JOHN THE BAPTIST - Cycle B

Homily for the Sunday on the Feast of John the Baptist (Cycle B)

Based on Lk 1:57-66, 80 (Gospel), Is 49:1-6(First Reading) and Ac 13:22-26 (Second Reading)

From the Series: “Reflections and Teachings of the Desert”

JOHN THE BAPTIST

“He is to be called John” (Lk 1:60)

The gospel narrative for this Sunday on the feast of John the Baptist is the one taken from Lk 1:57-66, 80. Let us now go verse by verse on this gospel narrative, including their parallel texts and footnotes.

Verses 57 and 58 say:  Meanwhile the time came for Elizabeth to have her child, and she gave birth to a son, and when her neighbors and relations heard that the Lord had shown her so great a kindness, they shared her joy.

Parallel text for verse 58 is Lk 1:8-16 that says: “Now it was the turn of Zechariah’s section^e to serve, and he was exercising his priestly office before God (v. 8), when it fell to him by lot, as the ritual custom was, to enter the Lord’s sanctuary and burn incense there.^f (v. 9). And at the hour of incense the whole congregation was outside, praying (v. 10). Then there appeared to him the angel of the Lord, standing on the right of the altar of incense (v. 11). The sight disturbed Zechariah and he was overcome with fear.^g (v. 12) But the angel said to him, ‘Zechariah, do not be afraid, your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth is to bear a son and you must name him John.^h (v. 13)He will be your joy and delight and many will rejoiceⁱ at his birth (v. 14), for he will be great in the sight of the Lord; he must drink no wine, no strong drink.^j Even from his mother’s womb he will be filled with the Holy Spirit (v. 15), and he bring back many of the sons of Israel to the Lord their God (v.16)”.

Footnotes for Lk 1:8-16 are:

^e - Each section was responsible for a week’s service. Cf 1 Ch 24:19; 2 Ch 23:8.

^f- It was the priest’s duty to keep the brazier burning that stood on the altar of incense in front of the Holy of Holies; he would also sup[ply it with fresh incense. Once before the morning sacrifice, again after the evening sacrifice, cf. Ex 30:6-8.

^g - Lk is fond of mentioning religious dread and terror; 1:29-30,65; 2:9-10; 4:36; 5:8-10,26; 7:16; 8:25; 33-37,56; 9:34,43; 24:37; Ac 2:43; 3:10; 5:5,11; 10:4; 19:17.

^h - The name means ‘Yahweh-is-gracious.’

ⁱ - Joy is the keynote of ch. 1-2; 1:28,46,58; 2:10. Cf 10:17,20f; 13:17; 15:7,32; 19:6,17; 24:41,5. Ac 2:46+.

^j - Several OT texts lie behind this remark, especially the law of the nazirite, cf. Nb 6:1+.

Verses 59 to 62 says: “Now on the eight day they came to circumcise the child; they were going to call^y him Zechariah after his father, but his mother spoke up, ‘No,’ she said ‘he is to be called John.’ They said to her, ‘But no one in your family has that name’, and made signs to his father to find out what he wanted him called.”

Footnote on Lk. 1:59  states that ^y-  The name was normally given when the child was circumcised, cf. 2:21.

Parallel texts for Lk 1: 59 are:

a.       Gn 17:10 - Now this is my Covenant which you are to maintain between myself and you, and your descendants after you; all your males must be circumcised.^e  Footnote ^e - Circumcision was originally a rite initiatory to marriage and to the life of a clan, Gn. 34:14; Ex. 4:24-26; Lv. 19:23. Here is becomes a ‘sign’ which, like the rainbow of 9:16-17, is to remind God of his covenant and man of the obligation deriving from his belonging to the Chosen People. Nevertheless, the legislative texts allude to this injunction only on two occasions, Ex. 12:44; Lv. 12:3; cf. Jos. 5:2-8. It is only at the Exile and after that it receives its full prominence, cf. 1 M. 1:63, 2 M. 6:10. St. Paul explains it as a ‘seal of the righteousness of faith’, Rm. 4:11. On the ‘circumcision of the heart’, see Jr. 4:4+.

b.      Lv 12:3 - On the eight day the child’s foreskin must be circumcised.

Verses 63 and 64 say: The father asked for a writing-tablet and wrote, ‘His name is John’. And they were all astonished. At that instant his power of speech returned and he spoke and praised God.

Parallel text for verse 63 is Lk 1:13 that says “But the angel said to him, ‘Zechariah, do not be afraid, your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth is to bear a son and you must name him John.^h”

Footnote ^h says “The name means ‘Yahweh-is-gracious.’”

Verse 65 says All their neighbors were filled with awe and the whole affair was talked about throughout the hill country of Judaea.

Parallel texts are:

a.       Lk 1:12 - The sight disturbed Zechariah and he was overcome with fear.^g  Footnote ^g says  “Lk is fond of mentioning religious dread and terror; 1:29-30,65; 2:9-10; 4:36; 5:8-10,26; 7:16; 8:25; 33-37,56; 9:34,43; 24:37; Ac 2:43; 3:10; 5:5,11; 10:4; 19:17”.

b.      When the eight day came and the child was to be circumcised they gave him the name Jesus, the name the angel had given him before his conception.

Verse 66 says:  All those who heard of it treasured it in their hearts. ‘What will this child turn out to be?’ they wondered. And indeed the hand of the Lord was with him.^z  Footnote ^z – “I.e. protected him: a biblical expression, Jr 26:24; Ac 11:21”.

Parallel texts are:

a.       Lk 1:80 - Meanwhile the child grew up and his spirit matured.^gg and he lived out in the wilderness until the day he appeared openly to Israel. Footnote ^gg says: “A kind of refrain: 2:40,52; cf. 1:66 and cf Ac 2:41+; 6:7+.”

b.      Ac 11:21 - The Lord helped them, and a great number believed and were converted to the Lord.

Verse 80 says: Meanwhile the child grew up and his spirit matured.^gg And he lived out in the wilderness until the day he appeared openly to Israel.  Footnote ^gg says: “A kind of refrain: 2:40,52; cf. 1:66 and cf Ac 2:41+; 6:7+.”

Parallel texts are:

a.       All those who heard of it treasured it in their hearts. ‘What will this child turn out to be?’ they wondered. And indeed the hand of the Lord was with him.^z Footnote ^z – “I.e. protected him: a biblical expression, Jr 26:24; Ac 11:21.”

b.      Meanwhile the child grew to maturity, and he was filled with wisdom; and God’s favor was with him.

c.       Lk 3:1-18 - The preaching of John the Baptist - In the fifteenth year of Tiberius Caesar’s reign,^a when Pontius Pilate^b was governor of Judaea, Herod^c tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip^d tetrarch of the land of Ituraea and Trachonitis, Lysanias^e tetrarch of Abilene (v. 1), during the pontificate of Annas and Caiaphas,^f the word of God came to John son of Zechariah, in the wilderness (v. 2). He went through the whole Jordan district proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins^g(v. 3) as it is written in the book of the sayings of the prophet Isaiah: A voice cries in the wilderness: Prepare a way for the Lord, make his paths straight. (v. 4)  Every valley will be filled in, every mountain and hill be laid low, winding ways will be straightened and rough roads made smooth (v. 5) And all mankind shall see the salvation of God (v. 6). He said, therefore, to the crowds who came to be baptized by him, “Brood of vipers, who warned you to fly from the retribution that is coming? (v. 7) But if you are repentant, produce the appropriate fruits, and do not think of telling yourselves, “We have Abraham for our father” because, I tell you, God can raise children for Abraham from these stones (v. 8). Yes, even now the axe is laid to the roots of the trees, so that any tree which fails to produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown on the fire’ (v. 9). ^hWhen all the people asked him,’ what must we do then? (v. 10) he answered, If anyone has two tunics he must share with the man who has name, and the one with something to eat must do the same (v. 11) . These were tax collectors too who came for baptism, and these said to him, ‘Master, what must we do?  (v. 12) He said to them, ‘Exact no more than your rate? (v. 13) Some soldiers asked him on their turn,! What about us? What must we do? ‘He said to them, “No intimidation! No extortion! Be content with your pay! (v. 14). A feeling of expectancy had grown among the people, who were beginning to think that John might be the Christ (15), so John declared before them all, ‘I baptize you with water, but someone is coming, someone who is more powerful than I am, and I am not fit to undo the strap of his sandals; he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire (v. 16). His winnowing fan is in his hands, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn; but the chaff he will burn in a fire that will never go out’ (v. 17). As well as this, there were many other things he said to exhort the people and to announce the Good News to them (v. 18).

Footnotes a to h of Lk 3:1-18 are:

^a - Here, as in 1:5 and 2:1-3, Lk dates his narrative by secular events. Tiberius succeeded Augustus, 2:1, on 19 August 14 AD. The 15^th year, therefore, is from 19 August 28 AD to 18 August 29 AD. Alternatively, if the Syrian method of calculating the year of a reign is being followed, the 15^th year is from Sept-Oct 27 AD to Sept-Oct 28 AD. At that time, Jesus was at least 33 years old, possibly 35 or 36. The indication of v. 23 is approximate, and perhaps it only means that Jesus was old enough to exercise a public ministry. The mistake in calculating the ‘Christian Era’ results from taking 3:23 as an exact figure: the 15^th year of Tiberius was 782 ‘after the foundation of Rome’; Dionysius Exiguus subtracted 29 full years from this, arriving at 753 for the beginning of our era. Actually, it should have been 750 or even 746.

^b - Procurator of Judaea (including Idumaea and Samaria) 26-36 AD.

^c - The Herod referred to is Herod Antipas, son of Herod the Great and Malthake; he was tetrarch of Galilee and Peraea from 4 BC to 39 AD.

^d - Son of Herod the Great and Cleopatra, tetrarch from 4 BC to 34 AD.

^e - Known from two inscriptions. Abilene was in Anti-Lebanon.

^f-  The high priest in office was Joseph, called Caiaphas; he exercised this function from 18-36 AD and played a leading part in the plot against Jesus, cf. Mt 26:3; Jn 11:49; 18:14. His father-in-law, Annas, who had been High priest from 6 (?) to 15 AD is associated with him and even named first, cf. Ac 4:6 and Jn 18:13,24, as if his prestige was such that he was high priest in all but name.

^g - Probably in the neighborhood of Jericho.

^h- Vv. 10-14 (Lk only) emphasize the practical and positive side of John’s teaching. Salvation is for all classes of men but justice and charity are necessary in every walk of life.

The following are the excerpts from the Internet regarding the topic “John the Baptist:

a.       “Long before the appearance of John the Baptist, the Jews had been taught to expect that the God of heaven would… set up a kingdom, which would never be destroyed. This heavenly kingdom was the economy of assortment which John introduced, and the baptism of John is called the beginning of the gospel, the epoch from which the New Testament dispensation is to be computed…in the beginning of the gospel, John did baptize. John was born at Hebron, and if a judgment of his education may be formed by the character of his parents, he was trained up in the habits of piety and virtue, for they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. How he was employed in his youth; whether he were single or married; a man of property, or poor; with many other such questions, must ever remain unanswered, for his historians did not think it necessary to mention them. They thought, however, of consequence to affirm, that his conduct originated in a divine call. Three of the evangelists observe, that the coming of this extraordinary man had been foretold by the prophet Isaiah, and the fourth described him as a man sent from God, that the baptism of John was from heaven, and not of men.” (From Google eBooks. Robert Robinson, “The History of Baptism” (David Benedict, AM, editor).

b.      The same source as above continues: “When John was about thirty years of age, in obedience to the heavenly call, he entered on his ministry, by quitting to the hill-country, and going down the wilderness to the plains of Jordan, by proclaiming the kingdom of God, the near advent of the Messiah, and the necessity of preparing to receive him by laying aside sin, superstition, and by an exercise of universal justice, and lastly, by identifying the person of Jesus as the Messiah. His dress was plain, his diet abstemious, and his whole deportment grave, serious and severe. Multitudes…were baptized by him in the river Jordan, but the Pharisees and lawyers are to be excepted, for they rejected the counsel of God against themselves, and were not baptized by him. It is uncertain by what means John obtained an interview with Herod; but certain it is, re reproved him for living in adultery with Herodias his brother Philip’s wife…and told the king, “it is now lawful for thee to have they brother’s wife. Herodias was extremely displeased with John for his honest freedom, and determined to destroy him; but though she prevailed on the king to imprison him, yet she could not persuade him to put him to death. He sent an executioner, and commanded the head of the prophet to be brought, and John was assassinated in the prison.”

c.       What do some sources say about John the Baptist:

“John the Baptist was sent by God to spread the news of the coming Messiah—Jesus Christ. John was directed by God (John 1:33) to baptize those who accepted his message. John’s baptizing is called “a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.” Mark 1:4 (NIV). Those baptized by John acknowledged their sins and professed their faith that through the coming Messiah they would be forgiven. Baptism then is significant in that it represents the forgiveness and cleansing from sin that comes through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.”  (Online article “What is Baptism?”by Mary Fairchild)

d.      John the Baptist…“was the first performer of this sacred rite (baptism), and who administered it to the great Messiah and to multitudes of repenting Jews. This singular person is supposed to have been born in Hebron; he began preaching the doctrine of repentance in the wilderness of Judea, and soon multitudes, from the entire region round about, flocked to the harbinger of the Messiah, and confessing their sins were baptized by him in Jordan and Enon. But John’s ministry was of short duration. By some means he was introduced to king Herod, whom he reproved for living in adultery with his brother Philip’s wife. For this honest freedom John was cast into prison, where he was assassinated by the means of the guilty and enraged Herodias.” (An online article “A General History of the Baptist Denomination in America, and other parts of the World,” a book by David Benedict (1813), London: Printed by Lincoln & Edmands, No.53, Cornhill, for the author.

e.      The same source as above from the book by David Benedict continues:

“We have seen, not long since, that John the Baptist has been most extravagantly extolled by the Roman Catholics; but it appears that many modern Pedo-baptists very lightly esteem both John and his ministry. They would fain make us believe that the baptism which he administered was not gospel baptism, but was merely a continuation of Jewish ablutions, and that the gospel dispensation did not commence until after his death. By this supposition, John is left in a forlorn condition, for he is neither a Jew nor Christian, he is neither an Old Testament priest, nor a New Testament minister, but stands like the young ass-colt, where two ways met and is not permitted to go in either…The Jews sent priests and Levites to ask of him, Who art thou? And at another time they acknowledged they knew not whether his baptism was from heaven or of men. But notwithstanding all this the Pedo-baptists of the present day turn him over to the Jewish side. Such attempts are worthy the cause which requires their aid. Mark calls John’s ministry, the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God….The Pedo-baptists are at liberty to make their own expositions; but the Baptists are willing to believe that Mark’s statement is correct. This novel notion of placing John under the law, leads to another absurdity respecting the baptism of the Savior.

f.        “John the Baptist was the second ‘Elijah’ (Matt. 17:12-13)…John was a type of the future ‘Elijah’—one who would also be sent by God to the world in the spirit and power of the Elijah the prophet, this time just before Christ’s Second Coming to rule the earth.“As John prepared the way for Christ’s first coming, so the prophesied Elijah to come would prepare the way for Christ’s Second Coming to earth. Jesus said that this man would ‘restore all things,’ referring to God’s Government in His Church and Christ’s Gospel of the Kingdom of God.“Malachi 4:5 is a prophecy being fulfilled in your lifetime—right now! ‘Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.’ Luke 1:17 says that John the Baptist came ‘in the spirit and power of Elias [Elijah]’ to prepare the way before the first coming of Christ. Another ‘Elijah’ is prophesied to warn the world ‘before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord’—the return of Jesus Christ in power and glory to punish the unrepentant nations of the earth! “You are being warned in advance! The Day of the Lord is coming.” Note that Christ is not speaking of the original Elijah. John the Baptist, who was a type of ‘Elijah,’ came ‘in the spirit and power of Elijah’ (Luke 1:17). John the Baptist did a one-man work.

The original Elijah was well known to all Israel. And the second Elijah, John the Baptist, also virtually “shook” the whole nation (Mark 1:5, “Then ALL the land of Judea, and those from Jerusalem, went out to him and were all baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins”). Not one soul was spiritually converted under John—though many were, no doubt, later converted on or after Pentecost A.D. 31, and the birth of the New Testament Church. John the Baptist warned one king in Judea. Elijah apparently worked with two or three kings in Israel, and perhaps certain others. John the Baptist did die through beheading after barely reaching beyond age 31. But he was also taken away from having to witness the horrible crucifixion of Christ, 2½ years later, and the catastrophic destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple a little more than 40 years later. Again, many Jews today are awaiting the fulfillment of Malachi 4:5-6. The Scribes and Pharisees of John the Baptist’s time rejected him because he did not fit their description of this passage. He did no miracles and did not sweep away the Roman legions from Jerusalem and Judea. He announced the Coming of a Christ they were unwilling to receive, whom they found to be a “stumbling block” (I Cor. 1:23; I Pet. 2:7-8). As a result, they rejected John and Christ, and went back into a waiting mode for the Elijah. Even today, many orthodox and conservative Jews put an empty place setting for Elijah at their Passover tables.(From rcg.org. “I Will Send Elijah to Restore All Things” by David C. Pack).

g.       An article from an online source regarding the “Biblical and Archaeological evidence of John the Baptist”  The Gospel of Matthew describes John the Baptist as being a contemporary of Jesus. He preached "...in the wilderness of Judea."1 He urgently called on people to repent because he believed that the kingdom of heaven was in his immediate future. The author of the Gospel of Mark relates that John survived by eating locusts and wild honey. He recognized Jesus as the "...one mightier than I after me, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop down and unloose."  He baptized Jews by full immersion in the Jordan river, or in a stream that flowed into the Jordan, "...in that part of the Jordan valley (Luke, iii, 3) which is called the desert (Mark, i, 4)." The Gospel of John mentions that the baptisms were "done in Bethabara (Bethany) beyond Jordan." …John's spiritual movement survived his execution. When Paul visited Ephesus, he found a group of John's followers there. The modern-day Mandeans believers regard John the Baptist as their founder. They live in southern Iran and Iraq and number about 25,000.

The First Reading for this Sunday is taken from Is 49:1-6. This is about the Second song of the servant of Yahweh^a . Footnote ^a – “Some reckon v 7 or 7-9a as part of this song.” Parallel text is Is 42:1, which says: First song of the servant of Yahweh:^a Part One - Here is my servant^b whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom my soul delights. I have endowed with my spirit^c that he may bring true justice to the nations. Footnotes ^a - The Book of consolation often speaks of Israel as a ‘servant of Yahweh’, chosen, set apart, saved to be God’s witness before th nations, cf. 41:8+. But the four ‘songs of the servant of Yahweh’, 42:1-9, 49:1-6; 50:4-11; 52:13-53:12, present a mysterious ‘servant’ who is osme ways is like the servant-Israel of the other passages (a gloss in 49:5-6 actually identifies him with Israel); in 49:5-6 however he is distinguished from his servant-Israel and contrasted with him by other qualities which show that this mysterious servant is a particular individual. Called by Yahweh while still in his mother’s womb, 49:1,5 (cf. Jr 1:5), ‘formed’ by him, 42:6; 49:5, filled with his spirit, 42:1, the servant is  ‘disciple’ and Yahweh has opened his ears, 50:4-5, so that, by establishing justice on earth, 42:1,3, he may instruct mankind, 42:4; 50:4, sort them and judge them by his word, 50:10-11. He performs his task gently and  without display, 42:2-3; even appears to fail in it, 49:4. He accepts outrage and contempt, 50:5-6; 52:14; 53:2-3; he does not succumb because Yahweh sustains him, 42:4; 49:5; 50:7,9. The fourth song, some details of which may have been inspired by the life of Jeremiah (cf. also Ps 22), considers the suffering of this servant: like Job he is innocent, 53:9, but treated as an evil-doer whom God has punished, 53:4,12, condemned to a shameful death, 53:8-9. In fact, however all this is his own free offering for sinners whose guilt he takes on himself and for whom he intercedes, 53:4-5,8,11-12; and hitherto undreamed-of act of power, 52:15-53:1, from this atoning suffering Yahweh brings the salvation of all men, 53:6,10-12. Therefore, the servant will grow great, 52:13; he ‘will see a posterity’, 53:10, and hordes of his redeemed will be his, 53:12. He will not only ‘gather’ Israel, 49:5-6, but he will be the light of the nations, 42:6; 49:6, cf. 50:10. The New Testament,cf. Mt. 3:17+; Lk 4:17-21; Ac 3:13+; 8:32-33, sees Jesus as this servant in his person the attributes of the King-Messiah, Son of David, 2 S 7:1+; Is 7:14+, are united with those of the suffering servant.

^b - Yahweh is speaking. He designates and consecrates the servant.

^c - The spirit of the prophets, cf. Is 11:2+, the outpouring of which is the clearest sign of the messianic age, Jl 3:1-5, cf. Ac 2:16-21.

Let us go verse by verse for this reading:

Verse 1 says: Islands, listen to me, pay attention, remotest people. Yahweh called me before I was born, from my mother’s womb he pronounced my name.

Parallel texts are:

a.       Is 41:1 - The calling of Cyrus^a Islands, keep silence before me, let the people renew their strength. Let them come forward and speak, let us appear together for judgment. Footnote ^a says: “Cyrus, the future liberator of the people of Judah exiled in Babylon, plays a prominent part in the Book of Consolation. Yahweh establishes him, not to punish (like a Sennacherib or Nebuchadnezzar), but to set free. An ancient Jewish tradition applied this passage to the call of Abraham. St Jerome (who in v. 2 translates ‘who has aroused the Just One from the East) applied it to the Messiah, who would once for all bring deliverance. Cyrus who is later called ‘the anointed of Yahweh’, 45:1+, is in any case a foreshadowing of the Messiah”.

b.      Ps 2:7 - Let me^b proclaim Yahweh’s decree; he told me, You are my son, today I have become your father. Footnote ^b says “The rebel speaks, v. 3, the Yahweh himself, v. 6, finally the Messiah, v. 7f. By consecrating him king of Israel, v. 6, God pronounces him ‘his son’; the phrase in this context is familiar in the ancient East, but in conjunction with the messianic promise of 2 S 7 it will be given a deeper meaning; Heb 1:5, followed by Christian tradition and liturgy, applies v. 7 to the eternal generation of the Word.”

c.       Jr 1:5 - Before I formed you in the womb I knew you;^e before you came to birth I consecrated you; I have appointed you as prophet to the nations. Footnote ^e– says that: “To ‘know’ means for God, to choose and predestine, cf. Am 3:2; Rm 8:29. On man’s ‘knowledge’ of God, cf. Ho 2:22.”

d.      Ga 1:15 - The God, who has especially chosen me while I was still in my mother’s womb, called me through his grace and chose to reveal his Son in me,ⁱ so that I might preach the Good News about him to the pagans. I did not stop to discuss this with any human being. Footnote ⁱ states that “Others translate ‘reveal his Son to me’. Paul is not denying that his vision was real, 1 Co 9:1; 15:8; cf. Ac 9:17; 22:14; 26:26, he is stressing the inwardness of this real vision and relating this inwardness to his call as apostle of the gentile”.

Verse 2 says:  He made my mouth a sharp sword, and hid me in the shadow of his hand. He made me into a sharpened arrow, and concealed me in his quiver.

Parallel texts are:

a.       The word of God^e is something alive and active; it cuts like any double-edged sword but more finely; it can slip through the place where the souls is divided from the spirit, or joints from the marrow; it can judge the secret emotions and thoughts. Footnote ^e says that “All that God has revealed through the prophets or through his Son, 1:1-2; 2:1-4; 3. Since the promises and threats of the message are still ‘alive’ and in force, they make it impossible for human beings to avoid declaring their intentions, i.e. they ‘judge’ them.”

b.      In his right hand he was holding seven stars, out of his mouth came a sharp sword, double-edged, and his face was like the sun shining with all its force.

c.       From his mouth came  sword^j to strike the pagans with; he is the one who will rule them in an iron scepter, and tread out the wine of Almighty God ‘s fierce anger.^k Footnote ^j  says that “ Lit. ‘a sharp blade issues out of his mouth’, symbol of the destroying Word; cf. Is 11:4; Ws 18:16 and also Ho 6:5; Rv 1:16; 2 Th 2:8”; and  ^k says that “The winepress is a common image in prophetic literature for God’s destruction of his people’s enemies on the Great Day of his revenge; cf. Gn 49:9-12; Jr 25:30; Is 63:1-6; Jl 4:13. On the ‘wine of anger’, cf . 14:8+ and Is 51:17+.”

d.      But he,^l is he not something precious to me,^m sealed inside my treasury? Footnote ^l says : “‘he’, i.e. Israel whom God keeps in readiness for a time. The canticle now tells of Israel’s deliverance and of the punishment of his enemies; cf. Is 14:47; 51; and the prophecies of Jr and Ezk against the nations”; and ^m  says “Lit. ‘like a tribute with me’. It was the custom of vassal nations to pay tribute in precious stones, etc”.

Verse 3 says that: “He said to me, ‘You are my servant (Israel)^b in whom I shall be glorified;”  Footnote  ^b - This identification of the servant, hard to reconcile with vv.5,6, cf. 42:1+, is probably a gloss suggested by 44:21.

Parallel texts are:

a.       Mt 3:17 - And a voice spoke from heaven, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved; my favor rests on him’ⁿ Footnote ⁿ says that: “The immediate purpose of this sentence is to declare that Jesus is in truth the servant foretold by Isaiah, but the substitution of ‘Son’ for ‘servant’ (made possible by the double sense of the Greek word pais) underlines the relationship of Jesus with the Father, which is that of anointed Son, cf.4:3+.”

b.      2 Th 1:10 – “…on that day when he comes to be glorified among his saints and seen in his glory by all who believe in him;^d and you are believers, through our witness. ^e” Footnote  ^d  says: “Paul here seems to be thinking of angels (the ‘saints’, cf. Ac 9:13+) and Christians (‘those who believe’); and ^e-   states that “Vv. 6-10 form a parenthesis, v.11 follows on from v.5.”

Verse 4 says that: While I was thinking, ‘I have toiled in vain, I have exhausted myself for nothing’; and all the while my cause was with Yahweh, my reward with my God.

Parallel texts are:

a.       Is 53:10-12 - Yahweh has been pleased to crush him with suffering.^h If he offers his life in atonement, he shall his heirs, he shall have a long life and through him what Yahweh wishes will be done. His soul’s anguish over he shall see the lightⁱ and be content. By his sufferings shall my servant justify many,^j taking their faults on himself. Hence I will grant whole hordes for his tribute, he shall divide the spoil with the mighty, for surrendering himself to  death and letting himself be taken for a sinner, while he was bearing the faults of many and praying all the time for sinners.  Footnote ^h –“‘with suffering’ corr., cf. versions; ‘he has pierced him’ DSIa, cf. v. 5.”; ⁱ- “‘the light’ Greek, DSIa and DSIb; absent from Hebr.”; and  ^j – “‘By his suffering’ corr. following one  Hebr. MS; ‘By his knowledge’ Hebr. Before ‘servant’ Hebr. inserts ‘the just one’.”

b.      Jn 17:5 - Now, Father, it is time to glorify me with the glory I had with you^f before ever the world was. Footnote ^f – says that: “Var. ‘the glory which was with you’ or ‘the glory with which I was’ or ‘the glory with you’.”

c.       Ph 2:8-11 - …he was humbler yet, even to accepting death, death on a cross (v. 8).But God raised him high and gave him the name which is above all other names (v. 9) so that all beings in the heavens, on earth and the underworld,ⁿ should bend the knee at the name of Jesus (v. 10) and that every tongue should acclaim ^o Jesus Christ as Lord, ^p to the glory of God the Father.^q  (v. 11). Footnote  ^k- states that “Lit ‘super-raised him’; by the resurrection and ascension.”; ^l states that “Named him ‘Lord’, v. 11; or, at a deeper level, gave him an ineffable and divine name which, through the triumph of the risen Christ, can now be expressed by the title Kyrios, Lord, cf. Ac 2:21; 3:16+”; ^m states  “Greater even than the angels, cf. Ef 1:21; Heb 1:4; 1 P 3:22. ⁿ - The three cosmic divisions that cover the entire creation, cf. Rv 5:3,13. ^o –  Var. ‘and every tongue shall acclaim’”; ^p states  “Om. ‘Christ’. This proclamation is the essence of the Christian creed, Rm. 10:9, 1 Co. 12:3, cf. Col. 2:6. The use of Is. 45:23 (in which this homage is addressed to Yahweh himself) is a clear indication of the divine character that is meant to be understood by the title Kyrios, cf. Jn. 20:28, Ac. 2:36; and ^q states that “Vulg. Interpretation is ‘proclaim that Jesus Christ is in the glory of God the Father’”.

Verse 5 says:  I was honored in the eyes of Yahweh, my God was my strength. And now Yahweh has spoken, he who formed me in the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob back to him, to gather Israel to him^c. Footnote ^c says that “‘gather to him’ following some MSS and Syr.”

Parallel text is Jr 1:5, which says: Before I formed you in the womb I knew you;^e before you came to birth I consecrated you; I have appointed you as prophet to the nations. Footnote ^e states that “To ‘know’ means for God, to choose and predestine, cf. Am 3:2; Rm 8:29. On man’s ‘knowledge’ of God, cf. Ho 2:22.”

Verse 6 is a  ‘It is not enough for you to be my servant, to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back the survivors of Israel; I will make you the light of the nations so that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth’.

Parallel texts are:

a.       Tb 13:11 - A bright light shall shine over all the regions of the earth; many nations shall come from far away. From all the ends of the earth, to dwell close to the holy name of the Lord God, with gifts in their hands for the King of heaven. Within you, generation after generation shall proclaim their joy, and the name of her who is Elect shall endure through the generations to come.

b.      Ps 2:8 - Ask and I will give you the nations for your heritage, the ends of the earth for your domain.

c.       Lk 2:32 - …a light to enlighten the pagans and the glory of your people Israel.

d.      For this is what the Lord commanded us to do when he said:  I have made you a light for the nations, so that my salvation may reach the ends of the earth.^ff Footnote ^ff says: “LXX text quoted freely: The words may be taken either as referring to Paul himself (cf. 26:17-18), apostle and teacher of the pagans (cf. Rm 11:13; 1 Tm 2:7; Ep 3:8 etc.), or to the risen Christ (see Ac 26:23 which also, it seems,  is based on Is 49:6; and see Lk 2:32, dependent on Is 49:6,9): Christ is the light of the pagans, but since only the apostle’s witness can spread this light, cf. Ac 1:8+, Paul considers this prophecy as a command that he must carry out.”

Second Reading for this Sunday is taken from  Ac 13:22-26. Verse by verse this scripture  says:

Verse 22 says: [In those days, Paul said:] he (God) deposed him (Saul) and made David their king, of whom he approved in these words, “I have selected David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart, who will carry out my whole purpose’.

Parallel texts are:

a.       1 S 13:14 - But now your sovereignty will not last; Yahweh has searched out a man for himself after his own heart^l and designated him leader of his people, since you have not carried out what Yahweh ordered you.  Footnote ^l says: “The tragedy of King Saul: though he is Yahweh’s chosen one and the savior of his people, ch 1 and 14, Yahweh casts him off, ch 13 and 15. The Bible, from the preference shown to Jacob rather than to Esau, Gn 25:23, cf. Rm 9:13, from Israel’s election, Dt 7:6, Am 3:2, to the calling of the apostles, teaches the free bestowal of God’s choice. But it teaches also that persistence if God’s favor depends on the faithfulness of the chosen one: Saul betrayed his choice.”

b.      Ps 89:20 - I have selected my servant David and anointed him with my holy oil.

c.       Is 44:28 - I am he who says of Cyrus, “My shepherd- he will fulfill my whole purpose, saying^p of Jerusalem, “Let her be rebuilt”, and of the Temple, “Let your foundation be laid”. Footnote ^p– says: “Or, following the version, “I it is who say’”.

Verse 23 says: To keep his promise, God has raised upⁿ for Israel one of David’s descendants, Jesus as Saviour. Footnote ⁿ–Or ‘raised from the dead’. The Greek verb can mea either and this ambivalence is exploited in the argument, as in 3:20-26; the promise finds fulfillment in Christ’s resurrection, vv 32-33; see also 26:6-8; moreover, it is by his resurrection that Jesus is established as savior, cf. 5:31; see also 2:21; 4:12; Rm 5:9-10; Ph 3:20, etc. Thus the verb which means ‘raise up’ in v. 22 unequivocally means ‘raise from the dead’ from v. 30 onwards. In v 23 it is transitional and ambiguous.

Parallel texts are:

a.       Ac 13:32 - We have come here to tell you the Good News. It was to our ancestors that God made the promise but…

b.      Ac 19:3-4  - ‘Then how were you baptized?’ he asked. ‘With John’s baptism’ they replied.

Verses 24 and 25 are: …whose coming was heralded by John when he proclaimed a baptism of repentance for the whole people of Israel. Before John ended his career he said, “I am not the one^o you imagine me to be; that one is coming after me and I am not fit to undo his sandal”. Footnote ^o – Var ‘what’.

Parallel texts are:

a.       Ml 3:1-2 - Look, I am going to send my messenger to prepare a way before me.^a And the Lord you are seeking will suddenly enter the Temple: and the angel of the covenant^b whom you are longing for, yes, he is coming, says Yahweh Sabaoth. Who will be able to resist the day of his coming? Who will remain standing when he appears? For he is like a refiner’s fire and a fuller’s alkali. Footnote ^a – says that: “The precursor of Yahweh, already spoken of in Is. 40:3, will be identified with Elijah, Ml. 3:23. Mt. 11:10 applies text to John the Baptist, the new Elijah, Mt. 11:14; ^b  says: “The angel of the New Covenant is not the precursor spoken of above, since his arrival at the Temple is simultaneous with that of Yahweh. It is probably an enigmatic designation of Yahweh himself, derived from Ex. 3:2; 23:20, cf. Gn. 16:7+. Mt. 11:10 implies its implication to Jesus.”

b.      Lk 1:76 - And you, little child, you shall be called Prophet of the Most High, for you will go before the Lord^dd to prepare the way for him.  Footnote ^dd says: “i.e. God, as in 1:16-17, not the Messiah.”

c.       Mt 3:11 - I baptize you in water for repentance, but the one who follows me is more powerful then I am, and I am not fit to carry his sandals; he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. ^hFootnote ^h – In the OT, fire, a purifying element more refined and efficacious than water, was already a symbol of God’s supreme intervention in history and of his spirit, which comes to purify hearts, cf. Is. 1:25, Zc. 13:9, Ml. 3:2-3, Si. 2:5, etc.

d.      Jn 1:20 - …he not only declared, but he declared quite openly, ‘I am not the Christ’.

Verse 26 says: My, brothers, son of Abraham’s race, and all you who fear God, this message of salvation is meant for you.^p  Footnote  ^p–Var ‘for us’.

Parallel text is from Ac 5:20 that says: ‘Go and stand in the Temple, and tell the people all about this new Life.”^g  Footnote ^g–Lit. ‘all the words (cf. v. 32; 10:37) of this Life’. This means the same thing as ‘the message of salvation’, 13:26. The purpose of Christian preaching is the ‘salvation’, cf. 4:12; 11:14; 15:11; 16:17, 30-31, and ‘life’, cf. 3:15; 11:18; 13:46,48, promised to those ‘who invoke the name of the Lord’, 2:21,40,47; 4:12.