Commentary

Isaiah 65:1-9
The prophet tells of his call story. He was sent to people that did not want him.
Their entire way of life before the L ORD was an abomination. The prophet re-
minds you that God is not deaf, dumb, and blind and sees exactly what is happen-
ing. Evil will be punished.

Isaiah 65:1 I was ready to be sought out by those who did not ask One hopes
to bring messages to receptive audiences. This way they will agree what is
being spoken and then act as needed. The prophet speaks of a difficult life
where he brings words of discomfort to those people who remain set in their
ways.
I said, Here I am, here I am Identifying your hiding place makes you
vulnerable to the world.

Isaiah 65:2 I held out my hands all day long Waiting to be led along the paths
that others take is risky business. They may bring you where you do not
want to go.

Isaiah 65:3 a people who provoke me to my face Some of the people have the
nerve to act up in public where everyone can see exactly what is happening.

Isaiah 65:4 who sit inside tombs, and spend the night in secret places Others
perform their works that displease the L ORD in hidden places. These indi-
viduals present one face in public and a completely different one in private.

Isaiah 65:5 These are a smoke in my nostrils People assume that the L ORD
does not know what is happening but telltale signs of their behavior is ev-
erywhere.

Isaiah 65:6 I will not keep silent, but I will repay The L ORD has not only an
opinion on what happens on the earth but He also possesses the ability to do
something about it.

Isaiah 65:7 I will measure into their laps full payment for their actions When
the time is right, the L ORD will take action. The first unspoken issue that
this section raises is the delay between noticing what is occurring and then
doing something about it. On the one hand, it could be grace that allows the

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 person an opportunity to change. On the other hand, it might be seen that
the L ORD cannot act or that the L ORD has not told the truth.

Isaiah 65:8 not destroy them all No one lives up to the requirements of the
L ORD so the gift of life shows mercy.

Isaiah 65:9 I will bring forth descendants from Jacob Life will continue on the
land.

Psalm 22:19-28
The psalmist calls out for the Lord to come and deliver him from the powers of the
world that are oppression him. The psalmist believes that this will happen because
God has protected him in the past. When this happens, the psalmist will offer
public praise. The psalmist then speaks words of prophecy. Those who cannot
afford to eat will be fed. The entire world will be turned toward the Lord and
every nation will worship God.

...

Psalm 22:19 O my help, come quickly to my aid! The author still has faith that
the L ORD will come.

Psalm 22:20 Deliver my soul from the sword From a violent and unprepared
death, good L ORD deliver us.

Psalm 22:21 you have rescued me At this point, the tone of the psalm changes.
The author is saved. But, one cannot tell if this salvation is for the current
set of problems or if the poet is only recalling something that occurred in
the distant past.

Psalm 22:22 I will tell of your name to my brothers and sisters Salvation from
evil causes a response.

Psalm 22:23 You who fear the L ORD, praise him! The call for praise now rises
from the authors lips.

Psalm 22:24 he did not hide his face from me This line stands in stark contrast
to the first part of the poem. Did the author lie to us or is something else
behind this radical change?

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 Psalm 22:25 From you comes my praise The L ORD provides the author with
the reason to speak a word of thanks.
my vows I will pay before those who fear him The L ORD provides strength
to do what is right. It is both interesting and disheartening to hear the fact
that the psalmist only repays that individuals who fear the L ORD.
Psalm 22:26 The poor shall eat and be satisfied Perhaps as a corrective to the
previous sentence, the author reminds us of the L ORDs work: taking care
of the helpless.
Psalm 22:27 All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the L ORD; and
all the families of the nations shall worship before him. Is this a hope of
the psalmist or is it actually what will happen? Does this occur in time or
out of it?
Psalm 22:28 For dominion belongs to the L ORD, and he rules over the nations.
This sentence simply states that the L ORD is in charge.
...

Galatians 3:23-29
Paul explains the role of the law. In this section from Galatians, Paul states that law
kept people in line until Christs calling of giving justification by faith. Because
of Christ, believers are children of God and are freed from the law. Completely
switching metaphors, Christ is then compared to an article of clothing that is put
on, which hides every difference. With Christ, believers are given life.
Galatians 3:23 Now before faith came Paul argues for a time in a persons life
that is identified as one with the absence of trust in Jesus.
we were imprisoned and guarded under the law This list of requirements
according to Paul are the functions of the law. While this use can be viewed
in a negative context, the boundaries given by the law are also good. They
delimit what is yours and what is not. They protect you from your neighbor.
They tell you how to respond when you are attacked by an outsider. They
bring peace and order.
until faith would be revealed The verb used in Greek has a richer meaning.
The cover is removed from our eyes and we now can see what lies before
us ().

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Galatians 3:24 the law was our disciplinarian This translation found in the
NRSV (custodian in RSV) reveals the bias that the translators have against
the law (). The noun in question is pedagogue () and it
is used three times in the New Testament (1 Corinthians 4:15; Galatians
3:24; 3:35). It is composed of two words. The prefix means child (
and the suffix to lead (). Its use during Greek and Roman times is
associated with a male slave that travels with a boy to school. This older
male instructs the younger on the important facts of life that includes man-
ners, respect, along with providing assistance with schoolwork. This man is
someone who the boy looks up to, he trains the boy to become a man, he
challenges the boy to do more than he thinks he can.
we might be justified by faith Paul makes the statement that before Jesus,
there is no faith and thus no justification. But this begs the question, When
does Jesus not exist? Since the creeds affirm that Jesus is not created, He
has been before the beginning of time and continues past the end of exis-
tence. This means faith always exists (Galatians 3:6-10).

Galatians 3:25 now that faith has come Because of the preexistence of faith
implied in 3:24 and explicitly stated in 3:6-10, this phrase must refer back
to the removal of the veil in 3:23.
we are no longer subject to a disciplinarian The time has come in your
life where you now know what lies before you. This gives you the freedom
from the teacher but not from the lessons you have already learned.

Galatians 3:26 in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith Be-
cause of Jesus, you have the responsibilities and rights offered to Gods Son.
Carefully notice that this legal transition occurs because of faith () but
it does not identify who has faith in God.

Galatians 3:27 As many of you Apparently, this states a reality in Galatia, not
everyone is baptized. The question is why?
into Christ

The fact is that Pauls doctrine of baptism, as well as his doc-

trine of the Lords Supper, must be interpreted in the light of his
dominate theme the Body of Christ. After all, according to the

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 Apostle, Christ is put on in baptism.1

clothed yourselves with Christ A transformation has occurred in baptism

that removes everything that divides one from the other.2

Galatians 3:28 no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is
no longer male and female The reality of Christ has practical implications
in your daily life. No longer are you identified with your culture, your place
in life, or even your sexual identity.
one in Christ Jesus Pauls model of unity includes phrases such as one
Body in Christ (Romans 12:5), one body
(Romans 12:4; prostitute I Corinthians 6:16, 10:17, 12:12,
12:13, 12:20), the Body of Christ (Romans
7:4; I Corinthians 10:16, 12:27), one in Christ (Gala-
tians 3:28), and in Christ (Romans 3:24, 6:11, 6:23, 8:1, 8:2,
8:39, 9:1, 12:5, 15:17, 16:3, 16:7, 16:9, 16:10; Galatians 2:4, 2:16, 2:17,
3:14, 3:26, 5:6; I Corinthians 1:2, 1:4, 1:30, I Corinthians 3:1, 4:10, 4:15, I
Corinthians 4:17, 15:18, 15:19, I Corinthians 15:22, 15:31, 16:24; II Corinthi-
ans 1:5, 1:21, I 2:14, 2:17, I 5:17, I 5:19, 12:2, 12:19; Philippians 1:1, 1:26,
2:1, 2:5, 3:3, 3:9, 3:14, 4:7, 4:19, 4:21; I Thessalonians 2:14, 4:16, 5:18;
Philemon 1:6, 1:8, 1:20, 1:23).
These phrases are not analogies but instead they are to be taken literally
since the is the of Christ.3 The sacraments of Baptism and
the Eucharist are acts of participation in the body of Christ.4 (Baptism Ro-
mans 6:3, Romans 6:4; I Corinthians 1:13; body is not divided I Corinthi-
ans 12:13, Galatians 3:27. Eucharist 1 Corinthians 10:16-17; no discern-
ment of the body 1 Corinthians 11:28-29).

Galatians 3:29 if you belong to Christ, then you are Abrahams offspring The
claim is that Abrahams children are those who have faith (Galatians 3:14-
18; 4:21-31).
1
Ernst Kasemann, Chap. The Pauline Doctrine of the Lords Supper In Essays on New Testa-
ment Themes, (Chatham, England: SCM Press LTD, 1964), p. 111.
2
William H. Lazareth and Nikos Nissiotis, editors, Baptism, Eucharist, and Ministry: Faith and
Order Paper No. 111, (World Council of Churches, 1982), p. 2.
3
Keith F. Nickle; C. F. D. Moule et al., editors, The Collection: A study in Pauls Strategy,
Volume 48, Studies in Biblical Theology, (Naperville, IL: Alec R. Allenson, Inc, 1966), p. 117.
4
Ibid.

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 heirs according to the promise The cost of belonging to this community
is the calling by Jesus to share in the suffering and the pain of the other.5

Luke 8:26-39
Gods work in the world is bringing the dead to life. This transformation occurs
right before our eyes when Jesus frees this person from the inhuman situation.
Jesus comes near to this daemon-infested shell of a man and orders the evil to
leave. The legion listens to Christs command and is thrown back into the deep
waters of chaos.
Jesus has freed the possessed man from what kept him from being fully hu-
man. The visible change in the mans appearance is obvious to the entire commu-
nity. Once again this formally crazy person, he looks just like you and me because
he is wearing clothes instead of chains. You would recognize him as one of your
neighbors since he has left the land of the dead and moved back into a house. He
even sounds like everyone else because he can now speak for himself.
With his newly found voice, the one who lived with the dead actually begs
Jesus to take him away from this place with all of its bad memories. He does not
want to be remembered as the person formally possessed by a legion of daemons.
Do you blame him? It is nearly impossible for his friends and family to forget his
actions. Every time he is seen in the street someone might recall the way he used
to look or the way he used to act. Jesus then does something very strange. Rather
than taking this person, who obviously wants to go with Jesus and follow him to
the cross, Jesus sends him away with this command. Return to your home, and
declare how much God has done for you. In other words, Jesus tells this man to
do something that he does not want to do.

Luke 8:26 Then they arrived The story immediately before todays lesson is
also one of near death. The disciples and Jesus were on the lake and a storm
almost killed them.
The symbols found in this story are extremely important. Loader writes that

It took place in Gentile territory, not holy land. Pigs are unclean
animals. Cemeteries were the abode of spirits, to be avoided in
5
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together, (Harper San Francisco, 1954), p. 100-101; Ronald H. Sun-
derland; Earl E. Shelp and Ronald H. Sunderland, editors, Chap. The Character of Servanthood In
The Pastor as Servant, (The Pilgrim Press, 1986), p. 32; Galatians 6:2; Galatians 3:29; Titus 3:7;
Hebrews 6:17; 1 John 4:7-12; John 13:34-35.

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 darkness. Legion was not a term meaning many, but a designa-
tion for one of Romes armies. The one stationed in Palestine had
a boar on its standard. The sea was a place a danger, an abode of
demonic powers.6

the country of the Gerasenes The manuscripts of Mark 5:1-20, Matthew

8:28-34, and Luke 8:23-49 all have problems with this location.7 The town
of that name is not by the Sea of Galilee or the Dead Sea since it lies some-
where near the middle of both and to the east.

Luke 8:27 a man of the city The author of Luke has added this phrase to make
sense of 8:34 and 8:39.8
who had demons The nature of daemons in this time of the world included
the control of the winds and the waves. Thus, the calming of the storm is
yet another exorcism. In many ways, every one of the Jesus miracles is an
exorcism, a changing of one power that holds us back with one that frees us
to live as humans.
worn no clothes This vivid description provides stark contrast with verse
35.
he did not live in a house but in the tombs This along with the earlier
phrase worn no clothes indicates that this one individual is no longer a
human.

Luke 8:28 do not torment me It seems that even daemons have feelings.

Luke 8:29 Jesus had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man The
words of exorcism were not recorded.

Luke 8:30 Jesus then asked him Debbie Blue notes that Jesus is both polite to
the daemons and that they are not really interested in killing Him.9
Legion This Latin word means a group of four to six thousand soldiers.10
6
William Loader, First Thoughts on Year C Gospel Passages from the Lectionary Pentecost
4, http://wwwstaff.murdoch.edu.au/loader/LkPentecost4.htm.
7
Luke Timothy Johnson; Daniel J. Harrington, S.J., editor, The Gospel of Luke, Volume 3,
Sacra Pagina, (The Liturgical Press, Collegeville, MN: The Liturgical Press, 1991), p. 137.
8
Ibid.
9
Debbie Blue, Blogging toward Sunday Scary Story, http://theolog.org/2007/
06/blogging-toward-sunday-scary-story.html.
10
Johnson, Luke, p. 137.

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Luke 8:31 back into the abyss In Lukes account, the daemons are terrified of the
. This word brings up the images of the chaos found in Genesis and
the water of chaos that Christ walks on. It also reminds us of the place of
the beast Revelation 11:7, 17:8, the location of Satan 20:3, and the place of
sea monsters Psalm 148:7.11 Ironically, Jesus sends them off into the chaos.
Luke 8:32 the demons begged Jesus to let them enter these The demons hoped
that they would be allowed to live.
Luke 8:33 the demons came out of the man This is part of the healing, the
putting everything into its right order, and the possessed person becoming a
human once again.12
and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned.
Chris has power overt the unclean portions of the world.
Luke 8:34 they ran off and told it Notice that the swineherds are not asking
for economic restoration. They are more concerned about the loss of the
scapegoat.
Luke 8:35 right mind. The lemma for the Greek here is , which
has overtones of sobriety and clear-sightedness. The use of this word in
Romans 12:3, 2 Corinthians 5:13, Titus 2:6, and 1 Peter 4:7 indicates how
much this virtue was valued.13
Luke 8:36 demons had been healed. The Greek has . It
seems that a better translation would be saved the demoniac. This raises
the question of, Why must we separate physical healing from salvation?
Luke 8:37 they were seized with great fear This begs the question, What are
they afraid of? Is it that they do not want to be free? Or are they really
scared of God? Id argue that the members of the town are perfectly happy
in the roles that they have been given and anyone who upsets the apple cart
in any way is not wanted. This raises the question that must be asked, Why
can Jesus control the daemons but not cast the fear out of the people?
Luke 8:38 but Jesus sent him away This man wanted to follow Jesus but he was
told by Jesus to stay where he was planted.
11
Johnson, Luke, p. 137.
12
Blue, Scary Story.
13
Johnson, Luke, p. 137.

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 Luke 8:39 proclaiming throughout the city The Greek phrase is
and should be rendered through the city preaching.
It seems that The NRSV translator cannot stomach the idea that a man that
previously possessed can now preach. The result is that the former demoniac
is now a man of faith since he acts on Gods Word (Luke 8:21).

References
Blue, Debbie, Blogging toward Sunday Scary Story, http://theolog.
org/2007/06/blogging-toward-sunday-scary-story.
html, Last accessed on June 18, 2010.

Bonhoeffer, Dietrich, Life Together, (Harper San Francisco, 1954).

Johnson, Luke Timothy; Harrington, S.J., Daniel J., editor, The Gospel of Luke,
Volume 3, Sacra Pagina, (The Liturgical Press, Collegeville, MN: The
Liturgical Press, 1991).

Kasemann, Ernst, Chap. The Pauline Doctrine of the Lords Supper In Essays
on New Testament Themes, (Chatham, England: SCM Press LTD, 1964),
pp. 108135, Page numbers are from the English translation. Translated by
W. J. Motague from German of selections from Exegetische Versuche und
Besinnungen.

Lazareth, William H. and Nissiotis, Nikos, editors, Baptism, Eucharist, and Min-
istry: Faith and Order Paper No. 111, (World Council of Churches, 1982).

Loader, William, First Thoughts on Year C Gospel Passages from the Lectionary
Pentecost 4, http://wwwstaff.murdoch.edu.au/loader/
LkPentecost4.htm, Last accessed on June 18, 2010.

Nickle, Keith F.; Moule, C. F. D. et al., editors, The Collection: A study in Pauls
Strategy, Volume 48, Studies in Biblical Theology, (Naperville, IL: Alec R.
Allenson, Inc, 1966).

Sunderland, Ronald H.; Shelp, Earl E. and Sunderland, Ronald H., editors, Chap.
The Character of Servanthood In The Pastor as Servant, (The Pilgrim
Press, 1986), pp. 2045.