·
25 Crispin and Crispinian, Martyrs at Rome,
c.287 Saints Crispin and Crispinian are the Christian patron saints of cobblers, curriers, tanners, and leather workers. They
were beheaded during the reign of Diocletian;
·
26 Alfred the Great, King of the West Saxons, Scholar, 899 Alfred was the youngest son of King Æthelwulf of Wessex. His father died when he was young and three of Alfred's
brothers reigned in turn. Taking the throne after the death of his brother Æthelred, Alfred spent
several years dealing with Viking invasions. After a decisive victory in the Battle of Edington in 878 Alfred made an agreement with the Vikings,
creating what was known as Danelaw in the North of England. Alfred also
oversaw the conversion of the Viking leader, Guthrum.
·
26 Cedd,
Abbot of Lastingham, Bishop of
the East Saxons,
664
OLD TESTAMENT: Job 38: 1 - 7, (34 - 41) (RCL)
Job 38:1 (NRSV) Then the LORD answered Job out of
the whirlwind:
2 "Who is
this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?
3 Gird up your
loins like a man,
I will question
you, and you shall declare to me.
4 "Where were
you when I laid the foundation of the earth?
Tell me, if you
have understanding.
5 Who determined
its measurements--surely you know!
Or who stretched
the line upon it?
6 On what were its
bases sunk,
or who laid its
cornerstone
7 when the morning
stars sang together
and all the
heavenly beings shouted for joy?
34 "Can you
lift up your voice to the clouds,
so that a flood of
waters may cover you?
35 Can you send
forth lightnings, so that they may go
and say to you,
"Here we are'?
36 Who has put
wisdom in the inward parts,
or given
understanding to the mind?
37 Who has the
wisdom to number the clouds?
Or who can tilt
the waterskins of the heavens,
38 when the dust
runs into a mass
and the clods
cling together?
39 "Can you
hunt the prey for the lion,
or satisfy the
appetite of the young lions,
40 when they
crouch in their dens,
or lie in wait in
their covert?
41 Who provides
for the raven its prey,
when its young
ones cry to God,
and wander about
for lack of food?
Isaiah 53: 4 - 12
(alt. for RCL)
Isaiah 53: 10 - 11 (Roman Catholic)
Isai 53:4 (NRSV)
Surely he has borne our infirmities
and carried our
diseases;
yet we accounted
him stricken,
struck down by
God, and afflicted.
5 But he was
wounded for our transgressions,
crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the
punishment that made us whole,
and by his bruises
we are healed.
6 All we like
sheep have gone astray;
we have all turned
to our own way,
and the LORD has
laid on him
the iniquity of us
all.
7 He was
oppressed, and he was afflicted,
yet he did not
open his mouth;
like a lamb that
is led to the slaughter,
and like a sheep
that before its shearers is silent,
so he did not open
his mouth.
8 By a perversion
of justice he was taken away.
Who could have
imagined his future?
For he was cut off
from the land of the living,
stricken for the
transgression of my people.
9 They made his
grave with the wicked
and his tomb with
the rich,
although he had
done no violence,
and there was no
deceit in his mouth.
10 Yet it was the
will of the LORD to crush him with pain.
When you make his
life an offering for sin,
he shall see his
offspring, and shall prolong his days;
through him the
will of the LORD shall prosper.
11 Out of his
anguish he shall see light;
he shall find
satisfaction through his knowledge.
The righteous one,
my servant, shall make many righteous,
and he shall bear
their iniquities.
12 Therefore I
will allot him a portion with the great,
and he shall
divide the spoil with the strong;
because he poured
out himself to death,
and was numbered
with the transgressors;
yet he bore the
sin of many,
and made
intercession for the transgressors.
PSALM 104: 1 - 9, 24,
35c (RCL)
Psal 104:1 (NRSV)
Bless the LORD, O my soul.
O LORD my God, you
are very great.
You are clothed
with honor and majesty,
2 wrapped in light
as with a garment.
You stretch out
the heavens like a tent,
3 you set the
beams of your chambers on the waters,
you make the
clouds your chariot,
you ride on the
wings of the wind,
4 you make the
winds your messengers,
fire and flame
your ministers.
5 You set the
earth on its foundations,
so that it shall
never be shaken.
6 You cover it
with the deep as with a garment;
the waters stood
above the mountains.
7 At your rebuke
they flee;
at the sound of
your thunder they take to flight.
8 They rose up to
the mountains, ran down to the valleys
to the place that
you appointed for them.
9 You set a
boundary that they may not pass,
so that they might
not again cover the earth.
24 O LORD, how
manifold are your works!
In wisdom you have
made them all;
the earth is full
of your creatures.
35 Praise the
LORD!
Note: Verse numbering
in your Psalter may differ from the above
In the C of E, the last
two verses are optional.
104 Benedic, anima
mea (ECUSA BCP)
1 Bless
the Lord, O my soul; *
O Lord my God, how excellent is your
greatness!
you
are clothed with majesty and splendor.
2 You
wrap yourself with light as with a cloak *
and
spread out the heavens like a curtain.
3 You
lay the beams of your chambers in the waters above; *
you
make the clouds your chariot;
you
ride on the wings of the wind.
4 You
make the winds your messengers *
and
flames of fire your servants.
5 You
have set the earth upon its foundations, *
so
that it never shall move at any time.
6 You
covered it with the Deep as with a mantle; *
the
waters stood higher than the mountains.
7 At
your rebuke they fled; *
at
the voice of your thunder they hastened away.
8 They
went up into the hills and down to the valleys beneath, *
to
the places you had appointed for them.
9 You
set the limits that they should not pass; *
they
shall not again cover the earth.
25 O
Lord, how manifold are your works!
*
in
wisdom you have made them all;
the
earth is full of your creatures.
37 Hallelujah!
Psalm 91: 9 - 16 (alt. for RCL)
Psal 91 (NRSV)
9 Because you have
made the LORD your refuge,
the Most High your
dwelling place,
10 no evil shall
befall you,
no scourge come
near your tent.
11 For he will
command his angels concerning you
to guard you in
all your ways.
12 On their hands
they will bear you up,
so that you will
not dash your foot against a stone.
13 You will tread
on the lion and the adder,
the young lion and
the serpent you will trample under foot.
14 Those who love
me, I will deliver;
I will protect
those who know my name.
15 When they call
to me, I will answer them;
I will be with
them in trouble,
I will rescue them
and honor them.
16 With long life
I will satisfy them,
and show them my
salvation.
91 Qui habitat (ECUSA BCP)
9 Because
you have made the Lord your refuge, *
and the Most High your habitation,
10 There shall no evil happen to you, *
neither shall any plague come near your
dwelling.
11 For he shall give his angels charge over you,
*
to keep you in all your ways.
12 They shall bear you in their hands, *
lest you dash your foot against a stone.
13 You shall tread upon the lion and the adder;
*
you shall trample the young lion and the
serpent
under your feet.
14 Because he is bound to me in love,
therefore will I
deliver him; *
I will protect him, because he knows my Name.
15 He shall call upon me, and I will answer him;
*
I am with him in trouble;
I will rescue him and bring him to honor.
16 With long life will I satisfy him, *
and show him my salvation.
Psalm 33: 4 - 5, 18 -
20, 22 (Roman Catholic)
Psal 33:4 For the
word of the LORD is upright,
and all his work
is done in faithfulness.
5 He loves
righteousness and justice;
the earth is full
of the steadfast love of the LORD.
18 Truly the eye
of the LORD is on those who fear him,
on those who hope
in his steadfast love,
19 to deliver
their soul from death,
and to keep them
alive in famine.
20 Our soul waits
for the LORD;
he is our help and
shield.
22 Let your
steadfast love, O LORD, be upon us,
even as we hope in
you.
NEW TESTAMENT: Hebrews 5: 1 - 10 (RCL)
Hebr 5:1 (NRSV)
Every high priest chosen from among mortals is put in charge of things
pertaining to God on their behalf, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. 2 He
is able to deal gently with the ignorant and wayward, since he himself is
subject to weakness; 3 and because of this he must offer sacrifice for his own
sins as well as for those of the people. 4 And one does not presume to take
this honor, but takes it only when called by God, just as Aaron was.
5 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.
|
The author has told us that “we
have a great high priest” ( 4:14)
who has been raised to heaven, namely “Jesus, the Son of God”. Now he
compares the high priests of Judaism with Christ.
People chose a high priest to
lead, on their behalf, in matters relating to God, especially the offering of
sacrifices for sins. (The author writes as though the Temple sacrificial
system still exists.) A high priest was able to “deal gently” (v. 2,
to steer a right path between pure emotion and lack of feeling) with those
who committed unpremeditated sins because he himself sinned in this way,
being “subject to weakness”; he needed to make sacrifice for his own sins
too. He did not appoint himself; rather, he was appointed by God, as Aaron
was (v. 4).
Christ was also appointed by God –
at his baptism, when God said: “You are my Son ...” (v. 5).
Christ also fulfills Psalm 110:4 (v. 6):
unlike other high priests, he is “priest forever”. He ranks with
“Melchizedek”, the Canaanite priest who brought bread and wine to Abram, and
blessed him. (In 7:2,
Melchizedek is said to resemble the Son of God.) During his earthly life
(“the days of his flesh”, v. 7),
Jesus prayed to God in anguish (at Gethsemane) to the one who would “save him
from death”, i.e. resurrect him (bring him back to life). Because of his
proper respect (“reverent submission”), the Father heard him. Although
already God’s Son (v. 8),
he learned a needed human trait, obedience, through suffering. His work of
salvation complete (“made perfect”, v. 9),
he, as eternal priest, offers salvation forever to all the obedient, the
faithful. He is high priest forever.
4:14-5:14: The author resumes the theme of Jesus our high priest. In 2:17-18, the author says of Christ: “he had to become like his brothers and sisters in every respect, so that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make a sacrifice of atonement for the sins of the people. Because he himself was tested by what he suffered, he is able to help those who are being tested”. Jesus has two qualifications of a priest: divine appointment (see 5:4) and the ability to “sympathize with our weaknesses” ( 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”.
The author may include “great” here because he is making a comparison. [ NJBC]
4:14: “who has passed through the heavens”: The
author has the pre-existence of Christ in mind. 1:1-2 says:
“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
prefiguring Christ’s offering of himself. [ NJBC]
5:2: The Old Testament provides no way of atoning
for deliberate and defiant (high-handed) sins. Numbers 15:30 says
“... whoever acts high-handedly ... affronts the Lord, and shall be cut off from among the
people”, i.e. receive the death penalty. Deuteronomy 17:12 is
even stronger: “As for anyone who presumes to disobey the priest appointed to
minister there to the LORD your God, or the judge, that person shall die. So
you shall purge the evil from Israel.” [ 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]
5:2: “ignorant and wayward”: The way of atoning
for unwitting sins (those committed unintentionally) is given in
Leviticus 4.
[ 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.
It is also found in some manuscripts of Luke 3:22.
[ CAB]
5:6,10: 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. Then in v. 4 it speaks of Yahweh swearing “‘You
are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek’”. 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 both Abraham and his descendant Levi.
Psalm 110:4 is
also quoted in 7:17, 21.
[ 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 being “subject to 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]
At Gethsemane, Jesus
“prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him ... He said,
‘Abba, Father, for you all things are possible; remove this cup from me; yet,
not what I want, but what you want’” (Mark 14:35-36).
[ NOAB] So the question
arises: in what way was Jesus heard? God was able to save him from dying, to
rescue him, but he did not. So perhaps there is a double meaning here – or
does the author see the resurrection as God’s answer to the prayer of
Gethsemane?
5:8: “Although he was a Son”: The author
considers Jesus’ sonship in two different ways:
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: “learned ... through what he suffered”:
Learning through suffering is common in contemporary Greek literature, but
the idea occurs only three times in the New Testament: 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] NOAB says: Jesus completed his
divinely appointed discipline for the priesthood.
5:9: “eternal salvation”: Our salvation is “once,
for all”, not salvation from our sins until next time we sin (and again
present ourselves on the annual Day of Atonement). 9:12 says:
“he entered once for all into the Holy Place, not with the blood of goats and
calves, but with his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption”. [ NOAB]
|
|
|
Mark
As witnesses to the events of
Jesus life and death became old and died, the need arose for a written
synopsis. Tradition has it that Mark, while in Rome, wrote down what Peter
remembered. This book stresses the crucifixion and resurrection as keys to
understanding who Jesus was. When other synoptic gospels were written, i.e.
Matthew and Luke, they used the Gospel according to Mark as a source. Mark is
most probably the John Mark mentioned in Acts 12:12: his
mother's house was a meeting place for believers.
|
Mrk 10:35-45
|
GOSPEL: Mark 10: 35 - 45 (RCL)
Mark 10: (35 - 41) 42 -
45 (Roman Catholic)
Mark 10:35 (NRSV)
James and John, the sons of Zeb'edee, came forward to him and said to him,
"Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you." 36 And he
said to them, "What is it you want me to do for you?" 37 And they
said to him, "Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your
left, in your glory." 38 But Jesus said to them, "You do not know
what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or be baptized
with the baptism that I am baptized with?" 39 They replied, "We are
able." Then Jesus said to them, "The cup that I drink you will drink;
and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized; 40 but to
sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those
for whom it has been prepared."
41 When the ten
heard this, they began to be angry with James and John. 42 So Jesus called them
and said to them, "You know that among the Gentiles those whom they
recognize as their rulers lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants
over them. 43 But it is not so among you; but whoever wishes to become great among
you must be your servant, 44 and whoever wishes to be first among you must be
slave of all. 45 For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to
give his life a ransom for many."
Jesus tells all the disciples: pagan authority depends on power
and force (v. 42)
but for disciples, it is different (v. 43):
to be “great” now and in the kingdom (“become”, v. 43 and
“be”, v. 44)
one must serve others; to be “first”, one must serve even more humbly, as a
“slave”. Jesus, the “Son of Man” (v. 45),
in his voluntary abasement, is the example: he gave even his life for the
freedom of others, gaining their release from punishment and death for their
sins.
Verse 35: ”James and John”: Of the disciples, only
Peter, James and John (the inner circle) were present in the Garden of
Gethsemane and at the Transfiguration. They should have known better than to
make such a request. [ NJBC]
Verse 37: In Matthew 20:20,
it is their mother who asks on their behalf. Perhaps Matthew softened the
request. See also Matthew 19:28.
Perhaps the image is of Jesus enthroned as eschatological judge. [ NJBC]
Verse 38: In 14:36,
in the Garden of Gethsemane Jesus asks: “Abba, Father, for you all things are
possible; remove this cup from me; yet, not what I want, but what you want”.
See also Luke 12:50;
John 18:11.
[ NOAB]
Verse 38: “cup”: What is allotted by God may be a
blessing (see Psalms 16:5; 116:13;
Jeremiah 16:7)
or an (adverse) judgement (see Isaiah 51:17-22;
Lamentations 4:21;
Psalm 75:8;
Jeremiah 25:15-18;
Habakkuk 2:15-16).
[ JBC] The cup as Jesus’
suffering and death is mentioned in Luke 22:20 and
John 18:11.
Two examples of the user of the word “cup” are:
- as a blessing: “I will lift up the cup of salvation and
call on the name of the Lord” (Psalm 116:13)
- as a judgement: “to you also the cup shall pass; you
shall become drunk and strip yourself bare” (Lamentations 4:21).
Note Isaiah 51:22:
“See, I have taken from your hand the cup of staggering; you shall drink no
more from the bowl of my wrath”. For the cup as an image in the passion story,
see 14:23and 14:36.
[ NJBC]
Verse 38: “baptized”: In 1:4,
John the Baptizer calls people to baptism “with water”, thereby symbolizing
recognition and confession of sin together with acceptance of God’s judgement
and forgiveness. [ NOAB]
Verse 39: “We are able”: During the Passion, these
disciples show cowardice! [ NJBC]
Verse 39: “The cup that I drink”: Jesus may mean that
James and John will suffer martyrdom.
Verse 40: This verse seems to imply subordination of the
Son to the Father. This was exploited by the Arian heretics in the early
centuries of the Church.
Verse 40: “has been prepared”: In Matthew 20:23 the
phrase is made more precise by adding “by my Father”. [ NOAB] For whom these places are
prepared is not made clear. [ NJBC]
Verse 42: NJBC suggests
that there may be irony here, for only God is the ultimate sovereign. Exercise
of power impresses people, but Jesus was the exception to the rule. See also
Matthew 4:8-10; 11:8;
Luke 4:5-8; 7:25.
[ BlkMk]
Verse 43: “servant”: The Greek word is diakonos.
A “slave”, doulos, ranked below a diakonos. Here the
deacon is the highest order of ministry. By the time of 1 Timothy 3:8-13,
and perhaps in Philippians 1:1, diakonos had
become an ecclesiastical technical term, though elsewhere in the letters
generally accepted as being by Paul diakonos means servant or minister in
a general sense.
Verse 45: “Son of Man”: Here this term denotes Jesus’
authority, and his own voluntary lowliness. [ JBC]
Verse 45: “to give his life”: A reference to 1
Maccabees 2:50; 6:44 where
the phrase refers to martyrdom. [ NJBC]
Verse 45: “ransom”: The Greek word, lytron,
conveys the idea of deliverance by purchase on behalf of a captive, slave or
criminal. [ NJBC] During the
Last Supper, Jesus says: “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out
for many” ( 14:24).
See also Luke 4:18 and
1 Timothy 2:5-6.
Verse 45: “for many”: This echoes Isaiah 53:11-12 (part
of a Servant Song): the
Servant “... bore the sin of many ...”. [ NJBC]
© 1996-2018
Chris Haslam
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