Key
Highlight = direct
command
Bold
= verse commented upon
Blue = comment
9 On
the subject of mutual charity you have no need for anyone to write you, for you
yourselves have been taught by God to love one another. 10 Indeed,
you do this for all the brothers throughout Macedonia. Nevertheless we urge you, brothers, to progress even more, 11 and to aspire to live a tranquil life(i.e.
to refrain from meddlesomeness or speech), to mind
your own affairs, and to work with your [own] hands, as we instructed you.
This seems to set out the same principles discussed in Proverbs 15:16, Proverbs 16:8, Proverbs 17:1, Sirach 3:17-23, Sirach 7:4-7, Sirach 10:27, Sirach 11:20, and Tobit 12:8. It also seems to be the opposite of
the attitudes/behavior described in Mark
6:17-29 below
R. (9) The Lord comes to rule the earth with justice.
Sing
to the LORD a new song, for he has
done wondrous deeds; His right hand has won victory for him, his holy arm.
R. The Lord comes to rule the earth with justice.
Let the sea and what fills it resound, the
world and those who dwell in it;
Let the rivers clap their hands, the
mountains shout with them for joy.
R. The Lord comes to rule the earth with justice.
Before the LORD, for he comes, for he
comes to rule the earth; He will rule the world with justice and the peoples
with equity.
R. The Lord comes to rule the earth with justice.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for
the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
Herod was the one who had John the Baptist
arrested and bound in prison
on account of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip, whom he had
married.
John had said to Herod, “It is not lawful
for you to have your brother’s wife.”
Herodias harbored a grudge against him and
wanted to kill him but was unable to do so. Herod feared John, knowing him to
be a righteous and holy man,
and kept him in custody. When he heard him
speak he was very much perplexed, yet he liked to listen to him.
She had an opportunity one day when Herod,
on his birthday, gave a banquet for his courtiers, his military officers, and
the leading men of Galilee. Herodias’ own daughter came in and performed a
dance that delighted Herod and his guests. The king said to the girl, “Ask of
me whatever you wish and I will grant it to you.” He even swore many things to
her, “I will grant you whatever you ask of me, even to half of my kingdom.”
She went out and said to her mother, “What
shall I ask for?”
She replied, “The head of John the Baptist.”
The girl hurried back to the king’s
presence and made her request, “I want you to give me at once on a platter the
head of John the Baptist.”
The king was deeply distressed, but
because of his oaths and the guests he did not wish to break his word to her. So
he promptly dispatched an executioner with orders to bring back his head.
He went off and beheaded him in the
prison. He brought in the head on a platter and gave it to the girl. The girl
in turn gave it to her mother. When his disciples heard about it, they came and
took his body and laid it in a tomb.
This incident illustrates what can happen
when we fail to obey the instructions in 1
Thessalonians 4:9-11, discussed
above above.
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