OLD TESTAMENT: Deuteronomy 34: 1 - 12 (RCL)

Deut 34:1 (NRSV) Then Moses went up from the plains of Mo'ab to Mount Ne'bo, to the top of Pis'gah, which is opposite Jericho, and the LORD showed him the whole land: Gil'ead as far as Dan, 2 all Naph'tali, the land of E'phraim and Manas'seh, all the land of Judah as far as the Western Sea, 3 the Neg'eb, and the Plain--that is, the valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees--as far as Zo'ar. 4 The LORD said to him, "This is the land of which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, "I will give it to your descendants'; I have let you see it with your eyes, but you shall not cross over there." 5 Then Moses, the servant of the LORD, died there in the land of Mo'ab, at the LORD's command. 6 He was buried in a valley in the land of Mo'ab, opposite Beth-pe'or, but no one knows his burial place to this day. 7 Moses was one hundred twenty years old when he died; his sight was unimpaired and his vigor had not abated. 8 The Israelites wept for Moses in the plains of Mo'ab thirty days; then the period of mourning for Moses was ended.
9 Joshua son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, because Moses had laid his hands on him; and the Israelites obeyed him, doing as the LORD had commanded Moses.
10 Never since has there arisen a prophet in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face. 11 He was unequaled for all the signs and wonders that the LORD sent him to perform in the land of Egypt, against Pharaoh and all his servants and his entire land, 12 and for all the mighty deeds and all the terrifying displays of power that Moses performed in the sight of all Israel.


Exodus 22: 21 - 27 (Roman Catholic)

Exod 22:21 (NRSV) You shall not wrong or oppress a resident alien, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt. 22 You shall not abuse any widow or orphan. 23 If you do abuse them, when they cry out to me, I will surely heed their cry; 24 my wrath will burn, and I will kill you with the sword, and your wives shall become widows and your children orphans.
25 If you lend money to my people, to the poor among you, you shall not deal with them as a creditor; you shall not exact interest from them. 26 If you take your neighbor's cloak in pawn, you shall restore it before the sun goes down; 27 for it may be your neighbor's only clothing to use as cover; in what else shall that person sleep? And if your neighbor cries out to me, I will listen, for I am compassionate.

Note: The Roman Catholic lectionary specifies vs. 20-26, but as the verse numbering in the New American Bible is different from the NRSV, KJV, NIV, etc., the readings are actually the same.


Leviticus 19: 1 - 2, 15 - 18 (alt. for RCL)

Levi 19:1 (NRSV) The LORD spoke to Moses, saying:
2 Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them: You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy.

15 You shall not render an unjust judgment; you shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great: with justice you shall judge your neighbor. 16 You shall not go around as a slanderer among your people, and you shall not profit by the of your neighbor: I am the LORD.
17 You shall not hate in your heart anyone of your kin; you shall reprove your neighbor, or you will incur guilt yourself. 18 You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against any of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD.


PSALM 90: 1 - 6, 13 - 17 (RCL)

Psal 90:1 (NRSV) Lord, you have been our dwelling place
in all generations.
2 Before the mountains were brought forth,
or ever you had formed the earth and the world,
from everlasting to everlasting you are God.
3 You turn us back to dust,
and say, "Turn back, you mortals."
4 For a thousand years in your sight
are like yesterday when it is past,
or like a watch in the night.
5 You sweep them away; they are like a dream,
like grass that is renewed in the morning;
6 in the morning it flourishes and is renewed;
in the evening it fades and withers.

13 Turn, O LORD! How long?
Have compassion on your servants!
14 Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love,
so that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.
15 Make us glad as many days as you have afflicted us,
and as many years as we have seen evil.
16 Let your work be manifest to your servants,
and your glorious power to their children.
17 Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us,
and prosper for us the work of our hands--
O prosper the work of our hands!


90 Domine, refugium (ECUSA BCP)

1 Lord, you have been our refuge *
from one generation to another.

2 Before the mountains were brought forth,
or the land and the earth were born, *
from age to age you are God.

3 You turn us back to the dust and say, *
“Go back, O child of earth.”

4 For a thousand years in your sight are like yesterday
when it is past *
and like a watch in the night.

5 You sweep us away like a dream; *
we fade away suddenly like the grass.

6 In the morning it is green and flourishes; *
in the evening it is dried up and withered.

13 Return, O LORD; how long will you tarry? *
be gracious to your servants.

14 Satisfy us by your loving-kindness in the morning; *
so shall we rejoice and be glad all the days of our life.

15 Make us glad by the measure of the days that you afflicted us *
and the years in which we suffered adversity.

16 Show your servants your works *
and your splendor to their children.

17 May the graciousness of the LORD our God be upon us; *
prosper the work of our hands;
prosper our handiwork.


Psalm 1 (alt. for RCL)

Psal 1:1 (NRSV) Happy are those
who do not follow the advice of the wicked,
or take the path that sinners tread,
or sit in the seat of scoffers;
2 but their delight is in the law of the LORD,
and on his law they meditate day and night.
3 They are like trees
planted by streams of water,
which yield their fruit in its season,
and their leaves do not wither.
In all that they do, they prosper.
4 The wicked are not so,
but are like chaff that the wind drives away.
5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
6 for the LORD watches over the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.


1 Beatus vir qui non abiit (ECUSA BCP)

1 Happy are they who have not walked in the counsel of
the wicked, *
nor lingered in the way of sinners,
nor sat in the seats of the scornful!

2 Their delight is in the law of the Lord, *
and they meditate on his law day and night.

3 They are like trees planted by streams of water,
bearing fruit in due season, with leaves that do not wither; *
everything they do shall prosper.

4 It is not so with the wicked; *
they are like chaff which the wind blows away.

5 Therefore the wicked shall not stand upright when
judgment comes, *
nor the sinner in the council of the righteous.

6 For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, *
but the way of the wicked is doomed.


Psalm 18: 1 - 3, 46, 50 (Roman Catholic)

Psal 18:1 (NRSV) I love you, O LORD, my strength.
2 The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer,
my God, my rock in whom I take refuge,
my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
3 I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised,
so I shall be saved from my enemies.

46 The LORD lives! Blessed be my rock,
and exalted be the God of my salvation,

50 Great triumphs he gives to his king,
and shows steadfast love to his anointed,
to David and his descendants forever.

Note: Verse numbering in Roman Catholic bibles is one greater than the above


NEW TESTAMENT: 1 Thessalonians 2: 1 - 8 (RCL)

1The 2:1 (NRSV) You yourselves know, brothers and sisters, that our coming to you was not in vain, 2 but though we had already suffered and been shamefully mistreated at Philip'pi, as you know, we had courage in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in spite of great opposition. 3 For our appeal does not spring from deceit or impure motives or trickery, 4 but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the message of the gospel, even so we speak, not to please mortals, but to please God who tests our hearts. 5 As you know and as God is our witness, we never came with words of flattery or with a pretext for greed; 6 nor did we seek praise from mortals, whether from you or from others, 7 though we might have made demands as apostles of Christ. But we were gentle among you, like a nurse tenderly caring for her own children. 8 So deeply do we care for you that we are determined to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you have become very dear to us.

Notes h/t Montreal Anglican

Paul picks up on 1:5, read last Sunday: “... you know what kind of persons we proved to be among you for your sake.” The Christians at Thessalonica are well aware that Paul’s founding visit there was very fruitful (“was not in vain”, 2:1); “we” (v. 2, perhaps including Silvanus and Timothy), in spite of physical and moral mistreatment at Philippi, and in spite of “opposition”, had the “courage”, confidence, to preach the good news. This was possible, he says (v. 3) because “we” (v. 4) were authorized by God (“approved”) to preach the gospel, in accord with God’s will rather than seeking popularity, i.e. motivated (as popular philosophers and charlatans were) by “deceit” (v. 3, erroneous thinking) or “impure motives” (including deviant sexual practices) or “trickery” (cunning extraction of money from people); our objective was not to give people short-term pleasure. Further (v. 5), “we” did not resort to making people feel self-important (“flattery”) nor to the kind of egotism that seeks to turn everything to our own advantage (“pretext for greed”) – God, who alone is able to detect such deceits, is “our witness”.
Then v. 7: as “apostles” (messengers or emissaries) of Christ, “we” could have insisted on the dignity and authority due to our office, but rather we were “gentle”, as your equals, like a “nurse” (or nursing mother) giving of her self without expectation of repayment, and not coercing you. Our care went even further (v. 8): we shared everything we had and are, not just the good news. Religious and philosophical charlatans were common in the city. Paul may be defending himself against a whispering campaign by such people; perhaps they claimed he was a quack. His conduct among the Thessalonians clearly shows that he is genuine.




1 Thessalonians 1: 5c - 10 (Roman Catholic)

1The 1:5 (NRSV) ... [Y]ou know what kind of persons we proved to be among you for your sake. 6 And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for in spite of persecution you received the word with joy inspired by the Holy Spirit, 7 so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedo'nia and in Acha'ia. 8 For the word of the Lord has sounded forth from you not only in Macedo'nia and Acha'ia, but in every place your faith in God has become known, so that we have no need to speak about it. 9 For the people of those regions report about us what kind of welcome we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols, to serve a living and true God, 10 and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead--Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath that is coming.

Verses 1-12: NJBC suggests that the similarities between Paul’s presentation of himself in these verses and the descriptions that some Hellenistic philosophers provided of themselves makes it preferable to see this as an autobiographical confession, similar in some respects to that of Jeremiah. So NJBC sees my interpretation – as Paul needing to defend himself – as outdated.
Verse 1: “not in vain”: Paul also uses this phrase in 3:5 (“... when I could bear it no longer, I sent to find out about your faith; I was afraid that somehow the tempter had tempted you and that our labour had been in vain”); 1 Corinthians 15:10, 14; Galatians 2:2; Philippians 2:16. In Galatians 4:11, he writes: “I am afraid that my work for you may have been wasted”.
Verse 2: “we had already suffered”: NJBC sees Paul’s struggle motif as being a similar usage to that of Stoic and Cynic philosophers who compared philosophical exposition to a gladiator’s struggle.
Verse 2: “shamefully mistreated at Philippi”: Acts 16:19-40 tells us how Paul was brought before magistrates, found guilty, beaten, and thrown into prison.
Verse 3: “our appeal”: The Greek word, paraklesis, was commonly used in early Christian literature to refer to Christian preaching. Its use probably depended on Deutero-Isaiah’s announcement of consolation for Israel. (The verb parakaleo is used in the Septuagint translation of Isaiah 40:1.) See also 2 Corinthians 5:20 and Acts 2:40. [NJBC]
Verse 3: “deceit or impure motives or trickery”: See also 2 Corinthians 2:17 (“we are not peddlers of God's word like so many”); 4:2 (“we refuse to practice cunning or to falsify God's word”); 10:12 (“We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some of those who commend themselves”); 11:12-13:20. [CAB] Paul’s vocabulary is like that of Stoic-Cynic literature, so he is implicitly comparing his proclamation of the gospel to the preaching of itinerant philosophers. [NJBC]
Verse 4: “entrusted ...”: Paul’s language is like that of the Athenian court. Public officials were first scrutinized before they were “entrusted” with political responsibility. In a similar way, Paul and his companions have been scrutinized by God before being entrusted with the mission of proclaiming the gospel. [NJBC]
Verse 4: “tests our hearts”: i.e. verifies that we are genuinely godly. Proverbs 17:3 says: “The crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold, but the LORD tests the heart”.
Verses 5-8: These verses are one sentence in the Greek. Paul describes the implications of being his emissaries for those to whom they are sent. [NJBC]
Verse 5: See also 2 Corinthians 2:1-5; 11:7-11. [CAB] Paul asserts the right of emissaries to be supported; however he has never sought financial support from the Thessalonian church. [NJBC]
Verse 6: In 3:7-9, Paul says of the Thessalonian Christians: “... during all our distress and persecution we have been encouraged about you through your faith ...” and “How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy that we feel before our God because of you?”. See also 1 Corinthians 9:3-18. [CAB]
Verse 6: “praise”: The Greek word is doxa – which usually means glory. NJBC suggests that money may be meant here.



GOSPEL: Matthew 22: 34 - 46 (RCL)
Matthew 22: 34 - 40 (Roman Catholic)

Matt 22:34 (NRSV) When the Phar'isees heard that he had silenced the Sad'ducees, they gathered together, 35 and one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. 36 "Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?"
37 He said to him, " "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.' 38 This is the greatest and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."
41 Now while the Phar'isees were gathered together, Jesus asked them this question: 42 "What do you think of the Messiah? Whose son is he?" They said to him, "The son of David." 43 He said to them, "How is it then that David by the Spirit calls him Lord, saying,
44 "The Lord said to my Lord,
"Sit at my right hand,
until I put your enemies under your feet" '?
45 If David thus calls him Lord, how can he be his son?" 46 No one was able to give him an answer, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions.


Some Sadducees (who believed that life ended with physical death) have argued with Jesus; they have tried to show him, by quoting from the Pentateuch, the absurdity of belief in resurrection. He has told them that they neither understand the “power of God” (v. 29, to transform us into a new way of being alive when risen) nor the purpose of the Scriptures.
The Pharisees now “test” (v. 35) Jesus by asking him a question often debated (v. 36): of the 613 laws in the Torah, which is most important? Jesus’ answer would not have surprised them, but his “second” (v. 39) of equal weight (“like it”) would, for it was considered unimportant. Developing a right relationship of actively loving God and fellow humans is the key to the Scriptures.
Now Jesus asks the Pharisees (who considered themselves experts in biblical interpretation) some questions (v. 42). People expected a political “Messiah” descended from David, “the son of David”. In vv. 43-44 Jesus asks: “How is ... that David” (inspired “by the Spirit” to write Psalms – as was then thought) refers to “him” (the Messiah) as “Lord” (overlord), in writing “The Lord” God (Yahweh) “said to my Lord” (i.e. David’s overlord, whom Jesus takes to be the Messiah) “sit ...” So (v. 45) how can the Messiah be both David’s son and his overlord? (While in English and Greek, “Lord”, kurios, occurs twice, Jesus would have quoted Psalm 110:1 in Hebrew; there the words are different. He was probably not unique in taking “my lord” there to be the Messiah, for a political Messiah would defeat his “enemies”.) The Pharisees too do not understand the Scriptures.

Verses 23-33: The parallels are Mark 12:18-27 and Luke 20:27-40.
Verse 23: “there is no resurrection”: i.e. The Sadducees seek to discredit the notion of resurrection. Scholars agree that this notion is not found in the Pentateuch and is rare in the rest of the Old Testament; however, Isaiah 26:19 says “Your dead shall live, their corpses shall rise. O dwellers in the dust, awake and sing for joy! For your dew is a radiant dew, and the earth will give birth to those long dead.” and Daniel 12:2 says: “Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.”. The Isaiah passage dates from the 700s BC, but it is unclear as to whether resurrection of the individual or restoration of the nation is in view. Daniel was probably written about 165 BC, so the notion of resurrection probably arose late in Israelite history.
The Sadducees limited scripture to the Pentateuch. The Pharisees believed in the resurrection. For the Sadducees and the Pharisees and resurrection, see Acts 4:1-2 (Peter and John proclaim Jesus as the resurrection) and 23:6-10 (Paul appears before the Council). [NOAB]
Verse 24: The quotation is actually a conflation of Deuteronomy 25:5-6 and Genesis 38:8. The author thinks of Levirate marriage. Note that the Greek word translated “raise up” is anastesei – which is elsewhere (including v. 23) translated as resurrection. See Ruth 4:1-12 for Ruth’s levirate marriage to Boaz. [NJBC]
Verse 30: Resurrected life will be different.
Verse 31: “to you”: i.e. in your Scriptures, the Pentateuch.
Verse 32: The quotation is Exodus 3:6. Jesus’ argument is that because the Scriptures are in effect in all ages, if the Exodus verse says “I am”, it means in his time I continue to be. So, though Abraham, Isaac and Jacob have died, they must now be alive in some way – so they must have been raised, in some way and to some degree, from being dead.
Verses 34-40: The parallels are Mark 12:28-34 and Luke 10:25-28.
Verse 35: “a lawyer”: i.e. someone who specializes in interpreting Mosaic law. [CAB]
Verse 36: 613 laws were recognized in the Pentateuch, of which some were considered onerous and others light. Jesus’ first commandment is an onerous one, but the second is a light one.
Verse 36: “greatest”: The request is for a summary of the Law or, even deeper, for its centre. [NJBC]
Verse 37: The quotation is Deuteronomy 6:5, but with “mind” replacing “might”. This verse is part of the expansion of the legal principles stated in the Ten Commandments and is part of the Shema, a confession of faith still used in Judaism. “Love” is not primarily a feeling but fidelity to the covenant, a matter of willing and doing.
Verse 37: “with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind”: “Heart” meant will, “soul” meant life, and might meant wealth. To NJBC, Matthew has omitted might and has added another translation of “heart”.
Verse 39: The quotation is Leviticus 19:18. See also Matthew 19:19; Romans 13:9; Galatians 5:14; James 2:8. [NOAB] The idea includes a right form of self-love. The combination of these two commands is not clearly attested prior to Jesus and marks an important moral advance. [NJBC]
Verse 40: On these two commands hang”: The rabbis said that the world hangs on Torah, Temple service, and deeds of loving kindness – or on truth, judgement and peace (see Mishna ‘Abot 1:2, 18). Matthew makes the law depend itself depend on deeds of love.
Verses 41-46: The parallels are Mark 12:35-37 and Luke 20:41-44.
Verse 42: “son”: i.e. the heir to the throne of David. [CAB]
Jews expected a number of people to appear at the time of God’s definitive intervention in world affairs on behalf of Israel: messiahs, figures who would rescue/save the nation. These included Elijah, the prophet like Moses, and perhaps the Son of Man. But one messiah, the Messiah, was a precisely defined concept: the anointed king descended from David who would establish Yahweh’s earthly kingdom.
After the Exile, the expectation of the Messiah appears. The notion is found in some intertestamental literature, particularly in books which are not found in the Apocrypha. But in the first century AD many Jews had given up on the Davidic dynasty; after all, it was 500 years since a Davidic king had ruled. There was no expectation of a Messiah who would be Son of God; rather the Messiah, while having spiritual qualities, was expected to be a national hero, and probably super-human.
God did send saviours to rescue his people throughout much of Israel’s history. In the early days of the Monarchy, each king was seen as a saviour sent from God. Of particular note in the written record is 2 Samuel 7 (Nathan’s prophecy) with Psalm 89 and 1 Chronicles 17. While the “offspring” (2 Samuel 7:12) is clearly Solomon, “I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever” (7:14) suggests that David’s dynasty will be everlasting. Psalm 89:23-38 contains the following key elements of the notion: election of David by Yahweh; promises of victory and wide dominion; adoption of David and his descendants as sons; a pact between Yahweh and the Davidic line, which will last forever, independent of the godliness of David’s successors. The notion is limited to the political/military. See also Psalms 2; 72; 110 - known as Royal Psalms and used at coronations.
During the 700s BC there were Davidic kings who were bad. At this time, Isaiah presented rescue from these kings: Yahweh would directly intervene in human history to bring salvation, placing on the throne a successor to David who would be worthy. See Isaiah 15:19, 22. Isaiah 7:14-17 and 9:1ff are particularly noteworthy: the child to be born to the wicked Ahaz and a maiden of the court (mistranslated as virgin in the Septuagint and thereafter) would show that God still endorsed the Davidic line. This child’s accomplishments would be justice, empire and peace. While the child seems to be a particular one, i.e. Hezekiah, Isaiah’s words are sufficiently general that they could be (and were) taken later to refer to an ideal king of the future – and to the divine restoration of the monarchy.
Isaiah 11:1ff may date from the 700s or may be later. It looks to the more remote future. He will have God’s Spirit; God and will make him an ideal ruler. He will bring justice and security from foreign attack. New here is return to the perfection of creation which God intended, and the cosmic scope of his peace. He will reveal himself personally. Peace rests on knowledge of Yahweh, and can be made known to others only by Israel. Micah 5:1-6 is also interesting: the new David will come from Bethlehem. There are other allusions to the restoration of the Davidic line: see Jeremiah 23:5 (“righteous Branch”); 30:9, 21; Ezekiel 17:22 (“sprig ... of cedar”); 34:23 (“shepherd”); 37:34. There is no indication of saviour in these verses.
The only descendant of David to reign after the exile was Zerubbabel; he was governor (see Haggai 2:2). Because the monarchy had ceased to exist, looking to the next king to be ideal no longer worked; rather people could only look to the indefinite future for such a figure, who would be part of Yahweh’s great intervention to save his people. Thus the notion of the Messiah as we understand it, but he is still not of a transcendental nature (although no further saving acts would be needed.) See also Zechariah 9:9ff (possibly fourth century) and Haggai 22:39, where the Messiah is the instrument of Yahweh’s salvation but it will be Yahweh himself who saves with no human agent. The Messiah is no longer regal. But much later, in the first century BC, the Psalms of Solomon see him as both political and spiritual.
In the New Testament, some passages (Matthew 2:4-6; John 7:42) reflect the popular expectation that he would born at Bethlehem and that all Israel would know of his birth; however in other passages (John 7:27; Mark 8:29) we find the idea that the Messiah would be hidden: people would neither know whence he would come; he could be present with out them knowing it. [NJBC]
It is possible that it is Matthew that sees the “Messiah” as “the son of David”, a point he declares in 1:1: “An account of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham”. The messianic nature of Jesus would be particularly important to Jewish Christians.
Verses 43-44: Comments tries to explain these verses in a small space. Perhaps the following will elucidate these difficult verses further.
• David was considered to be the author of all the psalms, so wherever the word “my” occurs, people thought it equivalent to David’s.
• The Hebrew of Psalm 110:1 has Yahweh for “The Lord” and adonai for “my Lord”. (Note that the NRSV translates this as “The LORD says to my lord”. The NRSV translates Yahweh as LORD – with small capitals.) Greek manuscripts of Matthew 22:44 are in capital letters throughout; there “The Lord“ and “my Lord” are both KURIOS.
• The capitalization in the NRSV translation is unfortunate. It is also found in the Revised English Bible, the King James Version and the Jerusalem Bible.
• Jesus is asserting that the Messiah (Christ) is to return to the Father in heaven (“at my right hand”) until the Father defeats all the forces of evil in the world. They are the Messiah’s “enemies”.
Verse 44: This verse is also quoted in Acts 2:34-35 (the Pentecost sermon, where Peter argues that “my Lord” is Christ and not David); Hebrews 1:13; 10:12-13. Hebrews also sees “my Lord” as Christ, the Messiah.
Verse 46: “No one was able to give him an answer”: JB suggests that an appropriate answer would have been that through tracing his human origin back to David (as Matthew does in 1:1-17), there is something about the Messiah to set him above David. Proof-texting is dangerous, especially when duelling with Jesus!