·
27 George Herbert,
Priest, Poet, 1633
·
1 David, Bishop of
Menevia, Patron of Wales, c.601 was a Welsh bishop of Mynyw (now St Davids) during the 6th
century; he was later regarded as a saint. He is the patron saint of Wales. David was a native of Wales,
·
2 Chad, Bishop of Lichfield, Missionary,
672 was a prominent 7th century Anglo-Saxonchurchman, who
became abbot of several monasteries, Bishop of the Northumbrians and subsequently Bishop of the Mercians and Lindsey
People. He was later canonised as a saint.
OLD
TESTAMENT: Genesis 17: 1 - 7, 15 -
16 (RCL)
Gene 17:1 (NRSV)
When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said to
him, "I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless. 2 And I will
make my covenant between me and you, and will make you exceedingly
numerous." 3 Then Abram fell on his face; and God said to him, 4 "As
for me, this is my covenant with you: You shall be the ancestor of a multitude
of nations. 5 No longer shall your name be Abram, but your name shall be
Abraham; for I have made you the ancestor of a multitude of nations. 6 I will
make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall
come from you. 7 I will establish my covenant between me and you, and your
offspring after you throughout their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to
be God to you and to your offspring after you.
15 God said to
Abraham, "As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her Sar'ai, but Sarah
shall be her name. 16 I will bless her, and moreover I will give you a son by
her. I will bless her, and she shall give rise to nations; kings of peoples
shall come from her."
Genesis 22: 1 - 2,
9a, 10 - 13, 15 - 18 (Roman Catholic)
Gene 22:1 (NRSV)
After these things God tested Abraham. He said to him, "Abraham!" And
he said, "Here I am." 2 He said, "Take your son, your only son
Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Mori'ah, and offer him there as a
burnt offering on one of the mountains that I shall show you."
9 When they came
to the place that God had shown him, Abraham built an altar there and laid the
wood in order.
10 Then Abraham
reached out his hand and took the knife to kill his son. 11 But the angel of
the LORD called to him from heaven, and said, "Abraham, Abraham!" And
he said, "Here I am." 12 He said, "Do not lay your hand on the
boy or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not
withheld your son, your only son, from me." 13 And Abraham looked up and
saw a ram, caught in a thicket by its horns. Abraham went and took the ram and
offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son.
15 The angel of
the LORD called to Abraham a second time from heaven, 16 and said, "By
myself I have sworn, says the LORD: Because you have done this, and have not
withheld your son, your only son, 17 I will indeed bless you, and I will make your
offspring as numerous as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the
seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of their enemies, 18 and by
your offspring shall all the nations of the earth gain blessing for themselves,
because you have obeyed my voice."
PSALM 22: 23 -
31 (RCL)
Psal 22:23 (NRSV)
You who fear the LORD, praise him!
All you offspring
of Jacob, glorify him;
stand in awe of
him, all you offspring of Israel!
24 For he did not
despise or abhor
the affliction of
the afflicted;
he did not hide
his face from me,
but heard when I
cried to him.
25 From you comes
my praise in the great congregation;
my vows I will pay
before those who fear him.
26 The poor shall
eat and be satisfied;
those who seek him
shall praise the LORD.
May your hearts
live forever!
27 All the ends of
the earth shall remember
and turn to the
LORD;
and all the
families of the nations
shall worship
before him.
28 For dominion
belongs to the LORD,
and he rules over
the nations.
29 To him, indeed,
shall all who sleep in the earth bow down;
before him shall
bow all who go down to the dust,
and I shall live
for him.
30 Posterity will
serve him;
future generations
will be told about the Lord,
31 and proclaim
his deliverance to a people yet unborn,
saying that he has
done it.
Note: Your Psalter
versification may differ from the above.
22 Deus, Deus meus (ECUSA BCP)
22 Praise the Lord, you that fear him; *
stand in awe of him, O offspring of Israel;
all you of Jacob's line, give glory.
23 For he does not despise nor abhor the
poor in their poverty;
neither does he hide his face from them; *
but when they cry to him he hears them.
24 My praise is of him in the great
assembly; *
I will perform my vows in the presence of
those who
worship
him.
25 The poor shall eat and be satisfied,
and those who seek the Lord shall praise him: *
“May
your heart live for ever!”
26 All the ends of the earth shall
remember and turn to
the
Lord, *
and all the families of the nations bow
before him.
27 For kingship belongs to the Lord; *
he rules over the nations.
28 To him alone all who sleep in the
earth bow down
in
worship; *
all who go down to the dust fall before him.
29 My soul shall live for him;
my descendants shall serve him; *
they shall be known as the Lord’s for ever.
30 They shall come and make known to a
people yet unborn *
the saving deeds that he has done.
Psalm 116: 10, 15
- 19 (Roman Catholic)
Psal 116:10
(NRSV) I kept my faith, even when I
said,
"I am greatly
afflicted";
15 Precious in the
sight of the LORD
is the death of
his faithful ones.
16 O LORD, I am
your servant;
I am your servant,
the child of your serving girl.
You have loosed my
bonds.
17 I will offer to
you a thanksgiving sacrifice
and call on the
name of the LORD.
18 I will pay my
vows to the LORD
in the presence of
all his people,
19 in the courts
of the house of the LORD,
in your midst, O
Jerusalem.
Praise the LORD!
NEW
TESTAMENT: Romans 4: 13 - 25 (RCL)
Roma 4:13 (NRSV)
For the promise that he would inherit the world did not come to Abraham or to
his descendants through the law but through the righteousness of faith. 14 If
it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the
promise is void. 15 For the law brings wrath; but where there is no law,
neither is there violation.
16 For this reason
it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be
guaranteed to all his descendants, not only to the adherents of the law but
also to those who share the faith of Abraham (for he is the father of all of
us, 17 as it is written, "I have made you the father of many
nations")--in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life
to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist. 18 Hoping
against hope, he believed that he would become "the father of many
nations," according to what was said, "So numerous shall your
descendants be." 19 He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own
body, which was already as good as dead (for he was about a hundred years old),
or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah's womb. 20 No distrust made him
waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave
glory to God, 21 being fully convinced that God was able to do what he had
promised. 22 Therefore his faith "was reckoned to him as
righteousness." 23 Now the words, "it was reckoned to him," were
written not for his sake alone, 24 but for ours also. It will be reckoned to us
who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, 25 who was handed
over to death for our trespasses and was raised for our justification.
h/t Montreal
Anglican
In Chapters 2 and 3,
Paul has argued that through the gospel, it is faith that brings humans into
harmony with God. Now he considers Abraham as an example. At the time, rabbis
argued that God’s blessings came to Abraham because he kept Mosaic Law (which,
they said, he knew in advance – before Moses received the tablets on Mount
Sinai.)
In v. 13,
Paul argues against this rabbinic lore: Abraham was blessed because he
believed, had faith, that he would be father of a nation and a source of
blessing for “all ... families” (Genesis 12:3).
If only those who keep Mosaic Law are God's people, faith is meaningless
(“null”, v. 14)
and God's “promise” of universal godliness is nonsense – because the Law is a
contract; in a contract, each party has responsibilities, each knows what
he will receive (e.g. “wages”, v. 4),
but a promise is a gift, and is therefore an object of faith: faith
that what is promised will be received. Paul now notes: because we all deviate
from God’s ways at times, sinning does happen. For those under the Law, a
penalty (God’s “wrath”, v. 15)
ensues, but for us, not living under the Law (“no law”), there is no contract
to violate. Paul now returns to his main argument: so rather than the human
relationship being legally based, “it depends on faith” (v. 16),
on God’s freely given gift of love (“grace”). Were it legally based,
continually breaking the pact would make a nonsense of it, but being
faith-based, the relationship is “guaranteed” to all peoples in every age – not
just to Jews but also to others. Per Genesis 17:5,
Abraham is spiritual father of us all (v. 17).
Sarah’s bearing of Isaac when beyond child-bearing age (“gives life to the
dead”) was due to his faith; it had been promised to him by God. Isaac
was called into existence. So Abraham is a model for the Christian.
Contrary to expectation, in hope (“Hoping against hope”, v. 18)
he believed. He had every reason to doubt that he would become a father, but
believe he did – because of the hope given by God's promise – in God's creative
power. Abraham's faith grew stronger as he thanked God for his gift (“gave
glory to God”, v. 20).
He attained a right relationship with God (“was reckoned to him as
righteousness”, v. 22).
Our faith in God’s promises will also be considered worthy by God when Christ
comes again (“our justification”, v. 25).
As an introduction to
this reading, I offer a Comment on 4:1-12:
Paul
has written that one can attain a right relationship with God through faith,
without living by Mosaic law. Now he takes Abraham as an example; he asks: what
can we conclude about faith vs. Law by looking at Abraham’s life? Judaism
claimed that Abraham kept the Law before it was given, that he was godly
(‘justified”, v. 2)
because his “works” were per the Law. Paul rejects this claim; rather, it was,
as Genesis shows, Abraham’s faith which counted for him (“reckoned”, v. 3)
as godliness. God “justifies the ungodly” (v. 5).
For the worker, “wages” are expected, but for one who trusts (with no certainty
of reward), such trust counts with God. In vv. 6-9 Paul
quotes a verse from Psalm 32,
interpreting it jointly with a verse from Genesis as showing that those who
trust in God obtain his favour, whether they be keepers of the Law or trusters
in God. Paul then argues that, because Abraham trusted in God’s pact before he
was circumcised, and so before he was bound by the Law, Abraham’s faith (and
not his keeping of the Law) was what counted for him with God (v. 10).
Indeed, he says, circumcision was a confirmation of the right relationship he
had attained through faith. It made Abraham “ancestor” (v. 11)
of all who trust in God, both Jews (v. 12)
and non-Jews (v. 11).
See also Galatians 3:1-18.
Verse 1: “our ancestor”: Descent from Abraham was a
source of pride among Jews. In Matthew 3:9,
Jesus says to some Pharisees and Sadducees: Do not presume to say to
yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our ancestor’; for I tell you, God is able from
these stones to raise up children to Abraham”. See also Luke 3:8.
Verse 2: “justified by works”: i.e. keeping the law in
advance. Sirach 44:20 (a midrash on Genesis 26:5)
and Jubilees 6:19 both speak of Abraham’s deeds (namely
the defeat of kings in Genesis 14 and
his trial, the near-sacrifice of Isaac, Genesis 22:9-10)
as a source of his godliness. See also Wisdom of Solomon 10:5 and
James 2:21.
However 1 Maccabees 2:52 says
that Abraham’s godliness is a result of his faith. [ NJBC]
Verse 3: The quotation is from the Septuagint translation of
Genesis 15:6.
In Galatians 3:8,
Paul writes: “And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles
by faith, declared the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, ‘All the Gentiles
shall be blessed in you’”. See also James 2:23.
As Paul understands Genesis 15:6,
Abraham’s faith gained him credit with God. [ NJBC] [ CAB]
Verse 3: “reckoned”: The Greek word, elogisthe,
is a book-keeping term. Deuteronomy 24:13 says:
“... it will be to your credit before the L ord your
God.” (where “it” is the return of a pledge). See also Psalm 106:31.
[ NJBC]
Verse 5: See also 5:6-11:
“For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.
Indeed, rarely will anyone die for a righteous person – though perhaps for a
good person someone might actually dare to die ...”. [ CAB]
Verses 6-9: By a Jewish principle of interpretation, that
identical words appearing in two different places in Scripture are the basis
for mutual interpretation, the blessedness of Psalm 32 can
also be applied to those who trust but are not circumcised. [NJBC] [ NOAB]
Verses 7-8: The quotation is Psalm 32:1-2 in
the Septuagint translation.
Like his contemporaries, Paul considers David to be the author of Psalms.
Actually this psalm was written long after David’s time. [ CAB]
Verse 11: “He received the sign of circumcision”: In
Genesis 17:11,
circumcision is called “a sign of the covenant” between God and Abraham’s
family. See also Acts 7:8.
Later rabbis regarded Genesis 17:11 as
a sign of the Mosaic covenant, for it served to distinguish Israel from other
nations. [ NJBC]
Verses 13-25: The true descendants of Abraham are those who
have faith in Christ, whether Jews or Gentiles. To them the benefits promised
to Abraham belong. In Galatians 3:29,
Paul writes: “if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs
according to the promise”. [ NOAB]
Verse 13: “the promise”: The promise of an heir to be
born of Sarah (see Genesis 15:4; 17:16, 19)
and of numerous posterity (see Genesis 12:2; 13:14-17; 17:8; 22:16-18)
was extended in Jewish tradition on the basis of the universality of “all the
families of the earth” (Genesis 12:3)
to mean that “the [whole] world” was Abraham’s inheritance. [ NJBC]
Verse 15: “violation”: Literally, transgression.
In 3:20,
Paul writes: “For ‘no human being will be justified in his sight’ by deeds
prescribed by the law, for through the law comes the knowledge of sin”. (He
approximately quotes Psalm 143:2.)
In 5:13,
he says: “sin was indeed in the world before the law, but sin is not reckoned
when there is no law”. [ NJBC]
Verse 17: The quotation is Genesis 17:5 in
the Septuagint translation.
[ NJBC]
Verse 18: “So numerous ...”: In Genesis 15:5,
in a vision, God brings Abram outside and says to him: “‘Look toward heaven and
count the stars, if you are able to count them ... So shall your descendants
be’”. [ CAB] [ NOAB]
Verse 19: See Genesis 17:17; 18:11.
Hebrews 11:11-12 includes
Sarah: “By faith he received power of procreation, even though he was too old –
and Sarah herself was barren – because he considered him faithful who had
promised. Therefore from one person, and this one as good as dead, descendants
were born, ‘as many as the stars of heaven and as the innumerable grains of
sand by the seashore’”. [ NOAB]
Verse 20: “he gave glory to God”: An Old Testament
expression for giving grateful recognition to God found in 1 Samuel 6:5and
1 Chronicles 16:28.
Per 1:21,
unbelievers cannot do this. [ NJBC]
Verse 21: “do what he had promised”: i.e. the conception
of Isaac.
Verses 22-23:Paul writes in v. 3,
quoting the Septuagint translation of Genesis 15:6:
“For what does the scripture say? ‘Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to
him as righteousness’”. [ NOAB]
Verse 24: A feature of midrashic interpretation,
which Paul uses here, was to modernize or actualize the Old Testament by
applying it to a new situation. Note Midrash Genesis Rabba 40:8:
“All that is recorded of Abraham is repeated in the history of his children”.
See also 1 Corinthians 9:9-10; 10:6-11.
In a unique sense, God raises Jesus from the dead. [ NJBC]
Verse 25: This verse alludes to Isaiah 53:4-5, 11-12 (part
of a Servant Song).
Jesus suffered to take away human sin and to achieve our oneness with God. [ NJBC]
GOSPEL: Mark 8: 31 - 38 (all but Roman Catholic)
Mark 8:31 (NRSV)
Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering,
and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be
killed, and after three days rise again. 32 He said all this quite openly. And
Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 33 But turning and looking at his
disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, "Get behind me, Satan! For you are
setting your mind not on divine things but on human things."
34 He called the
crowd with his disciples, and said to them, "If any want to become my
followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 35
For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their
life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. 36 For what
will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life? 37 Indeed,
what can they give in return for their life? 38 Those who are ashamed of me and
of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man
will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy
angels."
Jesus
has asked his disciples: “‘... who do you say that I am?’” (v. 29); Peter has answered him: “‘You are the Messiah’”. Jesus now
predicts his Passion for the first time. He teaches them something unexpected:
that the Messiah (“the Son of Man”, v. 31) will suffer, be rejected, killed, and rise again was
contrary to contemporary (and their) expectation. When Peter impetuously
rejects Jesus’ teaching, he is told that he is under the influence of the
devil: he is relying on human values, not divine ones (v. 33). Jesus then describes true discipleship: first, a disciple
must renounce self-centeredness (“deny themselves”, v. 34) and follow him. Those who are prepared to give even their
lives (“take up their cross”) for his sake and for the sake of spreading the
good news (“gospel”, v. 35) will have (eternal) life. Those who seek worldly well-being
and deny their true selves will be the losers (vv. 35-37). View things from a divine, rather than human, viewpoint!
At the Last Day (“when he comes in ... glory”, v. 38), Christ will not stand up for those who shirk from being
identified with him and the good news.
Verse 31: Jesus clarifies the nature of his identity as
the Messiah/Christ by means of the first passion prediction. Jesus’ fate has
implications for his followers. [ NJBC]
Verse 31: “Son of Man”: Clearly this term here
means Messiah/Christ . Jesus nowhere discloses fully his
understanding of the term. He could intend both meanings to apply to him. His
way was to oblige his hearers to determine their own personal attitudes to him,
as part of the process of understanding his words
Verse 31: “must”: The Greek word, dei, has
the sense of compulsion in accordance with God’s plan, per Malachi 3:1; 4:5;
and Psalm 118:22 ( Septuagint translation).
[ NJBC]
Verse 31: “undergo great suffering”: Jesus identifies
himself with the Suffering Servant of Isaiah.
Verse 31: “rejected”: The sense is repudiated
religiously . Fools who rely on human wisdom repudiate God (see
Jeremiah 8:9).
God repudiates Israel for her folly or infidelity (see Jeremiah 6:30; 7:29; 14:19).
Here Jesus is repudiated by people, as is the Servant in Isaiah 53:3.
Verse 31: “by the elders, the chief priests, and the
scribes”: Note the omission of the Pharisees. In this gospel, they have no
explicit role in Jesus’ condemnation and death. [ NJBC]
Verse 31: “three days”: For the third day as the
decisive turning point, see Hosea 6:2;
Jonah 1:17; 2:10.
[ NJBC]
Verse 32: “He said all this quite openly”: Up to this
point, Jesus met speculations about his identity with commands to silence. [ NJBC]
Verse 33: “Get behind me, Satan!”: Jesus sees in Peter’s
words a continuation of Satan’s temptation (in Matthew 4:1-11 and
Luke 4:1-13).
[ NOAB] Jesus indicates that
the false view of his messiahship (i.e. that he would not suffer and be
humiliated) is a temptation: see Job 1-2 and
Zechariah 3:1-2.
[ NJBC] Having grasped that
Jesus is the Messiah, Peter sees messiahship in a contemporary Jewish way: the
Messiah was not expected to suffer. Peter’s impetuous action is consistent with
his character elsewhere in the gospels.
Verse 34: “take up their cross”: A “cross” was a Roman
means of execution; it was carried by the condemned person to the scene of
death. Jesus sees that acceptance of his message with its promise also brings
seeming destruction. Only those who in faith accept the threat of destruction
will find life. See also Matthew 5:11-12; 10:39; 16:24;
Mark 10:29-31;
Luke 14:27; 17:33;
John 12:25.
[ NOAB] The image may express
submission to the divine authority on the analogy of the condemned criminal’s
submission to Roman authority. [ NJBC]
Verse 35: “life”: The Greek word is psyche:
one’s very being, true self. The value of the true self is described in
vv. 36-37.
In following Jesus, disciples can find their true selves, and nothing is more
important. [ NJBC]
Verse 38: Jesus suggests that his Second Coming will be
during the lifetime of some of his followers. [ CAB]
Verse 38: “adulterous”: A term used by Old Testament
prophets to describe Israel’s turning away from God: see Jeremiah 3:8;
Ezekiel 23:37;
Hosea 2:2-10.
[ NOAB]
