The following are the readings for the Seventh Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 13), July 31, according to the Revised Common (RCL), Episcopal (ECUSA), Roman Catholic, Canadian BAS, and the Church of England (Common Worship) lectionaries. All readings are taken from the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) of the Bible. Unless noted otherwise, the ECUSA, Canadian and C of E lectionaries are identical to the RCL for this day. Throughout Pentecost the alternate RCL Psalm would normally be used with the alternate RCL O. T. reading. Note also that the Canadian RCL does not have the alternative readings.
The readings are posted on our web site: http://satucket.com/lectionary, in RTF format, which can be read by all word processors.
OLD TESTAMENT: Genesis 32: 22 - 31 (RCL)
Gene 32:22 (NRSV) The same night he got up and took his two wives, his two maids, and his eleven children, and crossed the ford of the Jab'bok. 23 He took them and sent them across the stream, and likewise everything that he had. 24 Jacob was left alone; and a man wrestled with him until daybreak. 25 When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he struck him on the hip socket; and Jacob's hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. 26 Then he said, "Let me go, for the day is breaking." But Jacob said, "I will not let you go, unless you bless me." 27 So he said to him, "What is your name?" And he said, "Jacob." 28 Then the man said, "You shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with humans, and have prevailed." 29 Then Jacob asked him, "Please tell me your name." But he said, "Why is it that you ask my name?" And there he blessed him. 30 So Jacob called the place Peni'el, saying, "For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life is preserved." 31 The sun rose upon him as he passed Penu'el, limping because of his hip.
Isaiah 55: 1 - 5 (alt. for RCL)
Isaiah 55: 1 - 3 (Roman Catholic)
Isai 55:1 (NRSV) Ho, everyone who thirsts,
come to the waters;
and you that have no money,
come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without price.
2 Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread,
and your labor for that which does not satisfy?
Listen carefully to me, and eat what is good,
and delight yourselves in rich food.
3 Incline your ear, and come to me;
listen, so that you may live.
I will make with you an everlasting covenant,
my steadfast, sure love for David.
4 See, I made him a witness to the peoples,
a leader and commander for the peoples.
5 See, you shall call nations that you do not know,
and nations that do not know you shall run to you,
because of the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel,
for he has glorified you.
PSALM 17: 1 - 7, 15 (RCL)
Psal 17:1 (NRSV) Hear a just cause, O LORD; attend to my cry;
give ear to my prayer from lips free of deceit.
2 From you let my vindication come;
let your eyes see the right.
3 If you try my heart, if you visit me by night,
if you test me, you will find no wickedness in me;
my mouth does not transgress.
4 As for what others do, by the word of your lips
I have avoided the ways of the violent.
5 My steps have held fast to your paths;
my feet have not slipped.
6 I call upon you, for you will answer me, O God;
incline your ear to me, hear my words.
7 Wondrously show your steadfast love,
O savior of those who seek refuge
from their adversaries at your right hand.
15 As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness;
when I awake I shall be satisfied, beholding your likeness.
Note: Verse numbering in your Psalter may differ from the above
17 Exaudi, Domine (ECUSA BCP)
1 Hear my plea of innocence, O LORD;
give heed to my cry; *
listen to my prayer, which does not come from lying lips.
2 Let my vindication come forth from your presence; *
let your eyes be fixed on justice.
3 Weigh my heart, summon me by night, *
melt me down; you will find no impurity in me.
4 I give no offense with my mouth as others do; *
I have heeded the words of your lips.
5 My footsteps hold fast to the ways of your law; *
in your paths my feet shall not stumble.
6 I call upon you, O God, for you will answer me; *
incline your ear to me and hear my words.
7 Show me your marvelous loving-kindness, *
O Savior of those who take refuge at your right hand
from those who rise up against them.
16 But at my vindication I shall see your face; *
when I awake, I shall be satisfied, beholding
your likeness.
Psalm 145: 8 - 9, 14 - 21 (alt. for RCL)
Psalm 145: 8 - 9, 15 - 18 (Roman Catholic)
Psal 145:8 (NRSV) The LORD is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
9 The LORD is good to all,
and his compassion is over all that he has made.
14 The LORD upholds all who are falling,
and raises up all who are bowed down.
15 The eyes of all look to you,
and you give them their food in due season.
16 You open your hand,
satisfying the desire of every living thing.
17 The LORD is just in all his ways,
and kind in all his doings.
18 The LORD is near to all who call on him,
to all who call on him in truth.
19 He fulfills the desire of all who fear him;
he also hears their cry, and saves them.
20 The LORD watches over all who love him,
but all the wicked he will destroy.
21 My mouth will speak the praise of the LORD,
and all flesh will bless his holy name forever and ever.
Note: Verse numbering in your Psalter may differ from the above
145 Exaltabo te, Deus (ECUSA BCP)
8 The LORD is gracious and full of compassion, *
slow to anger and of great kindness.
9 The LORD is loving to everyone *
and his compassion is over all his works.
14 The LORD is faithful in all his words *
and merciful in all his deeds.
15 The LORD upholds all those who fall; *
he lifts up those who are bowed down.
16 The eyes of all wait upon you, O LORD, *
and you give them their food in due season.
17 You open wide your hand *
and satisfy the needs of every living creature.
18 The LORD is righteous in all his ways *
and loving in all his works.
19 The LORD is near to those who call upon him, *
to all who call upon him faithfully.
20 He fulfills the desire of those who fear him; *
he hears their cry and helps them.
21 The LORD preserves all those who love him, *
but he destroys all the wicked.
22 My mouth shall speak the praise of the LORD; *
let all flesh bless his holy Name for ever and ever.
NEW TESTAMENT: Romans 9: 1 - 5 (RCL)
Roma 9:1 (NRSV) I am speaking the truth in Christ--I am not lying; my conscience confirms it by the Holy Spirit-- 2 I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. 3 For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my own people, my kindred according to the flesh. 4 They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises; 5 to them belong the patriarchs, and from them, according to the flesh, comes the Messiah, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen.
h/t montreal Anglican
Paul has written of the new way of being we have in Christ, in the love of God, aided by the Holy Spirit, with the certain hope of eternal life – while others continually alienate themselves from God and face the finality of physical death. We are adopted children of God, and so will attain complete oneness with him, sharing in his power (glory).
Now he confronts a worrying question: why have most Jews rejected the good news? This causes Paul, as a follower of Christ, great pain. Perhaps some thought him insensitive to the plight of his fellow Jews, but the “Holy Spirit”, within him, “confirms” that he really cares. He would even be willing to be “cut off from Christ” (v. 3), be condemned to damnation, for the sake of bringing his fellow Jews to Christ. They are “Israelites” (v. 4) – a title given to them by God. They have seven gifts from God:
• “adoption”, being chosen as children of God;
• “glory”, God’s presence in the desert and in the Temple;
• the “covenants” of God with the patriarchs;
• “the giving of the law”, the expression of God’s will at Sinai;
• temple “worship”;
• “the promises” to Adam, Noah, Moses and David; and
• a heritage still in effect, of worshipping the God of their fathers, “the patriarchs” (v. 5, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob).
There is an eighth gift, the greatest: Jesus, who was born a Jew. But they fail to recognize him for who he is: the “Messiah”, the Christ. Paul’s basic answer is in vv. 6-18: God, not humans, choses through whom he works to bring about his plan of salvation, as the Old Testament shows. God decided that the lineage of Israel, his people, would be through Isaac and Jacob, not through Ishmael and Esau.
The problem of Israel’s unbelief. [NOAB]
Verse 1: “confirms it”: or bears witness in. [BlkRom]
Verse 3: Paul echoes Moses’ prayer for the unruly Israelites in Exodus 32:32 [NJBC]. There Moses asks God that if he will not “forgive their sin” he may be blotted “out of the book that you have written”.
Verse 3: “accursed”: The Greek word is anathema, meaning banned. It also occurs in 1 Corinthians 16:22 and Galatians 1:8-9. [BlkRom]
Verse 4: “Israelites”: The title Israel is given to Jacob, and hence to his descendants, as God's people, in Genesis 32:28. In 2 Corinthians 11:22, Paul says: “Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they descendants of Abraham? So am I”. [NJBC]
Verse 4: “adoption”: For the adoption of Israel as the “son of God” see Exodus 4:22; Deuteronomy 14:1; Jeremiah 3:19; Hosea 11:1. For the adoption of Christians, see Romans 8:15, 23. Because adoption was not common in Israel, the Greek word for it is not found in the Septuagint translation. Paul borrowed the term from contemporary legal language. [NJBC]
Verse 4: “glory”: See Exodus 16:10-11 (God appears in a cloud); 24:16-17; 33:18 (Moses); 40:34-35 (the tabernacle); Leviticus 9:6, 23; Numbers 14:10 (at the tent of meeting), 21 (all the earth shall see it); 16:19; 1 Kings 8:10-11 (“the house of the LORD”). For the glory to which Christians will be admitted, see Romans 2:7; 5:2. [NJBC]
Verse 4: “covenants”: See Genesis 6:18 (Noah); 9:9; 15:17-21 (Abraham); 17:2 (Abraham, Isaac and Jacob), 7, 9; 21:27; 26:28; Exodus 2:24; 19:5; 2 Samuel 7:5-6; 23:5 (David); Sirach 44:12, 18. BlkRom considers it more likely that Paul, with other Jewish writers, is referring to the three covenants in the great covenant of Exodus: at Horeb (Deuteronomy 29:1), in the plains of Moab, and at mounts Gerizim and Ebal. NJBC notes that while the plural form (covenants) is found in many manuscripts, some important manuscripts read the singular; in this case, Paul refers to the pact of Sinai.
Verse 4: “the giving of the law”: The giving of the Ten Commandments is found in Exodus 20:1-17 and Deuteronomy 5:1-33. [NOAB]
Verse 4: “the promises”: See Genesis 12:2; 21:12 (to Abraham); Deuteronomy 18:18-19 (to Moses); 2 Samuel 7 (to David). It is possible that Paul is speaking of messianic promises. [BlkRom] [NJBC]
Verse 5: “the patriarchs”: i.e. Abraham, Isaac and Jacob plus possibly the sons of Jacob and David. [CAB] In 11:28, they are named as Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
Verse 5 “according to the flesh”: i.e. by physical descent.
Verse 5: “Messiah, who is over all, God blessed forever”: In a footnote the NRSV offers two other translations:
• “Messiah, who is God over all, blessed forever” and
• “Messiah. May he who is God over all be blessed forever”.
Whether Christ is called God here depends on the punctuation one inserts. [CAB]
Verses 6-7: God chose Isaac not Ishmael: see Genesis 21:12. Paul uses the same argument in Galatians 4:21-31.
Verse 9: God chose Sarah, not Hagar: see Genesis 18:10, 14. [NOAB]
Verses 10-12: See Genesis 25:21, 23. [NJBC]
Verse 13: The quotation is from Malachi 1:2-3. [NOAB]
Verse 15: The quotation is Exodus 33:19. [NOAB]
Verse 17: The quotation is based on Exodus 9:16.
Verse 18: Israel’s election, like God’s justification of the ungodly, rests in the sovereign will of God and in God’s freedom towards his creation.
Verse 18: “hardens the heart”: At times, the hardening of Pharaoh’s heart is ascribed at times to God (see Exodus 4:21; 7:3; 9:12) and at times to Pharaoh himself (see Exodus 7:14; 8:15, 19, 32). [NJBC]
GOSPEL: Matthew 14: 13 - 21 (all)
Matt 14:13 (NRSV) Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a deserted place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. 14 When he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them and cured their sick. 15 When it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, "This is a deserted place, and the hour is now late; send the crowds away so that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves." 16 Jesus said to them, "They need not go away; you give them something to eat." 17 They replied, "We have nothing here but five loaves and two fish." 18 And he said, "Bring them here to me." 19 Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. 20 And all ate and were filled; and they took up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve baskets full. 21 And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.
h/t montreal Anglican
Matthew has told us of the beheading of John the Baptist – killed because he denounced Herod Antipas’ marriage to his brother Philip’s wife when Philip was still alive (a violation of Jewish law).
This is a story of a miracle, but which miracle? The obvious answer is the multiplication of the loaves and fishes, but there is perhaps another miracle here. Matthew places this story in a section of the gospel about training the disciples for their mission, so perhaps Jesus is teaching them about what they can do. (A peasant in Palestine, then and now, travelled with food.) Jesus says to his disciples “you give them something to eat” (v. 16). He is saying: you have the resources to solve this problem! Take the initiative! Be leaders!
In v. 19, we have a reminder of the Last Supper, the eucharistic feast, and of the messianic feast at the end of time. Jesus takes bread, recognizes it as the Father's gift (“looked up to heaven”), blesses it, breaks it, and gives it, distributes it. Then, in v. 20, we see another level to the story. The disciples get everyone to work together to a common purpose. All are “filled” and much is left over: a basket for each disciple. Each of them has a mission to perform, one of telling the good news of the infinite abundance of God's love, which all can eat.
Verse 13: “this”: Clearly John’s death, not Herod’s misunderstanding of whom Jesus is – as is shown by the Marcan parallel.
Verse 14: “cured their sick”: In Mark, Jesus’ compassion leads to teaching, not healing. [NJBC]
Verse 15: “deserted place”: The Greek word, eremos, is translated as desolate by BlkMt. It is rendered as wilderness in11:7 and as desert place in 24:26. Such translations make the Feedings of the Five Thousand even more dramatic.
Verse 19: “blessed ... broke ... gave”: The ritual of the daily Jewish meal, but also points forward to the Last Supper. [NJBC]
Verse 19: “the disciples gave them to the crowds”: The disciples mediate between Jesus and the crowds. [NJBC]
Verse 20: The crowds represent all Israel. The “twelve baskets” represent the twelve tribes of Israel under the twelve disciples. [NJBC] In 19:28, Jesus says “‘Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man is seated on the throne of his glory, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.’”
Verse 21: The men, and women and children, sat separately, per tradition.
The feeding stories echo Exodus 16 and Numbers 11 (manna and quail), as well as 2 Kings 4:1-7, 42-44 (Elisha multiplying oil and bread for the widow). [NJBC]
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Thursday, July 21, 2011
OLD TESTAMENT: Genesis 29: 15 - 28 (RCL)
Gene 29:15 (NRSV) Then La'ban said to Jacob, "Because you are my kinsman, should you therefore serve me for nothing? Tell me, what shall your wages be?" 16 Now La'ban had two daughters; the name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. 17 Leah's eyes were lovely, and Rachel was graceful and beautiful. 18 Jacob loved Rachel; so he said, "I will serve you seven years for your younger daughter Rachel." 19 La'ban said, "It is better that I give her to you than that I should give her to any other man; stay with me." 20 So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed to him but a few days because of the love he had for her.
21 Then Jacob said to La'ban, "Give me my wife that I may go in to her, for my time is completed." 22 So La'ban gathered together all the people of the place, and made a feast. 23 But in the evening he took his daughter Leah and brought her to Jacob; and he went in to her. 24 (La'ban gave his maid Zil'pah to his daughter Leah to be her maid.) 25 When morning came, it was Leah! And Jacob said to La'ban, "What is this you have done to me? Did I not serve with you for Rachel? Why then have you deceived me?" 26 La'ban said, "This is not done in our country--giving the younger before the firstborn. 27 Complete the week of this one, and we will give you the other also in return for serving me another seven years." 28 Jacob did so, and completed her week; then La'ban gave him his daughter Rachel as a wife.
1 Kings 3: 5 - 12 (alt. for RCL)
1 Kings 3: 5, 7 - 12 (Roman Catholic)
1Kin 3:5 (NRSV) At Gib'eon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, "Ask what I should give you." 6 And Solomon said, "You have shown great and steadfast love to your servant my father David, because he walked before you in faithfulness, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart toward you; and you have kept for him this great and steadfast love, and have given him a son to sit on his throne today. 7 And now, O LORD my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David, although I am only a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in. 8 And your servant is in the midst of the people whom you have chosen, a great people, so numerous they cannot be numbered or counted. 9 Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, able to discern between good and evil; for who can govern this your great people?"
10 It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this. 11 God said to him, "Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches, or for the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, 12 I now do according to your word. Indeed I give you a wise and discerning mind; no one like you has been before you and no one like you shall arise after you.
PSALM 105: 1 - 11, 45b (RCL)
Psal 105:1 (NRSV) O give thanks to the LORD, call on his name,
make known his deeds among the peoples.
2 Sing to him, sing praises to him;
tell of all his wonderful works.
3 Glory in his holy name;
let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice.
4 Seek the LORD and his strength;
seek his presence continually.
5 Remember the wonderful works he has done,
his miracles, and the judgments he uttered,
6 O offspring of his servant Abraham,
children of Jacob, his chosen ones.
7 He is the LORD our God;
his judgments are in all the earth.
8 He is mindful of his covenant forever,
of the word that he commanded, for a thousand generations,
9 the covenant that he made with Abraham,
his sworn promise to Isaac,
10 which he confirmed to Jacob as a statute,
to Israel as an everlasting covenant,
11 saying, "To you I will give the land of Ca'naan
as your portion for an inheritance."
105 Part I Confitemini Domino (ECUSA BCP)
1 Give thanks to the LORD and call upon his Name; *
make known his deeds among the peoples.
2 Sing to him, sing praises to him, *
and speak of all his marvelous works.
3 Glory in his holy Name; *
let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice.
4 Search for the LORD and his strength; *
continually seek his face.
5 Remember the marvels he has done, *
his wonders and the judgments of his mouth,
6 O offspring of Abraham his servant, *
O children of Jacob his chosen.
7 He is the LORD our God; *
his judgments prevail in all the world.
8 He has always been mindful of his covenant, *
the promise he made for a thousand generations:
9 The covenant he made with Abraham, *
the oath that he swore to Isaac,
10 Which he established as a statute for Jacob, *
an everlasting covenant for Israel,
11 Saying, “To you will I give the land of Canaan *
to be your allotted inheritance.”
Psalm 128 (alt. for above)
Psal 128:1 (NRSV) Happy is everyone who fears the LORD,
who walks in his ways.
2 You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands;
you shall be happy, and it shall go well with you.
3 Your wife will be like a fruitful vine
within your house;
your children will be like olive shoots
around your table.
4 Thus shall the man be blessed
who fears the LORD.
5 The LORD bless you from Zion.
May you see the prosperity of Jerusalem
all the days of your life.
6 May you see your children's children.
Peace be upon Israel!
128 Beati omnes (ECUSA BCP)
1 Happy are they all who fear the LORD, *
and who follow in his ways!
2 You shall eat the fruit of your labor; *
happiness and prosperity shall be yours.
3 Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine within your house, *
your children like olive shoots round about your table.
4 The man who fears the LORD *
shall thus indeed be blessed.
5 The LORD bless you from Zion, *
and may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days
of your life.
6 May you live to see your children's children; *
may peace be upon Israel.
Psalm 119: 129 - 136 (Alt. for RCL)
Psal 119:129 (NRSV) Your decrees are wonderful;
therefore my soul keeps them.
130 The unfolding of your words gives light;
it imparts understanding to the simple.
131 With open mouth I pant,
because I long for your commandments.
132 Turn to me and be gracious to me,
as is your custom toward those who love your name.
133 Keep my steps steady according to your promise,
and never let iniquity have dominion over me.
134 Redeem me from human oppression,
that I may keep your precepts.
135 Make your face shine upon your servant,
and teach me your statutes.
136 My eyes shed streams of tears
because your law is not kept.
119: 129 - 136 (ECUSA BCP)
Pe Mirabilia
129 Your decrees are wonderful; *
therefore I obey them with all my heart.
130 When your word goes forth it gives light; *
it gives understanding to the simple.
131 I open my mouth and pant; *
I long for your commandments.
132 Turn to me in mercy, *
as you always do to those who love your Name.
133 Steady my footsteps in your word; *
let no iniquity have dominion over me.
134 Rescue me from those who oppress me, *
and I will keep your commandments.
135 Let your countenance shine upon your servant *
and teach me your statutes.
136 My eyes shed streams of tears, *
because people do not keep your law.
Psalm 119: 57, 72, 76 - 77, 127 - 130 (Roman Catholic)
Psal 119:57 (NRSV) The LORD is my portion;
I promise to keep your words.
72 The law of your mouth is better to me
than thousands of gold and silver pieces.
76 Let your steadfast love become my comfort
according to your promise to your servant.
77 Let your mercy come to me, that I may live;
for your law is my delight.
127 Truly I love your commandments
more than gold, more than fine gold.
128 Truly I direct my steps by all your precepts;
I hate every false way.
129 Your decrees are wonderful;
therefore my soul keeps them.
130 The unfolding of your words gives light;
it imparts understanding to the simple.
NEW TESTAMENT: Romans 8: 26 - 39 (RCL)
Romans 8: 28 - 30 (Roman Catholic)
Roma 8:26 (NRSV) Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. 27 And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.
28 We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. 29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn within a large family. 30 And those whom he predestined he also called; and those whom he called he also justified; and those whom he justified he also glorified.
31 What then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? 32 He who did not withhold his own Son, but gave him up for all of us, will he not with him also give us everything else? 33 Who will bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? It is Christ Jesus, who died, yes, who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us. 35 Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written,
"For your sake we are being killed all day long;
we are accounted as sheep to be slaughtered."
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Notes h/t montreal anglican
Paul has written of the new way of being we attain in baptism: we are freed of compounding sin leading to the finality of death and begin living in and with the Spirit, thanks to God’s gift of love. In this new life, we will live in complete accord with God, but now we still fail to live up to his (and our) expectations. We need help – help which the Spirit provides. In our present condition we have hope of attaining perfect union with God. Now he gives an example of how the Spirit helps us. We have human limitations in how we pray; the Spirit “intercedes” in terms unexpressible in human language. The Father, who knows us to the core, knows the “mind of the Spirit” (v. 27) - for it is part of God’s plan (“will”) that he intercede for “the saints”, the faithful. We know that, “for those who love God” (v. 28) and whom God has called as part of his plan, in his providence, the actions of “all things” converge towards ultimate goodness. God formulated his plan, that there would be people who would love him (“foreknew”, v. 29). They would have a disposition to share increasingly in, and be moulded increasingly into, the risen life of Christ (“image”, v. 29), so that they might join him in full godliness (glory) at the end of the era. These people he “called” (v. 30) and chose; they responded to his call, and he found them worthy (“justified”). So certain is Paul that God will complete the process that he writes “glorified” (past tense); in fact, sharing fully in God lies ahead.
He now examines in detail how certain can we be that God will complete the execution of his plan of salvation. What, he asks, “are we to say about these things” (v. 31), especially “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (8:1). He puts his questions in the language of the law court. God is so “for us” (v. 31) that he gave us his very Son, so he will surely follow through with the rest of his plan. God has passed a favourable sentence on us (“justifies”, v. 33) so who is there to accuse us of anything? We have Christ, in his place of power and authority (“at the right hand of God”, v. 34) pleading for us. (He is also the judge: see 2:16.) No hardship can separate the true Christian from Christ’s love for us (v. 35). Psalm 44:22 foretold the sufferings of Christians (v. 36); in them we are winning a resounding victory (“more than conquerors”, v. 37). Whether dead or alive at the Last Day, nothing – whether spiritual powers (“angels ... rulers ... powers”, v. 38) or astrological powers (commonly believed to control human destiny, “height, nor depth”, v. 39) or anything else – can separate us from God’s love – and defeat God’s purpose for us.
Verse 26: “that very Spirit intercedes”: It is not clear from the text as to whether the Spirit intercedes with or without our participation. Some manuscripts add for us, thus clarifying the issue. In 8:15-16, it is clearly with our participation. [NJBC]
Verse 27: This verse is difficult to understand because it was written before the Trinitarian notion was clearly defined. Paul does not have the language to express this notion. In 1 Corinthians 2:16, Paul asks rhetorically: “‘For who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?’ But we have the mind of Christ.”. In Romans 8:15-6, he says: “... When we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’ it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God”. [CAB]
Verse 27: “searches the heart”: This is an expression of an activity of God rooted in the Old Testament. In 1 Samuel 16:7, Yahweh tells Samuel: “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature ... for the LORDdoes not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart”. See also 1 Kings 8:39 (Solomon’s prayer of dedication of the Temple); Psalms 17:3; 139:1. [CAB]
Verse 28: “We know that all things work together ...”: There are three possible translations:
• In everything God works for good with those who love him.
• God makes all things conspire for the good of those who love him
• All things work together for good for those who love God (thus the NRSV).
There are important manuscripts that support each of these translations. [NJBC] Another way of putting the NRSV translation: Within God’s providence, things come out right in the end – because God is in control.
Verses 29-30: Paul tells us what God’s plan, his “purpose” (v. 28) is. [NOAB]
Verses 29-30: “predestined”: Paul thinks of predestination in a corporate sense, not on the individual level. In the 400s AD, Augustine picked up on this theme. Much later Calvin read Augustine as writing of predestination of individuals. But a logical approach has limitations in understanding God.
Verse 29: “conformed to the image of his Son”: See also v. 17; 2 Corinthians 3:18; 4:4-6; Philippians 3:20-21. [NJBC]
Verse 31: In Psalm 118:6, a psalmist says: “With the LORD on my side I do not fear. What can mortals do to me?”. [NOAB]
Verse 32: See also 4:25; 5:8; John 3:16; Genesis 22:12, 16 (Isaac); Isaiah 53:12; 1 Corinthians 3:21-23; 4:7. [NOAB] [CAB] [NJBC]
Verse 33: Isaiah 50:7-8 says: “The Lord GOD helps me; ... he who vindicates me is near. Who will contend with me? Let us stand up together. Who are my adversaries? Let them confront me.”. [CAB]
Verse 34: “at the right hand of God”: Psalm 110 begins: “The LORD says to my lord, “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool’”. See also Ephesians 1:20. [CAB]
Verse 34: “intercedes for us”: Hebrews 7:25 says that Christ, the great high priest, “is able for all time to save those who approach God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them”. See also Hebrews 9:24. Paul never writes of Christ as priest. 1 John 2:1 says: “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous”. [CAB]
Verse 35: “the love of Christ”: Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 5:14: “... the love of Christ urges us on, because we are convinced that one has died for all; therefore all have died”. See also Galatians 2:20; Ephesians 3:19. [CAB]
Verse 35: “Will hardship ...”: In the context in which Paul wrote, being a Christian was sometimes difficult and dangerous. Paul experienced all of these hazards:
“hardship” 2 Corinthians 1:4-8; 2:4; 4:17
“distress” 2 Corinthians 6:4; 12:10
“persecution”" 1 Corinthians 4:12; 2 Corinthians 4:9; 12:10; Galatians 5:11
“famine” (hunger) 1 Corinthians 4:11; 2 Corinthians 11:27
“nakedness” 1 Corinthians 4:11; 2 Corinthians 11:27
“peril” (danger) 1 Corinthians 15:30; 2 Corinthians 11:26
“sword” 2 Corinthians 11:26 [CAB]
Verse 37: “we are more than conquerors”: Revelation 2:7 says “ To everyone who conquers, I will give permission to eat from the tree of life that is in the paradise of God”. See also Revelation 2:11, 17, 28; 3:5; 12:11. [CAB]
Verse 37: “him”: This refers either to Christ (as in v. 35) or to God (as in 5:5, 8). 5:8 says: “... God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us”. [NJBC]
Verse 38: “neither death, nor life”: This is expanded in 14:8: “If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's”. [NOAB]
Verse 38: “nor angels, nor rulers, ... nor powers”: i.e. supernatural beings of any kind, whether good or malevolent. Angelology was of great interest when Paul wrote. Ephesians 6:12 lists malevolent heavenly beings who can harm faith. [NOAB]
Verse 39: “nor height, nor depth”: Paul may be thinking of Psalm 139:8: “If I ascend to heaven, you are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there”. In astrology (primitive astronomy), stars were thought to rise from the abyss to a highest point. [NOAB]
GOSPEL: Matthew 13: 31 - 33, 44 - 52 (RCL)
Matthew 13: 44 - 46 (47 - 52) (Roman Catholic)
Matt 13:31 (NRSV) He put before them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field; 32 it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches."
33 He told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened."
44 "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
45 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; 46 on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.
47 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and caught fish of every kind; 48 when it was full, they drew it ashore, sat down, and put the good into baskets but threw out the bad. 49 So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous 50 and throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
51 "Have you understood all this?" They answered, "Yes." 52 And he said to them, "Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like the master of a household who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old."
Jesus continues to use parables to teach the crowds and his disciples about God’s Kingdom; the four read today are really similes. A “mustard seed” is very small; in Palestine it grows to be a large shrub, but hardly a tree. Birds do not nest in it, so Jesus exaggerates. Bread made with “three measures of flour” (v. 33) would feed 100 people: again an exaggeration. God’s Kingdom will grow from small beginnings to significant size. Like yeast, Jesus’ message will pervade the lives of many, transforming them. The “someone” of v. 44 stumbles over the “treasure” and acquires legal title to it by selling all to buy the field. Of such value is membership in the Kingdom. The “merchant” (v. 45) values the “pearl”, (v. 46, the Kingdom), above all else. On the Sea of Galilee, a “net” (v. 47) gathered all fish, only some of which were edible. At the end of the age, God will come to judge people, declaring the good to be his and discarding the others. Jesus calls his disciples scribes, interpreters, “trained for the kingdom” (v. 52), when they tell him that they understand the seven parables in this chapter, for they know both the “old” (Israel’s heritage), and the “new” understanding of it he has given them.
The parallels to vv. 31-32 are Luke 13:18-19 and Mark 4:30-32. Luke 13:20-21 parallels v. 33. [CAB] [NJBC]
The shift from speaking to the crowds to addressing only the disciples seems to happen in v. 36.
Verse 32: Jesus’ hearers would have known Ezekiel 17:23; 31:6 and Psalm 104:16-17. There birds nest in mighty cedars of Lebanon. In Daniel 4:10-12, Nebuchadnezzar sees a tree reaching to heaven, visible to the end of the earth: truly a tree of amazing size.
Verse 32: “the greatest of shrubs”: The mustard shrub grows to about 4 metres (13 feet) in Palestine.
Verse 33: “three measures of flour”: Genesis 18:6 tells us that “three measures” were used for a large baking of bread for a household. 1 Samuel 1:24 mentions an “ephah” in the same context. An ephah was three measures, and is equivalent to 20 litres or quarts. So perhaps Jesus is not exaggerating here.
Verse 34: This verse tells us of Jesus’ use of parables in his teaching. People were dependent on what they remembered; they could not look things up in a book (or on the Internet). They would ponder what they heard.
Verse 35: The quotation is Psalm 78:2. The first clause is per the Septuagint translation; the second is an adaptation to the current context. Matthew says that Jesus has access to the divine mind. [NJBC]
Verses 36-43: Jesus interprets the Parable of the Weeds among the Wheat (see vv. 24-30). [NJBC]
Verse 42: “the furnace of fire”: This is an apocalyptic vision of Hell. [NJBC]
Jesus is shown as being realistic about the membership of the Christian community: some members will be good, and others will be bad. This may differ somewhat from Paul’s view of a church of saints, although recall 1 Corinthians 1, especially verses 11-13 (“... I belong to ...”). One can read the Parable of the Weeds among the Wheat, and its interpretation(s), as saying that sifting the evil from the good is only to be done by God’s agents at the end of time, that we should not reject bad apples now. But the health of the community is important for its continuance. Elsewhere in the gospels, Jesus says clearly that his followers should be totally devoted to his cause: see Luke 14:25-33; Matthew 8:18-22; 22:11-13 (the man who comes to the wedding banquet but is not dressed for it – and his fate).
Verses 44-45: The “merchant” habitually searches while the man in v. 44 happens upon the treasure. Jesus is probably saying that the Kingdom is open to both kinds of people.
Verse 44: That a treasure was buried in a field would not be surprising to Jesus’ audience. There were no alternatives for safeguarding something of value. The “someone” is a man. The treasure had been hidden by someone else.
Verses 47-50: See also vv. 3-9 (the Parable of the Sower), vv. 24-30 (the Parable of the Wheat and the Weeds) and 22:11-13.
Verse 47: “kind”: The Greek word, genos, usually means race or tribe. So Jesus is clearly talking about people, those of every nation
Gene 29:15 (NRSV) Then La'ban said to Jacob, "Because you are my kinsman, should you therefore serve me for nothing? Tell me, what shall your wages be?" 16 Now La'ban had two daughters; the name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. 17 Leah's eyes were lovely, and Rachel was graceful and beautiful. 18 Jacob loved Rachel; so he said, "I will serve you seven years for your younger daughter Rachel." 19 La'ban said, "It is better that I give her to you than that I should give her to any other man; stay with me." 20 So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed to him but a few days because of the love he had for her.
21 Then Jacob said to La'ban, "Give me my wife that I may go in to her, for my time is completed." 22 So La'ban gathered together all the people of the place, and made a feast. 23 But in the evening he took his daughter Leah and brought her to Jacob; and he went in to her. 24 (La'ban gave his maid Zil'pah to his daughter Leah to be her maid.) 25 When morning came, it was Leah! And Jacob said to La'ban, "What is this you have done to me? Did I not serve with you for Rachel? Why then have you deceived me?" 26 La'ban said, "This is not done in our country--giving the younger before the firstborn. 27 Complete the week of this one, and we will give you the other also in return for serving me another seven years." 28 Jacob did so, and completed her week; then La'ban gave him his daughter Rachel as a wife.
1 Kings 3: 5 - 12 (alt. for RCL)
1 Kings 3: 5, 7 - 12 (Roman Catholic)
1Kin 3:5 (NRSV) At Gib'eon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, "Ask what I should give you." 6 And Solomon said, "You have shown great and steadfast love to your servant my father David, because he walked before you in faithfulness, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart toward you; and you have kept for him this great and steadfast love, and have given him a son to sit on his throne today. 7 And now, O LORD my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David, although I am only a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in. 8 And your servant is in the midst of the people whom you have chosen, a great people, so numerous they cannot be numbered or counted. 9 Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, able to discern between good and evil; for who can govern this your great people?"
10 It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this. 11 God said to him, "Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches, or for the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, 12 I now do according to your word. Indeed I give you a wise and discerning mind; no one like you has been before you and no one like you shall arise after you.
PSALM 105: 1 - 11, 45b (RCL)
Psal 105:1 (NRSV) O give thanks to the LORD, call on his name,
make known his deeds among the peoples.
2 Sing to him, sing praises to him;
tell of all his wonderful works.
3 Glory in his holy name;
let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice.
4 Seek the LORD and his strength;
seek his presence continually.
5 Remember the wonderful works he has done,
his miracles, and the judgments he uttered,
6 O offspring of his servant Abraham,
children of Jacob, his chosen ones.
7 He is the LORD our God;
his judgments are in all the earth.
8 He is mindful of his covenant forever,
of the word that he commanded, for a thousand generations,
9 the covenant that he made with Abraham,
his sworn promise to Isaac,
10 which he confirmed to Jacob as a statute,
to Israel as an everlasting covenant,
11 saying, "To you I will give the land of Ca'naan
as your portion for an inheritance."
105 Part I Confitemini Domino (ECUSA BCP)
1 Give thanks to the LORD and call upon his Name; *
make known his deeds among the peoples.
2 Sing to him, sing praises to him, *
and speak of all his marvelous works.
3 Glory in his holy Name; *
let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice.
4 Search for the LORD and his strength; *
continually seek his face.
5 Remember the marvels he has done, *
his wonders and the judgments of his mouth,
6 O offspring of Abraham his servant, *
O children of Jacob his chosen.
7 He is the LORD our God; *
his judgments prevail in all the world.
8 He has always been mindful of his covenant, *
the promise he made for a thousand generations:
9 The covenant he made with Abraham, *
the oath that he swore to Isaac,
10 Which he established as a statute for Jacob, *
an everlasting covenant for Israel,
11 Saying, “To you will I give the land of Canaan *
to be your allotted inheritance.”
Psalm 128 (alt. for above)
Psal 128:1 (NRSV) Happy is everyone who fears the LORD,
who walks in his ways.
2 You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands;
you shall be happy, and it shall go well with you.
3 Your wife will be like a fruitful vine
within your house;
your children will be like olive shoots
around your table.
4 Thus shall the man be blessed
who fears the LORD.
5 The LORD bless you from Zion.
May you see the prosperity of Jerusalem
all the days of your life.
6 May you see your children's children.
Peace be upon Israel!
128 Beati omnes (ECUSA BCP)
1 Happy are they all who fear the LORD, *
and who follow in his ways!
2 You shall eat the fruit of your labor; *
happiness and prosperity shall be yours.
3 Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine within your house, *
your children like olive shoots round about your table.
4 The man who fears the LORD *
shall thus indeed be blessed.
5 The LORD bless you from Zion, *
and may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days
of your life.
6 May you live to see your children's children; *
may peace be upon Israel.
Psalm 119: 129 - 136 (Alt. for RCL)
Psal 119:129 (NRSV) Your decrees are wonderful;
therefore my soul keeps them.
130 The unfolding of your words gives light;
it imparts understanding to the simple.
131 With open mouth I pant,
because I long for your commandments.
132 Turn to me and be gracious to me,
as is your custom toward those who love your name.
133 Keep my steps steady according to your promise,
and never let iniquity have dominion over me.
134 Redeem me from human oppression,
that I may keep your precepts.
135 Make your face shine upon your servant,
and teach me your statutes.
136 My eyes shed streams of tears
because your law is not kept.
119: 129 - 136 (ECUSA BCP)
Pe Mirabilia
129 Your decrees are wonderful; *
therefore I obey them with all my heart.
130 When your word goes forth it gives light; *
it gives understanding to the simple.
131 I open my mouth and pant; *
I long for your commandments.
132 Turn to me in mercy, *
as you always do to those who love your Name.
133 Steady my footsteps in your word; *
let no iniquity have dominion over me.
134 Rescue me from those who oppress me, *
and I will keep your commandments.
135 Let your countenance shine upon your servant *
and teach me your statutes.
136 My eyes shed streams of tears, *
because people do not keep your law.
Psalm 119: 57, 72, 76 - 77, 127 - 130 (Roman Catholic)
Psal 119:57 (NRSV) The LORD is my portion;
I promise to keep your words.
72 The law of your mouth is better to me
than thousands of gold and silver pieces.
76 Let your steadfast love become my comfort
according to your promise to your servant.
77 Let your mercy come to me, that I may live;
for your law is my delight.
127 Truly I love your commandments
more than gold, more than fine gold.
128 Truly I direct my steps by all your precepts;
I hate every false way.
129 Your decrees are wonderful;
therefore my soul keeps them.
130 The unfolding of your words gives light;
it imparts understanding to the simple.
NEW TESTAMENT: Romans 8: 26 - 39 (RCL)
Romans 8: 28 - 30 (Roman Catholic)
Roma 8:26 (NRSV) Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. 27 And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.
28 We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. 29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn within a large family. 30 And those whom he predestined he also called; and those whom he called he also justified; and those whom he justified he also glorified.
31 What then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? 32 He who did not withhold his own Son, but gave him up for all of us, will he not with him also give us everything else? 33 Who will bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? It is Christ Jesus, who died, yes, who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us. 35 Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written,
"For your sake we are being killed all day long;
we are accounted as sheep to be slaughtered."
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Notes h/t montreal anglican
Paul has written of the new way of being we attain in baptism: we are freed of compounding sin leading to the finality of death and begin living in and with the Spirit, thanks to God’s gift of love. In this new life, we will live in complete accord with God, but now we still fail to live up to his (and our) expectations. We need help – help which the Spirit provides. In our present condition we have hope of attaining perfect union with God. Now he gives an example of how the Spirit helps us. We have human limitations in how we pray; the Spirit “intercedes” in terms unexpressible in human language. The Father, who knows us to the core, knows the “mind of the Spirit” (v. 27) - for it is part of God’s plan (“will”) that he intercede for “the saints”, the faithful. We know that, “for those who love God” (v. 28) and whom God has called as part of his plan, in his providence, the actions of “all things” converge towards ultimate goodness. God formulated his plan, that there would be people who would love him (“foreknew”, v. 29). They would have a disposition to share increasingly in, and be moulded increasingly into, the risen life of Christ (“image”, v. 29), so that they might join him in full godliness (glory) at the end of the era. These people he “called” (v. 30) and chose; they responded to his call, and he found them worthy (“justified”). So certain is Paul that God will complete the process that he writes “glorified” (past tense); in fact, sharing fully in God lies ahead.
He now examines in detail how certain can we be that God will complete the execution of his plan of salvation. What, he asks, “are we to say about these things” (v. 31), especially “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (8:1). He puts his questions in the language of the law court. God is so “for us” (v. 31) that he gave us his very Son, so he will surely follow through with the rest of his plan. God has passed a favourable sentence on us (“justifies”, v. 33) so who is there to accuse us of anything? We have Christ, in his place of power and authority (“at the right hand of God”, v. 34) pleading for us. (He is also the judge: see 2:16.) No hardship can separate the true Christian from Christ’s love for us (v. 35). Psalm 44:22 foretold the sufferings of Christians (v. 36); in them we are winning a resounding victory (“more than conquerors”, v. 37). Whether dead or alive at the Last Day, nothing – whether spiritual powers (“angels ... rulers ... powers”, v. 38) or astrological powers (commonly believed to control human destiny, “height, nor depth”, v. 39) or anything else – can separate us from God’s love – and defeat God’s purpose for us.
Verse 26: “that very Spirit intercedes”: It is not clear from the text as to whether the Spirit intercedes with or without our participation. Some manuscripts add for us, thus clarifying the issue. In 8:15-16, it is clearly with our participation. [NJBC]
Verse 27: This verse is difficult to understand because it was written before the Trinitarian notion was clearly defined. Paul does not have the language to express this notion. In 1 Corinthians 2:16, Paul asks rhetorically: “‘For who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?’ But we have the mind of Christ.”. In Romans 8:15-6, he says: “... When we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’ it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God”. [CAB]
Verse 27: “searches the heart”: This is an expression of an activity of God rooted in the Old Testament. In 1 Samuel 16:7, Yahweh tells Samuel: “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature ... for the LORDdoes not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart”. See also 1 Kings 8:39 (Solomon’s prayer of dedication of the Temple); Psalms 17:3; 139:1. [CAB]
Verse 28: “We know that all things work together ...”: There are three possible translations:
• In everything God works for good with those who love him.
• God makes all things conspire for the good of those who love him
• All things work together for good for those who love God (thus the NRSV).
There are important manuscripts that support each of these translations. [NJBC] Another way of putting the NRSV translation: Within God’s providence, things come out right in the end – because God is in control.
Verses 29-30: Paul tells us what God’s plan, his “purpose” (v. 28) is. [NOAB]
Verses 29-30: “predestined”: Paul thinks of predestination in a corporate sense, not on the individual level. In the 400s AD, Augustine picked up on this theme. Much later Calvin read Augustine as writing of predestination of individuals. But a logical approach has limitations in understanding God.
Verse 29: “conformed to the image of his Son”: See also v. 17; 2 Corinthians 3:18; 4:4-6; Philippians 3:20-21. [NJBC]
Verse 31: In Psalm 118:6, a psalmist says: “With the LORD on my side I do not fear. What can mortals do to me?”. [NOAB]
Verse 32: See also 4:25; 5:8; John 3:16; Genesis 22:12, 16 (Isaac); Isaiah 53:12; 1 Corinthians 3:21-23; 4:7. [NOAB] [CAB] [NJBC]
Verse 33: Isaiah 50:7-8 says: “The Lord GOD helps me; ... he who vindicates me is near. Who will contend with me? Let us stand up together. Who are my adversaries? Let them confront me.”. [CAB]
Verse 34: “at the right hand of God”: Psalm 110 begins: “The LORD says to my lord, “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool’”. See also Ephesians 1:20. [CAB]
Verse 34: “intercedes for us”: Hebrews 7:25 says that Christ, the great high priest, “is able for all time to save those who approach God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them”. See also Hebrews 9:24. Paul never writes of Christ as priest. 1 John 2:1 says: “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous”. [CAB]
Verse 35: “the love of Christ”: Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 5:14: “... the love of Christ urges us on, because we are convinced that one has died for all; therefore all have died”. See also Galatians 2:20; Ephesians 3:19. [CAB]
Verse 35: “Will hardship ...”: In the context in which Paul wrote, being a Christian was sometimes difficult and dangerous. Paul experienced all of these hazards:
“hardship” 2 Corinthians 1:4-8; 2:4; 4:17
“distress” 2 Corinthians 6:4; 12:10
“persecution”" 1 Corinthians 4:12; 2 Corinthians 4:9; 12:10; Galatians 5:11
“famine” (hunger) 1 Corinthians 4:11; 2 Corinthians 11:27
“nakedness” 1 Corinthians 4:11; 2 Corinthians 11:27
“peril” (danger) 1 Corinthians 15:30; 2 Corinthians 11:26
“sword” 2 Corinthians 11:26 [CAB]
Verse 37: “we are more than conquerors”: Revelation 2:7 says “ To everyone who conquers, I will give permission to eat from the tree of life that is in the paradise of God”. See also Revelation 2:11, 17, 28; 3:5; 12:11. [CAB]
Verse 37: “him”: This refers either to Christ (as in v. 35) or to God (as in 5:5, 8). 5:8 says: “... God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us”. [NJBC]
Verse 38: “neither death, nor life”: This is expanded in 14:8: “If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's”. [NOAB]
Verse 38: “nor angels, nor rulers, ... nor powers”: i.e. supernatural beings of any kind, whether good or malevolent. Angelology was of great interest when Paul wrote. Ephesians 6:12 lists malevolent heavenly beings who can harm faith. [NOAB]
Verse 39: “nor height, nor depth”: Paul may be thinking of Psalm 139:8: “If I ascend to heaven, you are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there”. In astrology (primitive astronomy), stars were thought to rise from the abyss to a highest point. [NOAB]
GOSPEL: Matthew 13: 31 - 33, 44 - 52 (RCL)
Matthew 13: 44 - 46 (47 - 52) (Roman Catholic)
Matt 13:31 (NRSV) He put before them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field; 32 it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches."
33 He told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened."
44 "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
45 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; 46 on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.
47 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and caught fish of every kind; 48 when it was full, they drew it ashore, sat down, and put the good into baskets but threw out the bad. 49 So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous 50 and throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
51 "Have you understood all this?" They answered, "Yes." 52 And he said to them, "Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like the master of a household who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old."
Jesus continues to use parables to teach the crowds and his disciples about God’s Kingdom; the four read today are really similes. A “mustard seed” is very small; in Palestine it grows to be a large shrub, but hardly a tree. Birds do not nest in it, so Jesus exaggerates. Bread made with “three measures of flour” (v. 33) would feed 100 people: again an exaggeration. God’s Kingdom will grow from small beginnings to significant size. Like yeast, Jesus’ message will pervade the lives of many, transforming them. The “someone” of v. 44 stumbles over the “treasure” and acquires legal title to it by selling all to buy the field. Of such value is membership in the Kingdom. The “merchant” (v. 45) values the “pearl”, (v. 46, the Kingdom), above all else. On the Sea of Galilee, a “net” (v. 47) gathered all fish, only some of which were edible. At the end of the age, God will come to judge people, declaring the good to be his and discarding the others. Jesus calls his disciples scribes, interpreters, “trained for the kingdom” (v. 52), when they tell him that they understand the seven parables in this chapter, for they know both the “old” (Israel’s heritage), and the “new” understanding of it he has given them.
The parallels to vv. 31-32 are Luke 13:18-19 and Mark 4:30-32. Luke 13:20-21 parallels v. 33. [CAB] [NJBC]
The shift from speaking to the crowds to addressing only the disciples seems to happen in v. 36.
Verse 32: Jesus’ hearers would have known Ezekiel 17:23; 31:6 and Psalm 104:16-17. There birds nest in mighty cedars of Lebanon. In Daniel 4:10-12, Nebuchadnezzar sees a tree reaching to heaven, visible to the end of the earth: truly a tree of amazing size.
Verse 32: “the greatest of shrubs”: The mustard shrub grows to about 4 metres (13 feet) in Palestine.
Verse 33: “three measures of flour”: Genesis 18:6 tells us that “three measures” were used for a large baking of bread for a household. 1 Samuel 1:24 mentions an “ephah” in the same context. An ephah was three measures, and is equivalent to 20 litres or quarts. So perhaps Jesus is not exaggerating here.
Verse 34: This verse tells us of Jesus’ use of parables in his teaching. People were dependent on what they remembered; they could not look things up in a book (or on the Internet). They would ponder what they heard.
Verse 35: The quotation is Psalm 78:2. The first clause is per the Septuagint translation; the second is an adaptation to the current context. Matthew says that Jesus has access to the divine mind. [NJBC]
Verses 36-43: Jesus interprets the Parable of the Weeds among the Wheat (see vv. 24-30). [NJBC]
Verse 42: “the furnace of fire”: This is an apocalyptic vision of Hell. [NJBC]
Jesus is shown as being realistic about the membership of the Christian community: some members will be good, and others will be bad. This may differ somewhat from Paul’s view of a church of saints, although recall 1 Corinthians 1, especially verses 11-13 (“... I belong to ...”). One can read the Parable of the Weeds among the Wheat, and its interpretation(s), as saying that sifting the evil from the good is only to be done by God’s agents at the end of time, that we should not reject bad apples now. But the health of the community is important for its continuance. Elsewhere in the gospels, Jesus says clearly that his followers should be totally devoted to his cause: see Luke 14:25-33; Matthew 8:18-22; 22:11-13 (the man who comes to the wedding banquet but is not dressed for it – and his fate).
Verses 44-45: The “merchant” habitually searches while the man in v. 44 happens upon the treasure. Jesus is probably saying that the Kingdom is open to both kinds of people.
Verse 44: That a treasure was buried in a field would not be surprising to Jesus’ audience. There were no alternatives for safeguarding something of value. The “someone” is a man. The treasure had been hidden by someone else.
Verses 47-50: See also vv. 3-9 (the Parable of the Sower), vv. 24-30 (the Parable of the Wheat and the Weeds) and 22:11-13.
Verse 47: “kind”: The Greek word, genos, usually means race or tribe. So Jesus is clearly talking about people, those of every nation
Thursday, July 14, 2011
NEW TESTAMENT: Romans 8: 12 - 25 (RCL)
Roma 8:12 (NRSV) So then, brothers and sisters, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh-- 13 for if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. 15 For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, "Abba! Father!" 16 it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ--if, in fact, we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.
18 I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us. 19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God; 20 for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now; 23 and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.
h/t montreal Anglican
notes
Paul has told us how Christian experience is dominated by life in the Spirit rather than by the desires of the flesh, or self-centeredness. Christians are still subject to suffering, to bearing crosses and affliction, but not to eternal condemnation. Not being condemned, we have hope.
Now he says that we are under an obligation (“debtors”) to God: to live in the way of the Spirit. Living this way, we look forward to eternal life (v. 13) at the end of time rather than the finality of physical death. We are “children of God” (v. 14). When baptised, we do not lose freedom (“slavery”, v. 15) but are adopted by him. As his children, we are “heirs” (v. 17) with hope for the future – unlike slaves who fear their master (v. 15). (In the Old Testament, the land of Israel is God's inheritance for his people.) In calling him as Dad or “Father”, we express the close relationship we have with him; our hearts are motivated by the Spirit. (Slaves did not inherit.) Being “with Christ” (v. 17), by sharing in his suffering, we will be able to attain union with him in heaven (“glorified”).
Now Paul relates this to the present situation. His suffering and/or that of his readers is minuscule compared to the splendour (glory”, v. 18) we will enjoy at the end of time. To Paul, everyone and everything created (“creation”, v. 20) has helplessly compounded sin through the ages (“subjected to futility”). All hope for resolution of the present chaotic state of the world (“bondage to decay”, v. 21), to attaining the “glory” which awaits us. The world, the material “creation” (v. 23), was in expectation, but also in pain (“labour pains”, v. 22) until the arrival of Christ. We Christians have a painful experience too – we do suffer, as we wait for the age to come (the “redemption of our bodies”, v. 23), we who are guided by the Holy Spirit (“have the first fruits”). The hope we have is very real: one doesn't hope for what is visible now, but rather for what one can't see but expects to happen. We wait in patience, and endure.
Romans 8: 26 - 27 (Roman Catholic)
Roma 8:26 (NRSV) Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. 27 And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.
Verses 12-13: These verses probably belong to the preceding section. [JBC]
Verse 12: “debtors”: BlkRom says that we are under obligation to God, rather than being “debtors” – for there is no actual debt. The same Greek word is used in 1:14-15: “I am a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish – hence my eagerness to proclaim the gospel to you also who are in Rome.”
Verse 13: In 6:12, Paul admonishes “do not let sin exercise dominion in your mortal bodies, to make you obey their passions”. See also Colossians 3:5 and Galatians 5:24. [CAB]
Verses 14-15: Note Paul’s play on the word pneuma, here meaning spirit or Spirit. We are made “children” by the Spirit; we are not slaves. [JBC]
Verse 14: God’s action continues in the life of the believer. In 2:4, Paul asks: “... do you despise the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience? Do you not realize that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?”. In Galatians 5:18, Paul writes “... if you are led by the Spirit, you are not subject to the law”. See also 1 Corinthians 12:2. [CAB]
Verse 14: “children of God”: In Galatians 4:24-26, Paul writes “Now this is an allegory: these women are two covenants. One woman, in fact, is Hagar, from Mount Sinai, bearing children for slavery. Now Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children. But the other woman corresponds to the Jerusalem above; she is free, and she is our mother”.
Verse 15: “a spirit of slavery”: At times Paul does speak of Christians as slaves, but only to make a particular point. Examples are 6:16 and 1 Corinthians 7:22. [NJBC]
Verse 15: “spirit”: Paul may intend Spirit. [NJBC]
Verse 15: “adoption”: The Greek word used here is also found in 8:23; 9:4; Galatians 4:5; Ephesians 1:5. [CAB] In 9:4, Paul uses it to describe Israel as chosen by God. This Greek word is not found in the Septuagint translation, probably because adoption was not common until more recent times among Jews. It was known in Hellenic society, and was quite common among the Roman aristocracy, as a means of acquiring a worthy heir. When a man had no heir, or only a dissolute one, he would choose someone to adopt – sometimes even a freed slave – who would become the heir both to the man's property and also to his reputation and station in the community. Paul’s use of the term shows that Christians have status with God. [JBC]
Verse 15: “When we cry”: NJBC offers which enables us to cry. In 9:27, “cry” has the sense of cry aloud, proclaim.
Verse 15: “Abba”: This is the Aramaic word of familiar address to a father. Paul uses it in Galatians 4:6: “because you are children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’”. Jesus addressed the Father as Abba in his prayers: see Mark 14:36. [NOAB] In the Greek text of Luke 11:2, the Lord’s Prayer begins Abba. The early church used this title for the Father, as indeed does a Christian song sung today. [NJBC]
Verse 16: In proclaiming that God is our Father, we are stating that we recognize ourselves to be adopted by God. The Spirit shares with us in this recognition, and is the mechanism by which we are active as children.
Verse 17: “heirs of God”: Paul discusses the promise to Abraham, that he would be the “father of many nations”, in Chapter 4 (especially 4:17). It is now fulfilled. [CAB]
Verse 17: “joint heirs with Christ”: Christ has already received a share of the Father’s glory; the Christian will receive a share. In Jesus’ time, a son inherited his father’s estate; God’s estate is his glory. [NJBC]
Verses 18-25: In Philippians 3:14, Paul writes: “I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus”. See also 1 Corinthians 1:7. [CAB]
Verse 18: “the glory about to be revealed to us”: In 5:1-2, Paul says: “... since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God”. [NOAB]
Verse 19: “the creation”: Recall that God’s promise to Noah (in Genesis 9:12-13) included “every living creature”. [NJBC]
Verse 20: “the one who subjected it”: God’s curse on proto-human (Adam) for eating of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. [JBC]
Verse 21: See also 1 Corinthians 15:23-28. When humans (in and through Christ) are restored to full godliness, so too will all createdness. [NJBC]
Verse 22: Non-human createdness also shares in the stress and pain humans now endure. See also Galatians 4:19. [CAB]
Verse 22: “groaning in labour pains”: An idea common in Greek philosophy. [NJBC]
Verse 23: “first fruits”: The offering of the first yield of the harvest to God symbolized the sanctification of the whole harvest: see Leviticus 23:15-21 for the ordinance, but “first fruits” is often used in connection with a pledge or guarantee of future benefits. [NJBC]
Verse 24: “we were saved”: It may be that the tense in the Greek is one which expresses a general truth rather than something that occurred in the past. This fits better with the mention of “hope” here and in v. 25. [NJBC]
Verse 24: “what is seen”: NJBC offers what he [or she] sees.
GOSPEL: Matthew 13: 24 - 30, 36 - 43 (RCL)
Matthew 13: 24 - 30 (31 - 43) (Roman Catholic)
Matt 13:24 (NRSV) He put before them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field; 25 but while everybody was asleep, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and then went away. 26 So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared as well. 27 And the slaves of the householder came and said to him, "Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where, then, did these weeds come from?' 28 He answered, "An enemy has done this.' The slaves said to him, "Then do you want us to go and gather them?' 29 But he replied, "No; for in gathering the weeds you would uproot the wheat along with them. 30 Let both of them grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Collect the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.'"
31 He put before them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field; 32 it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches."
33 He told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened."
34 Jesus told the crowds all these things in parables; without a parable he told them nothing. 35 This was to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet:
"I will open my mouth to speak in parables;
I will proclaim what has been hidden from the foundation of the world."
36 Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples approached him, saying, "Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field." 37 He answered, "The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man; 38 the field is the world, and the good seed are the children of the kingdom; the weeds are the children of the evil one, 39 and the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. 40 Just as the weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. 41 The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, 42 and they will throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Let anyone with ears listen!
“The kingdom of heaven may be compared to ...” Jesus continues to tell parables, memorable stories with a deep meaning, to teach the crowd how what we do now will affect what happens to us at the end of time, at the “end of the age” (v. 39). Agricultural stories appeal to his rural listeners. The first parable focussed on where the seed landed. All the seed was good, but only some fell on fertile ground; however, here some of the seed sown there is good (wheat) and some is bad (weeds, tares, or darnel – a weed that looks like wheat.) The “enemy” (whose identity we learn later) sows the bad seed secretly (“while everybody was asleep”, v. 25.) Both the good and the bad seed grow together. At harvest time the roots of the weeds have intertwined with those of the wheat (v. 29). The occurrence of gather three times in vv. 28-30 is a clue that Jesus speaks of the community.
Jesus offers two interpretations of the parable to his disciples. In vv. 37-39, he states what each of the figures and events in the story stands for. The kingdom begins now when Jesus (“the Son of Man”) sows the seed, drawing people to him, but the Devil seeks to subvert his efforts. The “harvest” is when Christ comes again, at the end of the age. The second interpretation is in vv. 40-43a. At the end of the age, he says, the evil will be separated out, judged and destroyed (“burned up”, v. 40). The lots of the “evildoers” (v. 41) will be a miserable one (“gnashing of teeth”, v. 42). The “righteous” (v. 43), those who are faithful to God, will be gathered together, rewarded and brought into God's presence. Finally v. 43b: the gospel is open to all who will listen!
There are no real parallels to this passage. NJBC suggests that it is Matthew’s rewriting of Mark 4:26-29.
Verse 24: “someone”: i.e. a householder who has slaves. In v. 27, the slaves are scandalized that there are weeds, because they trust the householder/farmer! [NJBC]
Verses 28-30: Within the community, there are both good and bad apples.
Verse 30: “Let both of them grow together ...”: Be patient and tolerant (however, remember the Parable of the Sower in Mark 4:1-20, Matthew 13:1-23, and Luke 8:1-15: weeds can choke the wheat!) [NJBC]
According to Leviticus 19:19 the sowing of the weeds renders the whole field ritually impure. Simply gathering the weeds (as suggested by the slaves) would not be enough to right the wrong. Jesus’ story would therefore grab the attention of the crowd.
Verse 38: “world”: The Greek word is kosmos, meaning humanity. [NJBC]
Verse 38: “the evil one”: Evil personified, as it is in 5:37; 6:13; 13:19. Note that “the devil” is named in v. 39. [NJBC]
Verse 42: See also Luke 12:49. An apocalyptic vision of Hell. [NOAB]
Verse 42: “weeping and gnashing of teeth”: See also 8:12; 13:50; 24:51; 25:30; Luke 13:28. [NJBC]
Verse 43: This verse is similar to Daniel 12:3, a description of the end-times; however, “righteous” replaces Daniel’s “wise” and “kingdom” replaces “sky”. [NOAB]
This passage contrasts with Paul’s view that the Christian community should be made up only of saints. From this parable alone, it may seem that evil should be allowed free reign in the Church – because God will handle it later. [NJBC]
Roma 8:12 (NRSV) So then, brothers and sisters, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh-- 13 for if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. 15 For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, "Abba! Father!" 16 it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ--if, in fact, we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.
18 I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us. 19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God; 20 for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now; 23 and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.
h/t montreal Anglican
notes
Paul has told us how Christian experience is dominated by life in the Spirit rather than by the desires of the flesh, or self-centeredness. Christians are still subject to suffering, to bearing crosses and affliction, but not to eternal condemnation. Not being condemned, we have hope.
Now he says that we are under an obligation (“debtors”) to God: to live in the way of the Spirit. Living this way, we look forward to eternal life (v. 13) at the end of time rather than the finality of physical death. We are “children of God” (v. 14). When baptised, we do not lose freedom (“slavery”, v. 15) but are adopted by him. As his children, we are “heirs” (v. 17) with hope for the future – unlike slaves who fear their master (v. 15). (In the Old Testament, the land of Israel is God's inheritance for his people.) In calling him as Dad or “Father”, we express the close relationship we have with him; our hearts are motivated by the Spirit. (Slaves did not inherit.) Being “with Christ” (v. 17), by sharing in his suffering, we will be able to attain union with him in heaven (“glorified”).
Now Paul relates this to the present situation. His suffering and/or that of his readers is minuscule compared to the splendour (glory”, v. 18) we will enjoy at the end of time. To Paul, everyone and everything created (“creation”, v. 20) has helplessly compounded sin through the ages (“subjected to futility”). All hope for resolution of the present chaotic state of the world (“bondage to decay”, v. 21), to attaining the “glory” which awaits us. The world, the material “creation” (v. 23), was in expectation, but also in pain (“labour pains”, v. 22) until the arrival of Christ. We Christians have a painful experience too – we do suffer, as we wait for the age to come (the “redemption of our bodies”, v. 23), we who are guided by the Holy Spirit (“have the first fruits”). The hope we have is very real: one doesn't hope for what is visible now, but rather for what one can't see but expects to happen. We wait in patience, and endure.
Romans 8: 26 - 27 (Roman Catholic)
Roma 8:26 (NRSV) Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. 27 And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.
Verses 12-13: These verses probably belong to the preceding section. [JBC]
Verse 12: “debtors”: BlkRom says that we are under obligation to God, rather than being “debtors” – for there is no actual debt. The same Greek word is used in 1:14-15: “I am a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish – hence my eagerness to proclaim the gospel to you also who are in Rome.”
Verse 13: In 6:12, Paul admonishes “do not let sin exercise dominion in your mortal bodies, to make you obey their passions”. See also Colossians 3:5 and Galatians 5:24. [CAB]
Verses 14-15: Note Paul’s play on the word pneuma, here meaning spirit or Spirit. We are made “children” by the Spirit; we are not slaves. [JBC]
Verse 14: God’s action continues in the life of the believer. In 2:4, Paul asks: “... do you despise the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience? Do you not realize that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?”. In Galatians 5:18, Paul writes “... if you are led by the Spirit, you are not subject to the law”. See also 1 Corinthians 12:2. [CAB]
Verse 14: “children of God”: In Galatians 4:24-26, Paul writes “Now this is an allegory: these women are two covenants. One woman, in fact, is Hagar, from Mount Sinai, bearing children for slavery. Now Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children. But the other woman corresponds to the Jerusalem above; she is free, and she is our mother”.
Verse 15: “a spirit of slavery”: At times Paul does speak of Christians as slaves, but only to make a particular point. Examples are 6:16 and 1 Corinthians 7:22. [NJBC]
Verse 15: “spirit”: Paul may intend Spirit. [NJBC]
Verse 15: “adoption”: The Greek word used here is also found in 8:23; 9:4; Galatians 4:5; Ephesians 1:5. [CAB] In 9:4, Paul uses it to describe Israel as chosen by God. This Greek word is not found in the Septuagint translation, probably because adoption was not common until more recent times among Jews. It was known in Hellenic society, and was quite common among the Roman aristocracy, as a means of acquiring a worthy heir. When a man had no heir, or only a dissolute one, he would choose someone to adopt – sometimes even a freed slave – who would become the heir both to the man's property and also to his reputation and station in the community. Paul’s use of the term shows that Christians have status with God. [JBC]
Verse 15: “When we cry”: NJBC offers which enables us to cry. In 9:27, “cry” has the sense of cry aloud, proclaim.
Verse 15: “Abba”: This is the Aramaic word of familiar address to a father. Paul uses it in Galatians 4:6: “because you are children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’”. Jesus addressed the Father as Abba in his prayers: see Mark 14:36. [NOAB] In the Greek text of Luke 11:2, the Lord’s Prayer begins Abba. The early church used this title for the Father, as indeed does a Christian song sung today. [NJBC]
Verse 16: In proclaiming that God is our Father, we are stating that we recognize ourselves to be adopted by God. The Spirit shares with us in this recognition, and is the mechanism by which we are active as children.
Verse 17: “heirs of God”: Paul discusses the promise to Abraham, that he would be the “father of many nations”, in Chapter 4 (especially 4:17). It is now fulfilled. [CAB]
Verse 17: “joint heirs with Christ”: Christ has already received a share of the Father’s glory; the Christian will receive a share. In Jesus’ time, a son inherited his father’s estate; God’s estate is his glory. [NJBC]
Verses 18-25: In Philippians 3:14, Paul writes: “I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus”. See also 1 Corinthians 1:7. [CAB]
Verse 18: “the glory about to be revealed to us”: In 5:1-2, Paul says: “... since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God”. [NOAB]
Verse 19: “the creation”: Recall that God’s promise to Noah (in Genesis 9:12-13) included “every living creature”. [NJBC]
Verse 20: “the one who subjected it”: God’s curse on proto-human (Adam) for eating of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. [JBC]
Verse 21: See also 1 Corinthians 15:23-28. When humans (in and through Christ) are restored to full godliness, so too will all createdness. [NJBC]
Verse 22: Non-human createdness also shares in the stress and pain humans now endure. See also Galatians 4:19. [CAB]
Verse 22: “groaning in labour pains”: An idea common in Greek philosophy. [NJBC]
Verse 23: “first fruits”: The offering of the first yield of the harvest to God symbolized the sanctification of the whole harvest: see Leviticus 23:15-21 for the ordinance, but “first fruits” is often used in connection with a pledge or guarantee of future benefits. [NJBC]
Verse 24: “we were saved”: It may be that the tense in the Greek is one which expresses a general truth rather than something that occurred in the past. This fits better with the mention of “hope” here and in v. 25. [NJBC]
Verse 24: “what is seen”: NJBC offers what he [or she] sees.
GOSPEL: Matthew 13: 24 - 30, 36 - 43 (RCL)
Matthew 13: 24 - 30 (31 - 43) (Roman Catholic)
Matt 13:24 (NRSV) He put before them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field; 25 but while everybody was asleep, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and then went away. 26 So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared as well. 27 And the slaves of the householder came and said to him, "Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where, then, did these weeds come from?' 28 He answered, "An enemy has done this.' The slaves said to him, "Then do you want us to go and gather them?' 29 But he replied, "No; for in gathering the weeds you would uproot the wheat along with them. 30 Let both of them grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Collect the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.'"
31 He put before them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field; 32 it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches."
33 He told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened."
34 Jesus told the crowds all these things in parables; without a parable he told them nothing. 35 This was to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet:
"I will open my mouth to speak in parables;
I will proclaim what has been hidden from the foundation of the world."
36 Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples approached him, saying, "Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field." 37 He answered, "The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man; 38 the field is the world, and the good seed are the children of the kingdom; the weeds are the children of the evil one, 39 and the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. 40 Just as the weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. 41 The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, 42 and they will throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Let anyone with ears listen!
“The kingdom of heaven may be compared to ...” Jesus continues to tell parables, memorable stories with a deep meaning, to teach the crowd how what we do now will affect what happens to us at the end of time, at the “end of the age” (v. 39). Agricultural stories appeal to his rural listeners. The first parable focussed on where the seed landed. All the seed was good, but only some fell on fertile ground; however, here some of the seed sown there is good (wheat) and some is bad (weeds, tares, or darnel – a weed that looks like wheat.) The “enemy” (whose identity we learn later) sows the bad seed secretly (“while everybody was asleep”, v. 25.) Both the good and the bad seed grow together. At harvest time the roots of the weeds have intertwined with those of the wheat (v. 29). The occurrence of gather three times in vv. 28-30 is a clue that Jesus speaks of the community.
Jesus offers two interpretations of the parable to his disciples. In vv. 37-39, he states what each of the figures and events in the story stands for. The kingdom begins now when Jesus (“the Son of Man”) sows the seed, drawing people to him, but the Devil seeks to subvert his efforts. The “harvest” is when Christ comes again, at the end of the age. The second interpretation is in vv. 40-43a. At the end of the age, he says, the evil will be separated out, judged and destroyed (“burned up”, v. 40). The lots of the “evildoers” (v. 41) will be a miserable one (“gnashing of teeth”, v. 42). The “righteous” (v. 43), those who are faithful to God, will be gathered together, rewarded and brought into God's presence. Finally v. 43b: the gospel is open to all who will listen!
There are no real parallels to this passage. NJBC suggests that it is Matthew’s rewriting of Mark 4:26-29.
Verse 24: “someone”: i.e. a householder who has slaves. In v. 27, the slaves are scandalized that there are weeds, because they trust the householder/farmer! [NJBC]
Verses 28-30: Within the community, there are both good and bad apples.
Verse 30: “Let both of them grow together ...”: Be patient and tolerant (however, remember the Parable of the Sower in Mark 4:1-20, Matthew 13:1-23, and Luke 8:1-15: weeds can choke the wheat!) [NJBC]
According to Leviticus 19:19 the sowing of the weeds renders the whole field ritually impure. Simply gathering the weeds (as suggested by the slaves) would not be enough to right the wrong. Jesus’ story would therefore grab the attention of the crowd.
Verse 38: “world”: The Greek word is kosmos, meaning humanity. [NJBC]
Verse 38: “the evil one”: Evil personified, as it is in 5:37; 6:13; 13:19. Note that “the devil” is named in v. 39. [NJBC]
Verse 42: See also Luke 12:49. An apocalyptic vision of Hell. [NOAB]
Verse 42: “weeping and gnashing of teeth”: See also 8:12; 13:50; 24:51; 25:30; Luke 13:28. [NJBC]
Verse 43: This verse is similar to Daniel 12:3, a description of the end-times; however, “righteous” replaces Daniel’s “wise” and “kingdom” replaces “sky”. [NOAB]
This passage contrasts with Paul’s view that the Christian community should be made up only of saints. From this parable alone, it may seem that evil should be allowed free reign in the Church – because God will handle it later. [NJBC]
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
NEW TESTAMENT: Romans 8: 1 - 11 (RCL)
Roma 8:1 (NRSV) There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. 3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do: by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and to deal with sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 so that the just requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. 6 To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. 7 For this reason the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God's law--indeed it cannot, 8 and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
9 But you are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. 10 But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you.
h/t montreal anglican
notes
Paul has written of the inner conflict which arises within the believer. Whether an adherent to the Law or a Christian, one wills to follow God’s ways, but somehow one does otherwise. Something within one causes one not to follow through from “mind” (v. 6) to action. One’s body, one’s “flesh”, seems naturally inclined to do evil. Paul has thanked God for rescuing us from this state: for we who are incorporated “in Christ Jesus” (v. 1) there are no dire consequences (“condemnation”) of our mistakes. Why? Because God’s “Spirit” (v. 2), in the new way of being, has freed us from the finality of physical death. God has overcome our inclination to sin by lovingly “sending his own Son” (v. 3): he who suffered the effects of human sin in order to do away with it through rising again, thus enabling us to attain oneness with God (v. 4).
There are two mindsets (vv. 5-6): one self-oriented and the other Spirit-oriented, one leading to the finality of “death”, and one to spiritual “life”. Self-orientation is inherently in opposition to God (v. 7). But Christians are motivated by the Spirit (dwells”, v. 9), belong to God. “Spirit” and “Christ” come together. Vv. 10-11 say: if Christ (or the Spirit) is in you, though you may be a corpse because of all the wrong you have done, you are actually very much alive – because of the Spirit. If God's Spirit is in you, God will resuscitate your bodies (from being corpses) through the Spirit, in raising you to new life at the end of time.
Verse 1: “condemnation”: In Galatians 3:10, Paul calls this the “curse” as Deuteronomy 27:26 does. See also 2 Corinthians 3:7, 9. This verse concludes 7:14-25. [NJBC]
Verse 2: “you”: The Greek word is singular. Some important manuscripts have me rather than you. While this fits better with the foregoing (especially 7:24), scholars believe that me is a copyist’s correction. The principle here is lectio difficilior potior, Latin for the more difficult reading is the stronger (i.e. more likely to be original). The logic is quite simple: it is more likely that a copyist will correct a difficult or improbable phrase to make it more straightforward or more accurate, than that the copyist would intentionally make a text more difficult. So the more difficult is likely to be original, while the less difficult is most likely a copyist's correction.
Verse 3: “sending his own Son”: See also 2 Corinthians 5:19-21 and Romans 3:24 (“they are now justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus”). [NJBC]
Verse 3: “the likeness of sinful flesh”: Paul is careful in his wording. Jesus suffered the effects of sin and suffered death, but he did not sin.
Verse 3: “to deal with sin”: A footnote in the NRSV notes that sin offering is another translation. The reasoning of the translators is probably that the Greek word, hamartia, meaning sin, occurs in the Septuagint translation in the sense of sin offering in Leviticus 4:24; 5:11; 6:18. “Deal with” sin means take it away, expiate it. [NJBC]
Verse 3: “he condemned sin in the flesh”: The Father passed definitive judgement on the force that Adam’s transgression unleashed in the world (see 5:12), and thereby broke its dominion over humans – in making Christ a human, and in his resurrection. [NJBC]
Verse 4: In this way, through the principle of new life, the uprightness that the Law demanded is finally obtained. [NJBC]
Verse 6: “death”: i.e. total death, including spiritual death. Definitive separation from God. [NJBC]
Verse 9: “since”: The Greek words, ei per, can be translated if, in reality. [NJBC]
Verse 10: In Galatians 2:20, Paul writes: “it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me”. See also Ephesians 3:17. [NOAB] [NJBC]
Verse 10: “if Christ is in you”: In 2 Corinthians 5:17, Paul writes: “So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!”. For the Spirit being in you, see v. 9. [NJBC]
Verse 10: “the Spirit is life”: One scholar translates this as your spirit is alive: in contrast to the “body”. [NJBC]
Verse 11: “him”: i.e. the Father. This verses stresses the essential oneness of God. John 5:21 says “... just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whomever he wishes”. [NJBC]
Verse 11: “will give life to your mortal bodies”: i.e. the resurrection of Christians. In 1 Thessalonians 4:14, Paul writes “For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have died”. See also Philippians 3:10, 21; 1 Corinthians 6:14; 2 Corinthians 4:14. [NJBC]
Verse 11: “his Spirit”: i.e. Christ’s Spirit. It is the spirit as related to the risen Christ that is the life-giving principle.
Verses 12-17: The Holy Spirit does not make slaves of us, but rather “children of God” (v. 14). [NOAB]
Verse 13: It is still possible for a baptised Christian to be tempted to live immorally, “according to the flesh”. We should make use of the Spirit: this is the debt (in an accounting sense) that we owe Christ. [NJBC]
GOSPEL: Matthew 13: 1 - 9, 18 - 23 (RCL)
Matthew 13: 1 - 9 (10 - 23) (Roman Catholic)
Matt 13:1 (NRSV) That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. 2 Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach. 3 And he told them many things in parables, saying: "Listen! A sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. 5 Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. 6 But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away. 7 Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. 8 Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 9 Let anyone with ears listen!"
10 Then the disciples came and asked him, "Why do you speak to them in parables?" 11 He answered, "To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. 12 For to those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. 13 The reason I speak to them in parables is that "seeing they do not perceive, and hearing they do not listen, nor do they understand.' 14 With them indeed is fulfilled the prophecy of Isai'ah that says:
"You will indeed listen, but never understand,
and you will indeed look, but never perceive.
15 For this people's heart has grown dull,
and their ears are hard of hearing,
and they have shut their eyes;
so that they might not look with their eyes,
and listen with their ears,
and understand with their heart and turn--
and I would heal them.'
16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. 17 Truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it.
18 "Hear then the parable of the sower. 19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in the heart; this is what was sown on the path. 20 As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; 21 yet such a person has no root, but endures only for a while, and when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, that person immediately falls away. 22 As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing. 23 But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty."
The crowd that has come to hear Jesus is so large that he teaches from a boat on the Sea of Galilee. He tells several parables; he explains the first one (vv. 18-23), but only partially. People were familiar with Palestinian farming; sometimes seeding preceded ploughing. The “sower” (v. 3) and the seed are constant; where it lands varies: in three unfruitful places (“on the path”, v. 4, among rocks, v. 5, “among thorns”, v. 7) and in one fruitful place (v. 8). V. 9 tells us (and the crowd) that this is a story with a deeper meaning.
People naturally thought of the sower as God and the various soils as the people of the world; knowing the prophecy of the fate of Jeroboam’s household in 1 Kings, they probably linked “birds” (v. 4) with evil. Perhaps here the sower is anyone who tells the good news. Growth represents receptivity. While Jesus has invited listening (v. 9), understanding (vv. 19, 23) is required in order to be fruitful: reflect on Jesus’ message. Those who brush off the message are seduced by evil (v. 19). Vv. 20-21 also speak of lack of understanding: of superficiality, of reflecting insufficiently to withstand “persecution”. Discipleship is demanding. Then v. 22: following Christ requires undivided loyalty, single-mindedness. Finally v. 23: only those who adequately reflect (thus coming to understanding), who meet the demands of the faith, and who are truly dedicated are fruitful and bring others to Christ.
The parallels are Mark 4:1-20; Luke 8:4-15. [NOAB]
Verse 1: “the house”: Perhaps his home in Capernaum.
Verse 3: “parables”: Parables are stories drawn from everyday life which convey a spiritual meaning. Jesus used this technique because:
• Vivid (and sometimes humourous) images made his teaching easy to remember.
• The stories caused people to think about what he said, to reflect on it.
• The stories prompted those present to declare for or against his message.
• By teaching by analogy (or metaphor), he probably reduced hostility to him. [NOAB]
Verse 4: “birds”: In 1 Kings 14:7-11, God tells Jeroboam, through the prophet Ahijah, the fate that he and his household will suffer for his evil ways (including deserting Yahweh to worship other gods). This fate includes “anyone [of Jeroboam’s household] who dies in the open country, the birds of the air shall eat”. The fate of King Baasha in 1 Kings 16:1-4 is the same. The link is also found in contemporary Jewish literature: see Jubilees 11:5-24 and Apocalypse of Abraham 13.
Verse 6: “scorched”: The sun in Palestine is indeed hot. [NJBC]
Verse 9: This is a refrain also found in 11:15 and 13:43. [NJBC]
Verses 11-16: Jesus contrasts those (e.g. his disciples) who trust in him and so have the opportunity for deeper understanding of God’s purpose and plan for humankind (“the secrets of the kingdom of heaven”) versus those who do not trust and so are destined for condemnation. Perhaps the people will understand if he tells the good news in parables; perhaps stories will penetrate their thick-headedness. Understanding is a gift from God. Some are chosen, and some are not. In the Marcan and Lucan parallels, Jesus speaks to the disciples privately, so we should not assume that the crowd heard what he said in these verses (as is sometimes the case). Matthew appears to have collected together parables from various times in these chapters. [NJBC]
Verse 12: “have”: i.e spiritually. 25:29 is identical. In Mark 4:24-25, Jesus says “‘... the measure you give will be the measure you get, and still more will be given you. For to those who have, more will be given; and from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away’”. Luke 8:18 and 19:26 are similar. [NOAB]
Verse 13: Jesus sees this situation as a fulfilment of Isaiah 6:9-10. He quotes these verses, from Isaiah’s commissioning as God’s messenger, in vv. 14-15. (His words are from the Septuagint translation.) Isaiah is told by God that however stubborn the people are, he must tell them God’s word. In the early centuries of the Church, Christians used these verses from Isaiah to explain Israel’s rejection of the gospel. See also Romans 9-11 (the relationship of Judaism to oneness with God obtained through faith in Christ). The verses from Isaiah are also quoted in John 12:40 and Acts 28:26-27 (Paul in Rome). [NOAB] [CAB] [NJBC]
Verses 16-17: For spiritual perception guided by faith, see also Mark 4:9 and Luke 8:10. In the parallel in Luke 10:23-24, “righteous people” is “kings”. The insights which have been given to the disciples were not available before Jesus came. In John 8:56, Jesus says: “Your ancestor Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day; he saw it and was glad.”. Hebrews 11:13 says that the Patriarchs “died in faith without having received the promises, but from a distance they saw and greeted them”. See also 1 Peter 1:10-12. [NOAB] [CAB] [NJBC]
See 2 Esdras 8:41-44 for a parallel which is probably Jewish. (Parts of 2 Esdras are Christian.)
Roma 8:1 (NRSV) There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. 3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do: by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and to deal with sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 so that the just requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. 6 To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. 7 For this reason the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God's law--indeed it cannot, 8 and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
9 But you are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. 10 But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you.
h/t montreal anglican
notes
Paul has written of the inner conflict which arises within the believer. Whether an adherent to the Law or a Christian, one wills to follow God’s ways, but somehow one does otherwise. Something within one causes one not to follow through from “mind” (v. 6) to action. One’s body, one’s “flesh”, seems naturally inclined to do evil. Paul has thanked God for rescuing us from this state: for we who are incorporated “in Christ Jesus” (v. 1) there are no dire consequences (“condemnation”) of our mistakes. Why? Because God’s “Spirit” (v. 2), in the new way of being, has freed us from the finality of physical death. God has overcome our inclination to sin by lovingly “sending his own Son” (v. 3): he who suffered the effects of human sin in order to do away with it through rising again, thus enabling us to attain oneness with God (v. 4).
There are two mindsets (vv. 5-6): one self-oriented and the other Spirit-oriented, one leading to the finality of “death”, and one to spiritual “life”. Self-orientation is inherently in opposition to God (v. 7). But Christians are motivated by the Spirit (dwells”, v. 9), belong to God. “Spirit” and “Christ” come together. Vv. 10-11 say: if Christ (or the Spirit) is in you, though you may be a corpse because of all the wrong you have done, you are actually very much alive – because of the Spirit. If God's Spirit is in you, God will resuscitate your bodies (from being corpses) through the Spirit, in raising you to new life at the end of time.
Verse 1: “condemnation”: In Galatians 3:10, Paul calls this the “curse” as Deuteronomy 27:26 does. See also 2 Corinthians 3:7, 9. This verse concludes 7:14-25. [NJBC]
Verse 2: “you”: The Greek word is singular. Some important manuscripts have me rather than you. While this fits better with the foregoing (especially 7:24), scholars believe that me is a copyist’s correction. The principle here is lectio difficilior potior, Latin for the more difficult reading is the stronger (i.e. more likely to be original). The logic is quite simple: it is more likely that a copyist will correct a difficult or improbable phrase to make it more straightforward or more accurate, than that the copyist would intentionally make a text more difficult. So the more difficult is likely to be original, while the less difficult is most likely a copyist's correction.
Verse 3: “sending his own Son”: See also 2 Corinthians 5:19-21 and Romans 3:24 (“they are now justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus”). [NJBC]
Verse 3: “the likeness of sinful flesh”: Paul is careful in his wording. Jesus suffered the effects of sin and suffered death, but he did not sin.
Verse 3: “to deal with sin”: A footnote in the NRSV notes that sin offering is another translation. The reasoning of the translators is probably that the Greek word, hamartia, meaning sin, occurs in the Septuagint translation in the sense of sin offering in Leviticus 4:24; 5:11; 6:18. “Deal with” sin means take it away, expiate it. [NJBC]
Verse 3: “he condemned sin in the flesh”: The Father passed definitive judgement on the force that Adam’s transgression unleashed in the world (see 5:12), and thereby broke its dominion over humans – in making Christ a human, and in his resurrection. [NJBC]
Verse 4: In this way, through the principle of new life, the uprightness that the Law demanded is finally obtained. [NJBC]
Verse 6: “death”: i.e. total death, including spiritual death. Definitive separation from God. [NJBC]
Verse 9: “since”: The Greek words, ei per, can be translated if, in reality. [NJBC]
Verse 10: In Galatians 2:20, Paul writes: “it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me”. See also Ephesians 3:17. [NOAB] [NJBC]
Verse 10: “if Christ is in you”: In 2 Corinthians 5:17, Paul writes: “So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!”. For the Spirit being in you, see v. 9. [NJBC]
Verse 10: “the Spirit is life”: One scholar translates this as your spirit is alive: in contrast to the “body”. [NJBC]
Verse 11: “him”: i.e. the Father. This verses stresses the essential oneness of God. John 5:21 says “... just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whomever he wishes”. [NJBC]
Verse 11: “will give life to your mortal bodies”: i.e. the resurrection of Christians. In 1 Thessalonians 4:14, Paul writes “For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have died”. See also Philippians 3:10, 21; 1 Corinthians 6:14; 2 Corinthians 4:14. [NJBC]
Verse 11: “his Spirit”: i.e. Christ’s Spirit. It is the spirit as related to the risen Christ that is the life-giving principle.
Verses 12-17: The Holy Spirit does not make slaves of us, but rather “children of God” (v. 14). [NOAB]
Verse 13: It is still possible for a baptised Christian to be tempted to live immorally, “according to the flesh”. We should make use of the Spirit: this is the debt (in an accounting sense) that we owe Christ. [NJBC]
GOSPEL: Matthew 13: 1 - 9, 18 - 23 (RCL)
Matthew 13: 1 - 9 (10 - 23) (Roman Catholic)
Matt 13:1 (NRSV) That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. 2 Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach. 3 And he told them many things in parables, saying: "Listen! A sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. 5 Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. 6 But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away. 7 Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. 8 Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 9 Let anyone with ears listen!"
10 Then the disciples came and asked him, "Why do you speak to them in parables?" 11 He answered, "To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. 12 For to those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. 13 The reason I speak to them in parables is that "seeing they do not perceive, and hearing they do not listen, nor do they understand.' 14 With them indeed is fulfilled the prophecy of Isai'ah that says:
"You will indeed listen, but never understand,
and you will indeed look, but never perceive.
15 For this people's heart has grown dull,
and their ears are hard of hearing,
and they have shut their eyes;
so that they might not look with their eyes,
and listen with their ears,
and understand with their heart and turn--
and I would heal them.'
16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. 17 Truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it.
18 "Hear then the parable of the sower. 19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in the heart; this is what was sown on the path. 20 As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; 21 yet such a person has no root, but endures only for a while, and when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, that person immediately falls away. 22 As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing. 23 But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty."
The crowd that has come to hear Jesus is so large that he teaches from a boat on the Sea of Galilee. He tells several parables; he explains the first one (vv. 18-23), but only partially. People were familiar with Palestinian farming; sometimes seeding preceded ploughing. The “sower” (v. 3) and the seed are constant; where it lands varies: in three unfruitful places (“on the path”, v. 4, among rocks, v. 5, “among thorns”, v. 7) and in one fruitful place (v. 8). V. 9 tells us (and the crowd) that this is a story with a deeper meaning.
People naturally thought of the sower as God and the various soils as the people of the world; knowing the prophecy of the fate of Jeroboam’s household in 1 Kings, they probably linked “birds” (v. 4) with evil. Perhaps here the sower is anyone who tells the good news. Growth represents receptivity. While Jesus has invited listening (v. 9), understanding (vv. 19, 23) is required in order to be fruitful: reflect on Jesus’ message. Those who brush off the message are seduced by evil (v. 19). Vv. 20-21 also speak of lack of understanding: of superficiality, of reflecting insufficiently to withstand “persecution”. Discipleship is demanding. Then v. 22: following Christ requires undivided loyalty, single-mindedness. Finally v. 23: only those who adequately reflect (thus coming to understanding), who meet the demands of the faith, and who are truly dedicated are fruitful and bring others to Christ.
The parallels are Mark 4:1-20; Luke 8:4-15. [NOAB]
Verse 1: “the house”: Perhaps his home in Capernaum.
Verse 3: “parables”: Parables are stories drawn from everyday life which convey a spiritual meaning. Jesus used this technique because:
• Vivid (and sometimes humourous) images made his teaching easy to remember.
• The stories caused people to think about what he said, to reflect on it.
• The stories prompted those present to declare for or against his message.
• By teaching by analogy (or metaphor), he probably reduced hostility to him. [NOAB]
Verse 4: “birds”: In 1 Kings 14:7-11, God tells Jeroboam, through the prophet Ahijah, the fate that he and his household will suffer for his evil ways (including deserting Yahweh to worship other gods). This fate includes “anyone [of Jeroboam’s household] who dies in the open country, the birds of the air shall eat”. The fate of King Baasha in 1 Kings 16:1-4 is the same. The link is also found in contemporary Jewish literature: see Jubilees 11:5-24 and Apocalypse of Abraham 13.
Verse 6: “scorched”: The sun in Palestine is indeed hot. [NJBC]
Verse 9: This is a refrain also found in 11:15 and 13:43. [NJBC]
Verses 11-16: Jesus contrasts those (e.g. his disciples) who trust in him and so have the opportunity for deeper understanding of God’s purpose and plan for humankind (“the secrets of the kingdom of heaven”) versus those who do not trust and so are destined for condemnation. Perhaps the people will understand if he tells the good news in parables; perhaps stories will penetrate their thick-headedness. Understanding is a gift from God. Some are chosen, and some are not. In the Marcan and Lucan parallels, Jesus speaks to the disciples privately, so we should not assume that the crowd heard what he said in these verses (as is sometimes the case). Matthew appears to have collected together parables from various times in these chapters. [NJBC]
Verse 12: “have”: i.e spiritually. 25:29 is identical. In Mark 4:24-25, Jesus says “‘... the measure you give will be the measure you get, and still more will be given you. For to those who have, more will be given; and from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away’”. Luke 8:18 and 19:26 are similar. [NOAB]
Verse 13: Jesus sees this situation as a fulfilment of Isaiah 6:9-10. He quotes these verses, from Isaiah’s commissioning as God’s messenger, in vv. 14-15. (His words are from the Septuagint translation.) Isaiah is told by God that however stubborn the people are, he must tell them God’s word. In the early centuries of the Church, Christians used these verses from Isaiah to explain Israel’s rejection of the gospel. See also Romans 9-11 (the relationship of Judaism to oneness with God obtained through faith in Christ). The verses from Isaiah are also quoted in John 12:40 and Acts 28:26-27 (Paul in Rome). [NOAB] [CAB] [NJBC]
Verses 16-17: For spiritual perception guided by faith, see also Mark 4:9 and Luke 8:10. In the parallel in Luke 10:23-24, “righteous people” is “kings”. The insights which have been given to the disciples were not available before Jesus came. In John 8:56, Jesus says: “Your ancestor Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day; he saw it and was glad.”. Hebrews 11:13 says that the Patriarchs “died in faith without having received the promises, but from a distance they saw and greeted them”. See also 1 Peter 1:10-12. [NOAB] [CAB] [NJBC]
See 2 Esdras 8:41-44 for a parallel which is probably Jewish. (Parts of 2 Esdras are Christian.)
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