when day came, he called his disciples and chose twelve of them, whom he also named apostles:

 

 

14 Simon, whom he named Peter, and his brother Andrew, and James, and John, and

 

 

 

Philip, and Bartholomew, 15 and Matthew, and Thomas, and James son of Alphaeus,

and Simon, who was called the Zealot, 16 and Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.

† Cf. Kurt Aland, ed., Synopsis of the Four Gospels, rev. ed., 1985, sec. 49, pp. 47-48.

* NRSV                                               

 

We note that Matthew postpones the listing of the Twelve to the point where he introduces Jesus’ speech of instructions for the mission when he sends the twelve out to preach and heal (Mt., chap. 10). Apart from differences in order of the accounts, the significant difference here is that Luke has “Simon, who was called the Zealot” for “Simon the Cananaean in the other two Gospels, and “Judas son of James” for “Thaddaeus” in the other two Gospels. The name “Levi” does not appear in these lists, but a person named Levi, who is called (Mk. 2:14) in a manner similar to the calling of Simon, Andrew, James and John (Mk. 1:16-20), “is identified as ‘Matthew’ in Mt. 9:9,” whom Richard A. Horsley calls “a customs officer at Capernaum, a border village, working under an officer of Herod Antipas” (NOAB, 3rd ed., augmented, 2007, on Mk. 2:14). According to Marion Lloyd Soards, “Zealots were a distinct faction of revolutionaries in the Jewish war with Rome of 66-70 CE, but whether this designation indicates that this Simon was zealous in a political fashion is debatable since it is unlikely that a Zealot party existed during Jesus’ life” (NOAB, 3rd ed., augmented, 2007, on Lk. 6:15). It is clear, however, that persons with views similar to the Zealots were present much earlier in Israel.

 

In Luke the appointment of the Twelve takes place after a night of prayer. “Now during those days he went out to the mountain to pray; and he spent the night in prayer to God” (Lk. 6:12). Mark has mentioned the mountain, but not the prayer. “He went up the mountain” (Mk. 3:13a). Matthew’s version follows the report of a preaching tour (Mt. 9:35-38); but compare “When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain” (Mt. 5:1a). “And when day came,” says Luke, “he called his disciples and chose twelve of them, whom he also named apostles” (Lk. 6:13). This varies Mark’s wording, “and he called to him those whom he wanted, and they came to him. And he appointed twelve, whom he also named apostles, to be with him, and to be sent out to proclaim the message, and to have authority cast out demons” (Mk. 3:13b-15). For Matthew, Jesus starts with “twelve disciples,” whom he “gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to cure every disease and every sickness” (Mt. 10:1b). Each calls the twelve “apostles” (Mk. 3:14; Lk. 6:13; Mt. 10:2).

 

Mark and Luke list the names of the twelve in this context; but Matthew, as noted above, uses the list later (Mt. 10:1-4) in his introduction to the account of Jesus’ instructions for the mission of the twelve (10:5-42). But Matthew uses Mark’s reference here to the mountain to set the stage for the Sermon on the Mount (Mt. 5-7): “When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain” (Mt. 5:1a). Luke has Jesus come down from there with them to “a level place” (v. 17), where he stands to deliver what has been called the “Sermon on the Plain” (cf. “in the plain” Lk. 6:17 AV/KJV). Since he did not necessarily descend to the foot of the mountain, it might still be said that he was on a level place on the side of the mountain. But Luke does not make that clear. This sermon (Lk. 6:20-49) is considered a parallel–but much shorter–version of the Sermon on the Mount (Mt. 5-7). It starts with Beatitudes (Lk. 6:20-24) as does Matthew’s Sermon on the Mount (Mt. 5:3-12), and it ends with an illustration about two houses, one of which withstood the storm and one of which was destroyed (Lk. 67:47-49; cf. Mt. 7:24-27). As often, the crowds had gathered “to hear him and to be healed of their diseases” (Lk. 6:18), and Luke reports that, at least for all who touched him, “power cam out from him and healed all of them” (v. 19).

 

Luke’s version of the sermon begins with beatitudes and woes that may be compared with the beatitudes in Matthew’s version of the sermon, as in the following table:

 

Beatitudes [and Woes]

Matthew 5:3-12

Luke 6:20-23

Luke 6:24-26

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

20 . . . "Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.

24 "But woe to you who are rich,

for you have received your consolation.

4 "Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

21b "Blessed are you who weep now,

for you will laugh.

25b "Woe to you who are laughing now, for you will mourn and weep.

5 "Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

 

 

6 "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

21a "Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled.

25a "Woe to you who are full now, for you will be hungry.

7 "Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.

 

 

8 "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

 

 

9 "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

 

 

10 "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

 

 

11 "Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

22 "Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man. 23 Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven; for that is what their ancestors did to the prophets.

26 "Woe to you when all speak well of you, for that is what their ancestors did to the false prophets.

 

 

One first notices the differences in the number and arrangements of the beatitudes, and the fact that though Luke has only four beatitudes, he has a corresponding “woe” for each. Another difference is the “direct address” (second person plural form) of Luke’s beatitudes and woes. Matthew’s first eight beatitudes are all stated in third person form: “Blessed (Makavrioi, Makarioi) are the poor in spirit, / for theirs (aujtw:n, autōn, 3rd pers., pl.) is the kingdom of heaven” (Mt. 5:3) as compared with Luke’s second person form, “Blessed (Makavrioi, Makarioi) are you are you who are poor, / for yours (uJmetevra, hymetera, 2nd pers., pl.) is the kingdom of God” (Lk. 6:20). In contrast, Luke includes the “woe”: “But woe to you who are rich, / for you have received your consolation” (Lk. 6:24). T. W. Manson plays down the difference between Matthew 5:3 and Luke 6:20, saying that Luke’s phrase, “you . . . poor,” is a common Old Testament term for the “pious poor,” and is essentially the equivalent of Matthew’s phrase, “the poor in spirit.” Matthew tends to “gild the lily” (The Teaching of Jesus, 1st paperback ed.,1963). Dennis C. Duling presents a different view, calling Matthew’s phrase “poor in spirit” a “Matthean interpretation (softening?) of the literal poor; cf. Lk. 6:20 (‘you poor’); Gospel of Thomas 54 (‘the poor’); Polycarp, Philippians 2:3 (‘the poor’); Jas. 2:5; cf. Isa 61:1; Lk. 4:18” (HarperCollins Study Bible, rev. ed., 2006, on Mt. 5:3). But Duling adds that Matthew “criticizes worldly wealth; cf. 6:19-34; 10:9-10” (ibid.).

 

Luke’s second beatitude, “Blessed are you who are hungry now, / for you will be filled” (Lk. 6:21a, b) corresponds to Matthew’s fourth, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, / for they will be filled” (Mt. 5:6). Luke also has a corresponding woe: “Woe to you who are full now, / for you will be hungry” (Lk. 6:25a , b). David L. Tiede, revised by Christopher R. Matthews, refers to lines from Mary’s Magnificat, “he has filled the hungry with good things, / and sent the rich away empty” (Lk. 1:53, ref. in The HarperCollins Study Bible, rev. ed., 2006, on Lk. 6:21).

 

Luke’s third beatitude, “Blessed are you who weep now, / for you will laugh” (Lk. 6:21c, d), corresponds to Matthew’s second, “Blessed are those who mourn, / for they shall be comforted” (Mt. 5:4). Again, Luke has a corresponding woe, “Woe to you who are laughing now, for you will mourn and weep” (Lk. 6:25c, d). For “you who weep now,” in addition to comparing Matthew 5:4, Tiede and Matthews refer to Ps. 126:6; Isa. 61:2-3; 65:18-19)” (ibid.).

 

Luke’s fourth (and last) beatitude (Lk. 6:22-23) corresponds to Matthew’s ninth (and last, Mt. 5:11-12). “Blessed are you (Makavrioiv ejste, Makarioi este) when people hate you,” says Jesus, “and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man” (Lk. 6:22). In Matthew, the wording is different, but the thought is essentially the same. “Blessed are you (Makavrioiv ejste, Makarioi este) when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account” (Mt. 5:11). Note that Matthew’s beatitude is now in the second person, “Blessed are you,” as have been all of Luke’s.

 

It is important for us to remember the spiritual aspect of the Christian gospel, for that is essential. But, as Paul J. Achtemeier, Joel B. Green, and Marianne Meye Thompson remind us, the “social gospel,” in recognition of the material, psychological and social needs of people, is important as well. “Luke’s message is fundamentally oriented around the theme of salvation” (Introducing the New Testament, 2001, p. 149). “The call to discipleship in Luke is fundamentally an invitation for people to align themselves with Jesus’ mission and thus with God’s purpose” (ibid., p. 151).

 

The Lukan narrative is concerned throughout with salvation not as a merely spiritual or primarily future matter, but as a matter that embraces life in the present. Salvation signals the restoration of the integrity of human life and the commissioning of the community of God’s people to put God’s grace into practice among themselves and toward ever-widening circles of outsiders. (ibid., p. 152)

 

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