Pentecost

Acts 2: 1 - 13 (May 31, 2009)

1) The Text

When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. 2And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. 4All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.

5Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. 6And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. 7Amazed and astonished, they asked, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? 9Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, 11Cretans and Arabs—in our own languages we hear them speaking about God’s deeds of power.” 12All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” 13But others sneered and said, “They are filled with new wine.”

2) The Context

Acts is the sequel to the gospel according to Luke. Beginning with Jesus' ascension, Luke tells the story of the beginnings of the church. By no means a comprehensive history, it does however describe the spread of the church from Jerusalem to all of Palestine, and as far as Greece. The episodes he reports show how Christianity arose out of Judaism. He shows us something of the struggles the church underwent in accepting Gentiles as members. The Holy Spirit guides and strengthens the church as it spreads through much of the Roman Empire.

One of the three pilgrimage festivals, Pentecost falls 50 days (seven weeks) after Passover, as its Greek name, Pentecoste (50th), preserves. It is also called the Feast of Weeks, an occasion to celebrate the gathering in of the harvest (Exod 3:14-17; Lev 23:15-22). It also became a time to celebrate the coming of the divine Law on Sinai. Legend has it that on that occasion a flame came down from heaven and divided into 70 tongues of fire, one for each nation of the world. All could understand. It is entirely credible that the first great pilgrim festival after Jesus' execution at Passover and his disciples' acclamation of his resurrection would have been a special occasion for the fledgling Christian community.

Whatever historical event lies beneath Luke's story in Acts, we have to recognize that he is writing a symbolic narrative which wants to tell us of something much more than a once-off historical event. He is celebrating the presence of the Spirit in the early Christian movement. Luke wants us to sense a momentous truth. The Spirit, Breath, Presence of God, which we celebrate in Jesus, can be present in human community. When this happens and we let it happen, the ancient curses which divide us are undone and we connect with God in a new way and we gain a new sense of identity.


3) Interpretation

God has always wanted our relationship to Him to be so much more than a set of rituals we go through or a list of doctrines in which we believe. God has always wanted to be in us, to take up residence in our hearts and restore us to His original dream to live the life of Jesus in this world.
The response is to receive the gift of God in the Holy Spirit. But this is not to suggest that our response is passive. This gift is active and changes the way we live in the world and with one another. Acts 2, and indeed the whole book, makes it clear that the purpose of the Spirit was to empower the church for witness.

Jesus said, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be my witnesses” (Acts 1:8). The very first thing these Spirit-filled believers did was hit the city with proclamation. Suddenly in verse 5, the scene shifts from the upper room to the streets of the city where people from all kinds of places were hearing the good news in their own language. The Holy Spirit does come to comfort, to teach, and to bring peace. But the very first gift given by the Holy Spirit is the gift of witness. The Holy Spirit gives us the courage and the power to be witnesses of Jesus Christ to our world.

The whole story of Pentecost is not a story of how the Spirit comes to ease the life of the believer; it’s a story of evangelism. Some call Pentecost the "birthday of the church." I disagree. I sense that the church was born on Good Friday when Jesus asked the Father to forgive us, and a few bewildered, broken-hearted women and men wandered off wondering how they were going to live with that. Pentecost was the day they got their answer: with great joy, and with wind and fire and Spirit, making them look like a bunch of happy drunks in the midst of a numbingly sober and sour world. At last they knew that they were God’s -- every last one of them -- and that God was Love, not just in poetic theory but in palpable fact. They learned that in belonging to God they belonged also to each other. The joy derived from their trusting contained power, power not only to gladden but also to heal and redeem. Unleashed from an empty tomb, God’s outlandish love found its way into empty hearts, and the world has never been the same since.

4) Thought Exercise

How can we live the life of Jesus in this world?

What can we do as a church to be witnesses to Jesus Christ in our world?

The Lord Is My Shepherd

Psalm 23 (May 17, 2009)

1) The Text

1The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
2He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters;
3he restores my soul. He leads me in right paths for his name’s sake.
4Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff— they comfort me.
5You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
6Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord my whole life long.

2) The Context

This is one of several passages which describe God as the savior of benighted and sinful people. Grace is entirely God's initiative, given to people regardless of their attitude or merit. God's grace far overshadows the merit gained by good works; indeed, nothing can come of a person's good works or austerities endured for the purpose of salvation, in the absence of divine grace. God's grace is also described as sufficient, regardless of the person's burden or strength to bear it.

The origins of Psalm 23, a psalm of trust, are uncertain. It has traditionally been ascribed to David, partly because of the portrayal of David as a shepherd boy when Samuel was sent to anoint him king over Israel (1 Sam 16:11). With its peaceful tone and the varying images of sheep in a pastoral scene, it can be envisioned as written by a poet shepherd, meditating on God’s faithful provision. However, some modern scholars have associated the psalm with the exodus of the people of Israel out of Egypt. Themes from that story are repeated in the psalm. What might be the poem of a shepherd boy thus becomes the song of the whole people of Israel.

The shepherd image was very common in the ancient Near East78 and very obviously based upon one of the principal occupations of that day. The Israelites, in particular, were known as shepherds (cf. Gen. 46:28-34). The term “shepherd” came to be used in a much broader way,79 describing leadership either of an individual or a group. Jacob spoke of God as “The God who has been my shepherd all my life …” (Gen. 48:15; cf. 49:24). The title of shepherd was given to kings, especially David (2 Sam. 5:2; 7:7; Ps. 78:71), and the Messiah who was to come, of whom David was a type (Ezek. 34:23-24; Mic. 5:4). Thus the Lord Jesus identified himself as the Good Shepherd (John 10:11; cf. Heb. 13:20; 1 Pet. 2:25; 5:4).

When David spoke of Yahweh as his shepherd, he thought of Him not only as his provider and protector but also as his king. He thought of God as his shepherd with the breadth of meaning this term conveyed in the ancient Near East (in general) and in the Law (in particular). Because God was David’s shepherd, he lacked (wanted) nothing. A good shepherd is all a sheep needs since a good shepherd, by his very nature will always supply all of the sheep’s needs.

3) Interpretation

Psalm 23 contains some of the most memorable verses in all Scripture. The core of the psalms has two images, the faith of the pilgrim on his journey and the welcome banquet the pilgrim celebrated in the Temple at the journey’s end.

23:1b-4 described the faith of the pilgrim on his way. The verses emphasized the faith walk, the person who traveled light and depended on the Lord to take care of his need, like sheep who depend upon their shepherd. Notice the pilgrim trusted God not only to fill his need, but reveal loving care as he provided such need (“green pastures and safe waters”). The loving care extended to the “dark” times of danger, stress, and lack. The pilgrim trusted God would be always present in every situation, for that was the true meaning of pilgrimage: a journey to a specific religious shrine in response to the call of God.

At the end of the pilgrimage lies the celebration (23:5-6). The host would show hospitality (“anoint my head with oil”) and provide a feast. Such demonstrations of care would spite one’s enemies. In the context of the Temple, the divine host’s care would act as a blessing on the pilgrim now and in the future. The blessing was meant as a sign to non-believers to repent so they, too, could share in God’s loving concern.

The uniting theme in Psalm 23 was divine care. God was the shepherd and the host. He showed the pilgrim loving concern during the journey and at the destination.

The question of journey or destination is a false one, to be sure. Both are opportunities for faith, times to trust God. Faith on the road means a dependence on the divine for our daily need. Faith at the destination means celebration, a sense one arrived at the divine banquet.

There is one other division in the psalm. While at the beginning and at the end, the psalmist speaks about the Lord, in vv. 4-5 the psalmist speaks directly to the Lord as ‘you’. This happens precisely at the point of greatest danger. Trust in the Lord’s protection and provision is thus not only something that the psalmist can speak about at a distance; they are part of his/her personal experience. They emanate from an intimate, personal relationship with the Lord. The surpassing peace and trust that the psalmist knows stand against the threats implied behind the scenes of shepherd care. There is here a trust that allows the psalmist not to fear.

4) Thought Exercise

How do you show your dependence upon God in your daily life?

How do you celebrate those events of God’s presence?

Faith

Hebrews 11:1-5 (May 10, 2009)

1) The Text

1Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 2Indeed, by faith our ancestors received approval. 3By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was made from things that are not visible.
4By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain’s. Through this he received approval as righteous, God himself giving approval to his gifts; he died, but through his faith he still speaks. 5By faith Enoch was taken so that he did not experience death; and “he was not found, because God had taken him.” For it was attested before he was taken away that “he had pleased God.”

2) The Context

Apart from the concluding verses (which may have been added later), this book is a treatise (or sermon) rather than a letter. Its name comes from its approach to Christianity: it is couched in Judaic terms. The identity of the author is unknown; Origen, c. 200 said that "only God knows" who wrote Hebrews. The book presents an elaborate analysis, arguing for the absolute supremacy and sufficiency of Christ as revealer and mediator of God's grace. Basing his argument on the Old Testament, the author argues for the superiority of Christ to the prophets, angels and Moses. Christ offers a superior priesthood, and his sacrifice is much more significant than that of Levite priests. Jesus is the "heavenly" High Priest, making the true sacrifice for the sins of the people, but he is also of the same flesh and blood as those he makes holy.

3) Interpretation

The writer initially defines faith as "being sure" and "being certain". Faith is confidence in, or assurance of, things hoped for. This is probably the best way to understand faith; not as an object given and possessed, but rather a subjective human quality which may or may not be expressed, and when expressed, is done so in varying degrees. That is, faith is human confidence, and confidence may be weak or strong. In the Christian sense, faith (either weak or strong - faith as small as a mustard seed moves mountains) is confidence in God and his communication to us - his Word: his promises and commands. Faith, in its Christian sense, finds its substance in what is believed, not in the act of believing. So for example, to believe in Jesus, but not in his resurrection, is not saving faith. Our new life depends on our confidence in Christ's new life. If Jesus did not rise from the dead then we are still in our old state of sin, 1Cor.15:17. So, in this sense, faith is not a gift of God, rather Christ is God's gift to us. We may turn toward Christ, or turn away from Christ, believe (have faith) or not believe.

"Faith is being certain of what we do not see." Faith is certainty in the revealed truths of God, which truths are mostly unseen. The writer goes on to point out that through faith the people of Israel gained God's approval, and thus persevered. Their lives are recorded in scripture as examples which serve to encourage those who follow in their footsteps. To aid our Christian life, the writer goes on to list some of those who lived by faith.

Before listing the examples of faith, the writer illustrates his definition of faith. He has told us that faith is a firm conviction in God's revealed Word, in particular, the promises which "we hope for" and yet at present "do not see." Faith is holding firm to the promises of God, such that our actions and convictions align with our acceptance of God's revealed truth. So for example, faith is holding firm to the conviction that the Universe was made through the command of God, out of nothing other than his word, rather than out of a preexistent substance. The prevailing secular view was Platonic - the universe was made up of matter which was an eternal, neutral substance. This is not what the Bible says. To accept God's word, against that of the prevailing science, is to live by faith rather than by sight.

Abel was the Son of Adam and Eve, brother of Cain and serves as the first example of a man who lived by faith. By faith Abel offered a better sacrifice than his brother Cain. There are many suggestions as to why Cain's sacrifice was not accepted by God, but intention is most likely the issue, not the substance of the offering. Abel was acceptable to God because he trusted God and thus, God accepted his offering. Enoch, who was the father of Methuselah, serves as another example of a man who lived by faith. Because he took God at his word, God was pleased to be with him.

Faith as a mustard seed

Faith is not some mysterious religious quality which only a few possess. Faith is not something reserved for the holy, set apart perfect religious person; it is not something given to some, but not given to others, a quality only entrusted to a few. Nor is faith a religious quality we can use to make things happen, a tool to bend the will of God. Faith is none of these things.

Faith is a willing, but struggling trust, in the revealed intentions of God; it is a reliance on God and on his truths, on his promises. Such faith may be as small as a mustard seed, hesitant, uneasy, filled with doubts, and yet determined to hold onto God's promises through all the doubts and fears that assail us. Faith is a confidence, a conviction, in the revealed will of God. Such faith makes a person acceptable to God. When Jesus makes a promise like: "everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life," then to believe is to have life. Such faith makes a person right with God. Yet, what about keeping in with God?

The writer to the Hebrews says in 10:35-36, "Do not throw away your confidence, it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised." How do we persevere in the Christian life? By faith, is the answer. All the great saints of the past persevered by faith. They were "persecuted and mistreated - the world was not worthy of them." "These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised." For us, the age of promise has dawned, the kingdom is at hand. Yet, we too must struggle as they did, awaiting the coming of our Lord. And how? By faith we hold tenaciously to Jesus.

4) Thought Exercise

What are the things you believe in yet can’t see?

What helps you build certainty in these beliefs?