Greek Matthew 22-15-22

Greek Study Matthew 22:15-22

v15 τοτε adv. "then" - Temporal adverb, used to make the point that the religious leaders' attempt to "trap" Jesus is a response to the parable of the Wedding Feast.

πορευθεντες (πορευομαι) aor. part. "went out" an idiom, they "snuck off."

ελαβον (λαμβανω) aor. "laid [plans]".

παγιδευσωσιν (παγιδευω) aor. sub. "trap [him]" - they planned how they could trick Jesus into saying something wrong.

v16 αποστελλουσιν (αποστελλω) pres. "they sent" - they a dramatic present to increase the  impact of the moment.

Ηρωδιανων "the Herodians" - The only reference to this party found in the New  Testament; supporters of Herod and therefore supporters of the Roman occupation. Remember that Jesus is still smarting from the news of what Herod did John.

διδασκαλε (ος) voc. "teacher" – a title of respect.

αληθης adj. "a man of truth" – i.e. you have integrity.

του θεου (ος) gen. "[you teach the way] of God" – i.e. the way of life willed by God.

εν αληθεια "in [accordance with] the truth" It is doubtful they  actually believe Jesus taught a divine truth, but they may believe he was sincere about his teachings. 

ανθρωπων (ος) gen. "[because you do not look into face] of men” a genitive possessive and an idiom, you are not swayed by outward appearance. He knows a hypocrite when he sees one.

v17 εξεστιν, "is it right/permissible"  δουναι (διδωμι) aor. inf. "to pay"

κηνσον (ος)  “the imperial tax" – This is not the regular taxes levied on goods etc. but the poll tax, a direct administrative tax levied by the Roman government on the Jewish people; hated by the Jews.

Καισαρι dat. "to Caesar" – idiom for the Roman government.

v18 γνους (γινωσκω) aor. part. "knowing" their την πονηριαν (α) "evil intent."

υποκριται (ης ου) "hypocrites" – those who wear a mask {i.e. actors} - their flattery  shows they are not genuine seekers of the truth.

πειραζετε "trap" a word that can mean "test" in the sense of putting someone to a test with the intention of faulting them, the same word used of Jesus time in the wilderness with Satan.  

v19 δηναριον (ον) "a denarius " - a silver Roman coin valued at a day's wage that carried  the emperor's image and often a religious inscription (eg. Tiberious, "God and High  Priest"). As such it was highly offensive to the pious Jew; certainly not something you  would carry into the Temple, but the poll tax had to be paid with this coinage.

v20 λεγει (λεγω) pres. "he asked" – the historical present tense for dramatic effect. Also  found in v21a, 21b.

η εικων (η) "image” η επιγραφη (η) "[and whose] inscription" 

v21 αποδοτε (αποδιδωμι) aor. imp. "give" - the word carries the sense of returning something that rightly belongs to another. No matter how the Jews may despise the Romans, they are obliged to contribute to the cost of government, given that they share in its benefits. 

καισαρι τα καισαρος "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's" - the things of Caesar. As with "of God", the genitive "of Caesar" is adjectival, possessive." 

v22 ακουσαντες (ακουω) aor. part. "when they heard this" 

εθαυμασαν (θαυμαζω) aor.  "they were amazed" - used to describe a pre-faith response to Jesus; more than mere  acknowledgment, less than transforming faith.

αφεντες (αφιημι) aor. part. "so they left [him]” – a word normally from legal usage; they ‘released” him, i.e. they suspended their legal attacks.

Greek on Matthew 22-1-14

For the sake of completeness I post the Greek Studies that have been updated for the the Sundays leading up to Reformation Day and for All Saints' Day. The Reflections have not been updated and can be found by looking up the posts from 2014

Greek Study Matthew 22:1-14

v1 αποκριθεις (αποκρινομαι) aor. pas. part. "[Jesus] spoke" attendant circumstance participle expressing action accompanying the verb "spoke." Matthew often has Jesus "answering" (although Jesus hasn't actually been asked a question!) 

v2 των ουρανων (ος) gen. "[the kingdom] of heaven." Matthew's favored title for "the kingdom of God", “heaven" used out of deference to the divine. 

ωμοιωθη (ομοιοω) aor. pas. "is like" - is like – comparison.

ανθρωπω/ (ος) dat. a man [king] in apposition to king, a dative of  comparison.

γαμους (ος) literally [made] a marriage. in the plural, as here, "a wedding feast" - the eschatological immediacy of this event should not be lost, now rather than not yet.

v3 τους κεκλημενους (καλεω) perf. pas. part. "to those who had been invited" Indicating  a previous invitation, as was the custom. The invitation went out some time before and  now those who have been invited are summoned to attend.

ελθειν (ερχομαι) aor. inf. "[they refused] to come".

 
v4 αλλους pro. "more [servants]" - Probably in the sense of sending the servants out again  rather than different servants.

τοις κεκλημενοις (καλεω) perf. pas. part. "those who have been invited".

το αριστον (ον) "dinner" - originally breakfast, later referred to a main meal.

τα σιτιστα adj. "fattened cattle" - fattened. 

τεθυμενα (θυω) perf. pas. part. "have been butchered" - sacrificed = killed. 

v5 αμελησαντες (αμελεω) aor. part. "they paid no attention" - attendant circumstance participle expressing action accompanying the main verb "left / went off"; "they paid no attention and went off" - expressing negligence, indifference.

v6 κρατησαντες (κρατεω) aor. part. "seized" - having taken hold of - attendant circumstance participle expressing action accompanying the verb 

υβρισαν (υβριζω) aor. "mistreated" - seriously insulted; to treat something as absolutely worthless.

v7 ωργισθη (οριζω) aor. pas. "was enraged" - an inceptive aorist where the beginning of the action is emphasized, "now the king became angry."

πεμψας (πεμπω) aor. pas. "having sent” attendant circumstance participle expressing  action accompanying the verb "destroyed".

  στρατευματα (α ατος) "his troops” – in koine’ used to describe Roman legions. 

την πολιν αυτων ενεπρησεν "burned their city" - some like to argue that this is an image of the destruction of Jerusalem (which one is the question). 

v8 ετοιμος εστιν "is ready" - Present tense.

  οι ... κεκλημενοι (καλεω) perf. pas. part. "those I invited".

ουκ ησαν αξιοι "did not deserve to come" - were not worthy of the honor.

v9 ων οδων (ος) gen. "the street corners" - the genitive is adjectival, attributive, limiting "intersection"; "the road intersection at the edge/center of town." Possibly where the roads converge in a village square and thus where the poor would gather waiting for work, or where the cardo crossed the decumanus maximus i. e the main market intersection of town.  Others argue the noun διεξοδους is not "intersection" but were a road ends or begins so it could mean; "the edge of the kingdom."

v10 πονηρους τε και αγαθους "both good and bad" - wicked and good. Probably stylistic  language expressing a universal intent rather than any theological statement, "Tell  everyone you meet to come to the banquet".

ο γαμος "the wedding hall" επλησθη (πιμπλημι) aor. pas. "was filled" - "literally “crammed with” ανακειμενων (ανακειμαι) gen. pres. part. " guests" – lit. those reclining at table.

 
v11 εισελθων (εισερχομαι) aor. part. "when [the king] came in" - temporal.

θεασασθαι (θεαομαι) aor. inf. "to see" - expressing purpose.

τους ανακειμενους (ανακειμαι) pres. part. "the ones reclining at table”. 

ουκ ενδεδυμενον (ενδυω) perf. mid. part. "not having been clothed. The negation is unusual.

 γαμου (ος) gen. "wedding [clothes].

 
v12 εταιρε (ος) voc. "friend" – a kindly address (see parable of the unjust steward).

πως "how" – an interrogative; direct question.

ο δε εφιμωθη (φιμοω) aor. pas. "the man was speechless".

v13 δησαντες (δεω) aor. part. "bind" - functioning as an imperative, the person is bound so  he can't get back into the feast. 

  εις το σκοτος το εξωτερον "into the darkness" – an idiom, “the place of the rejected”.

ο βρυγμος (ος) "gnashing" – chattering, describing rage. The phrase is repeated in Matthew a number of times (13:42, 50, 24:51, cf. Lk.13:28). For those who stand approved on the Day of Judgment, there will be no more weeping, for the outcast there will be nothing but weeping.  Matthew is not inclined to allow his reader or community to avoid the down side of judgment, grace or not, there will be a judgment and it will be unpleasant for some. 

v14 γαρ "for" πολλοι .... ολιγοι "many .... few" - a comparison between the totality of those invited with the small number chosen; i.e. everyone is invited, not everyone gets a seat.

εκλεκτοι adj. pl. "chosen" – a term is used for "God's people”. 

What will you deliver? On Matthew 21:33-46

When someone asks: “What would Jesus do, remind them that freaking out and flipping tables is a viable option. — Ann Onymous 

Scholars note that this parable Jesus tells, this parable about the tenant farmers who refuse to yield the landowner his proper tribute, must be understood by remembering the place in which it was told. Had Jesus told it a year before, standing next to a vineyard in Galilee, it might have been a condemnation of absentee landownership and seems to have been used as such in New Testament times in other sources. 

But, as it is told in the temple where the presence of God is admitted by everyone, it has a different meaning. Note how I worded that last sentence. Yes, everyone would have affirmed that God was indeed in the temple and therefore very much present. God is therefore not the problem. 

No, told here, the parable is a condemnation of the specific tenant farmers. Jesus says so outright. (Matt 21:43) But the reuse and retooling of the parable is instructive to understanding it.  

Peasant life is not pleasant. They got to do the work, supply the seed, do the harvesting, and then suddenly they had to deliver a fairly hefty share thereof to the owner. If the owner was to be one in a foreign place then their tribute to the owner was probably paid in money and not crop, which meant they were also at the mercy of the market and the rather complicated ways that taxes were levied when produce was transported and sold. 

The tenant farmer who works my land shows up on April 1st — yes, April 1st — with check for land rent. After that, I am no longer involved with what happens in the field. He plants and harvests. He takes the risks inherent in farming, but at the end of the year, it is all his to take to the elevator and sell. Present or absent, I figure into his decisions only at the margins. 

The tenants in Jesus’ parable, on the other hand, have to be very conscious of the owner at every step of the process. They depend on the owner to let them the land and its vines again next year, so every decision has consequences for their future on the land. A bad harvest is not only a present disaster but might have even worse repercussions in the year to come when not only is there bad harvest but no land to grow the next harvest on. My farmer merely has to pay me the going land rent rate and see to it that he is not rude or offensive to me and I will very likely rent him the field again next year. 

If one was to be an absentee landlord, this parable would indeed be a warning. They do not treat your servants badly when they can see your house and know you are close by to enforce your will and protect your servants. They would also know whether you are alive or dead. If your son shows up they will not think that he is now the owner and kill him in their frustration, thinking that they will be able to perpetuate their use of the land by those actions. 

O.K., so that is crazy thinking but maybe it is not all that crazy as labor unrest and peasant revolts through the centuries are plenty. But, if this parable was once a warning against absentee landownership it is not that here. Here the tenants, the temple authorities, the priest and elders (21:23) are working literally under nose of the owner. As priests not only do they work around the owner, no, they approach the owner in their rituals to ask his favor and they do so daily. 

The interchange between Jesus and the authorities suggests a few troubling scenarios: 

1) Maybe they did not realize that Jesus was the Son and that John had been a prophet. The crowds seem to believe but the authorities were not accustomed to follow the crowd, they were accustomed to telling the crowd what to believe. 

2) Maybe they realized it but were denying it actively as 21:25-26 and 21:46 hint at. In Matthew, among the synoptic Gospels, all faith authorities are in enmity to Jesus and are actively trying to destroy him. (12:4, 27:42-43 – grammar suggests they suspect that Jesus might be who he says he is) 

If one rejects the authority of the son, then one rejects the authority of the household from which he comes and therefore one rebells against the authority of the landowner, the father, the God whose presence these priests were meant to serve.

3) Maybe they were functional atheists. That is to say, maybe they did read the Pentateuch and gathered for lectionary Torah study on the third day of the week at the third hour but their actions, lives, and decisions somehow did not countenance the content of that Torah. Maybe that is why Jesus charges them, along with the Pharisees as Hypocrites. As a result they act like the ones that knowingly reject Jesus and deserve the same treatment as outlined in option 2) above. 

I know what you are thinking: “How could they? They were priests! They did the ritual thing every day. How can they be atheists?” When holy things are handled every day they either become so part of the priest who handles them as to let that one live holy or they become entirely external but ordinary and meaningless to the priest. I believe Urban Holmes observed this about Christian Clergy. Unfortunately, the former tend to be mystics and strange people whom we tend to avoid while the latter pour themselves into worldly pursuit of organizational success and they tend to achieve it. They become the “successful” pastors because they administer, not because they pray. (Actually, St. John of the Cross observed that, Gerald May does as well) If you think about it, it is a matter of succumbing to the second Temptation of Jesus (Matt 4:5-6) as an attempt to put God into the position to reveal irrefutably to the burned-out priest that, Yes, the Holy of Holies is not empty and neither is the Sacrament just bread and vine. Clergy burnout is real today and probably had its own form in last Temple as well. 

If you think about it, possibility 3) pretty much leads to a desperate version of 2) when the physical reality you hope to perpetuate is challenged. You turn over a few tables, throw some coins, and drive off a few sheep and the senior priest is on his way over really, really quickly, and even if he understands or even sympathizes with your reasoning, he will and cannot get himself to condone your actions much less join you in them. The mystic might though, which is why they tend not to get elected to Synod councils or Sanhedrin alike. 

Possibility 3) also would cause the blindness that is possibility 1). Think about it this way: “Leaving the light on keeps the monsters away at night.” “How do you know that?” “Well, I have left my light on for years now and I am fine.” “What would happen if you turned them off?” “I couldn't do that. It would be suicide. I have never slept without the lights on. That is why I am safe from the monsters.” (Kreeft) What if John the Baptist comes and tells you to turn off the lights, so to speak? You would have to conclude that he is either nuts or that he does not have your best interest at heart and therefore is no prophet. If the job and the book is all that there is anything else is automatically not recognized and therefore not acceptable, even the healing of the blind and the lame, even the repentance and return of the sinners. (21:14-15, 32)

So, in a certain way, all these are connected and related in an unfortunate way. What is a peasant to do? As I said before: any good peasant pays constant mind to the landowner to whom he owes the field or vineyard that sustains him. What does that landowner want? A well kept vineyard that only uses organic fertilizer, natural insect management techniques, non GMO vines, fish and amphibian friendly herbicides, a vineyard that has a low carbon footprint and is open to the public as an educational center to sustainable agriculture with daily tours, an onsite bistro, and a lot of curb appeal? Well . . . Yes . . . And? . . . And? . . .Well . . . How about a good harvest of grapes? 

God has a purpose for human life and an expected outcome to Faith. Yet, what is that purpose: “The LORD said to Abram: Go forth from your land, your relatives, and from your father’s house to a land that I will show you. 2  I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you. All the families of the earth will find blessing in you.” Add your own but do it cautiously.

So, I know, I have walked off the well beaten and traditional path of Matthew 21 just a bit. I do so consciously. I am not sure that the conscious, intentional rejection that Matthew seems to imply is the biggest problem modern church attendees face. There is a creeping loss of a sense of purpose that is much more subtle and easier to fall into. Once lost, what will faith look like and how hard will we fight to make it stay like we have shaped it? The Temptations of Jesus could be a tool to evaluate our life and actions. If we find ourselves mirrored in the tempter’s suggestions there will not be any fruit from the vineyard for God or us. What fruit is your faith bearing and is that the fruit that our God hoped for. What will you deliver? 

The Greek Text for Matt 21:33-46

Greek Study Matthew 21:33-46

v33 οικοδεσποτης (ης ου) "a land manager" – steward/manager

οστις "who"  Matthew favors this indefinite pronoun, so "who", as landowners in general, crop their land, here planted a vineyard.

φραγμον (ος) "[he put] a wall [around]" - likely a "hedge".

πυργον (ος) "watchtower" - for security.

εξεδετο (εκδιδωμι) aor. "rented" - possibly on a sharecropping basis, but also, given that the vineyard would take a few years to come into full production, given care of the vineyard and paid.

εεωργοις (ος) dat. "to some farmers" - Dative of indirect object.

απεδημησεν (αποδημεω) aor. "went away on a journey" - until the vineyard came into production.

  
v34 των καρπων (ος) "the harvest [time]" – literally ‘of fruit’.

γεωργους (ος) "farmers" – experienced people who actually work the land. 

ο καιρος των καρπων "harvest time" - the time of the fruits. "

ηγγισεν (εγγιζω) aor. "approached" - came near/palpable. This is the same word Jesus uses in Mark to announce the coming of the Kingdom.

λαβειν (λαμβανω) inf. "to collect" - infinitive is adverbial, expressing purpose; possibly, "to obtain his share of the grapes".

v35 λαβοντες (λαμβανω) aor. part. "[the tenants] seized" an attendant circumstance participle expressing action accompanying the verbs "beat", "killed" and "stoned".

εδειραν (δερω) aor. "they beat" – actually “flayed” but a softer meaning is intended to display ascending acts of violence meaning that the stoning was a lethal stoning.

v36 παλιν adv. "again [he sent]" at the next harvest (the following year!)

των προωτων adj. "[more] than the first" an ablative, of comparison.

ωσαυτως adv. "likewise" - expressing manner.

v37 υστερον comp. adj. "last of all" - finally, - a superlative so expressing the last in a series.

λεγων (λεγω) pres. part. saying. Likekly to himself, so "he thought to himself."

εντραπησονται (εντρεπω) fut. pas. "they will respect" - act respectfully toward ...

v38 ιδοντες (ειδον) aor. part. " [the tenants] having seen temporal "But when they saw..."

ο κληρονομος (ος) "the heir" αποκτεινωμεν (αποκτεινω) aor. subj. "let's kill [him] a hortatory subjunctive.

την κληρονομιαν (α) "[his] inheritance" - "His property", TEV.

v39 λαβοντες (λαμβανω) aor. part. "they took him" – violently seized, 

εξεβαλον (εκβαλλω) aor. "threw him" - opposite to Mark who has killed and then threw out, this is a possible alignment to the order of Jesus' arrest and crucifixion. 

του αϑμπελωνος (ων ωνος) gen. "[out] of the vineyard" Ablative, expressing separation, clarified by the preposition εξω "out ".

v40 του αμπελωνος (ων ωνος) gen. "[the owner] of the vineyard" the language is identical to that in the earlier parable about the unfair pay –from a common written source?

τοις γεωργοις εκεινοις dat. "[what will he do] to those tenants?".

v41 κακους κακως "[he will bring] those wretches to a wretched [end]" - evil badly [he will destroy]. The adjective, κακους, "evil, bad", is used as a noun, and placed beside the adverb, κακως, "fiercely", which modifies the verb απολεσει "will destroy", serves as a play on words; "he will bring those bad men to a bad end", meaning total destruction.

λεγουσιν (λεγω) pres. "they replied" - Historic present.

αλλοις γεωργοις dat. "[he will rent the vineyard] to other tenants".

οιτινες (οστις) rel. ind. pro. "who" - as in v33.

αποδωσουσιν (αποδιδωμι) fut. "will give" - will give back. 

v42 λιθον (ος) acc. "the stone"

απεδοκιμασαν (αποδοκιμαζω) aor. "rejected" - completely as useless.

κεφαλην γωνιας "the capstone / becomes the cornerstone" It is not actually known whether this stone is a capstone, binding the walls together, or the corner/foundation stone. Whatever, the builders rejected it as unsuitable.

v43 δια τουτο. "therefore" causal construction;  on account of the fact.

του θεου (ος) gen. "[the kingdom] of God" - Only on four occasions does Matthew drop his usual "kingdom of heaven", and replace it with “of God”.  Both titles take the same meaning, but the way the kingdom is described as a present reality which αρθησεται, "will be taken away", from "you" seems the point. 

αρθησεται (αιρω) fut. pas. "will be taken away" - this verb, and "given" are passive and may be classed as divine passives; God does the taking away and the giving.

εθνει (ος) dat. "to a people" - "people" remains undefined, but at the least a people under God, a community of disciples, possibly the "church".

ποιουντι (ποιεω) dat. pres. part. "who will produce" - doing = producing.

τους καρπους (ος) "[its] fruit" The word is used to tie in with the parable where the tenants did not provide the fruit from the vineyard to the owner and are cast from the vineyard. It is essential to note that this fruit is not just an initial response to the gospel, but the totality of life in the kingdom. 

v44 ο πεσων (πιπτω) part. "he who falls" - the one falling.

συνθλασθησεται (συνθλαω) fut. pas. "will be broken to pieces" – crushed/shattered.

λικμησει (λικμαω) fut. "will be crushed" – winnowed/ground to dust.

v45 οι αρχιερεις και οιϑ Φαρισαιοι "the chief priests and the Pharisees" Matthew now associates members of the Sadducees with that of the Pharisees, sworn enemies.

v46 ζητουντες (ζητεω) part. "they looked for a way" κρατησαι (κρατεω) aor. inf. "to arrest [him]".

εφοβηθησαν (φοβεω) aor. pas. "they were afraid of" τους οχλους (ος) gen. "the crowd” a direct reference to the intended audience of last week’s parable.