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1 in Faith: A Christian Bible Study |
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Scripture Readings for April 2006
If you would like to receive these daily scripture readings by email, click email list service. These short readings from the Christian Bible are read daily at community prayer in Taizé, an ecumenical and international Christian community in France. The Bible reference indicates a longer passage from scripture. You are invited to read the longer passage and to ponder the reading in silence and prayer, as it comes to mind during the day. For a brief explanation of how I read scripture, go to Exegesis or to Witness.
"Love righteousness and seek the LORD with sincerity of heart, for this is the way to God." The Book of Wisdom is not in Protestant Bibles, but it is in Catholic Bibles. History is the explanation for these different forms of the Bible. The Book of Wisdom was in the Septuagint, the Greek version of the Hebrew Bible that Paul and the other Greek-speaking Christians of the early church read as their scripture. So, when the New Testament was authorized by the church in the fourth century in Greek, the books of the Septuagint were included in the Christian Bible, as the Old Testament. During the Protestant Reformation, however, the reformers translated the books of the Old Testament into their own languages from the Hebrew version of the Jewish scriptures, which at the same time the early church was forming was codified in a form omitting some of the books in the Septuagint. The sentiment of this passage from the Book of Wisdom is in no way contrary to teachings in the Protestant Bible. In fact, this text might have been taken from the New Testament. It also reminds us that the first Christians were reading as their scripture the writings of the Old Testament, as it is found today in the Catholic Bible. The church began without the gospels, and only a few churches knew of the letters of Paul. The first Christians were reading the books of our Old Testament (including the Book of Wisdom) as the word of God. Texts like this were, for them, the source of their faith. Jesus said: "Learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." This passage begins with the well-known words, "Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest." (v. 28) And it concludes, "For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." (v. 30) The word "yoke" literally means an attachment put over the neck of an animal, such as an ox, that is used to pull a cart. It is obvious, however, that Jesus is using the word in a figurative sense. We know that rabbis in this period spoke of "the yoke of the law," as a way of referring to the commandments of Torah. The meaning of this passage seems to be that learning about Torah from Jesus will make its burdens lighter. Moreover, the passage promises that those who follow Jesus will find rest for their souls. Unlike the letters of Paul, which argue that Christ has replaced the (Jewish) law, the gospel of Matthew presents Jesus as the fulfillment of the law of Moses. In Matthew 5:17 Jesus says clearly that he has not come to abolish the (Jewish) law, and there he teaches his disciples to keep the commandments until all that God has planned is accomplished. As the gospel was written for one or more churches, which were waiting for the end to come, the early Christians reading the gospel of Matthew must have been strictly adhering to Jewish law, unlike the churches organized by Paul. But as Gentiles came to outnumber Jews in the churches, keeping Jewish law disappeared from the life of the church. April 3, 1 Corinthians 13:1-13 "Love is patient and kind. Love does not seek its own advantage, it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but finds its joy in the truth." This chapter is one of the most famous passages in the Christian Bible. It is often used in weddings, and it presents a joyous but also a practical vision of love. The chapter comes near the end of a letter to the church of Corinth, which has been divided we learn from the beginning of the letter by disputes among its leaders. Paul gives his advice and compares the church to a human body, with Christ as its head. The members of the church have different gifts of the Spirit and thus, like the parts of a body, contribute in different ways to the life of the whole. But the lifeblood of the church, Paul says in the 13th chapter of his letter, is love. It is the greatest gift of the Spirit. Paul appeals to the Corinthians to have greater love for each other, so their church may flourish as the body of Christ in the world. He reminds them that now we "know only in part" and so should be patient and humble in addressing the differences in the church. See, your king is approaching, humble and riding on a donkey and on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden. In the gospels of Mark, Luke and John, Jesus rides into Jerusalem on a colt of an ass, but in the gospel of Matthew he is seated on an ass and its colt. All four gospels take the image from Zechariah 9:9, but the gospel of Matthew wants to show that Jesus literally is the fulfillment of prophecy. And Zechariah 9:9 describes a king riding into Jerusalem "on an ass, on a colt the foal of an ass." The second part of the phrase is not actually identifying a second animal, as this does not make any sense, but is merely a poetic repetition. But the gospel of Matthew takes the text literally. These differences in understanding reveal that the other gospel authors felt free to interpret scripture in the way that made sense to them and that the author of Matthew, by taking scripture literally, is also "interpreting" it. All the gospels see the entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem as the beginning of a passion drama revealing Jesus as the true king of the Jews, and so they bring him into the city as a king would enter. It is impossible to say whether or not Jesus entered Jerusalem riding on the colt of an ass, and Paul says nothing about the life of Jesus that would confirm this story. But clearly the account of Jesus entering Jerusalem is an essential part of the passion story that was told in the life of the church even before the gospels are written. Paul writes: "We should not try to please ourselves, but consider what is good for our neighbors and so build up community." The community of the church is divided by conflict concerning the law of Moses and whether or how it should be enforced within the church. Paul argues that the law of Moses does not apply to the church, but in chapters 9-11 of this letter he asserts that God has not abandoned the Jews who have refused to accept Jesus as the Christ. As he brings his letter to a close, Paul urges the Christians in Rome to be considerate of one another. Paul says that Christ became a Jew to confirm the promise to the Gentiles that is present in the psalms and in the prophetic writings of scripture. Clearly, Paul sees the Roman Empire as part of God's divine plan, for it is Roman rule that has allowed him to move freely from city to city preaching the good news of the gospel. Paul prays that the church in Rome may "abound in hope." He sees in the conflicts within the church the possibility of a greater community of Jews and Gentiles through the love of God in Christ. But it depends on the members of the church to bring about this reconciliation and to create this redeemed community. Paul's encouragement is as relevant today as it was almost two millennia ago. Can we care for our neighbors in order to build up the church? Can we put the good of the community above our own desires? The Lord says: "I shall put my law deep within them, I shall write it on their hearts. I shall be their God and they will be my people." The prophet is writing about the return of exiles from Babylon to Israel. The two kingdoms, which divided after the reign of Solomon, are to be reunited, the prophet proclaims (vs. 23-30). Then Jeremiah announces for God that a new covenant will be written on the hearts of the people. The return of exiles and the reunion of the two kingdoms is seen as a new beginning in the relationship between God and his chosen people. Christians read this text to support the idea expressed in the New Testament of the Holy Spirit being present in each person. Some times we talk about this as the conscience of an individual. This suggests a direct relationship between God and a person, in a way that Jeremiah could not have conceived. The prophet was concerned with the relationship between God and his people, not between God and individual persons. But reading this passage in the light of the New Testament, which shifts the emphasis from the people of God to the Son of God and those (persons) who follow him, we should not be surprised that the Christian understanding sees the law of God written on the hearts of each individual person. This is our faith. James writes: "Let no one say when they are tempted, 'God is tempting me.' For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does God tempt anyone."This letter is addressed to "the twelve tribes in the Dispersion" from "James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ." (v. 1) It is concerned with issues of Jewish law, and is in eloquent Greek, which suggests that it was not written by James, the brother of Jesus, as there is no evidence that the family of Jesus or any of the disciples from Galilee spoke and wrote Greek. Perhaps the letter was sent under his name during the time James was head of the church in Jerusalem. The letter says, "Blessed is anyone who endures temptation." (v. 12) It explains that temptation comes from our desires, not from God. In a sense, of course, all things come from God. But the Christian Bible affirms that men and women are responsible for the choices they make. They can blame neither the devil nor God, if they act in a way they know to be wrong. This is sin, and the only answer for sin is repentance and faith in the love of God. The good news of the gospel is that God forgives all those, who repent and live in faith. On the cross, Jesus said: "Father, forgive them; they do not know what they are doing." These words appear only in the gospel of Luke. Is this simply a different memory of the last hours of Jesus? That seems unlikely. The author of the gospel of Luke puts these words on the lips of the dying Jesus to express the theme of his gospel. The person and parables of Jesus in the gospel of Luke all point to the forgiving God. Each of the other three gospels has a different theme or emphasis, so each of them has a different ending and attributes to Jesus different words. In the gospels of Mark and Matthew, Jesus cries out with a loud voice the first verse of Psalm 22, a psalm of lamentation but also of faith. In the gospel of John, Jesus speaks to his mother and says he thirsts before he utters his last words, "It is finished." The words of the gospel of Luke are remembered in the life of the church as the last words of Jesus because we long to hear them. Who is being forgiven? Not only the Romans who have crucified Jesus, and not only the leaders of Jerusalem who collaborated with them, but also us. We, too, do not know what we are doing. We turn away from God, we do not live in faith, we are selfish and find excuses to avoid securing God's justice for the peoples of the earth. May God forgive us for our sins, and may we forgive the sins of others. April 9, Luke 23:33-46On the cross, Jesus said, "Father, into your hands I commend my spirit." Having said this, he breathed his last. In addition to the theme of forgiveness, the gospel of Luke presents Jesus as filled with the spirit of God. When Jesus begins his ministry he announces in the words of the prophet Isaiah that "The Spirit of the Lord" has come upon him. (Lk. 4:18) In the story it seems that the Spirit entered Jesus at baptism, but the teaching of the church has generally been that the Spirit of God was in and with Jesus from his birth. Is it this Spirit that now leaves his body, as he dies? In the Acts of the Apostles, which is the sequel to the gospel of Luke written by the same author, the Spirit of God comes on Pentecost to the disciples and their followers. The Spirit of God animates the church, which is partly why Christians refer to the church as "the body of Christ." As the Spirit of God filled Jesus, so the Spirit of God fills the church. At least, this is our hope and our prayer. Jesus said: "In truth, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies it remains only a single grain. But if it does, it yields a big harvest." This reading begins with the enigmatic statement that a few Greeks (described in some translations as Gentiles) were present at a Passover feast in Jerusalem. It is unclear whether these are Greek-speaking Jews, who are described as Greeks because they are not from Jerusalem and speak Greek rather than Aramaic, or Greek-speaking Gentiles. Clearly, however, they are not from Jerusalem or from Galilee. Symbolically in the story they represent the world beyond Jerusalem and Palestine, the world of Greek culture and the world of Roman authority. The gospel says these men of the world are interested in Jesus. Jesus explains to them his mission by referring to a grain of wheat that dies in the earth in order to produce a great harvest. All four gospels include explanations of the death of Jesus, but only the gospel of John contains this particular verse. Paul, too, uses this image to explain resurrection (1 Cor. 15). Might our lives be seeds of life? Might our death be part of the miracle of the harvest? At the grave, the angel said to the women: "Do not be afraid. I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said he would." In the gospel of Matthew, an angel tells Mary of Magdala and "the other Mary" who have come to the grave that Jesus has gone to Galilee and will meet them there. In the gospel of Mark, Mary of Magdala and Mary, the mother of James, and Salome hear the same message from a young man in a white robe. (Mk. 16:1-8) The resurrection story is rarely read from the gospel of Mark, however, because in earliest versions of this account the women run away saying "nothing to anyone, for they were afraid." Moreover, the gospel of Mark does not record any resurrection appearances. In the gospel of Luke, two men in dazzling clothes tell Mary of Magdala and Mary, the mother of James, and Joanna that Jesus has been raised. In this account, however, Jesus meets his disciples in Jerusalem and not in Galilee, as is promised in the gospel of Mark and recorded in the gospel of Matthew. (Lk. 24:36-49) In the gospel of John, Mary of Magdala comes alone to the tomb and finds the stone rolled away. She does not see an angel, a young man, or two men, but she does meet Jesus in a nearby garden. Later Jesus appears in Jerusalem to his disciples, rather than in Galilee. (Jn. 20:19-23) These differences in the gospel accounts imply that the early church did not understand the four gospels as historical reports. Otherwise, when the church decided on the composition of the New Testament, these four reports would have been reconciled into a single account. Each gospel authorized by the church in the fourth century ends with an affirmation of the faith of the Christian community for which it was written. The gospel faith is that death is not the final word of life. Christians celebrate the resurrection of Jesus not to remember a miracle long ago, but to witness to their faith that not even death "can separate us from the love of God." (Rm. 8:39) Jesus, risen from the dead, said to his disciples: "You will receive the power of the Holy Spirit, and you will be my witnesses to the ends of the earth." The author of the gospel of Luke tells a story that begins in Bethlehem with the birth of Jesus, moves to Galilee for his childhood and adult ministry, and then ends in Jerusalem with his death, resurrection and appearances to his disciples. The risen Jesus does not return to Galilee (as in the gospel of Matthew), because the sequel to the gospel of Luke (the Acts of the Apostles) relates a story that begins in Jerusalem with the followers of Jesus and ends in Rome with Paul, the main architect of the church in the cities of the Roman Empire. In Acts, the disciples ask their risen Lord if he will "restore the kingdom to Israel." Rather than answering their question, Jesus sends them out as witnesses not only in Judea but also in Samaria and throughout the known world. Written for the Gentile-dominated churches outside Jerusalem, the author of the gospel of Luke and Acts tells a story to explain how the death of a Galilean Jew, who taught in Aramaic from the Hebrew scriptures, led to the founding of Greek-speaking churches throughout the Roman Empire. The author of Luke-Acts believes that this spreading of the gospel is the work of the Holy Spirit. God has raised Jesus from the dead to make him Savior, and through him to change our hearts and grant forgiveness of sins. In the story the former disciples of Jesus have become apostles and are leading the followers of Jesus in a life of prayer, sharing, healing and preaching in the Jewish temple. The people of Jerusalem are said to hold the community "in high honor" because of the "many signs and wonders" done by the apostles. (Acts 5:12-13) The author of Acts says that this created jealousy among the Sadducees, a faction of the Jewish elite that governed Judea under the authority of the Romans. When Peter defends the ministry of the apostles before the Sanhedrin, the council of elders in Jerusalem that had certain limited powers under the Roman rulers, Peter says that God has acted through Jesus to offer forgiveness of sins for those who change their hearts and repent. This is the proclamation of the early church, and it is good news that deserves our witness as well. The God who calls all people to do justice and love mercy has shown in Jesus that our sins will be forgiven, if we repent and take up the life of faith. Paul said: "I have borne witness to great and small alike, saying that the Christ was to suffer and that, as the first to rise from the dead, he was to proclaim light for all nations." The author of this speech is not Paul but the author of the gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles. In his letters Paul speaks for himself, but here "Paul" is speaking for a community of Christians known now only to the author of Luke-Acts. This largely Gentile church affirms that Jesus is the first to be raised from the dead and that this fact is a blessing for Gentiles as well as Jews. In his letters Paul affirms that the resurrection of Jesus is the beginning of the resurrection of all those who have died with faith, whether Jew or Gentile. Moreover, he also expresses this faith as an interpretation of Jewish scripture that fulfils the hope of the Pharisees (who, in contrast to the Sadducees, believe in the resurrection of the dead). Paul says in Acts and in his letters that he is a Pharisee, a statement that may shock many Christians, who think that the Pharisees were the enemies of Jesus. In the time of Paul, the Pharisees were reformers who resisted the rule of the Sadducees and priests. This was probably also true during the earlier ministry of Jesus. After the time of Paul, when the Jewish rebellion had been put down by the Romans and the temple destroyed, Pharisees began to organize Judaism. In this new situation, there was conflict between Pharisees and Christians. After all, Christians were teaching an interpretation of the Jewish scriptures that implied Jews should neglect the Law of Moses and join with Gentiles in celebrating Jesus as the Messiah. Christians need to remember that the name of Jesus has not only been a light to the nations, but also a curse on the lips of Christians who throughout history have killed Jews to avenge the death of Jesus. The prayer of Christians everywhere must be: "Father, we have sinned grievously against Jews, the people whose memory of you nurtured the witness of Jesus, Mary of Magdala, Peter, Paul and all those who have followed them. We repent of our sin and pledge to proclaim a gospel that affirms your love for all people. Amen." The One who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit living in you. Those "in Christ Jesus," Paul says, are saved, for they live by the law of the Spirit. Paul's gospel is that the Law of Moses cannot save, because everyone falls short of its requirements. Therefore, God has acted in history to save all people through the life and death of Jesus. Some Christians believe that the death of Jesus is a substitution for our own punishment and that Jesus "pays the price" for our sins. But this would mean that God is unforgiving and requires a victim for his wrath. Our good news is that the death and resurrection of Jesus confirms the forgiving love of God. By proclaiming that Jesus is God, the church rejects the idea that God desires and accepts the death of Jesus as a sacrifice that substitutes for the punishment that humanity deserves. God (in Jesus) suffers and dies on the cross. The crucifixion of Jesus is not the sacrifice of one man for the sake of all people. The church confesses that the crucifixion of Jesus is the self-sacrifice of God out of love -- a love for humanity that embraces us even when we turn away. The good news of the New Testament is not that Jesus was killed for our sins, but that God put an end to killing for sins by dying on the cross and by creating a new community of faith to witness to the power of forgiving love. Let us hold to the hope we profess, without wavering, for God who has promised is faithful. In the history of the church this letter has been attributed to Paul, but it is an anonymous document and is written in a style unlike Paul's. The letter seeks to persuade a group of Jewish Christians that they need not continue to observe the Law of Moses, but will find the fulfillment of the ancient hope of the Hebrews in the teachings and life of the church. In this respect, the letter is consistent with the writings of Paul, even if it presents the proclamation of the church in a manner that is different. The letter urges Jewish Christians to "stir up one another to love and do good works" as they wait for the Day of Judgment and the return of Christ to judge the living and the dead. The letter confirms that the God of the old covenant (testament) with Israel and the new covenant (testament) with the church will not abandon those who live faithfully. "Sing and rejoice, my people, for I am coming to live among you," says the LORD. Zechariah, whose prophecies date from 520-518 BCE, was a contemporary of Haggai and had the same zeal for rebuilding the temple in Jerusalem. Writing more than twenty years after Cyrus of Persia freed the people of Israel from captivity in Babylon, Zechariah tells them that their return to the land of their forefathers and their renewal of the life of the covenant in the rebuilt temple is a sign of God's continuing presence. The prophet uses the words of Isaiah 54:1-3 to express the continuity of this hope with the teachings of the past, yet he does not simply long for the fulfillment of ancient prophecy but expects its immediate realization. The end of the Jewish temple created the conditions out of which Judaism and Christianity developed. The Pharisees projected the hopes of the prophets onto the life of the synagogue and looked to the coming of the messiah in a new (renewed) Jerusalem. The church took the imagery associated with the temple and applied it to Jesus and the church, claiming that God was present in Jesus and through the Holy Spirit continues to be present in the life of the church until Christ comes again. In different ways today both Jews and Christians affirm the hope of Zechariah. Jesus said to Thomas: "You believe because you can see me. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe." The story of "doubting Thomas" appears only in the gospel of John. It is such a vivid and powerful story, it is hard to believe that the other gospel writers could have omitted it. Most likely, it was unknown to them. Therefore, we can assume that it was not part of the early memory of the church, but is a literary device used by the author of the gospel of John to emphasize for a later Christian community that faith is largely a matter of trusting in what cannot be proven. In that sense, even though this story about Thomas does not represent a factual account of an actual event, it is nonetheless true. Faith in God requires trust in what cannot be proven by empirical facts. But faith has its own "proofs" in the life that results. This is what Jesus meant by "entering the kingdom of God." There is no empirical proof that such a life exists, but those who have faith will find it. This is the truth of the gospel. You have been raised with Christ, so set your hearts on things above. For you have died and now the life you have is hidden with Christ in God. Resurrection is not about what happens to a body after it dies. Instead, Paul tells the Christians at Colossae, a small city near Ephesus in what today is Turkey, that their resurrection is a present reality. Faith is dying to life as an everyday, material existence and being born anew in a life marked by hope and love. This is what Paul means by affirming that Christians live "in Christ." And through their faith, Christians also live "in God." Too many Christians today think the promise of salvation is life after death. The real promise of the biblical witness is life before death. Eternal life with a God is not something that is just available to some people after they die. Eternal life with God is available now, before we die, to all those with faith. I run in the path of your will, O God, for you have set my heart free. The psalmist says his "soul cleaves to the dust." We complain about our everyday lives of work and worry, but nonetheless we cling to what we have. We are afraid of the unknown, of the God who promises a richer life in faith if we are willing to let go of our certainties. The psalmist says his "soul melts away for sorrow." We, too, cling to our troubles, for when we are grieving we know who we are and what the world is. But the psalmist chooses the "way of faithfulness." Have we made that choice? If not, might we? Can we give over our wills to the will of God? Can we give up our claims on our lives and live in faithfulness to the One who love us despite our lack of faith? Do not let anything worry you, but in every situation pray with thanksgiving and let God know your desires. The church in the city of Philippi in Macedonia was the first to be established in Europe, and Paul is writing from prison to encourage the fledgling Greek-speaking congregation. He warns against those who would impose circumcision on Gentile Christians, but also affirms his own roots as a Hebrew and a Pharisee. Paul calls on the congregation to rejoice in the Lord always and proclaims, "The Lord is at hand." Even though the Lord did not return in his lifetime, as Paul seems to have expected, the church followed his counsel and soon became a largely Gentile community. The words of Paul in this letter and in his other letters were included in the Christian Bible when it was compiled in the 4th century. That has made Paul's faith a model for our own, and so we should listen attentively to his words and take his advice to heart. To encourage the congregation at Philippi, Paul wrote: "the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." May that be so for us as well. You will seek the LORD your God; you will find the LORD if you search for him with all your heart and all your soul. The author of this ancient book tells his readers to turn to the merciful God in their time of tribulation. The Israelites know this God through their covenant and the Torah, the prophets and the other writings, and the Jews continue to know this God through that tradition of faith. Christians know this God through these writings, but even more through the witness of the New Testament to the love of God in Jesus Christ. Jews who read this passage from Deuteronomy think only of God as LORD, but Christians will identify Jesus Christ as Lord. Christians should not think that they are right and Jews are wrong. Jesus Christ is Lord for Christians because he is one with the Father. When Deuteronomy was written it was referring to God, not to Jesus, but in applying its meaning to Jesus as the Son of God Christians need not reject the original affirmation of faith that continues to give hope to those who remain faithful to the first covenant. Our faith is in the God, who for Jews is LORD and for Christians is the Lord Jesus Christ. Peter said: "God chose me so that the nations might hear from my lips the message of the good news and faith. God makes no distinction between human beings." In Galatians 2 Paul describes a conflict with the leaders of the church in Jerusalem over whether Gentile converts are to be required to submit to Jewish laws, such as circumcision and eating kosher. He accuses Peter of hypocrisy, because Peter ate with Gentiles at the church in Antioch but pulled back after messengers from the church in Jerusalem arrived in Antioch. Acts is written after Gentile Christians have come to dominate the life of the church. Paul seemed to be losing the struggle during his life, but support for imposing Jewish law on Gentile converts quickly receded after the destruction of the church in Jerusalem when the Romans crushed the Jewish rebellion in 70. Therefore, Acts 15 presents Peter as agreeing with Paul and even has James, the leader of the church in Jerusalem, proclaim a compromise that allows Gentiles to join the church without being circumcised. We should acknowledge that from the very beginning the church made distinctions between Jews and Gentiles and also men and women, and throughout its history the church has fallen far short of the ideal stated by Peter in the scripture reading for today. The faith in Acts has never been realized by the church, but it is a faith worth striving for. Being in every way like a human being, Christ Jesus was humbler yet, and became obedient to death, death on a cross. Therefore God raised him high and gave him the name that is above all other names. Paul encourages the Christians at Philippi to be humble and concerned for the good of others, as Jesus was a humble servant of God even when that meant dying a horrible death. It is because of his humble obedience to God, Paul concludes, that God has made the name of Jesus Christ higher than any other. The church follows Paul in hoping that "at the name of Jesus every knee should bow . . . and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." But his hope should not be arrogantly proclaimed by the church, nor should Christians use the New Testament affirmation that Jesus "is the way, the truth and the life" to denounce other religious traditions of faith. It is the humility of Jesus and his obedience to God that "is the way." And it is only the humble use of the name of Jesus that reflects the will of God, as we know it in his Son. Christians are called to embrace the loving witness of Jesus, not to condemn others in his name. Having recognized the Risen Christ, the disciples of Emmaus said to each other, "Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?" Only the gospel of Luke relates the story of the resurrection appearance of Jesus to two disciples on the road to Emmaus. It is not likely, therefore, that this story comes from the earliest period of the church at the time Paul was writing his letters. In the story of the gospel of Mark the women flee from the empty tomb but are too frightened to tell anyone what they have seen. The gospels of Matthew and Luke incorporate most of the gospel of Mark into their narratives, but each author finds the conclusion of the gospel of Mark unsatisfactory and thus writes a new ending. Just before telling the story of the disciples on the road to Emmaus, the gospel of Luke has related that the disciples did not believe the women returning from the tomb when they described what they had seen. The Emmaus story, and the resurrection appearance that follows in Jerusalem, are evidence that complete the passion narrative and point to the beginning of the Acts of the Apostles, the sequel written by the author of the gospel of Luke. Even as Jesus presents the Jewish scriptures in a way that inspired the disciples, the author of the gospel of Luke presents in a compelling way the story of Jesus and the apostles of the early church. The story of the resurrection appearance of Jesus on the road to Emmaus points beyond itself to the church as the body of Christ, the real evidence of the resurrection. The truth of the resurrection is in the life of faith that we, as Christians, live. The LORD says to his people: "Within your gates render judgments that are true and make for peace. Yes, love truth and peace." Writing five centuries before the birth of Jesus, the prophet conveys to the people of Israel the LORD's promise to return to Zion and dwell in Jerusalem. But he also reminds the people of the commandments of God to speak truthfully to one another, to render righteous judgments that make for peace, to avoid evil thoughts and false oaths, and to observe religious fasts with joy. Christians believe that these prophecies have been fulfilled in Jesus Christ, but this means the commandments to live truthfully and peacefully are the responsibility of the church. Jesus is not sitting in the sky somewhere, but is present in the world through the communities of faith that use his name. God is with us, in the worship and ministry of the church. If the churches more often than not reflect human striving rather than divine love, that is all the more reason to take seriously the words of the prophets and the New Testament witness. You hear the desire of the humble, LORD; you encourage them and listen to their cry. The psalmist asks why God does not punish those who prey upon the poor. He has no explanation, even as Job cannot explain why so much suffering comes into his life. But the psalmist affirms that the justice of the LORD will win out in the end, because God listens to the fatherless and the oppressed and cannot be unmoved by their plight. O God, hear the cries of refugees who have been driven from their homes. Heed the distress of those who are trapped in lands at war, who long for peace and hunger for justice. Encourage the despairing, and help the humble persevere. Amen. Paul wrote of the first Christian communities: "Throughout ordeals of hardship, their unfailing joy and extreme poverty overflowed in rich generosity." Paul tells the church at Corinth that the churches in Macedonia, despite their poverty, have contributed generously to help Christians in Jerusalem. The Macedonian churches have given joyously, without considering the cost. The Christian Bible affirms that this is the Christians should share what they have. To give out of duty or guilt is merely an attempt to buy peace of mind. Only joyous giving is self-giving. Why this joyous giving? Not simply because Jesus Christ has been raised from the dead, but because Jesus Christ is alive in the faith, hope and love of the church. The Christians in Macedonia joyfully affirm life after death, because they have discovered life before death. May we be as blessed as they were. "God has let us know the mystery of his good purpose: to bring all things together under Christ as head." The plan of God, Paul says, is to unite all creation. This is the revelation of Christ Jesus because, in Christ, Jews and Gentiles are united in and by the Spirit of God. The letter to the church at Ephesus, where mystery religions in the pagan world were very active, argues that the real mystery is the way that God is working through the church, which is the body of Christ. The unity of the church, with Christ as its head, is the beginning of the completion of the mysterious purposes of God. When the letter to the church in Ephesians was written, Christians were divided over how to understand the relationship of the new covenant in Christ to the old covenant of the law and the prophets. The New Testament reveals that the first Christians were divided by their beliefs. They struggled to unite in their witness to God in Christ, and that continues to be the challenge of the church. Jesus said: "I am the good shepherd. My sheep will listen to my voice and there will be one flock and one shepherd." In the gospel of Mark, Jesus predicts his disciples will desert him after his arrest and quotes from Zechariah 13:7, "I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered." The author of the gospel of Matthew also includes this saying, as it strengthens his argument that Jesus is the fulfillment of prophecy. The author of the gospel of Luke, however, deletes this report from his narrative account. The gospel of John also does not include this statement, but it develops the image of Jesus as the good shepherd who lays down his life for his sheep. In the gospel of John the image is used not to emphasize the weakness of the disciples (the gospel of Mark), nor as evidence that the scriptures are being fulfilled (the gospel of Matthew), but to reinforce the teaching that Jesus sacrificed his life for his followers. In this passage Jesus says that he voluntarily lays down his life, but that he has the power to take it again because he is doing the work of his Father. In the gospel of John, Jesus is presented as being one with the Father, in purpose as well as in being. Thus the death of Jesus is not merely a human sacrifice, but a sacrifice by the Father as well of his (divine and human) son. Christians affirm that the death of Jesus is redeeming, because in that death God (in Jesus) suffers the punishment deserved by humanity in order to liberate everyone from judgment. God redeems human sin by joining us in death and new life. God enters into our suffering and despair so that we might be born anew in the Spirit. |
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1 in Faith: A Christian Bible Study † Copyright © 2000 by Robert Traer |
