Holy Textures

Luke 5:1-11

2010-01-27T14:12:00-08:00

Short, easy to use, thought provoking background commentary for your sermon, bible study lesson, or scripture reflection.
Listed on The Text This Week, www.textweek.com.

Year C, Season of Epiphany
Fifth Sunday After Epiphany
Sunday Between February 4 to February 10 Inclusive

Read the passage: The Message or The New Revised Standard Version (NRSV).

Click here for an easy to print or email Adobe PDF version of this note.

We sometimes think that one of the first things Jesus did was call the disciples. But as we read in Luke 4:14 Jesus begins to teach in the synagogues of Galilee before returning to Nazareth and the confrontation that happens which we have read about the previous two weeks: Luke 4:14-21 and Luke 4:21-30.

Following this event, the Lectionary skips over the rest of Chapter 4 in which Jesus travels to Capernaum where once again he teaches on the Sabbath, amazes everyone, and drives out a demon. (Luke 4:31-37) He then goes to Simon's house and heals his mother. (Luke 4:32-39) Crowds then come for healing. (Luke 4:40-41) And when they try to make him stay, Jesus says, "I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other cities also." And then Luke concludes, "So he continued proclaiming the message in the synagogues of Judea." (Luke 4:42-44)

So unless Luke has once again demonstrated his unfamiliarity with the geography of Israel, Jesus has left Galilee in the north and gone to Judea in the south.

So the opening of Chapter 5 is a bit of leap in both space and time: "Once while Jesus was standing beside the lake of Gennesaret ..." (Luke 5:1) In the previous verse, Luke 4:44, Jesus was in Judea, and now we come upon him happening to stand beside a lake back in Galilee. (And the lake here called Gennesaret is more commonly called Lake Galilee.)

Verse 1. For the third time in a few short paragraphs, Luke reports that crowds are pressing Jesus - in this case to hear the word of God.

Verse 2. Since there were no means to keep fish fresh, fishing was done at night; sold in the morning; and eaten that day. So Jesus sees two boats that have been emptied of the night's catch and gear, and the fishers are off cleaning up. And as Malina comments (page 245, see footnote below):

Being away from home and family at night contributed to the low honor status of fishermen.

Malina also comments (page 363) that the reference in Luke 5:7 and 5:10 to James and John as "partners" of Simon, suggests that they operated under a lease from a tax collector. The tax could be as much as 40% of the catch. Remaining fish were sold through agents who "siphoned off the majority of the profits" and increased the price so that only elites could afford to eat fish.

Verse 3. Recall that Jesus has already been at Simon's house. (Luke 4:38-39)

Verses 4 to 7. As near as I can recall, this is the one and only time that Jesus initiates a miracle - all other times, miracles happen in response to others' requests. In this case, the miracle is not simply that fish are caught, the miracle is the abundance - enough to almost sink two boats.

The abundance of fish is sign that not only can Jesus teach the word of God, he is a Holy Man who also has authority over the spirit of the water and the fish within the water. (This will be demonstrated again when Jesus rebukes a storm. (Luke 8:22-25))

We should also remember that this is the last time that Simon, James, and John will fish in the old way. Jesus is about to ask them to re-imagine what it means for them to be fishers - and to re-imagine who "fish" might be. So the moral of this story is NOT, "Let's keep doing what we have always done before and trust that one day God will fill our nets." If anything, the moral is, "Let's stop fishing the way we have always done it. Let's re-imagine who we are and how we are and what we are called to do now. Let's be fish out of water!"

Verses 8 to the first part of 10. Jesus' demonstration of his holiness provokes the appropriate response from Simon Peter: (1) he falls on his knees - which was the customary gesture of honour shown to a superior; and (2) he asks Jesus to leave Simon's unholy personal space and unholy work space (the boat).

However, as always, Jesus is not interested in doing things simply for the purpose of amazing people. Jesus is not in the entertainment industry. He is in the proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God industry. And the time has come to shift from only teaching to crowds who go home, to also teaching to disciples who follow.

Verse 11. Malina comments (pages 245-246):

Note that Luke emphasizes how those following Jesus left "everything." (See also 5:28 and 14:33) More is involved here than leaving material goods behind. Geographic mobility and the consequent break with one's social network (biological family, patrons, friends, neighbors) were considered seriously deviant behavior and would have been much more traumatic in (Jesus' time) than simply leaving behind material wealth.

The challenge for those of us hearing this text today is that most of us will in fact not become mobile; will not give up everything. We will, like the crowds in Jesus' own time, go home.

And so perhaps it is helpful to return to the start of the passage, to the crowd who were pressing Jesus to hear the word of God, and lift these folks up as our model.

Yes, we tend to lift up Simon, James and John as the REAL models of what REAL commitment to Jesus means. But maybe that isn't the only response that Jesus seeks. After all, Jesus does spend considerable time and effort to be with, and teach to, and heal the crowds.

And maybe for those of us with kids and debts and jobs and aging parents simply being amazed and pressing forward to hear the word of God and telling others about Jesus is sufficient. That's what I'm banking on.

David Ewart,
www.davidewart.ca

* Link to Amazon.com Bibliography for Bruce Malina, et. al., Social Science Commentary on ... The Synoptic Gospels; The Gospel of John; The Book of Acts; The Letters of Paul; The Book of Revelation; and others.

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Luke 9:28-36, (37-43)

2010-01-26T16:14:23-08:00

Short, easy to use, thought provoking background commentary for your sermon, bible study lesson, or scripture reflection.
Listed on The Text This Week, www.textweek.com.

Year C, Season of Epiphany
Transfiguration Sunday
Last Sunday After Epiphany
Sunday Before Ash Wednesday

Read the passage: The Message or The New Revised Standard Version (NRSV).

Click here for an easy to print or email Adobe PDF version of this note.

This passage requires reading the First Testament passages about the prophet Elijah, 2 Kings 2:1-12: The Message or The New Revised Standard Version (NRSV).

"About 8 days after" could be a foreshadowing of a later 8th day - what we now call Easter Sunday. On the 7th day, Saturday, the Sabbath, God rested; on a Sunday, the next day, the 8th day, Jesus was raised from death to new life.

Jesus selects Peter, James, and John to accompany him. He leads them up a high mountain. Although unnamed and unstated, a "high mountain" is a "thin place," a place that is close to the spiritual realm, a place for sacred encounters.

Elijah and Moses represent the Prophets and the Law. Their talking with Jesus would signify the high spiritual status of Jesus.

Because Elijah was lifted up into the heavens before his physical death, he is still looked to by Jews today as a fore-runner of the Messiah.

(An interesting experience that Elijah, Moses and Jesus share is their 40 day fast: Exodus 34:28, 1 Kings 19:8, and Matthew 4:2)

The title, "my Son, the Beloved," was earlier heard by Jesus at his baptism as a voice coming from heaven while he was praying. (Luke 3:22)

It is now confirmed to Peter, James and John by a voice coming from a cloud. They are also instructed to "Listen to him," which suggests that Jesus is of higher status than Elijah and Moses.

Peter's offer to build three dwellings for Jesus, Moses, and Elijah provides a little comic relief, for, as the text says, they did not know what to say.

See the latter part of my Introduction to John for an explanation of why Peter, James and John told no one about what they had seen until after Jesus' resurrection.

The story of the incident that happens the next day when "they" (presumably Jesus and all of the disciples) had come down from the mountain serves as a counter-point to the glorious revelation that has just occurred. The disciples are no longer having a mountain-top experience! (And the story of this incident should include Verses 44 and 45, since Verse 44 is specifically an instruction from Jesus: Listen to me - which is precisely the commandment spoken from the cloud during the Transfiguration.)

As Malina comments (page 266, see footnote below):

A man with an only son who was seized by a spirit is in danger of being ostracized by the entire community. ... Since his son could not marry, the father faced the end of the family line, the loss of its land, and hence its place in the village. All members of his extended family were thus imperiled. The cure of this boy is thus the restoration of the family as well.

Verse 41. Jesus' response to the news that the father begged the disciples to cure his son but they could not is an insult felt all the more sharply because it is given in public. The disciples would certainly be included among the "generation."

Jesus demonstrates his high spiritual status by successfully rebuking the unclean spirit which is possessing the boy. Healing the boy and returning him to his father also results in restoring the social standing of the whole family: the boy is returned to his rightful place in the family; the family is returned to its rightful place in the village.

In Verse 41, Jesus asks a rhetorical question:

How much longer must I be with you and bear with you (you faithless and perverse generation)?

In Verse 44, Jesus begins to answer his own question:

The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into human hands.

But the disciples are too thick to take it in.

The Transfiguration is an apt Preface to Lent and Jesus' journey to Jerusalem, because what lies ahead is both a confrontation between the non-violent justice of the Kingdom of God and the violent injustice of the Roman Empire; as well as the non-violent way of the Beloved versus the hoped-for victory by the Messiah. The crowds at Jerusalem will be cheering for "the one who is bringing the Kingdom of our ancestor David." This is not the same as welcoming God's Beloved.

I wonder how much in our hearts, we are still cheering for Jesus as the triumphant Victor?

David Ewart,
www.davidewart.ca

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Luke 4:21-30

2010-01-08T15:46:25-08:00

Short, easy to use, thought provoking background commentary for your sermon, bible study lesson, or scripture reflection.
Listed on The Text This Week, www.textweek.com.

Year C, Season of Epiphany
Fourth Sunday After Epiphany
Sunday Between January 28 to February 3 Inclusive

Read the passage: The Message or The New Revised Standard Version (NRSV).

Click here for an easy to print or email Adobe PDF version of this note.

In my not so humble opinion, the authors of the lectionary give us preachers a difficult task by splitting a single story into two passages, last week's proclamation of Good News, Luke 4:14-21, and this week's - the reaction. The whole point of "Gospel" is that it must be both proclaimed AND heard to be fulfilled.

By splitting these, the Lectionary seems to suggest we can blather away proclaiming all we want without bothering about being heard. Or, we can listen endlessly without bothering about really hearing.

Whereas the point of Luke 4:14-30 is that proclaiming and hearing must be seamless in order for the Good News to be fulfilled.

This week's lesson begins with last week's punch line.

The key to understanding this lesson is to imagine the tone of voice in Verse 22:
All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words
that came from his mouth.
They said, "Is this not Joseph's son?"

Amazed - as in: Wonder? Excitement? Appreciation? Proud? Gee, isn't he something! Look how well one of our own is doing! Why, I knew him when ... Or ...

Amazed - as in: Hallelujah! Finally! Here is the Holy One who will fulfill these ancient hopes from the days of Isaiah! Or ...

Amazed - as in: Wow! Just who does he think he is! Look who's got too big for his britches! Who's thinking he's holier than us? Or ...

Amazed - as in: What did he just say? Isn't he really saying that these words of Isaiah haven't been fulfilled so far because we haven't actually been hearing them? Just who does he think he is to talk to us like that?

While most English translations seem to opt for the first two, we can see that others change "spoke well of him" to a more neutral "bore witness" (KJV) or "watching and listening" (MSG) which is the Greek root; and choose "wonder," (KJV and NASB) "surprise," (MSG), "marvel" (TEV), or "astonished" (NJB) to describe the crowd's reaction to Jesus' words.

Malina (page 243, see footnote below) helps correct the possible interpretations:

In asking if Jesus is Joseph's son, the synagogue participants are cutting him down to size. They are questioning how such honorable teaching could come from one born to a lowly artisan. This exchange has often puzzled Western commentators who fail to understand the magnitude of the insult implied by the question.

Verse 23. Having heard the question about his parentage (and also keenly aware of the gossip that would still be circulating about him NOT being Joseph's son), Jesus begins to reply to their hostile question with an equally hostile reply.

Note the fore-shadowing of "Doctor, heal yourself" with the later taunt for Jesus to save himself from death and shame on the cross. And recall the demand to prove himself now with the earlier test to turn stones into bread - which Jesus must honourably refuse to do.

Recall that in Jesus' day it was DIShonourable to boast, to seek fame and celebrity, to deliberately do anything for the purpose of drawing attention to oneself. So when anyone who has only heard the second-hand gossip about the things Jesus has done then demands that he do them in their sight - Jesus has to refuse because that would be dishonourable. However. As a worthy Son, Jesus must defend the honour of God, because it is God who ascribed honour to Jesus by declaring, "You are my Son, the Beloved." (Verse 3:22) So. Throughout all 4 Gospels, whenever Jesus is verbally accosted / challenged with hostile questions or demands, he - honourably - vigorously responds in the only socially accepted manner - with verbally hostile questions of his own.

Verses 25 to 27 then provide 2 illustrations from Scripture of the adage in Verse 24:
Outsiders are better able to judge the honour of a prophet
than those who know him best.
Malina, page 243

Jesus' response has so thoroughly insulted and dishonoured the crowd that he has left them speechless. Which is a dangerous thing to do, since the only thing left to defend their honour is to take action. Which the crowd does. Malina comments (pages 273-74):

(While) the death of the challenger is sometimes a worthy response to public dishonor, an over-quick resort to violence is often an unintended public admission of failure. In (verbal) honor challenges, the party that first resorts to violence loses the exchange: a resort to violence indicates that wits have failed and bully tactics have taken over. Here the crowd tries to throw Jesus off a cliff.

This, of course, will not be the last time words and wits will fail Jesus' opponents and they will resort to violence.

Nor will it be the last time Jesus will pass through the midst of them and be on his way. Though, unlike this time where Luke offers no further elaboration, that last time has led to generations of amazement, wonder, marvel, surprise, and astonishment.

As we listen to this text today, it is important to go back to the opening Verse 21:

Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.

and really hear Jesus' implied challenge:

And the reason it hasn't been fulfilled so far is because you have not really been willing to really hear it / live it.

Good News is just so much talk if it is only spoken; even the words of the Bible must be actually lived to be transformed into Good News.

David Ewart,
www.davidewart.ca

Permission is granted for non-profit use of these materials.
Acknowledgement in oral presentations is not required.
Otherwise, please acknowledge source as, "David Ewart, www.holytextures.com."

Luke 4:14-21

2010-01-08T15:07:08-08:00

Short, easy to use, thought provoking background commentary for your sermon, bible study lesson, or scripture reflection.
Listed on The Text This Week, www.textweek.com.

Year C, Season of Epiphany
Third Sunday After Epiphany
Sunday Between January 21 to January 27 Inclusive

Read the passage: The Message or The New Revised Standard Version (NRSV).

Click here for an easy to print or email Adobe PDF version of this note.

The context for this passage is Luke 3:22, Jesus' baptism:

and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in the bodily form of a dove. And a voice came from Heaven, "You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased."

Luke then provides 3 forms of evidence for the truth of this wildly outrageous claim of the highest possible honour for this lowest status hillbilly carpenter's son:

The genealogy of Jesus, Luke 3:23-38, which ends, "... son of Adam, son of God."
The 3 cosmic tests of Jesus' loyalty to God, Luke 4:1-13. "If you are the Son of God, ..." (Verses 4:3 and 4:9), and "If you will worship me (Satan), ..." (Verse 4:7).
[Aside. Similar testing will occur at the end of Jesus' life when the crowds watching his execution on the cross will taunt him, "If you are ..." (Luke 23:35, 37, and 39)]
Jesus passes these tests - honourably - not by demonstrating his own power / wisdom / glory, but by quoting from Scripture the power / wisdom / glory of his true Father - God. It is God who has ascribed to Jesus the honour of being a Son. And so, as any honourable, worthy son would do, it is God's wisdom and honour that Jesus defends in rebutting the tests of Satan.
Gossip spreads about Jesus and his public reputation grows as people speak well of him, Luke 4:14-21.

Verse 14. Note that the Holy Spirit descends on Jesus (Verse 3:22), then fills Jesus (Verse 4:1), then fills Jesus with power (Verse 4:14).

The baptism of Jesus took place in the Jordan River which in the south of Israel. Jesus returns to his home province of Galilee in the north. Jesus' words and deeds cause people to take favourable notice of him, and gossip begins to spread.

Verse 16. The true test of one's public reputation is what those who knew you before think about you now. Jesus returns to his hometown of Nazareth, "where he had been brought up."

Verse 18 and 19. Remember that Luke has already told us that the Holy Spirit has descended on Jesus, filled him, and filled him with the power of the Holy Spirit. Now, reading from Isaiah 61:1-2, we hear that the Spirit has "anointed me."

The passage from Isaiah reflects the themes that we have already heard in the songs sung at the conception and birth of Jesus by Elizabeth (Luke 1:41-45), Mary (Luke 1:46-55), Zechariah (Luke 1:67-79), angels (Luke 2:13-14), Simeon (Luke 2:29-32), and Anna (Luke 2:38).

A passage like this always reminds me of Jonah. When the Spirit of the Lord shows up - run away! Because a God-sized blessing always comes with a God-sized mission:

(the Spirit) has anointed me ... in order to ...
   bring good news to the poor
(the poor - not just one or two, but all the poor)
   Release to the captives,
   recovery of sight to the blind,
   let the oppressed go free,
   proclaim the year of the Lord's favour.

Sure God. Easy. Consider it done. (Where's the nearest whale? I'm so outta here.)

Verse 21. So, just in case you've started to relax because you've noticed that this God-sized mission has been given to Jesus and not you, the first thing Jesus says is:

Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.

Yikes. Jesus gets anointed for the mission, but it turns out that it is only in our hearing of it - in our internalizing of it - in our realizing of it - in our living of it - that this God-sized mission will be fulfilled / completed / accomplished.

As we will see in next week's lesson, Luke 4:21-30, Jesus' hometown crowd are both amazed and challenged / insulted by Jesus saying this.

Amazed, perhaps, that a long-held hope is about to be realized.

Insulted, perhaps, by the unstated implication that the reason these long-held hopes had not been fulfilled sooner is that we had not "heard" them in spite of them having been read to us over and over again.

Hmm. What about us? What about our hearing of this scripture? Any hope of it being finally fulfilled in our hearing of it? (Where's that whale when we really need one?)

David Ewart,
www.davidewart.ca

Permission is granted for non-profit use of these materials.
Acknowledgement in oral presentations is not required.
Otherwise, please acknowledge source as, "David Ewart, www.holytextures.com."

Luke 3:15-17, 21-22

2009-12-16T14:52:00-08:00

Short, easy to use, thought provoking background commentary for your sermon, bible study lesson, or scripture reflection.
Listed on The Text This Week, www.textweek.com.

Year C, Season of Epiphany
Baptism of Jesus
First Sunday After Epiphany
Sunday Between January 7 to January 13 Inclusive

Read the passage: The Message or The New Revised Standard Version (NRSV).

Click here for an easy to print or email Adobe PDF version of this note.

As we learned back in Verse 3:1, Luke pinpoints the date of this event as "the fifteenth year of the reign of the Emperor Tiberius." Which would be 28-29 A.D. Which would make John and Jesus about 33. Which in their day was about the average life span of the poor. Which was about 80% of the population. And which were the people both John and Jesus belonged to. Jesus and John were not young men in the prime of their life. They were elders. And if they had not escaped the usual life of the poor, they also suffered from long hours of hard work, poor diets, and lack of sanitation.

Because of John's prophetic preaching and call for repentance (Luke 3:1-14), his public reputation had grown to the point that people were being filled with expectation and wondering if John might be the Messiah - the Anointed - the Christ - the one to fulfill the centuries old promise of God to King David that a descendant of David would reign over Israel for ever.

But the now adult John remains true to the mission for which he was conceived. (Luke 1:13-17 and Luke 1:76-77)

Verses 15 to 17. Somewhere back in the mists of my memory, someone said that John is our model. Like John, we too proclaim the good news to the people, we too point to Jesus and his ministry.

I also am reminded of Mr. Rogers whenever I read a separating-the-wheat-from-the-chaff passage. As Mr. Rogers often pointed out even people who are bad most of the time will be good some of the time; and those who are good most of the time will be bad some of the time.

So the wheat-chaff separation is not separating into two groups of "bad" persons and "good" persons. It is separating the good that is within each person from the bad that is within each person.

Verses 21 to 22. As I mentioned back in my discussion of Luke 3:7-18, I think it is reasonable to understand John's baptism as not being simply for repentance and forgiveness of sins. John's images in Verses 3:7-9 are challenging reliance on our birth parentage and calling for a re-rooting of our identities as offspring of God.

This is specifically what the voice from Heaven announces for Jesus - "You are my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased." This public declaration in which the father acknowledges paternity was of utmost importance at the time of Jesus. (Malina, page 238)

Luke emphasizes this in the genealogy that immediately follows: Jesus was the son of ... who was the son of Adam, son of God.

Jesus' baptism is not about repentance. It is about his identity being publically, ritually re-rooted into God.

And this re-rooting of OUR identities continues to be the primary work of the church today. May it be so.

David Ewart,
www.davidewart.ca

Permission is granted for non-profit use of these materials.
Acknowledgement in oral presentations is not required.
Otherwise, please acknowledge source as, "David Ewart, www.holytextures.com."

John 2:1-11

2009-12-16T14:50:00-08:00

Short, easy to use, thought provoking background commentary for your sermon, bible study lesson, or scripture reflection.
Listed on The Text This Week, www.textweek.com.

Year C, Season of Epiphany
Second Sunday After Epiphany
Sunday Between January 14 to January 20 Inclusive

Read the passage: The Message or The New Revised Standard Version (NRSV).

Click here for an easy to print or email Adobe PDF version of this note.

This story is the first self-revelation by Jesus in John.

In John, these sort of actions - changing water into wine, for example - are not "miracles" - they are SIGNS. John does NOT want us to look at them; he wants us to look at what they point to. It is a complete mis-reading of this text to respond, "Wow! I wonder HOW he did that?" John wants us to respond, "Wow! I wonder WHO did that?" Wasting time discussing the sign is like going to a fabulous restaurant and spending the evening talking about the menu instead of enjoying the feast. (Click here to read my brief note giving an Introduction to John.)

Verses 1 and 2. "On the third day," is the first of two "on the third day's" that book-end John's telling us about Jesus.

The phrasing, "the mother of Jesus was there" at the wedding, and that "Jesus and his disciples had also been invited," suggests that his mother was there to help the women of the hosting household with the wedding preparations, and Jesus and his disciples were there as guests.

Assisting, being invited, and attending a wedding were social obligations that established / maintained / demonstrated one's social status and honour. Jesus, his mother, and his disciples are all there because of some existing family or neighbourly relationship.

Verses 3 and 4. "When the wine ran out ..." is not a comment on unusually heavy drinking at the wedding. It indicates that the host either has a shameful lack of friends who were socially obliged to bring sufficient wine as gifts (one of whom would have been Jesus). Or the host's friends have shamed themselves - and the host - by failing to provide sufficient wine.

Jesus' mother attempts to discretely redress this by speaking directly to Jesus. However, such an approach would break social taboos against women speaking to men in public places - especially since the topic is a woman's social responsibility - serving the food. The comment is certainly a challenge to Jesus' honour. And Jesus, at least initially, rebuffs her. (And remember that this "third day" is not that second "third day" which is indeed the time when Jesus' hour comes.)

Malina (pages 67-68, see footnote below) makes note of a pattern that appears in John.

Unlike Matthew, Mark, and Luke where Jesus almost always only takes action at the request of others; John is almost always the reverse - it is Jesus who initiates. And when others do make requests:

Jesus' response is always one of delaying reluctance, followed by compliance, and then conflict with hostile Judeans.
Page 67

We see this pattern 4 times: here (see Verses 13 and following); John 4:46 to 5:1 and 5:18; John 7:2-10; and lastly, the raising of Lazarus, John 11:1-8.

There is no explanation given in John for this pattern.

Malina speculates, "Perhaps John uses this pattern to inform members of his (John's) group how to deal with their relatives and other natural in-group persons." (Page 68.)

My speculation is that it has more to do with Jesus' reluctance to perform signs for those who request them- and that it is precisely the performing of signs that increases Jesus' public profile and honour which bring him into conflict with the authorities.

Verses 5 to 10. Notice that the "sign" is "performed" in completely natural, normal actions. But it is "performed" at the direction of Jesus - as ordinary people do ordinary things that follow Jesus' commands. Nothing "magic" is said or done by Jesus.

The sign is also performed in plain sight but totally unobserved: Jars are filled with water, a sample is drawn out, the sample is tasted and found to be wine.

But since this is a sign and not a miracle, the point is not, "Wow! how did that happen?" The point is, "Wow! Who did that?" Which is precisely the point John makes in Verse 11:

Jesus did this, the first of his signs, ... and revealed his glory, and his disciples believed (into) him.

As Malina comments:

In this Gospel (of John), a sign is something that reveals who Jesus really is. Jesus' signs are self-disclosures that provoke interpersonal affectionate adherence.
Page 69.

"Revealed his glory" means revealed Jesus' honour / his status with God. It demonstrates Jesus' loyalty to his followers - his commitment to them. And invokes a reciprocal commitment by them to Jesus.

As John himself says in John 20:31, his goal in writing down this sign is not that we should be amazed, or even that we should believe in Jesus. Rather his goal is that we should bond with Jesus / abide in Jesus - and receive for ourselves the life that is in Jesus. John's goal is that "seeing" will lead to life in all its abundance.

David Ewart,
www.davidewart.ca

Permission is granted for non-profit use of these materials.
Acknowledgement in oral presentations is not required.
Otherwise, please acknowledge source as, "David Ewart, www.holytextures.com."

Luke 2:41-52

2009-12-04T12:55:15-08:00

Short, easy to use, thought provoking background commentary for your sermon, bible study lesson, or scripture reflection.
Listed on The Text This Week, www.textweek.com.

Year C, Season of Christmas
Christmas 1
Sunday Between December 26 and January 1 Inclusive

Read the passage: The Message or The New Revised Standard Version (NRSV).

Click here for an easy to print or email Adobe PDF version of this note.

Bruce Malina again provides helpful comment on why this one and only reference to Jesus' childhood appears in Luke who is writing for an educated Greek-Roman audience:

(Ancient) biographies usually featured one childhood incident that was taken to foreshadow the character of the adult. ... (Such honourific biographies will) comment on education, nurture, and quality of mind.
Page 234, see footnote below.

Exodus 12:1-27 and Deuteronomy 16:1-8 command the annual observance of the Passover in Jerusalem. We learn from Luke that Jesus' parents nurtured him properly by observing this ritual as required "every year."

We also learn from Luke that at the age of 12, Jesus separates himself from his blood family. Twelve is the year of preparation for "coming of age" from boyhood to manhood in Jewish tradition. At this age, a boy moves from the private sphere and influence of his mother to the public sphere of men.

Since travel was dangerous, it was done in groups with family and neighbours. Travelling together in a group did not require the direct supervision of a 12 year old boy-man, so it is not until the end of the day when families would gather for the evening meal and to sleep that Jesus' absence is noticed.

The return to Jerusalem by Jesus' parents (note that neither are named) would be risky as they would no longer be with the larger group. It would also be shameful as it would make public that Jesus had not been obedient to them.

"On the the third day" is a foreshadowing of a later third day following Passover.

Verses 46 and 47 describe Jesus' education by elite scholars at the Temple (not your simple country rabbi in Nazareth) and their acknowledgement of his abilities.

This is the beginning of Jesus acquiring public honour, but it is not the last time that Luke will note that others were amazed by what Jesus' has said or done. Such amazement by others is what builds Jesus' reputation and honour. And it is precisely this public recognition that will later make Jesus such a threat to the authorities.

Verse 48. It is noteworthy that it is his mother and not his father that questions Jesus in public. Normally only the man would discipline his family.

Though the fact that Jesus has not obeyed his parents would be shameful for them, and chastising Jesus' in public would have the Catch-22 of making it plain that Jesus had acted without their permission (which is shameful), and that they gone to great pains to find him and restore him to his proper place in the family (which is honourable). His mother's question is not one of concern for Jesus - it is about concern for the increased travel risks and shame that Jesus' behaviour has brought upon his parents.

Verses 49 and 50. Mary's question also has the intention / implication of asserting / restoring her influence over Jesus. But Jesus-now-the-man-and-not-her-boy-anymore demonstrates his autonomy by responding to a hostile question with a question. This is a pattern that we will see repeatedly throughout Jesus' adult ministry. Jesus' response is also the beginning of a public shifting from his family of origin - Mary and Joseph - to his - and our - origin, God.

Verses 51 and 52 bring Luke's telling of this childhood incident to an honourable conclusion: Jesus behaves like a good son, properly respecting his parent's control; his mother properly performs the woman's function of being the store house of the family's history and honour; Jesus advances in public reputation, status, and maturity.

When preaching on this text it is important to remember that Luke is not writing a "How To" book for parenting; nor is he writing a morality tale to illustrate proper behaviour for children.

Apart from us joining in amazement at Jesus' wisdom and maturity, perhaps the most important thing for us to do is to join in thanksgiving that through Jesus God is "Father," and we too are daughters and sons of God. No matter how good or bad our family of origin was - it is not our end, nor what ultimately defines us. We are God's; and that is Good News.

David Ewart,
www.davidewart.ca

Permission is granted for non-profit use of these materials.
Acknowledgement in oral presentations is not required.
Otherwise, please acknowledge source as, "David Ewart, www.holytextures.com."

John 1:1-18

2009-11-30T16:48:00-08:00

Short, easy to use, thought provoking background commentary for your sermon, bible study lesson, or scripture reflection.
Listed on The Text This Week, www.textweek.com.

Year A, B, C, Season of Christmas
Christmas Eve / Day
December 24 / 25

Read the passage: The Message or The New Revised Standard Version (NRSV).

Click here for an easy to print or email Adobe PDF version of this note.

God bless the preacher who tries to say something sensible about this text in 20 minutes or less.

Perhaps the best approach is to read it; then prop the Bible open in a visible place; then lie face down in silent, abject humility before the text; then, after 20 minutes - or twenty years - stand up and say, "Amen."

Failing that, here is my summary of Bruce Malina's comments. (John, pages 29-41, see footnote below.) But let's start with a direct quote from Malina:

These verses have caused both wonder and controversy throughout Christian history. ... When read as ordinary language, they are majestic and profound yet bristling with interpretive and theological difficulties. ... Our (the authors, Malina and Rohrbaugh) interest is in the way these verses introduce the cosmic Messiah and describe his mission on behalf of those who "believe into him."
Pages 29-30

In pre-literate societies, creating and memorizing poetry was highly esteemed and gave great honour to the subject of the poem. Thus, the form of John 1:1-18 as a majestic poem gives notice of the honour and glory with which the subject of this Gospel - Jesus - is to be received.

The poem form also gives notice that John is NOT writing a biography or diary of Jesus - What I Did With Jesus Today. Indeed, as John himself says:

These (signs) are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.
John 20:31

That is:

John is NOT writing about EVENTS; he is writing about SIGNS that show who Jesus really was - the Messiah, the Son of God.
He is writing so that YOU, the reader, might come to believe into Jesus. And.
He is NOT writing simply so that YOU, the reader, might believe into Jesus; he is writing so that YOU, the reader, might have LIFE in Jesus' NAME - in Jesus' being, in Jesus' life, in Jesus' abiding in God.

This direct address to we, the readers, is unique to John, and ought to warn us to expect a form of writing that is intense and intended to draw us into a personal, direct, and immediate bonding with Jesus and his mission. John's goal is NOT to convey information about Jesus, or to propose ideas about Jesus for us to consider and agree or disagree. John wants us to SEE Jesus; to KNOW Jesus; to BOND with Jesus; to ABIDE IN Jesus - and to be loyal to Jesus and all those who are similarly bonded with Jesus.

The quality of the relationship that John is wanting us to have with Jesus is all-or-nothing. And so John is constantly setting up either-or alternatives: life or death; light or darkness; truth or falseness; bonding or betraying; receiving or denying; inner circle or everyone else.

In John's day, the urgency for either being completely in or completely out of John's inner circle was heightened by the very real persecution of followers of Jesus by the Romans. In our day, while we may still want to stress the urgency of making a total commitment to Jesus; we should avoid the error of the past 2,000 years of persecuting those who are not part of our inner circle, especially "the Jews."

As Malina points out, the NRSV translation of "the Jews" would be more accurately translated as "the Judeans." That is, as those people of the nation Israel who came from one of its provinces, Judah - especially as contrasted with those people of the nation Israel came from another of its provinces, Galilee. Judeans - especially those from the capital city, Jerusalem, considered all Galileans to be ill-mannered, uneducated, hillbillies. Jesus was from Galilee. The Chief Priests, Scribes, and Pharisees were all Judean elites.

In a nutshell, the argument in John is not against Judaism and all Jews. It is a family fight within the people of Israel - against Judean elites and those within Israel who do not SEE Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God. A fight for sure, but a fight with those whom God has formed as sisters and brothers.

And one last comment before beginning.

Because John's purpose is that YOU might have LIFE in Jesus' NAME, John emphasizes certain key themes over and over again. For example, a simple Search of my online Bible gave the following results for the Gospel of John:

Light or See occur 133 times in 110 verses;
Know occurs 102 times in 82 verses;
Life occurs 62 times in 48 verses;
Believe occurs 59 times in 52 verses;
Witness or Testify occurs 34 times in 26 verses;
Truth occurs 26 times in 21 verses
Abide or Rest occurs 23 times in 17 verses;
Glory occurs 19 times in 15 verses.

These words or themes are all present in the first 18 verses of John. Memorize them now and the rest of the book will open itself to your gaze like ... well, you chose the image.

Verse 1 is a clear reference to Genesis 1:1 The creation in Genesis 1:1 to 2:4a is all brought about through God speaking, through God's Word. In John's Gospel God's speaking is personified as the Word, the agency / means / agent through whom all thing come into being.

Verse 4 establishes the pairing of life and light - "the life was the light."

Verse 5. At the time of Jesus, light and darkness were understood to be separate substances. Darkness was not simply the absence of light, it was something in itself. And so the light shines in the darkness. And in the struggle between light and darkness - the light does not end the darkness; nor does the darkness overcome the light. And for those of us who live in darkness, the coming of a light that the darkness cannot overcome is good enough news.

Verses 6 to 9. This is the first of several references to John the Baptist - all of which stress John's secondary role in relation to Jesus. However, they are also the first to stress the importance of being truthful witness to the light so that others might believe.

Verses 10 to 13 introduce the theme of inner circle - "those who received him" - and everyone else - "the world did not know him." We also hear for the first time what is at stake in our response to Jesus that John is about to show us:

But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God.

Becoming "children of God" means becoming members of a new family, and 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. (See Verse 20:31 above.)

Verse 14 is a foundational text for linking Word-Son-Jesus. I say, "linking" because 2,000 years and 2,000 times that number of books have been written to describe the relationship between them. Let's just comment that:

"glory" is God's "honour" / status / reputation;
"lived among us" is the word for "pitched a tent" and alludes, perhaps, to the tent which housed the Ark of the Covenant before the Temple was built, and perhaps hints at the contest between Jesus and the Temple which is to follow;
God's glory is "full of grace and truth" - graceful truth? truthful grace? - and not, say, anger and judgement.

Verse 15 is another comment on John the Baptist's role.

Verses 16 to 18. Verse 16 repeats Verse 12, but in a more general and ecstatic way:

(But to all who received him,) from his fullness / abundance we have all received grace upon grace / one blessing after another.

The blessing of the Law came through Moses; the blessing of grace and truth through Jesus.

Just as the Word was God's original means of self-revelation through the creation of all things; so 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. May it be so.

David Ewart,
www.davidewart.ca

Permission is granted for non-profit use of these materials.
Acknowledgement in oral presentations is not required.
Otherwise, please acknowledge source as, "David Ewart, www.holytextures.com."

Luke 2:1-20 or Luke 2:(1-7), 8-20 or Luke 2:1-14, (15-20)

2009-11-30T11:12:00-08:00

Short, easy to use, thought provoking background commentary for your sermon, bible study lesson, or scripture reflection.
Listed on The Text This Week, www.textweek.com.

Year A, B, C, Season of Christmas
Christmas Eve / Day
December 24 / 25

Read the passage: The Message or The New Revised Standard Version (NRSV).

Click here for an easy to print or email Adobe PDF version of this note.

Luke's historical details for the birth of Jesus are problematic.

Luke 1:5, "In the days of King Herod," who died in 4 BC.

Luke 2:1, "In those days a decree went out from Emperor (or Caesar) Augustus that all the world should be registered," places the birth anytime between 27 BC to 14 AD, the length of the very long reign of Augustus.

Luke 2:2, "This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria," places the date at 6 or 7 AD.

Most scholars agree that Luke and Matthew's reference to "In the days of King Herod," is the most reliable reference and that Jesus was born sometime before Herod's death in 4 BC.

Note that Matthew 1:18-25 and 2:1-12, make no mention of Nazareth or a census.

Note that in Luke there is no mention of how Joseph and Mary traveled from Nazareth to Bethlehem. The distance between these two villages is approximately 70 miles or 130 kilometers; a journey of at least 3 or 4 days by foot. It is likely that neither place was a "city" or even a "town," as each would have about 100 adult residents.

Luke 2:7, "and wrapped him in bands of cloth (swaddling clothes)" was an ancient custom practiced up to modern times of tightly wrapping a new born so that their arms and legs were bound and the torso held rigidly.

Luke 2:7 "and laid him in a manger." A manger is a feeding trough not a barn or stable. Peasants who had domestic animals kept them in one half of their one-room houses, with the manger in the middle to provide a divider. (The animals provided much needed heat in the cold of winter.)

Luke 2:7 "because there was no room in the inn." The word that is translated here as "inn," appears only 2 other times in the Bible and refers to the guest room where Jesus and his disciples last ate together. (See Mark 14:14 and Luke 22:11.) Likely there would not be an "inn" as we think of it today in Bethlehem at the time of Jesus. It is more likely that Mary and Joseph were staying in the peasant house of distant relatives who took them in as hospitality required them to do.

Luke 2:8-20. Bruce Malina comments about shepherds:

While shepherds could be romanticized (as was King David), they were usually ranked with ass drivers, tanners, sailors, butchers, camel drivers, and other despised occupations. Being away from home at night they were unable to protect their women, hence considered dishonorable. In addition, they often were considered thieves because they grazed their flocks on other people's property.
Social-Science Commentary on the Synoptic Gospels, Page 232.

Nonetheless, it is to these unlikely and unworthy characters that the first news of the birth of Jesus is given, and not to the Kings, Caesars, and Governors mentioned at the beginning of this passage. But then again, perhaps it is precisely the despised and the disreputable who are most in need of - and receptive to - the Good News of peace on earth and God's good will to all.

The Good News is not simply a "feel good" news. It is quite literally, a royal proclamation declaring the birth of a new King - a Prince of Peace - and of the coming of his realm here on earth as it already is in Heaven.Is this news that needs to be heard today? May it be so.

David Ewart,
www.davidewart.ca

Permission is granted for non-profit use of these materials.
Acknowledgement in oral presentations is not required.
Otherwise, please acknowledge source as, "David Ewart, www.holytextures.com."

Luke 3:7-18

2009-11-29T15:35:00-08:00

Short, easy to use, thought provoking background commentary for your sermon, bible study lesson, or scripture reflection.
Listed on The Text This Week, www.textweek.com.

Year C, Season of Advent
Third Sunday of Advent
Sunday Between December 11 and December 17 Inclusive

Read the passage: The Message or The New Revised Standard Version (NRSV).

Click here for an easy to print or email Adobe PDF version of this note.

Contrary to Arthur Paul Boer's excellent advice, Never Call Them Jerks, I often have to resist adding as a personal aside while reading Verse 7, "You brood of vipers (and you know who you are) ..." But just as with Jonah and the Ninevites, it turns out that even vipers can heed warnings and repent.

However, as Malina helpfully points out, this phrase would also be understood as, "you offspring of vipers." And since all of one's social standing derived from one's parents - this is a high insult indeed. An insult that would be strenuously challenged by those listening to John - and a challenge that John anticipates and cuts off by saying, "Don't say that Abraham is your ancestor ..."

Indeed by going further with his image of the axe cutting at the ROOTS of the tree - as compared with cutting at the trunk of the tree - John is deepening the meaning of repentance to be RE-ROOTING. Luke does not explicitly expand on this in this text, but the practice of baptism for the Christian community would very early on become not just a rite for repentance for the forgiveness of sins - but more crucially, a rite for re-rooting one's identity away from one's birth family into the community of followers of Christ's way. It is this baptism of RE-ROOTING as a child of God that Jesus undergoes.

What Luke does expand on is John's message of repentance. And so, probably the best sermon title for this week is, "New Roots That Bear Fruits of Repentance." (Verse 8)

That is, in Biblical terms, repentance is not about feeling sorry or forgiveness - nor can it be inherited - it is all about changing behaviour. Verses 10 to 14 give specific concrete examples of the type of changes to make, and invite challenging self-examination: Anyone here have two coats?

Thinking through what might be the fruits of repentance for each of us - and for the congregation as a whole - might be all the work that needs to be done this Sunday.

Verses 15 to 18. Somewhere back in the mists of my memory, someone said that John is our model. Like John, we too proclaim the good news to the people, we too point to Jesus and his ministry.

So the wheat-chaff separation is not separating into two groups of "bad" persons and "good" persons. It is separating the good that is within each person from the bad that is within each person. May it be so. (Especially you vipers out there. Just kidding. Sort of.)

David Ewart,
www.davidewart.ca

Permission is granted for non-profit use of these materials.
Acknowledgement in oral presentations is not required.
Otherwise, please acknowledge source as, "David Ewart, www.holytextures.com."