OLD TESTAMENT: Numbers 21: 4 - 9 (RCL) Numb 21:4 (NRSV) From Mount Hor they set out by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of E'dom; but the people became impatient on the way. 5 The people spoke against God and against Moses, "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we detest this miserable food." 6 Then the LORD sent poisonous serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many Israelites died. 7 The people came to Moses and said, "We have sinned by speaking against the LORD and against you; pray to the LORD to take away the serpents from us." So Moses prayed for the people. 8 And the LORD said to Moses, "Make a poisonous serpent, and set it on a pole; and everyone who is bitten shall look at it and live." 9 So Moses made a serpent of bronze, and put it upon a pole; and whenever a serpent bit someone, that person would look at the serpent of bronze and live. 2 Chronicles 36: 14 - 16, 19 - 23 (Roman Catholic) 2Chr 36:14 (NRSV) All the leading priests and the people also were exceedingly unfaithful, following all the abominations of the nations; and they polluted the house of the LORD that he had consecrated in Jerusalem. 15 The LORD, the God of their ancestors, sent persistently to them by his messengers, because he had compassion on his people and on his dwelling place; 16 but they kept mocking the messengers of God, despising his words, and scoffing at his prophets, until the wrath of the LORD against his people became so great that there was no remedy. 19 They burned the house of God, broke down the wall of Jerusalem, burned all its palaces with fire, and destroyed all its precious vessels. 20 He took into exile in Babylon those who had escaped from the sword, and they became servants to him and to his sons until the establishment of the kingdom of Persia, 21 to fulfill the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremi'ah, until the land had made up for its sabbaths. All the days that it lay desolate it kept sabbath, to fulfill seventy years. 22 In the first year of King Cyrus of Persia, in fulfillment of the word of the LORD spoken by Jeremi'ah, the LORD stirred up the spirit of King Cyrus of Persia so that he sent a herald throughout all his kingdom and also declared in a written edict: 23 "Thus says King Cyrus of Persia: The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever is among you of all his people, may the LORD his God be with him! Let him go up." PSALM 107: 1 - 3, 17 - 22 (RCL) Psal 107:1 (NRSV) O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever. 2 Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, those he redeemed from trouble 3 and gathered in from the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south. 17 Some were sick through their sinful ways, and because of their iniquities endured affliction; 18 they loathed any kind of food, and they drew near to the gates of death. 19 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress; 20 he sent out his word and healed them, and delivered them from destruction. 21 Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for his wonderful works to humankind. 22 And let them offer thanksgiving sacrifices, and tell of his deeds with songs of joy. 107 Part I Confitemini Domino (ECUSA BCP) 1 Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, * and his mercy endures for ever. 2 Let all those whom the LORD has redeemed proclaim * that he redeemed them from the hand of the foe. 3 He gathered them out of the lands; * from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south. 17 Some were fools and took to rebellious ways; * they were afflicted because of their sins. 18 They abhorred all manner of food * and drew near to death's door. 19 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, * and he delivered them from their distress. 20 He sent forth his word and healed them * and saved them from the grave. 21 Let them give thanks to the LORD for his mercy * and the wonders he does for his children. 22 Let them offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving * and tell of his acts with shouts of joy. Psalm 137: 1 - 6 (Roman Catholic) Psal 137:1 (NRSV) By the rivers of Babylon-- there we sat down and there we wept when we remembered Zion. 2 On the willows there we hung up our harps. 3 For there our captors asked us for songs, and our tormentors asked for mirth, saying, "Sing us one of the songs of Zion!" 4 How could we sing the LORD's song in a foreign land? 5 If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand wither! 6 Let my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth, if I do not remember you, if I do not set Jerusalem above my highest joy. NEW TESTAMENT: Ephesians 2: 1 - 10 (RCL) Ephesians 2: 4 - 10 (Roman Catholic) Ephe 2:1 (NRSV) You were dead through the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once lived, following the course of this world, following the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work among those who are disobedient. 3 All of us once lived among them in the passions of our flesh, following the desires of flesh and senses, and we were by nature children of wrath, like everyone else. 4 But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us 5 even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ --by grace you have been saved-- 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the ages to come he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God-- 9 not the result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life. h/t Montreal Anglican Paul has written of the recipients of this letter, of how they reacted to hearing the good news: they believed, and “were marked with the seal of the ... Holy Spirit” (1:13) in baptism. He has heard of their faith and of their love for fellow Christians. May they receive “a spirit of wisdom and revelation” (1:17) as they come to understand God more and more, coming to know the hope and the inheritance that are theirs through their calling, and the greatness of God’s power available to believers of all cultures. Now he speaks of the time before their conversion, a time when, encumbered by sin, they were “dead” (2:1) spiritually. It was thought that the “air” (2:2) was the domain of demons, so the “ruler of the power of the air” is the devil; they were subservient to him. He still holds sway over the “disobedient”, those who have rejected the call to faith. (By implication, Christians are no longer his slaves.) “All of us” (2:3), both Jews and Gentiles, once lived self-centred lives, apart from God’s redemptive power. We were “children”, descendants of Adam – in danger of God’s “wrath” against those who sin (as they still are). (Colossians 3:6 says “the wrath of God is coming on those who are disobedient”.) We were in a state apart from God’s love for humankind in Christ. But, says 2:4, even then, when we were spiritually “dead”, God loved us greatly, so greatly that he brought us life together, raised us together and enthroned us together – “with Christ” (2:5). (In the Greek, each of these verbs begins with syn, as in synergy.) Christians have been given a new status, a new life, and new freedom, in order that, by living in this way, we may be channels through whom God shows his gifts to us to the world. We are saved by God’s freely given inestimable gift of love (“grace”, 2:7). Our salvation is already happening through the medium of our “faith” (2:8), but even “this” (salvation) is a gift from God, rather than a result of our efforts (“works”, 2:9). God’s plan has always included making Christians what we are: “created in Christ ... for good works” (2:10): being saved, we do “good works”. Some scholars see Ephesians as being the work of Paul, considering that the differences in style and theology between Ephesians and earlier letters reflect the development of his thought as he grew older. Other scholars have problems with this view; to them, we have no evidence of evolution of Paul’s thinking, and this view does not reckon with the impression that the letter looks back to an earlier revered generation of apostles and prophets who provided the foundation for the household of God in the post-Pauline period. TO them, Paul was one of these apostles. 3:2-11 is written as being Paul’s words but 2:20 speaks of the Church as being “built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets”. [NJBC] Verses 1-10: As with 1:11-14, there is a problem here in interpreting we and you. Though the we may be Jewish Christians and the you Gentile Christians, there is no clear allusion to the Jewish-Gentile distinction before vv. 11-12. All unambiguous uses of we in this letter refer to all Christians (2:14; 3:20 and frequently in chapters 4-6), and we should be taken here in the same way. The author uses you when the recipients of the letter are addressed directly. [NJBC] Verses 1-22: Christ’s benefits, for both Gentiles and Jews. [NOAB] Verses 1-3: The Qumran literature speaks of a period when the spirit of darkness would be allowed to exercise authority over humanity: see 1QS (Rule of the Community) 3:20-23 and 11QMelch (Melchisedek). This period would continue until evil is destroyed and righteousness prospers: see 1QS (Rule of the Community) 4:18-23; 1QM (War Scroll) 13:14-16; 17:5-9. [NJBC] Verse 1: “dead”: See also v. 5. Colossians 2:13 says “... when you were dead in trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive together with him, when he forgave us all our trespasses”. [NOAB] Verse 2: “following the ruler of the power of the air”: In 6:11-12 the author writes: “Put on the whole armour of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places”. Colossians 1:13 says that “He [the Father] has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son”. [NOAB] Verse 3: “passions of our flesh ... desires of flesh”: These are not references to sexual desires but a general reference to the human being as he exists in his own selfish nature, apart from God’s redemptive power. See also vv. 11, 14. 5:29 says “... no one ever hates his own body, but he nourishes and tenderly cares for it, just as Christ does for the church”. See also 5:31 and 6:12. [CAB] Verse 3: “by nature children of wrath”: i.e in our natural condition as descendants of Adam, as in Romans 5:12. [CAB] Verse 3: “wrath”: i.e. God’s steadfast and holy hatred of sin: see also Romans 1:18-32. [NOAB] Verses 5-6: “made us alive”: What was said of Christ in 1:20 is now said of all Christians: they are raised and enthroned with him in the heavenly heights. [NJBC] Verse 6: The believer participates in Christ’s exaltation: in 1:3 the author writes: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places”. See also 1:20-21. [CAB] Verse 7: “grace”: i.e. God’s unmerited favour shown to humankind in Christ. [NOAB] Verses 8-10: While in letters generally accepted to be Pauline the dichotomy is between faith and works, here it is between God’s grace and human good deeds. [NJBC] Verses 8-9: A formula summarizing Paul’s theology. See also Romans 3:21-28; 1 Corinthians 1:22-29. [CAB] Verse 8: In Romans 5:1 Paul tells us: “... since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ”. See also Romans 11:6; Galatians 3:18, 21-22; 5:4. [CAB] Verse 8: “saved through faith”: Paul never says saved because of faith. [NOAB] Verse 9: “so that no one may boast”: See also 1 Corinthians 1:26-29. [CAB] Verse 10: The consequence of God’s justifying grace is that the old life described in vv. 2-3 is transformed into the new life in Christ. The new life is a way of life producing good works. In Galatians 6:15, we read: “For neither circumcision nor uncircumcision is anything; but a new creation is everything!”. [CAB] Verse 10: “good works”: Good works are the result, not the cause, of salvation. [NOAB] Verse 10: “beforehand”: This ascribes the whole matter to God. [NOAB] GOSPEL: John 3: 14 - 21 John 3:14 (NRSV) And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. 16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. 17 "Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Those who believe in him are not condemned; but those who do not believe are condemned already, because they have not believed in the name of the only Son of God. 19 And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. 20 For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed. 21 But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God." Nicodemus, a Jewish leader, has come to Jesus, (because he has recognized that Jesus is “from God”, v. 2), to ask: “How can anyone be born [again] after having grown old?” (v. 4) Jesus has answered: to be part of God’s plan launched through him, one needs to be transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit, to be baptised into Christ (v. 5). God’s Spirit works in ways that humans cannot fully understand; Jesus is the only source of knowledge about heaven: he has been there. Nicodemus fails to understand even what Jesus tells him in earthly terms, by analogy. Jesus continues with an analogy (v. 14). Moses' bronze serpent preserved from death those who (through this symbol) trusted in God. In a similar way, thanks to God’s great gift of “his only Son” (v. 16, “the Son of Man”, v. 14), whoever believes in Christ will have “eternal life” (v. 15), participation in God’s life, life in the age to come. Jesus took on human form to save all who will listen (however sinful), not to condemn anyone, but those who willfully refuse to believe are, through the act of rejecting him, condemning themselves (v. 18). When Christ came, there are those who preferred “darkness” (v. 19), “evil”: they avoided the light, the truth, lest their wickedness be exposed. But there are others who “do what is true” (v. 21): they seek out truth, i.e. God, and act accordingly as they follow his ways. Others see their example. The reading should probably include v. 13. Verse 13: As the NRSV says in a footnote, many manuscripts append who is in heaven to this verse. While this chapter begins with Jesus speaking, it seems to merge into teaching by John. This verse (as does v. 12) reflects the standpoint of the Church after the Ascension; however it is possible to understand this verse as a saying of Jesus. The double meaning was no doubt intended by John. If this verse is a continuation of the conversation with Nicodemus, it is necessary to assume that a step in the argument has been omitted. BlkJn suggests that what Jesus actually said was “No one has ascended into heaven” so there is no one on earth who can speak from his own experience of heavenly things, “except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man.” This negates the claims of other visionaries to have knowledge of what is in heaven, e.g. in 1 Enoch 70:2 and 71:1 Enoch ascends into heaven, where he is identified with the Son-of-Man figure in Daniel 7:13 (NRSV: “human being”). Note that 1 Enoch is not in the canon. Is who is in heaven original? It is difficult to interpret, requiring the assumption that this verse reflects the standpoint of an age later than that of the ministry of Jesus. BlkJn considers this clause to be original on the basis that the more difficult reading is more likely to be correct. It is found in the majority of Greek manuscripts, and early Syriac versions include variants on it. Verse 14: This verse at last answers Nicodemus’ question: “How can these things be?” (v. 9).The Son of Man is a type of the bronze serpent in Numbers 21:9-11. See also Wisdom of Solomon 16:5-7. There the bronze-serpent event turns Israel towards the Torah and towards God as saviour. [NJBC] It may be noted that in Palestinian Aramaic and in Syriac the verb which is equivalent to “be lifted up” has the special meaning of be crucified. John intends this double meaning here and in other passages where the word occurs, i.e. 8:28; 12:32, 34. [BlkJn] Verses 16-21: John now speaks in his own person, as in 1:1-18. It is a meditation inspired by the conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus. [BlkJn] Verse 16: Luther called this verse “the Gospel in miniature”. [NOAB] Verse 16: “gave his only Son”: i.e. to death (see Romans 8:32 and Galatians 1:4, 2:20). There may be typology here too: Abraham was willing to sacrifice Isaac, a much loved only son. [NJBC] Verses 17-20: God’s purpose is to save; individuals judge themselves by hiding their evil deeds from the light of Christ’s holiness. [NOAB] Verse 21: “do what is true”: In the Qumran literature, doing the truth is an idiom for being righteous. Responsiveness to the truth is a function of one’s righteousness. In a passage that occurs in the context of a teaching about purification by the Spirit, we find, “In agreement with man’s birthright in justice and truth, so he abhors injustice; and according to his share in the lot of injustice he acts irreverently in it and so abhors the truth.” (1QS (Rule of the Community) 4:24-25).

OLD TESTAMENT: Exodus 20: 1 - 17 (all) 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. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, punishing children for the iniquity of parents, to the third and the fourth generation of those who reject me, 6 but showing steadfast love to the thousandth generation of those who love me and keep my commandments. 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. 10 But the seventh day is a sabbath to the LORD your God; you shall not do any work--you, your son or your daughter, your male or female slave, your livestock, or the alien resident in your towns. 11 For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but rested the seventh day; therefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day and consecrated it. 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. Note: Vs. 4-6 and 9-11 are optional for the Roman Catholic lectionary. PSALM 19 (RCL) Psalm 19: (1 - 6) 7 - 14 (C of E) Psalm 19: 7 - 10 (Roman Catholic) 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. Note: Verse numbering in Roman Catohlic bibles is one higher than the above. 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. NEW TESTAMENT: 1 Corinthians 1: 18 - 25 (RCL) 1 Corinthians 1: 22 - 25 (Roman Catholic) 1Cor 1:18 (NRSV) For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written, "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart." 20 Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, God decided, through the foolishness of our proclamation, to save those who believe. 22 For Jews demand signs and Greeks desire wisdom, 23 but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, 24 but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For God's foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God's weakness is stronger than human strength. h/t Montreal Anglican Having heard that there are “quarrels” (v. 11) among Christians at Corinth, Paul has urged them to be “united in ... mind and ... purpose.” (v. 10) Some claim allegiance to him, others to Apollos, to Cephas, or to Christ. He is thankful that he baptised very few there. because “no one can say that you were baptised in my name” (v. 15), for Christ sent him to Corinth to “proclaim the gospel ...” (v. 17). Divisions within the Church should be avoided, but between believers and others they are legitimate. Now v. 18: the message of the cross makes sense to the faithful: to us, it is the revelation of God's power, but to others, it is nonsense (“foolishness”, vv. 18, 21). In v. 19, Paul recalls a verse from Isaiah referring to events that occurred when Assyria was threatening Judah. The king's counsellor (a “wise” man, one versed in popular philosophy) advised alliance with Egypt, but Isaiah told the king to do nothing but trust in the Lord: God would save Israel and bring to nothing the “wisdom of the wise” and the “discernment” (intelligence) “of the discerning”. From other sources, we know that there were many “wise” citizens of Corinth, each of whom had their own solutions to the world's problems. The Greek philosopher and the Jewish scribe count as nothing before God, Paul says: God's wisdom is different: you can't “know” (v. 21) it in a philosophical way. Knowing God is an experiential matter in which one renders him homage and obeys his will. Jews and Greeks seek knowledge in their cultural ways (v. 22), but we proclaim something different: to those Jews and “Greeks” (v. 24, non-Jews) who are called, the cross makes much sense: he is God’s power working in the world; he shows us God’s intentions for humankind. God’s ways are not human ways (v. 25). Believers must detach themselves from the standards of fallen humanity – the cause of the divisions at Corinth - if they are to understand the way God relates to them. [NJBC] Verse 18: The fact of acceptance or rejection of humanity is the basis of division of humanity into two groups. God has not predestined some to salvation and others to condemnation. In the future, the status of a member of either group may change. In 5:5, writing of a sexually immoral man, Paul says “you are to hand this man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord”. Note also 10:12: “So if you think you are standing, watch out that you do not fall”. [NJBC] Verse 18: “the cross”: Paul writes in 2:1-2: “When I came to you, brothers and sisters, I did not come proclaiming the mystery of God to you in lofty words or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified.” Verse 19: The quotation is Isaiah 29:14 in the Septuagint translation. There King Ahaz accepts the advice of “wise” counsellors to form an alliance with Egypt rather than trusting in God to deliver Judah from the Assyrians. [NOAB] Verses 20-25: Proud, self-centred humans want God to be at their disposal, but God’s way of dealing with human sin through the cross of Christ stands in contrast to human power and wisdom. Those who have been “called” (v. 24) by the message of the cross find in it God’s “power” and “wisdom”. [CAB] Verse 20: The questions are inspired by Isaiah 19:11; 33:18; 44:25; Job 12:17. [NJBC] Verse 21: “the wisdom of God”: Not a divine plan, but the organization and beauty of creation: see also Romans 1:19-20. [NJBC] Verse 21: “the world did not know God through wisdom”: Rational speculation, which in the world passes for wisdom, had failed to perceive that God has acted through a suffering saviour. [NJBC] Verse 22: “demand signs”: i.e. demand miracles. In so doing, Jews refuse to trust in God, thus camouflaging their contentment with the status quo. [NJBC] Verse 22: “Greeks”: The Greek word is ethnoi, the same word translated as “Gentiles” in v. 23, so Paul means non-Jews in general. In Galatians 3:28 he writes: “There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus”. [NJBC] Verse 23: “stumbling block to Jews”: Because of their particular messianic expectations. [NJBC] Verse 23: “foolishness to Gentiles”: Because of their rationalism. [NJBC] Verse 24: “those who are the called”: Even though Paul uses kletoi, the called ones, he speaks of those who hear and accept the good news. Paul often calls members of the Church the called ones. In Romans 8:28, he writes: “We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose”. See also 2:2 and Romans 1:6-7. [NJBC] Verse 24: “Christ ...”: The authentic humanity of Jesus makes visible God’s intention for humans and radiates an attractive force that enables response. [NJBC] GOSPEL: John 2: 13 - 22 (RCL) John 2: 13 - 25 (Roman Catholic) John 2:13 (NRSV) The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 In the temple he found people selling cattle, sheep, and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables. 15 Making a whip of cords, he drove all of them out of the temple, both the sheep and the cattle. He also poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. 16 He told those who were selling the doves, "Take these things out of here! Stop making my Father's house a marketplace!" 17 His disciples remembered that it was written, "Zeal for your house will consume me." 18 The Jews then said to him, "What sign can you show us for doing this?" 19 Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." 20 The Jews then said, "This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and will you raise it up in three days?" 21 But he was speaking of the temple of his body. 22 After he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this; and they believed the scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken. 23 When he was in Jerusalem during the Passover festival, many believed in his name because they saw the signs that he was doing. 24 But Jesus on his part would not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people 25 and needed no one to testify about anyone; for he himself knew what was in everyone. Perhaps John contrasts “the Passover of the Jews” with the sacrifice of our “pascal lamb, Christ” (1 Corinthians 5:7). Jesus, as did many Jews, goes “up to Jerusalem” for the feast. In the forecourt of the Temple, he finds merchants selling animals and birds for sacrifices, and money changers exchanging coins bearing idolatrous images for coins used to pay the temple tax. Jesus throws both traders and animals out of the temple precincts, insisting that commercial activities (especially shady ones) have no place here (v. 16). (V. 19 may show that Jesus also speaks against the regulation of the Jewish sacrificial system by the religious authorities: it oppressed most people and enriched the traders and money changers.) Note that Jesus claims that God is his Father and sees the Temple as worthy of respect. The disciples recall Psalm 69:9 - here a prophecy that Jesus’ “zeal” (v. 17) will lead to his death. The religious leaders (“Jews”, v. 18) ask Jesus what authority he has for his (violent) action; his reply (v. 19) is puzzling and perhaps evasive, challenging them to replace temple worship with belief in him. Lacking faith, they take it literally (and misunderstand), but John tells us that Jesus is saying that, by his resurrection (“three days”) he will become a new spiritual temple, replacing the Temple. The disciples only understand this after the first Easter. It helps them to believe in Jesus and his message of good news. The synoptic gospels include a story of Jesus cleansing the Temple; they place it shortly before Passion week, whereas John presents the story as the opening of Jesus’ public ministry. See Mark 11:15-17; Matthew 21:12-17; Luke 19:45-48. [BlkJn] NJBC says that there are sufficient differences between John’s version of this story and that in the synoptic gospels to assert that John’s version came from an independent tradition. Verse 13: “The Passover of the Jews”: John characteristically dissociates himself from Judaism: see also 5:1; 6:4; 7:2; 11:55. [BlkJn] The annual pilgrimage of Jews to Jerusalem from all over the world recalled God’s great act of deliverance of his people from slavery in Egypt in the time of Moses: see Exodus 14-15. [CAB] Verse 14: The traders provided a service which was a great convenience for worshippers: the animals they sold were guaranteed as suitable for sacrifice by the Temple authorities; Temple coinage, unlike secular coinage, was free of the image of a man (or god). [BlkJn] Verses 15-16: Not an outburst of temper, but the energy of righteousness against religious leaders to whom religion had become a business. [NOAB] Verse 15: It is likely that the fracas involved more than Jesus and the traders. His use of a “whip” and his upsetting of the tables was probably resisted, and this resistance was overcome by force, presumably with the help of Jesus’ disciples and sympathizers. Staves and other weapons were forbidden in the Temple; Jesus improvised a whip out of a handful of cords. It is not mentioned in the other gospels. [BlkJn] Verse 16: In the other gospels, it is solely the dishonesty of the traders that Jesus attacks, but here Jesus also objects to the trade as such. In Mark 11:17, Jesus recalls the prophecy in Isaiah 56:7: “‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’”. [BlkJn] Comments: V. 19 may show that Jesus also speaks against the Jewish sacrificial system: The Qumran community also objected to Temple worship. [BlkJn] Verse 17: Psalm 69 is an urgent appeal to God to vindicate the righteous man who has been oppressed for his zeal and faithfulness to God, but v. 9 of the psalm is to be understood as a prophecy that the zeal which Jesus showed would later lead to his destruction. In the synoptic gospels (but not here) the cleansing of the Temple is days before the arrest of Jesus. [BlkJn] John has changed this verse from the present tense to the future, probably looking forward to the bitter hostility that will erupt between Jesus and the religious authorities: see 5:16, 18. [NJBC] Verse 17: “remembered”: Remembering in John is a technical term for the process by which the community came to see Jesus as the fulfilment of Scripture after the resurrection. [NJBC] Verse 18: In the synoptic gospels, the disciples join in seeking a “sign”. There, Jesus refuses to give signs: see Mark 8:12; Matthew 12:39; Luke 11:29. Usually in John, Jesus performs signs to confirm faith, not to convince sceptics. [BlkJn] Verse 19: In John 4:21, Jesus tells the Samaritan woman at the well that the Temple will be superceded; Revelation 21:22 states that there will be no temple in the eternal Jerusalem. Mark 14:58 gives the testimony of false witnesses who claim that Jesus said: “‘I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and in three days I will build another, not made with hands’”. Mark 15:29-32 presents a taunt based on this testimony. BlkJn suggests that Jesus probably said something about destroying the Temple, but we do not know precisely what he said and what he meant. The most probable explanation is that Jesus challenged “the Jews” to show faith in him: you destroy the Temple and I will in return give you a sign, i.e. raising it again in three days. So we may have here the saying that the false witnesses distorted. [BlkJn] Comments: The religious leaders ... misunderstand: The religious authorities presume that Jesus threatens to destroy the Temple. Taken literally, Jesus’ saying is absurd. [NJBC] Misunderstanding him is a common theme in this gospel. See also, for example, 3:4 (Nicodemus) and 4:11 (the woman at the well). [BlkJn] Verse 20: Josephus tells us in his Antiquities that Herod began rebuilding the Temple in the eighteenth year of his reign, i.e. about 20 BC. The events in our reading take place 46 years later, i.e. about 26 AD. However, the word translated as “temple” is naos and Josephus tells us that: • The naos was completed in a year and five months and • The whole complex of temple buildings was only completed in about 63 AD. The only way of reconciling this data seems to be to assume that: • Josephus means the sanctuary proper by naos while in John it refers to a larger group of buildings, and • Reconstruction was suspended in 26 AD – when this larger group of buildings was almost complete. But there is another possibility. Perhaps the “forty-six years” is Jesus’ age at the time. Three years later, at the time of the Crucifixion, he would be 49. 49 is the 7 times 7, the perfect number. The Resurrection can then be seen as inaugurating the great Jubilee. This fits well with 8:57, “You are not yet fifty years old ...” – unlike Jesus being in his thirties when he was crucified. It also fits with the tradition preserved by Irenaeus; he says that, on the authority of the elders of Asia who had known John, Jesus lived until he was nearly fifty. But there is nothing in v. 20 to support this interpretation. [BlkJn] The Temple was finished in 64 AD. [NOAB] Verse 21: “his body”: While the primary reference is to the body of Jesus which was raised from the tomb, there may be an allusion here to the Church, the new Israel, which may be said to have come into being with the resurrection of Jesus. However, this thought is Pauline, not Johannine. [BlkJn] Jesus’ reply (v. 19) is a prediction of his own death and resurrection. [NOAB] The Dead Sea Scrolls speak of the community as the true “temple” of God’s Spirit; however in John Jesus is the new Temple. [NJBC] Verse 22: “they believed ...”: For other examples of belief as the response to Jesus’ words and actions, see 2:11 (the disciples at the wedding at Cana); 4:39 (Samaritans at the well),4: 41, 50 (the official with the son who is ill), 4:53; 6:69 (the disciples); 7:31 (many in the crowd); 8:30; 9:38 (the man born blind); 10:42; 11:27 (Martha), 11:45 (“many of the Jews”); 12:11, 42 (“many, even of the authorities”); 16:30; 20:8 (“the other disciple”). Verse 22: “the scripture”: The word in Greek is in the singular, so John probably means that the disciples understood Psalm 69:9 as applied to Jesus. [BlkJn] Verses 23-25: Faith which rests merely on “signs” and not on him to whom they point is shallow and unstable. [NOAB]

OLD TESTAMENT: Genesis 17: 1 - 7, 15 - 16 (RCL) Gene 17:1 (NRSV) When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said to him, "I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless. 2 And I will make my covenant between me and you, and will make you exceedingly numerous." 3 Then Abram fell on his face; and God said to him, 4 "As for me, this is my covenant with you: You shall be the ancestor of a multitude of nations. 5 No longer shall your name be Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you the ancestor of a multitude of nations. 6 I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. 7 I will establish my covenant between me and you, and your offspring after you throughout their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you. 15 God said to Abraham, "As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her Sar'ai, but Sarah shall be her name. 16 I will bless her, and moreover I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she shall give rise to nations; kings of peoples shall come from her." Genesis 22: 1 - 2, 9a, 10 - 13, 15 - 18 (Roman Catholic) Gene 22:1 (NRSV) After these things God tested Abraham. He said to him, "Abraham!" And he said, "Here I am." 2 He said, "Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Mori'ah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains that I shall show you." 9 When they came to the place that God had shown him, Abraham built an altar there and laid the wood in order. 10 Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to kill his son. 11 But the angel of the LORD called to him from heaven, and said, "Abraham, Abraham!" And he said, "Here I am." 12 He said, "Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me." 13 And Abraham looked up and saw a ram, caught in a thicket by its horns. Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. 15 The angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second time from heaven, 16 and said, "By myself I have sworn, says the LORD: Because you have done this, and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17 I will indeed bless you, and I will make your offspring as numerous as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of their enemies, 18 and by your offspring shall all the nations of the earth gain blessing for themselves, because you have obeyed my voice." PSALM 22: 23 - 31 (RCL) Psal 22:23 (NRSV) You who fear the LORD, praise him! All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him; stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel! 24 For he did not despise or abhor the affliction of the afflicted; he did not hide his face from me, but heard when I cried to him. 25 From you comes my praise in the great congregation; my vows I will pay before those who fear him. 26 The poor shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek him shall praise the LORD. May your hearts live forever! 27 All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the LORD; and all the families of the nations shall worship before him. 28 For dominion belongs to the LORD, and he rules over the nations. 29 To him, indeed, shall all who sleep in the earth bow down; before him shall bow all who go down to the dust, and I shall live for him. 30 Posterity will serve him; future generations will be told about the Lord, 31 and proclaim his deliverance to a people yet unborn, saying that he has done it. Note: Your Psalter versification may differ from the above. 22 Deus, Deus meus (ECUSA BCP) 22 Praise the LORD, you that fear him; * stand in awe of him, O offspring of Israel; all you of Jacob's line, give glory. 23 For he does not despise nor abhor the poor in their poverty; neither does he hide his face from them; * but when they cry to him he hears them. 24 My praise is of him in the great assembly; * I will perform my vows in the presence of those who worship him. 25 The poor shall eat and be satisfied, and those who seek the LORD shall praise him: * “May your heart live for ever!” 26 All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the LORD, * and all the families of the nations bow before him. 27 For kingship belongs to the LORD; * he rules over the nations. 28 To him alone all who sleep in the earth bow down in worship; * all who go down to the dust fall before him. 29 My soul shall live for him; my descendants shall serve him; * they shall be known as the LORD’S for ever. 30 They shall come and make known to a people yet unborn * the saving deeds that he has done. Psalm 116: 10, 15 - 19 (Roman Catholic) Psal 116:10 (NRSV) I kept my faith, even when I said, "I am greatly afflicted"; 15 Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his faithful ones. 16 O LORD, I am your servant; I am your servant, the child of your serving girl. You have loosed my bonds. 17 I will offer to you a thanksgiving sacrifice and call on the name of the LORD. 18 I will pay my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people, 19 in the courts of the house of the LORD, in your midst, O Jerusalem. Praise the LORD! NEW TESTAMENT: Romans 4: 13 - 25 (RCL) Roma 4:13 (NRSV) For the promise that he would inherit the world did not come to Abraham or to his descendants through the law but through the righteousness of faith. 14 If it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. 15 For the law brings wrath; but where there is no law, neither is there violation. 16 For this reason it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his descendants, not only to the adherents of the law but also to those who share the faith of Abraham (for he is the father of all of us, 17 as it is written, "I have made you the father of many nations")--in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist. 18 Hoping against hope, he believed that he would become "the father of many nations," according to what was said, "So numerous shall your descendants be." 19 He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was already as good as dead (for he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah's womb. 20 No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, 21 being fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. 22 Therefore his faith "was reckoned to him as righteousness." 23 Now the words, "it was reckoned to him," were written not for his sake alone, 24 but for ours also. It will be reckoned to us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, 25 who was handed over to death for our trespasses and was raised for our justification. h/t Montreal Anglican In Chapters 2 and 3, Paul has argued that through the gospel, it is faith that brings humans into harmony with God. Now he considers Abraham as an example. At the time, rabbis argued that God’s blessings came to Abraham because he kept Mosaic Law (which, they said, he knew in advance – before Moses received the tablets on Mount Sinai.) In v. 13, Paul argues against this rabbinic lore: Abraham was blessed because he believed, had faith, that he would be father of a nation and a source of blessing for “all ... families” (Genesis 12:3). If only those who keep Mosaic Law are God's people, faith is meaningless (“null”, v. 14) and God's “promise” of universal godliness is nonsense – because the Law is a contract; in a contract, each party has responsibilities, each knows what he will receive (e.g. “wages”, v. 4), but a promise is a gift, and is therefore an object of faith: faith that what is promised will be received. Paul now notes: because we all deviate from God’s ways at times, sinning does happen. For those under the Law, a penalty (God’s “wrath”, v. 15) ensues, but for us, not living under the Law (“no law”), there is no contract to violate. Paul now returns to his main argument: so rather than the human relationship being legally based, “it depends on faith” (v. 16), on God’s freely given gift of love (“grace”). Were it legally based, continually breaking the pact would make a nonsense of it, but being faith-based, the relationship is “guaranteed” to all peoples in every age - not just to Jews but also to others. Per Genesis 17:5, Abraham is spiritual father of us all (v. 17). Sarah’s bearing of Isaac when beyond child-bearing age (“gives life to the dead”) was due to his faith; it had been promised to him by God. Isaac was called into existence. So Abraham is a model for the Christian. Contrary to expectation, in hope (“Hoping against hope”, v. 18) he believed. He had every reason to doubt that he would become a father, but believe he did – because of the hope given by God's promise – in God's creative power. Abraham's faith grew stronger as he thanked God for his gift (“gave glory to God”, v. 20). He attained a right relationship with God (“was reckoned to him as righteousness”, v. 22). Our faith in God’s promises will also be considered worthy by God when Christ comes again (“our justification”, v. 25). As an introduction to this reading, I offer a Comment on 4:1-12: Paul has written that one can attain a right relationship with God through faith, without living by Mosaic law. Now he takes Abraham as an example; he asks: what can we conclude about faith vs. Law by looking at Abraham’s life? Judaism claimed that Abraham kept the Law before it was given, that he was godly (‘justified”, v. 2) because his “works” were per the Law. Paul rejects this claim; rather, it was, as Genesis shows, Abraham’s faith which counted for him (“reckoned”, v. 3) as godliness. God “justifies the ungodly” (v. 5). For the worker, “wages” are expected, but for one who trusts (with no certainty of reward), such trust counts with God. In vv. 6-9 Paul quotes a verse from Psalm 32, interpreting it jointly with a verse from Genesis as showing that those who trust in God obtain his favour, whether they be keepers of the Law or trusters in God. Paul then argues that, because Abraham trusted in God’s pact before he was circumcised, Abraham’s faith (and not his keeping of the Law) was what counted for him with God (v. 10). Indeed, he says, circumcision was a confirmation of the right relationship he had attained through faith. It made Abraham “ancestor” (v. 11) of all who trust in God, both Jews (v. 12) and non-Jews (v. 11). See also Galatians 3:1-18. Verse 1: “our ancestor”: Descent from Abraham was a source of pride among Jews. In Matthew 3:9, Jesus says to some Pharisees and Sadducees: Do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our ancestor’; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham”. See also Luke 3:8. Verse 2: “justified by works”: i.e. keeping the law in advance. Sirach 44:20 (a midrash on Genesis 26:5) and Jubilees 6:19 both speak of Abraham’s deeds (namely the defeat of kings in Genesis 14 and his trial, the near-sacrifice of Isaac, Genesis 22:9-10) as a source of his godliness. See also Wisdom of Solomon 10:5 and James 2:21. However 1 Maccabees 2:52 says that Abraham’s godliness is a result of his faith. [NJBC] Verse 3: The quotation is from the Septuagint translation of Genesis 15:6. In Galatians 3:8, Paul writes: “And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, declared the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, ‘All the Gentiles shall be blessed in you’”. See also James 2:23. As Paul understands Genesis 15:6, Abraham’s faith gained him credit with God. [NJBC] [CAB] Verse 3: “reckoned”: The Greek word, elogisthe, is a book-keeping term. Deuteronomy 24:13 says: “... it will be to your credit before the L ORD your God.” (where “it” is the return of a pledge). See also Psalm 106:31. [NJBC] Verse 5: See also 5:6-11: “For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. Indeed, rarely will anyone die for a righteous person – though perhaps for a good person someone might actually dare to die ...”. [CAB] Verses 6-9: By a Jewish principle of interpretation, that identical words appearing in two different places in Scripture are the basis for mutual interpretation, the blessedness of Psalm 32 can also be applied to those who trust but are not circumcised. [NJBC] [NOAB] Verses 7-8: The quotation is Psalm 32:1-2 in the Septuagint translation. Like his contemporaries, Paul considers David to be the author of Psalms. Actually this psalm was written long after David’s time. [CAB] Verse 10: “before he was circumcised”: Genesis 17:24 tells of the circumcision of Abraham. [NJBC] Verse 11: “He received the sign of circumcision”: In Genesis 17:11, circumcision is called “a sign of the covenant” between God and Abraham’s family. See also Acts 7:8. Later rabbis regarded Genesis 17:11 as a sign of the Mosaic covenant, for it served to distinguish Israel from other nations. [NJBC] Verses 13-25: The true descendants of Abraham are those who have faith in Christ, whether Jews or Gentiles. To them the benefits promised to Abraham belong. In Galatians 3:29, Paul writes: “if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to the promise”. [NOAB] Verse 13: “the promise”: The promise of an heir to be born of Sarah (see Genesis 15:4; 17:16, 19) and of numerous posterity (see Genesis 12:2; 13:14-17; 17:8; 22:16-18) was extended in Jewish tradition on the basis of the universality of “all the families of the earth” (Genesis 12:3) to mean that “the [whole] world” was Abraham’s inheritance. [NJBC] Verse 14: Paul continues this thought in Galatians 3:15-20. [NJBC] Verse 15: “violation”: Literally, transgression. In 3:20, Paul writes: “For ‘no human being will be justified in his sight’ by deeds prescribed by the law, for through the law comes the knowledge of sin”. (He approximately quotes Psalm 143:2.) In 5:13, he says: “sin was indeed in the world before the law, but sin is not reckoned when there is no law”. [NJBC] Verse 17: The quotation is Genesis 17:5 in the Septuagint translation. [NJBC] Verse 18: “So numerous ...”: In Genesis 15:5, in a vision, God brings Abram outside and says to him: “‘Look toward heaven and count the stars, if you are able to count them ... So shall your descendants be’”. [CAB] [NOAB] Verse 19: See Genesis 17:17; 18:11. Hebrews 11:11-12 includes Sarah: “By faith he received power of procreation, even though he was too old – and Sarah herself was barren – because he considered him faithful who had promised. Therefore from one person, and this one as good as dead, descendants were born, ‘as many as the stars of heaven and as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore’”. [NOAB] Verse 20: “he gave glory to God”: An Old Testament expression for giving grateful recognition to God found in 1 Samuel 6:5 and 1 Chronicles 16:28. Per 1:21, unbelievers cannot do this. [NJBC] Verse 21: “do what he had promised”: i.e. the conception of Isaac. Verses 22-23:Paul writes in v. 3, quoting the Septuagint translation of Genesis 15:6: “For what does the scripture say? ‘Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness’”. [NOAB] Verse 24: A feature of midrashic interpretation, which Paul uses here, was to modernize or actualize the Old Testament by applying it to a new situation. Note Midrash Genesis Rabba 40:8: “All that is recorded of Abraham is repeated in the history of his children”. See also 1 Corinthians 9:9-10; 10:6-11. In a unique sense, God raises Jesus from the dead. [NJBC] Verse 25: This verse alludes to Isaiah 53:4-5, 11-12 (part of a Servant Song). Jesus suffered to take away human sin and to achieve our oneness with God. [NJBC] GOSPEL: Mark 8: 31 - 38 (all but Roman Catholic) Mark 8:31 (NRSV) Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. 32 He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 33 But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, "Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things." 34 He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 35 For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. 36 For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life? 37 Indeed, what can they give in return for their life? 38 Those who are ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels." Jesus has asked his disciples: “‘... who do you say that I am?’” (v. 29); Peter has answered him: “‘You are the Messiah’”. Jesus now predicts his Passion for the first time. He teaches them something unexpected: that the Messiah (“the Son of Man”, v. 31) will suffer, be rejected, killed, and rise again was contrary to contemporary (and their) expectation. When Peter impetuously rejects Jesus’ teaching, he is told that he is under the influence of the devil: he is relying on human values, not divine ones (v. 33). Jesus then describes true discipleship: first, a disciple must renounce self-centeredness (“deny themselves”, v. 34) and follow him. Those who are prepared to give even their lives (“take up their cross”) for his sake and for the sake of spreading the good news (“gospel”, v. 35) will have (eternal) life. Those who seek worldly well-being and deny their true selves will be the losers (vv. 35-37). View things from a divine, rather than human, viewpoint! At the Last Day (“when he comes in ... glory”, v. 38), Christ will not stand up for those who shirk from being identified with him and the good news. Mark 8:31-38 The parallels are Matthew 16:21-27 and Luke 9:22-26. Jesus is outside Jewish territory in “the villages of Caesarea Philippi” (v. 27). [CAB] Verse 31: Jesus clarifies the nature of his identity as the Messiah/Christ by means of the first passion prediction. Jesus’ fate has implications for his followers. [NJBC] Verse 31: Jesus also predicts his Passion in 9:30-32 and 10:33-34. [NOAB] Verse 31: “Son of Man”: Clearly this term here means Messiah/Christ. Jesus nowhere discloses fully his understanding of the term. He could intend both meanings to apply to him. His way was to oblige his hearers to determine their own personal attitudes to him, as part of the process of understanding his words Verse 31: “must”: The Greek word, dei, has the sense of compulsion in accordance with God’s plan, per Malachi 3:1; 4:5; and Psalm 118:22 (Septuagint translation). [NJBC] Verse 31: “undergo great suffering”: Jesus identifies himself with the Suffering Servant of Isaiah. Verse 31: “rejected”: The sense is repudiated religiously. Fools who rely on human wisdom repudiate God (see Jeremiah 8:9). God repudiates Israel for her folly or infidelity (see Jeremiah 6:30; 7:29; 14:19). Here Jesus is repudiated by people, as is the Servant in Isaiah 53:3. Verse 31: “by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes”: Note the omission of the Pharisees. In this gospel, they have no explicit role in Jesus’ condemnation and death. [NJBC] Verse 31: “three days”: For the third day as the decisive turning point, see Hosea 6:2; Jonah 1:17; 2:10. [NJBC] Verse 32: “He said all this quite openly”: Up to this point, Jesus met speculations about his identity with commands to silence. [NJBC] Verse 33: “Get behind me, Satan!”: Jesus sees in Peter’s words a continuation of Satan’s temptation (in Matthew 4:1-11 and Luke 4:1-13). [NOAB] Jesus indicates that the false view of his messiahship is a temptation: see Job 1-2 and Zechariah 3:1-2. [NJBC] Having grasped that Jesus is the Messiah, Peter sees messiahship in a contemporary Jewish way: the Messiah was not expected to suffer. Peter’s impetuous action is consistent with his character elsewhere in the gospels. Verse 34: “take up their cross”: A “cross” was a Roman means of execution; it was carried by the condemned person to the scene of death. Jesus sees that acceptance of his message with its promise also brings seeming destruction. Only those who in faith accept the threat of destruction will find life. See also Matthew 5:11-12; 10:39; 16:24; Mark 10:29-31; Luke 14:27; 17:33; John 12:25. [NOAB] The image may express submission to the divine authority on the analogy of the condemned criminal’s submission to Roman authority. [NJBC] Verse 35: “life”: The Greek word is psyche: one’s very being, true self. The value of the true self is described in vv. 36-37. In following Jesus, disciples can find their true selves, and nothing is more important. [NJBC] Verse 38: Jesus suggests that his Second Coming will be during the lifetime of some of his followers. [CAB] Verse 38: “adulterous”: A term used by Old Testament prophets to describe Israel’s turning away from God: see Jeremiah 3:8; Ezekiel 23:37; Hosea 2:2-10. [NOAB] Mark 9:2-9 The first incident, vv. 1-8, establishes Jesus’ glorious identity as the beloved Son of God , and the second (vv. 9-13) places his divine sonship in the context of Jewish expectations about the kingdom and resurrection. [NJBC] Verse 1: The most convincing explanation of the Transfiguration is that Mark presents it as a preview or anticipation of the final coming of God’s kingdom, and thus as a commentary on this verse. [NJBC] Verses 2-8: The parallels are Matthew 17:1-8 and Luke 9:28-36. Verses 2-8: By this narrative the author means to describe a vision of Jesus as the Messiah. The Lucan version says that the purpose of ascending the mountain was to pray. The exact nature of this intense religious experience is uncertain. In Matthew, it is described as a “vision”. The aura of unnatural brilliance is associated with mystical experiences elsewhere: In Exodus 34:29-35, after descending Mount Sinai, “Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God”. See also Acts 9:3 (Paul’s vision). [NOAB] Verses 2-8: Like the transforming experiences of Moses and Elijah, Jesus receives heavenly confirmation of his special role in God’s purpose for his people. [CAB] Verse 2: “Six days later”: Peter’s confession of Jesus as Messiah is in 8:29: “‘You are the Messiah’”. [NOAB] NJBC suggests that this may be linked to Israel’s preparation and purification at Sinai (see Exodus 24:15-16) or, since the seventh day occurs after six days, this may be an anticipation of the passion week in Jerusalem. Verse 2: “a high mountain”: Some traditional identifications are Mount Tabor and Mount Hermon. Mountains are the usual settings for supernatural revelations and theophanies. [NJBC] Verse 2: “transfigured”: i.e. having a non-earthly appearance. [NOAB] The Greek word indicates that the form of Jesus was changed. Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 3:18 that the glorious state in which the three disciples see him is to be his eternal state after death and resurrection. [NJBC] Verse 4: “Elijah with Moses”: If these two Old Testament figures are meant to represent the Law and the Prophets, the order is strange. Matthew 17:3 has them in the reverse order. There may a reference to their being taken up into heaven or to their expected roles in the coming of the kingdom. [NJBC] Deuteronomy 18:15 says “the LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you shall heed such a prophet”. Verse 4: “Elijah”: He was expected to appear on earth before the Messiah appeared: Malachi 4:5-6 foretells: “I will send you the prophet Elijah before the great and terrible day of the LORD comes. He will turn the hearts of parents to their children and the hearts of children to their parents”. [NOAB] Verse 4: “Moses”: In late Judaism, he was also thought to be taken up into heaven. Verse 5: “Rabbi”: Addressing Jesus in this way is strange. Matthew has “Lord” and Luke has “Master”. [NJBC] Verse 5: “Moses”: He was then thought to be the author of the Pentateuch. These five books formed the basic authority in Judaism. [NOAB] Comments: Feast of Tabernacles: The commandment concerning this feast is found in Leviticus 23:39-43. [NJBC] Verse 7: In Matthew 3:17, the voice from heaven says “‘This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased’”. A voice from heaven also speaks in John 12:28-29. See also 2 Peter 1:17-18. Verse 7: “a cloud overshadowed them”: Given the allusions to Exodus in this account, it is best to take the cloud as a vehicle of God’s presence as in Exodus 16:10; 19:9; 24:15-16; 33:9. The “voice” is the divine voice. [NJBC] Verse 7: “‘This is my Son, the Beloved”: To NJBC, the heavenly voice corrects Peter’s confession (see 8:29) and alludes to the identification of Jesus at his baptism (see 1:11). Verse 7: “listen to him!”: The command to hear Jesus may point to his passion predictions: in 8:31 we read: “he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again”. See also 9:31 and 10:33-34. [NJBC] Verses 9-13: The parallel is Matthew 17:9-13. Verse 9: “he ordered them ...”: Unlike other commands to silence, this one has a good chance of being obeyed (because only three disciples are involved) and has a definite time limit. [NJBC] Verse 10: The disciples were unable to associate resurrection with the Son of Man. [NOAB] The issue for the disciples was how Jesus could be raised from the dead before the general resurrection (which in contemporary thought was to occur at the coming of God’s kingdom). [NJBC] Verse 11: In Malachi 4:5, Elijah’s return will precede the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord. The disciples ask: how can you be raised from the dead unless Elijah comes first? [NJBC] In Matthew 11:14, Jesus says that if John the Baptist’s message were accepted, his activity would be that foretold in Elijah’s name. John was treated much as Elijah had been treated: see 1 Kings 19:2, 10. Jesus seems not to have expected the literal return of Elijah. [NOAB] Luke 1:17 predicts that John the Baptist will go before Jesus “with the spirit and power of Elijah ... to make ready a people prepared for the Lord”. Verse 12: “he is to go through many sufferings and be treated with contempt”: Jesus concedes that Elijah must come first; he also insists that his own passion and death will precede his resurrection. [NJBC] Verse 13: “Elijah has come”: This statement indirectly identifies Elijah as John the Baptist. The fate he met prefigures that of Jesus, Son of Man. [NJBC]