spend

March 18, 2019

The Samaritan pays for his upkeep (Lk 10:35-10:35)

“The next day,

The Samaritan

Took out

Two denarii.

He gave them

To the innkeeper.

He said.

‘Take care of him!

When I come back,

I will repay you

Whatever more

You spend.”

 

καὶ ἐπὶ τὴν αὔριον ἐκβαλὼν δύο δηνάρια ἔδωκεν τῷ πανδοχεῖ καὶ εἶπεν Ἐπιμελήθητι αὐτοῦ, καὶ ὅ τι ἂν προσδαπανήσῃς ἐγὼ ἐν τῷ ἐπανέρχεσθαί με ἀποδώσω σοι.

 

Luke continued his unique story.  Jesus said that the next day (καὶ ἐπὶ τὴν αὔριον), this Samaritan took out and gave two denarii (ἐκβαλὼν δύο δηνάρια ἔδωκεν) to the innkeeper (τῷ πανδοχεῖ).  He told (καὶ εἶπεν) this innkeeper to take care of the wounded man (Ἐπιμελήθητι αὐτοῦ).  When he would come back or return (ἐγὼ ἐν τῷ ἐπανέρχεσθαί), he would repay the innkeeper (με ἀποδώσω σοι) whatever more he would have to spend for the care of the wounded man (καὶ ὅ τι ἂν προσδαπανήσῃς).  Now the story is more interesting.  Not only did this Samaritan help the person in need, but he was going to continue to help him.  He did not hand him off without assuring that he would be well taken care of.  This was beyond the call of duty.  This Samaritan had already spent a day with the wounded person, but now he was going to pay for his further care.  Who does that?  There did not seem to be any prior relationship with this person and the Samaritan.  He was doing all this out of the goodness of his heart.  One denarius was equivalent to a day’s pay, about $.25 USA dollar.  This was a reasonable amount.  Would you do anything like this?

October 11, 2017

The priests should mourn (Joel 1:13-1:13)

“Put on sackcloth!

Lament!

You priests!

Wail!

You ministers

Of the altar!

Come!

Pass the night

In sackcloth!

You ministers

Of my God!

Grain offerings,

Drink offerings,

Are withheld

From the house

Of your God.”

The priests of the Temple should lament and wail. These ministers of the altar should spend their night in the Temple in sackcloth. There was no grain or drink offerings in the house of God.

June 27, 2017

The seven-month search and burial (Ezek 39:12-39:16)

“‘The house of Israel

Shall spend

Seven months

Burying them,

In order to cleanse

The land.

All the people

Of the land

Shall bury them.

It will bring them honor

On the day

That I show my glory.’

Says Yahweh God.

‘They will set apart men

To pass through

The land continually.

They will bury

Any invaders who remain

On the face of the land.

It will then be cleansed.

They will make their search.

For seven months.

As the searchers

Pass through the land,

Anyone who sees

A human bone

Shall set up

A sign by it,

Until the buriers

Have buried it

In the Valley of Hamon-gog.

A city Hamonah

Is there also.

Thus,

They shall cleanse

The land.”

The house of Israel was to spend 7 months burying the men with Gog, so that they could cleanse the land of Israel and its people. These grave diggers would gain honor on the day when Yahweh was going to show his glory. These body searchers would be set apart to pass through the land continually. They would bury any remains they found. Anyone who saw a human bone was to set up a sign by it, until these buriers buried them in the Valley of Hamon-gog or the city Hamonah, next to it. Thus, the land would be cleansed by removing these dead bodies in 7 months.

March 20, 2017

The colorful gods (Bar 6:8-6:11)

“The god’s tongues

Are smoothed

By the carpenter.

They themselves

Are overlaid

With gold

Or silver.

But they are false.

They cannot speak.

People take gold.

They make crowns

For the heads

Of their gods,

As they would

For a girl

Who loves ornaments.

Sometimes the priests

Secretly take gold

Or silver

From their gods.

They spend it

On themselves.

They even give

Some of it

To the prostitutes

On the terrace.

They deck

Their gods out

With garments

Like human beings.

These are gods of silver.

These are gods of gold.

These are gods of wood.”

These colorful gods have carpenters who smooth out their tongues. These gods are overlaid with gold or silver, but they are still false since they cannot speak. They even have golden crowns on their heads. These gods are like young girls who love pretty ornaments. Sometimes, their priests secretly take the gold or silver from their gods to spend it on themselves. They may even give some of it to the local street or temple prostitutes. They dress up their gods with various garments to make them look more human. Thus they have gods made of silver, gold, or wood that are colorful but useless.

April 13, 2016

The folly of the artistic idol maker (Wis 15:7-15:8)

“A potter kneads the soft earth.

He laboriously molds each vessel for our service.

He fashions out of the same clay

Both the vessels that serve clean uses

As well as those for contrary uses.

He makes all alike.

But which shall be the use of each of them?

The worker in clay decides.

With misspent toil,

These workers form a futile god

From the same clay.

These mortals were made of earth a short time before.

After a little while,

They go to the earth

From which all mortals are taken.

When the time comes,

They return the souls that were borrowed.”

The potter makes items from clay. Thus he performs a service to society by making things that for everyday usage. Some items are for good use and others are not. He must decide whether to spend his time on good uses or making futile gods of clay (κακόμοχθος θεὸν). He must have forgotten that he too was made of clay a short time ago. He, too, will return to the earth (γῆς) when his soul (τῆς ψυχῆς) separates from his mortal body. This concept of body and soul shows the influence of Greek philosophy since the body merely borrowed the soul.

January 5, 2016

The seduction of the prostitute (Prov 7:10-7:20)

“Then a woman comes toward him.

She is decked out like a prostitute.

She has a wily heart.

She is loud.

She is wayward.

Her feet do not stay at home.

She is now in the street.

She is now in the market squares.

At every corner she lies in wait.

She seizes him.

She kisses him.

With an impudent face

She says to him.

‘I had to offer sacrifices.

Today I have paid my vows.

So now I have come out to meet you.

I seek you eagerly.

I have found you.

I have decked my couch with coverings.

I have colored spreads of Egyptian linen.

I have perfumed my bed with myrrh.

I have perfumed my bed with aloes.

I have perfumed my bed with cinnamon.

Come!

Let us take our fill of love until morning!

Let us delight ourselves with love!

My husband is not at home.

He has gone on a long journey.

He took a bag of money with him.

He will not come home until full moon.”

This is a story of seduction. The young woman was dressed like a prostitute, whatever that means. She was loud and rarely at home, since she was out in the town square as well as in the market places. She then seized this simpleton and started to kiss him. No soft sell here. She said that she had spent her money at the Temple and was looking for him. They may in fact have been friends. Then she explained why he should come with her. She had a decked out couch and a bed with Egyptian linens full of myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon, so that it smelt nice. She wanted to spend the whole night with him in love making until the morning. She explained that her husband was on a long business trip. He would be gone for a while until the end of the month or the full moon. The woman adulteress was the clear initiator, while the male was a young simpleton.