loudly

May 23, 2019

Have mercy on me! (Lk 18:39-18:39)

“Those who were

In front

Sternly ordered him

To be quiet.

But he shouted out

More loudly.

‘Son of David!

Have mercy on me!’”

 

καὶ οἱ προάγοντες ἐπετίμων αὐτῷ ἵνα σιγήσῃ· αὐτὸς δὲ πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἔκραζεν Υἱὲ Δαυείδ, ἐλέησόν με.

 

Luke indicated that those who were in front of the crowd (καὶ οἱ προάγοντες) sternly ordered the blind beggar (ἐπετίμων αὐτῷ) to be quiet (ἵνα σιγήσῃ).  Instead, he shouted out more loudly (αὐτὸς δὲ πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἔκραζεν) the same message “Son of David (Υἱὲ Δαυείδ)!  Have mercy on me (ἐλέησόν με)!”  Both Mark, chapter 10:48, and Matthew, chapter 20:31, have something similar.  Mark said that many in the crowd rebuked, admonished, or ordered Bartimaeus to be quiet or silent (καὶ ἐπετίμων αὐτῷ πολλοὶ ἵνα σιωπήσῃ).  But he shouted out even more loudly (ὁ δὲ πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἔκραζεν).  He repeated again what he had shouted out earlier.  He called Jesus, the Son of David (Υἱὲ Δαυείδ).  He wanted Jesus to have mercy on him. (ἐλέησόν με).  Matthew said that the crowd rebuked or admonished these two blind beggars to be quiet or silent (ὁ δὲ ὄχλος ἐπετίμησεν αὐτοῖς ἵνα σιωπήσωσιν).  But they shouted out even more loudly (οἱ δὲ μεῖζον ἔκραξαν λέγοντες).  They repeated again what they had shouted out earlier.  They called Jesus, Lord, the Son of David (Κύριε, υἱὸς Δαυείδ).  They wanted him to have mercy on them (ἐλέησον ἡμᾶς).  This Greek cry of “Κύριε, ἐλέησον” “kyrie eleison,” would become a Christian cry for mercy that has found its way into the Roman Catholic Liturgy of the Word at the beginning of the regular Sunday Mass service, with the “Lord, have mercy!”  Quite often, it is also part of a chant.  Do you ask Jesus, the Lord, to have mercy on you?

 

November 25, 2018

What evil has he done? (Mk 15:14-15:14)

“Pilate asked them.

‘What evil has he done?’

But they shouted

All the more.

‘Crucify him!’”

 

ὁ δὲ Πειλᾶτος ἔλεγεν αὐτοῖς Τί γὰρ ἐποίησεν κακόν; οἱ δὲ περισσῶς ἔκραξαν Σταύρωσον αὐτόν.

 

Something similar to this dialogue between Pilate and the crowd can be found in Matthew, chapter 27:23.  Mark said that Pilate tried to reason with the crowd.  He asked them (ὁ δὲ Πειλᾶτος ἔλεγεν αὐτοῖς) what evil or bad thing had Jesus done (Τί γὰρ ἐποίησεν κακόν)?  But they shouted all the more loudly (οἱ δὲ περισσῶς ἔκραξαν) that he was to be crucified (Σταύρωσον αὐτόν).  The crowd that had loved Jesus for all his miracles and preaching now wanted him dead as they had turned on him.  Have you ever turned on Jesus?

July 18, 2018

The crowd wants to crucify Jesus (Mt 27:21-27:23)

“The governor again

Said to them.

‘Which of the two men

Do you want me

To release

To you?’

They said.

‘Barabbas.’

Pilate said to them.

Then what shall I do

With Jesus

Who is called Christ,

The Messiah?’

All of them said.

‘Let him be crucified.’

He asked.

‘Why?

What evil has he done?’

But they shouted

All the more.

‘Let him be crucified.’”

 

ἀποκριθεὶς δὲ ὁ ἡγεμὼν εἶπεν αὐτοῖς Τίνα θέλετε ἀπὸ τῶν δύο ἀπολύσω ὑμῖν; οἱ δὲ εἶπαν Τὸν Βαραββᾶν.

λέγει αὐτοῖς ὁ Πειλᾶτος Τί οὖν ποιήσω Ἰησοῦν τὸν λεγόμενον Χριστόν; λέγουσιν πάντες Σταυρωθήτω

ὁ δὲ ἔφη Τί γὰρ κακὸν ἐποίησεν; οἱ δὲ περισσῶς ἔκραζον λέγοντες Σταυρωθήτω.

 

Something similar to this dialogue between Pilate and the crowd can be found in Mark, chapter 15:12-14.  In Luke, chapter 23:18-23, there is a longer dialogue, while in John, chapter 18:40, there is only a short statement about Barabbas.  Matthew said that the governor again asked the crowd (ἀποκριθεὶς δὲ ὁ ἡγεμὼν εἶπεν αὐτοῖς) which of the two men did they want him to release (Τίνα θέλετε ἀπὸ τῶν δύο ἀπολύσω ὑμῖν).  The crowd responded ‘Barabbas’ (οἱ δὲ εἶπαν Τὸν Βαραββᾶν).  Pilate then asked them (λέγει αὐτοῖς ὁ Πειλᾶτος) what should he do with Jesus (Τί οὖν ποιήσω Ἰησοῦν), the one called the Christ (τὸν λεγόμενον Χριστόν), the Messiah.  All of them responded that he should be crucified (λέγουσιν πάντες Σταυρωθήτω).  Then Pilate asked them what evil or bad thing had he done (ὁ δὲ ἔφη Τί γὰρ κακὸν ἐποίησεν)?  But they shouted all the more loudly (οἱ δὲ περισσῶς ἔκραζον) that he was to be crucified (λέγοντες Σταυρωθήτω).  The crowd that had loved Jesus for all his miracles and preaching now wanted him dead as they turned on him.

April 6, 2017

The warnings against these abominations (Ezek 8:17-8:18)

“Then Yahweh said to me.

‘Have you seen this?

O son of man!

Is it not bad enough

That the house of Judah

Commits the abominations

Done here?

Must they fill the land

With violence?

Must they provoke

My anger further?

See!

They put the branch

To their nose.

Therefore I will act

In wrath!

My eye will not spare!

I will not have pity!

Although they cry

In my hearing

With a loud voice,

I will not listen to them.’”

Then Yahweh warned Ezekiel again. Had he seen enough? The house of Judah committed all these abominations. On top of that, they filled the land with violence. They had provoked the anger of Yahweh. They even put branches in their noses as some kind of worship activity. Yahweh was going to act against them in his anger. He was not going to spare them or show any pity. Even if they cried very loudly, Yahweh was not going to listen to them. Their actions spoke louder than their words.

 

October 15, 2016

Israel the slave (Jer 2:14-2:16)

“Is Israel a slave?

Is he a home born servant?

Why then has he become plunder?

The lions have roared against him.

They have roared loudly.

They have made his land a waste.

His cities are in ruins.

They are without inhabitants.

Moreover,

The men of Memphis

Have broken the crown of your head.

The men of Tahpanhes

Have broken the crown of your head.”

Jeremiah points out, via the oracle of Yahweh, that the Israelites have become slaves or house servants to Egypt and Assyria. The lions roar loudly against them. People plunder them as the land has been laid waste. The cities are in ruins without anybody living in them. Moreover the Egyptian cities of Memphis, the capital, and Tahpanhes, the border town, have broken the Israelite crowns.

April 7, 2015

Mordecai finds out about the decree (Esth 4:1-4:3)

“When Mordecai learned all that had been done, he tore his clothes. He put on sackcloth and sprinkled himself with ashes. Then he rushed through the streets of the city, shouting loudly.

‘An innocent nation is being destroyed.’

He got as far as the king’s gate. There he stopped. No one was allowed to enter the royal courtyard clothed in sackcloth and ashes. In every province, where the king’s proclamation had been posted, there was a loud cry of mourning and lamentation, as well as fasting and weeping among the Jews. Most of them put on sackcloth and ashes.”

When Mordecai heard about the decree to eliminate the Jews, he was very upset. The typical way to express this discontent was to wear the cloth of what people carried things in, sacks. Thus we get the name of sack cloth. Secondly, they would put ashes on their head. Then he went through the streets crying out that an innocent nation was going to be destroyed. He did not go into the royal courtyard because no one was allowed in there with sackcloth on. They had to be better dressed. At the same time, the reaction in the various provinces was not much different. The Jewish people in the various exiled areas went into fasting, weeping, lamenting, wearing sack cloth and ashes on their head.