Category: New Testament - Wittenberg Door Campus Ministry

Matthew 9:9-13 - Lectionary for St. Matthew

9/16/2021

9/16/21
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the historic one-year lectionary.

Our Gospel reading for St. Matthew takes us to the call of Matthew, also sometimes referred to as the tax collector Levi. After Jesus called Matthew, who followed him promptly, Jesus wound up dining with "many tax collectors and sinners" *Matthew 9:10, ESV). Apparently, at least in the estimation of the community, Matthew was part of a pretty shady society.

What do we learn about Jesus' character here? Two things strike me as particularly important. First, Jesus did call Matthew, who did follow Jesus. Jesus doesn't lave us in the condition we are in when we become aware of him. As Matthew left his career, which served as a strong temptation to criminal graft and greed, we also leave behind the things which would interfere with growth in the Christlike character of loving and serving our neighbors.

Second, Jesus is not afraid to come to even those our polite society would reject. In this instance, it is primarily people whose lives would be engaged in absuvie financial relationships. Does Jesus visit loan sharks, prostitutes, and drug dealers? Yes, he does. There is no kind of sinner who cannot receive his call, his correction, and his forgiveness.

Jesus calls sinners to follow him. This is the good news we all need, for we are all sinners. He is the one who will change us. Thanks be to God.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

Ephesians 4:7-16 - Lectionary for St. Matthew

9/15/2021

9/15/21
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the historic one-year lectionary.

Ephesians 4:7-16 pictures Christ's resurrection and ascension in two ways which tempt us to think contradict one another. In verse six we receive grace as a gift of God. In verse seven, Christ is pictured as the victorious general who has taken an army captive. how can we reconcile these two pictures?

First, the military picture. We easily recognize that Jesus, in his resurrection, was victorious over death, the age-old enemy of humanity. Jesus conquered death. What kind of captives would hetake?

Certainly the forces of death would not be the living, but the dead. Either they are dead in spirit or in body, or both. However, captives are not taken from amongthe dead, but the living. When Jesus (or anyone) takes prisoners, they are alive. How would Jesus do this?

Actually, we have no idea how he did it, except by our confession that he is stronger than death. But he did it, though we can't imagine how. By his resurrection, he captured the forces of death. In liberating them, he makes them alive.

This is the gift of God's grace. In place of the death we deserve, he gives us life. His victory over us, when we were dead in sin, leads to our life. This, too, is a gift of God. Jesus brings life.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

Oral Tradition Operating on the New Testament

9/13/2021

9/13/21
Scholarly Reflections

Horsley, Richard. "Oral Tradition in New Testament Studies." Oral Tradition 18:1 (2003), 34-36.

Horsley considers the field of New Testament scholarship to be focused on written composition of what is understood as the Word of God. He states that "oral tradition in the broader sense assumed in other fields poses a considerable threat to New Testament (Biblical) scholars" (Horsley 2003, 34). He then extrapolates that work done by New Testament scholars pertaining to oral tradition "is heavily derivative from work in other fields" (Horsley 2003, 34).

Recent work has suggested that literacy, even among Jews, was not widespread, so oral communication would have been of great importance (Horsley 2003, 34). Additionally, scholars are finding reason to believe that reading, reciting, and hearing were closely interconnected. Further, discoveries in the Dead Sea Scrolls indicate that written texts, even those considered authoritative, could develop in different versions within the same community (Horsley 2003, 35). Fourth, oral traditions may have developed into two threads, which "anthropologists would call 'great tradition' and 'little tradition'" (Horsley 2003, 35). A current parallel might be high art and folk art. Finally, Horsley considers that the speeches of Jesus as recorded were sample perfodqrmances which would be replicated but adapted for the particular use of the audience.

Horsley does not provide recommendations for New Testament scholarship, but his five areas mentioned surely can provide food for thought.

John 12:20-33 - Lectionary for Holy Cross Day

9/9/2021

9/9/21
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the historic one-year lectionary.

The Christian life is full of seeming contradictions. John 12:20-33 draws our attention to this paradoxical kind of life. When the Greeks want to see Jesus, his response suggests that they want to see a mighty and regal figure. Jesus says, in essence, he is going to be glorified, but that his glory won't match their expectations.

He takes up his place of glory through laying down his life. Like a seed being planted, he is cast to the ground and trampled on. But this matches Jesus' view of the victorious Christian life. In verse 25, the one who loves his life will lose it. The one who doesn't love his life gets to keep it forever! Jesus pulls his disciples into a world in which the glorious one is humble, the humble is exalted, and the one who guards his life and possessions might just lose them!

In verse 27, as Jesus approaches his time of glory, he is troubled. Yet he doesn't ask the Father to rescue him from the trouble to come. Instead, he affirms that, for your sake and my sake, he is willing to be laid low.

When Jesus is lifted up (on a cross to be killed), he draws all people to himself. His death intends to exalt all who believe on him. We, then, can lay our lives down and be exalted with him. We give our lives away and receive his matchless gifts.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

1 Corinthians 1:18-25 - Lectionary for Holy Cross Day

9/8/2021

9/8/21
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the historic one-year lectionary.

Foolishness! Or something stated more forcefully and crudely by "the wise," "the scribes," or "the debater of this age" (1 Cor. 1:20, ESV). Christian teaching is openly mocked by many in our current American culture. Why is this? Should we become indignant and respond in kind, with hatred, mockery, and condescension?

1 Corinthians 1:18 says "the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing" (ESV). So I suppose we should expect the average person to respond in this way. God's wisdom doesn't work in accord with the wisdom of an unbelieving world.

Those who are going to mock will mock. There is very little that a fair analysis of the reason behind Christian responses to a fallen world will accomplish. The mocker will always find a way to despise the Gospel.

For htis reason, what Paul pictures in 1 Corinthians 1 is more a proclamation than a persuasive argument. As a Christian, I will affirm the truth of the Gospel. I will hold to the message that Jesus, both God and man, lived a life without sin, laid it down in death, and willfully took it up again. The goal was for his perfect holiness to be applied to sinful humans by grace through faith in him. The New Testament uniformly describes this as both true and effective.

Is this a matter for debate or argument? No, according to verses 22-23, it is a prclamation of truth. Those who will believe become convinced and show themselves as partakers of eternal life. Those who reject are doing so to their grave danger.

The good news is that God is able to use His Gospel to save those who will hear and believe. Our prayer, then, is that God wil raise up many to believe his words of life.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

The Sermon on the Mount and Literary Dependence

9/3/2021

9/3/21
Tour of Christian History

van de Sandt, Huub, & David Flusser. "Chapter 6: The Two Ways and the Sermon on the Mount." The Didache: Its Jewish Sources and Its Place in Early Judaism and Christianity. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2002, 193-237.

Van de Sandt and Flusser recognize that the Sermon on the Mount has some similarity to the Two Ways. In Matthew 7:13-14 we are presented with a way which leads to destruction and a way which leads to life (van de Sandt & Flusser 2002, 193). There are also numerous elements which the Sermon and the Two Ways have in common from an ethical perspective.

As they begin their analysis of the issue, van de Sandt and Flusser make it clear that there opinion is that Jesus had some intentions in his speech that would not be understood correctly by Matthew, and that "not every part of the Sermon can be traced back to the historical Jesus" (van de Sandt & Flusser 2002, 184). Their presupposition is that Q material contained a more accurate record, and was mostly adopted in Luke rather than Matthew (van de Sandt & Flusser 2002, 195). Van de Sandt and Flusser attempt to reconstruct the source material based on the premise that the Sermon on the Mount is a ring composition based on the Derekh Erets and Jewish Two Ways materials.

After a very brief introduction to the Sermon in Matthew 5:1, the sermon is introduced by the Beatitudes (5:3-12) and the comments on "salt" and "light" (5:13-16) (van de Sandt & Flusser 2002, 197). Van de Sandt and Flusser observe that this material is similar t o material in the Derekh Erets literature. The body of the sermon starts and ends with a reference to Law and Prophets. There are three paragraphs with similar structures, about charity, prayer, and fasting, then three additional clusters of ideas. There is then a Golden Rule statement (van de Sandt & Flusser 2002, 198).

While there is a clear parallel between Matthew 7:13-14 and Luke 13:23-24, van de Sandt and Flusser note that Matthwe develops his idea with materials they consider derived from the Two Ways (van de Sandt & Flusser 2002, 201). The vocabuluary and the either-or choices suggest material from elsewhere than Matthew' s normal source.

Van de Sandt and Flusser also find strong parallels between Matthew 5:17-48 and the Greek Two Ways 3:1-6 (van de Sandt & Flusser 2002, 204) One significant challenge in the passage is Jesus' repeated statements apparently overriding the Law, but his affirmation of the Law. Van de Sandt and Flusser resolve this tension with an appeal to multiple sources and layers of redaction (van de Sandt & Flusser 2002, 205). They do conclude that the apparent dispute Jesus has is not with theLaw, but with certain interpretations of it. The arguments used are typical of Jewish rabbinic debates (van de Sandt & Flusser 2002, 213). The antitheses, further seen to be derived from traditional teaching were possibly interjected here from another source (van de Sandt & Flusser 2002, 214). This applies particularly to those not found in Luke. Jesus' affirmation of the Law and his statement about "the least of these commandments" recalls the Jewish idea of some small sins leading to others which are more serious (van de Sandt & Flusser 2002, 220).

Van de Sandt and Flusser also consider particular parallels of Matthew 5:21-48 and Didache 3:2-6 (van de Sandt & Flusser 2002, 226). The various prohibitions are not only consistent in their ethic, but they are presented in a similar order (van de Sandt & Flusser 2002, 227). The lesser sins lead to the greater, so both are to be avoided.

A challenge which strikes van de Sandt and Flusser is the fact that the statements in Matthew which are apparently based on the Greek Two Ways add additional requirements. The rigorous attitude is a challenge (van de Sandt & Flusser 2002, 234). A rigorous attitude was also present among the hassidim, which suggests that Jesus, as Matthew protrays him, would not have been outside of normal bounds in his application of the Law.

Mark 6:14-29 - Lectionary for the Martyrdom of John the Baptist

8/26/2021

8/26/21
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the historic one-year lectionary.

Mark 6:14-29 gives us some of the details of Herod's execution of John the Baptist. It was a grisly event, on the occasion of Herod's birthday. And we can reasonably believe, based on verses 26 and 16 that Herod was genuinely sorry. Verse 20 says that Herod was perplexed by John's testimony but that he heard it willingly. After John's death, he even thought Jesus was doing miracles in John's power.

Herod was right, though he had the characters reversed. John's powerful testimony came from the power of Jesus. Herod had been hearing the truth of God, the words of life. This was precisely what he needed to hear.

What is our attitude when we are exposed to God's word? Like Herod, we might both fear and desire it. Like Herodias we might despise it. Or maybe, by the mercy of God, we will hear it, take heed, and trust that the Lord can use it to turn our hearts toward Him.

Jesus is the Lord of life. He is still the hope of the world. May we have grace to receive him gladly, knowing he is the one who can forgive our sin and bring us with him as heirs of the resurrection.

After this post, we'll take a brief break until Monday, September 6. The lectionary readings for feasts and festivals don't always align with weekly progress all that well.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

Romans 6:1-5 - Lectionary for the Martyrdom of John the Baptist

8/25/2021

8/25/21
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the historic one-year lectionary.

Jesus loves to forgive sin. Maybe you think that's great news. I do too. But why is it such a good thing? Theologian Michael Horton says frequently that the reason matters. Do we say, "Jesus loves to forgive and I love to sin, so it work out great!"?

The apostle Paul will have none of it. In Romans chapter six he uses probably the most forceful way there is in Greek to say that we don't continue in sin. He then reminds the Romans that as they believed in Crhist and were baptized they "died to sin" (v. 2). They were buried in baptism, which the Lutheran Reformers said was the equivalent of drowning the sinner.

Where does this break down? If we read ahead to Romans chapter seven Paul recognizes that even though he hates sin, he is still drawn to it. That old sinner Paul, though drowned in baptism, swims awfully well.

Let's be really clear. We don't drown anyone in baptism. The water is symbolic of drowning, and also of washing. But we do believe, with the historic church, that the water along with God's Word does have an effect. It delivers God's promise of forgiveness, and does it in a very concrete way, a way commanded by Jesus and affirmed by all Christian practice.

Have you been united with Christ in baptism? Then live as an heir of his resurrection. What, then, do we do when we realize our sin? We ask forgiveness and we strive again to live as his people, who have died to sin and live to righteousness.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

Revelation 6:9-11 - Lectionary for the Martyrdom of John the Baptist

8/23/2021

8/23/21
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the historic one-year lectionary.

How long, O Lord? Just a little longer. In Revelation 6:9-11 the souls of those who have died for their faith cry out to God. How long? Are you ready yet to judge those who have rejected you and have killed us? When will you bring vengeance?

The Lord's answer to them is a resounding, "not yet." The mercy of God, that great mercy which has rescued all who believe on Jesus from eternal death, is not yet finished. The Lord is still calling people to himself. Just as he called those who cry out to him out of their darkness, out of futility, out of sin and death, he is calling others to himself. Those who despise him will continue their work for now, and the work of sinful man is to sin. Yes, this may include killing Christians. It does include killing Christians.

We may rightly be concerned about public health issues, with diseases killing thousands around the world. But it's also a public health issue when people are persecuted and killed for their Christian faith. So far the 21st century has proven to be a dangerous time for Christians to live.

How long? A little longer. Those who die in Christ are not eternally dead. By his resurrection Jesus showed that he conquered death. There is no need to fear. He is able to keep all who trust in him. The body they may kill. God's Word abides still. Jesus is victorious even over death. He can keep you and me also.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

Luke 22:24-30 - Lectionary for St. Bartholomew

8/19/2021

8/19/21
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the historic one-year lectionary.

As a campus pastor, I see it all the time. There's been a fundamental misunderstanding of the very nature of Christianity, growing in the West, now for over 170 years. Sadly, there have been instances in church history (relatively few and always pushed back by corrective force) to reinforce this misunderstanding. We shouldn't be surprised to find that Jesus' 12 disciples fell into the same trap and were corrected by Jesus.

What is this misunderstanding? At its core, it says that the Christian faith is like any institution created and sustained by people who want to gain in power, authority, and wealth. Especially since the revolutionary ideas of Marx were published, some forces would like to tear down Christianity because overthrow of power strucrures is a force for good. And the cultural progressives who take this point of view will seek out instances of power-hungry people within Christian history to strengthen their view that Christianity is a move for dominion and oppression.

What did Jesus tell his discipoles in Luke 22:24-30? They are not to pursue dominion, but service. He will give them a position in his eternal kingdom but for now their job is to love and serve others.

Thankfully, most of the time, and in most places, Christians have remembered their role as servants and caretakers of a fallen, crushed, and hurting world. Yet, they are often accused of, and even confess to, having mixed motives. Yes, I have mixed motives. I want to help others and I would also like to be thought well of and taken care of. I get to repent of my self-serving attitudes all the time. Meanwhile, whatever my world as a whole might say about it, I'm going to busy myself by loving and serving my neighbor.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

2 Corinthians 4:7-10 - Lectionary for St. Bartholomew

8/18/2021

8/18/21
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the historic one-year lectionary.

Life and death. These are prominent themes in all of human thought. The Bible is no stranger to this discussion. Secially significant to today's reading in 2 Corinthians 4:7-10, life, particularly the life in Christ, is considered a treasure. Yet it is not always a treasure which is obvious. In the time and culture of the writing, a clay jar was perfectly common, ordinary storage solution. Often a jar which was used for one purpose would be repurposed. I'd comare it to a cardboard box. Really, I don't have 20 boxes of copier paper in my basement. There's something else in the boxes.

The priceless gifts of God dwell in us. Like the boxes in my basement, the package is often battered, ripped, stained, and poorly labeled. Regardless, the Christian is the dwelling place of God. Verses 8-9 describe some of the ways we endure hardship. Beneath our damaged exterior, we contain the life of Jesus. Like him, one day we will die. The box will fall part. It won't be useful for anything more, so it will be left to the earth, or perhaps recycled somehow. The contents, though, the resurrection life of Jesus, will remain.

Jesus, the one who has eternal life in himself, will also raise us on the last day, as partakers of eternity. Even though my cardboard box is battered, scarred, mislaeled, falling apart, or otherwise out of commission, Jesus still gives me this gift. He is our priceless treasure.

By the way, before you try to get the treasure from the boxes I have stored, you should know that those things are really only valuable to me. They are likely quite commonplace to everyone else. We look to Christ as our treasure.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

Luke 1:39-55 - Lectionary for Mary, Mother of Our Lord

8/12/2021

8/12/21
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the historic one-year lectionary.

"Why the hurry, Mary?" That's a question we should consider asking based on Luke 1:39. Mary "went with haste" to the home of Elizabeth, who was some sort of a cousin. Why was she in a hurry? Elizabeth, an older woman, was six months pregnant. We don't know of any distress. She would want help as her pregnancy advanced, but we don't know the reason for urgency.

Perhaps Mary was aware of a divine appointment. Her newly-conceived child, Jesus, who was to be the savior of all, was ready to meet John, the one who would prepare his way. The time was right. The message of the angel had given her a sense of urgency.

What is the urgency of the Gospel? We need to hear the words of life. We need to be reminded that the Lord blesses and raises up the humble. We need to hear that God's mercy is for us. We need to know the Lord's power to do all things. We need to know that our thoughts and imaginations are futile. We need to see that he provides what we need, and that his provision is good.

All this is drawn from Mary's statements in Luke 1:46-55. Elizabeth and Zechariah needed to know what kind of savior she was carrying. John, in the womb, seemed to know it all already.

The Lord is good. It's worth hurryingt ohear from him.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

Galatians 4:4-7 - Lectionary for Mary, Mother of Our Lord

8/11/2021

8/11/21
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the historic one-year lectionary.

Shortly after creating the heavens and the earth, God made ways to track time. It matters to him, or perhaps I should say that our ability to know time matters to God.

He does his work, then, in time, not outside of time. Again, this is for us. The eternal God in himself has no need of time. Yet we recognize that when he does things, they are timely. The birth of Jesus was at the right time. And it was the time for his people to be redeemed from sin.

While we can't know exactly why God would choose the time he did, we can trust that he knows all about that timing. Likewise, the time we were born, our time and location, and the many details of our lives which reflect time are purposeful. God doesn't waste time. He uses it.

The time of our adoption into Christ's kingdom is purposeful. The time we spend waiting on God is just right. And at the right time we receive an inheritance, calling on God as our loving Father.

May we have grace to perceive the times rightly. Thanks be to God.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

Mark 10:35-45 - Lectionary for James the Elder

7/29/2021

7/29/21
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the historic one-year lectionary.

James and John are a lot like the rest of us. In Mark 10:35-45 they want to have positions of honor in Christ's kingdom. This really shouldn't surprise us. After all, Jesus chose James and John to follow him. They are among his closest inner circle, along with Peter. They have left their former livelihood to follow a Messianic hope. When Jesus takes his throne, they would like him to remember them with positions of authority.

We're that way also. We talk really well about our desire to serve Jesus regardless of whether we receive a reward or not, but we'd like to be in a position of influence. We may say our career aspirations are to be faithful, but we frankly would be disappointed if that faithfulness didn't eventually result in having more authority than the person who just started in the career. We also wouldn't mind having pay raises and hopes of retirement. We want to be rewarded for what we do.

That's perfectly normal. However, Jesus shows a different way. He who would be great must be the servant of all. That's just what Jesus did. He laid down his life in love and service to his neighbor (all of humanity), accepting scorn, shame, pain, and finally death.

I guarantee you, if you work long enough in your career, you'll receive death as wel. You might not have the other issues, but given enough years, the result is death. Our life isn't tied up in the honor we may receive, the authority, the retirement plan, or any of the other things that may come along with our faithful service. It's tied up in Jesus, the Lord who lived and died for us. In fact, we'll probably receive the honor, authority, the pay raise, the bonus now and then if we are faithful with what we are doing. But Jesus is the one who makes it all work for good in this world. So he points us, along with James and John, to his eternity.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

Romans 8:28-39 - Lectionary for James the Elder

7/28/2021

7/28/21
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the historic one-year lectionary.

There's so much to focus on in Romans chapter 8, we could never exhaust it all. I want to focus on just one little portion today. It's easily overlooked. All things work together for good for those who love God and are called according to his purpose.

Do all things work together for good? Not necessarily. For people who don't love God and who aren't living according to his purpose, they might not work for good. They might just work for evil!

Before anyone despairs, saying, "I thought I loved God but bad things have been happening in my life so maybe I don't actually love God!" let me point out that if you are concerned in this way, if you care what God may be saying to you or doing in your life, it is evidence that you do love God. We live in a sin-cursed world and we don't always see the way things work together for good.

What is God's purpose in this? It is in verse 29. He is busy conforming his people to his image. What does this mean? It means that Jesus, the one who loved us and who lived a life of perfect holiness, trusting God the Father in all things, is making us into people who are also in perfect fellowship with God. He wants to be "the firstborn among many brothers." This means he plans to raise you and me from the dead in the last day, made into the image of God, raised in his perfect righteousness.

At that time, not only will all things be working together for good for us, but we'll see them in action. His purpose will be finally accomplished.

In the meantime, we take courage from this passage. Can anything separate us from God's love in Christ? Nothing at all. He is working in us and in many others by his love to build us into the people he would have us be in eternity. It will all work.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

Acts 11:27-12:5 - Lectionary for James the Elder

7/26/2021

7/26/21
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the historic one-year lectionary.

We often wonder what in the world our government officials might be thinking. Some of the reasoning that comes out in the form of laws or emergency actions seems bizarre at best. Yet it is nothing new.

In Acts 12 Herod had James arrested and killed. Verse one suggests this action was more or less a test, to see what people would think. Because it was a popular action among the Jews, he then arrested Peter. By this method, possibly he could present Peter to the people after Passover. Perhaps they would decide Peter should die. If not, Herod could look like the good guy who stopped Peter from being executed.

Political pragmatism is almost always a bad idea. It leads to division among the people. It makes leaders appear weak. It plants doubt in the minds of the public, and of other leaders, whether policies are actually heartfelt, whether promises mean anything, and to what level a leader will stoop so as to get his own way.

James the brother of John was executed. Yet there were other Christians who were able to take his place among the leaders of the Christians in Jerusalem. God's kingdom can't be stopped so easily. Moved by the arrests, the Christians gathered together to pray. When Peter was released from prison by supernatural means, he went "to another place" which is not specified. No doubt, he took the Gospel with him. So did all the Christians emboldened by the work of God.

No, Christ's kingdom can't be stopped very easily. It is an everlasting kingdom. Though James lost his earthly life, he was instrumental in gaining a heavenly reward for many others.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

John 20:1-2, 10-18 - Lectionary for Mary Magdalene

7/22/2021

7/22/21
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the historic one-year lectionary.

There sure are a lot of people named Mary involved in the ministry of Jesus. John's Gospel identifies the Mary known as "Magdalene" as the one who is first to not find Jesus on the first day of the week after the crucifixion.

Her expectation was that Jesus would be lying in the tomb, dead. Yet she went anyway. In her time of grief, she may have just wanted to look upon him one more time, or to make sure nobody had done anything with the body. The Synoptic Gospels suggest that she was not alone and that they were planning to make sure the burial customs with ointments and spices were completed all the way.

However it shook out, John wants to be sure we know she went to the tomb, and she arrived there early, before it was light. When she didn't find Jesus, she brought that news to the other disciples.

After some investigation, they went home, but Mary stayed outside the tomb, weeping. She didn't believe the resurrection. She thought Jesus had not only died and remained dead, but that his body had been stolen. This is troubling news indeed.

I wonder if we can rightly appreciate her joy. When Jesus came to her and made himself known to her she realized that he was not only alive, but right there with her. He let Mary be the first eyewitness of the resurrection, and sent her to tell the others. In this sense she was the first evangelist who spoke as a witness to the resurrection.

Jesus is the resurrection and the life. Mary's message has not changed over the years. She saw the Lord, risen from the dead, perfectly alive. He remains the risen Lord. The message of resurrection is for you and for me, for all people in every generation. It is the message which speaks of the hope all Christians have of rising with their Lord on the last day.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

Acts 13:26-31 - Lectionary for Mary Magdalene

7/21/2021

7/21/21
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the historic one-year lectionary.

The apostle Paul, preaching in Antioch, said something extremely timely for us as well as for those in Antioch. In Acts 13:27 he observed that the people who heard the Scripture read every Sabbath in Jerusalem still didn't recognize Jesus as the Messiah. Because they didn't understand the Scriptures, they condemned Jesus to death.

Our world as a whole is living in darkness. They don't recognize that Jesus is the Messiah. They don't understand the Scriptures or take them into account in their thinking. For this reason, when confronted with ideas which are plainly present in Scripture, such as the reality and gravity of sin, the need for a substitute for sin, and the exclusivity of salvation by grace through faith in Christ, our world takes offense or scoffs at the simple Christian truth.

We miss what is revealed plainly. Our minds are darkened. We are not willing to see the truth.

However, to all who do see the truth, to all who receive the grace of God by faith in Jesus, He gives eternal life and salvation.

Salvation in Christ, as Paul describes it in Acts, is not based on our feelings. It is not a shot in the dark. It is something which God has described in detail through the Law and the Prophets, and which he brings to pass through the historical events surrounding Christ's death and resurrection.

We don't have to guess. Jesus has done what is needed for our salvation. Rather than guessing or hoping, we trust in the true events of Jesus' death and resurrection. They are for you and for me, just as they are for the saints in Antioch.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

Didache 9:4 and John 6

7/2/2021

7/2/21
Friday's Focus - Didache Articles

Cerfaux, Lucien. "La Multiplication Des Pains Dans La Liturgie de la Didache (Did., IX, 4)." Biblica 40:3, 1959, 943-958.

Cerfaux finds that study of Didache 9:1-4, where the text speaks of bread scattered through the mountains when grown as grain, has not been discussed adequately (Cerfaux 1959, 943-944). Cerfaux provides the Greek text for the sentence in question. He notes it is interesting that in saying τοῦτο κλάσμα (this fragment) is interesting since "this" is an adjective, while it is a pronoun in Matthew 26:26. In contrast, Apostolic Constitutions removes the word "fragment" (Cerfaux 1959, 944). When the comparison is used in Cyprian Ep. 63:13, it is again slightly different (Cerfaux 1959, 944).

Cerfaux notes that Paul, in 1 Cor. 10:16-17, speaks of the fraction of the bread, but does not use the word for "fragment" (Cerfaux 1959, 945). This strikes Cerfaux as an odd situation if in fact the Eucharist is supposed to serve as a unifying element of Christianity. However, the general idea of the Sacrament seems relatively clear (Cerfaux 1959, 946). Cerfaux suggests that the style used in Didache 9:4 is more similar to John's usage, particularly in John 6:3, 11, and 12 (Cerfaux 1959, 947).

Cerfaux considers the similarity between the Didache's language of gathering and John's language of collecting fragments to be very significant. This makes John 6 fit more clearly into a eucharistic context. It also brings a eucharistic significance to the multiplication of the bread (Cerfaux 1959, 950). This was also the opinion of Clement of Alexandria and of Origen. Both considered the multiplication of bread to serve as a reference to the eucharist, particularly in the writing of John (Cerfaux 1959, 951).

The fact is, though on its surface the concept of one piece of bread made from many grains seems novel and specific to the Didache, it is not present solely there. It fits into a good deal of exegetical narrative as well (Cerfaux 1959, 954). Cerfaux provides numerous references to texts which represent this traditiono f exegesis (Cerfaux 1959, 954).

Cerfaux moves on to provide parallel text samples of the various, small, references to the idea, formatted for easy comparison of the wording (Cerfaux 1959, 955).

Luke 1:39-56 - Lectionary for Visitation

7/1/2021

7/1/21
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the historic one-year lectionary.

There's a debate raging in the United States these days, as advocates for abortion on demand find their support waning, but have managed to grasp some measure of federal political control. Meanwhile, a recent decision by the Roman Catholic Council of Bishops has started the process of an official articulation of several central Christian doctrines, among them the sanctity of life, and a consideration of how to deal with public figures who claim to be Roman Catholic but deny central tenets of the Church. It has all the appearance of a huge conflagration, as the Roman Catholic Church asserts its historic views and many cultural Catholics who have long ignored those doctrines and practices are likely to be called to account.

It's all about life. Protecting the unborn is so very important because, after all, if they never have the opportunity to be born they will never be able to live a life which brings honor and delight to God and to the rest of the world. We are pledged to protect those who cannot protect themselves. Unborn children are the most vulnerable population there is.

Do they have "true personhood"? That in itself is a poorly defined concept, but we'll take it at face value for now. The assessment of Elizabeth and Mary at the visitation, as recorded in Luke 1:39-56, is that both the unborn John the Baptist, probably at about 24 weeks' gestation, and the unborn Jesus, probably at about 12 weeks' gestation, somehow recognize one another's presence, rejoice themselves, and bring delight to their mothers.

They are people. They are certainly very small people. John might have lungs that are mature enough to function, but Jesus doesn't. They both have beating hearts. They have DNA that is their own, not their mothers'. They respond to different stimuli. They wake and sleep. They move. They are growing.

What is it going to take for those voices in our culture, increasingly a culture of death, to admit that the unborn deserve protection, that they rightly receive the full scope of human rights?

Thankfully, opinion is moving in the direction of those small children. Approximately 50% of Americans consider themselves "pro life" but upwards of 85% think that abortion is not acceptable in just any and every situation.

We need to keep talking about these little children. The same practice that has snuffed out the lives of over 65 million Americans, legally, since 1973, has almost certainly ended the lives of scientists, artists, creative geniuses, beloved children, and beloved parents. Who knows how many prophets of God have been killed in this way?

Lord, have mercy. Bring us face to face with the joy of real, live children. Let us see, as did Mary, that God has done great things by bringing children into this world.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

Romans 12:9-16 - Lectionary for Visitation

6/30/2021

6/30/21
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the historic one-year lectionary.

Historic Christian church services frequently begin with a confession of sin. In fairly general terms we confess that we are sinful, that we fail to do some good things, that we do some bad things, and that we don't love God or our neighbor perfectly. The majority of Christians around the world also have a custom of private confession, in which the individual comes to the priest or pastor and makes confession of sin, receiving forgiveness, or absolution.

What if we don't think we have anything to repent of? What if we are fairly pleased with the way our life is lived?

On one level that's good. Really. I know you thought that I, as someone who certainly confesses that we all have a sinful nature that we can't overcome by any of our efforts, would immediately condemn people who are pleased with their lives. Not at all. If your life is absent from glaring sin and offense, that's a good thing. You are likely to be respected in the community, your family, friends, co-workers, and employers or employees are probably going to find it easy to get along with you, and your life won't have the kind of troubles that some lives do. It's good.

It doesn't mean that you have nothing to confess, though. We all have something to confess before God, and in the presence of our confessor. Let's unpack just a couple of verses, Romans 12:9-10, to see how.

"Let love be genuine." Do I really do this? Or do I pretend that I love God and my neighbor. Have I ever been guilty of this? What if my enemies are in my face. Do I love them regardless? Or do I need God's forgiveness for my attitude toward some people and situations?

"Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good." Again, though I avoid a lot of evil things, do I really hate them, or do I secretly or publicly wink at them and excuse them. Am I concerned about the harm that evil practices can inflict on others? Even if I am safe from some of the evils that could kill me, am I bothered enough that those evils can kill? Considering drug use, physical abuse, poverty, and disease, am I willing to rescue others? Am I willing to work for good no matter what the consequences to me might be?

"Love one another with brotherly affection." Even the person I don't like? And what if my brother happens to be one of those people I don't like? Can I then dislike everyone else? No, maybe I'd better not make those concessions. I need to love others like I would love a brother who is very close to my heart. Even if it means doing something to help them.

"Outdo one another in showing honor." Even for those I don't respect? But . . . but . . . but . . .

We have plenty to confess. What's the good news in this passage? It is that Jesus is the one who forgives our sin. He shines his light on our lives and uses convicting words like these to confront us with our sin. But he is the forgiving Lord who has loved us as we are to love one another.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

Matthew 16:13-19 - Lectionary for St. Peter and Paul, Apostles

6/24/2021

6/24/21
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the historic one-year lectionary.

In Matthew 16:13-19, Jesus asks the disciples who they say he is. Peter, answering for the Twelve, says, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God" (v. 16, ESV). In response to this confession, Jesus makes a statement which has seemed slightly cryptic for almost 2000 years.

Referring to Simon as "Peter," the rock, Jesus then uses a closely related word to say he will build his church on the rock.

Is the church built on Peter or on something else? Historic orthodox Christianity says it is built on Jesus. So how do we explain Jesus' statement? Normally we take the rock to be the confession that Jesus is the Christ.

We stand built on the fact that Jesus is the Son of God, the savior. There is no more sure foundation. Peter then becomes the spokesman of the truth, pointing to the truth.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

Acts 15:1-21 - Lectionary for St. Peter and Paul, Apostles

6/21/2021

6/21/21
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the historic one-year lectionary.

We recognize Acts chapter 15 as a foundational gathering in Church history. In this passage, which scholars generally date in the spring of the year 51, the question had arisen whether Gentiles could become Christians without first converting to Judaism. Additionally, it was unclear whether they would need to take on Jewish law and customs or not.

If we think about it, this was a really huge question. There was no known background for answering it. What would the people recognized as leader of the Christians, assembled in Jerusalem, do? Acts 15:2 and 15:6 both attest to there being a large amount of discussion and debate, and that the discussion involved significant disagreement. This was not a friendly picnic in the park.

Peter's experience at the household of Cornelius, recorded in Acts chapter 10, became very important in the discussion. Though we don't have a clear identification of what Paul and Barnabas brought to the table, Galatians suggests that the same kind of dispute drove them to Jerusalem for the consultation. Paul had been bringing the Gospel to non-Jewish people. They were believing and living as Christians, apart from the dietary customs and other cultural habits of Judaism.

What was the conclusion? Salvation can come to Gentiles, just as to Jews, regardless of their cultural differences. However, in the end of the decision, converts are cautioned to avoid a few things which would be culturally very offensive to Jews. This was to avoid burning bridges across the cultures which could bring people to Christ.

The decisions of Acts 15 are consistent with Old Testament precedent, by which people from any nation could join into Israel, God's covenant people. However, in the New Testament context, the association is done by trusting Jesus and receiving his grace through faith in him, rather than by changing cultural habits and following a series of laws.

God still calls people to himself. Salvation is still, and has always been, by God's grace, received by faith. We still do well to offer that grace to others, and to avoid erecting cultural barriers which would drive others away. We allow the Lord to convert people, changing them from inside out. We trust he is able to do it.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

Luke 1:57-80 - Lectionary for St. John the Baptist

6/17/2021

6/17/21
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the historic one-year lectionary.

We've all witnessed proud parents singing the praise of their children, even the newborn ones. It's normal and healthy. We should be pleased with who they are and their achievements, even those like opening their eyes or holding our fingers.

Zechariah is a little different. Is he a proud father? No doubt. But he is focused on how John would direct people to the Christ, who had not yet been born.

The life of the Christian is to be taken up in celebrating Jesus. It doesn't matter so much what we can do. What matters in the end is that Jesus has come to live a perfect life on our behalf and to purchase salvation for every one who believes.

John was a herald of Christ. He lived out his life as a faithful servant of the Gospel, telling all taht they could hear the true Lord and follow Him. The message never gets old. It never disappoints. Jesus is truly Lord of all.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

Back to Focus on Jesus

6/17/2021

Thursdays are for the New Testament
6/17/21

Gibbs, Jeffrey A. “Matthew 11:1: Narrative Conclusion: Summary of Jesus' Ministry." Matthew 1:1-11:1. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 2006, pp. 546-547.

Jesus' Missionary Discourse, Matthew 10:5-42, focused on the mission work of the Twelve and those who would follow after them. In 11:1 the text puts the focus back on Jesus. Gibbs observes that we have no inkling at this point of what the Twelve actually did (Gibbs 2006, 546). Jesus simply continues his work. Gibbs concludes from this that Matthew's intent is to emphasize what Jesus himself was doing (Gibbs 2006, 547). At this point, Gibbs closes the first of his three volumes.

This Thursday series of posts on New Testament commentary is going to take a break. My doctoral research into the early Christian document, the Didache, is going to consume more of my time in the near future. I'll still be making posts on Thursdays but they will be related to book chapters or journal articles that are related to that research. It's a fascinating little document that sheds light on some of the very earliest Christians. I hope you'll keep reading!