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One more time…

I grew up hearing the idiom (axiom?) “one more time around the mountain” used often by the adults in my life. Similar idioms like “same old, same old” and “more the same” were often interchanged. I knew they meant the same thing – that nothing’s changed.

As I continue reading through the book of Acts, the idioms keep coming to mind as I follow the Apostle Paul and his entourage’s footsteps (Luke, Timothy, Silas, et al). It seems like no matter where they landed, neither jealous Jews nor irate idol-makers were too eager to roll out the red carpet for them.

In Philippi, Paul and Silas were beaten because Paul had freed a young slave woman of her sorcery powers, depriving her owners of their fortune-telling income. In Thessalonica, jealous Jews formed a mob and started a riot against them. Paul and Silas escaped by the cover of darkness and went off to Berea. The Bereans were receptive to the gospel. However, once the jealous Thessalonian Jews discovered that Paul was preaching about Jesus in Berea a contingency arrived, “agitating the crowds and stirring them up” (Acts 17:13). Paul was put on a ship for Athens. Similar stories in other communities throughout his ministry.

One more time around the mountain!

In Acts 21, we find Paul and company arriving in Jerusalem. He delivered a collection of monies from the various churches of Asia and Greece as famine relief for the Jerusalem Christians. Upon arriving in Jerusalem, he was welcomed by James (Jesus’ brother) and the other elders of the Jerusalem Church. They were excited to hear about the propagation of the gospel through Paul’s travels. And then, “one more time”…

“You see, brother,” they said, “that there are many thousands of Jews who have believed. They are all of them fiercely enthusiastic for the law. But what they have heard about you is that you teach all the Jews who live among the nations to abandon Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children and not to keep the customs. Where does this leave us? They will certainly hear that you have come.” (Acts 21:20-22, KNT)

So a plan was devised: Paul was to act like a full-fledged Jew and undergo the accepted ritual of purification. Paul was apparently not opposed to the plan – it fit his philosophy of ministry: “I became like a Jew to the Jews, to win Jews. I became like someone under the law to the people who are under the law, even though I’m not myself under the law, so that I could win those under the law” (1 Corinthians 9:20). However, in this case, he was in need of winning over the many Jewish Christians.

The plan failed. Paul was spotted in the Temple. James and the elders were right – the zealous Christian Jews immediately went after Paul. Accompanied by non-Christian Jews, they dragged him out of the Temple and shut the gates to him, inciting a riot. They beat Paul with the intent to kill him, thwarted only by the intervention of the Roman tribune.

One more time around the mountain!

By now one would suspect Paul was getting used to this “one more time around the mountain” routine. But this was different. His past experiences were with jealous Jews. This time zealous Christians joined in. What does that do to one’s faith? How does one keep on keeping on? Did Paul waver in his faith? Would I waver in similar circumstances? Would you?

We aren’t privy to whether he wavered or not. What we are privy to is his theology and worldview which is evident in his writings. Paul desired to live a life of contentment, regardless of circumstances deriving strength from Jesus (see Philippians 4:11-13). But deeper than a sense of contentment was a deep understanding of the love of God…

For I have come through a process of persuasion to the settled conclusion that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things about to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-39, Wuest)

“I have come through a process of persuasion…” What was the process? Turns out the process was those many times around the mountain as Paul described in his letter to the Corinthian Christians…

²⁴Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. ²⁵Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; ²⁶on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; ²⁷in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. ²⁸And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches. (2 Corinthians 11:24-28)

Maybe “one more time around the mountain” isn’t such a bad thing. After all, each time around can result in one step closer to the summit.

Conversatio Morum!

I love history. Several times I have read or listened to Shelby Foote’s The Civil War: A Narrative – his 3-volume, ~3000-page narrative of the war between the states. I have also worked through Flavious Josephus’ Antiquities of the Jews, the first-century, 20-volume historiographical account of the Jewish people from creation to the 70 AD siege and fall of Jerusalem. You might say I’m a bit of a geek when it comes to history.

I am also drawn to Church history. I have read Justo Gonzalez’s 2-volume work, The Story of Christianity (a very good read, by the way). I have read it twice and listened to it a couple of times (while working in my wood shop)!

Historically, early Christian thought and behavior were influenced by the desert fathers, the monastics who literally stole away to the Egyptian wilderness area to learn spiritual formation. You might be familiar with The Rule of Benedict (circa AD 530) which has become popular in recent years thanks to people like John Mark Comer. The Rule is a basic plan to follow Jesus, to hold true to a commitment to be a disciple. “Rule” was Benedict’s term. It described the way of life of the serious Christ-follower. Remember that the early Christian movement was initially described as The Way.

While reading about Benedict, the term conversatio morum surfaced.

Conversatio morum is a term that is difficult to translate into English. Scholars debate Benedict’s intent as they study and interpret his Rule. Some of the various translations include conversion of life, reformation of life, and constant conversion. Benedict appears to have used conversatio morum to describe fidelity to a “monastic way of life” signifying a life-long commitment to spiritual growth and transformation. In non-monastic terms, it represents a life-long commitment to be a disciple of Jesus with the associated transformation.

Of the translated phrases, the related terms conversion of life and constant conversion, piqued my interest. In Western thinking, conversion tends to be viewed as a one-time, transactional event. An example is the accepted view that the Apostle Paul was “converted” on the road to Damascus (Acts 9). Paul was not converted from unbelief to belief. He was a believer in God who started thinking differently after meeting Jesus. (See also Here I Am).

Conversatio is the root of the English word conversation. At its core, conversation has more to do with listening than speaking – listening with the understanding that conversation can lead to a change of thought and mind (not how we tend to view conversation today!).

Change of mind? The word repent comes to mind.

The English word repent used throughout the New Testament is a translation of the Greek word metanoeō, which simply means “think differently.” When we bring these aspects together, our focus will be on maintaining a constant state of conversion, remaining open to reevaluating our beliefs. And remaining in continuous conversation with God, the one who can change our minds if we have ears to hear.

However, the concept of constant conversion is a bit unnerving, especially for us Western thinkers. We want things neat and tidy. We want to discover and nail down “the truth.” We want certainty. God doesn’t often provide the certainty we desire. If he did, we wouldn’t need him anymore. We wouldn’t need to be in constant conversation with him. We wouldn’t need to continue in his word. We wouldn’t have to risk a change of mind.

The concept of constant conversion should keep us humble. It should help us to listen to one another. It should keep us curious and asking questions. Once we convince ourselves that we know all we need to about God, we are further away from the truth than when we started.

“We are closer to God when we are asking questions than when we think we have the answers.” (Abraham Joshua Heschel)¹

I remember a New Testament scholar,* in speaking of the concept of constant conversion, saying that we must be born again, again. Until we truly get comfortable with not knowing, we’ll have a hard time seeing/entering the Kingdom that demands us to be constantly rethinking, constantly converting, and declaring death to our personal status quo. Maybe that’s what Jesus was intimating when he told the Pharisee, Nicodemus…

Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again. (John 3:3)

A ministry colleague of mine has a standard question he includes during job interviews: “Tell me about something you used to believe but then you changed your mind” or the corollary, “Tell me about something you believe today that you didn’t use to.” He wants people on his team who are still searching, learning, and open to change. Constant conversion.

The time has come. The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news! (Jesus, Mark 1:15)

¹Heschel, A. J. (2005). Who is man? Stanford University Press.

* I don’t remember who said this and have been unable to find the source in my notes on my laptop or hard drives. 🫤

Vindication & Plethora

This is a continuation of the previous post, Vindication & Humor. Acts 12 brought to close God’s vindication concerning King Herod (Agrippa I) and the beginning of the expansion of the new movement outside of Judea. It’s an interesting story…

Previously we saw Peter, the leader of the new movement often referred to as The Way, arrested by Herod and imprisoned for trial. It appeared that Herod intended to execute Peter as he did James. I’m guessing Peter and the early believers assumed as much.

Peter was rescued by an angel of the Lord, boldly releasing him from prison in the middle of the night. Peter and the Church were vindicated. In a (likely) fit of rage, Herod ordered the execution of the 16 soldiers responsible for guarding Peter while in custody. Herod then left Jerusalem for his palace in Caesarea on the Mediterranean coast. Built to appease Caesar Augustus, the city and palace were one of the major construction projects of Herod the Great (Agrippa I’s grandfather). Agrippa never returned to Jerusalem. The rest of his story…

We don’t know why Agrippa left Jerusalem for Caesarea. We do know that while there, representatives of the cities of Tyre and Sidon requested an audience with him. Located up the coast from Caesarea and not part of Herod’s domain, these cities and their people relied on Judea for their food supply. Herod had apparently been at odds with the people of Tyre and Sidon. It was to be an economic summit.

Herod, probably to remind the people he was in charge, wore his royal robes, and sat on his throne to address the people. Royal robes were an important part of a king’s wardrobe. Though Scripture gives us little information about Herod’s royal robes, some assumptions commensurate with the period can be made. It would have been made of luxurious, high-quality silk, linen, or finely woven wool adorned with intricate embroidery. It would have included regal accessories – crown, jeweled belts, sashes, etc. And maybe some Roman-influenced bling. Always an embellisher, the Roman historian Josephus described the design of Herod’s robe as glittering to catch the sun, adding to his royal radiance:

He put on a garment made wholly of silver, and of a contexture truly wonderful, and came into the theater early in the morning; at which time the silver of his garment being illuminated by the fresh reflection of the sun’s rays upon it, shone out after a surprising manner, and was so resplendent as to spread a horror over those that looked intently upon him…¹

Scripture doesn’t reveal details of Agrippa’s address but the people were either impressed or responded in collective flattery shouting, “This is the voice of a god, not of a mere mortal.” They were mistaken. Agrippa apparently ate it up…

Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died. (Acts 12:23)

It appears that Luke felt Herod Agrippa’s sickness and demise warranted just a single sentence. Josephus was not so succinct…

His flatterers cried out, one from one place, and another from another, that he was a god; and they added, “Be thou merciful to us; for although we have hitherto reverenced thee only as a man, yet shall we henceforth own thee as superior to mortal nature.” Upon this the king did neither rebuke them, nor reject their impious flattery. But as he presently afterward looked up, he saw an owl sitting on a certain rope over his head, and immediately understood that this bird was the messenger of ill tidings, as it had once been the messenger of good tidings to him; and fell into the deepest sorrow. A severe pain also arose in his belly, and began in a most violent manner. He therefore looked upon his friends, and said, “I, whom you call a god, am commanded presently to depart this life; while Providence thus reproves the lying words you just now said to me; and I, who was by you called immortal, am immediately to be hurried away by death.¹

Caesar had commissioned Josephus’ writing of the Jewish people’s history. At times his embellishment of historical accounts was accompanied by political flattery. He depicted Agrippa’s death as honorable, noting a dignified acceptance of God’s providence (while blaming the crowd, by the way). I lean toward embellishment and flattery.

No matter the details, Herod Agrippa I was dead and would no longer be able to persecute the believers. God is not mocked. Peter and the early Christian movement were vindicated.,,

And the word of God continued to spread and flourish (v. 24)

Here’s a bit of fun: The Greek word for flourish is πληθύνω (plēthunō) from which the English word plethora is derived. I had NO idea when I wrote the previous post. Full circle! Mic drop!

¹Josephus, Flavius. The Works of Josephus: Complete and Unabridged (pp. 3996-4000). http://www.DelmarvaPublications.com. Kindle Edition.

Vindication & Humor

We all like stories of vindication – good triumphing over evil, the bad guy getting just rewards. Personally, I want a good vindication story laced with good humor. A few come to mind: Mrs. Doubtfire, School of Rock, The Grand Budapest Hotel, and an old classic, The Three Amigos. Quotes from Amigos come to mind regularly, an all-time favorite exchange being…

Scripture is laced with stories of vindication. It’s core to God’s project of redeeming his creation. The story of Joseph certainly comes to mind. So do the stories of Esther, Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Of course, the greatest vindication story is the resurrection of Jesus.

Scripture is also laced with humor. The Chosen has done a great job of depicting Jesus’ sense of humor. If you don’t see the humor as you read scripture, start looking for it. (Remember, God has a sense of humor – that’s where we get it, being made in his image and all that.)

As I journey through the Acts of the Apostles, I see a plethora of stories of vindication for the new ecclesia of Christ-followers. In Acts 12, we find King Herod exercising his power as the king of Judea. There are many mentions of a King Herod in Acts and the gospels, so we should clarify. Herod the Great (reigned 37-4 BC) was the Roman client or vassal king in power over Judea at the time of Jesus’ birth. He was a brutal tyrant who ordered the massacre of children after the Magi left the country without informing Herod of the location of the new king of the Jews. His known brutality led to Mary, Joseph, and Jesus becoming refugees in Egypt.

Herod the Great’s brutality extended to immediate family as well. According to the Roman historian Josephus, Herod had three of his sons killed: his first-born, Antipater, and two sons with his second wife, Miriamne: Aristobul and Alexander. He also had Miriamne executed. What then made him great we may ask? Great question…

Herod the Great was politically savvy, maintaining favor with Rome and Augustus Caesar, leading to peace and economic stability. He was known as the great architect of Judea, building the city of Caesarea (to honor and gain Caesar’s favor), pagan cities (to gain the favor of non-Jewish people), many fortresses (for self-protection), and, of course, the Second Jewish Temple (gaining the support of the Jewish people). Though his projects bolstered the economy, they also resulted in heavy taxation and labor inscription.

The full name of the Herod of Acts 12 was Herod Julius Agrippa (sometimes referred to as Agrippa I). He was the nephew of the brooding and nefarious Herod Antipas who arrested and executed John the Baptist. Agrippa I came to power ~40 AD following Antipas’ fall from grace with Rome, ruling over the entire known Judaea territory (Antipas only ruled over about a fourth of Judea). He was well-connected with Rome (note his middle name) and was also popular with the people, thus able to wield significant power.

Agrippa I began arresting believers in Jerusalem, probably to appease both the Jews and Rome. Persecution was his intent. For some reason (we don’t know why) he had James, the brother of John, executed with a sword. This was significantly different than the stoning of Stephen. Stephen’s death was because the new movement was seen as a religious threat. Herod apparently viewed it as a political threat.

Realizing that James’ execution met with Jewish approval, Herod arrested Peter (who was known as the main leader of the Way in Jerusalem) for trial. Interestingly, this took place at Passover time (compare to Jesus’ arrest and Peter’s denial). Peter was heavily guarded by 16 soldiers – two of whom were bound to him with chains. He was probably in prison for a few days since Herod intended a public trial after Passover. As you can imagine, the young church went into hiding and prayed, fully aware that Peter was likely to face execution.

The night before trial an angel of the Lord appeared in the prison cell, not stealthily but with a bright light (humor)! The angel slapped Peter on the side to wake him up. I chuckle every time I read this. The chains fell off (I assume noisily), Peter got dressed (no hurry to get out apparently) and the angel led him past the other 14 guards out into the dark and disappeared.

The vindicated Peter, coming to his senses, made his way to the house of John Mark’s mom which was where a lot of people were gathered, praying. Peter knocked on the gate door which was answered by Rhoda the maid who, caught up in the excitement, left him standing at the gate as she ran to tell the others (more humor). Though they had been praying for Peter’s safety, apparently his release from prison was not in their thinking as they tried to convince Rhoda she was mistaken and probably heard a dead Peter’s ghost, meaning they assumed their prayers were to no avail. Meanwhile, Peter kept on knocking!

Peter, after sharing the story of his “escape” with the gathering, said, “Tell James (presumably Jesus’ brother) and the other brothers about this.” Peter then left Jerusalem, a wanted man. But he left vindicated – the leader of the family of the true King had frustrated the plans and intent of the “official” king. Herod was not a happy man!

The story continues in the next blog post…

Here I Am!

I loved playing hide and seek when our kids were toddlers. They didn’t totally understand the concept, though. I would send them off to hide as I counted. With their inability for stealthiness, I always knew exactly where they were hiding. Pretending that I couldn’t find them, I would say out loud, “I wonder where (name) could be?” Unable to contain their excitement, they would jump out and exclaim, “Here I am, Daddy!”

I recently spent time reading and pondering Acts 9 – the “conversion” of Saul (later known as Paul). I say “conversion” because he wasn’t actually converted as we tend to use the term. We usually associate conversion from non-belief to belief in something. Saul was not an unbeliever. In fact, he was a zealous believer, learner, and adherent of the Mosaic law.

As you might remember, Saul had received permission (along with appropriate documentation) from the Jewish high priest to travel from Jerusalem to Damascus to arrest followers of the Way for trial before the ruling council, the Sanhedrin, back in Jerusalem. As Saul and his entourage set out for Damascus (a 3-4 day journey by mule or horseback), it would be fair to assume that some believers in Jerusalem high-tailed it to Damascus to warn the believers of Saul’s impending arrival and intent.

What if you lived in Damascus and belonged to the Way?

What would you do? Would you leave the city until the threat was over? Not everyone had the means or ability to do so. Would you go into hiding? Who could you trust? I have read various World War II accounts of the reactions of the Jewish people in cities soon to be overrun by the Nazis. The Wehrmacht’s reputation along with the authority to mistreat Jews bred fear as people escaped the city or went into hiding. I assume a similar fear spread through the young Christian community.

As we know, Jesus intercepted Saul, spoke to him directly (“Saul, Saul! Why are you persecuting me?”), blinded him with the brightness of his presence, and sent him into the city to await further instructions. In a great reversal, Saul found himself hiding in the city. Picking up the story from Acts 9…

In Damascus, there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord spoke to him in a vision. “Ananias!” he said. “Here I am, Lord,” he replied. (Acts 9:10, NTFE)

“Here I am, Lord.” Where have we heard this before? We find Isaiah speaking similar words in Isaiah 6. In a vision, Isaiah saw the Lord in full glory and responded, “Woe to me! I am ruined!” Then the Lord spoke directly: “Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?” Isaiah’s well-known response…

“Here I am. Send me.”

The same Lord spoke to Ananias in a vision. Visions tend to happen when someone is in intimate communion with God. We can assume that Ananias might have been praying when the Lord spoke to him. What was he praying about? We have no idea, but I suspect protection from Saul and his cohort might have been part of the conversation. In the vision, God gave Ananias the address where Saul was hiding and instructed him to go lay hands on Saul so he could see again.

Saul was anticipating Ananias’ arrival – he had received a vision, too. So, Saul was praying? I suspect so. He had just had a visit from the resurrected Jesus. I suspect he prayed a lot! He probably had a lot of questions to which he needed clarification. For three days he fasted and prayed. And probably meditated as well. The meditation practices of the Pharisees in the first century were deeply rooted in the Hebrew Bible and Jewish tradition. I imagine Saul pondered his memorized scriptures, wondering how Jesus fit into what he thought he understood.

Naturally, Ananias objected to God’s directive. The word was out of Saul’s reputation, his arrival in Damascus, and that he came with the authority of the chief priests to arrest Christians. “Just go,” replied the Lord. “He is a chosen vessel for me [like Isaiah?], to carry my Name before the nations and kings – and the children Israel, too.”

*Conversion of St. Paul*. Benjamin West, ca 1786

¹⁷ So Ananias set off, went into the house, and laid his hands on him. “Brother Saul,” he said, “the Lord has sent me—yes, Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—so that you may be able to see again, and receive the Holy Spirit.” ¹⁸ At once something like scales fell off his eyes, and he was able to see. He got up and was baptized.

Saul subsequently went on to become a most significant person of the new movement, starting churches across the Roman Empire. He also provided deep theological thought connecting the Hebrew Scriptures* with the life and work of the resurrected Jesus. Nearly half of the books in the New Testament are attributed to his later writings. And what of Ananias? We know no more than this short encounter. What we do know is that he was available. And obedient. May we always be postured to be able to say…

Here I am, Lord.

* From NT Wright regarding Saul’s discoveries: It confirmed everything Saul had been taught; it overturned everything he had been taught. The law and the prophets had come true; the law and the prophets had been torn to pieces and put back together in a totally new way.¹

¹ Wright, N. T.. Acts for Everyone, Part One: Chapters 1-12 (The New Testament for Everyone) (pp. 140-141). Presbyterian Publishing Corporation. Kindle Edition.

The Songs of Jesus

Ten years ago Timothy and Kathy Keller wrote the book, The Songs of Jesus: A Year of Daily Devotions in the Psalms. We tend to forget that the Psalms written in antiquity were part of the Hebrew Scripture which Jewish worshipers would have known well. They were the contemporary music of Jesus’ first-century world. Just as we have songs connected to the Christian holiday seasons today (e.g., Advent, Lent, Easter, etc.), so did they.

What immediately comes to mind are the Psalms of Accent (Psalms 120-134). These are Psalms that the people sang as they ascended up into Jerusalem to annually attend the three mandated festivals (Passover, Pentecost [or Weeks], Booths [or Tabernacles]). Jesus and his fellow Israelites would have known many (if not all) 150 Psalms by heart as they were incorporated into regular times of worship. Keller’s book was designed to draw us to the same songs Jesus sang.

As I have mentioned elsewhere, I have been in the habit of reading and praying the Psalms for close to 30 years – sometimes one per day or one per week. Or, as with the past couple of years, I park on a Psalm for a time, gleaning what I can, then moving on to the next one. I just spent a week in Psalm 82, a relatively unknown but significant song.

As you may know, the 150 Psalms are really a collection of five books as follows:

Book 1 (Psalms 1-41). Primarily attributed to David, these psalms focus on covenantal faithfulness.
Book 2 (Psalms 42-72). The psalms of Book 2 focus primarily on a hope for a Messianic kingdom.
Book 3 (Psalms 73-89). Attributed to Aspah, the psalms in this section of songs are a mix of communal lament and post-exilic Messianic hope.
Book 4 (Psalms 90-106). The focus? Yahweh, the God of Israel, is the true King of all creation, who can thus bring healing justice to his rule, his Kingdom.
Book 5 (Psalms 107-150). This final book includes psalms of thanksgiving, praise, and celebration. It concludes with a series of Hallelujah psalms (146–150), each beginning and ending with “Praise the Lord” (Hallelujah).

Interestingly, each book ends with a doxological prayer, blessing the God of Israel, the everlasting Lord. Example: Praise be to the Lord God, the God of Israel, who alone does marvelous deeds. Praise be to his glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with his glory. Amen and Amen. (Psalm 72:18-19). See also, Psalm 41:13; 89:52; 106:48; and Psalm 150)

Psalm 82 is in the middle of Book 3. Amid psalms of lament related to exile and pleas for God to come to the aid of his people, we find this seemingly free-standing song. The psalm contains concepts that have perplexed theologians for centuries. But the main thrust of the psalm seems to be absolutely clear: Yahweh is the God of all “gods” and he expects nations and societies to operate justly. And if they don’t, they will have him to contend with…

²“How long will you [plural] defend the unjust
    and show partiality to the wicked?
³Defend the weak and the fatherless;
    uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed.
⁴Rescue the weak and the needy;
    deliver them from the hand of the wicked.

In the world of the ancients (Mesopotamia, Palestine, Egypt, etc.), deities and nations were entwined. Other nations knew that the national god of Babylon was Marduk; Egypt was Ra; and, of course, Israel was Yahweh, the one true God. The people of the exile lamented because, to the watching nations, it appeared that Marduk was more powerful than Yahweh. Yet, we don’t hear much of the Babylonians these days. Nor their God, Marduk. Why? Because…

⁵ “The ‘gods’ know nothing, they understand nothing. They walk about in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken… ⁷But you will die like mere mortals; you will fall like every other ruler.”

The gods were tried and found wanting. The criteria for Yahweh’s judgment of the gods was justice. The national gods supported imperialistic domination and cruelty imposed on the conquered people. Weak, fatherless, poor, and oppressed people are a natural outcome of national domination. “Psalm 82 tells us how we are to be judged by God but also how God wants to be judged by us. Everything else that God says or does in the Bible should be judged by that job description.”¹ Social justice that is basic to Yahweh, the God of the Bible can be seen in Jesus, God in the flesh. Luke 4 immediately comes to mind…

¹⁸ “The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
    because he has anointed me
    to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
    and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free,
¹⁹ to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

²⁰ Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. ²¹He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

“Everything else that God says or does in the Bible should be judged by [this] job description.”

¹Crossan, J. D. (1998). The birth of Christianity: discovering what happened in the years immediately after the execution of Jesus (1st ed). HarperSanFrancisco.

Read the Introduction

I discovered that no one reads introductions to books. A few years ago, my son sent me a photo of a footnote in a work-related book he was reading. The footnote concluded with something like, “This information should have been included in the introduction, but since no one reads introductions…”

I did not habitually read introductions until after reading the Celebration of Discipline, by Richard Foster, some 45 years ago. It was a blockbuster that all serious Christ-followers would/should want to read. A wanna-be serious Christ-follower, I bought it and dove in. Celebration of Discipline explores the “classic disciplines,” or central spiritual practices of the Christian faith – the inward disciplines of meditation, prayer, fasting, and study; the outward disciplines of simplicity, solitude, submission, and service; and the corporate disciplines of confession, worship, guidance, and celebration.

Reading this well-acclaimed book was to have resulted in a rich spiritual life infused with joy, peace, and a deeper understanding of God. That did not happen. The opposite happened as you can read in a previous post, Circa 1981…I Quit! The twelve disciplines overwhelmed me to the point of giving up. I could never juggle all twelve, so why try? A few years later as I shared my frustration with the book to a friend, he asked if I had read the introduction. Of course not! I wanted to jump into the meat of the book.

Wondering if I might have missed something, I read the introduction, where Foster laid out the purpose of the disciplines. They were not disciplines as we tend to think (i.e.,, “She’s really disciplined in how she lives her life.”). The disciplines weren’t things to do or accomplish. They weren’t a means of self-transformation as I mistakingly thought. The disciplines had one purpose and one purpose only – to position us before God so that he could transform us into his image. Information that would have been good to know before reading the book! After that experience, I have not failed to first read a book’s introduction!

I recently began a read-through/study of the Gospel of John. Though I’ve read this gospel many times over the years, I realized that the first 18 verses of chapter one are John’s introduction to the rest of the story. The New Living Translation refers to the section as Prologue: Christ, the Eternal Word. John’s introduction/prologue sets a powerful stage for the remainder and essence of his gospel. How powerful? Some examples…

¹In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ²He was with God in the beginning. ³Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.

Composed about 60 years after Jesus’ resurrection, John wrote his gospel in Greek and chose logos (think logo) which is translated as “Word” in English. First-century readers would have been familiar with the use of logos from Greek philosophy. Heraclitus was one of the earliest philosophers to use the term logos extensively. For him, logos represented the underlying order and reason in the universe, stating that all things came into being according to this logos. John personified and deified logos, a significant introductory statement that would play out through his narrative.

⁴In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.

John employed the word zoe, another word not lost to Greek philosophy. Zoe describes an absolute fullness of life, both essential and ethical – a real and genuine life, a life active, vigorous, and blessed. The Logos was the source of zoe for humanity. Think John 10:10, “I have come that they may have life (zoe), and have it to the full.” John, as did some of the Greek philosophers, connected zoe to logos. Again, no insignificant move. Zoe appears over 30 times in John’s gospel.

¹²To all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God…

Believe is such a varied word in the English language. It is context-dependent, ranging from degrees of hope (e.g., “I believe the Timberwolves will make the NBA finals”) to degrees of certainly (e.g., “I believe this chair will support me when I sit on it”). The Greek word that John uses here is pisteuo and is very specific. Believe is not an adequate translation of pisteuo. A more accurate translation would include the phrases, “rely on, trust in, adhere to.”

Think about this: I like to ask people what percent of people that they go to school or work with would say they believe in God. The response is usually a large percentage – upwards of 50%. A second question: What percent would say they rely on, trust in, and adhere to God. A much smaller estimation. English “believe” does not do pisteuo justice. Why is this important? John utilizes pisteuo close to 100 times in his gospel so it’s important that we grasp its full meaning. (Here’s a suggestion: When reading the New Testament scriptures, translate “believe” to a form of “trust” and see what that does to your understanding.)

^14aThe Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.

Literally, “the Logos became flesh and tabernacled among us.” In his introduction, John made it clear that the Nazarene Jesus was, in fact, the Logos, God in the flesh. Equally important was his use of the term tabernacle. All first-century Hebrew readers knew the significance of the Tabernacle – it’s where God resided with his people. Their final tabernacle was the recently destroyed, idolized Temple of Jerusalem. In this introductory statement, John made clear that God took up residence among his people as a human being. This informs the rest of his gospel.

^14bWe have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Full of grace and truth! I have previously written about hesed and emet (see The Two Biggies). Grace and truth are the Greek equivalents of hesed and emet. John has attributed these two strong attributes of God to Jesus, the Word that had become flesh. People often ask about the God of the Old Testament versus the God of the New Testament. In these introductory statements, John was clearly saying there is no difference.

This is merely a primer of what John has packed into these introductory verses (of course, his gospel did not contain chapters or verses). Encapsulating the essence of John’s epilogue, I suspect entire books could be (probably have been) written regarding this prologue. Hopefully, this is useful for you – it was for me. And going forward…

Read introductions first!

They Paved Paradise…

…and put up a parking lot (Joni Mitchell, Big Yellow Taxi, 1970).

My wife Barb and I recently returned from two weeks of travel in Greece, following the footsteps of the Apostle Paul led by David Sparks of Footsteps Ministries. Starting in Thessaloniki we made excursions to Veria (Berea) visiting the traditional rostrum in a synagogue, likely in the same location where Paul delivered his message about the resurrected Jesus a couple thousand years ago! We also saw the remnants of the old Jewish Quarter recently being rebuilt/renovated. Sadly no Jewish people have lived in Berea since all were deported to Auschwitz during World War II.

While in Northern Greece, we also visited ancient Philippi and the stream where Lydia and the first Philippian converts were baptized. At the ancient ruins, we walked on the same road Paul and Silas would have walked on, and stood in the forum where they were stripped and beaten before being thrown in jail. And we peered into the likely location of their jail cell.

Our journey took us to Athens and Mars Hill (Areopagus) where Paul, at the base of the Acropolis, defended his belief in one true God in marked contrast to Greek mythology and polytheism. We visited ancient Corinth, standing in the forum where Paul was brought before Gallio, the Roman proconsul, by Jews not wanting to hear about a dead and resurrected messiah. Leaving Athens by cruise ship, we visited ancient Ephesus in Turkey as well as some islands of the Aegean Sea (Rhodes, Mykonos, and Crete).

As you can imagine, we were deep in Greek Orthodox territory. While traveling from city to city we saw Greek churches scattered throughout. We visited several eastern churches including the 1400-year-old church of St. Demetrius, dedicated to the Roman military officer who was martyred for his faith in Christ by Emperor Galerius. Some churches were converted mosques following the fall of the Ottoman Empire. Although the exteriors of the churches varied significantly, their interior had many things in common.

Five years ago I briefly visited a Greek Orthodox Church in Korçë, Albania. It was newer as it was built after Albania gained religious freedom following the fall of the Soviet Union in 1990. In ignorance, I deemed the Church to be filled with what seemed like meaningless, ritualistic icons. I discovered otherwise during this trip. Some icons, yes but more importantly were the detailed paintings and frescos.

But they weren’t just paintings. They told the Gospel story. Illiterate people over the centuries could sit in worship services and observe the gospel narrative in moving and living colors! We could spend hours discussing the detailed purposeful art. But I want to move on to something I observed about Greek Orthodoxy that wasn’t part of our teaching tour.

Cathedral of St. Titus (Also known as Agios Titos), Heraklion, Crete

The photo above is of the Cathedral of St. Titus (Also known as Agios Titos) in the city of Heraklion, Crete. Titus is not mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles, but it is understood that he was the first overseer of the Christian community that Paul helped found on the island of Crete. The original Church on this site was built in the mid-14th century. It was converted into a mosque when Heraklion (then Candia) fell to the Ottoman Turks in 1669.

Destroyed completely by an earthquake in 1856, the building in the photo was a replacement mosque built in 1869. When Greece gained its independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1925, the mosque was converted to the present church.

Like so many of the Greek Orthodox churches the cathedral, as you can see, is located in the center of the city with a plaza in front and a school playground adjacent on the left. We could hear the children playing outside during our teaching time in the church. To the right is a coffee shop. On the plaza were banks and stores of commerce. What was missing? A parking lot!

We were in and around the Church for a couple hours mid-morning on a weekday. There was a constant coming and going of people. Ladies, with groceries in hand, would come into the Church, say a prayer, light a candle and be about their day. Others appeared to stop in on their way to work. One young couple came in for a blessing from the clergy. In general, the Church seemed like the center of activity for people as they went about their days. This was my takeaway:

The Church was a part of the fabric of the community.

And that’s a big deal. Being part of the fabric of a community is proximate to the life of Jesus. He wasn’t just a rabbi. He was a rabbi that became part of the fabric of his community – Capernaum. It’s where a majority of his early followers resided.

Proximate. As I typed the word it occurred to me that I don’t think I have ever used or typed proximate in a sentence. On the fear that I might be misusing the word I, as I am wont to do, looked it up…

Proximate : closest in relationship; immediate, very or relatively close or near. Etymologically, proximate derives from Latin proximatus ‘drawn near.’ Drawn near! What immediately comes to mind is Jesus’ proclamation of the gospel, the good news of God: “The time has come. The kingdom of God has come near” (Mark 1:15).

Proximate, proximity – it’s how we become part of the fabric of our communities. In urban cultures, it seems that proximity and fabric can be naturally woven together. I suspect it’s more difficult for western suburban churches where we build facilities and put up parking lots.

Everything’s a Surprise…

Throughout my ministry career, I have always used the philosophical “Modus operandi” that everything’s a surprise at _______ (fill in the blank). This was certainly the MO of Young Life over the years. Heck, my introduction to the ministry came from taking ten kids to a Young Life camp in Colorado – and everything was truly a surprise. We did mystery road trips where kids had no idea what to expect. We told them what they should pack and the rest was a surprise.

That philosophy translated when serving in Church youth ministry opportunities as well. I wanted the leaders (and the kids) to understand that “everything’s a surprise” is theologically solid.

We read a book to our own kids as they were growing up – Theirs is the Kingdom. It is a wonderfully written story of Jesus. It is not a children’s Bible, per se. It is more of an aggregate narrative of all the gospel writings. The title of one of the sections of the book particularly captured my attention: The Surprise of the Kingdom. I remember thinking the title was apropos of God’s character displayed through the centuries and especially through Jesus. Everything Jesus did and said was a complete surprise to all witnesses.

Living the Christian life is not a well-laid-out journey. We really don’t know what each hour/day/week/years(s) might hold. It’s a journey full of surprises. If we want otherwise, we might want to pick a different religion!

Why don’t we like surprises? I’m guessing because then things are out of our control and that’s pretty uncomfortable. We prefer comfort and control. But in our preference for comfort and control, Jesus has to be pushed to the wings. They aren’t congruent.

Think of Jesus calling people to follow him, especially the fishermen. Come follow me and I’ll make you fishers of people. That’s all he told them, The rest was… wait for it, a surprise. We have no indication that other disciples had even that much definition as to what lay ahead when he invited them to follow. They didn’t know what was going on half the time, but they followed anyway because Jesus’ words had the ring of eternal life (John 6:68-69, JB Phillips).

What I think might relate to Christ-followers in the 21st century is Jesus’ discourse with the Pharisee Nicodemus. It was a bit of a primer of the life in the Spirit. As Jesus spoke with Nicodemus, he metaphorically related the Spirit of God with the wind that blows where it pleases…

The wind [or spirit] blows all around us as if it has a will of its own; we feel and hear it, but we do not understand where it has come from or where it will end up. Life in the Spirit is as if it were the wind of God (John 3:8, The Voice).

The wind of God, carrying us along where He wants to take us. In following Jesus, God’s Spirit, the Holy Spirit, takes us places we don’t expect or anticipate. Following Jesus, being led by the Holy Spirit, is the penultimate mystery road trip, full of surprises. Read the book of Acts and pay close attention to how the Holy Spirit directed the lives of the first followers. Nothing was as they thought it would/should be.

Everything was a surprise for the early followers

At Pentecost they spoke about Jesus in languages they never learned. Peter never thought he would eat non-kosher food. Surprise, he did. Especially follow the life of the Apostle Paul. Jesus surprised him while on a literal road trip to Damascus to arrest Christians and bring them back to Jerusalem for trial. On that trip the wind started to blow in a different direction for him. That same wind, the Holy Spirit, directed the remainder of his life taking him to places he never anticipated.

Think about it. Paul had his life all figured out at a young age. He was a graduate theology student under the tutelage of Gamaliel, one of the greatest first-century rabbis. Paul’s credentials according to the Jewish objective rubric of righteousness:

Circumcised? On the eighth day. Race? Israelite. Tribe? Benjamin. Descent? Hebrew through and through. Torah-observance? A Pharisee. Zealous? I persecuted the church! Official status under the law? Blameless. (Philippians 3:5-6, New Testament for Everyone).

Paul had comfort and control. He knew the Torah and its implications. He knew and banked on God’s promises. Cause and effect. A statement David Hubbard made in the introduction of his commentary on Proverbs comes to mind…

“We cannot use Proverbs like subway tokens to open the turnstile every time. They are guidelines, not mechanical formulas. They are procedures to follow, not promises we claim. We heed them the best we can, try to gain the wisdom that experience can teach, and then leave large amounts of room for God to surprise us with outcomes different from what our plans prescribe.”¹ (My emphasis)

God surprised Paul with outcomes different than his plans and objective approach to faith prescribed. God introduced him to the Holy Spirit and to a subjective experience.² The rest is, as we say, history. The Holy Spirit took Paul on a mystery road trip that was substantially different than he probably anticipated. Some of the surprises of that road trip…

²⁴Five times I received the forty lashes minus one from the Jews. ²⁵Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I received a stoning. Three times I was shipwrecked. I have spent a night and a day in the open sea. ²⁶On frequent journeys, I faced dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my own people, dangers from Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers at sea, and dangers among false brothers; ²⁷toil and hardship, many sleepless nights, hunger and thirst, often without food, cold, and without clothing. ²⁸Not to mention^[a] other things, there is the daily pressure on me: my concern for all the churches (2 Corinthians 11:24-28, CSB).

Though God surprised him with outcomes different than his plans prescribed, Paul had no regrets…

“Whatever former things were gains to me [as I thought then], these things [once regarded as advancements in merit] I have come to consider as loss [absolutely worthless] for the sake of Christ [and the purpose which He has given my life]” (Philippians 3:7, Amplified Bible)

May we, like Paul, allow God to surprise us with outcomes different than our plans prescribed. Experience suggests we will have no regrets.

¹Hubbard, D. A. (1989). The communicator’s commentary. Proverbs. Word Books.

²In his book, Galatians for You, Timothy Keller suggests, “The Spirit brings us a radically subjective experience” (p. 99). I think I will want to dig into this idea more!

If only…

As I may have indicated previously, my wife Barb and I weekly host a young adult Bible study group. Since September, we have been working our way through The Chosen. Our rhythm is to watch an episode followed by a fairly robust and varied discussion. It has been a transformative experience thus far. The group is primarily made up of grandkids, their friends, and other Young Life leaders.

At present, we are mid-way through the third season. This past week we watched the episode depicting the healing of the hemorrhaging woman who dared to touch the hem of Jesus’ robe. Barb, not knowing the focus of the episode, sent a text earlier that day to the grandkids and friends about the same story. It was a devotional she had written several years ago and posted on FaceBook for the women’s ministry Never So Broken. It had “popped up” on her Facebook page which prompted her to share it. I love God “coincidences.”

Here’s the devotional that she shared…

For she thought, “If I just touch His clothing, I will get well.”

Do you ever find yourself thinking if only…

If only you could get away, if only you had a little extra time, or money. We have a yearning deep inside of us…something is missing.

In Mark 5, we encounter a woman who has been bleeding internally for 12 years. She has suffered greatly and used all her resources trying to get well. She is at the end of her rope, her hope is gone, she feels life for her is over and then she hears of Jesus and thinks, if only…

Jesus had become quite popular because He was significantly different than any other religious figure in their world and the crowds pressed in on all sides, just to be near Him.

Weak from her loss of blood, she isn’t sure she will find the strength to push to the center of the crowd. But, she has put all her hope in getting to Jesus. So determined, she thinks, if only…

Finally she makes it in to the center of the crowd and touches His robe. Jesus stops immediately and says “who touched Me?” The disciples, His closest friends, think what a ridiculous question. How can You ask who touched You when people are pressed in on all sides? But Jesus knows. And so He asks, “who touched Me?”

There is a lot of sadness in our world yet often we don’t think of reaching out to Jesus. Instead, we rely on our own abilities, other people, status, institutions, religion – everything but Jesus. We put our hope in trust-worthy and not so trust-worthy options. And yet, everyone, everything, fails us at some point. Even those who love us the most, because they are not infallible.

The woman in the story is healed and Jesus calls her daughter. Can you imagine? She has lost all hope, but He heals her and calls her daughter! He tells her it was her trust and confidence in Him that made her well. Her financial situation has not changed, she used it all up trying to find healing but she has something so much more valuable – she has peace. She has a future. She has hope!

There is only One who is constant, never changing, always there for us. One who will recognize if we “touch” Him. He knows when we reach out for Him and He responds. If only we reach out for Him…