29 John Keble, Priest, 1866
30 Innocent of Alaska, Bishop, 1879
31 John Donne, Priest, 1631  was an English scholar, poet, soldier and secretary born into a Catholic family, a remnant of the Catholic Revival, who reluctantly became a cleric in the Church of England.[3] He was Dean of St Paul's Cathedral in London (1621-1631).[2] He is considered the pre-eminent representative of the metaphysical poets.
April
1 Frederick Denison Maurice, Priest, 1872
2 James Lloyd Breck, Priest, 1876
3 Richard, Bishop of Chichester, 1253 In Chichester Cathedral a shrine dedicated to Richard had become a richly decorated centre of pilgrimage. In 1538, during the reign of Henry VIII, the shrine was plundered and destroyed by order of Thomas Cromwell. Richard of Chichester is the patron saint of Sussex in southern England; since 2007, his translated saint's day of 16 June has been celebrated as Sussex Day.
4 Martin Luther King Jr., Pastor, Civil Rights Leader, 1968



OLD TESTAMENT: Ezekiel 37: 1 - 14  (RCL)
                              Ezekiel 37: 12 - 14   (Roman Catholic)

Ezek 37:1 (NRSV) The hand of the LORD came upon me, and he brought me out by the spirit of the LORD and set me down in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. 2 He led me all around them; there were very many lying in the valley, and they were very dry. 3 He said to me, "Mortal, can these bones live?" I answered, "O Lord GOD, you know." 4 Then he said to me, "Prophesy to these bones, and say to them: O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD. 5 Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. 6 I will lay sinews on you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live; and you shall know that I am the LORD."
7 So I prophesied as I had been commanded; and as I prophesied, suddenly there was a noise, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone. 8 I looked, and there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them; but there was no breath in them. 9 Then he said to me, "Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, mortal, and say to the breath: Thus says the Lord GOD: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live." 10 I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood on their feet, a vast multitude.
11 Then he said to me, "Mortal, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, "Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are cut off completely.' 12 Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord GOD: I am going to open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people; and I will bring you back to the land of Israel. 13 And you shall know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people. 14 I will put my spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you on your own soil; then you shall know that I, the LORD, have spoken and will act," says the LORD.


PSALM 130 (all)

Psal 130:1 (NRSV) Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD.
2 Lord, hear my voice!
Let your ears be attentive
to the voice of my supplications!
3 If you, O LORD, should mark iniquities,
Lord, who could stand?
4 But there is forgiveness with you,
so that you may be revered.
5 I wait for the LORD, my soul waits,
and in his word I hope;
6 my soul waits for the Lord
more than those who watch for the morning,
more than those who watch for the morning.
7 O Israel, hope in the LORD!
For with the LORD there is steadfast love,
and with him is great power to redeem.
8 It is he who will redeem Israel
from all its iniquities.


130   De profundis   (ECUSA BCP)

1  Out of the depths have I called to you, O Lord;
Lord, hear my voice; *
  let your ears consider well the voice of my supplication.

2  If you, Lord, were to note what is done amiss, *
  O Lord, who could stand?

3  For there is forgiveness with you; *
  therefore you shall be feared.

4  I wait for the Lord; my soul waits for him; *
  in his word is my hope.

5  My soul waits for the Lord,
more than watchmen for the morning, *
  more than watchmen for the morning.

6  O Israel, wait for the Lord, *
  for with the Lord there is mercy;

7  With him there is plenteous redemption, *
  and he shall redeem Israel from all their sins.


NEW TESTAMENT: Romans 8: 6 - 11 (RCL)
                                    Romans 8: 8 - 11 (Roman Catholic)

Roma 8:6 (NRSV) To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. 7 For this reason the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God's law--indeed it cannot, 8 and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
9 But you are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. 10 But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you.

Paul has written that, as a result of God's love shown in the liberating act of Christ's death and resurrection, we are empowered to live a new life, one of freedom from sin, from the finality of death and the Law. As experience shows, the Christian is able to live a life for God, in the Spirit. Christian life is bound up in the Spirit, and not by the desires of the flesh. Now he explains the difference between what he calls living in the Spirit and living according to the flesh : two very different mindsets (v. 6). A person whose mind “is set on the flesh” (v. 7), whose view is limited to the natural world, is at enmity with God because he is fundamentally unable to obey God's law – he lacks the power to transcend his inner conflicts, and “cannot please God” (v. 8). On the other hand, Christians are in the Spirit (v. 9) and the “Spirit ... dwells in you”, i.e. the Spirit fills and motivates our lifestyle. Attachment to Christ (belief in him) is only possible in this kind of relationship: Christ and the Spirit come together. Vv. 10-11 say: if Christ (or the Spirit) is in you, though you may be a corpse because of all the wrong you have done, you are actually very much alive – because of the Spirit. If God's Spirit is in you, God will resuscitate your bodies (from being corpses) through the Spirit, in raising you to new life at the end of time.

Verse 1: “There is ... no condemnation”: Christians do not live under the threat of judgement, doom and death: see also 2 Corinthians 3:7-9. [ NOAB]

Verse 2: “law”: The Greek word, nomos, qualified by “Spirit” (and later by “sin and death”) does not mean Mosaic law. [ NJBC]

Verse 2: “you”: The Greek word is singular. Some important manuscripts have me rather than you. While this fits better with the foregoing (especially 7:24, “Wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?”), scholars believe that me is a copyist’s correction. The principle here is lectio difficilior potior, Latin for the more difficult reading is the stronger (i.e., more likely to be original). The logic is quite simple: it is more likely that a copyist would correct a difficult or improbable phrase to make it more straightforward or more accurate, than that the copyist would intentionally make a text more difficult. So the more difficult is likely to be original, while the less difficult is most likely a copyist's correction. [ NJBC]

Verse 2: “free from the law of sin and of death”: A summary of the discussions in chapters 5-7: the tyranny of sin and death is broken. [ NJBC]

Verse 3: “law”: Here, Mosaic law. [ NJBC]

Verse 3: “weakened by the flesh”: The good the Law might have achieved was rendered ineffective by the human self dominated by indwelling sin (see 7:22-23). The Law told humans what to do, and what not to do, but it supplied no power to surmount the opposition to it coming from human inclination to sin. [ NJBC]

Verse 3: “by sending his own Son”: Note the emphasis: this implies the bond of love between the Father and the Son that is the source of human salvation. See also 2 Corinthians 5:19-21 and Romans 3:24. [ NJBC]

Verse 3: “the likeness of sinful flesh”: Paul is careful in his wording. Jesus was truly human, but he did not commit sins; however he did suffer the effects of it. [ NJBC] [ CAB]

Verse 3: “to deal with sin”: A footnote in the NRSV notes that sin offering is another translation. The reasoning of the translators is probably that the Greek word, hamartia, meaning sin, occurs in the Septuagint translation in the sense of sin offering in Leviticus 4:24; 5:11; 6:18. “Deal with” sin means take it away, expiate it. [ NJBC]

Verse 3: “he condemned sin in the flesh”: The Father passed definitive judgement on the force that Adam’s transgression unleashed in the world ( 5:12), and thereby broke its dominion over humans – in making Christ a human, and in his resurrection. [ NJBC]

Verse 4: In this way, through the principle of new life, the uprightness that Mosaic law demanded is finally obtained. [ NJBC]

Verse 6: “death”: i.e. total death, including spiritual death. Definitive separation from God.

Verse 9: “since”: The Greek words, ei per, can be translated if, in reality.

Verse 10: The same idea is found in Galatians 2:20 and Ephesians 3:17. [ NOAB]

Verse 10: “if Christ is in you”: See also 2 Corinthians 5:17. For the Spirit being in you, see v. 9. [ NJBC]

Verse 10: “the Spirit is life”: A scholar translates this as your spirit is alive: in contrast to the “body”. [ NJBC]

Verse 11: “him”: i.e. the Father. This verses stresses the essential oneness of God. See also John 5:21. [ NOAB]

Verse 11: “will give life to your mortal bodies”: i.e. the resurrection of Christians. See also 1 Thessalonians 4:14; Philippians 3:10, 21; 1 Corinthians 6:14; 2 Corinthians 4:14. [ CAB] [ NJBC]

Verse 11: “his Spirit”: i.e. Christ’s Spirit. It is the spirit as related to the risen Christ that is the life-giving principle. [ NJBC]

Verses 12-17: The Holy Spirit does not make slaves of us, but rather “children of God” (v. 14). [ NOAB]

Verse 13: It is still possible for a baptised Christian to be tempted to live immorally, “according to the flesh”. We should make use of the Spirit: this is the debt (in an accounting sense) that we owe Christ. [ NJBC]


GOSPEL: John 11: 1 - 45   (RCL)
                  John 11: (1 - 2) 3 - 7 (8 - 16) 17 (18 - 19) 20 - 27 (28 - 33a) 33b - 45   (Roman Catholic)

John 11:1 (NRSV) Now a certain man was ill, Laz'arus of Beth'any, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 Mary was the one who anointed the Lord with perfume and wiped his feet with her hair; her brother Laz'arus was ill. 3 So the sisters sent a message to Jesus, "Lord, he whom you love is ill." 4 But when Jesus heard it, he said, "This illness does not lead to death; rather it is for God's glory, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it." 5 Accordingly, though Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Laz'arus, 6 after having heard that Laz'arus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was.
7 Then after this he said to the disciples, "Let us go to Judea again." 8 The disciples said to him, "Rabbi, the Jews were just now trying to stone you, and are you going there again?" 9 Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Those who walk during the day do not stumble, because they see the light of this world. 10 But those who walk at night stumble, because the light is not in them." 11 After saying this, he told them, "Our friend Laz'arus has fallen asleep, but I am going there to awaken him." 12 The disciples said to him, "Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will be all right." 13 Jesus, however, had been speaking about his death, but they thought that he was referring merely to sleep. 14 Then Jesus told them plainly, "Laz'arus is dead. 15 For your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him." 16 Thomas, who was called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, "Let us also go, that we may die with him."
17 When Jesus arrived, he found that Laz'arus had already been in the tomb four days. 18 Now Beth'any was near Jerusalem, some two miles away, 19 and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them about their brother. 20 When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, while Mary stayed at home. 21 Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask of him." 23 Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again." 24 Martha said to him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day." 25 Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?" 27 She said to him, "Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world."
28 When she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary, and told her privately, "The Teacher is here and is calling for you." 29 And when she heard it, she got up quickly and went to him. 30 Now Jesus had not yet come to the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him. 31 The Jews who were with her in the house, consoling her, saw Mary get up quickly and go out. They followed her because they thought that she was going to the tomb to weep there. 32 When Mary came where Jesus was and saw him, she knelt at his feet and said to him, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." 33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved. 34 He said, "Where have you laid him?" They said to him, "Lord, come and see." 35 Jesus began to weep. 36 So the Jews said, "See how he loved him!" 37 But some of them said, "Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?"
38 Then Jesus, again greatly disturbed, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. 39 Jesus said, "Take away the stone." Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, "Lord, already there is a stench because he has been dead four days." 40 Jesus said to her, "Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?" 41 So they took away the stone. And Jesus looked upward and said, "Father, I thank you for having heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I have said this for the sake of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me." 43 When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, "Laz'arus, come out!" 44 The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, "Unbind him, and let him go."
45 Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him.

Jesus is beyond the reach of the Jewish religious authorities, across the Jordan when Martha and Mary (in “Bethany”, near Jerusalem) send a message to him (v. 3): Lazarus, a follower, is ill. Jesus says that his illness is not terminal, rather it will show the “glory” (v. 4, power and authority) the Father has bestowed on the Son. We will see why Jesus delays (v. 6). He urges the disciples to return to “Judea” (v. 7) with him, but they remind him of what happened when he was last there (v. 8). Jesus replies with a parable: there is still time (“hours of daylight”, v. 9) to do God’s work; harm will not come to him “during the day”. Those who do dark deeds will fail because I am not in them (v. 10). His words in v. 11 are ambiguous, as v. 13 explains: the disciples think that Lazarus’ sleep indicates that he is getting better (“all right”, v. 12), but Jesus clarifies: “Lazarus is dead” (v. 14). Note Jesus’ clairvoyance. Restoring Lazarus to life will be a greater opportunity (than just healing him) for strengthening the disciples’ faith in Jesus (v. 15). Thomas shows courageous loyalty.

People thought that one’s soul hovered around one’s body for three days, but when Jesus arrives, Lazarus has been dead for “four days” (v. 17). (Bodies were buried on the day of death.) Per custom, many have come to “console” (v. 19) the sisters. Perhaps Martha sets out to warn Jesus of the rites while Mary receives mourners (v. 20). Martha rebukes Jesus for his tardiness but shows her confidence in his ability to heal (v. 21). She goes further: perhaps because the Father grants the Son whatever he asks, Jesus will restore life to Lazarus (v. 22). She, as many did, believed in “the resurrection [of all] on the last day” (v. 24), but this is small comfort to her now. Jesus identifies himself as he who raises believers from death (“resurrection”, v. 25) and who is the principle of “life”. Physical death is normal, even so life in Christ will continue, and this life cannot be taken away by the death of the body. Martha affirms her faith in Jesus in terms used earlier by Andrew, Nathanael and those present at the Feeding of the Five Thousand. Jesus and Martha are still outside Bethany. She discerns that Jesus wishes to speak to Mary. She tells Mary “privately” (v. 28) either so she can escape from the visitors or to shield Jesus from any who plot against him. The visitors see Mary leave, and follow her. Mary’s words to Jesus echo Martha’s. Jesus is “disturbed” (v. 33) inwardly by the crowd’s attitude towards death; his humanity shows in v. 35, causing some to say that he weeps at the loss of a friend, but others criticize him: if he’d been here earlier, being a miracle-worker, he could have healed him! (v. 37). Martha warns him of the “stench” (v. 39) of the decaying corpse. Perhaps Jesus prayed at v. 33; now he publicly thanks the Father – to help the crowd understand that his power is from God, and not magic. Being bound in a burial shroud, Lazarus needs unbinding (v. 44). Many believed because of the miracle (v. 45), but others told the Pharisees about it (v. 46).

© 1996-2020 Chris Haslam

The raising of Lazarus is the crowning miracle or sign (see 12:17-18), revealing Jesus as the giver of life (see 5:25-29), and precipitating his death (see 11:53). To one scholar, this is the third (and last) of the second group of signs. As such, it corresponds to the healing of the man at Beth-zatha (see 5:2-15). To other scholars, it is the seventh sign. [ NOAB]

Verse 1: “Lazarus”: A common name at the time. [ JBC]

Verse 1: “Bethany”: Separated from Jerusalem by the Mount of Olives. There was also another Bethany across the Jordan, as 1:28 tells us: “This took place in Bethany across the Jordan where John was baptizing”. [ JBC]

Verse 1: “Mary and ... Martha”: In Luke 10:38-42, Mary and Martha live in an unnamed village near Jerusalem. [ NJBC]

Verse 2: “anointed the Lord ...”: 12:1-8 tells us of Mary anointing Jesus feet. [ NJBC]

Verse 4: “‘This illness does not lead to death’”: Jesus is clairvoyant, but to what extent? The story tells us that Lazarus did die, but not in a terminal way.

Verse 4: “God’s glory”: John tells us in 2:11: “Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him”. [ NJBC]

Verse 5: “loved”: The Greek word, egapa, has the sense of response to human need. John shows that Jesus is not indifferent to the sisters’ plight. [ BlkJn]

Verse 8: For the stoning of Jesus during his previous visit to Jerusalem, see 10:31, 39. [ JBC]

Verses 9-10: 9:4-5 say: “‘We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world’”. [ JBC]

Verse 11: “has fallen asleep”: A common New Testament description of death: see Matthew 9:24; Mark 5:39; Acts 7:60; 1 Corinthians 15:6; 1 Thessalonians 4:14; 5:10. (In several of these verses, the NRSV has died; however, the Greek can also be translated fell asleep.) [ NOAB]

Verse 12: “he will be all right”: BlkJn translates this as will get better. If Lazarus is over the worst of his illness, the disciples see no need to hazard a visit to Judea. The Greek word, sosthesetai, also means will be saved: see also 10:9. (Our word salvation comes from a Latin word meaning health .) The disciples have stumbled on the truth that the raising of Lazarus is an acted parable of the saving power of Christ.

Verse 15: The disciples already have some faith acquired through the showing of God’s glory – at the wedding feast at Cana (see 2:11). [ JBC]

Verse 16: “Thomas”: He is mentioned in the synoptic gospels only in lists of the twelve: see Matthew 10:3; Mark 3:18; Luke 6:15; Acts 1:13. He emerges in this gospel especially in connection with the great mysteries of Christ’s glorification: see also 14:5; 20:24-29; 21:2. [ JBC]

Verse 17: Comments: Bodies were buried on the day of death: See Acts 5:5-6, 10 (Ananias and his wife).

Verse 19: Jewish mourning ceremonies were elaborate. They were attended by many and lasted about 30 days. [ NOAB]

Verse 19: “Jews”: John writes from outside Israel.

Verse 20: As in Luke 10:38-42, Martha is active and an organizer, while Mary is quieter and more contemplative. [ NOAB]

Verse 22: “whatever you ask of him”: This anticipates what Jesus tells his disciples about prayer: in 15:16, he tells them “You did not choose me but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask him in my name” and in 16:23: “Very truly, I tell you, if you ask anything of the Father in my name, he will give it to you”. [ BlkJn]

Verse 24: Note that Martha speaks only of resurrection, and not of judging and judgement. Popular belief (especially among Pharisees) was that all Jews (and, for some, Gentiles as well) would be raised. [ JBC] Their fate would depend on their state of integrity from God’s viewpoint.

Verse 24: “on the last day”: This phrase occurs in the New Testament only in John: see also 6:39-40, 44, 54; 12:48. [ BlkJn]

Verse 25: Jesus modifies Pharisaic doctrine. His words are not only about resurrection but also about the fate of those faithful to him. Jesus is not only the agent of final resurrection but also gives life now: see also Romans 6:4-5; Colossians 2:12; 3:1. Mere physical death can have no hold over the believer. [ NOAB]

Verse 26: The believer has passed from the death of sin into life: see also Revelation 2:11; 20:6, 14; 21:8. [ BlkJn]

Verse 27: “‘I believe’”: BlkJn translates this as I am convinced.

Verse 27: “‘the Messiah’”: An affirmation made by Andrew in 1:41. [ BlkJn]

Verse 27: “‘the Son of God’”: An affirmation made by Nathanael in 1:49. [ BlkJn]

Verse 27: “‘the one coming into the world’”: An affirmation made by those present at the Feeding of the Five Thousand in 6:14. [ BlkJn]

Verse 28: We aren’t told that Jesus has committed to raising Lazarus. In faith that he will, Martha simply goes to fetch Mary [ CAB] as does Andrew, in fetching his brother to Jesus (see 1:41) and as does the Samaritan woman in fetching men from her city (see 4:28-30). Martha, the organizer, assumes that Jesus wishes Mary to be present.

Verse 33: “moved”: Another translation is troubled. Jesus is stirred with indignation, probably at the power of death. In 12:27, he says “"Now my soul is troubled. And what should I say – ‘Father, save me from this hour'? No, it is for this reason that I have come to this hour’”. [ NOAB]

Verse 34: “laid”: i.e. buried. [ NOAB]

Verse 35: Jesus realizes that the miracle he is about to perform will precipitate a final clash with the authorities, and so bring about his own death – a prospect from which he instinctively recoils.

Verse 35: A sign of Jesus’ humanity. [ NOAB]

Verse 38: “cave”: Tombs were carved out of the limestone rock, either out of the ground or out of a rock face. A stone formed a slab or door to cover the entrance. [ BlkJn] The NRSV translation assumes that Lazarus was placed in a tomb in a rock face.

In Israel, spices were used to arrest the odour caused by decay but not, as in Egypt, to arrest decay.

Verse 40: Actually, Jesus has told the disciples, but not Martha, that they “would see the glory of God”; however revelation of his glory is implied in Jesus’ conversation with her in vv. 23-26. God will act to reveal his power as life-giver. [ NOAB]

Verse 42: “I knew”: It is helpful to make an insertion here, so the reading becomes I, for my part, knew. [ BlkJn]

Verse 42: “always”: BlkJn translates this as every time.

Verse 42: Comments: to help the crowd understand that his power is from God, and not magic: See also 3:17; 5:36, etc.

Verse 43: “cried with a loud voice”: 5:28-29 says that the hour is coming when all in the tombs (as Lazarus is) will hear his voice and come forth, those who have done what is good to resurrection life. The raising of Lazarus is a fulfilment of Jesus’ words in Chapter 5. [ NJBC]

Verse 44: The resurrection of the body is not the same as resuscitation of corpses, as Paul shows: see 1 Corinthians 15:42ff. This is not the resurrection and not a resurrection – it is resuscitation, a foretaste of the resurrection.

Verse 44: Corpses were completely bound up, with the feet bound at the ankles, so Lazarus could not possibly walk. He might have been able to shuffle to the entrance – so he would need to be unbound. [ BlkJn]

Verses 46-53: Members of the Sanhedrin meet, fearing that the Jesus movement may provoke Roman intervention, which could lead to the destruction of the temple and of the Jewish state.

The stories in the synoptic gospels in which Jesus restores life to a person concern one who has just died, but this miracle is a sign that Jesus really is the power of life evident in resurrection: he calls to life a person already buried in a tomb.

© 1996-2020 Chris Haslam

22 James De Koven, Priest, 1879
23 Gregory the Illuminator, Bishop and Missionary of Armenia, c. 332  is the patron saint and first official head of the Armenian Apostolic Church. He was a religious leader who is credited with converting Armenia from paganism to Christianity in 301. Armenia thus became the first nation to adopt Christianity as its official religion.
24 Óscar Romero, Archbishop of San Salvador, 1980
25 The Annunciation of Our Lord Jesus Christ to the Blessed Virgin Mary
26 Richard Allen, First Bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, 1831
27 Charles Henry Brent, Bishop of the Philippines, and of Western New York, 1929
28 James Solomon Russell, Priest, 1935
29 John Keble, Priest, 1866


OLD TESTAMENT: 1 Samuel 16: 1 - 13 (all but Roman Catholic)
                                   1 Samuel 16: 1b, 6 - 7, 10 - 13a (Roman Catholic)

1Sam 16:1 (NRSV) The LORD said to Samuel, "How long will you grieve over Saul? I have rejected him from being king over Israel. Fill your horn with oil and set out; I will send you to Jesse the Beth'lehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons." 2 Samuel said, "How can I go? If Saul hears of it, he will kill me." And the LORD said, "Take a heifer with you, and say, "I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.' 3 Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do; and you shall anoint for me the one whom I name to you." 4 Samuel did what the LORD commanded, and came to Bethlehem. The elders of the city came to meet him trembling, and said, "Do you come peaceably?" 5 He said, "Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the LORD; sanctify yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice." And he sanctified Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.
6 When they came, he looked on Eli'ab and thought, "Surely the LORD's anointed is now before the LORD." 7 But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for the LORD does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart." 8 Then Jesse called Abin'adab, and made him pass before Samuel. He said, "Neither has the LORD chosen this one." 9 Then Jesse made Sham'mah pass by. And he said, "Neither has the LORD chosen this one." 10 Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel, and Samuel said to Jesse, "The LORD has not chosen any of these." 11 Samuel said to Jesse, "Are all your sons here?" And he said, "There remains yet the youngest, but he is keeping the sheep." And Samuel said to Jesse, "Send and bring him; for we will not sit down until he comes here." 12 He sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and had beautiful eyes, and was handsome. The LORD said, "Rise and anoint him; for this is the one." 13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the presence of his brothers; and the spirit of the LORD came mightily upon David from that day forward. Samuel then set out and went to Ra'mah.


Exodus 2: 1 - 10 (alt. for C of E)

Exod 2:1 (NRSV) Now a man from the house of Levi went and married a Levite woman. 2 The woman conceived and bore a son; and when she saw that he was a fine baby, she hid him three months. 3 When she could hide him no longer she got a papyrus basket for him, and plastered it with bitumen and pitch; she put the child in it and placed it among the reeds on the bank of the river. 4 His sister stood at a distance, to see what would happen to him.
5 The daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river, while her attendants walked beside the river. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her maid to bring it. 6 When she opened it, she saw the child. He was crying, and she took pity on him. "This must be one of the Hebrews' children," she said. 7 Then his sister said to Pharaoh's daughter, "Shall I go and get you a nurse from the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?" 8 Pharaoh's daughter said to her, "Yes." So the girl went and called the child's mother. 9 Pharaoh's daughter said to her, "Take this child and nurse it for me, and I will give you your wages." So the woman took the child and nursed it. 10 When the child grew up, she brought him to Pharaoh's daughter, and she took him as her son. She named him Moses, "because," she said, "I drew him out of the water."


1 Samuel 1: 20 - 28   (alt. for C of E)

1Sam 1:20 (NRSV) In due time Hannah conceived and bore a son. She named him Samuel, for she said, "I have asked him of the LORD."
21 The man Elkanah and all his household went up to offer to the LORD the yearly sacrifice, and to pay his vow. 22 But Hannah did not go up, for she said to her husband, "As soon as the child is weaned, I will bring him, that he may appear in the presence of the LORD, and remain there forever; I will offer him as a nazirite for all time." 23 Her husband Elkanah said to her, "Do what seems best to you, wait until you have weaned him; only-may the LORD establish his word." So the woman remained and nursed her son, until she weaned him. 24 When she had weaned him, she took him up with her, along with a three-year-old bull, an ephah of flour, and a skin of wine. She brought him to the house of the LORD at Shiloh; and the child was young. 25 Then they slaughtered the bull, and they brought the child to Eli. 26 And she said, "Oh, my lord! As you live, my lord, I am the woman who was standing here in your presence, praying to the LORD. 27 For this child I prayed; and the LORD has granted me the petition that I made to him. 28 Therefore I have lent him to the LORD; as long as he lives, he is given to the LORD."
She left him there for the LORD.


PSALM 23 (all)

Psal 23:1 (NRSV) The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures;
he leads me beside still waters;
3 he restores my soul.
He leads me in right paths
for his name's sake.
4 Even though I walk through the darkest valley,
I fear no evil;
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff--
they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD
my whole life long.


23   Dominus regit me   (ECUSA BCP)

1  The Lord is my shepherd; *
  I shall not be in want.

2  He makes me lie down in green pastures *
  and leads me beside still waters.

3  He revives my soul *
  and guides me along right pathways for his Name's sake.

4  Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I shall fear no evil; *
  for you are with me;
  your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

5  You spread a table before me in the presence of those
who trouble me; *
  you have anointed my head with oil,
  and my cup is running over.

6  Surely your goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days
of my life, *
  and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.


Psalm 34: 11 - 20   (alt for C of E)

Psal 34:11 (NRSV) Come, O children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the LORD.
12 Which of you desires life,
and covets many days to enjoy good?
13 Keep your tongue from evil,
and your lips from speaking deceit.
14 Depart from evil, and do good;
seek peace, and pursue it.
15 The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous,
and his ears are open to their cry.
16 The face of the LORD is against evildoers,
to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.
17 When the righteous cry for help, the LORD hears,
and rescues them from all their troubles.
18 The LORD is near to the brokenhearted,
and saves the crushed in spirit.
19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
but the LORD rescues them from them all.
20 He keeps all their bones;
not one of them will be broken.


Psalm 127: 1 - 3   (alt for C of E)

Psal 127:1 (NRSV) Unless the LORD builds the house,
those who build it labor in vain.
Unless the LORD guards the city,
the guard keeps watch in vain.
2 It is in vain that you rise up early
and go late to rest,
eating the bread of anxious toil;
for he gives sleep to his beloved.
3 Sons are indeed a heritage from the LORD,
the fruit of the womb a reward.

Note: Verse numbering in the Common Worship Psalter differs from the above.


NEW TESTAMENT: Ephesians 5: 8 - 14 (RCL, Roman Catholic)

Ephe 5:1 (NRSV) Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children, 2 and live in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
3 But fornication and impurity of any kind, or greed, must not even be mentioned among you, as is proper among saints. 4 Entirely out of place is obscene, silly, and vulgar talk; but instead, let there be thanksgiving. 5 Be sure of this, that no fornicator or impure person, or one who is greedy (that is, an idolater), has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.
6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes on those who are disobedient. 7 Therefore do not be associated with them. 8 For once you were darkness, but now in the Lord you are light. Live as children of light-- 9 for the fruit of the light is found in all that is good and right and true. 10 Try to find out what is pleasing to the Lord. 11 Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. 12 For it is shameful even to mention what such people do secretly; 13 but everything exposed by the light becomes visible, 14 for everything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says,
"Sleeper, awake!
Rise from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you."

The author has exhorted his readers to conduct themselves ethically as befits those who have adopted the way of Christ. Having “put away your former way of life” ( 4:22) and being clothed with the new self ( 4:24) when they were “marked with a seal” ( 4:30) in baptism, they are now to lead moral lives for, being members of a body in which the Holy Spirit dwells, an offence against a member is an offence against God. They are to “share with the needy” ( 4:28), emphasize the good in others ( 4:29) and imitate “God” ( 5:1) and Christ. They must obey God ( 5:6). Now, in terminology also found at Qumran and in Matthew, the author contrasts unbelievers (who live in “darkness”, 5:8, and disobey God) with those who are in “light” ( 5:8), “in the Lord”. Christians should “expose” ( 5:11) deviations from God’s ways. Evil deeds are known to God ( 5:13). 5:14b may be a quote from an early baptismal hymn. Seek the “light”, what God would have you do ( 5:10).

4:17-19: These verses reflect a common Jewish view of pagan moral conduct. See also 2:3; Colossians 1:21; Romans 1:28; 2:15. [ NJBC]

4:17: “the futility of their minds”: See also Romans 1:18-32. [ CAB]

4:20: Learning about Christ has direct implications for daily living. [ CAB]

4:22-24:: As with filthy, worn-out clothes. Colossians 3:9-10 says “Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have stripped off the old self with its practices and have clothed yourselves with the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge according to the image of its creator”. [ NJBC]

4:22: In 2 Corinthians 5:17, Paul writes: “So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!”. [ CAB]

4:24: In Galatians 3:27, Paul writes: “As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ”. See also Romans 6:1-14. [ CAB]

4:25: See also Zechariah 8:16 (“... Speak the truth to one another”) and Romans 12:5 (“... we are members one of another ...”). [ NOAB]

4:26: If you are angry, let it be neither in a sinful spirit nor prolonged. See also Psalm 4:4; Colossians 3:8; James 1:19-20. [ NOAB]

4:28: Thieves are to share with the needy not just in restitution but in liberality. [ NOAB]

4:29: Colossians 3:8 admonishes: “... now you must get rid of all such things – anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive language from your mouth”. [ NOAB]

4:30: All Christians together form a living temple in which the Holy Spirit dwells ( 2:21-22), so offence against any member of the community is an offence against the Holy Spirit. [ NJBC]

4:30: “do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God”: See also Isaiah 63:10 (“they rebelled and grieved his holy spirit”) and 1 Thessalonians 5:19 (“Do not quench the Spirit”). [ CAB]

4:30: “you were marked with a seal”: 1:13 says “In him you also, when you had heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and had believed in him, were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit”. [ NJBC]

4:31: See also 1 Timothy 1:19-20 (“... By rejecting conscience, certain persons have suffered shipwreck in the faith ...”) and James 1:19-20 (“... let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger ...”). [ CAB]

4:31: “all bitterness ...”: Elements of a traditional list of vices are incorporated into the parenesis (teaching/exhortation). Such lists were common in Hellenistic moral tracts as well as in the New Testament, e.g. Romans 1:29-31; Galatians 5:19-21, and in the Qumran literature e.g. 1QS (Rule of the Community) 4:3-5; CD (Damascus Document) 4:17-19. The vices listed in this verse are disruptive to communal life. [ NJBC]

4:32: “forgiving one another ...”: Reminiscent of the petition in the Lord’s Prayer that God forgive those who forgive others, but the imperative and the condition are reversed. Christian conduct is a corollary of Christian doctrine: see also Philippians 2:5-8 and Colossians 3:1-3. [ NJBC] [ NOAB]

5:1: “be imitators of God”: i.e. in forgiving (in 4:32) and in loving. This is closer to Matthew 5:43-48 than to Paul, who speaks of imitating Christ and himself: see 1 Corinthians 11:1; 4:16; Galatians 4:12; 1 Thessalonians 1:6; Philippians 3:17. [ NOAB] [ NJBC] [ CAB]

5:2: “gave himself up”: i.e. to death, as a sacrifice. [ NOAB]

5:3-5: This list of vices is like the one in Colossians 3:5. See also 1 Corinthians 5:9-11; 6:9-10; Galatians 5:19-21; Romans 1:29-32. [ CAB]

5:4: “obscene ... talk”: Shameful is another translation. The same Greek word is used in v. 12.

5:4: “silly ... talk”: Foolish talk is another translation.

5:4: “vulgar talk”: i.e. talk of a licentious nature. [ NOAB]

5:5: “one who is greedy”: i.e. one sets up something to worship other than God. Colossians 3:5 says “Put to death, therefore, whatever in you is earthly: fornication, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed (which is idolatry)”. [ NOAB]

5:6: “the wrath of God comes on those who are disobedient”: i.e. they will be punished at the end of time.

5:7: See also 1 Corinthians 5:9-10. [ CAB]

5:6-20: The vocabulary is reminiscent of the language in the Qumran literature. The author contrasts the children of darkness (disobedience) with the children of light. See also 1QS (Rule of the Community) 5:1-2; 3:10-11; 1:5; 2:24-25. As at Qumran, the light-darkness dualism is wholly ethical and not ontological, as in later Gnosticism. [ NJBC]

5:8-17: These verses appear to be an insert loosely connected to the foregoing. V. 18 seems to follow naturally after v. 7.

5:8: In 1 Thessalonians 5:5, Paul says: “... you are all children of light and children of the day; we are not of the night or of darkness”. In Philippians 2:15, Paul writes of Christians as “children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, in which you shine like stars in the world”. [ CAB]

5:11: “expose them”: A translation not favoured by some scholars is reprove them. Responsibility for correcting sinners was also important at Qumran: see 1QS (Rule of the Community) 5:24-6:1. [ NJBC]

5:14: “for everything that becomes visible is light”: This verse is a non sequitur from v. 13, unless the author is somehow saying that the children of light reveal the light of Christ.

5:14: The hymn from which the quotation is taken seems to combine ideas in Isaiah 60:1 and 26:19. [ CAB]

5:15-17: “not as unwise people but as wise ... So do not be foolish”: See also 1QS (Rule of the Community) 4:23-24. [ NJBC]

5:16: Colossians 4:5 says “Conduct yourselves wisely toward outsiders, making the most of the time”. [ NOAB]

5:18: “Do not get drunk with wine”: See also Proverbs 23:31-35. [ CAB]

5:19-20: Colossians 3:16-17 has similarities: “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him”. [ CAB]



GOSPEL: John 9: 1 - 41 (RCL)
                  John 9: 1 (2 - 5) 6 - 9 (10 - 12) 13 - 17 (18 - 33) 34 - 38 (Roman Catholic)

John 9:1 (NRSV) As he walked along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" 3 Jesus answered, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God's works might be revealed in him. 4 We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming when no one can work. 5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world." 6 When he had said this, he spat on the ground and made mud with the saliva and spread the mud on the man's eyes, 7 saying to him, "Go, wash in the pool of Silo'am" (which means Sent). Then he went and washed and came back able to see. 8 The neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar began to ask, "Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?" 9 Some were saying, "It is he." Others were saying, "No, but it is someone like him." He kept saying, "I am the man." 10 But they kept asking him, "Then how were your eyes opened?" 11 He answered, "The man called Jesus made mud, spread it on my eyes, and said to me, "Go to Silo'am and wash.' Then I went and washed and received my sight." 12 They said to him, "Where is he?" He said, "I do not know."
13 They brought to the Phar'isees the man who had formerly been blind. 14 Now it was a sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. 15 Then the Phar'isees also began to ask him how he had received his sight. He said to them, "He put mud on my eyes. Then I washed, and now I see." 16 Some of the Phar'isees said, "This man is not from God, for he does not observe the sabbath." But others said, "How can a man who is a sinner perform such signs?" And they were divided. 17 So they said again to the blind man, "What do you say about him? It was your eyes he opened." He said, "He is a prophet."
18 The Jews did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they called the parents of the man who had received his sight 19 and asked them, "Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?" 20 His parents answered, "We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; 21 but we do not know how it is that now he sees, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he is of age. He will speak for himself." 22 His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews; for the Jews had already agreed that anyone who confessed Jesus to be the Messiah would be put out of the synagogue. 23 Therefore his parents said, "He is of age; ask him."
24 So for the second time they called the man who had been blind, and they said to him, "Give glory to God! We know that this man is a sinner." 25 He answered, "I do not know whether he is a sinner. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see." 26 They said to him, "What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?" 27 He answered them, "I have told you already, and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become his disciples?" 28 Then they reviled him, saying, "You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. 29 We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from." 30 The man answered, "Here is an astonishing thing! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes. 31 We know that God does not listen to sinners, but he does listen to one who worships him and obeys his will. 32 Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind. 33 If this man were not from God, he could do nothing." 34 They answered him, "You were born entirely in sins, and are you trying to teach us?" And they drove him out.
35 Jesus heard that they had driven him out, and when he found him, he said, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?" 36 He answered, "And who is he, sir? Tell me, so that I may believe in him." 37 Jesus said to him, "You have seen him, and the one speaking with you is he." 38 He said, "Lord, I believe." And he worshiped him. 39 Jesus said, "I came into this world for judgment so that those who do not see may see, and those who do see may become blind." 40 Some of the Phar'isees near him heard this and said to him, "Surely we are not blind, are we?" 41 Jesus said to them, "If you were blind, you would not have sin. But now that you say, "We see,' your sin remains.

Perhaps Jesus encounters the blind man in the precincts of the Temple, where beggars habitually gathered. Illness and physical disability were attributed to sin: in this case, either of the man (prenatally) or of “his parents” (v. 2). Jesus dismisses the link between sin and illness, at least in this case; rather he says that this man’s impairment provides him with opportunities to do (and show) the works of God. Jesus and his followers (“we”, v. 4) must do his mission while they can. A time is coming (from his crucifixion to his resurrection) when he, “the light of the world” (v. 5) will not be in the world, so he will be unable to “work” (v. 4, and the disciples will desert him). Jesus takes earth (the substance from which human, Adam, was made), makes a “mud” (v. 6) poultice, and applies it to the man’s eyes. If he has trust enough to go to the “pool” (v. 7) and wash it off, he will have sight. He does; thus Jesus completes one of “God’s works” (v. 3). John draws attention to “Siloam” (v. 7) as meaning “Sent”, thereby alluding to Jesus as sent for the salvation of humankind – so washing symbolizes baptism.

Despite the man’s claim to be the one who was a beggar, those who know him are divided: some say “it is he” (v. 9) but others doubt: he only looks like the beggar. In vv. 10-22, the man confirms his cure as genuine. The Pharisees consider making mud on the sabbath as breaking the Law (v. 14) so they examine the man. They too are divided (v. 16): between those who say Jesus can’t be from God (for he breaks the Law) and those who wonder how a sabbath-breaker can perform miracles (which only one approved by God can do). So they question the man further, hoping that the dilemma can be resolved by discrediting the cure (v. 17). They ask: What do you say about his opening of your eyes? He insists that Jesus’ power is from God (“a prophet”). The man’s parents swear that their son was blind from birth but say no more, for fear of being cast out of the community (vv. 18-23). The Pharisees invite the man to confess that he has deceived them in claiming to be cured (v. 24). (“Give glory to God” is an Old Testament formula inviting confession.) The man boldly asserts the fact of the cure and adds, ironically: if you listen to my story you may admit that Jesus is right! (v. 27) They question Jesus’ authority: “we know” (v. 29) that the Law is from God, but Jesus is an upstart! The man ridicules their expert opinion (v. 30). God only listens to sinners who are penitent (v. 31). Jesus must be “from God” (v. 33) for no one has ever before performed such a cure (v. 32). For trying to teach the Pharisees a lesson, the man is evicted from the synagogue (“drove him out”, v. 34). Jesus invites him to express his faith shown by his conduct (vv. 35-38). He says he took on human form for two purposes: to give understanding, sight, of ultimate reality, and to punish those who think they “see” (v. 39) but don’t. The Pharisees are incredulous (v. 40). Jesus says: if you were ignorant of God’s ways (“blind”, v. 41) you would be considered sin-less, but you make the unfounded assumption that you do “see”, so you are liable to be punished.

© 1996-2020 Chris Haslam

BlkJn says that this is the second sign in the second group of three signs.

Comments: where beggars habitually gathered: V. 8 tells us he was a beggar. In Acts 3:1-10, Peter cures a beggar near the Temple. [ BlkJn]

Verse 2: “who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”: This question illustrates the belief, common at the time, that illness and physical misfortunes were punishment for sin. This was what Job’s friends believed. Luke 13:2, 4 also illustrates this belief, and shows that Jesus did not share it. [ BlkJn]

Verse 3: “Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God's works might be revealed in him”: BlkJn, arguing from the construction of the clauses in the Greek and noting the characteristically Semitic refusal (or inability) to distinguish the purpose and the consequence of an action, tries to reproduce this ambiguity: [This did] not [happen because] this man or his parents sinned, but for the works of God to be shown forth in him.

Verse 3: “God’s works”: Both those performed by God and by the godly. [ BlkJn] In 11:4, on hearing of Lazarus’ illness, Jesus says: “‘This illness does not lead to death; rather it is for God's glory, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it’”.

Verse 4: “night”: For the symbolism, see also 3:2 (Nicodemus) and 13:30 (Judas Iscariot). [ BlkJn]

Verse 5: “I am in the world”: 1:10 says: “He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him” and in 3:19 Jesus says: “And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil”. [ BlkJn]

Verse 5: “I am the light of the world”: 8:12 says: “‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.’” [ BlkJn]

Verse 6: In Mark 10:51, Jesus asks if the blind man, Bartimaeus, wishes help. Here he doesn’t ask. [ BlkJn]

Verse 6: “saliva”: It was usual to use spittle as a means of healing in ancient times, but here it is simply used to make “mud” (which would stick to the man’s eyes). Jesus uses the spittle and dirt, the material from which proto-human was made (see Genesis 2:7), to complete the creative act in the blind man. [ BlkJn]

Verse 7: As Naaman was challenged by Elisha to have faith (by washing in the Jordan), so the blind man is challenged to wash in the pool of Siloam: see 2 Kings 5:10. [ BlkJn]

Verse 7: “the pool of Siloam”: The pool still exists; it is on the south side of the site of the Temple. It is fed by the overflow of the intermittent Virgin’s Spring sent by the tunnel Hezekiah made: see 2 Kings 20:20. [ BlkJn]

Verse 7: “Siloam ... (which means Sent)”: “Sent” is a symbol of Jesus as sent from God to give light. Perhaps John also intends an allusion to Isaiah 8:6, the waters of Shiloah which Jews refused to receive – as they refused Christ. [ NOAB]

Verse 7: “he ... came back able to see”: For similar healings in the synoptic gospels, see, for example, Mark 10:46-52 (Bartimaeus) and Mark 8:22-26 (the blind man at Bethsaida).

Verse 13: “They”: i.e. the neighbours and friends. [ NOAB]

Verse 16: “‘This man is not from God’”: BlkJn points out the odd order of the words in Greek: so he translates this clause: This is not the man from God.

Verse 16: “they were divided”: For division that results from Jesus’ presence among humans, see also 7:43 and Luke 12:51.

Verse 17: “He is a prophet”: The miracle authenticates Jesus as a messenger from God. [ NOAB] Sight to the blind is promised in the prophetic books (see Isaiah 29:18; 35:5) and especially in Isaiah 42:6-7 where it is linked to renewal of the covenant. The Samaritan woman also proclaims Jesus as a prophet: see 4:19. [ BlkJn]

Verse 24: “‘Give glory to God!’”: This is a technical term meaning tell the truth! It is a formula used when people are to confess their sins. In Joshua 7:19, Joshua urges Achan: “give glory to the Lord God of Israel and make confession to him”. See also 1 Samuel 6:5; Jeremiah 13:16; Acts 12:23 (Agrippa dies); Mishnah Sanhedrin 6:2. [ BlkJn] [ NOAB]

Verse 25: “‘now’”: BlkJn says that the Greek word, arti, is emphatic, so he translates it as at present.

Verse 28: “You are his disciple”: An expression of baffled rage. The Pharisees attempt to cover their own defeat by denouncing the one who has been blind. [ NOAB]

Verse 30: “‘astonishing’”: BlkJn translates the Greek as marvellous.

Verse 31 : “‘We know ...’”: From Old Testament teachings. [ NOAB]

Verse 31: “‘God does not listen to sinners’”: In Isaiah 1:15, God, through the prophet, says to unrepentant sinners: “ When you stretch out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood”. [ BlkJn] See also Psalm 66:18.

Verse 31: “he does listen to one who worships him and obeys his will”: Proverbs 15:29 says “The Lord is far from the wicked, but he hears the prayer of the righteous”. [ NOAB]

Verse 34: Blinded by their pride of learning (see 7:15), the Pharisees attribute the man’s refusal to be persuaded by them to his sins. [ BlkJn]

Verse 34: “they drove him out”: If we take this literally, the examination of the man took place in a synagogue. Synagogues were used for many communal purposes besides than worship. The man is branded as an outcast. [ BlkJn]

Verse 35: “‘the Son of Man’”: In John, both the humiliated and the exalted Christ. Jesus appears to have used this title to avoid the then popular connotations of Messiah. Note that when he is in Samaria, Jesus acknowledges that he is the Messiah: see 4:26.

Verses 36,38: “‘sir ... Lord’”: The Greek word in both cases is Kurie (Kyrie). It is possible that in v. 38 the meaning is no more than sir and “worshipped him” may only be an extravagant gesture of respect: see Matthew 8:2; 9:18; 18:26, 20:20. However John probably intends us to take the second Kurie as divine “Lord” and “worshipped” in the full sense it has in every other case in John. [ BlkJn]

Verse 38: “I believe”: For belief as a result of a sign , see also 4:53 (Jesus heals an official’s son). [ BlkJn]

Verse 39: Jesus came as the light but also for judgement: see also 3:19 (Nicodemus) and 5:22. [ BlkJn]

Verse 39: “‘who do not see may see’”: Isaiah 35:5 prophesies: “Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped”.

Verse 39: “‘those who do see may become blind’”: This is from Isaiah 6:9-10. These verses are also quoted in 12:40 and Matthew 13:14-17. [ BlkJn]

Verse 41: “now that you say, ‘We see,’ your sin remains”: Proud refusal to admit spiritual blindness demonstrates their sin. Sin and disbelief are closely linked in 8:24; however 3:36 says: “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever disobeys the Son will not see life, but must endure God's wrath”.

© 1996-2020 Chris Haslam

17 Patrick, Bishop and Missionary of Ireland, 461  was a fifth-century Romano-British Christian missionary and bishop in Ireland. Known as the "Apostle of Ireland", he is the primary patron saint of Ireland, the other patron saints being Brigit of Kildare and Columba.
18 Cyril, Bishop of Jerusalem, 386 was a distinguished theologian of the early Church (c. 313[1] – 386 AD). He is venerated as a saint by the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, Oriental Orthodox Church and the Anglican Communion. In 1883, Cyril was declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope Leo XIII. He is highly respected in the Palestinian Christian Community.
19 Saint Joseph
20 Thomas Ken, Bishop of Bath and Wells, 1711
21 Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury and Martyr, 1556 March 1556) was a leader of the English Reformation and Archbishop of Canterbury during the reigns of Henry VIII, Edward VI and, for a short time, Mary I. He helped build the case for the annulment of Henry's marriage to Catherine of Aragon, which was one of the causes of the separation of the English Church from union with the Holy See. Along with Thomas Cromwell, he supported the principle of Royal Supremacy, in which the king was considered sovereign over the Church within his realm.



OLD TESTAMENT: Exodus 17: 1 - 7 (RCL)
                                Exodus 17: 3 - 7 (Roman Catholic)

Exod 17:1 (NRSV) From the wilderness of Sin the whole congregation of the Israelites journeyed by stages, as the LORD commanded. They camped at Reph'idim, but there was no water for the people to drink. 2 The people quarreled with Moses, and said, "Give us water to drink." Moses said to them, "Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the LORD?" 3 But the people thirsted there for water; and the people complained against Moses and said, "Why did you bring us out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and livestock with thirst?" 4 So Moses cried out to the LORD, "What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me." 5 The LORD said to Moses, "Go on ahead of the people, and take some of the elders of Israel with you; take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. 6 I will be standing there in front of you on the rock at Ho'reb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it, so that the people may drink." Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel. 7 He called the place Mas'sah and Mer'ibah, because the Israelites quarreled and tested the LORD, saying, "Is the LORD among us or not?"


PSALM 95 (all but Roman Catholic)
Psalm 95: 1 - 2, 6 - 9 (Roman Catholic)

Psal 95:1 (NRSV) O come, let us sing to the LORD;
let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!
2 Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!
3 For the LORD is a great God,
and a great King above all gods.
4 In his hand are the depths of the earth;
the heights of the mountains are his also.
5 The sea is his, for he made it,
and the dry land, which his hands have formed.
6 O come, let us worship and bow down,
let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker!
7 For he is our God,
and we are the people of his pasture,
and the sheep of his hand.
O that today you would listen to his voice!
8 Do not harden your hearts, as at Mer'ibah,
as on the day at Mas'sah in the wilderness,
9 when your ancestors tested me,
and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work.
10 For forty years I loathed that generation
and said, "They are a people whose hearts go astray,
and they do not regard my ways."
11 Therefore in my anger I swore,
"They shall not enter my rest."


95   Venite, exultemus   (ECUSA BCP)

1  Come, let us sing to the Lord; *
  let us shout for joy to the Rock of our salvation.

2  Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving *
  and raise a loud shout to him with psalms.

3  For the Lord is a great God, *
  and a great King above all gods.

4  In his hand are the caverns of the earth, *
  and the heights of the hills are his also.

5  The sea is his, for he made it, *
  and his hands have molded the dry land.

6  Come, let us bow down, and bend the knee, *
  and kneel before the Lord our Maker.

7  For he is our God,
and we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand. *
  Oh, that today you would hearken to his voice!
 
8  Harden not your hearts,
as your forebears did in the wilderness, *
  at Meribah, and on that day at Massah,
  when they tempted me.

9  They put me to the test, *
  though they had seen my works.

10  Forty years long I detested that generation and said, *
  "This people are wayward in their hearts;
  they do not know my ways."

11  So I swore in my wrath, *
  "They shall not enter into my rest."


NEW TESTAMENT: Romans 5: 1 - 11 (all but Roman Catholic)
                                 Romans 5: 1 - 2, 5 - 8 (Roman Catholic)

Roma 5:1 (NRSV) Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God. 3 And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.
6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Indeed, rarely will anyone die for a righteous person--though perhaps for a good person someone might actually dare to die. 8 But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us. 9 Much more surely then, now that we have been justified by his blood, will we be saved through him from the wrath of God. 10 For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more surely, having been reconciled, will we be saved by his life. 11 But more than that, we even boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

Paul has already demonstrated that “we are justified by faith”. He says that there are three consequences of being justified (found worthy in God’s court):

“peace with God”, a state of harmony with him,
“hope” (v. 2) of sharing his power and eternal life, and
being reconciled with him.
It is through Christ that we have “access to this grace”, this blessed state of harmony. We also bask in the glory (“boast”) of “our sufferings” (v. 3, and not our accomplishments). Through a progression from them to patient “endurance” under spiritual duress, to maturity in the faith (“character”, v. 4) we come to hope. This is hope of a certainty (“does not disappoint”, v. 5) for God’s love enters our very beings “through the Holy Spirit” (which is also God’s gift). “For while we were still weak” (v. 6, i.e. before we knew Christ), at the appropriate time in God’s plan, “Christ died for the ungodly”. It would be rare enough for anyone to die for a pious (“righteous”, v. 7) person, and perhaps a bit more likely for a particularly “good person”, but Christ sacrificed his life for us when we were neither: we were unredeemed sinners then! This proves God’s love for us. So even more certainly, having been made worthy through his death (“blood”, v. 9), will we evade adverse judgement (“wrath”) at the end of time. Then we were against God (“enemies”, v. 10), then we were restored to favour with God by Christ’s death. Even more certainly will we be given eternal life (“saved”) by the risen Christ (“by his life”). We even bask in God’s glory through Christ, being now reconciled (v. 11).


Paul develops these ideas further in 8:1-39: “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death ...”. [ NJBC]

Verse 1: “justified by faith”: This is the theme of 3:21-31. [ CAB]

Verse 1: “peace”: In Hebrew, this is shalom, the state of being in which one enjoys all the benefits of a right relationship with God, namely partnership in reconciliation, eternal well-being and wholeness of life. Being justified is very similar, although it implies action.

Verse 1: “through our Lord Jesus Christ”: Christ is active as the mediator, the interface between the Father and humans, in carrying out God’s plan of/for salvation. In some form or other, Paul makes frequent use of this phrase in this chapter: see also vv. 2, 9, 11, 17, 21. [ JBC] He writes in 1:5: “through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for the sake of his name”; see also 2:16. “Through” means mediated by, in the Father’s plan of salvation. [ NJBC]

Verse 2: “obtained access”: JBC offers secured an introduction. We have been introduced into the sphere of divine favour through Christ. He has, as it were, led Christians into the royal audience chamber and into the divine presence.

Verse 2: “we boast in our hope ...”: In contrast to the boasting by Jews of their relationship to God mentioned in 2:17: “But if you call yourself a Jew and rely on the law and boast of your relation to God”. [ CAB]

Verses 2,3,11: “boast”: In Paul’s writings, this word is sometimes meant in the obvious sense, but not here. Basking in glory is what he means here. [ NJBC]

Verse 3: “boast in our sufferings”: Paul also uses the word “boast” in 2 Corinthians 11:30; 12:9 and also 1 Corinthians 1:31; 3:21; 2 Corinthians 10:17; Galatians 6:13; Philippians 3:3. [ CAB]

Verse 3: “endurance”: See also 8:25 (where the Greek word is translated as “patience”) and 15:4-5. [ CAB]

Verse 4: “character”: The Greek word is dokime, from a verb meaning to test, so the sense is proven-ness under testing. [ CAB]

Verse 4: “hope”: Openness to God’s future. [ CAB]

Verse 5: “and hope”: The sense is easier to see if we insert such between and and hope. A human may disappoint one by not doing what he or she commits to do, but God is not like this. [ NJBC]

Verses 5,8: “God’s love has been poured ... through the Holy Spirit”, “Christ”: In v. 5, God is the Father. These verses lead later to the doctrine of the Trinity.

Verse 5: “poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit”: In the Old Testament and Apocrypha, pouring out of a divine attribute is commonplace: for example, mercy in Sirach 18:11, wisdom in Sirach 1:9, grace in Psalm 45:2, and wrath in Hosea 5:10 and Psalm 79:6. See especially Joel 2:28 for the outpouring of the Spirit. [ NJBC]

Verses 6-11: Christ, in his death, has borne the consequences of our sin and thus has reconciled us to God. [ NOAB]

Verse 6: “weak”: NJBC offers helpless.

Verse 6: “Christ died for the ungodly”: Paul writes in 4:5: “But to one who without works trusts him who justifies the ungodly, such faith is reckoned as righteousness”. [ CAB]

Verse 8: God’s love is unconditional, spontaneous, not dependent on human love for him.

Verse 9: “justified by his blood”: This is a restatement of 3:24-25: “they [those who have fallen short of true godliness] are now justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a sacrifice of atonement by his blood, effective through faith ...”. [ CAB] In 4:25, justification is the result of Christ’s resurrection, but here it is the result of his death. [ NOAB]

Verse 10: In Galatians 2:20, Paul writes: “... the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”. [ CAB]

Verse 10: “while we were enemies”: Perhaps Paul thinks partly of himself here, as a former persecutor of Christians.

Verse 11: In 1 Corinthians 1:30-31, Paul writes: “He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification and redemption, in order that, as it is written, ‘Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord’”. [ CAB]

Verse 11: “we have now received reconciliation”: In 3:21-22, Paul writes: “But now, apart from law, the righteousness of God has been disclosed, and is attested by the law and the prophets, the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe”. [ NOAB]


GOSPEL: John 4: 5 - 42 (RCL)
                   John 4: 5 - 15 (16 - 19a) 19b - 26 (27 - 38) 39a (39b) 40 - 42   (Roman Catholic)

John 4:5 (NRSV) So he came to a Samaritan city called Sy'char, near the plot of ground that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 6 Jacob's well was there, and Jesus, tired out by his journey, was sitting by the well. It was about noon.
7 A Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, "Give me a drink." 8 (His disciples had gone to the city to buy food.) 9 The Samaritan woman said to him, "How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?" (Jews do not share things in common with Samaritans.) 10 Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, "Give me a drink,' you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water." 11 The woman said to him, "Sir, you have no bucket, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? 12 Are you greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us the well, and with his sons and his flocks drank from it?" 13 Jesus said to her, "Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, 14 but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life." 15 The woman said to him, "Sir, give me this water, so that I may never be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water."
16 Jesus said to her, "Go, call your husband, and come back." 17 The woman answered him, "I have no husband." Jesus said to her, "You are right in saying, "I have no husband'; 18 for you have had five husbands, and the one you have now is not your husband. What you have said is true!" 19 The woman said to him, "Sir, I see that you are a prophet. 20 Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you say that the place where people must worship is in Jerusalem." 21 Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship him. 24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth." 25 The woman said to him, "I know that Messiah is coming" (who is called Christ). "When he comes, he will proclaim all things to us." 26 Jesus said to her, "I am he, the one who is speaking to you."
27 Just then his disciples came. They were astonished that he was speaking with a woman, but no one said, "What do you want?" or, "Why are you speaking with her?" 28 Then the woman left her water jar and went back to the city. She said to the people, 29 "Come and see a man who told me everything I have ever done! He cannot be the Messiah, can he?" 30 They left the city and were on their way to him.
31 Meanwhile the disciples were urging him, "Rabbi, eat something." 32 But he said to them, "I have food to eat that you do not know about." 33 So the disciples said to one another, "Surely no one has brought him something to eat?" 34 Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to complete his work. 35 Do you not say, "Four months more, then comes the harvest'? But I tell you, look around you, and see how the fields are ripe for harvesting. 36 The reaper is already receiving wages and is gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. 37 For here the saying holds true, "One sows and another reaps.' 38 I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor."
39 Many Samaritans from that city believed in him because of the woman's testimony, "He told me everything I have ever done." 40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them; and he stayed there two days. 41 And many more believed because of his word. 42 They said to the woman, "It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the Savior of the world."

Jesus enters Samaria en route from Judea to Galilee. Exhausted by the heat, Jesus rests; his disciples go for food (v. 8). Rabbis did not speak to strange women in public and Jews considered Samaritans ritually unclean, so the woman is surprised by Jesus’ request (v. 9). Jesus answers her: if you knew that God gives to those who ask (“‘the gift of God’”, v. 10) and that I am his agent, you would be the one asking for a drink, “‘and he would have given you living water’”. She misunderstands, thinking that he asks for bubbly spring water. (A legend about Jacob: for him water rose to the top of this well and overflowed.) Are you counting on such a miracle, for “you have no bucket” (v. 11). This water was good enough for Jacob, so are you greater than him? Jesus contrasts the well water with “water gushing up to eternal life” (v. 14). (In John, living water is the vehicle of the gift of the Spirit in baptism.) While she still doesn’t understand, she at least now asks (v. 15). Vv. 16-18 are difficult, but they do show that Jesus has insight, so he must be “a prophet” (v. 19), and can therefore resolve a religious dispute: the common ancestors of the two peoples worshipped on Mount Gerizim (“this mountain”, v. 20) but Jews claim that the only proper worship site is Jerusalem. Jesus replies (v. 21): “the hour” of God’s intervention in the world “is coming”; then cultic sites will be irrelevant. Samaritans, by accepting only part of the Bible, denied themselves access to the part of God’s end-time plans given through the prophets (“what you do not know”, v. 22); “Jews” are at least on the right track. The time is both “coming, and ... now here” (v. 23) to worship God spiritually, discerning “truth”, the reality revealed in Jesus. God is “spirit” (v. 24, life-giving power). She decides to wait to understand until the “Messiah” (v. 25) comes, but Jesus tells her: “‘I am he’” (v. 26). In her haste to tell others about this amazing man, she leaves her “water jar” (v. 28) behind. Come, she says, judge for yourselves! Jesus tells his disciples that the food that sustains his life is obeying the Father and completing his task (v. 34). There is no time for delay (v. 35a) for God’s harvest, “gathering fruit for eternal life” (v. 36, conversion to Christ) is ready now. Others have already begun to sow, have preached the good news. Meanwhile, after hearing the woman’s witness, many hear for themselves and come to belief in Christ. Jesus is “truly the Saviour of the world” (v. 42).

© 1996-2020 Chris Haslam

Verses 3-4: “he left Judea and started back to Galilee. But he had to go through Samaria”: The direct route from Judea to Galilee was through Samaria. The Samaritans were a mixture of Jews whom the conquering Assyrians (in 721 BC) had deemed too insignificant to deport to Babylon and of Gentile people whom the Assyrians had settled in Palestine. See 2 Kings 17; Ezra 4:1-3; Nehemiah 4:1-9. Relations between Jews and Samaritans were never good, but in 52 AD a clash was so serious that it was resolved by Roman intervention (see Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews 20.6.1-3 118-36; Jewish Wars 2:12.3-5 232-46). [ NJBC]

Verse 5: “Sychar”: No Samaritan city by this name is known. Traditionally, scholars have considered “Sychar” to be Shechem, but most scholars today think that “Sychar” was Askar. The two villages were close together, and within sight of Mount Gerizim. [ CAB] [ NJBC]

Verse 5: In Genesis 33:19, Jacob buys land at Shechem. In Genesis 48:22 he gives land to Joseph and his brothers, giving Joseph a double portion. In Hebrew, portion sounds like Shechem. See also John 1:51, where Jesus tells Nathanael, “Very truly, I tell you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man”. Jacob, with his ladder to heaven, is the type (forerunner) of Jesus. [ NOAB] [ NJBC]

Verse 6: “It was about noon”: That a person would visit the well to draw water in the middle of the day is surprising; Water was usually drawn during the less hot times of the day: morning and evening. That the woman draws water about noon suggests that she was an outcast from her village.

Verse 9: “(Jews do not share things in common with Samaritans)”: Clearly this is a note for readers unfamiliar with the strained relations between Jews and Samaritans. Whether John the Evangelist wrote these words or they were added by a later editor is unclear. [ NJBC]

Verse 10: “the gift of God”: Traditions found in targums show that Numbers 21:16-20 was interpreted such that the place name “Mattanah” there was interpreted in terms of its root (which means gift) combined with the promise in 21:16c, “I [God] will give them water.” Jesus’ comment that he is “the gift from God” may echo this tradition. 7:37-39 links “thirsty”, “living water” and “Spirit”: Jesus becomes the source of living water, the Spirit. [ NJBC]

Verse 10: Comments: A legend about Jacob: for him water rose to the top of the well and overflowed: For the legend, see Targum Yerusalmi I Numbers 21:17-18 and Targum Neofit I Genesis 28:10. [ NJBC]

Verse 10: “living water”: In Jeremiah 2:13, Yahweh, speaking through the prophet, refers to himself as “the fountain of living water”. See also Jeremiah 17:13. [ NOAB]

Verse 11: “the well is deep”: Today it is 23 to 32 metres (75 to 105 feet) deep.

Verse 12: In 8:53, Jews ask the same question about Jesus’ stature compared to Abraham. [ NJBC]

Verses 13-15: Not only is Jesus greater than Jacob (for whom the well was an entirely adequate source of water for him, his family and his flocks) but Jesus supplants the reality described in the Old Testament. He is also “the bread of life” which supplants the bread from heaven. See also 6:49-51. In Exodus 16:4, Yahweh tells Moses “I am going to rain bread from heaven for you”. [ NJBC]

Verse 14: “a spring of water gushing up to eternal life”: In 10:10, Jesus says: “‘I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly’”. [ NOAB]

Verses 17-18: Jesus’ insight would not surprise his readers: see 1:42 (Jesus knows who Simon Peter is); 1:48 (he knows Nathanael); 2:24-25 (“... he himself knew what was in everyone”). [ NJBC]

Verse 22: The Samaritans accepted only the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Bible) as Scripture.

Verse 22: “for salvation is from the Jews”: John has already told his readers that Jesus supplants Jewish purification rites (see 2:6-11, the wedding at Cana, and 3:25-30) and that the “risen Lord” supplants the Jerusalem Temple (see 2:13-22, Jesus cleanses the Temple), so they know the sense in which this clause is meant. [ NJBC]

Verse 23: “truth”: Jesus is the truth, for he is the revelation of God. In 8:45, Jesus tells some unbelievers: “... because I tell the truth, you do not believe me”. See also 14:6; 17:17-19. [ NJBC]

Verse 25: “(who is called Christ)”: BlkJn offers (which means Christ).

Verse 25: “‘I know that Messiah is coming’”: The exact nature of Samaritan messianic hopes is unknown. Whatever it was, it was surely based on Deuteronomy 18:15 (a prophet like Moses) for they recognized none of the prophetic books. [ BlkJn]

Verse 26: “I am he”: Perhaps Jesus points to his divinity, in an echo of God’s self-identification in Exodus 3:14: “God said to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM.’ He said further, ‘Thus you shall say to the Israelites, ‘I AM has sent me to you’’”. This is the first of a series of self-revelatory sayings, all echoing an Old Testament formula This is particularly striking in those sayings ( 6:20; 8:24, 28, 58; 13:19; 18:5-8) in which Jesus uses the words I am without any predicate. This verse is in striking contrast to the synoptic gospels, where Jesus tells his disciples not to disclose to anyone who he is. Perhaps he felt he could say openly in Samaria what would have seriously impeded his mission in Jewish territory. [ BlkJn]

Verse 27: Whether the disciples were dumbfounded that he would speak to a woman or that they already knew his freedom from Jewish prejudice in the matter is unknown. See Mark 7:25-30; Matthew 15:22-28 (the Canaanite woman’s faith); John 7:53-8:11 (a woman caught in adultery). [ BlkJn]

Verse 34: “‘to do the will of him who sent me’”: This is a common expression in Jesus’ ministry: see also 5:30 and 6:38. Jewish tradition could understand Torah as food: in Proverbs 9:5 Wisdom says “Come, eat of my bread ...”. See also Sirach 24:21. [ NJBC]

Verse 34: “complete his work”: This is echoed at the conclusion of Jesus’ ministry: see 5:36; 17:4; 19:30 (as he dies, Jesus says “‘It is finished’”). [ NJBC]

Verses 35-42: The following would have been part of Comments, had there been space:

V. 35a is probably a proverb meaning no need to rush: little could be in the fields done for “four months” after sowing (in the days before drilling of seed), but God’s harvest is different: “the fields are ripe for harvesting”. Sowing (preaching the good news) and reaping of this harvest, of “fruit for eternal life” (v. 36), of those who believe, are now consecutive. “‘One sows and another reaps’” (v. 37) usually means that people are deprived of the reward for their labours, but here it has another, positive, meaning: “others [prophets, John the Baptist, perhaps the woman] have laboured” (v. 38); the disciples now join in telling the gospel. Meanwhile, starting from the woman’s witness and going on to their own experiences (“we have heard for ourselves”, v. 42), many Samaritans are converted to belief in Christ. Jesus “is truly the Saviour of the [whole] world”.

Verse 36: “wages”: The only point in mentioning the reward seems to be that the harvest is really being gathered now. [ BlkJn]

Verse 36: “sower and reaper may rejoice together”: This is a sign of the new era. Leviticus 26:5 describes the ideal reward as being when the wheat harvest, grape harvest and sowing follow consecutively. This idea is also found in Amos 9:13. [ NJBC]

Verses 37-39: See also 12:23-24. The woman is the first missionary.

Verse 37: “‘One sows and another reaps’”: Normally the sower’s lot is sorrow and the reaper’s is joy: see Psalm 126:5-6. [ NJBC]

Verse 40: “he stayed there two days”: In 1:38, the Greek word translated “stayed” infers conversion. So was the conversion of these Samaritans of short duration, i.e. not permanent? There is no evidence of the conversion of Samaritans outside this gospel before the preaching of Philip (see Acts 8:5-17). Perhaps this is an isolated episode not recorded in the other gospels. [ NJBC]

© 1996-2020 Chris Haslam

8 Geoffrey Anketell Studdert Kennedy, Priest, 1929
9 Gregory, Bishop of Nyssa, c. 394  was bishop of Nyssa from 372 to 376 and from 378 until his death. He is venerated as a saint in Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, and Anglicanism
12 Gregory the Great, Bishop of Rome, 604 was Pope from 3 September 590 to 12 March 604 AD. He is famous for instigating the first recorded large-scale mission from Rome, the Gregorian Mission, to convert the then-pagan Anglo-Saxons in England to Christianity
13 James Theodore Holly, bishop of Haiti and Dominican Republic


OLD TESTAMENT   Genesis 12: 1 - 4a   (RCL, Roman Catholic)

Gene 12:1 (NRSV) Now the LORD said to Abram, "Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. 2 I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed."
4 So Abram went, as the LORD had told him; and Lot went with him.


PSALM 121   (RCL)

Psal 121:1 (NRSV) I lift up my eyes to the hills--
from where will my help come?
2 My help comes from the LORD,
who made heaven and earth.
3 He will not let your foot be moved;
he who keeps you will not slumber.
4 He who keeps Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The LORD is your keeper;
the LORD is your shade at your right hand.
6 The sun shall not strike you by day,
nor the moon by night.
7 The LORD will keep you from all evil;
he will keep your life.
8 The LORD will keep
your going out and your coming in
from this time on and forevermore.


121   Levavi oculos    (ECUSA BCP)

1  I lift up my eyes to the hills; *
  from where is my help to come?

2  My help comes from the Lord, *
  the maker of heaven and earth.

3  He will not let your foot be moved *
  and he who watches over you will not fall asleep.

4  Behold, he who keeps watch over Israel *
  shall neither slumber nor sleep;

5  The Lord himself watches over you; *
  the Lord is your shade at your right hand,

6  So that the sun shall not strike you by day, *
  nor the moon by night.

7  The Lord shall preserve you from all evil; *
  it is he who shall keep you safe.

8  The Lord shall watch over your going out and
your coming in, *
  from this time forth for evermore.


Psalm 33: 4 - 5, 18 - 19, 20, 22   (Roman Catholic)

Psal 33:4 (NRSV) 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   Romans 4: 1 - 5, 13 - 17   (RCL)

Roma 41 (NRSV) What then are we to say was gained by Abraham, our ancestor according to the flesh? 2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. 3 For what does the scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness." 4 Now to one who works, wages are not reckoned as a gift but as something due. 5 But to one who without works trusts him who justifies the ungodly, such faith is reckoned as righteousness.

13 For the promise that he would inherit the world did not come to Abraham or to his descendants through the law but through the righteousness of faith. 14 If it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. 15 For the law brings wrath; but where there is no law, neither is there violation.
16 For this reason it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his descendants, not only to the adherents of the law but also to those who share the faith of Abraham (for he is the father of all of us, 17 as it is written, "I have made you the father of many nations")--in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist.

Paul has written that one can attain a right relationship with God through faith, without living by Mosaic law. Now he takes Abraham as an example; he asks: what can we conclude about faith vs. Law by looking at Abraham’s life? Judaism claimed that Abraham kept the Law before it was given, that he was godly (‘justified”, v. 2) because his “works” were in accord with the Law. Paul rejects this claim; rather, it was, as Genesis shows, Abraham’s faith which counted for him (“reckoned”, v. 3) as godliness. God “justifies the ungodly” (v. 5). For the worker, “wages” (v. 4) are expected, but for one who trusts (with no certainty of reward), such trust counts with God. In vv. 6-9 Paul quotes from Psalm 32 and Genesis, interpreting the verses jointly as showing that those who trust in God obtain his favour, whether they be keepers of the Law or trusters in God. Paul then argues that, because Abraham trusted in God’s pact before he was circumcised, Abraham’s faith (and not his keeping of the Law) was what counted for him with God (v. 10). Indeed, he says, circumcision was a confirmation of the right relationship he had attained through faith. It made Abraham “ancestor” (v. 11) of all who trust in God, both Jews (v. 12) and non-Jews (v. 11).

So the “promise” (v. 13) that Abraham would be father of many nations (“inherit the world”) came as a result of his faith and not his law-keeping. If the only way of achieving union with God is through keeping the Law, faith is irrelevant and the promise to Abraham is nonsense (v. 14). Because it is impossible to keep every law, sin is inevitable; God’s response to sin is punishment, breakdown of human relations with God: “the law brings wrath” (v. 15). But for those living by faith, transgression (“violation”) of the Law is irrelevant. So a right relationship with God “depends on faith” (v. 16), resting on God’s “promise” of “grace”, his gift of love – made not only to Jews but also to all those who trust in God, “of many nations” (v. 17). God spoke these words to Abraham; God gives spiritual “life” to the unbeliever; he restored Isaac’s life when he was as good as dead; he brought a son “into existence” to Abraham and Sarah, in their old age. They were “fully convinced” (v. 21) that God could do it. If we trust in God and have faith in the power of Christ’s resurrection, our trust will count with God too (vv. 24-25).

See also Galatians 3:1-18: “You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly exhibited as crucified! ...”. [ CAB]

Verse 1: “our ancestor”: Descent from Abraham was a source of pride among Jews: see Matthew 3:9 (John the baptizer warns Pharisees and Sadducees who come to him for baptism) and Luke 3:8. [ NJBC]

Verse 2: “justified by works”: i.e. keeping the law in advance. Sirach 44:20 (a midrash on Genesis 26:5) and Jubilees 6:19 both speak of Abraham’s deeds (namely the defeat of kings in Genesis 14 and his trial, the near-sacrifice of Isaac, Genesis 22:9-10) as a source of his godliness. See also Wisdom of Solomon 10:5 and James 2:21. However 1 Maccabees 2:52 says that Abraham’s godliness is a result of his faith. [ NJBC]

Verse 3: The quotation is from the Septuagint translation of Genesis 15:6. In Galatians 3:8, Paul writes: “the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, declared the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, ‘All the Gentiles shall be blessed in you’”. See also James 2:23. As Paul understands Genesis 15:6, Abraham’s faith gained him credit with God. [ CAB] [ NOAB]

Verse 3: “reckoned”: The Greek word, elogisthe, is a book-keeping term: see also Deuteronomy 24:13 and Psalm 106:31. Deuteronomy 24:13 says: “... it will be to your credit before the L ord your God.” (where “it” is the return of a pledge). [ NJBC]

Verse 5: See also 5:6-11. [ CAB]

Verses 7-8: The quotation is Psalm 32:1-2 in the Septuagint translation. Like his contemporaries, Paul considers David to be the author of Psalms. Actually this psalm was written long after David’s time. [ CAB] [ NOAB] [ NJBC]

Verses 6-9: By a Jewish exegetical principle, that identical words appearing in two different places in Scripture are the basis for mutual interpretation, the blessedness (“Happy”) of Psalm 32 can also be applied to those who trust but are not circumcised. [ CAB] [ NOAB] [ NJBC]

Verse 10: “before he was circumcised”: Genesis 17:24 tells of the circumcision of Abraham. [ NOAB]

Verse 11: “He received the sign of circumcision”: In Genesis 17:11, circumcision is called “a sign of the covenant” between God and Abraham’s family. See also Acts 7:8 (Stephen’s speech). Later rabbis regarded Genesis 17:11 as a sign of the Mosaic covenant, for it served to distinguish Israel from other nations. [ NJBC]

Verse 13: “the promise”: The promise of an heir to be born of Sarah (see Genesis 15:4; 17:16, 19) and of numerous progeny (see Genesis 12:2; 13:14-17; 17:8; 22:16-18) was extended in Jewish tradition on the basis of the universality of “all the families of the earth” (see Genesis 12:3) to mean that “the [whole] world” was Abraham’s inheritance. [ NJBC]

Verse 14: See also Galatians 3:15-20. [ NJBC]

Verse 15: “violation”: Literally, transgression. See also 3:20 and 5:13. [ NJBC]

Verse 17: The quotation is Genesis 17:5 in the Septuagint translation. [ NJBC]

Verse 18: “So numerous ...”: In Genesis 15:5, in a vision, God brings Abram outside and says to him: “‘Look toward heaven and count the stars, if you are able to count them ... So shall your descendants be’”. [ CAB] [ NOAB]

Verse 19: See Genesis 17:17 and 18:11. See also Hebrews 11:11-12 (where Sarah is also included). [ NOAB]

Verse 20: “he gave glory to God”: An Old Testament expression for giving grateful recognition to God: see 1 Samuel 6:5; 1 Chronicles 16:28. Per 1:21, unbelievers cannot do this. [ NJBC]

Verse 21: “do what he had promised”: i.e. the conception of Isaac.


GOSPEL  John 3: 1 - 17   (RCL)

John 3:1 (NRSV) Now there was a Phar'isee named Nicode'mus, a leader of the Jews. 2 He came to Jesus by night and said to him, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God." 3 Jesus answered him, "Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above." 4 Nicode'mus said to him, "How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother's womb and be born?" 5 Jesus answered, "Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. 6 What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not be astonished that I said to you, "You must be born from above.' 8 The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit." 9 Nicode'mus said to him, "How can these things be?" 10 Jesus answered him, "Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things?
11 "Very truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen; yet you do not receive our testimony. 12 If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. 14 And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.
16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.
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.

Nicodemus, a prominent Pharisee and teacher, comes to Jesus to ask him questions. He comes secretly (“by night”, v. 2) because a man of his stature could not be seen consulting Jesus. He has understood from Jesus' miracles (“signs”) that Jesus is “from God”. But Jesus (in v. 3) tells him that he has not yet understood the main point: to “see the kingdom of God”, spiritual rebirth is required. Nicodemus misunderstands: he thinks that Jesus is speaking of biological rebirth (v. 4). Being “born from above” (v. 3) requires being baptised (v. 5). “Flesh”(v. 6) and “spirit” were seen as constituents of life, of which spirit (breath, wind, pneuma) was the life-giving force. Many things can be seen only in their effect; such is birth in the Spirit (v. 8). Still Nicodemus doesn't understand: in order for him to do so, he needs to have faith (“receive our testimony”, v. 11). Then, in v. 12, Jesus says: you, Nicodemus, don't comprehend what can be told in analogies (“earthly things”, i.e. “wind”, v. 8), so how can you possibly believe mysteries? Vv. 13-17 are a monologue. Only Christ has descended and ascended. The “serpent” (v. 14) is mentioned in Numbers 21:9-11: the people were bitten by poisonous snakes; some died; others became gravely ill. Instructed by God, Moses mounted (“lifted up”) a bronze snake on a pole. Those who looked at this emblem (trusting in God) were healed, lifted up, given life. God in his love provides eternal life to all who believe (v. 16). If you wilfully do not believe, you will perish (v. 18); there is no third alternative! God's intention is that you believe, rather than be condemned (v. 17).

This passage tells how Christ has replaced the institutions of Judaism.

The Pharisee is part of traditional religion: what Jesus came to preach against. Much of the terminology Jesus uses would either be unfamiliar to him, or used differently. (Some of the terms were used in the Qumran Community, itself a revolt against tradition.)

Verse 1: “Nicodemus”: Only John tells us of him. In 7:51, he insists that Jesus receive a trial; in 19:39, he anoints Jesus’ body for burial.

Verse 1: “a leader of the Jews”: a member of the Sanhedrin. [ NJBC]

Verse 2: “by night”: This may be saying that Nicodemus was a true, devoted, teacher because he studied the Torah at night as well as during the day. See 1QS (*Qumran Rule of the Community) 6:7. In vv. 19-21, John uses the symbols of light and dark. [ NJBC]

Verses 2,11: “we know”: Who “we” is in these two verses differs.

Verse 2: “you are a teacher ... from God”: Nicodemus recognizes Jesus as a teacher on a par with himself. [ NJBC]

Verse 3: “see the kingdom ...”: See also 1:51: “you will see the heaven opened”. Entrance to the Kingdom is by transformation by God, and not by moral achievement. Recall Matthew 18:3: “unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven”. [ BlkJn]

Verse 3: “born from above”: The NRSV offers an alternative translation in a footnote: born anew. BlkJn thinks that this is probably what Jesus said. The Greek word, anothen , can from above, anew or again. Although several translations consider “from above” to be preferable, anew fits better with Nicodemus’ somewhat sarcastic questions in v. 4.

Verse 4: “a second time”: The description of conversion as a second birth or a divine begetting is foreign to Judaism, but is familiar in Hellenistic mystery religions. [ BlkJn]

Verse 5: “born of water”: 1:33 says “... John testified, ‘I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit’”. See also Ephesians 5:26. [ NOAB]

Verse 6: “Spirit”: In Ezekiel 36:25-27, Yahweh promises through the prophet: “I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. A new heart I will give you, and a new spirit I will put within you; and I will remove from your body the heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. I will put my spirit within you, and make you follow my statutes and be careful to observe my ordinances”. See also Titus 3:5. In Jubilees 1:23, cleansing by the Spirit is associated with the coming of the Messianic Age. [ NJBC]

Verse 6: See also 1:12-13: “... to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.”

Verse 7: “you”: The Greek word is in the plural, so Jesus speaks through Nicodemus to those whom he represents, i.e. the members of the religious establishment. [ BlkJn]

Verse 8: The point of this verse is unavoidably lost in translation, for pneuma means both wind and “spirit”. The wind is a parable of spirit, as natural birth of the supernatural. [ BlkJn]

Verse 10: “Israel”: John uses this term for God’s faithful people: recall Jesus’ words to Nathanael in 1:47: “‘Here is truly an Israelite in whom there is no deceit!’”. There is a certain irony in Jesus’ answer. [ BlkJn]

Verse 12: On the limits of earthly wisdom in Judaism, Proverbs 30:3-4 says “I have not learned wisdom, nor have I knowledge of the holy ones. Who has ascended to heaven and come down? Who has gathered the wind in the hollow of the hand? Who has wrapped up the waters in a garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is the person's name? And what is the name of the person's child? Surely you know!”. See also Wisdom of Solomon 9:16-18. [ NJBC]

Verse 13: John is gradually moving from the report of a conversation to the reflections inspired by it; however the transition is not completed until v. 16. These words can still be understood as a saying of Jesus. Taken as a continuation of Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus, one has to assume that a step in the argument has been omitted: since “no one has gone up to heaven”, there is no one on earth who can speak from his own experience of heavenly things , “except ...” [ BlkJn]

Verse 13: “No one has ascended into heaven”: This negates the claims of other visionaries to have knowledge of what is in heaven. For example, 1 Enoch 70:2; 71:1 have Enoch ascend into heaven, where he is identified with the Son-of-Man figure from the Septuagint translation of Daniel 7:14. The Son-of-Man saying in 1:51 promises the believer this heavenly vision as a vision of Jesus. [ NJBC]

Verse 13: The NRSV notes that some manuscripts append who is in heaven to this verse. BlkJn considers it to be original, even though it is missing from P66. He can only interpret it on the basis of vv. 13ff being a reflection of an age later than that of Jesus’ earthly ministry.

Verse 14: This is typology. Wisdom of Solomon 16:5-7 says “For when the terrible rage of wild animals came upon your [God’s] people and they were being destroyed by the bites of writhing serpents, your wrath did not continue to the end; they were troubled for a little while as a warning, and received a symbol of deliverance to remind them of your law’s command”. In the desert, the people turned towards the Torah and towards God as saviour. [ NJBC]

Verse 14: “lifted up”: In Palestinian Aramaic and in Syriac the verb which is equivalent to to be lifted up has the special meaning of to be crucified. John intends this double meaning, here and in the other passages where the word occurs (see 8:28; 12:32, 34). [ BlkJn]

Verse 15: “have eternal life”: To have eternal life is virtually equivalent to seeing or entering the kingdom of God (v. 5). While the synoptic gospels contrast the present and the future (which holds good even if the future is visualized as imminent), in John the contrast is ontological rather than eschatological: between the temporal way of being and the eternal. While Mark 10:30 and Luke 18:30 speak of “in the age to come eternal life”, literally in the age to come, the life of the [coming] age, it is eternal life in John. Further, it is John who tells us of Jesus saying “I have [already] conquered the world”. [ BlkJn]

Verse 16: Luther called this verse “the Gospel in miniature”. [ NOAB]

Verse 16: “gave his only Son”: i.e to death. In Romans 8:32, Paul writes “He who did not withhold his own Son, but gave him up for all of us, will he not with him also give us everything else?”. See also Galatians 1:4, 2:20. We may have typology here too: Abraham was willing to sacrifice Isaac, a much loved only son. [ NJBC]

Verses 17-20: God’s purpose is to save; individuals judge themselves by hiding their evil deeds from the light of Christ’s holiness. [ NOAB]

Matthew 17:1-9

The parallels are Mark 9:2-8 and Luke 9:28-36. [ NOAB]

This passage reaffirms the messiahship of Jesus and of the messianic glory in which he will be revealed. [ NJBC]

Verse 1: “Peter and James and his brother John”: The same inner circle is mentioned in 26:37 and Mark 5:37. [ NJBC]

Verse 1: “a high mountain”: This may be symbolic; if a particular mountain is meant, it is probably Mount Sermon, near Caesarea Philippi. It rises to about 3,000 metres. Other possibilities are Mount Carmel and Mount Tabor.

Comments: An aura of unnatural brightness is linked with mystical appearances in Exodus and Acts: See, for example, Exodus 34:29 (Moses’ face shines after he has been talking with God on Mount Sinai), 35; Acts 9:3 (Paul’s conversion). [ NJBC]

Verse 3: “Moses and Elijah”: The Law and the prophets often stand for the whole of the Old Testament. The presence of these two men symbolises the fullness of God’s revelation to Israel. Deuteronomy 34:6 tells us that “no one knows his [Moses’] burial place to this day”. Jewish tradition therefore said that Moses was taken directly into heaven without dying. 2 Kings 2:17 tells us of Elijah: “fifty men who searched for three days but did not find him”. Jewish tradition stretched this verse and the story in the preceding verses to saying that Elijah was taken into heaven without dying. [ HBD]

Verse 4: “dwellings”: For the Feast of Tabernacles (Booths), see Leviticus 23:42 and Nehemiah 8:14-18. [ NJBC]

Verse 5: “cloud”: In a cloud, God comes to declare the Law to Moses; he speaks from a cloud as he does here. See Exodus 19:9; 24:15-16.

Verse 5: “‘This is my Son ...’”: For the words the voice from heaven speaks at Jesus’ baptism, see 3:17. Here the words spoken are based on three verses:

Psalm 2:7: “I will tell of the decree of the Lord: He said to me, ‘You are my son; today I have begotten you’”
Isaiah 42:1: “Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations.”
Deuteronomy 18:15, where Moses says: “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you shall heed such a prophet”. [ NJBC]
Verses 6-7: Daniel is the only apocalyptic book in the Old Testament. Daniel 8:17 says: “So he came near where I stood; and when he came, I became frightened and fell prostrate. But he said to me, ‘Understand, O mortal, that the vision is for the time of the end.’”. Daniel 10:9-10 says: “Then I heard the sound of his words; and when I heard the sound of his words, I fell into a trance, face to the ground. But then a hand touched me and roused me to my hands and knees.”

Verse 9: For applications of this event to the destiny of Christians, see Romans 12:2; 2 Corinthians 3:18. See also 2 Peter 1:16-18; 2 Timothy 1:8, 10. [ NJBC]

Verses 10-13: Based on Malachi 4:5, coupled with Malachi 3:1, “the scribes”, the scholars of the Pharisaic sect, taught that Elijah must return to prepare for Yahweh’s final judgement. But Peter has now identified Jesus as the messiah (Christ); Jesus is about to suffer, die, rise (see 21:21) and carry out the final judgment (see 16:27). So, if the end times are so near, is it not too late for Elijah’s preparatory ministry? [ BlkMt]

Verse 10: “Elijah”: See Malachi 4:5-6 (3:23-24 in some bibles) for the expectation that God would send Elijah before Judgement Day, “the terrible day of the Lord”. [ NJBC]

Verse 10: “come first”: See Daniel 12:2 for the general resurrection of the deceased. More probably, the question is about the raising of the Son of Man from the dead.

Verse 11: Jesus quotes the expectation of the scribes, and states his position in v. 12. He affirms their expectation and says (in v. 12) that they (or people in general) have failed to recognize that “Elijah has already come”: “John the Baptist” (v. 13) is Elijah. [ BlkMt]

Verse 12: See 1 Kings 19:2, 10; Psalm 22:6; Isaiah 53:3. [ NJBC]

Verse 13: John the Baptist has already been identified with Elijah: Jesus says in 11:14 “For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John came; and if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come”. [ NJBC]

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