1 Commentary

1.1 Proverbs 9:1-6

Proverbs 9:1 Wisdom has built her house – Traditional Wisdom or Σοφία (Sophia)
is female. Despite this fact, she performs many “male” only tasks such
as building, slaughtering, and making wine. Maybe the most controversial
work of all when viewed with ancient tradition is the spilling of blood when
she kills animals for meat.
she has hewn her seven pillars – The use of seven reminds us of perfection.
That is an indelible aspect of true Wisdom.

Proverbs 9:2 She has . . . – Over and over, Wisdom has shared her knowledge
with humanity on how to live.

Proverbs 9:3 She has sent out her servant-girls – Wisdom desires that everyone
know what she has to offer.

Proverbs 9:4 You that are simple, turn in here! – Even the village idiot (ἄφρων –
without a mind), is welcome to come to Wisdom’s table.

Proverbs 9:5 Come, eat of my bread and drink of the wine I have mixed. – Bless-
ings await those who come to Wisdom’s house.

Proverbs 9:6 Lay aside immaturity, and live, and walk in the way of insight.
– There are two ways of life. One takes the path of the idiot (ἀφροσύνην –
without sense also egotism), to ruin. The other option is completely different
and indicated in the LXX. This is the way of wisdom (φρόνησιν – with sense
and morals).

1.2 Psalm 34:9-14

...

Psalm 34:9 O fear the L ORD, you his holy ones – The children of the L ORD
know their Father is completely capable of anything. This means one must
respect, yes even fear, what the L ORD can do.
for those who fear him have no want – For those groups that preach the
theology of the cross, this verse is problematic. It clearly states in the here

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 and now the follows of the L ORD have nothing to worry about. This simple
reading, which is the preferred method of interpretation for Lutherans can-
not be correct. People of the L ORD, whether they be Christians or Jews, go
to be hungry, they are injured, and they die. This recognition of the obvious
forces an interpreter down two separate paths. Either the problems you ex-
perience are a result of not truly fearing the L ORD or your reward will come
later. Neither approach is very satisfying.
Psalm 34:10 but those who seek the L ORD lack no good thing – See the discus-
sion the phrase for those who fear him have no want in Psalm 34:9.
Psalm 34:11 Come, O children, listen to me – The unnamed teacher is Wisdom
otherwise known in the LXX as Σοφία (Sophia).
I will teach you the fear of the L ORD – Fear can be a good thing. Children
need to fear electrical outlets, busy streets, and power tools since all of these
things can take your life from you.
Psalm 34:12 Which of you desires life – This question is not one normally asked
by a child.
Psalm 34:13 Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit –
The LXX in Psalm 33:14 reads, παῦσον τὴν γλῶσσάν σου ἀπὸ κακοῦ καὶ
χείλη σου τοῦ µὴ λαλῆσαι δόλον (“Stop your tongue from worthlessness
and your lips from speaking trickery”). In other words, turn from your old
way of living.
Psalm 34:14 Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it. – The
LXX in Psalm 34:15 has the following ἔκκλινον ἀπὸ κακοῦ καὶ ποίησον
ἀγαθόν, ζήτησον εἰρήνην καὶ δίωξον αὐτήν (“Stop worthlessness, and live
in holiness worshiping the L ORD’s peace, and seek this.”)
...

1.3 Ephesians 5:15-20

Ephesians 5:15 Be careful then how you live, not as unwise people but as wise
– The author of the letter to the church in Ephesus, remdinds them of the
Wisdom literature. The Greek has βλέπετε οὖν ἀκριβῶς πῶς περιπατεῖτε
μὴ ὡς ἄσοφοι ἀλλ΄ ὡς σοφοί “Look carefully then how you walk, not as
unwise but wise.”

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 Ephesians 5:16 making the most of the time – Everyone has a limited life. Live
as the L ORD intended.

Ephesians 5:17 So do not be foolish – The Greek has διὰ τοῦτο μὴ γίνεσθε ἄφρο-
νες “Therefore, do no live as an idiot”. This use of ἄφρων along with the
earlier use of ἄσοφος and σοφός tie this lesson with the one from Proverbs.

Ephesians 5:18 be filled with the Spirit – This command from the author is anath-
ema in the mainline churches.

Ephesians 5:19 singing and making melody to the Lord in your hearts – The true
purpose of music is to praise the L ORD.

Ephesians 5:20 giving thanks to God the Father at all times and for everything
in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ – Simply, pray without ceasing.

1.4 John 6:51-58

The author of John lists the benefits of the Meal that we share with Jesus:
• You have life (John 6:53 – present tense)

• You have eternal life (John 6:54 – present tense)

• You will be raised by Jesus on the last day (John 6:54 – future tense)

• You abide in Jesus and He in you (John 6:56 – present tense)

• You will live because of Jesus (John 6:57 – future tense)

• You will live forever (John 6:58 – future tense)

John 6:51 the living bread that came down from heaven – The Greek reads, ῾Ο
ζῶν ὁ ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καταβάς. “Living” along with “came down” are the
two modifiers that Jesus uses for bread in this verse. Καταβαίνω found here
does not have the same idea as emptying found in Philippians 2:7.1
the world – In Greek, τοῦ κόσμου. All of the universe benefits from Jesus.
However, many do not continue because His Word is hard (John 6:60) and
others leave (John: 6:66).
1
Brian Stoffregen, John 6.51-58 Proper 15 - Year B, http://www.crossmarks.com/
brian/john6x51.htm.

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 John 6:52 disputed – The word μάχομαι, used only once in John, is much stronger
than “dispute.d” It is closer in meaning to fight as in a combat situation. The
use here appears to be an internal struggle among the Jews and it might re-
flect the problems during John’s time.2

John 6:53 Very truly – ἀμὴν ἀμὴν Amen, Amen would be a better translation
since we already use the transliteration of this word.
eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood – There are no in-
structions on how this meal is to be eaten.3 Clearly, the action of drink-
ing blood is prohibited: Genesis 9:4; Leviticus 3:17; Deuteronomy 12:23;
Acts 15:20. The only positive spin on drinking blood would be the Lord’s
Supper.4 Moloney thinks that this refers to the Crucifixion.5
I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood,
you have no life in you. – This statement by Jesus is one of the reasons that
some churches practice infant communion.6 Since this discourse follows an
earlier one on belief it seems that belief and consumption are both needed.7
This teaching that Christians must eat and drink at the L ORD’s Table is
found in the Lutheran confessions.

You have to worry that whoever does not desire or receive the
sacrament at the very least around four times a year despises the
sacrament and is no Christian, just as anyone who does not listen
to or believe the gospel is no Christian.8

If they do not come, give up on them and tell them that those
who do not pay attention to or feel their great need and God’s
gracious help belong to the devil.9
2
Stoffregen, ‘John 6.51-58 Proper 15 - Year B’.
3
Ibid.
4
Ibid.
5
S.D.B. Francis J. Moloney; Daniel J. Harrington, S.J., editor, The Gospel of John, Volume 4,
Sacra Pagina, (Collegeville, Minnesota: The Liturgical Press, 1998), p. 224.
6
Stoffregen, ‘John 6.51-58 Proper 15 - Year B’.
7
Ibid.
8
Preface to the Small Catechism, Robert Kolb and Timothy J. Wengert, editors, The Book of
Concord: The Confessions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, (Fortress Press, 2000), p. 250.
9
Preface to the Small Catechism, Ibid., p. 251.

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 For I call it despising when people, with nothing to hinder them,
let a long time elapse without ever desiring the sacrament. If you
want such liberty, you may just as well take the further liberty
not to be a Christian; then you need not believe or pray, for the
one is just as much Christ’s commandment as the other. But if
you want to be a Christian, you must from time to time satisfy
and obey this commandment. For such a commandment should
always move you to examine yourself and think: “See, what sort
of Christian am I? If I were one, I would surely have at least a
little desire to do what my Lord has commanded me to do.”10

John 6:54 eat – Τρώγω found in John 6:54, 56, 57, and 58 means to eat like
an animal, a sick human, or eating dessert. You gobble down the meal.
Some people disagree with this use found in these verses.11 Additionally,
it is possible that John is writing against the practice of Docetism δοκέω (it
seems).12 Finally, the Jews talked about eating the Torah but not consuming
the Torah.13

John 6:55 flesh is true food and my blood is true drink – Some good fragments
have the adverb ἀληθς rather than the adjective ἀληθής14 The RSV uses the
adverb and the NRSV the adjective. This would make the translation “food
indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.”15

John 6:56

John 6:57

John 6:58 came down from heaven – The commentaries are divided if this is or
is not about the Lord’s Supper.16
10
The Large Catechism: The Sacrament of the Altar,Kolb and Wengert, The Book of Concord,
p. 472.
11
Francis J. Moloney, The Gospel of John, p. 224.
12
Ibid.
13
Ibid.
14
Ibid., p. 225.
15
Ibid., pp. 221, 225.
16
Ibid., p. 225.

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References
Francis J. Moloney, S.D.B.; Harrington, S.J., Daniel J., editor, The Gospel of John,
Volume 4, Sacra Pagina, (Collegeville, Minnesota: The Liturgical Press,
1998).

Kolb, Robert and Wengert, Timothy J., editors, The Book of Concord: The Con-
fessions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, (Fortress Press, 2000).

Stoffregen, Brian, John 6.51-58 Proper 15 - Year B, http://www.

crossmarks.com/brian/john6x51.htm.