OLD TESTAMENT: Exodus 20: 1 - 4, 7 - 9, 12 - 20 (RCL)

Exod 20:1 (NRSV) Then God spoke all these words:
2 I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; 3 you shall have no other gods before me. 4 You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.

7 You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not acquit anyone who misuses his name.
8 Remember the sabbath day, and keep it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work.

12 Honor your father and your mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.
13 You shall not murder.
14 You shall not commit adultery.
15 You shall not steal.
16 You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
17 You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or male or female slave, or ox, or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.
18 When all the people witnessed the thunder and lightning, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking, they were afraid and trembled and stood at a distance, 19 and said to Moses, "You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, or we will die." 20 Moses said to the people, "Do not be afraid; for God has come only to test you and to put the fear of him upon you so that you do not sin."


Isaiah 5: 1 - 7 (alt. for RCL, Roman Catholic)

Isai 5:1 (NRSV) Let me sing for my beloved
my love-song concerning his vineyard:
My beloved had a vineyard
on a very fertile hill.
2 He dug it and cleared it of stones,
and planted it with choice vines;
he built a watchtower in the midst of it,
and hewed out a wine vat in it;
he expected it to yield grapes,
but it yielded wild grapes.
3 And now, inhabitants of Jerusalem
and people of Judah,
judge between me
and my vineyard.
4 What more was there to do for my vineyard
that I have not done in it?
When I expected it to yield grapes,
why did it yield wild grapes?
5 And now I will tell you
what I will do to my vineyard.
I will remove its hedge,
and it shall be devoured;
I will break down its wall,
and it shall be trampled down.
6 I will make it a waste;
it shall not be pruned or hoed,
and it shall be overgrown with briers and thorns;
I will also command the clouds
that they rain no rain upon it.
7 For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts
is the house of Israel,
and the people of Judah
are his pleasant planting;
he expected justice,
but saw bloodshed;
righteousness,
but heard a cry!


PSALM 19 (RCL)

Psal 19:1 (NRSV) The heavens are telling the glory of God;
and the firmament proclaims his handiwork.
2 Day to day pours forth speech,
and night to night declares knowledge.
3 There is no speech, nor are there words;
their voice is not heard;
4 yet their voice goes out through all the earth,
and their words to the end of the world.
In the heavens he has set a tent for the sun,
5 which comes out like a bridegroom from his wedding canopy,
and like a strong man runs its course with joy.
6 Its rising is from the end of the heavens,
and its circuit to the end of them;
and nothing is hid from its heat.
7 The law of the LORD is perfect,
reviving the soul;
the decrees of the LORD are sure,
making wise the simple;
8 the precepts of the LORD are right,
rejoicing the heart;
the commandment of the LORD is clear,
enlightening the eyes;
9 the fear of the LORD is pure,
enduring forever;
the ordinances of the LORD are true
and righteous altogether.
10 More to be desired are they than gold,
even much fine gold;
sweeter also than honey,
and drippings of the honeycomb.
11 Moreover by them is your servant warned;
in keeping them there is great reward.
12 But who can detect their errors?
Clear me from hidden faults.
13 Keep back your servant also from the insolent;
do not let them have dominion over me.
Then I shall be blameless,
and innocent of great transgression.
14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be acceptable to you,
O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.


19 Caeli enarrant (ECUSA BCP)

1 The heavens declare the glory of God, *
and the firmament shows his handiwork.

2 One day tells its tale to another, *
and one night imparts knowledge to another.

3 Although they have no words or language, *
and their voices are not heard,

4 Their sound has gone out into all lands, *
and their message to the ends of the world.

5 In the deep has he set a pavilion for the sun; *
it comes forth like a bridegroom out of his chamber;
it rejoices like a champion to run its course.

6 It goes forth from the uttermost edge of the heavens
and runs about to the end of it again; *
nothing is hidden from its burning heat.


7 The law of the LORD is perfect
and revives the soul; *
the testimony of the LORD is sure
and gives wisdom to the innocent.

8 The statutes of the LORD are just
and rejoice the heart; *
the commandment of the LORD is clear
and gives light to the eyes.

9 The fear of the LORD is clean
and endures for ever; *
the judgments of the LORD are true
and righteous altogether.

10 More to be desired are they than gold,
more than much fine gold, *
sweeter far than honey,
than honey in the comb.

11 By them also is your servant enlightened, *
and in keeping them there is great reward.

12 Who can tell how often he offends? *
cleanse me from my secret faults.

13 Above all, keep your servant from presumptuous sins;
let them not get dominion over me; *
then shall I be whole and sound,
and innocent of a great offense.

14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my
heart be acceptable in your sight, *
O LORD, my strength and my redeemer.


Psalm 80: 7 - 15 (alt. for RCL)
Psalm 80: 8, 11 - 15, 18 - 19 (Roman Catholic)

Psal 80:1 (NRSV)
7 Restore us, O God of hosts;
let your face shine, that we may be saved.
8 You brought a vine out of Egypt;
you drove out the nations and planted it.
9 You cleared the ground for it;
it took deep root and filled the land.
10 The mountains were covered with its shade,
the mighty cedars with its branches;
11 it sent out its branches to the sea,
and its shoots to the River.
12 Why then have you broken down its walls,
so that all who pass along the way pluck its fruit?
13 The boar from the forest ravages it,
and all that move in the field feed on it.
14 Turn again, O God of hosts;
look down from heaven, and see;
have regard for this vine,
15 the stock that your right hand planted.

18 Then we will never turn back from you;
give us life, and we will call on your name.
19 Restore us, O LORD God of hosts;
let your face shine, that we may be saved.

Note: Verse numbering is one higher in Roman Catholic bibles; Verse numbering may differ in your Psalter.


Psalm 80 Qui regis Israel (ECUSA BCP)

7 Restore us, O God of hosts; *
show the light of your countenance, and we shall be saved.

8 You have brought a vine out of Egypt; *
you cast out the nations and planted it.

9 You prepared the ground for it; *
it took root and filled the land.

10 The mountains were covered by its shadow *
and the towering cedar trees by its boughs.

11 You stretched out its tendrils to the Sea *
and its branches to the River.

12 Why have you broken down its wall, *
so that all who pass by pluck off its grapes?

13 The wild boar of the forest has ravaged it, *
and the beasts of the field have grazed upon it.

14 Turn now, O God of hosts, look down from heaven;
behold and tend this vine; *
preserve what your right hand has planted.


NEW TESTAMENT: Philippians 3: 4b - 14 (RCL)

Phil 3:4 (NRSV) If anyone else has reason to be confident in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised on the eighth day, a member of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; as to the law, a Phar'isee; 6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless.
7 Yet whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ. 8 More than that, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but one that comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God based on faith. 10 I want to know Christ {and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death, 11 if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead.
12 Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the goal; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. 13 Beloved, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.


Notes h/t Montreal Anglican


Paul has warned his readers about those who try to convince them that being a Christian requires acceptance of Jewish law, including circumcision. True circumcision is of the heart – and not of the “flesh”, i.e. following legal precepts, as in Judaism. Inner circumcision is what is required of us.
He cites his own experience as an example. In early life, he was as true to Judaism as anyone could be: he was circumcised; he is from the elite tribe (“Benjamin”, v. 5), as Jewish as one can be (“a Hebrew born of Hebrews”); like other Pharisees, he knew the Law well and applied it in daily life. He zealously persecuted Christians and faultlessly kept the Law. And yet, knowing Christ has made him realize that a Jewish, law-based, approach to God is a “loss” (vv. 7-8) for Christians: it obstructs God’s free gift of love. True “righteousness” (v. 9) comes through “faith in Christ”, not self-assessment of godliness, per legal precepts. He has cast aside all his Jewishness in order to realize the gain Christ offers (v. 8).
He wants to “know Christ” (v. 10) as risen and living. This involves attaining oneness with him through sharing his sufferings and participating in his death. Out of this, he will come to know “the power of his resurrection”. He is still working on understanding Christ completely (v. 12), an obligation he has for Christ has chosen him (“made me his own”). He has made progress not on his own, but through God’s grace (v. 13); however he has left his past behind and eagerly seeks what lies ahead. As the winner in a Greek foot race was called up to receive his “prize” (v. 14), so he seeks God’s call to share in eternal life. (“Heavenly” is literally upward.)

Verse 1: Scholars think that Philippians is actually made up of several letters. A piece of evidence for this is the abrupt change in tone and content: one letter appears to end with v. 1a, and another to begin with v. 1b. This letter, which was probably written later, extends to 4:1b. [NJBC]
Verse 1: “the same things”: i.e. what Paul has written about in previous chapters which have caused disharmony in the community. [NOAB]
Verse 2: “dogs”: Paul uses strong language in speaking of the Judaizers. In Jewish circles, this term was reserved for Gentiles, the unclean, and outsiders. [NJBC] Paul’s attitude towards those who considered circumcision a requirement for being a Christian is clear: he writes in Galatians 5:12: “I wish those who unsettle you would castrate themselves!”. It is likely that these people were Jewish Christians. The effect of their activities was to divide the community, by suggesting that those who were circumcised were elite.
Verse 2: “the evil workers”: Evidently those referred to in 1:15 (“Some proclaim Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from goodwill”), 1:17 (“the others proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but intending to increase my suffering in my imprisonment”) and 2:21 (“All of them are seeking their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ”). [CAB]
Verse 2: “those who mutilate the flesh”: As the NRSV footnote says, the Greek means literally the mutilation. Paul contrasts the mutilation with the circumcision. He may be thinking of what the prophets of Baal did to themselves in 1 Kings 18:28. [NJBC] The reference to those who preach the necessity of circumcision is bitter and ironical. [NOAB] The language is the same as in Galatians 5:12. [CAB]
Verse 3: “the circumcision”: In Romans 2:28-29, Paul says: “real circumcision is a matter of the heart”. Paul thinks of the Old Testament: Jeremiah 4:4 (“Circumcise yourselves to the LORD, remove the foreskin of your hearts”); 31:31 (“I will make a new covenant ...”); Deuteronomy 10:16 (“circumcise the foreskin of your heart”); 30:6; Leviticus 26:41; Ezekiel 44:7. The idea is also found in 1QS (Qumran Rule of the Community) 5:5, 26. Only inward circumcision is valid for the eschatological era. Circumcision of the heart is a new moral life. See also Galatians 6:14-15 and Colossians 2:11-13. [NOAB]
1QS 5:4-5 says “... No one should walk in the stubbornness of his heart and his eyes and the musings of his inclination. Instead he should circumcise in the Community the foreskin of his tendency and of his stiff neck in order to lay a foundation of truth for Israel, for the Community of the eternal covenant.”
Verse 3: “the flesh”: i.e. outward states or rites.
Verses 5-6: In Galatians 1:14, Paul tells us about himself: “I advanced in Judaism beyond many among my people of the same age, for I was far more zealous for the traditions of my ancestors”. [CAB]
Verse 5: “on the eighth day”: Genesis 17:12 and Leviticus 12:3 state that a boy must be circumcised eight days after birth. [JBC]
Verse 5: “Benjamin”: This tribe was elite because, of all the brothers, only Benjamin was born in the Promised Land. Also, Saul, Israel’s first king, was from the tribe of Benjamin. [JBC]
Verse 5: “a Hebrew born of Hebrews”: There are three possible interpretations:
• NOAB suggests: though living in Tarsus, a Greek city, Paul’s family spoke Aramaic, the language of Palestine. Acts 21:40 tells us that “he addressed them in the Hebrew language”, i.e. Aramaic. See also Acts 22:2. [NOAB]
• Paul is speaking of his lineage, i.e. he is a Hebrew of Hebrew parents, rather than a convert or a son of a convert
• He is using a Semitic superlative, meaning roughly the ultimate (or superlative) Hebrew. (Recall the Broadway play Fiddler on the Roof and the song Wonder of Wonders, Miracle of Miracles, and note “king of kings” in Ezra 7:12; Ezekiel 26:7; Daniel 2:37; 1 Timothy 6:15; Revelation 17:14; 19:16.) While this interpretation is the most likely, one cannot be completely certain because the Greek translated “born of”, ex, does not occur in Revelation 17:14. [Alan Perry]
Verse 6: “persecutor”: The ultimate in zeal! See also Acts 8:3; 9:1-2 (Paul’s conversion); 22:4-5; 26:9-11; 1 Corinthians 15:9; Galatians 1:13. [NOAB]
Verses 7-8: Paul puts it in book-keeping terms. [NJBC]
Verse 8: “knowing Christ”: Such knowledge and personal experience transforms a person into the likeness of the one who is known. In 2 Corinthians 3:18, Paul writes: “... all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit”. [NJBC]
Verse 8: “suffered the loss of all things”: See also Matthew 13:44-46 (the parables of the Hidden Treasure and the Pearl of Great Price). [NJBC]
Verse 8: “rubbish”: The Greek word can mean excrement. It is something disposed of irrevocably. [NJBC]
Verse 9: See also Romans 3:21-31: “But now, apart from law, the righteousness of God has been disclosed, and is attested by the law and the prophets, the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe ...”. [CAB]
Verse 9: “be found in him”: i.e. to be identified with Christ at the eschatological judgement. [NJBC]
Verse 9: “in Christ”: Per the NRSV footnote, another rendering is of Christ, meaning either Christ’s faithful obedience until death (Romans 5:18-21 and Philippians 2:6-8) or the entire ministry of Jesus. [NOAB]
Verse 9: “the righteousness from God based on faith”: To Paul, in living by the Law one attempts to achieve one’s own righteousness: in Romans 10:3, he says of Jews: “being ignorant of the righteousness that comes from God, and seeking to establish their own, they have not submitted to God's righteousness”. True righteousness is a gift received in faith: in Genesis 15:6, we read that Abraham “believed the LORD; and the LORD reckoned it to him as righteousness’. [CAB]
Verses 10-11: To know Christ as risen and living is to have “power”: to suffer like him and to possess the sure hope of rising and living with him. [NOAB]
Verse 10: “to know Christ”: i.e. to experience him as life-giving Spirit. See 1 Corinthians 15:45; 2 Corinthians 3:17. [NJBC]
Verse 10: “by becoming like him in his death ...”: In Romans 6:3-5, Paul asks: “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his”. [CAB]
Verse 12: Though we have God’s gift, we still need to work towards true godliness. [NOAB]
Verse 12a: Perhaps Paul’s adversaries claimed that perfection can be achieved in this life.
Verse 14: “the prize”: Paul thinks of himself as being like an athlete in a Greek footrace. The winner received a victor’s crown at the finishing post. [NOAB]
Verse 14: “the heavenly call”: It is to ascend and join with Christ in eternal life. This is the moment of perfection. [NJBC]
Verse 15: “mature”: Mature Christians realize that they have not already attained perfection in their knowledge of Christ. [CAB]
Verse 17: :join in imitating me”: i.e. in centring Christian life in the cross of Christ: see vv. 10, 18.
Verse 18: “many”: NOAB presumes these to be professing Christians but not the Judaizers of v. 2 because the description in v. 19 scarcely fits them; however NJBC sees those who preach circumcision for Christians as being “enemies of the cross” for they deny the efficacy of the cross and thus void Christ’s self sacrifice. See also Galatians 2:21.
Verse 19: “Their end is destruction”: i.e. at the Last Day.
Verse 19: “their god is the belly”: To NJBC, either a reference to Jewish food laws or to self-centeredness.
Verse 19: “their glory is in their shame”: Normally the penis is kept modestly covered, but the “enemies” “glory” in it. [NJBC]
Verse 19: “on earthly things”: i.e. things of the age superceded by Christ. [NJBC]
Verse 20: “our citizenship is in heaven”: We are already citizens, although the new era has not yet arrived. See also Galatians 4:24-27 and Ephesians 2:19. Recall that the citizenship of the Philippians was in Rome. [NOAB]
Verse 21: See also Romans 8:23 (“... we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies”); 1 Corinthians 15:47-57; 2 Corinthians 5:15; Colossians 3:1-4.
Verse 21: “the body of our humiliation”: NJBC offers lowly body. The physical bodies of Christians will be transformed in order to enter eternal life. See also 1 Corinthians 15:20. [NJBC]
Verse 21: “to make all things subject to himself”: An allusion to Psalm 8:6 (“You have given them dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under their feet”), to Paul a psalm telling of the messianic reign of Christ. See also 1 Corinthians 15:25-28; Romans 8:20; Ephesians 1:22; Hebrews 2:6-9; 1 Peter 3:22.



GOSPEL: Matthew 21: 33 - 46 (RCL)
Matthew 21: 33 - 43 (Roman Catholic)

Matt 21:33 (NRSV) "Listen to another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a watchtower. Then he leased it to tenants and went to another country. 34 When the harvest time had come, he sent his slaves to the tenants to collect his produce. 35 But the tenants seized his slaves and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. 36 Again he sent other slaves, more than the first; and they treated them in the same way. 37 Finally he sent his son to them, saying, "They will respect my son.' 38 But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, "This is the heir; come, let us kill him and get his inheritance.' 39 So they seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. 40 Now when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?" 41 They said to him, "He will put those wretches to a miserable death, and lease the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the produce at the harvest time."
42 Jesus said to them, "Have you never read in the scriptures:
"The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;
this was the Lord's doing,
and it is amazing in our eyes'?
43 Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that produces the fruits of the kingdom. 44 The one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and it will crush anyone on whom it falls."
45 When the chief priests and the Phar'isees heard his parables, they realized that he was speaking about them. 46 They wanted to arrest him, but they feared the crowds, because they regarded him as a prophet.

The Sanhedrin members who first heard this parable would recall Isaiah 5:1-7, where God tells what will happen to his unfruitful “vineyard”, “the house of Israel, and the people of Judah”. In vv. 33-39, Jesus tells the parable: the landowner plants the vineyard, leases it out, and leaves. At harvest time, he sends successive sets of slaves “to collect his produce”; all are mistreated. When he sends his son, he is killed. If a landowner died without an heir, the land passed to the first claimant, so by killing the son (presumably the only one), the tenants become landowners. Jesus’ hearers answer his question: the first tenants will suffer “a miserable death” (v. 41) and other tenants will be found who will deliver.
Here, the landowner stands for God, the first tenants for Israel’s leaders, and the time the landowner is away for their period of stewardship of God’s chosen people. So the second tenants are replacements for Israel, probably those who follow Christ. Is Jesus “the son” (v. 38, Aramaic: ben) and the “stone” (v. 42, ‘eben)? Then v. 43: to oppose God will be disastrous; his patience will be exhausted. The leaders of Israel recognize his reference to Isaiah; were it not that Jesus was widely accepted as God’s “prophet” (v. 46), they would have arrested him.


The parallels are Mark 12:1-12 and Luke 20:9-19.
NJBC offers a different interpretation from the one in Comments (which is based on Blomberg): to him the slaves are the prophets killed by Israel, culminating in Jesus as the son, the “other tenants” (v. 41) and “a people” (v. 43) are the Church (which for Matthew is believing Jews plus converted Gentiles), the true Israel.
Verse 35: “beat one, killed another, and stoned another”: Matthew’s source, Mark, lacks the stoning of a slave, so NJBC wonders whether the stoning of James is in view.
Verse 37: “his son”: Matthew omits beloved from his Marcan source.
Verse 38: “This is the heir”: The tenants leap to a conclusion. In fact, the landowner is alive and can punish them. [NJBC]
Verse 39: In Mark 12:8, the son is seized, then killed, then thrown out. NJBC notes that Matthew changes the order – perhaps to fit the view that Jesus died outside the city. See also John 19:17; Hebrews 13:12-13.
Verse 41: Jesus says in 8:11-12: “‘I tell you, many will come from east and west and will eat with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, while the heirs of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth’”. See also Acts 13:46; 18:6; 28:28.
Verse 42: Jesus quotes from Psalm 118:22-23 to support his teaching. [NOAB] These verses are also quoted in Acts 4:11 and 1 Peter 2:7. This was a favourite early Christian proof text. [Blomberg]
Verse 43: Jesus’ conclusion is milder than the chief priests and elders expect. The wicked tenants will not be destroyed but will lose the promise. [NJBC]
Verse 43: “the kingdom of God”: In this context, probably the full end-time blessing. [NJBC]
Comments: the landowner stands for God, the first tenants for Israel’s leaders, ... the second tenants are replacements for Israel: That v. 33 almost directly quotes the opening lines of Isaiah’s parable (5:1-7, the Song of the Unfruitful Vineyard) makes these equations certain. [Blomberg]
Blomberg sees this parable as making three points:
• God is patient and long suffering in waiting for his people to bear the fruit which he expects of them, even when they are repeatedly and overtly hostile in their rebellion against him.
• A day will come when God’s patience will be exhausted and those who have rejected him will be destroyed.
• God’s purposes will not thereby be thwarted, for he will raise up new leaders who will produce the fruit the original ones failed to provide.
While elements in most parables approach the absurd (causing the first listeners to break into hearty laughter) such hostilities as described here were not uncommon in first-century conflicts between absentee landlords (especially Roman ones) and their tenants – so this parable may look extreme but it is not. [Blomberg]
Blomberg notes that there is nothing in the text to identify the son as Jesus. In Jesus’ telling of the parable, this is true, but I consider that in Matthew’s hands (and to his audience), the son is Jesus.

OLD TESTAMENT: Exodus 17: 1 - 7 (RCL)

Exod 17:1 (NRSV) From the wilderness of Sin the whole congregation of the Israelites journeyed by stages, as the LORD commanded. They camped at Reph'idim, but there was no water for the people to drink. 2 The people quarreled with Moses, and said, "Give us water to drink." Moses said to them, "Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the LORD?" 3 But the people thirsted there for water; and the people complained against Moses and said, "Why did you bring us out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and livestock with thirst?" 4 So Moses cried out to the LORD, "What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me." 5 The LORD said to Moses, "Go on ahead of the people, and take some of the elders of Israel with you; take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. 6 I will be standing there in front of you on the rock at Ho'reb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it, so that the people may drink." Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel. 7 He called the place Mas'sah and Mer'ibah, because the Israelites quarreled and tested the LORD, saying, "Is the LORD among us or not?"


Ezekiel 18: 1 - 4, 25 - 32 (alt. for RCL)
Ezekiel 18: 25 - 28 (Roman Catholic)

Ezek 18:1 (NRSV) The word of the LORD came to me: 2 What do you mean by repeating this proverb concerning the land of Israel, "The parents have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge"? 3 As I live, says the Lord GOD, this proverb shall no more be used by you in Israel. 4 Know that all lives are mine; the life of the parent as well as the life of the child is mine: it is only the person who sins that shall die.

25 Yet you say, "The way of the Lord is unfair." Hear now, O house of Israel: Is my way unfair? Is it not your ways that are unfair? 26 When the righteous turn away from their righteousness and commit iniquity, they shall die for it; for the iniquity that they have committed they shall die. 27 Again, when the wicked turn away from the wickedness they have committed and do what is lawful and right, they shall save their life. 28 Because they considered and turned away from all the transgressions that they had committed, they shall surely live; they shall not die. 29 Yet the house of Israel says, "The way of the Lord is unfair." O house of Israel, are my ways unfair? Is it not your ways that are unfair?
30 Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, all of you according to your ways, says the Lord GOD. Repent and turn from all your transgressions; otherwise iniquity will be your ruin. 31 Cast away from you all the transgressions that you have committed against me, and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! Why will you die, O house of Israel? 32 For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, says the Lord GOD. Turn, then, and live.


PSALM 78: 1 - 4, 12 - 16 (RCL)

Psal 78:1 (NRSV) Give ear, O my people, to my teaching;
incline your ears to the words of my mouth.
2 I will open my mouth in a parable;
I will utter dark sayings from of old,
3 things that we have heard and known,
that our ancestors have told us.
4 We will not hide them from their children;
we will tell to the coming generation
the glorious deeds of the LORD, and his might,
and the wonders that he has done.

12 In the sight of their ancestors he worked marvels
in the land of Egypt, in the fields of Zo'an.
13 He divided the sea and let them pass through it,
and made the waters stand like a heap.
14 In the daytime he led them with a cloud,
and all night long with a fiery light.
15 He split rocks open in the wilderness,
and gave them drink abundantly as from the deep.
16 He made streams come out of the rock,
and caused waters to flow down like rivers.


78

Part I Attendite, popule (ECUSA BCP)

1 Hear my teaching, O my people; *
incline your ears to the words of my mouth.

2 I will open my mouth in a parable; *
I will declare the mysteries of ancient times.

3 That which we have heard and known,
and what our forefathers have told us, *
we will not hide from their children.

4 We will recount to generations to come
the praiseworthy deeds and the power of the LORD, *
and the wonderful works he has done.

12 He worked marvels in the sight of their forefathers, *
in the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan.

13 He split open the sea and let them pass through; *
he made the waters stand up like walls.

14 He led them with a cloud by day, *
and all the night through with a glow of fire.

15 He split the hard rocks in the wilderness *
and gave them drink as from the great deep.

16 He brought streams out of the cliff, *
and the waters gushed out like rivers.



Psalm 25: 4 - 9 (Roman Catholic)
Psalm 25: 1 - 9 (alt. for RCL)

Psal 25:1 (NRSV) To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul.
2 O my God, in you I trust;
do not let me be put to shame;
do not let my enemies exult over me.
3 Do not let those who wait for you be put to shame;
let them be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous.
4 Make me to know your ways, O LORD;
teach me your paths.
5 Lead me in your truth, and teach me,
for you are the God of my salvation;
for you I wait all day long.
6 Be mindful of your mercy, O LORD, and of your steadfast love,
for they have been from of old.
7 Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions;
according to your steadfast love remember me,
for your goodness' sake, O LORD!
8 Good and upright is the LORD;
therefore he instructs sinners in the way.
9 He leads the humble in what is right,
and teaches the humble his way.
10 All the paths of the LORD are steadfast love and faithfulness,
for those who keep his covenant and his decrees.
11 For your name's sake, O LORD,
pardon my guilt, for it is great.
12 Who are they that fear the LORD?
He will teach them the way that they should choose.
13 They will abide in prosperity,
and their children shall possess the land.
14 The friendship of the LORD is for those who fear him,
and he makes his covenant known to them.
15 My eyes are ever toward the LORD,
for he will pluck my feet out of the net.

Note that the verse numbering in your Psalter may be different (v. 1 in US BCP & in Common Worship = vs. 1&2 in NRSV)


25 Ad te, Domine, levavi (ECUSA BCP)

1 To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul;
my God, I put my trust in you; *
let me not be humiliated,
nor let my enemies triumph over me.

2 Let none who look to you be put to shame; *
let the treacherous be disappointed in their schemes.

3 Show me your ways, O LORD, *
and teach me your paths.

4 Lead me in your truth and teach me, *
for you are the God of my salvation;
in you have I trusted all the day long.

5 Remember, O LORD, your compassion and love, *
for they are from everlasting.

6 Remember not the sins of my youth and my transgressions; *
remember me according to your love
and for the sake of your goodness, O LORD.

7 Gracious and upright is the LORD; *
therefore he teaches sinners in his way.

8 He guides the humble in doing right *
and teaches his way to the lowly.



NEW TESTAMENT: Philippians 2: 1 - 13 (RCL)
Philippians 2: 1 - 5 (6 - 11) (Roman Catholic)

Phil 2:1 (NRSV) If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, 2 make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. 3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. 5 Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus,
6 who, though he was in the form of God,
did not regard equality with God
as something to be exploited,
7 but emptied himself,
taking the form of a slave,
being born in human likeness.
And being found in human form,
8 he humbled himself
and became obedient to the point of death--
even death on a cross.
9 Therefore God also highly exalted him
and gave him the name
that is above every name,
10 so that at the name of Jesus
every knee should bend,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue should confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
12 Therefore, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed me, not only in my presence, but much more now in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; 13 for it is God who is at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

h/t montreal Anglican

There is of course “encouragement in Christ”, so Paul urges the Christians at Philippi: through it, and moved by God’s love for them, may they to “be of the same mind[set], having the same love, being in full accord ...” (v. 2). May they “regard others as better than ... [themselves]” (v. 3), freely adopting a lowly, unassertive stance before others, replacing self-interest with concern for others.
Vv. 5-11 are an early Christian hymn to which Paul has added v. 8b. He exhorts his readers to be of the same mindset as Jesus – one that is appropriate for them, given their existence “in Christ” (v. 5). Christ was “in the form of God” (v. 6): he was already like God; he had a God-like way of being, e.g. he was not subject to death. He shared in God’s very nature. Even so, he did not “regard” being like God “as something to be exploited”, i.e. to be used for his own purposes. Rather, he “emptied himself” (v. 7), made himself powerless and ineffective – as a slave is powerless, without rights. He took on the likeness of a human being, with all which that entails (except sin), including death. As a man, he lowered (“humbled”, v. 8) himself, and throughout his life in the world, was fully human and totally obedient to God, even to dying. (Paul now adds: even to the most debasing way of dying, crucifixion – reserved for slaves and the worst criminals.)
God actively responded to this total denial of self, his complete living and dying for others, by placing him above all other godly people (“highly exalted him”, v. 9), and bestowing on him the name, title and authority of “Lord” (v. 11) over the whole universe (“heaven”, v. 10, “earth”, “under the earth”). This authority, before Christ came to us, the Father reserved for himself. Paul recalls God’s words spoken through Isaiah: “From every corner of the earth [all are to] turn to me and be saved; for I am God ... to me every knee shall bow ... to me every tongue shall swear, saying ‘In the Lord alone are victory and might ... all Israel’s descendants will be victorious and will glory in the Lord’”; the Philippians shall worship him; confessing that “Jesus Christ is Lord” (v. 11) is proclaiming the victory and might of God. The ultimate goal is the “glory of God the Father”, the reclamation of God’s sovereignty, his power over, and presence in, the universe. So (v. 12) may they, using Christ’s example of obedience and lowliness (“fear and trembling”), continue to “work out” their “salvation” with God’s help in what they intend (“will”, v. 13) and what they do (“work”).

Verse 1: “If ...”: The condition is rhetorical. [NOAB]
Verses 6-11: Clues to this being an early Christian hymn which Paul quotes are its rhythmic character, use of parallelism, and occurrence of rare and uncharacteristic language. For other fragments of early Christian hymns on the subject of Christ’s work, see 1:15-20; Ephesians 2:14-16; 1 Timothy 3:16; 1 Peter 3:18-19, 22; Hebrews 1:3. [NJBC]
Verse 3: “in humility”: While in the Old Testament lowliness was an appropriate posture vis-à-vis God, in the secular Greco-Roman world it was a despised and abject condition. But Paul tells us that for Christians freely adopting such a stance, in imitation of Christ, is virtuous. [NJBC]
Verse 5: From 4:2, it appears that two members of the community, Euodia and Syntyche, are not “of the same mind in the Lord”.
Verse 6: “in the form of God”: i.e. pre-existent and divine (see John 1:1-3; Colossians 1:15; 1 Corinthians 8:6; Romans 8:3; Galatians 4:4), sharing in God’s very nature. [NOAB]
Verse 7: “slave”: Perhaps an allusion to Isaiah 52:13-53:12, one of the Servant Songs. [NOAB]
Verse 8: See also Matthew 26:39 (Jesus, in the Garden of Gethsemane), John 10:18 (“‘No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord ...’”); Romans 5:19; Hebrews 5:8; 12:2.
Verse 9: “highly exalted him”: In his resurrection and ascension: see also Acts 2:32-33 (Peter’s speech on the day of Pentecost); 5:30-31; Ephesians 1:20-21.
Verse 9: “the name ...”: The name is “Lord” (v. 11), the title of Israel’s covenant God, applied by Christians to the risen and glorified Jesus. See also 1 Thessalonians 1:1. [NOAB]
Verses 10-11: Comments quotes Isaiah 45:22-24 in the REB translation.
Verse 11: In Romans 10:9, Paul writes: “... if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved”. See also 2 Corinthians 9:13.
Verse 12: “fear and trembling”: i.e. humbly and with constant dependence on God’s help. [NOAB]
Verse 13: “will”: NJBC translates the Greek as goodwill and explains that it is goodwill towards fellow members of the community.
Verse 14: “without murmuring”: In 1 Corinthians 10:9-10, Paul advises: “We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did, and were destroyed by serpents. And do not complain as some of them did, and were destroyed by the destroyer”.
Verse 15: “crooked and perverse generation”: Deuteronomy 32:5 says that “his degenerate children [the Israelites] have dealt falsely with him, a perverse and crooked generation”.
Verse 15: “shine like stars”: Daniel 12:3, speaking of the Day of Judgement, says “Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever”.
Verse 16: “the day of Christ”: i.e. the day when Christ returns and the present age ends. In 1 Corinthians 1:8, Paul writes: “He will also strengthen you to the end, so that you may be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ”. See also 2 Thessalonians 2:3 and 2 Peter 3:10.
Verse 17: “poured out as a libation”: i.e. condemned to death.




GOSPEL: Matthew 21: 23 - 32 (RCL)
Matthew 21: 28 - 32 (Roman Catholic)

Matt 21:23 (NRSV) When he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him as he was teaching, and said, "By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?" 24 Jesus said to them, "I will also ask you one question; if you tell me the answer, then I will also tell you by what authority I do these things. 25 Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin?" And they argued with one another, "If we say, "From heaven,' he will say to us, "Why then did you not believe him?' 26 But if we say, "Of human origin,' we are afraid of the crowd; for all regard John as a prophet." 27 So they answered Jesus, "We do not know." And he said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.
28 "What do you think? A man had two sons; he went to the first and said, "Son, go and work in the vineyard today.' 29 He answered, "I will not'; but later he changed his mind and went. 30 The father went to the second and said the same; and he answered, "I go, sir'; but he did not go. 31 Which of the two did the will of his father?" They said, "The first." Jesus said to them, "Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you. 32 For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him; and even after you saw it, you did not change your minds and believe him.



In the final week of his earthly life, Jesus has just shown the importance of faith in understanding God’s ways. Now, as he teaches in the Temple, representatives of the Sanhedrin (“chief priests and the elders”) ask who has given him the power and “authority” to do all that he has done in his ministry. But he will only answer them if they first answer his question (v. 25), one which will show whether they have the requisite faith to understand his answer. His questioners are skilled in the Law, but it is of little help in deciding whether a prophet (in this case John the Baptist) is genuinely from God. If they say that John was from God, they should have repented as he urged; if they say he was not, they will lose face and status with the many who have come to Jesus (v. 26). The Sanhedrin judged such issues, so their answer (v. 27) shows their incompetence. Jesus tells them a parable about admission to the kingdom (vv. 28-30). People known for their evil ways (“tax collectors ...”, v. 31) have turned to God (like the first son), while the authorities, (like the second son), have observed the rules (note “sir”, v. 30) but have not acted on them. But they can still come to faith; even if they do, people considered to be disreputable will enter the Kingdom “ahead of you” (v. 31).

Verses 23-27: The parallels are Mark 11:27-33 and Luke 20:1-8. See also John 2:18-22.
Verse 23: “By what authority ...”: Jesus is not of the priestly tribe of Levi; nor is he a rabbi. [NOAB]
Verses 24-25: To answer with one’s own question is to argue in a rabbinic way.
Verse 25: “from heaven”: i.e. from God.
Verse 26: For John as a prophet, see 11:9 (“more than a prophet”); 14:5 (the crowd considered John to be a prophet); Luke 1:76 (“... you, child [John], will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation to his people by the forgiveness of their sins”).
Verse 28: While the “vineyard” (usually an indication that the parable is about Israel) is probably not significant here, “today” is: the matter is urgent.
Verse 30: “I go, sir”: The second son is dutifully polite.
Verse 30: “he did not go”: In James 2:14-26, the author asks: “What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you?”.
Verse 32: Luke 7:29-30 tells us “... And all the people who heard this, including the tax collectors, acknowledged the justice of God, because they had been baptized with John's baptism. But by refusing to be baptized by him, the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected God's purpose for themselves”.
Verse 32: “in the way of righteousness”: i.e. reconciliation with God by faith [NOAB]; as a true spokesman for God. [Blomberg] This phrase is common in the wisdom literature: see Proverbs 8:20; 12:28; Psalm 23:3. The doctrine of the two ways is found in the Qumran literature.

OLD TESTAMENT: Exodus 16: 2 - 15 (RCL)

Exod 16:2 (NRSV) The whole congregation of the Israelites complained against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. 3 The Israelites said to them, "If only we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the fleshpots and ate our fill of bread; for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger."
4 Then the LORD said to Moses, "I am going to rain bread from heaven for you, and each day the people shall go out and gather enough for that day. In that way I will test them, whether they will follow my instruction or not. 5 On the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, it will be twice as much as they gather on other days." 6 So Moses and Aaron said to all the Israelites, "In the evening you shall know that it was the LORD who brought you out of the land of Egypt, 7 and in the morning you shall see the glory of the LORD, because he has heard your complaining against the LORD. For what are we, that you complain against us?" 8 And Moses said, "When the LORD gives you meat to eat in the evening and your fill of bread in the morning, because the LORD has heard the complaining that you utter against him--what are we? Your complaining is not against us but against the LORD."
9 Then Moses said to Aaron, "Say to the whole congregation of the Israelites, "Draw near to the LORD, for he has heard your complaining.'" 10 And as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the Israelites, they looked toward the wilderness, and the glory of the LORD appeared in the cloud. 11 The LORD spoke to Moses and said, 12 "I have heard the complaining of the Israelites; say to them, "At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall have your fill of bread; then you shall know that I am the LORD your God.'"
13 In the evening quails came up and covered the camp; and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. 14 When the layer of dew lifted, there on the surface of the wilderness was a fine flaky substance, as fine as frost on the ground. 15 When the Israelites saw it, they said to one another, "What is it?" For they did not know what it was. Moses said to them, "It is the bread that the LORD has given you to eat.


Jonah 3: 10 - 4: 11 (alt. for RCL)

Jona 3:10 (NRSV) When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil ways, God changed his mind about the calamity that he had said he would bring upon them; and he did not do it. 4:1 But this was very displeasing to Jonah, and he became angry. 2 He prayed to the LORD and said, "O LORD! Is not this what I said while I was still in my own country? That is why I fled to Tar'shish at the beginning; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and ready to relent from punishing. 3 And now, O LORD, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live." 4 And the LORD said, "Is it right for you to be angry?" 5 Then Jonah went out of the city and sat down east of the city, and made a booth for himself there. He sat under it in the shade, waiting to see what would become of the city.
6 The LORD God appointed a bush, and made it come up over Jonah, to give shade over his head, to save him from his discomfort; so Jonah was very happy about the bush. 7 But when dawn came up the next day, God appointed a worm that attacked the bush, so that it withered. 8 When the sun rose, God prepared a sultry east wind, and the sun beat down on the head of Jonah so that he was faint and asked that he might die. He said, "It is better for me to die than to live."
9 But God said to Jonah, "Is it right for you to be angry about the bush?" And he said, "Yes, angry enough to die." 10 Then the LORD said, "You are concerned about the bush, for which you did not labor and which you did not grow; it came into being in a night and perished in a night. 11 And should I not be concerned about Nin'eveh, that great city, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also many animals?"


Isaiah 55: 6 - 9 (Roman Catholic)

Isai 55:6 (NRSV) Seek the LORD while he may be found,
call upon him while he is near;
7 let the wicked forsake their way,
and the unrighteous their thoughts;
let them return to the LORD, that he may have mercy on them,
and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
nor are your ways my ways, says the LORD.
9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.


PSALM 105: 1 - 6, 37 - 45 (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.

37 Then he brought Israel out with silver and gold,
and there was no one among their tribes who stumbled.
38 Egypt was glad when they departed,
for dread of them had fallen upon it.
39 He spread a cloud for a covering,
and fire to give light by night.
40 They asked, and he brought quails,
and gave them food from heaven in abundance.
41 He opened the rock, and water gushed out;
it flowed through the desert like a river.
42 For he remembered his holy promise,
and Abraham, his servant.
43 So he brought his people out with joy,
his chosen ones with singing.
44 He gave them the lands of the nations,
and they took possession of the wealth of the peoples,
45 that they might keep his statutes
and observe his laws.
Praise the LORD!


105 (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.


37 He led out his people with silver and gold; *
in all their tribes there was not one that stumbled.
38 Egypt was glad of their going, *
because they were afraid of them.

39 He spread out a cloud for a covering *
and a fire to give light in the night season.

40 They asked, and quails appeared, *
and he satisfied them with bread from heaven.

41 He opened the rock, and water flowed, *
so the river ran in the dry places.

42 For God remembered his holy word *
and Abraham his servant.

43 So he led forth his people with gladness, *
his chosen with shouts of joy.

44 He gave his people the lands of the nations, *
and they took the fruit of others' toil,

45 That they might keep his statutes *
and observe his laws.
Hallelujah!



Psalm 145: 1 - 8 (alt. for RCL)
Psalm 145: 2 - 3, 8 - 9, 17 - 18 (Roman Catholic)

Psal 145:1 (NRSV) I will extol you, my God and King,
and bless your name forever and ever.
2 Every day I will bless you,
and praise your name forever and ever.
3 Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised;
his greatness is unsearchable.
4 One generation shall laud your works to another,
and shall declare your mighty acts.
5 On the glorious splendor of your majesty,
and on your wondrous works, I will meditate.
6 The might of your awesome deeds shall be proclaimed,
and I will declare your greatness.
7 They shall celebrate the fame of your abundant goodness,
and shall sing aloud of your righteousness.
8 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.
10 All your works shall give thanks to you, O LORD,
and all your faithful shall bless you.
11 They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom,
and tell of your power,
12 to make known to all people your mighty deeds,
and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
and your dominion endures throughout all generations.
The LORD is faithful in all his words,
and gracious in all his deeds.
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.


Psalm 145 Exaltabo te, Deus (ECUSA BCP)

1 I will exalt you, O God my King, *
and bless your Name for ever and ever.

2 Every day will I bless you *
and praise your Name for ever and ever.

3 Great is the LORD and greatly to be praised; *
there is no end to his greatness.

4 One generation shall praise your works to another *
and shall declare your power.

5 I will ponder the glorious splendor of your majesty *
and all your marvelous works.

6 They shall speak of the might of your wondrous acts, *
and I will tell of your greatness.

7 They shall publish the remembrance of your great goodness; *
they shall sing of your righteous deeds.

8 The LORD is gracious and full of compassion, *
slow to anger and of great kindness.


NEW TESTAMENT: Philippians 1: 21 - 30 (RCL)
Philippians 1: 20b - 24, 27a (Roman Catholic)

Phil 1:20 (NRSV) Christ will be exalted now as always in my body, whether by life or by death. 21 For to me, living is Christ and dying is gain. 22 If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which I prefer. 23 I am hard pressed between the two: my desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better; 24 but to remain in the flesh is more necessary for you. 25 Since I am convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with all of you for your progress and joy in faith, 26 so that I may share abundantly in your boasting in Christ Jesus when I come to you again.
27 Only, live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that, whether I come and see you or am absent and hear about you, I will know that you are standing firm in one spirit, striving side by side with one mind for the faith of the gospel, 28 and are in no way intimidated by your opponents. For them this is evidence of their destruction, but of your salvation. And this is God's doing. 29 For he has graciously granted you the privilege not only of believing in Christ, but of suffering for him as well-- 30 since you are having the same struggle that you saw I had and now hear that I still have.

h/t Montreal Anglican

Paul writes from prison; in v. 12 he says that he wants the Christians at Philippi “to know ... that what has happened to ... [him] has actually helped to spread the gospel”. The good news has become known to his jailers; they now know that his “imprisonment is for Christ” (v. 13, and not for a crime) and thereby, in his absence, most of his fellow Christians have gained the confidence to “speak the word with greater boldness and without fear” (v. 14). Realizing that he may be facing death, he ponders what this may mean. The spread of the faith will need to go on without him, and he will not live to see the Day of the Lord, the coming of Christ at the end of time. And so he thinks of living and dying.
For him, Christ gives meaning to existence (“living is Christ”, v. 21), and physical death brings greater oneness with Christ (“gain”); living means preaching Christ, a “fruitful labour” (v. 22), while dying is being with him in glory. He would like to “depart”, (v. 23), to move on, but to continue his earthly life is needed more – for the benefit of those he has, and will, bring to Christ. And because of the greater need (v. 25), his life, he thinks, will continue in “progress and joy” with the church at Philippi, so that he may share with them when he next visits them (v. 26). He exhorts them as a community to live in an ethical way, consistent with “the gospel” (v. 27). They are to stand firm, as a soldier does at his post, sharing a common approach (“spirit”), working together to be of “one mind” in the faith – and not being scared off, “intimidated” (v. 28), by those who harass Christians. This one-mindedness is evidence that they are contributing to the downfall of their persecutors on the Day of Judgement, and the assurance of their own salvation – and God gives this. Then v. 29: God has given the Philippians the opportunity to suffer for Christ’s sake as well as believing in him: they share the same “struggle” (v. 30) or contest (as in a wrestling match) as Paul endures and expects.

Verses 12-26: Paul’s own situation. [NJBC]
Verse 13: “imperial guard”: The NRSV footnote notes that the Greek is praetorium. As usually in the New Testament (see also Matthew 27:27; John 18:28, 33; Acts 23:35), this term refers to the precincts of the Roman governor’s palace, where the guard was quartered and prisoners were held. [NJBC]
Verse 14: “dare to speak the word with greater boldness and without fear”: God has emboldened others to fill the vacuum of preaching created by Paul’s imprisonment. [NJBC]
Verses 15-18: That some of his fellow Christians regarded Paul with suspicion and ill-will also appears in Galatians and in 1 and 2 Corinthians – especially in 2 Corinthians 10-13. [NOAB]
Verse 15: “from envy and rivalry”: As though reaching the goal of oneness with God is competitive, as Paul had to face in Corinth: see 2 Corinthians 10:12; 11:21-22; 13:1-3.
Verse 17: “to increase my suffering ...”: That some proclaim Christ other than with goodwill causes Paul distress over and above that of being imprisoned. [NJBC]
Verse 18: “rejoice”: A theme through to the end of Chapter 2. [CAB] Zeal for the gospel transforms Paul’s hurt into joy. [NJBC]
Verse 19: “the help of the Spirit”: In the Synoptic gospels Jesus pledges the help of the Holy Spirit to Christians arraigned before earthly tribunals: see Mark 13:11; Matthew 10:20; Luke 12:12. [NJBC]
Verse 19: “this will turn out for my deliverance”: This is a quotation from the Septuagint translation of Job 13:16. Paul identifies himself with Job’s plight and with his hope. [NJBC]
Verse 20: Paul’s eventual release will mean vindication not only for him but also for the Christian gospel. It will show that the gospel is not a subversive political message against the Roman government. [CAB]
Verse 20: “Christ will be exalted”: The power of the risen Lord, operative through the Holy Spirit, will be so effective as to demand public acknowledgement. The Greek word translated as “body” is soma; here it means Paul’s whole being as others see him. [NJBC]
Verse 21: Through baptism, Paul’s whole existence, his mind set, has been taken over by Christ. In Galatians 2:19-20, he writes: “For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ; and 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 Galatians 3:27-28; Philippians 3:7-11; Romans 6:3-11. [NJBC]
Verse 22: “live in the flesh”: i.e. continue his earthly life.
Verse 23: “depart”: The word simply means die. There is no implication of separation of the soul from the burden of the body. [NJBC]
Verse 23: “to ... be with Christ”: There seems to be a notion here of some state of being with Christ before the General Resurrection. This idea may also be in 2 Corinthians 5:2-4: “For in this tent we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling – if indeed, when we have taken it off we will not be found naked. For while we are still in this tent, we groan under our burden, because we wish not to be unclothed but to be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life”
Verses 26-30: Exhortation for community unity and steadfastness. [NJBC]
Verse 26: “boasting”: i.e. rejoicing: see v. 18.
Verse 26: “when I come to you again”: We do not know whether Paul got to visit the Philippian Christian community again.
Verse 27: “live your life”: The Greek word, politeuesthai literally means discharge one’s duty as a citizen, so NJBC offers live your communal pattern of life.
Verse 28: “intimidated by your opponents”: Probably a reference to day-to-day harassment by non-Christians. Persecution per se is unlikely to be in view. [NJBC]



GOSPEL: Matthew 20: 1 - 16 (all)

Matt 20:1 (NRSV) "For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. 2 After agreeing with the laborers for the usual daily wage, he sent them into his vineyard. 3 When he went out about nine o'clock, he saw others standing idle in the marketplace; 4 and he said to them, "You also go into the vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.' So they went. 5 When he went out again about noon and about three o'clock, he did the same. 6 And about five o'clock he went out and found others standing around; and he said to them, "Why are you standing here idle all day?' 7 They said to him, "Because no one has hired us.' He said to them, "You also go into the vineyard.' 8 When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his manager, "Call the laborers and give them their pay, beginning with the last and then going to the first.' 9 When those hired about five o'clock came, each of them received the usual daily wage. 10 Now when the first came, they thought they would receive more; but each of them also received the usual daily wage. 11 And when they received it, they grumbled against the landowner, 12 saying, "These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.' 13 But he replied to one of them, "Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage? 14 Take what belongs to you and go; I choose to give to this last the same as I give to you. 15 Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or are you envious because I am generous?' 16 So the last will be first, and the first will be last."
The landowner appears to be unfair, but note that the passage begins “... the kingdom of heaven is like ...” and that the wages stand for God’s grace. God chooses to give (v. 14) the same to all: the landowner pays “whatever is right” (v. 4) – there is no hierarchy in heaven. God is generous to all who believe. Many who seem less deserving (in the story, those hired “about five o’clock”, v. 6, at the end of the day) will be treated generously too: this is God’s (free) choice. All true disciples are equal in God’s eyes, however and whenever they come to faith. What matters is God’s call to us, and our response. V. 16 is unexpected: those who were hired last are paid first (v. 8); those who have worked all day expect, but do not receive, a bonus. In Jesus’ day, opportunity and privilege were far from equal; he goes against contemporary thinking and action: we are all dependent on God’s mercy. A scholar has defined a parable as a metaphor or simile drawn from nature or common life, arresting the hearer by its vividness or strangeness, and leaving the mind in sufficient doubt about its precise application to tease it into active thought. It is strange that the landowner miscalculates his need for help three times – but to emphasize this is to miss the point.
Note: The Roman Catholic lectionary omits the last part of v. 16.


There is another vineyard parable in 21:33-44. [NJBC]
Verse 1: “early”: i.e. about 6 a.m. [NOAB]
Verse 2: “vineyard”: An important prophetic symbol for the people of God in their need: see Isaiah 5 (the song of the unfruitful vineyard) and Jeremiah 12:10. [CAB] Jesus’ hearers would have identified the story as about them.
Verse 3: “in the marketplace”: The usual place to seek day-labourers in the Near East. [NJBC]
Verse 8: Leviticus 19:13 says: “... you shall not keep for yourself the wages of a labourer until morning”. Deuteronomy 24:14-15 says: “You shall not withhold the wages of poor and needy labourers, whether other Israelites or aliens who reside in your land in one of your towns. You shall pay them their wages daily before sunset, because they are poor and their livelihood depends on them; otherwise they might cry to the LORD against you, and you would incur guilt.”
Verse 8: “beginning with the last”: To NJBC, this is evidence that this parable is a midrash on 19:30 (quoted below).
Verse 9: “the usual daily wage”: Per the NRSV footnote, the Greek literally means a denarius. There were smaller coins in circulation so the landowner could have paid the labourers hired later less than a full day’s pay. [NOAB]
Verse 11: “they grumbled”: See also Exodus 16:3-8 (read today). [NJBC]
Verse 12: In 21:31, the last verse of the parable of the two sons, Jesus says: “‘"Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you”.
Verse 15a: i.e. I can enter into different contracts.
Verse 15b: Per the NRSV footnote, literally: Is your eye evil because I am good?
Verse 16: This is found only in Matthew. It is put a little more softly in 19:30: “... many who are first will be last, and the last will be first”.
Verse 16: To NJBC, this verse forms a chiasm with 19:30, where the saying occurs in the reverse order.
Comments: A scholar has defined a parable as ...”: The scholar is C. H. Dodd.
Irenaeus saw the groups of labourers as who have been saved in various periods of history but to Blomberg the various hours at which the workers start working merely illustrate the diverse nature of the citizens of the Kingdom.

OLD TESTAMENT: Exodus 14: 19 - 31 (RCL)

Exod 14:19 (NRSV) The angel of God who was going before the Israelite army moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud moved from in front of them and took its place behind them. 20 It came between the army of Egypt and the army of Israel. And so the cloud was there with the darkness, and it lit up the night; one did not come near the other all night.
21 Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea. The LORD drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night, and turned the sea into dry land; and the waters were divided. 22 The Israelites went into the sea on dry ground, the waters forming a wall for them on their right and on their left. 23 The Egyptians pursued, and went into the sea after them, all of Pharaoh's horses, chariots, and chariot drivers. 24 At the morning watch the LORD in the pillar of fire and cloud looked down upon the Egyptian army, and threw the Egyptian army into panic. 25 He clogged their chariot wheels so that they turned with difficulty. The Egyptians said, "Let us flee from the Israelites, for the LORD is fighting for them against Egypt."
26 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand over the sea, so that the water may come back upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots and chariot drivers." 27 So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at dawn the sea returned to its normal depth. As the Egyptians fled before it, the LORD tossed the Egyptians into the sea. 28 The waters returned and covered the chariots and the chariot drivers, the entire army of Pharaoh that had followed them into the sea; not one of them remained. 29 But the Israelites walked on dry ground through the sea, the waters forming a wall for them on their right and on their left.
30 Thus the LORD saved Israel that day from the Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. 31 Israel saw the great work that the LORD did against the Egyptians. So the people feared the LORD and believed in the LORD and in his servant Moses.


Ecclesiaticus, or Sirach 27: 30 - 28: 7 (Roman Catholic)

27:30 (NRSV) Anger and wrath, these also are abominations,
yet a sinner holds on to them.
28:1 The vengeful will face the Lord’s vengeance,
for he keeps a strict account of their sins.
2 Forgive your neighbor the wrong he has done,
and then your sins will be pardoned when you pray.
3 Does anyone harbor anger against another,
and expect healing from the Lord?
4 If one has no mercy toward another like himself,
can he then seek pardon for his own sins?
5 If a mere mortal harbors wrath,
who will make an atoning sacrifice for his sins?
6 Remember the end of your life, and set enmity aside;
remember corruption and death, and be true to the commandments.
7 Remember the commandments, and do not be angry with your neighbor;
remember the covenant of the Most High, and overlook faults.


Genesis 50: 15 - 21 (alt. for RCL)

Gene 50:15 (NRSV) Realizing that their father was dead, Joseph's brothers said, "What if Joseph still bears a grudge against us and pays us back in full for all the wrong that we did to him?" 16 So they approached Joseph, saying, "Your father gave this instruction before he died, 17 "Say to Joseph: I beg you, forgive the crime of your brothers and the wrong they did in harming you.' Now therefore please forgive the crime of the servants of the God of your father." Joseph wept when they spoke to him. 18 Then his brothers also wept, fell down before him, and said, "We are here as your slaves." 19 But Joseph said to them, "Do not be afraid! Am I in the place of God? 20 Even though you intended to do harm to me, God intended it for good, in order to preserve a numerous people, as he is doing today. 21 So have no fear; I myself will provide for you and your little ones." In this way he reassured them, speaking kindly to them.


PSALM 114 (RCL)

Psal 114:1 (NRSV) When Israel went out from Egypt,
the house of Jacob from a people of strange language,
2 Judah became God's sanctuary,
Israel his dominion.
3 The sea looked and fled;
Jordan turned back.
4 The mountains skipped like rams,
the hills like lambs.
5 Why is it, O sea, that you flee?
O Jordan, that you turn back?
6 O mountains, that you skip like rams?
O hills, like lambs?
7 Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the LORD,
at the presence of the God of Jacob,
8 who turns the rock into a pool of water,
the flint into a spring of water.


114 In exitu Israel (ECUSA BCP)

1 Hallelujah!
When Israel came out of Egypt, *
the house of Jacob from a people of strange speech,

2 Judah became God's sanctuary *
and Israel his dominion.
3 The sea beheld it and fled; *
Jordan turned and went back.

4 The mountains skipped like rams, *
and the little hills like young sheep.

5 What ailed you, O sea, that you fled? *
O Jordan, that you turned back?

6 You mountains, that you skipped like rams? *
you little hills like young sheep?

7 Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord, *
at the presence of the God of Jacob,

8 Who turned the hard rock into a pool of water *
and flint-stone into a flowing spring.


Psalm 103: (1 - 7) 8 - 13 (alt. for RCL)
Psalm 103: 1 - 4, 9 - 12 (Roman Catholic)

Psal 103:1 (NRSV) Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and all that is within me,
bless his holy name.
2 Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and do not forget all his benefits--
3 who forgives all your iniquity,
who heals all your diseases,
4 who redeems your life from the Pit,
who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,
5 who satisfies you with good as long as you live
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.
6 The LORD works vindication
and justice for all who are oppressed.
7 He made known his ways to Moses,
his acts to the people of Israel.
8 The LORD is merciful and gracious,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
9 He will not always accuse,
nor will he keep his anger forever.
10 He does not deal with us according to our sins,
nor repay us according to our iniquities.
11 For as the heavens are high above the earth,
so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;
12 as far as the east is from the west,
so far he removes our transgressions from us.
13 As a father has compassion for his children,
so the LORD has compassion for those who fear him.


Psalm 103 Benedic, anima mea (ECUSA BCP)

1 Bless the LORD, O my soul, *
and all that is within me, bless his holy Name.

2 Bless the LORD, O my soul, *
and forget not all his benefits.

3 He forgives all your sins *
and heals all your infirmities;

4 He redeems your life from the grave *
and crowns you with mercy and loving-kindness;

5 He satisfies you with good things, *
and your youth is renewed like an eagle's.

6 The LORD executes righteousness *
and judgment for all who are oppressed.

7 He made his ways known to Moses *
and his works to the children of Israel.

8 The LORD is full of compassion and mercy, *
slow to anger and of great kindness.

9 He will not always accuse us, *
nor will he keep his anger for ever.

10 He has not dealt with us according to our sins, *
nor rewarded us according to our wickedness.

11 For as the heavens are high above the earth, *
so is his mercy great upon those who fear him.

12 As far as the east is from the west, *
so far has he removed our sins from us.

13 As a father cares for his children, *
so does the LORD care for those who fear him.


Exodus 15: 1b - 11, 20 - 21 (alt. for RCL as canticle, if Exodus OT lesson used)

Exod 15:1 (NRSV) "I will sing to the LORD, for he has triumphed gloriously;
horse and rider he has thrown into the sea.
2 The LORD is my strength and my might,
and he has become my salvation;
this is my God, and I will praise him,
my father's God, and I will exalt him.
3 The LORD is a warrior;
the LORD is his name.
4 "Pharaoh's chariots and his army he cast into the sea;
his picked officers were sunk in the Red Sea.
5 The floods covered them;
they went down into the depths like a stone.
6 Your right hand, O LORD, glorious in power--
your right hand, O LORD, shattered the enemy.
7 In the greatness of your majesty you overthrew your adversaries;
you sent out your fury, it consumed them like stubble.
8 At the blast of your nostrils the waters piled up,
the floods stood up in a heap;
the deeps congealed in the heart of the sea.
9 The enemy said, "I will pursue, I will overtake,
I will divide the spoil, my desire shall have its fill of them.
I will draw my sword, my hand shall destroy them.'
10 You blew with your wind, the sea covered them;
they sank like lead in the mighty waters.
11 "Who is like you, O LORD, among the gods?
Who is like you, majestic in holiness,
awesome in splendor, doing wonders?

20 Then the prophet Miriam, Aaron's sister, took a tambourine in her hand; and all the women went out after her with tambourines and with dancing. 21 And Miriam sang to them:
"Sing to the LORD, for he has triumphed gloriously;
horse and rider he has thrown into the sea."


NEW TESTAMENT: Romans 14: 1 - 12 (RCL)
Romans 14: 7 - 9 (Roman Catholic)

Roma 14:1 (NRSV) Welcome those who are weak in faith, but not for the purpose of quarreling over opinions. 2 Some believe in eating anything, while the weak eat only vegetables. 3 Those who eat must not despise those who abstain, and those who abstain must not pass judgment on those who eat; for God has welcomed them. 4 Who are you to pass judgment on servants of another? It is before their own lord that they stand or fall. And they will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make them stand.
5 Some judge one day to be better than another, while others judge all days to be alike. Let all be fully convinced in their own minds. 6 Those who observe the day, observe it in honor of the Lord. Also those who eat, eat in honor of the Lord, since they give thanks to God; while those who abstain, abstain in honor of the Lord and give thanks to God.
7 We do not live to ourselves, and we do not die to ourselves. 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. 9 For to this end Christ died and lived again, so that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living.
10 Why do you pass judgment on your brother or sister? Or you, why do you despise your brother or sister? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. 11 For it is written,
"As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me,
and every tongue shall give praise to God."
12 So then, each of us will be accountable to God.

h/t Montreal Anglican

Romans 14:1-12
Paul writes about two kinds of Christians:
• those who being “weak in faith” concern themselves with details and added practices (rather than the main objective) and
• the strong who concentrate on God’s purposes.
The “weak” are to be welcomed as full members of the community “for God has welcomed them” (v. 3). The particular practices (of piety) mentioned are not eating meat (“eat only vegetables”, v. 2), fasting regularly (vv. 5-6) and abstaining from “wine” (v. 21).
In Roman society, it was considered ill-mannered to “pass judgement” (v. 4) on the conduct of another master’s servant; he was answerable to his “own lord” or master. Similarly, each Christian is answerable to “the Lord” and should not be criticized. One’s own conviction (v. 5) before God is what matters. Living (and dying) for God is our objective (v. 8); we should not judge; God will judge our conduct at the end of time: “each of us will be accountable to God” (v. 12).
In 14:13-15:6, Paul writes to the strong, those who see the purpose of life clearly. They should refrain from causing others to lose their faith; and not let their ideas and practices, however good, be misconstrued as evil. Rather they are to “pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding” (v. 19). It is through living in a manner consistent with one’s conscience that one achieves a right relationship with God (v. 22). One’s actions must be founded in faith (v. 23).

Verse 1: “not for the purpose of quarrelling over opinions”: NJBC offers without debating minor points. See also 15:5-6; 1 Corinthians 1:11; 11:18; Titus 3:9; Matthew 15:11.
Verse 2: Paul may be referring to those who on certain occasions refrain from eating meat. See also 1 Corinthians 8:1-13; 10:23-33. [CAB] Their reason for abstaining may lie in their pre-Christian background: see Daniel 1:8 (Daniel abstains from “the royal rations of food and wine”) and Judith 8:6.
Verse 3: See also Colossians 2:16-19.
Verse 5: In Galatians 4:10-11, Paul seems to speak of converts who have fallen back into pagan practices. See also Colossians 2:16-20.
Verse 5: “Let all be fully convinced in their own minds”: See also v. 14 and 1 Corinthians 8:7: “... Since some [converts] have become so accustomed to idols until now, they still think of the food they eat as food offered to an idol; and their conscience, being weak, is defiled”.
Verse 6: “the day”: The Sabbath may be intended.
Verse 8: Paul says, in Philippians 1:21: “For to me, living is Christ and dying is gain”.
Verse 11: The quotation is a conflation of Isaiah 49:18 and 45:23, per the Septuagint translation. See also Philippians 2:10-11.
Verse 11: “praise”: The Greek word, exomolesetai, here has the sense of admitting, confessing.
Verse 13: “a stumbling block”: Something which would cause one to fall away from Christ. Jesus uses this terminology in Mark 9:42; Matthew 18:6; Luke 17:1. [CAB]
Verse 14: See also v. 5 and Acts 10:9-16 (Peter’s vision); 1 Corinthians 8:7. This is a parenthetical comment: ritual cleanliness is not a property of anything created ; it is how it is used that matters. This verse may echo Jesus’ saying regarding the Pharisees’ distinction between clean and unclean: see Matthew 15:11 (“it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but it is what comes out of the mouth that defiles”) and Leviticus 17:15 (“All persons, ... who eat what dies of itself or what has been torn by wild animals, shall wash their clothes, and bathe themselves in water, and be unclean until the evening; then they shall be clean”). [NJBC]
Verse 15: “ruin”: i.e. falling away from Christ.
Verses 17-21: In 1 Corinthians 10:23-24, Paul writes: “‘All things are lawful,’ but not all things are beneficial. ‘All things are lawful,’ but not all things build up. Do not seek your own advantage, but that of the other”.
Verse 17: “the kingdom of God”: A term infrequently used by Paul, it here speaks of life in the present, rather than God’s kingdom of the future, as it does elsewhere in his writings: 1 Corinthians 4:20; 6:9-10; 15:24, 50; Galatians 5:21; 1 Thessalonians 2:12; Colossians 1:13. [CAB]
Verse 19: Paul offers the same idea in writing about eating food which has been offered to idols in 1 Corinthians 8:1-2. [CAB]
Verse 22: “who have no reason to condemn themselves ...”: i.e. who are free from misgivings about the rightness of their practices/conduct. [NOAB]
Verse 23: What you do against your conscience is “sin”. [NOAB]
Verse 23: “whatever does not proceed from faith is sin”: For both the strong and the weak, to make one’s own practice mandatory for others is to usurp God’s place: to do so is sin. Perhaps Paul has the incident in Galatians 2:12-13 in mind.



GOSPEL: Matthew 18: 21 - 35 (all)

Matt 18:21 (NRSV) Then Peter came and said to him, "Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?" 22 Jesus said to him, "Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times.
23 "For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. 24 When he began the reckoning, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him; 25 and, as he could not pay, his lord ordered him to be sold, together with his wife and children and all his possessions, and payment to be made. 26 So the slave fell on his knees before him, saying, "Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.' 27 And out of pity for him, the lord of that slave released him and forgave him the debt. 28 But that same slave, as he went out, came upon one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and seizing him by the throat, he said, "Pay what you owe.' 29 Then his fellow slave fell down and pleaded with him, "Have patience with me, and I will pay you.' 30 But he refused; then he went and threw him into prison until he would pay the debt. 31 When his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their lord all that had taken place. 32 Then his lord summoned him and said to him, "You wicked slave! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. 33 Should you not have had mercy on your fellow slave, as I had mercy on you?' 34 And in anger his lord handed him over to be tortured until he would pay his entire debt. 35 So my heavenly Father will also do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother or sister from your heart."



Jesus has told the disciples how the community is to discipline those who disrupt its harmony by going against God’s ways. If such a person fails to respond to private counselling, he or she is to be judged by two of the disciples. What they decide, God will ratify. But they should realize that God forgives many times; however there are limits – as Jesus explains in a parable.
The story-line of the parable is straight-forward. There are three episodes:
• a king decides to “settle accounts with his slaves” (v. 23, or possibly with court officials or even with finance ministers or tax gatherers); one of them owes “ten thousand talents” (v. 24), i.e. millions of dollars (to Jesus’ audience, as much as the fabled riches of Egyptian and Persian kings); he, of course, is unable to pay, so (as Mosaic law permitted) he and his family are to be sold; when he seeks forgiveness of the loan, the king grants it. (v. 27);
• But this slave then demands payment of a loan of three month’s wages (“a hundred denarii”, v. 28) from a fellow slave, and when forgiveness is sought, refuses to grant it (v. 30);
• When the king hears about this, he retracts his forgiveness and has the first slave tortured – probably for ever (v. 34).
In v. 35, Jesus identifies the figures in the parable: the king is God, the first slave any Christian, and the second slave any other person. Jesus makes a point in each of the episodes:
• God loves us so much that he will forgive any sin, however grievous;
• it is absurd to live in a way contrary to God’s love and mercy; and
• those who accept forgiveness from God but fail to forgive others likewise will be punished eternally.

Verses 21-22: In Luke 17:4, Jesus says: “‘if the same person sins against you seven times a day, and turns back to you seven times and says, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive”.
Verse 21: “another member of the church”: A footnote in the NRSV says that the Greek means literally my brother. The word ekklesia (church) does not actually appear in the Greek, but it does in v. 17, so the sense is clear.
Verse 22: While God promises “sevenfold vengeance” on anyone who kills Cain (see Genesis 4:15), Lamech says that anyone who kills him will be avenged “seventy-sevenfold” (see Genesis 4:24). Thus he exceeds the law of retaliation, which permits one-for-one retaliation. (See Exodus 21:23-25). [NJBC] [HBD] Jesus expects the inverse.
Verses 23-35: A homiletic midrash on 6:12, 14-15 – perhaps to illustrate the closing verses of the Lord’s prayer. [NJBC]
Verse 28: “slaves”: An Old Testament way of referring not only to slaves but also to court officials or ministers. Here perhaps tax gatherers or finance ministers.
Verse 24: “ten thousand talents”: According to Blomberg, something like a few million to several trillion dollars. Literally a myriad of talents. [NJBC]
Verse 25: “sold”: For Mosaic law on this point, see Leviticus 25:39. The widow for whom Elisha miraculously produced oil was in danger of having her children sold to pay her debts: see 2 Kings 4:1-7.
Verse 26: See also 8:2 (a leper kneels before Jesus seeking to be made clean) and 17:14-15 (a man kneels before Jesus seeking cure for his epileptic son).
Verses 32-33: See also Luke 7:41-43 (the parable of the two debtors).
Verse 34: “tortured”: According to NOAB, in order to discover whether the debtor was concealing any money or valuables.

September 4

OLD TESTAMENT: Exodus 12: 1 - 14 (RCL)

Exod 12:1 (NRSV) The LORD said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt: 2 This month shall mark for you the beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year for you. 3 Tell the whole congregation of Israel that on the tenth of this month they are to take a lamb for each family, a lamb for each household. 4 If a household is too small for a whole lamb, it shall join its closest neighbor in obtaining one; the lamb shall be divided in proportion to the number of people who eat of it. 5 Your lamb shall be without blemish, a year-old male; you may take it from the sheep or from the goats. 6 You shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month; then the whole assembled congregation of Israel shall slaughter it at twilight. 7 They shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it. 8 They shall eat the lamb that same night; they shall eat it roasted over the fire with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. 9 Do not eat any of it raw or boiled in water, but roasted over the fire, with its head, legs, and inner organs. 10 You shall let none of it remain until the morning; anything that remains until the morning you shall burn. 11 This is how you shall eat it: your loins girded, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you shall eat it hurriedly. It is the passover of the LORD. 12 For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike down every firstborn in the land of Egypt, both human beings and animals; on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the LORD. 13 The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live: when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague shall destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.
14 This day shall be a day of remembrance for you. You shall celebrate it as a festival to the LORD; throughout your generations you shall observe it as a perpetual ordinance.


Ezekiel 33: 7 - 9 (Roman Catholic)
Ezekiel 33: 7 - 11 (alt. for RCL)

Ezek 33:1 (NRSV) The word of the LORD came to me: 2 O Mortal, speak to your people and say to them, If I bring the sword upon a land, and the people of the land take one of their number as their sentinel; 3 and if the sentinel sees the sword coming upon the land and blows the trumpet and warns the people; 4 then if any who hear the sound of the trumpet do not take warning, and the sword comes and takes them away, their blood shall be upon their own heads. 5 They heard the sound of the trumpet and did not take warning; their blood shall be upon themselves. But if they had taken warning, they would have saved their lives. 6 But if the sentinel sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, so that the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes any of them, they are taken away in their iniquity, but their blood I will require at the sentinel's hand.
7 So you, mortal, I have made a sentinel for the house of Israel; whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me. 8 If I say to the wicked, "O wicked ones, you shall surely die," and you do not speak to warn the wicked to turn from their ways, the wicked shall die in their iniquity, but their blood I will require at your hand. 9 But if you warn the wicked to turn from their ways, and they do not turn from their ways, the wicked shall die in their iniquity, but you will have saved your life.
10 Now you, mortal, say to the house of Israel, Thus you have said: "Our transgressions and our sins weigh upon us, and we waste away because of them; how then can we live?" 11 Say to them, As I live, says the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from their ways and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways; for why will you die, O house of Israel?


PSALM 149 (RCL)

Psal 149:1 (NRSV) Praise the LORD!
Sing to the LORD a new song,
his praise in the assembly of the faithful.
2 Let Israel be glad in its Maker;
let the children of Zion rejoice in their King.
3 Let them praise his name with dancing,
making melody to him with tambourine and lyre.
4 For the LORD takes pleasure in his people;
he adorns the humble with victory.
5 Let the faithful exult in glory;
let them sing for joy on their couches.
6 Let the high praises of God be in their throats
and two-edged swords in their hands,
7 to execute vengeance on the nations
and punishment on the peoples,
8 to bind their kings with fetters
and their nobles with chains of iron,
9 to execute on them the judgment decreed.
This is glory for all his faithful ones.
Praise the LORD!


149 Cantate Domino (ECUSA BCP)

1 Hallelujah!
Sing to the LORD a new song; *
sing his praise in the congregation of the faithful.

2 Let Israel rejoice in his Maker; *
let the children of Zion be joyful in their King.

3 Let them praise his Name in the dance; *
let them sing praise to him with timbrel and harp.

4 For the LORD takes pleasure in his people *
and adorns the poor with victory.

5 Let the faithful rejoice in triumph; *
let them be joyful on their beds.

6 Let the praises of God be in their throat *
and a two-edged sword in their hand;

7 To wreak vengeance on the nations *
and punishment on the peoples;

8 To bind their kings in chains *
and their nobles with links of iron;

9 To inflict on them the judgment decreed; *
this is glory for all his faithful people.
Hallelujah!


Psalm 119: 33 - 40 (alt. for RCL)

Psal 119:33 (NRSV) Teach me, O LORD, the way of your statutes,
and I will observe it to the end.
34 Give me understanding, that I may keep your law
and observe it with my whole heart.
35 Lead me in the path of your commandments,
for I delight in it.
36 Turn my heart to your decrees,
and not to selfish gain.
37 Turn my eyes from looking at vanities;
Give me life in your ways.
38 Confirm to your servant your promise,
which is for those who fear you.
39 Turn away the disgrace that I dread,
for your ordinances are good.
40 See, I have longed for your precepts;
in your righteousness give me life.


119
He Legem pone (ECUSA BCP)

33 Teach me, O Lord, the way of your statutes, *
and I shall keep it to the end.

34 Give me understanding, and I shall keep your law; *
I shall keep it with all my heart.

35 Make me go in the path of your commandments, *
for that is my desire.

36 Incline my heart to your decrees *
and not to unjust gain.

37 Turn my eyes from watching what is worthless; *
give me life in your ways.

38 Fulfill your promise to your servant, *
which you make to those who fear you.

39 Turn away the reproach which I dread, *
because your judgments are good.

40 Behold, I long for your commandments; *
in your righteousness preserve my life.


Psalm 95: 1 - 2, 6 - 9 (Roman Catholic)

Psal 95:1 (NRSV) O come, let us sing to the LORD;
let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!
2 Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!

6 O come, let us worship and bow down,
let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker!
7 For he is our God,
and we are the people of his pasture,
and the sheep of his hand.
O that today you would listen to his voice!
8 Do not harden your hearts, as at Mer'ibah,
as on the day at Mas'sah in the wilderness,
9 when your ancestors tested me,
and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work.


NEW TESTAMENT: Romans 13: 8 - 14 (RCL)
Romans 13: 8 - 10 (Roman Catholic)

Roma 13:8 (NRSV) Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9 The commandments, "You shall not commit adultery; You shall not murder; You shall not steal; You shall not covet"; and any other commandment, are summed up in this word, "Love your neighbor as yourself." 10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law.
11 Besides this, you know what time it is, how it is now the moment for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we became believers; 12 the night is far gone, the day is near. Let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armor of light; 13 let us live honorably as in the day, not in reveling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarreling and jealousy. 14 Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.

h/t Montreal Anglican

In vv. 1-7, Paul has written about the obligations we Christians have to civil authorities; he now continues his instructions on ethics for Christians. The only thing we Christians should “owe” (v. 8) others – Christians and non-Christians – is love: this sums up the obligations of the Christian in life. But as Christians, love is part of the deal rather than an obligation, and can never be completely discharged. Love among Christians is something special: it is mutual.
Then vv. 9-10: if we love our neighbours, we will treat them as the Ten Commandments (“the law”) requires: this flows naturally out of our love for them, e.g. we will not offend them by adulterous behaviour. This is why “one who loves another ... [fully satisfies] the law” (v. 8).
In v. 11, Paul tells us another reason why ethical behaviour is important for Christians. We know that we are living both in the present and in the age which is after the first coming of the Messiah and before the second: “salvation is nearer to us now than when we became believers”. Paul expresses it in terms of night and day: we should awake, pass from darkness to light, from evil to good. The image of armour is also found in Jewish contemporary writings about the end of the age; in 1 Thessalonians 5:8, Paul tells us that the “armour of light” (v. 12) is faith, hope, charity, fidelity, uprightness, etc. “Let us live” (v. 13), he says, as if the Day of the Lord is already here, “honourably”, not in ways that harm ourselves and our neighbours. Rather, let Christ be our armour, and let us not give in to the temptations of the flesh. (In baptism, we have already “put on”, v. 14, Christ, but life in Christ is something that grows with experience. As we grow in the faith, we are more and more able to resist sinful opportunities.)


Verses 1-7: Though the Christian has no right to punish (see 12:19-21), the state does have that right, and the Christian must respect it. Paul’s confidence that the Roman state (under the despotic emperor Nero!) is on the whole just and beneficent reflects Jewish teaching (see Wisdom of Solomon 6:1-3) and is also found in 1 Peter 2:13-17; 3:13. [NOAB] Up to the time when these verses were written, there was no official persecution of Christians in Rome, but infighting there (probably between Jews and Christians) had caused the emperor Claudius to expel all Jews from Rome: see Acts 18:2. But here Paul states general principles – based on Proverbs 8:15-16 and as Jesus taught: see Matthew 22:16-21. [NJBC]
Verse 1: “governing authorities”: i.e. political powers that govern society. [CAB] Civil authorities is also a possible translation.
Verse 1: “there is no authority except from God”: Though pagan rulers would not recognize its origin.
Verse 2: To Paul, obedience to civil authorities is a form of obedience to God – for the relationship of humans to God is not restricted to the religious sphere. Paul does not envisage the possibility of tyrannical government or one where the rights of the individual are limited or denied. He is only concerned with the duty of subjects to legitimate authority. [NJBC] I quote this scholar to show the range of scholarly opinion; however, I find it hard to believe that Paul had the same concept of individual rights and liberties that we do in our culture today. It is true that Paul used his rights as a Roman citizen to avoid being summarily flogged (see Acts 22:25), but that is still rather different from our understanding of citizenship rights. (For example, Rome had a law on proscription which effectively stripped a person of his basic rights, including right to life. Anyone could murder a proscribed person with impunity. It was a very effective method of getting rid of enemies of the state.)
In fact, this whole passage (vv. 1-7) is quite problematic in the realm of social ethics precisely because there is no distinction made among legitimate and illegitimate authorities, nor any criterion supplied to make such a distinction. If it says quite plainly that we are to be obedient even to Nero, then to which modern state do we not owe allegiance? North Korea? Nazi Germany?
There are perfectly good reasons to develop criteria for distinguishing among legitimate and illegitimate government, but these are always controversial to some extent, and certainly fly in the face of this passage, which is not easily explained away. Christians of good conscience support either social-democratic or neo-conservative policies, for example. Many conservative Christians would see taxation as an illegitimate confiscatory power exercised by left-wing politicians – a view which neatly ignores v. 6. Other Christians are more likely to support a welfare-state-style program. Both views are espoused in good faith. [Alan Perry]
Verse 4: Paul says that civil authorities, whether good or bad, are placed in their positions by God.
Verse 4: “the sword”: A symbol of the powers of punishment that are possessed by legitimate authorities, which they have to maintain order and avoid strife. [NJBC]
Verse 4: “It is the servant of God to execute wrath ...”: Civil authorities are able to deliver God’s “wrath”!
Verse 5: “conscience”: In 2:15, Paul says of unbelievers who keep Mosaic law: “They show that what the law requires is written on their hearts, to which their own conscience also bears witness; and their conflicting thoughts will accuse or perhaps excuse them”. Christians should obey civil authorities not only because of the fear of punishment for breaking civil law, but also as a matter of conscience.
Verse 7: In Mark 12:17, Jesus says “‘"Give to the emperor the things that are the emperor's, and to God the things that are God’s’”. See also Luke 20:25; Matthew 22:21; 1 Peter 2:17. [CAB]
Verses 8-10: These verses expand on 12:9-13. [CAB]
Verse 8: In Galatians 5:14, Paul writes: “For the whole law is summed up in a single commandment, ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself’”.
Verse 8a: Pay every debt; do not stand under any obligation except the obligation to love. [NOAB]
Verse 8b: The “law” here is Mosaic law.
Verse 9: The commandments are in the order found in the Septuagint translation of Exodus 20:13-17 and Deuteronomy 5:17-21. In Matthew 19:18-19, Jesus tells a “young man” that the commandments to keep are: “‘You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; Honour your father and mother; also, You shall love your neighbour as yourself’”.
Verse 9: “Love your neighbour as yourself”: As God commanded in Leviticus 19:18. See also Matthew 5:43; 19:19; 22:39; Mark 12:31, 33; Luke 10:27; Galatians 5:14; James 2:8.
Verse 10: See also 1 Corinthians 13:5-6. In Galatians 6:2, Paul advises: “Bear one another's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ”.
Verse 10: “love is the fulfilling of the law”: If Christ is the “end of the law” (10:4), where “end” is taken as meaning goal and “the law is Mosaic law, then “love”, which motivated his whole existence and saving activity (8:35), can be said to be the Law’s fulfilment. It becomes the norm for Christian conduct and, when properly applied, achieves all that the Law stood for. [NJBC]
Verses 11-14: Eschatology and morality are often connected in the New Testament: see also Philippians 4:4-7; 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11, 23; Hebrews 10:24-25; James 5:7-11; 1 Peter 4:7-11; Matthew 25:31-46; Mark 13:33-37. For the concurrency of the era of this world and that of the world to come. see also 1 Corinthians 10:11.
Verse 11: “time”: Greek has several words which are translated into English as time. The one used here, kairos, means decisive time, time of an event or milestone.
Verse 11: “wake from sleep”: Ephesians 5:14, perhaps quoting from an early Christian hymn based on Isaiah 60:1, says “Sleeper, awake! Rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you”. See also 1 Thessalonians 5:6-8.
Verse 12: “night ... day ... darkness ... light”: The contrast of day and night and of light and darkness is symbolic of good and evil, just as in 1 Thessalonians 5:7-8. These pairs of terms are found in contemporary Jewish writings, especially in the Qumran literature: see 1QS (Rule of the Community) 2:7; 3:20-4:1 and 1QM (War Scroll) 15:9. [NJBC]
Verse 12: “put on the armour of light”: Christians cannot afford to remain in the unprotected condition of scantily clothed sleepers at a time when the situation calls for “armour”. [NJBC]
Verse 13: “revelling ...”: A list of vices that are deeds of darkness.
Verse 14: “put on the Lord Jesus Christ”: i.e. to enter fully into the existence (way of being) which God has created through Christ. See 6:1-14 for the effects of baptism.



GOSPEL: Matthew 18: 15 - 20 (all)

Matt 18:15 (NRSV) "If another member of the church sins against you, go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone. If the member listens to you, you have regained that one. 16 But if you are not listened to, take one or two others along with you, so that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses. 17 If the member refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if the offender refuses to listen even to the church, let such a one be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. 18 Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. 19 Again, truly I tell you, if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them."


Jesus has just told the parable of the lost sheep. When one sheep gets lost, he says, doesn't the shepherd “go in search of the one that went astray?” (v. 12). And, if he finds it, doesn't he rejoice “over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray”? (v. 13).

So, in the church, how should a “member” (v. 15) who has strayed, i.e. sinned, be treated? First, try taking him (or her) aside and “point out the fault” to him. Do not humiliate him by having others present. But if he doesn't listen, face him with his misdemeanour before a few witnesses. Sharing the reproof adds weight to it. If the person still refuses to listen, bring the matter before the whole assembly of the (local) church. If “the offender refuses to listen even to the church” (v. 17), consider the person an unworthy outsider: in Jewish parlance in Jesus' time “a Gentile and a tax collector”. Expel him from the church (as Paul did at Corinth, where a man was living with his father's wife.)

Then, in v. 18, Jesus broadens what he said earlier of Peter (16:19); “you” (the whole assembly) have the authority to “bind” (here, condemn) and to “loose” (here, acquit). Their decision will be ratified by God. Finally, in vv. 19-20, Jesus tells us that in common prayer, study, and in decision-making, however small the group, if we ask God for anything seeking to know his will and do it (“in my name”), he will do it, because Jesus, God the Son, is there in the community.

There is a partial parallel in Luke 17:3. See also 1 Corinthians 6:1-6; Galatians 6:1; James 5:19-20. [NOAB]
Verses 15-20: Members of the community are to take responsibility for reproving erring brothers and sisters, with referral of the case to the whole community (“church”, v. 17) if the counsel is rejected. The group decisions will be confirmed by God, who is present (“there among them”, v. 20) when they gather. [CAB]
Verse 15: “church”: BlkMt says that this refers to the local group of believers. This is not later structured church.
Verse 15: “regained”: A technical rabbinic term for missionary (re-)conversion. [NJBC]
Verse 16: “two or three witnesses”: This is the requirement stated in Deuteronomy 19:15. The Qumran community and the rabbis debated whether one witness was sufficient. Jesus seems to reduce the requirement to one, in addition to the plaintiff. [NJBC]
Verse 17: “tax collector”: Jesus welcomed tax collectors who trusted in him and repented of their misdemeanours: see 9:9-13. In Galatians 6:1, Paul advises: “My friends, if anyone is detected in a transgression, you who have received the Spirit should restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness. Take care that you yourselves are not tempted”. See also Titus 3:10 and James 5:19-20. [NJBC]
Verse 18: See also 16:19, John 20:21-23 and Clippings for Year A Proper 21. In John 20:21-23, the Church, having received the Holy Spirit, inherits Jesus’ mission of forgiveness. [NOAB]
Verse 18: “will be bound”: This, says NJBC, is a theological passive meaning God shall bind. Leaders are given the same power as Peter to bind and loose, but not “the keys to the kingdom of heaven” (see 16:19).
Verse 19: “anything you ask ...”: NJBC offers a translation that stresses the legal senses of the terms: any claim that they may be pursuing.
Verse 20: In John 15:7, Jesus says: “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you”. There is a parallel, with reference to the Law rather than to Christ, in Midrash ‘Abot 3.2.6; 4.11. So Jesus identifies himself not only with God’s presence (see 28:20: “I am with you always”) but also with the Law. [NJBC]