the area

August 19, 2018

The cleansed leper told everyone (Mk 1:45-1:45)

“But the cleansed leper

Went out.

He began

To proclaim it freely.

He spread the news,

So that Jesus

Could no longer

Go into a town openly.

But he stayed

Out in the deserted country.

However,

The people came

To him

From every quarter.”

 

ὁ δὲ ἐξελθὼν ἤρξατο κηρύσσειν πολλὰ καὶ διαφημίζειν τὸν λόγον, ὥστε μηκέτι αὐτὸν δύνασθαι φανερῶς εἰς πόλιν εἰσελθεῖν, ἀλλ’ ἔξω ἐπ’ ἐρήμοις τόποις ἦν· καὶ ἤρχοντο πρὸς αὐτὸν πάντοθεν.

 

There is nothing quite like this in Luke or Matthew, since Mark alone said that after this cleansed leper went out (ὁ δὲ ἐξελθὼν), he began to proclaim what had happened to him freely (ἤρξατο κηρύσσειν πολλὰ).  He spread the news about his cleansing to everyone (καὶ διαφημίζειν τὸν λόγον), so that Jesus was no longer able to openly enter into a city or town (ὥστε μηκέτι αὐτὸν δύνασθαι φανερῶς εἰς πόλιν εἰσελθεῖν).  He had to stay out in the solitary deserted countryside (ἀλλ’ ἔξω ἐπ’ ἐρήμοις τόποις ἦν).  Nevertheless, the people came to him from all around the area or from various quarters (καὶ ἤρχοντο πρὸς αὐτὸν πάντοθεν).  The cleansed leper did not keep quiet, so that this led to more consternation for Jesus.

April 7, 2018

The herdsmen in the city (Mt 8:33-8:33)

“The swine herdsmen ran off.

They went into the town.

They told

The whole story

About what had happened

To the demoniacs.”

 

οἱ δὲ βόσκοντες ἔφυγον, καὶ ἀπελθόντες εἰς τὴν πόλιν ἀπήγγειλαν πάντα καὶ τὰ τῶν δαιμονιζομένων.

 

All three synoptic gospels. Mark, chapter 5;14, and Luke, chapter 8:34, and Matthew here, have the herdsmen of these pigs tell everybody in the area what happened, with slight nuances in each story.  The shepherds of these herds of pigs ran off (οἱ δὲ βόσκοντες ἔφυγον) when they saw what had happened to their flocks.  They went into the town (καὶ ἀπελθόντες εἰς τὴν πόλιν), probably Gadara.  Then they told the whole story about what had happened to the demoniacs (ἀπήγγειλαν πάντα καὶ τὰ τῶν δαιμονιζομένων) and their herd of pigs.  They were without a job.

July 8, 2017

The holy garments (Ezek 42:14-42:14)

“When the priests enter

The holy place,

They shall not go out of it

Into the outer court

Without laying there

The garments

In which they minister.

These are holy garments.

They shall put on

Other garments

Before they go near

To the area

Open to the people.”

The bronze man further explained to Ezekiel that these chambers also held the holy garments that the priests wore when they entered the holy of holies. These priests were not to go out into the outer court, without changing their clothes. The garments or vestments themselves were holy, so that they had to be left in these holy chambers. The priests had to put on other clothes before they could go near the area where all the other people were.

August 9, 2016

Curses on Samaria (Isa 28:1-28:4)

“Cursed be the proud garland

Of the drunkards of Ephraim!

Cursed be the fading flower

Of its glorious beauty!

Cursed on the head of those

Bloated with rich food!

Cursed be those

Overcome with wine!

See!

Yahweh has one that is mighty!

He has one that is strong!

Like a storm of hail,

Like a destroying tempest,

Like a storm of mighty overflowing waters,

He will hurl them down

To the earth with his hand.

The proud garland

Of the drunkards of Ephraim

Will be trampled underfoot.

The fading flower

Of its glorious beauty,

Is on the head

Of those bloated with rich food.

They will be

Like a first-ripe fig

Before the summer.

Whoever sees it,

Eats it up

As soon as it comes to his hand.”

This is an obvious warning to northern Israel Ephraim in Samaria, before the fall of this kingdom in 722 BCE, under the Assyrian army of King Sargon II (722-705 BCE). Isaiah refers to the people in the north as the drunkards of Ephraim. They will lose their crown and garland as well as its beautiful fading flower, a refrain that is repeated twice. The folks in Ephraim were bloated with rich food and overcome with wine. Yahweh then sent a mighty strong hail storm, a tempest that flooded the area.   They were going to be trampled underfoot. They were like the first fig of the season that someone immediately grabs and eats it as soon as they see it.