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1 in Faith: A Christian Bible Study |
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Scripture Readings for August 2005 If you would like to receive these daily scripture readings by email, send a blank email to Christian-Bible. 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 slightly longer passage from scripture. You are encouraged to read the longer passage in the morning before you begin your daily activities, and then to ponder the reading, in silence and prayer, as it comes to mind during the day. For a brief explanation of how I am reading the Christian Bible, you are invited to go to Exegesis or to Witness.
Keep yourselves in God's love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life. Many Christians have never read the letter attributed to Jude. The first verse of this short message, which is found just before the Revelation to John, identifies the author as "a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James." Tradition held that the author was Judas, the brother of Jesus and James, who is mentioned in the gospels of Mark (6:3) and Matthew (13:55). But the content of the letter suggests it was written in the generation after the apostles, and in verse 16 the author urges the reader to "remember the predictions of the apostles" about the coming end of the age. Jude confronts the false teaching in the church with a quick review of the errors of the Israelites in the wilderness and the promise of judgment on all those who fail to follow the teachings of the apostles. The author urges the reader to be steadfast in faith and to pray in the Holy Spirit, and he promises that those who remain in the love of God can hope for the mercy of Jesus Christ in eternal life. Paul writes: "The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." Paul is upset because the leaders of the church in Jerusalem approved his ministry to the Gentiles but later sent to Antioch messengers who persuaded Peter to stop eating with Gentile Christians. Paul resists this undermining of the gospel and Paul condemns Peter's hypocrisy. We are used to thinking of Peter as the leader of the church in Jerusalem, for this is how the narrative of Acts begins. But here Paul says James, the brother of Jesus, sent the messengers who delivered orders to Peter, which implies that James is in charge in Jerusalem. Acts verifies this, because in the controversy over the law described in chapter 15 James has the last word. In verses 15-21 Paul argues that Jewish Christians "know that a person is justified not by the works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ." (v. 16) None of us can live up to the standard of the law; because we all are sinners. For Paul, Christ is the answer to this dilemma. " I have been crucified with Christ," Paul writes, "and [so] it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me." (vs. 19-20) This is the background for the single sentence quoted above, which affirms that living by faith in Christ is a new life even though we continue to live in the world as sinners. All the first Christians were one in heart and mind. No one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but they shared everything they had. The author of Acts tells us that, at least for a time, the Christians in Jerusalem keep all their goods in common and, therefore, are united by their faith. Sharing possession enables them to care for their poor, because they share all that they had with one another. Nonetheless, we read in Paul's letters that he is collecting money for the church in Jerusalem, because the Christians there are in dire straits. In the past two millennia various Christian communities have tried to live an egalitarian ethic by pooling their possessions. Perhaps the Catholic religious orders and, in particular, the Franciscans have come closest to this ideal. Most Christians, however, justify individual ownership and the accumulation of private property as not only practical but also acceptable to God. However reasonable this may be, we ought not to use such reasoning to justify our wealth in a world where billions of people are desperately poor. Christians are called to have compassion for the poor and to seek economic justice. Praying "thy kingdom come, thy will be done" is praying that this might be so. Because of great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in our sins. We ought to be astonished by the claim that the God of the universe has great love for us. But this is not all. The letter to the Ephesians asserts that God's love for us is rich in mercy. Certainly, not all love is like this, for love can be possessive, jealous and demanding. But Ephesians affirms that God's love for us is rich in mercy. Perhaps then we can understand why God, who has great love for us, love rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in our sins. We were not, of course, literally dead, but were spiritually dead, because we thought we were cut off from God by our sins. In Christ, however, we know God's love despite our sins. Christ is the sign of God's merciful love for a sinful world. We are not saved by doing good works or by faith, but by the grace of God. The gift of new life is a free gift. If we receive it through faith, then our lives will manifest the good works of the Spirit. The gospel of Mark reports that when the disciples saw Jesus walking on the water, they were terrified. But at once he spoke to them saying, "Have courage, it's me. Don't be afraid." This story tells us that the disciples were afraid, when they discovered Jesus was coming to them across the water without a boat. Whether or not we take this account literally, it is certainly true that fear may accompany faith in Christ. For the presence of Christ disrupts our plans and our normal way of seeing the world. Christ demands a response that requires changing our way of living. Yet, when we accept the call to follow Christ by loving God and our neighbors with all our heart and soul and mind and strength, then we find the courage we need. Whether understood literally or figuratively, this story is true. The gospel of Mark reports that after Jesus was transfigured in the presence of his disciples, a cloud covered them with its shadow, and from the cloud a voice came, saying, "This is my beloved Son; listen to him." The story of the transfiguration brings together heaven and earth. Whatever the facts, the story tells us that Jesus is the link between the Israelite hope represented by Elijah and Moses and the church represented by Peter, James and John. By his dazzling clothing we know that Jesus is the Christ of our faith and not merely a rabbi from Nazareth. He is, a voice says, "my Son, the Beloved." (v. 7) All the New Testament gospels call us to listen to Jesus, as these gospels present him to us. The letters of Paul do not quote words attributed to Jesus, but present the teachings of an apostle whose life was transformed, if not transfigured, by his encounter with the risen Christ. Might our lives be transformed by the power of God in Jesus the Christ? Yes, of course. But what would this mean for the way we live? Taking the nature of a servant, Christ became as human beings are. And he humbled himself still further, remaining faithful to the point of death, and death on a cross. Therefore God has exalted him, and has given him the name that is above all other names. Paul urges the Christians in Philippi to have the same mind as Christ Jesus, "who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. (vs. 6-8) This is the kind of statement that the church has claimed verifies the humanity, as well as the divinity, of Jesus. Paul asserts that Jesus was in the form of God, yet if we are to have the mind of Christ he must also have had a fully human mind. What was in the mind of Jesus as he was crucified? In the gospels of Mark and Matthew Jesus cries out on the cross, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Mk. 15:34, Mt. 27:47) But if we know that this cry is the first verse of Psalm 22, which ends with an affirmation of hope, we might hear these words as a cry of faith. Certainly, in the gospels of Luke and John, Jesus dies with confidence. (Lk. 23:46, Jn. 19:30) The path of the upright is like the light of dawn, whose brightness increases to the full light of day. The beginning of the book of Proverbs contains long poems rather than short sayings. Verse 18 of chapter 4 (above) is followed by a verse about the way of the wicked. And the reader is warned to mark clearly the difference between the two paths. "Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life. Put away from you crooked speech, and put devious talk far from you." (vs. 23-24) The world is full of temptations. "Keep straight the path of your feet, and all your ways will be sure." (v. 26) Seen through the teachings of the New Testament, we read this proverbial wisdom as directing us to the teachings of the Jesus. If we follow him by loving God and our neighbors, then we will know the dawn of God's grace in our lives. May this be our prayer each day. In the gospel of Luke, Jesus says: "If your brother wrongs you seven times in a day and seven times comes back to you and says, 'I repent,' forgive him." This is a traditional Jewish teaching. In the Law of Moses if someone repents of the wrong he's done, you have an obligation to forgive him. Without repentance, there is no obligation to forgive. The teachings of the New Testament go beyond this ethical principle. Five chapters later in the gospel of Luke, Jesus prays to God to forgive those who are crucifying him, "for they do not know what they are doing." (Lk. 23:34) If they do not understand the meaning of their actions, they are unable to repent. Elsewhere in the New Testament we find the teaching to love our enemies. (Mt. 5:44 and Lk. 6:27) And this teaching has shaped the understanding of forgiveness, as a Christian virtue, which at least in principle extends even to those who have not repented. Gandhi first discovered this teaching in the writings of Leo Tolstoy and then discerned the same principle in Hindu thought. He called it satyagraha, or non-violence. Martin Luther King, Jr. knew the teaching from the New Testament, but he saw in Gandhi's experiments with truth in India a way of applying the teaching of non-violence to injustice in America. These experiments with truth remind us of the power of the love of God. In the gospel of Matthew, Jesus says: "Anyone who gives their life for my sake will find it." This text also appears in the gospels of Mark (8:34-35) and Luke (9:23-24). Jesus is quoted as saying, "whoever does not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me." (Mt. 10:38) Does this teaching come from the time of the ministry of Jesus, or does it reflect the call to discipleship in the early church? The statement only makes sense once the cross is not merely a symbol of death, but of the saving act of God in Jesus Christ. Before his crucifixion, the cross is merely an instrument of execution used by Romans for their enemies. It is the story of Jesus' crucifixion that gives new meaning to "the cross." The statement that those who hope to find their lives must give them up for the sake of Christ does not mean we have to physically die to be saved. We must die to our craving for life on our own terms apart from the will of God. And to know the truth of this teaching, we have to live it. The LORD says: "I will give you a new heart. I will remove the heart of stone from your bodies and give you a heart of flesh. I shall put my Spirit in you." The most famous passage in Ezekiel is chapter 37, which presents an image of dry bones coming together and becoming alive. The reading above from chapter 36 immediately precedes this vision of new life for Israel. Through the prophet, God says to the house of Israel, "I will take you from the nations, and gather you from all the countries, and bring you into your own land. I will sprinkle clean water upon you...and from all your idols I will cleanse you." (vs. 24-25) Then God promises the people that they will receive a new heart and that the Spirit of God will dwell within them. A literal reading of verses 24-25 might be used to justify the creation of Israel in 1948 and Israeli claims upon the land promised to Abraham, including areas now occupied by Palestinians. Christians who resist such literalism emphasize the text above, which is more easily generalized and understood as representing the transformed life that comes with faith in Jesus Christ. In the gospel of Luke, Jesus says: "Whoever comes to me, listens to my words and acts on them is like someone build a house who digs down deep and lays the foundations on rock." We are more familiar with this teaching in the gospel of Matthew (7:24-27), which comes at the end of the Sermon on the Mount. (Mt. 5-7) Prior to this concluding comment, Jesus is quoted as saying, "Nor everyone who says to me, "Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many deeds of power in your name?' Then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; go away from me, you evil-doers." (Mt. 7:21-23) In the gospel of Luke there is only an echo of this statement: "Why do you call me 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I tell you?" (Lk. 6:46) Clearly, however, both gospels emphasize doing the will of God, rather than simply verbalizing beliefs in God and Christ. And what is the will of God? In the gospel of Matthew this passage comes at the end of the Sermon on the Mount, which presents a summary of the teaching of Jesus. In the gospel of Luke it comes at the end of the Sermon on the Plain, which has some of the same teachings as the Sermon on the Mount. In the gospel of Luke these teachings are presented to all the people, and not only to the disciples as in the gospel of Matthew. Luke 6:27-28 says: "Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you." This passage is also in Matthew 5:44, and in Romans 12:17-21 Paul tells us to "overcome evil with good." Surely, this is the will of God that we know through Jesus the Christ. In the gospel of John, Jesus says: "I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live for ever." John 6:35 reports that Jesus says, "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty." Jesus and some of those following him have just been discussing the manna that their Israelite ancestors ate in the wilderness, when they were hungry and thirsty. The fourth gospel tells us that after this teaching "the Jews began to complain about him." (v. 41) "Is not this Jesus," they ask, "the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, 'I have come down from heaven.'" (v. 42) The other three gospels in the New Testament do not record this conversation, nor in these other gospel accounts does Jesus say anything remotely like this. Thus, it seems likely that the author of the gospel of John has written this to persuade Jewish Christians that Jesus is the Son of the Father and that the eating of his body is commanded by God through him. In this gospel Jesus says, "Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them." (v. 57) This was clearly a divisive teaching among Jews. "Because of this [teaching] many of his disciples turned back and no longer went about with him." (v. 66) For the community of the author of the gospel of John, faith in Christ and participation in the sacrament of communion meant alienation from Jewish friends and from the synagogue. The gospel of John was written to defend the faith of Jewish Christians who felt called by Christ to break with their Jewish heritage. The person who finds their joy in God's law is like a tree planted by the water, which bears its fruit in season and whose leaves never wither. Consider the desert, dry and barren. A tree in the desert must be near a stream, if it is to survive and bear leaves and fruit. A tree beside a stream with leaves that never wither is a precious image for people living in a harsh, arid climate. This is the wonderful picture of hope that Psalm 1 presents. A person who finds delight in the law of God is precious and bountiful, like a tree that is always green and bears its fruit each year in season. Might our lives reflect this joy? Do others know that we are Christians because of our love? Is the gospel truly good news for us and for others? If we allow the gifts of the Spirit of God to manifest themselves in our lives, then we will be like a tree that bears fruit even in the harshest of times. In the gospel of Luke, Mary says: "The Lord has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty-handed." This passage comes from the song of Mary, which traditionally has been known as the Magnificat, from the first word of the Latin text. This prayer by Mary is based largely on Hannah's prayer in 1 Samuel 2:1-10, which also enters scripture on the occasion of an unexpected special child, who is dedicated to God. The song of Hannah is about how the Lord will lift up Israel and "exalt the power of his anointed." (v. 10) The word "anointed" in Hebrew is messiah (christ in Greek), which in Hannah's song refers to the king of Israel. Mary's song praises the Lord, "the Mighty One" who "has done great things" not only for Israel but for Mary. Mary also refers to God as "my Savior." As God has looked with favor on Israel, so he has favored Mary with a child who will fulfill "the promise made to Abraham and to his descendants." Hannah was the mother of Samuel, a great prophet. Mary was the mother of Jesus, a prophet among Jews who came to be recognized as the Son of God in a church made up largely of Gentiles. God's concern for the poor, which is in Hannah's song, reappears in the prayer of Mary. Paul writes: "May your love be sincere, cling to what is good. Love one another with mutual affection." This passage follows Paul's teaching about the body of Christ having many members, who each have different gifts. Paul appeals to the Christians in Rome: "by the grace of God given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned." (v. 3) It seems obvious that there is conflict in the Roman church among its leaders. Paul counsels love and mutual affection. "Outdo one another in showing honor," he urges. "Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers." (vs. 9-13) This antidote for division in the church is as relevant today as it was two millennia ago. In the gospel of Mark, Jesus says: "Let the little children come to me, for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs." This passage from the gospel of Mark not only affirms the trusting character of children, but also contains a critique of the disciples, who "sternly" tell the people not to bring their children to Jesus. Apparently they think he has more important things to do. Jesus rebukes his disciples, and then teaches them that they need to be like the children who are coming to him for a blessing. In the gospel of Luke this teaching is much the same, but the gospel of Luke omits the statement in the gospel of Mark that Jesus blessed the children. (Lk. 18:15-17) The gospel of Matthew contains the same teaching, but it refers to the kingdom of heaven rather than the kingdom of God. Moreover, it omits the judgment that appears in the gospels of Mark and Luke: "Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it." (Mk. 10:15, Lk. 18:17) Why are there three different versions of the same story and teaching? A likely explanation is that the authors of the gospels of Matthew and Luke had a copy of the gospel of Mark when they wrote their own gospel accounts. In the case of this teaching the authors of the gospels of Matthew and Luke each made slight changes to the written text of the gospel of Mark. The author of the gospel of Matthew changed the phrase "kingdom of God" to "kingdom of heaven," which was more acceptable to his largely Jewish Christian community. Perhaps he omitted the allusion to becoming like children because it seemed inconsistent with the emphasis in his gospel on understanding the teachings of Jesus. In any case, the authors of the gospels of Matthew and Luke freely edited the gospel of Mark, even altering statements attributed to Jesus. Clearly, they did not see the gospel of Mark as the literal, infallible or inerrant word of God. August 18, Lamentations 3:22-26 God's compassion is renewed every morning; God's faithfulness is great. It is good to await in silence the salvation of the LORD. Lamentations was written after the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians in 587 BCE and largely contains dirges concerning the fallen city. But chapter 3 is a personal lament, which seems to recall the story of Job. "I am one who has seen affliction under the rod of God's wrath . . . He has made my flesh and my skin waste away, and broken my bones . . .." (vs. 1-4) Despite this horrific suffering, which the writer ascribes to God, he nonetheless affirms his hope in the LORD. "The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases, his mercies never come to an end . . . The LORD is good to those who wait for him, to the soul that seeks him." (v. 25) When we see "LORD" in the Old Testament we know that the Hebrew word is the name of God, which might be written YHWH. In Hebrew, vowels are not written, and because God's name was too holy to be spoken there is no way to know what vowels are to be added to these four consonants. Some Bibles write this name as "Yahweh" and older Bibles often used the word "Jehovah," the "J" being used to represent the same consonant sound as "Y" at the beginning of the word. When we see "God" in the Bible, we know the Hebrew word is "El" or the plural "Elohim." Most likely the Hebrew Bible was formed from different traditions about God, which may be distinguished by the different names given to God. As the scriptures were edited, these different names for God were all taken to refer to the one true God. Paul writes: "It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me." It is worth quoting these two verses in their entirety. "For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." (vs. 19-20) The "law" is the Law of Moses that Paul, as Saul, studied and obeyed. Paul did not literally "die" to the law, but he uses this figurative language to emphasize his complete transformation. Saul became Paul. Similarly, Paul was not literally crucified with Christ, for he continues to live. But now Paul experiences his life not as his own, but as a life fully given over to Christ. Paul's new life is marked by faith in Christ, and this is the life he commends. Not all of us will experience dying to the law, for we have not been educated in the Jewish tradition. But we may need to die to our certainties about the word of God, just as Paul had to give up his certainties about Jewish law. Christian beliefs may function in our lives like the law did in Saul's life, giving certainty about what we need to do to be saved. However, the good news of the gospel is that we are already saved by the loving grace of the God we know in Jesus Christ. We are not called to have the right beliefs about Christ in order to save ourselves. We are called to have faith by following Christ: by living faithfully with the assurance of God's forgiving love. In the gospel of John, Jesus says: "Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me." The gospel of John reports that Jesus is having an argument with persons referred to as "the Jews." Jesus identifies himself as "the bread of life." (v. 6:48) And Jesus compares himself with the manna that was given by God to the Israelites in the wilderness, saying that "Whoever eats of this bread [his flesh] will live forever." (v. 51) His followers take this statement literally and ask, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?" (v. 52) The gospel of John reports that Jesus answers, "Very truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day; for my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink." (vs. 53-55) This teaching causes a split among the followers of Jesus. "When many of his disciples heard it, they said, 'This teaching is difficult; who can accept it?'" (v. 60) And after Jesus responds to their challenge by reaffirming his teaching and his authority from God, we read: "Because of this [the teaching about eating his flesh] many of his disciples turned back and no longer went about with him." (v. 66) This account is not verified elsewhere in the gospels, and it is presented in a style of argument that is unique to the gospel of John. It may reflect a conflict in the early church for which the gospel was written over the meaning of the sacrament of the Last Supper. The author of the gospel of John ascribes to Jesus an understanding of this sacrament that is particularly hard for Jews to accept, unless they have been largely assimilated into Greek culture. Most Christians today take this familiar language figuratively, rather than literally, and thus are puzzled by the fuss. But throughout the church's history different understandings of this sacrament have caused for division and ill will. We may hope that today different views of communion will not further divide the church. In the gospel of Matthew, Jesus says: "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field that someone has found; they hide it again, and in their joy sell everything they have and buy that field." This parable comes within a cluster of parables about the kingdom of heaven. Many of the parables of Jesus recorded in the gospel of Matthew are also in the gospel of Luke, but not this one. Only the gospel of Matthew includes it. The parable follows a teaching about the harvest at the end of the age, when evildoers will be thrown into the furnace of fire and the righteous will shine like the sun. (v. 37-43) But the parable of the treasure in a field suggests that it is not too late to be saved. One who seeks the kingdom, finds it, and embraces it, will surely be among the righteous at the end of the age. Taken literally, this parable seems to say that we have to give our all to God in order to be saved. If this is so, I expect that none of us have earned salvation. However, salvation is a gift of God's grace, not a reward that we achieve. The treasure is already ours, but we do not realize it! Solomon prayed: "Listen, LORD, forgive and act; deal with every person according to all they do, since you know their heart - you alone know the heart of everyone." This is from King Solomon's prayer at the inauguration of the temple in Jerusalem, which he built around 1000 BCE. Solomon prays that the God of Israel will remember his promise to David that his descendants will sit on the throne of Israel, if the people are faithful to their covenant. Solomon also prays to God: "that your eyes may be open night and day" keeping watch over the safety of Israel. Then the king prays that God will hear the prayers of the people and answer them. "If someone sins against a neighbor and is given an oath to swear, and comes and swears before your altar in this house, then hear in heaven, and act, and judge your servants, condemning the guilty by bringing their conduct on their own head, and vindicating the righteous by rewarding them according to their righteousness." (vs. 31-32) Solomon also prays for Israel. "When your people Israel, having sinned against you, are defeated before an enemy but turn again to you, confess your name, pray and plead with you in this house, then hear in heaven, forgive the sin of your people Israel, and bring them again to the land that you gave to their ancestors." (vs. 33-34) Similarly, Solomon prays that God will end drought and famine, when the people pray and their hearts are pure. Unlike Solomon, our prayer should not be that God protect and reward our nation. For Jesus taught his followers to pray, "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done." This is the command Christ gave us: whoever loves God must also love their brother and sister. The author of this letter writes: "God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them." (v. 16) As God is, the author asserts, "so are we in this world." (v. 17) Love casts out fear, the letter affirms, and Christians love because God has loved them. "Those who say, 'I love God,' and hate their brothers or sisters, are liars; for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen." (v. 20) Therefore, "those who love God must love their brothers and sisters also." (v. 21) The author of this letter is not urging Christians to love their enemies, or even their neighbors. This letter is about loving other members in our church. "Brothers and sisters" is not to be taken literally to refer to blood relations, but instead refers to members of the author's congregation. Of course, there are passages in the New Testament that teach the love of neighbors, strangers and even enemies, but this is not the message in the letters attributed to John. Paul writes: "Through our faith in Christ Jesus, we can approach God with complete confidence." Because early manuscripts do not refer to Ephesus in Ephesians 1:1 and this letter does not refer to specific issues there, Ephesians is thought to be a circular letter rather than a letter written only for a single church. Its message is for all Christians in the early Jewish-Gentile church being forged through the missionary work of Paul and his associates. At the beginning of the third chapter of Ephesians Paul refers to his commissioning as an apostle, by the grace of God, and the mystery that was revealed to him by revelation. "In former generations this mystery was not made known to humankind, as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit: that is, the Gentiles have become fellow heirs, members of the same body, and sharers in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel." (vs. 5-6) It is hard for us to appreciate how radical this message was. Imagine today a pious Jew inviting Christians and Muslims to pray with him at the wailing wall in Jerusalem, because it has become clear that they are all children of God. Paul is proclaiming that God, through faith in Christ Jesus, is bringing Gentile pagans and practicing Jews together to worship, eat and live a common life, in a world that is divided into religious and ethnic communities by worship, eating, marriage and customs. How extraordinary to have such confidence in the grace of God! The gospel of Luke reports that Jesus went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax booth; and said to him, "Follow me." And he got up, left everything, and followed Jesus. The gospel of Mark contains the same statement with two slight variations. First, the phrase "left everything," is not included in the gospel of Mark. Second, Levi is identified in as the "son of Alphaeus." (Mk. 2:14) In the gospel of Matthew we read: "As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth; and he said to him, 'Follow me.' And he got up and followed him." (Mt. 9:9) As these are obviously three accounts of the same event, the church has identified Levi with Matthew and consistently refers to the disciple by the name given in the gospel of Matthew. In the gospels of Mark and Luke after calling Levi Jesus has dinner at Levi's house and is challenged by Pharisees and scribes for eating with tax collectors and sinners. In the gospel of Matthew Jesus also eats with tax collectors and sinners and has a similar conversation with Pharisees, but we are not told that the meal is in the house of Matthew. All three accounts, of course, make the same point. Jesus says, "I have come to call not the righteous but sinners to repentance." (Lk. 5:32; Mt. 9:13 and Mk. 2:14, without "to repentance") As we surely are also sinners, the call to repentance is for us as well. In the gospel of Matthew, Jesus says: "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is close at hand." The gospel of Matthew reports that after the arrest of John the Baptist, Jesus withdrew to Galilee to fulfill the prophecy of Isaiah 9:1-2 and then began his ministry with a call to repentance. In the gospel of Mark we read: "Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying, 'The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news." (Mk. 1:14-15) In the gospel of Luke, Jesus also begins his ministry after the arrest of John. (Furthermore, Jesus is baptized after John's arrest, which conflicts with the accounts of the gospels of Matthew and Mark). In the gospel of Luke, however, Jesus does not begin his ministry with a call to repentance but by reading from Isaiah 61 in the synagogue at Nazareth and claiming that this prophecy is fulfilled in him. (Lk. 4:14-21) What really happened? We cannot know. It is clear, however, that we should not read the gospels as though they are newspaper accounts. The gospel authors were evangelists, not journalists or historians. The church leaders that included these four gospels in the New Testament in the fourth century CE did not try to reconcile the factual discrepancies in the gospels. They were seeking an authoritative witness to the church's faith, not a definitive biography of Jesus. For two millennia the church has proclaimed that Jesus called his people to repentance, that Jesus taught about the kingdom of God (heaven), and that the gospels are good news because in Jesus Christ prophecy about God's saving love is fulfilled. In the gospel of John, Jesus says: "The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoke to you are spirit and they are life." The gospel of John reports an argument between Jesus and some of his followers in the synagogue of Capernaum. Jesus says, "I am the bread of life." (v. 35) And he contrasts the life that comes through him with the bread (manna) that was given by God to their Israelite ancestors in the wilderness. When "the Jews" complain that he is only Joseph's son, Jesus responds: "I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh." (v. 51) When again "the Jews" dispute his claims, Jesus says: "Very truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day." (vs. 53-54) The gospel of John notes: "When many of his disciples heard it, they said, 'This teaching is difficult; who can accept it?'" (v. 60) And a few verses later we read, "Because of this [teaching] many of his disciples turned back and no longer went about with him." (v. 66) In the midst of this argument Jesus affirms that the spirit, not the flesh, gives life, and that his words are "spirit and life." (v. 63) It is clear, therefore, that he is not talking literally about eating his flesh and drinking his blood, although it is understandable why his adversaries would think so because of the repetitive emphasis on his flesh and blood. This conversation does not appear in the other three gospels, so iIt seems that the author of the gospel of John has created this dialogue to address a division among Jews, who are sympathetic to Jesus over the meaning of celebrating the Last Supper. The author of the gospel tries to resolve the conflict by putting the explanation that he believes to be true into the mouth of Jesus. It is, however, a difficult argument even for Jesus to win, because the gospel tells us that many of the disciples of Jesus could not swallow it. In the gospel of John these are "the Jews" who rejected Jesus. In God we live and move and have our being. Acts reports that Paul spoke in Athens in front of the Areopagus after he was challenged by "some Epicurean and Stoic philosophers." (Acts 17:18) Noting an altar in Athens "To an unknown god," Paul tells the Athenians that he proclaims: "The God who made the world and everything in it, he who is Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in shrines made by human hands, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mortals life and breath and all things. From one ancestor he made all nations to inhabit the whole earth, and he allotted the times of their existence and the boundaries of the places where they would live, so that they would search for God and perhaps grope for him and find him - though indeed he is not far from each one of us. For 'In him we live and move and have our being;' as even some of your own poets have said, 'For we too are his offspring.'" (vs. 24-28) In this passage Paul is quoting a pagan Athenian poet. His meaning is figurative, rather than literal, for we do not live and move in God in any way that we can physically verify. Yet, Paul argues, in a spiritual sense we do "live and more and have our being" in God. The one God, who is Lord of heaven and earth, and yet is present to each person, is the very source of our life. "We too are his offspring." The LORD says to his people: "Within your gates render judgments that are true and make for peace. Yes, love truth and peace." In the Christian Bible only the prophecy of Malachi separates Zechariah from the gospel of Matthew. Zechariah speaks for God of the renewal of Jerusalem and reminds the people of Judah that they must keep the covenant with God by being truthful and just. "Do not devise evil in your hearts against one another, and love no false oath; for all these are things that I hate, says the LORD." (v. 17) The LORD of Hosts also reveals to the prophet that certain fasts are to be "seasons of joy and gladness, and cheerful festivals for the house of Judah." (v. 18-19) It is with gratitude, therefore, that the people are called to obey God and to seek truth and peace among themselves. We can only pray today that the people of Jerusalem will "render judgments that are true and make for peace." Let us pray fervently for the people of Jerusalem - for the Jews and the Muslims and the Christians that today share this ancient city, where so much blood has been shed in the name of God. August 30, 1 Corinthians 15:54-58 Stand firm, let nothing shake you, be full of energy for the work of God, knowing that in the Lord nothing of your labor is wasted. Paul is writing in chapter 15 about the resurrection of the dead. He reports "that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas [Peter], then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. Then he appeared to James [the brother of Jesus], then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me." (vs. 3-7) The raising of Christ from the dead is, for Paul, convincing proof that all those with faith will be raised, for Christ is "the first fruits of those who have died." (v. 20) Paul argues that God will give to the dead a new body, which suggests that he does not think of resurrection as the resuscitation of the physical body. "What is sown is perishable, what is raised in imperishable." (v. 42) At the end of the age, he affirms, "we will not all die, but we will all be changed." (v. 51) We will receive imperishable and immortal bodies, and the sting of death will be no more. Therefore, he exhorts the Christians at Corinth to be strong in their faith and in their love for one another. August 31, Deuteronomy 30:15-20 Choose life: loving the LORD your God, listening to the LORD's voice, holding fast to him - for in this your life consists. Moses, speaking for God, charges the people of Israel to be faithful. "I have set before you today life and prosperity, death and adversity. If you obey the commandments of the LORD your God that I am commanding you today, by loving the LORD your God, walking in his ways, and observing his commandments, decrees, and ordinances, then you shall live and become numerous, and the LORD your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to possess. But if your heart turns away and you do not hear, but are led astray to bow down to other gods and serve them, I declare to you today that you shall perish." (vs. 15-18) The covenant with God is a clear choice. "I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live, loving the LORD your God, obeying him, and holding fast to him; for that means life to you and length of days, so that you may live in the land that the LORD swore to give to your ancestors, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob." (vs. 19-20) As Christians, we are not called to choose the Law of Moses, nor have we been promised descendants. Our choice is to follow Jesus Christ. But what does that mean? We cannot walk the dusty roads of Galilee, as he did, preaching and doing miracles. However, we can be more loving, more forgiving, and more committed to justice. |
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