23 Gregory the Illuminator, Bishop and Missionary of Armenia, c. 332 is the patron saint and first official head of the Armenian Apostolic Church. He was a religious leader who is credited with converting Armenia from paganism to Christianity in 301.
24 Oscar Romero, Archbishop of San Salvador, 1980
25 The Annunciation of Our Lord Jesus Christ to the Blessed Virgin Mary
26 Richard Allen, First Bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, 1831
27 Charles Henry Brent, Bishop of the Philippines, and of Western New York, 1929
29 John Keble, Priest, 1866
OLD TESTAMENT: Jeremiah 31: 31 - 34 (all)
Jere 31:31 (NRSV) The days are surely coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. 32 It will not be like the covenant that I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt--a covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, says the LORD. 33 But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34 No longer shall they teach one another, or say to each other, "Know the LORD," for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the LORD; for I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more.
PSALM 51: 1 - 13 (RCL)
51: 1 - 2, 10 - 13 (Roman Catholic)
Psal 51:1 (NRSV) Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy
blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
and cleanse me from my sin.
3 For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is ever before me.
4 Against you, you alone, have I sinned,
and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you are justified in your sentence
and blameless when you pass judgment.
5 Indeed, I was born guilty,
a sinner when my mother conceived me.
6 You desire truth in the inward being;
therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart.
7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
8 Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones that you have crushed rejoice.
9 Hide your face from my sins,
and blot out all my iniquities.
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and put a new and right spirit within me.
11 Do not cast me away from your presence,
and do not take your holy spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
and sustain in me a willing spirit.
13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
and sinners will return to you.
14 Deliver me from bloodshed, O God,
O God of my salvation,
and my tongue will sing aloud of your deliverance.
15 O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth will declare your praise.
16 For you have no delight in sacrifice;
if I were to give a burnt offering, you would not be pleased.
17 The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
Note: Verse numbering in your psalter may differ from the above
51 Miserere mei, Deus (ECUSA BCP)
1 Have mercy on me, O God, according to your
loving-kindness; *
in your great compassion blot out my offenses.
2 Wash me through and through from my wickedness *
and cleanse me from my sin.
3 For I know my transgressions, *
and my sin is ever before me.
.
4 Against you only have I sinned *
and done what is evil in your sight.
5 And so you are justified when you speak *
and upright in your judgment.
6 Indeed, I have been wicked from my birth, *
a sinner from my mother's womb.
7 For behold, you look for truth deep within me, *
and will make me understand wisdom secretly.
8 Purge me from my sin, and I shall be pure; *
wash me, and I shall be clean indeed.
9 Make me hear of joy and gladness, *
that the body you have broken may rejoice.
10 Hide your face from my sins *
and blot out all my iniquities.
11 Create in me a clean heart, O God, *
and renew a right spirit within me.
12 Cast me not away from your presence *
and take not your holy Spirit from me.
13 Give me the joy of your saving help again *
and sustain me with your bountiful Spirit.
14 I shall teach your ways to the wicked, *
and sinners shall return to you.
Psalm 119: 9 - 16 (alt. for RCL)
Psal 119:9 (NRSV) How can young people keep their way pure?
By guarding it according to your word.
10 With my whole heart I seek you;
do not let me stray from your commandments.
11 I treasure your word in my heart,
so that I may not sin against you.
12 Blessed are you, O LORD;
teach me your statutes.
13 With my lips I declare
all the ordinances of your mouth.
14 I delight in the way of your decrees
as much as in all riches.
15 I will meditate on your precepts,
and fix my eyes on your ways.
16 I will delight in your statutes;
I will not forget your word.
119 Beth In quo corrigit? (ECUSA BCP)
9 How shall a young man cleanse his way? *
By keeping to your words.
10 With my whole heart I seek you; *
let me not stray from your commandments.
11 I treasure your promise in my heart, *
that I may not sin against you.
12 Blessed are you, O Lord; *
instruct me in your statutes.
13 With my lips will I recite *
all the judgments of your mouth.
14 I have taken greater delight in the way of your decrees *
than in all manner of riches.
15 I will meditate on your commandments *
and give attention to your ways.
16 My delight is in your statutes; *
I will not forget your word.
NEW TESTAMENT: Hebrews 5: 5 - 10 (RCL)
5: 7 - 9 (Roman Catholic)
Hebr 5:5 (NRSV) So also Christ did not glorify himself in becoming a high priest, but was appointed by the one who said to him,
"You are my Son,
today I have begotten you";
6 as he says also in another place,
"You are a priest forever,
according to the order of Melchiz'edek."
7 In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. 8 Although he was a Son, he learned obedience through what he suffered; 9 and having been made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him, 10 having been designated by God a high priest according to the order of Melchiz'edek.
h/t Montreal Anglican
The author has spoken of the Jewish high priesthood; he has said that a (human) high priest was “put in charge of things pertaining to God” (v. 1), on behalf of the people, to offer sacrifices for their sins. Since he himself from time to time offended God by sinning unintentionally, “he is able to deal gently” (v. 2) with others who commit such sins, and “must offer sacrifice for his own sins” (v. 3) as well. Further, one could only become a high priest when called by God – “one does not presume to take this honour” (v. 4).
Now the author tells us how Jesus, whom he sees as a high priest, is like (and unlike) a Judaic high priest. Jesus too was called by God (v. 5): some manuscripts of Luke 3:22 record that, at his baptism, the “voice” speaks the words quoted here. But Jesus, per Psalm 110:4, is different: he is a priest “forever” (v. 6). (“Melchizedek” is mentioned in Genesis 14:17-20; there he brings bread and wine, and blesses Abram. In Hebrews, he resembles the Son of God and lives for ever: he is a supernatural figure foreshadowing the eternity of the Son of God – see 7:2-3.) During Jesus’ earthly life (“the days of his flesh”, v. 7), he prayed to God, to the one who could deliver him from death. But, although he was already God’s “Son” (v. 8), he “learned obedience”, he obeyed the will of the Father, he submitted reverently (v. 7): this involved suffering and death. But the Father did hear his plea: he rose again from death. He was then “made perfect” (v. 9): his priesthood was completed in his sacrifice for the sins of us all, and he was raised to be with the Father. In this way, he brings salvation to all who follow him. This salvation is forever (unlike the limited duration of that brought by Judaic high priests). He is high priest for ever.
4:14-5:14: The author resumes the theme of Jesus our high priest. In 2:17-18, he speaks of Jesus as “a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God”. Jesus has two qualifications of a priest: divine appointment (see 5:4) and the ability to “sympathize with our weaknesses” (see 4:15). [ NOAB]
4:14: “great high priest”: Philo uses this designation for the Logos (the “word” of John 1:1-14) in his writings. Elsewhere in Hebrews, Christ is simply the “high priest”. He may include “great” here because he is making a comparison. [ NJBC]
4:14: “who has passed through the heavens”: That Christ was pre-existent is meant. 1:1-2 say: “God ... has spoken to us by a Son, ... through whom he also created the worlds”. Note the plurals. The Greek word translated as “worlds”, aion, can also mean ages. There appears to be the concept of a number of worlds, the visible and the invisible, the latter being several heavens. 2 Enoch 3-20 also speak of multiple heavens. [ NJBC]
4:15-16: Because Christ experienced real, human testing, he is able to “sympathize with our weaknesses”. [ NOAB]
4:15: “tested as we are, yet without sin”: The author says that the only difference between Jesus’ temptations and ours is that he did not succumb to them. [ NJBC]
4:16: At God’s “throne of grace” (see also 8:1 and 12:2) humans “receive mercy” for past sins and “find grace” for present and future “need”. [ NOAB] Here the author thinks of the confident access to God that has been assured by the redemptive work of Jesus. [ NJBC]
5:1: “gifts and sacrifices”: To NOAB, grain and animal sacrifices; however NJBC thinks that no such distinction is intended. As Chapter 9 shows, the author is principally concerned with the Day of Atonement rite as the Old Testament type. [ NJBC]
5:2: The Old Testament provides no atoning sacrifice for deliberate and defiant sins (see Numbers 15:30 and Deuteronomy 17:12), only for sins committed unwittingly – by the “ignorant and wayward”: see Leviticus 4. Numbers 15:30 says “But whoever acts high-handedly ... affronts the LORD, and shall be cut off from among the people.” “Cut off” means shall receive the death penalty. [ NOAB]
5:2: “deal gently”: The Greek word corresponds to a term of Stoic philosophy signifying the right mean between passion and lack of feeling . [ NJBC]
5:4: “Aaron”: In Exodus 28:1 God chooses Aaron and his sons as priests. [ NOAB]
5:5: “‘You are my Son, today I have begotten you’”: This is also found in Psalm 2:7, so the author may be reinterpreting this psalm in Christian terms, as was often done with Psalm 110:4. [ CAB]
5:6: Psalm 110 begins: “The Lord [ Yahweh] says to my lord ...”. In Judaism, “my lord” is David, but early Christians reinterpreted it as Christ; thus God the Father says to God the Son, the Lord. So “you” here is Christ. In Hebrews 7:1-10, the author deduces from Genesis 14:17-20 (where King Melchizedek of Salem, a “priest of God Most High”, brings out “bread and wine” and blesses Abram, and in return receives a tithe from him) that this mysterious priest-king was greater than either Abraham or his descendant Levi. [ NOAB]
5:6: “the order of Melchizedek”: i.e. According to the rank which Melchizedek held. [ NOAB]
5:7-8: Note that one trait Jesus does not share with the Judaic high priest is “weakness” (v. 2). In 7:28, the author specifically contrasts Jesus with the Jewish high priest in this respect. It is important, however, to note that the contrast applies to the present exalted state of Christ. While on earth, Jesus experienced the weakness of human nature, especially its fear of death. Exalted, he can sympathize with those who are weak. Paul’s concept is similar: “he was crucified in weakness, but lives by the power of God” (2 Corinthians 13:4). [ NJBC]
5:7: Jesus’ agonizing prayer in Gethsemane (see Mark 14:32-42) “was heard” in the sense that “he learned obedience” by submitting to the divine will – which involved death. [ NOAB] Some scholars see here a reference to more than just this one incident. [ NJBC]
5:8: “Although he was a Son”: The author considers Jesus’ sonship in two different ways:
He became Son when exalted, and
He was always Son because he existed with the Father even before he appeared on earth.
Later theology said that the resurrection-exaltation gave Jesus’ human nature full participation in his divine nature. The two concepts are entirely compatible. [ NJBC]
5:8: “he learned obedience”: Learning through suffering is a common motif in Greek literature. In the New Testament it occurs only here, in Romans 5:19 and in Philippians 2:8. [ NJBC]
5:9: “made perfect”: Jesus completed his divinely appointed discipline for priesthood. This phrase is characteristic of this letter (see also 2:10; 7:19, 28; 9:9; 10:1, 14; 11:40; 12:23) and means made complete, brought to maturity. [ NOAB] The Greek word, teleosis, is used in the Septuagint translation of priestly consecration, translating a Hebrew phrase to fill [the hands]: see Exodus 29:9, 29, 33, 35; Leviticus 16:32; 21:10; Numbers 3:3. This cultic notion of perfection is certainly present in Hebrews. [ NJBC]
5:9: “eternal salvation”: The author uses the word “eternal” here and in 9:12, 14,15; 13:20 (but not in 6:2) to speak of realities that endure because they belong to the heavenly sphere, which is characterized by permanence, as opposed to the transitory realities of earth. [ NJBC]
GOSPEL: John 12: 20 - 33 (all)
John 12:20 (NRSV) Now among those who went up to worship at the festival were some Greeks. 21 They came to Philip, who was from Bethsa'ida in Galilee, and said to him, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus." 22 Philip went and told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. 23 Jesus answered them, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24 Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. 25 Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. Whoever serves me, the Father will honor.
27 "Now my soul is troubled. And what should I say--"Father, save me from this hour'? No, it is for this reason that I have come to this hour. 28 Father, glorify your name." Then a voice came from heaven, "I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again." 29 The crowd standing there heard it and said that it was thunder. Others said, "An angel has spoken to him." 30 Jesus answered, "This voice has come for your sake, not for mine. 31 Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. 32 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself." 33 He said this to indicate the kind of death he was to die.
At the time of the Passover (“the festival”), some Gentiles (“Greeks”) travel to Jerusalem, probably because they believe in God. Their request “to see Jesus” (v. 21, to understand his message), is conveyed to him by “Andrew and Philip” (v. 22), the two disciples with Greek names. Jesus takes this opportunity to announce that his “hour” (v. 23), his time of self revelation, determined by God, has come. He can now tell what it means for the Son to be glorified. When Jesus is glorified, then all people will truly be able to see him, but this is not the time for interviews.
He uses an example from nature to speak of the significance of his death: the paradox that a “grain of wheat” (v. 24) only bears fruit after it seems to have died and has been buried. Jesus’ death makes possible salvation for others. That the meaning of life eludes those who live it up is also a paradox; self-centeredness ends up destroying a person. (“Hate”, v. 25, is a Semitism for love less.) Serving Jesus involves following his example; this will be honoured by the Father (v. 26). In v. 27, Jesus struggles with his impending death: should he ask the Father to free him from the need to suffer and die? No, he says: such avoidance would negate his mission; his death is God’s will (v. 28a). The voice from heaven reassures: his lifework and teaching have been signs of God’s glory, of his power and presence; God will act again in raising him. The crowd miss the point of the message (v. 29), so Jesus tells them that God has spoken so that they may believe that he comes from God; he already knows this (“not for mine”, v. 30). This is when (“now”, v. 31) those who willfully turn away from him (“this world”) are condemned (it is they who are judged, not him), and when the devil (“the ruler of this world”) ceases to have power over people. When he is “lifted up from the earth” (v. 32), i.e. crucified and exalted in glory, salvation of all will be possible. This is the paradoxical “kind of death” (v. 33) he will endure.
After two contrasting scenes of the anointing of Jesus and his entry into Jerusalem, there follows an episode which deals with the contrasting reactions of Gentiles (vv. 20-36) and of Jews (vv. 44-50) to the impact of Christ on Jerusalem. [ BlkJn] This section is the conclusion of Jesus’ public ministry. [ NOAB]
Verse 20: “some Greeks”: Josephus, in Jewish Wars 6.9.3, reports that God-fearing Gentiles came to Jerusalem to worship at Passover. [ NJBC]
Verse 21: “Philip”: Meaning lover of horses. [ NOAB] He responds to Jesus’ command “Follow me” in 1:43-48. Jesus tests Philip in 6:5-7. [ NJBC]
Verse 22: Philip’s hesitation is natural enough. He must have known that Jesus had little to do with Gentiles, and no vocation to any ministry towards them. In Matthew 15:24, when a Canaanite woman comes to Jesus seeking a cure for her daughter, Jesus responds “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel”. [ BlkJn]
Verse 22: “Andrew”: Meaning manly. He was also from “Bethsaida” (v. 21). [ NOAB]
Verse 23: “The hour has come”: So far we have been told that Jesus’ time has not yet come. [ BlkJn] His final manifestation was at the cross: see 7:30 (“no one laid hands on him, because his hour had not yet come”); 8:20; 13:1; 17:1. [ NOAB] Jesus speaks to the disciples. [ NJBC]
Verse 24: By means of a parable, Jesus explains how his death will enable the Gentiles to see him. In 1 Corinthians 15:36 Paul writes: “What you sow does not come to life unless it dies”. See also Mark 4:8, the parable of the sower. [ BlkJn] This saying was probably a common proverb, which John has probably shaped to the situation by emphasizing the fact that the seed remains alone above ground. [ NJBC]
Verse 25: In Mark 8:35, Jesus foretells that “‘those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it’”. See also Matthew 10:39; Luke 9:24; 14:26. [ BlkJn]
Verse 25: “love their life ... hate their life”: The Greek word translated “life”, psuche, means the essence of being . BlkJn considers that the plain contrast of “loves” and “hates” sounds more probably authentic than Mark’s “want to save their life” and “lose”.
Verse 26a: Service to Christ means sharing his lot, whatever that may entail. A similar thought is found in Mark 8:34: “‘If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.’”. [ BlkJn] The identity of Jesus and his followers will be emphasized in the farewell discourse: see 13:13, 16; 15:20. [ NJBC]
Verse 26b: The follower who shares Jesus’ suffering will also share the honour that God gives him. In 17:24, Jesus prays: “‘Father, I desire that those also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory, which you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world’”. [ BlkJn] This idea reappears in the love language of the farewell discourses: see 14:23 and 16:27. [ NJBC]
Verses 27-30: These verses remind us of the Gethsemane story in the Synoptic gospels: see, for example, Mark 14:34-36. [ NJBC]
Verse 28: “Father, glorify your name”: Jesus prays that he may completely accept his Father’s will. In the Old Testament, both the glory of God and his “name” are means whereby God is made known to be what he is. (See, for example, Exodus 33:18-22.) God will thus make himself known through the death of Christ. [ BlkJn]
Verse 28: “a voice came from heaven”: As at Jesus’ baptism (see Mark 1:11; Matthew 3:17; Luke 3:22) and at his transfiguration (see Mark 9:7; Matthew 17:5; Luke 9:35), and at Paul’s conversion (see Acts 9:4). [ BlkJn]
Verse 29: “thunder”: The Greek word is bronte, a noun. In the Old Testament, thunder is recognized as the voice of God. [ BlkJn] Psalm 29:3 says: “The voice of the Lord is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the Lord, over mighty waters”. In the Septuagint translation of the Hebrew, “thunders” is brontaw , a verb derived from the same root. For bronte, see also the Septuagint translation of Psalms 77:18; 104:7; Job 26:14; Isaiah 29:6. For brontaw, see also 1 Samuel 2:10; 7:10; 2 Samuel 22:14; Psalms 18:14; 29:3; Job 37:4-5; 40:9. [Lorinda Hoover] Gentiles would also recognize thunder as an omen. [ BlkJn]
Verse 31: “the ruler of this world”: He rules de facto because people have delivered themselves into his power by becoming slaves to sin. Elsewhere he is called “the evil one” (in 1 John 5:19), “the devil” (in John 8:44), and “Satan” (in John 13:27; Revelation 12:9; 20:2). In 1 Corinthians 2:6, 8, Paul calls him “the rulers of this age”. [ BlkJn] Satan as ruler of the world in its opposition to God is a frequent figure in the Qumran literature: see 1QM (War Scroll) 1:1, 5, 13; 4:2; 11:8; 1QS (Rule of the Community) 1:18; 2:29; 3:20-21. [ NJBC]
Saturday, March 21, 2015
Saturday, March 14, 2015
8 Cyril, Bishop of Jerusalem, 386 was a distinguished theologian of the early Church (ca. 313[1] – 386). He is venerated as a saint by the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, and the Anglican Communion
19 Saint Joseph is a figure in the Gospels, the husband of Mary, the mother of Jesus and is venerated Saint Joseph in some Christian traditions. Christian tradition places Joseph as Jesus' foster father
20 Thomas Ken, Bishop of Bath and Wells, 1711
21 Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury and Martyr, 1556 was a leader of the English Reformation and Archbishop of Canterbury during the reigns of Henry VIII, Edward VI and, for a short time, Mary I. He helped build the case for the annulment of Henry's marriage to Catherine of Aragon, which was one of the causes of the separation of the English Church from union with the Holy See
22 James De Koven, Priest, 1879
23 Gregory the Illuminator, Bishop and Missionary of Armenia, c. 332
OLD TESTAMENT: Numbers 21: 4 - 9 (RCL)
Numb 21:4 (NRSV) From Mount Hor they set out by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of E'dom; but the people became impatient on the way. 5 The people spoke against God and against Moses, "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we detest this miserable food." 6 Then the LORD sent poisonous serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many Israelites died. 7 The people came to Moses and said, "We have sinned by speaking against the LORD and against you; pray to the LORD to take away the serpents from us." So Moses prayed for the people. 8 And the LORD said to Moses, "Make a poisonous serpent, and set it on a pole; and everyone who is bitten shall look at it and live." 9 So Moses made a serpent of bronze, and put it upon a pole; and whenever a serpent bit someone, that person would look at the serpent of bronze and live.
2 Chronicles 36: 14 - 16, 19 - 23 (Roman Catholic)
2Chr 36:14 (NRSV) All the leading priests and the people also were exceedingly unfaithful, following all the abominations of the nations; and they polluted the house of the LORD that he had consecrated in Jerusalem.
15 The LORD, the God of their ancestors, sent persistently to them by his messengers, because he had compassion on his people and on his dwelling place; 16 but they kept mocking the messengers of God, despising his words, and scoffing at his prophets, until the wrath of the LORD against his people became so great that there was no remedy.
19 They burned the house of God, broke down the wall of Jerusalem, burned all its palaces with fire, and destroyed all its precious vessels. 20 He took into exile in Babylon those who had escaped from the sword, and they became servants to him and to his sons until the establishment of the kingdom of Persia, 21 to fulfill the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremi'ah, until the land had made up for its sabbaths. All the days that it lay desolate it kept sabbath, to fulfill seventy years.
22 In the first year of King Cyrus of Persia, in fulfillment of the word of the LORD spoken by Jeremi'ah, the LORD stirred up the spirit of King Cyrus of Persia so that he sent a herald throughout all his kingdom and also declared in a written edict: 23 "Thus says King Cyrus of Persia: The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever is among you of all his people, may the LORD his God be with him! Let him go up."
PSALM 107: 1 - 3, 17 - 22 (RCL)
Psal 107:1 (NRSV) O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;
for his steadfast love endures forever.
2 Let the redeemed of the LORD say so,
those he redeemed from trouble
3 and gathered in from the lands,
from the east and from the west,
from the north and from the south.
17 Some were sick through their sinful ways,
and because of their iniquities endured affliction;
18 they loathed any kind of food,
and they drew near to the gates of death.
19 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble,
and he saved them from their distress;
20 he sent out his word and healed them,
and delivered them from destruction.
21 Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love,
for his wonderful works to humankind.
22 And let them offer thanksgiving sacrifices,
and tell of his deeds with songs of joy.
107
Part I Confitemini Domino (ECUSA BCP)
1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, *
and his mercy endures for ever.
2 Let all those whom the Lord has redeemed proclaim *
that he redeemed them from the hand of the foe.
3 He gathered them out of the lands; *
from the east and from the west,
from the north and from the south.
17 Some were fools and took to rebellious ways; *
they were afflicted because of their sins.
18 They abhorred all manner of food *
and drew near to death's door.
19 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, *
and he delivered them from their distress.
20 He sent forth his word and healed them *
and saved them from the grave.
21 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his mercy *
and the wonders he does for his children.
22 Let them offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving *
and tell of his acts with shouts of joy.
Psalm 137: 1 - 6 (Roman Catholic)
Psal 137:1 (NRSV) By the rivers of Babylon--
there we sat down and there we wept
when we remembered Zion.
2 On the willows there
we hung up our harps.
3 For there our captors
asked us for songs,
and our tormentors asked for mirth, saying,
"Sing us one of the songs of Zion!"
4 How could we sing the LORD's song
in a foreign land?
5 If I forget you, O Jerusalem,
let my right hand wither!
6 Let my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth,
if I do not remember you,
if I do not set Jerusalem
above my highest joy.
NEW TESTAMENT: Ephesians 2: 1 - 10 (RCL)
Ephesians 2: 4 - 10 (Roman Catholic)
Ephe 2:1 (NRSV) You were dead through the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once lived, following the course of this world, following the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work among those who are disobedient. 3 All of us once lived among them in the passions of our flesh, following the desires of flesh and senses, and we were by nature children of wrath, like everyone else. 4 But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us 5 even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ --by grace you have been saved-- 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the ages to come he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God-- 9 not the result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.
h/t Montreal Anglican
Paul has written of the recipients of this letter, of how they reacted to hearing the good news: they believed, and “were marked with the seal of the ... Holy Spirit” ( 1:13) in baptism. He has heard of their faith and of their love for fellow Christians. May they receive “a spirit of wisdom and revelation” ( 1:17) as they come to understand God more and more, coming to know the hope and the inheritance that are theirs through their calling, and the greatness of God’s power available to believers of all cultures.
Now he speaks of the time before their conversion, a time when, encumbered by sin, they were “dead” ( 2:1) spiritually. It was thought that the “air” ( 2:2) was the domain of demons, so the “ruler of the power of the air” is the devil; they were subservient to him. He still holds sway over the “disobedient”, those who have rejected the call to faith. (By implication, Christians are no longer his slaves.) “All of us” ( 2:3), both Jews and Gentiles, once lived self-centred lives, apart from God’s redemptive power. We were “children”, descendants of Adam – in danger of God’s “wrath” against those who sin (as they still are). (Colossians 3:6 says “the wrath of God is coming on those who are disobedient”.) We were in a state apart from God’s love for humankind in Christ. But, says 2:4, even then, when we were spiritually “dead”, God loved us greatly, so greatly that he brought us life together, raised us together and enthroned us together – “with Christ” ( 2:5). (In the Greek, each of these verbs begins with syn, as in synergy .) Christians have been given a new status, a new life, and new freedom, in order that, by living in this way, we may be channels through whom God shows his gifts to us to the world. We are saved by God’s freely given inestimable gift of love (“grace”, 2:7). Our salvation is already happening through the medium of our “faith” ( 2:8), but even “this” (salvation) is a gift from God, rather than a result of our efforts (“works”, 2:9). God’s plan has always included making Christians what we are: “created in Christ ... for good works” ( 2:10): being saved, we do “good works”.
Some scholars see Ephesians as being the work of Paul, considering that the differences in style and theology between Ephesians and earlier letters reflect the development of his thought as he grew older. Other scholars have problems with this view; to them, we have no evidence of evolution of Paul’s thinking, and this view does not reckon with the impression that the letter looks back to an earlier revered generation of apostles and prophets who provided the foundation for the household of God in the post-Pauline period. TO them, Paul was one of these apostles. 3:2-11 is written as being Paul’s words but 2:20 speaks of the Church as being “built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets”. [ NJBC]
Verses 1-10: As with 1:11-14, there is a problem here in interpreting we and you. Though the we may be Jewish Christians and the you Gentile Christians, there is no clear allusion to the Jewish-Gentile distinction before vv. 11-12. All unambiguous uses of we in this letter refer to all Christians ( 2:14; 3:20 and frequently in chapters 4-6), and we should be taken here in the same way. The author uses you when the recipients of the letter are addressed directly. [ NJBC]
Verses 1-22: Christ’s benefits, for both Gentiles and Jews. [ NOAB]
Verses 1-3: The Qumran literature speaks of a period when the spirit of darkness would be allowed to exercise authority over humanity: see 1QS (Rule of the Community) 3:20-23 and 11QMelch (Melchisedek). This period would continue until evil is destroyed and righteousness prospers: see 1QS (Rule of the Community) 4:18-23; 1QM (War Scroll) 13:14-16; 17:5-9. [ NJBC]
Verse 1: “dead”: See also v. 5. Colossians 2:13 says “... when you were dead in trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive together with him, when he forgave us all our trespasses”. [ NOAB]
Verse 2: “following the ruler of the power of the air”: In 6:11-12 the author writes: “Put on the whole armour of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places”. Colossians 1:13 says that “He [the Father] has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son”. [ NOAB]
Verse 3: “passions of our flesh ... desires of flesh”: These are not references to sexual desires but a general reference to the human being as he exists in his own selfish nature, apart from God’s redemptive power. See also vv. 11, 14. 5:29 says “... no one ever hates his own body, but he nourishes and tenderly cares for it, just as Christ does for the church”. See also 5:31 and 6:12. [ CAB]
Verse 3: “by nature children of wrath”: i.e in our natural condition as descendants of Adam, as in Romans 5:12. [ CAB]
Verse 3: “wrath”: i.e. God’s steadfast and holy hatred of sin: see also Romans 1:18-32. [ NOAB]
Verses 5-6: “made us alive”: What was said of Christ in 1:20 is now said of all Christians: they are raised and enthroned with him in the heavenly heights. [ NJBC]
Verse 6: The believer participates in Christ’s exaltation: in 1:3 the author writes: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places”. See also 1:20-21. [ CAB]
Verse 7: “grace”: i.e. God’s unmerited favour shown to humankind in Christ. [ NOAB]
Verses 8-10: While in letters generally accepted to be Pauline the dichotomy is between faith and works, here it is between God’s grace and human good deeds. [ NJBC]
Verses 8-9: A formula summarizing Paul’s theology. See also Romans 3:21-28; 1 Corinthians 1:22-29. [ CAB]
Verse 8: In Romans 5:1 Paul tells us: “... since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ”. See also Romans 11:6; Galatians 3:18, 21-22; 5:4. [ CAB]
Verse 8: “saved through faith”: Paul never says saved because of faith. [ NOAB]
Verse 9: “so that no one may boast”: See also 1 Corinthians 1:26-29. [ CAB]
Verse 10: The consequence of God’s justifying grace is that the old life described in vv. 2-3 is transformed into the new life in Christ. The new life is a way of life producing good works. In Galatians 6:15, we read: “For neither circumcision nor uncircumcision is anything; but a new creation is everything!”. [ CAB]
Verse 10: “good works”: Good works are the result, not the cause, of salvation. [ NOAB]
Verse 10: “beforehand”: This ascribes the whole matter to God. [ NOAB]
GOSPEL: John 3: 14 - 21
John 3:14 (NRSV) And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.
16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.
17 "Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Those who believe in him are not condemned; but those who do not believe are condemned already, because they have not believed in the name of the only Son of God. 19 And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. 20 For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed. 21 But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God."
Nicodemus, a Jewish leader, has come to Jesus, (because he has recognized that Jesus is “from God”, v. 2), to ask: “How can anyone be born [again] after having grown old?” (v. 4) Jesus has answered: to be part of God’s plan launched through him, one needs to be transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit, to be baptised into Christ (v. 5). God’s Spirit works in ways that humans cannot fully understand; Jesus is the only source of knowledge about heaven: he has been there. Nicodemus fails to understand even what Jesus tells him in earthly terms, by analogy. Jesus continues with an analogy (v. 14). Moses' bronze serpent preserved from death those who (through this symbol) trusted in God. In a similar way, thanks to God’s great gift of “his only Son” (v. 16, “the Son of Man”, v. 14), whoever believes in Christ will have “eternal life” (v. 15), participation in God’s life, life in the age to come. Jesus took on human form to save all who will listen (however sinful), not to condemn anyone, but those who willfully refuse to believe are, through the act of rejecting him, condemning themselves (v. 18). When Christ came, there are those who preferred “darkness” (v. 19), “evil”: they avoided the light, the truth, lest their wickedness be exposed. But there are others who “do what is true” (v. 21): they seek out truth, i.e. God, and act accordingly as they follow his ways. Others see their example.
The reading should probably include v. 13.
Verse 13: As the NRSV says in a footnote, many manuscripts append who is in heaven to this verse. While this chapter begins with Jesus speaking, it seems to merge into teaching by John. This verse (as does v. 12) reflects the standpoint of the Church after the Ascension; however it is possible to understand this verse as a saying of Jesus. The double meaning was no doubt intended by John. If this verse is a continuation of the conversation with Nicodemus, it is necessary to assume that a step in the argument has been omitted. BlkJn suggests that what Jesus actually said was “No one has ascended into heaven” so there is no one on earth who can speak from his own experience of heavenly things, “except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man.” This negates the claims of other visionaries to have knowledge of what is in heaven, e.g. in 1 Enoch 70:2 and 71:1 Enoch ascends into heaven, where he is identified with the Son-of-Man figure in Daniel 7:13 (NRSV: “human being”). Note that 1 Enoch is not in the canon.
Is who is in heaven original? It is difficult to interpret, requiring the assumption that this verse reflects the standpoint of an age later than that of the ministry of Jesus. BlkJn considers this clause to be original on the basis that the more difficult reading is more likely to be correct. It is found in the majority of Greek manuscripts, and early Syriac versions include variants on it.
Verse 14: This verse at last answers Nicodemus’ question: “How can these things be?” (v. 9).The Son of Man is a type of the bronze serpent in Numbers 21:9-11. See also Wisdom of Solomon 16:5-7. There the bronze-serpent event turns Israel towards the Torah and towards God as saviour. [ NJBC] It may be noted that in Palestinian Aramaic and in Syriac the verb which is equivalent to “be lifted up” has the special meaning of be crucified . John intends this double meaning here and in other passages where the word occurs, i.e. 8:28; 12:32, 34. [ BlkJn]
Verses 16-21: John now speaks in his own person, as in 1:1-18. It is a meditation inspired by the conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus. [ BlkJn]
Verse 16: Luther called this verse “the Gospel in miniature”. [ NOAB]
Verse 16: “gave his only Son”: i.e. to death (see Romans 8:32 and Galatians 1:4, 2:20). There may be typology here too: Abraham was willing to sacrifice Isaac, a much loved only son. [ NJBC]
Verses 17-20: God’s purpose is to save; individuals judge themselves by hiding their evil deeds from the light of Christ’s holiness. [ NOAB]
Verse 21: “do what is true”: In the Qumran literature, doing the truth is an idiom for being righteous. Responsiveness to the truth is a function of one’s righteousness. In a passage that occurs in the context of a teaching about purification by the Spirit, we find, “In agreement with man’s birthright in justice and truth, so he abhors injustice; and according to his share in the lot of injustice he acts irreverently in it and so abhors the truth.” (1QS (Rule of the Community) 4:24-25).
19 Saint Joseph is a figure in the Gospels, the husband of Mary, the mother of Jesus and is venerated Saint Joseph in some Christian traditions. Christian tradition places Joseph as Jesus' foster father
20 Thomas Ken, Bishop of Bath and Wells, 1711
21 Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury and Martyr, 1556 was a leader of the English Reformation and Archbishop of Canterbury during the reigns of Henry VIII, Edward VI and, for a short time, Mary I. He helped build the case for the annulment of Henry's marriage to Catherine of Aragon, which was one of the causes of the separation of the English Church from union with the Holy See
22 James De Koven, Priest, 1879
23 Gregory the Illuminator, Bishop and Missionary of Armenia, c. 332
OLD TESTAMENT: Numbers 21: 4 - 9 (RCL)
Numb 21:4 (NRSV) From Mount Hor they set out by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of E'dom; but the people became impatient on the way. 5 The people spoke against God and against Moses, "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we detest this miserable food." 6 Then the LORD sent poisonous serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many Israelites died. 7 The people came to Moses and said, "We have sinned by speaking against the LORD and against you; pray to the LORD to take away the serpents from us." So Moses prayed for the people. 8 And the LORD said to Moses, "Make a poisonous serpent, and set it on a pole; and everyone who is bitten shall look at it and live." 9 So Moses made a serpent of bronze, and put it upon a pole; and whenever a serpent bit someone, that person would look at the serpent of bronze and live.
2 Chronicles 36: 14 - 16, 19 - 23 (Roman Catholic)
2Chr 36:14 (NRSV) All the leading priests and the people also were exceedingly unfaithful, following all the abominations of the nations; and they polluted the house of the LORD that he had consecrated in Jerusalem.
15 The LORD, the God of their ancestors, sent persistently to them by his messengers, because he had compassion on his people and on his dwelling place; 16 but they kept mocking the messengers of God, despising his words, and scoffing at his prophets, until the wrath of the LORD against his people became so great that there was no remedy.
19 They burned the house of God, broke down the wall of Jerusalem, burned all its palaces with fire, and destroyed all its precious vessels. 20 He took into exile in Babylon those who had escaped from the sword, and they became servants to him and to his sons until the establishment of the kingdom of Persia, 21 to fulfill the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremi'ah, until the land had made up for its sabbaths. All the days that it lay desolate it kept sabbath, to fulfill seventy years.
22 In the first year of King Cyrus of Persia, in fulfillment of the word of the LORD spoken by Jeremi'ah, the LORD stirred up the spirit of King Cyrus of Persia so that he sent a herald throughout all his kingdom and also declared in a written edict: 23 "Thus says King Cyrus of Persia: The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever is among you of all his people, may the LORD his God be with him! Let him go up."
PSALM 107: 1 - 3, 17 - 22 (RCL)
Psal 107:1 (NRSV) O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;
for his steadfast love endures forever.
2 Let the redeemed of the LORD say so,
those he redeemed from trouble
3 and gathered in from the lands,
from the east and from the west,
from the north and from the south.
17 Some were sick through their sinful ways,
and because of their iniquities endured affliction;
18 they loathed any kind of food,
and they drew near to the gates of death.
19 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble,
and he saved them from their distress;
20 he sent out his word and healed them,
and delivered them from destruction.
21 Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love,
for his wonderful works to humankind.
22 And let them offer thanksgiving sacrifices,
and tell of his deeds with songs of joy.
107
Part I Confitemini Domino (ECUSA BCP)
1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, *
and his mercy endures for ever.
2 Let all those whom the Lord has redeemed proclaim *
that he redeemed them from the hand of the foe.
3 He gathered them out of the lands; *
from the east and from the west,
from the north and from the south.
17 Some were fools and took to rebellious ways; *
they were afflicted because of their sins.
18 They abhorred all manner of food *
and drew near to death's door.
19 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, *
and he delivered them from their distress.
20 He sent forth his word and healed them *
and saved them from the grave.
21 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his mercy *
and the wonders he does for his children.
22 Let them offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving *
and tell of his acts with shouts of joy.
Psalm 137: 1 - 6 (Roman Catholic)
Psal 137:1 (NRSV) By the rivers of Babylon--
there we sat down and there we wept
when we remembered Zion.
2 On the willows there
we hung up our harps.
3 For there our captors
asked us for songs,
and our tormentors asked for mirth, saying,
"Sing us one of the songs of Zion!"
4 How could we sing the LORD's song
in a foreign land?
5 If I forget you, O Jerusalem,
let my right hand wither!
6 Let my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth,
if I do not remember you,
if I do not set Jerusalem
above my highest joy.
NEW TESTAMENT: Ephesians 2: 1 - 10 (RCL)
Ephesians 2: 4 - 10 (Roman Catholic)
Ephe 2:1 (NRSV) You were dead through the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once lived, following the course of this world, following the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work among those who are disobedient. 3 All of us once lived among them in the passions of our flesh, following the desires of flesh and senses, and we were by nature children of wrath, like everyone else. 4 But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us 5 even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ --by grace you have been saved-- 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the ages to come he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God-- 9 not the result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.
h/t Montreal Anglican
Paul has written of the recipients of this letter, of how they reacted to hearing the good news: they believed, and “were marked with the seal of the ... Holy Spirit” ( 1:13) in baptism. He has heard of their faith and of their love for fellow Christians. May they receive “a spirit of wisdom and revelation” ( 1:17) as they come to understand God more and more, coming to know the hope and the inheritance that are theirs through their calling, and the greatness of God’s power available to believers of all cultures.
Now he speaks of the time before their conversion, a time when, encumbered by sin, they were “dead” ( 2:1) spiritually. It was thought that the “air” ( 2:2) was the domain of demons, so the “ruler of the power of the air” is the devil; they were subservient to him. He still holds sway over the “disobedient”, those who have rejected the call to faith. (By implication, Christians are no longer his slaves.) “All of us” ( 2:3), both Jews and Gentiles, once lived self-centred lives, apart from God’s redemptive power. We were “children”, descendants of Adam – in danger of God’s “wrath” against those who sin (as they still are). (Colossians 3:6 says “the wrath of God is coming on those who are disobedient”.) We were in a state apart from God’s love for humankind in Christ. But, says 2:4, even then, when we were spiritually “dead”, God loved us greatly, so greatly that he brought us life together, raised us together and enthroned us together – “with Christ” ( 2:5). (In the Greek, each of these verbs begins with syn, as in synergy .) Christians have been given a new status, a new life, and new freedom, in order that, by living in this way, we may be channels through whom God shows his gifts to us to the world. We are saved by God’s freely given inestimable gift of love (“grace”, 2:7). Our salvation is already happening through the medium of our “faith” ( 2:8), but even “this” (salvation) is a gift from God, rather than a result of our efforts (“works”, 2:9). God’s plan has always included making Christians what we are: “created in Christ ... for good works” ( 2:10): being saved, we do “good works”.
Some scholars see Ephesians as being the work of Paul, considering that the differences in style and theology between Ephesians and earlier letters reflect the development of his thought as he grew older. Other scholars have problems with this view; to them, we have no evidence of evolution of Paul’s thinking, and this view does not reckon with the impression that the letter looks back to an earlier revered generation of apostles and prophets who provided the foundation for the household of God in the post-Pauline period. TO them, Paul was one of these apostles. 3:2-11 is written as being Paul’s words but 2:20 speaks of the Church as being “built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets”. [ NJBC]
Verses 1-10: As with 1:11-14, there is a problem here in interpreting we and you. Though the we may be Jewish Christians and the you Gentile Christians, there is no clear allusion to the Jewish-Gentile distinction before vv. 11-12. All unambiguous uses of we in this letter refer to all Christians ( 2:14; 3:20 and frequently in chapters 4-6), and we should be taken here in the same way. The author uses you when the recipients of the letter are addressed directly. [ NJBC]
Verses 1-22: Christ’s benefits, for both Gentiles and Jews. [ NOAB]
Verses 1-3: The Qumran literature speaks of a period when the spirit of darkness would be allowed to exercise authority over humanity: see 1QS (Rule of the Community) 3:20-23 and 11QMelch (Melchisedek). This period would continue until evil is destroyed and righteousness prospers: see 1QS (Rule of the Community) 4:18-23; 1QM (War Scroll) 13:14-16; 17:5-9. [ NJBC]
Verse 1: “dead”: See also v. 5. Colossians 2:13 says “... when you were dead in trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive together with him, when he forgave us all our trespasses”. [ NOAB]
Verse 2: “following the ruler of the power of the air”: In 6:11-12 the author writes: “Put on the whole armour of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places”. Colossians 1:13 says that “He [the Father] has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son”. [ NOAB]
Verse 3: “passions of our flesh ... desires of flesh”: These are not references to sexual desires but a general reference to the human being as he exists in his own selfish nature, apart from God’s redemptive power. See also vv. 11, 14. 5:29 says “... no one ever hates his own body, but he nourishes and tenderly cares for it, just as Christ does for the church”. See also 5:31 and 6:12. [ CAB]
Verse 3: “by nature children of wrath”: i.e in our natural condition as descendants of Adam, as in Romans 5:12. [ CAB]
Verse 3: “wrath”: i.e. God’s steadfast and holy hatred of sin: see also Romans 1:18-32. [ NOAB]
Verses 5-6: “made us alive”: What was said of Christ in 1:20 is now said of all Christians: they are raised and enthroned with him in the heavenly heights. [ NJBC]
Verse 6: The believer participates in Christ’s exaltation: in 1:3 the author writes: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places”. See also 1:20-21. [ CAB]
Verse 7: “grace”: i.e. God’s unmerited favour shown to humankind in Christ. [ NOAB]
Verses 8-10: While in letters generally accepted to be Pauline the dichotomy is between faith and works, here it is between God’s grace and human good deeds. [ NJBC]
Verses 8-9: A formula summarizing Paul’s theology. See also Romans 3:21-28; 1 Corinthians 1:22-29. [ CAB]
Verse 8: In Romans 5:1 Paul tells us: “... since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ”. See also Romans 11:6; Galatians 3:18, 21-22; 5:4. [ CAB]
Verse 8: “saved through faith”: Paul never says saved because of faith. [ NOAB]
Verse 9: “so that no one may boast”: See also 1 Corinthians 1:26-29. [ CAB]
Verse 10: The consequence of God’s justifying grace is that the old life described in vv. 2-3 is transformed into the new life in Christ. The new life is a way of life producing good works. In Galatians 6:15, we read: “For neither circumcision nor uncircumcision is anything; but a new creation is everything!”. [ CAB]
Verse 10: “good works”: Good works are the result, not the cause, of salvation. [ NOAB]
Verse 10: “beforehand”: This ascribes the whole matter to God. [ NOAB]
GOSPEL: John 3: 14 - 21
John 3:14 (NRSV) And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.
16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.
17 "Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Those who believe in him are not condemned; but those who do not believe are condemned already, because they have not believed in the name of the only Son of God. 19 And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. 20 For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed. 21 But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God."
Nicodemus, a Jewish leader, has come to Jesus, (because he has recognized that Jesus is “from God”, v. 2), to ask: “How can anyone be born [again] after having grown old?” (v. 4) Jesus has answered: to be part of God’s plan launched through him, one needs to be transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit, to be baptised into Christ (v. 5). God’s Spirit works in ways that humans cannot fully understand; Jesus is the only source of knowledge about heaven: he has been there. Nicodemus fails to understand even what Jesus tells him in earthly terms, by analogy. Jesus continues with an analogy (v. 14). Moses' bronze serpent preserved from death those who (through this symbol) trusted in God. In a similar way, thanks to God’s great gift of “his only Son” (v. 16, “the Son of Man”, v. 14), whoever believes in Christ will have “eternal life” (v. 15), participation in God’s life, life in the age to come. Jesus took on human form to save all who will listen (however sinful), not to condemn anyone, but those who willfully refuse to believe are, through the act of rejecting him, condemning themselves (v. 18). When Christ came, there are those who preferred “darkness” (v. 19), “evil”: they avoided the light, the truth, lest their wickedness be exposed. But there are others who “do what is true” (v. 21): they seek out truth, i.e. God, and act accordingly as they follow his ways. Others see their example.
The reading should probably include v. 13.
Verse 13: As the NRSV says in a footnote, many manuscripts append who is in heaven to this verse. While this chapter begins with Jesus speaking, it seems to merge into teaching by John. This verse (as does v. 12) reflects the standpoint of the Church after the Ascension; however it is possible to understand this verse as a saying of Jesus. The double meaning was no doubt intended by John. If this verse is a continuation of the conversation with Nicodemus, it is necessary to assume that a step in the argument has been omitted. BlkJn suggests that what Jesus actually said was “No one has ascended into heaven” so there is no one on earth who can speak from his own experience of heavenly things, “except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man.” This negates the claims of other visionaries to have knowledge of what is in heaven, e.g. in 1 Enoch 70:2 and 71:1 Enoch ascends into heaven, where he is identified with the Son-of-Man figure in Daniel 7:13 (NRSV: “human being”). Note that 1 Enoch is not in the canon.
Is who is in heaven original? It is difficult to interpret, requiring the assumption that this verse reflects the standpoint of an age later than that of the ministry of Jesus. BlkJn considers this clause to be original on the basis that the more difficult reading is more likely to be correct. It is found in the majority of Greek manuscripts, and early Syriac versions include variants on it.
Verse 14: This verse at last answers Nicodemus’ question: “How can these things be?” (v. 9).The Son of Man is a type of the bronze serpent in Numbers 21:9-11. See also Wisdom of Solomon 16:5-7. There the bronze-serpent event turns Israel towards the Torah and towards God as saviour. [ NJBC] It may be noted that in Palestinian Aramaic and in Syriac the verb which is equivalent to “be lifted up” has the special meaning of be crucified . John intends this double meaning here and in other passages where the word occurs, i.e. 8:28; 12:32, 34. [ BlkJn]
Verses 16-21: John now speaks in his own person, as in 1:1-18. It is a meditation inspired by the conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus. [ BlkJn]
Verse 16: Luther called this verse “the Gospel in miniature”. [ NOAB]
Verse 16: “gave his only Son”: i.e. to death (see Romans 8:32 and Galatians 1:4, 2:20). There may be typology here too: Abraham was willing to sacrifice Isaac, a much loved only son. [ NJBC]
Verses 17-20: God’s purpose is to save; individuals judge themselves by hiding their evil deeds from the light of Christ’s holiness. [ NOAB]
Verse 21: “do what is true”: In the Qumran literature, doing the truth is an idiom for being righteous. Responsiveness to the truth is a function of one’s righteousness. In a passage that occurs in the context of a teaching about purification by the Spirit, we find, “In agreement with man’s birthright in justice and truth, so he abhors injustice; and according to his share in the lot of injustice he acts irreverently in it and so abhors the truth.” (1QS (Rule of the Community) 4:24-25).
Saturday, March 7, 2015
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8 Geoffrey Anketell Studdert Kennedy,
Priest, 1929
·
9 Gregory,
Bishop of Nyssa, c. 394 was bishop of Nyssa from 372 to 376 and from 378
until his death. He is venerated as asaint in Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, Lutheranism, and Anglicanism. Gregory, his brother Basil of Caesarea, and Gregory of Nazianzus are
collectively known as the Cappadocian Fathers.
·
12 Gregory the
Great, Bishop of Rome, 604 was Pope from 3 September 590 to
his death in 604. Gregory is well known for his writings, which were more
prolific than those of any of his predecessors as pope.[2] He is
also known as St. Gregory the Dialogist in Eastern Christianity because
of his Dialogues.
OLD TESTAMENT: Exodus 20: 1 - 17 (all)
Exod 20:1 (NRSV) Then God spoke all these words:
2 I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land
of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; 3 you shall have no other gods before
me.
4 You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the
form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or
that is in the water under the earth. 5 You shall not bow down to them or
worship them; for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, punishing children for
the iniquity of parents, to the third and the fourth generation of those who
reject me, 6 but showing steadfast love to the thousandth generation of those
who love me and keep my commandments.
7 You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the LORD
your God, for the LORD will not acquit anyone who misuses his name.
8 Remember the sabbath day, and keep it holy. 9 Six days
you shall labor and do all your work. 10 But the seventh day is a sabbath to
the LORD your God; you shall not do any work--you, your son or your daughter,
your male or female slave, your livestock, or the alien resident in your towns.
11 For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in
them, but rested the seventh day; therefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day
and consecrated it.
12 Honor your father and your mother, so that your days
may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.
13 You shall not murder.
14 You shall not commit adultery.
15 You shall not steal.
16 You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
17 You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall
not covet your neighbor's wife, or male or female slave, or ox, or donkey, or
anything that belongs to your neighbor.
Note: Vs.
4-6 and 9-11 are optional for the Roman Catholic lectionary.
PSALM 19 (RCL )
Psalm 19: (1 - 6) 7 -
14 (C of E)
Psalm 19: 7 - 10 (Roman Catholic)
Psal 19:1 (NRSV) The heavens are telling the glory of God;
and the firmament proclaims his handiwork.
2 Day to day pours forth speech,
and night to night declares knowledge.
3 There is no speech, nor are there words;
their voice is not heard;
4 yet their voice goes out through all the earth,
and their words to the end of the world.
In the heavens he has set a tent for the sun,
5 which comes out like a bridegroom from his wedding
canopy,
and like a strong man runs its course with joy.
6 Its rising is from the end of the heavens,
and its circuit to the end of them;
and nothing is hid from its heat.
7 The law of the LORD is perfect,
reviving the soul;
the decrees of the LORD are sure,
making wise the simple;
8 the precepts of the LORD are right,
rejoicing the heart;
the commandment of the LORD is clear,
enlightening the eyes;
9 the fear of the LORD is pure,
enduring forever;
the ordinances of the LORD are true
and righteous altogether.
10 More to be desired are they than gold,
even much fine gold;
sweeter also than honey,
and drippings of the honeycomb.
11 Moreover by them is your servant warned;
in keeping them there is great reward.
12 But who can detect their errors?
Clear me from hidden faults.
13 Keep back your servant also from the insolent;
do not let them have dominion over me.
Then I shall be blameless,
and innocent of great transgression.
14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my
heart
be acceptable to you,
O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.
Note:
Verse numbering in Roman Catohlic bibles is one higher than the above.
19 Caeli enarrant (ECUSA
BCP )
1 The heavens declare the glory of God, *
and the firmament shows his handiwork.
2 One day tells its tale to another, *
and one night imparts knowledge to another.
3 Although they have no words or language,
*
and their voices are not heard,
4 Their sound has gone out into all lands,
*
and their message to the ends of the world.
5 In the deep has he set a pavilion for
the sun; *
it comes forth like a bridegroom out of his
chamber;
it rejoices like a champion to run its
course.
6 It goes forth from the uttermost edge of
the heavens
and runs about to the end of it again; *
nothing is hidden from its burning heat.
7 The law of the Lord is perfect
and
revives the soul; *
the testimony of the Lord is sure
and
gives wisdom to the innocent.
8 The statutes of the Lord are just
and
rejoice the heart; *
the commandment of the Lord is clear
and
gives light to the eyes.
9 The fear of the Lord is clean
and
endures for ever; *
the judgments of the Lord are true
and
righteous altogether.
10 More to be desired are they than gold,
more
than much fine gold, *
sweeter far than honey,
than
honey in the comb.
11 By them also is your servant enlightened,
*
and in keeping them there is great reward.
12 Who can tell how often he offends? *
cleanse me from my secret faults.
13 Above all, keep your servant from
presumptuous sins;
let them not get dominion over me; *
then shall I be whole and sound,
and innocent of a great offense.
14 Let the words of my mouth and the
meditation of my
heart
be acceptable in your sight, *
O Lord,
my strength and my redeemer.
1
Corinthians 1: 22 - 25 (Roman Catholic)
1Cor 1:18
(NRSV) For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are
perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is
written,
"I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart."
20 Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe?
Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the
world? 21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through
wisdom, God decided, through the foolishness of our proclamation, to save those
who believe. 22 For Jews demand signs and Greeks desire wisdom, 23 but we
proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to
Gentiles, 24 but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the
power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For God's foolishness is wiser than
human wisdom, and God's weakness is stronger than human strength.
h/t Montreal
Divisions within the Church should be avoided, but between believers and others they are legitimate. Now v. 18: the message of the cross makes sense to the faithful: to us, it is the revelation of God's power, but to others, it is nonsense (“foolishness”, vv. 18, 21). In v. 19, Paul recalls a verse from Isaiah referring to events that occurred when
Believers must detach themselves from the standards of fallen humanity – the cause of the divisions at
Verse 18: The fact of acceptance or rejection of humanity is the basis of division of humanity into two groups. God has not predestined some to salvation and others to condemnation. In the future, the status of a member of either group may change. In 5:5, writing of a sexually immoral man, Paul says “you are to hand this man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord”. Note also 10:12: “So if you think you are standing, watch out that you do not fall”. [ NJBC]
Verse 18: “the cross”: Paul writes in 2:1-2: “When I came to you, brothers and sisters, I did not come proclaiming the mystery of God to you in lofty words or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified.”
Verse 19: The quotation is Isaiah 29:14 in the Septuagint translation. There King Ahaz accepts the advice of “wise” counsellors to form an alliance with
Verses 20-25: Proud, self-centred humans want God to be at their disposal, but God’s way of dealing with human sin through the cross of Christ stands in contrast to human power and wisdom. Those who have been “called” (v. 24) by the message of the cross find in it God’s “power” and “wisdom”. [ CAB]
Verse 20: The questions are inspired by Isaiah 19:11; 33:18; 44:25; Job 12:17. [ NJBC]
Verse 21: “the wisdom of God”: Not a divine plan, but the organization and beauty of creation: see also Romans 1:19-20. [ NJBC]
Verse 21: “the world did not know God through wisdom”: Rational speculation, which in the world passes for wisdom, had failed to perceive that God has acted through a suffering saviour. [ NJBC]
Verse 22: “demand signs”: i.e. demand miracles. In so doing, Jews refuse to trust in God, thus camouflaging their contentment with the status quo. [ NJBC]
Verse 22: “Greeks”: The Greek word is ethnoi, the same word translated as “Gentiles” in v. 23, so Paul means non-Jews in general. In Galatians 3:28 he writes: “There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus”. [ NJBC]
Verse 23: “stumbling block to Jews”: Because of their particular messianic expectations. [ NJBC]
Verse 23: “foolishness to Gentiles”: Because of their rationalism. [ NJBC]
Verse 24: “those who are the called”: Even though Paul uses kletoi, the called ones, he speaks of those who hear and accept the good news. Paul often calls members of the Church the called ones. In Romans 8:28, he writes: “We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose”. See also 2:2 and Romans 1:6-7. [ NJBC]
Verse 24: “Christ ...”: The authentic humanity of Jesus makes visible God’s intention for humans and radiates an attractive force that enables response. [ NJBC]
GOSPEL: John 2: 13 - 22 (RCL )
John 2: 13 - 25 (Roman Catholic)
John 2:13
(NRSV) The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem .
14 In the temple he found people selling cattle, sheep, and doves, and the
money changers seated at their tables. 15 Making a whip of cords, he drove all
of them out of the temple, both the sheep and the cattle. He also poured out
the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. 16 He told those
who were selling the doves, "Take these things out of here! Stop making my
Father's house a marketplace!" 17 His disciples remembered that it was
written, "Zeal for your house will consume me." 18 The Jews then said
to him, "What sign can you show us for doing this?" 19 Jesus answered
them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." 20
The Jews then said, "This temple has been under construction for forty-six
years, and will you raise it up in three days?" 21 But he was speaking of
the temple of his body. 22 After he was raised from the dead, his disciples
remembered that he had said this; and they believed the scripture and the word
that Jesus had spoken.
23 When he was in Jerusalem
during the Passover festival, many believed in his name because they saw the
signs that he was doing. 24 But Jesus on his part would not entrust himself to
them, because he knew all people 25 and needed no one to testify about anyone;
for he himself knew what was in everyone.
Perhaps John
contrasts “the Passover of the Jews” with the sacrifice of our “pascal lamb,
Christ” (1 Corinthians 5:7).
Jesus, as did many Jews, goes “up to Jerusalem Temple Temple
NJBC says that there are sufficient differences between John’s version of this story and that in thesynoptic gospels to assert that John’s version came from an independent tradition.
Verse 13: “The Passover of the Jews”: John characteristically dissociates himself from Judaism: see also 5:1; 6:4; 7:2; 11:55. [ BlkJn]
The annual pilgrimage of Jews to
Verse 14: The traders provided a service which was a great convenience for worshippers: the animals they sold were guaranteed as suitable for sacrifice by the
Verses 15-16: Not an outburst of temper, but the energy of righteousness against religious leaders to whom religion had become a business. [ NOAB]
Verse 15: It is likely that the fracas involved more than Jesus and the traders. His use of a “whip” and his upsetting of the tables was probably resisted, and this resistance was overcome by force, presumably with the help of Jesus’ disciples and sympathizers. Staves and other weapons were forbidden in the
Verse 16: In the other gospels, it is solely the dishonesty of the traders that Jesus attacks, but here Jesus also objects to the trade as such. In Mark 11:17, Jesus recalls the prophecy in Isaiah 56:7: “‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’”. [ BlkJn]
Comments: V. 19 may show that Jesus also speaks against the Jewish sacrificial system: TheQumran community also objected to
Verse 17: Psalm 69 is an urgent appeal to God to vindicate the righteous man who has been oppressed for his zeal and faithfulness to God, but v. 9 of the psalm is to be understood as a prophecy that the zeal which Jesus showed would later lead to his destruction. In the synopticgospels (but not here) the cleansing of the
Verse 17: “remembered”: Remembering in John is a technical term for the process by which the community came to see Jesus as the fulfilment of Scripture after the resurrection. [ NJBC]
Verse 18: In the synoptic gospels, the disciples join in seeking a “sign”. There, Jesus refuses to give signs: see Mark 8:12; Matthew 12:39; Luke 11:29. Usually in John, Jesus performs signs to confirm faith, not to convince sceptics. [ BlkJn]
Verse 19: In John 4:21, Jesus tells the Samaritan woman at the well that the
Comments: The religious leaders ... misunderstand: The religious authorities presume that Jesus threatens to destroy the
Verse 20: Josephus tells us in his Antiquities that Herod began rebuilding the
- The naos was completed in a year and five
months and
- The whole complex of temple buildings was only completed in about
63 AD.
- Josephus means the
sanctuary proper by naos while in John it refers to a
larger group of buildings, and
- Reconstruction was suspended in 26 AD – when this larger group of
buildings was almost complete.
The
Verse 21: “his body”: While the primary reference is to the body of Jesus which was raised from the tomb, there may be an allusion here to the Church, the new
Verse 22: “they believed ...”: For other examples of belief as the response to Jesus’ words and actions, see 2:11 (the disciples at the wedding at Cana); 4:39 (Samaritans at the well),4: 41, 50 (the official with the son who is ill), 4:53; 6:69 (the disciples); 7:31 (many in the crowd); 8:30; 9:38(the man born blind); 10:42; 11:27 (Martha), 11:45 (“many of the Jews”); 12:11, 42 (“many, even of the authorities”); 16:30; 20:8 (“the other disciple”).
Verse 22: “the scripture”: The word in Greek is in the singular, so John probably means that the disciples understood Psalm 69:9 as applied to Jesus. [ BlkJn]
Verses 23-25: Faith which rests merely on “signs” and not on him to whom they point is shallow and unstable. [ NOAB]
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