Jeremiah 33:14 16

Commentary Jeremiah 33:14-16 The Word of God comes to Jeremiah while he was in prison. Destruction is coming but so is happiness. A gift of life will happen. A man and women will be joined into a new family. When this happens, the Word of the Lord will be fulfilled. Jeremiah 33:14 The days are surely coming – God’s vision of what will occur is not in doubt. Jeremiah 33:15 a righteous Branch to spring up for David – New life will come out of what is dead. God does this for the sake of King David. he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land – This One is given the tasks of ruling the world with fairness. Jeremiah 33:16 Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety – Additional work of this ruler includes healing the people of Judah and protecting the city of God.

Psalm 25:1-10 The psalmist testifies that he trusts the L ORD. This gives him the confidence to ask the L ORD for a visible sign. Additionally, he wants the L ORD to remember him and to teach him. Psalm 25:1 O L ORD, I lift up my soul – The author offers us his life to the L ORD. Psalm 25:2 O my God, in you I trust – The psalmist believes that the L ORD knows how to live his life better than he does. do not let me be put to shame – In a society of honor and shame, the offer to give his life to the L ORD means that he trust the L ORD not to make him a laughingstock. Psalm 25:3 let those who wait for you be put to shame – The idea developed in verse 2 is repeated here. let them be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous. – The only ones who should be upset with their behavior are the ones who live in evil.

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Psalm 25:4 Make me to know your ways, O L ORD – The author shifts subjects and asks for instruction. teach me your paths – The author asks the L ORD to take him over and over again down the way of life so that he knows how to traverse it like the back of his hand. Psalm 25:5 Lead me in your truth – The illustration of walking in the way of the L ORD also includes learning the truth. for you are the God of my salvation – It is the L ORD who redeems the author and gives him healing. for you I wait all day long – It is better to do nothing than to do something without the L ORD. Psalm 25:6 Be mindful of your mercy, O L ORD, and of your steadfast love – Do not forget your promises L ORD. Psalm 25:7 Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions – On the other hand, the author asks the L ORD to erase what was done because of ignorance or deliberate disobedience. Psalm 25:8 he instructs sinners in the way – This is the L ORD’s work. This makes the L ORD good because the L ORD gives life to all. Psalm 25:9 He leads the humble in what is right – Those who are willing to listen to the L ORD are blessed by His instruction. Psalm 25:10 All the paths of the L ORD are steadfast love and faithfulness – Everyplace the L ORD leads is good.

1 Thessalonians 3:9-13 The author of the letter describes sending Timothy to the church in Thessalonica. He asks about their faith and is pleasantly surprised about their trust and charity. What follows next is a set of instructions that the author believes will occur. 1 Thessalonians 3:9 How can we thank God enough for you in return – The work of the church along with its faith in the Lord are the two primary reasons that the author praises the church in Thessalonica.

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1 Thessalonians 3:10 Night and day we pray – Those who plant and support the church must pray without ceasing. 1 Thessalonians 3:11 Now may our God and Father himself and our Lord Jesus direct our way to you. – The implicit assumption is that the author is a good teacher. Any difference between what the instructor tells the church and what the church is doing therefore needs changing. This is a prayer that the author asks. Mold the church in what I have been taught. 1 Thessalonians 3:12 may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all – The prayer also includes a request that Jesus give the community the gift of affection for the entire community. 1 Thessalonians 3:13 he so strengthen your hearts in holiness – To these people who are already members of the church, the author asks that God give them the gift of the Law.

Luke 21:25-36 What would you do if you knew the real story about Jesus Christ and his teachings? Would specific instructions from God make life any easier? What is the true purpose of history? As you start listening to the Gospel according to St. Luke, you will soon notice that the author answers these basic questions along with many others. Luke begins with an introduction that tells you exactly why he wrote the book. He found all the other accounts about Jesus to be lacking in one-way or another. You certainly hear this point of view throughout the Gospel. Recall what you only can find in Luke: the rich fool who plans without God (12:16-21), Lazarus and the rich man (16:19-31), the good Samaritan (10:30-35), and the lost son (15:11-32). Without Luke, you would not have these accounts. Luke continues to be an innovator. He places both Jesus and the Church in the context of history. In this Gospel, time moves clearly and in almost uniform steps from beginning to end. This technique shows you that Jesus came to fulfill all the prophecies of ancient Israel. The use of history and prophecies are not the only significant differences between Luke and the other Gospels. Luke portrays the apostles as prophets who bring you God’s enduring Word. They are not the clueless individuals that you see in the Gospel according to St. Mark. Unlike the other Gospels, Luke approves of

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the Gentiles joining the Church. He also paints the officials of Rome in a favorable light. Luke is a gifted writer and he uses the Greek language to his advantage. The characters are well developed and the speeches are polished. Luke is educated. He knows Greek philosophy. All of these facts seem to indicate that Luke wrote for the Gentiles. God’s plan does not stop in the Gospel according to St. Luke but instead continues on in the Acts of the Apostles. The same themes found in Luke remain with one important addition: The Word of the Lord moves from Jerusalem out to the ends of the earth. During the next church year, listen how the author of Luke answers these questions and see if the questions and the answers apply in your life. Luke 21:25 There will be signs – Luke’s community knew of the terror of the times.1 Despite this fact, the author and his community took the time to write this history that describes the world. The end of everything is not when we think it is. It has already happened with Christ.2 This occurred on the cross when the price was paid. It happened at the baptismal font when your life ended and a new one began. Every Lord’s day, time is set aside and the church joins all believers at the feet of the Lord where He feeds the faithful. We should not be thinking of stopping everything but beginning a new world. The one who is running the show is the one who always has been in charge: God.3 Christ’s opponents had asked for signs (Luke 11:16.).4 Dietrich Bonhoeffer: “Advent is like sitting in a prison cell. One cannot do anything except hope, pray, and wait; deliverance must come from the outside.” Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Letters and Papers from Prison, 3rd ed. (New York: Macmillan, 1967) 96; letter dated 21 November 1943. 1

William Loader, First Thoughts on Year C Gospel Passages from the Lectionary Advent 1 , http://wwwstaff.murdoch.edu.au/loader/LkAdvent1.htm. 2 Gracia Grindal, ‘Texts In Context’, Word & World, 8 (1988):4, p. 391. 3 Ibid. 4 Luke Timothy Johnson; Daniel J. Harrington, S.J., editor, The Gospel of Luke, Volume 3, Sacra Pagina, (The Liturgical Press, Collegeville, MN: The Liturgical Press, 1991), p. 327.

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the sun, the moon, and the stars – The signs of nature is an experience that people share.5 among nations confused – The entire world will be involved in the end.6 But it is important to note that the author of Luke does not associate any time with these events.7 Luke 21:26 faint from fear – This is not fainting from seeing something that frightens you. Instead this is looking death in the face.8 Luke 21:27 the Son of Man coming in a cloud – We see the second law of thermodynamics at work in the world. Entropy is always increasing. That is why it is easier to think of chaos than God.9 The text here is an allusion to Daniel 7:13.10 Since the author of Luke/Acts has written a history, he needs to convince the audience that he is correctly interpreting what has happened. When he shows that persecution has already occurred, he wants you to believe the end of time occurs when the Son of Man arrives.11 Luke 21:28 raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near – This is a significant change from the account in Mark.12 The people are to see that God/Light/Life is coming for them. This is not a time of depression. Instead, this is a song of liberation.13 redemption is drawing near – This is part of the Gospel promise.14 Jesus is coming. The author uses ἀπολύτρωσις, which means a ransoming. This is a rare word in the Bible and it only occurs here in Luke. Luke 21:29 Then he told them a parable – Christ’s life is one of paradoxes. It is not a story of a great leader who goes from glory to glory but instead a tale 5

Johnson, Luke, p. 330. Ibid., p. 327. 7 Ibid., p. 330. 8 Ibid., p. 327. 9 Grindal, ‘Word & World 8 [1988]’, p. 392. 10 Johnson, Luke, p. 328. 11 Ibid., p. 330. 12 Loader, ‘First Thoughts on Year C Gospel Passages from the Lectionary Advent 1 ’. 13 Ibid. 14 Johnson, Luke, p. 331. 6

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of God who goes from “manger to the cross.”15 It is not anything that we would think up on our own. Luke 21:30 Luke 21:31 kingdom of God is near – There is a tension in Luke’s Gospel. The kingdom is here (Luke 10:8, 11) with us but it is not fully present (Luke 22:16-18).16 Luke 21:32 Luke 21:33 this generation will not pass away – In Luke, the phrase “this generation” is normally associated with evil.17 my words will not pass away – Another Gospel promise that the Word of God remains here on earth. Luke 21:34 dissipation – κραιπάλη This word only occurs here and it means the headache one gets after drinking too much. More properly it a medical term which describes the nausea after excessive drinking. Luke 21:35 Luke 21:36 Be alert at all times, praying – This is general advice for the long haul.

References Grindal, Gracia, ‘Texts In Context’, Word & World, 8 (1988):4, pp. 389–395. Johnson, Luke Timothy; Harrington, S.J., Daniel J., editor, The Gospel of Luke, Volume 3, Sacra Pagina, (The Liturgical Press, Collegeville, MN: The Liturgical Press, 1991). Loader, William, First Thoughts on Year C Gospel Passages from the Lectionary Advent 1 , http://wwwstaff.murdoch.edu.au/loader/ LkAdvent1.htm. 15

Grindal, ‘Word & World 8 [1988]’, p. 392. Johnson, Luke, p. 328. 17 Ibid.

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