Episcopal Church of
the Incarnation
3rd Advent (C)
Zephaniah 3.14-20 Psalm
85.7-13 Philippians 4. 4-9 Luke
3.7-18
Zephaniah 3.14-20
1) Zephaniah (a descendant of
King Hezekiah) prophesied during the reign of Josiah (640-609 B.C.), during a
period when Josiah sought to undo the apostasy of his predecessor, Manasseh.
a) Zephaniah’s prophecy forms a
part of the early phase of Josiah’s reforms (see. 2 Chr. 34.3-7).
b) Zephaniah emphasizes that
the fate of nations is in the hands of the Lord.
c) Ch. 3, from which this
week’s lesson is taken, focuses on the salvation of
i)
This follows ch. 1 (oracles of doom) and ch. 2 (exhortations based on
threats against the nations).
2) Beginning with verse 3.14,
the remainder of Zephaniah is a summons to rejoicing.
a) The lesson contains sayings
about the coming day of vindication for
i)
The Lord intervenes to
save
ii) Parallels may be noted to
Isa. 12.6-7; 52.9; Zech. 2.14; 9.9, and to the “kingship” psalms (e.g.,
97, 99).
3) Following the summons to
rejoicing is an oracle of reassurance to
a) As elsewhere in Scripture (e.g.,
in Isaiah, Jeremiah, 2 Kings and 1 Chronicles) the language “fear not” (v. 16)
accompanies assurance of the Lord’s
presence to save.
4) The words “lame” and
“outcast” (v. 18) are in the feminine, and thus refer to
Psalm 85.7-13
1) This psalm is generally
considered to be a national lament, a communal liturgy of supplication. Verses 5-8 are focused on lament.
2) The verses selected for
today’s reading focus on the prayers offered for restoration of life.
a) Verse 8, “I will listen ...”
may be alternatively translated as “I will declare ...” This translation (resulting from
different vowel pointings in Hebrew) is more consonant with the tone of the
remainder of the psalm.
Philippians 4. 4-9
1) See the notes regarding
2) Continuing in his
exhortations, in ch. 4 Paul focuses on unity (vv. 2-3), joy and peace (vv.
4-7), and on imitation of Paul (vv. 8-9).
a) “The Lord is near ...” (v.
5) parallels in Greek the early acclamation found at 1 Cor. 16.22 (“Our Lord,
come!, in Greek maranatha!)(cf. Rev.
22.20).
b) The peace of God “surpasses
all understanding” (v. 7) either because it is beyond the power of human
understanding to grasp or because it accomplishes more than we can conceive of
(cf. Eph. 3.20).
3) “Whatever is true ...” The list of virtues
commended by Paul to the community, for emulation, is taken from Greek (Stoic)
philosophy.
a) Paul calls on the community
to imitate him. This recitation of Stoic
virtues provides evidence of Paul being trained both in the Jewish Law and in
Greek philosophy.
i)
Paul uses Gentile language here in writing to a Gentile (Roman)
community.
Luke 3.7-18
1) Verses 7 to 9 are often
cited by scholars as evidence of an older Gospel source, common to both Luke
and Matthew. This hypothetical source,
“Q” (from quelle, the German word for “source”) was probably an oral
tradition among the disciples.
a) 60 out of Luke’s 64 words in
these verses match the 63 words of Matt. 3.7-10.
b) It is possible that both
Matthew and Luke are based only on Mark, however,
these words do not appear in Mark, lending support to the “Q” hypothesis.
c) Luke refers to the “crowds,”
whereas Matthew refers to “Pharisees and Sadducees.”
i)
The term for crowd is interchangeable in Luke for “people.”
ii) However, it is made clear at
Luke 7.30 and 20.5 that the Pharisees and Sadducees rejected John’s baptism.
2) This example of John’s
preaching makes it clear that he did not understand repentance to involve
adoption of his (John’s) style of life (living in the wilderness, fasting).
a) John’s injunctions are not
of fasting, but of a more radical, selfless concern for one’s unfortunate
brethren.
b) The fact that tax collectors
come to John for baptism is significant:
i)
Tax collectors were despised in Jewish society.
ii) As throughout Luke, “normal”
expectations are reversed; the marginalized are those who seek the kingdom
first.
iii) The “soldiers” referred to
would have been Jews in the service of Herod Antipas, enforcing Roman law, and
thus also despised.
(1) Note that the first Gentile
convert (Cornelius the centurion, at Acts 10-11) was also a soldier.
(2) Luke, throughout his Gospel
and Acts, depicts Roman military authority in a positive light.
3) Verses 10 to 14 are unique
to Luke. He emphasizes that it is not
the religious leaders, but the ordinary people (both Jewish and those at the fringe
of Jewish society).
a) These are the same people
who respond positively to Jesus’ preaching.
4) The fact that people ask
John whether he is the messiah indicates that there were Jews then looking for
the messiah.
a) “[O]ne who is more
powerful”: compare 11.20-22. Jesus is more powerful than John in repulsing
the powers of evil.
5) To untie the sandal of a
person was the work of a slave.
6) The imagery of the winnowing
fork is of a piece with that of wrath (3.7) and the axe taken to the root
(3.9) This may explain why at 7.18-23
John appears to question whether Jesus is the messiah, for John is looking for
specific manifestations of God’s judgment.
a) Note, however, that Luke
finds so many similarities between John and Jesus that he describes John as
proclaiming the “good news.”