Reading for March 30th

The OT reading is replaced by Acts readings during the Easter season:

Acts 2

14 Peter stood up with the Twelve, raised his voice, and announced to them: “Gentlemen of Judea,[i] and all of you who are living in Jerusalem, I will reveal this circumstance to you, listen closely to my words.[ii]

22 Gentlemen of Israel, you must listen to these things: Jesus from Nazareth, a man who was commended to you by God with miracles, wonders, and signs, which God did through him among you, so that you know these things. 23 You killed this man, handing him over to be crucified by the hands of lawless men by the specific intention and foreknowledge of God. 24 He is the one whom God raised up releasing the pain from Death[iii], since it was not able to imprison him. Indeed, David spoke of him, “I foresaw my Lord before me through everything, because he is at my right hand, I will not stumble. Because of this (one), my heart is joyful and my tongue shouts for joy, and my flesh keeps its hope, because you will not abandon my soul to Hades, nor will you allow your Holy One to rot. You have revealed the path of life to me. You fill me with joy in your presence.”

29 Gentlemen, Brothers, I am testifying legally, with confidence before you concerning the Patriarch, David, because his life ended and he had a funeral, and his tomb is still with us today. 30 Therefore, he is a Prophet and he knew that God swore an oath to him that one of his ancestors would sit on his throne. 31 Foreknowing this, he spoke about the resurrection of the Christ from the dead because, “my flesh will not be abandoned to Hades nor will my flesh experience decay.”

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[i] This is how you address a jury. It might best be translated “Gentlemen of the jury.” Though I would normally translate this with, “Ladies and Gentlemen . . .” because Greek addresses usually imply both genders, in this case he is addressing the men because they are the qualified jurors in Greek and Jewish society. It is not unlikely that this is also part of the reason Jesus chose all men for the twelve: it would be shameful and invalid for a woman to act as a juror and, though courts always accepted their testimony, just speaking out in public would have been considered shameful by the society except under very special circumstances.

[ii] These people have accused them of drunkenness and Peter takes the opportunity to “testify” about Jesus.

[iii] Goruping Death and Hades (the proper name of the keeper of the underworld) is a likely indication that the author (and maybe Peter) intended to personify them ala Greek Myth.

Readings for March 23rd

Psalm 118:1-2

1 Give thanks to Adonai, for he is good!

His faithful love endures forever.

2 Let all Israel repeat:

“His faithful love endures forever.”[1]

. . .

14 Adonai is my strength and my song;

he has given me victory.[2]

15 Songs of joy and victory are sung in the camp of the godly.

The strong right arm of Adonai has done glorious things!

16 The strong right arm of Adonai is raised in triumph.

The strong right arm of Adonai has done glorious things!

17 I will not die; instead, I will live

to tell what Adonai has done.

18 Adonai has punished me severely,

but he did not let me die.[3]

19 Open for me the gates where the righteous enter,

and I will go in and thank Adonai.[4]

20 These gates lead to the presence of Adonai,

and the godly enter there.

21 I thank you for answering my prayer

and giving me victory!

22 The stone that the builders rejected

has now become the cornerstone.

23 This is Adonai’s doing,

and it is wonderful to see.

24 This is the day Adonai has made.

We will rejoice and be glad in it.[5]

Jeremiah 31

“On that day,”[6] says Adonai, “I will be the God of all the tribes of Israel, and they will be my people.[7] 2 This is what Adonai says:

“Those who survive the coming destruction

will, even in the barren land, find blessings,

for I will give the people of Israel rest.”

3 Long ago Adonai said to Israel:

“My people I have loved you, with an everlasting love.

I have drawn you to me with unfailing love.

4 I will rebuild you,

Israel, my maiden.

You will again be happy and with your tambourines you will dance joyfully.

5 Again you will plant your vineyards on the mountains of Samaria

and eat there from your own gardens.

6 The day will come when a shout will come from the watchmen,

from the hill country of Ephraim,

‘Come, let us go up to Zion

to worship Adonai our God.’”[8]

John 20

1 Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. 2 She ran and found Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved. She said, “They have taken the Lord’s body out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!”[9]

3 Peter and the other disciple started out for the tomb. 4 They were both running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 He stooped and looked in and saw the linen wrappings[10] lying there, but he didn’t go in. 6 Then Simon Peter arrived and went inside.[11] He also noticed the linen wrappings lying there, 7 while the cloth that had covered Jesus’ head was folded up and lying apart from the other wrappings. 8 Then the disciple who had reached the tomb first also went in, and he saw and believed—9 for until then they still hadn’t understood the Scriptures that said Jesus must rise from the dead. 10 Then they went home.[12]

11 Mary[13] was standing outside the tomb crying, and as she wept, she stooped and looked in. 12 She saw two white-robed angels, one sitting at the head and the other at the foot of the place where the body of Jesus had been lying. 13 “Dear woman, why are you crying?” the angels asked her.

“Because they have taken away my Lord,” she replied, “and I don’t know where they have put him.”

14 She turned to leave and saw someone standing there. It was Jesus,[14] but she didn’t recognize him. 15 “Ma’am,[15] why are you crying?” Jesus asked her. “Who are you looking for?”

She thought he was the gardener. “Sir,” she said, “if you have taken him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will go and get him.”

16 “Mary!” Jesus said.

She turned to him and cried out, “Rabboni!” (which is Hebrew for “Teacher”)[16].

17 “Don’t cling to me,[17]” Jesus said, “for I haven’t yet ascended to the Father. But go[18] find my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”

18 Mary Magdalene found the disciples and told them, “I have seen the Lord!” Then she gave them his message.

Colossians 3

1 Since you have been raised to new life[19] with Christ, keep your eyes on the realities of heaven,[20] where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. 2 Concentrate the things of heaven, not the things of earth. 3 For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory

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[1][1] Response from the people was a common feature of ancient religious songs. This is probably literal, “okay everyone, I say ‘give thanks to the Lord for he is good,’ you say, ‘his love endures forever.” Both parts probably had trained singers: part one would be the director, part two would be the choir.

[2] One of the musical forms this Psalm is mimicking is a war chant.

[3] This verse indicates the setting is after a battle where they won at great cost. There were probably heavy losses and those who lived are now thanking God to be alive.

[4] What do you do when you win a battle? You go to the temple to thank God

[5] As much as it would be nice if this was a general statement, this seems to actually be about rejoicing even though you had severe losses in battle.

[6] “That day” is a common way of referring to an ideal time in the future, as well as a time of destruction. This concept would be worked out in the Apocalyptic writings like Revelation.

[7] This implies that they are not all his people at the present time; perhaps a reference to idoltry.

[8] Instead of seeing danger, they see Adonai coming for them.

[9] Who does she think took him? Romans? Jewish leaders? Does she think that someone stole the body to desecrate it? To use Jesus as a martyr? Or does she just think that they have moved him from this tomb, that does not belong to the family, to a permanent resting place without telling her?

[10] Jesus had been wrapped in strips of cloth glued together with about seventy pounds of burial perfumes and spices.

[11] Did he wait for fear of what he would find? Did he think that armed men might be waiting?

[12] This seems like an odd anticlimax; also, why didn’t they bother to tell poor Mary?

[13] Still Magdalene

[14] Is it any wonder that people wanted to know more about Mary Magdalene since Jesus chose to appear to her before anyone else?

[15] Literally “woman,” or γυναι which is a common way of addressing a woman, but also seems to carry an undertone of affection for Jesus, who uses the term to refer to his mother. Γυναι can mean either “woman” or “wife,” which may have led to the much later tradition that she was his wife. That someone might cover up such a marriage early on is a silly idea since it was completely unimportant theologically that he was single until the catholic church began to view sex as inherently sinful. This happened by the second century, I think, due to the fact that the Greeks misunderstood both the Hebrew distain for extra-marital sex/ prostitution and the story of the virgin birth, which was important only as a miracle and as the fulfillment of the prophetic word when it happened, but later led to the Catholic doctrine of the perpetual virginity of Mary (see The Protoevangelium of James), which is in obvious violation of the biblical text, which mentions Jesus’ brothers and sisters. They have to do rather questionable logical acrobatics to try to get there, and I suspect that only a change in worldview and the support of the Roman church allowed them to get away with such a leap.

[16] “of The Language of the Hebrews” is a more accurate description, since this is Syriac (Aramaic), not Hebrew.

[17] This is not an admonition not to touch him, but rather, Jesus is telling her to let him go so that he can complete his task. It may also be his warning that he will never be the same, that the old Jesus is transformed and will never again be just a wandering teacher.

[18] In effect, and from a linguistic point of view, Mary Magdalene has become the first actual evangelist, or apostle (which means missionary) of the Gospel of Jesus’ resurrection when she fulfills this task, thus the title “the apostle to the apostles,” which is of ancient origin and is still used today by Orthodox and Catholic leaders.

[19] Note that Paul believes that, through baptism, salvation has already happened, even to the point of resurrection. This does not mean that he sees this as the whole of salvation. No, the verb indicates that the process of being raised may have already happened, but the results keep on continuing.

[20] This is more Platonic/ Pythagorean language.

Psalm 31:9-16

⁸ Do not hand me over to my enemy --put my feet in freedom,

⁹ Since my eyes are swollen from grief, Adonai,

Since I am wasting away body and soul, give me grace,

¹⁰ Since my life is ending in sorrow and since my years drag on in groaning, my imprisoned strength falters and my bones are shriveling away,

¹¹ All of my enemies taunt me and my neighbors do not stop taunting,

To those who know me, my appearance brings dread, when I come near, they run away,

¹² I have disappeared from hearts like a corpse, like an empty jar, forgotten,

¹³ Since I heard so much slander from everywhere they plot together they thought of ways to take my life.

¹⁴ But I trust in you, Adonai, I call you My God.

¹⁵ My time is at hand, you must deliver me from the hand of my enemies and my harassers,

¹⁶ Since the light of your face on your servant, save me because of your loyal love

Partial Gospel Reading

Matt26:14-55
14 Then one of The Twelve , named Judah Iscariot, went to the chief priests. 15 He said, “What are you willing to give me so that I will hand him over to you? So they presented thirty pieces of silver 16 and from that point on he looked for the perfect time to hand him over.

17 On the first day of unleavened bread, his students came to Jesus to say, “Where do you want us to set up to eat the Passover?”

16 He answered: You need to go into The City the person you know and tell him, “The teacher says: ‘My time is almost here, I will take the Passover for my students with you.’” 19 So his students did as Jesus instructed them, and they set up the Passover.

20 When evening came, he sat down to eat with the Twelve and 21 while they ate he said, “Pay attention to what I am about to say: one of you will hand me over.” 22 So they were very upset and each of them began to ask him, “It isn’t me . . . is it Lord?

23 He answered, “The person who dipped his hand in the bowl with me is the one who will hand me over. 24 So, the Son of Man will depart, just as it is written about him, ‘woe to that man because of whom the Son of Man is handed over; it would be better for him had he never been born.

25 So Judah , his betrayer, asked him, “It isn’t me . . . is it, Rabbi?” He replied, “it is.”

26 While they were eating, Jesus took the bread, blessed it, and then broke it and gave it to his students. He said, “You must take this and eat it, this is my body.” 27 Then he took the cup and gave it to them while giving thanks, saying, “Everyone drink from this, because 28 this is my blood which is the covenant that is shed for the forgiveness of the sins of many. 29 This is important: I will never again drink from this, the fruit of the vine, again until that day when I may drink this wine with you in a new way in my father’s kingdom.” 30 So, they sang the hymn and went out to the Mount of Olives.

31 Then Jesus told them, “All of you will desert me on this night, for it is written: ‘Strike down the shepherd and that shepherds sheep will be scattered.’ 32 So, after my resurrection, proceed me to Galilee.”

33 So Peter told him, “Even if everyone deserts you, I will not desert you.” 34 Then Jesus told him, “What I am saying is true, before the rooster crows tonight, you will disown me three times. 35 Peter replied, “Even if I have to follow you to death, I will not disown you.” All his students said the same types of things.

36 Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane and he asked his students, “sit here until I leave the place where I am praying.” 37 Then he took Peter and the two Sons of Zebedee; he began to be sad and distressed. 38 Then he told them, “My soul is distressed to the point of death: wait in this place and keep watch with me.

39 So he went a short distance away and fell on his face, and prayed, “My fathers, if it is possible, take this cup away from me; except not as I want it to be, but as you do.”

40 Then he went back to his students and found them sleeping so he told Peter, “How is it that you cannot keep watch with me for an hour? 41 You must watch and pray so that you will not enter into temptation: Your spirit is eager but your flesh is weak. 42 He went away and prayed a second time, “My father, if you are not able to take it away unless I drink it, make it as you wish it to be.

43 Then he came back again and found them sleeping, since their eyes were heavy. 44 Then he left them again and went and prayed the same thing again, a third time. 45 Then he came back to his students, “Keep on resting, sleep the rest of the night away: See, the time when the Son of Man is handed over into the hands of evil people is almost here. 46 We must get up! The person who informed on me is almost here.

47 Then, while he was still speaking, Judas, one of The Twelve, came and with him came a large crowd from the Chief Priests and Elders of The People, with swords and clubs. 48 Then his informer gave them the signal, the person whom I kiss is the one you must arrest. 49 Then, right away, Judah crossed over to Jesus and said, “Hello, Rabbi.” and kissed him. 50 Jesus told him, “Do what you are ready to do.” Then they came and laid their hands on Jesus and arrested him and 51--one of those with Jesus whipped out his sword and took a swing at the servant of the High Priest, cutting off his ear. 52 Then Jesus told him, “Put your sword back where you keep it, because everyone who takes the sword will die by the sword. 53 Don’t you think that I could call to my father and he would send me twelve legions of angels right away? 54 How would the scriptures, which say this must happen, be fulfilled then?

55 That was when Jesus told the crowd, “Are you coming after a thief, with swords and clubs, to arrest me? When it was daylight in the temple, sitting and teaching, you did not arrest me.

Readings for March 9th

Note:It is likely that Israel sang this, as a Psalm of Ascents, when they went up to dedicate the temple. This along with the direct address to Israel and the idea that God protects Israel means that the individual speaking is probably the king. Psalm 130 1 A Song to be Sung while Going up[1]: “Adonai,” I cry to you from the Abyss, 2 “Adonai, listen to my voice: Make your ears sensitive to the sound of my request. 3 Adonai, if of guilt you keep record, Adonai, who is able to stand? 4 Because with you rests forgiveness, That is why for you people tremble. 5 In Adonai I hoped, My soul hoped, For his word I hoped. 6 Of my soul Adonai is guard, From morning to morning he is guard. 7 In the Lord, O Israel, find hope, Because the Lord is loyal, And many are his rescues. 8 So, Israel he will rescue from every ounce of guilt. Ezekiel 37:1-14 1 So it happened that the hand of the lord seized me and took me away in a wind of Adonai and set me down in the middle of a valley that was full of bones. 2 So he whirled me around and around and, indeed, there were a lot of them on the surface of the valley and they were very dry. 3 Then he said, “Son of Man, can these bones live?” So I responded, “Lord, Adonai, you know.” 4 Then he told me: You must prophesy for these bones, tell them “Dry Bones, you must listen to the word of Adonai. This is what the Lord, Adonai, declares, ‘I will surely cause the breath of life to reanimate these bones, 6 and I will give them muscle and cause flesh to rise up on them and I will lay skin on them and I will give them the breath of life, then they will know that I am Adonai.’” Then I prophesied just as commanded and, as I was prophesying there was a sound: wham! An Earthquake shook the bones, bone to bone. Then I saw muscle on them and flesh climbed up them and skin spread out over them, but they were still not breathing. Then he told me: Prophesy to the wind, prophesy Son of Man, tell the wind, “This is what the Lord Adonai declares, ‘from the Four Winds, come, O Wind, come blow on these dead and make them live.’” So I prophesied, just as commanded, and the wind reanimated them and they were alive and they stood up on their feet: a great and massive army. Then he told me: Son of Man, these bones, they are the entire house of Israel, indeed, they say, “Our bones are dry, our hope perished, and we await our execution.” Therefore, prophesy and tell them, “This is what the Lord Adonai declares: ‘I will open your grave and I will make you climb out of your graves: my people. Then you will return to the land of Israel: Then you will know that I am Adonai, when I open your graves and make you climb out of your graves: My People. “‘Then I will put my breath into them and they will live and I will give them rest in their land and you will know that I am Adonai: I have spoken and I have acted. This is what the Lord declares.’” [1] This is probably a song that they sang while going up Zion to the temple

John 11:1-45 1 There was a certain man, Lazarus from Bethany, he was from the same village as Mary and her sister Martha. 2 This Mary was the one who anointed the Lord with perfume and dried his feet with her hair. Lazarus was her brother: he was sick. 3 Therefore the sisters sent to him, “Lord, you should know that the your friend[2] is sick.” 4 When Jesus heard this he said, “This sickness is not about death, but for the glory of God, so that the Son of God might be glorified through it. 5 Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus: so, 6 when he heard that he was sick . . . . . . he stayed in the place that he was for two days, 7 then, after that, he told his disciples, “let’s go to Judea again.” 8 The students replied, “Rabbi, right now those People from Judea[3] want to stone you . . . so, you’re returning there? 9 Jesus answered, “Aren’t there twelve hours of daylight, when someone walks in the daytime, he will not trip because he sees the light of the world. 10 When someone walks at night, he trips because he does not have the light with him.[4] 11 He said these things and then he told them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep,[5] but we are going to wake him up. 12 His students replied, “Lord, if he sleeps, he will recover.”[6] 13 Jesus was talking about death, but to them it sounded like he was talking about sleeping for rest. 14 Then Jesus spoke plainly, “Lazarus is dead . . . 15 and I am happy that you will have faith because I was not there, but now, let’s go to him.” 16 So, Thomas the Twin told his fellow students, “we are going to him so that we may die too.”[7] 17 Then, when Jesus arrived, he found that he had already been in the tomb for four days. 18 Since Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem, 19 many came from Judea to Martha and Mary to comfort them about their brother. 20 when Martha heard that he was coming, she charged in on him; Mary was lying down in the house. 21 Martha told Jesus, “If you had been here, my brother would not have died! 22 I still . . . I know that God will give you what you ask, no matter how big.” 23 Jesus told her, “Your brother will get up.”[8] 24 Martha told Jesus, “I know . . . he will, “rise in the resurrection on the ‘Last Day . . .’”[9] 25 Jesus replied to her, “I am the resurrection and the life: the person who believes in me will live, even if he dies, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me will not ever die in a forever way. Do you believe this?” 27 She replied, “Yes, I’ve believed[10] that you are the Anointed: The Son of God who comes into the world.[11] 28 When she said this she went and called her sister Mary quietly, “The Teacher is here and he is asking for you.” When she understood what Martha said, she jumped up and went to him. 30 [Jesus had not reached the village yet, but he was still in the place where Martha accosted him][12] 31 Then some of the people from Judea were with who her in the house comforting her, when they saw Mary jump up and leave, followed her, thinking that she was going to the tomb so that she could cry there. 32 Then, when Mary came to where Jesus was, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you were here my brother would not be dead. 33 When Jesus saw her wailing and the people from Judea wailing, he was moved in The Spirit and he was upset and said, 34 “Where did you put him?” She told him, “Lord, come and see.” 35 Jesus began to weep. 36 Then the Judeans said, “See how he loved him.” 37 Some of them said, “Couldn’t this man who opened the eyes of the of the blind, keep this friend from dying?” 38 So, Jesus began to weep to himself again as he came to the tomb.[13] There was a cave with a boulder over it: Jesus said, “Raise the boulder!” The dead man’s sister Martha told him, “Lord, it is already feted in there: it’s been four days.” Jesus replied, “Didn’t I tell you that if you believed,[14] you would see the glory of God? “Raise the boulder!” Jesus lifted his eyes up and said, “Father, I ask that you would listen to me: I know that you hear me at all times, but because of the crowd that is standing here I said this, so that they would believe that you sent me.” When he said this he cried out in a loud voice, “Lazarus! Come out here!” 44 The dead man came out, but his hands and feet were tied up with the grave wrappings and his face was wrapped in a cloth. Jesus told them, “Untie him and let him loose.”[15] 45 Because of that, many of the people of Judea that came with Mary and saw what he did believed in him. Rom 8:1-11 When Paul uses the term "flesh,” he is not talking about skin, but rather about everything that is not ruled by The Spirit (or perhaps “spirit”). As he explains in this passage, flesh is that which does not naturally obey God's will. The use of the term spirit to describe the redeemed state of the Christian does not indicate complete incorporeal existence, but rather it indicates the same nature as the resurrected Jesus displays when he visits the disciples prior to Pentecost: this is a body which is made to be controlled by the laws of God, by our higher, spiritual, nature, not ruled by the whims of our shameful failings. 1 So then, judgment no longer goes against those in Christ Jesus, 2 because, by Christ, the law, which is the Spirit of Life set us free from the law, which is sin and death. 3 So, then, that which the law was powerless to accomplish (because of the flesh), God sent his own son in that very same sinful flesh and he condemned sin within that flesh, 4 so that the regulation of the Law might be carried out in us, who do not live by the rules of the flesh, but by those of the spirit. 5 Because those who live by the rules of the flesh think of material things, but those who live by the rules of the spirit have spiritual things on their minds. 6 For the mind of flesh is tantamount to death, but the mind of spirit is equivalent to life and peace; 7 that is why the fleshly mind is at odds with God: it does not obey God's law, and it is unable to. 8 For no one is able to please God by fleshly means. 9 But you are not living by fleshly means but by spiritual, since the Spirit of God lives among you.[16] But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, that person does not belong to Christ, 10 but, if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of moral crimes, but the spirit is alive because of a declaration of a declaration of innocence. 11 Now, if the Spirit, the one that raised Jesus from the dead, lives among you, the one who raised Christ from the dead will even make your dead bodies alive because his indwelling Spirit lives among you. [2] This is the noun form of one of the terms used in John for “the disciple whom Jesus loved” (Jn 20:2) This, combined with the rather unusual opening to this section probably indicates that Lazarus is this disciple (and thus the author). [3] All of the people talking are Jews, so it seems weird to use a racial designation for a certain group of them; therefore, I’ve decided to use the original meaning, “a person from Judean,” in these situations from now on. [4] alt. “because the light is not in him.” [5] alt. “our friend Lazarus has died . . .” [6] alt. “if he has died, he will be saved.” [7] He is probably thinking of those violent People from Judea waiting for them in Judea rather than of drinking the Kool-aid. [8] alt. “your brother will rise.” [9] I am convinced that Martha is not totally faithless, she might even think that Jesus could have raised him if he had arrived before decay really set in or before “three days” like Jesus had talked about spending in the grave. Martha really does believe, and she has been listening: she knows that everyone will rise at the end of the age, but she is the same as we are, she does not want to wait. [10] He asks her if she believes and she says, “I believe,” which has the connotation that the results of that original belief are still in effect. I think that the choice of that reply is intended to be like Peter’s post-resurrection reply to Jesus’ question, “Do you love me?” where he replies, “You know that I’m your friend.” He asks, “Do you believe?” She is supposed to say, “I believe,” but she says something like: “I made the choice to believe in you awhile back.” Or “I believed, but I’m not happy with you right now.” [11] These are titles that the Messiah can claim [12] He may have sent word secretly, since some of the people there may have been waiting to catch him in the conspiracy plot that would later lead to his execution. [13] Now he is crying because they have all the clues, but still don’t believe. [14] This is a word play on Martha’s earlier stament. He asked if she believed, she said that she made that decision already, so he says, “didn’t I say that if you believed at one time . . . “ [15] They’re thinking zombie time!!! [16] I think Paul intended this with a collective meaning: the Spirit of God makes his home in the midst of the church as well as an individual meaning: the Spirit lives in the individual. alt. “the Spirit of God lives in you.” This is a word play on the word εν in the previous verse, but in English we translate the earlier instances of the Greek word εν with the word by rather than in.