Acts 16-20

At the end of Acts 15, we begin the second missionary journey of Paul. Paul begins by encouraging the churches they started on the first journey and there will be some twists and turns along the way. The first twist happens right at the beginning in chapter 15:36-41. Paul refuses to take John Mark (the writer of the gospel of Mark and a youth at the time of Jesus' ministry), because he deserted at Pamphylia. Barnabas' name means "encouragement," and he strongly asked for a second chance for Mark. The result is a split. Barnabas and Mark go together toward Cyprus and Paul and Silas go westward. A new and young partner in ministry joins Paul and Silas, one who would become a son in the ministry to Paul, named Timothy. Where is Asia?
In those days, the Asia here is Asia Minor or present day, Turkey: home of Galatia, Ephesus and Colosse. A second twist happens when Paul has a vision of a man from Macedonia crying out to him for help. Paul sees that as guidance from the Lord. Phillipi, Thessalonica and Corinth will be major places where the church is planted.
Philippi becomes a major home basic of ministry for Paul.

The conversion of the Philippian jailer is interesting for several reasons. First, we see once again the power of the praying church. Second, we have here a formula for coming to faith in Christ, "Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved." Third, we have one the five household baptisms in the Bible. With the baptism of a household, were the children of age, or is this an early example of baptizing before people came to faith? Strong arguments can be offered on both sides.

As in most places, the first place Paul goes is to the synagogue to teach about Christ. The letter to the Romans tells of Paul's great passion to convert the Jews.
But usually what happened was there would be both a few converts and persecution. Paul and Silas go on to Berea, where they encounter more persecution that had been stirred up by the Thessalonians. Silas and Timothy remain, but Paul is sent off to Athens.

For our 15th anniversary, Tina and I went on a once-in-a-lifetime cruise to Turkey and the Greek Isles. We finished the trip in Athens and I had the privilige of going up on Mars Hill. Tina stayed below for the trip us was a little treacherous and the way back down was very slick because of the wear over two millenia. I notice from the above picture that they have improved the accessibility. The seventeenth chapter is the sermon that he presented to the Aereopagus, the ideas people of his day. This sermon is central to both my own journey of faith and my call to ministry. We present "the unknown God" to our spiritually and relationally hungry world, the one "in whom we live and move and have our being." How Christian leaders need to get out of our self-imposed isolation and get back into the arenas of philosophy, law, business, medicine, entertainment, media, and begin the hard work of giving our world a better spiritual-ethical center. The sermon at Mars Hill would have been considered a flop by our standards, mainly because the people couldn't handle the idea of resurrection.

Chapter 18 tells of Paul's ministry in Corinth. We tend to think that Paul only preached, but there is evidence that for survival, he exercised his secular position of tent-making. Priscilla and Acquilla, also tent makers, develop into major Christian leaders. Paul ends up staying in Corinth for 18 months. God tells Paul that He has many people in that city. Part of that is due to the ministry of Apollos, who had a very strong following. The church in Corinth has a very divisive character around Apollos, Paul and some who chose to be non-aligned. The American Church has quite often been a church that has grown by division.

On the same trip with Tina as Mars Hill, we went to Ephesus (the eventual home of Mary and John)and saw the ruins of the affluent and strong community there. Notice the discussion in chapter 19 on the Holy Spirit. Here is the pattern I see most often in the church about the Holy Spirit. So Paul explains to them who the Holy Spirit is and many receive the infilling. Unfortunately, that is followed by a major riot. It's what happens when you confront the "gods" of a given people. What are some of the gods of our day that the church needs to take on?

Chapter 20 describes the goodbyes of Paul to the Macedonian and Asian people. It's been a long three years. He will now head back to Jerusalem, where things have become a whole lot more resistant.

Acts 10-15

The pace of Acts is very fast to say the least. Pentecost would have happened about 29 CE. Saul's conversion would have happened some ten years later. In today's reading you will notice the name change of Saul to Paul. It did not happen on the Damascus road as some teach. You may remember from previous blogs that Saul was both a Jew and a Roman citizen. To the Jews, Saul would continue to be known as Saul. To the Gentiles, he was known as Paul, his Roman name. This dual citizenship becomes a major tool for sharing the gospel as Saul's/Paul's ministry progresses.

The vision to Peter in chapter 10 signals the shift of Christianity from a Jewish reform movement to a Gentile movement. This brought all kinds of challenges that we will be reading about today. Peter's vision of the sheet is powerful because it challenged his whole sense of calling and self-understanding. The foods he is invited to eat in the vision will be some of the Gentile foods he will need to eat at Cornelius' house. A casual conversation with any missionary will tell you that part of effective sharing of the faith involves embracing the culture, including the food. Like the Ethiopian eunuch and many of the converts on the day of Pentecost, Cornelius is a god-fearer. He already prays to God and God speaks to him in a vision about a man named Paul. This happens at the same time that Peter is getting the vision of the sheet and prepared for a meeting with Cornelius. We used to say in mission work that we "took Christ to people." We have learned, as Peter does here, that we can only reveal the Christ who is already there, preparing those who speak and those who hear. Peter and Cornelius meet and then Peter preaches to his household, which may have included not only his immediately family and servants, but also his extended family and friends. Peter is blown away as he sees the Holy Spirit come upon the Gentiles just as the Spirit had come upon the Jews.

Three questions hit me from this passage. First, does God's way change over time? God had given the orders that his people eat kosher food, now it is not required. In our own day and time, the role of women pastors is expanding dramatically. Is the sheet being dropped again? I think so, and it will so do. God is both stable and dynamic, solid and adaptable. Second, the people are speaking in tongues before they come to faith in Christ (seems a little out of order doesn't it?). Speaking in tongues is a manifestation of the Spirit's presence. Some people experience the filling of the Holy Spirit at the same time as they commit themselves to Christ. In fact, my mentor in ministry gave his heart to Christ, received the Spirit and the call to preach at the same time. For me, they were separate events. Third, what about speaking in tongues? For many people, speaking in tongues is the primary evidence of being filled with the Holy Spirit. Pentecostal and Assembly of God Christians insist on that. In the book of Acts the Holy Spirit fills people five different times, 3 of them with speaking in tongues present. From my experience, some speak in tongues when the Holy Spirit fills them and some do not. What is a universal experience is that people are filled with a new boldness to share their faith. When I opened up to the dimension of the Holy Spirit in my life, I did not speak in tongues, but I did experience Christ at a whole new level and I have not been able to keep quiet about Christ and what he can do since. One thing for sure, you can't put God in a box. Our doctrines and methods give us guidance, but they can't be the end all of what God does. Peter certainly had some explaining to do when he got back to Jerusalem, and it took some doing (Acts 11:1-18). Notice the way that the power of the Holy Spirit breaks down barriers and creates wider points of unity. The Spirit still does that.

I'm on a roll here, so I might as well continue. Part of my calling to ministry is inviting people to be filled with the Spirit. The thesis of Acts is that the church is a movement of the Holy Spirit, nothing less. It is not primarily about believing or saying or doing the right things. It is about God's people having the unlimited Christ alive in and through them. I really am not that concerned whether a person speaks in tongues or not, but I am very concerned that people have a dynamic faith in Christ through the power of the Spirit. I cannot imagine myself preaching, teaching or doing ministry of any kind without the power of the Holy Spirit. The dyanmic participation and learning in our class can only be attributed to the presence of the Spirit filling our reading, preparation and sharing togethether, being the true "teacher" among us.

On the other side of this, I am also committed to "despookifying" the Holy Spirit. Many have made the Holy Spirit strange and frightening. The Holy Spirit is the living Christ in and through us - liberating, stretching, empowering, comforting, convicting and somewhat unpredictable - but never wierd. Along that same line, I don't believe the Holy Spirit forces itself on people. We have control of what we say and do in the name of Christ and we are responsible for it. The Christian who says, "I couldn't help myself. It was all God," has moved beyond what God generally does in the Holy Spirit.

You might have been uncomfortable with me describing the Holy Spirit as "itself." I could have said herself, since in the Old Testament the word for Spirit, ruach, is feminine. The Greek word for Spirit, pneuma, is neuter). Oral Roberts taught us, "The Holy Spirit is a He." Oral was not biblically correct. Why is that important? We tend to identify God as male. Jesus did teach us to call God Father, a male image. But the Spirit given in the feminine and the neuter allows us to understand that God is not limited to what we understand as male, female or even neuter. God as Trinity embraces the totality of creation.

Chapter 11:19-31 tells of the beginning of the church in Antioch. For the first time you see the church referred to as Christians. It is most likely a name given us by our enemies. Roman writings criticize "the Christ ones", saying "See how they love each other," which they perceived as pitifully weak. It was from our critics that we got the name "Methodist" as well. In chapter 12, James becomes the second martyr mentioned in the book of Acts. Then Herod goes after Peter, but instead Peter is miraculously released from prison and Herod is the one that dies.

In chapter 13 we have the beginning of the first missionary journey of Paul, accompanied by Barnabas (see map above). Paul does an anti-miracle causing Elymas to be blind. A sermon is preached in Antioch of Pisidia (a different Antioch from earlier) in the synagogue, once again reinterpreting Jewish history. It is received well by the people but not by the Jewish leaders and they are driven out of town. Notice the repeated rhythm of positive response to the gospel and persecution. In chapter 14, they visit Iconium, Lystra and Derbe and are received as gods because of the miracles they are doing (one extreme) and stoned and left for dead by Jewish leaders (another extreme).

I mentioned earlier that Gentile responsiveness to the gospel posed quite a challenge for the Jewish Christians (see Galatians 2:1-14). They saw the mission of Christ as connected to the "restoring of the kingdom of Israel." It was, but it also, in the words of Paul, included a "new Israel," a new people of God. In chapter 15, conservatives (led by Peter and James) felt that the Gentiles should become like Jews - undergo circumcision and follow the Jewish food laws. Liberals like Paul and Barnabas felt that to be unnecessary. This is the old church argument about whether we should ask those outside the church to become like us or whether we should build a bridge to them offering Christ in ways they relate to. In a historic decision they decide not to require circumcision or the Jewish food laws to be observed by the Gentile Christians. They send Judas Barsabbas and Silas along with Paul and Barnabas, who not only deliver the good news but offer encouragement and participate in ministry with them. Keep watching for Silas as the unfolding story of Acts continues.

Acts 6-9

The fast growth of the early church following Pentecost soon overwhelmed the apostles. Much as with Moses in Exodus 18, it became time to develop another layer of leadership. In chapter 6, at the request of the twelve, the greater circle of disciples, which may have been the 120 that waited for Pentecost, choose other leaders, the bible's version of "the Magnificent Seven." Their job was to oversee the administrative and pastoral care of the church so that the apostles could give attention to preaching the Word and prayer. This has huge practical value for St. Luke's Lubbock. The southwest campus has a weekly attendance of approximately 175. It has a leadership structure that is best for an average attendance of 120. Its newness and excitement moving toward new facilities has allowed us to get away with that. The move into new facilities will likely grow the weekly attendance, possibly significantly. If we do not have a growing leadership structure (teachers, coordinators, congregational care givers, leadership teams), then the congregation will become dependent on a few key personalities and shrink to fit its leadership structure. The class we are sharing in together is a key part of growing and refreshing leaders at both our campuses. The formation of transition and grand opening networks of teams is as much about leadership development as it is about furnishing and programming. The neighborhood outreach effort and the expanding of congregational care at the Central Campus is as much about developing new leadership as it is about evangelism and nurture. I think of the words of Jesus to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field." Notice that once these seven were deployed, the spread of the gospel picked up even more.

As important as the above discussion is, for Luke it was an entry point to tell the story of one of the seven (later he will tell of another), Stephen. His ministry was high profile enough (miracles performed)that the Jewish leadership (the Sanhedrin) arrest him and falsely charge him of blasphemy. Stephen's sermon,in Acts 7, to the Sandhedrin is bold and brash, reinterpreting the entirety of Jewish history in light of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. He becomes the first "martyr" of the new and fledgling church. A hint of things to come is given in Acts 8:1, "And Saul was there, giving approval to his death."

Another of the seven, Philip, is now featured (not the same as Philip of the Twelve), with a major ministry in Samaria. Luke expects us to remember Acts 1:8 (possibly the thesis statement of the whole book),

"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

I really love what Luke writes in Acts 8:8, "So there was great joy in that city." Pray that God will say that about St. Luke's Lubbock because of our ministry in Christ's name. Peter and John also do well in Samaria (vs. 25). Simon the sorcer is hung up on the power, the technique and the marketability of what Philip is doing, but not interested in the relationship with God Philip offers. Following that Peter evangelizes a "God fearer", an Ethiopian eunuch. Many of the early Christians were god-fearers, people who had great interest in faith and followed some of the Jewish teachings, yet were Gentile. Philip leads the eunuch to Christ and baptizes him, after which Philip miraculously disappears. For me, the Ethiopian eunuch is representive of the many "seekers" in our day and time who are spiritually hungry but are not so sure about the Church. We must deploy people, the Philips of our day who will take the good news of God's love in Christ out into the streets and workplaces of Lubbock.

Chapter 9 tells the dramatic story of Saul's conversion. Saul was a Benjamite Jew, a Roman citizen, a student of the great teacher Gamaliel and a radical Pharisee. Paul was going to be a star in whatever he did, as a persecutor or as a missionary for Christ. He supervised the stoning of Stephen. But thanks to a bright and shining light, a voice from heaven and a caretaker by the name of Annanias, Saul would be transformed. This passage has been both a gift and a problem for Christians. Only a few Christians have conversions this dramatic. I rejoice that God can and does transform people so markedly. But he was not the only follower of Jesus and the conversions of people like the doubting disciples (Thomas, Phillip, Nathanael) are just as valid. Not everybody gets "blinded by the light" (Paul)or "walks on water" (Peter), but everybody can be a follower of Jesus.

Saul is openly received in Damascus, but the reception is much cooler in Jerusalem. His ministry is powerful but it also brought threats upon his life. Saul is sent off to Tarsus. From other biblical sources we know he would stay there seven years before beginning his missionary work. Hurry up and wait, so it seems. The ninth chapter then resumes the ministry of Peter with the resurrection of Tabitha. Not a bad day's reading, compared to Leviticus, eh?

Acts 1-5

As we have already discussed, this is volume 2 of the research project of Luke which he wrote for Theophilus. It is often called "The Acts of the Apostles," but it is more rightly "The Acts of the Holy Spirit". Because of its investigative character this may well be the closest to our style of history in the Bible. As you read Acts, read it with the energy it deserves. It is fast moving and dramatic.

Acts 1 & 2 set us up for the rest of the book. It begins with the last conversation with Jesus before His ascension. I find it humorous that in 1:6 the disciples are still looking for a Zealot-style takeover of Palestine. I guess now that death has been conquered they can really go for it. The kingdom will be restored, but not in the way they think. When the Holy Spirit is given, they will be witnesses. The Greek word for witness is marturos, from which we get the word "martyr." When you think that possibly only one of the disciples died a natural death, the double meaning of witness is powerful. A question stirs here. The Holy Spirit has been around from the beginning (brooding over the chaos in Genesis 1). The Spirit would come upon leaders making them strong (Samson) and effective (David, Solomon), upon prophets to give them boldness to proclaim God's word in power and sometimes violent anger. So, if the Holy Spirit has always been there and has been filling people, what's so big about Pentecost? For me, Pentecost signaled that the risen Christ was now becoming resident in the followers of Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit as a constant inner guidance system, unifier of the Church, and continuous empowerment for ministry in the church and in the world. I will have to think about it more, but it seems that Christ's greatest legacy was to give a new dimension of the Holy Spirit in addition to the more distant version we have in the Old Testament. I invite you to consider that with me.

Acts 2 is just amazing. People get to hear the messages in their own tongue. What made them multi-lingual? Is this a miracle of speech or of hearing? This is so much like Jesus, meeting people where they are with his life-changing miraculous presence. The languages here shared are not glossolalia (the ecstatic utterance in prayer and worship, "speaking in tongues") but recognized native languages for the hearers. How about Jesus-denying, less than reliable Peter? The Holy Spirit has given him boldness, what I find to be the leading fruit of people who receive the Holy Spirit. Nothing is more contagious than spirit-filled vibrant faith. Three thousand folks join "the Way" on that very day. I'd love to see that happen again.
Notice the description of the church in Acts 2:42-47. I remember Zan Holmes preaching at Annual Conference about this passage. He asked everyone to take out their wallets and pull out their driver's license. He then asked, "Do you look like your picture?" How much does St. Luke's Lubbock look like Acts 2:42-47? What would it take for us to do so.

The healing of the man at the Beauitful Gate takes up the next two chapters. The miracle for the man is great. I have seen a miracle like this only once and I will never forget the shine on the face of the person who received a healing from the debilitating effects of polio. Each miracle is a preaching opportunity for Peter. In Acts, Peter will be high profile until chapter 15, but very high profile through the first eight chapters. To be fair, Peter has always been an "in your face" kind of disciple, but here he pushes the envelope in ways he never would have before Pentecost. While they are in custody, the church prays. The power of prayer is big in the book of Acts. Acts 4:32-36 gives us another look at our picture.

Acts 5 begins with a bothersome anti-miracle for two church members who fail to disclose their wealth. Remember that the church had "all things common," an early experiment in communal economics. One thing to think about is that many Christian fellowships follow this model, but it only works up to a certain size. How does this model apply to our day, or does it at all? Annanias and Sapphira die on the spot for "lying to the Holy Spirit." The rest of the chapter shares two things: the many miracles done by the apostles (fulfilling John 14:12, "you shall do greater things...") and increase persecution (fulfilling John 15:18ff, "If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first."). Again, Peter and the apostles refuse to be silenced. That leads me to a major question, "How can the 21st century USAmerican Church recover her spirit-filled boldness?" Put more specifically, how can we recover it?

Deuteronomy 6-12, 32-34

The last book of the Torah is a compilation of materials, much which has been already told in the other books of the Pentateuch. Many scholars believe that the rediscovery of the law in Josiah's reform was really a discovery of the scroll of Deuteronomy. has a lot of material that you have seen in the other books of the Pentateuch. The first passage follows directly after the Deuteronomy 5 rendition of the ten commandments. Every nation has its series of ideal images that carry them forward in struggling times (e.g. "from sea to shing sea" during the 19th century conflicts with Mexico). The one for Israel is that they "were bound for the promised land which was flowing with milk and honey(Deut. 6:3)." Verse 4 is the shema, the opening phrase in each temple worship service. It is a commitment to monotheism (the belief in one God over against the polytheistic nations around them).
Actually, the journey to a belief in only one God was gradually learned, even within the Old Testament. The earliest parts of Genesis ("Let us...," "Elohim") point to a belief in more than one God. Then David in the Psalms shows a different development, henotheism - a belief that our God is better than other gods. Eventually, the assertion is that all other gods are imposters and there is only one (a development from the prophets). The biggest threat for the Israelites as they got ready to enter the promised land was not that they would totally abandon their Jewish faith, but rather they would combine it with the faiths around them. Chapter 6 also raises the original sin inside affluence, that we start to think that we built it all by our own knowledge, ingenuity and strength.

Chapter 7 commands the children of Israel to drive out the nations from the lands they occupy. They are to be on the offensive and courageous, lest they become compromised. Chapter 8 gives the root of why Israel falls, her forgetfulness. They get busy and distracted and forget the LORD. That's why the Old Testament is so strong in rehearsing Israel's history and what it means (the Exodus, the 40 years of wandering). We do the same with "the Lord's Supper." As canned as the liturgy may seem, it is meant to root us deeper as we face the different challenges of our lives. The liturgy doesn't change, but we do and that's why it speaks differently.

Chapters 9-11 remind them that they are becoming a great nation because God has chosen them and blessed them without any merit on their part. They remember the good things but they also remember their failings ("the golden calf" and the remaking of the ten commandments,the murmurings. They are to fear the Lord (both to be frightened of his power and give reverence because he is holy and just), which shows in both our devotion (love as faith-full actions) and obedience.

Chapter 12 commands that they protect the integrity of their worship. The surrounding nations built their altars on the hills and in the mountains, called "high places." Some kings of Israel did follow this command and destroyed the high places, while other kings either ignored them or they themselves worshiped there. Verse 5 talks of the dream of having a temple in which to worship. Nathan Timmons and I had a discussion today about the stages of development in faith movements. Almost all of them start out in the "tabernacle" stage as a movement that meets in temporary headquarters ("the Village Theater." a 34th street store front for offices and some classes; a middle school, "the purple palace," an 82nd street storefront) and finally dreams and builds permanent facilities - "temple stage." The hazard for every church emerges when it hits "temple" stage. The great majority of new churches peak in their 6-10 years. Temple stage is usually accompanied by institutionalization which assures longer tenure but also can mean more attention, energy and funds are paid to maintenance than mission. This seems to be the original sin of churches as they develop. How are we like that? Is such a hazard now a possibility for us at the southwest?

Chapters 32-34 are the finale of Moses' life. I like the fact that it ends with a song by Moses. The last song of Moses is found in Exodus 15 following the Exodus. Psalm 90 is also known as a song of Moses. Sister Miriam also sang. They must have been a musical family. Moses dies on Mount Nebo, overlooking the promised land, but due to his sin in Numbers 20 he does not get to go in. The spirit of leadership is passed from Moses to Joshua. Chapter 34 closes with a tribute to Moses and his incredible leadership in the building of a great nation.

Numbers 1-2, 9-17

The first church I served in El Paso was a new congregation that met in a gymnasium. In one of our early board meetings, an accusatory member said, "I believe our pastor is padding the attendance figures to impress the district superintendent. I noticed in our last newsletter that 62 people were recorded present. I counted only 46." I responded, "Since I don't take the attendance on Sunday morning, let's ask the head usher. How many were in the gymnasium?" He said, "46." "And how many were in the nursery & children's church?" He said,"16, sir, for a total of 62." The man who brought the accusation then argued that we don't count children. I simply said, "We count children because children count." In the book of Numbers, children weren't counted (only the male adults), but there were 603,550 potential fighting men plus the Levites. Chapter 2 gives the placing of the tribes. Can you imagine positioning all these people (and their families!), without a sound system and without mail? Talk about herding cats! Chapter 10 gives us one clue. They used the shofar (shown above). During holy days, times of prayer or for national mourning you will often hear the sound of the shofar. It takes the lips of a trumpeter and huge breath to make any sound worth hearing.

This reading gives the picture of the children of Israel moving from desert to desert in the Sinai peninsula. Unfortunately, tracings of the journeys they made show they tended to go around in circles. The time in the Sinai should have been 6 months, but instead took 40 years. Is that the human condition or what? Another part of the human condition is when things aren't going well, people start to "murmur", gripe and blame one another (the story of chapters 11-12). The dialogue between Moses and God in 11:10-23 is both humorous and very practical. People were getting tired of their every day meal of manna. They wanted meat like they had in Eqypt. God responds a whole lot like my mom used to respond to food complaints. "I'll send you meat alright and you will eat every bite. And I hope it makes you sick as a dog"(Peggy Cotton version of the Hebrew text). One of the real tenets of the Old Testament law is that God detests a complaining spirit and tends to punish people who are that way: ground swallows them (see Numbers 16), fire comes from heaven, plagues, etc. Miriam and Aaron join in the complaining in chapter 12 over Moses taking a Cushite (Egyptian) wife. He did it without their blessing, but God is not amused, turning Miriam leprous. But they are at the edge of Canaan now. Isn't it interesting how, at the edge of achieving what you dream, there are conflicts - last ditch efforts of the devil to collapse the whole thing? It's true at work, in families, and occasionally even in churches.

Moses sends spies to scope out the land of Canaan before entering. Their report is found in chapter 13:26-33 and 14:1-45 describes the people's reaction. It is a wonderful essay on faith and leadership. They report that the land is very fertile and lush, but that it is inhabited by fortified cities and "sons of Anak." The tradition was that these large individuals (think Goliath)descended from the "Nephilum," described in Genesis 6 (half-human and half-angel). The report is that the Israelite soldiers will be like grasshoppers ("they'll squash us like a bug?!"). Only Caleb and Joshua give a report to go in. The rest of the scouting team (10 in all) call for not going in. The people get wind of the report and begin crying out in fear, "If only we had died in Egypt." God decides to kill the whole lot of them. But Moses talks God out of it. Again, the dialogue between Moses and God is humorous (14:10ff), but the end result is that none of those male adults will be going into the promised land except Joshua and Caleb. What about Moses? Well, you would have to read Numbers 20 for that one.

The concluding part of our reading in Numbers 17 is the vindication of Aaron's leadership through the budding of his rod. From then on, the budding rod is put into the Ark of the Covenant with the Ten Commandments.

Leviticus 13-27

This will be your longest reading. As you can see, the great concern for cleanliness in such a large community as the migrating Israelites was huge. Everything from menstruation to nocturnal emissions to rashes to leprosy to mildew is included. Concern is for bodily cleanliness as well as ritual cleansing. The role of the priests is to declare people clean. Even now, it is the pastor who first says to the people in communion services,"In the name of Christ you are forgiven." Think about that, because then the people turn right around and tell the pastor that he is forgiven. What biblical right do members of the congregation have to declare forgiveness for anyone?

The 16th chapter of Leviticus gives the instructions for the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur). On that day no work is to done in the community (including aliens). It is a yearly cleansing to be carried out on the 10th day of the seventh month. Notice the role of the scapegoat. Consider how we use that term today. I have used this idea for couples and groups so that they could find a way to let go of the things that are between them.

Note a little more carefully the regulations in Leviticus 18-20. In our day, most of them make sense for lots of reasons. But they were in direct opposition to the Canaanite religions around them. The beginning part of Leviticus 19 is a short commentary on some of the ten commandments. Notice the other laws. How are they different that what we have today and how are they the same? In chapter 20, we are given the punishments, many of them capital (sacrificing children, adultery, consulting with mediums or being a medium, cursing one's parents, homosexuality, beastiality, etc.). Other punishments include "being cut off from the people" (living outside the camp) and lifetime childlessness.

After giving special instructions for the priests in chapters 21 & 22, more discussions of feasts are given. While the book of Exodus commands only three feasts. What Leviticus calls the Feast of Weeks is the counterpart of Ingathering, and a civil feast, the Feast of Trumpets is added. Following the Day of Atonement, feasting is also held. The showbread is described in chapter 24, part of which goes to the Lord and sacrificed, while the other part is consumed by Aaron and his sons.
The chapter closes with an application of the third commandment in which a blasphemer is stoned to death.

Chapter 25 gives a broader application to the Sabbath, proclaiming a Sabbath year for the land. What grows naturally is to be food, not only for those who work the land, but also servants and aliens. Then, after seven sabbath years, there shall be a "year of Jubilee," beginning on the Day of Atonement. People can eat only what naturally yields in their fields. Also debts are forgiven and slaves are set free.
I can't help but notice how much the Sabbath rhythm is paramount in Jewish understanding and what a gift it is for everyone. In Jesus' day, they turned this gift into a legalism, but Jesus said, "Sabbath was made for Man, not Man for the Sabbath." Unfortunately, for most of us, we are not in Sabbath rhythm, and the result is burnout of many kinds.

Chapter 26 gives the rewards for obedience and the punishments for disobedience. Like an insistent parent the punishments are emphasized more with lots of fear involved. Notice the application of "seven times" a biblical device for getting the full load of what God has. When it's good, it's really good. When it's bad...(you get the drift). The theological difficulty is when we interpret this too literally, which Jesus argued against (e.g. Luke 13, John 9). When we are obedient to God's ways, life will be better. But there will still be difficulties. As James writes, "The rain falls on the just and the unjust." When we are disobedient there will be consequences. But that doesn't mean that the wicked always have it worse than the righteous. That's one of David's big beefs with God in the Psalms. It is common for people to blame the afflicted for their problems, justifying the blaming based on passages like Leviticus 26 or similar passages in Deuteronomy. As teachers, what do we do when there are apparent differences within the Bible on issues? One way is to look at the overall swing of how the Bible treats these issues. An overall look at this issue would reveal that living a holy life has major benefits over living a sinful life. A holy life is indeed blessed beyond words. But that does not mean our lives are protected from disease, persecution, unfairness, acts of nature,etc. Nor does it mean that when bad things happen that God is mad at us. I think God can be mad at us even when good things are happening.

Leviticus 1-12

You will be spending two days reading the book of Leviticus. Reading any law code is tedious, but a law code from millenia go is doubly so. Yet, it is an invitation into the Old Testament legal world. We begin with a set of offerings. My NIV Study Bible has them neatly summarized. First is the burnt offering, which you'll find in Lev. 1, 6:8-13, 8:18-21 and 16:24. For those who are able, the required sacrifice is a bull or ram without blemish or defect. The poor are invited to sacrifice a male dove or youg pigeon without blemish or defect. The purpose of the offering was mainly in worship and also for atonement of unintentional sin.

The grain offering, described in Leviticus 2 & 6:14-23, required grain, fine flour, olive oil, incense, baked bread with salt but no yeast or honey. The grain offering was done along side the burnt offering and fellowship offering. Coming from the land, it was an expression of worship and thanks for God's provision for the people. The sacrifice made by the priest was meant to be "a sweet aroma" to the Lord.

The fellowship offering, described in Leviticus 3 & 7:11-34, included a communal meal. The sacrifice involved any animal of herd or flocks with defect and a variety of breads. By the way, each of the sacrfices require that the liver of the animals be removed, leaving only the cover. The liver was used by the other religions in Canaan for worship of their gods.

The sin offering, described in Leviticus 4:1-5:13; 6:24-30, 8:14-17; and 16:3-22, mainly for forgiveness of specific unintentional sin, confession of sin, and cleansing from defilement. If the atonement is for the high priest and congregation the sacrifice is to be a young bull. For a leader, it is a male goat. For a common person it is to be a female goat or a lamb. For the poor it is to be a dove or pigeon and for the very poor 1/10 of an ephah of fine flour.

The guilt offering, described in Leviticus 5:14-6:7 & 7:1-6 requires the sacrifice of a ram or a lamb. The purpose is for mandatory atonement for inintentional sin requiring restitution or cleansing from defilement. Restitution here requires a 20% fee for damage or loss along with the offering. People may not eat the fat of an animal, which was to be burnt unto the Lord or eat the blood. All food must be lean and well done!

The ordination of Aaron and his sons in chapter 8 is interesting, all the way from the priest's outfit to the way the men were anointed. Notice the favoritism of the right in the anointing, a biblical favoritism from cover to cover (too bad for us lefties!). Part of the sacrifice at the ordination will be given to Aaron and his sons for their eating pleasure. This will then continue regularly, according to Leviticus 7:27ff. Chapter 9 describes the first sacrifices of the priests, which concludes by a blessing from the priests with his hands extended over the people (the preliminary for what mainline pastors do in their benedictions).

Aaron's sons die for mishandling the fire on the altar. Many scholars have debated what would have generated such a harsh punishment. Some suggest they may have been drunk or had been sinful in other ways. But the thing to remember is that worship and proper leadership (including the handling of sacred items) was highly important. Later, one of the men stumbles with the ark and reaches into the area where the ark is kept instead of grabbing the poles on the outside. That, also resulted in deaths.

Chapters 11 is the first discussion of the food laws. A required text for preachers used to be one entitled, None of These Diseases, which told of the health benefits of the kosher diet. The book of Daniel begins with a similar defense of the religious food standards. Again, I remind you that while some of these rules were for health reasons, most of them were to distinguish them from the eating habits of the people around them, both in the Sinai and later in Canaan. It does look like you'll have to remove vultures, chameleons and skinks from your diet! Aren't you glad that locusts and katydids are acceptable! Yum, yum!

Leviticus 12 gives the instructions for cleanliness after childbirth. Generally, they make good sense in light of the unsterile conditions of that day. A New Testament note on 12:8. The sacrifice done at the dedication of Jesus was two young pigeons, the sacrifice of the poverty stricken.

Exodus 27-34

Throughout the discussion of the tabernacle you have the ancient measurement of the cubit. What's a cubit? It is the length from one's elbow to the end of the middle finger. So the length of a cubit depends on whose arm you're talking about and what time in history (on my arm it's 21 inches). For instance the Jewish cubit in the time of Moses tended to be about 16.5 inches, but the Roman one in Jesus' time was about 18 inches. It's like asking how many hands tall a horse is. Surely, there were tools that gave a more dependable measure. For our purposes a yard would be two cubits.

Time or space does not allow for a detailed discussion of the tabernacle. But the picture above of the surrounding tents with a tabernacle in the middle gives an informative portrayal of what Israel would have looked like as it migrated through the Sinai peninsula. Chapter 27 gives further instructions for the tabernacle, including the altar, the surrounding courtyard, and the oil for the lampstand.

We have the outfit of the priest described in chapter 28 (pictured above): including an ephod, a breastplate, collar, etc. No doubt, this is the predecessor to ministerial robes. One cannot help but be impressed by the detail that is given. The priest will be mediating the forgiveness of God for the people, so his role is crucial in the life of Israel. The consecration and anointing of the priests happens in chapter 29. Again, notice the detail and also the role of blood sacrifice, which is central to the office of priest. Aaron's garments are to be kept for ordination purposes when he dies. Aaron's sons, regrettably will not live up to the dedication of their father, two of them dying when they are careless at the altar of the Lord (Numbers 3:1-4).

With the instructions on the altar of incense in chapter 30, we start to get a picture that's been drawn for a while now, of God's passion that the people keep their relationship with a God who is holy. The provision for forgiveness and cleansing of the people is continuous, with daily offerings, basins for the cleansing of the feet of Aaron and his sons, rites of atonement, anointing oil for the tent of meeting and ark of the covenant, etc. Even the census that is a "ransom for life", is a statement of atonement for sin. For teaching purposes, you might want to ask how our own purity of mind, heart and actions is guarded and how people are cleansed in today's worship. The students will likely mention prayers of confession in communion services or at special times during the year. Others might say that Jesus' sacrifice on the cross took care of all of this. Yet people often are stuck in their brokeness and a sense that they do not feel cleansed or forgiven. The rites may have been eclipsed, but the need for cleansing and holiness personally, as families, as the church and as communities and nations remains.

As I read this material, I continue to be fascinated by how much the worship and structure of the church is rooted in the Old Testament. In chapter 31, Bezalel and Oboliah are chosen and filled with God's Spirit for craftmanship. In some ways, the building committees and trustees have their roots here. Both of those groups do more than build and repair things, but Exodus teaches us that the ability to do those things is a God-given gift, as surely as preaching, teaching, and healing. This chapter finishes with strong commandments about Sabbath keeping. Violations of the Sabbath are capital crimes. We can be glad that we no longer under such a covenant, but our failure to follow Sabbath rhythm does take years from our life and quality out of our work and relationships.

Chapter 32 is one of the pivotal chapters in Jewish history. While Moses is receiving the law and its instructions that will help Israel maintain its sense of identity and relationship with God amidst other nations that follow other gods, the people have persuaded Aaron to help them fashion an idol of those very nations - a golden calf. Most of the time, these idols of Ba'al were fertility related with exaggerated sexual parts on the animals. As part of the fertility rites the people would party hearty and participate in sexually explicit behavior. This nomadic people take what precious little they have and fashion something that cannot answer their prayers or do anything for them. It is not just an event in Israel's history, it is archetypal, a symbol of the entire history of Israel, and I would argue of humankind. We fall into worshipping the gods of the society around us. Moses in anger breaks the stone tablets. The confrontation with Aaron is interesting. "Moses, they brought their gold and jewelry and out came this golden calf." Is that a study in human nature or what? The Levites slaughter about 3,000 people under the order of Moses. From then on the Levites would be the tribe that have responsibilities for the worship of the Lord.

Our reading ends in chapters 33 & 34 with a revelation and a redoing of the ten commandments. It's really no surprise (though certainly presumptuous and bold) for Moses to ask for a revelation of God's presence. The receiving of the commands and the horrendous event would have created such a need for assurance. God promises to hide Moses in the cleft of the rock while God's presence comes by. He cannot see God's face, but he will get to see God's back. Woven in this part of the story is Moses use of the Tent of Meeting, which was "outside the camp." There Moses would meet with God and the people would see the cloud come down on the tent. We know from the instructions already given to Moses that the presence of God will now move the middle of the camp in the tabernacle, where "the tent of meeting" will be relocated.

Moses returns from the mountain and his face is shining from his encounter with God. From then on, Moses put a veil on before speaking to the Lord, take it off while speaking with Him, and then put the veil back on before he visited with the people. Paul's second letter to the Corinthians (chapter 3) reinterprets this for discussion of the new covenant in Jesus Christ.

Exodus 19-26

This week we return to the Old Testament for an understanding of Torah or law. From reading Jewish authors, I find that Christians often misunderstand the Old Testament and the law in particular. We get hung up on the 600+ commands, 240+ dos and 360+ don'ts. We see the detail of the laws as outdated and trivial, creating a legalistic religion without passion and heart. That is a Christian bias people often read into the Old Covenant. But the real issue behind these laws is the formation of a people who will be "separate" from the people that are around them. In the Psalms, David writes or sings, "I love thy law, O LORD." He is talking about more than following a lot of rules. He is talking about his identity as a child of God, who follow's God's ways as part of God's people. The readings this week are somewhat tedious, so as you read them, be asking yourself, "How might these laws set the children of Israel apart from the city-states that await them when they get to the promised land?" "How does the narrative that accompanies these laws help strengthen Jewish understanding of who they are as God's people?" Make sure and read our text along with these readings. It will be very helpful.

The center of today's reading is the giving of the Ten Commandments. Chapter 19, verses 3-6 gives the background for what is to follow. They are always to remember the miracle of the Exodus and how God has chosen the children of Israel as his chosen people to be a "kingdom of priests" and "a holy nation." In teaching this passage, you could pair it with I Peter 2, >"You are a chosen race, a royal prisehood, a holy nation, a people of God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God..."strong> The scene is dramatic at Sinai with smoke, fire and a quaking mountain. Moses goes up to meet with God and God descends upon the mountain.

Most of us have in mind the DiLaurentis Ten Commandments where, from a finger, fire scorches the rock with each commandment. Deuteronomy 9:10 does say that the commandments were "inscribed by the finger of God." I have led a Bible Study on the Ten Commandments (from Jewish, Catholic, Protestant and Muslim perspectives) and preached a series of sermons on the Ten Commandments, but here I want to lift up one thing. Many of the commandments (particularly 6-10) are not unique to Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5 (there are two listings), but rather were common to many of the civilizations of the time. Commands 1-5 are more exclusively Jewish. Commands 1,2 and 3 are about how God is to be worshipped, in contrast the way other nations worshipped their gods. The people of God will have only one God in contrast to the polytheism of the area. There also will be no idols like the religions around them, nor will their be mindless repetition of prayers. Command 4 is about the unique institution of Sabbath. Much more will be said about Sabbath, but notice you have already had a hint about that back in Genesis 2:1-3. Command 5 is about how children are to regard their parents. Again, much more will be said. Mouthing off to your folks was taken much more seriously back then, and I doubt it happened very much!

Right away, in chapters 21-22, we see the gap between Moses' day and ours. We wouldn't see such laws as binding in any way today. We have here an early understanding of the differences between murder, manslaughter and accidental death. What do you see about personal responsbility for damages, not just to people, but animals and property? What things have surprised you so far?

In chapter 23:9, we have the second mention of aliens (the first in 22:21). Providing for the alien is important in Jewish understanding since they spent generations that way. Again, I Peter 2 comes to mind as verse 11 says that we as Christians are "aliens and strangers in the world." Notice that Sabbath is not just the observance of a day. It is a rhythm of life for people,animals,crops, for offering forgiveness, etc. Christians have struggled with how to understand sabbath in our day and time. But the rhythm shows a truth that is built into creation itself. Some worthy questions to ask a class you teach is "How do you observe Sabbath" and "What are the consequences when we do not observe it?" One of the realities of some of the Jewish law code is that much of it is there for our own good. Three feasts are commanded: Unleavened Bread (Passover or Pesach), the Feast of First Fruits or Harvest (Pentecost) and the Feast of Ingathering (The Feast of Booths or Sukkoth). Each of them will evolve as the nation of Israel matures. The children of Israel will be led by an angel and they are to wipe out the inhabitants of the places they go and destroy their idols. The main desire here is to preserve purity of faith.

Exodus 24 tells the confirming of the covenant by the people, including the setting up of twelve stones and then sealed the covenant in the blood of bulls (which is sprinkled on the bowls on the altar, then on the altar itself, and finally on the people. Two great symbols are given so that in this foreign land they will always remember who they are (I guess "always" is a bit too strong in light of Israel's history and ours for that matter). A possible teaching opportunity here would be to talk about "the blood of the covenant" and the celebration of Holy Communion ("this is the blood of the new covenant"). Then you could ask what Holy Communion does in the life of the Church? Moses stays on the mountain forty days and nights getting the stone tablets from God and other instructions. Where have you heard "forty days and forty nights" before, in the Old Testament and in the New Testament?

The making of the Tabernacle in chapters 25-26 is interesting, because this is to be the place where God dwells. In the Old Testmaent you have an evolution in which God dwells in a tent (in their times as nomads), then in a temple (as Jerusalem is established as the capital), and then dwells among the people in a temple not made with hands (while Israel was in exile). God gives Moses instructions for the Ark of the Covenant first. At first it contains the tablets and later Aaron's rod will be added. Then there is added a 3' x 2' table, overlaid in pure gold. A lampstand is then to be built. There is more to come for this very special place in which God dwells.

John 20-21

After today's reading, you will have been reading in the gospels for two weeks. My hope is that you have had a fresh glimpse of Christ. The resurrection is extremely varied between the gospels. John shows the risen Christ in relationship to Mary Magdalene, Thomas and Peter. As you read it, the appearance to Peter forms an epilogue of sorts, for the gospel seems to end at 20:30-31,

Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples which are not recoreded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jeuss is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

John says that Mary went to the tomb alone, while the other gospels say that a group of ladies went to the tomb. Mary goes and gets Peter and John. John is careful to mention that he got to the tomb first (three times!), but did not go inside. The picture here is of an empty cocoon like shell made of strips of linen, that formed around the body. The facial cloths are neatly folded along side. They know the body is missing, but they don't know what has happened. For a musical rendition of this try youtube.com and "He's Alive" sung either by the author Don Francisco or Dolly Parton.

Once Peter and John return home, Mary has a conversation with who she thinks is the gardener. She recognizes Jesus when he calls her name. "Rabboni" simply means "my teacher." Jesus tells her not to hold on to him and she is to tell the disciples what has happened. It is still Easter Sunday night when Jesus appears to them. The doors are still locked as the disciples fear that the same group of thugs that had Jesus executed would come for them, too. Jesus comes through the locked doors, saying, "Peace be with you (a typical casual hello)." Jesus says, "As the Father has sent me, so send I you." They still have a job to do. That fact is as true for you and me as it was with those disciples.

The appearance to Thomas is wonderful, in that he was not there for the first appearance. When the disciples tell him, he thinks they have created the appearance out of wishful thinking. He will have to see Jesus and touch Jesus for himself. For a week, they wait and then Jesus appears to Thomas, using some of the very words Thomas used. Jesus tells Thomas to "stop doubting and believe." There really is a place where we are called to let go of doubt and make the choice to believe. Verse 29 is more for us than Thomas, for we are the ones who "have not seen and yet believe." Thomas sees in order to believe, while we believe in order to see. What a great example of how Jesus meets us as we are.

The appearance to Peter is deeply moving. The story is a re-run, with some key adjustments, of Luke 5:1-11, the story of the large catch of fish when the disciples were first called. Now, in a similar scene, those who ran and desert Jesus in the crufixion three days earlier are now reinstated. Peter is the first to recognize that the one on the shore is Jesus, and they have major business with each other. After eating breakfast prepared by Jesus (bread and fish - heard something like that before?), Jesus and Peter have the most intimate of conversations. In the Greek, it is even more intimate. There are three words for love in the Greek, eros (which refers to sexual or erotic love), philos (filial or family love, like Philadelphia - the city of brother love), and agape Christ-like sacrificial love that requires no response). Jesus asks the question in agape love and Peter answers in filial love. He is saying to Jesus, "You know I love you like a brother." Then Jesus says, "Feed my lambs." He asks a second time in agape and Peter answers again in filial love. Then Jesus says, "Feed my sheep." Finally, Jesus asks a third time in filial, as if to say, "Do you even love me like a brother?" Peter breaks down and answers in agape. "You know I love you." Then Jesus again says, "Feed my sheep," but this time reminds him of what it would cost and then says the first words he ever said to him, "Follow me."

The gospel finishes with a conversation about John (surprise, surprise!). Peter wonders what will happen to him. Jesus hints that John will indeed outlive him and perhaps John expected to see the Lord return in his lifetime (as most of the disciples did). According to tradition, Peter fulfilled 21:18 in more ways than one. Not only would he stretch out his arms and be dressed by another as he got older, he would aslo stretch out his arms in the form of crucifixion. Because Peter is not worthy to be crucified the same way as Jesus, he is said to have been crucified on an X cross upside down. The second ending reads much like the first.

John 18-19

For Monday's reading we look at the arrest, trial and crucifixion of the Christ. As we would expect, John's version of the passion names many of the people involved. While the Upper Room was a place they did normally meet, the Garden of Olives was a place to which they often retreated, so much so, that Judas had no trouble finding them. The garrison of thugs are prepared for struggle if necessary, but Jesus offers himself so that no one is hurt. Only John records the "I am he" incident with them all falling to the ground under the power of the Christ. Jesus asks them who they are looking for. They tell him and he says again "I am he." My imagination has them hitting the deck again, but that's not what the scriptures say.

Simon Peter tries to "save the day" taking the sword after Malchus'right ear. Only Luke records that Jesus restored his ear. That would explain why nobody else got hurt or killed. Good old impulsive Peter. Jesus is taken away to Annas, the father of Caiaphas (the high priest for thats year). Annas had been high priest twice himself.

John weaves the denials in with the trial of Jesus by the religious leadership. Who might this disciple be? Could it be John himself? We will see a similar hinting like this in the Easter story. Annas is the inquisitor here. It seems that he is honored as former high priest even though he is not officially in that position at the time. The second and third denials happen at the same fire. One of the accusers is even a relative of Malchus (everybody's somebody's cousin, eh?)!

The trial before Pilate is dramatically portrayed as a back and forth dialogue. Pilate invites the religious leaders to punish them by their own law. But Pilate and the leaders know that they can convict someone for a capital crime under Jewish law (eg. blasphemy) but they cannot carry out the execution. Then it's mano a mano with Pilate and Jesus. Jesus is king, but not an earthly king. Jesus is the truth, but it is truth of a different kind. Pilate has done so much toying with people's lives and has heard so many cases, he is completely jaded. Josephus writes of the heartless and insecure mainpulator that Pilate was. He was eventually removed from his post for abuse of power. Pilate tries one more evasion - place a known thief and insurrectionist over against the deluded "king" of the Jews. Slam dunk - they will release Jesus. But Pilate has underestimated this hand picked crowd. Jesus is charged with the very crime that Barabbas was known to be guilty of. Here is another essay on human nature and group sin. Once a group goal is chosen, the end may well justify the means. Recent testimony from Guantanamo tells what happens when you dehumanize a person. The Roman soldiers will carry out the same behavior in short order in the flogging with the cat-o-nine-tails

Jesus is brought out before the crowd a pathetic, broken mess with a royal purple robe. The crowd continues to cry out "crucify him." Pilate is frustrated and even taunts the crowd, but eventually gives in and hands him over to be crucified. Only Matthew records that Pilate washed his hands of the blood of Jesus. In the movies and in artwork, you will often see the letters INRI. It stands for iesus (Jesus) Nazareth rex (king) iudeas (Jews). This is what Jesus was crucified for, for claiming to be king. Yet, no Jew is rightly able to admit that anyone is their king. Pilate enjoyed the irony. The soldiers gamble for Jesus' undergarment and fulfill Psalm 22:18. It would be worthwhile for you to read Psalm 22 along side any teaching of the crucifixion, as well as Isaiah 52-53.

In Good Friday worship many churches remember the "seven last words" of Christ from the cross. Words are taken from each of the gospels. John includes the second word, which is between Jesus, his mother Mary and John as Jesus puts his mother in the care of this the youngest of the disciples. Both of them have ancient homes in the city of Ephesus. It is interesting that John does not include the cry of direliction (the fourth word - "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me."). He does include the fifth word, "I thirst," and the sixth "It is finished."

The process of crucifixion often took several days. The loss of blood was actually quite slow and most victims died of suffocation (severe pain, terror of not being able to breathe and maniacal thirst), when their legs would no longer push up their bodies to get a breath. No wonder crucifixions would later be banned as gratuitously cruel. In order not to have Jesus on the cross for the Sabbath, they ask to have the legs of the crucified broken. But when they get to Jesus he was already dead. A Roman soldier pierces his side and out comes blood and water. There are a couple of interpretations here. The mixture of blood and water is common in suffocation. But it also happens when under severe punishment and stress, the heart literally bursts. Some scholars write that Jesus literally could have died from "a broken heart."

Joseph of Arimathea is identified as a secret disciple of Jesus. Notice who accompanies him, another secret disciple. Nicodemus was a seeker in John 3, a defender in John 7 and the provider of his burial shroud in John 19. The reading for today is brief, yet personal and powerful. What did you learn about Jesus that you hadn't realized before? How does the cross and what happened to Jesus give an accurate picture of human nature and its sinful ways? What does it mean to say that Jesus died for the sins of the whole world?

Even though it is Monday, you have been through Good Friday. But as Tony Campolo, the sociologist and preacher says, "But Sunday's coming"...on Tuesday.

John 13-17

Today's study is over what scholars call the Upper Room Discourse. It is a tremendous source for understanding the heart and vision of Jesus as he approaches the cross. The disciples don't know it, but Jesus is giving them parting gifts before he goes. The first is a model of leadership as he, the host, washes the disciples' feet. If you have ever been part of a footwashing, for many people (including myself) there is a profound experience of vulnerablity for the one who has his or her feet washed (just like Peter). Some will actually be moved to tears. If, as a teacher, you wished to do a footwashing as part of your class, the class should know each other well and you should consider whether they are ready. Sometimes, I have substituted handwashing, even using it in worship services (which seems to be a little more comfortable). Jesus invites them to wash each other's feet. We don't know if they actually did it at that time, but the object lesson is clear. To follow Christ is to lead not in power dominance but in sacrificial service. A good combination with John 13 is Philippians 2:1-11 under the theme of "downward mobility." The intimacy of those moments is followed by Jesus' predictions of both his betrayal by Judas and his denial by Peter. Part 1 of the betrayal has already taken place, but now Judas leaves to set up the arrest. John mentions that this happened at night, so that we are made aware that the arrest will be illegal. As John writes this, looking back some sixty years, how powerful he must have felt those events and how they shaped his life and the lives of his fellow disciples. Most likely, he is the only one that is now alive and he will be the only one, at least according to church tradition, that will die a natural death. This theme of servant love will be the key metaphor for the rest of John's writings.

Chapter 14 introduces "the plan" for what follows Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection. When Jesus "goes to the Father", they will be able to do greater things than Jesus (vs. 12). How? Jesus says he will send "another counselor" or "another advocate." In the Greek this is a paraclete, one called along side to help. There are two words for another in the Greek. One is heteros which means "another of a different kind." The other is allos, which means "another of the same kind." Allos is what is used here. In sending the Holy Spirit, Jesus sending one like himself, who will be along side them just like he has been. Only now he is portable, within every believer. That's how verse 12 is fulfilled. We can't outdo raising people from the dead, but the transforming power of Christ is no longer limited to one person and the overall impact is far greater than what Jesus did. The Holy Spirit becomes the one who then guides, teaches and convicts us when necessary. There is an excess to be avoided here, which the early church discovered quickly. What the Holy Spirit teaches us must be measured against what the scriptures say and what God is teaching others. We don't follow Jesus in isolation. Jesus promises the gift of peace, not the absence of conflict, but a contentment of soul that carries us in good times and bad.

The vine and the branches teaching in chapter 15 is one of the great passages of the entire bible. The main issue is being connected to Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit. What we do or say apart from that connection is fruitless according to Christ's point of view. The "pruning" illustration is tough, because none of us likes to be "cut back" and learn difficult character lessons. This passage lends itself to object lessons in your teaching (e.g. rose bushes, vines, etc.). For me, this is one of the key passages to offer in helping people have a balanced and healthy self-concept. Our greatness is not found in talking ourselves into feeling good about ourselves, it is found in our connection with Christ who chose us first and loved us so much that he found us worth dying for. The last part of the chapter is about the cost of following Jesus. Jesus says in 15:20b-21,"No servant is greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching they will obey yours also. They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do now know the One who sent me." How will you and the people you teach deal with the issue of rejection when it comes to becoming a fully devoted follower of Jesus Christ? Most of us are consummate people pleasers.

Chapter 16 goes further into the role of the Holy Spirit. It's kind of neat to think about Jesus providing an inner tutor after he's gone. For the disciples, this is all very cryptic and wierd, but John now looks back and understands. Jesus predicts that they will all abandon him and scatter, which they will do in less than 12 hours.

We call Matthew 6:9-13 "the Lord's Prayer" (which is also in Luke without the tag ending), but it is really "the disciples' prayer". The real Lord's Prayer is in John 17. It is first of all a prayer of relinquishment of the disciples to the Lord's care. Love involves letting go and Jesus is doing that. But having this prayer help us understand more of who we are as followers of Jesus. Jesus prays, "My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it."

The last part of the prayer is for you and me, as well as all the generations to follow him. It is that the church becomes one, one with Christ and the Father and one with each other in unity. Jesus prayer gives us our job description: By the power of the Holy Spirit we are to be Christ in the world: healing the sick of mind, body and spirit; sharing and demonstrating God's kingdom in our daily lives; teaching the truth of Christ;serving those around us; reconciling those who have become fractured in relationships;speaking and bringing hope to the hopelss; and transforming our world, offering our very lives. Romans tells us that Christ still intercedes for us with the Father.

Now you have a day off before we experience John's version of the passion of Christ. This passage has really been all about love, not a bad study for Valentine's Day weekend. May the love of Christ be with you and make sure to tell those around you about Christ's love and how much you cherish them.

John 8-12

John 7:53-8:11 does not occur in the earliest manuscripts, but it did make it into the gospel early on, showing its importance to the early church. It also fits in as a centerpiece for Jesus' extended fight with the religious leaders. It is clear that the agenda for the leaders is entrapment. They care neither about this woman or the law. One tradition says that Jesus' doodling on the ground was really a listing of all the sins of the would be prosecutors. By the end of the eighth chapter it is Jesus that they are ready to stone.

The argument in chapter 8 is intense. But it is easy to see why the Pharisees were so angry with Jesus. He claims to be "from above" while they are "from beneath." He claims a special connection to "the Father" that they do not have. He tells them they will die in their sins. The discussion in 8:31-36 about freedom is central to Jewish understanding, particularly among those sympathetic to the Pharisees. While God can use anybody for his purposes, those who enslave God's people are never legitemate masters. Jews had long ago decided to be God's free people no matter what thins looked like. Jesus claims to be the one to set people truly free. How does Jesus set people free in the Bible? How does he set people free today and how has he set you free?

Chapter 9 is a miracle that is symbolic of Jesus' entire ministry. The question of the disciples is one straight out of Deuteronomy. God blesses the righteous with good things, but bad things happened to people when they are idolatrous or disobedient. "Who sinned that he was born blind, him or his parents?" Rabbi Harold Kushner deals with this same issue in his commentary on the Old Testament sacred story of Job, entitled "When Bad Things Happen to Good People." As human beings we struggle for life to be fair and just; it is not. Jesus uses the same techniques the doctors did in his day. The difference is this time it works. The Pharisees, of course, contest the miracle - questioning the man's testimony and Jesus' integrity. But the man is bold and takes on Jesus' detractors. The chapter concludes with the question of who really are the blind ones in the story.

Chapter 10 begins with the famous "Good Shepherd" soliloquy of Jesus. My parents visited the Holy land about thirty years ago and saw this one in action. Dad saw a man chasing after the sheep and beating them. Dad said, "That's one mean shepherd." The tour guide said, "He's no shepherd. He's the butcher!" In Jesus' day, the shepherd would lay across the gate to not only protect the sheep, but also be able to be jostled by any sheep that would want to run for it. But the welfare of the sheep are entirely in the hands of the sheep. Reading John 10 and Psalm 23 aloud, comparing the themes and reflecting on God's constant and sacrificial care would make a great devotional time. Notice in vs. 18 that Jesus will not give power over to his persecutors. He lays down his life. Question: If that is true, is the passion of the Christ really a suicide? How would you use a question like that in a class setting? The good shepherd speech leads to yet another fight with the Pharisees. The Pharisees in chapter 9 are blind and now they are those whose unbelief causes them not to be sheep. How does faith in Jesus open people's eyes? How has it done that for you? Have you noticed that is difficult to argue people into following Jesus or into much of anything for that matter? That's why teaching is more about setting an environment for people to hear: providing an atmosphere of acceptance, helping give accurate and accessible information, stirring curiosity by asking the right questions and loving people as they move toward Christ (usually two steps forward and one step backward).

The resurrection of Lazarus is both central chapter (11) and turning point of the gospel of John. It is after that event, according to John, that the Passover Plot is hatched. This is wonderful narrative with great characters: Lazarus, Mary and Martha (the friends that Jesus would return home to hang out with - see Luke 10 and other places for that); the disciples (especially Thomas), the crowd of mourners and, of course, Jesus. The tension in the telling of this account is found in Jesus willingness to go there (at the risk of his life), in Jesus deliberately waiting until he died,the play on words with the disciples about Lazarus being asleep (as in dead), having to explain to Mary and Martha his apparent insensitivity, and finally, the calling forth of Lazarus in front of that who crowd of people. How I would love to have been there. Question: Why did Jesus weep (the world's favorite scripture memory verse, John 11:35)? If he knew he was going to do this, why cry? How will you help your students get into this text? We certainly can admire Jesus for how great his power is, but there are some real grief issues we all face that are very much a part of this story. "Why did our loved one have to die?" "We prayed so strongly and were so sure God would heal him/her and he died. Was God there?" "Why does God make us wait for our answers to prayer?" But there are also some other themes here that relate to you and me. For instance, I have seen many people go from spiritual, relational, emotional death into life. I have seen people come out of their deadly existence and find life like they never imagined. In fact, I would dare say that the church is to be the family of faith where we help people out of their grave clothes and become fully alive.

Chapter 11 finishes with the plot of the Pharisees, Sadducees and the high priest Caiaphas. John intentionally wants us to hear the double meaning behind the words of Caiaphas, "You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish." We read here an echo of John 3:16.

The next chapter begins with the anointing at Bethany, which we already read in Matthew. Matthew does not name the woman and locates it at the house of Simon the Leper (most likely ex-leper). John writes that the woman was Mary and the dinner happened at Mary and Martha's house (sisters of the now raised Lazarus), though I guess that Martha could have served it at Simon the Leper's house.

John locates the Palm Sunday ride here. The crowd that was there for the Passover is joined by the crowd that came from the raising of Lazarus. The Pharisees again speak a double meaning, "The whole world has gone out to him." Jesus has used the idea of being "lifted up" before, but now he makes it clear that "being lifted up" is the way he will die. The disciples still did not see the crucifixion coming. In the midst of this passage there is a life principle. Jesus says, "Unless a seed goes into the ground and dies it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds." The primary meaning here is that Jesus will be the seed that dies to produce many more. Paul writes of Jesus' resurrection that it was the first fruits of them that sleep. We, too, will resurrect. The life principle is that nearly every great thing we do or enjoy in life is built on the sacrifice, the trial and error experiences and the investment of someone who didn't get to see the benefit. That's an ethic we in the 21st century USAmerican Church need to relearn.

John 4-7

Well did Jesus baptize or didn't he (3:22, 4:2-3)? It seems the latter clarifies that Jesus was there but did not baptize. Jesus goes back to Galilee straight through Samaria. That was not the way most good Jews went, but rather went around Samaria by way of Perea (see the map to the left). Staunch Jewish men would thank God daily they weren't a dog, a Samaritan or a woman. Jesus would meet at a well with one who was a woman and a Samaritan. He talks with her and he drinks water from her utensils (both huge challenges to Jewish custom). Jesus, the teacher, uses the object of water to talk about living water. Much like the conversation with Nicodemus about being born again, they quibble over a play on words. The conversation turns personal as Jesus confronts her about her broken past with men. Because he knows what he should not, she is convinced he is a prophet. Her way of avoiding the painful conversation was to involve Jesus in a debate where God was properly worshipped. I dare say that the response of Jesus is a wonderful pattern for our own contemporary debates over worship music and preaching. What if we lifted our preference oriented discussions of worship to that of worshipping the Lord in Spirit and truth (traditionally, contemporary and everything in between)?
She then talks about the yearning for a Messiah and Jesus tells her that he is the Messiah. The woman believes in Jesus and tells all her friends. Jesus ends up staying over a few days for what ends up to be a revival of sorts. Isn't it interesting that the first great evangelist is a Samaritan woman? It sure did blow the minds of those very Jewish disciples.

The second healing is another one that is unexpected: a son of a royal official in Capernaum (which would become Jesus' main home base). Jesus heals the man's son instantly without having to be there. We have here the side comment that "a prophet is without honor in his home country." I am afraid that is a principle of ministry in general. My most challenging days as a District Superintendent was with the churches I had served as either a Director of Music (we knew you when you were just a kid in his 20s) or as a pastor (we have an angle on you that will allow us to bend the rules if we need to). The same is true when the people you do ministry with can still remember when you were in diapers! There is another aspect to this. It's hard to share a ministry of high ideals with those who have known you really well.

The question in chapter 5 at the pool of Bethesda of the man who had been disabled for 38 years is interesting, "Do you want to get well?" On the face of it, that's a dumb question. "Sure, Jesus, I enjoy having to be carried here and stand in line waiting for a miracle that never comes." But there are times when we don't want to get well. I have counseled with appeal that are so addicted to their anger and disappointment that they don't want to forgive and become whole. The man gives all the reasons he hasn't been able to get well. I've done that one. If I get well or get over something then I have to change. I can't blame those around me "for not getting me into the pool on time." The man is healed and picks up his bed (which exceeded the weight limits of what you could do on the Sabbath) and so rather than rejoice in his healing, the Pharisees accuse him of breaking Sabbath law. Jesus meets the man later. Perhaps some of his sickness was due to his own lifestyle. Ouch!

The rest of chapter 5 is an extended argument with the Pharisees, chiding them for their unbelief and telling them that greater acts are yet to come. John 5:28ff seems to have been fulfilled during the crucifixion. He talks about John the baptist, but it is obvious that John has already been executed. You get the impressioned that Jesus was pretty ticked. It also demonstrates why his critics developed such a hatred of him.

Only John's version of the feeding of the 5,000 in chapter 6, (the only miracle of Jesus recorded in all four gospels)involves the little boy. Always the teacher, Jesus starts asking provocative questions of Phillip, a definite "show me the goods" person. Notice how Jesus organizes the people for the miraculous (gathering them in groups of 20s). Sometimes I think that's what it means to follow Jesus - to provide an environment for God to do the miraculous. There are twelve baskets left over (the biblical number of completeness). What is Jesus trying to teach the disciples?
Another question for teaching purposes is "How do we apply this in a way that people can live out the good news here?" One message is that we learn the sufficiency of Christ, that he not only gives us what we need, but gives us abundantly more than we could ask or think. Another message is that we are not called to share what we don't have, but we are called to share what we do.

After reading John's version of Jesus walking on water, we have an extended discussion on the meaning of the feeding of the 5,000. Jesus chides the crowd for just following him for the food (another ouch for followers everywhere). Like the woman at the well, the bread becomes a chance to talk about "living bread" instead of living water. Jesus says something key to the gospel of John, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent." Is it possible that God's main agenda is to make true believers of all of us in all the different arenas of our lives? From verse 41 on, Jesus is once again tangling with "the Jews." To avoid anti-Semitism, it is important to note that these are radical Jewish leaders and not the Jewish people in general. That becomes especially important as we had toward the crucifixion in the beginning of next week. The gross conversation about eating flesh and drinking blood isn't bothersome to us because we understand it in the light of holy communion. Even to this day, detractors of Christians accuse us of canabalism (for eating flesh and drinking blood). Jesus has definitely pushed the envelope here and alienated himself from "the Jews" and some of those who had been fed loaves and fish. What a powerful moment when Jesus turns to his disciples and asks them, "Will you leave me, too?"

The background for the seventh chapter is the Feast of Tabernacles, a celebration of God's provision for the people in the Sinai. Jesus is avoiding Judea because of those who were wanting to kill him. By now the crowd is giving Jesus mixed reviews. The propaganda machine of the Pharisees and Sadducees is working. Jesus teaches at the feast and, of course, has another fight with "the Jews." Notice the ongoing role of Nicodemus.

John 1-3

The leap from Matthew to John is a big one in content and style, due to a totally different agenda. Matthew tries to justify Jesus with the Hebrew scriptures, while John tries to communicate in terms the Gentiles will understand (by the time of his writing the Christian movement has become largely Gentile). John describes just a few events at length, describing the effect on key individuals and also the conflict with the religious leadership. It's worth remembering that John was one of the "sons of Thunder" (along with brother James), so they were known for being ambitious and competitive. Even though John writes much later than the other gospels and at a late time in his life, you can still see some fight in the old guy. His goal is to bring people to believe in Jesus (20:31). John will major on the significance of Jesus and what he said and did more than just the facts.

The gospel opens with a prologue (1:1-18), one that would have spoken strongly to a Greek audience, "In the beginning was the logos..." While it is translated "Word" in the New Testament, it really was a concept that referred to the basic reason or essence of life. The language "in the beginning" comes straight from the book of Genesis. John's point is that what people experienced through believing in Jesus was there from the beginning of creation. Verse 14 brings it to a climax saying, "And the Word became flesh and made his tent among us (literal rendering)." This will be the story of how God's communication of himself in love became flesh in Jesus and gave people life abundant and life everlasting.

Like Matthew, the relationship of Jesus and John the Baptist is important. John claims not to be Elijah. Jesus, in the other gospels certainly sees him in that "role." John's baptism is preparatory for the greater baptism from Jesus, with the Holy Spirit. In John 1:35-39 we have the evidence that some of the disciples were first disciples of John the Baptist. The call of the disciples shows that many of these disciples knew each other before they followed Jesus. I have always enjoyed the call of Nathanael, "Behold an Israelite in whom there is no guile." A lot of United Methodists fit that description! More importantly, you start to get a personality picture of these disciples - rugged fisherman, seekers of meaning, open doubters, tax collectors. They are plain spoken and common enough that we can put ourselves in their place quite easily.

The first miracle of John's gospel is not mentioned anywhere else. The relationship between Mary and Jesus is interesting in this miracle. Mary is not the gentle sweet woman we see in the paintings. She knows what she wants and gets it. The miracle is not only that water was turned into wine, but that the wine was better than the special kind that was bought for the early part of the wedding reception. Through Jesus, God has saved the best till last (a life lesson there?).

John places the cleansing of the temple at the beginning of his gospel rather than after the Palm Sunday ride. The role of Jesus the reformer of legalistic religion is huge for John, so it is no surprise at his ordering of the events of Jesus' ministry. The temple as the metaphor of his body is told here. It, of course, goes right over the heads of the temple leaders.

John 3, one of the most famous chapters in all the Bible gives the encounter between Jesus and Nicodemus (a Pharisee and fellow rabbi). They meet at night which was the common time for rabbis to get together. Twentieth century revivalism made being "born again" into an experience more than a total reorientation of life (as Jesus did with Nicodemus). Nicodemus must get beyond his confidence in what he knows to an openness for God to work freely and even unpredictably in his life. I fear at times that many "born again" Christians have the experience, but not the long term work of God. Jesus re-interprets Numbers 21, making himself the healer of the diseases of the people. John 3:16 is told in that concept. I really think we need to require people to memorize 3:17 as well. The closing verdict is a commentary on the many who reject Jesus - that people choose darkness over light. How is that still true of those outside the church and of people like you and me on the inside?

The third chapter finishes with a concluding statement on John the Baptist and the superiority of Christ. It makes you wonder if there weren't a whole lot of John's disciples who ended up "getting a better offer."