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March 25th, 2023

3/25/2023

This Sunday is the Fifth Sunday in Lent, and we are SO CLOSE to Holy Week. And for some people, the Gospel text for this Sunday will be WAY too long, but this will get us ready for next week. There are even three options of this week’s text: John 11:1-45, John 11:1-53, or John 11:17-27 & 38-53. However long the text, hearing more of the context may be helpful to understanding that text.

This is also the first time to see the context that comes after the so-called Sermon on the Mount. And after some connections that were made between that sermon and Genesis, it may be helpful in this case to hear some of the context within the Gospel according to Matthew as well. So this week will also be an extra-long “Sabbath Day’s Journey” with a text. And so the following is a somewhat-literal translation of Matthew 8:1-9:13 (with the historical presents in bold print):

Now coming down, he, from the mountain, they followed him, many crowds. And, behold, a leper, approaching, he worshipped him, saying “Lord, if you are willing, you are able me, to cleanse.”

And stretching out the hand, he touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” And immediately it was cleansed of him, the leprosy. And he says to him, Jesus, “See, no one you tell; but on the contrary, go, yourself show to the priest. And offer the gift which he ordered, Moses, into a testimony to them.”

Now entering he, into Capernaum, he approached him, a centurion, imploring him and saying, “Lord, the boy of me has been thrown in the house, a paralytic, terribly, being tormented.” And he says to him, Jesus, “I, coming, I will heal him.”

And, answering, the centurion said, “Lord, not I am worthy that of me under the roof, you may enter, but on the contrary, only say a word, and he will be healed, the boy of me. For also I myself am a man under authority, having under myself, soldiers. And I say to this, ‘Go,’ and he goes. And to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes. And to the servant of me, ‘Do this,’ and he does.”

Now hearing, Jesus, he marveled, and he said to the ones following, “Amen, I am saying to you, not such faith in the Israel I found. Now I am saying to you that many from east and west will come, and they will recline with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of the heavens. Now the sons of the kingdom will be thrown out into the darkness, the outer. There will be the weeping and the gnashing of the teeth.” And he said, Jesus, to the centurion, “Go, as you believed, let it be to you.” And he was healed, the boy of him, in the hour, that.

And coming, Jesus, into the house of Peter, he saw the mother-in-law of him, having been thrown and fever-stricken. And he touched the hand of her, and it left her, the fever. And she rose up, and she served them.

Now evening, coming, they brought to him demon-possessed, many. And he threw out the spirits with a word, and all those badness having, he healed; thus it was fulfilled, that spoken through Isaiah, the prophet, saying, “He, the weaknesses of us, he took; and the sicknesses, he carried.”

Now seeing, Jesus, a crowd around him, he commanded to go away into the other side. And, approaching, one scribe, he said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.”

And he says to him, Jesus, “The foxes, holes, they have, and the birds of the heaven, nests. Now the Son of the Man has not where the head he lay.”

Now another of the disciples of him, he said to him, “Lord, allow me first to go away and to bury the father of me.”

Now Jesus, he says to him, “Follow me, and allow the dead to bury of them, the dead.”
And getting, he, into the boat, they followed him, the disciples of him. And, behold, a great shaking happened in the sea, so that the boat was covered over by the waves. Now he himself was sleeping. And approaching, they raised him, saying, “Lord, save! We are perishing.”

And he says to them, “Why afraid are you, little-faiths?” Then, rising, he rebuked the winds and the sea, and it happened, a great calm.

Now the men marveled, saying, “Of what kind is this, that also the winds and the sea obey him?”

And coming, he, into the other side, into the country of the Gadarenes; they met him, two demon-possessed, out of the tombs, coming out, violent very, so as not to be able, anyone, to pass through the way, that. And, behold, they cried out, saying, “What to us and to you, Son of God?” You have come here before time to torment us?” Now it was far from them, a herd of pigs, many, feeding. And the demons implored him, saying, “If you throw us out, send us out into the herd of the pigs.”

And he said to them, “Go.” Now those coming out, they went away into the pigs. And, behold, it rushed, all the herd of the pigs down the precipice into the sea, and they died in the waters. Now those feeding, they fled, and going away into the city, they reported all things, and the things of the demon-possessed. And, behold, all the city went out to meet with Jesus, and seeing him, they implored that he go away from the borders of them.

And getting into the boat, he crossed over, and he came into the own city. And, behold, they brought to him a paralytic on a bed, having been thrown. And seeing, Jesus, the faith of them, he said to the paralytic, “Be comforted, child; they are forgiven, the sins of you.”

And, behold, some of the scribes said in themselves, “This one blasphemes.”

And knowing, Jesus, the thoughts of them, he said, “Why do you think evil in the hearts of you? For what is easier, to say, “They are forgiven of you the sins,” or to say, “Rise up and walk”? Now that you may know that authority he has, the Son of the Man, on the earth to forgive sins, then he says to the paralytic, “Rise up, take of you the bed and go into the house of you.” And, rising, he went away into the house of him. Now, seeing, the crowds feared, and they glorified the God, the One giving authority, such, to the men.

And passing by, Jesus, from there, he saw a man sitting at the tax office, Matthew named, and he says to him, “Follow me.’ And, rising up, he followed him. And it happened, he, reclining in the house, and, behold, many tax-collectors and sinners, coming, reclined with Jesus and the disciples of him.

And seeing, the Pharisees, they said to the disciples of him, “Why with the tax-collectors and sinners he eats, the teacher of you? Now he, hearing, said, “No need they have, the ones being strong, of a healer, but on the contrary, the ones bad having. Now going, learn what it is, “Mercy I desire, and not sacrifice.” For not I came to call righteous, but on the contrary, sinners.

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March 18th, 2023

3/18/2023

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This Sunday is the Fourth Sunday in Lent, and the Gospel text is from John 9[:1-41 or 1-7, 13-17, 34-39]. The writings on this website are following a much slower path. We are currently making our way through the Gospel according to Matthew.

Last week’s writing contained a translation of the last use of that special word ‘Father’ within the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7), and it was certainly a significant use. Jesus called the Father MY Father. The closest he came previously to that occurrence was the middle use of ‘Father’ in the sermon, where he said we could call God OUR Father in what is commonly known as the Lord’s Prayer.

This progression of Jesus toward himself is certainly understandable, especially given his special birth and his special name (see Matthew 1). And I do not think that it should be considered a coincidence that, after the initial title sentence, at the middle and at the end of that section of the naming of Jesus is that very special name ‘Jesus’ (see Matthew 1:18b-25).

One can continue to go back even farther into the past to see this structure. People have compared the five sermons of Jesus in the Gospel according to Matthew to the first five books of the Bible, the five books of Moses, also known as the Pentateuch. Given that this is the first of the five sermons, one can see a couple connections of this Sermon on the Mount to the book of Genesis.

For example, the number of times that the word ‘bless’ appears in some form within the first few chapters in Genesis also numbers about ten, the number of beatitudes in the first few verses of the Sermon on the Mount. (If you would like to look at them a bit more closely, they are Genesis 1:22, 1:28, 2:3, 5:2, 9:1, 9:26, 12:2—2 times, 12:3—3 times). And there is also the form of blessing ‘you’ near the end, which is also similar to the beatitudes (see Matthew 5:11).

Moving on into the rest of Genesis, taking out of consideration the first ten chapters or so (because of the structure of blessing within that part), there is a connection to the phrase that appears near the middle and the end of the work: ‘Am I in the place of God?’ This structure is similar to Jesus’ connection to the special use of 'Father' in the Sermon on the Mount.

The first time this is spoken (30:2), it is spoken by Jacob in response to Rachel, who was getting frustrated because she had not yet given birth to a child. The next time it is spoken (50:19), it is spoken by Joseph, after his brothers had done so many bad things to him. (The only difference in the original language of these two sentences is that the word ‘I’ is more emphatic the first time the phrase appears. And this could be considered normal since it could be easily passed over, since it is in the middle of a sentence and since it is not normally a structural marker.)

This question ‘Am I in the place of God?’ helps to get the reader or listener to the heart of the issue as to who Jesus is.

A chronological similarity to this literary structure of a midpoint and an endpoint may be seen in the two comings of Jesus. Although we certainly do not know when the second point will be, it has been determined by God, the Father, and it is up to his people to receive it, when it comes, as nothing but gift. Because of the fact that we are in his hands, there is a peace which the world cannot give—to which the ‘Collect for Grace’ makes reference (see Lutheran Service Book, page 228). And, with that in mind, whatever comes our way, floods or extremely dry weather, we continue toward that wonderful end.

The Sermon on the Mount also continues, and the last part of it is below, along with its response by the people (and the following is a somewhat-literal translation of Matthew 7:24-29):

‘Therefore, everyone who hears of me the words, these, and he does them, he shall be compared to a man, wise, who built of him the house on the rock. And it came down, the rain, and they came, the rivers, and they blew, the winds, and they fell against the house, that, and not it fell, for it had been founded on the rock. And everyone, the hearing of me, the words, these, and not doing them, he shall be compared to a man, foolish, who built of him the house on the sand. And it came down, the rain, and they came, the rivers, and they blew, the winds, and they beat against the house, that, and it fell, and it was, the fall of it, great.’

And it happened when he finished, Jesus, the words, these, they were amazed, the crowds, at the teaching of him. For he was teaching them as authority having, and not as the scribes of them.

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March 11th, 2023

3/11/2023

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This week is the Third Sunday in Lent within the ‘A’ series, and these writings continue to look at the Gospel according to Matthew. Also, these writings are very close to finishing what is usually called the Sermon on the Mount. There has been a very special progression from ‘God’ to ‘Father’ within this sermon, and it may be helpful to see the reason for such a progression and to look where that progression is leading.

Before that is done, the last part of the sermon will be translated which contains the last mention of God as ‘Father’. This time the word will not be put in bold print; can you still find it? It is interesting that Jesus brings up this last use of ‘Father’ when the topic is essentially name-calling. What follows is Matthew 7:13-23 in a somewhat-literal translation:

Come into through the narrow gate, because wide the gate and broad the way the leading away into the destruction, and many are the ones going in through it. Because straight the gate and made-narrow the way, the leading away into the life, and few are the ones finding it.

Beware from the false prophets, who come to you in clothes of sheep, now within are wolves, greedy. From the fruits of them, you will know them. Not do they gather from thorns, grapes or from thistles, figs? Thus, every tree good, fruits good makes, now the corrupt tree, fruits evil makes. Not is able a tree good, fruits evil to bear, nor tree a corrupt, fruits good to bear. Every tree not making fruit good is cut down and into fire is thrown. Then indeed, from the fruits of them you will know them.

Not everyone saying to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter into the kingdom of the heavens, but on the contrary, the one doing the will of the Father of me, the one in the heavens. Many will say to me in that the day, ‘Lord, Lord, not in your name we prophesied, and in your name demons we threw out, and in your name powers many we did?' And then I will confess to them that ‘Never I knew you; depart from me the ones working the lawlessness.’

To help see the bigger picture, what follows are sections of the so-called Sermon on the Mount that show the use of the special title, ‘Father’. This ‘fatherly’ progression complements the progression within the so-called Beatitudes at the beginning of the sermon, that Jesus begins with calling a certain group of people ‘blessed’, but then, to the last group he says, ‘Blessed are you… (see Matthew 5:11).’ The progression is therefore basically from ‘these’ to ‘you’, and then, on the basis of what is below, basically continues from ‘you’ to ‘me’.

What is given below are the uses of Father and their references. Regarding these uses, it should be noted that the middle use and the final use are the different ones, so these are given in bold print. And with this translation, when the ‘you’ refers to a singular person (as opposed to a group), that is also noted below.

1.         5:16     … glorify the Father of you, the in the heavens.
2.         5:45     … become sons of the Father of you, the in heavens.
3.         5:48     … as the Father of you, the heavenly, perfect is.
4.         6:1       … have with the Father of you, the in the heavens.
5.         6:4       … and the Father of you [singular], the seeing in the secret….
6.         6:6       … pray to the Father of you [singular], the in the secret….
7.         6:6       … and the Father of you [singular], the seeing in the secret….
8.         6:8       … for the Father of you….
9.         6:9       Father of us, the in the heavens….
10.       6:14     … and to you the Father of you, the heavenly….
11.       6:15     … neither the Father of you will forgive the trespasses of you.
12.       6:18     … to the Father of you [singular], the in the hidden….
13.       6:18     … and the Father of you [singular], the seeing in the hidden….
14.       6:26     … and the Father of you, the heavenly, feeds them….
15.       6:32     … for knows, the Father of you, the heavenly….
16.       7:11     … how much more, the Father of you, the in the heavens….
17.       7:21     … the will of the Father of me, the in the heavens.

What is interesting is that even the change from the plural to the singular ‘you’ is not exactly duplicated on both sides of the center, but they are in similar places. And hopefully the progression is still somewhat obvious.

With such an abundant use here of such a rare Old Testament title for God, it seems that Jesus wants to give the idea of the preciousness of such a title. It should also be said that he seems to give himself as the key to understanding such an important title. One must continue to stay with him through the rest of the account, through the highs and lows that are to come to him. Better than that—he stays with us (see Matthew 28:20)!

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March 04th, 2023

3/4/2023

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This Sunday is the Second Sunday in Lent. As we continue in this Lenten season, we are in the so-called ‘A Series’, and these particular writings are a journey through the Gospel according to Matthew. These writings are currently within what is commonly known as the Sermon on the Mount, and Jesus first had grabbed our attention at the beginning of that Sermon by laying out what groups of people are being blessed by God, with the last group being those who were hearing these words and being persecuted on account of Jesus (see Matthew 5:11-12). Then he began to speak of God in terms of ‘Father’, certainly a rare title within the Old Testament.

This movement away from the title ‘God’ to ‘Father’ continues within this sermon, and those two words will be given in bold in what follows. And what follows is the next section of the text, again in a somewhat-literal translation [Matthew 7:1-12]:

Do not Judge, that not you be judged. For in what judgment you judge, you will be judged, and in what measure you measure, it will be measured to you. Now why you see the chip, the one in the eye of the brother of you, now the in-your-eye beam you not consider? Or how will you say to the brother of you, Allow I throw out the chip out of the eye of you, and, behold, the beam in the eye of you? Hypocrite, throw out first out of the eye of you, the beam, and then you will see clearly to throw out the chip out of the eye of the brother of you.

Do not give the holy to the dogs, nor throw the pearls of you before the pigs, lest they trample them in the feet of them and, turning, they tear you. Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For all the one asking receives, and the one seeking finds, and to the one knocking, it will be opened. Or who is from you, a man, whom will ask the son of him a bread, not a stone he will give to him? Or also a fish he will ask, not a snake he will give over to him? Therefore, if you, evil being, know gifts—good—to give to the children of you, how much more the Father of you, the One in the heavens, will give good things to the ones asking him. Therefore, all things as many as you wish, that they may do to you, the men, thus also you yourselves do to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

There has been some movement away from ‘God’ to ‘Father’, but the latter word only appeared once within this section. In the text above, Jesus speaks of a man having a son, but he does not call that man a father. Jesus is not only getting to the end of the sermon; he has a more important ‘Father figure’ to describe.

The lack of the special word ‘Father’ may also have something to do with the structure of this sermon, that there are seventeen uses of that word within the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7), and the middle word is the use of the word within what is known as the Lord’s Prayer.

The last use of the word ‘Father’ within the Sermon on the Mount is significantly different from the others. If you would like to look ahead, that verse is Matthew 7:21. But you can be sure it will be the focus for next week’s writing.

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