·
14 Samson Occom, Witness to the Faith in New
England, 1792
·
16 "The
Righteous Gentiles" of the
world's nations") is an honorificused by the State of Israel to describe non-Jews who risked their lives during the Holocaust to save Jews
from extermination by the Nazis. The term
originates with the concept of "righteous gentiles", a term used in rabbinic Judaism to refer to non-Jews, called ger toshav, who abide by the Seven Laws of Noah.
·
17 William
White, Bishop of Pennsylvania, 1836
·
18 Bartolomé de las
Casas, Friar and Missionary to the Indies, 1566 was a 16th-century Spanish colonist who
acted as a historian and social reformer before becoming a Dominican friar. He was appointed
as the first resident Bishop of Chiapas, and the first officially appointed "Protector of the Indians". His extensive writings, the most famous being A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies and Historia de Las Indias, chronicle the
first decades of colonization of the West Indies. He described the atrocities committed by the colonizers
against the indigenous peoples
·
19 Macrina,
Monastic and Teacher, 379. Adelaide
Teague Case, Teacher, 1948
·
21 Albert John Luthuli,
Prophetic Witness in South Africa, 1967
OLD TESTAMENT: Amos 7:
7 - 17 (RCL)
Amos 7:7 (NRSV)
This is what he showed me: the Lord was standing beside a wall built with a
plumb line, with a plumb line in his hand. 8 And the LORD said to me,
"A'mos, what do you see?" And I said, "A plumb line." Then
the Lord said,
"See, I am
setting a plumb line
in the midst of my
people Israel;
I will never again
pass them by;
9 the high places
of Isaac shall be made desolate,
and the
sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste,
and I will rise
against the house of Jerobo'am with the sword."
10 Then Amazi'ah,
the priest of Beth'el, sent to King Jerobo'am of Israel, saying, "A'mos
has conspired against you in the very center of the house of Israel; the land
is not able to bear all his words. 11 For thus A'mos has said,
"Jerobo'am
shall die by the sword,
and Israel must go
into exile
away from his
land.'"
12 And Amazi'ah
said to A'mos, "O seer, go, flee away to the land of Judah, earn your
bread there, and prophesy there; 13 but never again prophesy at Beth'el, for it
is the king's sanctuary, and it is a temple of the kingdom."
14 Then A'mos
answered Amazi'ah, "I am no prophet, nor a prophet's son; but I am a
herdsman, and a dresser of sycamore trees, 15 and the LORD took me from
following the flock, and the LORD said to me, "Go, prophesy to my people
Israel.'
16 "Now
therefore hear the word of the LORD.
You say, "Do
not prophesy against Israel,
and do not preach
against the house of Isaac.'
17 Therefore thus
says the LORD:
"Your wife
shall become a prostitute in the city,
and your sons and your
daughters shall fall by the sword,
and your land
shall be parceled out by line;
you yourself shall
die in an unclean land,
and Israel shall
surely go into exile away from its land.'"
Deuteronomy 30: 9 - 14
(alt. for RCL)
Deuteronomy 30: 10 - 14
(Roman Catholic)
Deut 30:9 (NRSV)
... [T]he LORD your God will make you abundantly prosperous in all your
undertakings, in the fruit of your body, in the fruit of your livestock, and in
the fruit of your soil. For the LORD will again take delight in prospering you,
just as he delighted in prospering your ancestors, 10 when you obey the LORD
your God by observing his commandments and decrees that are written in this
book of the law, because you turn to the LORD your God with all your heart and
with all your soul.
11 Surely, this
commandment that I am commanding you today is not too hard for you, nor is it
too far away. 12 It is not in heaven, that you should say, "Who will go up
to heaven for us, and get it for us so that we may hear it and observe
it?" 13 Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, "Who will
cross to the other side of the sea for us, and get it for us so that we may
hear it and observe it?" 14 No, the word is very near to you; it is in
your mouth and in your heart for you to observe.
Note: The Roman
Catholic lectionary begins this reading with: "Moses said to the
people:"
PSALM 82 (RCL)
Psal 82:1 (NRSV)
God has taken his place in the divine council;
in the midst of
the gods he holds judgment:
2 "How long
will you judge unjustly
and show
partiality to the wicked? [Se'lah]
3 Give justice to
the weak and the orphan;
maintain the right
of the lowly and the destitute.
4 Rescue the weak
and the needy;
deliver them from
the hand of the wicked."
5 They have
neither knowledge nor understanding,
they walk around
in darkness;
all the
foundations of the earth are shaken.
6 I say, "You
are gods,
children of the
Most High, all of you;
7 nevertheless,
you shall die like mortals,
and fall like any
prince."
8 Rise up, O God,
judge the earth;
for all the
nations belong to you!
82 Deus stetit (ECUSA
BCP)
1 God
takes his stand in the council of heaven; *
he
gives judgment in the midst of the gods:
2 “How
long will you judge unjustly, *
and
show favor to the wicked?
3 Save
the weak and the orphan; *
defend
the humble and needy;
4 Rescue
the weak and the poor; *
deliver
them from the power of the wicked.
5 They
do not know, neither do they understand;
they go about in
darkness; *
all
the foundations of the earth are shaken.
6 Now
I say to you, ‘You are gods, *
and
all of you children of the Most High;
7 Nevertheless,
you shall die like mortals, *
and
fall like any prince.’”
8 Arise,
O God, and rule the earth, *
for
you shall take all nations for your own.
Psalm 25: 1 - 10 (alt. for RCL)
Psal 25:1 (NRSV)
To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul.
2 O my God, in you
I trust;
do not let me be
put to shame;
do not let my
enemies exult over me.
3 Do not let those
who wait for you be put to shame;
let them be
ashamed who are wantonly treacherous.
4 Make me to know
your ways, O LORD;
teach me your
paths.
5 Lead me in your
truth, and teach me,
for you are the
God of my salvation;
for you I wait all
day long.
6 Be mindful of
your mercy, O LORD, and of your steadfast love,
for they have been
from of old.
7 Do not remember
the sins of my youth or my transgressions;
according to your
steadfast love remember me,
for your goodness'
sake, O LORD!
8 Good and upright
is the LORD;
therefore he
instructs sinners in the way.
9 He leads the
humble in what is right,
and teaches the
humble his way.
10 All the paths
of the LORD are steadfast love and faithfulness,
for those who keep
his covenant and his decrees.
Note: Verse numbering
in your Psalter may differ from the above.
25 Ad te, Domine,
levavi (ECUSA BCP)
1 To you,
O Lord, I lift up my soul;
my God, I put my
trust in you; *
let
me not be humiliated,
nor
let my enemies triumph over me.
2 Let
none who look to you be put to shame; *
let
the treacherous be disappointed in their schemes.
3 Show me
your ways, O Lord, *
and
teach me your paths.
4 Lead me
in your truth and teach me, *
for
you are the God of my salvation;
in
you have I trusted all the day long.
5 Remember,
O Lord, your compassion and love, *
for
they are from everlasting.
6 Remember
not the sins of my youth and my transgressions; *
remember
me according to your love
and
for the sake of your goodness, O Lord.
7 Gracious
and upright is the Lord; *
therefore
he teaches sinners in his way.
8 He
guides the humble in doing right *
and
teaches his way to the lowly.
9 All the
paths of the Lord are love and faithfulness *
to
those who keep his covenant and his testimonies.
Psalm 69: 13, 16, 29-30,
32-33, 35a, 36 (Roman Catholic)
Psal 69:13 (NRSV)
But as for me, my prayer is to you, O LORD.
At an acceptable
time, O God,
in the abundance
of your steadfast love, answer me.
With your faithful
help
16 Answer me, O
LORD, for your steadfast love is good;
according to your
abundant mercy, turn to me.
29 But I am lowly
and in pain;
let your
salvation, O God, protect me.
30 I will praise
the name of God with a song;
I will magnify him
with thanksgiving.
32 Let the
oppressed see it and be glad;
you who seek God,
let your hearts revive.
33 For the LORD
hears the needy,
and does not
despise his own that are in bonds.
35 For God will
save Zion
and rebuild the
cities of Judah;
36 the children of
his servants shall inherit it,
and those who love
his name shall live in it.
Note: Verse numbering
in Roman Catholic Bibles is one lower than the above.
Psalm 19: 7 - 10 (alt. for Roman Catholic)
Psal 19:7 (NRSV)
The law of the LORD is perfect,
reviving the soul;
the decrees of the
LORD are sure,
making wise the
simple;
8 the precepts of
the LORD are right,
rejoicing the
heart;
the commandment of
the LORD is clear,
enlightening the
eyes;
9 the fear of the
LORD is pure,
enduring forever;
the ordinances of
the LORD are true
and righteous
altogether.
10 More to be
desired are they than gold,
even much fine
gold;
sweeter also than
honey,
and drippings of
the honeycomb.
Note: Verse numbering
in Roman Catholic Bibles is one lower than the above.
NEW TESTAMENT:
Colossians 1: 1 - 14 (all but Roman Catholic)
Colo 1:1 (NRSV)
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,
2 To the saints
and faithful brothers and sisters in Christ in Colos'sae:
Grace to you and
peace from God our Father.
3 In our prayers
for you we always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 4 for we have
heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the
saints, 5 because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. You have heard of this
hope before in the word of the truth, the gospel 6 that has come to you. Just
as it is bearing fruit and growing in the whole world, so it has been bearing
fruit among yourselves from the day you heard it and truly comprehended the
grace of God. 7 This you learned from Ep'aphras, our beloved fellow servant. He
is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf, 8 and he has made known to us
your love in the Spirit.
9 For this reason,
since the day we heard it, we have not ceased praying for you and asking that
you may be filled with the knowledge of God's will in all spiritual wisdom and
understanding, 10 so that you may lead lives worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing
to him, as you bear fruit in every good work and as you grow in the knowledge
of God. 11 May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from his
glorious power, and may you be prepared to endure everything with patience,
while joyfully 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in
the inheritance of the saints in the light. 13 He has rescued us from the power
of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom
we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
The letter begins in typical Greek style: the names of the senders
(v. 1)
and those of the recipients (v. 2),
and then a prayer for thanksgiving or of petition (here Christian, vv. 3ff).
“The saints” (v. 4)
are those set apart for God’s work in the world. Note the triad of
“faith ... love ... hope” (vv. 4-5),
the steps in coming to know Christ. The community is basically faithful to
the good news, as taught by Epaphras. The Church is growing both in
Colossae and throughout the Empire (“the whole world”, v. 6).
Vv. 9-13 are
one sentence in Greek: “we have not ceased ...” “praying”, “asking” and “giving
thanks” (v. 12).
The “knowledge” in v. 9 is
practical: born of experience of a person, i.e. Christ. Perhaps they are to
“endure” (v. 11)
the false teaching. The opposition of “light” (v. 12)
and “darkness” (v. 13)
is also found in the Qumran literature. The phrase “forgiveness of sins”
(v. 14)
occurs only in letters not generally agreed to be by Paul.
Author's note:
Sometimes I have material left over when I edit Comments down to fit the available space. This page presents notes that landed on the clipping room floor. Some may be useful to you. While I avoid technical language in the Comments (or explain special terms), Clippings may have unexplained jargon from time to time.
A hypertext Glossary of Terms is
integrated with Clippings. Simply click on any highlighted word in the text and
a pop-up window will appear with a definition. Bibliographic references are
also integrated in the same way.
Amos 7:7-17
The identification of Amos is a bit
of an interesting problem. 1:1 (in
the NRSV) says that Amos was “among the shepherds of Tekoa”. This is the
traditional translation of this verse, but more recent scholarship on the Ugariticlanguage and its
relationship to Hebrew calls this interpretation into question. OCB says: “In the Ugaritic texts,
one encounters a respected group known as the nqdm, a class or
guild to which ... Amos belong[s], calling into question the traditional
translation of nqd as shepherd.” This detail, coupled
with Amos' clear inside knowledge of palace politics, indicates that he could
not have been a mere shepherd, but someone of higher station. (The Ugaritic
language is close to Hebrew.)
In 7:-1-9:15,
there are five visions of God’s judgement and a prophecy of restoration. The
first part of the first four visions is identical: God shows Amos something,
asks what he sees, and then explains the significance of what he has seen. In
the first two visions, Yahweh relents
because of Amos’ intercession, but in the other visions, judgement is certain.
Other visions predicting the Assyrian invasion are found in Jeremiah 1:11-15.
[ NJBC]
Verses 1-2: The first vision.
7:1: “locusts”: See also Joel 1:2-7 for
judgement by way of locusts. [ NOAB]
Locusts ate everything in their path, denuding the land.
7:1: “the latter growth”: i.e. the second crop. [ JBC]
7:2: Intercession was seen as a function of prophets:
Jeremiah 27:18 says
“If indeed they are prophets, ... let them intercede with the Lord of hosts, that the vessels
left in the house of the Lord ...
may not go to Babylon”. Prophets mediated between God and his people, in both
directions. [ NJBC]
7:4: The second vision.
7:4: “shower of fire”: If the Hebrew words are redivided, the
translation is judgement by fire. [ NJBC] The destruction of Aram
(Syria) by fire is foretold in 1:4:
“I will send a fire on the house of Hazael, and it shall devour the strongholds
of Ben-hadad”. [ NOAB] The fire
has already dried up the cosmic sea. God’s people are next. [ CAB]
7:4: “the great deep”: i.e. the waters under the earth:
Genesis 7:11 says
“In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, ... all the fountains of the great
deep burst forth, and the windows of the heavens were opened”. The earth was
thought to float on this subterranean ocean. It was also thought to be the
source of rivers and streams. [ JBC]
7:7: The third vision. A wall that is out-of-plumb can only be
repaired by tearing it down. The “plumb line” is a symbol of accountability to
God. The literal translation is a piece of lead. The plumb line was
used for testing and also for demolition (before repairs): see
Lamentations 2:8;
Isaiah 34:11;
2 Kings 21:13.
The people are found to be warped beyond correction; God decrees an irrevocable
sentence of destruction. [ NOAB]
[ NJBC] The Hebrew is
difficult/obscure; the Hebrew translated as "plumb line" can be
rendered as pick axe. This fits better with the end of v. 8.
7:9: “the high places of Isaac”: Shrines were generally erected
on the heights. Perhaps ancient people felt that they were thus able to draw
closer to God. In Israel, the high place was originally a place of sacrifice
to Yahweh; therefore at first
the high places were not condemned by Israel’s religion. Later the term came to
mean an idolatrous sanctuary in sharp contrast to the Temple. [ JBC]
7:10-17: Note that these verses are in the third person while
vv. 1-9 are
in the first person. This suggests that these verses were inserted by an
editor, perhaps because of the threat to Jeroboam in v. 9.
[ JBC]
7:12: “seer”: The Hebrew word is an obsolete term for a prophet:
1 Samuel 9:9 says:
“... the one who is now called a prophet was formerly called a seer”. Perhaps
Amaziah is insulting Amos. [ NJBC] JBC offers visionary.
7:12: “earn your bread”: Literally eat your bread. Earn
your living is also possible. Amos, a foreigner, is interfering in
Israelite political and religious affairs. [ NJBC]
7:13: “Bethel”: The official shrine of the northern kingdom, and
the official sanctuary of the affluent Jeroboam II. [JBC]
7:14: “I am no prophet”: i.e. neither a court prophet (see 1
Samuel 9:6-10;
Micah 3:5-8, 11)
“nor a prophet’s son”, i.e. a member of a guild of prophets (see 1 Samuel 10:5;
1 Kings 20:35; 22:6;
2 Kings 2:3, 5, 7; 4:1, 38),
but simply the one Yahweh took
to prophesy to the people (see 3:3-8 and
2 Samuel 7:8).
[ NOAB] In 1 and 2 Kings “company
of prophets” is literally sons of prophets.
7:14: “herdsman”: The Hebrew word relates to cattle. In 1:1,
per the NRSV, Amos is mentioned as a shepherd; however, see the first paragraph
of this Clipping.
7:14: “sycamore trees”: This is not the same tree as grows in
temperate climates. It grows in the lowlands of Palestine. The fruit is smaller
than the fig, and is the food of the poor. The fruit is punctured to ensure
that it grows large enough to be eaten. [ JBC]
7:15: David, too, was called by God from tending sheep: 2
Samuel 7:8 says:
“... Thus says the Lord of
hosts: I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep to be prince over
my people Israel”. See also Psalm 78:70-71.
[ NJBC]
8:1-3: The fourth vision: a basket of summer fruit symbolizing
the immediacy of Israel’s “end”. [ NOAB]
9:1-4: The fifth vision: the destruction of Israel: the most
dreadful of all. There is no escape from God’s judgement. [CAB]
Psalm 82
Superscription: “Asaph”: 1 Chronicles 6:31-32, 39 names
Asaph as one “whom David put in charge of the service of song in the house of
the Lord”. 2 Chronicles 5:11-12 says
that Asaph was one of “the levitical singers”. Psalms 50 and 73-83 are
ascribed to him.
NJBC sees this psalm as the
theological midpoint between Israel’s early faith, in which other gods were
real but subordinate to Yahweh (see
Deuteronomy 4:19;
Psalms 58; 95:3),
and Israel’s later monotheism. Psalm 95:3 says
“For the Lord is a great
God, and a great King above all gods”. My interpretation in Comments ,
written in 2001, fits better with v. 8 than
the one I wrote in 1998, which says in part:
In early Israelite religion, our God presided over other
“gods”, the heavenly council. Here he accuses them of favouring “the wicked”
over the “weak and needy”.
Verse 1: “has taken his place”: or has taken his stand .
Isaiah 3:13-14 tells
us: “The Lord rises to
argue his case; he stands to judge the peoples. The Lord enters into judgment with the
elders and princes of his people: It is you who have devoured the vineyard; the
spoil of the poor is in your houses”. See also Psalm 76:9.
For the idea of a legal proceeding instituted by Yahweh against other gods, see
Isaiah 41:21-24.
See also 1 Kings 22:19-22;
Isaiah 6 (Isaiah’s
commissioning); Job 1:6-12; 2:1-10.
[ NJBC]
Verse 1: “divine council”: The Canaanite counterpart is the assembly
of gods. This notion is also found at Ugarit and in Mesopotamia. Israel
adapted this idea to Yahwism.
[ JBC] See also 89:5-7 (“council
of the holy ones”) and Ezekiel 28:9.
[ NOAB]
Verse 1: “gods”: The Hebrew word is elohim. Our God
is Elohim. One answer to evil in the world was to lay the
responsibility for it on these beings.
Verse 2: “Selah”: This is probably a liturgical direction, added to
the original text of the psalm. It may mean lift up, either to indicate
the lifting up of the voices of the singers in a doxology, or to call for lifted-up instrumental
music in an interlude in the singing. [ NOAB]
Selah is one of the greatest puzzles
of the Old Testament. Its meaning seems to be connected with rising or lifting.
But it is not clear whether the congregation rises or lifts up its hands, head,
or eyes, or whether the music rises at the indicated points. The word probably
indicates that the singing should stop to allow the congregation an interlude
for presenting its homage to God by some gesture or act of worship. [ ICCPs]
Selah is also found 74 times in 39 psalms
in the book of Psalms and three times in Habakkuk 3 (part
of a psalm preserved there).
Verse 5: “darkness”: For darkness as ignorance, see Job 12:24-25; 37:19;
Ecclesiastes 2:14. NJBC says that the context
suggests the darkness of the nether-world, to which the gods are consigned. Job
says Job 10:21-22:
“Are not the days of my life few? Let me alone, that I may find a little
comfort before I go, never to return, to the land of gloom and deep darkness,
the land of gloom and chaos, where light is like darkness”. See also
Psalm 88:12 and
Proverbs 20:20.
Verse 5: “all the foundations of the earth are shaken”: This notion
is also found in Psalm 46:2-3, 6; 75:3 (“When
the earth totters, with all its inhabitants, it is I [God] who keep its pillars
steady”); Isaiah 24:1-6.
[ NJBC]
Verse 6: “You are gods”: Isaiah 41:23-24 contains
the first explicit statement against the very existence of the gods of other
nations: “... You, indeed, are nothing and your work is nothing at all; whoever
chooses you is an abomination”. [NOAB]
In John 10:34,
Jesus quotes this verse to clear himself of a charge of blasphemy, addressing
those who would stone him . [ BlkJn]
Verse 7: “you shall die like mortals”: Immortality was a jealously
guarded secret of the gods, both in Israel (see Genesis 3:22)
and elsewhere in the ancient Near East (see the Gilgamesh Epic and
the Tale of Aqhat)
[ NJBC]. JBCsays that the idea of the fall of the
gods was borrowed from Canaanite myths. See also Ezekiel 28:17 and
Isaiah 14:13-15.
Verse 8: A prayer that the poet’s vision may be realized: that the
gods of other nations may be realized. [ NOAB]
Colossians 1:1-14
Acts 23:26 is
the salutation of an ancient Greek letter: “Claudius Lysias to his Excellency
the governor Felix, greetings”. [ NOAB]
Verse 1: “Paul, an apostle”: Letters written by Paul (or written in
his name) often begin with his claim to apostleship: see Romans 1:1;
1 Corinthians 1:1;
2 Corinthians 1:1;
Galatians 1:1.
The introductory wording is identical in Ephesians 1:1 and
1 Timothy 1:1.
It is very similar in 2 Timothy 1:1.
Some questioned Paul’s apostleship: see 1 Corinthians 9:2 (where
Paul answers “If I am not an apostle to others, at least I am to you; for you
are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord”) and 2 Corinthians 13:3.
[ CAB]
Verse 1: “Timothy”: He was converted during the first missionary
journey (see Acts 16:1-3);
he appears to have accompanied Paul from then on. He is named as co-author of
several letters: see 2 Corinthians 1:1;
Philippians 1:1;
1 Thessalonians 1:1 and
Philemon 1.
[ CAB]
Verse 2: “To the saints and faithful brothers and sisters”: NJBC offers to the holy
and faithful brethren, a significantly different translation. He says that,
unlike in other letters (see Romans 1:7;
1 Corinthians 1:2;
2 Corinthians 1:1;
Ephesians 1:1;
Philippians 1:1), holy is
an adjective coordinated with “faithful” rather than the substantive “saints”.
In the Old Testament, Israel is a holy (qados) people, but qedosim (holy
ones) often refers to the heavenly assembly (see, for example,
Zechariah 14:5).
Members of the Qumran community
referred to themselves as the holy ones: see 1QM (War Scroll) 3:5;
6:6; 10:10; 16:1.
Verse 2: “in Christ”: An important theme in Colossians. The phrase
signifies the union of the believer with Christ on many levels. See also 1:4, 14, 16-17, 19, 28; 2:3, 6-7, 9-12; 3:18, 20; 4:7.
[ NJBC]
Verse 2: “Grace to you and peace”: This phrase combines the Greek
and Hebrew salutations. It is also found in Romans 1:7;
1 Corinthians 1:3;
2 Corinthians 1:2;
Galatians 1:3;
Ephesians 1:2;
Philippians 1:2;
2 Thessalonians 1:2;
1 Timothy 1:2;
2 Timothy 1:2;
Titus 1:4;
Philemon 3.
See also 2 Peter 1:2;
2 John 3;
Jude 2;
Revelation 1:4.
[ NOAB] [ CAB]
Verses 4-5: “faith ... love ... hope”: This triad is also found in 1
Corinthians 13:13;
1 Thessalonians 1:3; 5:8.
These words are in close proximity in Romans 5:1-5;
Galatians 5:5-6;
Ephesians 4:2-5;
Hebrews 6:10-12; 10:22-24;
1 Peter 1:3-8, 21-22.
[ NOAB] [ CAB]
Verse 5: “the word of the truth”: In Galatians 2:5, 14,
Paul speaks of the “gospel” in these terms. [ CAB]
Verse 6: “bearing fruit”: For the power of the gospel to achieve
results, see also Mark 4:20 (the
Parable of the Sower) and Luke 8:15.
[ CAB]
Verse 7: “Epaphras”: Probably the founder of the Colossian church:
see 1:7-8 (“...
our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf,
and he has made known to us your love in the Spirit”) and 4:12 (which
tells us that he is with Paul). In Philemon 23,
Paul calls him “my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus”. [ NOAB]
Verse 7: “servant”: The Greek word literally means slave .
[ CAB]
Verses 9-11: A petition for sensitivity to God’s will, resulting in
Christian conduct, and sustained by divine strength. [NOAB]
Verse 9: “knowledge”: Greeks were keen on knowledge, but not of a
practical nature.
Verse 9: “knowledge ... wisdom ... understanding”: The
corresponding Greek terms are found frequently in the Qumran literature, e.g.
- 1QH (Hymns) 9:19-21 (Vermes: 1:19-21), where the three
terms are connected with the revelation of mysteries (see also
Colossians 1:27-28; 2:2-3)
- 1QS (Rule of the Community) 4:2-8, a passage which
recounts the way of the Spirit of Truth. and includes humility and
forbearance, understanding, knowledge, wisdom, zeal for ordinances, firm
inclination and discretion regarding revelation of the mysteries. [ NJBC]
Verse 10: Ephesians 4:1 says
: “I ... beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been
called”. Paul writes in 1 Thessalonians 2:12:
“urging and encouraging you and pleading that you lead a life worthy of God,
who calls you into his own kingdom and glory”. [ CAB]
Verse 11: This verse underscores God’s power, which enables Christians
to “endure ... with patience”. Coupled with Paul’s references to sufferings and
struggle in 1:24-2:5,
the Colossians are being asked to endure in the face of an ominous false
teaching which threatens them: see 2:8-23:
“See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deceit,
according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the
universe, and not according to Christ ...”. [ CAB]
Verse 12: “inheritance”: In the Old Testament, the Promised Land:
see Joshua 14-19.
Ephesians 1:11-12 says
“In Christ we have also obtained an inheritance, having been destined according
to the purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to his counsel and
will, so that we, who were the first to set our hope on Christ, might live for
the praise of his glory”. [ CAB]
Verses 12-13: “share in the inheritance of the saints in the light ...
darkness”: This calls to mind teachings in the Qumran literature, for
example the ethical dualism of light and darkness and of portion or lot (NRSV:
“inheritance”): see 1QM (War Scroll) 13:9-10; 1QH (Hymns) 11:22-23; 14:12-13;
19:11-12 (Vermes: 3:22-23; 6:12-13; 11:11-12). There the portion is
the predetermined destiny meted out to humans. It has been suggested that
“saints” refers to both the faithful community and to heavenly beings. [ NJBC]
Verse 13: “rescued us”: i.e. from Satan’s power. In Acts 26:17-18,
in his defence before Agrippa, Paul states Christ’s words to him during his
conversion: “‘I will rescue you from your people and from the Gentiles – to
whom I am sending you to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to
light and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness
of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me’”. [ NOAB]
Verse 14: “the forgiveness of sins”: The Greek, aphesis
hamartion, is not found in undisputedly Pauline letters; it is however
found in Ephesians 1:7;
Hebrews 9:22; 10:18.
[ NJBC]
GOSPEL: Luke 10: 25 -
37 (all)
Luke 10:25 (NRSV)
Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher," he said,
"what must I do to inherit eternal life?" 26 He said to him,
"What is written in the law? What do you read there?" 27 He answered,
"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your
soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as
yourself." 28 And he said to him, "You have given the right answer;
do this, and you will live."
29 But wanting to
justify himself, he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?" 30 Jesus
replied, "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell into
the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him
half dead. 31 Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw
him, he passed by on the other side. 32 So likewise a Le'vite, when he came to
the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan while
traveling came near him; and when he saw him, he was moved with pity. 34 He
went to him and bandaged his wounds, having poured oil and wine on them. Then
he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35
The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said,
"Take care of him; and when I come back, I will repay you whatever more
you spend.' 36 Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man
who fell into the hands of the robbers?" 37 He said, "The one who
showed him mercy." Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise."
Perhaps the “lawyer”, a person expert in the interpretation of
Jewish law, has heard Jesus’ words about mission to Gentiles. He asks: How
much must I do ...? Jesus speaks to him in his terms (v. 26).
The lawyer answers with a verse from Deuteronomy and another from Leviticus,
both books of the Law (v. 27).
Jesus echoes a verse in the Law (v. 28).
At the time, Jews debated whether all fellow Jews (or just some) were their
neighbours. The lawyer seeks to prove his entitlement to eternal life by
defining the limits of his duty to neighbours, but Jesus reinterprets the Law
in the story of the Good Samaritan (vv. 30-35).
The “priest” (v. 31)
stands for Jewish religious leadership; Levites (v. 32)
assisted priests in the Temple. The man may be dead; if either touches him, he
risks ritual defilement. Each keeps the law literally. Jews saw
Samaritans as religious deviants, but they did keep the Law; each group
despised each other. So for a Samaritan to risk becoming unclean is to act
according to the spirit of the Law rather than the letter.
(“Oil and wine”, v. 34,
were medications.) In v. 37,
the lawyer recognizes that the Samaritan has acted properly (but can’t bring
himself to say Samaritan.) The neighbour argument
is irrelevant. The lawyer must see behind the Law to love of all. Even non-Jews
who demonstrate this love can enter the kingdom.
See also Matthew 22:23-40 (some
Sadducees ask about the resurrection) and Mark 12:28-31 (the
first commandments are to love). [ NOAB]
The story of the Good Samaritan is only in Luke.
Verse 25: “a lawyer”: In Matthew 19:16,
this question is asked by a Pharisee, in Mark 10:17 by
a scribe, and in Luke 18:18 by
a “ruler”. [ NOAB] The word
Luke uses for “lawyer”, nomikos, is seldom found outside his
gospel. The more usual term is grammateus. † BlkLk
suggests that Luke uses nomikos as an interpretation for the
Gentile world.
Verse 25: “what must I do to inherit eternal life”: i.e.
what way of life will Jesus guarantee as satisfying God? [NOAB]
Verse 25 “inherit eternal life”: This phrase also
appears in Matthew 19:29.
This phrase is synonymous with “inherit the kingdom”: see Matthew 25:34 (the
judgement of the nations). [ NOAB]
In Luke, for a Gentile
audience, the man asks about “eternal life” but in Matthew and Mark, the
question is about the Great Commandment. It seems that Luke’s readers were not
particularly concerned with the Law.
Verse 27: The lawyer’s words are a composite of
Deuteronomy 6:5 (“You
shall love the Lord your
God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might”) and
Leviticus 19:18b (“...
you shall love your neighbour as yourself: I am the Lord’). Romans 13:8-10;
Galatians 5:14 and
James 2:8 (and
vv. 29-37 here)
implicitly link Deuteronomy 6:4-5 and
Leviticus 19:18,
stressing the principle that acts of love are the final requirement of the Law.
These verses are also combined in Testament of Issachar 5:2;
7:6. Deuteronomy 6:4-9 is
known in Jewish tradition as the Shema, the first word in Hebrew being shema,
meaning hear. Rabbinic practice was to associate these two verses.
The verse from Leviticus is also quoted in Matthew 5:43; 19:19;
Romans 13:9;
Galatians 5:14;
James 2:8.
[ NOAB] [BlkLk]
Verse 27: “heart ... soul ... strength ... mind”:
Strangely, this enumeration and order of the human faculties follows the Hebrew
rather than the Septuagint translation.
“And with your mind” is an addition, and the word for “mind” is really an
alternative translation of the Hebrew for “heart”. No version of the Old
Testament has a form of the commandment in which all four human faculties are
mentioned. Perhaps two versions (of the story) were current when Luke wrote,
one with “heart” and one with “mind”, and the text adopted may be a conflation
of the two. Some manuscripts of Luke omit “and with your mind”. [ BlkLk]
Verse 28: “You have given the right answer”: This is a rabbinic
phrase. It is also found in 7:43 (although
the NRSV translates it differently). [ BlkLk]
Verse 28: “do this, and you will live”: Leviticus 18:5 says:
“You shall keep my statutes and my ordinances; by doing so one shall live: I am
the Lord”. In Mark 12:34,
Jesus tells a scribe who has identified the most important laws as loving God
and your neighbour “‘You are not far from the kingdom of God’”. [ NOAB] See also Galatians 3:12 and
Romans 10:5.
[ JBC]
Verse 29: “justify himself”: i.e. show himself to be
righteous, acceptable to God. See also 18:9-14 (The
Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector). [ NOAB]
Verse 29: “who is my neighbour?”: In Leviticus 19:18,
your neighbour is your fellow Israelite. The definition is extended to include
a resident alien in Leviticus 19:33-34.
In Luke 18:18-30,
Jesus provides a more specifically Christian answer to this question. [ NOAB]
Verse 30: “going down”: The road drops about 1 Km in 19
Km (3300 feet in 12 miles). [ JBC]
Verses 31-32: “priest ... Levite”: Both are law-abiding. [ NJBC]
Verse 33: “Samaritan”: Jews considered Samaritans to be
religious apostates. 2 Kings 17:24-34 tells
of the resettlement of Samaria by the Assyrians. Samaria was inhabited by mixed
remnants of northern tribes who worshipped Yahwehand used the Pentateuch. In Matthew 10:5,
the disciples are forbidden to visit Samaritan towns, but here, in Luke17:11-19 (the
leaded Samaritan leper thanks Jesus) and in John 4:4-42 (the
Samaritan woman at the well), Jesus is friendly to Samaritans. The mission to
the Samaritans was successful: see Acts 8:5-8.
[ NOAB]
Verse 34: “oil and wine”: Mixed as an ointment, they
were used by both Hellenists and Jews. [ BlkLk]
© 1996-2019
Chris Haslam
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