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A Sabbath Day's Journey

By: Rev. Paul Landgraf
What is a Sabbath day's journey? First of all, it is a Jewish expression. We measure distances in meters or yards. The Jews had a certain distance that they could walk on Saturday before it would be considered work. So their synagogues that they went to on Saturday could not be very far away. The word appears only in Acts 1:12 and indicates a distance of about three-quarters of a mile.

With that in mind, I think it is important to remember the origins of Christianity. Just because we have an Old Testament, it does not mean that we call it the 'Outdated Testament'. Much of the Old Testament has a literary structure that we are not aware of because of our modern emphasis on chapter and verse divisions. Within many of these blogs, I try to get the reader to see a bigger picture, a larger perspective that often includes the Old Testament and the environment that was present when the New Testament was seeing the Light of the day.

Second, a Sabbath day's journey is intentionally short. These 'journeys' with a text, almost always one of the three readings for that Sunday, are deliberately brief discussions. This blog was never designed to be a comprehensive look at any text. Sometimes a specific word is studied in detail. But, as a whole, a blog entry, by itself, is meant to be quite brief.

Finally, since the term 'Sabbath day's journey' appears in Acts, it is meant to appeal to a wide variety of people. This blog is meant for those who cannot come on Sunday mornings. And it is also for those who do come on Sunday mornings but would also like a further study of the text. It is also for those who live somewhere else in the world (besides Drake and Freedom, Missouri, USA) and would simply like a further study of the text. It was meant to get these different groups of people to start thinking about the biblical texts. Part of the reason for this blog is that I am not able to have a bible class on Sunday mornings with either congregation, and so, to have a blog like this seemed like a good idea. I hope it is helpful for you, in whatever situation you may be.

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. And thank you for taking the time to read this!

June 3rd, 2023

6/3/2023

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This Sunday is the only Sunday of the year that is specifically devoted to a teaching of the Church, more specifically the holy Trinity—three Persons and one God. As was mentioned in last week’s writing, this is somewhat in the middle of the church year, and we are also at somewhat of a midpoint in our walk through the Gospel according to Matthew.

Jesus heads to the cross in all four gospel accounts, but in the Gospel according to Matthew, he heads there as a teacher. And as a teacher, he gives out some significant sermons, and we are approaching the third of his five major sermons, and these sermons may be connected to the first five books of the Old Testament (more on that another time).

Either way, the third or central sermon is a significant one. In much the same way, a trip has a significant middle. Some of the same things Jesus stated earlier will be stated again, but that does not necessarily make them clearer. What makes this third sermon difficult in seeing its level of importance is that it is a series of parables. Parables are not always clear, and that is somewhat the point. Those who were already rejecting Jesus heard the parables and thought he was crazy. And those who received Jesus as a gift from their heavenly Father continued to receive his gifts through the words of these parables.

The following sermon has a unique structure. For one thing, there are a significant number of interruptions. The temptation with such a complicated structure is to impose a predetermined structure on the words. In an effort to avoid that, for this sermon, what is given is the ENTIRE text, including the interruptions, and by reading through it (perhaps a few times), one may see some important signals that will be brought up in more detail in the writing for next week. To be helpful, some of those similarities have been put in bold print.

This is going to make this week’s writing significantly longer than normal, but I hope that it does not bother you too much. So, what follows is a somewhat-literal translation of what is the third of Jesus’ five sermons and the vast majority of chapter thirteen in the Gospel according to Matthew—almost to the end [verses 1-52]:

In the day, that, going out, the Jesus, of the house, he sat beside the sea; and they were assembled to him, crowds, many, so as, him, into a boat, embarking, to sit, and all the crowd on the shore stood.

And he was speaking to them many things in parables, saying, “Behold, he went out, the one sowing, to sow, and in the sowing of him, some, on the one hand, fell beside the path, and, coming, the birds devoured them. Now others fell on the rocky places where not it had earth, much, and immediately it sprang up, on account of not to have depth of earth; now the sun, having risen, it was scorched, and on account of not to have root, it was dried up. Now others fell on the thorns, and they came up, the thorns, and they choked them. Now others fell on the earth, the good, and they gave fruit, the one, a hundred, and the other, sixty, and the other, thirty. The one having ears, let him hear.”

And, approaching, the disciples said to him, “Why in parables do you speak to them?”
Now he, answering, said, “Because to you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of the heavens, now to those, not it has been given. For who has, it will be given to him, and he will have abundance; now who, not he has, even what he has will be taken from him. On account of this, in parables to them, I am speaking; because, seeing, not they see, and hearing, not they hear, neither do they understand.’ And it is fully fulfilled to them the prophecy of Isaiah, the one saying: ‘In hearing, you will hear, and certainly not understand, and seeing, you will see, and certainly not perceive. For waxed gross, the heart of the people, this, and with the ears, heavily, they heard, and the eyes of them, they closed; lest they see with the eyes and with the ears, they hear, and with the heart, they understand, and they turn back, and I will heal them.’”

“Now, of you, blessed the eyes, because they see, and the ears of you, because they hear. For, amen, I am saying to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see which you see, and not they did see, and to hear the things which you hear, and not they did hear.”

“Therefore, you, yourselves, hear the parable of the sowing one. All hearing the word of the kingdom and not understanding, he comes, the evil one, and he seizes the thing having been sown in the heart of him; this is by the path, sown. Now the thing on the rocky places sown, this is the one, the word hearing, and immediately with joy, receiving it; now not he has root in himself, but on the contrary, short-lived it is, now occurring tribulation or persecution on account of the word, immediately, he is scandalized. Now the thing in the thorns sown, this is the one, the word hearing, and the anxiety of the age and the deceit of the riches chokes the word, and unfruitful it becomes. Now the thing on the good earth sown, this is the one, the word hearing and understanding, who indeed bears fruit and makes one, on the one hand, a hundred, on the other hand, sixty, on the other hand, thirty.”

Another parable he set before them, saying, “It was likened, the kingdom of the heavens, to a man sowing good seed in the field of him. Now in the sleeping, the men, he came, of him, the enemy, and over-sowed tares in between the wheat, and he went away. Now when it sprouted, the grass, and fruit it made, then it appeared, also, the tares. Now approaching, the servants of the housemaster said to him, ‘Lord, we, good seed sowed in your field, did we not? Therefore, from where has it tares?’ Now he said to them, ‘An enemy man, this, he did.’ Now the servants say to him, ‘Therefore, do you want, going away, we may collect them?’ Now he says, ‘No, lest, collecting the tares, you root up together with them the wheat. Leave, to grow together, both, until the harvest; and in appointed time of the harvest, I will say to the reapers, “Collect first the tares and bind them into bundles, to burn them, now the wheat, gather into the barn of me.”’”

Another parable he set before them, saying, “Like is the kingdom of the heavens to a grain of mustard, which, taking, a man sowed in the field of him; which less, on the one hand, it is of all the seeds, on the other hand, when it grows, greater of the herbs it is, and it becomes a tree, so as to come, the birds of the heaven, and they dwell in the branches of it.”

Another parable he was speaking to them, “Like is the kingdom of the heavens to leaven, which, taking, a woman hid in, of meal, measures three, until it was leavened, the whole.”

These things, all, he was speaking, the Jesus, in parables to the crowds, and without a parable, nothing, he was speaking to them, so that, it was fulfilled, the thing spoken through the prophet, saying, “I will open, in parables, the mouth of me; I will utter things having been hidden from a foundation of a world.”

Then, dismissing the crowds, he came into the house. And they approached him, the disciples of him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field.” Now he, answering, said, “The one sowing the good seed is the Son of the Man. And the field is the world. Now the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom. Now the tares are the sons of the evil. Now the enemy, the one sowing them is the devil, and the harvest, completion of the age, it is, now the reapers, angels they are. Therefore, as they are collected, the tares, and with fire they are consumed, thus it will be in the completion of the age. He will send out, the Son of the Man, the angels of him, and they will collect out of the kingdom of him, all the scandals and the ones doing the lawlessness, and they will throw them into the furnace of the fire; there it will be, the wailing and the gnashing of the teeth. Then the righteous with shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of the Father of them. The one having ears, let him hear.”

“Like it is, the kingdom of the heavens, to treasure, having been hidden in the field, which, finding, a man hid, and from the joy of him, he goes and sells all things he has, and he buys the field, that.”

“Again, like it is, the kingdom of the heavens, to a man, a merchant seeking good pearls. Now finding one, valuable pearl, going away, he sells all things what he had, and he buys it.”

“Again, like it is, the kingdom of the heavens, to a net thrown into the sea, and from every kind, gathering, which, when it was filled, bringing up upon the shore and, sitting, collected the good into vessels, now the bad out, they threw. Thus, it will be in the completion of the age; they will go out, the angels, and they will separate the evil men from the midst of the righteous, and they will throw them into the furnace of the fire; there it will be, the wailing and the gnashing of the teeth.”

“Do you understand these things, all?” They say to him, “Yes.”
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Now he said to them, “On account of this, every scribe, discipled in the kingdom of the heavens, like it is to a man, a housemaster, who throws out of the treasure of him new and old things.”
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May 27th, 2023

5/27/2023

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This Sunday is the Day of Pentecost. And the rest of the church year is basically the Sundays after Pentecost. You might see this Sunday as a type of midpoint in the church year. And as we have been going through the Gospel according to Matthew as it is laid out from beginning to end, we are not yet at the midpoint of this entire gospel account (and his big move toward the cross and his tomb), but we have seen some ‘secondary’ midpoints within the chapters (which also point to that cross and the empty tomb), and we are certainly very close to the midpoint of looking at the third of the five sermons within this gospel account.

We are about to approach the third sermon of this gospel account. Between the second and third sermon there are basically three times that the word ‘then’ comes up, and then some significant action follows. The first one was given in the last section of the text and dealt with some unrepentant people. And Jesus has some harsh words for them. In the text that follows, there are two more times that the word comes up. It is interesting that, with this first ‘then’, Jesus does a miracle that some misinterpret as showing that he is in league with Satan, but Jesus points out how illogical that accusation is. And with the second ‘then’, some leaders ask him for a sign, and Jesus points them to his death and resurrection—with a great amount of similarity to the prophet Jonah. The ramifications of that cross and empty tomb are already becoming somewhat clear.

It is also interesting that, at the first non-sermon section, there was an interruption that pointed to Jesus’ resurrection (by a miracle of raising someone back to life; see Matthew 9:18ff). And there is also an interruption in the text below, and this one leads to a different type of ‘resurrection’, that of being in a new family, one with God as Father and Jesus as a brother. This is certainly another miracle, although it is certainly very hidden.

Here is a somewhat-literal translation of that next section [Matthew 12:22-50]:

Then he was brought to him, a demon-possessed man, blind and mute, and he healed him, so as the mute to speak and to see. And they were beside themselves, all the crowds, and they said, “This is not the Son of David, is it?”

Now the Pharisees, hearing, said, “This man does not throw out the demons except in the Beelzebub, ruler of the demons.”

Now, knowing the thoughts of them, he said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself not it will stand. And if the Satan, the Satan, he throws out, against himself he was divided. Therefore, how will it stand, the kingdom of him? And if I, in Beelzebub, I throw out the demons, the sons of you, in what do they throw out?”

“On account of this, they, judges, they shall be of you. Now if in Spirit of God I myself throw out the demons, then it came upon you, the kingdom of the God. Or how he can, anyone, to enter into the house of the strong man and the vessels of him to seize, if not, first, he binds the strong man? And then the house of him he will plunder. The one not being with me, against me he is, and the one not gathering with me, he scatters.”

“On account of this I am saying to you, all sin and blasphemy will be forgiven to the men, now the of-the-Spirit blasphemy, not it will be forgiven. And whoever speaks a word against the Son of the Man, it will be forgiven to him; now whoever speaks against the Spirit, the Holy, not it will be forgiven to him, neither in this, the age, nor in the coming. Either make the tree good and the fruit of it good, or make the tree corrupt and the fruit of it corrupt; for out of the fruit, the tree is known. Offspring of vipers, how can you, good things, to speak, evil being? For out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. The good man, out of the good treasure, he throws out good things, and the evil man, out of the evil treasure, he throws out evil things.”

“Now I am saying to you that every word, idle, which they will speak, the men, they will render concerning it a word in a day of judgment; for from the words of you, you will be justified, and from the words of you, you will be condemned.”

Then they answered him, some of the scribes and Pharisees, saying, “Teacher, we wish, from you, a sign to see.”

Now he, answering, said to them, “A generation, evil and adulterous, a sign it seeks, and a sign not will be given to it, except the sign of Jonah, the prophet. For as he was, Jonah, in the belly of the sea monster three days and three nights, so he will be, the Son of the Man, in the heart of the earth, three days and three nights. Men, Ninevites, will stand up in the judgment with the generation, this, and they will condemn it, because they repented into the proclamation of Jonah, and, behold, a greater thing of Jonah, here. A queen of the south will be raised in the judgment with the generation, this, and they will condemn it, because she came out of the limits of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and, behold, a great thing of Solomon, here.”

“Now when the unclean spirit goes out from the man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and not he finds. Then he says, ‘Into the house of me I will return from where I came out.’ And, coming, he finds, standing empty, having been swept and having been furnished. Then he goes and he takes with himself, seven other spirits, more evil of himself, and entering, he dwells there. And it becomes, the last things of the man, that, worse of the first. Thus it will be also, the generation, this, the evil.”

Still he, speaking to the crowds, behold, the mother and the brothers of him stood outside, seeking to him to speak. Now he said, someone, to him, “Behold, the mother of you and the brothers of you, outside, they are standing, seeking to you to speak.”
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Now he, answering, said to the saying to him, “Who is the mother of me, and who are the brothers of me?” And stretching out the hand of him upon the disciples of him, he said, “Behold, the mother of me and the brothers of me. For whoever does the will of the Father of me, in the heavens, he, of me, brother and sister and mother, he is.”
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May 20th, 2023

5/20/2023

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This Sunday is ‘The Seventh Sunday of Easter’, the last Sunday of the Easter season. But worship still continues on the day that Jesus rose from the dead. And with these writings we continue to make our way through the Gospel according to Matthew.

We are going through a non-sermon section of that gospel account, what are typically considered chapters eleven and twelve, and in the last writing we came upon the first ‘then’ of this section, and the point was made that that ‘then’ could be considered a midpoint. But we are going to be coming up other words that are considered time references at the beginning of the next sections as well, and this will eventually include two more ‘then’ statements. How do they connect?

Much could be said, but what should probably be said first is that our current, twenty-first century culture is very much based on time. And we are used to things happening so quickly, and when that does not happen, it is so easy to lose one’s patience.

When we hear the word ‘then’, we might think that something happened immediately after the previous things. (We will direct our attention to the word ‘immediately’ when we deal with the Gospel according to Mark.) For now, the word ‘then’ helps to give some order to things. But things do not have to happen immediately in close succession.

A good example of this slower pace in the Gospel according to Matthew could be found in the beginning of chapter three. At the end of chapter two, Joseph and Mary, with the baby Jesus, start dwelling in Nazareth, and the prophecy came true that he will be called a Nazarene. Then the next chapter starts out by saying: ‘Now in those days, John the Baptist arrives, proclaiming in the wilderness of Judea.’ Jesus is much older at that point. There is an awful LOT in ‘those days’.
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After the first ‘then’, there will be two time-related phrases of an ‘appointed time’. These seem to connect to the ‘then’, and then we get to a significant high point in this non-sermon section, that of a low point when it comes to what Jesus’ enemies think of him, and when we come to what the Old Testament has said of him. There will be two more times that the word ‘then’ comes up within this non-sermon section, and this section of translation will come up right before the next ‘then’. These time references seem to connect one another and give a wide range of reactions to Jesus and the path toward which he moves, that of his death and resurrection.

We will also come to the only historical present of this entire non-sermon section, the point when he heals the man with a withered hand. And the result of this is huge, that the Pharisees want to destroy him. This may be considered a low point—or a high point when we eventually come to the cross—and eventually the empty tomb.
Here is a somewhat-literal translation of that section [Matthew 11:25-12:21]:

In that, the appointed time, answering, the Jesus said: “I confess to you, Father, Lord of the heaven and of the earth, because you hid these things from wise and cunning, and you revealed them to infants; yes, the Father, because thus, well-pleasing it was before you. All things to me were delivered by the Father of me, and no one fully knows the Son except the Father, neither the Father anyone fully knows except the Son and to whom if he wills, the Son, to reveal. Come toward me, all the laboring and being burdened, and I will give rest to you. Take the yoke of me upon you, and learn from me, because meek I am and lowly in the heart, and you will find rest to the souls of you, for the yoke of me, gentle, and the burden of me, light, it is.”

In that, the appointed time, he went, the Jesus, on the Sabbath through the grainfields; now the disciples of him hungered, and they began to pluck heads and to eat. Now the Pharisees, seeing, said to him, “Behold, the disciples of you are doing what not it is lawful to do in a Sabbath.”

Now he said to them, “Not did you read what he did, David, when he hungered and the with him, how he entered into the house of the God and the Loaves of the Presentation he ate, which not lawful it was for him to eat, neither those with him, except for the priests only? Or not did you read in the Law that on the Sabbaths the priests in the temple, the Sabbath they profane, and guiltless they are? Now I am saying to you that, than the temple, a greater, it is here. Now if you had known what it is: Mercy I desire and not sacrifice, not you would condemn the guiltless. For Lord, he is, of the Sabbath, the Son of the Man.”

And departing from there, he came into the synagogue of them. And behold, a man, a hand having withered, and they questioned him saying, if it is lawful on the Sabbaths to heal, in order that they might accuse him.

Now he said to them, “What will there be of you, a man, who he will have sheep, one, and if it falls, this, on the Sabbath, into a ditch, not he will lay hold of it and raise? Therefore, how much surpasses a man than a sheep. So that, it is lawful on the Sabbaths, good to do.

Then he says to the man, “Stretch out of you the hand.” And he stretched out, and it was restored, healthy, as the other. Now going out, the Pharisees, a counsel, they took, against him, thus him, they might destroy. Now the Jesus, knowing, departed from there.

And they followed him, crowds, many, and he healed them all, and he warned them that not manifest, him, they should make; that might be fulfilled, the spoken through Isaiah, the prophet, saying, “Behold, the servant of me whom I chose, the beloved of me, into whom it was delighted, the soul of me. I will put the spirit of me upon him, and judgment to the nations he will announce. Not he will quarrel, nor he will shout, nor he will hear, anyone, in the streets, the voice of him. A reed, having been bruised, not he will break, and flax, smoking, not he will quench, until he throws out into victory the judgment. And in the name of him, nations will hope.”
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May 13th, 2023

5/13/2023

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This Sunday is named ‘The Sixth Sunday of Easter’, and with that name you probably can tell that we are nearing the end of the Easter season. The Gospel reading for this Sunday [John 14:15-21] continues right after the previous week’s text, and in much the same way, our study continues in the Gospel according to Matthew, right after the previous text.

Last week’s writing ended the second of the five sermons within this account. The point was brought up that there is a structure to the sermons of Jesus that helps us to focus on the oft-overlooked midpoint of a text. This may help us to see a beautifully intricate message within the text.

As the previous non-sermon section of this gospel account put some emphasis on a ‘then’ section of the text—which, by the way, may also function as a type of midpoint—that introductory word may also be found in this section, but this time in more than one place. The following, somewhat-literal translation will go until after the first ‘then’ [Matthew 11:1-24]:

And it happened when he ended, the Jesus, directing to the twelve disciples of him, he removed from there to teach and to proclaim in the cities of them.
Now the John, hearing in the prison the works of the Christ, sending through the disciples of him, he said to him, ‘You, yourself, are the coming one, or another may we expect?’

And, answering, the Jesus said to them, ‘Going, report to John the things which you hear and you see. Blind men see again, and lame men walk, lepers are cleansed, and deaf men hear, and dead men are raised, and poor men are evangelized. And blessed is whoever is not scandalized in me.’

Now these, going, he began, the Jesus, to say to the crowds about John, ‘What you went out into the wilderness to behold, a reed by wind being shaken? But on the contrary, what you went out to see, a man in soft material having been clothed? Behold, the ones, the soft material wearing, in the houses of the kings, they are. But on the contrary, what you went out to see, a prophet? Yes, I am saying to you, and more of a prophet. This is he about whom it has been written: Behold, I myself am sending out the messenger of me before face of you, who will prepare the way of you before you.’

‘Amen, I am saying to you, not has arisen in those born of women, a greater of John the Baptist. Now the lesser in the kingdom of the heavens, greater of he is he. Now from the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of the heavens is violently treated, and violent men seize it. For all the prophets and the law until John, they prophesied. And if you are willing to receive, he himself is Elias, the one about to come. The one having ears, let him hear.’

‘Now to what will I compare the generation, this? Like it is to children, sitting in the marketplaces who, calling to the others, they say, “We piped to you and not you danced; we lamented and not you mourned.” For he came, John, neither eating nor drinking, and they say, “A demon he has.” He came, the Son of the Man, eating and drinking, and they say, “Behold, a man, gluttonous and a wine drinker, of tax collectors a friend and of sinners.” And it was justified, the wisdom, by the works of her.’

Then he began to reproach the cities in which it happened, the very many powerful things of him, because not they repented: ‘Woe to you, Chorazin; woe to you, Bethsaida, because if in Tyre and Sidon they happened, the powerful things, the having happened in you, long ago in sackcloth and ashes they would have repented. However, I am saying to you, for Tyre and Sidon more tolerable it will be in day of judgment than for you. And you, Capernaum, not until heaven were you exalted? As far as hades you shall descend; because if in Sodom they happened, the powerful things, the having happened in you, it would have remained until the today. However, I am saying to you that in land of Sodom more tolerable it will be in day of judgment than for you.’

The important events that were brought up from the last non-sermon section were a somewhat-oblique reference to Jesus’ death and resurrection. What helped to get the attention of those two things was an historical present, and there has been no historical present in this chapter so far.

At the very beginning of this text, there is a somewhat hidden reference to Jesus’ death and resurrection in the very beginning of this section, that Jesus went out to teach and proclaim. Note that the text does NOT say that Jesus went out and did lots of miracles.
We can see this emphasis on the good news of Jesus’ death and resurrection a bit more clearly on with his ‘to do’ list of things that he gives to the disciples of John, with the last thing on that list is that he evangelizes the poor. Note that the item immediately before that is that he raises the dead. What could be better than that? Something that gives ETERNAL life.

This is connected to what Jesus was ‘anointed’ to do. Note also near the beginning of the text above that John hears about the works of the ‘Christ’. Perhaps he was hoping for a miracle that would allow him to get out of prison.
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At the beginning of the last paragraph above is the first ‘then’ of the text. How is this first ‘then’ a midpoint? It will be clearer in the weeks to come, but this may be considered a type of reaction to the death and resurrection of Jesus. There are some who are unrepentant. They have chosen to place their trust in their own ‘miracles’. (This is not a great point on which to end, but if you would like to go farther into the biblical text, there is some definitely good news ahead.)
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May 6th, 2023

5/6/2023

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This Sunday continues our celebration of Easter, and it is called ‘The Fifth Sunday of Easter’, and we will continue to enjoy the broader perspective that usually comes with the Gospel according to John. The Gospel Reading is John 14:1-14, and at the start of it there is a small glimpse into what the Father’s house will be like.

As that gospel text is not too far from the literary middle of that gospel account, at the end of chapter twelve, last week’s weekly writing made the point that a midpoint may be a significant point within a sermon or a narrative. And since the midpoint is often overlooked in modern culture, with an emphasis at the beginning to catch the person’s attention or an emphasis at the end to make the whole thing memorable, midpoints can be extremely important for both the progression and the ultimate meaning of the work. The point was made last week that the middle and end of this sermon and other parts of this account may reflect the coming of Jesus, that one could say that he came at both the middle and end of time. But simply the middle may be an important point by itself.

As the middle and the end occurrence of the word ‘Father’ are important in the first sermon of Jesus, the middle word of the Lord’s Prayer, by itself, is significant. There is no history to this word, and it is usually translated as ‘daily’. All the other words are known. The very first and last words are especially familiar, being ‘Father’ and ‘evil’. But this middle word is, in a way, huge. What kind of bread will we receive from ‘Our Father’?

Jesus, in this second sermon, is clearly instructing his disciples. And he gave them a lot of commands. What is interesting about the commands within this sermon of Jesus is that the gentle commands, the third-person commands, are the middle commands. Commands are usually in the second person and a ‘you’ is understood (although not usually stated). In this case the middle command and the command immediately after it are the only gentle, the third-person commands.

Before that list of all the commands within this sermon can be given, it might be important to give the second half of the sermon. There are only a few commands within this part of the sermon, but there are still some important things to say within it. Here is the second half of the sermon, given in a somewhat-literal translation (Matthew 10:24-42):

“Not is a disciple above the teacher nor a slave above the lord of him. Enough for the disciple that he become as the teacher of him, and the slave as the lord of him. If the housemaster ‘Beelzebul’ they called, how much more the household members of him.”
“Therefore, do not fear them; for nothing is, having been veiled, which not, will be unveiled, and hidden which not, will be made known. What I am saying to you in the darkness, say in the light; and what into the ear you hear, proclaim on the housetops.”

“And do not fear from the ones killing the body, now the soul not having power to kill. Now fear, rather, the one having power both soul and body to destroy in Gehenna. Two sparrows of a farthing are sold, are they not? And one of them not will fall on the earth without the Father of you. Now of you, also the hairs of the head, all numbered, they are.”

“Therefore, do not fear; many sparrows you, yourself, excel. Therefore, all who will confess in me before the men, I myself also will confess in him before the Father of me, in the heavens; now whoever denies me before the men, I myself also will deny him before the Father of me, in the heavens.”

“Do not suppose that I came to throw peace upon the earth; I came not to throw peace, but on the contrary, a sword. For I came to divide a man against the father of him, and a daughter against the mother of her, and a bride against the mother-in-law of her. And enemies of the man, the household members of him.”

“The [brotherly] loving father or mother beyond me is not, of me, worthy. And the [brotherly] loving son or daughter beyond me is not, of me, worthy. And who takes not the cross of him and follows after me is not, of me, worthy. The finding the life of him will lose it, and the losing the life of him for the sake of me will find it. The receiving you, me receives, and the me receiving, receives the having sent me. The receiving a prophet into name of a prophet, reward of a prophet will receive, and the receiving a righteous man into the name of a righteous man, reward of a righteous man will receive. And whoever gives to drink one of the little, these, a cup of cold water, only into the name of a disciple, amen, I am saying to you, not at all will he lose the reward of him.”

What follows now are all the commands of the entire chapter-ten sermon, numbered (and versified) to be somewhat helpful. And they are also given in a somewhat-literal translation (and some of the words around them are also translated, to be helpful in finding them, especially near the end of the sermon when the commands are few and some of the same words are repeated). It is certainly okay for our loving Lord to give out his gentle commands in a hidden and gentle way.
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1. do not go (v. 5), 2. do not enter (v. 5), 3. go (v. 6), 4. proclaim (v. 7), 5. heal (v. 8), 6. raise (v. 8), 7. cleanse (v. 8), 8. throw out (v. 8), 9. freely give (v. 8), 10. do not provide (v. 9), 11. search out (v. 11), 12. remain (v. 11), 13. greet (v. 12), 14. let it come (v. 13), 15. let it return (v. 13), 16. shake off (v. 14), 17. therefore, be wise (v. 16), 18. Now beware (v. 17), 19. do not be anxious (v. 19), 20. flee (v. 23), 21. Therefore, do not fear (v. 26), 22. say in the light (v. 27), 23. proclaim on the housetops (v. 27), 24. do not fear from the ones killing the body (v. 28), 25. fear, rather, the one having power (v. 28), 26. Therefore, do not fear; many sparrows (v. 31), 27. Do not suppose that I came (v. 34).
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April 29th, 2023

4/29/2023

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This Sunday, typically called ‘The Fourth Sunday of Easter’, is often entitled ‘Good Shepherd Sunday’. And as Jesus calls himself the Good Shepherd in the tenth chapter of the Gospel according to John [the Gospel text for this year is John 10:1-10], last week in these writings we looked at Matthew 9, at the text which said that Jesus had compassion on the crowds ’because they were weary and scattered, as sheep not having a shepherd (Matthew 9:36b; in a somewhat-literal translation).’ Soon after this, Jesus begins his second sermon within his series of five sermons within this gospel account. The first part of it will be given below (Matthew 10:5-13; in a similar style of translation):

These, the twelve, he sent out, the Jesus, instructing them, saying:

“Into a way of nations do not go, and into a city of Samaritans do not enter, now go, rather, toward the sheep, the lost, of a house of Israel. Now, going, proclaim, saying, that it has come near, the kingdom of the heavens. Ailing, heal; dead, raise; lepers, cleanse; demons, throw out; freely you received, freely give.”

“Do not provide gold or silver or copper into the money belts of you, nor a wallet into a way, nor two tunics, nor sandals, nor staves; for worthy, the worker of the food of him. Now into whatever a city or village you enter, search out who in it worthy is; and there remain, until you go out. Now, entering into the house, greet it; and if, on the one hand, it is, the house, worthy; let it come, the peace of you upon it; on the other hand, if not it is worthy, the peace of you toward you, let it return.”

You might consider the words here an ‘intermission’. It IS, after all, a long sermon, and this IS a ‘Sabbath Day’s journey (a short journey)’ with a text. But there is something important to point out, or perhaps you noticed it already. There were some ‘easier’ commands given in the last few words of the above section.

This sermon, as a whole, contains a lot of commands. That is what Jesus indicated he was going to do at the very beginning. But there are only two commands that are given in what is called the ‘third-person’. These are similar to the commands that God had at the creation account, ‘Let there be light (Genesis 1:3).’

It also should be noted that these two gentle commands above have to do with peace. And this is something important after Jesus was raised from the dead. Jesus gives out peace in the resurrection accounts of both Luke and John (see Luke 24:36 and John 20:19, 21, 26). We could say that ultimately the peace that was from the apostles came from Jesus. The phrase above that is ‘the peace of you’ does not point to the individual disciples. Both times the word ‘you’ in that phrase is the plural ‘you’. In other words, the disciples cannot have an individual peace, one that comes from the Self. True peace comes from the One, Jesus, and it goes toward his many followers.

The following picks up from where we left off. Here is more of the text of the sermon in the same translation style (Matthew 10:14-23):

“And whoever will not receive you nor hear the words of you, going out, outside the house or the city, that, shake off the dust of the feet of you. Amen, I am saying to you, more tolerable it will be, land of Sodom and Gomorrah, in a day of judgment, than the city, that.”

“Behold, I myself am sending you, as sheep in a middle of wolves; therefore, be wise as the serpents and harmless as the doves.”

“Now beware from the men, for they will deliver you into sanhedrins, and in the synagogues of them, they will scourge you; and before leaders, now also kings, you will be led for the sake of me, into a testimony to them and to the nations.”

“Now when they deliver you, do not be anxious how or what you say, for it will be given to you in that, the hour, what you say; for not you, yourselves, are the saying ones, but on the contrary, the Spirit of the Father of you, the One saying in you.”

“Now he will deliver, a brother, a brother into death, and a father, a child, and they will rebel, children, against parents, and they will kill them.  And you will be, being hated, by all, on account of the name of me; now the enduring, into an end, this will be saved.”
“Now when they persecute you in the city, this, flee into the other; for, amen, I am saying to you, not at all, you will complete the cities of the Israel until he comes, the Son of the Man.”

If it is true that instructions or commands within this sermon are important, the last sentence above is also important. What appears here may be called an emphatic negation. There is a certain amount of authority that is given in such a statement.

What is interesting is that, like the gentle commands above, this emphatic negation only appears two times within this sermon as well, but they are not near to each other like the gentle commands. The emphatic negation appears near the middle and the end of the sermon, and this structure has been seen in other places.

There is the special name of ‘Jesus’ at the beginning and the end of the account of his naming (1:18-25), then with the phrase, ‘and they [the disciples] followed him’ a few chapters later, at the time when Jesus is calling his disciples (4:18-22), and then a somewhat similar structure was found in the first sermon of Jesus, the so-called ‘Sermon on the Mount’; there the usual use of the special title ‘Father’ was ‘your Father’, but the middle use of ‘Father’ was ‘our Father’ and the final use was ‘my Father’ (see 5:16 through 7:21).
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This middle-and-end structure is an important one, and it certainly fits with an important gospel account that connects to a man (rather than the lion, ox, or eagle). The emphatic negation is closely connected to the coming of the Son of Man. He certainly came with authority, and an emphatic negation also has authority. And Jesus also came at the ‘middle’ of time, and he will come again at the End.
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April 22nd, 2023

4/22/2023

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The second Sunday after Easter is typically called ‘The Third Sunday of Easter’. This Sunday the gospel text is from the Gospel according to Luke [24:13-35], and this text speaks of the ‘way’ or ‘road’. And we are continuing our ‘way’ or ‘road’ through the Gospel according to Matthew, at a slightly different position. But the ending is the same.

In the writing of last week, we looked at the last specific miracle that was described between the first and second sermons in this gospel account. This is the miracle that established two different directions in which one could go (Matthew 9:32-34). One could say that Jesus could do these ‘miraculous’ things because of the ‘ruler of the demons’, or he could do these things ultimately because of his heavenly Father. How will the last section of this non-sermon part of this gospel account (hopefully) point the reader/listener to the second of those two options?

Before we look at this last section of this narrative, it may be helpful to restate an earlier part of this gospel account, Matthew 4:23. This will be given a similar translation style to that of the text to be studied:

And he was going about in all the Galilee, teaching in the synagogues of them and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing all disease and all weakness in the people.

One will notice a great similarity to the first part of this next section (Matthew 9:35):
And he went about, the Jesus, the cities, all, and the villages, teaching in the synagogues of them and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing all disease and all weakness.

There are some extremely close similarities, but what are the differences? One difference is that the second text includes the name of Jesus, which is understandable since there have been many more people described since the chapter four. And the area in which Jesus is working is only Galilee in the first reference, and in the second reference, it is described as much larger. That is also understandable, since Jesus has gained more notoriety. After those slight differences, in both texts, there are the same three things described in an extremely similar way.

There were also three temptations given earlier in Matthew 4, and their order was different from that temptation account in the Gospel according to Luke. As the central temptation was the most important in the Gospel according to Matthew—the one having to do with Jesus in Jerusalem—and both times, the central thing of the three things listed that Jesus is doing seems to be the most important. Jesus is proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom.

This action is significantly different from simply teaching in the synagogues. And it is certainly different from miracles; powerful news is not necessarily good news. And it may be helpful to remember that the word ‘gospel’ is based on the word for a messenger being sent by a person with authority to do something important and not necessarily powerful. And in this statement, Jesus is seen as the messenger from the throne of his gracious heavenly Father.

What follows are the verses after that, the ending of chapter ten (Matthew 9:36-38; again, in the same translation style—somewhat literal—with the historical presents, like before, in bold print):

Now seeing the crowds, he had compassion concerning them, because they were weary and scattered as sheep not having a shepherd.

Then he says to the disciples of him, ‘On the one hand, the harvest, large, now on the other hand, the workers, few. Therefore, petition the Lord of the harvest so that he may throw out workmen into the harvest of him.

The concern is for the crowds that are ‘as sheep not having a shepherd’. How those crowds get shepherds is the next concern. The importance of the disciples is given in the verses which follow, up to the point where Jesus begins his next sermon. And the following is a somewhat-literal translation of that section (Matthew 10:1-4):

And calling near the twelve disciples of him, he gave to them authority of spirits, unclean, so as to throw out them, and to heal all disease and all weakness [cf. 9:35]. Now of the twelve apostles, the names are these: First, Simon, the one called Peter, and Andrew, the brother of him, and Jacob, the son of Zebedee, and John, the brother of him, Philip and Bartholomew, Thomas and Matthew, the tax-collector, Jacob, the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddeus, Simon, the Canaanite, and Judas, the Iscariot, the one also betraying him.
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Names are important, as is yours. This is especially true if you have been baptized. And at the beginning of this account, the story behind the name of Jesus was given. And now this ‘One who saves’ is sending out his twelve—but not yet to proclaim the gospel. For now, that is the business of Jesus.
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April 15th, 2023

4/15/2023

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The last two Sundays were known as the Sunday of the Passion and the Sunday of the Resurrection of our Lord. And there were two parts in Matthew 9 which had a noticeable connection to these significant events. Jesus started talking about the days when he would be taken from his followers (9:15), and Jesus also raised a person from the dead (9:25). These two events in Matthew 9 seem to be somewhat connected to death and resurrection of Jesus, and they were also connected to each other in that, while Jesus was talking in the first event, the second event begins right away (9:18).

It may be helpful to give, again, the response after Jesus raised the girl from the dead. Here is Matthew 9:26, again, in a somewhat-literal translation: And it went out, the report, this, into all the land, that. That line may be connected to the final line of the next miracle that Jesus does, which, interestingly enough, is also connected to the previous miracle in that Jesus is ‘passing by from there’. What follows is the text of Matthew 9:27-31, again, in a somewhat-literal translation (with the verbs in the historical present in bold print):

And passing by from there, the Jesus, they followed him, two blind ones, crying out and saying, “Have mercy on us, son of David.”

Now coming into the house, they approached him, the two blind ones, and he says to them, the Jesus: “Believe that I am able, this, to do?”

They say to him, “Yes, Lord.”

Then he touched the eyes of them, saying, “According to the faith of you, let it happen to you.” And they were opened of them, the eyes. And he warned them, the Jesus, saying, “See, no one, let know.” Now they, going out, spread about him in all the land, that.

After the miracle of the Matthew 9 resurrection, the text says that ‘the report’ is the thing that spreads into all the land. After the next miracle of the healing of the two blind ones, there is more of an emphasis on the people going out. In the same way that the previous events connected to the death and resurrection of Jesus, this event may be connected to the disciples going out at the end of Matthew 28.

The unique thing of this last miracle is that this is the first occurrence in this section of Matthew of someone else besides Jesus saying or doing something that is given in the historical present. The text could have said, ‘They said to him’, but the text says, ‘They say to him.’ This occurrence also connects this miracle to the events after the resurrection, since Jesus is alive forever and is still connected with his followers.

There is another close connection to what immediately follows this last miracle. What follows below is the last specific miracle that is given before the next sermon of Jesus. And it is an interesting miracle, especially when the result of it is given. Again, the translation type is the same as above (Matthew 9:32-34):

Now them, going out, behold, they brought to him a man who could not speak, demon possessed. And being thrown out, the demon, he spoke, the man who could not speak. And they marveled, the crowds, saying, “Never it appeared, thus, in the Israel.”

Now the Pharisees were saying, “In the ruler of the demons he throws out the demons.”

There already was a contrast between the crowd that was mourning the girl’s death and the two blind men. The crowd basically laughed at Jesus when he told them she was just sleeping, in stark contrast to the blind men who had faith. In contrast to the laughing crowd of mourners, these two blind men treated Jesus very seriously. Now after this last miracle, the marveling crowds said that nothing like this has happened before. And it seems that, with the inclusion of the comment of the Pharisees, there is a fork in the road for those who are traveling along with the text.

The uniqueness of the event could join the instigator with Satan, the so-called ‘ruler of the demons’. The other option is obviously that Jesus is connected to his Father in heaven. And the Sermon on the Mount gave a start to that connection.
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After Jesus’ resurrection, the news went out. And, in the same way, there were some incredible things happening. And Satan or God is behind those unbelievable things, because some extra power is needed. The thing to remember with this God, though, is that he is not so obvious in the giving out of his gifts with his power; he is better known for his love. And that is something that faith receives—as a gift.

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April 08th, 2023

4/8/2023

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You probably already know that this Sunday is Easter Sunday, the Sunday we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord. And you also probably know that the gospel text for this Sunday is a short one, especially when compared to last Sunday’s text. The gospel text which follows immediately after last Sunday’s typical text (on the Passion of Christ) is only the first ten verses of the beginning of the last chapter of the Gospel according to Matthew (28:1-10).

We are not that far, as we have our own pace through this Gospel account. We are basically going straight through that gospel account, in an effort to see its literary structure, without some of the distractions of chapter and verse divisions. We are all still headed toward the same ending. And, along the way, there may be some not-so-obvious references to Jesus’ death and resurrection.

As far as our placement within our own pace, we are currently in the middle of the first two sermons in this gospel account. The first one is the Sermon on the Mount. And the next one will be the sermon to the disciples before Jesus sends them out.

Last week we looked at the text that had the first historical present after the Sermon on the Mount that was not ‘he says’. The text does NOT say that the disciples of John ‘approached’ Jesus. It says that the disciples of John ‘are approaching’ Jesus (verse 14). Jesus is interacting with others, and he continues to do so.

Then Jesus hints that he will be taken away from them for some ‘days’ and that his followers will mourn. This seems to be a reference, basically to his departure during his arrest, his crucifixion, and his time in the tomb.

What follows below is a somewhat-literal translation of the next section, Matthew 9:18-26. Note that it connects to the previous text in a very basic way because Jesus, at the beginning of this text, is being interrupted.

These things, he speaking to them, behold, a ruler, one, coming, worshipped him saying, “The daughter of me, just now, died; but on the contrary, coming, lay on the hand of yours upon her, and she will live.” And, rising, Jesus was following him, also the disciples of him.

And, behold, a woman, blood flowing twelve years, approaching behind, touched the fringe of the garment of him, for she was saying in herself, “If only I may touch the garment of him, I will be saved.”

Now Jesus, turning and seeing her, said, “Be of good cheer, daughter; the faith of you has saved you.” And she was saved, the woman, from the hour, that.

And coming, Jesus, into the house of the ruler and seeing the flute players and the crowd, troubled, he was saying, “Depart, for not she died, the little girl, but on the contrary, she sleeps.” And they were laughing at him. Now when it was put out, the crowd, entering, he took hold of the hand of her, and she was raised, the little girl. And it went out, the report, this, into all the land, that.

In the previous text, Jesus mentioned the days when the bridegroom is taken away, and then, there is the above text that points to a resurrection. For those who know how this gospel account will end, it is relatively easy to connect these two things to the death and resurrection of Jesus that will be coming relatively soon.

Life is very complicated. But think of how complicated it was for Jesus! And there are more important things for Jesus than just speaking here and healing there. If we slow things down a bit, we may see a purpose in all of this.
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As we live in this world, we basically have some life-and-death situations. But Jesus is a death-and-life situation. And that makes a huge-and-eternal difference.
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April 1st, 2023

4/1/2023

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This Sunday is Palm Sunday, the beginning of Holy Week, and this Sunday is also called the Sunday of the Passion. And the Gospel text usually read this Sunday is by far the longest of the year, Matthew 26:1 to Matthew 27:66. That text has one hundred and thirty-six verses. Last week, with the writing for a “A Sabbath Day’s Journey,” that was a long one as well, and Matthew 8:1 to Matthew 9:13 was translated, but that text was only a mere forty-seven verses. And this week will be much shorter.

Previously, all the historical presents within the last two chapters of this gospel account were ‘he says’. But at the beginning of Matthew 9:14, there is a different historical present. Here is that verse and the rest of the text (9:14-17, in a somewhat-literal translation) which relates to that very interesting occurrence:

Then they approach him, the disciples of John, saying, “Why we and the Pharisees fast much, now the disciples of you not fast?” And he said to them, Jesus, “Not can the sons of the bridegroom to mourn, so long as with them is the bridegroom? Now they will come, days, when it is taken away from them, the bridegroom, and then they will fast. Now no one throws upon a patch, cloth, of unfulled, on an old garment; for it takes away, the fullness of it, from the garment, and a worse schism it becomes. Neither they throw wine, new, into wineskins, old; now if they do, they are burst, the wineskins, and the wine pours out, and the wineskins are destroyed. But on the contrary, they throw wine, young, into wineskins, new, and both are preserved.

A lot of people have been approaching Jesus. The verb can also be broken up into two words, ‘coming toward’. In Matthew 8:2, a leper not only comes toward him but worships him, and he wants Jesus to heal him. Just a little later than that, in verse 5, a centurion comes toward him and also implores him to heal his ‘boy’ (verse 6). In verse 19 of that same chapter, one scribe comes toward him and says that he will follow him wherever he goes. Then, after the above text, one ruler comes toward Jesus, and he also worships him, and he would like his dead daughter to be raised (9:18). And while Jesus is dealing with that issue, a woman who wants to be healed comes toward him as well (9:20f). And later in the chapter, two blind men come toward Jesus, and they also want to be healed (9:27f).

Matthew 9:14 is the first time that the word is given in the historical present. And the rest of the historical presents in this section of the gospel account will go back to using ‘he says’ (although they are not all connected to Jesus saying the words).

There have been a lot of people coming and going—but especially coming. Previously, though, this action of coming toward or approaching has not been emphasized with a historical present. Why now?

First of all, it may be helpful to remember that there were no chapter and verse divisions within the original text. The reader (and listener) had to rely on grammatical clues to hear a division and ascertain a new direction in the text.

What is this new direction? Before this, the historical presents in the last two chapters were not only ‘he says’, but they are were only Jesus talking. Now this changes. Now our attention turns toward the disciples of John, and they want to know why Jesus’ disciples do not fast. And Jesus references a time when the bridegroom will not longer be with them. Our attention turns to what will happen to Jesus, due to the people who will be coming to him at the end of his life.

These ‘days’ that are mentioned in the text above are important. And these special days will be mentioned more frequently as Jesus gets closer and closer to them. There happen to be two important phrases within this gospel account which also use the word ‘then’. The phrase ‘from then’ appears in Matthew 4:16 and Matthew 16:21. The latter verse starts to get the disciples ready for his death and resurrection. And the historical present of ‘coming toward’ starts to get people ready to hear that Jesus will be killed and, on the third day, be raised.

We do not want to get too far ahead of ourselves though. But these are some hints as to what is ahead, and hearing that in advance reminds us that this is all part of the plan. And that plan is certainly a good one, one far better than we could ever imagine.​

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