The Pharisee and the Tax Collector (Luke 8:9-14)
This parable is unlike the previous one; it is a “example story,’ which immediately shows how one should live or not live. This, too, contains an explanatory introduction. It is directed to those who rely on their pious way of life and think that they really live better than many other men. It is directed, thus, not towards hypocrites but toward that moralism, which is so natural for many people. They think they are right with God because they live an honest and upright life - maybe even hold on to some tradition extra strictly. The pharisee fasted twice a week. It was not mandated by law, but it was a good pious custom (a custom which was followed in the early church, although they were fasting on different days than the Jews). The pharisee was also scrupulously careful to do the right thing when it came to tithing, that is the tax to the temple. The problem was that he felt that he had done his duty and that he could draw a thick line between himself and all those who did not meet the demands of morality.
Against him, Jesus now sets a tax collector, who is conscious of his guilt. He only dares to ask for one thing: that God in his grace would “reconcile himself”, as it literally says, that is, to have mercy on him and forgive him. And Jesus explains that this man went home “justified.” Here Luke uses a word which is very common in Paul’s letters. In the gospels it most often means “to give someone justice,” but here it has the same meaning as in Paul: God declares someone righteous. We see here, how right Paul understands Jesus. Many trust that they are justified because of their moral conduct. That is self-deception and arrogance. The teaching of Jesus was to show these people that they, despite all their morality, still were guilty before God. Only one who humbles himself and confesses this guilt, can be free from it.
With that we have reach the end of what the exegetes call “example stories” (reseberättelser). As we have seen, this name is not a good choice. Luke does not have any interest in narrating Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem. His wish has been to reproduce words and events from Jesus’ life, that did not occur in Mark and that he has not been able to insert earlier. Here he has found a suitable place to do this without having to break up the sequence of events in Mark. Now he is done with this large addition and goes back following the course of events, as Mark depicts them.
Jesus and the Children (15-17)
Luke talks about infants, babies. They had to be carried to Jesus. They could not understand what was happening. It is understandable that the disciples wanted to prevent them. But Jesus says that the Kingdom is for precisely such as these. Even the adults had to become like children to be able to enter into it. To able to understand these words, one has to know that a child in the ancient world did not have any rights or value. To “become like a child” means to waive any claims, to not have anything of one’s own to show up. This is the likeness between children and the tax collector in the temple. One received the kingdom of God as a gift. One can never earn it. Nor is faith a merit or characteristic that makes one earn the God’s gift. It is the beggar’s outstretched hand, which does not earn the gift, but receives it. And Jesus here teaches that children are able to receive that undeserved gift.
A Christian Facing Death (ii Tim 4:6-8)
Paul is counting on a conviction and is facing martyrdom. It is therefore possible that he does not have long to live. In the face of martyrdom, he does not feel bitterness towards his judges. He knows that he is a offering on God’s altar, and that this offering in some way will benefit the gospel. He is ready to move on. After all, death is not the end, but a gateway to the real life, at home with the Lord Jesus Christ. His life has been full of struggle. He has given everything, like a runner on the last leg. Now he is almost at the finish line. He knows that he owns the only necessary thing. He has kept the faith. Everything that is behind him is covered by forgiveness. Before him is laid up a crown, one that requires a whole-hearted effort as if only one could win it, even though it is for all those who believe in Christ and who longingly run to meet with him.
Paul’s First Defense Before the Court (v 16-18)
We do not know what Paul is referring to when he talks about the first time he was to defend himself before the court. For those who believe that he is now writing from Caesarea it is clear that it has to be a hearing in Jerusalem or Caesarea. Those who prefer to think of Rome as the scene have to choose between the year when the process was finally taken up at the Emperor’s supreme court or the first court hearing in a second captivity. One has to remember that what Paul mentions here should have been news for Timothy. It causes some difficulties for the theory that the letter would be written in Caesarea, because the first hearings should have taken place while Timothy still was with Paul. Those who count on a second captivity have often placed it in connection with the persecution by Emperor Nero (some time during fall 64 or into the year 65). However, it is highly unlikely that there would have been an orderly process against Paul during this persecution, when the whole legal system seems to have ceased to function. It seems impossible that he would have asked Timothy to come to Rome and take Mark with him during the persecution. Thus, this captivity must have begun before the persecution or occured a few years after. It is possible that the trial was going on when the persecution broke out and that they then cut the process with Paul short.
Anyway, what Paul has to say is that no one came to help him by offering to testify in his favor. That the case nevertheless had a somewhat good ending Paul sees as a proof that God still wanted him to carry out his message. This is almost exactly what is told about his dispute with the Jews and the Roman authorities in Jerusalem in the summer of 57 (Acts 23).
Friday, October 22, 2010
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Giertz on Trinity 21
A Christian Facing Death (v 6-8)
Paul is counting on a conviction and is facing martyrdom. It is therefore possible that he does not have long to live. In the face of martyrdom, he does not feel bitterness towards his judges. He knows that he is a offering on God’s altar, and that this offering in some way will benefit the gospel. He is ready to move on. After all, death is not the end, but a gateway to the real life, at home with the Lord Jesus Christ. His life has been full of struggle. He has given everything, like a runner on the last leg. Now he is almost at the finish line. He knows that he owns the only necessary thing. He has kept the faith. Everything that is behind him is covered by forgiveness. Before him is laid up a crown, one that requires a whole-hearted effort as if only one could win it, even though it is for all those who believe in Christ and who longingly run to meet with him.
Paul’s First Defense Before the Court (v 16-18)
We do not know what Paul is referring to when he talks about the first time he was to defend himself before the court. For those who believe that he is now writing from Caesarea it is clear that it has to be a hearing in Jerusalem or Caesarea. Those who prefer to think of Rome as the scene have to choose between the year when the process was finally taken up at the Emperor’s supreme court or the first court hearing in a second captivity. One has to remember that what Paul mentions here should have been news for Timothy. It causes some difficulties for the theory that the letter would be written in Caesarea, because the first hearings should have taken place while Timothy still was with Paul. Those who count on a second captivity have often placed it in connection with the persecution by Emperor Nero (some time during fall 64 or into the year 65). However, it is highly unlikely that there would have been an orderly process against Paul during this persecution, when the whole legal system seems to have ceased to function. It seems impossible that he would have asked Timothy to come to Rome and take Mark with him during the persecution. Thus, this captivity must have begun before the persecution or occured a few years after. It is possible that the trial was going on when the persecution broke out and that they then cut the process with Paul short.
Anyway, what Paul has to say is that no one came to help him by offering to testify in his favor. That the case nevertheless had a somewhat good ending Paul sees as a proof that God still wanted him to carry out his message. This is almost exactly what is told about his dispute with the Jews and the Roman authorities in Jerusalem in the summer of 57 (Acts 23).
Paul is counting on a conviction and is facing martyrdom. It is therefore possible that he does not have long to live. In the face of martyrdom, he does not feel bitterness towards his judges. He knows that he is a offering on God’s altar, and that this offering in some way will benefit the gospel. He is ready to move on. After all, death is not the end, but a gateway to the real life, at home with the Lord Jesus Christ. His life has been full of struggle. He has given everything, like a runner on the last leg. Now he is almost at the finish line. He knows that he owns the only necessary thing. He has kept the faith. Everything that is behind him is covered by forgiveness. Before him is laid up a crown, one that requires a whole-hearted effort as if only one could win it, even though it is for all those who believe in Christ and who longingly run to meet with him.
Paul’s First Defense Before the Court (v 16-18)
We do not know what Paul is referring to when he talks about the first time he was to defend himself before the court. For those who believe that he is now writing from Caesarea it is clear that it has to be a hearing in Jerusalem or Caesarea. Those who prefer to think of Rome as the scene have to choose between the year when the process was finally taken up at the Emperor’s supreme court or the first court hearing in a second captivity. One has to remember that what Paul mentions here should have been news for Timothy. It causes some difficulties for the theory that the letter would be written in Caesarea, because the first hearings should have taken place while Timothy still was with Paul. Those who count on a second captivity have often placed it in connection with the persecution by Emperor Nero (some time during fall 64 or into the year 65). However, it is highly unlikely that there would have been an orderly process against Paul during this persecution, when the whole legal system seems to have ceased to function. It seems impossible that he would have asked Timothy to come to Rome and take Mark with him during the persecution. Thus, this captivity must have begun before the persecution or occured a few years after. It is possible that the trial was going on when the persecution broke out and that they then cut the process with Paul short.
Anyway, what Paul has to say is that no one came to help him by offering to testify in his favor. That the case nevertheless had a somewhat good ending Paul sees as a proof that God still wanted him to carry out his message. This is almost exactly what is told about his dispute with the Jews and the Roman authorities in Jerusalem in the summer of 57 (Acts 23).
The Evil Judge (Luke 18:1-8)
This brings us near to the end of the “moral stories” of Luke. There remain only two sections. Both contain parables which only appear in Luke. The first one is about a corrupt and dishonest judge, who does not seek what is right, but who in the end gives in to a stubborn widow and lets her have what is her right. It is one of the many parables which use a picture of impious and immoral man’s life and lets it illustrate something in God’s kingdom. Our word “parable” is not exactly right when it comes to these “moral stories.” It leads man to believe that there is to be a real likeness between the people in the parable and a Christian - or in some cases God himself. And because man so often imagines that morality must be the essence of religion, they look for this likeness first and foremost in this moral sphere. Then they ask indignantly: Should one really live like this? Like the dishonest steward? Or the man who schemed to get a field where he knew a treasure was? Is God really like this judge here, so that he only hears a prayer if one nags him and wears him out?
How one then totally misunderstands such stories, Luke shows us here. Already from the beginning he says what, in this case, was the purpose: to exhort the disciples to persevere in prayer. He records Jesus’ own explanation: If even a bad judge listens to a poor widow, who does not stop praying, how much more, then, must the good God hear his own children! The meaning is thus that they will know, that he will set things right. And justice here does not mean their private matters, but faith in God and His kingdom. The words, “Does he wait to help them?” is a sentence in which both the text and the meaning are unsure. According to another reading, one could translate “...even if he seems to delay to help them.” When it says that God will help his elect “with haste,” it probably refers to that he suddenly and unexpectedly intervenes and lets His Kingdom come. This explains the subsequent melancholic question: But will the Son of Man find faith on earth when He comes? This is a glimpse of the future which is consistent in the New Testament. The Gospel shall be preached to all people. The majority will reject it. Those who believe until the end will be a persecuted minority. Then God lets the end come.
The promise of help and the exhortation to persevere, of course, does not only concern extreme tribulation. Jesus just said to the disciples that there will come a time, then they would like to see “the day of the Son of Man.” But they will not see it (17:22). Yet they are to pray and be sure that God hears their prayers, though He answers them in a way they had not expected.
This brings us near to the end of the “moral stories” of Luke. There remain only two sections. Both contain parables which only appear in Luke. The first one is about a corrupt and dishonest judge, who does not seek what is right, but who in the end gives in to a stubborn widow and lets her have what is her right. It is one of the many parables which use a picture of impious and immoral man’s life and lets it illustrate something in God’s kingdom. Our word “parable” is not exactly right when it comes to these “moral stories.” It leads man to believe that there is to be a real likeness between the people in the parable and a Christian - or in some cases God himself. And because man so often imagines that morality must be the essence of religion, they look for this likeness first and foremost in this moral sphere. Then they ask indignantly: Should one really live like this? Like the dishonest steward? Or the man who schemed to get a field where he knew a treasure was? Is God really like this judge here, so that he only hears a prayer if one nags him and wears him out?
How one then totally misunderstands such stories, Luke shows us here. Already from the beginning he says what, in this case, was the purpose: to exhort the disciples to persevere in prayer. He records Jesus’ own explanation: If even a bad judge listens to a poor widow, who does not stop praying, how much more, then, must the good God hear his own children! The meaning is thus that they will know, that he will set things right. And justice here does not mean their private matters, but faith in God and His kingdom. The words, “Does he wait to help them?” is a sentence in which both the text and the meaning are unsure. According to another reading, one could translate “...even if he seems to delay to help them.” When it says that God will help his elect “with haste,” it probably refers to that he suddenly and unexpectedly intervenes and lets His Kingdom come. This explains the subsequent melancholic question: But will the Son of Man find faith on earth when He comes? This is a glimpse of the future which is consistent in the New Testament. The Gospel shall be preached to all people. The majority will reject it. Those who believe until the end will be a persecuted minority. Then God lets the end come.
The promise of help and the exhortation to persevere, of course, does not only concern extreme tribulation. Jesus just said to the disciples that there will come a time, then they would like to see “the day of the Son of Man.” But they will not see it (17:22). Yet they are to pray and be sure that God hears their prayers, though He answers them in a way they had not expected.
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Standing on the Shoulders of Giants - Giertz (20th Sunday after Pentecost)
Luke 17:11-19 - Ten Lepers
Again Luke has a story about a Samaritan. This shows that the gospel is for every people and that even the despised has their own place in God’s kingdom. The event takes place somewhere in the borderlands between Samaria and Galilee. It arouses our curiosity, because Luke has given the impression that Jesus has left this area a long time ago, and he now approaches Jerusalem through Perea on the other side of the Jordan. Some believe that Luke did not have a clear grasp of the geography of Palestine. That is not very likely, since he gives a accurate account of the rather complicated division therein (3:1). Personally, he seems to have been in Jerusalem and the coastal country, but maybe never in Galilee or Samaria. It is possible that he gathered his material here in the “travel story” without trying to arrange it in a chronological or geographical order. Unless we have here - as some believe - yet another point in common with the material that John is the only one supposed to have. According to John, Jesus has during this last winter visited Jerusalem and stayed in northern Judea for some time. It is supposed that he traveled northward from there and met the pilgrims, and then followed them the usual way beyond the Jordan and then past Jericho to Jerusalem. It gives at least a hint of how the traditions of the Synoptics and John can be reconciled. But it is nothing more than a guess. Here we have to - as so many other times - refrain from inserting what is told in a clear chronological order.
The meaning is nevertheless clear. Outside a village, there is a group of lepers. Aware of their obligations, they stay far away and cry out to Jesus. They ask for mercy. He tells them to go and show themselves to the priests. This was an order that required faith. The priests had the mandate to determine whether someone had been cleansed from their leprosy and could be reintroduced into the society. On their way there, the ten lepers are healed, but only one of them cares to go back to give thanks, and he happens to be a Samaritan. He is then told, that his faith has saved him. This may also be translated as “helped”. The Greek word means both help, rescue and save. In this case, it is probably about salvation. The Samaritan man has not only been healed. He had been included in God’s kingdom. Jesus’ own countrymen had received God’s blessing as a natural thing, as something they were entitled to because they were children of Abraham. Precisely because of this, they were deprived of the Kingdom.
II Timothy 2:1-13 - Exercise of the Office in an Apostolic Spirit
Paul now gives Timothy instructions, which may apply to all bishops and leaders of the Church. Paul knows that even the leaders of the Church are sinners. It has been hinted at several times, that the faithful Timothy easily becomes discouraged. Paul does not, however, ask him to pull himself together. Instead he urges him to be strengthened by the grace that only is in Christ, that is in the forgiveness of sins and faith in the atonement. After this, he reminds him of his duty to preserve the apostolic doctrine as he received it from the apostle. Paul refers to the many witnesses, who knew that so Jesus said and so he said. Now it is the duty of Timothy to ensure that the message is passed on through reliable men, who know the apostolic faith thoroughly and are able to teach it to others. The time of the apostle is drawing to an end. Now others are to follow them as carriers of the message. The pastoral office is taking shape.
In following the apostles, one has to be prepared to suffer. Paul inculcates this with images we recognize from his earlier letters, the image of a soldier, an athlete and a farmer (peasant?). The last image also shows that the laborer is worthy of his wages. The one who preaches the gospel is entitled to live by it (1 Cor 9:14). In order to bear one’s suffering right, it is necessary to keep one’s eyes on Jesus. Here Paul seems to be quoting a few lines from an ancient Christian confession: ...risen from the dead, the offspring of David. He reminds that he himself, in this moment, suffers for the sake of the gospel, as he is bound with chains. And full of conviction he says: the word of God is not bound. After all, he knows how the Word is spread out there throughout the Roman Empire. He himself, even in prison, is helping out and doing part of the work by his suffering. For it is possible to bring blessing into the world by suffering - when one suffers together with Christ. Paul has said it before: The measure of suffering for Christ which he is to endure, that he does for the benefit of the body of Christ, which is the Church (Col 1:24). He knows that when he suffers distress, it is for the comfort and salvation for other Christians (2 Cor 1:6). It has always been clear to him that life with Christ includes both to suffer with him and to be glorified with him. This he also says here, with words which are assumed to be a part of an early Christian hymn. We die with Him so that we may live. If we share in his suffering, we also will share in his royal power. But the one who denies him, he will also deny him before his Father. And if we are faithless... Here the thought suddenly is the opposite of what one expects and it is said: He remains faithful, He cannot deny himself. That is the ultimate foundation for our security. In the end, it does not depend on our faithfulness, but on his.
In following the apostles, one has to be prepared to suffer. Paul inculcates this with images we recognize from his earlier letters, the image of a soldier, an athlete and a farmer (peasant?). The last image also shows that the laborer is worthy of his wages. The one who preaches the gospel is entitled to live by it (1 Cor 9:14). In order to bear one’s suffering right, it is necessary to keep one’s eyes on Jesus. Here Paul seems to be quoting a few lines from an ancient Christian confession: ...risen from the dead, the offspring of David. He reminds that he himself, in this moment, suffers for the sake of the gospel, as he is bound with chains. And full of conviction he says: the word of God is not bound. After all, he knows how the Word is spread out there throughout the Roman Empire. He himself, even in prison, is helping out and doing part of the work by his suffering. For it is possible to bring blessing into the world by suffering - when one suffers together with Christ. Paul has said it before: The measure of suffering for Christ which he is to endure, that he does for the benefit of the body of Christ, which is the Church (Col 1:24). He knows that when he suffers distress, it is for the comfort and salvation for other Christians (2 Cor 1:6). It has always been clear to him that life with Christ includes both to suffer with him and to be glorified with him. This he also says here, with words which are assumed to be a part of an early Christian hymn. We die with Him so that we may live. If we share in his suffering, we also will share in his royal power. But the one who denies him, he will also deny him before his Father. And if we are faithless... Here the thought suddenly is the opposite of what one expects and it is said: He remains faithful, He cannot deny himself. That is the ultimate foundation for our security. In the end, it does not depend on our faithfulness, but on his.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)