Grace Upon Grace

John 1: 10-18 (January 2, 2011)

1) The Text

10He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. 11He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. 12But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, 13who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God. 14And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.

15(John testified to him and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks ahead of me because he was before me.’”) 16From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. 17The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father’s heart, who has made him known.

2) The Context

Each of the four gospels related more effectively to different sets of people. For example, the Gospel of Matthew related better to Jewish people with Jewish language and Jewish thought patterns. As the Christian religion spread away from its geographic basis in Israel, new vocabulary and new thought patterns were called for. The Gospel of Luke adapted its message to the needs of non-Jewish people called Gentiles.

Meanwhile, the Gospel of John was much more philosophical. The philosophy of Hellenism was in vogue, and so the language of Hellenism (logic, light, life) was employed in order to tell the story of Jesus to another set of people. In the Jewish Gospel of Matthew, the central category is the kingdom of God which was familiar to the Jews. In the Gospel of John, the kingdom of God is mentioned only twice; rather, we hear about finding life and finding life abundantly. This spoke to non-Jewish people who were Greek speaking and thinking.

John’s Gospel emphasizes certain key themes over and over again. These themes are captured in the following keywords: Light or See; Knowledge or Wisdom; Believe; Witness or Testify; Truth; Abide or Rest; and Glory. These words or themes are in the first 14 verses of John.

Verses 10 to 13 introduce the theme of inner circle - "those who received him" - and everyone else - "the world did not know him." To all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God. The phrase “become children of God" means becoming members of a new family. Since family defined one's entire social reality in Jesus' time, "becoming children of God" also means having an entirely new way of being in the world - having life in Jesus' name.

Verse 14 is a foundational text for linking Word-Son-Jesus: Just as the Word was God's original means of self-revelation through the creation of all things; so, in John, the Son is the revelation of God's heart - of God's sight, insight, choosing, loving, valuing, etc. Bonding with Jesus means loving whom God loves, the way God loves.

3) Interpretation

Although this week’s reading picks up in the middle of the prologue to John's Gospel, it is an appropriate place to begin on the second Sunday of Christmas: "He was in the world" (1:10). This simple statement is a profound declaration of God's incarnation. The season following Christmas invites us to reflect on the significance of this event: how it shapes the way we understand God, our relationship with God, and our relationship to one another.

Our passage falls into two parts: verses 10-13 and 14-18. The first is spoken from the perspective of the omniscient narrator. The narrator identifies three responses to the one who has come into the world. First, there are those who did not know him, suggesting lack of knowledge. Next, there are those ("his own people") who did not accept him. The focus of verses 10-13, however, is not on those who do not receive, but those who do. These "children of God" are not designated by their flesh (i.e., their race, gender, or any other physical characteristics) but by their complete trust in the one whom God has sent into the world and who faithfully reveals the nature of God.

In verses 14-18, the voice shifts from that of the narrator to the collective "we." We, the children of God, have received from God's fullness grace upon grace. In the Christmas season, it is easy for us to turn God into a cosmic Santa Claus who dispatches toy upon toy. This tendency is not what John has in mind. The word "grace" occurs only in 1:14, 16, and 17 in the Gospel of John. Grace, therefore, describes the gift of Christ, who makes God known. In these verses, "we" are reminded of how God has chosen to disclose God's self in flesh and blood so that we, who are flesh and blood, might recognize ourselves as children of God.

John identifies that which has become flesh and blood as the "Word." Here he draws on language closely associated with the figure 'Wisdom'. In a first century CE Jewish text, the Wisdom of Solomon, Wisdom is described as "she who knows your [God's] works and was present when you made the world." Jesus, like Wisdom, is described in John's Gospel as the one through whom the world came into being (1:3, 10) and who does the works of God (5:36; 10:32; 14:10).

John also draws on the language of "Wisdom" found in another Jewish text from the second century BCE, Sirach. Here, Wisdom is said to make her dwelling (kataskēnō) in Jacob (Sirach 24:8). John uses the same verb root (from skēnoō) in 1:14. A more literal translation might render this verse, "The Word pitched its tent among us," giving the phrase a wonderfully earthy feel. This alternate translation also provides a sense of God's intentionality. God has chosen this place, a place identified not by physical characteristics or geographic boundaries, but by reference to relationship ("among us").

4) Thought Exercise

How would you characterize your relationship with God?

How does this influence your relationships with others?

His Star

Mathew 2: 1-12 (December 26, 2010)

1) The Text

2In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, 2asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.” 3When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; 4and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. 5They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet: 6‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who is to shepherd my people Israel.’” 7Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. 8Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.”

9When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. 11On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.

2) The Context

Matthew, in writing “In the time of King Herod”, sets a late date for the birth of Jesus: Herod the Great, puppet king of Judah, died in 4 BC. “Wise men” (Latin: magi) were members of a Persian caste of astrologers and interpreters of dreams. (Astrology was widely accepted then.) A star was associated with each person; the way the star rose told the wise men that a king had been born. If the story of the star is intended to be historically significant, the star may have been a supernova or a comet, or a conjunction of planets. Numbers 24:17-24 prophesies that “... a star shall come out of Jacob, a sceptre shall rise out of Israel”, and this ruler will conquer surrounding nations.

Herod’s fears are aroused because his dynasty may be ended. He consults the religious experts to find out where the magi should look for the Messiah. They answer with Scripture: they loosely blend Micah 5:2 and 2 Samuel 5:2. (Such license was common at the time.) At David’s anointing as king, the elders quote God as saying “he shall be shepherd of my people Israel”. The maximum age of the children to be killed per Herod’s edict (v. 16) tells us the “exact time” (v. 7) that he learnt from the wise men. V. 8 is classical political duplicity. The star guides them to Bethlehem, where they are “overwhelmed with joy” (v. 10). The gifts are extremely generous; “gold” (v. 11) and “frankincense” are mentioned.

3) Interpretation

The story of the magi foreshadows later developments in Matthew's narrative. Even in infancy Jesus inspires both worship and hostility. The magi represent the first of many characters to worship Jesus in Matthew. The story also foreshadows the opposition that will be shown to Jesus by the powerful people of his day. In this story, the religious leaders of Israel do the bidding of a political ruler who wishes to destroy Jesus. Later the situation will be ironically reversed: the political ruler (Pilate) will do the bidding of religious leaders who have decided Jesus must die.

The episode in this Matthew story has captured the imagination of Christians for centuries and inspired the formation of numerous legends. The magi came to be identified as kings and called "wise men." In the Middle Ages, the Western Church decided there were three magi and assigned them names: Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar.

These legends distract us from the story Matthew tells. Matthew's story is indeed about kings and wise men, but these figures are people other than the magi. The kings in Matthew 2 are Herod and Jesus. Herod exemplifies the sort of king whom Jesus later denounces. He is a tyrant who lords over those he rules rather than serving them. He is not a ruler who "shepherds" God's people (v. 6). By contrast, the infant king Jesus is helpless and vulnerable, a ruler whose power is hidden in humility (compare 21:5). The wise men in Matthew 2 are the chief priests and the scribes who function as Herod's key advisors. Learned in the scriptures, they possess academic knowledge that both Herod and the magi lack. But what good does it do them? It does not lead them to their Messiah but causes them to become involved in a plot to kill him.

If the magi are not kings or wise men, what are they? The magi in Matthew 2 are depicted as persons who do as they are instructed, who seek no honor for themselves, and who gladly humble themselves, kneeling even before a woman and a child. Clearly, they fit the image of servants better than that of kings. In short, the central message of this text may be framed as an answer to the question, whom does God favor? Not kings or wise men, but the magi who embody qualities that this Gospel will declare antithetical to the traits of the royal and the wise.

A common theme is the manifestation of God to people outside the religious community. Isaiah reminds the community of its call to be a light to the nations and destroys the false dichotomy between internal and external ministry. The author of Ephesians suggests that the ultimate purpose of God is the unification of humanity in a truly multicultural community where all distinctions between "insiders" and "outsiders" have vanished. The Gospel of Matthew reminds us that such distinctions began to erode with the coming of Christ, who was revealed to some who were thought to be on the outside and paradoxically rejected by many who were thought to be on the inside. The lesson here encourages humble admission that God's glory may be manifested where we least expect it. Sometimes God's people become light for others (Isa. 60:3; Eph. 3:10); sometimes they appear blind to the light others can see (Matt. 2:1-6). But always, the light is there, as God graciously, mysteriously, and defiantly breaks into human lives.

4) Thought Exercise

What signs are there of God’s presence in your life?

When have you been a light for others?

God with Us

Isaiah 7: 10-17 (December 19, 2010)

1) The Text

10Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz, saying, 11Ask a sign of the Lord your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven. 12But Ahaz said, I will not ask, and I will not put the Lord to the test. 13Then Isaiah said: “Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary mortals, that you weary my God also? 14Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel. 15He shall eat curds and honey by the time he knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good. 16For before the child knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land before whose two kings you are in dread will be deserted.

17The Lord will bring on you and on your people and on your ancestral house such days as have not come since the day that Ephraim departed from Judah—the king of Assyria.”

2) The Context

Assyria, under Tiglath-pileser III, is intent on expanding westwards. The kings of “Aram” (Syria) and of Israel (also called “Ephraim”) have formed a coalition to resist the advances of their common enemy. They have tried to convince “Ahaz” (v. 1), king of Judah and of the “house of David” (v. 2) to join the alliance; he has refused. Now they seek to put a puppet king on Judah’s throne. God has commanded Isaiah to “meet Ahaz” (v. 3) as he inspects the water supply vital to Jerusalem’s defense. Isaiah tells him: “take heed ... do not fear ... these two smoldering stumps of firebrands” (v. 4) who have “plotted evil against you” (v. 5). “If you do not stand firm in faith” (v. 9, trust in God) but rely on human counsel, you will be defeated.

In this passage, God speaks again to Ahaz: ask any “sign” (v. 11), any confirmation of my promise delivered by Isaiah – any at all in all creation. (“Sheol” was the subterranean abode of the dead.). But it seems that Ahaz has already made up his mind (v. 12) so, through Isaiah, God gives to the “house of David” (v. 13) not a “sign” (v. 11) to convince Ahaz, but one which speaks to future generations. God will keep the promise he made to David (through Nathan): “Your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me” (2 Samuel 7:16). “The young woman” (v. 14, most likely Ahaz’s wife) is pregnant; David’s line will continue; she will name her son “Immanuel” (meaning God with us). (This son was Hezekiah.) In a devastated land (paying heavy tribute to Assyria), where only basic food is available (“curds and honey”, v. 15), he will develop moral discrimination – unlike recent kings, who were deemed wicked, ungodly people. By this time, Assyria will have conquered both Syria and Israel (v. 16).

3) Interpretation

The difficulty of this text is perhaps also its genius: God is with us-and the consequences are altogether ambiguous. Properly understood, is that not the ambiguity of Advent itself? God is coming: Rejoice! Or, God is coming: Beware! Both responses are appropriate and true, and both mark the observance of Advent. God is coming, says Isaiah, bringing a kingdom of peace and prosperity, equality and justice, where all creation joins humanity's voice in songs of praise. Rejoice! But, God is coming, says John the Baptist: "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?" (Matthew 3:7). Are we eager to meet God? Of course! Are we ready to meet God? Never! A healthy tension between the two will be the hallmark of an Advent that pays attention to the biblical texts.

The text itself is lodged in the eighth century where Syria and Israel (Ephraim) are in league against Judah, and Judah's King Ahaz is afraid and unwilling to trust in God's protection. God had warned him (and us) through Isaiah: "If you do not stand firm in faith, you shall not stand at all" (Isaiah 7:9)-though, of course, the warning is also a promise: in faith, you will stand firm!

But Ahaz cannot. Can we? It's so much easier to trust in alliances and arms and investments and securities than in God. "Do not worry about tomorrow," Jesus will say (Matthew 6:25)-but that's easier said than done. So Ahaz refuses God's offer of a sign, feigning piety (as little faith often does), only to be given a sign anyway from an exasperated Isaiah. The exasperation shows in the ambiguity of the sign. On the one hand, by the time a child born now to an already pregnant woman is fully weaned, the threat from Syria and Israel will fade away (v. 16) and the king of Assyria will come as invited, but bringing violence and destruction (vv. 17). And, of course, both things are "Immanuel" (God with us), for when God comes it will always mean both judgment and promise. God comes always to bring life and salvation; but God comes always to expose human sin and purge everything that stands in the way of justice and liberty.

Did Isaiah have Jesus in mind when he spoke? Hardly. The word of God is not a simple prediction that will "come true" in a latter day or an equation to be solved to get one final answer-it is a living word that kills and makes alive in every generation, always needing to be proclaimed anew, always carrying both continuity and surprise: continuity in God's steadfast love and mercy, which never change; surprise in God's enduring penchant to do a new thing which always stirs things up. Jesus is that unexpected new thing: Jesus is Immanuel, God with us, even if they didn't get his name right. The details are not the point; the promise is.

But Jesus, too, will be an ambiguous "sign." Christmas promises peace and joy and love and nostalgia and hope and wonder; but Christmas brings God to earth in human form (Immanuel), which will change everything we thought about God and challenge everything we thought about ourselves. Do we want our inner thoughts revealed? Only if we want them cleansed-but that's a hard thing. Do we want a God in diapers? Only if we are prepared to see him go to the cross. For that, too, is Immanuel.

Jesus is God with us, bringing both the wonder and the worry of that reality. God is in Christ-so close we can touch him and taste him; so real he can forgive and make us new. God is in Christ-so close we cannot escape his scrutiny; so real he cannot escape the world's suffering. Jesus is God with us, and every day we are amazed.

4) Thought Exercise

What wonders have you seen this Christmas season?

How do you rely on faith to deal with the worries of Christmas and beyond?

Restoration

Isaiah 35: 1-10 (December 12, 2010)

1) The Text

35The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad, the desert shall rejoice and blossom; like the crocus 2it shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the majesty of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the Lord, the majesty of our God. 3Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees. 4Say to those who are of a fearful heart, “Be strong, do not fear! Here is your God. He will come with vengeance, with terrible recompense. He will come and save you.”

5Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; 6then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the speechless sing for joy. For waters shall break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert; 7the burning sand shall become a pool, and the thirsty ground springs of water; the haunt of jackals shall become a swamp, the grass shall become reeds and rushes. 8A highway shall be there, and it shall be called the Holy Way; the unclean shall not travel on it, but it shall be for God’s people; no traveler, not even fools, shall go astray. 9No lion shall be there, nor shall any ravenous beast come up on it; they shall not be found there, but the redeemed shall walk there. 10And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

2) The Context

In its canonical context, Isaiah 35 serves as a thematic bridge between Chapters 1–39 and 40–55. Chapter 35 follows a series of judgments on the nations, especially Edom in Chapter 34; and, hence, the redemptive effects of the LORD's "recompense" in Isaiah 35 provide a contrast with the devastating result of God's judgment on the nations. The themes of a highway in the wilderness and the return of God's people point forward to the opening vision of Deutero Isaiah in Chapter 40. Thus, Isaiah 35 both brings Isaiah 1–39 to a thematic conclusion and serves as an introduction to the oracles of hope that begin in Isaiah 40.

In the chapters immediately prior to Isaiah 35, Isa 30-31 pick up on a theme which was present in the earlier chapters, that is, the call for Israel to trust God and not to make alliances with foreign nations. Promises based on a king who will be righteous and warnings against those who would be complacent are next in Isa 32. This chapter is almost like a summary of Isa 1-39. The issues of righteousness and justice dominate the verses and the consequence is this idyllic picture of harmony and peace within communities, and the natural world (32:16-20). Isa 33 contains many forms which are present in worship liturgies: prayer (vv.1-6), lament (vv.7-9), divine oracle (vv.10-16), and promise of salvation (vv.17-24). Isa 34-35 completes the first section of the Book of Isaiah with prophecies concerning Edom and Zion. The nations will be judged and punished because of the way they have treated Zion. It is interesting to note the particular focus on Edom and wonder why Edom is not mentioned in the oracles against the nations in Isa 13-23, but is singled out here for a very severe punishment. Juxtaposed with this oracle of disaster for Edom (Isa 34) is the oracle of salvation for Zion (Isa 35) and naturally leads into the oracles of salvation found in Isa 40-55. However, Isa 36-39 form an historical bridge between Isa 35 and Isa 40, and appears to have been taken from 2 Kgs 18:13-20:19. Isa 34-35 is framed by 28-33 and 36-39: the former chapters centered on Jerusalem and its problems with Assyria, and the latter chapters finishing with the prophecy that Judah will be carried into exile by Babylon.

3) Interpretation

In resounding poetic vision, Isaiah 34-35 express the two paths humanity may tread in their relationship with God. Chapter 34 documents the profound destruction of Edom because of its collaboration with Babylon in the devastation of Judah leading up to the exile. The destruction is utterly comprehensive and final. God has spoken; there will be no resurrection for Edom.

Isaiah 35 represents the other side of the coin. Again it describes the intervention of God, but this time as restorer and deliverer. Verses 1-2 use mythic language to describe God’s action. They tell of the restoration of the very land through which the exiles will return to Zion. The fertility and beauty of the land itself are restored. The joy is expressed in the blooming of tree and flower where there had been dry and lifeless desert. The wilderness itself sings and rejoices as its fruitfulness returns. This is God’s doing as God prepares the appropriate ‘holy way’ along which the faithful people will return.

But in verse 3 the mood changes. Before they can make the return journey, the prophet must convince the fearful and weakened remnant of Judah that God will lead them back to Zion. There is reassurance that God ‘will come and save you’ (v. 4). After this time, the people will celebrate. Verses 5-6a detail the classic signs of restoration. The blind will see, the deaf will hear, and the lame will be made strong. They will witness the rebirth of the parched and exhausted land (v. 7).

The ‘holy way’ of v. 8 leads to the holy place, to Zion. Only the righteous can travel on it, the ‘unclean’ (or unrighteous) being disqualified. No one who sets out on the road will get lost, and the travellers will be protected from danger. God has redeemed the righteous exiles from their misery and captivity, and they will return to Zion, singing songs of joy. Matthew 11:2-5 makes a very strong link with these verses from Isaiah. The gospel writer explicitly associates the same signs of redemption with the coming of Jesus as Messiah: ‘the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them.’ (v. 5) John the Baptist asks if Jesus is the ‘one who is to come’ (v. 3). In reply, Matthew’s Jesus does not answer the question specifically; he merely points to the restoration of the people in the Isaian manner (vv. 4-5).

The connection between the Matthew passage and Isaiah 35 reminds us once again that the hope we have in Jesus, which is embodied in our Advent hope, is one that looks not just for someone to ease our individual troubles. What is envisaged is nothing less than the transformation of society and nature itself. Such transformation will ultimately depend on the Lord who restores. In the meantime, through our own participation in activities to ‘help the blind to see and the lame to walk’, we can and do embody that Advent hope in our daily lives. Advent is more than a time of tinsel and planning presents. It is a time which embodies that calling to hope expressed in our daily lives – a hope for each of us, for all of us together and for creation as a whole.

4) Thought Exercise

What signs of restoration are there during this Advent season?

What do you look to restore in the new year?