Our reading challenge for the day is Numbers 8-12. I’ll hit a few highlights. You make comments too and fill in the gaps. What strikes you as specially significant?
Numbers 8 - See how the priests and Levites are taken care of. They are consecrated to the Lord and are to be cared for, including having a promise that they will reach an age when they will be able to rest from the very heavy labor they are to do.
Numbers 9 - The Passover is of critical importance. The only reason to miss the celebration is due to uncleanness, and there is an alternate date given for that. Compare this to how casual we often are about our attendance at divine service to receive the gifts of God!
Numbers 10 - God appoints a signal system of trumpets then has the people set out in order as he has prescribed. His directives are important to his people.
Numbers 11 - God has Moses appoint elders to share his burden. He knows that the people’s complaints will only increase, as they are sinful by nature. God has provided all the people need and yet they complain so he gives them the meat they are complaining about missing - so much that they will not be able to deal with it. Woe to us when God turns us over to our own desires!
Numbers 12 - As we see God deal with Aaron and Miriam we realize that there are many different types of ministry that our Lord may give us. All are important, but not all are the same. Can we rejoice in the state the Lord has placed us in?
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Philippians
“Philippians” Carson & Moo pp. 498-515
After a brief survey of the contents of Philippians, Carson & Moo discuss the authorship of the book. Except for the passage in chapter 2 verses 5-11 the letter is almost uniformly ascribed to Paul. The remaining seven verses appear to be an insertion, possibly by Paul, of a text existing at the time of composition, possibly an early hymn. p. 500 “In an earlier day this was often taken as a solemn doctrinal pronouncement of the apostle and made the basis for kenotic theories of the incarnation. In more recent times close attention has been given to its form, and it is now widely agreed that we should see it both as poetry and as liturgy - in short, as a hymn.”
The book was written while Paul was a prisoner, traditionally assumed to be in Rome. Carson and Moo discuss other possibilities but still tend to consider Rome as the location of composition, probably about 61-62. The letter is occasional in nature. Paul writes to reassure the Philippians of the well-being of Epaphroditus. He also wishes to acknowledge the gift they had sent him and to thank them for their prayers. Paul also commends Timothy to the Philippians.
The letter, which has no significant textual questions, was adopted into the canon quite early without dispute. In recent study scholars have investigated the unity of the letter, looking for unifying features. There have also been attempts to identify Paul’s opponents and the kind of opposition he faced.
Philippians shows us a great deal about bringing encouragement to others in their faith and action. We can know that God works in his communities as they are knit together in Christ.
After a brief survey of the contents of Philippians, Carson & Moo discuss the authorship of the book. Except for the passage in chapter 2 verses 5-11 the letter is almost uniformly ascribed to Paul. The remaining seven verses appear to be an insertion, possibly by Paul, of a text existing at the time of composition, possibly an early hymn. p. 500 “In an earlier day this was often taken as a solemn doctrinal pronouncement of the apostle and made the basis for kenotic theories of the incarnation. In more recent times close attention has been given to its form, and it is now widely agreed that we should see it both as poetry and as liturgy - in short, as a hymn.”
The book was written while Paul was a prisoner, traditionally assumed to be in Rome. Carson and Moo discuss other possibilities but still tend to consider Rome as the location of composition, probably about 61-62. The letter is occasional in nature. Paul writes to reassure the Philippians of the well-being of Epaphroditus. He also wishes to acknowledge the gift they had sent him and to thank them for their prayers. Paul also commends Timothy to the Philippians.
The letter, which has no significant textual questions, was adopted into the canon quite early without dispute. In recent study scholars have investigated the unity of the letter, looking for unifying features. There have also been attempts to identify Paul’s opponents and the kind of opposition he faced.
Philippians shows us a great deal about bringing encouragement to others in their faith and action. We can know that God works in his communities as they are knit together in Christ.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Bible Reading Challenge - Week 9 Day 2 - Numbers 3-7
Our reading challenge for the day is Numbers 3-7. I’ll hit a few highlights. You make comments too and fill in the gaps. What strikes you as specially significant?
Numbers 3 - With the death of two of Aaron’s four sons, the priesthood is quite diminished. It was never large to begin with. God is able to use that which is weak to accomplish his purposes of forgiveness and restoration. But see how he raises up the rest of the tribe of Levi to a valuable work of assisting the priesthood. It is not only the pastor who is engaged in ministry.
Numbers 4 - Caring for God’s appointed place of worship is the kind of duty for manly men. We need more real men who are man enough to step forward and care for our places of worship, making sure that all is done decently and in order.
Numbers 5-6 - Notice how very concrete God’s means of grace are! Sacrifices really do something. When we pray that the Lord will show sin or innocence we expect a result. And all that we do is pointed at reconciliation of broken trust. See also the blessing which is so often used at the end of a divine service. This is the blessing upon the people of Israel when they are going to go out to take the promised land.
Numbers 7 - The tribes of Israel bring their offerings for the consecration of the tabernacle. God speaks to Moses as a sign that the offerings are acceptable in his sight. See how everything has been done according to God’s institution. We also receive God’s blessing in the way he has commanded it, coming before him in Word and Sacrament. We can have confidence that our Lord will bless his people.
Numbers 3 - With the death of two of Aaron’s four sons, the priesthood is quite diminished. It was never large to begin with. God is able to use that which is weak to accomplish his purposes of forgiveness and restoration. But see how he raises up the rest of the tribe of Levi to a valuable work of assisting the priesthood. It is not only the pastor who is engaged in ministry.
Numbers 4 - Caring for God’s appointed place of worship is the kind of duty for manly men. We need more real men who are man enough to step forward and care for our places of worship, making sure that all is done decently and in order.
Numbers 5-6 - Notice how very concrete God’s means of grace are! Sacrifices really do something. When we pray that the Lord will show sin or innocence we expect a result. And all that we do is pointed at reconciliation of broken trust. See also the blessing which is so often used at the end of a divine service. This is the blessing upon the people of Israel when they are going to go out to take the promised land.
Numbers 7 - The tribes of Israel bring their offerings for the consecration of the tabernacle. God speaks to Moses as a sign that the offerings are acceptable in his sight. See how everything has been done according to God’s institution. We also receive God’s blessing in the way he has commanded it, coming before him in Word and Sacrament. We can have confidence that our Lord will bless his people.
Ephesians
“Ephesians” Carson & Moo pp. 479-497
Carson and Moo introduce this chapter with a basic outline of Ephesians. They then discuss authorship. Traditionally Paul has been considered the author but that is disputed in recent scholarship. Support for Pauline authorship then evidence that detracts from this view is presented on pp. 480-486. In support is the claim of the letter itself s well as the personal notes. In early circulation the letter was accepted as authentic. It is full of Pauline features. The similarity of Ephesians and Colossians is used both to argue for and against authenticity. If a later author claimed Pauline authority to Ephesus, since Paul was not clearly honored in a great way in Ephesus (based on Revelation 2.1, compare 2 Peter 3.15) it would seem odd. Themes in Ephesians are very Pauline. The letter also states that Paul was a prisoner, which was a common situation in Paul’s later life. To detract from Pauline authorship, scholars claim that the theology of Ephesians is not sufficiently Pauline. It includes words not typically used by Paul. The style is different from some of Paul’s other letters, particularly in the very long sentences. Ephesians discusses ministry structure in a way which some say Paul did not see it in his other writing. Carson and Moo consider that Ephesians is genuinely Pauline and that it was written at approximately the same time as Colossians to address similar situations.
If the letter was written during Paul’s Roman imprisonment, which seems likely, it was written in the very late fifties or early sixties. The destination of the letter is more difficult, as “in Ephesus” is absent from the letter in some prominent manuscripts. It seems a little less personal than we might expect from the apostle who evangelized the Ephesians. Yet it is quite plausible that Paul would have written the letter to Ephesus with an expectation that it would circulate more broadly.
What is the purpose of the letter? It seems to have a great deal of miscellaneous instruction. We can’t identify a specific situation that would have led to its composition. Yet the predominant themes are purity and unity of hte faith.
Aside from the missing “in Ephesus” in 1.1 there are no significant variations in the manuscrpt evidence. The letter was accepted into the canon quite early.
In recent study many scholars have discussed authorship and the different themes of the text. We find the book of Ephesians very helpful in its view that salvation and life are due to divine action, beginning with Christ’s saving work, continuing with the Christian’s growth in knowledge of the grace of our Lord, and emphasizing life in conformity to God’s work in salvation. Throughout we see God as supremely gracious, bringing salvation to unworthy sinners.
Carson and Moo introduce this chapter with a basic outline of Ephesians. They then discuss authorship. Traditionally Paul has been considered the author but that is disputed in recent scholarship. Support for Pauline authorship then evidence that detracts from this view is presented on pp. 480-486. In support is the claim of the letter itself s well as the personal notes. In early circulation the letter was accepted as authentic. It is full of Pauline features. The similarity of Ephesians and Colossians is used both to argue for and against authenticity. If a later author claimed Pauline authority to Ephesus, since Paul was not clearly honored in a great way in Ephesus (based on Revelation 2.1, compare 2 Peter 3.15) it would seem odd. Themes in Ephesians are very Pauline. The letter also states that Paul was a prisoner, which was a common situation in Paul’s later life. To detract from Pauline authorship, scholars claim that the theology of Ephesians is not sufficiently Pauline. It includes words not typically used by Paul. The style is different from some of Paul’s other letters, particularly in the very long sentences. Ephesians discusses ministry structure in a way which some say Paul did not see it in his other writing. Carson and Moo consider that Ephesians is genuinely Pauline and that it was written at approximately the same time as Colossians to address similar situations.
If the letter was written during Paul’s Roman imprisonment, which seems likely, it was written in the very late fifties or early sixties. The destination of the letter is more difficult, as “in Ephesus” is absent from the letter in some prominent manuscripts. It seems a little less personal than we might expect from the apostle who evangelized the Ephesians. Yet it is quite plausible that Paul would have written the letter to Ephesus with an expectation that it would circulate more broadly.
What is the purpose of the letter? It seems to have a great deal of miscellaneous instruction. We can’t identify a specific situation that would have led to its composition. Yet the predominant themes are purity and unity of hte faith.
Aside from the missing “in Ephesus” in 1.1 there are no significant variations in the manuscrpt evidence. The letter was accepted into the canon quite early.
In recent study many scholars have discussed authorship and the different themes of the text. We find the book of Ephesians very helpful in its view that salvation and life are due to divine action, beginning with Christ’s saving work, continuing with the Christian’s growth in knowledge of the grace of our Lord, and emphasizing life in conformity to God’s work in salvation. Throughout we see God as supremely gracious, bringing salvation to unworthy sinners.
Monday, February 27, 2012
Bible Reading Challenge - Week 9 Day 1 - John 19-21, Numbers 1-2
Our reading challenge for the day is John 19-21 and Numbers 1-2. I’ll hit a few highlights. You make comments too and fill in the gaps. What strikes you as specially significant?
John 19 - See how Jesus does not defend himself as we would. He allows people to abuse him though he is gently plain with Pilate about his identity. This is humility. Also see how the pagan soldiers fulfill prophecies of the Christ. Compare Psalm 22.
John 20 - Jesus is found missing from the tomb and begins to show himself to his disciples. What are his highest priorities in his interactions with these people who are terrified of their future?
John 21 - Jesus restores his disciples, re-orienting them to his priorities for them. How often we stray from his priority and need him to direct us again.
Numbers 1 - The book of Numbers gains its name from the counts taken of Israel. But there’s much more than statistical information here. See how God is providing food and water in the wilderness for a large nation - over a half million men eligible for war, plus women, children, and the aged, as well as all their livestock. This is no small feat! See that the Levites are exempted from military duty as they are engaged in making worship accessible to all the people.
Numbers 2 - In their encampment the tribe of Levi with the tabernacle is surrounded by all the other tribes. God’s presence is to be central in the nation of Israel.
John 19 - See how Jesus does not defend himself as we would. He allows people to abuse him though he is gently plain with Pilate about his identity. This is humility. Also see how the pagan soldiers fulfill prophecies of the Christ. Compare Psalm 22.
John 20 - Jesus is found missing from the tomb and begins to show himself to his disciples. What are his highest priorities in his interactions with these people who are terrified of their future?
John 21 - Jesus restores his disciples, re-orienting them to his priorities for them. How often we stray from his priority and need him to direct us again.
Numbers 1 - The book of Numbers gains its name from the counts taken of Israel. But there’s much more than statistical information here. See how God is providing food and water in the wilderness for a large nation - over a half million men eligible for war, plus women, children, and the aged, as well as all their livestock. This is no small feat! See that the Levites are exempted from military duty as they are engaged in making worship accessible to all the people.
Numbers 2 - In their encampment the tribe of Levi with the tabernacle is surrounded by all the other tribes. God’s presence is to be central in the nation of Israel.
The Causes of Error in the Transmission of the Text of the New Testament
“The Causes of Error in the Transmission of the Text of the New Testament” Metzger & Ehrman pp. 250-271
In this chapter Metzger and Ehrman detail a variety of ways in which manuscripts can be altered as they are copied. The chapter is divided into two sections, unintentional and intentional changes, each with a number of sub-points, illustrated with examples found in biblical manuscripts. I’ll summarize each in order.
UNINTENTIONAL CHANGES
1) Errors Arising from Faulty Eyesight
Without corrective eyewear it is very easy to mistake some letter combinations for some others. For instance, gamma followed by iota can easily be read as a pi. Many abbreviated forms of words can look like other words as well.
2) Errors Arising from Faulty Hearing
It is quite easy for even a careful listener to make a mistake in transcription by writing a homophone. Of course, not only homophones arise here, but we also can find instances of scribal errors which arose from a scribe conflating multiple words into one because the audible combinations of sounds were very similar.
3) Errors of the Mind
This type of error certainly accounts for many of the variant readings in which synonyms or very similar sounding words may be used in a text. For instance, the substitution of an adverb for an adjective is not uncommon, use of a different prepositions which bear similar force, and the like are common errors. These often can arise when a scribe is attempting to remember a phrase or even a sentence while writing it. Occasionally we also see cases of scribes bringing in statements from elsewhere in Scripture, presumably because the passages are similar.
4) Errors of Judgment
In these errors, a scribe brings a marginal note or other item into the text. In most instances this surely happens because of inattention to detail. Metzger and Ehrman detail this issue in an egregious form in Codex 109, in which two columns of Luke’s genealogy of Jesus are conflated, making Phares the source of the entire human race and God the son of Aram. This is cited as an egregious example. Most examples are of considerably less importance.
INTENTIONAL CHANGES
1) Changes Involving Spelling and Grammar
Some of the Greek style found in the New Testament does not reflect the most sophisticated grammatical usage. There are instances where it appears that scribes have attempted to correct some of the grammatical oddities, particularly in Revelation.
2) Harmonistic Corruptions
It is not uncommon to find instances of the wording of an account in one gospel being altered to match that of another gospel more closely or for the wording of a quotation of an Old Testament passage being adjusted to match that of the Septuagint. Occasionally quotations will also be expanded to provide what the scribe considered to be adequate context.
3) Addition of Natural Complements and Similar Adjuncts
The classic example of this phenomenon is conjoining “scribes” and “Pharisees.” It is easy to see instances where some manuscripts say “Jesus” while others say “Jesus Christ” or “the Lord Jesus Christ.”
4) Clearing up Historical and Geographical Difficulties
There are several instances in the New Testament when a quotation is made and is attributed to a different prophet than the one where it is found. A common variant reading is the correction of the attribution or a name being removed so that it is attributed to “the prophet.” Another example of this type of error is adjusting the location of an item or the time when an event took place to be more precise than the original author was.
5) Conflation of Readings
This is similar to #3 above, but takes different readings and actually combines them. For instance, when one account says people are “praising” God and another says they are “glorifying” God, this error would result in a text that says they are “praising and glorifying” God.
6) Alterations Made Because of Doctrinal Considerations
There is evidence that sometimes scribes would omit certain details from a passage of Scripture or would add details in order to protect certain doctrines. For instance, occasionally Joseph and Mary are referred to as Jesus’ parents. This would not be a desirable statement from the point of view which needs to defend Jesus’ divine parentage. One reading of Luke 23:32 could indicate that Jesus was led away with “two other criminals,” implying that he was a criminal. The word “other” was omitted relatively frequently.
7) Addition of Miscellaneous Details
Some texts add statements identifying individuals in more detail. Other details may be added to the text as well, such as an explanation of an action which otherwise would seem slightly oblique. The threefold sanctus in Revelation 4:8 is sometimes multiplied to advance the idea of God’s holiness.
Metzger and Ehrman close the chapter by observing that despite the many ways scribes can make errors in their copies of the text, the New Testament text shows a great deal of care in the history of transmission.
In this chapter Metzger and Ehrman detail a variety of ways in which manuscripts can be altered as they are copied. The chapter is divided into two sections, unintentional and intentional changes, each with a number of sub-points, illustrated with examples found in biblical manuscripts. I’ll summarize each in order.
UNINTENTIONAL CHANGES
1) Errors Arising from Faulty Eyesight
Without corrective eyewear it is very easy to mistake some letter combinations for some others. For instance, gamma followed by iota can easily be read as a pi. Many abbreviated forms of words can look like other words as well.
2) Errors Arising from Faulty Hearing
It is quite easy for even a careful listener to make a mistake in transcription by writing a homophone. Of course, not only homophones arise here, but we also can find instances of scribal errors which arose from a scribe conflating multiple words into one because the audible combinations of sounds were very similar.
3) Errors of the Mind
This type of error certainly accounts for many of the variant readings in which synonyms or very similar sounding words may be used in a text. For instance, the substitution of an adverb for an adjective is not uncommon, use of a different prepositions which bear similar force, and the like are common errors. These often can arise when a scribe is attempting to remember a phrase or even a sentence while writing it. Occasionally we also see cases of scribes bringing in statements from elsewhere in Scripture, presumably because the passages are similar.
4) Errors of Judgment
In these errors, a scribe brings a marginal note or other item into the text. In most instances this surely happens because of inattention to detail. Metzger and Ehrman detail this issue in an egregious form in Codex 109, in which two columns of Luke’s genealogy of Jesus are conflated, making Phares the source of the entire human race and God the son of Aram. This is cited as an egregious example. Most examples are of considerably less importance.
INTENTIONAL CHANGES
1) Changes Involving Spelling and Grammar
Some of the Greek style found in the New Testament does not reflect the most sophisticated grammatical usage. There are instances where it appears that scribes have attempted to correct some of the grammatical oddities, particularly in Revelation.
2) Harmonistic Corruptions
It is not uncommon to find instances of the wording of an account in one gospel being altered to match that of another gospel more closely or for the wording of a quotation of an Old Testament passage being adjusted to match that of the Septuagint. Occasionally quotations will also be expanded to provide what the scribe considered to be adequate context.
3) Addition of Natural Complements and Similar Adjuncts
The classic example of this phenomenon is conjoining “scribes” and “Pharisees.” It is easy to see instances where some manuscripts say “Jesus” while others say “Jesus Christ” or “the Lord Jesus Christ.”
4) Clearing up Historical and Geographical Difficulties
There are several instances in the New Testament when a quotation is made and is attributed to a different prophet than the one where it is found. A common variant reading is the correction of the attribution or a name being removed so that it is attributed to “the prophet.” Another example of this type of error is adjusting the location of an item or the time when an event took place to be more precise than the original author was.
5) Conflation of Readings
This is similar to #3 above, but takes different readings and actually combines them. For instance, when one account says people are “praising” God and another says they are “glorifying” God, this error would result in a text that says they are “praising and glorifying” God.
6) Alterations Made Because of Doctrinal Considerations
There is evidence that sometimes scribes would omit certain details from a passage of Scripture or would add details in order to protect certain doctrines. For instance, occasionally Joseph and Mary are referred to as Jesus’ parents. This would not be a desirable statement from the point of view which needs to defend Jesus’ divine parentage. One reading of Luke 23:32 could indicate that Jesus was led away with “two other criminals,” implying that he was a criminal. The word “other” was omitted relatively frequently.
7) Addition of Miscellaneous Details
Some texts add statements identifying individuals in more detail. Other details may be added to the text as well, such as an explanation of an action which otherwise would seem slightly oblique. The threefold sanctus in Revelation 4:8 is sometimes multiplied to advance the idea of God’s holiness.
Metzger and Ehrman close the chapter by observing that despite the many ways scribes can make errors in their copies of the text, the New Testament text shows a great deal of care in the history of transmission.
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Sermon for 2/26/12 It's a Big Bad World Out There John 3:10-21
Sermon “It’s a Big Bad World Out There” John 3:10-21
Our Lord, grant that we may look to you and follow you, the beloved one of the Father, in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, amen.
It’s a big bad world out there, isn’t it? In our readings today we saw time and again that we face challenges, and they are big challenges. We run around doing our own thing, trying to work out the way we will live in the here and now, and we do it all only to realize that we were looking the wrong way. We try to trust our heart. We try to interpret our circumstances. We try to live each day like it’s a gift of God, but we find something goes wrong. Our heart deceived us. Our circumstances led us down a wrong path. Our days are a gift from God but we find we don’t know how to appreciate or use that gift. We thought we’d have a nice tiptoe through the tulips but we didn’t count on finding all those stinging nettle plants there, reaching out and biting us. We trust in luck, but then we have to confess that if it weren’t for bad luck we’d have no luck at all. Life is pretty rough. There are surely dragons in the land, and we aren’t ready, not ready at all.
Do you realize, though, that we aren’t the first generation to see this? Do you realize that it is not at all a new situation? Think back with me for a moment through our readings. Abraham received a great promise. He would be the father of many nations. There was just one problem. He had no children. And as time went on and on, he still had no children. Finally, when he was a hundred years old and his wife was ninety God gave him the promise again. Of course it sounded ridiculous. Nobody that old has children. But a year later they had their child, Isaac, the child of promise. So finally there’s a child. Now maybe there’s a chance that Abraham could be the father of many nations. But in our reading from Genesis today we saw Abraham receive God’s command to sacrifice his son. This is the one chance to see the blessing of God. This is the child of promise. But here God is telling Abraham to kill his child, his only child, the one whom he loves, the one who would be the heir of Abraham’s promise. What does Abraham do? He believes God. And God, rich in mercy and grace, provides a substitute, a ram who will take Isaac’s place.
What did we see in James? We saw that God’s promise is not what tempts us. We saw that we are tempted when we try to pursue our own evil desires. We are tempted when we trust our heart. We are tempted when we try to interpret our circumstances. We are tempted when we leave God’s loving promises out of the picture and run off about our own business. We are tempted when we try to make God’s promises come true rather than letting God be God. And what happens when we fall to that temptation? We enter into sin, following our father Adam, taking righteousness into our own hands, denying the grace of God. We are cursed, we are condemned, and we are able to do that all by ourselves. Then, just the way we would predict, trusting our heart, following the path our circumstances have laid out for us, we get ourselves more and more entangled in sin, leading to despair. We end up without hope in this world. Who is going to deliver us? Who will help us? We look to Jesus, who was blessed by God and who went immediately into the wilderness. And we who have been blessed by God run off into the wilderness where we are lost without a map, without companionship, without provisions, without a way to escape.
In the end there’s just one way out of this deadly situation. And that way out is through Jesus, who, blessed by the Father, endured temptation in the wilderness, then returned from the wilderness. But how are we going to receive the help we need from Jesus? Better not try to trust our hearts. That’s what got us here in the first place. So we go the route that Nicodemus did. If you were following along on our Bible reading challenge you came to John chapter 3 this week. Let’s look to verses 10-21 of that text to find how Jesus guides Nicodemus out of the wilderness. Read along with me if you’d like. Again, we’re in John chapter 3, starting at verse 10.
10 “You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things? 11 I tell you the truth, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. 12 I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? 13 No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. 14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.
16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. 19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.”
What did Jesus just say about himself? He compared himself to the bronze serpent in the desert. I believe that comes up soon in our Bible reading challenge. The people of Israel were grumbling. They weren’t trusting God. They wanted to take matters into their own hands. God sent venomous snakes which would kill the Israelites. But as the people were realizing their failure, God also had Moses lift up a bronze copy of the snake on a pole. If the people would look at it in faith they would not be killed by the snakes. There’s our key. Just as Abraham looked to God in faith and trust, just as the Israelites looked to God in faith and trust, so we look to Jesus, the Son of Man, trusting that through him we receive eternal life. This isn’t trusting our heart. It isn’t following our circumstances. It isn’t doing what may seem the wisest thing in the eyes of our world. But it is precisely what Jesus says to do. We look in faith to the one who came from heaven, knowing that he is the one who gives eternal life.
This, after all, is why Jesus came in the first place. His intention was to give eternal life, to take our life which was falling apart, and give us his permanent version of life in exchange. He didn’t come to condemn us. He didn’t come to destroy us. He didn’t come to shut us out in the dark. He came to give us true, abundant life. He came to rescue us from the wilderness of our sin and shame. He came to bring us out of darkness into his light. And he did it by being raised up on a pole, just as the bronze serpent was. Jesus rescues us by his very death on our behalf. Jesus rescues us from sin by becoming sin for us. Jesus rescues us by being subject to the shame and condemnation that we by rights should have received. Jesus rescues us by replacing us in death, then being raised again to life, showing that he is the firstborn from the dead.
What do we find when we trust our hearts? We find out that it’s a big bad world out there. What do we find when we look to Jesus? We find that Christ has been crucified for sinners and that he richly and freely gives us his forgiveness, life, and salvation. Let us look to him today. May today be the day when we are delivered from our bondage in the wilderness. May today be the day of salvation. May today be the day when we see that the Son of Man was raised up in our place. May this be the day when we walk in the light again, knowing that he has delivered us from sin and death into his wonderful light.
So now may Jesus Christ, the light of the world, shine upon us, letting us see him clearly. Amen.
Our Lord, grant that we may look to you and follow you, the beloved one of the Father, in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, amen.
It’s a big bad world out there, isn’t it? In our readings today we saw time and again that we face challenges, and they are big challenges. We run around doing our own thing, trying to work out the way we will live in the here and now, and we do it all only to realize that we were looking the wrong way. We try to trust our heart. We try to interpret our circumstances. We try to live each day like it’s a gift of God, but we find something goes wrong. Our heart deceived us. Our circumstances led us down a wrong path. Our days are a gift from God but we find we don’t know how to appreciate or use that gift. We thought we’d have a nice tiptoe through the tulips but we didn’t count on finding all those stinging nettle plants there, reaching out and biting us. We trust in luck, but then we have to confess that if it weren’t for bad luck we’d have no luck at all. Life is pretty rough. There are surely dragons in the land, and we aren’t ready, not ready at all.
Do you realize, though, that we aren’t the first generation to see this? Do you realize that it is not at all a new situation? Think back with me for a moment through our readings. Abraham received a great promise. He would be the father of many nations. There was just one problem. He had no children. And as time went on and on, he still had no children. Finally, when he was a hundred years old and his wife was ninety God gave him the promise again. Of course it sounded ridiculous. Nobody that old has children. But a year later they had their child, Isaac, the child of promise. So finally there’s a child. Now maybe there’s a chance that Abraham could be the father of many nations. But in our reading from Genesis today we saw Abraham receive God’s command to sacrifice his son. This is the one chance to see the blessing of God. This is the child of promise. But here God is telling Abraham to kill his child, his only child, the one whom he loves, the one who would be the heir of Abraham’s promise. What does Abraham do? He believes God. And God, rich in mercy and grace, provides a substitute, a ram who will take Isaac’s place.
What did we see in James? We saw that God’s promise is not what tempts us. We saw that we are tempted when we try to pursue our own evil desires. We are tempted when we trust our heart. We are tempted when we try to interpret our circumstances. We are tempted when we leave God’s loving promises out of the picture and run off about our own business. We are tempted when we try to make God’s promises come true rather than letting God be God. And what happens when we fall to that temptation? We enter into sin, following our father Adam, taking righteousness into our own hands, denying the grace of God. We are cursed, we are condemned, and we are able to do that all by ourselves. Then, just the way we would predict, trusting our heart, following the path our circumstances have laid out for us, we get ourselves more and more entangled in sin, leading to despair. We end up without hope in this world. Who is going to deliver us? Who will help us? We look to Jesus, who was blessed by God and who went immediately into the wilderness. And we who have been blessed by God run off into the wilderness where we are lost without a map, without companionship, without provisions, without a way to escape.
In the end there’s just one way out of this deadly situation. And that way out is through Jesus, who, blessed by the Father, endured temptation in the wilderness, then returned from the wilderness. But how are we going to receive the help we need from Jesus? Better not try to trust our hearts. That’s what got us here in the first place. So we go the route that Nicodemus did. If you were following along on our Bible reading challenge you came to John chapter 3 this week. Let’s look to verses 10-21 of that text to find how Jesus guides Nicodemus out of the wilderness. Read along with me if you’d like. Again, we’re in John chapter 3, starting at verse 10.
10 “You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things? 11 I tell you the truth, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. 12 I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? 13 No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. 14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.
16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. 19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.”
What did Jesus just say about himself? He compared himself to the bronze serpent in the desert. I believe that comes up soon in our Bible reading challenge. The people of Israel were grumbling. They weren’t trusting God. They wanted to take matters into their own hands. God sent venomous snakes which would kill the Israelites. But as the people were realizing their failure, God also had Moses lift up a bronze copy of the snake on a pole. If the people would look at it in faith they would not be killed by the snakes. There’s our key. Just as Abraham looked to God in faith and trust, just as the Israelites looked to God in faith and trust, so we look to Jesus, the Son of Man, trusting that through him we receive eternal life. This isn’t trusting our heart. It isn’t following our circumstances. It isn’t doing what may seem the wisest thing in the eyes of our world. But it is precisely what Jesus says to do. We look in faith to the one who came from heaven, knowing that he is the one who gives eternal life.
This, after all, is why Jesus came in the first place. His intention was to give eternal life, to take our life which was falling apart, and give us his permanent version of life in exchange. He didn’t come to condemn us. He didn’t come to destroy us. He didn’t come to shut us out in the dark. He came to give us true, abundant life. He came to rescue us from the wilderness of our sin and shame. He came to bring us out of darkness into his light. And he did it by being raised up on a pole, just as the bronze serpent was. Jesus rescues us by his very death on our behalf. Jesus rescues us from sin by becoming sin for us. Jesus rescues us by being subject to the shame and condemnation that we by rights should have received. Jesus rescues us by replacing us in death, then being raised again to life, showing that he is the firstborn from the dead.
What do we find when we trust our hearts? We find out that it’s a big bad world out there. What do we find when we look to Jesus? We find that Christ has been crucified for sinners and that he richly and freely gives us his forgiveness, life, and salvation. Let us look to him today. May today be the day when we are delivered from our bondage in the wilderness. May today be the day of salvation. May today be the day when we see that the Son of Man was raised up in our place. May this be the day when we walk in the light again, knowing that he has delivered us from sin and death into his wonderful light.
So now may Jesus Christ, the light of the world, shine upon us, letting us see him clearly. Amen.
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