Miracle
Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
http://www.usccb.org/nab/021906.shtml
Reflection:
I have gotten a bit carried away on exegesis this morning and have just started my reflection. It has been a couple weeks since I began this on-line journal and I find myself getting more and more obsessed with the scripture. This morning I had to remind myself that when you pull something apart for the sake of analysis, it is sometimes difficult to draw back and look at the whole. In this case pulling apart the scriptures has caused me to loose site of the wonder of the gift of Christ. For the sake of scholarly pursuits I lost some of the spontaneity of just being impacted by the scripture. I now find I am running out of time and must just leave you with my self caution and an exercise in making software work together. What you find below was scanned from the Jerome Biblical commentary into a RTF file, then copied into an MSWord file, and messaged into a table. The first column was copied from the UCCB web site into the table. It took me 4 hours of scanning, copying, proofing (scanning the JBC is difficult -2 columns, lots of weird characters, and 8 point font), and formatting. It is my gift to you who need to preach this weekend. May God guide your thoughts and lips. Pax
20 (g) REDEMPTION AND RESTORATION (43 :1-44: 23). Emphatically and competently, Dt-Is introduces what many regard as his finest poem and richest presentation. The opening verse begins with "now" and closes with "you," two Hebr words almost identical in sound. The power of God's Word is extended through a series of participles, drawing out the full effects of the phrase: "thus says Yahweh," creating you and forming you (42:5). The melodic sound of this line leads to the majestic tone of the next, where theophanic words are pronounced: "fear not" (41:10). 2. water.. ..fire: They symbolize danger and destruction; demonic monsters haunted thunderstorms and large bodies of water, such as the Great (Mediterranean) Sea and the Reed (or Red) Sea (Ps 89:10-II; Is 51:10; Gn6-9[deluge]; Ex 14:213 I; IS :8-13 [Exodus]). 3. Israel is preferred to all other countries, represented by Egypt, Seba (southern Egypt), and Ethiopia (modern Sudan), but only to be God's mediator for sharing his love with them. "Ransom" is not to be taken literally; in saving his people, God never pays a price to the evil one. 5-6. The great in-gathering is announced (Jer 31 :1-22; Ez 37:15-28), but the fulfillment will exceed these words as the world becomes one family in Christ Jesus (Gal 3 :26-29; Eph 2:13-16). God speaks of "my sons" and "my daughters" (Ex 4:22-23; Hos II :1-II; Is I :2), for he is continually imparting life-a life of love, decision, and devotedness; but not until Jesus sends his spirit into men's hearts will man respond with" Abba, dear Father" (Lk II:2; Rom 8 :14-17). 7. So thoroughly do God's children share his life that they can be addressed by his name. This experience of divine life, recognized and enjoyed, constitutes God's glory (cf. 40:3).
9-13. These lines return to the trial scene (41 :1) but also add a new element-the summons to the Israelites to be witnesses. 9. Yahweh allows the nations one more chance to demonstrate that they or their gods "foretold. . . the earlier things" (cf. 40:4; 42:9). Because knowledge, for the ancient Near Eastern, meant a total, experiential involvement, prediction implied a steady control of the flow of events. Questions like this will be repeated (Is 53:1; Jn 12:38; I Cor 2:7; 10-16). 10. Israel, by her extraordinary survival and by her still more wondrous resurgence, witnesses to the world that Yahweh alone is God and savior; in a similar way, the apostles, in NT times, became "witnesses... to the very ends of the earth" (Acts 1 :8) that "God has raised up this Jesus" (Acts 2 :32). Three strong verbs, "know," "believe," and "understand" lead to the divine declaration "I am he." Unique among the Oriental religions, the Bible never recounts the origin nor the decline of Yahweh. He exists, forever in full possession of life and creativity. 11-13. Of the 29 words in the MT, 12 are in the first person and the first person pronoun occurs five times. The first line repeats "I, I, Yahweh," but this monotheism does not constitute any strict theory nor proud self-esteem. It is the full, exclusive power of divinity at the service of Israel and the world-foretelling, saving, creating, and making known (44:6-8).
21 14-21. The Prophet continues a favorite theme,
the new exodus. Yahweh is to be known as the one at work "redeeming you" (the Hebrew uses the ptc. form) and as such is "the Holy One" (cf. 40:25). In other words, nothing is so mysterious and "beyond" about God-as the word "holy" connotes-as the extent of his redeeming love. 15-17. A series of participles answers the question: Who is Yahweh ?-He is the one: "creating Israel. . . opening a way.. .leading out chariots." The words portray the Exodus out of Egypt, ending in the final scene where the Egyptians are "lying prostrate, never to be rising" (impf. verb connotes continuous act), "snuffed out and quenched" (pf. form connotes completed action). 18. No one was more devoted to the redemptive acts of the past than Dt-Is; however, here he warns against a glorying in the past that has no time for application in the present. What is to be remembered as a continuous redemptive act is the new exodus; that great deed will constitute the anamnesis of the eschatological age (cf. Lk 22 :19; 1 Cor II :24-26). 19. This verse seems to remonstrate: Must you be so blind? 21. the people whom I fanned: The LXX reads, "people whom I purchased"; that phrase recurs in Acts 20 :28; 1 Pt 2 :9.
22-28. Human ingratitude and divine mercy meet; God's invectives, delivered in courtroom style, are followed by forgiveness. The build-up in the Hebr text is massive; each section in vv. 22-24 begins with a negative: "not.. .not.. .not.. .not.. .not.. .but never the less!" These lines are difficult to understand, precisely because the Prophet shifts from pre-exilic days, when sacrifices were offered as though they were the essence of religion (Is 1: II - 1 5), into the exilic period, when sacrifice was impossible. The proud spirit of the past, glorying in an elaborate ritual, continues into the present, burdening God with its weighty offense. Israel's oppressive feeling of despair over deprivation of temple sacrifice and of all "human" means of expiation is not God's responsibility. Israel is wearying God with her complaints, lit., making God a servant-one of the most daring phrases in the entire OT, but especially so in Dt-Is against the background of Servant theology (42 : Iff. ; 52 :13-53 :12). The key word is "weary." Both Israel and God are weary, but for different reasons. 27-28. The strong "corporate personality" of Israel is here manifest.
This trait stems from the desert origin where the individual depended so thoroughly upon the group and where great devotion was paid the ancient patriarch and the first-born son who continued the Hne. The future is seen to exist already in the forebears; ancient blessings
and curses explain the present situation. our first father:
Jacob (Gn 27; Hos 12:2-7; Jer 9:3). your spokesmen: The unworthy prophets and priests of old (Mi 3 :5-12; Is 28 :7).
(Le Frois, B. J., CBQ 17 [1955] 315-23. Pedersen, op. cit., 99131. Robinson, W., BZAW 66 [1936] 49-62.)
Is 43:18-19, 21-22, 24b-25
SSs Scripture Passage from Isaiah 43
JBC Commentary
18
Remember not the events of the past, the things
of long ago consider not;
19
See, I am doing something new! Now it springs
forth, do you not perceive it? In the desert I make
a way, in the wasteland, rivers.
18. No one was more devoted to the redemptive acts
of the past than Dt-Is; however, here he warns
against a glorying in the past that has no time for
application in the present. What is to be
remembered as a continuous redemptive act is
the new exodus; that great deed will constitute the
anamnesis of the eschatological age
(cf. Lk 22 :19; 1 Cor II :24-26).
19. This verse seems to remonstrate: Must you be
so blind?
21
The people whom I formed for myself, that they
might announce my praise.
22
Yet you did not call upon me, O Jacob, for you
grew weary of me, O Israel.
24b
you burdened me with your sins, and wearied
me with your crimes.
25
It is I, I, who wipe out, for my own sake, your
offenses; your sins I remember no more.
21. the people whom I fanned: The LXX reads,
"people whom I purchased"; that phrase recurs in
Acts 20 :28; 1 Pt 2 :9.
22-28. Human ingratitude and divine mercy meet;
God's invectives, delivered in courtroom style, are
followed by forgiveness. The build-up in the Hebr
text is massive; each section in vv. 22-24 begins
with a negative: "not.. .not.. .not.. .not.. .not.. .but
never the less!" These lines are difficult to
understand, precisely because the Prophet shifts
from pre-exilic days, when sacrifices were offered
as though they were the essence of religion
(Is 1: II - 1 5), into the exilic period, when sacrifice
was impossible. The proud spirit of the past,
glorying in an elaborate ritual, continues into the
present, burdening God with its weighty offense.
Israel's oppressive feeling of despair over
deprivation of temple sacrifice and of all "human"
means of expiation is not God's responsibility. Israel
is wearying God with her complaints, lit., making
God a servant-one of the most daring phrases in the
entire OT, but especially so in Dt-Is against the
background of Servant theology
(42 : Iff. ; 52 :13-53 :12). The key word is "weary."
Both Israel and God are weary, but for different
reasons.
2 Cor 1:18-22
10 (II) Part I: Paul's Defense Before the Corinthians (1:12-7:16). The Apostle is intent to show that he has no reason to be ashamed of his comportment vis-a-vis the Corinthians.
(A) His Sincerity in Deferring the Visit to Corinth (1:1~2:II). 12. The "boasting" of the Apostle is based not on worldly motives but on the "sanctity" and "sincerity," mutually complementary, given him by God; these are in open contrast to worldly power and wisdom (cf. 1 Cor 1:18-31). conscience: Used here in the rare NT sense of good conscience (see comment on 1 Cor 8 :7). 13. completely: Heos telous, "to the utmost." 14. in the day of Our LordJesus: Cf. 1 Cor 1 :8; this is the time of the parousia. 15. second grace: Does this indicate that Paul had been to Corinth only once before this projected visit? It would be a grace for them because Paul is an apostle. 17. with fickleness: Paul's adversaries accused him of forever making great plans and fulfilling none of them. 18. God is faithful: Introductory formula for an oath (cf. 1 Cor 1:9; 10:13). our word was not yes and no: He did not speak in an inconsistent or in a deceiving manner. 19.,-20. the Son of God . . . did not become yes and no, but yes came to be in him: Paul could not be vacillating or uncertain, because Jesus was absolute truth, who in his life and work brought to fulfillment the previous divine promises. came to be: Gegonen, pf. tense, denotes an action that has happened and continues in its
effect; the divine promises were fulfilled in the person of Jesus Christ, and we are still affected by the results of his life. amen: Hebrew for "yes." The goal of God's revelation is divine glory manifested through us; only by his grace are we moved to give God glory. 21. giving strength to us with you: God ever gives his help to those who believe in him. having anointed us, having marked us with a seal, having given the pledge of the spirit: Paul retails three effects of our initiation into the Christian life at baptism. The "seal" was the personal mark placed by an owner on his property; the "pledge" (arrabn) was a down payment signifying that the rest of the payment would be made; here the pledge is God's Spirit. The fullest possession of messianic bounty is yet to come (cf. Eph 1 :13-14;
Rom 8 :23). The Spirit dwelling within Paul is a guarantee of the Apostle's sincerity. 23. upon my soul: Another form of an oath: May God take away Paul's "life" if he does not speak the truth. spare: Words of anger do not hurt as much when they are not delivered in person. 24. not because we are acting as lord: The only K yrios of the context is Jesus, who alone is to act as Lord (kyrieuei). Paul's foes may have charged him with being overly dominant.
SSs Scripture Passage from 2 Cor 1:18-22
JBC Commentary
18
As God is faithful, our word to you is not "yes"
and "no."
18. God is faithful: Introductory
formula for an oath (cf. 1 Cor 1:9;
10:13). our word was not yes and
no: He did not speak in an
inconsistent or in a deceiving
manner.
19
For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was proclaimed to you by us, Silvanus and Timothy and me, was not "yes" and "no," but "yes" has been in him.
20
For however many are the promises of God, their Yes is in him; therefore, the Amen from us also goes through him to God for glory.
19.,-20. the Son of God . . . did not
become yes and no, but yes came
to
be in him: Paul could not be
vacillating or uncertain, because
Jesus was absolute
truth, who in his life and work
brought to fulfillment the previous
divine promises. came to be:
Gegonen, pf.
tense, denotes an action that has
happened and
continues in its effect; the divine
promises were
fulfilled in the person of Jesus
Christ, and we are
still affected by the results of his
ife. amen: Hebrew for "yes." The goal of God's revelation is divine glory manifested through us; only by his grace are we
moved to give God glory.
21
But the one who gives us security with you in
Christ and who anointed us is God;
22
he has also put his seal upon us and given the
Spirit in our hearts as a first installment.
21. giving strength to us with you: God ever gives
his help to those who believe in him. having
anointed us, having marked us with a seal, having
given the pledge of the spirit: Paul retails three
effects of our initiation into the Christian life at
baptism. The "seal" was the personal mark placed
by an owner on his property; the "pledge" (arrabn)
was a down payment signifying that the rest of the
payment would be made; here the pledge is God's
Spirit. The fullest possession of messianic bounty
is yet to come (cf. Eph 1 :13-14;
Rom 8 :23). The Spirit dwelling
within Paul is a guarantee of the
Apostle's sincerity.
Mk 2:1-12
16 (ii) In controversy with the Pharisees (2 :1-3:5).
This section serves to show the growing opposition to Jesus, leading to the Pharisees' plot in 3 :6.
(A) Cure of a Paralytic (2:1-12). This pericope may refer to a single incident in Jesus' ministry, or it may have been conflated from a miracle story (3-5,11-12) and a pronouncement story (6-10) by the association of the forgiveness of sins with faith (Acts 10:43; 13 :38-39; cf. ]. Dupont, ScEccl 12 [1960] 156-58; NR T 82 [1960] 942). The main difficulty lies in 2:10, which contains an anacoluthon involving a shift in the persons addressed and thus breaks the unity of the passage. It is surprising, moreover, in view of Mark's presentation of the Messianic secret, that Jesus should have disclosed himself so early in his ministry as the Son of Man with authority to forgive sins, the more so since this disclosure is made to hostile scribes (cf. 8:11-13). Possibly, however, 2:10 is not a saying of Jesus, but a parenthetical comment of the Church addressed to the Christian readers of the Gospel and explicating for them the significance of the healing. In that case the passage would form a perfect literary unity in which Jesus establishes the effectiveness of his forgiving word not by a verbal claim but by a miracle whose import is accessible only to those with faith.
4. roof: See Lk 5 :18-19. The essential point in 2 :3-5 is the connection between the actors' faith and Jesus' declaration of forgiveness. Although Jesus' words may simply have meant "God has forgiven your sins (cf. 2 Sm 12:13; GrBib 236), vv. 7 and 10 show that they are reported here in the light of the Church's Easter faith in Christ as the Lord with power to forgive sins personally. 5. saw their faith: Faith, the necessary prerequisite for a miracle (5:34; 5:56 [cf. Mt 13:58]; 7:29 [cf. Mt
16:28]; 9:23; 10:52), and an essential demand of Jesus' preaching (1:15), could not, before the resurrection, have meant an act of belief in Christ as a divine person. The Evangelists, writing as Christian believers, tend to color pistis in terms of the specifically Christian faith to which it was leading (see, e.g., comments on 2 :10; I :lj). During Jesus' ministry it would have meant a receptivity to God's healing word proclaimed by Jesus, together with a confident self-abandonment to God whose saving power
was being exercised in and through Jesus (P. Benoit.
LumVi 22 [1955] 45-64). 7. blasphemy: A foreshadowing' of the condemnation in 14:60.64. 10. that you may know: This verse is a Christian editorial comment on Jesus' miracle; the "you" cannot refer to the scribes. It is addressed to the Christian readers to whom the miracle is being recounted. 11. I say to you, rise: Jesus' cure substantiates his claim to forgive sins and symbolizes the spiritual health of the forgiven sinner. (On the Son of Man, -- Aspects NT Thought, 78 :28-30.) 12. they were astonished: The amazed people fail to see the miracle as a sign of Jesus' power to forgive sins (contrast Mt 9 :8)another reason for thinking that 2:10 does not represent a saying uttered by Jesus on this occasion.
(Boobyer, G. H., "Mk 2 :loa and the Interpretation of the Healing of the Paralytic," HarvTR 47 [1954] II5-20. Ceroke, C. P., "Is Mk 2:10 a Saying of Jesus?" CBQ 22 [1960] 369-90. Dupont,]., "Le paralytique pardonne," NRT82 [1960] 940-58. Feuillet, A., "L'exousia du Fils de I'Homme," RSR 42 [1954] 161-92. Mead, R. T., "The Healing of the Paralytic-A Unit," JBL 80 [1961] 348-54.)
SSs Scripture Passage from Mk 2:1-12
JBC Commentary
1
When Jesus returned to Capernaum after some
days, it became known that he was at home.
2
Many gathered together so that there was no
longer room for them, not even around the door,
and he preached the word to them.
3
They came bringing to him a paralytic carried
by four men.
(A) Cure of a Paralytic (2:1-12). This pericope may
refer to a single incident in Jesus' ministry, or it
may have been conflated from a miracle story
(3-5,11-12) and a pronouncement story (6-10) by
the association of the forgiveness of sins with faith
(Acts 10:43; 13 :38-39; cf. ]. Dupont, ScEccl
12 [1960] 156-58; NR T 82 [1960] 942). The main
difficulty lies in 2:10, which contains an
anacoluthon involving a shift in the persons
addressed and thus breaks the unity of the passage.
It is surprising, moreover, in view of Mark's
presentation of the Messianic secret, that Jesus
should have disclosed himself so early in his
ministry as the Son of Man with authority to forgive
sins, the more so since this disclosure is made to hostile
scribes (cf. 8:11-13). Possibly, however, 2:10 is not
a saying of Jesus, but a parenthetical comment of
the Church addressed to the Christian readers of the
Gospel and explicating for them the significance of
the healing. In that case the passage would form a
perfect literary unity in which Jesus establishes the effectiveness of his forgiving word not by a verbal
claim but by a miracle whose import is accessible
only to those with faith.
4
Unable to get near Jesus because of the crowd, they opened up the roof above him. After they had broken through, they let down the mat on which the paralytic was lying.
4. roof: See Lk 5 :18-19. The essential point in
2 :3-5 is the connection between the actors' faith
and Jesus' declaration of forgiveness. Although
Jesus' words may simply have meant "God has
forgiven your sins (cf. 2 Sm 12:13; GrBib 236),
vv. 7 and 10 show that they are reported here in the
light of the Church's Easter faith in Christ as the
Lord with power to forgive sins personally.
Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
http://www.usccb.org/nab/021906.shtml
Reflection:
I have gotten a bit carried away on exegesis this morning and have just started my reflection. It has been a couple weeks since I began this on-line journal and I find myself getting more and more obsessed with the scripture. This morning I had to remind myself that when you pull something apart for the sake of analysis, it is sometimes difficult to draw back and look at the whole. In this case pulling apart the scriptures has caused me to loose site of the wonder of the gift of Christ. For the sake of scholarly pursuits I lost some of the spontaneity of just being impacted by the scripture. I now find I am running out of time and must just leave you with my self caution and an exercise in making software work together. What you find below was scanned from the Jerome Biblical commentary into a RTF file, then copied into an MSWord file, and messaged into a table. The first column was copied from the UCCB web site into the table. It took me 4 hours of scanning, copying, proofing (scanning the JBC is difficult -2 columns, lots of weird characters, and 8 point font), and formatting. It is my gift to you who need to preach this weekend. May God guide your thoughts and lips. Pax
20 (g) REDEMPTION AND RESTORATION (43 :1-44: 23). Emphatically and competently, Dt-Is introduces what many regard as his finest poem and richest presentation. The opening verse begins with "now" and closes with "you," two Hebr words almost identical in sound. The power of God's Word is extended through a series of participles, drawing out the full effects of the phrase: "thus says Yahweh," creating you and forming you (42:5). The melodic sound of this line leads to the majestic tone of the next, where theophanic words are pronounced: "fear not" (41:10). 2. water.. ..fire: They symbolize danger and destruction; demonic monsters haunted thunderstorms and large bodies of water, such as the Great (Mediterranean) Sea and the Reed (or Red) Sea (Ps 89:10-II; Is 51:10; Gn6-9[deluge]; Ex 14:213 I; IS :8-13 [Exodus]). 3. Israel is preferred to all other countries, represented by Egypt, Seba (southern Egypt), and Ethiopia (modern Sudan), but only to be God's mediator for sharing his love with them. "Ransom" is not to be taken literally; in saving his people, God never pays a price to the evil one. 5-6. The great in-gathering is announced (Jer 31 :1-22; Ez 37:15-28), but the fulfillment will exceed these words as the world becomes one family in Christ Jesus (Gal 3 :26-29; Eph 2:13-16). God speaks of "my sons" and "my daughters" (Ex 4:22-23; Hos II :1-II; Is I :2), for he is continually imparting life-a life of love, decision, and devotedness; but not until Jesus sends his spirit into men's hearts will man respond with" Abba, dear Father" (Lk II:2; Rom 8 :14-17). 7. So thoroughly do God's children share his life that they can be addressed by his name. This experience of divine life, recognized and enjoyed, constitutes God's glory (cf. 40:3).
9-13. These lines return to the trial scene (41 :1) but also add a new element-the summons to the Israelites to be witnesses. 9. Yahweh allows the nations one more chance to demonstrate that they or their gods "foretold. . . the earlier things" (cf. 40:4; 42:9). Because knowledge, for the ancient Near Eastern, meant a total, experiential involvement, prediction implied a steady control of the flow of events. Questions like this will be repeated (Is 53:1; Jn 12:38; I Cor 2:7; 10-16). 10. Israel, by her extraordinary survival and by her still more wondrous resurgence, witnesses to the world that Yahweh alone is God and savior; in a similar way, the apostles, in NT times, became "witnesses... to the very ends of the earth" (Acts 1 :8) that "God has raised up this Jesus" (Acts 2 :32). Three strong verbs, "know," "believe," and "understand" lead to the divine declaration "I am he." Unique among the Oriental religions, the Bible never recounts the origin nor the decline of Yahweh. He exists, forever in full possession of life and creativity. 11-13. Of the 29 words in the MT, 12 are in the first person and the first person pronoun occurs five times. The first line repeats "I, I, Yahweh," but this monotheism does not constitute any strict theory nor proud self-esteem. It is the full, exclusive power of divinity at the service of Israel and the world-foretelling, saving, creating, and making known (44:6-8).
21 14-21. The Prophet continues a favorite theme,
the new exodus. Yahweh is to be known as the one at work "redeeming you" (the Hebrew uses the ptc. form) and as such is "the Holy One" (cf. 40:25). In other words, nothing is so mysterious and "beyond" about God-as the word "holy" connotes-as the extent of his redeeming love. 15-17. A series of participles answers the question: Who is Yahweh ?-He is the one: "creating Israel. . . opening a way.. .leading out chariots." The words portray the Exodus out of Egypt, ending in the final scene where the Egyptians are "lying prostrate, never to be rising" (impf. verb connotes continuous act), "snuffed out and quenched" (pf. form connotes completed action). 18. No one was more devoted to the redemptive acts of the past than Dt-Is; however, here he warns against a glorying in the past that has no time for application in the present. What is to be remembered as a continuous redemptive act is the new exodus; that great deed will constitute the anamnesis of the eschatological age (cf. Lk 22 :19; 1 Cor II :24-26). 19. This verse seems to remonstrate: Must you be so blind? 21. the people whom I fanned: The LXX reads, "people whom I purchased"; that phrase recurs in Acts 20 :28; 1 Pt 2 :9.
22-28. Human ingratitude and divine mercy meet; God's invectives, delivered in courtroom style, are followed by forgiveness. The build-up in the Hebr text is massive; each section in vv. 22-24 begins with a negative: "not.. .not.. .not.. .not.. .not.. .but never the less!" These lines are difficult to understand, precisely because the Prophet shifts from pre-exilic days, when sacrifices were offered as though they were the essence of religion (Is 1: II - 1 5), into the exilic period, when sacrifice was impossible. The proud spirit of the past, glorying in an elaborate ritual, continues into the present, burdening God with its weighty offense. Israel's oppressive feeling of despair over deprivation of temple sacrifice and of all "human" means of expiation is not God's responsibility. Israel is wearying God with her complaints, lit., making God a servant-one of the most daring phrases in the entire OT, but especially so in Dt-Is against the background of Servant theology (42 : Iff. ; 52 :13-53 :12). The key word is "weary." Both Israel and God are weary, but for different reasons. 27-28. The strong "corporate personality" of Israel is here manifest.
This trait stems from the desert origin where the individual depended so thoroughly upon the group and where great devotion was paid the ancient patriarch and the first-born son who continued the Hne. The future is seen to exist already in the forebears; ancient blessings
and curses explain the present situation. our first father:
Jacob (Gn 27; Hos 12:2-7; Jer 9:3). your spokesmen: The unworthy prophets and priests of old (Mi 3 :5-12; Is 28 :7).
(Le Frois, B. J., CBQ 17 [1955] 315-23. Pedersen, op. cit., 99131. Robinson, W., BZAW 66 [1936] 49-62.)
Is 43:18-19, 21-22, 24b-25
SSs Scripture Passage from Isaiah 43
JBC Commentary
18
Remember not the events of the past, the things
of long ago consider not;
19
See, I am doing something new! Now it springs
forth, do you not perceive it? In the desert I make
a way, in the wasteland, rivers.
18. No one was more devoted to the redemptive acts
of the past than Dt-Is; however, here he warns
against a glorying in the past that has no time for
application in the present. What is to be
remembered as a continuous redemptive act is
the new exodus; that great deed will constitute the
anamnesis of the eschatological age
(cf. Lk 22 :19; 1 Cor II :24-26).
19. This verse seems to remonstrate: Must you be
so blind?
21
The people whom I formed for myself, that they
might announce my praise.
22
Yet you did not call upon me, O Jacob, for you
grew weary of me, O Israel.
24b
you burdened me with your sins, and wearied
me with your crimes.
25
It is I, I, who wipe out, for my own sake, your
offenses; your sins I remember no more.
21. the people whom I fanned: The LXX reads,
"people whom I purchased"; that phrase recurs in
Acts 20 :28; 1 Pt 2 :9.
22-28. Human ingratitude and divine mercy meet;
God's invectives, delivered in courtroom style, are
followed by forgiveness. The build-up in the Hebr
text is massive; each section in vv. 22-24 begins
with a negative: "not.. .not.. .not.. .not.. .not.. .but
never the less!" These lines are difficult to
understand, precisely because the Prophet shifts
from pre-exilic days, when sacrifices were offered
as though they were the essence of religion
(Is 1: II - 1 5), into the exilic period, when sacrifice
was impossible. The proud spirit of the past,
glorying in an elaborate ritual, continues into the
present, burdening God with its weighty offense.
Israel's oppressive feeling of despair over
deprivation of temple sacrifice and of all "human"
means of expiation is not God's responsibility. Israel
is wearying God with her complaints, lit., making
God a servant-one of the most daring phrases in the
entire OT, but especially so in Dt-Is against the
background of Servant theology
(42 : Iff. ; 52 :13-53 :12). The key word is "weary."
Both Israel and God are weary, but for different
reasons.
2 Cor 1:18-22
10 (II) Part I: Paul's Defense Before the Corinthians (1:12-7:16). The Apostle is intent to show that he has no reason to be ashamed of his comportment vis-a-vis the Corinthians.
(A) His Sincerity in Deferring the Visit to Corinth (1:1~2:II). 12. The "boasting" of the Apostle is based not on worldly motives but on the "sanctity" and "sincerity," mutually complementary, given him by God; these are in open contrast to worldly power and wisdom (cf. 1 Cor 1:18-31). conscience: Used here in the rare NT sense of good conscience (see comment on 1 Cor 8 :7). 13. completely: Heos telous, "to the utmost." 14. in the day of Our LordJesus: Cf. 1 Cor 1 :8; this is the time of the parousia. 15. second grace: Does this indicate that Paul had been to Corinth only once before this projected visit? It would be a grace for them because Paul is an apostle. 17. with fickleness: Paul's adversaries accused him of forever making great plans and fulfilling none of them. 18. God is faithful: Introductory formula for an oath (cf. 1 Cor 1:9; 10:13). our word was not yes and no: He did not speak in an inconsistent or in a deceiving manner. 19.,-20. the Son of God . . . did not become yes and no, but yes came to be in him: Paul could not be vacillating or uncertain, because Jesus was absolute truth, who in his life and work brought to fulfillment the previous divine promises. came to be: Gegonen, pf. tense, denotes an action that has happened and continues in its
effect; the divine promises were fulfilled in the person of Jesus Christ, and we are still affected by the results of his life. amen: Hebrew for "yes." The goal of God's revelation is divine glory manifested through us; only by his grace are we moved to give God glory. 21. giving strength to us with you: God ever gives his help to those who believe in him. having anointed us, having marked us with a seal, having given the pledge of the spirit: Paul retails three effects of our initiation into the Christian life at baptism. The "seal" was the personal mark placed by an owner on his property; the "pledge" (arrabn) was a down payment signifying that the rest of the payment would be made; here the pledge is God's Spirit. The fullest possession of messianic bounty is yet to come (cf. Eph 1 :13-14;
Rom 8 :23). The Spirit dwelling within Paul is a guarantee of the Apostle's sincerity. 23. upon my soul: Another form of an oath: May God take away Paul's "life" if he does not speak the truth. spare: Words of anger do not hurt as much when they are not delivered in person. 24. not because we are acting as lord: The only K yrios of the context is Jesus, who alone is to act as Lord (kyrieuei). Paul's foes may have charged him with being overly dominant.
SSs Scripture Passage from 2 Cor 1:18-22
JBC Commentary
18
As God is faithful, our word to you is not "yes"
and "no."
18. God is faithful: Introductory
formula for an oath (cf. 1 Cor 1:9;
10:13). our word was not yes and
no: He did not speak in an
inconsistent or in a deceiving
manner.
19
For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was proclaimed to you by us, Silvanus and Timothy and me, was not "yes" and "no," but "yes" has been in him.
20
For however many are the promises of God, their Yes is in him; therefore, the Amen from us also goes through him to God for glory.
19.,-20. the Son of God . . . did not
become yes and no, but yes came
to
be in him: Paul could not be
vacillating or uncertain, because
Jesus was absolute
truth, who in his life and work
brought to fulfillment the previous
divine promises. came to be:
Gegonen, pf.
tense, denotes an action that has
happened and
continues in its effect; the divine
promises were
fulfilled in the person of Jesus
Christ, and we are
still affected by the results of his
ife. amen: Hebrew for "yes." The goal of God's revelation is divine glory manifested through us; only by his grace are we
moved to give God glory.
21
But the one who gives us security with you in
Christ and who anointed us is God;
22
he has also put his seal upon us and given the
Spirit in our hearts as a first installment.
21. giving strength to us with you: God ever gives
his help to those who believe in him. having
anointed us, having marked us with a seal, having
given the pledge of the spirit: Paul retails three
effects of our initiation into the Christian life at
baptism. The "seal" was the personal mark placed
by an owner on his property; the "pledge" (arrabn)
was a down payment signifying that the rest of the
payment would be made; here the pledge is God's
Spirit. The fullest possession of messianic bounty
is yet to come (cf. Eph 1 :13-14;
Rom 8 :23). The Spirit dwelling
within Paul is a guarantee of the
Apostle's sincerity.
Mk 2:1-12
16 (ii) In controversy with the Pharisees (2 :1-3:5).
This section serves to show the growing opposition to Jesus, leading to the Pharisees' plot in 3 :6.
(A) Cure of a Paralytic (2:1-12). This pericope may refer to a single incident in Jesus' ministry, or it may have been conflated from a miracle story (3-5,11-12) and a pronouncement story (6-10) by the association of the forgiveness of sins with faith (Acts 10:43; 13 :38-39; cf. ]. Dupont, ScEccl 12 [1960] 156-58; NR T 82 [1960] 942). The main difficulty lies in 2:10, which contains an anacoluthon involving a shift in the persons addressed and thus breaks the unity of the passage. It is surprising, moreover, in view of Mark's presentation of the Messianic secret, that Jesus should have disclosed himself so early in his ministry as the Son of Man with authority to forgive sins, the more so since this disclosure is made to hostile scribes (cf. 8:11-13). Possibly, however, 2:10 is not a saying of Jesus, but a parenthetical comment of the Church addressed to the Christian readers of the Gospel and explicating for them the significance of the healing. In that case the passage would form a perfect literary unity in which Jesus establishes the effectiveness of his forgiving word not by a verbal claim but by a miracle whose import is accessible only to those with faith.
4. roof: See Lk 5 :18-19. The essential point in 2 :3-5 is the connection between the actors' faith and Jesus' declaration of forgiveness. Although Jesus' words may simply have meant "God has forgiven your sins (cf. 2 Sm 12:13; GrBib 236), vv. 7 and 10 show that they are reported here in the light of the Church's Easter faith in Christ as the Lord with power to forgive sins personally. 5. saw their faith: Faith, the necessary prerequisite for a miracle (5:34; 5:56 [cf. Mt 13:58]; 7:29 [cf. Mt
16:28]; 9:23; 10:52), and an essential demand of Jesus' preaching (1:15), could not, before the resurrection, have meant an act of belief in Christ as a divine person. The Evangelists, writing as Christian believers, tend to color pistis in terms of the specifically Christian faith to which it was leading (see, e.g., comments on 2 :10; I :lj). During Jesus' ministry it would have meant a receptivity to God's healing word proclaimed by Jesus, together with a confident self-abandonment to God whose saving power
was being exercised in and through Jesus (P. Benoit.
LumVi 22 [1955] 45-64). 7. blasphemy: A foreshadowing' of the condemnation in 14:60.64. 10. that you may know: This verse is a Christian editorial comment on Jesus' miracle; the "you" cannot refer to the scribes. It is addressed to the Christian readers to whom the miracle is being recounted. 11. I say to you, rise: Jesus' cure substantiates his claim to forgive sins and symbolizes the spiritual health of the forgiven sinner. (On the Son of Man, -- Aspects NT Thought, 78 :28-30.) 12. they were astonished: The amazed people fail to see the miracle as a sign of Jesus' power to forgive sins (contrast Mt 9 :8)another reason for thinking that 2:10 does not represent a saying uttered by Jesus on this occasion.
(Boobyer, G. H., "Mk 2 :loa and the Interpretation of the Healing of the Paralytic," HarvTR 47 [1954] II5-20. Ceroke, C. P., "Is Mk 2:10 a Saying of Jesus?" CBQ 22 [1960] 369-90. Dupont,]., "Le paralytique pardonne," NRT82 [1960] 940-58. Feuillet, A., "L'exousia du Fils de I'Homme," RSR 42 [1954] 161-92. Mead, R. T., "The Healing of the Paralytic-A Unit," JBL 80 [1961] 348-54.)
SSs Scripture Passage from Mk 2:1-12
JBC Commentary
1
When Jesus returned to Capernaum after some
days, it became known that he was at home.
2
Many gathered together so that there was no
longer room for them, not even around the door,
and he preached the word to them.
3
They came bringing to him a paralytic carried
by four men.
(A) Cure of a Paralytic (2:1-12). This pericope may
refer to a single incident in Jesus' ministry, or it
may have been conflated from a miracle story
(3-5,11-12) and a pronouncement story (6-10) by
the association of the forgiveness of sins with faith
(Acts 10:43; 13 :38-39; cf. ]. Dupont, ScEccl
12 [1960] 156-58; NR T 82 [1960] 942). The main
difficulty lies in 2:10, which contains an
anacoluthon involving a shift in the persons
addressed and thus breaks the unity of the passage.
It is surprising, moreover, in view of Mark's
presentation of the Messianic secret, that Jesus
should have disclosed himself so early in his
ministry as the Son of Man with authority to forgive
sins, the more so since this disclosure is made to hostile
scribes (cf. 8:11-13). Possibly, however, 2:10 is not
a saying of Jesus, but a parenthetical comment of
the Church addressed to the Christian readers of the
Gospel and explicating for them the significance of
the healing. In that case the passage would form a
perfect literary unity in which Jesus establishes the effectiveness of his forgiving word not by a verbal
claim but by a miracle whose import is accessible
only to those with faith.
4
Unable to get near Jesus because of the crowd, they opened up the roof above him. After they had broken through, they let down the mat on which the paralytic was lying.
4. roof: See Lk 5 :18-19. The essential point in
2 :3-5 is the connection between the actors' faith
and Jesus' declaration of forgiveness. Although
Jesus' words may simply have meant "God has
forgiven your sins (cf. 2 Sm 12:13; GrBib 236),
vv. 7 and 10 show that they are reported here in the
light of the Church's Easter faith in Christ as the
Lord with power to forgive sins personally.
posted by Deacon Jim | 3:41 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home