BCP Daily Office Lectionary for Nov. 5, 2004
Source: http://www.satucket.com/lectionary/index.htm
Morning Psalm(s): AM Psalm 69:1-23(24-30)31-38 [Presbyterian: 51:1-19]
Evening Psalm(s) PM Psalm 73 [Presbyterian: 142:1-7]
Old Testament: Ecclus. 50:1,11-24 [Presbyterian: Zephaniah 3:8-13]
Epistle: Rev. 17:1-18
Gospel Luke 13:31-35
Presbyterian Readings for the current day:
http://www.pcusa.org/cgi-bin/lectiond.cgi
Ben Sira concludes his long list of the "praises of famous men" with reference to Simon son of Onias, who was the high priest in Jerusalem from 219 to 196 B.C. Simon "in his life repaired the house [i.e. the temple], and in his time fortified the temple" (Ecclus. 50:1). The synonymous parallelism, a common feature of Hebrew poetry, explains the double reference to the temple. The reading skips over details of Simon's building and fortifying activities to his priestly service at the altars in respect to the daily whole offering (vv. 12-21). "Finishing the service at the altars,/and arranging the offering to the Most High, the Almighty,/he held out his hand for the cup/and poured a drink offering of the blood of the grape;/he poured it out at the foot of the altar,,/a pleasing odor to the Most High, the king of all" (vv. 14-15). Others participate in the ceremony, and Simon closes the service with a blessing (vv. 20-21). Simon was a contemporary of Ben Sira, so one wonders whether the list of heroes breaks off here because Ben Sira anticipated subsequent developments with disapproval. A later Simon, Simon Maccabeus, was acknowledged as the Jewish High Priest by the foreign (Hellenistic Syrian) rulers, but rejected bo some, including those who wrote the Dead Sea Scrolls
In chapter seventeen, John describes "Babylon the great, mother of whores and of earth's abominations" (v. 5) "sitting on a scarlet beast that was full of blasphemous names" (v. 3). According to Bruce M. Metzger (NOAB) the Scarlet Beast is the Roman Empire, who "combines the powers of the four beasts of Dan., ch. 7" (Rev. 13:1-10). The blasphemous names (Rev. 17:3) are "divine titles given to Roman emperors." The beast who "was, and is not, and is about to ascend from the bottomless pit and go to destruction" (v. 8) "represents the Emperor Nero [who died in A.D. 68], commonly expected to return to life and power (v. 11)" (Metzger).
Jesus is warned by Pharisees: "Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you" (Lk. 13:31). Anticipating his passion in Jerusalem, Jesus says, "Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! See, your house is left to you. And I tell you, you will not see me until the time comes when you say, ‘Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord'" (34-35). He regretfully anticipates rejection.
Ronald D. Worden