·        15 Cyprian, Bishop and Martyr of Carthage, 258. James Chisholm, Priest, 1855

·        16 Ninian, Bishop in Galloway, c. 430 is a Christian saint first mentioned in the 8th century as being an early missionary among the Pictish peoples of what is now Scotland. For this reason he is known as the Apostle to the Southern Picts, and there are numerous dedications to him in those parts of Scotland with a Pictish heritage, throughout the Scottish Lowlands, and in parts of Northern England with a Northumbrian heritage. In Scotland, Ninian is also known as Ringan, and as Trynnian in Northern England.

·        17 Hildegard, 1179  also known as Saint Hildegard and the Sibyl of the Rhine, was a German Benedictine abbess, writer, composer, philosopher, Christian mystic, visionary, and polymath.^[1][2] She has been considered by many in Europe to be the founder of scientific natural history in Germany

·        18 Edward Bouverie Pusey, Priest, 1882

·        19 Theodore of Tarsus, Archbishop of Canterbury, 690 was Archbishop of Canterbury from 668 to 690, best known for his reform of the English Church and establishment of a school in Canterbury.

·        20 John Coleridge Patteson, Bishop of Melanesia, and his Companions, Martyrs, 1871

·        21 Saint Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist

·        22 Philander Chase, Bishop of Ohio, and of Illinois, 1852

Exodus 32:7-14 Revised Standard Version (RSV)

⁷ And the Lord said to Moses, “Go down; for your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves; ⁸ they have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them; they have made for themselves a molten calf, and have worshiped it and sacrificed to it, and said, ‘These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!’” ⁹ And the Lord said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and behold, it is a stiff-necked people; ¹⁰ now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them; but of you I will make a great nation.”

¹¹ But Moses besought the Lord his God, and said, “O Lord, why does thy wrath burn hot against thy people, whom thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? ¹² Why should the Egyptians say, ‘With evil intent did he bring them forth, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth’? Turn from thy fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against thy people. ¹³ Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou didst swear by thine own self, and didst say to them, ‘I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have promised I will give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it for ever.’” ¹⁴ And the Lord repented of the evil which he thought to do to his people.

51 Miserere mei, Deus

1 Have mercy on me, O God, according to your loving-kindness; *
in your great compassion blot out my offenses.

2 Wash me through and through from my wickedness *
and cleanse me from my sin.

3 For I know my transgressions, *
and my sin is ever before me.
.
4 Against you only have I sinned *
and done what is evil in your sight.

5 And so you are justified when you speak *
and upright in your judgment.

6 Indeed, I have been wicked from my birth, *
a sinner from my mother's womb.

7 For behold, you look for truth deep within me, *
and will make me understand wisdom secretly.

8 Purge me from my sin, and I shall be pure; *
wash me, and I shall be clean indeed.

9 Make me hear of joy and gladness, *
that the body you have broken may rejoice.

10 Hide your face from my sins *
and blot out all my iniquities.

11 Create in me a clean heart, O God, *
and renew a right spirit within me.

12 Cast me not away from your presence *
and take not your holy Spirit from me.

13 Give me the joy of your saving help again *
and sustain me with your bountiful Spirit.

14 I shall teach your ways to the wicked, *
and sinners shall return to you.

15 Deliver me from death, O God, *
and my tongue shall sing of your righteousness,
O God of my salvation.

16 Open my lips, O Lord, *
and my mouth shall proclaim your praise.

17 Had you desired it, I would have offered sacrifice, *
but you take no delight in burnt-offerings.

18 The sacrifice of God is a troubled spirit; *
a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

19 Be favorable and gracious to Zion, *
and rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.

20 Then you will be pleased with the appointed sacrifices,
with burnt-offerings and oblations; *
then shall they offer young bullocks upon your altar.

1 Timothy 1:12-17 Revised Standard Version (RSV)

Gratitude for Mercy

¹² I thank him who has given me strength for this, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful by appointing me to his service, ¹³ though I formerly blasphemed and persecuted and insulted him; but I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, ¹⁴ and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. ¹⁵ The saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. And I am the foremost of sinners; ¹⁶ but I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience for an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life. ¹⁷ To the King of ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever.^[a] Amen

The author has warned against false teachers (“teachers of the law”, v. 7) who indulge in elaborations on, and deviations from, the faith (in the sense of the facts of Christianity) rather than living the kind of life these truths demand. “Love” (v. 5) should be the basis for Christian conduct – through personal integrity, “a good conscience” and “sincere faith”. Mosaic “law is good” (v. 8) but those who have “understanding” (v. 9), who lead Christ-like lives, have no need of it.

Now, in vv. 12-17, the author speaks as Paul. God has given his free gift of love to Paul, even though he previously distorted God’s message (“blasphemer”, v. 13) and persecuted Christians. God showed him mercy because he did not know Christ, “had acted ignorantly in unbelief”. The doctrine that “Christ ... came into the world to save sinners” (v. 15) is found in the gospels; it is worthy of belief (“sure”). Paul is the greatest of sinners (“foremost”) for his pre-conversion activities, but God pardoned even him. (God did seek out Paul.) As such, he is a prime “example” (v. 16) for all who come to believe, who are converted. As “King of the [earthly] ages” (v. 17) and yet “immortal, invisible”, God is transcendent.

A few scholars still maintain that the author is indeed Paul, using a different scribe; however the vocabulary, style and thought are different from those of letters generally accepted as being by Paul.

Verse 1: “Paul, an apostle”: Paul’s letters often begin with his claim of apostleship (see Romans 1:1; 1 Corinthians 1:1; 2 Corinthians 1:1; Galatians 1:1, and see also Ephesians 1:1; Colossians 1:1; 2 Timothy 1:1), a claim some questioned: see 1 Corinthians 9:2 and 2 Corinthians 13:3. [ CAB]

Verse 1: “by the command of God ...”: The Greek is kat ‘epitagen meaning by divine revelation (as opposed to human ordinance). Paul speaks of being “called” and “set apart” in Romans 1:1 and Galatians 1:15. The “command” of God is also mentioned in 1 Corinthians 7:6, 25; Romans 16:26. [ CAB] [ NJBC]

Verse 1: “God our Saviour and of Christ Jesus our hope ...”: Titus also emphasizes the salvation theme: see Titus 1:1-4. [ NJBC]

Verse 2: “Timothy”: Acts tells us that Timothy was from Lystra in Asia Minor and was the son of a Hellenic father and a Jewish mother who had become a Christian: see Acts 16:1. In Acts, Timothy is mentioned as a companion of Paul in his travels. 2 Timothy 1:5 tell us that he had become a Christian, under his mother’s and grandmother’s influence, before Paul’s arrival. 2 Timothy 3:15 says that he had known the Hebrew Scriptures since childhood. [ NOAB] On the other hand, in calling him “my beloved and faithful child in the Lord” in 1 Corinthians 4:17, Paul may be saying that he brought Timothy to the faith. Later church tradition says that he became bishop of Ephesus. In this letter, he is shown to be a teacher: see 4:6, 11; 5:7. [ CAB]

Verse 2: “loyal”: Can also be translated as legitimate , and hence Paul’s heir. Titus 1:4 is very similar. [ NJBC]

Verse 2: “mercy”: Only “grace ... and peace” are wished to addressees in letters generally accepted as Pauline. 2 Timothy 1:2 also wishes “grace, mercy and peace”. “Grace” was the customary Hellenic salutation, and “peace” the Jewish one, but here (and in other New Testament letters) they go beyond the writer’s good wishes to the “grace” and “peace” given by God. [ NOAB] 1 Peter 1:2; 2 Peter 1:2; Revelation 1:4 wish “grace and peace”; Jude 1:2 wishes “mercy, peace and love”; and 2 John 3 has the same wish as 1 and 2 Timothy. [ CAB]

Verses 3-20: Paul’s letters usually offer thanksgiving following the salutation, but this section here warns against false teaching. [ CAB]

Verse 3: “Macedonia”: A Roman province roughly corresponding to northern Greece. Its capital was at Thessalonica. [ CAB] Perhaps Luke was “the man of Macedonia” whom Paul saw in a vision in Acts 16:9-10: “During the night Paul had a vision: there stood a man of Macedonia pleading with him and saying, ‘Come over to Macedonia and help us.’ When he had seen the vision, we immediately tried to cross over to Macedonia, being convinced that God had called us to proclaim the good news to them”.

Verse 3: “Ephesus”: The capital city of the Roman province of Asia, the westernmost province in Asia Minor. Paul mentions his intent to stay in the city in 1 Corinthians 16:8. [ CAB] Paul visited the city on both his second and third missionary journeys.

Verse 3: “that you may instruct ...”: Timothy is to teach the true faith, safeguarding the deposit of faith, where some teach deviant beliefs. The verb, parangello, means teach, instruct or admonish . It, and the related noun, are key words in 1 Timothy but do not appear in 2 Timothy or Titus. See also, for example, 4:11; 5:7; 1:5, 18. [ NJBC]

Verse 4: “myths and endless genealogies”: They are also mentioned in 4:7 (“profane myths and old wives' tales”); 2 Timothy 4:4; Titus 1:14; 3:9; 2 Peter 1:16 (“cleverly devised myths”). [ NOAB] Perhaps the author is referring to speculations ( midrashim, etc.) of a Jewish nature; however, “endless genealogies” may refer to the families of divine aeons believed by Gnostics to be within the fullness of the divinity. The former reference is supported by mention of the Law in vv. 7-11. Perhaps the author is speaking of both, or of heresy in general. CAB says that various ancient texts, recently discovered, indicate fascination with the genealogies of Genesis, in order to promote esoteric cosmological and anthropological teaching. NJBC says that falsehood is a disease that only truth can remedy. He says that teaching myths and fables was a stock charge levelled by philosophers against poets.

Verse 4: “divine training”: The literal translation is way of managing the household of God. [ NJBC] This term speaks of Christian life as the discipline of servants in a large household. Faith in action! Another possible translation is God’s plan of salvation. [ NOAB]

Verse 4: “faith”: In the Pastoral Epistles, this word means the Christian religion, with its doctrines , while in letters generally accepted as being Pauline, it means the believer’s relationship to Christ.

Verse 5: The “aim” is not romantic sentiment, but sharing God’s generosity with one’s neighbour. [ NOAB]

Verse 5: “comes from”: or deriving from.

Verse 5: “a pure heart”: The author may be thinking of Psalm 51:10, where it viewed as a gift from God. [ NJBC] This idea is also found in Hebrews 10:22: “let us approach with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water”. [ CAB]

Verse 5: “a good conscience”: Or a clear conscience . The need for such a conscience is also found in 4:2; 2 Timothy 1:3; Romans 2:15; 9:1; 1 Corinthians 8:7; 2 Corinthians 4:2; Acts 24:16 (Paul’s defence before Felix); 1 Peter 3:16. [ CAB] Conscience and godliness are kin.

Verse 6: Neglect of love leads to empty talk. [ NOAB]

Verse 6: “these”: i.e. the triad mentioned in v. 5. [ CAB]

Verse 7: “teachers of the law”: The opponents envisioned here have evidently presented themselves as experts on Mosaic law. [ CAB] They are (from the context) Jewish Christians, but are not true to the faith. [ NJBC]

Verse 8: A conflation of Romans 7:14 (“For we know that the law is spiritual; but I am of the flesh, sold into slavery under sin”) and Romans 7:16 (“Now if I do what I do not want, I agree that the law is good”). [ NJBC] See also Romans 7:12. [ CAB] The good do not need a law to guide their conscience. Only evildoers need one. [ NJBC]

Verses 9-10: This list is probably based on the Ten Commandments, although some extreme instances serve as examples. [ NJBC] The attention given to lists of vices in the Pastoral Letters indicates a special emphasis on morality; the lists are broadened beyond the lists Paul offers. See 6:4-5; 2 Timothy 3:2-5; Titus 3:3; 1 Corinthians 5:11; 6:9-10; Galatians 5:18-21; Romans 1:29-31. [ CAB]

Verse 9: Paul has written in Galatians 5:18: “... if you are led by the Spirit, you are not subject to the law”. Since “love” is the fulfilling of the Law (as Paul says in Romans 13:10; Galatians 5:6, 14), and those in Christ are no longer under it (see Romans 10:4 and Galatians 3:24-25), the Law is meant only for those who do not know the love of Christ. [ CAB]

Verse 11: “which he entrusted to me”: Paul has unique responsibility for transmitting the gospel, as also in Titus 1:3: “in due time he [God] revealed his word through the proclamation with which I have been entrusted by the command of God our Saviour”. [ NJBC]

Verses 12-17: Paul makes brief mention of his calling to be an apostle (see 1 Corinthians 15:8-11 and Galatians 1:13-16); however there are many more references to it in the post-Pauline letters: see also Colossians 1:13-29; Ephesians 3:1-11; 1 Timothy 2:7; 3:14-15; 2 Timothy 1:3-4, 11, 15-18. There are three versions of it in Acts (in various contexts): Acts 9:1-22; 22:1-6; 26:9-18. [ CAB]

Verses 12-14: In Acts 9:4, we read of Paul: “He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?’”. See also 1 Corinthians 15:9 (“I am the least of the apostles ...”); Galatians 1:13 (“... I was violently persecuting the church of God and was trying to destroy it”); Philippians 3:6 (“as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless”). [ NOAB]

Verse 13: “blasphemer”: i.e. what the heretics are now; but Paul had the excuse of ignorance. V. 20 expresses hope for their conversion (“so that they may learn not to blaspheme”). [ NJBC]

Verse 13: “I had acted ignorantly in unbelief”: See also Acts 3:17 (Peter speaks in Solomon’s portico); 17:30 (Paul speaks in Athens). [ NJBC]

Verse 14: “faith ... love”: In the Pastoral Letters, “love” and “faith” are almost synonyms. See also 2:15; 4:12; 6:11; 2 Timothy 1:13; 2:22; Titus 2:2. [ CAB]

Verse 15: Paul never depicted his conversion in quite such stark terms: see Galatians 1:11-16 and Philippians 3:4-8. [ NJBC] In Luke 5:32, Jesus says “‘I have come to call not the righteous but sinners to repentance’”, and in Luke 19:10 “‘the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost.’”. [ CAB]

Verse 15: “The saying is sure”: A formula characteristic of the letters to Timothy and Titus: see also 3:1; 4:9; 2 Timothy 2:11; Titus 3:8. [ NOAB]

Verse 15: “Christ Jesus ...”: Variants in the gospels are: John 3:17 ( “‘Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him’”) and Matthew 9:13 (“... I have come to call not the righteous but sinners”) (and parallels). [ NJBC]

Verse 15: “the foremost”: In Ephesians 3:8, Paul is said to be “the very least of all the saints”. [ NJBC]

Verse 16: “an example”: NJBC offers prototype. In 2 Timothy 1:13, Timothy is enjoined to “Hold to the standard of sound teaching that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus”. [ NJBC]

Verse 17: “the King of the ages”: This is the language of Jewish post-exilic congregational prayer and praise. [ NOAB] Another scholar suggests that this verse may be from an early Christian hymn.

Verse 18: “I am giving you these instructions”: NJBC says that the Greek verb, paratithemai, has the sense of entrust . Its related noun is rendered as “deposit” in various translations of 6:20; 2 Timothy 1:12, 14. Thus the term deposit of faith.

Verse 18: “the prophecies made earlier about you”: This is probably a reference to the homilies made at Timothy’s ordination. 4:14 says “Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you through prophecy with the laying on of hands by the council of elders”. 6:12 says “Fight the good fight of the faith; take hold of the eternal life, to which you were called and for which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses”. [ CAB]

Verse 20: “Hymenaeus”: He is also mentioned in 2 Timothy 2:17. [ NOAB]

Verse 20: “Alexander”: Perhaps this is the same person as Alexander the coppersmith mentioned in 2 Timothy 4:14: he “did me great harm; the Lord will pay him back for his deeds”. [ NOAB]

Verse 20: “Satan”: He was considered as the source of suffering and disease as well as of moral evil: see Luke 13:16 and 2 Corinthians 12:7. Under the power of Satan, the sufferer may be moved to repentance. In 1 Corinthians 5:5, Paul says to his first readers that they “are to hand this man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord”. The man was reportedly living “with his father’s wife” (1 Corinthians 5:1). CAB sees being “turned over to Satan” as being expelled from the Christian fellowship.

The Parable of the Lost Sheep

15 Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. ² And the Pharisees and the scribes murmured, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.”

³ So he told them this parable: ⁴ “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost, until he finds it? ⁵ And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. ⁶ And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost.’ ⁷ Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.

The Parable of the Lost Coin

⁸ “Or what woman, having ten silver coins,^[a] if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and seek diligently until she finds it? ⁹ And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin which I had lost.’ ¹⁰ Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

Jesus is keeping company with “tax collectors and sinners”, people avoided and despised by apparently godly people like “the Pharisees and the scribes” (v. 2). Their observation begs the question: are any beyond God’s mercy? . The Roman authorities contracted out collection of taxes; how a tax collector got the money was up to him. Usury, fraud and excessive profits were common. Tax collectors worked for tax farmers, who were often foreigners, making them ritually unclean.

Now Jesus defends associating with these people, using parables. Our reading includes two: vv. 4-6 and 8-9. “Sheep” (v. 4) left in the “wilderness” were defenceless from wolf and lion attacks. Jesus asks if you had many and lost one, wouldn’t you search until you found it? expecting the answer of course I would!

He explains the parables in v. 7 and v. 10: God is shepherd/housewife; the lost sheep/coin are people who repent, who turn to God. God willingly accepts them; in fact, he rejoices, as does the community (“friends and neighbours”, vv. 6, 9)! Neither the sheep nor the coin can find their owner; God cares about those unable to find him; he seeks them. But, as so often in parables, there are twists to them which helps people remember them: what shepherd would leave his flock “in the wilderness” (v. 4)? The Pharisees would find God symbolized by a woman as outrageous, and first-century shepherds were considered lawless and dishonest. (The coin, v. 8 was a drachma, a day’s wage.) Would a shepherd really care about one sheep out of “a hundred” (v. 4)? God is like that.

Verse 1: “tax collectors and sinners”: In 5:30, “the Pharisees and their scribes” ask Jesus “‘Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”. [ NJBC] Verse 2: “grumbling”: Or murmuring. A midrash on 2 Chronicles 20:37 counsels against associating with the godless. The whole chapter opposes this rule. [ BlkLk] Verses 3-7: A possible parallel is Matthew 18:12-14, but there Jesus says “‘if he finds it’” rather than “‘until he finds it’”. Luke does emphasize all-inclusiveness. [ NOAB] Verses 4-7: In John 10, Jesus also teaches using the sheep metaphor. In Ezekiel 34:11-16, sheep are a symbol for God’s people; he is the shepherd (as here). [ NJBC] Verse 4: Comments: first-century shepherds were considered lawless and dishonest: unlike Old Testament shepherds. Verse 5: “rejoices”: The theme of joy suffuses this chapter: see also vv. 7, 9, 10, 23, 29, 32. Joy in this chapter has four emphases:   The motifs of universality, community and soteriology (systematic interpretation of Christ’s saving work for humans and the world) are inextricably commingled.   Conversion is a prerequisite for finding joy.   Happiness consists in a willingness to share in God’s own joy in dispensing salvation.   The call to participate in God’s love and joy is issued through Jesus. Verse 8: “coins”: The Hebrew word (and perhaps the Aramaic) for coins, zuzim, can also mean those who have moved away, departed . Perhaps Jesus uses a play on words; perhaps the lost coin is representative of those who have lost faith but can still be reached. Verse 8: “light a lamp”: A Palestinian house had a door and no windows. The woman would “sweep the house” hoping to hear a tinkle. [ NJBC] Verses 11-32: A third parable on God’s joy at recovery of the lost, the parable of the Prodigal Son. In this case, the father’s rejoicing at the return of his errant son has to be explained to the son who followed tradition (as the religious establishment did) and stayed at home. [ CAB] © 1996-2019 Chris Haslam

© 1996-2019 Chris Haslam