1 Corinthians 15:58-16:3 · Luke 5:27-32 — Saturday, October 10, 2026

A daily note from the team at OCABS.ORG, drawing on the published works of Fr. Paul Nadim Tarazi, with citations to his books and lectures. Readings: 1 Corinthians 15:58-16:3; Luke 5:27-32. Paul's instruction that the Corinthians set aside money on the first day of every week for the collection for the saints continues the promise he made at the Jerusalem meeting to remember the poor (Gal 2:10). Fr. Paul notes that Paul asked this of all his churches, not only the Galatians, and that the gift was to be carried to Jerusalem by men the Corinthians themselves would accredit, so that there need be no scramble when he arrived, since, as the text says, "contributions need not be made when I come." Fr. Paul observes that Paul names this gift "grace," a word meant to remind the Gentile churches of a standing debt to Jerusalem: "they are in debt to them, for if the Gentiles have come to share in their spiritual blessings, they ought" also serve them in material things. He adds that Paul wants the Corinthians to keep this practice even in his absence, so that the collection would not depend on his own presence among them. This steady, weekly giving belongs with the charge closing chapter fifteen, that believers be steadfast and always abounding in the Lord's work, since "in the Lord your labor is not in vain." In his lectures on Luke, Fr. Paul places the calling of Levi within a sequence of five linked stories carried over from Mark, in which Jesus cleanses, forgives, and now calls a tax collector to his table. His commentary on Galatians explains why tax collectors and sinners belong together: Gentiles counted as sinners by definition, lacking the Law that made a person righteous, and tax collectors were classed with them as outsiders bound up with Gentile Rome. Jesus's answer that he "came not to call the righteous, but sinners" crosses exactly that line. Fr. Paul notes that Luke makes "preaching (a baptism of) repentance for the forgiveness of sins" an inclusio framing the whole gospel, patterned on Paul's teaching in Romans that Jew and Gentile stand equally as sinners called to repentance. Sources: Tarazi, 1 Corinthians: A Commentary, p. 297; Tarazi, The Rise of Scripture, p. 335; Tarazi, Galatians: A Commentary, p. 72; Tarazi, 1 Corinthians: A Commentary, p. 295; Tarazi, 1 Corinthians: A Commentary, p. 299; Orthodox Audio Bible Commentary, Luke (vol. 42), part 1, at 2:01:39; Orthodox Audio Bible Commentary, Luke (vol. 42), part 1, at 1:59:57; Tarazi, Galatians: A Commentary, p. 83; Tarazi, Galatians: A Commentary, p. 83; Tarazi, The New Testament: An Introduction, vol. 2, Luke and Acts, “Calling of Levi (27–32)”; Orthodox Audio Bible Commentary, Luke (vol. 42), part 1, at 1:57:51. The note on ocabs.org Opening music: Taksim Arbi, Bichi Slama, oud (Tunis, Archives de la Parole, 1930s), public domain. Source: gallica.bnf.fr / BnF.