16 Charles Todd Quintard, Bishop of Tennessee, 1898
17 Janani Luwum, Archbishop of Uganda, and Martyr, 1977
18 Martin Luther, 1546 Luther was ordained to the priesthood in 1507. He came to reject several teachings and practices of the Roman Catholic Church; in particular, he disputed the view on indulgences. Luther proposed an academic discussion of the practice and efficacy of indulgences in his Ninety-five Theses of 1517. His refusal to renounce all of his writings at the demand of Pope Leo X in 1520 and the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V at the Diet of Worms in 1521 resulted in his excommunication by the pope and condemnation as an outlaw by the Holy Roman Emperor.
20 Frederick Douglass, Prophetic Witness, 1895
21 John Henry Newman, priest and theologian, 1890
22 Eric Liddell, Missionary to China, 1945
23 Polycarp, Bishop and Martyr of Smyrna, 156  was a 2nd-century Christian bishop of Smyrna.[1] According to the Martyrdom of Polycarp, he died a martyr, bound and burned at the stake, then stabbed when the fire failed to consume his body.[2] Polycarp is regarded as a saint and Church Father in the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Catholic, Anglican, and Lutheran churches. His name means "much fruit" in Greek.



OLD TESTAMENT:    Deuteronomy 30:15-20 (RCL)

Deut 30:15 (NRSV) See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, death and adversity. 16 If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I am commanding you today, by loving the Lord your God, walking in his ways, and observing his commandments, decrees, and ordinances, then you shall live and become numerous, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to possess. 17 But if your heart turns away and you do not hear, but are led astray to bow down to other gods and serve them, 18 I declare to you today that you shall perish; you shall not live long in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess. 19 I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live, 20 loving the Lord your God, obeying him, and holding fast to him; for that means life to you and length of days, so that you may live in the land that the Lord swore to give to your ancestors, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.


Sirach 15:15-20  (alt. for RCL, Roman Catholic)

Sir 15:15 (NRSV) If you choose, you can keep the commandments,
   and to act faithfully is a matter of your own choice.
16 He has placed before you fire and water;
   stretch out your hand for whichever you choose.
17 Before each person are life and death,
   and whichever one chooses will be given.
18 For great is the wisdom of the Lord;
   he is mighty in power and sees everything;
19 his eyes are on those who fear him,
   and he knows every human action.
20 He has not commanded anyone to be wicked,
   and he has not given anyone permission to sin.


PSALM  119:1-8  (RCL)

Psalm 119:1 (NRSV) Happy are those whose way is blameless,
   who walk in the law of the Lord.
2 Happy are those who keep his decrees,
   who seek him with their whole heart,
3 who also do no wrong,
   but walk in his ways.
4 You have commanded your precepts
   to be kept diligently.
5 O that my ways may be steadfast
   in keeping your statutes!
6 Then I shall not be put to shame,
   having my eyes fixed on all your commandments.
7 I will praise you with an upright heart,
   when I learn your righteous ordinances.
8 I will observe your statutes;
   do not utterly forsake me.


119     (ECUSA BCP)

Aleph   Beati immaculati

1  Happy are they whose way is blameless, *
  who walk in the law of the Lord!

2  Happy are they who observe his decrees *
  and seek him with all their hearts!

3  Who never do any wrong, *
  but always walk in his ways.

4  You laid down your commandments, *
  that we should fully keep them.

5  Oh, that my ways were made so direct *
  that I might keep your statutes!

6  Then I should not be put to shame, *
  when I regard all your commandments.

7  I will thank you with an unfeigned heart, *
  when I have learned your righteous judgments.

8  I will keep your statutes; *
  do not utterly forsake me.


Psalm 119:1-2, 4-5, 17-18, 33-34   (Roman Catholic)

Psalm 119:1 (NRSV) Happy are those whose way is blameless,
   who walk in the law of the Lord.
2 Happy are those who keep his decrees,
   who seek him with their whole heart,

4 You have commanded your precepts
   to be kept diligently.
5 O that my ways may be steadfast
   in keeping your statutes!

17 Deal bountifully with your servant,
   so that I may live and observe your word.
18 Open my eyes, so that I may behold
   wondrous things out of your law.

33 Teach me, O Lord, the way of your statutes,
   and I will observe it to the end.
34 Give me understanding, that I may keep your law
   and observe it with my whole heart.


NEW TESTAMENT: 1 Corinthians 3:1-9  (RCL)

1 Cor 3:1 (NRSV) And so, brothers and sisters, I could not speak to you as spiritual people, but rather as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. 2 I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for solid food. Even now you are still not ready, 3 for you are still of the flesh. For as long as there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not of the flesh, and behaving according to human inclinations? 4 For when one says, ‘I belong to Paul’, and another, ‘I belong to Apollos’, are you not merely human?

5 What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you came to believe, as the Lord assigned to each. 6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. 7 So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. 8 The one who plants and the one who waters have a common purpose, and each will receive wages according to the labor of each. 9 For we are God’s servants, working together; you are God’s field, God’s building.

In Chapter 1, Paul says that he has learnt that there are divisions in the church at Corinth, that some adhere to particular leaders of the community rather than to Christ. The faith only makes sense to those who understand it spiritually, so he addresses them not as “spiritual people” (v. 1) but as neophytes (“infants”). He has been criticized for oversimplifying the good news, but their “jealousy and quarrelling” (v. 3) demonstrate that they are still only earthly minded, are still behaving according to human standards (“inclinations”).

It is natural to be attached to the person who welcomed you into the church, but you need to recognize that they are all “servants” (v. 5) of Christ. Each has a distinct function in bringing you to faith. Paul founded the church at Corinth (“planted”, v. 6); Apollos nurtured faith (“watered”) in the community; but it is God who causes spirituality and faith to grow. He and Apollos have the same objective (v. 8). Perhaps the rewards (“wages”) are in seeing the church grow; perhaps they are in heaven. Paul and Apollos are co-workers. In the following verses, Paul expands on the church as “God’s building” (v. 9)

The Christians at Corinth lack the real community to which God’s servants like Apollos and Paul each contribute, as their party slogans show. In 1:12-13, Pauls says “What I mean is that each of you says, ‘I belong to Paul,’ or ‘I belong to Apollos,’ or ‘I belong to Cephas,’ or ‘I belong to Christ.’ Has Christ been divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?”; in 3:4 he writes “For when one says, ‘I belong to Paul,’ and another, ‘I belong to Apollos,’ are you not merely human?” [ NOAB]

Verse 1: “And so”: Blk1Cor offers As far as my own experience of you goes, a paraphrase. He admits that it may be an over-translation.

Verse 1: “people of the flesh”: Those still dominated by the standards of a fallen world, [ NJBC]

Verse 3: By accepting envy and strife as normal they betray their acceptance of the common judgement of what is possible for humanity. [ NJBC]

Verse 4: “are you not merely human?”: Through the use of party slogans, they show themselves to be ordinary and not the enlightened spiritual leaders they claim to be. [ NJBC]

Verse 5: “What”: One would expect who, but Paul uses the neuter deliberately here and in v. 7 to underline that the ministries of Paul and Apollos are as God’s instruments. [ NJBC] The natural answer is Nothing! but as the rest of the verse and section show, they are far from insignificant in God’s Plan. [ Blk1Cor]

Verse 7: God does not need human instruments, but in his wisdom has decided to use them. [ NJBC]

Verse 8: “have a common purpose”: In view of their effect, Paul and Apollos form a single complex instrument. How silly, then, to set them against each other! [ NJBC]

Verse 8: “each will receive wages”: Even though all credit must go to God, this acknowledges the reality of the ministers’ contribution. [ NJBC]

Verse 9: “God's servants, working together”: For divine-human co-operation, the mode of divine activity inaugurated in Christ, see also 1 Thessalonians 3:2. There the “co-workers” are Paul and Timothy. [ NJBC]

Verse 9: “field ... building”: In stony Palestine, rocks from clearing fields were used to build walls. [ NJBC]



GOSPEL: Matthew 5:21-37  (RCL)
                   Matthew 5:17-37 or 5:20-22a, 27-28, 33-34a, 37   (Roman Catholic)

Matt 5:17 (NRSV)  ‘Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. 18 For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. 19 Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, will be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

 21 You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, “You shall not murder”; and “whoever murders shall be liable to judgment.” 22 But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment; and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council; and if you say, “You fool”, you will be liable to the hell of fire. 23 So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, 24 leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift. 25 Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are on the way to court with him, or your accuser may hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. 26 Truly I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.

27 ‘You have heard that it was said, “You shall not commit adultery.” 28 But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to go into hell.

31 ‘It was also said, “Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.” 32 But I say to you that anyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of unchastity, causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

33 ‘Again, you have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, “You shall not swear falsely, but carry out the vows you have made to the Lord.” 34 But I say to you, Do not swear at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. 36 And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. 37 Let your word be “Yes, Yes” or “No, No”; anything more than this comes from the evil one.

Jesus has made clear that his mission is not to do away with (“abolish”) the Old Testament; rather he fleshes out its meaning fully (“fulfill”, v. 17). He speaks particularly about Mosaic law; it will remain in force until he comes again at the end of the era (v. 18). In v. 19, he seems to soften his tone: whether or not one keeps and teaches every one of the 613 laws, one will be admitted to the Kingdom. The scribes and Pharisees kept all the laws scrupulously. Now he explains how their adherence to the Law is insufficient.

Each of Jesus’ expansions of the Law begins with “[You have heard that] it was said” (vv. 21, 27, 31, 33, 38, 43). He then quotes a law. “Ancient times” refers to the days of Moses. The Ten Commandments forbid the act of murder (v. 21). Jesus extends this law to include propensities to kill: nursing anger, calling someone good for nothing (as the Greek says) or a “fool” (v. 22). Vv. 23-24 say that reconciliation take priority even over worship, to a Jew the most sacred act. Vv. 25-26 may be a parable: the Kingdom of God is at hand; seek reconciliation “quickly” lest God, the judge, finds against you. Jesus offers forgiveness.

Vv. 27-28, give another example. Avoiding adultery is not enough; even for a man to “look at a woman with a lustful eye” (Revised English Bible) is unacceptable. God expects purity of thought and desire as well as of action. Vv. 29-30 look extreme; they are meant figuratively, not literally. Jesus advises that one discard, promptly and decisively, anything in one’s life that tempts one to turn away from God.

Divorcing a wife was easy for a man in Palestine: in some circles, he could simply write her a “certificate of divorce” (v. 31) without cause. Jesus’ point here is that marriage is indissoluble, lifelong. He probably thinks of Genesis 2:24: in marriage, God makes man and wife “one flesh”. He makes one exception: “on the ground of unchastity” (v. 32). The Greek word means unlawful sexual behaviour, including adultery. He forbids remarriage because the first marriage still exists. This extension of the Law was not onerous for first-century Christians, for they expected the world to end soon, and they could live separately from their spouses. One swore an oath (vv. 33-37) to guarantee that what one said on a particular occasion was the truth. We still do it in court appearances today. Isaiah 66:1 refers to “earth” (v. 35) as God’s “footstool”; “Jerusalem” is God’s city (“... of the great King”). They are part of his realm. To “swear by your head” (v. 36) is to swear by oneself. Jesus says one should always tell only the truth. When one does, there is no need for swearing[-in]. A truthful person is consistent in what he says. Inconsistency is a sign that one has turned against God (v. 37). Perhaps Jesus actually said something like James 5:12: “let your ‘Yes’ be yes and your ‘No’ be no”.

© 1996-2020 Chris Haslam