1 The Holy Name of Our Lord Jesus Christ

2 Vedanayagam Samuel Azariah, First Indian Anglican Bishop, Dornakal, 1945

3 William Passavant, Prophetic Witness, 1894  was a Lutheran minister noted for bringing the Lutheran Deaconess movement to the United States. He is commemorated in the Calendar of Saints of the Lutheran Church on November 24 with Justus Falckner and Jehu Jones. 

4 Elizabeth Seton, Founder of the American Sisters of Charity, 1821

6 THE EPIPHANY OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST

OLD TESTAMENT:  Numbers 6: 22-27  (RCL, Roman Catholic)

Numb 6:22 (NRSV) The LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 23 Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, Thus you shall bless the Israelites: You shall say to them,

24 The LORD bless you and keep you;

25 the LORD make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you;

26 the LORD lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace.

27 So they shall put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.

PSALM 8  (RCL)

Psal 8:1 (NRSV) O LORD, our Sovereign,

how majestic is your name in all the earth!

You have set your glory above the heavens.

2 Out of the mouths of babes and infants

you have founded a bulwark because of your foes,

to silence the enemy and the avenger.

3 When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,

the moon and the stars that you have established;

4 what are human beings that you are mindful of them,

mortals that you care for them?

5 Yet you have made them a little lower than God,

and crowned them with glory and honor.

6 You have given them dominion over the works of your hands;

you have put all things under their feet,

7 all sheep and oxen,

and also the beasts of the field,

8 the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea,

whatever passes along the paths of the seas.

9 O LORD, our Sovereign,

how majestic is your name in all the earth!

8   Domine, Dominus noster   (ECUSA BCP)

1  O Lord our Governor, *

 how exalted is your Name in all the world!

2  Out of the mouths of infants and children *

 your majesty is praised above the heavens.

3  You have set up a stronghold against your adversaries, *

 to quell the enemy and the avenger.

4  When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, *

 the moon and the stars you have set in their courses,

5  What is man that you should be mindful of him? *

 the son of man that you should seek him out?

6  You have made him but little lower than the angels; *

 you adorn him with glory and honor;

7  You give him mastery over the works of your hands; *

 you put all things under his feet:

8  All sheep and oxen, *

 even the wild beasts of the field,

9  The birds of the air, the fish of the sea, *

 and whatsoever walks in the paths of the sea.

10  O Lord our Governor, *

 how exalted is you Name in all the world!

Psalm 67: 1 - 2, 4 - 5, 7  (Roman Catholic)

Psal 67:1 (NRSV) {To the leader: with stringed instruments. A Psalm. A Song.}

May God be gracious to us and bless us

and make his face to shine upon us, [Selah]

2 that your way may be known upon earth,

your saving power among all nations.

4 Let the nations be glad and sing for joy,

for you judge the peoples with equity

and guide the nations upon earth. [Selah]

5 Let the peoples praise you, O God;

let all the peoples praise you.

7 May God continue to bless us;

let all the ends of the earth revere him.

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

NEW TESTAMENT:  Galatians 4: 4 - 7  (RCL, Roman Catholic)

Gala 4:4 (NRSV) But when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 in order to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as children. 6 And because you are children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!" 7 So you are no longer a slave but a child, and if a child then also an heir, through God.

h/t Montreal Anglican

Some teachers in Galatia have claimed that a Christian must first embrace Judaism, observing Mosaic law. Paul wrote this letter to rebut this argument, to insist that one comes into union with God through faith in Christ, and not through ritual observances.

In vv. 1-3, he takes the example of an orphaned boy of minor age, an heir: although he owns his dead father’s property, it remains under the control of trustees until the date his father set (per Palestinian practice.) He cannot speak or act on his own behalf. So it is with Paul and his readers: before “we” accepted Christ, we had no power to speak or act, being slaves to spiritual elements , celestial beings that control the physical elements of the universe.

But, at the time our Father set (“fullness of time”, v. 4), “God sent his Son”, born a human (“of a woman”), indeed a Jew (“under the law”). God sent him so that we Jewish Christians might be adopted as God’s children, be made part of him. Then v. 6: being his children, he sent the “Spirit of his Son”, God’s Spirit, to empower us to call him Father. (“Abba”, v. 6, is Aramaic for father. Jesus prayed “Abba, ...” in the Garden of Gethsemane: see Mark 14:36.) So, v. 7, you are free from the obligations of Mosaic law, and being his child makes you an heir to God’s kingdom, through Christ.

In vv. 8-9, Paul questions how, now that God has chosen them to know him, can they go back to spiritual elements. (Contemporary Jewish belief was that at Mount Sinai the Law was spoken by angels, celestial beings, spiritual elements.) How can they want to be enslaved again?

Galatians was written to Jewish Christians who were tempted to return to Judaism.

Verse 1: “minors”: Paul uses the word nepios, meaning an infant, one who does not speak. [ NJBC]

Verse 2: “guardians and trustees”: According to CAB, a “guardian” was entrusted with the general care of a child up to the age of 14, and a “trustee” with the financial affairs of a young man up to the age of 25; however NJBC sees this as Palestinian usage, not Roman. As minors, they are in an interim state; such is being under the Law.

Verse 2: “until the date set by the father”: In Roman law, a father could set limits to the time of trusteeship. [ CAB]

Verse 3: “the elemental spirits of the world”: There are four possible meanings:

based on the translation quoted above:

the cosmic powers controlling the universe, as in v. 8 [ NOAB]

the elemental signs of the zodiac [ NJBC]

based on the alternative translation “rudimentary spirits of the world” given in the NRSV footnote:

the rudiments of the world, i.e. earth, air, fire and water [ NOAB]

rudimentary rules and religious observances: see also vv. 9-10 and Colossians 2:8, 20 [ NOAB]

Verses 4-5: Christ was sent at a time determined by God in order to ransom those who were in bondage. “under the law”. [ NOAB]

Verse 4: “born of a woman”: Both Matthew 11:11 and Luke 7:28 tell us that there is no one “born of women” greater than John the Baptizer. This phrase is also found in the Old Testament: see Job 14:1; 15:14; 25:4. It is also found in the Qumran Hymns. Some patristic writers read genomenon with an omega (a long O) rather than an omicron (a short O), so they saw here a reference to Mary’s virginal conception, but this is an anachronism. [ NJBC] In the Old Testament and at Qumran we see its use as a typical Jewish circumlocution for the human person, so it does not to the process by which God’s Son became a man (his birth), but it simply describes his human condition. This phrase is echoed in v. 5: “so that we might receive adoption as children”. [ BlkGal]

Verse 5: “in order to redeem”: In the sense that Christ secured release of those retained in the Law: Paul says in 3:12: “the law does not rest on faith; on the contrary, ‘Whoever does the works of the law will live by them.’”. [ CAB]

Verse 5: “adoption”: Under Greco-Roman law, an adopted child received the full legal status of a natural child. Perhaps Paul’s analogy is influenced by Israel’s release from bondage in Egypt in Hosea 11:1: “Out of Egypt I have called my son”, a verse quoted in Matthew 2:15. See also Romans 15:8. [ CAB]

Verse 6: “because you are children”: NJBC translates this differently: the proof that you are sons is that God sent ...”.

Verse 6: “sent”: The Greek word, apostellein, developed a specific meaning: to send someone in the service of the Kingdom with authority fully grounded in God. [ NJBC]

Verse 6: “Abba! Father!”: In Romans 8:15-17, Paul writes: “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!’ it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 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”.

Philippians 2: 5 - 11   (alt. for RCL)

Phil 2:1 (NRSV) If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, 2 make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. 3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. 5 Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus,

6 who, though he was in the form of God,

did not regard equality with God

as something to be exploited,

7 but emptied himself,

taking the form of a slave,

being born in human likeness.

And being found in human form,

8 he humbled himself

and became obedient to the point of death--

even death on a cross.

9 Therefore God also highly exalted him

and gave him the name

that is above every name,

10 so that at the name of Jesus

every knee should bend,

in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

11 and every tongue should confess

that Jesus Christ is Lord,

to the glory of God the Father.

Note: This is not an alternative for the C of E

GOSPEL:  Luke 2: 15 - 21   (RCL)

                    Luke 2: 16 - 21   (Roman Catholic)

Luke 2:15 (NRSV) When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us." 16 So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. 17 When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. 19 But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

21 After eight days had passed, it was time to circumcise the child; and he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

Luke has told us of Joseph and Mary’s visit to Bethlehem (his ancestral town) to register in the census, and of Jesus’ birth. He lie “in a manger” (v. 12), a trough from which animals eat; he is sustenance for all peoples. Shepherds, living in the field with their flocks have heard the angel’s announcement of the birth of “a Saviour, who is the Messiah, the Lord” (v. 11). Many heavenly beings have appeared, praising God and pronouncing peace: “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favours!” (v. 14).

Now the shepherds decide to see the glorious event for themselves (v. 15). It is appropriate that the first visitors to the newborn child be shepherds: Jesus is our shepherd. Note “with haste” in v. 16; as Mary set out to visit her cousin Elizabeth “with haste” in 1:39; Jesus will later stress the urgency of his mission. The shepherds look for, and find, the infant where the angel has told them in v. 12, “in the manger” (v. 16). They make known, tell Mary and Joseph – and others – the good news the angel has delivered. Mary and Zechariah have already told us something of the meaning of the birth and the destiny of Jesus in 1:31-33, 1:46-55 and 1:68-79. What the shepherds have been told provides another perspective on this event. Mary tries to understand (“pondered”, v. 19) all that she has experienced and been told, especially the great news told by the angels, but she does not immediately grasp the full significance of God’s action of Jesus being born into the world. Later, after Jesus as a boy has asked his parents “Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?” (v. 49), she understands a little more. Luke does not tell us directly about Jesus’ circumcision but infant boys were named on this occasion; being a Jew, he is circumcised (v. 21). As a member of God’s chosen people he will bring salvation to the world. Before Jesus was conceived, an angel has said “‘you will name him Jesus’” ( 1:31). His name means God saves. The Hebrew and Aramaic forms of Jesus are similar to he will save

The angelic song (see v. 14) shows that the divine purpose is to be achieved through Jesus while the visit of the shepherds emphasizes the simple human aspect of him. [ CAB]

Verse 14: “peace among those whom he favours!”: Those whom God has chosen in accord with his good pleasure. Lack of a single letter in later Greek manuscripts accounts for the alternative rendering: peace, goodwill among people. [ NOAB] BlkLk says that among men of goodwill is not a valid translation.

Verse 14: “peace”: Isaiah 52:7 says that the Messiah will bring peace. Isaiah 57:19 says “Peace, peace, to the far and the near, says the Lord; and I will heal them”. Luke speaks of peace as a gift from God equivalent to salvation in 1:79 (Zechariah in the Benedictus); 10:5- 6 (Jesus’ instructions to the seventy sent out); 19:42 (Jesus weeps over Jerusalem). [ BlkLk]

Comments: Jesus will later stress the urgency of his mission: One verse in which Jesus does this is in Mark 6:8: Jesus orders the disciples as they set out on missionary journeys “to take nothing for their journey except a staff; no bread, no bag, no money in their belts” but to wear sandals and not to put on two tunics”. The parallels in Matthew 10:10 and Luke 10:4 do not permit taking a staff and wearing sandals. The disciples are to prepare for mission without delay. Until Jesus arrives in Jerusalem, almost every passage begins with a verb of motion: see Mark 1:12, 14, 16, 19, 21, 29, 35; 2:1, 13, etc. There is an uncondition1 The Holy Name of Our Lord Jesus Christ

2 Vedanayagam Samuel Azariah, First Indian Anglican Bishop, Dornakal, 1945

3 William Passavant, Prophetic Witness, 1894  was a Lutheran minister noted for bringing the Lutheran Deaconess movement to the United States. He is commemorated in the Calendar of Saints of the Lutheran Church on November 24 with Justus Falckner and Jehu Jones. 

4 Elizabeth Seton, Founder of the American Sisters of Charity, 1821

6 THE EPIPHANY OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST

OLD TESTAMENT:  Numbers 6: 22-27  (RCL, Roman Catholic)

Numb 6:22 (NRSV) The LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 23 Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, Thus you shall bless the Israelites: You shall say to them,

24 The LORD bless you and keep you;

25 the LORD make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you;

26 the LORD lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace.

27 So they shall put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.

PSALM 8  (RCL)

Psal 8:1 (NRSV) O LORD, our Sovereign,

how majestic is your name in all the earth!

You have set your glory above the heavens.

2 Out of the mouths of babes and infants

you have founded a bulwark because of your foes,

to silence the enemy and the avenger.

3 When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,

the moon and the stars that you have established;

4 what are human beings that you are mindful of them,

mortals that you care for them?

5 Yet you have made them a little lower than God,

and crowned them with glory and honor.

6 You have given them dominion over the works of your hands;

you have put all things under their feet,

7 all sheep and oxen,

and also the beasts of the field,

8 the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea,

whatever passes along the paths of the seas.

9 O LORD, our Sovereign,

how majestic is your name in all the earth!

8   Domine, Dominus noster   (ECUSA BCP)

1  O Lord our Governor, *

 how exalted is your Name in all the world!

2  Out of the mouths of infants and children *

 your majesty is praised above the heavens.

3  You have set up a stronghold against your adversaries, *

 to quell the enemy and the avenger.

4  When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, *

 the moon and the stars you have set in their courses,

5  What is man that you should be mindful of him? *

 the son of man that you should seek him out?

6  You have made him but little lower than the angels; *

 you adorn him with glory and honor;

7  You give him mastery over the works of your hands; *

 you put all things under his feet:

8  All sheep and oxen, *

 even the wild beasts of the field,

9  The birds of the air, the fish of the sea, *

 and whatsoever walks in the paths of the sea.

10  O Lord our Governor, *

 how exalted is you Name in all the world!

Psalm 67: 1 - 2, 4 - 5, 7  (Roman Catholic)

Psal 67:1 (NRSV) {To the leader: with stringed instruments. A Psalm. A Song.}

May God be gracious to us and bless us

and make his face to shine upon us, [Selah]

2 that your way may be known upon earth,

your saving power among all nations.

4 Let the nations be glad and sing for joy,

for you judge the peoples with equity

and guide the nations upon earth. [Selah]

5 Let the peoples praise you, O God;

let all the peoples praise you.

7 May God continue to bless us;

let all the ends of the earth revere him.

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

NEW TESTAMENT:  Galatians 4: 4 - 7  (RCL, Roman Catholic)

Gala 4:4 (NRSV) But when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 in order to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as children. 6 And because you are children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!" 7 So you are no longer a slave but a child, and if a child then also an heir, through God.

h/t Montreal Anglican

Some teachers in Galatia have claimed that a Christian must first embrace Judaism, observing Mosaic law. Paul wrote this letter to rebut this argument, to insist that one comes into union with God through faith in Christ, and not through ritual observances.

In vv. 1-3, he takes the example of an orphaned boy of minor age, an heir: although he owns his dead father’s property, it remains under the control of trustees until the date his father set (per Palestinian practice.) He cannot speak or act on his own behalf. So it is with Paul and his readers: before “we” accepted Christ, we had no power to speak or act, being slaves to spiritual elements , celestial beings that control the physical elements of the universe.

But, at the time our Father set (“fullness of time”, v. 4), “God sent his Son”, born a human (“of a woman”), indeed a Jew (“under the law”). God sent him so that we Jewish Christians might be adopted as God’s children, be made part of him. Then v. 6: being his children, he sent the “Spirit of his Son”, God’s Spirit, to empower us to call him Father. (“Abba”, v. 6, is Aramaic for father. Jesus prayed “Abba, ...” in the Garden of Gethsemane: see Mark 14:36.) So, v. 7, you are free from the obligations of Mosaic law, and being his child makes you an heir to God’s kingdom, through Christ.

In vv. 8-9, Paul questions how, now that God has chosen them to know him, can they go back to spiritual elements. (Contemporary Jewish belief was that at Mount Sinai the Law was spoken by angels, celestial beings, spiritual elements.) How can they want to be enslaved again?

Galatians was written to Jewish Christians who were tempted to return to Judaism.

Verse 1: “minors”: Paul uses the word nepios, meaning an infant, one who does not speak. [ NJBC]

Verse 2: “guardians and trustees”: According to CAB, a “guardian” was entrusted with the general care of a child up to the age of 14, and a “trustee” with the financial affairs of a young man up to the age of 25; however NJBC sees this as Palestinian usage, not Roman. As minors, they are in an interim state; such is being under the Law.

Verse 2: “until the date set by the father”: In Roman law, a father could set limits to the time of trusteeship. [ CAB]

Verse 3: “the elemental spirits of the world”: There are four possible meanings:

based on the translation quoted above:

the cosmic powers controlling the universe, as in v. 8 [ NOAB]

the elemental signs of the zodiac [ NJBC]

based on the alternative translation “rudimentary spirits of the world” given in the NRSV footnote:

the rudiments of the world, i.e. earth, air, fire and water [ NOAB]

rudimentary rules and religious observances: see also vv. 9-10 and Colossians 2:8, 20 [ NOAB]

Verses 4-5: Christ was sent at a time determined by God in order to ransom those who were in bondage. “under the law”. [ NOAB]

Verse 4: “born of a woman”: Both Matthew 11:11 and Luke 7:28 tell us that there is no one “born of women” greater than John the Baptizer. This phrase is also found in the Old Testament: see Job 14:1; 15:14; 25:4. It is also found in the Qumran Hymns. Some patristic writers read genomenon with an omega (a long O) rather than an omicron (a short O), so they saw here a reference to Mary’s virginal conception, but this is an anachronism. [ NJBC] In the Old Testament and at Qumran we see its use as a typical Jewish circumlocution for the human person, so it does not to the process by which God’s Son became a man (his birth), but it simply describes his human condition. This phrase is echoed in v. 5: “so that we might receive adoption as children”. [ BlkGal]

Verse 5: “in order to redeem”: In the sense that Christ secured release of those retained in the Law: Paul says in 3:12: “the law does not rest on faith; on the contrary, ‘Whoever does the works of the law will live by them.’”. [ CAB]

Verse 5: “adoption”: Under Greco-Roman law, an adopted child received the full legal status of a natural child. Perhaps Paul’s analogy is influenced by Israel’s release from bondage in Egypt in Hosea 11:1: “Out of Egypt I have called my son”, a verse quoted in Matthew 2:15. See also Romans 15:8. [ CAB]

Verse 6: “because you are children”: NJBC translates this differently: the proof that you are sons is that God sent ...”.

Verse 6: “sent”: The Greek word, apostellein, developed a specific meaning: to send someone in the service of the Kingdom with authority fully grounded in God. [ NJBC]

Verse 6: “Abba! Father!”: In Romans 8:15-17, Paul writes: “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!’ it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 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”.

Philippians 2: 5 - 11   (alt. for RCL)

Phil 2:1 (NRSV) If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, 2 make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. 3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. 5 Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus,

6 who, though he was in the form of God,

did not regard equality with God

as something to be exploited,

7 but emptied himself,

taking the form of a slave,

being born in human likeness.

And being found in human form,

8 he humbled himself

and became obedient to the point of death--

even death on a cross.

9 Therefore God also highly exalted him

and gave him the name

that is above every name,

10 so that at the name of Jesus

every knee should bend,

in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

11 and every tongue should confess

that Jesus Christ is Lord,

to the glory of God the Father.

Note: This is not an alternative for the C of E

GOSPEL:  Luke 2: 15 - 21   (RCL)

                    Luke 2: 16 - 21   (Roman Catholic)

Luke 2:15 (NRSV) When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us." 16 So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. 17 When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. 19 But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

21 After eight days had passed, it was time to circumcise the child; and he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

Luke has told us of Joseph and Mary’s visit to Bethlehem (his ancestral town) to register in the census, and of Jesus’ birth. He lie “in a manger” (v. 12), a trough from which animals eat; he is sustenance for all peoples. Shepherds, living in the field with their flocks have heard the angel’s announcement of the birth of “a Saviour, who is the Messiah, the Lord” (v. 11). Many heavenly beings have appeared, praising God and pronouncing peace: “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favours!” (v. 14).

Now the shepherds decide to see the glorious event for themselves (v. 15). It is appropriate that the first visitors to the newborn child be shepherds: Jesus is our shepherd. Note “with haste” in v. 16; as Mary set out to visit her cousin Elizabeth “with haste” in 1:39; Jesus will later stress the urgency of his mission. The shepherds look for, and find, the infant where the angel has told them in v. 12, “in the manger” (v. 16). They make known, tell Mary and Joseph – and others – the good news the angel has delivered. Mary and Zechariah have already told us something of the meaning of the birth and the destiny of Jesus in 1:31-33, 1:46-55 and 1:68-79. What the shepherds have been told provides another perspective on this event. Mary tries to understand (“pondered”, v. 19) all that she has experienced and been told, especially the great news told by the angels, but she does not immediately grasp the full significance of God’s action of Jesus being born into the world. Later, after Jesus as a boy has asked his parents “Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?” (v. 49), she understands a little more. Luke does not tell us directly about Jesus’ circumcision but infant boys were named on this occasion; being a Jew, he is circumcised (v. 21). As a member of God’s chosen people he will bring salvation to the world. Before Jesus was conceived, an angel has said “‘you will name him Jesus’” ( 1:31). His name means God saves. The Hebrew and Aramaic forms of Jesus are similar to he will save

The angelic song (see v. 14) shows that the divine purpose is to be achieved through Jesus while the visit of the shepherds emphasizes the simple human aspect of him. [ CAB]

Verse 14: “peace among those whom he favours!”: Those whom God has chosen in accord with his good pleasure. Lack of a single letter in later Greek manuscripts accounts for the alternative rendering: peace, goodwill among people. [ NOAB] BlkLk says that among men of goodwill is not a valid translation.

Verse 14: “peace”: Isaiah 52:7 says that the Messiah will bring peace. Isaiah 57:19 says “Peace, peace, to the far and the near, says the Lord; and I will heal them”. Luke speaks of peace as a gift from God equivalent to salvation in 1:79 (Zechariah in the Benedictus); 10:5- 6 (Jesus’ instructions to the seventy sent out); 19:42 (Jesus weeps over Jerusalem). [ BlkLk]

Comments: Jesus will later stress the urgency of his mission: One verse in which Jesus does this is in Mark 6:8: Jesus orders the disciples as they set out on missionary journeys “to take nothing for their journey except a staff; no bread, no bag, no money in their belts” but to wear sandals and not to put on two tunics”. The parallels in Matthew 10:10 and Luke 10:4 do not permit taking a staff and wearing sandals. The disciples are to prepare for mission without delay. Until Jesus arrives in Jerusalem, almost every passage begins with a verb of motion: see Mark 1:12, 14, 16, 19, 21, 29, 35; 2:1, 13, etc. There is an unconditional response to a divine urgency. [ HenMk] Does this reflect the expectation of many that the end-times would come soon? I don't think so; a sense of the urgency of the mission is appropriate today.

Verse 17: “what had been told them about this child”: This is complementary to:

• The announcement to Mary (see 1:31-33) that Jesus is Saviour (see v. 11)
• Mary’s statement in the Magnificat (see 1:46-55)
• Zechariah’s statement, the Benedictus (see 1:68-79) [ NJBC]

Verse 19: Mary tries to find the meaning of these events. She models for believers the necessity of reflecting on, and embodying, peace. 1:45 says “blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfilment of what was spoken to her by the Lord”. [ NJBC]

Verse 21: “circumcise the child”: Jesus is formally made a member of God’s chosen people through whom world salvation is to be achieved. [ NJBC]

 al response to a divine urgency. [ HenMk] Does this reflect the expectation of many that the end-times would come soon? I don't think so; a sense of the urgency of the mission is appropriate today.

Verse 17: “what had been told them about this child”: This is complementary to:

• The announcement to Mary (see 1:31-33) that Jesus is Saviour (see v. 11)
• Mary’s statement in the Magnificat (see 1:46-55)
• Zechariah’s statement, the Benedictus (see 1:68-79) [ NJBC]

Verse 19: Mary tries to find the meaning of these events. She models for believers the necessity of reflecting on, and embodying, peace. 1:45 says “blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfilment of what was spoken to her by the Lord”. [ NJBC]

Verse 21: “circumcise the child”: Jesus is formally made a member of God’s chosen people through whom world salvation is to be achieved. [ NJBC]