28 Johann Sebastian Bach, 1750, George Frederick Handel, 1759, and Henry Purcell, 1695, Composers. Purcell was an English composer. Although incorporating Italian and French stylistic elements into his compositions, Purcell's legacy was a uniquely English form of Baroque music.
29 Mary, Martha and Lazarus of Bethany
30 William Wilberforce, 1833 and Anthony Ashley Cooper, Lord Shaftesbury, 1885, Prophetic Witnesses. Wilburforce was an English politician, philanthropist, and a leader of the movement to abolish the slave trade. A native of Kingston upon Hull, Yorkshire, he began his political career in 1780, eventually becoming the independent Member of Parliament for Yorkshire (1784–1812). In 1785, he underwent a conversion experience and became an evangelical Christian, which resulted in major changes to his lifestyle and a lifelong concern for reform.
31 Ignatius of Loyola, Priest and Monastic, 1556
August
1 Joseph of Arimathaea
2 Samuel David Ferguson, Missionary Bishop for West Africa, 1916
OLD TESTAMENT: Genesis 29: 15 - 28 (RCL)
Gene 29:15 (NRSV) Then La'ban said to Jacob, "Because you are my kinsman, should you therefore serve me for nothing? Tell me, what shall your wages be?" 16 Now La'ban had two daughters; the name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. 17 Leah's eyes were lovely, and Rachel was graceful and beautiful. 18 Jacob loved Rachel; so he said, "I will serve you seven years for your younger daughter Rachel." 19 La'ban said, "It is better that I give her to you than that I should give her to any other man; stay with me." 20 So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed to him but a few days because of the love he had for her.
21 Then Jacob said to La'ban, "Give me my wife that I may go in to her, for my time is completed." 22 So La'ban gathered together all the people of the place, and made a feast. 23 But in the evening he took his daughter Leah and brought her to Jacob; and he went in to her. 24 (La'ban gave his maid Zil'pah to his daughter Leah to be her maid.) 25 When morning came, it was Leah! And Jacob said to La'ban, "What is this you have done to me? Did I not serve with you for Rachel? Why then have you deceived me?" 26 La'ban said, "This is not done in our country--giving the younger before the firstborn. 27 Complete the week of this one, and we will give you the other also in return for serving me another seven years." 28 Jacob did so, and completed her week; then La'ban gave him his daughter Rachel as a wife.
1 Kings 3: 5 - 12 (alt. for RCL)
1 Kings 3: 5, 7 - 12 (Roman Catholic)
1Kin 3:5 (NRSV) At Gib'eon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, "Ask what I should give you." 6 And Solomon said, "You have shown great and steadfast love to your servant my father David, because he walked before you in faithfulness, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart toward you; and you have kept for him this great and steadfast love, and have given him a son to sit on his throne today. 7 And now, O LORD my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David, although I am only a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in. 8 And your servant is in the midst of the people whom you have chosen, a great people, so numerous they cannot be numbered or counted. 9 Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, able to discern between good and evil; for who can govern this your great people?"
10 It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this. 11 God said to him, "Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches, or for the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, 12 I now do according to your word. Indeed I give you a wise and discerning mind; no one like you has been before you and no one like you shall arise after you.
PSALM 105: 1 - 11, 45b (RCL)
Psal 105:1 (NRSV) O give thanks to the LORD, call on his name,
make known his deeds among the peoples.
2 Sing to him, sing praises to him;
tell of all his wonderful works.
3 Glory in his holy name;
let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice.
4 Seek the LORD and his strength;
seek his presence continually.
5 Remember the wonderful works he has done,
his miracles, and the judgments he uttered,
6 O offspring of his servant Abraham,
children of Jacob, his chosen ones.
7 He is the LORD our God;
his judgments are in all the earth.
8 He is mindful of his covenant forever,
of the word that he commanded, for a thousand generations,
9 the covenant that he made with Abraham,
his sworn promise to Isaac,
10 which he confirmed to Jacob as a statute,
to Israel as an everlasting covenant,
11 saying, "To you I will give the land of Ca'naan
as your portion for an inheritance."
105 Part I Confitemini Domino (ECUSA BCP)
1 Give thanks to the Lord and call upon his Name; *
make known his deeds among the peoples.
2 Sing to him, sing praises to him, *
and speak of all his marvelous works.
3 Glory in his holy Name; *
let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.
4 Search for the Lord and his strength; *
continually seek his face.
5 Remember the marvels he has done, *
his wonders and the judgments of his mouth,
6 O offspring of Abraham his servant, *
O children of Jacob his chosen.
7 He is the Lord our God; *
his judgments prevail in all the world.
8 He has always been mindful of his covenant, *
the promise he made for a thousand generations:
9 The covenant he made with Abraham, *
the oath that he swore to Isaac,
10 Which he established as a statute for Jacob, *
an everlasting covenant for Israel,
11 Saying, “To you will I give the land of Canaan *
to be your allotted inheritance.”
Psalm 128 (alt. for above)
Psal 128:1 (NRSV) Happy is everyone who fears the LORD,
who walks in his ways.
2 You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands;
you shall be happy, and it shall go well with you.
3 Your wife will be like a fruitful vine
within your house;
your children will be like olive shoots
around your table.
4 Thus shall the man be blessed
who fears the LORD.
5 The LORD bless you from Zion.
May you see the prosperity of Jerusalem
all the days of your life.
6 May you see your children's children.
Peace be upon Israel!
128 Beati omnes (ECUSA BCP)
1 Happy are they all who fear the Lord, *
and who follow in his ways!
2 You shall eat the fruit of your labor; *
happiness and prosperity shall be yours.
3 Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine within your house, *
your children like olive shoots round about your table.
4 The man who fears the Lord *
shall thus indeed be blessed.
5 The Lord bless you from Zion, *
and may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days
of your life.
6 May you live to see your children's children; *
may peace be upon Israel.
Psalm 119: 129 - 136 (Alt. for RCL)
Psal 119:129 (NRSV) Your decrees are wonderful;
therefore my soul keeps them.
130 The unfolding of your words gives light;
it imparts understanding to the simple.
131 With open mouth I pant,
because I long for your commandments.
132 Turn to me and be gracious to me,
as is your custom toward those who love your name.
133 Keep my steps steady according to your promise,
and never let iniquity have dominion over me.
134 Redeem me from human oppression,
that I may keep your precepts.
135 Make your face shine upon your servant,
and teach me your statutes.
136 My eyes shed streams of tears
because your law is not kept.
119: 129 - 136 (ECUSA BCP)
Pe Mirabilia
129 Your decrees are wonderful; *
therefore I obey them with all my heart.
130 When your word goes forth it gives light; *
it gives understanding to the simple.
131 I open my mouth and pant; *
I long for your commandments.
132 Turn to me in mercy, *
as you always do to those who love your Name.
133 Steady my footsteps in your word; *
let no iniquity have dominion over me.
134 Rescue me from those who oppress me, *
and I will keep your commandments.
135 Let your countenance shine upon your servant *
and teach me your statutes.
136 My eyes shed streams of tears, *
because people do not keep your law.
Psalm 119: 57, 72, 76 - 77, 127 - 130 (Roman Catholic)
Psal 119:57 (NRSV) The LORD is my portion;
I promise to keep your words.
72 The law of your mouth is better to me
than thousands of gold and silver pieces.
76 Let your steadfast love become my comfort
according to your promise to your servant.
77 Let your mercy come to me, that I may live;
for your law is my delight.
127 Truly I love your commandments
more than gold, more than fine gold.
128 Truly I direct my steps by all your precepts;
I hate every false way.
129 Your decrees are wonderful;
therefore my soul keeps them.
130 The unfolding of your words gives light;
it imparts understanding to the simple.
NEW TESTAMENT: Romans 8: 26 - 39 (RCL)
Romans 8: 28 - 30 (Roman Catholic)
Roma 8:26 (NRSV) Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. 27 And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.
28 We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. 29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn within a large family. 30 And those whom he predestined he also called; and those whom he called he also justified; and those whom he justified he also glorified.
31 What then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? 32 He who did not withhold his own Son, but gave him up for all of us, will he not with him also give us everything else? 33 Who will bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? It is Christ Jesus, who died, yes, who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us. 35 Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written,
"For your sake we are being killed all day long;
we are accounted as sheep to be slaughtered."
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
h/t Montreal Anglican
Paul has written of the new way of being we attain in baptism: we are freed of compounding sin leading to the finality of death and begin living in and with the Spirit, thanks to God’s gift of love. In this new life, we will live in complete accord with God, but now we still fail to live up to his (and our) expectations. We need help – help which the Spirit provides. In our present condition we have hope of attaining perfect union with God. Now he gives an example of how the Spirit helps us. We have human limitations in how we pray; the Spirit “intercedes” in terms unexpressible in human language. The Father, who knows us to the core, knows the “mind of the Spirit” (v. 27) – for it is part of God’s plan (“will”) that he intercede for “the saints”, the faithful. We know that, “for those who love God” (v. 28) and whom God has called as part of his plan, in his providence, the actions of “all things” converge towards ultimate goodness. God formulated his plan, that there would be people who would love him (“foreknew”, v. 29). They would have a disposition to share increasingly in, and be moulded increasingly into, the risen life of Christ (“image”, v. 29), so that they might join him in full godliness (glory) at the end of the era. These people he “called” (v. 30) and chose; they responded to his call, and he found them worthy (“justified”). So certain is Paul that God will complete the process that he writes “glorified” (past tense); in fact, sharing fully in God lies ahead.
He now examines in detail how certain can we be that God will complete the execution of his plan of salvation. What, he asks, “are we to say about these things” (v. 31), especially “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” ( 8:1). He puts his questions in the language of the law court. God is so “for us” (v. 31) that he gave us his very Son, so he will surely follow through with the rest of his plan. God has passed a favourable sentence on us (“justifies”, v. 33) so who is there to accuse us of anything? We have Christ, in his place of power and authority (“at the right hand of God”, v. 34) pleading for us. (He is also the judge: see 2:16.) No hardship can separate the true Christian from Christ’s love for us (v. 35). Psalm 44:22 foretold the sufferings of Christians (v. 36); in them we are winning a resounding victory (“more than conquerors”, v. 37). Whether dead or alive at the Last Day, nothing – whether spiritual powers (“angels ... rulers ... powers”, v. 38) or astrological powers (commonly believed to control human destiny, “height, nor depth”, v. 39) or anything else – can separate us from God’s love – and defeat God’s purpose for us.
Verse 26: “that very Spirit intercedes”: It is not clear from the text as to whether the Spirit intercedes with or without our participation. Some manuscripts add for us, thus clarifying the issue. In 8:15-16, it is clearly with our participation. [ NJBC]
Verse 27: This verse is difficult to understand because it was written before the Trinitarian notion was clearly defined. Paul does not have the language to express this notion. In 1 Corinthians 2:16, Paul asks rhetorically: “‘For who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?’ But we have the mind of Christ.”. In Romans 8:15-6, he says: “... When we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’ it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God”. [ CAB]
Verse 27: “searches the heart”: This is an expression of an activity of God rooted in the Old Testament. In 1 Samuel 16:7, Yahweh tells Samuel: “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature ... for the Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart”. See also 1 Kings 8:39 (Solomon’s prayer of dedication of the Temple); Psalms 17:3; 139:1. [ CAB]
Verse 28: “We know that all things work together ...”: There are three possible translations:
In everything God works for good with those who love him.
God makes all things conspire for the good of those who love him
All things work together for good for those who love God (thus the NRSV).
There are important manuscripts that support each of these translations. [ NJBC] Another way of putting the NRSV translation: Within God’s providence, things come out right in the end – because God is in control.
Verses 29-30: Paul tells us what God’s plan, his “purpose” (v. 28) is. [ NOAB]
Verses 29-30: “predestined”: Paul thinks of predestination in a corporate sense, not on the individual level. In the 400s AD, Augustine picked up on this theme. Much later Calvin read Augustine as writing of predestination of individuals. But a logical approach has limitations in understanding God.
Verse 29: “conformed to the image of his Son”: See also v. 17; 2 Corinthians 3:18; 4:4-6; Philippians 3:20-21. [ NJBC]
Verse 31: In Psalm 118:6, a psalmist says: “With the Lord on my side I do not fear. What can mortals do to me?”. [ NOAB]
Verse 32: See also 4:25; 5:8; John 3:16; Genesis 22:12, 16 (Isaac); Isaiah 53:12; 1 Corinthians 3:21-23; 4:7. [ NOAB] [ CAB] [ NJBC]
Verse 33: Isaiah 50:7-8 says: “The Lord God helps me; ... he who vindicates me is near. Who will contend with me? Let us stand up together. Who are my adversaries? Let them confront me.”. [ CAB]
Verse 34: “at the right hand of God”: Psalm 110 begins: “The Lord says to my lord, “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool’”. See also Ephesians 1:20. [ CAB]
Verse 34: “intercedes for us”: Hebrews 7:25 says that Christ, the great high priest, “is able for all time to save those who approach God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them”. See also Hebrews 9:24. Paul never writes of Christ as priest. 1 John 2:1 says: “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous”. [ CAB]
Verse 35: “the love of Christ”: Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 5:14: “... the love of Christ urges us on, because we are convinced that one has died for all; therefore all have died”. See also Galatians 2:20; Ephesians 3:19. [ CAB]
Verse 35: “Will hardship ...”: In the context in which Paul wrote, being a Christian was sometimes difficult and dangerous. Paul experienced all of these hazards:
“hardship” 2 Corinthians 1:4-8; 2:4; 4:17
“distress” 2 Corinthians 6:4; 12:10
“persecution” 1 Corinthians 4:12; 2 Corinthians 4:9; 12:10; Galatians 5:11
“famine” (hunger) 1 Corinthians 4:11; 2 Corinthians 11:27
“nakedness” 1 Corinthians 4:11; 2 Corinthians 11:27
“peril” (danger) 1 Corinthians 15:30; 2 Corinthians 11:26
“sword” 2 Corinthians 11:26 [ CAB]
Verse 37: “we are more than conquerors”: Revelation 2:7 says “ To everyone who conquers, I will give permission to eat from the tree of life that is in the paradise of God”. See also Revelation 2:11, 17, 28; 3:5; 12:11. [ CAB]
Verse 37: “him”: This refers either to Christ (as in v. 35) or to God (as in 5:5, 8). 5:8 says: “... God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us”. [ NJBC]
Verse 38: “neither death, nor life”: This is expanded in 14:8: “If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's”. [ NOAB]
Verse 38: “nor angels, nor rulers, ... nor powers”: i.e. supernatural beings of any kind, whether good or malevolent. Angelology was of great interest when Paul wrote. Ephesians 6:12 lists malevolent heavenly beings who can harm faith. [ NOAB]
Verse 39: “nor height, nor depth”: Paul may be thinking of Psalm 139:8: “If I ascend to heaven, you are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there”. In astrology (primitive astronomy), stars were thought to rise from the abyss to a highest point. [ NOAB]
GOSPEL: Matthew 13: 31 - 33, 44 - 52 (RCL)
Matthew 13: 44 - 46 (47 - 52) (Roman Catholic)
Matt 13:31 (NRSV) He put before them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field; 32 it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches."
33 He told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened."
44 "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
45 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; 46 on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.
47 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and caught fish of every kind; 48 when it was full, they drew it ashore, sat down, and put the good into baskets but threw out the bad. 49 So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous 50 and throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
51 "Have you understood all this?" They answered, "Yes." 52 And he said to them, "Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like the master of a household who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old."
Jesus continues to use parables to teach the crowds and his disciples about God’s Kingdom; the four read today are really similes. A “mustard seed” is very small; in Palestine it grows to be a large shrub, but hardly a tree. Birds do not nest in it, so Jesus exaggerates. Bread made with “three measures of flour” (v. 33) would feed 100 people: again an exaggeration. God’s Kingdom will grow from small beginnings to significant size. Like yeast, Jesus’ message will pervade the lives of many, transforming them. The “someone” of v. 44 stumbles over the “treasure” and acquires legal title to it by selling all to buy the field. Of such value is membership in the Kingdom. The “merchant” (v. 45) values the “pearl”, (v. 46, the Kingdom), above all else. On the Sea of Galilee, a “net” (v. 47) gathered all fish, only some of which were edible. At the end of the age, God will come to judge people, declaring the good to be his and discarding the others. Jesus calls his disciples scribes, interpreters, “trained for the kingdom” (v. 52), when they tell him that they understand the seven parables in this chapter, for they know both the “old” (Israel’s heritage), and the “new” understanding of it he has given them.
The parallels to vv. 31-32 are Luke 13:18-19 and Mark 4:30-32. Luke 13:20-21 parallels v. 33. [ CAB] [ NJBC]
The shift from speaking to the crowds to addressing only the disciples seems to happen in v. 36.
Verse 32: Jesus’ hearers would have known Ezekiel 17:23; 31:6 and Psalm 104:16-17. There birds nest in mighty cedars of Lebanon. In Daniel 4:10-12, Nebuchadnezzar sees a tree reaching to heaven, visible to the end of the earth: truly a tree of amazing size.
Verse 32: “the greatest of shrubs”: The mustard shrub grows to about 4 metres (13 feet) in Palestine.
Verse 33: “three measures of flour”: Genesis 18:6 tells us that “three measures” were used for a large baking of bread for a household. 1 Samuel 1:24 mentions an “ephah” in the same context. An ephah was three measures, and is equivalent to 20 litres or quarts. So perhaps Jesus is not exaggerating here.
Verse 34: This verse tells us of Jesus’ use of parables in his teaching. People were dependent on what they remembered; they could not look things up in a book (or on the Internet). They would ponder what they heard.
Verse 35: The quotation is Psalm 78:2. The first clause is per the Septuagint translation; the second is an adaptation to the current context. Matthew says that Jesus has access to the divine mind. [ NJBC]
Verses 36-43: Jesus interprets the Parable of the Weeds among the Wheat (see vv. 24-30). [ NJBC]
Verse 42: “the furnace of fire”: This is an apocalyptic vision of Hell. [ NJBC]
Jesus is shown as being realistic about the membership of the Christian community: some members will be good, and others will be bad. This may differ somewhat from Paul’s view of a church of saints, although recall 1 Corinthians 1, especially verses 11-13 (“... I belong to ...”). One can read the Parable of the Weeds among the Wheat, and its interpretation(s), as saying that sifting the evil from the good is only to be done by God’s agents at the end of time, that we should not reject bad apples now. But the health of the community is important for its continuance. Elsewhere in the gospels, Jesus says clearly that his followers should be totally devoted to his cause: see Luke 14:25-33; Matthew 8:18-22; 22:11-13 (the man who comes to the wedding banquet but is not dressed for it – and his fate).
Verses 44-45: The “merchant” habitually searches while the man in v. 44 happens upon the treasure. Jesus is probably saying that the Kingdom is open to both kinds of people.
Verse 44: That a treasure was buried in a field would not be surprising to Jesus’ audience. There were no alternatives for safeguarding something of value. The “someone” is a man. The treasure had been hidden by someone else.
Verses 47-50: See also vv. 3-9 (the Parable of the Sower), vv. 24-30 (the Parable of the Wheat and the Weeds) and 22:11-13.
Verse 47: “kind”: The Greek word, genos, usually means race or tribe. So Jesus is clearly talking about people, those of every nation.
Thursday, July 24, 2014
Saturday, July 19, 2014
21 Albert John Luthuli, Prophetic Witness in South Africa, 1967 also known by his Zulu name Mvumbi, was a South African teacher and politician
22 Saint Mary Magdalene
23
24 Thomas a Kempis, Priest, 1471 was a German canon regular of the late medieval period and the most probable author of The Imitation of Christ, which is one of the best known Christian books on devotion.
25 Saint James the Apostle
26 The Parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary (traditionally identified as Anne and Joachim)
27 William Reed Huntington, Priest, 1909
28 Johann Sebastian Bach, 1750, George Frederick Handel, 1759, and Henry Purcell, 1695, Composers
OLD TESTAMENT: Genesis 28: 10 - 19a (RCL)
Gene 28:10 (NRSV) Jacob left Be'er-she'ba and went toward Har'an. 11 He came to a certain place and stayed there for the night, because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of the place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place. 12 And he dreamed that there was a ladder set up on the earth, the top of it reaching to heaven; and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. 13 And the LORD stood beside him and said, "I am the LORD, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring; 14 and your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south; and all the families of the earth shall be blessed in you and in your offspring. 15 Know that I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you." 16 Then Jacob woke from his sleep and said, "Surely the LORD is in this place--and I did not know it!" 17 And he was afraid, and said, "How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven."
18 So Jacob rose early in the morning, and he took the stone that he had put under his head and set it up for a pillar and poured oil on the top of it. 19 He called that place Beth'el;
Wisdom 12: 13, 16 - 19 (Roman Catholic, alt. for RCL)
13 For neither is there any god besides you, whose care is for all people,
to whom you should prove that you have not judged unjustly;
16 For your strength is the source of righteousness,
and your sovereignty over all causes you to spare all.
17 For you show your strength when people doubt the completeness of your power,
and you rebuke any insolence among those who know it.
18 Although you are sovereign in strength, you judge with mildness,
and with great forbearance you govern us;
for you have power to act whenever you choose.
19 Through such works you have taught your people
that the righteous must be kind,
and you have filled your children with good hope,
because you give repentance for sins.
Isaiah 44: 6 - 8 (alt. for RCL)
Isai 44:6 (NRSV) Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel,
and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts:
I am the first and I am the last;
besides me there is no god.
7 Who is like me? Let them proclaim it,
let them declare and set it forth before me.
Who has announced from of old the things to come?
Let them tell us what is yet to be.
8 Do not fear, or be afraid;
have I not told you from of old and declared it?
You are my witnesses!
Is there any god besides me?
There is no other rock; I know not one.
PSALM 139: 1 - 12, 23 - 24 (RCL)
Psal 139:1 (NRSV) O LORD, you have searched me and known me.
2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
you discern my thoughts from far away.
3 You search out my path and my lying down,
and are acquainted with all my ways.
4 Even before a word is on my tongue,
O LORD, you know it completely.
5 You hem me in, behind and before,
and lay your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
it is so high that I cannot attain it.
7 Where can I go from your spirit?
Or where can I flee from your presence?
8 If I ascend to heaven, you are there;
if I make my bed in She'ol, you are there.
9 If I take the wings of the morning
and settle at the farthest limits of the sea,
10 even there your hand shall lead me,
and your right hand shall hold me fast.
11 If I say, "Surely the darkness shall cover me,
and the light around me become night,"
12 even the darkness is not dark to you;
the night is as bright as the day,
for darkness is as light to you.
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my thoughts.
24 See if there is any wicked way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.
Note: Verse numbering in your Psalter may differ from the above.
139 Domine, probasti (ECUSA BCP)
1 Lord, you have searched me out and known me; *
you know my sitting down and my rising up;
you discern my thoughts from afar.
2 You trace my journeys and my resting-places *
and are acquainted with all my ways.
3 Indeed, there is not a word on my lips, *
but you, O Lord, know it altogether.
4 You press upon me behind and before *
and lay your hand upon me.
5 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; *
it is so high that I cannot attain to it.
6 Where can I go then from your Spirit? *
where can I flee from your presence?
7 If I climb up to heaven, you are there; *
if I make the grave my bed, you are there also.
8 If I take the wings of the morning *
and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
9 Even there your hand will lead me *
and your right hand hold me fast.
10 If I say, “Surely the darkness will cover me, *
and the light around me turn to night,”
11 Darkness is not dark to you;
the night is as bright as the day; *
darkness and light to you are both alike.
22 Search me out, O God, and know my heart; *
try me and know my restless thoughts.
23 Look well whether there be any wickedness in me *
and lead me in the way that is everlasting.
Psalm 86: 5 - 6, 9 - 10, 15 - 16 (Roman Catholic)
Psalm 86: 11 - 17 (alt. for RCL)
Psal 86:1 (NRSV) Incline your ear, O LORD, and answer me,
for I am poor and needy.
2 Preserve my life, for I am devoted to you;
save your servant who trusts in you.
You are my God; 3 be gracious to me, O Lord,
for to you do I cry all day long.
4 Gladden the soul of your servant,
for to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
5 For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving,
abounding in steadfast love to all who call on you.
6 Give ear, O LORD, to my prayer;
listen to my cry of supplication.
7 In the day of my trouble I call on you,
for you will answer me.
8 There is none like you among the gods, O Lord,
nor are there any works like yours.
9 All the nations you have made shall come
and bow down before you, O Lord,
and shall glorify your name.
10 For you are great and do wondrous things;
you alone are God.
11 Teach me your way, O LORD,
that I may walk in your truth;
give me an undivided heart to revere your name.
12 I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart,
and I will glorify your name forever.
13 For great is your steadfast love toward me;
you have delivered my soul from the depths of She'ol.
14 O God, the insolent rise up against me;
a band of ruffians seeks my life,
and they do not set you before them.
15 But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.
16 Turn to me and be gracious to me;
give your strength to your servant;
save the child of your serving girl.
17 Show me a sign of your favor,
so that those who hate me may see it and be put to shame,
because you, LORD, have helped me and comforted me.
86 Inclina, Domine (ECUSA BCP)
11 Teach me your way, O LORD,
and I will walk in your truth; *
knit my heart to you that I may fear your Name.
12 I will thank you, O LORD my God, with all my heart, *
and glorify your Name for evermore.
13 For great is your love toward me; *
you have delivered me from the nethermost Pit.
14 The arrogant rise up against me, O God,
and a band of violent men seeks my life; *
they have not set you before their eyes.
15 But you, O Lord, are gracious and full of compassion, *
slow to anger, and full of kindness and truth.
16 Turn to me and have mercy upon me; *
give your strength to your servant;
and save the child of your handmaid.
17 Show me a sign of your favor,
so that those who hate me may see it and be ashamed; *
because you, O Lord, have helped me and comforted me.
NEW TESTAMENT: Romans 8: 12 - 25 (RCL)
Roma 8:12 (NRSV) So then, brothers and sisters, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh-- 13 for if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. 15 For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, "Abba! Father!" 16 it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ--if, in fact, we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.
18 I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us. 19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God; 20 for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now; 23 and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.
H/T Montreal Anglican
Paul has told us how Christian experience is dominated by life in the Spirit rather than by the desires of the flesh, or self-centeredness. Christians are still subject to suffering, to bearing crosses and affliction, but not to eternal condemnation. Not being condemned, we have hope.
Now he says that we are under an obligation (“debtors”) to God: to live in the way of the Spirit. Living this way, we look forward to eternal life (v. 13) at the end of time rather than the finality of physical death. We are “children of God” (v. 14). When baptised, we do not lose freedom (“slavery”, v. 15) but are adopted by him. As his children, we are “heirs” (v. 17) with hope for the future – unlike slaves who fear their master (v. 15). (In the Old Testament, the land of Israel is God's inheritance for his people.) In calling him as Dad or “Father”, we express the close relationship we have with him; our hearts are motivated by the Spirit. (Slaves did not inherit.) Being “with Christ” (v. 17), by sharing in his suffering, we will be able to attain union with him in heaven (“glorified”).
Now Paul relates this to the present situation. His suffering and/or that of his readers is minuscule compared to the splendour (glory”, v. 18) we will enjoy at the end of time. To Paul, everyone and everything created (“creation”, v. 20) has helplessly compounded sin through the ages (“subjected to futility”). All hope for resolution of the present chaotic state of the world (“bondage to decay”, v. 21), to attaining the “glory” which awaits us. The world, the material “creation” (v. 23), was in expectation, but also in pain (“labour pains”, v. 22) until the arrival of Christ. We Christians have a painful experience too – we do suffer, as we wait for the age to come (the “redemption of our bodies”, v. 23), we who are guided by the Holy Spirit (“have the first fruits”). The hope we have is very real: one doesn't hope for what is visible now, but rather for what one can't see but expects to happen. We wait in patience, and endure.
Verses 12-13: These verses probably belong to the preceding section. [ JBC]
Verse 12: “debtors”: BlkRom says that we are under obligation to God, rather than being “debtors” – for there is no actual debt. The same Greek word is used in 1:14-15: “I am a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish – hence my eagerness to proclaim the gospel to you also who are in Rome.”
Verse 13: In 6:12, Paul admonishes “do not let sin exercise dominion in your mortal bodies, to make you obey their passions”. See also Colossians 3:5 and Galatians 5:24. [ CAB]
Verses 14-15: Note Paul’s play on the word pneuma, here meaning spirit or Spirit. We are made “children” by the Spirit; we are not slaves. [ JBC]
Verse 14: God’s action continues in the life of the believer. In 2:4, Paul asks: “... do you despise the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience? Do you not realize that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?”. In Galatians 5:18, Paul writes “... if you are led by the Spirit, you are not subject to the law”. See also 1 Corinthians 12:2. [ CAB]
Verse 14: “children of God”: In Galatians 4:24-26, Paul writes “Now this is an allegory: these women are two covenants. One woman, in fact, is Hagar, from Mount Sinai, bearing children for slavery. Now Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children. But the other woman corresponds to the Jerusalem above; she is free, and she is our mother”.
Verse 15: “a spirit of slavery”: At times Paul does speak of Christians as slaves, but only to make a particular point. Examples are 6:16 and 1 Corinthians 7:22. [ NJBC]
Verse 15: “spirit”: Paul may intend Spirit. [ NJBC]
Verse 15: “adoption”: The Greek word used here is also found in 8:23; 9:4; Galatians 4:5; Ephesians 1:5. [ CAB] In 9:4, Paul uses it to describe Israel as chosen by God. This Greek word is not found in the Septuagint translation, probably because adoption was not common until more recent times among Jews. It was known in Hellenic society, and was quite common among the Roman aristocracy, as a means of acquiring a worthy heir. When a man had no heir, or only a dissolute one, he would choose someone to adopt - sometimes even a freed slave - who would become the heir both to the man's property and also to his reputation and station in the community. Paul’s use of the term shows that Christians have status with God. [ JBC]
Verse 15: “When we cry”: NJBC offers which enables us to cry. In 9:27, “cry” has the sense of cry aloud, proclaim.
Verse 15: “Abba”: This is the Aramaic word of familiar address to a father. Paul uses it in Galatians 4:6: “because you are children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’”. Jesus addressed the Father as Abba in his prayers: see Mark 14:36. [ NOAB] In the Greek text of Luke 11:2, the Lord’s Prayer begins Abba. The early church used this title for the Father, as indeed does a Christian song sung today. [ NJBC]
Verse 16: In proclaiming that God is our Father, we are stating that we recognize ourselves to be adopted by God. The Spirit shares with us in this recognition, and is the mechanism by which we are active as children.
Verse 17: “heirs of God”: Paul discusses the promise to Abraham, that he would be the “father of many nations”, in Chapter 4 (especially 4:17). It is now fulfilled. [ CAB]
Verse 17: “joint heirs with Christ”: Christ has already received a share of the Father’s glory; the Christian will receive a share. In Jesus’ time, a son inherited his father’s estate; God’s estate is his glory. [ NJBC]
Verses 18-25: In Philippians 3:14, Paul writes: “I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus”. See also 1 Corinthians 1:7. [ CAB]
Verse 18: “the glory about to be revealed to us”: In 5:1-2, Paul says: “... since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God”. [ NOAB]
Verse 19: “the creation”: Recall that God’s promise to Noah (in Genesis 9:12-13) included “every living creature”. [ NJBC]
Verse 20: “the one who subjected it”: God’s curse on proto-human (Adam) for eating of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. [ JBC]
Verse 21: See also 1 Corinthians 15:23-28. When humans (in and through Christ) are restored to full godliness, so too will all createdness. [ NJBC]
Verse 22: Non-human createdness also shares in the stress and pain humans now endure. See also Galatians 4:19. [ CAB]
Verse 22: “groaning in labour pains”: An idea common in Greek philosophy. [ NJBC]
Verse 23: “first fruits”: The offering of the first yield of the harvest to God symbolized the sanctification of the whole harvest: see Leviticus 23:15-21 for the ordinance, but “first fruits” is often used in connection with a pledge or guarantee of future benefits. [ NJBC]
Verse 24: “we were saved”: It may be that the tense in the Greek is one which expresses a general truth rather than something that occurred in the past. This fits better with the mention of “hope” here and in v. 25. [ NJBC]
Verse 24: “what is seen”: NJBC offers what he [or she] sees.
GOSPEL: Matthew 13: 24 - 30, 36 - 43 (RCL)
Matthew 13: 24 - 30 (31 - 43) (Roman Catholic)
Matt 13:24 (NRSV) He put before them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field; 25 but while everybody was asleep, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and then went away. 26 So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared as well. 27 And the slaves of the householder came and said to him, "Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where, then, did these weeds come from?' 28 He answered, "An enemy has done this.' The slaves said to him, "Then do you want us to go and gather them?' 29 But he replied, "No; for in gathering the weeds you would uproot the wheat along with them. 30 Let both of them grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Collect the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.'"
31 He put before them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field; 32 it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches."
33 He told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened."
34 Jesus told the crowds all these things in parables; without a parable he told them nothing. 35 This was to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet:
"I will open my mouth to speak in parables;
I will proclaim what has been hidden from the foundation of the world."
36 Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples approached him, saying, "Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field." 37 He answered, "The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man; 38 the field is the world, and the good seed are the children of the kingdom; the weeds are the children of the evil one, 39 and the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. 40 Just as the weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. 41 The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, 42 and they will throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Let anyone with ears listen!
“The kingdom of heaven may be compared to ...” Jesus continues to tell parables, memorable stories with a deep meaning, to teach the crowd how what we do now will affect what happens to us at the end of time, at the “end of the age” (v. 39). Agricultural stories appeal to his rural listeners. The first parable focussed on where the seed landed. All the seed was good, but only some fell on fertile ground; however, here some of the seed sown there is good (wheat) and some is bad (weeds, tares, or darnel – a weed that looks like wheat.) The “enemy” (whose identity we learn later) sows the bad seed secretly (“while everybody was asleep”, v. 25.) Both the good and the bad seed grow together. At harvest time the roots of the weeds have intertwined with those of the wheat (v. 29). The occurrence of gather three times in vv. 28-30 is a clue that Jesus speaks of the community.
Jesus offers two interpretations of the parable to his disciples. In vv. 37-39, he states what each of the figures and events in the story stands for. The kingdom begins now when Jesus (“the Son of Man”) sows the seed, drawing people to him, but the Devil seeks to subvert his efforts. The “harvest” is when Christ comes again, at the end of the age. The second interpretation is in vv. 40-43a. At the end of the age, he says, the evil will be separated out, judged and destroyed (“burned up”, v. 40). The lots of the “evildoers” (v. 41) will be a miserable one (“gnashing of teeth”, v. 42). The “righteous” (v. 43), those who are faithful to God, will be gathered together, rewarded and brought into God's presence. Finally v. 43b: the gospel is open to all who will listen!
There are no real parallels to this passage. NJBC suggests that it is Matthew’s rewriting of Mark 4:26-29.
Verse 24: “someone”: i.e. a householder who has slaves. In v. 27, the slaves are scandalized that there are weeds, because they trust the householder/farmer! [ NJBC]
Verses 28-30: Within the community, there are both good and bad apples .
Verse 30: “Let both of them grow together ...”: Be patient and tolerant (however, remember the Parable of the Sower in Mark 4:1-20, Matthew 13:1-23, and Luke 8:1-15: weeds can choke the wheat!) [ NJBC]
According to Leviticus 19:19 the sowing of the weeds renders the whole field ritually impure. Simply gathering the weeds (as suggested by the slaves) would not be enough to right the wrong. Jesus’ story would therefore grab the attention of the crowd.
Verse 38: “world”: The Greek word is kosmos, meaning humanity. [ NJBC]
Verse 38: “the evil one”: Evil personified, as it is in 5:37; 6:13; 13:19. Note that “the devil” is named in v. 39. [ NJBC]
Verse 42: See also Luke 12:49. An apocalyptic vision of Hell. [ NOAB]
Verse 42: “weeping and gnashing of teeth”: See also 8:12; 13:50; 24:51; 25:30; Luke 13:28. [ NJBC]
Verse 43: This verse is similar to Daniel 12:3, a description of the end-times; however, “righteous” replaces Daniel’s “wise” and “kingdom” replaces “sky”. [ NOAB]
This passage contrasts with Paul’s view that the Christian community should be made up only of saints. From this parable alone, it may seem that evil should be allowed free reign in the Church – because God will handle it later. [ NJBC]
22 Saint Mary Magdalene
23
24 Thomas a Kempis, Priest, 1471 was a German canon regular of the late medieval period and the most probable author of The Imitation of Christ, which is one of the best known Christian books on devotion.
25 Saint James the Apostle
26 The Parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary (traditionally identified as Anne and Joachim)
27 William Reed Huntington, Priest, 1909
28 Johann Sebastian Bach, 1750, George Frederick Handel, 1759, and Henry Purcell, 1695, Composers
OLD TESTAMENT: Genesis 28: 10 - 19a (RCL)
Gene 28:10 (NRSV) Jacob left Be'er-she'ba and went toward Har'an. 11 He came to a certain place and stayed there for the night, because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of the place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place. 12 And he dreamed that there was a ladder set up on the earth, the top of it reaching to heaven; and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. 13 And the LORD stood beside him and said, "I am the LORD, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring; 14 and your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south; and all the families of the earth shall be blessed in you and in your offspring. 15 Know that I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you." 16 Then Jacob woke from his sleep and said, "Surely the LORD is in this place--and I did not know it!" 17 And he was afraid, and said, "How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven."
18 So Jacob rose early in the morning, and he took the stone that he had put under his head and set it up for a pillar and poured oil on the top of it. 19 He called that place Beth'el;
Wisdom 12: 13, 16 - 19 (Roman Catholic, alt. for RCL)
13 For neither is there any god besides you, whose care is for all people,
to whom you should prove that you have not judged unjustly;
16 For your strength is the source of righteousness,
and your sovereignty over all causes you to spare all.
17 For you show your strength when people doubt the completeness of your power,
and you rebuke any insolence among those who know it.
18 Although you are sovereign in strength, you judge with mildness,
and with great forbearance you govern us;
for you have power to act whenever you choose.
19 Through such works you have taught your people
that the righteous must be kind,
and you have filled your children with good hope,
because you give repentance for sins.
Isaiah 44: 6 - 8 (alt. for RCL)
Isai 44:6 (NRSV) Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel,
and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts:
I am the first and I am the last;
besides me there is no god.
7 Who is like me? Let them proclaim it,
let them declare and set it forth before me.
Who has announced from of old the things to come?
Let them tell us what is yet to be.
8 Do not fear, or be afraid;
have I not told you from of old and declared it?
You are my witnesses!
Is there any god besides me?
There is no other rock; I know not one.
PSALM 139: 1 - 12, 23 - 24 (RCL)
Psal 139:1 (NRSV) O LORD, you have searched me and known me.
2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
you discern my thoughts from far away.
3 You search out my path and my lying down,
and are acquainted with all my ways.
4 Even before a word is on my tongue,
O LORD, you know it completely.
5 You hem me in, behind and before,
and lay your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
it is so high that I cannot attain it.
7 Where can I go from your spirit?
Or where can I flee from your presence?
8 If I ascend to heaven, you are there;
if I make my bed in She'ol, you are there.
9 If I take the wings of the morning
and settle at the farthest limits of the sea,
10 even there your hand shall lead me,
and your right hand shall hold me fast.
11 If I say, "Surely the darkness shall cover me,
and the light around me become night,"
12 even the darkness is not dark to you;
the night is as bright as the day,
for darkness is as light to you.
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my thoughts.
24 See if there is any wicked way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.
Note: Verse numbering in your Psalter may differ from the above.
139 Domine, probasti (ECUSA BCP)
1 Lord, you have searched me out and known me; *
you know my sitting down and my rising up;
you discern my thoughts from afar.
2 You trace my journeys and my resting-places *
and are acquainted with all my ways.
3 Indeed, there is not a word on my lips, *
but you, O Lord, know it altogether.
4 You press upon me behind and before *
and lay your hand upon me.
5 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; *
it is so high that I cannot attain to it.
6 Where can I go then from your Spirit? *
where can I flee from your presence?
7 If I climb up to heaven, you are there; *
if I make the grave my bed, you are there also.
8 If I take the wings of the morning *
and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
9 Even there your hand will lead me *
and your right hand hold me fast.
10 If I say, “Surely the darkness will cover me, *
and the light around me turn to night,”
11 Darkness is not dark to you;
the night is as bright as the day; *
darkness and light to you are both alike.
22 Search me out, O God, and know my heart; *
try me and know my restless thoughts.
23 Look well whether there be any wickedness in me *
and lead me in the way that is everlasting.
Psalm 86: 5 - 6, 9 - 10, 15 - 16 (Roman Catholic)
Psalm 86: 11 - 17 (alt. for RCL)
Psal 86:1 (NRSV) Incline your ear, O LORD, and answer me,
for I am poor and needy.
2 Preserve my life, for I am devoted to you;
save your servant who trusts in you.
You are my God; 3 be gracious to me, O Lord,
for to you do I cry all day long.
4 Gladden the soul of your servant,
for to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
5 For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving,
abounding in steadfast love to all who call on you.
6 Give ear, O LORD, to my prayer;
listen to my cry of supplication.
7 In the day of my trouble I call on you,
for you will answer me.
8 There is none like you among the gods, O Lord,
nor are there any works like yours.
9 All the nations you have made shall come
and bow down before you, O Lord,
and shall glorify your name.
10 For you are great and do wondrous things;
you alone are God.
11 Teach me your way, O LORD,
that I may walk in your truth;
give me an undivided heart to revere your name.
12 I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart,
and I will glorify your name forever.
13 For great is your steadfast love toward me;
you have delivered my soul from the depths of She'ol.
14 O God, the insolent rise up against me;
a band of ruffians seeks my life,
and they do not set you before them.
15 But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.
16 Turn to me and be gracious to me;
give your strength to your servant;
save the child of your serving girl.
17 Show me a sign of your favor,
so that those who hate me may see it and be put to shame,
because you, LORD, have helped me and comforted me.
86 Inclina, Domine (ECUSA BCP)
11 Teach me your way, O LORD,
and I will walk in your truth; *
knit my heart to you that I may fear your Name.
12 I will thank you, O LORD my God, with all my heart, *
and glorify your Name for evermore.
13 For great is your love toward me; *
you have delivered me from the nethermost Pit.
14 The arrogant rise up against me, O God,
and a band of violent men seeks my life; *
they have not set you before their eyes.
15 But you, O Lord, are gracious and full of compassion, *
slow to anger, and full of kindness and truth.
16 Turn to me and have mercy upon me; *
give your strength to your servant;
and save the child of your handmaid.
17 Show me a sign of your favor,
so that those who hate me may see it and be ashamed; *
because you, O Lord, have helped me and comforted me.
NEW TESTAMENT: Romans 8: 12 - 25 (RCL)
Roma 8:12 (NRSV) So then, brothers and sisters, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh-- 13 for if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. 15 For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, "Abba! Father!" 16 it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ--if, in fact, we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.
18 I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us. 19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God; 20 for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now; 23 and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.
H/T Montreal Anglican
Paul has told us how Christian experience is dominated by life in the Spirit rather than by the desires of the flesh, or self-centeredness. Christians are still subject to suffering, to bearing crosses and affliction, but not to eternal condemnation. Not being condemned, we have hope.
Now he says that we are under an obligation (“debtors”) to God: to live in the way of the Spirit. Living this way, we look forward to eternal life (v. 13) at the end of time rather than the finality of physical death. We are “children of God” (v. 14). When baptised, we do not lose freedom (“slavery”, v. 15) but are adopted by him. As his children, we are “heirs” (v. 17) with hope for the future – unlike slaves who fear their master (v. 15). (In the Old Testament, the land of Israel is God's inheritance for his people.) In calling him as Dad or “Father”, we express the close relationship we have with him; our hearts are motivated by the Spirit. (Slaves did not inherit.) Being “with Christ” (v. 17), by sharing in his suffering, we will be able to attain union with him in heaven (“glorified”).
Now Paul relates this to the present situation. His suffering and/or that of his readers is minuscule compared to the splendour (glory”, v. 18) we will enjoy at the end of time. To Paul, everyone and everything created (“creation”, v. 20) has helplessly compounded sin through the ages (“subjected to futility”). All hope for resolution of the present chaotic state of the world (“bondage to decay”, v. 21), to attaining the “glory” which awaits us. The world, the material “creation” (v. 23), was in expectation, but also in pain (“labour pains”, v. 22) until the arrival of Christ. We Christians have a painful experience too – we do suffer, as we wait for the age to come (the “redemption of our bodies”, v. 23), we who are guided by the Holy Spirit (“have the first fruits”). The hope we have is very real: one doesn't hope for what is visible now, but rather for what one can't see but expects to happen. We wait in patience, and endure.
Verses 12-13: These verses probably belong to the preceding section. [ JBC]
Verse 12: “debtors”: BlkRom says that we are under obligation to God, rather than being “debtors” – for there is no actual debt. The same Greek word is used in 1:14-15: “I am a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish – hence my eagerness to proclaim the gospel to you also who are in Rome.”
Verse 13: In 6:12, Paul admonishes “do not let sin exercise dominion in your mortal bodies, to make you obey their passions”. See also Colossians 3:5 and Galatians 5:24. [ CAB]
Verses 14-15: Note Paul’s play on the word pneuma, here meaning spirit or Spirit. We are made “children” by the Spirit; we are not slaves. [ JBC]
Verse 14: God’s action continues in the life of the believer. In 2:4, Paul asks: “... do you despise the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience? Do you not realize that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?”. In Galatians 5:18, Paul writes “... if you are led by the Spirit, you are not subject to the law”. See also 1 Corinthians 12:2. [ CAB]
Verse 14: “children of God”: In Galatians 4:24-26, Paul writes “Now this is an allegory: these women are two covenants. One woman, in fact, is Hagar, from Mount Sinai, bearing children for slavery. Now Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children. But the other woman corresponds to the Jerusalem above; she is free, and she is our mother”.
Verse 15: “a spirit of slavery”: At times Paul does speak of Christians as slaves, but only to make a particular point. Examples are 6:16 and 1 Corinthians 7:22. [ NJBC]
Verse 15: “spirit”: Paul may intend Spirit. [ NJBC]
Verse 15: “adoption”: The Greek word used here is also found in 8:23; 9:4; Galatians 4:5; Ephesians 1:5. [ CAB] In 9:4, Paul uses it to describe Israel as chosen by God. This Greek word is not found in the Septuagint translation, probably because adoption was not common until more recent times among Jews. It was known in Hellenic society, and was quite common among the Roman aristocracy, as a means of acquiring a worthy heir. When a man had no heir, or only a dissolute one, he would choose someone to adopt - sometimes even a freed slave - who would become the heir both to the man's property and also to his reputation and station in the community. Paul’s use of the term shows that Christians have status with God. [ JBC]
Verse 15: “When we cry”: NJBC offers which enables us to cry. In 9:27, “cry” has the sense of cry aloud, proclaim.
Verse 15: “Abba”: This is the Aramaic word of familiar address to a father. Paul uses it in Galatians 4:6: “because you are children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’”. Jesus addressed the Father as Abba in his prayers: see Mark 14:36. [ NOAB] In the Greek text of Luke 11:2, the Lord’s Prayer begins Abba. The early church used this title for the Father, as indeed does a Christian song sung today. [ NJBC]
Verse 16: In proclaiming that God is our Father, we are stating that we recognize ourselves to be adopted by God. The Spirit shares with us in this recognition, and is the mechanism by which we are active as children.
Verse 17: “heirs of God”: Paul discusses the promise to Abraham, that he would be the “father of many nations”, in Chapter 4 (especially 4:17). It is now fulfilled. [ CAB]
Verse 17: “joint heirs with Christ”: Christ has already received a share of the Father’s glory; the Christian will receive a share. In Jesus’ time, a son inherited his father’s estate; God’s estate is his glory. [ NJBC]
Verses 18-25: In Philippians 3:14, Paul writes: “I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus”. See also 1 Corinthians 1:7. [ CAB]
Verse 18: “the glory about to be revealed to us”: In 5:1-2, Paul says: “... since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God”. [ NOAB]
Verse 19: “the creation”: Recall that God’s promise to Noah (in Genesis 9:12-13) included “every living creature”. [ NJBC]
Verse 20: “the one who subjected it”: God’s curse on proto-human (Adam) for eating of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. [ JBC]
Verse 21: See also 1 Corinthians 15:23-28. When humans (in and through Christ) are restored to full godliness, so too will all createdness. [ NJBC]
Verse 22: Non-human createdness also shares in the stress and pain humans now endure. See also Galatians 4:19. [ CAB]
Verse 22: “groaning in labour pains”: An idea common in Greek philosophy. [ NJBC]
Verse 23: “first fruits”: The offering of the first yield of the harvest to God symbolized the sanctification of the whole harvest: see Leviticus 23:15-21 for the ordinance, but “first fruits” is often used in connection with a pledge or guarantee of future benefits. [ NJBC]
Verse 24: “we were saved”: It may be that the tense in the Greek is one which expresses a general truth rather than something that occurred in the past. This fits better with the mention of “hope” here and in v. 25. [ NJBC]
Verse 24: “what is seen”: NJBC offers what he [or she] sees.
GOSPEL: Matthew 13: 24 - 30, 36 - 43 (RCL)
Matthew 13: 24 - 30 (31 - 43) (Roman Catholic)
Matt 13:24 (NRSV) He put before them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field; 25 but while everybody was asleep, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and then went away. 26 So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared as well. 27 And the slaves of the householder came and said to him, "Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where, then, did these weeds come from?' 28 He answered, "An enemy has done this.' The slaves said to him, "Then do you want us to go and gather them?' 29 But he replied, "No; for in gathering the weeds you would uproot the wheat along with them. 30 Let both of them grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Collect the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.'"
31 He put before them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field; 32 it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches."
33 He told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened."
34 Jesus told the crowds all these things in parables; without a parable he told them nothing. 35 This was to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet:
"I will open my mouth to speak in parables;
I will proclaim what has been hidden from the foundation of the world."
36 Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples approached him, saying, "Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field." 37 He answered, "The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man; 38 the field is the world, and the good seed are the children of the kingdom; the weeds are the children of the evil one, 39 and the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. 40 Just as the weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. 41 The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, 42 and they will throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Let anyone with ears listen!
“The kingdom of heaven may be compared to ...” Jesus continues to tell parables, memorable stories with a deep meaning, to teach the crowd how what we do now will affect what happens to us at the end of time, at the “end of the age” (v. 39). Agricultural stories appeal to his rural listeners. The first parable focussed on where the seed landed. All the seed was good, but only some fell on fertile ground; however, here some of the seed sown there is good (wheat) and some is bad (weeds, tares, or darnel – a weed that looks like wheat.) The “enemy” (whose identity we learn later) sows the bad seed secretly (“while everybody was asleep”, v. 25.) Both the good and the bad seed grow together. At harvest time the roots of the weeds have intertwined with those of the wheat (v. 29). The occurrence of gather three times in vv. 28-30 is a clue that Jesus speaks of the community.
Jesus offers two interpretations of the parable to his disciples. In vv. 37-39, he states what each of the figures and events in the story stands for. The kingdom begins now when Jesus (“the Son of Man”) sows the seed, drawing people to him, but the Devil seeks to subvert his efforts. The “harvest” is when Christ comes again, at the end of the age. The second interpretation is in vv. 40-43a. At the end of the age, he says, the evil will be separated out, judged and destroyed (“burned up”, v. 40). The lots of the “evildoers” (v. 41) will be a miserable one (“gnashing of teeth”, v. 42). The “righteous” (v. 43), those who are faithful to God, will be gathered together, rewarded and brought into God's presence. Finally v. 43b: the gospel is open to all who will listen!
There are no real parallels to this passage. NJBC suggests that it is Matthew’s rewriting of Mark 4:26-29.
Verse 24: “someone”: i.e. a householder who has slaves. In v. 27, the slaves are scandalized that there are weeds, because they trust the householder/farmer! [ NJBC]
Verses 28-30: Within the community, there are both good and bad apples .
Verse 30: “Let both of them grow together ...”: Be patient and tolerant (however, remember the Parable of the Sower in Mark 4:1-20, Matthew 13:1-23, and Luke 8:1-15: weeds can choke the wheat!) [ NJBC]
According to Leviticus 19:19 the sowing of the weeds renders the whole field ritually impure. Simply gathering the weeds (as suggested by the slaves) would not be enough to right the wrong. Jesus’ story would therefore grab the attention of the crowd.
Verse 38: “world”: The Greek word is kosmos, meaning humanity. [ NJBC]
Verse 38: “the evil one”: Evil personified, as it is in 5:37; 6:13; 13:19. Note that “the devil” is named in v. 39. [ NJBC]
Verse 42: See also Luke 12:49. An apocalyptic vision of Hell. [ NOAB]
Verse 42: “weeping and gnashing of teeth”: See also 8:12; 13:50; 24:51; 25:30; Luke 13:28. [ NJBC]
Verse 43: This verse is similar to Daniel 12:3, a description of the end-times; however, “righteous” replaces Daniel’s “wise” and “kingdom” replaces “sky”. [ NOAB]
This passage contrasts with Paul’s view that the Christian community should be made up only of saints. From this parable alone, it may seem that evil should be allowed free reign in the Church – because God will handle it later. [ NJBC]
Saturday, July 12, 2014
14 Samson Occom, Witness to the Faith in New England, 1792
15
16 "The Righteous Gentiles" Among religious branches of Judaism, the Seven Laws of Noah (Hebrew: שבע מצוות בני נח Sheva mitzvot B'nei Noach), or the Noahide Laws, are a set of moral imperatives that, according to the Talmud, were given by God[1] as a binding set of laws for the "children of Noah" – that is, all of humanity.[2][3]
17 William White, Bishop of Pennsylvania, 1836
18 Bartolomé de las Casas, Friar and Missionary to the Indies, 1566 was a 16th-century Spanish historian, social reformer and Dominican friar. He became the first resident Bishop of Chiapas, and the first officially appointed "Protector of the Indians".
19 Macrina, Monastic and Teacher, 379. Adelaide Teague Case, Teacher, 1948
20 Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Amelia Bloomer, Sojourner Truth, and Harriet Ross Tubman
21 Albert John Luthuli, Prophetic Witness in South Africa, 1967
OLD TESTAMENT: Genesis 25: 19 - 34 (RCL)
Gene 25:19 (NRSV) These are the descendants of Isaac, Abraham's son: Abraham was the father of Isaac, 20 and Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah, daughter of Bethu'el the Arame'an of Pad'dan-ar'am, sister of La'ban the Arame'an. 21 Isaac prayed to the LORD for his wife, because she was barren; and the LORD granted his prayer, and his wife Rebekah conceived. 22 The children struggled together within her; and she said, "If it is to be this way, why do I live?" So she went to inquire of the LORD. 23 And the LORD said to her,
"Two nations are in your womb,
and two peoples born of you shall be divided;
the one shall be stronger than the other,
the elder shall serve the younger."
24 When her time to give birth was at hand, there were twins in her womb. 25 The first came out red, all his body like a hairy mantle; so they named him Esau. 26 Afterward his brother came out, with his hand gripping Esau's heel; so he was named Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them.
27 When the boys grew up, Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the field, while Jacob was a quiet man, living in tents. 28 Isaac loved Esau, because he was fond of game; but Rebekah loved Jacob.
29 Once when Jacob was cooking a stew, Esau came in from the field, and he was famished. 30 Esau said to Jacob, "Let me eat some of that red stuff, for I am famished!" (Therefore he was called E'dom.) 31 Jacob said, "First sell me your birthright." 32 Esau said, "I am about to die; of what use is a birthright to me?" 33 Jacob said, "Swear to me first." So he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob. 34 Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew, and he ate and drank, and rose and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.
Isaiah 55: 10 - 11 (Roman Catholic)
Isaiah 55: 10 - 13 (alt. for RCL)
Isai 55:10 (NRSV) For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven,
and do not return there until they have watered the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout,
giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
11 so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
and succeed in the thing for which I sent it.
12 For you shall go out in joy,
and be led back in peace;
the mountains and the hills before you
shall burst into song,
and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
13 Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress;
instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle;
and it shall be to the LORD for a memorial,
for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.
PSALM 119: 105 - 112 (RCL)
Psal 119:105 (NRSV) Your word is a lamp to my feet
and a light to my path.
106 I have sworn an oath and confirmed it,
to observe your righteous ordinances.
107 I am severely afflicted;
give me life, O LORD, according to your word.
108 Accept my offerings of praise, O LORD,
and teach me your ordinances.
109 I hold my life in my hand continually,
but I do not forget your law.
110 The wicked have laid a snare for me,
but I do not stray from your precepts.
111 Your decrees are my heritage forever;
they are the joy of my heart.
112 I incline my heart to perform your statutes
forever, to the end.
119
Nun Lucerna pedibus meis (ECUSA BCP)
105 Your word is a lantern to my feet *
and a light upon my path.
106 I have sworn and am determined *
to keep your righteous judgments.
107 I am deeply troubled; *
preserve my life, O Lord, according to your word.
108 Accept, O Lord, the willing tribute of my lips, *
and teach me your judgments.
109 My life is always in my hand, *
yet I do not forget your law.
110 The wicked have set a trap for me, *
but I have not strayed from your commandments.
111 Your decrees are my inheritance for ever; *
truly, they are the joy of my heart.
112 I have applied my heart to fulfill your statutes *
for ever and to the end.
Psalm 65: (1 - 8) 9 - 13 (alt. for RCL)
Psalm 65: 9 - 13 (Roman Catholic)
Psal 65:1 (NRSV) Praise is due to you,
O God, in Zion;
and to you shall vows be performed,
2 O you who answer prayer!
To you all flesh shall come.
3 When deeds of iniquity overwhelm us,
you forgive our transgressions.
4 Happy are those whom you choose and bring near
to live in your courts.
We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house,
your holy temple.
5 By awesome deeds you answer us with deliverance,
O God of our salvation;
you are the hope of all the ends of the earth
and of the farthest seas.
6 By your strength you established the mountains;
you are girded with might.
7 You silence the roaring of the seas,
the roaring of their waves,
the tumult of the peoples.
8 Those who live at earth's farthest bounds are awed by your signs;
you make the gateways of the morning and the evening shout for joy.
9 You visit the earth and water it,
you greatly enrich it;
the river of God is full of water;
you provide the people with grain,
for so you have prepared it.
10 You water its furrows abundantly,
settling its ridges,
softening it with showers,
and blessing its growth.
11 You crown the year with your bounty;
your wagon tracks overflow with richness.
12 The pastures of the wilderness overflow,
the hills gird themselves with joy,
13 the meadows clothe themselves with flocks,
the valleys deck themselves with grain,
they shout and sing together for joy.
Note: Verse numbering in most Psalters and in Roman Catholic Bibles is different from the above.
65 Te decet hymnus (ECUSA BCP)
1 You are to be praised, O God, in Zion; *
to you shall vows be performed in Jerusalem.
2 To you that hear prayer shall all flesh come, *
because of their transgressions.
3 Our sins are stronger than we are, *
but you will blot them out.
4 Happy are they whom you choose
and draw to your courts to dwell there! *
they will be satisfied by the beauty of your house,
by the holiness of your temple.
5 Awesome things will you show us in your righteousness,
O God of our salvation, *
O Hope of all the ends of the earth
and of the seas that are far away.
6 You make fast the mountains by your power; *
they are girded about with might.
7 You still the roaring of the seas, *
the roaring of their waves,
and the clamor of the peoples.
8 Those who dwell at the ends of the earth will tremble at your
marvelous signs; *
you make the dawn and the dusk to sing for joy.
9 You visit the earth and water it abundantly;
you make it very plenteous; *
the river of God is full of water.
10 You prepare the grain, *
for so you provide for the earth.
11 You drench the furrows and smooth out the ridges; *
with heavy rain you soften the ground and bless its increase.
12 You crown the year with your goodness, *
and your paths overflow with plenty.
13 May the fields of the wilderness be rich for grazing, *
and the hills be clothed with joy.
14 May the meadows cover themselves with flocks,
and the valleys cloak themselves with grain; *
let them shout for joy and sing.
NEW TESTAMENT: Romans 8: 1 - 11 (RCL)
Roma 8:1 (NRSV) There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. 3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do: by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and to deal with sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 so that the just requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. 6 To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. 7 For this reason the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God's law--indeed it cannot, 8 and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
9 But you are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. 10 But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you.
h/t Monrteal Anglican
Paul has written of the inner conflict which arises within the believer. Whether an adherent to the Law or a Christian, one wills to follow God’s ways, but somehow one does otherwise. Something within one causes one not to follow through from “mind” (v. 6) to action. One’s body, one’s “flesh”, seems naturally inclined to do evil. Paul has thanked God for rescuing us from this state: for we who are incorporated “in Christ Jesus” (v. 1) there are no dire consequences (“condemnation”) of our mistakes. Why? Because God’s “Spirit” (v. 2), in the new way of being, has freed us from the finality of physical death. God has overcome our inclination to sin by lovingly “sending his own Son” (v. 3): he who suffered the effects of human sin in order to do away with it through rising again, thus enabling us to attain oneness with God (v. 4).
There are two mindsets (vv. 5-6): one self-oriented and the other Spirit-oriented, one leading to the finality of “death”, and one to spiritual “life”. Self-orientation is inherently in opposition to God (v. 7). But Christians are motivated by the Spirit (dwells”, v. 9), belong to God. “Spirit” and “Christ” come together. Vv. 10-11 say: if Christ (or the Spirit) is in you, though you may be a corpse because of all the wrong you have done, you are actually very much alive – because of the Spirit. If God's Spirit is in you, God will resuscitate your bodies (from being corpses) through the Spirit, in raising you to new life at the end of time.
Verse 1: “condemnation”: In Galatians 3:10, Paul calls this the “curse” as Deuteronomy 27:26 does. See also 2 Corinthians 3:7, 9. This verse concludes 7:14-25. [ NJBC]
Verse 2: “you”: The Greek word is singular. Some important manuscripts have me rather than you. While this fits better with the foregoing (especially 7:24), scholars believe that me is a copyist’s correction. The principle here is lectio difficilior potior, Latin for the more difficult reading is the stronger (i.e. more likely to be original). The logic is quite simple: it is more likely that a copyist will correct a difficult or improbable phrase to make it more straightforward or more accurate, than that the copyist would intentionally make a text more difficult. So the more difficult is likely to be original, while the less difficult is most likely a copyist's correction.
Verse 3: “sending his own Son”: See also 2 Corinthians 5:19-21 and Romans 3:24 (“they are now justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus”). [ NJBC]
Verse 3: “the likeness of sinful flesh”: Paul is careful in his wording. Jesus suffered the effects of sin and suffered death, but he did not sin.
Verse 3: “to deal with sin”: A footnote in the NRSV notes that sin offering is another translation. The reasoning of the translators is probably that the Greek word, hamartia, meaning sin, occurs in the Septuagint translation in the sense of sin offering in Leviticus 4:24; 5:11; 6:18. “Deal with” sin means take it away, expiate it. [ NJBC]
Verse 3: “he condemned sin in the flesh”: The Father passed definitive judgement on the force that Adam’s transgression unleashed in the world (see 5:12), and thereby broke its dominion over humans – in making Christ a human, and in his resurrection. [ NJBC]
Verse 4: In this way, through the principle of new life, the uprightness that the Law demanded is finally obtained. [ NJBC]
Verse 6: “death”: i.e. total death, including spiritual death. Definitive separation from God. [ NJBC]
Verse 9: “since”: The Greek words, ei per, can be translated if, in reality. [ NJBC]
Verse 10: In Galatians 2:20, Paul writes: “it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me”. See also Ephesians 3:17. [ NOAB] [ NJBC]
Verse 10: “if Christ is in you”: In 2 Corinthians 5:17, Paul writes: “So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!”. For the Spirit being in you, see v. 9. [ NJBC]
Verse 10: “the Spirit is life”: One scholar translates this as your spirit is alive: in contrast to the “body”. [ NJBC]
Verse 11: “him”: i.e. the Father. This verses stresses the essential oneness of God. John 5:21 says “... just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whomever he wishes”. [ NJBC]
Verse 11: “will give life to your mortal bodies”: i.e. the resurrection of Christians. In 1 Thessalonians 4:14, Paul writes “For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have died”. See also Philippians 3:10, 21; 1 Corinthians 6:14; 2 Corinthians 4:14. [ NJBC]
Verse 11: “his Spirit”: i.e. Christ’s Spirit. It is the spirit as related to the risen Christ that is the life-giving principle.
Verses 12-17: The Holy Spirit does not make slaves of us, but rather “children of God” (v. 14). [ NOAB]
Verse 13: It is still possible for a baptised Christian to be tempted to live immorally, “according to the flesh”. We should make use of the Spirit: this is the debt (in an accounting sense) that we owe Christ. [ NJBC]
GOSPEL: Matthew 13: 1 - 9, 18 - 23 (RCL)
Matthew 13: 1 - 9 (10 - 23) (Roman Catholic)
Matt 13:1 (NRSV) That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. 2 Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach. 3 And he told them many things in parables, saying: "Listen! A sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. 5 Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. 6 But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away. 7 Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. 8 Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 9 Let anyone with ears listen!"
10 Then the disciples came and asked him, "Why do you speak to them in parables?" 11 He answered, "To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. 12 For to those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. 13 The reason I speak to them in parables is that "seeing they do not perceive, and hearing they do not listen, nor do they understand.' 14 With them indeed is fulfilled the prophecy of Isai'ah that says:
"You will indeed listen, but never understand,
and you will indeed look, but never perceive.
15 For this people's heart has grown dull,
and their ears are hard of hearing,
and they have shut their eyes;
so that they might not look with their eyes,
and listen with their ears,
and understand with their heart and turn--
and I would heal them.'
16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. 17 Truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it.
18 "Hear then the parable of the sower. 19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in the heart; this is what was sown on the path. 20 As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; 21 yet such a person has no root, but endures only for a while, and when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, that person immediately falls away. 22 As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing. 23 But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty."
The crowd that has come to hear Jesus is so large that he teaches from a boat on the Sea of Galilee. He tells several parables; he explains the first one (vv. 18-23), but only partially. People were familiar with Palestinian farming; sometimes seeding preceded ploughing. The “sower” (v. 3) and the seed are constant; where it lands varies: in three unfruitful places (“on the path”, v. 4, among rocks, v. 5, “among thorns”, v. 7) and in one fruitful place (v. 8). V. 9 tells us (and the crowd) that this is a story with a deeper meaning.
People naturally thought of the sower as God and the various soils as the people of the world; knowing the prophecy of the fate of Jeroboam’s household in 1 Kings, they probably linked “birds” (v. 4) with evil. Perhaps here the sower is anyone who tells the good news. Growth represents receptivity. While Jesus has invited listening (v. 9), understanding (vv. 19, 23) is required in order to be fruitful: reflect on Jesus’ message. Those who brush off the message are seduced by evil (v. 19). Vv. 20-21 also speak of lack of understanding: of superficiality, of reflecting insufficiently to withstand “persecution”. Discipleship is demanding. Then v. 22: following Christ requires undivided loyalty, single-mindedness. Finally v. 23: only those who adequately reflect (thus coming to understanding), who meet the demands of the faith, and who are truly dedicated are fruitful and bring others to Christ.
The parallels are Mark 4:1-20; Luke 8:4-15. [ NOAB]
Verse 1: “the house”: Perhaps his home in Capernaum.
Verse 3: “parables”: Parables are stories drawn from everyday life which convey a spiritual meaning. Jesus used this technique because:
Vivid (and sometimes humourous) images made his teaching easy to remember.
The stories caused people to think about what he said, to reflect on it.
The stories prompted those present to declare for or against his message.
By teaching by analogy (or metaphor), he probably reduced hostility to him. [ NOAB]
Verse 4: “birds”: In 1 Kings 14:7-11, God tells Jeroboam, through the prophet Ahijah, the fate that he and his household will suffer for his evil ways (including deserting Yahweh to worship other gods). This fate includes “anyone [of Jeroboam’s household] who dies in the open country, the birds of the air shall eat”. The fate of King Baasha in 1 Kings 16:1-4 is the same. The link is also found in contemporary Jewish literature: see Jubilees 11:5-24 and Apocalypse of Abraham 13.
Verse 6: “scorched”: The sun in Palestine is indeed hot. [ NJBC]
Verse 9: This is a refrain also found in 11:15 and 13:43. [ NJBC]
Verses 11-16: Jesus contrasts those (e.g. his disciples) who trust in him and so have the opportunity for deeper understanding of God’s purpose and plan for humankind (“the secrets of the kingdom of heaven”) versus those who do not trust and so are destined for condemnation. Perhaps the people will understand if he tells the good news in parables; perhaps stories will penetrate their thick-headedness. Understanding is a gift from God. Some are chosen, and some are not. In the Marcan and Lucan parallels, Jesus speaks to the disciples privately, so we should not assume that the crowd heard what he said in these verses (as is sometimes the case). Matthew appears to have collected together parables from various times in these chapters. [ NJBC]
Verse 12: “have”: i.e spiritually. 25:29 is identical. In Mark 4:24-25, Jesus says “‘... the measure you give will be the measure you get, and still more will be given you. For to those who have, more will be given; and from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away’”. Luke 8:18 and 19:26 are similar. [ NOAB]
Verse 13: Jesus sees this situation as a fulfilment of Isaiah 6:9-10. He quotes these verses, from Isaiah’s commissioning as God’s messenger, in vv. 14-15. (His words are from the Septuagint translation.) Isaiah is told by God that however stubborn the people are, he must tell them God’s word. In the early centuries of the Church, Christians used these verses from Isaiah to explain Israel’s rejection of the gospel. See also Romans 9-11 (the relationship of Judaism to oneness with God obtained through faith in Christ). The verses from Isaiah are also quoted in John 12:40 and Acts 28:26-27 (Paul in Rome). [ NOAB] [ CAB] [ NJBC]
Verses 16-17: For spiritual perception guided by faith, see also Mark 4:9 and Luke 8:10. In the parallel in Luke 10:23-24, “righteous people” is “kings”. The insights which have been given to the disciples were not available before Jesus came. In John 8:56, Jesus says: “Your ancestor Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day; he saw it and was glad.”. Hebrews 11:13 says that the Patriarchs “died in faith without having received the promises, but from a distance they saw and greeted them”. See also 1 Peter 1:10-12. [ NOAB] [ CAB] [ NJBC]
See 2 Esdras 8:41-44 for a parallel which is probably Jewish. (Parts of 2 Esdras are Christian.)
15
16 "The Righteous Gentiles" Among religious branches of Judaism, the Seven Laws of Noah (Hebrew: שבע מצוות בני נח Sheva mitzvot B'nei Noach), or the Noahide Laws, are a set of moral imperatives that, according to the Talmud, were given by God[1] as a binding set of laws for the "children of Noah" – that is, all of humanity.[2][3]
17 William White, Bishop of Pennsylvania, 1836
18 Bartolomé de las Casas, Friar and Missionary to the Indies, 1566 was a 16th-century Spanish historian, social reformer and Dominican friar. He became the first resident Bishop of Chiapas, and the first officially appointed "Protector of the Indians".
19 Macrina, Monastic and Teacher, 379. Adelaide Teague Case, Teacher, 1948
20 Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Amelia Bloomer, Sojourner Truth, and Harriet Ross Tubman
21 Albert John Luthuli, Prophetic Witness in South Africa, 1967
OLD TESTAMENT: Genesis 25: 19 - 34 (RCL)
Gene 25:19 (NRSV) These are the descendants of Isaac, Abraham's son: Abraham was the father of Isaac, 20 and Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah, daughter of Bethu'el the Arame'an of Pad'dan-ar'am, sister of La'ban the Arame'an. 21 Isaac prayed to the LORD for his wife, because she was barren; and the LORD granted his prayer, and his wife Rebekah conceived. 22 The children struggled together within her; and she said, "If it is to be this way, why do I live?" So she went to inquire of the LORD. 23 And the LORD said to her,
"Two nations are in your womb,
and two peoples born of you shall be divided;
the one shall be stronger than the other,
the elder shall serve the younger."
24 When her time to give birth was at hand, there were twins in her womb. 25 The first came out red, all his body like a hairy mantle; so they named him Esau. 26 Afterward his brother came out, with his hand gripping Esau's heel; so he was named Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them.
27 When the boys grew up, Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the field, while Jacob was a quiet man, living in tents. 28 Isaac loved Esau, because he was fond of game; but Rebekah loved Jacob.
29 Once when Jacob was cooking a stew, Esau came in from the field, and he was famished. 30 Esau said to Jacob, "Let me eat some of that red stuff, for I am famished!" (Therefore he was called E'dom.) 31 Jacob said, "First sell me your birthright." 32 Esau said, "I am about to die; of what use is a birthright to me?" 33 Jacob said, "Swear to me first." So he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob. 34 Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew, and he ate and drank, and rose and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.
Isaiah 55: 10 - 11 (Roman Catholic)
Isaiah 55: 10 - 13 (alt. for RCL)
Isai 55:10 (NRSV) For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven,
and do not return there until they have watered the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout,
giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
11 so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
and succeed in the thing for which I sent it.
12 For you shall go out in joy,
and be led back in peace;
the mountains and the hills before you
shall burst into song,
and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
13 Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress;
instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle;
and it shall be to the LORD for a memorial,
for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.
PSALM 119: 105 - 112 (RCL)
Psal 119:105 (NRSV) Your word is a lamp to my feet
and a light to my path.
106 I have sworn an oath and confirmed it,
to observe your righteous ordinances.
107 I am severely afflicted;
give me life, O LORD, according to your word.
108 Accept my offerings of praise, O LORD,
and teach me your ordinances.
109 I hold my life in my hand continually,
but I do not forget your law.
110 The wicked have laid a snare for me,
but I do not stray from your precepts.
111 Your decrees are my heritage forever;
they are the joy of my heart.
112 I incline my heart to perform your statutes
forever, to the end.
119
Nun Lucerna pedibus meis (ECUSA BCP)
105 Your word is a lantern to my feet *
and a light upon my path.
106 I have sworn and am determined *
to keep your righteous judgments.
107 I am deeply troubled; *
preserve my life, O Lord, according to your word.
108 Accept, O Lord, the willing tribute of my lips, *
and teach me your judgments.
109 My life is always in my hand, *
yet I do not forget your law.
110 The wicked have set a trap for me, *
but I have not strayed from your commandments.
111 Your decrees are my inheritance for ever; *
truly, they are the joy of my heart.
112 I have applied my heart to fulfill your statutes *
for ever and to the end.
Psalm 65: (1 - 8) 9 - 13 (alt. for RCL)
Psalm 65: 9 - 13 (Roman Catholic)
Psal 65:1 (NRSV) Praise is due to you,
O God, in Zion;
and to you shall vows be performed,
2 O you who answer prayer!
To you all flesh shall come.
3 When deeds of iniquity overwhelm us,
you forgive our transgressions.
4 Happy are those whom you choose and bring near
to live in your courts.
We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house,
your holy temple.
5 By awesome deeds you answer us with deliverance,
O God of our salvation;
you are the hope of all the ends of the earth
and of the farthest seas.
6 By your strength you established the mountains;
you are girded with might.
7 You silence the roaring of the seas,
the roaring of their waves,
the tumult of the peoples.
8 Those who live at earth's farthest bounds are awed by your signs;
you make the gateways of the morning and the evening shout for joy.
9 You visit the earth and water it,
you greatly enrich it;
the river of God is full of water;
you provide the people with grain,
for so you have prepared it.
10 You water its furrows abundantly,
settling its ridges,
softening it with showers,
and blessing its growth.
11 You crown the year with your bounty;
your wagon tracks overflow with richness.
12 The pastures of the wilderness overflow,
the hills gird themselves with joy,
13 the meadows clothe themselves with flocks,
the valleys deck themselves with grain,
they shout and sing together for joy.
Note: Verse numbering in most Psalters and in Roman Catholic Bibles is different from the above.
65 Te decet hymnus (ECUSA BCP)
1 You are to be praised, O God, in Zion; *
to you shall vows be performed in Jerusalem.
2 To you that hear prayer shall all flesh come, *
because of their transgressions.
3 Our sins are stronger than we are, *
but you will blot them out.
4 Happy are they whom you choose
and draw to your courts to dwell there! *
they will be satisfied by the beauty of your house,
by the holiness of your temple.
5 Awesome things will you show us in your righteousness,
O God of our salvation, *
O Hope of all the ends of the earth
and of the seas that are far away.
6 You make fast the mountains by your power; *
they are girded about with might.
7 You still the roaring of the seas, *
the roaring of their waves,
and the clamor of the peoples.
8 Those who dwell at the ends of the earth will tremble at your
marvelous signs; *
you make the dawn and the dusk to sing for joy.
9 You visit the earth and water it abundantly;
you make it very plenteous; *
the river of God is full of water.
10 You prepare the grain, *
for so you provide for the earth.
11 You drench the furrows and smooth out the ridges; *
with heavy rain you soften the ground and bless its increase.
12 You crown the year with your goodness, *
and your paths overflow with plenty.
13 May the fields of the wilderness be rich for grazing, *
and the hills be clothed with joy.
14 May the meadows cover themselves with flocks,
and the valleys cloak themselves with grain; *
let them shout for joy and sing.
NEW TESTAMENT: Romans 8: 1 - 11 (RCL)
Roma 8:1 (NRSV) There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. 3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do: by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and to deal with sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 so that the just requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. 6 To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. 7 For this reason the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God's law--indeed it cannot, 8 and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
9 But you are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. 10 But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you.
h/t Monrteal Anglican
Paul has written of the inner conflict which arises within the believer. Whether an adherent to the Law or a Christian, one wills to follow God’s ways, but somehow one does otherwise. Something within one causes one not to follow through from “mind” (v. 6) to action. One’s body, one’s “flesh”, seems naturally inclined to do evil. Paul has thanked God for rescuing us from this state: for we who are incorporated “in Christ Jesus” (v. 1) there are no dire consequences (“condemnation”) of our mistakes. Why? Because God’s “Spirit” (v. 2), in the new way of being, has freed us from the finality of physical death. God has overcome our inclination to sin by lovingly “sending his own Son” (v. 3): he who suffered the effects of human sin in order to do away with it through rising again, thus enabling us to attain oneness with God (v. 4).
There are two mindsets (vv. 5-6): one self-oriented and the other Spirit-oriented, one leading to the finality of “death”, and one to spiritual “life”. Self-orientation is inherently in opposition to God (v. 7). But Christians are motivated by the Spirit (dwells”, v. 9), belong to God. “Spirit” and “Christ” come together. Vv. 10-11 say: if Christ (or the Spirit) is in you, though you may be a corpse because of all the wrong you have done, you are actually very much alive – because of the Spirit. If God's Spirit is in you, God will resuscitate your bodies (from being corpses) through the Spirit, in raising you to new life at the end of time.
Verse 1: “condemnation”: In Galatians 3:10, Paul calls this the “curse” as Deuteronomy 27:26 does. See also 2 Corinthians 3:7, 9. This verse concludes 7:14-25. [ NJBC]
Verse 2: “you”: The Greek word is singular. Some important manuscripts have me rather than you. While this fits better with the foregoing (especially 7:24), scholars believe that me is a copyist’s correction. The principle here is lectio difficilior potior, Latin for the more difficult reading is the stronger (i.e. more likely to be original). The logic is quite simple: it is more likely that a copyist will correct a difficult or improbable phrase to make it more straightforward or more accurate, than that the copyist would intentionally make a text more difficult. So the more difficult is likely to be original, while the less difficult is most likely a copyist's correction.
Verse 3: “sending his own Son”: See also 2 Corinthians 5:19-21 and Romans 3:24 (“they are now justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus”). [ NJBC]
Verse 3: “the likeness of sinful flesh”: Paul is careful in his wording. Jesus suffered the effects of sin and suffered death, but he did not sin.
Verse 3: “to deal with sin”: A footnote in the NRSV notes that sin offering is another translation. The reasoning of the translators is probably that the Greek word, hamartia, meaning sin, occurs in the Septuagint translation in the sense of sin offering in Leviticus 4:24; 5:11; 6:18. “Deal with” sin means take it away, expiate it. [ NJBC]
Verse 3: “he condemned sin in the flesh”: The Father passed definitive judgement on the force that Adam’s transgression unleashed in the world (see 5:12), and thereby broke its dominion over humans – in making Christ a human, and in his resurrection. [ NJBC]
Verse 4: In this way, through the principle of new life, the uprightness that the Law demanded is finally obtained. [ NJBC]
Verse 6: “death”: i.e. total death, including spiritual death. Definitive separation from God. [ NJBC]
Verse 9: “since”: The Greek words, ei per, can be translated if, in reality. [ NJBC]
Verse 10: In Galatians 2:20, Paul writes: “it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me”. See also Ephesians 3:17. [ NOAB] [ NJBC]
Verse 10: “if Christ is in you”: In 2 Corinthians 5:17, Paul writes: “So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!”. For the Spirit being in you, see v. 9. [ NJBC]
Verse 10: “the Spirit is life”: One scholar translates this as your spirit is alive: in contrast to the “body”. [ NJBC]
Verse 11: “him”: i.e. the Father. This verses stresses the essential oneness of God. John 5:21 says “... just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whomever he wishes”. [ NJBC]
Verse 11: “will give life to your mortal bodies”: i.e. the resurrection of Christians. In 1 Thessalonians 4:14, Paul writes “For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have died”. See also Philippians 3:10, 21; 1 Corinthians 6:14; 2 Corinthians 4:14. [ NJBC]
Verse 11: “his Spirit”: i.e. Christ’s Spirit. It is the spirit as related to the risen Christ that is the life-giving principle.
Verses 12-17: The Holy Spirit does not make slaves of us, but rather “children of God” (v. 14). [ NOAB]
Verse 13: It is still possible for a baptised Christian to be tempted to live immorally, “according to the flesh”. We should make use of the Spirit: this is the debt (in an accounting sense) that we owe Christ. [ NJBC]
GOSPEL: Matthew 13: 1 - 9, 18 - 23 (RCL)
Matthew 13: 1 - 9 (10 - 23) (Roman Catholic)
Matt 13:1 (NRSV) That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. 2 Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach. 3 And he told them many things in parables, saying: "Listen! A sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. 5 Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. 6 But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away. 7 Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. 8 Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 9 Let anyone with ears listen!"
10 Then the disciples came and asked him, "Why do you speak to them in parables?" 11 He answered, "To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. 12 For to those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. 13 The reason I speak to them in parables is that "seeing they do not perceive, and hearing they do not listen, nor do they understand.' 14 With them indeed is fulfilled the prophecy of Isai'ah that says:
"You will indeed listen, but never understand,
and you will indeed look, but never perceive.
15 For this people's heart has grown dull,
and their ears are hard of hearing,
and they have shut their eyes;
so that they might not look with their eyes,
and listen with their ears,
and understand with their heart and turn--
and I would heal them.'
16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. 17 Truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it.
18 "Hear then the parable of the sower. 19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in the heart; this is what was sown on the path. 20 As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; 21 yet such a person has no root, but endures only for a while, and when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, that person immediately falls away. 22 As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing. 23 But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty."
The crowd that has come to hear Jesus is so large that he teaches from a boat on the Sea of Galilee. He tells several parables; he explains the first one (vv. 18-23), but only partially. People were familiar with Palestinian farming; sometimes seeding preceded ploughing. The “sower” (v. 3) and the seed are constant; where it lands varies: in three unfruitful places (“on the path”, v. 4, among rocks, v. 5, “among thorns”, v. 7) and in one fruitful place (v. 8). V. 9 tells us (and the crowd) that this is a story with a deeper meaning.
People naturally thought of the sower as God and the various soils as the people of the world; knowing the prophecy of the fate of Jeroboam’s household in 1 Kings, they probably linked “birds” (v. 4) with evil. Perhaps here the sower is anyone who tells the good news. Growth represents receptivity. While Jesus has invited listening (v. 9), understanding (vv. 19, 23) is required in order to be fruitful: reflect on Jesus’ message. Those who brush off the message are seduced by evil (v. 19). Vv. 20-21 also speak of lack of understanding: of superficiality, of reflecting insufficiently to withstand “persecution”. Discipleship is demanding. Then v. 22: following Christ requires undivided loyalty, single-mindedness. Finally v. 23: only those who adequately reflect (thus coming to understanding), who meet the demands of the faith, and who are truly dedicated are fruitful and bring others to Christ.
The parallels are Mark 4:1-20; Luke 8:4-15. [ NOAB]
Verse 1: “the house”: Perhaps his home in Capernaum.
Verse 3: “parables”: Parables are stories drawn from everyday life which convey a spiritual meaning. Jesus used this technique because:
Vivid (and sometimes humourous) images made his teaching easy to remember.
The stories caused people to think about what he said, to reflect on it.
The stories prompted those present to declare for or against his message.
By teaching by analogy (or metaphor), he probably reduced hostility to him. [ NOAB]
Verse 4: “birds”: In 1 Kings 14:7-11, God tells Jeroboam, through the prophet Ahijah, the fate that he and his household will suffer for his evil ways (including deserting Yahweh to worship other gods). This fate includes “anyone [of Jeroboam’s household] who dies in the open country, the birds of the air shall eat”. The fate of King Baasha in 1 Kings 16:1-4 is the same. The link is also found in contemporary Jewish literature: see Jubilees 11:5-24 and Apocalypse of Abraham 13.
Verse 6: “scorched”: The sun in Palestine is indeed hot. [ NJBC]
Verse 9: This is a refrain also found in 11:15 and 13:43. [ NJBC]
Verses 11-16: Jesus contrasts those (e.g. his disciples) who trust in him and so have the opportunity for deeper understanding of God’s purpose and plan for humankind (“the secrets of the kingdom of heaven”) versus those who do not trust and so are destined for condemnation. Perhaps the people will understand if he tells the good news in parables; perhaps stories will penetrate their thick-headedness. Understanding is a gift from God. Some are chosen, and some are not. In the Marcan and Lucan parallels, Jesus speaks to the disciples privately, so we should not assume that the crowd heard what he said in these verses (as is sometimes the case). Matthew appears to have collected together parables from various times in these chapters. [ NJBC]
Verse 12: “have”: i.e spiritually. 25:29 is identical. In Mark 4:24-25, Jesus says “‘... the measure you give will be the measure you get, and still more will be given you. For to those who have, more will be given; and from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away’”. Luke 8:18 and 19:26 are similar. [ NOAB]
Verse 13: Jesus sees this situation as a fulfilment of Isaiah 6:9-10. He quotes these verses, from Isaiah’s commissioning as God’s messenger, in vv. 14-15. (His words are from the Septuagint translation.) Isaiah is told by God that however stubborn the people are, he must tell them God’s word. In the early centuries of the Church, Christians used these verses from Isaiah to explain Israel’s rejection of the gospel. See also Romans 9-11 (the relationship of Judaism to oneness with God obtained through faith in Christ). The verses from Isaiah are also quoted in John 12:40 and Acts 28:26-27 (Paul in Rome). [ NOAB] [ CAB] [ NJBC]
Verses 16-17: For spiritual perception guided by faith, see also Mark 4:9 and Luke 8:10. In the parallel in Luke 10:23-24, “righteous people” is “kings”. The insights which have been given to the disciples were not available before Jesus came. In John 8:56, Jesus says: “Your ancestor Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day; he saw it and was glad.”. Hebrews 11:13 says that the Patriarchs “died in faith without having received the promises, but from a distance they saw and greeted them”. See also 1 Peter 1:10-12. [ NOAB] [ CAB] [ NJBC]
See 2 Esdras 8:41-44 for a parallel which is probably Jewish. (Parts of 2 Esdras are Christian.)
Thursday, July 3, 2014
6 Jan Hus, Prophetic Witness and Martyr, 1415
7
8
9
10
11 Benedict of Nursia, Abbot of Monte Cassino, c. 540 is a Christian saint, honoured by the Catholic Church and the Anglican Church[1] as the patron saint of Europe and students.
12 Nathan Söderblom, Archbishop of Uppsala and Ecumenist, 1931
13 Conrad Weiser, Witness to Peace and Reconciliation, 1760
OLD TESTAMENT: Genesis 24: 34 - 38, 42 - 49, 58 - 67 (RCL)
Gene 24:34 (NRSV) So he said, "I am Abraham's servant. 35 The LORD has greatly blessed my master, and he has become wealthy; he has given him flocks and herds, silver and gold, male and female slaves, camels and donkeys. 36 And Sarah my master's wife bore a son to my master when she was old; and he has given him all that he has. 37 My master made me swear, saying, "You shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Ca'naanites, in whose land I live; 38 but you shall go to my father's house, to my kindred, and get a wife for my son.'
42 "I came today to the spring, and said, "O LORD, the God of my master Abraham, if now you will only make successful the way I am going! 43 I am standing here by the spring of water; let the young woman who comes out to draw, to whom I shall say, "Please give me a little water from your jar to drink," 44 and who will say to me, "Drink, and I will draw for your camels also"--let her be the woman whom the LORD has appointed for my master's son.'
45 "Before I had finished speaking in my heart, there was Rebekah coming out with her water jar on her shoulder; and she went down to the spring, and drew. I said to her, "Please let me drink.' 46 She quickly let down her jar from her shoulder, and said, "Drink, and I will also water your camels.' So I drank, and she also watered the camels. 47 Then I asked her, "Whose daughter are you?' She said, "The daughter of Bethu'el, Na'hor's son, whom Mil'cah bore to him.' So I put the ring on her nose, and the bracelets on her arms. 48 Then I bowed my head and worshiped the LORD, and blessed the LORD, the God of my master Abraham, who had led me by the right way to obtain the daughter of my master's kinsman for his son. 49 Now then, if you will deal loyally and truly with my master, tell me; and if not, tell me, so that I may turn either to the right hand or to the left."
58 And they called Rebekah, and said to her, "Will you go with this man?" She said, "I will." 59 So they sent away their sister Rebekah and her nurse along with Abraham's servant and his men. 60 And they blessed Rebekah and said to her,
"May you, our sister, become
thousands of myriads;
may your offspring gain possession
of the gates of their foes."
61 Then Rebekah and her maids rose up, mounted the camels, and followed the man; thus the servant took Rebekah, and went his way.
62 Now Isaac had come from Be'er-la'hai-roi, and was settled in the Neg'eb. 63 Isaac went out in the evening to walk in the field; and looking up, he saw camels coming. 64 And Rebekah looked up, and when she saw Isaac, she slipped quickly from the camel, 65 and said to the servant, "Who is the man over there, walking in the field to meet us?" The servant said, "It is my master." So she took her veil and covered herself. 66 And the servant told Isaac all the things that he had done. 67 Then Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah's tent. He took Rebekah, and she became his wife; and he loved her. So Isaac was comforted after his mother's death.
Zechariah 9: 9 - 12 (alt. for RCL)
Zechariah 9: 9 - 10 (Roman Catholic)
Zech 9:9 (NRSV) Rejoice greatly, O daughter Zion!
Shout aloud, O daughter Jerusalem!
Lo, your king comes to you;
triumphant and victorious is he,
humble and riding on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
10 He will cut off the chariot from E'phraim
and the war horse from Jerusalem;
and the battle bow shall be cut off,
and he shall command peace to the nations;
his dominion shall be from sea to sea,
and from the River to the ends of the earth.
11 As for you also, because of the blood of my covenant with you,
I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit.
12 Return to your stronghold, O prisoners of hope;
today I declare that I will restore to you double.
PSALM 45: 10 - 17 (RCL)
Psal 45:10 (NRSV) Hear, O daughter, consider and incline your ear;
forget your people and your father's house,
11 and the king will desire your beauty.
Since he is your lord, bow to him;
12 the people of Tyre will seek your favor with gifts,
the richest of the people 13 with all kinds of wealth.
The princess is decked in her chamber with gold-woven robes;
14 in many-colored robes she is led to the king;
behind her the virgins, her companions, follow.
15 With joy and gladness they are led along
as they enter the palace of the king.
16 In the place of ancestors you, O king, shall have sons;
you will make them princes in all the earth.
17 I will cause your name to be celebrated in all generations;
therefore the peoples will praise you forever and ever.
Note: Verse numbering may be different in your Psalter
45 Eructavit cor meum (ECUSA BCP)
11 “Hear, O daughter; consider and listen closely; *
forget your people and your father’s house.
12 The king will have pleasure in your beauty; *
he is your master; therefore do him honor.
13 The people of Tyre are here with a gift; *
the rich among the people seek your favor."
14 All glorious is the princess as she enters; *
her gown is cloth-of-gold.
15 In embroidered apparel she is brought to the king; *
after her the bridesmaids follow in procession.
16 With joy and gladness they are brought, *
and enter into the palace of the king.
17 “In place of fathers, O king, you shall have sons; *
you shall make them princes over all the earth.
18 I will make your name to be remembered
from one generation to another; *
therefore nations will praise you for ever and ever.”
Psalm 145: 8 - 14 (alt. for RCL)
Psalm 145: 1 - 2, 8 - 11, 13 - 14 (Roman Catholic)
Psal 145:1 (NRSV) I will extol you, my God and King,
and bless your name forever and ever.
2 Every day I will bless you,
and praise your name forever and ever.
8 The LORD is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
9 The LORD is good to all,
and his compassion is over all that he has made.
10 All your works shall give thanks to you, O LORD,
and all your faithful shall bless you.
11 They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom,
and tell of your power,
12 to make known to all people your mighty deeds,
and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
and your dominion endures throughout all generations.
The LORD is faithful in all his words,
and gracious in all his deeds.
14 The LORD upholds all who are falling,
and raises up all who are bowed down.
145 Exaltabo te, Deus (ECUSA BCP)
8 The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, *
slow to anger and of great kindness.
9 The Lord is loving to everyone *
and his compassion is over all his works.
10 All your works praise you, O Lord, *
and your faithful servants bless you.
11 They make known the glory of your kingdom *
and speak of your power;
12 That the peoples may know of your power *
and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom; *
your dominion endures throughout all ages.
14 The LORD is faithful in all his words *
and merciful in all his deeds.
15 The Lord upholds all those who fall; *
he lifts up those who are bowed down.
Song of Solomon 2: 8 - 13 (alt. to Ps. 45 for RCL)
Song 2:8 (NRSV) The voice of my beloved!
Look, he comes,
leaping upon the mountains,
bounding over the hills.
9 My beloved is like a gazelle
or a young stag.
Look, there he stands
behind our wall,
gazing in at the windows,
looking through the lattice.
10 My beloved speaks and says to me:
"Arise, my love, my fair one,
and come away;
11 for now the winter is past,
the rain is over and gone.
12 The flowers appear on the earth;
the time of singing has come,
and the voice of the turtledove
is heard in our land.
13 The fig tree puts forth its figs,
and the vines are in blossom;
they give forth fragrance.
Arise, my love, my fair one,
and come away.
NEW TESTAMENT: Romans 7: 15 - 25a (RCL)
Roma 7:15. I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. 16 Now if I do what I do not want, I agree that the law is good. 17 But in fact it is no longer I that do it, but sin that dwells within me. 18 For I know that nothing good dwells within me, that is, in my flesh. I can will what is right, but I cannot do it. 19 For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do. 20 Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I that do it, but sin that dwells within me.
21 So I find it to be a law that when I want to do what is good, evil lies close at hand. 22 For I delight in the law of God in my inmost self, 23 but I see in my members another law at war with the law of my mind, making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. 24 Wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!
h/t Montreal Anglican
Paul has written of two ways of being:
the old, where being subject to the Law, people continually contravene it (sin), are dependent on God’s love to restore them to harmony with him, and in sinning ensure that they have no spiritual life after death, and
the new,
attained through baptism, where through Christ sin is no more, and physical death leads to eternal life. But we have not yet fully attained the new, so we are still influenced by evil. Now Paul asks: how could sin (personified) use the Law, which is good, to destroy humans? Humans are at fault, not the Law. He endures conflict between what he does, his “actions”, his exterior, and his “inmost self” (v. 22), his “mind” (vv. 23, 25). His true self abides by “the law of God” (v. 22), by God’s ways; it sees that what he does is not what he wills, and is what he hates (v. 15). Vv. 17 and 20 seem to say that sin, not he, is responsible for his actions, but realize that the “sin” is his sin. He is caught up in sin; he wills to obey God, but he can’t! (v. 18). So it seems to be a principle of life (“law”, v. 21) that whenever he wills good, the devil is never far away. His body is “at war” (v. 23) with his being. It is God, through Christ, who “will rescue” (v. 24) him from this sorry estate.
Verses 1-6: An analogy from marriage. [ NOAB]
Verse 1: “Do you not know”: A frequent phrase in Paul’s writings, usually indicating something his readers already know well. He also uses it, for example, in 6:3; 1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:2; 9:24.
Verse 1: “the law”: Mosaic law is meant generally, but also specifically: Numbers 5:20, 24; 30:10-14 deal with marriage. See also Proverbs 6:29. [ NOAB] [ NJBC]
Verse 3: “adulteress”: A wife was the property of her husband; infidelity was considered to be adultery. See Exodus 20:17 (on of the Ten Commandments). Other ordinances are found in 21:3, 22; Leviticus 20:10. [ NJBC]
Verses 4-6: The “law” here is Mosaic law, as it is in 2:12-37; 3:19-21, 28-31; 4:13-16; however, Paul uses the word with a different meaning later. [ NOAB] See Clipping on v. 21.
Verse 4: A wife was no longer considered married when her husband had died, and was free to marry another man, so in the same way having died to Mosaic law, Christians are free to belong to Christ. [ NJBC]
Verse 4: “bear fruit for God”: Marriage was expected to “bear fruit” in terms of progeny; the union of Christ and the Christian is also like this. [ NJBC]
Verse 5: “in the flesh”: NJBC offers a helpful translation (interpretation): merely natural lives .
Verse 5: “our sinful passions, aroused by the law”: In 5:20, Paul writes: “But law came in, with the result that the trespass multiplied; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more”. See also 7:13 and Galatians 2:19. [ CAB]
Verse 6: In 10:4, Paul says “For Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes”. See also Galatians 3:23-26 and 2 Corinthians 3:6. [ CAB]
Verse 6: “that which held us captive”: i.e. Mosaic law. [ NOAB]
Verse 6: “the new life of the Spirit”: A reference to baptism. In 6:3-4, Paul writes: “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life”. [ JBC]
Verses 7-23: A view of Mosaic law and sin as seen through Christian eyes. [ NOAB]
Verse 7: As in 3:1-20, Paul anticipates questions which might come from his readers. and then proceeds to answer them. This form of rhetoric, developed in Greek philosophical debate, was called diatribe. See also 3:5; 4:1; 6:1; 9:14, 30. [ CAB]
Verse 7: “the law”: i.e. Mosaic law. [ NJBC]
Verse 7: “I would not have known sin”: I has been variously interpreted as Paul (before and after his conversion), Adam, adherents to Judaism, humans in general, or a Jewish boy before his coming of age (Bar mitzvah). The most likely interpretation is that he means one, as he does in 1 Corinthians 8:13; 13:1-3, 11-12; 14:6-19; Romans 14:21; Galatians 2:18-21. This is a rhetorical device also found in psalms of thanksgiving. To Paul, sin is something historical and corporate. See also 3:20; 5:13; 7:8. [ NOAB] [ NJBC]
Verse 7: “You shall not covet”: All of the commandments can be seen as being about coveting. This particular commandment is found in Exodus 20:17 and Deuteronomy 5:21. [ CAB]
Verse 8: “Apart from the law sin lies dead”: NJBC offers without the law, sin was life-less. It was like a corpse, unable to do anything; it could not make evil into an identifiable revolt against God: see also 4:15; 5:13.
Verse 9: “sin revived”: BlkRom offers sprang to life.
Verse 10: Leviticus 18:5 says “You shall keep my statutes and my ordinances; by doing so one shall live: I am the Lord”. Only by keeping the Law at all times could one live, but doing so was impossible. [ NOAB] See also Deuteronomy 4:1 (before entering the Promised Land); Deuteronomy 6:24; Galatians 3:12; Romans 10:5. [ JBC]
Verse 11: The Law itself is of God, but it makes one aware of sin (see Galatians 3:19) and also causes one to sin, e.g. by coveting.
Verse 13: A summary of vv. 7-13. [ CAB]
Verse 14: “spiritual”: i.e. of divine origin. [ CAB]
Verse 14: “of the flesh”: i.e. focussed on worldly desires. [ CAB]
Verse 15: God’s peace comes only as a gift (see 5:1-11 and 8:3). Paul says: I want his peace, but I find myself separated from God. [ CAB]
Verse 16: The Qumran sect also recognized this conflict within humans. They explained it by postulating that God had place two spirits in humans: a spirit of truth and one of perversity. But Paul sees things differently: the division is within humans themselves.
Verse 17: It is possible to read this verse, in isolation, as saying that one is not responsible for one’s evil deeds, but elsewhere Paul shows that he really does not mean this: see, for example, 1:31-2:5; 5:12, 14.
Verse 18: “in my flesh”: NJBC offers in my natural self.
Verse 19: One wants a life of harmony with God. [ CAB]
Verse 21: “law”: i.e. principle, pattern, precept, as in “law of faith” (in 3:27). [ NJBC] (The Greek word, nomos, is the origin of our word norm.)
Verses 24-25: We are threatened by complete defeat with evil permeating our lives, but in seeking God’s mercy through Christ we find freedom from the guilt and power of sin. [ NOAB]
GOSPEL: Matthew 11: 16 - 19, 25 - 30 (RCL)
Matthew 11: 25 - 30 (Roman Catholic)
Matt 11:16 (NRSV) "But to what will I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to one another,
17 "We played the flute for you, and you did not dance;
we wailed, and you did not mourn.'
18 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, "He has a demon'; 19 the Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, "Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!' Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds."
25 At that time Jesus said, "I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; 26 yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. 27 All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.
28 "Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."
John the Baptist has sent his disciples to ask Jesus whether he is the expected Messiah. Jesus has invited John to decide for himself: does he not do deeds of healing as foretold of the Messiah in Isaiah? John, Jesus has said, is indeed a prophet, the “messenger” (v. 10) sent to prepare for the Messiah (foretold in Malachi, and there named as Elijah), and the greatest human. For people of faith, John heralds the dawn of the time of fulfilment of God’s promise.
Vv. 16-19a are a parable in which the “children” are John and Jesus; the people of Israel ignore their message, whether it be told austerely (by John, as at a funeral, “mourn”) or in merriment (by Jesus, as at a wedding). But God’s “wisdom” proves them right by their results. Then vv. 20-24: people in Jewish towns, where Jesus has invited conversion through miracles (“deeds of power”), have ignored his message and will be condemned at the Last Day, while people of Gentile towns would have been much more receptive. In vv. 25-26, Jesus thanks his Father for choosing the simple, uneducated (“infants”) over the religious leaders (“the wise ...”). He is totally the Father’s representative; only the Father knows him, and only he and those he chooses know the Father. He invites the downtrodden to accept his “rest” (v. 28). Rabbis spoke of the “yoke” (v. 29) of the Law, with its many regulations. Jesus’ way is “easy” (v. 30): love God and each other! He is both teacher and the one to emulate.
Verse 2: “When John heard in prison”: John the Baptist had been incarcerated for denouncing Herod Antipas for marrying his brother’s wife. See 14:3-4.
Verses 4-5: Jesus takes Isaiah 29:18-19; 35:5-6; 61:1-2 as predictions of the activities of the Messiah, although the cleansing of lepers is not mentioned there. [ NOAB]
Verse 6: Jesus’ statement of the Messiah’s deeds are not what was popularly expected; he pronounces a blessing on those who adapt to seeing the Messiah in this new way.
Verse 10: The quotation is Malachi 3:1. In Exodus 23:20, as God reaffirms the promise that the Israelites will enter the Promised Land, he promises to send an “angel in front of you, to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place that I have prepared”. [ NOAB] [ NJBC]
Verse 12: This verse is puzzling. A time of “violence” was expected to precede the coming of the Messiah. It is also true that the Romans had occupied Israel by force and that John the Baptist had been mistreated. [ NJBC]
Verse 13: i.e. all scripture (the Old Testament) points to the Messiah.
Verse 14: “he is Elijah who is to come”: In Malachi 4:5, God says through the prophet: “... I will send you the prophet Elijah before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes.”. Jesus infers that this verse in Malachi is not to be taken literally. [ NOAB] [ NJBC]
Verse 18: John the Baptist was thought by many to be crazy. In Luke 7:33, Jesus says: “For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon’”. [ NOAB]
Verse 19: Jesus is denounced as violating the traditions of Israel.
Verse 19: “by her deeds”: The parallel in Luke ( 7:34-35) has “by all her children” rather than “by her deeds”. Luke’s version fits better with v. 16, so is probably the original. In Luke 16:16, Jesus says: “The law and the prophets were in effect until John came; since then the good news of the kingdom of God is proclaimed, and everyone tries to enter it by force”.
Verses 20-24: In Luke 10:13-15, Jesus pronounces woe on Chorazin but not on Bethsaida and Capernaum. [ NJBC]
Verse 21: “Chorazin”: Some 4 km north of Capernaum, on the Sea of Galilee. The ruins of a synagogue can be seen there today. [ NOAB]
Verse 21: “Bethsaida”: Near the most northern point of the Sea of Galilee. [ NOAB]
Verse 21: “Tyre and Sidon”: Phoenician cities on the Mediterranean coast, condemned in both Isaiah 23:1-18 and Ezekiel 26-28. [ NOAB] [ NJBC]
Verse 21: “sackcloth and ashes”: Symbols of repentance. See also Genesis 37:34 (Jacob, at the loss of Joseph); 1 Kings 21:27 (Elijah tells of Yahweh’s judgement on Ahab and Jezebel); Jonah 3:5-8 (the reaction of the people of Nineveh on hearing Jonah’s prophecy).
Verse 23: “Capernaum”: Jesus’ own place of residence: see 4:13. Jesus alludes to Isaiah 14:13, 15. There, aspirations to divinity are dashed by being brought down to Sheol (the equivalent of “Hades”). [ NJBC]
Verse 24: “Sodom”: The destruction of the city for its wickedness is described in Genesis 19:24-28. [ NJBC]
Verses 25-30: See also Luke 10:21-22. [ NOAB] [ NJBC]
Verses 25-27: “Father”: The word occurs five times in three verses. Note the note of intimacy in v. 27: “my Father”. [ NOAB] [ NJBC]
Verse 25: “revealed”: Understanding spiritual realities involves God’s disclosure. See also 11:25; Luke 24:16; 1 Corinthians 1:18-25; 2:6-16.
Verse 26: “gracious will”: NJBC offers good pleasure.
Verse 27: For Jesus’ special relationship with the Father that he could share with others, see also John 3:35 and 13:3. For Jesus as the exclusive revelation of the Father, see 28:18; John 3:35; 10:15; 13:3. [ NOAB] [ NJBC]
Verse 28: Jesus speaks as did Lady Wisdom (wisdom personified) in Proverbs 8. [ NJBC]
Verse 28: “rest”: In Jeremiah 6:16, sabbath rest is a symbol of the Kingdom of God.
7
8
9
10
11 Benedict of Nursia, Abbot of Monte Cassino, c. 540 is a Christian saint, honoured by the Catholic Church and the Anglican Church[1] as the patron saint of Europe and students.
12 Nathan Söderblom, Archbishop of Uppsala and Ecumenist, 1931
13 Conrad Weiser, Witness to Peace and Reconciliation, 1760
OLD TESTAMENT: Genesis 24: 34 - 38, 42 - 49, 58 - 67 (RCL)
Gene 24:34 (NRSV) So he said, "I am Abraham's servant. 35 The LORD has greatly blessed my master, and he has become wealthy; he has given him flocks and herds, silver and gold, male and female slaves, camels and donkeys. 36 And Sarah my master's wife bore a son to my master when she was old; and he has given him all that he has. 37 My master made me swear, saying, "You shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Ca'naanites, in whose land I live; 38 but you shall go to my father's house, to my kindred, and get a wife for my son.'
42 "I came today to the spring, and said, "O LORD, the God of my master Abraham, if now you will only make successful the way I am going! 43 I am standing here by the spring of water; let the young woman who comes out to draw, to whom I shall say, "Please give me a little water from your jar to drink," 44 and who will say to me, "Drink, and I will draw for your camels also"--let her be the woman whom the LORD has appointed for my master's son.'
45 "Before I had finished speaking in my heart, there was Rebekah coming out with her water jar on her shoulder; and she went down to the spring, and drew. I said to her, "Please let me drink.' 46 She quickly let down her jar from her shoulder, and said, "Drink, and I will also water your camels.' So I drank, and she also watered the camels. 47 Then I asked her, "Whose daughter are you?' She said, "The daughter of Bethu'el, Na'hor's son, whom Mil'cah bore to him.' So I put the ring on her nose, and the bracelets on her arms. 48 Then I bowed my head and worshiped the LORD, and blessed the LORD, the God of my master Abraham, who had led me by the right way to obtain the daughter of my master's kinsman for his son. 49 Now then, if you will deal loyally and truly with my master, tell me; and if not, tell me, so that I may turn either to the right hand or to the left."
58 And they called Rebekah, and said to her, "Will you go with this man?" She said, "I will." 59 So they sent away their sister Rebekah and her nurse along with Abraham's servant and his men. 60 And they blessed Rebekah and said to her,
"May you, our sister, become
thousands of myriads;
may your offspring gain possession
of the gates of their foes."
61 Then Rebekah and her maids rose up, mounted the camels, and followed the man; thus the servant took Rebekah, and went his way.
62 Now Isaac had come from Be'er-la'hai-roi, and was settled in the Neg'eb. 63 Isaac went out in the evening to walk in the field; and looking up, he saw camels coming. 64 And Rebekah looked up, and when she saw Isaac, she slipped quickly from the camel, 65 and said to the servant, "Who is the man over there, walking in the field to meet us?" The servant said, "It is my master." So she took her veil and covered herself. 66 And the servant told Isaac all the things that he had done. 67 Then Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah's tent. He took Rebekah, and she became his wife; and he loved her. So Isaac was comforted after his mother's death.
Zechariah 9: 9 - 12 (alt. for RCL)
Zechariah 9: 9 - 10 (Roman Catholic)
Zech 9:9 (NRSV) Rejoice greatly, O daughter Zion!
Shout aloud, O daughter Jerusalem!
Lo, your king comes to you;
triumphant and victorious is he,
humble and riding on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
10 He will cut off the chariot from E'phraim
and the war horse from Jerusalem;
and the battle bow shall be cut off,
and he shall command peace to the nations;
his dominion shall be from sea to sea,
and from the River to the ends of the earth.
11 As for you also, because of the blood of my covenant with you,
I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit.
12 Return to your stronghold, O prisoners of hope;
today I declare that I will restore to you double.
PSALM 45: 10 - 17 (RCL)
Psal 45:10 (NRSV) Hear, O daughter, consider and incline your ear;
forget your people and your father's house,
11 and the king will desire your beauty.
Since he is your lord, bow to him;
12 the people of Tyre will seek your favor with gifts,
the richest of the people 13 with all kinds of wealth.
The princess is decked in her chamber with gold-woven robes;
14 in many-colored robes she is led to the king;
behind her the virgins, her companions, follow.
15 With joy and gladness they are led along
as they enter the palace of the king.
16 In the place of ancestors you, O king, shall have sons;
you will make them princes in all the earth.
17 I will cause your name to be celebrated in all generations;
therefore the peoples will praise you forever and ever.
Note: Verse numbering may be different in your Psalter
45 Eructavit cor meum (ECUSA BCP)
11 “Hear, O daughter; consider and listen closely; *
forget your people and your father’s house.
12 The king will have pleasure in your beauty; *
he is your master; therefore do him honor.
13 The people of Tyre are here with a gift; *
the rich among the people seek your favor."
14 All glorious is the princess as she enters; *
her gown is cloth-of-gold.
15 In embroidered apparel she is brought to the king; *
after her the bridesmaids follow in procession.
16 With joy and gladness they are brought, *
and enter into the palace of the king.
17 “In place of fathers, O king, you shall have sons; *
you shall make them princes over all the earth.
18 I will make your name to be remembered
from one generation to another; *
therefore nations will praise you for ever and ever.”
Psalm 145: 8 - 14 (alt. for RCL)
Psalm 145: 1 - 2, 8 - 11, 13 - 14 (Roman Catholic)
Psal 145:1 (NRSV) I will extol you, my God and King,
and bless your name forever and ever.
2 Every day I will bless you,
and praise your name forever and ever.
8 The LORD is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
9 The LORD is good to all,
and his compassion is over all that he has made.
10 All your works shall give thanks to you, O LORD,
and all your faithful shall bless you.
11 They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom,
and tell of your power,
12 to make known to all people your mighty deeds,
and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
and your dominion endures throughout all generations.
The LORD is faithful in all his words,
and gracious in all his deeds.
14 The LORD upholds all who are falling,
and raises up all who are bowed down.
145 Exaltabo te, Deus (ECUSA BCP)
8 The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, *
slow to anger and of great kindness.
9 The Lord is loving to everyone *
and his compassion is over all his works.
10 All your works praise you, O Lord, *
and your faithful servants bless you.
11 They make known the glory of your kingdom *
and speak of your power;
12 That the peoples may know of your power *
and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom; *
your dominion endures throughout all ages.
14 The LORD is faithful in all his words *
and merciful in all his deeds.
15 The Lord upholds all those who fall; *
he lifts up those who are bowed down.
Song of Solomon 2: 8 - 13 (alt. to Ps. 45 for RCL)
Song 2:8 (NRSV) The voice of my beloved!
Look, he comes,
leaping upon the mountains,
bounding over the hills.
9 My beloved is like a gazelle
or a young stag.
Look, there he stands
behind our wall,
gazing in at the windows,
looking through the lattice.
10 My beloved speaks and says to me:
"Arise, my love, my fair one,
and come away;
11 for now the winter is past,
the rain is over and gone.
12 The flowers appear on the earth;
the time of singing has come,
and the voice of the turtledove
is heard in our land.
13 The fig tree puts forth its figs,
and the vines are in blossom;
they give forth fragrance.
Arise, my love, my fair one,
and come away.
NEW TESTAMENT: Romans 7: 15 - 25a (RCL)
Roma 7:15. I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. 16 Now if I do what I do not want, I agree that the law is good. 17 But in fact it is no longer I that do it, but sin that dwells within me. 18 For I know that nothing good dwells within me, that is, in my flesh. I can will what is right, but I cannot do it. 19 For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do. 20 Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I that do it, but sin that dwells within me.
21 So I find it to be a law that when I want to do what is good, evil lies close at hand. 22 For I delight in the law of God in my inmost self, 23 but I see in my members another law at war with the law of my mind, making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. 24 Wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!
h/t Montreal Anglican
Paul has written of two ways of being:
the old, where being subject to the Law, people continually contravene it (sin), are dependent on God’s love to restore them to harmony with him, and in sinning ensure that they have no spiritual life after death, and
the new,
attained through baptism, where through Christ sin is no more, and physical death leads to eternal life. But we have not yet fully attained the new, so we are still influenced by evil. Now Paul asks: how could sin (personified) use the Law, which is good, to destroy humans? Humans are at fault, not the Law. He endures conflict between what he does, his “actions”, his exterior, and his “inmost self” (v. 22), his “mind” (vv. 23, 25). His true self abides by “the law of God” (v. 22), by God’s ways; it sees that what he does is not what he wills, and is what he hates (v. 15). Vv. 17 and 20 seem to say that sin, not he, is responsible for his actions, but realize that the “sin” is his sin. He is caught up in sin; he wills to obey God, but he can’t! (v. 18). So it seems to be a principle of life (“law”, v. 21) that whenever he wills good, the devil is never far away. His body is “at war” (v. 23) with his being. It is God, through Christ, who “will rescue” (v. 24) him from this sorry estate.
Verses 1-6: An analogy from marriage. [ NOAB]
Verse 1: “Do you not know”: A frequent phrase in Paul’s writings, usually indicating something his readers already know well. He also uses it, for example, in 6:3; 1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:2; 9:24.
Verse 1: “the law”: Mosaic law is meant generally, but also specifically: Numbers 5:20, 24; 30:10-14 deal with marriage. See also Proverbs 6:29. [ NOAB] [ NJBC]
Verse 3: “adulteress”: A wife was the property of her husband; infidelity was considered to be adultery. See Exodus 20:17 (on of the Ten Commandments). Other ordinances are found in 21:3, 22; Leviticus 20:10. [ NJBC]
Verses 4-6: The “law” here is Mosaic law, as it is in 2:12-37; 3:19-21, 28-31; 4:13-16; however, Paul uses the word with a different meaning later. [ NOAB] See Clipping on v. 21.
Verse 4: A wife was no longer considered married when her husband had died, and was free to marry another man, so in the same way having died to Mosaic law, Christians are free to belong to Christ. [ NJBC]
Verse 4: “bear fruit for God”: Marriage was expected to “bear fruit” in terms of progeny; the union of Christ and the Christian is also like this. [ NJBC]
Verse 5: “in the flesh”: NJBC offers a helpful translation (interpretation): merely natural lives .
Verse 5: “our sinful passions, aroused by the law”: In 5:20, Paul writes: “But law came in, with the result that the trespass multiplied; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more”. See also 7:13 and Galatians 2:19. [ CAB]
Verse 6: In 10:4, Paul says “For Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes”. See also Galatians 3:23-26 and 2 Corinthians 3:6. [ CAB]
Verse 6: “that which held us captive”: i.e. Mosaic law. [ NOAB]
Verse 6: “the new life of the Spirit”: A reference to baptism. In 6:3-4, Paul writes: “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life”. [ JBC]
Verses 7-23: A view of Mosaic law and sin as seen through Christian eyes. [ NOAB]
Verse 7: As in 3:1-20, Paul anticipates questions which might come from his readers. and then proceeds to answer them. This form of rhetoric, developed in Greek philosophical debate, was called diatribe. See also 3:5; 4:1; 6:1; 9:14, 30. [ CAB]
Verse 7: “the law”: i.e. Mosaic law. [ NJBC]
Verse 7: “I would not have known sin”: I has been variously interpreted as Paul (before and after his conversion), Adam, adherents to Judaism, humans in general, or a Jewish boy before his coming of age (Bar mitzvah). The most likely interpretation is that he means one, as he does in 1 Corinthians 8:13; 13:1-3, 11-12; 14:6-19; Romans 14:21; Galatians 2:18-21. This is a rhetorical device also found in psalms of thanksgiving. To Paul, sin is something historical and corporate. See also 3:20; 5:13; 7:8. [ NOAB] [ NJBC]
Verse 7: “You shall not covet”: All of the commandments can be seen as being about coveting. This particular commandment is found in Exodus 20:17 and Deuteronomy 5:21. [ CAB]
Verse 8: “Apart from the law sin lies dead”: NJBC offers without the law, sin was life-less. It was like a corpse, unable to do anything; it could not make evil into an identifiable revolt against God: see also 4:15; 5:13.
Verse 9: “sin revived”: BlkRom offers sprang to life.
Verse 10: Leviticus 18:5 says “You shall keep my statutes and my ordinances; by doing so one shall live: I am the Lord”. Only by keeping the Law at all times could one live, but doing so was impossible. [ NOAB] See also Deuteronomy 4:1 (before entering the Promised Land); Deuteronomy 6:24; Galatians 3:12; Romans 10:5. [ JBC]
Verse 11: The Law itself is of God, but it makes one aware of sin (see Galatians 3:19) and also causes one to sin, e.g. by coveting.
Verse 13: A summary of vv. 7-13. [ CAB]
Verse 14: “spiritual”: i.e. of divine origin. [ CAB]
Verse 14: “of the flesh”: i.e. focussed on worldly desires. [ CAB]
Verse 15: God’s peace comes only as a gift (see 5:1-11 and 8:3). Paul says: I want his peace, but I find myself separated from God. [ CAB]
Verse 16: The Qumran sect also recognized this conflict within humans. They explained it by postulating that God had place two spirits in humans: a spirit of truth and one of perversity. But Paul sees things differently: the division is within humans themselves.
Verse 17: It is possible to read this verse, in isolation, as saying that one is not responsible for one’s evil deeds, but elsewhere Paul shows that he really does not mean this: see, for example, 1:31-2:5; 5:12, 14.
Verse 18: “in my flesh”: NJBC offers in my natural self.
Verse 19: One wants a life of harmony with God. [ CAB]
Verse 21: “law”: i.e. principle, pattern, precept, as in “law of faith” (in 3:27). [ NJBC] (The Greek word, nomos, is the origin of our word norm.)
Verses 24-25: We are threatened by complete defeat with evil permeating our lives, but in seeking God’s mercy through Christ we find freedom from the guilt and power of sin. [ NOAB]
GOSPEL: Matthew 11: 16 - 19, 25 - 30 (RCL)
Matthew 11: 25 - 30 (Roman Catholic)
Matt 11:16 (NRSV) "But to what will I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to one another,
17 "We played the flute for you, and you did not dance;
we wailed, and you did not mourn.'
18 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, "He has a demon'; 19 the Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, "Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!' Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds."
25 At that time Jesus said, "I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; 26 yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. 27 All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.
28 "Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."
John the Baptist has sent his disciples to ask Jesus whether he is the expected Messiah. Jesus has invited John to decide for himself: does he not do deeds of healing as foretold of the Messiah in Isaiah? John, Jesus has said, is indeed a prophet, the “messenger” (v. 10) sent to prepare for the Messiah (foretold in Malachi, and there named as Elijah), and the greatest human. For people of faith, John heralds the dawn of the time of fulfilment of God’s promise.
Vv. 16-19a are a parable in which the “children” are John and Jesus; the people of Israel ignore their message, whether it be told austerely (by John, as at a funeral, “mourn”) or in merriment (by Jesus, as at a wedding). But God’s “wisdom” proves them right by their results. Then vv. 20-24: people in Jewish towns, where Jesus has invited conversion through miracles (“deeds of power”), have ignored his message and will be condemned at the Last Day, while people of Gentile towns would have been much more receptive. In vv. 25-26, Jesus thanks his Father for choosing the simple, uneducated (“infants”) over the religious leaders (“the wise ...”). He is totally the Father’s representative; only the Father knows him, and only he and those he chooses know the Father. He invites the downtrodden to accept his “rest” (v. 28). Rabbis spoke of the “yoke” (v. 29) of the Law, with its many regulations. Jesus’ way is “easy” (v. 30): love God and each other! He is both teacher and the one to emulate.
Verse 2: “When John heard in prison”: John the Baptist had been incarcerated for denouncing Herod Antipas for marrying his brother’s wife. See 14:3-4.
Verses 4-5: Jesus takes Isaiah 29:18-19; 35:5-6; 61:1-2 as predictions of the activities of the Messiah, although the cleansing of lepers is not mentioned there. [ NOAB]
Verse 6: Jesus’ statement of the Messiah’s deeds are not what was popularly expected; he pronounces a blessing on those who adapt to seeing the Messiah in this new way.
Verse 10: The quotation is Malachi 3:1. In Exodus 23:20, as God reaffirms the promise that the Israelites will enter the Promised Land, he promises to send an “angel in front of you, to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place that I have prepared”. [ NOAB] [ NJBC]
Verse 12: This verse is puzzling. A time of “violence” was expected to precede the coming of the Messiah. It is also true that the Romans had occupied Israel by force and that John the Baptist had been mistreated. [ NJBC]
Verse 13: i.e. all scripture (the Old Testament) points to the Messiah.
Verse 14: “he is Elijah who is to come”: In Malachi 4:5, God says through the prophet: “... I will send you the prophet Elijah before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes.”. Jesus infers that this verse in Malachi is not to be taken literally. [ NOAB] [ NJBC]
Verse 18: John the Baptist was thought by many to be crazy. In Luke 7:33, Jesus says: “For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon’”. [ NOAB]
Verse 19: Jesus is denounced as violating the traditions of Israel.
Verse 19: “by her deeds”: The parallel in Luke ( 7:34-35) has “by all her children” rather than “by her deeds”. Luke’s version fits better with v. 16, so is probably the original. In Luke 16:16, Jesus says: “The law and the prophets were in effect until John came; since then the good news of the kingdom of God is proclaimed, and everyone tries to enter it by force”.
Verses 20-24: In Luke 10:13-15, Jesus pronounces woe on Chorazin but not on Bethsaida and Capernaum. [ NJBC]
Verse 21: “Chorazin”: Some 4 km north of Capernaum, on the Sea of Galilee. The ruins of a synagogue can be seen there today. [ NOAB]
Verse 21: “Bethsaida”: Near the most northern point of the Sea of Galilee. [ NOAB]
Verse 21: “Tyre and Sidon”: Phoenician cities on the Mediterranean coast, condemned in both Isaiah 23:1-18 and Ezekiel 26-28. [ NOAB] [ NJBC]
Verse 21: “sackcloth and ashes”: Symbols of repentance. See also Genesis 37:34 (Jacob, at the loss of Joseph); 1 Kings 21:27 (Elijah tells of Yahweh’s judgement on Ahab and Jezebel); Jonah 3:5-8 (the reaction of the people of Nineveh on hearing Jonah’s prophecy).
Verse 23: “Capernaum”: Jesus’ own place of residence: see 4:13. Jesus alludes to Isaiah 14:13, 15. There, aspirations to divinity are dashed by being brought down to Sheol (the equivalent of “Hades”). [ NJBC]
Verse 24: “Sodom”: The destruction of the city for its wickedness is described in Genesis 19:24-28. [ NJBC]
Verses 25-30: See also Luke 10:21-22. [ NOAB] [ NJBC]
Verses 25-27: “Father”: The word occurs five times in three verses. Note the note of intimacy in v. 27: “my Father”. [ NOAB] [ NJBC]
Verse 25: “revealed”: Understanding spiritual realities involves God’s disclosure. See also 11:25; Luke 24:16; 1 Corinthians 1:18-25; 2:6-16.
Verse 26: “gracious will”: NJBC offers good pleasure.
Verse 27: For Jesus’ special relationship with the Father that he could share with others, see also John 3:35 and 13:3. For Jesus as the exclusive revelation of the Father, see 28:18; John 3:35; 10:15; 13:3. [ NOAB] [ NJBC]
Verse 28: Jesus speaks as did Lady Wisdom (wisdom personified) in Proverbs 8. [ NJBC]
Verse 28: “rest”: In Jeremiah 6:16, sabbath rest is a symbol of the Kingdom of God.
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