James Can’t Be Serious–Can He?

James, a bond-servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes who are dispersed abroad, Greetings.
Consider it all joy, my [brothers and sisters], when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. James 1:1-4

Intro: I love the Bible and appreciate its diversity of styles
(especially its poems and stories)

James, however, is not one of my favorite books
– there were followers of Jesus who believed,
• to be a true Christian a person had to be Jewish (cf. Acts 15:1)
◦ this was the dominant opinion in Jerusalem
◦ those who held to it included some Christian leaders
• the apostles, Peter and Paul did not agree with them
◦ they believed Gentiles could know God in their own culture and context
◦ and apart from fulfilling all the requirements of the law

At an important council convened in Jerusalem to rule on this issue, Peter spoke up on behalf of Gentile conversion to Jesus without having to also place them under the law and Jewish traditions, asking his opponents, “Now, therefore why do you put God to the test by placing upon the neck of the disciples a yoke which neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear?” (Acts 15:10)

– eventually, two forms of living Christian faith emerged:
• one, mostly Gentile, enjoyed the freedom of grace
• the other, mostly Jewish, enjoyed grace and practiced the discipline of the law
◦ Paul, in his letters tried to teach both groups how to live together in peace
◦ see especially Romans chapters 14 and 15

James belonged to the group that stressed law and Jewish traditions
– his letter was written in Greek, but with a Hebrew flair
• we can discern the influence of the Old Testament:
◦ in his emphasis on wisdom including strong parallels with the Book of Proverbs
◦ for James, the law is still the gold standard of religion (cf. Jas. 2:8-12)
◦ his stress on having a strong sense of identity in conflict with the rest of the world
• James was writing to Jewish Christians like himself
◦ his letters is addressed to the “twelve tribes” of the diaspora
◦ a technical term referring to Jewish exiles scattered around the world from the sixth century BC on
– in spite of Jame’s religious preference
(and there are still many Christians hold it today)
• there is much here for us freedom-loving Gentiles to learn

A few technical observations

I’m never sure how much grammatical information you need
– I tend to explain what’s important to me
– so here are translations of the words in these verses that are important to me:

• encounter: “to fall among” – like falling into a muddy ditch
• various: “lots of colors” – we fall into “all kinds of colorful troubles”
• trials: trouble, pain, hardship (we’ll come back to this)
• testing: proof – something that has passed the test
◦ that is, the real thing, genuine gold
(translated approved in verse 12 and “proven character” in Romans 5:4)
Notice how Peter uses this same language in his letter, . . . now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ (1 Pe. 1:6-7)
◦ genuine faith survives every ordeal
• endurance: commitment to stay with an activity (a task or race)
• perfect: something that has reached its goal, done its job
• complete: nothing is missing, everything is integrated
◦ think of wholeness (cf. 1 Thes. 5:23)

What does James mean by “lacking in nothing?” Continue reading →

A Very Solid Hope

For you have not come to [a mountain] that can be touched and to a blazing fire, and to darkness and gloom and whirlwind, and to the blast of a trumpet and the sound of words which sound was such that those who heard begged that no further word be spoken to them. For they could not bear the command, “If even a beast touches the mountain, it will be stoned.” And so terrible was the sight, that Moses, said, “I am full of fear and trembling.”
But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks better than the blood of Abel. Hebrews 12:18-24

Intro: Hebrews is a complex book

It requires a good knowledge of the Old Testament, or else it’s easy to get lost
– but Hebrews is well worth the effort to work our way through it
• for me, it is like reading a fifth gospel
• only it brings out the meaning of Jesus and his ministry
– from the first three verses of the introduction, we know its message
• Jesus is God’s final word to humankind
◦ in Jesus we learn everything we need to know about God
◦ we get to see God in Jesus – as Paul said in Colossians:

He is the image of the invisible God (Col. 1:15)

• we read how Jesus is superior to the angels
◦ in fact, he is superior to everyone and everything that had come before him
◦ Moses, Joshua, the priests from the tribe of Levi
• “better” is found twenty-four times in the New Testament
◦ more than half the times it’s used is in the Book of Hebrews

• Jesus is better than Moses
• he gives us a better hope
• he provides a better covenant, formed with better promises
• Jesus offers better sacrifices
• gives us a better possession
• in him we have a better resurrection
• and his blood speaks of better things’ than Abel’s blood (cf. Gen. 4:10 &  Heb. 11:4)

– from the beginning of Hebrews to the end, the message is about Jesus

Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord, equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen (13:20-21)

It might look like writer of Hebrews is comparing Judaism to Christianity
– he is not; he is showing us how Jesus is the goal and perfection of Judaism
• Judaism was the necessary foundation and preparation for what God did through Jesus
– in Judaism there’s a spiritual potential that is fully actualized in Jesus

18-21 God has led us somewhere, just as he led Israel

But we have come to a very different destination
– the writer doesn’t specify where Israel had been led, but only what happened there
• but because of the time we spent in Exodus, we recognize this to be Mt. Sinai
◦ the supernatural phenomena and mention of Moses is what gives it away
• but what we’re told is that

We have not come to something that can be touched

– in Galatians, Paul contrasted Mt. Sinai and Jerusalem (see Gal. 4:21-31)
• these were two physical, geographical locations
◦ but Paul used them to create an allegory
◦ Sinai represents the slavery of the law and Jerusalem the freedom of grace
• but our writer here does not have two physical locations in mind
◦ the contrast is between a physical place and a spiritual reality
◦ the heavenly Jerusalem 
(we see a similar treatment of the temple in chapters 8-10, where a replica or “copy” was built on earth while the real dwelling of God is in heaven; e.g., Heb. 8:5; 9:9, 23-24; & 10:1)

Our experience is not supernatural explosions into the natural world
– it is not the water of Red Sea folding back or fire falling from heaven
• nor is it commandments engraved on a stone slab
– God takes us somewhere else – he gives us something else Continue reading →

Are We On the Same Page?

Now all the tax collectors and the sinners were coming near Him to listen to Him. Both the Pharisees and the scribes began to grumble, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.” So He told them this parable, saying,
“What man among you, if he has a hundred sheep and has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open pasture and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’
“I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.” Luke 15:1-7

Intro: At first it looks like this chapter is going to be about Jesus

His compassion and his close connection with sinners
– a connection that was very offensive to the religious people in the crowd
• but Jesus tells three stories that introduces a different theme
• the chapter isn’t about the scandal of Jesus’ ministry
◦ it’s about people who are unable to rejoice with Jesus in his work

A few key words in these opening verses:

1. “Sinners” – they are at the heart of the controversy
   • Jesus offers the religious group a new perspective
   • namely, something of value had been lost, but then found
2. “This” – “this man”; this expression serves to depersonalize Jesus
   • a way of disowning someone
   • Peter, I do not know this man you are talking about (Mk. 14:71)
   • we will return to this point later
   3. “Rejoice”
   • for some, rejoicing is spontaneous (v. 5)
   • others have to be encouraged or told to rejoice (vv. 6 & 9)
   • heaven’s joy over the recovery of a sinner is spontaneous
   ◦ and even more so
   than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance

Now we’ll jump to the longest parable Jesus ever told

A man had two sons. The younger of them said to his father, “Father, give me the share of the estate that falls to me. So he divided his wealth between them. And not many days later, the younger son gathered everything together and went on a journey into a distant country, and there he squandered his estate with loose living Luke 15:11-32

This parable divides into two parts
– the first part shares the same plot as the two previous parables
• something goes missing, is found, and rejoicing follows
◦ only in this story, the lost object is humanized — it is not a sheep or a coin, but a son
• everyone in Jesus’ audience would recognize and agree:
◦ the younger son was a sinner — like those hanging around Jesus
• this is a fact that he came to see for himself and confess (v. 18)
– his turning point occurs in verse 17,

But when he came to his senses . . .

• or “came to himself” – he took a good, hard look at himself
• he realized he would be better off at home, under his father’s roof

Having made up his mind, he began to formulate a prayer
– a confession of what he had done and what he had become

Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me as one of your hired men (vv. 18-19)

• “worthy” is not what defines a child’s relationship to its parent
• being a accepted as a child is not something a person should ever have to earn
– his request would be that his father would make him one of his hired hands
(he never reached this part of his prayer, because his father interrupted him and ordered his servants to put nice clothes on his son and throw a party to welcome him home, vv. 22-24)
• “make” translates the Greek word poieo
◦ we get our English word “poem” from this root
◦ a poem is something that is made or composed

This word is used when Jesus said to his disciples, Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men (Mk. 1:17)
Paul used a form of this word when he wrote, For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them (Ep. 2:10)

• this wayward son had come to a new understanding
◦ his father could make him something he could not make of himself

The second part of the parable introduces a new character

Now his older son was in the field, and when he came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing. And he summoned one of the servants and began inquiring what these things could be. And he said to him, “Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has received him back save and sound.” But he became angry and was not willing to go in; and his father came out and began pleading with him (Lk. 15:25-26)

This character is implied by the stock characters in the first two parables
(the anonymous “friends and neighbors” invited to rejoice)
– here the character is individualized and made explicit — an older brother Continue reading →

Intro: I’m going to tell you a story few people have heard

Early in the 1970’s, Dad was looking for a conference center, which made sense because of the number of retreats Calvary Chapel of Costa Mesa hosted every year. Dad heard about a facility in Twin Peaks that was for sale, so he and Mom went there to meet with a realtor and look it over. They also took Dan, who had been a good friend of theirs for several years. Like my folks, Dan had grown up in a religious home and though he loved God, his attitude toward the church culture was somewhat cynical. Sometimes he would poke fun at the silly behavior of believers.
When they arrived at the mountain facility, it was more beautiful than they imagined. Dan decided to have a little fun with my folks, so he said, “Let’s find out if this it is God’s will for the church to buy this place!” Borrowing my dad’s Bible, he closed his eyes, opened the Bible at random, and planted his finger on one of the pages. He then began reading,

And it will come about in the last days
That the mountain of the house of the LORD
Will be established as the chief of the mountains.
It will be raised above the hills,
And the peoples will stream to it.
Many nations will come and say,
“Come and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD
And to the house of the God of Jacob,
That He may teach us about His ways
And that we may walk in His paths.”
For from Zion will go forth the law,
Even the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
And He will judge between many peoples
And render decisions for mighty, distant nations.
Then they will hammer their swords into plowshares
And their spears into pruning hooks;
Nation will not lift up sword against nation,
And never again will they train for war.
Each of them will sit under his vine
And under his fig tree,
With no one to make them afraid,
For the mouth of the LORD of hosts has spoken.
Though all the peoples walk
Each in the name of his god,
As for us, we will walk
In the name of the LORD our God forever and ever. Micah 4:1-5

– for a long time after that, Dan didn’t say anything
• if you visit the Twin Peaks Conference Center,
◦ look for the sidewalk where someone etched into the concrete “Micah 4:1-5”

In Micah’s lifetime, Jerusalem had been unstable

God’s messages began coming to Micah during reign of King Jotham
– he was good (faithful to God), but unremarkable
• after him, his son Ahaz took the throne and we’re told:

. . . he did not do right in the sight of the LORD …. he burned incense in the valley of Ben-hinnom and burned his sons in fire, according to the abominations of the nations whom the LORD had driven out before the sons of Israel (2 Chr. 28:1-3)

• Ahaz was followed by Hezekiah, who did right in sight of LORD
◦ in fact, Hezekiah was a spectacular king
◦ led a spiritual revival in Jerusalem, the nation and into the northern kingdom
– but underneath the social reforms, a secret illness persisted
• and it terminal

Now hear this, heads of the house of Jacob
And rulers of the house of Israel
Who abhor justice
And twist everything that is straight,
Who build Zion with bloodshed
And Jerusalem with violent injustice.
Her leaders pronounce judgment for a bribe,
Her priests instruct for a price
And her prophets divine for money.
Yet they lean on the LORD saying,
“Is not the LORD in our midst?
Calamity will not come upon us.”
Therefore, on account of you
Zion will be plowed as a field,
Jerusalem will become a heap of ruins,
And the mountain of the temple will become high places of a forest. (Mi. 3:9-12)

– in light of Micah’s doom and gloom message,
• his audience had a few questions:
◦ “Is there any hope for us?” “Do we have a future?”
◦ “Will we ever be what God wants us to be?” And,
◦ “If so, what will that look like?”
• God’s answers are in the first passage I read
◦ Zion will become the center of a world looking for God

What is Reflexion?

How did we get started and where are we going?
– the first question is easy to answer
• in 2004 I visited a friend who had sequestered himself in a monastery
◦ while there, I met a monk whose spiritual depth and insight left a deep impression on me
◦ I continued to visit him for the next two years
• he introduced me to contemplative spirituality
◦ simply put: contemplative spirituality is real-life Christianity
– the challenge is, we have to live in reality – that’s all there is
• but many people feel they cannot live in reality
◦ so we have created unrealistic forms of religion
◦ some that are unrealistically miraculous, others are all in the head, and others that treat Jesus like an imaginary friend
• contemplative spirituality is the real experience of God
◦ a real hope that doesn’t require the world to be good or people to be nice, or miracles every day Continue reading →

Tired of Sleep-Walking Through Life?

“I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. After a little while the world will no longer see Me, but you see Me; because I live, you will live also. In that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him.”
Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, “Lord, what then has happened that You are going to disclose Yourself to us and not to the world?”
Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him.” John 14:18-23

Intro: Jesus had announced to his disciples that he was going away

He would soon leave them and the world of humans
– and return to his Father – the dimension of God’s reality (cf. Jn. 8:21-23)
• the disciples have completed their journey with him
• but he is not abandoning them – they won’t be orphans
◦ their discipleship will continue
◦ from now on, it would be directed by the Spirit
– so Jesus is preparing them for his departure
• however, he could only tell them what they were able to comprehend
◦ that means, he could not provide many specific details
• as a result, they were confused and had lots of questions
◦ their conversation that impossible night goes on for three more chapters
◦ and includes the longest recorded prayer of Jesus

For the disciples, this was a moment of spiritual transition
– Jesus was going away, but would still be with them
• only now, his presence with them would be internalized (v. 20)
◦ I doubt that made much sense to them
• “How could You be invisible to world, but visible to us?”
◦ Jesus’ explanation is in verse 23

If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him

– Jesus’ word would provide an ongoing connection with him
• and his word was not only his, but God’s

. . . and the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father’s who sent me (v. 24)

• God’s word is his revelation to humankind
◦ it fills the Bible and was made personal and human in Jesus Christ

God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power (Heb. 1:1-3)

I’m going to make a few observation about the Scriptures

I doubt that what I say will be new to you,
– so consider this as a reminder

The Scriptures:

• reveal who God is and the sort of people he wants us to be
  Thus says the LORD, “Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches; but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things,” declares the LORD (Jer. 9:23-24)
• can penetrate the deepest parts of our hearts and minds (He. 4:12-13)
• are not affected or blocked by worldly forces
  I suffer hardship [for the message of Jesus] even to being chained; but the word of God is not chained (2 Tim. 2:9)
• provides us a vocabulary for our lives in God
  – as a result, we’re able to think about it, examine and discuss it

Continue reading →

Make the Most of Your Time
(Don’t Waste It)

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus according to the commandment of God our Savior, and of Christ Jesus our hope.
To Timothy, my true child in faith: Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. 1 Timothy 1:1-2

Intro: This last week I had a conversation with a young woman

Afterward, I was impressed by her sincerity and compassion
– she had been trying to explain her beliefs to her roommates
• for awhile they had listened, but then began to raise objections
• so she warned them, that we are living in the “end times!”
◦ and whoever doesn’t believe in Jesus will go to hell
◦ that pretty much ended their talk
– to her credit, she was very receptive when I suggested she try a different strategy

Why do we drift from the essentials to the esoteric?
– I think we’re naturally drawn to subjects that are either fearful or fascinating
• fascination may hold someone’s attention
• fear may even motivate a change in someone’s behavior
◦ but neither one changes who a person is on the inside
◦ love, however, restructures our whole inner life

The most compelling reason for someone to listen to you is love
The most persuasive evidence you can offer someone is your story

Paul begins this letter to his protégé in the usual way

The first verse tells who wrote the letter
The second verse tells to whom it was written
– notice how God and Jesus are on both sides of this correspondence:
• Paul’s side: an apostle of Christ Jesus
◦ what he was given–a “commandment” both duty and authorization
◦ God our Savior and Christ Jesus our hope
• Timothy’s side: “true [genuine] child in faith”
◦ what he is given–“grace, mercy and peace”
◦ God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord

There is no need to look for lengthy explanations why Paul refers to God as our Savior and Jesus as our hope in verse 1, then God as our Father and Jesus and our Lord in verse 2. He is simply indicating the breadth of who God and Jesus are to us.

– before we jump into Paul’s first topic, let’s make a mental note:
• we will make better spiritual progress and fewer mistakes if
◦ we have a stable, godly and gifted mentor
• there is no way to estimate the spiritual value of Paul’s wise counsel to Timothy

As I urged you upon my departure for Macedonia, remain on at Ephesus so that you may instruct certain men not to teach strange doctrines, nor to pay attention to myths and endless genealogies, which give rise to mere speculation rather than furthering the administration of God which is by faith 1 Timothy 1:3-4

Certain problems in Ephesus needed to be resolved

That is why Paul left Timothy behind with specific instructions
– a careful study of Ephesus reveals the nature of these issues
• and these were deeply embedded in the culture
• so it would take time to help the believers see differently

Timothy’s job was to “instruct” certain men – teachers
– instruct is “command,” “commission” – an assignment
• in this instance, the commission was what was not to be taught
– “teach strange doctrines” translate one Greek word
• in Galatians 1:6-7, Paul mentions “another gospel; which really is not another”
◦ two Greek words can be translated “another”: Continue reading →

Everything Is A Test

After these things Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee (or Tiberias). A large crowd followed Him, because they saw the signs which He was performing on those who were sick. Then Jesus went up on the mountain, and there He sat down with His disciples. Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was near. Therefore Jesus, lifting up His eyes and seeing that a large crowd was coming to Him, said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread, so that these may eat?” This He was saying to test him, for He Himself knew what He was intending to do.
Philip answered Him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, for everyone to receive a little.”
One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to Him, “There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are these for so many people?”
Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in that place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. John 6:1-10

Intro: Does John give us a clue that of something special in this chapter?

In the stories of Jesus, episodes are marked by a scene changes
– for instance, there is usually a shift:
• in time — After these things
• place — Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea 
– here we find both in the first verse, so now the story gets underway
• but then John inserts a notation regarding Passover
◦ Passover would typically indicate time (spring) or place (Jerusalem)
◦ but here it doesn’t seem relevant to anything

Passover is a week-long commemoration
– it is mostly preparation for the central ritual — a sacred meal
• Passover is what launched Israel from Egypt into the wilderness
◦ there they ate manna for forty years
• we will soon hear echoes of that journey in the dialogue later on
– sometime after the miracle of feeding a crowd of thousands
• Jesus confronts the crowd that had tracked him down
◦ it is a wild conversation that reaches its climax in verses 53-58, where Jesus claims,

He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day (v. 54)

• perhaps John is suggesting something that parallels Israel’s Passover
◦ what Passover meant to the Jews, Jesus is to his followers
◦ namely, a full participation in the salvation God has provided

Jesus knew what he was about to do

But first, he presented the challenge to Philip as a test
– the test may have included such issues as:

• what had Philip learned about Jesus?
• what did Philip know about himself?
• how would he react in a pinch, when the pressure was on and he had no answer?

• Jesus’ presentation of the test is skillfully done
◦ he gave Philip the impression that it was up to him to resolve the problem
◦ but Jesus dropped this impossible task on him in a safe context
(there was the safety net of Jesus already having the solution)
– Philip made a quick calculation and admitted defeat
• Andrew jumped in to help,
◦ but after reporting their sparse inventory, he too admitted defeat
• both of them attempted to find a rational solution to meet the need
◦ but given the situation and their resources, there was no rational resolve

Did they pass the test or did they fail?
– I don’t think it was that kind of test
• more like sounding the depth of a body of water by dropping a line into it
• it was simply a measurement — how far had they had come? Continue reading →

Contact!

Then Moses said to the whole community of Israel, “This is what the LORD has commanded: Take a sacred offering for the LORD. Let those with generous hearts present the following gifts to the LORD: gold, silver and bronze [etc.].”
So the whole community of Israel left Moses and returned to their tents. All whose hearts were stirred and whose spirits were moved came and brought their sacred offerings to the LORD. They brought the materials needed for the Tabernacle, for the performance of its rituals, and for the sacred garments. Exodus 35:4-5, 20-21

Intro: I’m going to take us back to where this whole section began

The LORD said to Moses, “Tell the people of Israel to bring me their sacred offerrings. Accept the contributions from all whose hearts are moved to offer them. . . . Have the people of Israel build me a holy sanctuary so I can live among them. You must build this Tabernacle and its furnishings exactly according to the pattern I will show you (Ex. 25:1, 8-9)

You may remember a Sci-Fi movie that was released in 1997 — “Contact”
– scientists monitoring interstellar “space noise” discerned a pattern
• an intelligence out there somewhere was communicating a message
◦ it contained instructions for building a device that would facilitate an encounter
• Jodie Foster was the lucky person chosen to enter the device and meet an alien
– this is similar to the biblical story unfolding here
• the transcendent, and therefore hidden, God has transmitted a message
◦ Moses was the fortunate one to receive instructions for a sacred tent
◦ what was it they were making? a Tent of Meeting, a place to connect with God
• notice God’s emphasis on building the tent exactly per his specifications
◦ repeatedly in chapters 39 and 40, almost to the point of redundancy, we read:

just as the LORD had commanded Moses or just as the LORD commanded him

◦ the details mattered

After Moses’ announcement, the response was immediate and enthusiastic

A key word is “all,” also translated “every,” “whole” (community), and “entire”

All whose hearts were stirred and whose spirits were moved (35:21)
Both men and women came, all whose hearts were willing (35:22)
All those who owned the following items willingly brought them . . . . And all who had silver and bronze objects brought them . . . . All the women who were skilled in sewing and spinning prepared blue, purple and scarlet thread . . . . (35:23-25)
. . . every man and woman who was eager to help in the work the LORD had given them through Moses–brought their gifts and gave them freely to the LORD (35:29)
So Moses summoned [the artisans] who were specially gifted by the LORD and were eager to get to work (36:2)

• the climax of this eager and energetic momentum comes in a surprising twist:

[The artisans] went to Moses and reported, “The people have given more than enough materials to complete the job the LORD has commanded us to do.” So Moses gave the command, and this message was sent throughout the camp: “Men and women, don’t prepare any more gifts for the sanctuary. We have enough!” (36:4-6. I cannot imagine any preacher or church in America ever saying this to anyone!)

God revealed the design, but the people materialized it
– they constructed the physical space located in their world
• each person giving what he or she had, doing what she or he could do
◦ for instance:

Bezalel made the bronze washbasin and its bronze stand from bronze mirrors donated by the women who served at the entrance of the Tabernacle (38:8)

◦ (as a footnote: how could they serve at the entrance of the Tabernacle before it was built?)
• another footnote that I promised I would point out
◦ how would they get gold thread in the wilderness?
◦ the answer is:

Bezalel made the ephod of finely woven linen and embroidered it with gold and with blue, purple and scarlet thread. He made gold thread by hammering out thing sheets of gold and cutting it into fine strands. With great skill and care, he worked it into the fine linen with the blue, purple, and scarlet thread (39:3)

– the people of Israel believed in the value of this project
• and it would never have happened without them

When finished, Moses inspected all of the unassembled parts

Something unexpected happens when we hear echoes of creation

Continue reading →

“Will You Be Angry with Us Forever?”

It was Moses’ practice to take the Tent of Meeting and set it up some distance from the camp. Everyone who wanted to make a request of the LORD would go to the Tent of Meeting outside the camp.
Whenever Moses went out to the Tent of Meeting, all the people would get up and stand in the entrances of their own tents. They would all watch Moses until he disappeared inside. As he went into the tent, the pillar of cloud would come down and hover at its entrance while the LORD spoke with Moses. When the people saw the cloud standing at the entrance of the tent, they would stand and bow down in front of their own tents. Inside the Tent of Meeting, the LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend. Afterward Moses would return to the camp, but the young man who assisted him, Joshua the son of Nun, would remain behind in the Tent of Meeting. Exodus 33:7-11

Intro: I love this episode that we begin today

And because I love it, I’m afraid of it
– from the burning bush on, God has been revealing himself
• if that was like sunrise, the light has been getting brighter
• now it is so bright as blind
◦ my fear has to do with my inadequacy to present a revelation this awesome
◦ I want you to experience the fullness of what transpires in this passage
– there are some big ideas here, but those are not all we are meant to see
• people tell stories in order to share their experience
• so, probably, it is best if we try to feel our way through these verses

7-11 Signs are posted that mark beginning and end of the episode

We begin with the “tent of meeting” in verse 7 come back to it at the end of chapter 34
– in this way, the theme of the tent creates an envelope around this section
• in doing so, the meaning and role of the tent informs the entire passage
– here, the is like a footnote–in fact, it is almost a distraction
• in the last scene, God was still deciding what he would do with Israel
• so the shift to Moses’ visits to the tent of meeting fills time
◦ time during which God makes his decision and the people wait silently
◦ the storyteller uses Moses’ visits to the tent to set up his conversation with God

We have read about this tent, but here we see it in operation
– the designation, “tent of meeting” identifies it as a place of encounter
• this is not the full-blown sanctuary God described to Moses previously
◦ in fact, we are not certain now whether that one will ever be built
• this is a makeshift shrine that serves as a point of contact with God
– the phrase outside the camp recurs many times in Leviticus and Numbers
• it usually refers to the exclusion of something taboo
◦ something unclean or unholy and considered contagious
◦ placing it out of reach was opposite to something in the sanctuary that was too holy to touch
• but here the tent of meeting is outside the camp because of its holiness
◦ it is the people who are unclean
◦ outside the camp was symbolic of God’s announcement that he would not go with them

We observe what happens whenever Moses headed out to God’s tent
– the people would move to entrance of their tents and watch him
• the cloud–God’s presence–would hover over the entrance of the tent of meeting
• the actions of the people corresponded to Moses’ actions (only, in reference they would bow)
◦ their movements and gestures were a participation in Moses’ interaction with God
◦ God chose doorways for encounter – thresholds in space and time (Ex. 29:38-42)
– while there, God would speak to Moses
• two phrases emphasize the intimacy of their conversations:
◦ face to face and as one speaks to a friend
◦ afterward, Moses would return to the camp – perhaps w/a message
• this last word is unexpected

. . . but the young man who assisted him, Joshua son of Nun, would remain behind in the Tent of Meeting 

◦ it is like when Joshua suddenly showed up with Moses on Mt Sinai (Ex. 32:15-17)
◦ I like to think that he was there out of a desire to linger in the Presence
(the spiritual aspiration of God’s devout worshipers; Ps. 27:4-5; 63:1-2; 73:25; 84:1-2)

12-16 Moses continues to press God for an answer Continue reading →

A Droplet of Hope

When the people saw how long it was taking Moses to come back down the mountain, they gathered around Aaron, “Come on,” they said, “make us some gods who can lead us. We don’t know what happened to this fellow Moses, who brought us here from the land of Egypt.
So Aaron said, “Take the gold rings from the ears of your wives and sons and daughters, and bring them to me.”
All the people took the gold rings from their ears and brought them to Aaron. Then Aaron took the gold, melted it down, and molded it into the shape of a calf. When the people saw it, they exclaimed, “O Israel, these are the gods who brought you out of the land of Egypt!”
Aaron saw how excited the people were, so he built an altar in front of the calf. Then he announced, “Tomorrow will be a festival to the LORD!”
The people got up early the next morning to sacrifice burnt offerings and peace offerings. After this, they celebrated with feasting and drinking, and they indulged in pagan revelry. Exodus 32:1-6

Intro: Last week took us into God’s gift of creativity
(in the construction of his sacred tent)

Our story today begins with an example of creativity gone bad
– this episode is a mirror image of the previous seven chapters
• it runs parallel to God’s instructions for the sacred tent
◦ only what is produced here is a grotesque distortion
• the resources that were to be used for God’s tent–
◦ including the sacred objects, sacrifices, and service of its artisans and priests
◦ gets hijacked by patchwork cult
– we can explore this episode using a key marker
• when the word “this” is used in a dismissive way
◦ for example, the way the Israelites refer to this Moses in verse 1
◦ “this” creates distance from a person
(like when a mother refers to her child as “this son of yours . . . .”)
• when we come to these markers, they will indicate a change of attitude

A new chapter: the people are done with this fellow Moses

The people had grown impatient with how long Moses was gone
– the particular phrase they used refers to an embarrassing delay (Jdg. 3:24-25)
• people are shamed into feeling pressured until they feel they must act (2 Ki. 2:16-18)
• Moses had left Aaron in charge, so the people confront him
– Make gods for us – they want Aaron to fabricate something tangible
• they were the only people who had only one god and no idols
◦ naturally, their thoughts turned to what was familiar
• tired of waiting, they wanted to move on
◦ and they felt like they needed gods to lead them

The first thing Aaron did: he asked for their gold
– when God told Moses he wanted a sanctuary where he could live among his people,
• the first thing he asked for was gold for the sacred objects and clothing (Ex. 25:2)
◦ this was exactly where God’s instructions for the sacred tent began
• unknowingly, Aaron was imitating God
◦ but he was creating something very different from God’s design
– it seems Aaron poured molten gold into a mold,
• and then refined its details by sculpting it with an engraving tool
◦ he was doing the work of artisans like those we met in chapter 31

Robert Alter observes that “golden bulls or calves were often used as cultic seats for deities in the ancient Near East”

• in other words, the very purpose of the golden cherubim on ark’s lid

Please listen, O Shepherd of Israel . . . .
O God, enthroned above the cherubim, display your radiant glory (Ps. 80:1)

◦ this had been the first object God told Moses to construct
◦ now the calf is the first religious object Aaron makes Continue reading →