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Daily
Scripture |
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Monday
(November 1, 2010)* |
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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 |
Daily
Lectionary, Book of Worship Inter-Lutheran Commission on
Worship, c. 1978 (2002 printing) ‡ |
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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 |
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‡
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). |
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Unless
otherwise indicated, the scripture texts quoted are from The New Revised
Standard Version ( |
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Monday AM Psalm 56, 57, [58] PM Psalm 64, 65 Ecclus. 38:24-34 Rev. 14:1-13 Luke 12:49-59 All Saint's: AM: Psalm 111, 112; 2 Esdras 2:42-47; Hebrews 11:32-10:2 PM:
Psalm 148, 150; Wisdom 5:1-5, 14-16; Revelation 21:1-4, 22-22:1-5 From the Sunday Lectionary: Daniel 7:1-3, 15-18; Psalm 149; Ephesians 1:11-23; Luke 6:20-31 Eucharistic Phil. 2:1-4; Psalm 131 Luke 14:12-14 |
Monday Morning: Psalms 5; 145 Ecclus. 38:24-34 or Zeph. 1:7-13 Rev. 14:1-13 Luke 12:49-59 Evening: Psalms 82; 29 |
Monday Morning Pss.: 62, 145 Ecclus. 4:20-5:7 or Micah 2:1-13 Rev. 7:1-8 Luke 9:51-62 Evening Pss.: 73, 9 |
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All Saints Day, November 1 Daniel 7:1-3, 15-18 Psalm 149 (1) Ephesians 1:11-23 Luke 6:20-31 |
Year C Daily Psalm 50 Nehemiah 13:1-3, 23-31 1 Corinthians 5:9-13 All Saints Day, Nov. 1 Daniel 7:1-3, 15-18 Psalm 149 (1) Ephesians 1:11-23 Luke 6:20-31 |
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* Monday in the
week of the Twenty-third Sunday after Pentecost, references for the week of
the Sunday closest to November 2, Year Two |
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For the Lutheran
Episcopal and Presbyterian
Ecclesiasticus (Sirach) 38:24-34
Trades and Crafts
24 The wisdom of the scribe depends on the opportunity of leisure;
only the one who has little business can become wise.
25 How can one become wise who handles the plow,
and who glories in the shaft of a goad,
who drives oxen and is occupied with their work,
and whose talk is about bulls?
26 He sets his heart on plowing furrows,
and he is careful about fodder for the heifers.
27 So it is with every artisan and master artisan
who labors by night as well as by day;
those who cut the signets of seals,
each is diligent in making a great variety;
they set their heart on painting a lifelike image,
and they are careful to finish their work.
28 So it is with the smith, sitting by the anvil,
intent on his iron-work;
the breath of the fire melts his flesh,
and he struggles with the heat of the furnace;
the sound of the hammer deafens his ears,
and his eyes are on the pattern of the object.
He sets his heart on finishing his handiwork,
and he is careful to complete its decoration.
29 So is it with is the potter sitting at his work
and turning the wheel with his feet;
he is always deeply concerned over his products,
and he produces them in quantity.
30 He molds the clay with his arm
and makes it pliable with his feet;
he sets his heart to finish the glazing,
and he takes care in firing the kiln.
31 All these rely on their hands,
and all are skillful in their own work.
32 Without them no city can be inhabited,
and wherever they live, they will not go hungry.
Yet they are not sought out for the council of the people,
33 nor do they attain eminence in the public assembly.
They do not sit in the judge’s seat,
nor do they understand the decisions of the courts;
they cannot expound discipline or judgment,
and they are not found among the rulers.
34 But they maintain the fabric of the world,
and their concern is for the exercise of their trade.
How different the one who devotes himself
to the study of the law of the Most High! (Ecclesiasticus 38:24-34, NRSV)
The following comments are repeated here from November 3, 2008 (Monday in the week of the Sunday closest to November 2, Year Two), when comments were repeated with editing and supplement from November 6, 2006 (Monday in the week of the Sunday closest to November 2, Year Two), when comments were repeated with revision and supplement from November 1, 2004 (Monday of the week of the Sunday closest to November 2, Year Two).
This chapter begins with admonition to “honor physicians for their services, / for the Lord created them” (Ecclus. 38:1). Their gift of healing comes from God, and Ben Sira praises physicians and pharmacists for their God-given skill in promoting health (vv. 1-8), and admonishes us to use them when we are ill (vv. 9-15). After further advice on limited mourning for the dead (vv. 16-23), he brings us to today’s reading. In yesterday’s reading we noted several differences in verse numbering in the different texts and translation. A few such differences occur here beginning with verse 32c (NRSV), which is v. 33a (LXX and AV/KJV Apoc.). Verse 33a, b, c (NRSV) is v. 33b, c, d (LXX and AV/KJV Apoc.). Verse 33d, e (NRSV) is verse 34a, b (LXX), but verse 33e, f (AV/KJV Apoc.). Verse 34a, b (NRSV and AV/KJV Apoc.) is verse 34c, d (LXX). Verse 34c, d (NRSV and AV/KJV Apoc.) is 39:1a, b (LXX). The Hebrew text as cited yesterday regarding chapter 36 is lacking for these verses. Compare the notes below.
At the outset of today’s reading, Ben Sira compares the work of a scribe–people like himself–and its value with that of various kinds of craftsmen. “The wisdom of the scribe depends on the opportunity of leisure (eujkairiva scolh:V, eukairia schol‘s), he says; “only the one who has little business can become wise” (Ecclus. 38:24). While etymology is not always a perfect guide to meaning, it is interesting to note that the English word “school” is derived ultimately “from Latin schola, leisure, school, from Greek skhol‘, leisure (devoted to learning), lecture, school” (The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 1969, s.v. school); compare derivations of “scholar” and “scholastic.” Augustine suggests that leisure is a necessary, though not necessarily a sufficient, condition of wisdom, when he says, referring to some scholars, “For even these men themselves, endowed though they are with so much genius, burning with zeal, abounding in leisure, tracking some things by the aid of human conjecture, searching into others with the aids of history and experience, have not found out all things; and even their boasted discoveries are oftener mere guesses than certain knowledge” (Enchiridion, I, 9, on the New Advent web site, online at http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/1302.htm, accessed again October 29, 2010). In another context he suggests that the unmarried have more “leisure in the love of wisdom” (Confessions, Book VI, Chapter XII, sec. 21. According to Bruce M. Metzger and Roland E. Murphy, “The highest vocation is that of the scribe” and the wisdom with which the scribe is concerned is “the law, wisdom (i.e., the Writings), and prophecies; this reflects the threefold division of the Hebrew Bible (39:1-3; see also the Prologue by Ben Sira’s grandson)” (NOAB, 2nd ed., 1994, on Ecclus. 38:34b-39:11).
Much of this reading is about the value of various kinds of skilled workmanship and the artisans who do such work. Ben Sira speaks well of the farmer, but asks “How can one become wise who handles the plow, / and who glories in the shaft of a goad, / who drives oxen and is occupied with their work, / and whose talk is about bulls?” (Ecclus. 38:25). The farmer “sets his heart on plowing furrows, / and he is careful about fodder for the heifers” (v. 26). “So it is,” says Ben Sira, “with every artisan and master artisan / who labors by night as well as by day; / those who cut the signets of seals, / each is diligent in making a great variety; / they set their heart on painting a lifelike image, / and they are careful to finish their work” (v. 27). From a certain perspective, one might see this as high praise for artisans and craftsmen, but in this context, the praise is tempered by the comparison with the superior vocation of the “wisdom of the scribe” (v. 24). Similar reflections are presented on the work of the smith. “So it is with the smith, sitting by the anvil, / intent on his iron-work; / the breath of the fire melts his flesh, / and he struggles with the heat of the furnace; / the sound of the hammer deafens his ears, / and his eyes are on the pattern of the object. / He sets his heart on finishing his handiwork, / and he is careful to complete its decoration” (v. 28). Ben Sira’s next example is the potter. “So is it with is the potter sitting at his work / and turning the wheel with his feet; / he is always deeply concerned over his products, / and he produces them in quantity. / He molds the clay with his arm / and makes it pliable with his feet; / he sets his heart to finish the glazing, / and he takes care in firing the kiln” (vv. 29-30). Metzger and Murphy note that “various craftsmen [are] contrasted with the scribe, a student of divine wisdom. Sirach,” they say, “shows high regard for the farmer and seal-maker, the smith and the potter, and he describes their work with enthusiasm” (op. cit., on Ecclus. 38:24-39:11).
Ben Sira certainly takes note of the value of these craftsmen. “All these rely on their hands, / and all are skillful in their own work,” he says (Ecclus. 38:31). “Without them, he says, “no city can be inhabited, / and wherever they live, they will not go hungry” (vv. 32a, b). Yet they are not sought out for the council of the people,” says Ben Sira, nor do they attain eminence in the public assembly” (vv. 32c, 33a NRSV = v. 33a, b LXX and AV/KJV Apoc.). “They do not sit in the judge’s seat,” he adds, “nor do they understand the decisions of the courts; / they cannot expound discipline or judgment, / and they are not found among the rulers” (v. 33b, c, d, e NRSV = vv. 33c, d, 34a, b LXX = v. 33c, d, e, f AV/KJV Apoc). Although Ben Sira notes these limitations, he does concede that the artisans and craftsmen are essential in the civilized world. “But they maintain the fabric of the world,” he says, “and their concern is for the exercise of their trade” (v. 34a, b NRSV and AV/KJV Apoc. = v. 34c, d LXX). And the contrast is emphasized in the transition to the description of the work of the scribe. The final lines of this reading are just the beginning of Ben Sira’s praise of the scribe (continuing through 39:11). With these lines he anticipates the emphasis and value placed on the study of the Torah as wisdom in later Judaism. “How different [from the artisans is] the one who devotes himself / to the study of the law (nomos [= hr!OT, torah]) of the Most High!” (Ecclus. 38:34c, d NRSV = 39:1a, b LXX).
According to Burton L. Mack, revised by Benjamin G. Wright III, this poem
has been compared with the Egyptian Instruction of Duauf, sometimes called a ‘Satire on the Trades,’ which was written from the elitist perspective of the scribal vocation. Ben Sira’s poem does not, however, engage in satire. The crafts are set in contrast to the vocation of the scribe (vv. 24, 32-33) without ridicule. In fact, he notes in v. 34a that craftsmen maintain the fabric of the world. The point of contrast is that artisans must concentrate their attention upon their handiwork and therefore have no time for the pursuit of learning, which requires leisure. The examples given, farmer, artisan, smith, and potter, when combined with the mention of rulers, judges, scribes, and public assemblies, provide a sketch of the productive society of Ben Sira’s time. (HarperCollins Study Bible, rev. ed., 2006, on Ecclus. 38:24-34)
Zephaniah 1:7-13 (Presbyterian and Lutheran traditions–This passage is not included in the Daily Office Lectionary of the Book of Common Prayer.)
7 Be silent before the Lord GOD!
For the day of the LORD is at hand;
the LORD has prepared a sacrifice,
he has consecrated his guests.
8 And on the day of the LORD’s sacrifice
I will punish the officials and the king’s sons
and all who dress themselves in foreign attire.
9 On that day I will punish
all who leap over the threshold,
who fill their master’s house
with violence and fraud.
10 On that day, says the LORD,
a cry will be heard from the Fish Gate,
a wail from the Second Quarter,
a loud crash from the hills.
11 The inhabitants of the Mortar wail,
for all the traders have perished;
all who weigh out silver are cut off.
12 At that time
I will search
and I will punish the people
who rest complacently on their dregs,
those who say in their hearts,
“The LORD will not do good,
nor will he do harm.”
13 Their wealth shall be plundered,
and their houses laid waste.
Though they build houses,
they shall not inhabit them;
though they plant vineyards,
they shall not drink wine from them. (Zephaniah 1:7-13, NRSV)
The following comments are repeated here from November 3, 2008 (Monday in the week of the Sunday closest to November 2, Year Two), when comments were repeated with editing and supplement from November 6, 2006 (Monday in the week of the Sunday closest to November 2, Year Two):
Following the apparent threat of “universal destruction” announced by the prophet Zephaniah in yesterday’s reading (cf. Gregory Mobley’s subtitle, NOAB, 3rd ed., augmented, 2007, on Zeph. 1:2-6), in today’s reading the prophet announces, “Be silent before the Lord GOD (hv9hy4 yn!doxE, ’ adÇn~y YHWH)! / For the day of the LORD (hv!hy4, YHWH) is at hand (Zeph. 1:7a, b). On this day “the LORD has prepared a sacrifice, / he has consecrated his guests” (v. 7c, d). This sacrifice, say R. Lansing Hicks and Walter Brueggemann, is “a slaughter of sinners” (NOAB, 2nd ed., 1994 on Zeph. 1:7). Ehud Ben Zvi comments on the recent Jewish translation: “For the LORD has prepared a sacrificial feast [‘i.e., a slaughter of sinners,’ text note b], / Has bidden His guests purify themselves” (NJPS 1985, 1999). “The last two lines in the v.,” he says, “can be translated as ‘the LORD has prepared a sacrifice; he has consecrated those he has invited’ [cf. ‘guests’ NRSV]. This translation communicates better the double entendre of the Heb. Are the guests consecrated so they can take part in the sacrificial meal? Or, are they consecrated because they are about to be slaughtered for the meal? Are they going to be at the meal, or be the ‘meal’? The Heb. is likely intentionally ambiguous” (The Jewish Study Bible, 2004, on Zeph. 1:7).
“And on the day of the LORD’s sacrifice,” says Zephaniah, “I will punish the officials and the king’s sons and all who dress themselves in foreign attire” (v. 8). “King’s sons,” says Ben Zvi, “refers to the royal family in general, and perhaps even to royal officers; in other words, to the elite of the kingdom, which was understood as the ‘king’s house(hold)’ over which the king rules as a ‘father’ ” (ibid., on v. 8). Punishment will extend to “all who leap over the threshold” (v. 9b), “a pagan religious practice,” say Hicks and Brueggemann (op. cit., on v. 9 with ref. to 1 Sam. 5:5). Gregory Mobley calls it “a Philistine rite” (NOAB, 3rd ed., augmented, 2007, on v. 9). These sinners are charged with “violence and fraud” (v. 9d). Ben Zvi takes note of this interpretation as a pagan, Philistine rite (“e.g., Targum, and most of recent scholarship”), but also of a second interpretation, according to which “everyone who steps [‘all who leap’ NRSV] over the threshold . . . points to social injustice, oppression, and thievery (e.g., Radak; Ibn Ezra)” (op. cit., on v. 9).
The punishments are described in graphic detail. Wailing and
crying will be heard from various locations in
Revelation 14:1-13
The Lamb and the 144,000
14:1
Then I looked, and there was the Lamb, standing on
The Messages of the Three Angels
6 Then I saw another angel flying in midheaven, with an eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth–to every nation and tribe and language and people. 7 He said in a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory, for the hour of his judgment has come; and worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water.”
8
Then another angel, a second, followed, saying, “Fallen, fallen is
9 Then another angel, a third, followed them, crying with a loud voice, “Those who worship the beast and its image, and receive a mark on their foreheads or on their hands, 10 they will also drink the wine of God’s wrath, poured unmixed into the cup of his anger, and they will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. 11 And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever. There is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and its image and for anyone who receives the mark of its name.”
12 Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and hold fast to the faith of Jesus.
13 And I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who from now on die in the Lord.” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them.” (Revelation 14:1-13, NRSV)
The following comments are repeated here from November 5, 2009 (Thursday in the week of the Sunday closest to November 2, Year One), when they were repeated with editing and supplement from September 7, 2008 (the Sunday closest to September 7, Year Two), when the reading was Revelation 14:1-7, 13, and comments were repeated with editing and supplement from comments of November 8, 2007 (Thursday in the week of the Sunday closest to November 2, Year One), when comments were repeated from November 6, 2006 (Monday in the week of the Sunday closest to November 2, Year Two), when comments were combined with revision and supplement from November 1, 2004 (Monday of the week of the Sunday closest to November 2, Year Two), from November 3, 2005 (Thursday of the week of the Sunday closest to November 2, Year One), and from September 10, 2006 (the Sunday closest to Sept. 7, Year Two).
Earlier in Revelation, war broke out in heaven, and “the
great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and
Satan, the deceiver of the whole world–he was thrown down to the earth, and his
angels were thrown down with him” (Rev. 12:9). This conflict continues in
chapters 12 and 13, but encouragement is provided by the visions of chapter
fourteen, that Jean-Pierre Ruiz calls “a series of three visions intended to
reassure the faithful of ultimate victory and vindication” (NOAB, 3rd
ed., augmented, 2007, on Rev. 14:1-20; cf. Bruce M. Metzger, NOAB, 2nd
ed., 1994, on Rev. 14:1-20). John “looked, and there was the Lamb, standing on
In the present chapter these verses (14:1-5) set the scene for three visions introduced by three angels. Introducing the first, John says, “then I saw another angel flying in midheaven, with an eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth–to every nation and tribe and language and people” (v. 6). Ruiz compares the flight of the eagle “in midheaven,” crying “Woe, woe, woe to the inhabitants of the earth” (8:13; op. cit., on 14:6). According to Aune, the “eternal gospel” here is “not the saving message of Jesus’ death and resurrection, but the message referred to in v. 7” (op. cit., on v. 6). “He [the angel] said in a loud voice, ‘Fear God and give him glory, for the hour of his judgment has come; and worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water’ ” (v. 7). According to Ruiz, “worship” here “acknowledges God’s cosmic sovereignty as Creator” (op. cit., on v. 7).
We meet a second angel. “Then another angel, a second,
followed, saying, ‘Fallen, fallen is
The third angel warns against worshiping “the beast” or receiving his “mark”: “Those who worship the beast and its image, and receive a mark on their foreheads or on their hands, they will also drink the wine of God's wrath, poured unmixed into the cup of his anger, and they will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb” (vv. 9-10). For “wine of God’s wrath,” Metzger refers to Jer. 25:15-16; 51:7, and for “tormented with fire,” he explains, “in Gehenna (see 19:20n; 20:10). In the note on 19:20, he says, “the lake of fire [19:20] is Gehenna” (op. cit., on 14:10 and 19:20). Earlier, we have been told that the second beast “causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, so that no one can buy or sell who does not have the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name” (13:16-17). Aune comments: “Marked [means] branded or tattooed as a mark of ownership and devotion to the beast (tattooing was used to identify slaves in the ancient world); this marking is a counterpart to the sealing of Christians with the name of God [cf. 7:3]” (op. cit., on 14:9). “And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever,” says the third angel. “There is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and its image and for anyone who receives the mark of its name” (v. 11).
John inserts an admonition at this point. “Here,” he says, “is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and hold fast to the faith of Jesus (th;n pivstin =Ihsou:, t‘n pistin I‘sou)” (v. 12). The NRSV text note s says, “Or to their faith in [Jesus],” which would imply that the genitive case of =Ihsou: (I‘sou) is objective, one’s faith is put in Jesus, rather than, say subjective genitive, implying that one holds fast to the “faithfulness” (another meaning of pivstiV, pistis) of Jesus. G. K. Beale says, “=Ihsou: [I‘sou, ‘of Jesus’] is a genitive of source, so that th;n pivstin =Ihsou: [t‘n pistin I‘sou] is best rendered ‘faith from Jesus’ (though objective genitive, ‘faith in Jesus,’ is possible and is preferred by most commentators)” (The Book of Revelation; A Commentary on the Greek Text, NIGTC, 1999, p. 766, on Rev. 14:12). “This refers,” he adds, “specifically to the objective gospel traditions having their origin in Jesus, since it is parallel with the preceding ‘commandments from God’ (ta;V ejntola;V tou: qeou: [tas entolas tou theou]; cf. 1:9)” (ibid.). In fact, says Beale,
That pivstiV [pistis] refers to the doctrinal content of the Christian faith (cf. Jude 3) is further evident from 2:13, where the word occurs with the same meaning. In fact, ‘keeping the faith of Jesus’ (oiJ throu:nteV . . . th;n pivstin =Ihsou: [hoi t‘rountes . . . t‘n pistin I‘sou]) is synonymous with ‘not denying my faith’ in 2:13 (oujk hjrnhvsw th;n pivstin mou [ouk ‘rn‘sÇ t‘n pistin mou]). In that parallel and the one in 12:17 the genitives ‘my’ and ‘of Jesus’ may be intentionally ambiguous (objective genitive and genitive of source). The same ambiguity may occur here . . .Therefore, the ideas of ‘faith from Jesus’ and ‘faith in Jesus’ could both be included. (ibid., pp. 766-767)
And John says, “I heard a voice from heaven saying ‘Write this: Blessed are the dead who from now on die in the Lord.’ ‘Yes,’ says the Spirit, ‘They will rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them’ ” (v. 13). This, according to Metzger, is the second “of seven beatitudes in Revelation,” that is, 1:3; 14:13; 16:15: 19:9; 20:6; 22:7, 14 (op. cit., on Rev. 1:3 with reference at 14:13). These beatitudes [i.e., blessings] are “pronounced upon the reader of this prophetic book in services of worship and upon the listening worshipers who heed its message” (ibid.; cf. Ruiz, op. cit., on Rev. 1:3). As for “their deeds” in 14:13, Metzger defines them as “the fruits of Christian character (Gal. 5:22-23)” (ibid., on 14:13). William Barclay sees here a promise “of rest” for “the dead who die in the Lord.,” a concept that he finds frequently in the New Testament (e.g. 1 Thess. 4:16; 1 Cor. 15:18) (The Revelation of John, vol. 2, The Daily Study Bible Series, rev. ed., 1976, pp. 113-114, on Rev. 14:13).
The promise is of rest. . . .
Their works [‘deeds’ NRSV] follow
them–at first this sounds as if the Revelation is preaching salvation by
works. But we have to be careful what John means by works. He speaks of the
works of the Ephesians–their labour and their patience (2:2); he speaks of the
works of the Thyatirans–their charity and their service and their faith (2:19).
By works he means character. He is in effect saying: ‘When you leave
this earth, all that you can take with you is yourself. If you come to the end
of this life still one with Christ, you will take with you a character tried
and tested like gold, which has something of his reflection in it; and, if you
take with you to the world beyond a character like that, blessed are you.
(ibid., p. 114)
Luke 12:49-59
Jesus the Cause of Division (Mt 10.34-39)
49 “I came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! 50 I have a baptism with which to be baptized, and what stress I am under until it is completed! 51 Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division! 52 From now on five in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three; 53 they will be divided:
father against son
and son against father,
mother against daughter
and daughter against mother,
mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law
and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”
Interpreting the Time (Mt 16.1-4)
54 He also said to the crowds, “When you see a cloud rising in the west, you immediately say, ‘It is going to rain’; and so it happens. 55 And when you see the south wind blowing, you say, ‘There will be scorching heat’; and it happens. 56 You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time?
Settling with Your Opponent
57 “And why do you not judge for yourselves what is right? 58 Thus, when you go with your accuser before a magistrate, on the way make an effort to settle the case, or you may be dragged before the judge, and the judge hand you over to the officer, and the officer throw you in prison. 59 I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the very last penny.” (Luke 12:49-59, NRSV)
The following comments are repeated here with editing and supplement from June 20, 2010 (the Sunday closest to June 22, Year Two), when comments were repeated from November 3, 2008 (Monday in the week of the Sunday closest to November 2, Year Two), when the reading was Luke 12:39-59 and comments were repeated from June 22, 2008 (the Sunday closest to June 22, Year Two), when comments were repeated from November 6, 2006 (Monday in the week of the Sunday closest to November 2, Year Two), comments that were combined with revision and supplement from November 1, 2004 (Monday of the week of the Sunday closest to November 2, Year Two), and from June 25, 2006 (the third Sunday after Pentecost, Year Two).
Today’s reading includes two paragraphs from Luke that have parallels in Matthew, but not in Mark or John. A question about the disciples being “baptized that I [Jesus] am baptized with” (Mk. 10:38; cf. Lk 12:50) comes in a different context in Mark (cf. Mk. 10:35-45; Mt. 20:20-28). For parallel passages for the present reading, see the separate file, Divisions within Households, Interpreting the Times, Agreeing with One’s Accuser. The consecutive paragraphs in Luke have parallels in Matthew from different contexts. On the theory–a probable theory–that Matthew and Luke draw on a separate source (Q) in addition to their respective uses of Mark, we can observe here how Matthew apparently separated these paragraphs from the sequence represented by Luke due to his [Matthew’s] topical arrangement of material.
In
Luke's Gospel, Jesus speaks of the end of the age. “I came to bring fire to the
earth,” he says, “and how I wish it were already kindled!” (Lk. 12:49. “I have
a baptism with which to be baptized,” he adds, “and what stress I am under
until it is completed!” (Lk. 12:50; cf. Mk. 10:38). According to David L.
Tiede, in this passage (Lk. 12:49-56), “Jesus defines his ministry in terms of
division and judgment” (HarperCollins Study Bible, 1st ed.,
1993, on Lk. 12:49-56). The “fire” (v. 49) is “a symbol of judgment” (Marion
Lloyd Soards, NOAB, 3rd ed., augmented, 2007, on Lk. 12:49).
The “baptism” with which Jesus is “to be baptized,” according to Tiede, is
“here meant figuratively [and] probably refers to his death” (op. cit., on v.
50; so Soards, op. cit., on v. 50). “Do you think that I have come to bring
peace to the earth?” asks Jesus rhetorically. And the point is made. “No, I
tell you, but rather division (diamerismovV, diamerismos)!”
(Lk. 12:51). The etymology of the word translated “division” would suggest
literally, separation into parts. Fredrick William Danker defines it here as “dissension,
of taking sides in a controversy” (The
Concise Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, 2009, s.v. diamerismovV, diamerismos). Matthew’s equivalent is a statement, not a rhetorical
question. “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have
not come to bring peace but a sword” (Mt. 10:34). In both Gospels, the
statement is explained as division of households. “From now on,” says Jesus in
Luke, “five in one household will be divided, three against two and tw against
three; they will be divided:
father
against son/ and son against father,
mother
against daughter / and daughter against mother,
mother-in-law
against her daughter-in law
and
daughter-in-law against mother-in-law”(Lk. 12:52-53).
Matthew offers a simpler version: “For I have come to set a man against his father, / and a daughter against her mother, / and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and one’s foes will be members of one’s own household” (Mt. 10:35-36). Such sayings relate to the unique circumstances of the coming spiritual crisis. The sayings which put family members against one another (Lk. 12:53; cf. Mt. 10:35-36) suggest heart-wrenching divisions within families, but “sword” suggests war. It’s surely a symbol for the disruptions caused by the Gospel, and perhaps Luke’s term “division” is an interpretation. According to Tiede, “The promise of peace . . . becomes a threat of division if the Messiah is rejected” (ibid., on Lk. 12:51). The related sayings from the Gospel of Thomas (in the separate file, Divisions within Households, Interpreting the Times, Agreeing with One’s Accuser) refer to “fire upon the world” (GT 10), to divisions among peoples, that is “divisions upon the earth, fire, sword [and] war,” and among families (GT 16). These sayings are neither clearly apocalyptic, nor clearly–as some have characterized the Gospel of Thomas–Gnostic. Other Gospel of Thomas sayings do give evidence of Gnostic leanings, for example
Jesus saw children that were being suckled. He said to his disciples (mathētēs): These children being suckled are like those who enter the kingdom. They said to him, If we are children, shall we enter the kingdom? Jesus said to them: When (hotan) you make the two one, and make the inside like the outside, and the outside like the inside, and the upper side like the under side, and when you make the male and the female into a single one, so that the male will not be male and the female will <not> be female; when (hotan) you make eyes in place of an eye, and a hand in place of a hand, and a foot in place of a foot, an image (eikōn) in place of an image (eikōn), then (tote) you shall enter [the kingdom]. (GT 22, trans., Bruce M. Metzger)
As noted above, the sayings on interpreting the
times (Lk. 12:54-56; Mt. 16:2-3) are found in different contexts. It appears
here that Matthew and Luke have used common sayings of Jesus material each in
his own context. According to Luke, Jesus “also said to the crowds, ‘When you
see a cloud rising in the west, you immediately say, “It is going to rain”; and
so it happens. And when you see the south wind blowing, you say, “There will be
scorching heat”; and it happens’ ” (Lk. 12:54-55). In Matthew, Jesus
answers “them” (i.e., “the Pharisees and Sadducees [who] came, and to test
Jesus . . . asked him to show them a sign from heaven” (Mt.
16:1). According to Dennis C. Duling, “the desire to test suggests hostile intent (see, e.g., [Mt.] 4:1; 12:14; 19:3;
22:15, 35)” (The HarperCollins Study
Bible, rev. ed., 2006, on Mt. 16:1). In citing Jesus’ interpretation, Luke
appears to attribute the same hostile intent to the crowds, but the difference
may be attributed to the evangelists’ respective uses of the tradition. “You
hypocrites!” says Jesus in Luke. “You know how to interpret the appearance of
the earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time?”
(Lk. 12:56). Matthew’s version lacks the reference to “hypocrites” here, but
has already suggested hostile intent, as noted above. “You know how to
interpret the appearance of the sky,” says Jesus, “but you cannot interpret the
signs of the times” (Mt. 16:3b). In the similar saying in the Gospel of Thomas,
the reference to testing “this time” (kairos)
is not clearly eschatological, as one might expect. “They said to him: Tell us
who you are, so that we may believe (pisteuein) in you, He said to them:
You test (peirazein) the face of the heaven and the earth, and you have
not known what is before you; and you do not know (how) to test (peirazein)
this time (kairos). (GT 91, trans. Bruce M. Metzger). In our day, we
have come to marvel at technology-based weather forecasting. But how well does
our spiritual forecasting work?
Luke
continues with Jesus’ reference to settling debts before they lead to
imprisonment. “And why do you not judge for yourselves what is right? Thus,
when you go with your accuser before a magistrate, on the way make an effort to
settle the case, or you may be dragged before the judge and the judge hand you
over to the officer, and the officer throw you in prison” (Lk. 12:57, 58a).
According to
Get
matters right with your adversary before the judge sends you to prison. This
may be taken to mean settling accounts with the devil (Klostermann) or with God
(Schulz, 423f.) or with one’s fellowmen before it is too late—too late either
because death puts an end to the possibility (G. Klein*, 381) or because of the
final nature of God’s judgment. It may be wrong to try to press the details of
the parable allegorically in order to get a clear interpretation of it. In Mt.,
however, it is clear that the parable is applied to the possibility of a person
who has been wronged rising up at the last judgment to confront his opponent
(Schniewind, Matthäus, 61f.). This
may well be the original sense of the parable, although it has been generalized
in Lk. to apply to readiness for the last judgment (cf. Kümmel, 56, who holds,
however, that Matthew has turned the parable into a prudential, ethical maxim).
Klein’s particular application of the parable to the situation of division in
12:51-53 is artificial, and is unlikely to represent Luke’s view of the
connection. (ibid.)
As noted above, for the Lutheran
Ronald D. Worden, Ph.D.