your eyes

April 28, 2018

They are the blessed ones (Mt 13:16-13:17)

“But blessed are your eyes!

They see!

Blessed are your ears!

They hear!

Truly I say to you!

Many prophets

And righteous people

Longed to see

What you see.

But they did not see it.

They longed to hear

What you hear.

But they did not hear it.”

 

ὑμῶν δὲ μακάριοι οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ ὅτι βλέπουσιν, καὶ τὰ ὦτα ὑμῶν ὅτι ἀκούουσιν.

ἀμὴν γὰρ λέγω ὑμῖν ὅτι πολλοὶ προφῆται καὶ δίκαιοι ἐπεθύμησαν ἰδεῖν ἃ βλέπετε καὶ οὐκ εἶδαν, καὶ ἀκοῦσαι ἃ ἀκούετε καὶ οὐκ ἤκουσαν.

 

This saying about the blessed ones can also be found almost word for word in Luke, chapter 10:23-24, indicating a Q source.  Jesus’ disciples have heard and seen what other prophets and righteous ones had wanted to see and hear, but never did.  His disciples were the blessed or happy ones (ὑμῶν δὲ μακάριοι).  Blessed are their eyes because they see (οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ ὅτι βλέπουσιν)!  Blessed are their ears because they hear (καὶ τὰ ὦτα ὑμῶν ὅτι ἀκούουσιν)!  Jesus issued a solemn declaration (ἀμὴν γὰρ λέγω ὑμῖν).  Many prophets and righteous people had set their hearts on or longed for (ὅτι πολλοὶ προφῆται καὶ δίκαιοι ἐπεθύμησαν) what they had seen (ἰδεῖν ἃ βλέπετε) and heard (καὶ ἀκοῦσαι ἃ ἀκούετε), but they never saw them (καὶ οὐκ εἶδαν) or heard them (καὶ οὐκ ἤκουσαν) like they have.  The disciples of Jesus should realize how fortunate they are to be with Jesus.  Many people were less fortunate than them.

April 30, 2016

Instructions for men concerning women (Sir 9:1-9:9)

“Do not be jealous of the wife of your bosom!

You will teach her an evil lesson

To your own hurt.

Do not give yourself to a woman!

Do not let her trample down your strength!

Do not go near a loose woman!

You will fall into her snares.

Do not associate with a singing girl!

You will be caught by her tricks.

Do not look intently at a virgin!

You may stumble.

You may incur penalties for her.

Do not give yourself to prostitutes!

You may lose your inheritance.

Do not look around in the streets of a city!

Do not wander about in its deserted sections!

Turn away your eyes from a shapely woman!

Do not gaze at beauty belonging to another!

Many have been seduced by a woman’s beauty.

By beauty

Passion is kindled

Like a fire.

Never dine with another man’s wife!

Never revel with her at wine!

Your heart may turn aside to her.

In blood,

You may be plunged into destruction.”

In a series of reprimands for men concerning women, Sirach says that men should not be jealous of their wife. Your jealousy might teach her an evil lesson that you might regret since she might be jealous of you. Do not let women take away your strength. Stay away from loose women and singing women because they might trick you. Don’t stare at virgins. Obviously, don’t go to prostitutes because you could lose all your money. Do not go wandering around deserted parts of the city. Don’t let your eyes be caught looking at a beautiful shapely women. Beauty quickly seduces into passion. Don’t eat or drink with another man’s wife. Your heart could turn towards her. You might be plunged into destruction. Thus we see the proper and improper conduct of men towards women in the 2nd century BCE.

March 3, 2016

Light (Eccl 11:7-11:8)

“Light is sweet.

It is pleasant for the eyes

To see the sun.

Even those who live many years,

Should rejoice in them all.

Yet let them remember

That the days of darkness

Will be many.

All that comes is vanity.”

Light is sweet as it provides your eyes with the pleasant sight of the sun. Even those who get to live a happy long life should remember that there will be plenty of long dark days to come. Your long light filled life is mere vanity or useless, because it will come to an end.

February 18, 2016

Your eyes (Prov 30:17-30:17)

“The eye that mocks a father

Will be picked out by the ravens of the valley.

The eye that scorns to obey a mother

Will be picked out by the ravens of the valley.

They will be eaten by the vultures.”

Anyone who mocks his father or does not obey his mother will have their eyes plucked out by the ravens in the valley. Then they will be eaten by the vultures since they will be blind.

February 8, 2016

Fleeting wealth (Prov 23:4-23:5)

“Do not wear yourself out to get rich.

Be wise enough to desist.

When your eyes light upon it,

It is gone.

Suddenly it takes wings to itself.

It flies like an eagle toward heaven.”

Don’t bother working hard to get rich. Be smart enough not to try. If you do get rich, it will be gone right before your eyes. This wealth takes wings and flies like an eagle toward the skies. Bye-bye money!

January 7, 2016

Blessings of Yahweh (Prov 10:22-10:29)

“The blessing of Yahweh makes us rich.

Bur he adds no sorrow with it.

Doing wrong is like sport to a fool.

But wise conduct is pleasure to a man of understanding.

What the wicked dread will come upon them.

But the desire of the righteous will be granted them.

When the tempest passes,

The wicked are no more.

But the righteous are established forever.

Like vinegar to the teeth,

Like smoke to the eyes,

So are the lazy to their employers.

The fear of Yahweh prolongs life.

But the years of the wicked will be short.

The hope of the righteous one ends in gladness.

But the expectation of the wicked ones comes to nothing.

The way of Yahweh is a stronghold for the upright.

But the way of Yahweh is destruction for the evildoers.”

Yahweh has an important impact on our lives. The blessings of Yahweh make us rich with no sorrow. Fools do wrong things as if it was some kind of sport. On the other hand, the understanding people take pleasure in wise conduct. Whatever the wicked fear, it will happen to them. However, the righteous will be granted their wishes. After a storm, the wicked will no longer exist, but the righteous are established forever. Lazy people are like vinegar to your teeth or smoke to your eyes. The fear of Yahweh will prolong your life so that the wicked will have a short life. Righteous hope ends in gladness, while wicked expectations come to nothing. Yahweh’s way is a stronghold for the upright, but destruction for the evildoers.

July 10, 2015

Job explains the mortal human condition (Job 14:1-14:6)

“A mortal is born of a woman.

A moral has only few days.

A mortal is full of trouble.

He comes up like a flower and withers.

He flees like a shadow.

He does not last.

Do you fix your eyes upon such a one?

Do you bring me into judgment with you?

Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean thing?

No one can.

Since their days are determined,

The number of their months is known to you.

You have appointed the bounds that they cannot pass.

Look away from them!

Desist!

Thus they may enjoy,

Like a laborer,

They may enjoy their days.”

A human mortal is born from a woman. Mortals have only a few days filled with trouble. They grow like a flower and then wilt away. These human mortals are like shadows that do not last. Why would you fix your eyes on mortals and pass judgment on them? No one can make clean that which is unclean. Mortals have a shelf life that is determined. God has set out the monthly boundaries of their life that they cannot exceed. He wanted God to not look at them, but to turn away so that they could enjoy their few days like daily laborers do. Job clearly sees the human condition as inferior to God.