The Year of the Lord's Favor

Hey everyone,
While I am still busy, teaching five history classes from home and doing graduate work, social distancing has allowed me more time to write.  So here my fourth post in a little over a week.  I'm reaching back into my quiet time book and finding things that I had wanted to write about but didn't make the time.  This is one such post. It comes from Luke 4 and tells the story of Jesus in the synagogue in his hometown of Nazareth.  He reads from Isaiah 61 and makes commentayr on it.  What he says makes his hometown so angry that they want to kill him.

I read up on the subject matter last summer in Steve Kinnard's King Jesus and then again this week in Jesus through Middle Eastern Eyes by Kenneth Bailey. (Both books are excellent if you are looking for something to read other than my blog, during this time self quarantine.) Seeing it again in Bailey's book reminded me of some really cool stuff. 

According to Luke 4:14-21, Jesus reads this from Isaiah 61:
     "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
       because he has anointed me,
     to proclaim good news to the poor.
     He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
       and recovery of sight for the blind,
       to set the captive free,
       to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."
Then  he rolled up the scroll, sits and says to the crowd, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."  Jesus was declaring to his hometown, that He, the Messiah, had come. 

There are many levels to this story, and perhaps I will examine other levels in a different post.  I want to focus on what Jesus read and also , what he didn't read.  His audience was no doubt very familiar with Isaiah 61. If you were to look at the passage, you would see that Jesus made a calculated decision to stop where he did.  Isa. 61:2 reads like this:
     to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor,
       and the day of vengeance of our God,
     to comfort those who mourn.

His audience liked this passage, because they believed that the year of the Lord's favor would be to their benefit, and that His vengeance would then be carried out on their enemies.  Isaiah 61 continues with talk of the ancient ruins being rebuilt and strangers and foreigners doing the work, while they reap the benefits and enjoy the wealth of other nations.  So try to imagine Jesus reading one of the congregations's favorite passages, and stopping abruptly just before he gets to the "good stuff," of revenge on their enemies.  They had been happy and agreeing with everything their hometown boy was saying, until suddenly, crickets.  Their reaction to what Jesus is saying will soon take a sharp turn for the worst.  Remember though, that today we are focusing on what Jesus said, and what he didn't say. 

Jesus gave his crowd these things: Good news, freedom, sight and more freedom. Then offered the Lord's favor.  He did not declare the Lord's vengeance.  I think this was good news for them (although they didn't see it that way.)  It is also good news for us.  Jesus offers us good news, freedom, sight and more freedom.  He would much rather give us the Lord's favor than the Lord's vengeance. The Lord's impulse is toward mercy rather than punishment. 
Tom
 

Blessed

Rob Novack recommended a book to me, Jesus through Middle Eastern Eyes, by Kenneth Bailey. (It's a great book that I would recommend as well.) Bailey spent sixty years living in the Middle East, many of those years, he taught in seminaries there.  So he had a unique perspective on the thinking in that region of the world. Part 2 of his book is dedicated to the Beatitudes.  He discusses two words from the Greek that we translate as blessed.  The first word is a verb, eulogeo. We use it when we talk about giving a blessing to someone.  For example, Isaac blessed Jacob.  The other word is an adjective, makarios. According to Bailey, this word is not involved in invoking a blessing but is the recognition of "an existing state of happiness and good fortune."  In the old days, it would have been been pronounced with two syllables, "bless-ed."  Today, we say, "I am so blessed," or "Have a blessed day."  It is makarios that Jesus uses in the Beatitudes. Bailey makes a great point about this. (I am going to paraphrase a lengthy passage from his text (p. 68).  His explanation is better than mine, but it is also much longer, so I am going to try.) He say that we often take each Beatitude to mean that, 'if we do X, we will get Y." For example, "if we are meek, then we will inherit the Earth." According to Bailey, we are looking this backwards. Since makarios means "an affirmation of happy state that already exists," we should look at it this way, "Since we will inherit the Earth, we are meek and therefore happy (makarios).  To me, this changes my whole outlook.  Instead of trying to sort of grunt my way into meekness, or humility*, I can live as though I have this great inheritance and be made meek (or humble) and happy because of it.  This takes the pressure, because I am not changing me, God is.  I am just being grateful and happy.  Think about Matt 5:7.  Because I am shown mercy from God, I am made merciful toward others and I am also blessed (makarios) Or verse 9, Because I am called a child of God, I am made into a peacemaker and I am happier for it. 

*The Greek word that is translated here as meek, praeis, could also be translated as gentle, humble or considerate, according to the BDAG Lexicon.

What is love? Baby Don't Hurt Me

As many of know, I have been working on a Master degree in Biblical Studies with Languages, and this year I am taking Greek. I have seen that an understanding of the Greek is very beneficial in understanding some of the nuances  that we don't get in the English translations.  It has been very exciting.
Any way, I was looking at 1 Cor. 13, trying to understand it in the Greek.  I came to verse 7, "πάντα στέγει, πάντα πιστεύει, πάντα ,ἐλπίζει, πάντα ὑπομένει." All but the first phrase were fairly easy to translate. Referring to love, "in allthings trusts, al things hopes, all things endures." The first verb, στέγει, I was not familiar with. I knew that the NIV 2011 translated it as "protects."
I looked at the note in the Greek New Testament I was using. It said that the word was the
3rd person singular present active indicative of στέγω, which means, "to put up with,"

so πάντα στέγει, would mean, "loves puts up with all things."  Ok, “protect” and “put up with” do not mean the same thing. So which one is it? I pulled out my Greek lexicon (aka BDAG) and looked it up. The lexicon's first definition, is: To keep confidential, cover, pass over in silence. then it makes specific reference to 1 Cor. 13:7 by saying, “of love that throws a cloak of silence over what is displeasing in another person.” (BDAG, p. 942) Apparently, “puts up with” is the better translation.  So all these years that I thought I was really loving my family by protecting them, (and I was!) the greater love may have been the times when I merely put up with them. To be honest, the BDAG definition of throwing a cloak of silence over the things that are displeasing in other people is a high calling indeed.  And I hope that my family can πάντα στέγει (always put up with) me.

Shameless Audacity

I have been studying the book of Luke and I recently studied chapter 11, where Jesus’ apostles ask Him to teach them to pray. In verse 5, Jesus tells a story about having a friend come in the middle of the night asking for bread. In verse 8, Jesus finishes the story by saying, “I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity he will surely get up and give you as much as you need.”  I have read this before, but had never noticed the phrase “shameless audacity.”  (This is coming out of the NIV 2011.) I compared it with other translations that I had at hand at the moment.  The NIV 1973 simply translates it “persistence.”  The KJV uses the word “importunity,” a word that I was not familiar with, but have learned from the Merriam-Webster online dictionary means “to press or urge with troublesome persistence.”  I began to wonder which translation was the best.  Using the Greek New Testament, I looked up Luke 11:8 and the word translated from the Greek phrase διά γε τἡν ἀναίδειαν αύτου. The note on ἀναίδειαν at the bottom of the page said “shameless persistence.”  Also, I looked a Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon of New Testament Words.  It defines ἀναίδειαν as shamelessness and impudence.  I have drawn the conclusion that the better translation is from the NIV 2011, “shameless audacity”  It paints a much clearer picture of what Jesus is saying that simply using the word “persistence.” What I draw from this is that Jesus is advocating that his disciples pray to God with shameless audacity, not being afraid of annoying the Father with their bold requests, and I have worked to change my prayer life that way. Personally I have seen some bold requests granted.

Bowels of Mercy

Hello everyone.

Well, the school year is over.  Aaron, my youngest, graduated from high school last night. It's hard to believe.  Where did the time go?  Any way, I wanted to continue sharing from my study in the book of Luke a little tidbit that I have enjoyed recently.  In Luke 1:67-80, Zechariah the priest and father of John the Baptist prophecies.  It appears that the Holy Spirit has given Zechariah a great deal of insight, because he seems to understand what is about to happen, a lot more than other people do.  He says a lot of great things about the coming Messiah in his prophecy, like, "He has come to his people and redeemed them (v. 68)," and "He has raised up a horn of salvation for us.  (v. 69)"  Now, Jesus has not been born yet here.  John was just born, and Jesus birth is still a few months away, but Zechariah seems to understand that God is soon to dwell among the people, buy them back and offer to them salvation.  In verse 77, Zechariah talks about sins being forgiven.  So it seems that Zecharaih, through the Holy Spirit, understands that the Messiah was not about a great rescue from Rome, but a rescue from our sin. It is on verses 76-78 is where I want to focus for today.  It says:

   And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High;
      for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for Him,
   to give his people the knowledge of salvation
      through the forgiveness of their sins,
   because of the tender mercies of our God,
      by which the rising sun will come to uss from heaven.

I want on the phrase translated here as "tender mercy."  It is because of this tender mercy that God offer us salvation through the forgiveness of our sins.  So I was curious about this phrase and decided to look it up in the Greek.  To be honest, my knowledge of the Greek is very limited, but I do own a Zondervan parallel Greek and English New Testament and a Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon of New Testament Words, with a rudimentary knowledge of how to use them.  So from the Grrek, I looked at Luke 1:78.  The word that is translated "tender" is σπλαγχνα (splagkna).  According to Thayer's it means of "bowels or intestines." Both the KJV and NIV translate it into the word "tender," because, I think the phrase, "bowels of mercy," makes very litle sense to ur western ears.  We would probably use "heart" to express this type of emotion.  Thayer says this though, "the Greek poets fr. Aeschylus down the bowels were regarded as the seat of the more violent passions, such as anger and love; but by the Hebrews as the seat of the tenderer affections, esp. kindness, benevolence and compassion."  I thnk that what I and getting from Zechariah and Thayer is that God's mercy for us resides deep within Him, as deep as His intestines.  Let us all enjoy God's bowels of mercy.

Tom

Highly Favored

Helloeveryone.

I haven't posted anything since December.  It has been a while.  Between family, job, graduate school and youth and fimaily ministry, I am not finiding a lot of time to write.  Any way, the school year is winding for me and I am hopeful that I can find more time to post on this blog some of the things that I have been learning in my own Bible Study.  When I last posted, I was studying Exodus.  I finished that and moved onto a study of the book of Luke.  I have studied through Luke before, but I have studied through all of the Gospels now, so decided togo through Luke a second time and see what else I could learn.

In Luke 1:26-38, the angel Gabriel appears to Mary and says, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you."  Later, he says, "Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God."  So Mary is not only favored, she is highly favored.  I have been pondering what that means for Mary, because I like the idea of being hughly favored by God.  So what does it mean? and how does one accomplish this? 

I would assume that being highly favored means that someone, in this case God, is going to do you favors.  Makes sense.  I like that idea, because it seems that God can grant some pretty awesome favors.  My mind automatically goes to ward material blessing.  But that is what what I see happening for the highly favored Mary.  Instead, the only windfall I see coming Mary's way in her highly favored status is some gold, frankensence and myrhh.  She and Joseph probably used this to pay for their passage to Egypt, after Herod send out his edict to kill all the little boys.  As far I call tell Mary lived her life in poverty.  So being "highly favored", must mean something else.  What we see is that Mary was given a tremendous honor, but also a tremendous responsibility.  She was to give birth to and raise the son of God. So, it seems that being highly favored doesn't mean that God gives us things, but rather entrusts with His things.

So what made Mary so favorable to God.  We can see this in the same story.  God was asking Mary to become an unwed expectant mother.  Her explanation for her finace and family, taken at face value, was ridiculous and impossible.  She would face the possibility of being cast aside and stigmatized for doing what God wanted her to do.  But she was willing. In Luke 1:38, she responds, "I am the Lord's servant, may your word to me be fulfilled." I'm sure God knew her heart in advance and knew that she would respond this way.  I doubt He would have asked her otherwise.  So there it is.  How does one become highly favored of God, you have a heart that is willing to do whatever is asked.  Any wany, that is what I think based on the srciptures. 

Tom

A Test of Leadership

Hello everyone.

Two weeks ago I wrote a lesson that I learned form the story of the Israelites and the golden calf in Exodus 32.  Today I will share the other lesson that I took away from the story.  It was a lesson about leadership.  There are two leaders in the story and both are tested.  One fails miserably and the other succeeds in a big way.  I'm sure you see right away that the leaders I am talking about are Aaron and Moses.

Let's look at Aaron first.  When the people came to Aaron to complain that Moses had been gone for so long, and suggest that they make gods to go before them, Aaron could have encouraged them to remain faithful to the Lord. He could have reminded them of all that God had done them in leading them out of bondage to the Egyptians, all the miracles that He had done, including the plagues and the parting of the Red Sea.  He could have reminded them of the manna from heaven.  Maybe he did try to do this.  If he did, the Bible doesn't mention it. What ever effort Aaron may have made to keep the people from this terrible path, they eventually wore him down.  Aaron stopped leading, and allowed the people destructive and sin desires to lead.  He actually helped them in their sin.  Taking their jewelry, melting it all down and fashioning a calf out of gold for them.  So the golden calf, prompted by the impatience of the people while Moses was on the mountain with the Lord, was facilitated by a collapse of leadership.  Aaron was left in charge, and he should have been saying "We will not sin against God like this."  Unfortunately, the guy who should have been leading, was following. It's hard to know why Aaron was so willing to give up his leadership to the crowd.  Maybe he was afraid. His failure to lead could have just seemed like self-preservation. We can't know for sure what Aaron's motives were. Whatever the reason, it was bad leadership. 

Meanwhile, on the top of the mountain, Moses was receiving the law from the Lord, when God informed him of what was going on below. (Ex. 32:7-14)  God was so angry that He told Moses that He would wipe out the Israelites and make a nation from just Moses.  God would still be keeping his promises to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob if He did this.  Moses pleaded with God not to wipe out the nation.  Later, Moses talks to God (Ex. 32:31) again and asks God to forgive the nation or blot his name out of God's book as well.  Moses recounts the golden calf story in Deut. 9.  In verses 18--20 and 25-29, Moses tells about his prayers for the nation and specifically Aaron.  How God was going to kill them.  God spared the nation and He spared Aaron, because Moses loved them enough to put his own well-being on the line for them.  That's good leadership.

Two leaders are tested.  One fails his test because he stopped leading and started following the crowd.  The other passed his test because because he put those he was leading ahead of himself.

Tom