• 29 John Cassian, Abbot at Marseilles, 433, was a Christian monk and theologian celebrated in both the Western and Eastern Churches for his mystical writings.

March

• 1 David, Bishop of Menevia, Wales, c. 544was a Welsh bishop of Menevia during the 6th century; he was later regarded as a saint. He is the patron saint of Wales
• 2 Chad, Bishop of Lichfield, 672 was a prominent 7th century Anglo-Saxon churchman, who became abbot of several monasteries, Bishop of the Northumbrians and subsequently Bishop of the Mercians and Lindsey People.
• 3 John and Charles Wesley, Priests, 1791, 1788
• 4 Paul Cuffee, Witness to the Faith among the Shinnecock, 1812
• 6 William W. Mayo, 1911, and Charles Menninger, 1953, and Their Sons, Pioneers in Medicine
•  

OLD TESTAMENT:  Isaiah 55: 1 - 9   (RCL)

Isai 55:1 (NRSV) Ho, everyone who thirsts,

come to the waters;

and you that have no money,

come, buy and eat!

Come, buy wine and milk

without money and without price.

2 Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread,

and your labor for that which does not satisfy?

Listen carefully to me, and eat what is good,

and delight yourselves in rich food.

3 Incline your ear, and come to me;

listen, so that you may live.

I will make with you an everlasting covenant,

my steadfast, sure love for David.

4 See, I made him a witness to the peoples,

a leader and commander for the peoples.

5 See, you shall call nations that you do not know,

and nations that do not know you shall run to you,

because of the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel,

for he has glorified you.

6 Seek the LORD while he may be found,

call upon him while he is near;

7 let the wicked forsake their way,

and the unrighteous their thoughts;

let them return to the LORD, that he may have mercy on them,

and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts,

nor are your ways my ways, says the LORD.

9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth,

so are my ways higher than your ways

and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Exodus 3: 1 - 15   (ECUSA)

Exodus 3: 1 - 8a, 13 - 15   (Roman Catholic)

Exod 3:1 (NRSV) Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law Jeth'ro, the priest of Mid'ian; he led his flock beyond the wilderness, and came to Ho'reb, the mountain of God. 2 There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire out of a bush; he looked, and the bush was blazing, yet it was not consumed. 3 Then Moses said, "I must turn aside and look at this great sight, and see why the bush is not burned up." 4 When the LORD saw that he had turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, "Moses, Moses!" And he said, "Here I am." 5 Then he said, "Come no closer! Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground." 6 He said further, "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.

7 Then the LORD said, "I have observed the misery of my people who are in Egypt; I have heard their cry on account of their taskmasters. Indeed, I know their sufferings, 8 and I have come down to deliver them from the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the country of the Ca'naanites, the Hit'tites, the Am'orites, the Per'izzites, the Hi'vites, and the Jeb'usites. 9 The cry of the Israelites has now come to me; I have also seen how the Egyptians oppress them. 10 So come, I will send you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt." 11 But Moses said to God, "Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?" 12 He said, "I will be with you; and this shall be the sign for you that it is I who sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God on this mountain."

13 But Moses said to God, "If I come to the Israelites and say to them, "The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,' and they ask me, "What is his name?' what shall I say to them?" 14 God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM."

 He said further, "Thus you shall say to the Israelites, "I AM has sent me to you.'" 15 God also said to Moses, "Thus you shall say to the Israelites, "The LORD, the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you':

This is my name forever,

and this my title for all generations.

PSALM 63: 1 - 8   (RCL)

Psal 63:1 (NRSV) O God, you are my God, I seek you,

my soul thirsts for you;

my flesh faints for you,

as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.

2 So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary,

beholding your power and glory.

3 Because your steadfast love is better than life,

my lips will praise you.

4 So I will bless you as long as I live;

I will lift up my hands and call on your name.

5 My soul is satisfied as with a rich feast,

and my mouth praises you with joyful lips

6 when I think of you on my bed,

and meditate on you in the watches of the night;

7 for you have been my help,

and in the shadow of your wings I sing for joy.

8 My soul clings to you;

your right hand upholds me.

Note: Verse numbering in your Psalter may differ from the above.

63   Deus, Deus meus    (ECUSA BCP)

1          O God, you are my God; eagerly I seek you; *

     my soul thirsts for you, my flesh faints for you,

     as in a barren and dry land where there is no water.

2          Therefore I have gazed upon you in your holy place, *

     that I might behold your power and your glory.

3          For your loving-kindness is better than life itself; *

     my lips shall give you praise.

4          So will I bless you as long as I live *

     and lift up my hands in your Name.

5          My soul is content, as with marrow and fatness, *

     and my mouth praises you with joyful lips,

6          When I remember you upon my bed, *

     and meditate on you in the night watches.

7          For you have been my helper, *

     and under the shadow of your wings I will rejoice.

8          My soul clings to you; *

     your right hand holds me fast.

Psalm 103: 1 - 4, 6 - 8, 11   (Roman Catholic)

Psal 103:1 (NRSV) Bless the LORD, O my soul,

and all that is within me,

bless his holy name.

2 Bless the LORD, O my soul,

and do not forget all his benefits--

3 who forgives all your iniquity,

who heals all your diseases,

4 who redeems your life from the Pit,

who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,

6 The LORD works vindication

and justice for all who are oppressed.

7 He made known his ways to Moses,

his acts to the people of Israel.

8 The LORD is merciful and gracious,

slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

11 For as the heavens are high above the earth,

so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;

NEW TESTAMENT:  1 Corinthians 10: 1 - 13   (all but Roman Catholic)

                                     1 Corinthians 10: 1 - 6, 10 - 12   (Roman Catholic)

1Cor 10:1 (NRSV) I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, 2 and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, 3 and all ate the same spiritual food, 4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was Christ. 5 Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them, and they were struck down in the wilderness.

6 Now these things occurred as examples for us, so that we might not desire evil as they did. 7 Do not become idolaters as some of them did; as it is written, "The people sat down to eat and drink, and they rose up to play." 8 We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. 9 We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did, and were destroyed by serpents. 10 And do not complain as some of them did, and were destroyed by the destroyer. 11 These things happened to them to serve as an example, and they were written down to instruct us, on whom the ends of the ages have come. 12 So if you think you are standing, watch out that you do not fall. 13 No testing has overtaken you that is not common to everyone. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it.

h/t Montreal Anglican

Paul warns Christians at Corinth that some of them are not on the path to eternal life: “if you think you are standing, watch out that you do not fall”! (v. 12) He uses events from the Exodus to illustrate their plight: the Israelites were the Church’s spiritual “ancestors” (v. 1); they too were under God’s protection (“under the cloud”). Stretching the metaphor, they were “baptised” (v. 2) in passing through the Reed (Red) Sea. Their “spiritual food” (v. 3) was manna; ours is the bread of the Eucharist. Their “spiritual drink” (v. 4) was the water from the rock. Now Christ gives to us; back in Moses’ day, the rock gave to them: hence “the rock was Christ”. Further, as the rock was with them, Christ is with us. (A Jewish legend says that the rock “followed them”.) Even so, Paul says, God showed his anger to many of them, by killing them. To him, these events happened (“occurred”, v. 6) and “were written down” (v. 11) so we may avoid evil ways: do not “play” (v. 7), i.e. “indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did” (v. 8); do not test God (by your self-centeredness). When many Israelites tested God (by complaining about the food he provided), they were “destroyed” (vv. 9-10). (Rabbis believed that a special angel, “the destroyer” existed.) We live in the last era (“ages”, v. 11) of human history. The “testing” (v. 13) some Corinthians have failed is what humans normally endure; you could have resisted, for God does not test us beyond what we can bear.

Even those called by God can be condemned for infidelity. This passage is a warning against overconfidence: baptism and partaking in the Lord’s supper do not guarantee salvation, anymore than the corresponding acts sufficed for the ancient Hebrews. [ NOAB]
Verse 1: “under the cloud”: As in Psalm 105:39: “He [ Yahweh] spread a cloud for a covering, and fire to give light by night”.
Verse 1: “cloud”: See Exodus 13:21: “The Lord went in front of them in a pillar of cloud by day, to lead them along the way, and in a pillar of fire by night, to give them light, so that they might travel by day and by night”. [ NOAB]
Verse 1: “sea”: Exodus 14:22 tells us that at the Reed Sea: “The Israelites went into the sea on dry ground, the waters forming a wall for them on their right and on their left”. [ NOAB]
Verse 2: “baptised into Moses”: A purely Christian interpretation. In Galatians 3:27 and Romans 6:3, Paul uses the phrase “baptized into Christ”. [ NJBC]
Comments: Reed (Red) Sea: The words translated “Red Sea” in the Old Testament are yam suph, meaning literally sea of reeds; Hebrew did not distinguish between a sea and a lake.
Verses 3-4: See Exodus 16:4-35; 17:6; Numbers 20:7-11 (Moses strikes the rock at Meribah); Deuteronomy 8:3. [ NOAB]
Verse 4: “the spiritual rock that followed them”: The Jewish legend is based on an interpretation of Numbers 21:17-20: the Hebrew not being too clear, these verses can be read as saying that the rock (and/or the well) accompanied the people of Israel through to Moab. [ NJBC]
Verse 4: “the rock was Christ”: Paul sees the rock as a symbol of Christ, perhaps as the work of the pre-existent Christ. [ NOAB]
Verse 5: “ they were struck down in the wilderness”: God punishes the Israelites in Numbers 14:29-30. There Yahweh tells Moses and Aaron: “‘I will do to you the very things I heard you say: your dead bodies shall fall in this very wilderness; and of all your number, ... from twenty years old and upward, who have complained against me, not one of you shall come into the land in which I swore to settle you, except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun”’. [ NOAB]
Verse 6: “examples”: The Greek word can also be translated by the technical term types.
Verse 7: “Do not become idolaters”: Exodus 32:4 tells of the moulding or engraving of the Golden Calf. the quotation is like Exodus 32:6. [ NOAB] Some Corinthian Christians joined in pagan cult meals: see 8:10 and 10:14-22. [ NJBC]
Verse 7: “rose up to play”: The quotation is like Exodus 32:6: “... the people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to revel”. [ NOAB] One sense found in Jewish tradition is that this refers to indulgence in sexual immorality. [ NJBC]
Verse 8: See Numbers 25:1-9, where the number is 24,000. [ NOAB]
Verse 9: For the revolt of the Israelites against Moses and Aaron, see Numbers 16:13-14, 41-49. [ NOAB] The Israelites also “spoke against God and against Moses” (concerning food) in Numbers 21:4-6; some Israelites were killed by the serpents God sent. [ NJBC]
Verse 10: “the destroyer”: Rabbis believed that there was a special destroying angel, based on Exodus 12:23 (“... the Lord will pass through to strike down the Egyptians ...”); Number 16:41-50; 2 Samuel 24:16 (“... when the angel stretched out his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it ...”); 1 Chronicles 21:15; Wisdom of Solomon 18:20-25,. [ NJBC]
Verse 11: “example”: As in v. 6, the Greek word is tupoi ( types) [ NJBC]
Verse 11: “the ends of the ages”: The first age (era) was from creation to Christ’s incarnation; the second (and last) is from the incarnation to his second coming. [ JBC]

GOSPEL:   Luke 13: 1 - 9   (all)

Luke 13:1 (NRSV) At that very time there were some present who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. 2 He asked them, "Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were worse sinners than all other Galileans? 3 No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as they did. 4 Or those eighteen who were killed when the tower of Silo'am fell on them--do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others living in Jerusalem? 5 No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish just as they did."

6 Then he told this parable: "A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and found none. 7 So he said to the gardener, "See here! For three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and still I find none. Cut it down! Why should it be wasting the soil?' 8 He replied, "Sir, let it alone for one more year, until I dig around it and put manure on it. 9 If it bears fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.'"

Jesus has said that he will return to judge humankind at an unexpected time. Those who know of Christ’s coming and use what God gives wisely will be rewarded with God’s abundance. Those who know but do not prepare will be condemned. Those who do not know and behave wantonly will be lightly reprimanded. ( 12:35-48). It was commonly believed that pain and premature death were signs of God’s adverse judgement. Now we read of two events where people died prematurely and unexpectedly: one group (“the Galileans”, v. 1) doing God’s will, killed intentionally as they sacrifice to him in the Temple; the other group (“those eighteen”, v. 4, possibly construction workers) killed accidentally. In both cases, Jesus says, there is no link between early death and sin; however, these deaths do show the fate of those who fail to “repent” (vv. 3, 5), to turn to God.
In the parable (vv. 6-9), Jesus elaborates on his call for repentance. (The fig tree symbolizes some Jews, possibly the religious leaders.) Jesus expects those who hear him to bear fruit (v. 9), to do his will. If they do not do so immediately, God in his mercy gives them some extra time (“one more year”, v. 8) to do so. If they still fail to do so, they will be destroyed. In Matthew 3:10, Jesus speaks of such a tree being “cut down and thrown into the fire”. So the perishing (vv. 3, 5) is spiritual, at the end of the age.

Comments: It was commonly believed that pain and premature death were signs of God’s adverse judgement: In John 9:2-3, Jesus rejects the idea that a man was born blind because of his or his parents’ sinful ways. This belief was common amongst both Jews and Hellenists. [ NOAB]
Verses 1-6: Here suffering represents God’s judgement and is a call to repentance, lest spiritual catastrophe overtake his hearers. [ NOAB]
Verse 1: To me, for Luke to be so indirect as he is in this verse is unusual. I have used the most obvious interpretation in Comments, but BlkLk offers another. The contemporary historian Josephus, in Antiquities of the Jews 18:3:2, says that when Pilate used Temple funds to build an aqueduct into Jerusalem, some Jews opposed it. Pilate then used a ruse to murder some Jews: his soldiers, in civilian dress, mingled with the crowd, and beat them down with clubs they had concealed. The obvious interpretation would be in accord with what is known of Pilate’s character.
Verse 2: “sinners”: The Greek word literally means debtors . [ BlkLk]
Verses 3, 5: In Matthew 5:45, Jesus disconnects natural and moral good and evil. [ NJBC]
Verse 4: “tower of Siloam”: Probably a tower that guarded the aqueduct bringing water to the pool of Siloam, to the south of the north-eastern corner of Jerusalem. [ JBC] See Clipping above on v. 1.
Verses 6-9: See also Matthew 21:18-20 (Jesus curses the empty fig tree); Mark 11:12-14, 20-21. [ NOAB] For an Old Testament antecedent, see Isaiah 5:1-7 (the song of the unfruitful vineyard). In Joel 1:7, the locusts kill God’s fig trees. See also Hosea 9:10. [ JBC]
Verse 6: “fig tree”: One may well ask what a fig tree is doing in a vineyard. Whoever this tree stands for, it doesn’t belong in the vineyard.
Verse 7: “Cut it down”: In Matthew 3:10, Jesus says: “Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire”; Matthew 7:19; Luke 3:9. [ NOAB]

·  20 Frederick Douglass, Prophetic Witness, 1895 was an African-American social reformer, abolitionist, orator, writer, and statesman.

·  21 John Henry Newman, priest and theologian, 1890

·  22 Eric Liddell, Missionary to China, 1945

·  23 Polycarp, Bishop and Martyr of Smyrna, 156 was a 2nd-century Christian bishop of Smyrna.^[2] According to the Martyrdom of Polycarp he died a martyr, bound and burned at the stake, then stabbed when the fire failed to touch him

·  24 Saint Matthias the Apostle

·  25 John Roberts, Priest, 1949

·  26 Emily Malbone Morgan, Prophetic Witness, 1937

OLD TESTAMENT:   Genesis 15: 1 - 12, 17 - 18   (all)

Gene 15:1 (NRSV) After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, "Do not be afraid, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great." 2 But Abram said, "O Lord GOD, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Elie'zer of Damascus?" 3 And Abram said, "You have given me no offspring, and so a slave born in my house is to be my heir." 4 But the word of the LORD came to him, "This man shall not be your heir; no one but your very own issue shall be your heir." 5 He brought him outside and said, "Look toward heaven and count the stars, if you are able to count them." Then he said to him, "So shall your descendants be." 6 And he believed the LORD; and the LORD reckoned it to him as righteousness.

7 Then he said to him, "I am the LORD who brought you from Ur of the Chalde'ans, to give you this land to possess." 8 But he said, "O Lord GOD, how am I to know that I shall possess it?" 9 He said to him, "Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtledove, and a young pigeon." 10 He brought him all these and cut them in two, laying each half over against the other; but he did not cut the birds in two. 11 And when birds of prey came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away.

12 As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram, and a deep and terrifying darkness descended upon him.

17 When the sun had gone down and it was dark, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces. 18 On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, "To your descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates,

PSALM 27   (RCL)

Psalm 27: 1, 7 - 9, 13 - 14   (Roman Catholic)

Psal 27:1 (NRSV) The LORD is my light and my salvation;

whom shall I fear?

The LORD is the stronghold of my life;

of whom shall I be afraid?

2 When evildoers assail me

to devour my flesh--

my adversaries and foes--

they shall stumble and fall.

3 Though an army encamp against me,

my heart shall not fear;

though war rise up against me,

yet I will be confident.

4 One thing I asked of the LORD,

that will I seek after:

to live in the house of the LORD

all the days of my life,

to behold the beauty of the LORD,

and to inquire in his temple.

5 For he will hide me in his shelter

in the day of trouble;

he will conceal me under the cover of his tent;

he will set me high on a rock.

6 Now my head is lifted up

above my enemies all around me,

and I will offer in his tent

sacrifices with shouts of joy;

I will sing and make melody to the LORD.

7 Hear, O LORD, when I cry aloud,

be gracious to me and answer me!

8 "Come," my heart says, "seek his face!"

Your face, LORD, do I seek.

9 Do not hide your face from me.

Do not turn your servant away in anger,

you who have been my help.

Do not cast me off, do not forsake me,

O God of my salvation!

10 If my father and mother forsake me,

the LORD will take me up.

11 Teach me your way, O LORD,

and lead me on a level path

because of my enemies.

12 Do not give me up to the will of my adversaries,

for false witnesses have risen against me,

and they are breathing out violence.

13 I believe that I shall see the goodness of the LORD

in the land of the living.

14 Wait for the LORD;

be strong, and let your heart take courage;

wait for the LORD!

Note: Verse numbering in your Psalter may differ from the above.

27   Dominus illuminatio   (ECUSA BCP)

1  The Lord is my light and my salvation;

whom then shall I fear? *

 the Lord is the strength of my life;

 of whom then shall I be afraid?

2  When evildoers came upon me to eat up my flesh, *

 it was they, my foes and my adversaries, who

                        stumbled and fell.

3  Though an army should encamp against me, *

 yet my heart shall not be afraid;

4  And though war should rise up against me, *

 yet will I put my trust in him.

5  One thing have I asked of the Lord;

one thing I seek; *

 that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days

                        of my life;

6  To behold the fair beauty of the Lord *

 and to seek him in his temple.

7  For in the day of trouble he shall keep me safe

                        in his shelter; *

 he shall hide me in the secrecy of his dwelling

 and set me high upon a rock.

8  Even now he lifts up my head *

 above my enemies round about me.

9  Therefore I will offer in his dwelling an oblation

with sounds of great gladness; *

 I will sing and make music to the Lord.

10  Hearken to my voice, O Lord, when I call; *

 have mercy on me and answer me.

11  You speak in my heart and say, "Seek my face." *

 Your face, Lord, will I seek.

12  Hide not your face from me, *

 nor turn away your servant in displeasure.

13  You have been my helper;

cast me not away; *

 do not forsake me, O God of my salvation.

14  Though my father and my mother forsake me, *

 the Lord will sustain me.

15  Show me your way, O Lord; *

 lead me on a level path, because of my enemies.

16  Deliver me not into the hand of my adversaries, *

 for false witnesses have risen up against me,

 and also those who speak malice.

17  What if I had not believed

that I should see the goodness of the Lord *

 in the land of the living!

18  O tarry and await the Lord's pleasure;

be strong, and he shall comfort your heart; *

 wait patiently for the Lord.

NEW TESTAMENT:   Philippians 3: 17 - 4: 1   (all)

Phil 3:17 (NRSV) Brothers and sisters, join in imitating me, and observe those who live according to the example you have in us. 18 For many live as enemies of the cross of Christ; I have often told you of them, and now I tell you even with tears. 19 Their end is destruction; their god is the belly; and their glory is in their shame; their minds are set on earthly things. 20 But our citizenship is in heaven, and it is from there that we are expecting a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. 21 He will transform the body of our humiliation that it may be conformed to the body of his glory, by the power that also enables him to make all things subject to himself. 4:1 Therefore, my brothers and sisters, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, my beloved.

h/t Montreal Anglican

Paul has written: “I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death” ( 3:10). He has not yet fully understood Christ, but he presses on ( 3:12) towards the goal of being with Christ when he comes again. This is how “mature” ( 3:15) Christians should think: they have not yet achieved full understanding.
Now Paul offers himself as an example of centering oneself in Christ, in his sufferings. (At the time, Paul was in prison.) Observe those who follow his (our) example! He warns against “many” ( 3:18) who centre on other things: at the end of the age, sadly they will be destroyed. Who are they? Perhaps self-centred people, but more likely Christians who insist on keeping Jewish dietary laws (“belly”, 3:19) and on circumcision: to boast in this is to glory in an organ which should be modestly covered (“shame”). These are “earthly things”, made obsolete by Christ’s coming. Society looks to Rome for citizenship but we look to “heaven” ( 3:20).
Our bodies, now mortal, will enter eternal life in a changed form, to achieve union with Christ ( 3:21). Per Psalm 8, the Messiah will be sovereign over all (“subject to himself”); Christ is the Messiah. Do not deviate from the true faith! ( 4:1).

The abrupt change of tone and content at 3:1b suggests that this segment is from a later communication of Paul. [ NJBC]
3:12-14: Though righteousness is God’s gift, Christians are not relieved of the obligation of serious effort towards being godly. [ NOAB]
3:12-14: “goal ... prize ... heavenly”: Paul is thinking of Greek foot races; the “goal” is their finishing post. The word translated “heavenly” literally means upward. Winners were called to ascend a podium to receive a “prize”, i.e. a “crown” ( 4:1). [ NOAB] [ NJBC]
3:13: “Beloved”: literally brothers.
3:13: “forgetting what lies behind”: i.e. leaving behind past achievements. [ NJBC]
3:14: “heavenly call”: Paul writes in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17: “... the Lord himself, with a cry of command, with the archangel's call and with the sound of God's trumpet, will descend from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up in the clouds together with them to meet the Lord in the air; and so we will be with the Lord forever”, and in Romans 5:2: “... we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God”.
3:15: “mature”: In 1 Corinthians, Paul distinguishes between immature and mature Christians. In 1 Corinthians 2:6 he writes: “... among the mature we do speak wisdom, though it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age ...”. In 1 Corinthians 14:20, he urges members of the community to grow spiritually: “... do not be children in your thinking; rather, be infants in evil, but in thinking be adults”. See also Hebrews 5:13-14. [ JBC]
3:17: “join in imitating me”: Paul also invites imitation of him in 4:9; 1 Thessalonians 1:6; 2 Thessalonians 3:7, 9; 1 Corinthians 4:16. He is able to do this because he himself is an imitator of Christ: he advises in 1 Corinthians 11:1: “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ”. [ JBC]
3:18: “enemies of the cross of Christ”: Comments uses the interpretation in NJBC. By preaching the necessity of circumcision, the “enemies” deny the efficacy of the Cross, thus voiding Christ’s costly self-sacrifice: Paul writes in Galatians 2:21: “I do not nullify the grace of God; for if justification comes through the law, then Christ died for nothing”. However, NOAB does not consider these people to be those who expect Christians to adopt Judaic practices by being circumcised, “those who mutilate the flesh” ( 3:2). CAB says that the “enemies” are likely those who do not wish to make the Cross the centre of the Christian message. See also 1 Corinthians 1:18; 2:2; 11:26.
3:19: “destruction”: In 1 Corinthians 1:18, Paul presents the paradox of the Cross: “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”. [ JBC]
3:19: “belly”: This refers to zeal for Jewish food laws or to selfishness in general. In Romans 16:18, Paul writes: “... such people do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites”. [ NJBC]
3:19: “their glory is in their shame”: To boast in circumcision (vv. 2-3) is to glory in something which one modestly covers: Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 12:23: “those members of the body that we think less honourable we clothe with greater honour, and our less respectable members are treated with greater respect”. [ NJBC]
3:19: “earthly things”: In Galatians 4:9, Paul asks those who are tempted to desert the faith and the Way: “Now, however, that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and beggarly elemental spirits? How can you want to be enslaved to them again?”. [ JBC]
3:19: It is also possible that the “many” see Paul’s imprisonment as a setback in their social status – in the context of the residents of Philippi. [ CAB]
3:20: “our citizenship is in heaven”: We already have it! The Greek word translated “citizenship” carries with it the notion of being active as a citizen. See also Galatians 4:24-27 (the allegory of Hagar and Sarah) and Ephesians 2:19 (“... citizens with the saints ...”). [ NJBC] To CAB, Paul’s use of the word “citizenship” indicates that his opponents see his imprisonment as a setback in terms of their status in society.
3:20: “it is from there ...”: In Acts 1:11, after the Ascension two messengers from God tell the disciples: “This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven”. See also Acts 3:21; 2 Timothy 4:1. [ CAB]
3:21: “that it may be ... glory”: In Romans 8:23, Paul speaks of waiting for “adoption, the redemption of our bodies”. 1 Corinthians 15:49 says “Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we will also bear the image of the man of heaven” and 15:51 “... we will all be changed”. See also Romans 8:19-21, 29-30; 2 Corinthians 5:1-5; Colossians 3:1-4. [ NOAB]
3:21: “make all things subject to himself”: An allusion to Psalm 8:6 (“You have given them dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under their feet”), a verse that to Paul tells of the messianic reign of Christ. See also Ephesians 1:22; Hebrews 2:6-9; 1 Peter 3:22. [ NJBC]
4:1: “joy and crown”: Paul asks rhetorically in 1 Thessalonians 2:19-20: “For what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting before our Lord Jesus at his coming? Is it not you? Yes, you are our glory and joy!”. [ NOAB]

GOSPEL:   Luke 13: 31 - 35   (RCL)

Luke 13:31 (NRSV)  At that very hour some Phar'isees came and said to him, "Get away from here, for Her'od wants to kill you." 32 He said to them, "Go and tell that fox for me, "Listen, I am casting out demons and performing cures today and tomorrow, and on the third day I finish my work. 33 Yet today, tomorrow, and the next day I must be on my way, because it is impossible for a prophet to be killed outside of Jerusalem.' 34 Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! 35 See, your house is left to you. And I tell you, you will not see me until the time comes when you say, "Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.'"

Someone has asked: “Will only a few be saved?” (v. 23). Jesus has warned that few who have eaten with him will enter the Kingdom; many apparently pious people will be excluded. Many others, from across the world, will eat with him.
Now “some Pharisees” (v. 31), in perhaps the only favourable mention of them in the gospels, advise him to leave Herod Antipas’ territory (“here”, i.e. Galilee and Perea). (Herod the Great died soon after Jesus was born.) To Jesus, Herod is “that fox” (v. 32): destructive, tricky, sly, politically motivated. Herod will not cut short Jesus’ earthly ministry. His journey to Jerusalem “must” (v. 33), in accord with the Father’s will, continue day-by-day; in and at his resurrection (“third day”, v. 32), he will complete, consummate, his mission of restoring mankind to the relationship God intended at creation.
Jerusalem, not Herod, has first claim on God’s messengers! (v. 33b). This city is to be the place of, and the agent of, his murder. In vv. 34-35, Jesus laments over the city and (probably) its religious leaders (“house”). Perhaps v. 34b speaks of Jesus’ extensive effort to bring Judeans to him, of efforts not recorded in the gospels. The city’s residents, rejecting him now, will not see him again until they shout “Blessed ...” (v. 35) as he rides triumphantly into the city on the first Palm Sunday.

Verses 31-32: “Herod ... that fox”: Herod Antipas is also mentioned in 3:1, 19-20 (the imprisonment of John the Baptizer); 9:7-9; 23:6-10 (Pilate sends Jesus to Herod and is questioned by him). He had already had John the Baptist put to death. Luke contains criticism of Roman social order. [ NJBC]
Verse 32: “today and tomorrow, and on the third day”: NOAB says that Jesus did not mean “third” literally; rather, he means a short and limited time. The NRSV translates the Greek literally, but BlkLk translates it as day by day, and one day soon. He says that there is an Aramaic idiom behind the Greek which does not refer to two actual days but to an indefinite short period followed by a still indefinite, but certain, event. This idiom is also at work in Hosea 6:2: “After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will raise us up, that we may live before him”.
Verse 32: “finish”: The same Greek word is found in John 5:36 (“complete”); 17:4, 23; 19:28; Hebrews 2:10; 5:9. It signifies the perfection of Christ’s redemptive mission. [ JBC]
Verse 33: “today, tomorrow, and the next day”: As a sequel to his interpretation given for v. 32, BlkLk suggests that the meaning may be every day.
Verse 33: “it is impossible ...”: NOAB says that this is bitter irony. For the motif of the rejected prophet, see Nehemiah 9:26-31. [ NJBC]
Verse 33: “prophet”: In 4:24-27, Jesus says “... no prophet is accepted in the prophet's hometown ...”. In 7:16, when Jesus restores a man to life, those gathered proclaim: “‘A great prophet has risen among us!’”. In 7:39, a Pharisee argues that Jesus is not a prophet. In 24:19, on the road to Emmaus, Cleopas speaks of Jesus as “a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people”. [ JBC]
Verses 34-35: The parallel is Matthew 23:37-39. [ NOAB]
Verse 34b: Comments: of efforts not recorded in the gospels : Luke 4:44 says: “So he continued proclaiming the message in the synagogues of Judea”; however, the text is uncertain. In some manuscripts and in the parallels (Matthew 4:23 and Mark 1:39), Galilee appears rather than Judea. If “Judea” is correct, this is the only express mention of Jesus’ early ministry in Judea outside the Gospel according to John. [ NOAB]
Verse 34: “hen”: An image of loving care and protection. [ NJBC]
Verse 35: “your house”: The Old Testament background seems to be Jeremiah 22:1-9 where house means the king’s household of leaders. [ NJBC]
Verse 35: “Blessed ...”: See 19:38 (Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem) and Psalm 118:26 (“Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord ...”). At the time, this psalm was ascribed messianic significance. [ JBC] Zechariah 9:9 says: “ Rejoice greatly, O daughter Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter Jerusalem! Lo, your king comes to you; triumphant and victorious is he, humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey”.