progressive involvement

Epiphany 4 ::: Matthew 5: 1-12

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:

‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  

‘Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.  

‘Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.  

‘Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.  

‘Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.  

‘Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.  

‘Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.  

‘Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  

‘Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Translation:  Seeing the crowds, he went up into the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him.  And opening his mouth, he taught them, saying, "Blessed (are) the poor of spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  Blessed (are) those who mourn, for they will be comforted.  Blessed (are) the gentle of spirit, for they will inherit the earth.  Blessed (are) the ones who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be filled.  Blessed (are) the merciful, for they will receive mercy.  Blessed (are) the pure of heart, for they will see God.  Blessed (are) the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.  Blessed (are) the ones being persecuted for the cause of justice, for of them is the kingdom of heaven.  Blessed (are) you when they revile you and persecute you and say every evil toward you falsely on account of me.  Rejoice and be exceedingly glad for your reward is great in the heavens, for in this manner they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Background and situation:  The text--the Beatitudes--are Matthew's overture to the Sermon on the Mount, the first major speech, out of five, in Matthew's gospel.  (See the parallel in Luke 6, where, for his own purposes, Luke places the sermon on level ground.).

Our text follows immediately upon a summary statement of Jesus' ministry in chapter 4:  "And (Jesus) was going about in all of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, healing all disease and all sickness in the people." (4:23)  This unabashed good news is called the gospel.  

The Beatitudes which follow are not, themselves, the gospel.  In Lutheran terms, they are "law."  They tell us what we ought to do.  Matthew intends this sequence:  The gospel is announced, and its effects demonstrated (4:23).  Then, Jesus instructs his followers, or would-be followers, on how to live in its light.  The gospel comes first.  All of the Sermon on the Mount is response.

Setting the stage:  Note the formality of the language.  Jesus "saw" the crowds, and goes up "into" the mountain.  Mountains are places of special events and proclamations in Matthew's gospel.  The mention of the mountain is a signal that something special is about to happen.

Jesus then sat down.  Today, speakers stand up when they have something to say.  In the time of Jesus, they sat down.  

His disciples "came to him," says Matthew.  Imagine this as theater.  Jesus went up to the place of special revelation.  He sat down.  His disciples "came to him" and arrayed themselves around him.  There is a tableau of formality to this description.  The stage has been set for special proclamation.

To whom was Jesus making this special proclamation?  In 5: 1, we are told that Jesus saw the crowds.  At the close of the sermon on the mount, which the Beatitudes introduce, "the crowds were astonished at his teaching" (7: 28).  

On the other hand, when the disciples "came to him," Jesus "opened his mouth and taught them."  It appears, therefore, that Jesus was primarily instructing the disciples, but doing so within ear-shot of the crowds.

From one perspective, the disciples are the in-crowd.  They get the front row seats while everyone else is on the outside looking in.  Another way to look at it is this:  The crowd hears the same teaching the disciples do and are in a good position to hold the disciples accountable for it.  From the first perspective, the disciples could say, "You hear that?  You'd better get on board!"  To which the crowd could respond:  "If you followers of his would get with the program, maybe we would." 

The reign of God:  Jesus is teaching about the "reign of God," which is not, incidentally, solely about life in heaven.  The "reign of God" is meant for the here-and-now as well as in heaven.  This is what we pray for in the Lord's Prayer:  "...thy kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven...."  

My seminary advisor used to say, "The Beatitudes are there for the purpose of being done."  (Luther said the Beatitudes were there to remind us of our hopelessness of fulfilling the law and its impossible demands, which is true enough, but Luther tended to say that about everything.)

Beatitudes were not a new thing in the world of Jesus.  Usually, they were common sense sayings that expressed what everyone already knew.  They were pithy expressions of the conventional wisdom, you might say, as in:  "Blessed are those on a low-fat diet, for they will have healthy arteries" or "Blessed are dogs who love peanut butter, for they will always be occupied."

As he will do often in Matthew's gospel, Jesus turns conventional wisdom upside down.  In the Beatitudes, blessings are conferred upon the poor and lost.  Nobody would have associated blessings with hunger or grief, then or now.  In the reign of God, however, God's favor is upon those who have been left behind--the little, the lone, the least, and the lost. 

These marginalized ones--the poor, lost, and bereft--constituted the major constituency of Jesus.  He addressed his message primarily to them.  They found his message of God's favor to be empowering and uplifting.

"Blessed"?:  The Greek word we translate as "blessed" is makarioi.  Makarioi refers to God's favor.  It could also be translated as "honored."  "Happy," as some translations have it, doesn't work.  The original French translation of the Jerusalem Bible had debonair, which, while it does have a certain appeal, doesn't really work either.  Debonair are the poor in spirit?

There are nine beatitudes in Matthew--two groups of four, followed by a final one.  The first four beatitudes speak to the victims of injustice, those in poverty, grief, the meek, and those with a deep desire for justice.

Greek has two words for "poor"--penes and ptochos.  Penes means "working poor."  (Penes would be contrasted with plousios, people with land who don't work.)  Ptochos, on the other hand, means being destitute.  To put it another way:  Penes means having to work.  Ptochos means having to beg. 

Luke 6 has "Blessed are you poor."  Matthew makes this "poor in spirit," which, unfortunately, tends to spiritualize the text for modern readers and takes the accent off ptochos.  Who isn't "poor in spirit" at least some of the time?  That might preach, and not inappropriately so, but Matthew's emphasis seems more to be on those who understand themselves as being in solidarity with the ptochos.  Such people would likely have constituted an overwhelming majority of the listening crowds. 

People in the time of Jesus were regularly forced off their land, and many--perhaps as many as 10-15% of the population--would have been destitute.  They lived in the hills or in shadows, and got by, after a fashion, by foraging off the land or robbing.  Falling into the ranks of the ptochos was a very real fear for the great majority of people.  In addition to the large homeless population, another 60-70% of the people stood in real danger of being forced to join them.

The second "makarism"--"blessed are those who mourn"--dove-tails with and follows from the first.  One way to become destitute in the first century was to lose one's place in their family.  Family identity was exceptionally important in the ancient world.  People were known as the "son of" or "daughter of" their father and mother. 

One could be reduced to ptochos--begging--through loss of land or loss of family.  Family could be lost through the death of one's parents--hence, "blessed are those who mourn"--or through being cast out of the family.  (This would be especially applicable to early Christians, c. AD 80, who had been tossed out of their family because they were followers of Jesus.)

Loss of land and loss of family would make a person "meek."  Either one represented loss of status.  This was especially important in a society where status revolved around honor and shame.  Loss of land and/or family could move a person from an honored place in society to a shameful one--from high social standing within the context of one's village to social ostracism.

Blessed are the poor in spirit, those who mourn and those who are meek.  Blessed are those, in other words, who are down-and-out, rejected, destitute, without a home.  They have honor with God.  They are not despised and rejected.  They are lifted up, held in high esteem, blessed by God.  This is called "preferential option for the poor."   

These first three "makarisms" are underlined by the fourth:  "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for justice"--dikaiosunane.  Matthew chose the words "hunger" and "thirst" with a purpose--they recall those who genuinely did hunger and thirst--and then turned these words in the direction not only of food and drink, but also justice.  Blessed are those who yearn--who hunger--for a world where all are honored and none are shamed.

If the first four "makarisms" are for those who lack justice, the next four "makarisms" are for those who work for justice.  They promise reward at the end of time for those who live into the reign of God now--the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, and (again) the persecuted.  

Mercy has a wide range of meaning, everything from forgiving sins to healing the sick.  "Active compassion" would be another way to put it.  The merciful are not only sorry at the suffering of others, but actively try to alleviate it.  

The followers of Jesus are able to show mercy not because of their inherent goodness, but rather because they have been shown mercy.  Mercy is an attitude of God, which God's people reflect into the world.    

"Pure in heart" is about the center of a person being "cleansed" from the old way of living.  Katharoi is where we get our modern-day psychiatric term "catharsis."  Catharsis is about purging the old to make way for the new.  The "pure in heart" are "cleaned up," in other words, from hierarchy and support of what Walter Wink calls "the domination system."  Their paradigm gets shifted, their worldview reset. 

The "peacemakers" are those who bring God's shalom into expression in the world.  This is in marked contrast to the supposed "peacemakers" of the day, the Roman Army.  As J.D. Crossan has argued, Rome believed in "peace through victory."  Rome brought peace to the world by defeating her enemies.  When Octavian defeated Mark Antony and Cleopatra, he ended the Roman Civil War and was acclaimed a "peacemaker."  The early Christians, however, believed in "peace through justice"--peace through righting wrongs and treating all people, particularly the bereft, with dignity.

The eighth beatitude closes this second pair of four with the same promise extended to the "poor in spirit" in the first beatitude.  Those who are persecuted for the cause of justice, like the "poor in spirit," receive the kingdom of heaven.  The verb is a perfect participle which indicates a past action with ongoing effects in the present.  The cause of justice has been and is going on.

This eighth beatitude, with its theme of persecution, transitions to the ninth.  Here, though, Jesus shifts from the third person to the second person--not "blessed are they" this time, but "blessed are you."  This word is at least partly for the people of Matthew's church who had, indeed, suffered at least some persecution for following Jesus.  (Luke has persecuted "on account of the son of man."  Matthew changes this to persecuted "on my account," thus underlining the close link between Jesus and the disciple.)

Those who suffer for the cause of Jesus are to "rejoice and be exceedingly glad" for their reward is great in heaven.  They are the unfortunate victims of persecution, yes, but they are in a line with the great prophets of the past as well as John the Baptist and Jesus himself.

Image:  Gloglo gospel, Paul Sika.  Glôglô Gospel is a photograph shot in Abidjan.  Inspired by Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, the Christic figure enters a deep state of contemplation, becoming a model for others. 

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:

‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  

‘Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.  

‘Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.  

‘Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.  

‘Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.  

‘Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.  

‘Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.  

‘Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  

‘Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Translation:  Seeing the crowds, he went up into the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him.  And opening his mouth, he taught them, saying, "Blessed (are) the poor of spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  Blessed (are) those who mourn, for they will be comforted.  Blessed (are) the gentle of spirit, for they will inherit the earth.  Blessed (are) the ones who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be filled.  Blessed (are) the merciful, for they will receive mercy.  Blessed (are) the pure of heart, for they will see God.  Blessed (are) the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.  Blessed (are) the ones being persecuted for the cause of justice, for of them is the kingdom of heaven.  Blessed (are) you when they revile you and persecute you and say every evil toward you falsely on account of me.  Rejoice and be exceedingly glad for your reward is great in the heavens, for in this manner they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Background and situation:  The text--the Beatitudes--are Matthew's overture to the Sermon on the Mount, the first major speech, out of five, in Matthew's gospel.  (See the parallel in Luke 6, where, for his own purposes, Luke places the sermon on level ground.).

Our text follows immediately upon a summary statement of Jesus' ministry in chapter 4:  "And (Jesus) was going about in all of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, healing all disease and all sickness in the people." (4:23)  This unabashed good news is called the gospel.  

The Beatitudes which follow are not, themselves, the gospel.  In Lutheran terms, they are "law."  They tell us what we ought to do.  Matthew intends this sequence:  The gospel is announced, and its effects demonstrated (4:23).  Then, Jesus instructs his followers, or would-be followers, on how to live in its light.  The gospel comes first.  All of the Sermon on the Mount is response.

Setting the stage:  Note the formality of the language.  Jesus "saw" the crowds, and goes up "into" the mountain.  Mountains are places of special events and proclamations in Matthew's gospel.  The mention of the mountain is a signal that something special is about to happen.

Jesus then sat down.  Today, speakers stand up when they have something to say.  In the time of Jesus, they sat down.  

His disciples "came to him," says Matthew.  Imagine this as theater.  Jesus went up to the place of special revelation.  He sat down.  His disciples "came to him" and arrayed themselves around him.  There is a tableau of formality to this description.  The stage has been set for special proclamation.

To whom was Jesus making this special proclamation?  In 5: 1, we are told that Jesus saw the crowds.  At the close of the sermon on the mount, which the Beatitudes introduce, "the crowds were astonished at his teaching" (7: 28).  

On the other hand, when the disciples "came to him," Jesus "opened his mouth and taught them."  It appears, therefore, that Jesus was primarily instructing the disciples, but doing so within ear-shot of the crowds.

From one perspective, the disciples are the in-crowd.  They get the front row seats while everyone else is on the outside looking in.  Another way to look at it is this:  The crowd hears the same teaching the disciples do and are in a good position to hold the disciples accountable for it.  From the first perspective, the disciples could say, "You hear that?  You'd better get on board!"  To which the crowd could respond:  "If you followers of his would get with the program, maybe we would." 

The reign of God:  Jesus is teaching about the "reign of God," which is not, incidentally, solely about life in heaven.  The "reign of God" is meant for the here-and-now as well as in heaven.  This is what we pray for in the Lord's Prayer:  "...thy kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven...."  

My seminary advisor used to say, "The Beatitudes are there for the purpose of being done."  (Luther said the Beatitudes were there to remind us of our hopelessness of fulfilling the law and its impossible demands, which is true enough, but Luther tended to say that about everything.)

Beatitudes were not a new thing in the world of Jesus.  Usually, they were common sense sayings that expressed what everyone already knew.  They were pithy expressions of the conventional wisdom, you might say, as in:  "Blessed are those on a low-fat diet, for they will have healthy arteries" or "Blessed are dogs who love peanut butter, for they will always be occupied."

As he will do often in Matthew's gospel, Jesus turns conventional wisdom upside down.  In the Beatitudes, blessings are conferred upon the poor and lost.  Nobody would have associated blessings with hunger or grief, then or now.  In the reign of God, however, God's favor is upon those who have been left behind--the little, the lone, the least, and the lost. 

These marginalized ones--the poor, lost, and bereft--constituted the major constituency of Jesus.  He addressed his message primarily to them.  They found his message of God's favor to be empowering and uplifting.

"Blessed"?:  The Greek word we translate as "blessed" is makarioi.  Makarioi refers to God's favor.  It could also be translated as "honored."  "Happy," as some translations have it, doesn't work.  The original French translation of the Jerusalem Bible had debonair, which, while it does have a certain appeal, doesn't really work either.  Debonair are the poor in spirit?

There are nine beatitudes in Matthew--two groups of four, followed by a final one.  The first four beatitudes speak to the victims of injustice, those in poverty, grief, the meek, and those with a deep desire for justice.

Greek has two words for "poor"--penes and ptochos.  Penes means "working poor."  (Penes would be contrasted with plousios, people with land who don't work.)  Ptochos, on the other hand, means being destitute.  To put it another way:  Penes means having to work.  Ptochos means having to beg. 

Luke 6 has "Blessed are you poor."  Matthew makes this "poor in spirit," which, unfortunately, tends to spiritualize the text for modern readers and takes the accent off ptochos.  Who isn't "poor in spirit" at least some of the time?  That might preach, and not inappropriately so, but Matthew's emphasis seems more to be on those who understand themselves as being in solidarity with the ptochos.  Such people would likely have constituted an overwhelming majority of the listening crowds. 

People in the time of Jesus were regularly forced off their land, and many--perhaps as many as 10-15% of the population--would have been destitute.  They lived in the hills or in shadows, and got by, after a fashion, by foraging off the land or robbing.  Falling into the ranks of the ptochos was a very real fear for the great majority of people.  In addition to the large homeless population, another 60-70% of the people stood in real danger of being forced to join them.

The second "makarism"--"blessed are those who mourn"--dove-tails with and follows from the first.  One way to become destitute in the first century was to lose one's place in their family.  Family identity was exceptionally important in the ancient world.  People were known as the "son of" or "daughter of" their father and mother. 

One could be reduced to ptochos--begging--through loss of land or loss of family.  Family could be lost through the death of one's parents--hence, "blessed are those who mourn"--or through being cast out of the family.  (This would be especially applicable to early Christians, c. AD 80, who had been tossed out of their family because they were followers of Jesus.)

Loss of land and loss of family would make a person "meek."  Either one represented loss of status.  This was especially important in a society where status revolved around honor and shame.  Loss of land and/or family could move a person from an honored place in society to a shameful one--from high social standing within the context of one's village to social ostracism.

Blessed are the poor in spirit, those who mourn and those who are meek.  Blessed are those, in other words, who are down-and-out, rejected, destitute, without a home.  They have honor with God.  They are not despised and rejected.  They are lifted up, held in high esteem, blessed by God.  This is called "preferential option for the poor."   

These first three "makarisms" are underlined by the fourth:  "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for justice"--dikaiosunane.  Matthew chose the words "hunger" and "thirst" with a purpose--they recall those who genuinely did hunger and thirst--and then turned these words in the direction not only of food and drink, but also justice.  Blessed are those who yearn--who hunger--for a world where all are honored and none are shamed.

If the first four "makarisms" are for those who lack justice, the next four "makarisms" are for those who work for justice.  They promise reward at the end of time for those who live into the reign of God now--the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, and (again) the persecuted.  

Mercy has a wide range of meaning, everything from forgiving sins to healing the sick.  "Active compassion" would be another way to put it.  The merciful are not only sorry at the suffering of others, but actively try to alleviate it.  

The followers of Jesus are able to show mercy not because of their inherent goodness, but rather because they have been shown mercy.  Mercy is an attitude of God, which God's people reflect into the world.    

"Pure in heart" is about the center of a person being "cleansed" from the old way of living.  Katharoi is where we get our modern-day psychiatric term "catharsis."  Catharsis is about purging the old to make way for the new.  The "pure in heart" are "cleaned up," in other words, from hierarchy and support of what Walter Wink calls "the domination system."  Their paradigm gets shifted, their worldview reset. 

The "peacemakers" are those who bring God's shalom into expression in the world.  This is in marked contrast to the supposed "peacemakers" of the day, the Roman Army.  As J.D. Crossan has argued, Rome believed in "peace through victory."  Rome brought peace to the world by defeating her enemies.  When Octavian defeated Mark Antony and Cleopatra, he ended the Roman Civil War and was acclaimed a "peacemaker."  The early Christians, however, believed in "peace through justice"--peace through righting wrongs and treating all people, particularly the bereft, with dignity.

The eighth beatitude closes this second pair of four with the same promise extended to the "poor in spirit" in the first beatitude.  Those who are persecuted for the cause of justice, like the "poor in spirit," receive the kingdom of heaven.  The verb is a perfect participle which indicates a past action with ongoing effects in the present.  The cause of justice has been and is going on.

This eighth beatitude, with its theme of persecution, transitions to the ninth.  Here, though, Jesus shifts from the third person to the second person--not "blessed are they" this time, but "blessed are you."  This word is at least partly for the people of Matthew's church who had, indeed, suffered at least some persecution for following Jesus.  (Luke has persecuted "on account of the son of man."  Matthew changes this to persecuted "on my account," thus underlining the close link between Jesus and the disciple.)

Those who suffer for the cause of Jesus are to "rejoice and be exceedingly glad" for their reward is great in heaven.  They are the unfortunate victims of persecution, yes, but they are in a line with the great prophets of the past as well as John the Baptist and Jesus himself.

Image:  Gloglo gospel, Paul Sika.  Glôglô Gospel is a photograph shot in Abidjan.  Inspired by Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, the Christic figure enters a deep state of contemplation, becoming a model for others. 

Epiphany 3 ::: Matthew 4: 12-23

²Now when Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. ¹³He left Nazareth and made his home in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, ¹⁴so that what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: ¹⁵“Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali, on the road by the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles— ¹⁶the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death light has dawned.”¹⁷From that time Jesus began to proclaim, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”

¹⁸As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea—for they were fishermen. ¹⁹And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.” ²⁰Immediately they left their nets and followed him.²¹As he went from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them. ²²Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed him.

²³Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing every disease and every sickness among the people.

Translation:  But hearing that John had been delivered over, he returned into Galilee.  And leaving Nazareth, he came (and) dwelled in Capernaum by the sea, in the borders of Zebulun and Naphtali so that it might be fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah, saying, "Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali, a way of sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles:  the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and to the ones sitting in the region and shadow of death, to them a light has dawned."  From that time, Jesus began to proclaim, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."

But walking alongside the sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, the one called Peter, and Andrew, his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen.  And he said to them, "Come after me, and I will make you fishers of people."  And immediately, they left the nets, they followed him.  Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them.  And immediate they left the boat and their father, (and) followed him.

And he was going about in all of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, healing all disease and all sickness in the people.

Background and situation:  Mark is the primary source.  (The parallel is Mark 1: 14-20.)  Matthew makes a significant addition to Mark, however, when he follows the report of John's arrest with Jesus moving from Nazareth to Capernaum, along with a citation from the prophet Isaiah.

Matthew also shortens Mark in 4:17.  Mark has:  "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand.  Repent, and believe the good news."  Matthew eliminates the reference to time (kairos), and has simply:  "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."  (Matthew repeatedly has "kingdom of heaven" where Mark has "kingdom of God."  Nobody knows why.)

In Mark, James and John left their father in the boat "with the hired servants."  Matthew leaves out the reference to "hired servants", which gives the impression that the Zebedee's were perhaps slightly less well-off than might be supposed from reading Mark.

As in Mark, the lection is preceded by Jesus' encounter with Satan in the wilderness.  As soon as he comes out of his time of spiritual testing, Jesus hears that John the Baptist has been arrested.  We know how John's arrest will end.  As in Herod's slaughter of the innocents in chapter two, our thoughts are drawn to official state-sanctioned violence.

Taking up the reins of the movement:  With John in jail, Jesus returns to Galilee.  The NRSV translates anachoresin has "withdrew."  "Returned" would be more accurate and would make more sense.  To say that Jesus "withdrew" into Galilee gives the impression that he is hiding out under the threat of violence.

Just the opposite is true.  Keep in mind:  Going to Galilee means he is moving into the territory governed by Herod Antipas, the very ruler who arrested John.  He is not hiding out.  Quite the contrary.  He's going into the lion's lair!  He is "returning" to the area to take up the reins of the peasant resistance movement in light of the imprisonment of John.

"Leaving Nazareth," Jesus "came to dwell" in Capernaum.  Capernaum was the largest town on the Sea of Galilee, and had the largest harbor.  Boats came and went regularly, plying their trade--and also spreading news throughout the region.  It would have been an excellent "communications center."  Word could travel swiftly from Capernaum throughout the entire region.

Jesus moves from Nazareth, which is south west of the Sea of Galilee to Capernaum, which is on the northwest shore--the territory of Naphtali, but not Zebulon.  Matthew knew this perfectly well.  In citing the prophet Isaiah regarding Naphtali and Zebulon, Matthew's purpose is not to say that the Isaiah passage literally prophesies the future.  (If he is, his prophecy is off.)  

One of the things Matthew is doing here is giving a hint of Jesus' later mission to the gentiles.  For the present, Jesus sees his mission as being "to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." (15:35)  After his encounter with the Canaanite woman in chapter 15, that mission will broaden.  Matthew gives a hint of that here.  The light will indeed come to "Galilee of the gentiles."

Secondly, Matthew also changes the Isaiah text.  The "toward the sea" in Isaiah 9:1-2 refers to the Meditteranean Sea.  Matthew means "by the sea" to be the Sea of Galilee.

In Capernaum, Jesus proclaims, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near."  John had said these exact words in "the wilderness of Judea."  Here, Jesus says them in "Galilee of the gentiles."  Not only are John and Jesus in continuity, but the "kingdom of heaven movement" is spreading throughout the region.

"For they were fishermen": 

But walking alongside the sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, the one called Peter, and Andrew, his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen.  And he said to them, "Come after me, and I will make you fishers of people."  And immediately, they left the nets, they followed him.  Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them.  And immediate they left the boat and their father, (and) followed him.

And he was going about in all of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, healing all disease and all sickness in the people.

The Sea of Galilee is a large freshwater lake, about 7 miles wide and 13 miles "long."  The shore is dotted with villages connected with the local fishing industry, among which Capernaum was foremost. 

Fishermen of that day did not operate in a "free market" economy.  The fishing industry was state-regulated for the benefit of the urban elite.  These urban elites were Greeks or Romans who had settled in the land of Israel following their military conquests, or they were Jews well-connected with King Herod and his sons.  Everybody else was poor.

Caesar and Herod benefited from the fishing trade in a variety of ways.  For one thing, they sold the fishing leases which entitled local groups to fish in the sea.  Fishing rights generally were awarded not to individuals, but to local "coops" based in kinship--like, for example, the brothers Simon and Andrew, and the Zebedee family.  

In addition, there were taxes on both the fish product and on the processing, as well as tolls on shipping and land transport.  Fisherman were at the bottom of a very detailed economic heirarchy, the main beneficiaries of which were Caesar, then Herod, then major tax collectors. 

Jesus made a strong appeal to local fishermen.  In fact, the known harbors of the Sea of Galilee in the first century strongly correlate with locations where Jesus either lived or traveled--Bethsaida, Capernaum, Gennesar, Magdala, Gadara and Gergasa.  (The original name of Magdala, hometown of Jesus' girlfriend, was Tarichaeae, which means "processed fish-ville."  It was only a few miles south of Capernaum.) 

In addition to collecting taxes, the local tax collector (Matthew?) probably also sold fishing rights, and may have even supplied capital for certain fishermen to build nets or boats.  Naturally, he would charge interest for this service.  It's not for nothing that the subject of "debt" pops up all through the four gospels.

Were fishermen Jesus' base of political support?  Put another way, were fishermen particularly responsive to Jesus' message because of the rigid state-control of their livelihood, and the economic oppression of high taxation?

Forming the new community:  Jesus has just come out of the wilderness.  He has heard the news about John, and deliberately steps into the leadership void caused by John's arrest.  Before he articulates his own message in his signature speech, however, one thing remains to be done:  the formation of a community--the "new community."  

This "new community" is not based on family or economic ties--quite the contrary, in fact;  its first four members left their families and their boat.  The new community is the one based in Jesus.  It will make a formal witness to Jesus' new vision for the world in the upcoming Sermon on the Mount (5:1).  Subsequently, that "new community"--the ones living in communion with Jesus and each other--will be the face of that vision in the world.

Gospel:

And he was going about in all of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, healing all disease and all sickness in the people.

This summary statement is about the proclamation of the gospel--"the good news of the kingdom"--to which is linked an outbreak of peace, health, and shalom.  This proclamation of the gospel sets the stage for Jesus' first major speech in Matthew, the Sermon on the Mount, which expresses Jesus' "new law" of how to live out that gospel.  Matthew presents Jesus as "the new Moses" through his gospel.  Jesus is about to speak his "new law" from the mountaintop just as Moses had brought God's law down from a mountaintop in the Torah.

Image:  The Calling of Peter and Andrew, Duccio di Buoninsegna 1308-11, National Gallery of Art, Washington.

 

²Now when Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. ¹³He left Nazareth and made his home in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, ¹⁴so that what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: ¹⁵“Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali, on the road by the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles— ¹⁶the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death light has dawned.”¹⁷From that time Jesus began to proclaim, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”

¹⁸As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea—for they were fishermen. ¹⁹And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.” ²⁰Immediately they left their nets and followed him.²¹As he went from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them. ²²Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed him.

²³Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing every disease and every sickness among the people.

Translation:  But hearing that John had been delivered over, he returned into Galilee.  And leaving Nazareth, he came (and) dwelled in Capernaum by the sea, in the borders of Zebulun and Naphtali so that it might be fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah, saying, "Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali, a way of sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles:  the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and to the ones sitting in the region and shadow of death, to them a light has dawned."  From that time, Jesus began to proclaim, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."

But walking alongside the sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, the one called Peter, and Andrew, his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen.  And he said to them, "Come after me, and I will make you fishers of people."  And immediately, they left the nets, they followed him.  Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them.  And immediate they left the boat and their father, (and) followed him.

And he was going about in all of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, healing all disease and all sickness in the people.

Background and situation:  Mark is the primary source.  (The parallel is Mark 1: 14-20.)  Matthew makes a significant addition to Mark, however, when he follows the report of John's arrest with Jesus moving from Nazareth to Capernaum, along with a citation from the prophet Isaiah.

Matthew also shortens Mark in 4:17.  Mark has:  "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand.  Repent, and believe the good news."  Matthew eliminates the reference to time (kairos), and has simply:  "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."  (Matthew repeatedly has "kingdom of heaven" where Mark has "kingdom of God."  Nobody knows why.)

In Mark, James and John left their father in the boat "with the hired servants."  Matthew leaves out the reference to "hired servants", which gives the impression that the Zebedee's were perhaps slightly less well-off than might be supposed from reading Mark.

As in Mark, the lection is preceded by Jesus' encounter with Satan in the wilderness.  As soon as he comes out of his time of spiritual testing, Jesus hears that John the Baptist has been arrested.  We know how John's arrest will end.  As in Herod's slaughter of the innocents in chapter two, our thoughts are drawn to official state-sanctioned violence.

Taking up the reins of the movement:  With John in jail, Jesus returns to Galilee.  The NRSV translates anachoresin has "withdrew."  "Returned" would be more accurate and would make more sense.  To say that Jesus "withdrew" into Galilee gives the impression that he is hiding out under the threat of violence.

Just the opposite is true.  Keep in mind:  Going to Galilee means he is moving into the territory governed by Herod Antipas, the very ruler who arrested John.  He is not hiding out.  Quite the contrary.  He's going into the lion's lair!  He is "returning" to the area to take up the reins of the peasant resistance movement in light of the imprisonment of John.

"Leaving Nazareth," Jesus "came to dwell" in Capernaum.  Capernaum was the largest town on the Sea of Galilee, and had the largest harbor.  Boats came and went regularly, plying their trade--and also spreading news throughout the region.  It would have been an excellent "communications center."  Word could travel swiftly from Capernaum throughout the entire region.

Jesus moves from Nazareth, which is south west of the Sea of Galilee to Capernaum, which is on the northwest shore--the territory of Naphtali, but not Zebulon.  Matthew knew this perfectly well.  In citing the prophet Isaiah regarding Naphtali and Zebulon, Matthew's purpose is not to say that the Isaiah passage literally prophesies the future.  (If he is, his prophecy is off.)  

One of the things Matthew is doing here is giving a hint of Jesus' later mission to the gentiles.  For the present, Jesus sees his mission as being "to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." (15:35)  After his encounter with the Canaanite woman in chapter 15, that mission will broaden.  Matthew gives a hint of that here.  The light will indeed come to "Galilee of the gentiles."

Secondly, Matthew also changes the Isaiah text.  The "toward the sea" in Isaiah 9:1-2 refers to the Meditteranean Sea.  Matthew means "by the sea" to be the Sea of Galilee.

In Capernaum, Jesus proclaims, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near."  John had said these exact words in "the wilderness of Judea."  Here, Jesus says them in "Galilee of the gentiles."  Not only are John and Jesus in continuity, but the "kingdom of heaven movement" is spreading throughout the region.

"For they were fishermen": 

But walking alongside the sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, the one called Peter, and Andrew, his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen.  And he said to them, "Come after me, and I will make you fishers of people."  And immediately, they left the nets, they followed him.  Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them.  And immediate they left the boat and their father, (and) followed him.

And he was going about in all of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, healing all disease and all sickness in the people.

The Sea of Galilee is a large freshwater lake, about 7 miles wide and 13 miles "long."  The shore is dotted with villages connected with the local fishing industry, among which Capernaum was foremost. 

Fishermen of that day did not operate in a "free market" economy.  The fishing industry was state-regulated for the benefit of the urban elite.  These urban elites were Greeks or Romans who had settled in the land of Israel following their military conquests, or they were Jews well-connected with King Herod and his sons.  Everybody else was poor.

Caesar and Herod benefited from the fishing trade in a variety of ways.  For one thing, they sold the fishing leases which entitled local groups to fish in the sea.  Fishing rights generally were awarded not to individuals, but to local "coops" based in kinship--like, for example, the brothers Simon and Andrew, and the Zebedee family.  

In addition, there were taxes on both the fish product and on the processing, as well as tolls on shipping and land transport.  Fisherman were at the bottom of a very detailed economic heirarchy, the main beneficiaries of which were Caesar, then Herod, then major tax collectors. 

Jesus made a strong appeal to local fishermen.  In fact, the known harbors of the Sea of Galilee in the first century strongly correlate with locations where Jesus either lived or traveled--Bethsaida, Capernaum, Gennesar, Magdala, Gadara and Gergasa.  (The original name of Magdala, hometown of Jesus' girlfriend, was Tarichaeae, which means "processed fish-ville."  It was only a few miles south of Capernaum.) 

In addition to collecting taxes, the local tax collector (Matthew?) probably also sold fishing rights, and may have even supplied capital for certain fishermen to build nets or boats.  Naturally, he would charge interest for this service.  It's not for nothing that the subject of "debt" pops up all through the four gospels.

Were fishermen Jesus' base of political support?  Put another way, were fishermen particularly responsive to Jesus' message because of the rigid state-control of their livelihood, and the economic oppression of high taxation?

Forming the new community:  Jesus has just come out of the wilderness.  He has heard the news about John, and deliberately steps into the leadership void caused by John's arrest.  Before he articulates his own message in his signature speech, however, one thing remains to be done:  the formation of a community--the "new community."  

This "new community" is not based on family or economic ties--quite the contrary, in fact;  its first four members left their families and their boat.  The new community is the one based in Jesus.  It will make a formal witness to Jesus' new vision for the world in the upcoming Sermon on the Mount (5:1).  Subsequently, that "new community"--the ones living in communion with Jesus and each other--will be the face of that vision in the world.

Gospel:

And he was going about in all of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, healing all disease and all sickness in the people.

This summary statement is about the proclamation of the gospel--"the good news of the kingdom"--to which is linked an outbreak of peace, health, and shalom.  This proclamation of the gospel sets the stage for Jesus' first major speech in Matthew, the Sermon on the Mount, which expresses Jesus' "new law" of how to live out that gospel.  Matthew presents Jesus as "the new Moses" through his gospel.  Jesus is about to speak his "new law" from the mountaintop just as Moses had brought God's law down from a mountaintop in the Torah.

Image:  The Calling of Peter and Andrew, Duccio di Buoninsegna 1308-11, National Gallery of Art, Washington.

²Now when Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. ¹³He left Nazareth and made his home in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, ¹⁴so that what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: ¹⁵“Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali, on the road by the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles— ¹⁶the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death light has dawned.”¹⁷From that time Jesus began to proclaim, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”

¹⁸As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea—for they were fishermen. ¹⁹And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.” ²⁰Immediately they left their nets and followed him.²¹As he went from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them. ²²Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed him.

²³Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing every disease and every sickness among the people.

Translation:  But hearing that John had been delivered over, he returned into Galilee.  And leaving Nazareth, he came (and) dwelled in Capernaum by the sea, in the borders of Zebulun and Naphtali so that it might be fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah, saying, "Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali, a way of sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles:  the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and to the ones sitting in the region and shadow of death, to them a light has dawned."  From that time, Jesus began to proclaim, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."

But walking alongside the sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, the one called Peter, and Andrew, his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen.  And he said to them, "Come after me, and I will make you fishers of people."  And immediately, they left the nets, they followed him.  Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them.  And immediate they left the boat and their father, (and) followed him.

And he was going about in all of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, healing all disease and all sickness in the people.

Background and situation:  Mark is the primary source.  (The parallel is Mark 1: 14-20.)  Matthew makes a significant addition to Mark, however, when he follows the report of John's arrest with Jesus moving from Nazareth to Capernaum, along with a citation from the prophet Isaiah.

Matthew also shortens Mark in 4:17.  Mark has:  "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand.  Repent, and believe the good news."  Matthew eliminates the reference to time (kairos), and has simply:  "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."  (Matthew repeatedly has "kingdom of heaven" where Mark has "kingdom of God."  Nobody knows why.)

In Mark, James and John left their father in the boat "with the hired servants."  Matthew leaves out the reference to "hired servants", which gives the impression that the Zebedee's were perhaps slightly less well-off than might be supposed from reading Mark.

As in Mark, the lection is preceded by Jesus' encounter with Satan in the wilderness.  As soon as he comes out of his time of spiritual testing, Jesus hears that John the Baptist has been arrested.  We know how John's arrest will end.  As in Herod's slaughter of the innocents in chapter two, our thoughts are drawn to official state-sanctioned violence.

Taking up the reins of the movement:  With John in jail, Jesus returns to Galilee.  The NRSV translates anachoresin has "withdrew."  "Returned" would be more accurate and would make more sense.  To say that Jesus "withdrew" into Galilee gives the impression that he is hiding out under the threat of violence.

Just the opposite is true.  Keep in mind:  Going to Galilee means he is moving into the territory governed by Herod Antipas, the very ruler who arrested John.  He is not hiding out.  Quite the contrary.  He's going into the lion's lair!  He is "returning" to the area to take up the reins of the peasant resistance movement in light of the imprisonment of John.

"Leaving Nazareth," Jesus "came to dwell" in Capernaum.  Capernaum was the largest town on the Sea of Galilee, and had the largest harbor.  Boats came and went regularly, plying their trade--and also spreading news throughout the region.  It would have been an excellent "communications center."  Word could travel swiftly from Capernaum throughout the entire region.

Jesus moves from Nazareth, which is south west of the Sea of Galilee to Capernaum, which is on the northwest shore--the territory of Naphtali, but not Zebulon.  Matthew knew this perfectly well.  In citing the prophet Isaiah regarding Naphtali and Zebulon, Matthew's purpose is not to say that the Isaiah passage literally prophesies the future.  (If he is, his prophecy is off.)  

One of the things Matthew is doing here is giving a hint of Jesus' later mission to the gentiles.  For the present, Jesus sees his mission as being "to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." (15:35)  After his encounter with the Canaanite woman in chapter 15, that mission will broaden.  Matthew gives a hint of that here.  The light will indeed come to "Galilee of the gentiles."

Secondly, Matthew also changes the Isaiah text.  The "toward the sea" in Isaiah 9:1-2 refers to the Meditteranean Sea.  Matthew means "by the sea" to be the Sea of Galilee.

In Capernaum, Jesus proclaims, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near."  John had said these exact words in "the wilderness of Judea."  Here, Jesus says them in "Galilee of the gentiles."  Not only are John and Jesus in continuity, but the "kingdom of heaven movement" is spreading throughout the region.

"For they were fishermen": 

But walking alongside the sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, the one called Peter, and Andrew, his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen.  And he said to them, "Come after me, and I will make you fishers of people."  And immediately, they left the nets, they followed him.  Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them.  And immediate they left the boat and their father, (and) followed him.

And he was going about in all of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, healing all disease and all sickness in the people.

The Sea of Galilee is a large freshwater lake, about 7 miles wide and 13 miles "long."  The shore is dotted with villages connected with the local fishing industry, among which Capernaum was foremost. 

Fishermen of that day did not operate in a "free market" economy.  The fishing industry was state-regulated for the benefit of the urban elite.  These urban elites were Greeks or Romans who had settled in the land of Israel following their military conquests, or they were Jews well-connected with King Herod and his sons.  Everybody else was poor.

Caesar and Herod benefited from the fishing trade in a variety of ways.  For one thing, they sold the fishing leases which entitled local groups to fish in the sea.  Fishing rights generally were awarded not to individuals, but to local "coops" based in kinship--like, for example, the brothers Simon and Andrew, and the Zebedee family.  

In addition, there were taxes on both the fish product and on the processing, as well as tolls on shipping and land transport.  Fisherman were at the bottom of a very detailed economic heirarchy, the main beneficiaries of which were Caesar, then Herod, then major tax collectors. 

Jesus made a strong appeal to local fishermen.  In fact, the known harbors of the Sea of Galilee in the first century strongly correlate with locations where Jesus either lived or traveled--Bethsaida, Capernaum, Gennesar, Magdala, Gadara and Gergasa.  (The original name of Magdala, hometown of Jesus' girlfriend, was Tarichaeae, which means "processed fish-ville."  It was only a few miles south of Capernaum.) 

In addition to collecting taxes, the local tax collector (Matthew?) probably also sold fishing rights, and may have even supplied capital for certain fishermen to build nets or boats.  Naturally, he would charge interest for this service.  It's not for nothing that the subject of "debt" pops up all through the four gospels.

Were fishermen Jesus' base of political support?  Put another way, were fishermen particularly responsive to Jesus' message because of the rigid state-control of their livelihood, and the economic oppression of high taxation?

Forming the new community:  Jesus has just come out of the wilderness.  He has heard the news about John, and deliberately steps into the leadership void caused by John's arrest.  Before he articulates his own message in his signature speech, however, one thing remains to be done:  the formation of a community--the "new community."  

This "new community" is not based on family or economic ties--quite the contrary, in fact;  its first four members left their families and their boat.  The new community is the one based in Jesus.  It will make a formal witness to Jesus' new vision for the world in the upcoming Sermon on the Mount (5:1).  Subsequently, that "new community"--the ones living in communion with Jesus and each other--will be the face of that vision in the world.

Gospel:

And he was going about in all of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, healing all disease and all sickness in the people.

This summary statement is about the proclamation of the gospel--"the good news of the kingdom"--to which is linked an outbreak of peace, health, and shalom.  This proclamation of the gospel sets the stage for Jesus' first major speech in Matthew, the Sermon on the Mount, which expresses Jesus' "new law" of how to live out that gospel.  Matthew presents Jesus as "the new Moses" through his gospel.  Jesus is about to speak his "new law" from the mountaintop just as Moses had brought God's law down from a mountaintop in the Torah.

Image:  The Calling of Peter and Andrew, Duccio di Buoninsegna 1308-11, National Gallery of Art, Washington.

Epiphany 2 ::: John 1: 29-42

²⁹The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him and declared, “Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! ³⁰This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me because he was before me.’ ³¹I myself did not know him; but I came baptizing with water for this reason, that he might be revealed to Israel.” ³²And John testified, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. ³³I 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.’ ³⁴And I myself have seen and have testified that this is the Son of God.”
³⁵The next day John again was standing with two of his disciples, ³⁶and as he watched Jesus walk by, he exclaimed, “Look, here is the Lamb of God!”

³⁷The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. ³⁸When Jesus turned and saw them following, he said to them, “What are you looking for?” They said to him, “Rabbi” (which translated means Teacher), “where are you staying?” ³⁹He said to them, “Come and see.” They came and saw where he was staying, and they remained with him that day. It was about four o”clock in the afternoon. ⁴⁰One of the two who heard John speak and followed him was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. ⁴¹He first found his brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which is translated Anointed). ⁴²He brought Simon to Jesus, who looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You are to be called Cephas” (which is translated Peter).

Translation:  The next day he sees Jesus coming to him and said, "Behold the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.  This is he of whom I said, 'After me comes a man who is before me for he was before me.'  I did not know him, but so that he might be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing in water."  And John witnessed, saying, "I have seen the spirit descending as a dove out of heaven, and it remained upon him.  I did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize in water, that one said to me, 'Upon whom you might see the spirit descend and remain on him, this one is the one baptizing in the Holy Spirit.'  I have seen and I have witnessed that this is the son of God."  

The next day, again John was standing, and two of his disciples.  And he looked to Jesus.  Walking around, he said, "Behold the lamb of God."  The two disciples heard him speak and they followed Jesus.  Jesus turned and saw them following.  He said to them, "What are you seeking?"  They said to him, "Rabbi, (which is being interpreted, teacher), where are you abiding?"  He said to them, "Come and see."  Then, they came and saw where he dwelt, and alongside him they remained that day.  It was about the tenth hour.

One of the two who heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter.  He finds first his brother Simon and said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which is interpreted, Christ).  He brought him to Jesus.  Jesus looked upon him (and) said, "You are Simon, the son of John.  You will be called Cephas" (which is interpreted Petros).

Background and situation:  We are in the fourth gospel.  The lection is preceded by the opening prologue (1:1-18).  Then, in 19-28, John the Baptist says he is not the Messiah (nor Elijah, nor a prophet).  All four gospels insist that John is a subordinate figure to Jesus, but the fourth gospel may take the strongest position of all.  Six verses into the prologue--right off the bat!--we had already been pointedly told that John "himself was not the light," which John himself affirms.

Immediately following, in today's lection, John (again) testifies to the higher "rank" of Jesus.  He was "before me," John says, perhaps another reference to Jesus' pre-existence already stated in verse one:  "In the beginning was the Word."

Lamb of God:  John is lauded as a "witness" (1:7), which is high praise in the fourth gospel.  To what does John "witness"?  "Behold the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world."  Israel had already heard of the "suffering servant" (Isaiah 53) who would "bear the sins of many."  In the fourth gospel, the Lamb takes away the sin of the world.

The "paschal lamb" is the sacrifice mandated by Torah at passover.  Later in the fourth gospel, Jesus will be condemned to death at noon on the day before passover, the precise time when passover lambs were slain in the Temple.  (Ray Brown says that the hyssop Jesus was offered on the cross (19:29) is also the hyssop that was smeared with the blood of the paschal lamb which was then applied to the doorposts of the Israelites (Ex 12:22).  The fourth gospel likes passover themes.)

The Lamb of God takes away the sin of the world--note the singular.  Here, sin is viewed as something of a cosmic power, a view which also appears in Paul.  The Lamb defeats the enslaving power of sin.  It's about cosmic victory, in other words, and not about the snarky remark you made to Aunt Freda about her new hat.  Note, too, that there is no sacrificial language here, which Ray Brown also notes and, good Catholic that he is, doesn't like.

John's witness:  This is the fourth gospel's narrative of the baptism of Jesus.  But, no baptism!  Why not?  Mark says that John's baptism was a "baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins."  In my view, the author of the fourth gospel knew Mark, but rejects his language, and, indeed, the entire baptism.  For the fourth gospel, it is only the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

In Mark, the heavens were torn apart and the Spirit "descended like a dove" on Jesus.  In the fourth gospel, the Spirit descended "out of heaven"--ek ouranou--and "abided"--emeinen--on Jesus.  The root word menein--abiding, remaining--is a major concept in the fourth gospel.  Jesus "abides" with his people, and his people "abide" in him.

Unlike the synoptics, there is no voice from heaven.  Rather, John is a witness, as stated earlier in verse 8:  "he came to testify to the light."  Here he "witnesses"--martureo--that “he on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.” 

Wes Howard-Brock notes that the Johannine community was trying to "establish its credibility" with the "emerging apostolic Christian authority" represented by people such as Peter and Paul, both of whom "saw" Jesus.  The author of the fourth gospel is also a "disciple-witness," and his (or her) witness is trustworthy.  "This is the disciple who is testifying to these things and has written them, and we know that his testimony is true (21:24)."  Believing on the basis of witness is highly prized in the fourth gospel (20:29).

What are you seeking?:

The next day, again John was standing, and two of his disciples.  And he looked to Jesus.  Walking around, he said, "Behold the lamb of God."  The two disciples heard him speak and they followed Jesus.  Jesus turned and saw them following.  He said to them, "What are you seeking?"  They said to him, "Rabbi, (which is being interpreted, teacher), where are you abiding?"  He said to them, "Come and see."  Then, they came and saw where he dwelt, and alongside him they remained that day.  It was about the tenth hour.

One of the two who heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter.  He finds first his brother Simon and said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which is interpreted, Christ).  He brought him to Jesus.  Jesus looked upon him (and) said, "You are Simon, the son of John.  You will be called Cephas" (which is interpreted Petros).

Based on John's witness, two of John's own disciples follow Jesus.  One is identified as Andrew, the other is unidentified.  Some say this person is actually the Beloved Disciple and author of the book.  In any case, the movement is away from John and toward Jesus.  As John will later say, "He must increase, I must decrease" (3:30). 

Jesus "turns" to them--in the fourth gospel, a sign of deepening relationship (20:16).  He asks what they are "seeking"--zeteite.  The word is used 23 times in the fourth gospel.  Some seek the way of God, and some seek to advance their own position (7:18).  Jesus asks a direct question that speaks to the heart of the human experience--"What are you seeking?"--and is not unlike God's first utterance to human beings in the book of Genesis:  "Where are you?"

The two disciples call Jesus "rabbi," a term that likely was not used before the destruction of the Temple in AD 70.  Nevertheless, the fourth gospel tells us that "rabbi" means "teacher."  The two disciples acknowledge Jesus as a spiritual leader, but want to know where he is "abiding, dwelling, staying"--menein, again.  How committed is he, and in what cause? 

Jesus tells them to "come and see."  "Seeing" has a lot of resonance in the fourth gospel.  To "see" is to trust and to follow.  (See the story of the man born blind in chapter 9.)  What do these two disciples "see" in this case?  They "see" where Jesus is "staying"--menein--and they "stay"--menein--with him. 

We are not told "where" this was.  Reading the text, you look for some identifiable place, some aspect of geography.  We are not given a "where," but rather a "when"--not a spatial reference, but a temporal one:  "It was about the tenth hour."  Odd.  Jesus is already co-mingling essential categories and he's just getting started!

Andrew and Simon Peter:  The first disciple in the fourth gospel--Andrew--is identified by his relationship to his more famous brother, Simon Peter.  (I like to think of the orthodox church in Delta, Colorado, the formal name of which is "The Orthodox Church of Saint Andrew, the First-Called Apostle.") 

Andrew refers to Jesus as "Messiah," with a helpful translation for non-Hebrew readers--"Christ".  This is now the third title for Jesus in this brief lection--"Lamb of God," "rabbi," and now "Messiah"--all of them Israel-centric and none of which are spoken by Jesus himself.  (Jesus will make his own self-referential identification later.)  Taken together, these titles "witness" to the total fulfillment of God's covenant with Israel in Jesus.

Simon Peter is referred to five times in just two verses.  He is identified, first, as Andrew's brother with the name Simon Peter.  Next, "Simon Peter" is reduced to the elemental "Simon."  After Jesus "looked upon him," Jesus calls him "Simon, son of John," who is then called "Cephas," then "Peter."  Jesus refers to him first in terms of his familial association, that most basic old world connection, then refers to him in terms of his new name, Cephas, symbolic of his being made a new person.  

Taken as a whole, we are given a complete identification of Peter.  We are told who he is both in this world and the world to come.  We should not be surprised.  As the fourth gospel had said in the beginning, "The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world (1:9)." 

Image:  Het lam Gods, Paul Werner

 

²⁹The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him and declared, “Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! ³⁰This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me because he was before me.’ ³¹I myself did not know him; but I came baptizing with water for this reason, that he might be revealed to Israel.” ³²And John testified, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. ³³I 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.’ ³⁴And I myself have seen and have testified that this is the Son of God.”
³⁵The next day John again was standing with two of his disciples, ³⁶and as he watched Jesus walk by, he exclaimed, “Look, here is the Lamb of God!”

³⁷The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. ³⁸When Jesus turned and saw them following, he said to them, “What are you looking for?” They said to him, “Rabbi” (which translated means Teacher), “where are you staying?” ³⁹He said to them, “Come and see.” They came and saw where he was staying, and they remained with him that day. It was about four o”clock in the afternoon. ⁴⁰One of the two who heard John speak and followed him was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. ⁴¹He first found his brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which is translated Anointed). ⁴²He brought Simon to Jesus, who looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You are to be called Cephas” (which is translated Peter).

Translation:  The next day he sees Jesus coming to him and said, "Behold the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.  This is he of whom I said, 'After me comes a man who is before me for he was before me.'  I did not know him, but so that he might be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing in water."  And John witnessed, saying, "I have seen the spirit descending as a dove out of heaven, and it remained upon him.  I did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize in water, that one said to me, 'Upon whom you might see the spirit descend and remain on him, this one is the one baptizing in the Holy Spirit.'  I have seen and I have witnessed that this is the son of God."  

The next day, again John was standing, and two of his disciples.  And he looked to Jesus.  Walking around, he said, "Behold the lamb of God."  The two disciples heard him speak and they followed Jesus.  Jesus turned and saw them following.  He said to them, "What are you seeking?"  They said to him, "Rabbi, (which is being interpreted, teacher), where are you abiding?"  He said to them, "Come and see."  Then, they came and saw where he dwelt, and alongside him they remained that day.  It was about the tenth hour.

One of the two who heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter.  He finds first his brother Simon and said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which is interpreted, Christ).  He brought him to Jesus.  Jesus looked upon him (and) said, "You are Simon, the son of John.  You will be called Cephas" (which is interpreted Petros).

Background and situation:  We are in the fourth gospel.  The lection is preceded by the opening prologue (1:1-18).  Then, in 19-28, John the Baptist says he is not the Messiah (nor Elijah, nor a prophet).  All four gospels insist that John is a subordinate figure to Jesus, but the fourth gospel may take the strongest position of all.  Six verses into the prologue--right off the bat!--we had already been pointedly told that John "himself was not the light," which John himself affirms.

Immediately following, in today's lection, John (again) testifies to the higher "rank" of Jesus.  He was "before me," John says, perhaps another reference to Jesus' pre-existence already stated in verse one:  "In the beginning was the Word."

Lamb of God:  John is lauded as a "witness" (1:7), which is high praise in the fourth gospel.  To what does John "witness"?  "Behold the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world."  Israel had already heard of the "suffering servant" (Isaiah 53) who would "bear the sins of many."  In the fourth gospel, the Lamb takes away the sin of the world.

The "paschal lamb" is the sacrifice mandated by Torah at passover.  Later in the fourth gospel, Jesus will be condemned to death at noon on the day before passover, the precise time when passover lambs were slain in the Temple.  (Ray Brown says that the hyssop Jesus was offered on the cross (19:29) is also the hyssop that was smeared with the blood of the paschal lamb which was then applied to the doorposts of the Israelites (Ex 12:22).  The fourth gospel likes passover themes.)

The Lamb of God takes away the sin of the world--note the singular.  Here, sin is viewed as something of a cosmic power, a view which also appears in Paul.  The Lamb defeats the enslaving power of sin.  It's about cosmic victory, in other words, and not about the snarky remark you made to Aunt Freda about her new hat.  Note, too, that there is no sacrificial language here, which Ray Brown also notes and, good Catholic that he is, doesn't like.

John's witness:  This is the fourth gospel's narrative of the baptism of Jesus.  But, no baptism!  Why not?  Mark says that John's baptism was a "baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins."  In my view, the author of the fourth gospel knew Mark, but rejects his language, and, indeed, the entire baptism.  For the fourth gospel, it is only the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

In Mark, the heavens were torn apart and the Spirit "descended like a dove" on Jesus.  In the fourth gospel, the Spirit descended "out of heaven"--ek ouranou--and "abided"--emeinen--on Jesus.  The root word menein--abiding, remaining--is a major concept in the fourth gospel.  Jesus "abides" with his people, and his people "abide" in him.

Unlike the synoptics, there is no voice from heaven.  Rather, John is a witness, as stated earlier in verse 8:  "he came to testify to the light."  Here he "witnesses"--martureo--that “he on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.” 

Wes Howard-Brock notes that the Johannine community was trying to "establish its credibility" with the "emerging apostolic Christian authority" represented by people such as Peter and Paul, both of whom "saw" Jesus.  The author of the fourth gospel is also a "disciple-witness," and his (or her) witness is trustworthy.  "This is the disciple who is testifying to these things and has written them, and we know that his testimony is true (21:24)."  Believing on the basis of witness is highly prized in the fourth gospel (20:29).

What are you seeking?:

The next day, again John was standing, and two of his disciples.  And he looked to Jesus.  Walking around, he said, "Behold the lamb of God."  The two disciples heard him speak and they followed Jesus.  Jesus turned and saw them following.  He said to them, "What are you seeking?"  They said to him, "Rabbi, (which is being interpreted, teacher), where are you abiding?"  He said to them, "Come and see."  Then, they came and saw where he dwelt, and alongside him they remained that day.  It was about the tenth hour.

One of the two who heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter.  He finds first his brother Simon and said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which is interpreted, Christ).  He brought him to Jesus.  Jesus looked upon him (and) said, "You are Simon, the son of John.  You will be called Cephas" (which is interpreted Petros).

Based on John's witness, two of John's own disciples follow Jesus.  One is identified as Andrew, the other is unidentified.  Some say this person is actually the Beloved Disciple and author of the book.  In any case, the movement is away from John and toward Jesus.  As John will later say, "He must increase, I must decrease" (3:30). 

Jesus "turns" to them--in the fourth gospel, a sign of deepening relationship (20:16).  He asks what they are "seeking"--zeteite.  The word is used 23 times in the fourth gospel.  Some seek the way of God, and some seek to advance their own position (7:18).  Jesus asks a direct question that speaks to the heart of the human experience--"What are you seeking?"--and is not unlike God's first utterance to human beings in the book of Genesis:  "Where are you?"

The two disciples call Jesus "rabbi," a term that likely was not used before the destruction of the Temple in AD 70.  Nevertheless, the fourth gospel tells us that "rabbi" means "teacher."  The two disciples acknowledge Jesus as a spiritual leader, but want to know where he is "abiding, dwelling, staying"--menein, again.  How committed is he, and in what cause? 

Jesus tells them to "come and see."  "Seeing" has a lot of resonance in the fourth gospel.  To "see" is to trust and to follow.  (See the story of the man born blind in chapter 9.)  What do these two disciples "see" in this case?  They "see" where Jesus is "staying"--menein--and they "stay"--menein--with him. 

We are not told "where" this was.  Reading the text, you look for some identifiable place, some aspect of geography.  We are not given a "where," but rather a "when"--not a spatial reference, but a temporal one:  "It was about the tenth hour."  Odd.  Jesus is already co-mingling essential categories and he's just getting started!

Andrew and Simon Peter:  The first disciple in the fourth gospel--Andrew--is identified by his relationship to his more famous brother, Simon Peter.  (I like to think of the orthodox church in Delta, Colorado, the formal name of which is "The Orthodox Church of Saint Andrew, the First-Called Apostle.") 

Andrew refers to Jesus as "Messiah," with a helpful translation for non-Hebrew readers--"Christ".  This is now the third title for Jesus in this brief lection--"Lamb of God," "rabbi," and now "Messiah"--all of them Israel-centric and none of which are spoken by Jesus himself.  (Jesus will make his own self-referential identification later.)  Taken together, these titles "witness" to the total fulfillment of God's covenant with Israel in Jesus.

Simon Peter is referred to five times in just two verses.  He is identified, first, as Andrew's brother with the name Simon Peter.  Next, "Simon Peter" is reduced to the elemental "Simon."  After Jesus "looked upon him," Jesus calls him "Simon, son of John," who is then called "Cephas," then "Peter."  Jesus refers to him first in terms of his familial association, that most basic old world connection, then refers to him in terms of his new name, Cephas, symbolic of his being made a new person.  

Taken as a whole, we are given a complete identification of Peter.  We are told who he is both in this world and the world to come.  We should not be surprised.  As the fourth gospel had said in the beginning, "The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world (1:9)." 

Image:  Het lam Gods, Paul Werner

²⁹The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him and declared, “Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! ³⁰This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me because he was before me.’ ³¹I myself did not know him; but I came baptizing with water for this reason, that he might be revealed to Israel.” ³²And John testified, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. ³³I 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.’ ³⁴And I myself have seen and have testified that this is the Son of God.”
³⁵The next day John again was standing with two of his disciples, ³⁶and as he watched Jesus walk by, he exclaimed, “Look, here is the Lamb of God!”

³⁷The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. ³⁸When Jesus turned and saw them following, he said to them, “What are you looking for?” They said to him, “Rabbi” (which translated means Teacher), “where are you staying?” ³⁹He said to them, “Come and see.” They came and saw where he was staying, and they remained with him that day. It was about four o”clock in the afternoon. ⁴⁰One of the two who heard John speak and followed him was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. ⁴¹He first found his brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which is translated Anointed). ⁴²He brought Simon to Jesus, who looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You are to be called Cephas” (which is translated Peter).

Translation:  The next day he sees Jesus coming to him and said, "Behold the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.  This is he of whom I said, 'After me comes a man who is before me for he was before me.'  I did not know him, but so that he might be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing in water."  And John witnessed, saying, "I have seen the spirit descending as a dove out of heaven, and it remained upon him.  I did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize in water, that one said to me, 'Upon whom you might see the spirit descend and remain on him, this one is the one baptizing in the Holy Spirit.'  I have seen and I have witnessed that this is the son of God."  

The next day, again John was standing, and two of his disciples.  And he looked to Jesus.  Walking around, he said, "Behold the lamb of God."  The two disciples heard him speak and they followed Jesus.  Jesus turned and saw them following.  He said to them, "What are you seeking?"  They said to him, "Rabbi, (which is being interpreted, teacher), where are you abiding?"  He said to them, "Come and see."  Then, they came and saw where he dwelt, and alongside him they remained that day.  It was about the tenth hour.

One of the two who heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter.  He finds first his brother Simon and said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which is interpreted, Christ).  He brought him to Jesus.  Jesus looked upon him (and) said, "You are Simon, the son of John.  You will be called Cephas" (which is interpreted Petros).

Background and situation:  We are in the fourth gospel.  The lection is preceded by the opening prologue (1:1-18).  Then, in 19-28, John the Baptist says he is not the Messiah (nor Elijah, nor a prophet).  All four gospels insist that John is a subordinate figure to Jesus, but the fourth gospel may take the strongest position of all.  Six verses into the prologue--right off the bat!--we had already been pointedly told that John "himself was not the light," which John himself affirms.

Immediately following, in today's lection, John (again) testifies to the higher "rank" of Jesus.  He was "before me," John says, perhaps another reference to Jesus' pre-existence already stated in verse one:  "In the beginning was the Word."

Lamb of God:  John is lauded as a "witness" (1:7), which is high praise in the fourth gospel.  To what does John "witness"?  "Behold the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world."  Israel had already heard of the "suffering servant" (Isaiah 53) who would "bear the sins of many."  In the fourth gospel, the Lamb takes away the sin of the world.

The "paschal lamb" is the sacrifice mandated by Torah at passover.  Later in the fourth gospel, Jesus will be condemned to death at noon on the day before passover, the precise time when passover lambs were slain in the Temple.  (Ray Brown says that the hyssop Jesus was offered on the cross (19:29) is also the hyssop that was smeared with the blood of the paschal lamb which was then applied to the doorposts of the Israelites (Ex 12:22).  The fourth gospel likes passover themes.)

The Lamb of God takes away the sin of the world--note the singular.  Here, sin is viewed as something of a cosmic power, a view which also appears in Paul.  The Lamb defeats the enslaving power of sin.  It's about cosmic victory, in other words, and not about the snarky remark you made to Aunt Freda about her new hat.  Note, too, that there is no sacrificial language here, which Ray Brown also notes and, good Catholic that he is, doesn't like.

John's witness:  This is the fourth gospel's narrative of the baptism of Jesus.  But, no baptism!  Why not?  Mark says that John's baptism was a "baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins."  In my view, the author of the fourth gospel knew Mark, but rejects his language, and, indeed, the entire baptism.  For the fourth gospel, it is only the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

In Mark, the heavens were torn apart and the Spirit "descended like a dove" on Jesus.  In the fourth gospel, the Spirit descended "out of heaven"--ek ouranou--and "abided"--emeinen--on Jesus.  The root word menein--abiding, remaining--is a major concept in the fourth gospel.  Jesus "abides" with his people, and his people "abide" in him.

Unlike the synoptics, there is no voice from heaven.  Rather, John is a witness, as stated earlier in verse 8:  "he came to testify to the light."  Here he "witnesses"--martureo--that “he on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.” 

Wes Howard-Brock notes that the Johannine community was trying to "establish its credibility" with the "emerging apostolic Christian authority" represented by people such as Peter and Paul, both of whom "saw" Jesus.  The author of the fourth gospel is also a "disciple-witness," and his (or her) witness is trustworthy.  "This is the disciple who is testifying to these things and has written them, and we know that his testimony is true (21:24)."  Believing on the basis of witness is highly prized in the fourth gospel (20:29).

What are you seeking?:

The next day, again John was standing, and two of his disciples.  And he looked to Jesus.  Walking around, he said, "Behold the lamb of God."  The two disciples heard him speak and they followed Jesus.  Jesus turned and saw them following.  He said to them, "What are you seeking?"  They said to him, "Rabbi, (which is being interpreted, teacher), where are you abiding?"  He said to them, "Come and see."  Then, they came and saw where he dwelt, and alongside him they remained that day.  It was about the tenth hour.

One of the two who heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter.  He finds first his brother Simon and said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which is interpreted, Christ).  He brought him to Jesus.  Jesus looked upon him (and) said, "You are Simon, the son of John.  You will be called Cephas" (which is interpreted Petros).

Based on John's witness, two of John's own disciples follow Jesus.  One is identified as Andrew, the other is unidentified.  Some say this person is actually the Beloved Disciple and author of the book.  In any case, the movement is away from John and toward Jesus.  As John will later say, "He must increase, I must decrease" (3:30). 

Jesus "turns" to them--in the fourth gospel, a sign of deepening relationship (20:16).  He asks what they are "seeking"--zeteite.  The word is used 23 times in the fourth gospel.  Some seek the way of God, and some seek to advance their own position (7:18).  Jesus asks a direct question that speaks to the heart of the human experience--"What are you seeking?"--and is not unlike God's first utterance to human beings in the book of Genesis:  "Where are you?"

The two disciples call Jesus "rabbi," a term that likely was not used before the destruction of the Temple in AD 70.  Nevertheless, the fourth gospel tells us that "rabbi" means "teacher."  The two disciples acknowledge Jesus as a spiritual leader, but want to know where he is "abiding, dwelling, staying"--menein, again.  How committed is he, and in what cause? 

Jesus tells them to "come and see."  "Seeing" has a lot of resonance in the fourth gospel.  To "see" is to trust and to follow.  (See the story of the man born blind in chapter 9.)  What do these two disciples "see" in this case?  They "see" where Jesus is "staying"--menein--and they "stay"--menein--with him. 

We are not told "where" this was.  Reading the text, you look for some identifiable place, some aspect of geography.  We are not given a "where," but rather a "when"--not a spatial reference, but a temporal one:  "It was about the tenth hour."  Odd.  Jesus is already co-mingling essential categories and he's just getting started!

Andrew and Simon Peter:  The first disciple in the fourth gospel--Andrew--is identified by his relationship to his more famous brother, Simon Peter.  (I like to think of the orthodox church in Delta, Colorado, the formal name of which is "The Orthodox Church of Saint Andrew, the First-Called Apostle.") 

Andrew refers to Jesus as "Messiah," with a helpful translation for non-Hebrew readers--"Christ".  This is now the third title for Jesus in this brief lection--"Lamb of God," "rabbi," and now "Messiah"--all of them Israel-centric and none of which are spoken by Jesus himself.  (Jesus will make his own self-referential identification later.)  Taken together, these titles "witness" to the total fulfillment of God's covenant with Israel in Jesus.

Simon Peter is referred to five times in just two verses.  He is identified, first, as Andrew's brother with the name Simon Peter.  Next, "Simon Peter" is reduced to the elemental "Simon."  After Jesus "looked upon him," Jesus calls him "Simon, son of John," who is then called "Cephas," then "Peter."  Jesus refers to him first in terms of his familial association, that most basic old world connection, then refers to him in terms of his new name, Cephas, symbolic of his being made a new person.  

Taken as a whole, we are given a complete identification of Peter.  We are told who he is both in this world and the world to come.  We should not be surprised.  As the fourth gospel had said in the beginning, "The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world (1:9)." 

Image:  Het lam Gods, Paul Werner

Baptism of Our Lord ::: Matthew 3: 13-17

Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. ¹⁴John would have prevented him, saying, ‘I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?’¹⁵But Jesus answered him, ‘Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfil all righteousness.’ Then he consented.

¹⁶And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. ¹⁷And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.’

Translation:  Then comes Jesus from Galilee to the Jordan to John to be baptized under him, but he forbade him, saying, "I have need to be baptized by you, and you come to me?"  But Jesus answered and said to him, "Let it be so for now, for in this manner it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness."  Then he let it be.

And, having been baptized, Jesus immediately was raised from the water, and behold! the heavens were opened and he saw the spirit of God coming down like a dove, coming upon him.  And behold! a voice out of heaven says, "This one is my son, the beloved, in whom I am well pleased."

Background and situation:  Our lection contains the first utterance of Jesus in Matthew's gospel.  First remarks are telling in all four gospels. 

In Mark, Jesus' first words are, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near.  Repent, and believe in the good news."  Put another way:  "The kairotic moment is now, God's reign is here, turn around your lives, trust the gospel"--all major themes of Mark's gospel. 

In Luke, Jesus first words are to read from the prophet Isaiah: 

‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
   because he has anointed me
     to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
   and recovery of sight to the blind,
     to let the oppressed go free, 
¹⁹to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.’

This fits well with Lukan themes such as an emphasis on the Holy Spirit, the prophetic mission of Jesus, help for the poor, healing as a sign of the kingdom, freedom from political oppression, and the connection of Jesus to the Jubilee year.  (The Jubilee year--"the year of the Lord's favor"--was to be marked by the cancellation of debt and return of property to its original owner.  In his version of the Lord's Prayer, Luke has "debts," and he means money.)

In the fourth gospel, Jesus' first words are addressed to two disciples who were following him.  He says, "What are you looking for?"  This is evocative of the first words of God--"Where are you?"--spoken to Adam and Eve in Genesis.  There are several such connections with Genesis in John's gospel.  The soaring introduction (1: 1-14) recalls the beginning of Genesis, as does Jesus' resurrection in a garden.

Matthew's agenda is different.  The first words of Jesus in Matthew are:  "Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfil all righteousness."  The first phrase is aphes arti.  Aphes, of course, is also translated as "release" or "forgive."  (Aphes will be used a lot in Matthew's gospel.)

The issue of the Baptist:  The "for now" part is how Matthew handles the issue of John the Baptist.  The baptism of Jesus by John was a bit of an issue in the early church.  You can tell by the squeamishness with which the story is told in all four gospels.  Mark relates the actual baptism in the passive voice, and puts the focus squarely on the voice from heaven, as does Matthew. 

Matthew adds to Mark the dialog in which John tries to talk Jesus out of being baptized by him.  Luke says only that Jesus was baptized, but doesn't mention that it was John who did the baptism.  (In the verse just prior to the baptism in Luke's gospel, John is in prison!)  The fourth gospel doesn't mention the baptism at all, only that the Spirit descended on Jesus like a dove.

John's baptism implied a hierarchical relationship.  The baptizer is senior to the baptizee.  John himself recognizes this in Matthew's gospel, and says that Jesus should instead baptize him.  He should be subordinate to Jesus.  Matthew drums this in with his use of the imperfect:  "John kept preventing him."  (Thus, we have somewhat of a theological Alphonse and Gaston routine:  "You first."  "No, you first.")

John is right, of course.  Baptism was for sinners (3:6).  If that's so, what's Jesus doing here?  What John needs is to be baptized by Jesus--"with the Holy Spirit and with fire" (3:11)--not for Jesus to baptized, "confessing (his) sins." 

John is right about that, but misunderstands the nature of God's mission.  God's reign will not be about John's fiery images of judgment for sinners, but rather God's "full immersion" into the trials and tribulations of his people.  

The baptism of Jesus:  Jesus' entry into the river recalls the Hebrew peoples' entrance into the Promised Land.  In solidarity with them, Jesus stands in line with sinners.  Jesus' mission will not be punishment of sinners, but identification with sinners.

This should be considered:  John's request that Jesus baptize him would have been to affirm hierarchical relationships, the senior partner initiating the junior one.  Hierarchical relationships are all upended in the new reign of God.  "The last shall be first," after all, "and the first shall be last" (20:16).  Jesus' solidarity with sinners is, in God's upside-down way, the superior position.   

But release it, Jesus says.  "Let it go for now."  (John then "let it go"--aphes, again.)  Why?  Because "it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness."  (Note the "for us."  Jesus sees John as a partner in this enterprise, neither a superior nor an inferior.) 

Righteousness is a key theme throughout Matthew's gospel.  In Jesus' first quoted utterance, Matthew puts the word right on Jesus' lips--"fulfill all righteousness."  "Fulfill"--pleroma--is a word Matthew often associates with the prophets.  "All righteousness"--the totality of it--is Jesus' solidarity with sinners, and in service to them.  As Jesus will explain later (20:28):

‘You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. ²⁶It will not be so among you; but whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant, ²⁷and whoever wishes to be first among you must be your slave; ²⁸just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.’

The actual baptism of Jesus is described briefly and, as in Mark, in the passive voice.  "Having been baptized, Jesus immediately ascended from the water," recalling both resurrection and the creation of the world.  He is the "new creation."

Then follow two "behold" statements--idou--unfortunately not translated in the New Revised Standard Version, which translates idou with the rather lame "see."  (Which is better?  The emphatic "Behold!  I bring you good tidings of great joy!"  Or, "See, I bring you good tidings of great joy.") 

Matthew uses idou to announce something important.  "Behold!  The heavens were opened."  This is a moment of special revelation.  The abyss between heaven and earth is traversed.  "And the spirit of God descended like a dove on him." 

Said the prophet Isaiah, "Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down" (64:1)  In continuity with the vision of Isaiah, God does come down, all the way down into the muck and mire of human existance.  Moreover, God comes down not with John's fire, but as a dove, with peace.

Then another "Behold!"  "A voice out of heaven saying, 'This one is my son, the beloved, in whom I am well pleased."  God is saying that Jesus is the expression--the earthly issue--of God's very self.  God is not saying anything about trinitarian theology, a subject which, if we go by the scriptures, does not interest God all that much.  God is putting the imprimatur on Jesus.  In the way of Jesus, in his service on behalf of sinners, in his identification with sinners, we see the expressed desire of God himself.

Image:  The River, John August Swanson

 

Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. ¹⁴John would have prevented him, saying, ‘I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?’¹⁵But Jesus answered him, ‘Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfil all righteousness.’ Then he consented.

¹⁶And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. ¹⁷And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.’

Translation:  Then comes Jesus from Galilee to the Jordan to John to be baptized under him, but he forbade him, saying, "I have need to be baptized by you, and you come to me?"  But Jesus answered and said to him, "Let it be so for now, for in this manner it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness."  Then he let it be.

And, having been baptized, Jesus immediately was raised from the water, and behold! the heavens were opened and he saw the spirit of God coming down like a dove, coming upon him.  And behold! a voice out of heaven says, "This one is my son, the beloved, in whom I am well pleased."

Background and situation:  Our lection contains the first utterance of Jesus in Matthew's gospel.  First remarks are telling in all four gospels. 

In Mark, Jesus' first words are, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near.  Repent, and believe in the good news."  Put another way:  "The kairotic moment is now, God's reign is here, turn around your lives, trust the gospel"--all major themes of Mark's gospel. 

In Luke, Jesus first words are to read from the prophet Isaiah: 

‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
   because he has anointed me
     to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
   and recovery of sight to the blind,
     to let the oppressed go free, 
¹⁹to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.’

This fits well with Lukan themes such as an emphasis on the Holy Spirit, the prophetic mission of Jesus, help for the poor, healing as a sign of the kingdom, freedom from political oppression, and the connection of Jesus to the Jubilee year.  (The Jubilee year--"the year of the Lord's favor"--was to be marked by the cancellation of debt and return of property to its original owner.  In his version of the Lord's Prayer, Luke has "debts," and he means money.)

In the fourth gospel, Jesus' first words are addressed to two disciples who were following him.  He says, "What are you looking for?"  This is evocative of the first words of God--"Where are you?"--spoken to Adam and Eve in Genesis.  There are several such connections with Genesis in John's gospel.  The soaring introduction (1: 1-14) recalls the beginning of Genesis, as does Jesus' resurrection in a garden.

Matthew's agenda is different.  The first words of Jesus in Matthew are:  "Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfil all righteousness."  The first phrase is aphes arti.  Aphes, of course, is also translated as "release" or "forgive."  (Aphes will be used a lot in Matthew's gospel.)

The issue of the Baptist:  The "for now" part is how Matthew handles the issue of John the Baptist.  The baptism of Jesus by John was a bit of an issue in the early church.  You can tell by the squeamishness with which the story is told in all four gospels.  Mark relates the actual baptism in the passive voice, and puts the focus squarely on the voice from heaven, as does Matthew. 

Matthew adds to Mark the dialog in which John tries to talk Jesus out of being baptized by him.  Luke says only that Jesus was baptized, but doesn't mention that it was John who did the baptism.  (In the verse just prior to the baptism in Luke's gospel, John is in prison!)  The fourth gospel doesn't mention the baptism at all, only that the Spirit descended on Jesus like a dove.

John's baptism implied a hierarchical relationship.  The baptizer is senior to the baptizee.  John himself recognizes this in Matthew's gospel, and says that Jesus should instead baptize him.  He should be subordinate to Jesus.  Matthew drums this in with his use of the imperfect:  "John kept preventing him."  (Thus, we have somewhat of a theological Alphonse and Gaston routine:  "You first."  "No, you first.")

John is right, of course.  Baptism was for sinners (3:6).  If that's so, what's Jesus doing here?  What John needs is to be baptized by Jesus--"with the Holy Spirit and with fire" (3:11)--not for Jesus to baptized, "confessing (his) sins." 

John is right about that, but misunderstands the nature of God's mission.  God's reign will not be about John's fiery images of judgment for sinners, but rather God's "full immersion" into the trials and tribulations of his people.  

The baptism of Jesus:  Jesus' entry into the river recalls the Hebrew peoples' entrance into the Promised Land.  In solidarity with them, Jesus stands in line with sinners.  Jesus' mission will not be punishment of sinners, but identification with sinners.

This should be considered:  John's request that Jesus baptize him would have been to affirm hierarchical relationships, the senior partner initiating the junior one.  Hierarchical relationships are all upended in the new reign of God.  "The last shall be first," after all, "and the first shall be last" (20:16).  Jesus' solidarity with sinners is, in God's upside-down way, the superior position.   

But release it, Jesus says.  "Let it go for now."  (John then "let it go"--aphes, again.)  Why?  Because "it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness."  (Note the "for us."  Jesus sees John as a partner in this enterprise, neither a superior nor an inferior.) 

Righteousness is a key theme throughout Matthew's gospel.  In Jesus' first quoted utterance, Matthew puts the word right on Jesus' lips--"fulfill all righteousness."  "Fulfill"--pleroma--is a word Matthew often associates with the prophets.  "All righteousness"--the totality of it--is Jesus' solidarity with sinners, and in service to them.  As Jesus will explain later (20:28):

‘You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. ²⁶It will not be so among you; but whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant, ²⁷and whoever wishes to be first among you must be your slave; ²⁸just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.’

The actual baptism of Jesus is described briefly and, as in Mark, in the passive voice.  "Having been baptized, Jesus immediately ascended from the water," recalling both resurrection and the creation of the world.  He is the "new creation."

Then follow two "behold" statements--idou--unfortunately not translated in the New Revised Standard Version, which translates idou with the rather lame "see."  (Which is better?  The emphatic "Behold!  I bring you good tidings of great joy!"  Or, "See, I bring you good tidings of great joy.") 

Matthew uses idou to announce something important.  "Behold!  The heavens were opened."  This is a moment of special revelation.  The abyss between heaven and earth is traversed.  "And the spirit of God descended like a dove on him." 

Said the prophet Isaiah, "Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down" (64:1)  In continuity with the vision of Isaiah, God does come down, all the way down into the muck and mire of human existance.  Moreover, God comes down not with John's fire, but as a dove, with peace.

Then another "Behold!"  "A voice out of heaven saying, 'This one is my son, the beloved, in whom I am well pleased."  God is saying that Jesus is the expression--the earthly issue--of God's very self.  God is not saying anything about trinitarian theology, a subject which, if we go by the scriptures, does not interest God all that much.  God is putting the imprimatur on Jesus.  In the way of Jesus, in his service on behalf of sinners, in his identification with sinners, we see the expressed desire of God himself.

Image:  The River, John August Swanson

Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. ¹⁴John would have prevented him, saying, ‘I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?’¹⁵But Jesus answered him, ‘Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfil all righteousness.’ Then he consented.

¹⁶And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. ¹⁷And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.’

Translation:  Then comes Jesus from Galilee to the Jordan to John to be baptized under him, but he forbade him, saying, "I have need to be baptized by you, and you come to me?"  But Jesus answered and said to him, "Let it be so for now, for in this manner it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness."  Then he let it be.

And, having been baptized, Jesus immediately was raised from the water, and behold! the heavens were opened and he saw the spirit of God coming down like a dove, coming upon him.  And behold! a voice out of heaven says, "This one is my son, the beloved, in whom I am well pleased."

Background and situation:  Our lection contains the first utterance of Jesus in Matthew's gospel.  First remarks are telling in all four gospels. 

In Mark, Jesus' first words are, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near.  Repent, and believe in the good news."  Put another way:  "The kairotic moment is now, God's reign is here, turn around your lives, trust the gospel"--all major themes of Mark's gospel. 

In Luke, Jesus first words are to read from the prophet Isaiah: 

‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
   because he has anointed me
     to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
   and recovery of sight to the blind,
     to let the oppressed go free, 
¹⁹to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.’

This fits well with Lukan themes such as an emphasis on the Holy Spirit, the prophetic mission of Jesus, help for the poor, healing as a sign of the kingdom, freedom from political oppression, and the connection of Jesus to the Jubilee year.  (The Jubilee year--"the year of the Lord's favor"--was to be marked by the cancellation of debt and return of property to its original owner.  In his version of the Lord's Prayer, Luke has "debts," and he means money.)

In the fourth gospel, Jesus' first words are addressed to two disciples who were following him.  He says, "What are you looking for?"  This is evocative of the first words of God--"Where are you?"--spoken to Adam and Eve in Genesis.  There are several such connections with Genesis in John's gospel.  The soaring introduction (1: 1-14) recalls the beginning of Genesis, as does Jesus' resurrection in a garden.

Matthew's agenda is different.  The first words of Jesus in Matthew are:  "Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfil all righteousness."  The first phrase is aphes arti.  Aphes, of course, is also translated as "release" or "forgive."  (Aphes will be used a lot in Matthew's gospel.)

The issue of the Baptist:  The "for now" part is how Matthew handles the issue of John the Baptist.  The baptism of Jesus by John was a bit of an issue in the early church.  You can tell by the squeamishness with which the story is told in all four gospels.  Mark relates the actual baptism in the passive voice, and puts the focus squarely on the voice from heaven, as does Matthew. 

Matthew adds to Mark the dialog in which John tries to talk Jesus out of being baptized by him.  Luke says only that Jesus was baptized, but doesn't mention that it was John who did the baptism.  (In the verse just prior to the baptism in Luke's gospel, John is in prison!)  The fourth gospel doesn't mention the baptism at all, only that the Spirit descended on Jesus like a dove.

John's baptism implied a hierarchical relationship.  The baptizer is senior to the baptizee.  John himself recognizes this in Matthew's gospel, and says that Jesus should instead baptize him.  He should be subordinate to Jesus.  Matthew drums this in with his use of the imperfect:  "John kept preventing him."  (Thus, we have somewhat of a theological Alphonse and Gaston routine:  "You first."  "No, you first.")

John is right, of course.  Baptism was for sinners (3:6).  If that's so, what's Jesus doing here?  What John needs is to be baptized by Jesus--"with the Holy Spirit and with fire" (3:11)--not for Jesus to baptized, "confessing (his) sins." 

John is right about that, but misunderstands the nature of God's mission.  God's reign will not be about John's fiery images of judgment for sinners, but rather God's "full immersion" into the trials and tribulations of his people.  

The baptism of Jesus:  Jesus' entry into the river recalls the Hebrew peoples' entrance into the Promised Land.  In solidarity with them, Jesus stands in line with sinners.  Jesus' mission will not be punishment of sinners, but identification with sinners.

This should be considered:  John's request that Jesus baptize him would have been to affirm hierarchical relationships, the senior partner initiating the junior one.  Hierarchical relationships are all upended in the new reign of God.  "The last shall be first," after all, "and the first shall be last" (20:16).  Jesus' solidarity with sinners is, in God's upside-down way, the superior position.   

But release it, Jesus says.  "Let it go for now."  (John then "let it go"--aphes, again.)  Why?  Because "it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness."  (Note the "for us."  Jesus sees John as a partner in this enterprise, neither a superior nor an inferior.) 

Righteousness is a key theme throughout Matthew's gospel.  In Jesus' first quoted utterance, Matthew puts the word right on Jesus' lips--"fulfill all righteousness."  "Fulfill"--pleroma--is a word Matthew often associates with the prophets.  "All righteousness"--the totality of it--is Jesus' solidarity with sinners, and in service to them.  As Jesus will explain later (20:28):

‘You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. ²⁶It will not be so among you; but whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant, ²⁷and whoever wishes to be first among you must be your slave; ²⁸just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.’

The actual baptism of Jesus is described briefly and, as in Mark, in the passive voice.  "Having been baptized, Jesus immediately ascended from the water," recalling both resurrection and the creation of the world.  He is the "new creation."

Then follow two "behold" statements--idou--unfortunately not translated in the New Revised Standard Version, which translates idou with the rather lame "see."  (Which is better?  The emphatic "Behold!  I bring you good tidings of great joy!"  Or, "See, I bring you good tidings of great joy.") 

Matthew uses idou to announce something important.  "Behold!  The heavens were opened."  This is a moment of special revelation.  The abyss between heaven and earth is traversed.  "And the spirit of God descended like a dove on him." 

Said the prophet Isaiah, "Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down" (64:1)  In continuity with the vision of Isaiah, God does come down, all the way down into the muck and mire of human existance.  Moreover, God comes down not with John's fire, but as a dove, with peace.

Then another "Behold!"  "A voice out of heaven saying, 'This one is my son, the beloved, in whom I am well pleased."  God is saying that Jesus is the expression--the earthly issue--of God's very self.  God is not saying anything about trinitarian theology, a subject which, if we go by the scriptures, does not interest God all that much.  God is putting the imprimatur on Jesus.  In the way of Jesus, in his service on behalf of sinners, in his identification with sinners, we see the expressed desire of God himself.

Image:  The River, John August Swanson