First Sunday in Lent
March 1, 2020
Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7
Romans 5:12-19
Matthew 4:1-11
Exegetical Missional Insights
Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7
The "fall" story is a battle between faithfulness and will, obedience and choice, life and death. God places the man and woman in the Garden of Eden directing them to eat freely except from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If they do, the result will be death. As the serpent appears, his challenge is this: did God really say that? Up to this point, the man and woman only knew good and now they have the opportunity to "know" evil. "Before the fall, all they knew was good; evil was beyond their experience. 9 Unsatisfied with a merely intellectual knowledge of evil - "in the day that you eat of it you shall die" (Gen 2:17) - they wanted to know it experientially, to spread their wings, so to speak, and travel beyond the confines of the good world whose shadows they do not know."1 The serpent proclaims that the man and woman will not die saying that God doesn't want them to eat from that particular tree because God feared that they will then be like him, "knowing good and evil".
The woman "saw" that the tree was not only good for sustenance but that the tree was something to be desired. Both the man and the woman were complicit in disobeying God as they ate of the tree. Upon the realization that they were naked, they clothed themselves. Did they not know that they were naked before or was it that their nakedness now demanded a response? Their decision didn't lead to freedom but rather enslavement to their sin, disobedience to God and harm to their relationship with him and each other. The text illustrates humanity's struggle with dominion vs. stewardship, power vs. freedom, knowledge vs. knowing God, being like God vs. being God's beloved. Ultimately, they (and we) are faced with the decision to choose self or God, death or life.
Romans 5:12-19
Romans 5 describes the ongoing impact of sin on humanity. Sin entered the world through the man and woman in the garden with consequences for all the people. As a result of their act, all were made "sinners". This is contrasted by Jesus who was without sin. His death offered life and freedom for all from the punishment of sin. Jesus did not merely negate sin; he paid the price for the sin of the man and women in the garden and for all of humanity. Through Jesus, God offers the chance to be made right. The sin of one meant death for all. And the gift of ONE means life for everyone. This is the mission of God, to reconcile humanity to himself.
Matthew 4:1-11
In Matthew 3, Jesus is baptized by John and God proclaims Jesus as his beloved. After Jesus' baptism and before he began his public ministry, Jesus (led by the Spirit) fasted for forty days and nights in the wilderness where he was tempted by the devil. The devil challenged Jesus to three things: 1. Turn stones to bread, 2. Throw himself down from the temple, and 3. The devil offered all the kingdoms of the world if Jesus would fall down and worship him. Jesus responded: 1. Man doesn't live on bread alone but by every word from the mouth of God, 2. Do not put the Lord your God to the test and 3. Jesus tells Satan to leave for it is written worship the Lord your God and serve him only. After this intense encounter, the devil left, and the angels tended to Jesus. Jesus' experience in the desert is not because he had done something wrong. It was a time of preparation for Jesus' mission, offering redemption to humanity.
God's Mission in the Text
The Genesis text illustrates humanity's struggle with dominion, power, knowledge and the temptation to be like God. In Genesis 11, humans build a tower to make a name for themselves in an effort to be like God, to be a god. We know the danger of what the devil is offering in this "knowledge". Access to evil makes us vulnerable to power. These three texts reveal the redemptive nature and work of God in the world. In the midst of the temptation of power and knowledge, God invites us to know him and be known by him. God invites us into relationship. God sent Jesus into the world as a salvation and love letter to humanity. What we can learn from the text:
Mission Connections for Our Context
As we think about our own lives, churches and communities, what guidance and hope do we glean from these texts? We are invited to be known by God and to know God. Through the death and resurrection of Jesus, all of us can be known and know God. God proclaims he is with us; we belong to him and he is in solidarity with us. Knowing takes on new meaning. It is not enough to know facts. Through the gift of ONE, Jesus, all are offered hope. Salvation is received and experienced in authentic relationship with God, leading to transformation. These biblical texts challenge us to move from knowing about something to knowing God through relationship.
Lent is a time of preparation likened to Jesus's preparation in the wildness for ministry. Wilderness experiences expose our vulnerabilities. We may feel isolated and weak. Like he was with Jesus, God the Father is with us. How is God preparing us in our wilderness times? What is he preparing us for? How does knowing God and being known by God strengthen us during these times? What is needed for our congregations, corporately and personally, to choose knowing over knowledge? For several years I lived on a vineyard. During winter season (called winter dormancy), the vine looks dead. Rather it is in hibernation, preparing for spring. The winter season forces the vine's root to grow deeper in the soil (knowing and) connecting to its' life source. How might we deepen our roots in God during Lent, pressing into this "knowing"? In what ways do we know God and are known by God? God knows us, he knows our plight, he invites us to know him and he calls us to help others know him. This is what strengthens us to participate in God's mission. May we lean into God's mission and witness in our world by knowing him and being known by him.
Biographical Summary
Mary Glenn, D.Min., is an Affiliate Assistant Professor of Intercultural Studies (Urban Studies) at Fuller Theological Seminary. She regularly leads urban immersions and city walks in her home city of Los Angeles. She is a law enforcement chaplain (since 2001), a police chaplain trainer and an ordained pastor.
1 Maggay, Melba Padilla. Global Kingdom, Global People : Living Faithfully in a Multicultural World, Langham Creative Projects, 2017, p. 3)
Second Sunday in Lent
March 8, 2020
Genesis 12:1-4a
Romans 4: 1-5, 13-17
John 3: 1-17
Exegetical Missional Insights
Genesis 12:1-4a
In many respects, these verses are the pivot on which the book of Genesis turns. In the call of Abram, the prehistory describing the development and disbursement of the nations in Genesis 1-11 ends, and the story of a particular family begins. But these verses indicate that particular story will have a relevance for "all the families of the earth" (v. 3).
The remainder of Genesis will tell the story of Abram and several generations of his descendants. The call to Abram begins with an imperative command for him to "go from your country and your kindred and your father's house" (v. 1), but the balance of the Lord's speech contains promises that the Lord will fulfill. The Lord will make Abram "a great nation. The Lord will bless Abram. The Lord will make Abram's name great, and will "bless those who bless you, and" curse the one who curses him.
Romans 4: 1-5, 13-17
In this selection, Paul offers his own theological reflections on the story of Abraham to develop his doctrine of justification by faith. It is worth noting in this context that the Genesis passage above does not mention those concepts. In addition, Paul cites another verse in Genesis (15:6) to argue that Abraham's "faith ‘was reckoned to him as righteousness'" (v. 3). For Paul, Abraham's faith was evident when he believed God's promise that he would have descendants as plentiful as the stars in the sky. Paul juxtaposes that faith against adherence to the law, as exemplified in circumcision.
John 3: 1-17
Jesus' dialogue with Nicodemus is pregnant with theological meaning about what it means to be "born from above" (v. 3, 7). Several themes that John develops throughout the gospel are named here: light and dark, the Spirit and the world, and God's sending of the Son into the world. Nicodemus' statement that Jesus has "come from God" (v. 2) opens the conversation. Jesus words that God sent the Son into the world so that "the world might be saved through him" (v. 17) close the passage. In between, Jesus discusses the need for all to be "born from above" (v. 3, 7). Although Nicodemus seems not to grasp Jesus' meaning, his place in the story of Jesus does not end here. In chapter 7, he speaks up in favor of giving Jesus a hearing, and after Jesus' death (ch. 19), aids in preparing Jesus' body for burial.
God's Mission in the Text
Depending on the context of the preacher, these lectionary passages offer different options for theological reflection. Mission begins with God, and all three texts speak to God's initiative in the world to call a new thing into being. It is God's action that calls Abram to "go," and God promises to create out of him a new and blessed nation that is the source of blessing to others. Paul testifies to God "who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist" (Rom. 4:17). John's gospel proclaims that God sent the Son into the world to save the world.
In all cases, God's initiative invites a human response that points toward God's larger purposes. Abram leaves his home, not simply to receive the Lord's blessing for his own family, but so that the Lord may bless all the "families of the earth." (Gen. 12:3) For Paul, faith like that of Abraham leads one to be reckoned righteous by God's grace and to the fulfillment of God's promises to make of him a great nation. In John, the imperative of being "born from above" (v. 3, 7) puzzles Nicodemus, but Jesus promises the result of this second birth is "eternal life" (v. 15, 16). The salvation that Jesus offers is not just for individuals, however, John proclaims that Jesus came for the salvation of the world.
Missional Connections for Our Context
Jesus and Nicodemus begin their dialogue with a point of common agreement: that Jesus has come from God. Abraham is an important figure in three major religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. In a multi-religious context, he offers a common point of departure for dialogue and understanding. Although Christians, Jews, and Muslims do not agree on Abraham's role, he offers a starting point for dialogue. Paul's theological exploration of Abraham, faith, grace, and justification is foundational for a Christian understanding.
The experience of answering a call to leave one's home and go to a new land in order to be a blessing to others is common among people who have experienced a call to be sent as missionaries. Abram's call, however, does not end with himself, but with a community. In the fulfillment of God's promise, he will become a great nation. That nation will become a source of blessing to others. Even though individuals may perceive God's call to serve in mission, that mission must be grounded in the formation of a missional community that may bless others.
Two door-to-door evangelists paid me a visit. After introducing themselves, they asked, "Do you accept Jesus Christ as your personal Savior?"
After I suggested that was the wrong question to ask me, their Bibles flew open to John 3:16-7. They read to me (from the King James Version), "‘For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.'" They asked, "Do you believe in him?"
I answered, "Yes, but that's not the question you asked me at first. Yes, I believe in Jesus. I believe he is the Son of God and that he came to bring salvation, but you asked me if I accepted Christ as my ‘personal savior.' Then you read, that God loved the world and send the Son to save the world. You should have asked me if I accepted Christ as savior of the world, not just me, personally."
Door-to-door evangelists tend to be a fairly certain lot, but to their credit these two admitted that they had never quite thought of it that way before.
Biographical Summary
Douglas D. Tzan is the Assistant Dean and Director of the Doctor of Ministry and Course of Study Programs and Assistant Professor of Church History and Mission at Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, DC. He is also an ordained elder in the Baltimore-Washington Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church and the Senior Pastor at the Sykesville Parish (St. Paul's and Gaither United Methodist Churches) in Sykesville, Maryland. His recent book, William Taylor and the Mapping of the Methodist Missionary Tradition: The World His Parish, is published by Lexington Press.
Third Sunday in Lent
March 15, 2020
Exodus 17:1-7
Psalm 95
Romans 5:1-11
John 4:5-42
Exegetical Missional Insights and God's Mission in the Text
Exodus 17:1-7
It is important to begin by locating this passage in the grand narrative of God's rescue of the people of Israel from slavery in Egypt. Chapter 13 describes the first Passover; chapter 14 the crossing of the Red Sea; chapter 15 the Song of Moses and the Song of Miriam, along with the miraculous sweetening of (desperately needed) water at Marah; and chapter 16 the provision of bread and quails for food in the desert. In chapter 18, Jethro organizes the wandering band of Israelites, and in chapter 19 begins the story of the giving of the law on Sinai.
So chapter 17, which describes God's provision of water in the wilderness, is early in the wanderings of the people in the wilderness. 17:1 tells us that the people of Israel have been obeying the Lord's command: they are following the route he prescribed. And yet they run into the problem of a lack of water. What follows is a fascinating, if frightening, interchange between the people, Moses and God. Not unnaturally, the people begin by blaming Moses for their plight. Moses responds by bringing God into the picture: "Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord?" Yet the people persist in blaming Moses - not the Lord - for their thirst. In fact, they are so thirsty that they start questioning Moses' whole liberation project: "Why did you bring us out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and livestock with thirst?" And evidently, they are angry enough to threaten the life of Moses. At this point he turns to God in desperation: "What shall I do?"
God's response is five-fold, and the five interventions are deeply intertwined. First, the authority of Moses over the people of Israel is reestablished: "Go on ahead of the people." Second, the breach between Moses and the Israelites is repaired: "Take some of the elders of Israel with you." Third, as if in response to the people's questioning of their liberation from Egypt, Israel's present salvation is connected to the previous salvation from Egypt: "Take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile." Fourth, Moses' anxiety about his own precarious position is allayed: "I will be standing there in front of you on the rock at Horeb." Finally, water is provided for the thirsty people: "Strike the rock, and water will come out of it, so that the people may drink." YHWH's instructions and actions illumine God's complex way of working in the world. Salvation is not a one-dimensional affair, but rather a multifaceted, ongoing process.
The mountain of Horeb is significant in the story. It is the mountain of the Lord, presumably another name for Mount Sinai. However, the name "Horeb" has been used only once before this narrative, and that is in Ex. 3:1: "Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian; he led his flock beyond the wilderness, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God." Horeb is here identified as the mountain of God, which is why scholars think of it as another name for Mt. Sinai. It is the mountain of the burning bush, the mountain where God first commissions Moses to lead Israel out of bondage in Egypt, and the mountain on which YHWH first reveals himself to Moses: "I am who I am." So Horeb/Sinai is the place from where God's identity is revealed, and God's work of salvation - in the forms of social liberation, water, and the law - in the past and in the present and in the future, flow. The missio Dei, revealed at Horeb/Sinai, is to provide God's people with social, physical and spiritual liberation and redemption.
The pericope ends with verse 7, with Moses calling the place Massah and Meribah, "because the Israelites quarreled with the Lord." There is an interesting identification here between Moses and YHWH. The people, according to the narrative, had quarreled with Moses, and not YHWH; however, because Moses is God's representative, quarreling with him is tantamount to quarreling with God. At least that's how Moses sees it; whether the people see it that way is not clear. Moses' perspective becomes canonical in Psalm 95:8-9.
John 4:5-42
The relationship between Jews and Samaritans was complicated. Perhaps it was not as antagonistic as we have usually been led to believe; after all, if Jesus' disciples could go into a Samaritan city (or village - the Greek word polis can be used that way) to buy food, at least the two groups were on speaking terms with each other. Moreover, the shortest route between Judea and Galilee was through Samaria, and Jesus did not avoid the route altogether. There were, however, significant disagreements and tensions between Samaritans and Jews, especially regarding religious thought and practice - as is evident in verses 9 and 20-22.
Many of the literary motifs found throughout John's gospel are evident in this passage: wordplay, metaphor, irony, meaning-laden misunderstandings. The misunderstandings between the Samaritan woman and Jesus remind us of many interchanges in the gospel (already between Jesus and his mother in chapter 2, and Jesus and Nicodemus in chapter 3). What is significant here is that unlike in many other narratives in John, the woman and then the Samaritans in her town come to realize who Jesus truly is. Misunderstandings lead to true understanding.
The conversation between Jesus and the Samaritan woman is initiated by Jesus, who asks for a drink. Jesus is thirsty. Interestingly, it is only in John's gospel that Jesus says on the cross, "I thirst" (John 19:28). The idea of a thirsty Christ/God will be discussed below. The woman is surprised at Jesus' request and he uses her questioning to initiate a conversation in which he offers her "living water," which is literally water from a spring rather than a well or cistern. Jesus uses the term to speak about the source of eternal life.
His authority to offer such water is bolstered, in her eyes, by his knowledge about her husbands and other men in her life. There is nothing in the text itself that indicates that this woman was living in sin; neither she nor Jesus ever says that she was a sinful woman. Customs of levirate marriage (see Deut. 25:5-10, Mark 12:18-23 and parallels) may have pushed her into marriages. Indeed, could she have been a credible witness to her fellow villagers (or city dwellers) if she was a woman of ill repute (vv. 29-30, 39)? In fact, if she had been put in tragic circumstances where she was compelled to marry several men in the same family, and the last man refused to marry her (Deut. 25:7), then the people she knew would have found her testimony - that Jesus told her everything she did - persuasive. This is not the first time in John's gospel that Jesus knows about a person's life, and that knowledge leads to the realization of Jesus' true identity: in John 1:45-49, Jesus tells Nathanael something about him, which leads him to recognize who Jesus is (1:49, see 4:29). Interestingly, both the Samaritan woman and Nathanael become Jesus believers and workers.
If we assume that the Samaritan woman's life was not full of sin but full of hardship, as the text seems to indicate, then Jesus' offer of living water to her becomes a powerful ministry to her. He offers to slake her thirst for deep human community - within her family, within her village, even within her larger context which comprises Jews and Samaritans who are at odds with each other. And he slakes her thirst for a Messiah or Christ. In verse 26, the first words which Jesus says to her are "I am," not "I am he," so that the verse in Greek reads, "I am, the one who is speaking to you" or even "I am is the one speaking to you." Jesus' use of "I am" in John's gospel is well known (I am the light of the world, I am the resurrection and the life, etc.), and indicates his identity with YHWH, his Father (5:18). Jesus' miraculous care for people which leads to the revelation of his true identity and garners him followers is another common feature of narratives in the gospel of John (chapters 2, 5, 6, 9, etc.).
Finally, if we assume that Jesus ministers compassionately to the hardships in the life of a woman, the interchange between Jesus and his disciples about food becomes more understandable. In ministering to this woman, Jesus is doing the work of his Father (4:34, see 5:17 for a parallel). His ministry will yield those who believe that he is the Christ/Messiah (see also 9:35-39), and these believers need to be drawn into a community of love that is led by the disciples (4:38).
Mission Connections for Our Context
There are a number of ways that these texts can connect to our present situations and mission. Only a few will be briefly mentioned here. First, note that in both the Exodus and John passages, actual physical water is crucial. The people of Israel need water. Jesus asks for water. We should not rush to spiritualize these passages but think about the way in which physical water has become an issue in our lives because of climate change. The lack of water (California, Australia) has led to incredible devastation, as has the overabundance of water (the country of Kiribati). How should we and do we as Christians, as churches, deal with the water crisis in the world? Second, when it comes to water and thirst, the physical and spiritual, the divine and human, are intimately linked. In Jesus, God thirsts. What is God's thirst, or deepest desire for our world? Our passages suggest that God thirsts for everything from a life-giving planet, to reconciled persons and communities, to justice and righteousness, to spiritual communion with God, to belief that Jesus is the Christ and Son of God, to the growth of the church, to eternal life. Knowing all that God thirsts for, how are we called to be present and to act in our world as believers in, and workers for Jesus Christ? What is our role in satisfying the thirst of God and the world? Moses and Jesus' disciples are two good starting points to think about this, but they are not the ending points. Finally, the texts today tell us that God, "I am," satisfies all the ways we thirst in body, mind, spirit and society. Romans 5:5, not discussed above, is very important in this respect: "God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit." Suffering for Christ's sake, and for the sake of the mission of his gospel, is tied intimately to God's love being poured into us. YHWH at Horeb; Jesus at the Samaritan well; the Holy Spirit in the hearts of believers: the Triune God quenches the thirst of God's people in so many ways. And this quenching must lead us to be witnesses and workers of God in our thirsty world.
Biographical Summary
Arun W. Jones is the Dan and Lillian Hankey Associate Professor of World Evangelism at the Candler School of Theology, Emory University, in Atlanta, Georgia. Prior to this position he taught at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Texas, pastored United Methodist congregations in New Jersey and Connecticut, and served as a short-term missionary in the Philippines. He has degrees from Yale University (B.A. and M.Div.) and Princeton Theological Seminary (Ph.D.).
Fourth Sunday in Lent
March 22, 2020
1 Samuel 16:1-13
Ephesians 5:8-14
John 9:1-41
Exegetical Missional Insights
The season of Lent is the preparatory period for our celebration of the risen Christ. Lenten practices evolved from the early activities of abstaining from festivities, almsgiving, fasting, and religious exercises to the contemporary emphasis on reflection and spiritual renewal. Each lectionary scripture suggests that the process of transforming darkness into light is not merely an inspired internal change, but that God desires our active participation to transport light forward.
To see is to know light, and where there is light, the invisible becomes visible. Then the light goes on in our hearts and minds. The active characters in the three scripture readings are not alone because God is the origination of their light. It is God who sends fearful Samuel to discern the future king over Israel, and while doing God's will with persistence, Samuel's fears subside. What was hidden is found. David, son of Jesse, appears, and he is in turn set apart as the servant of the Lord - the future king. Samuel had to get out there and do God's will before God provided his next instructions, "Rise and anoint him; for this is the one." Samuel continued his journey with God as did David with the Spirit of the Lord lighting his way.
Likewise, the apostle Paul taught the Ephesian congregation to be set apart and bear "the fruit of the light found in all that is good and right and true." Being light empowers the Church to expose darkness. Paul implies that the Church, as such, lights up unfruitful works by carrying light into the world. What is revealed by the light becomes visible - the spiritually blind see. Sent by God, Paul reminds the church that Christ shines on them as they go.
The rhythm and process of being sent and going, being light as compared to the dark, and the invisible becoming visible continues in the gospel reading of John. Jesus tells the man born blind, "Go, wash in the pool of Siloam." The gospel writer left us a clue to understand: the word Siloam means sent. As the story goes, Jesus sent the blind man with mud in his eyes to the pool called sent to find the light to see. Where after Jesus disappears from the story until its end. There is a kerfuffle between the Jews, the Pharisees, and the blind man's parents. The spiritually blind Pharisees representing the law ask the man born blind to answer questions about washing mud from his eyes and other people like Jesus and things he had never seen. Now, having seen light, no longer a blind man, the blind beggar shares his truth: "I was blind but now I see." Jesus then finally reveals himself to the man born blind. Living in the light, the man believes Jesus is the Son of Man and becomes a disciple of Christ. The process of being sent by God, going, and ensuing conversions is continuous.
God's Mission in the Text
The mission process that results in conversion involves God sending and believers heeding the call to go into places of spiritual darkness. God sends the faithful to share their faith in truth: Jesus' light shines in the darkness, and the darkness cannot overcome it. The earliest manuscripts of John 9:4 say, "It is necessary for us to do the deeds of the one who sent us," but other first documents say, "I must do the deeds of the one who sent me." Propelled by the phenomenon of light, Christians follow the voice of the Son sent into the world to dispel darkness. Sharing the light of truth about the gospel is neither formulaic nor can it be a blanket method prescribed for every context. Approach and applications are contextual on a case-to-case basis; whereby, being light is the essential attribute for transmitting light.
Mission Connections for Our Context
Being sent by God and going in faith are principles of the missio Dei. These Lenten readings, however, subtly destabilize by implying a certain unpredictability about what to expect when on the way. Samuel anoints an unexpected leader, the Ephesian children of light face an uncertain hostile culture, and the man born blind had no expectation of meeting his healer. Each of the narratives suggests a missional ripple effect, the outcome of which often goes unseen in our hurried, frenzied North American culture of immediate gratification. The Church must live within the paradox of a mission in which spiritual light is born by those set apart to reenter darkness to expose spiritual blindness regarding social justice issues, racism, and the confusion of pluralism in the North American context.
Biographical Summary
Rev. Dr. Rebecca Giselbrecht-Häfner is Research Associate in Practical Theology and Reformed Church History at Vancouver School of Theology and Pastor of Campbell River United Church in British Columbia, Canada.
Fifth Sunday of Lent
March 29, 2020
First: Acts 7:55-60
Psalm: Psalm 31:1-5, 15-16
Second: 1 Peter 2:2-10
Gospel: John 14:1-14
Exegetical Missional Insights
Stephen was the first martyr of the primitive church. What is there about his death that sheds light on how God is at work in the world? What distinctives stand out from Acts 7:55-60 that demonstrate principles of living in the world? Luke recorded the Stephen account with several possible intentions including explaining how Stephen died, why he was the first martyr, how the church scattered, and the introduction of Saul/Paul. In addition, there are parallels between Stephen's final three recorded statements at his death and Christ's words before Pilate and on the cross, parallels that can be interpreted as intentional on the part of Luke. These parallel statements reveal missional insights about how to live our lives.
Christ: "But from now on the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the power of God." (Luke 22:69)
Stephen: "Behold, I see the heavens opened up and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God." (Acts 7:56)
Christ: "Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit." (Luke 23:46)
Stephen: "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!" (Acts 7:59)
Christ: "Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing." (Luke 23:34)
Stephen: "Lord, do not hold this sin against them!" (Acts 7:60)
"Behold, I see the heavens opened up and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God." (Acts 7:56) This first statement focuses on the location of Christ at the right of God, highlighting the authority and power of Christ. The authority and power of Christ is a fundamental part of his commission of the disciples (Matthew 28:18). The disciples understand clearly that their mission is grounded not on their own strength, but on the strength of Christ. Their actions were anchored not only in the person of Christ, but in his power and authority. The first sending of the disciples in Luke 9:1-6 noted that power and authority were conferred with the specific, but not exclusive, intent of casting out demons and healing. These actions were signs that the kingdom of God was at hand. The disciples were to preach the gospel and along with proclamation, they were to demonstrate that evil and sickness would no longer have its way in the world. This first sending was predicated on the authority and power of Christ, something which was repeated in the Great Commission. Stephen's words served as an affirmation of the divine sonship of Christ, confirming the authority and power in which the primitive church operated.
"Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!" (Acts 7:59) Stephen made a bold declaration of belonging and identity. In death, Stephen affirmed his identification with Christ, but such a declaration could only happen through a life lived in right relationship with Christ. Stephen's life in Christ was demonstrated through his service, testimony, prayers, signs and wonders, all of which revealed the presence and power of Christ in his life (Acts 6). At the moment of Stephen's death, he saw Christ in the place of authority. Stephen's vision affirmed that his life had been lived in submission to Christ's authority as Lord and Savior. When we live for Christ on a consistent, daily basis, we are empowered and emboldened when asked to respond for our faith.
"Lord, do not hold this sin against them!" (Acts 7:60) A life of forgiveness is a life that is able to pardon others. Stephen's forgiveness at the moment of his death defeated the anger and bitterness that motivated those who killed him. The refusal to retaliate or react in anger elevated Stephen and the manner of his death. Christ declared that he came to ‘seek and to save the lost' (Luke 19:10) and ‘did not come to condemn the world but to save it' (John 3:17). When we live into forgiveness as an expression of God's mission, it means that we join with Christ in seeking the salvation of the world. When others see forgiveness and the refusal to perpetuate offenses, it demonstrates a redemptive way of life. This forgiveness releases those who have committed offenses by leaving the door of repentance and reconciliation open.
God's Mission in the Text
What does Stephen's death tell us about missional life in our context? How does Stephen's demonstration and declaration of Christ's power, identity, and forgiveness work out in our reality? These themes are continued in several accounts in Acts and the life of the early church. Phillip, a fellow deacon with Stephen, is one example found in Acts 8. In this account, he used Christ's power to overcome the evils of a magician, identified with Christ through testimony and baptism, and exhibited forgiveness by accepting the Samaritans into their company. In Acts 10, Peter received a vision as a demonstration of the power of Christ, affirmed his identity with Christ through his preaching and extended reconciliation to the Gentiles. This pattern of power, identity and forgiveness is a way in which the gospel demonstrates entrance into the kingdom of God.
Mission Connections for Our Context
In our daily life, when we rely on the power of Christ, we see the Holy Spirit work in ways that we could never orchestrate on our own. When we identify with Christ, it affirms the source of our power and the reason for our lives. When we extend forgiveness, it provides reconciliation with the other and brings unity to a divisive world. Power, identity, and forgiveness build a bridge that points people towards the kingdom of God in ways that connect with the audience. This life keeps Christ at the center of the conversation and allows us to move with boldness in ways that otherwise would not be possible. Praise God that he is still at work today as he was in the days of Stephen to point people towards Him - may Christ always be praised!
Biographical Summary
Bud Simon (Ph.D. candidate, Asbury Theological Seminary) planted churches in the Brazilian Amazon for twenty years before embarking on Ph.D. studies. He serves as a mission consult in church planting, evangelism, contextualization and spiritual formation as well as speaks at conferences and trainings internationally.
Sixth Sunday in Lent
April 5, 2020
Isaiah 50:4-9a;
Philippians 2:5-11
Matthew 26:14-27: 66
THE BITTER CUP AND THE GOOD ROAD
Exegetical Missional Insights
If there were two drinks in separate cups on the table: one being honey sweet, and the other rhubarb bitter, which one would you more likely choose? If there were two roads, one being paved and wide, and the other thorny and narrow, on which one would you more likely walk? This week's texts present to us these two cups and these two roads, and people who have made their choices under varied circumstances.
In our first reading of Isaiah 50: 4-9a, a conflict had broken out among the people who accepted the prophet's message about the "Servant of the Lord" and those who rejected it. The prophet's faithful proclamation of the Word of the Lord evoked a violent reaction. As a result, the prophet was physically beaten and emotionally tormented. In the midst of such opposition, the prophet still believed that God was with him, standing by his side. Four hundred years later, we encounter a similar scene in Jesus' suffering. During Jesus' arrest, the soldiers spat on him, struck him with a bamboo cane, and mocked him as a false prophet (Matt 26: 67-68). Jesus was scourged and bloody with a leather whip with metal knotted into the straps, nailed to the cross, and left to die from suffocation and dehydration. Jesus was also stripped to nakedness, a severe humiliation in the ancient Jewish context. The betrayal, trial, and death of Jesus composed the bitter cup Jesus had aguishly prayed about at Gethsemane, an olive press on the western slope of the Mount of Olives (Matt 26: 37-38). Instead of avoiding the bitter cup of suffering, Jesus chose faithfulness to his calling and walked on the thorny but good road of redemption.
God's Mission in the Text
Matthew showed us many contrasts, ironies, and comparisons that involved multiple layers of the betrayal, death, and burial of Jesus. Some chose to drink the bitter cup and others refused it. Some chose to walk on the good road and other rejected it. The stories of Judas and Peter reveal two different scenarios. Having been a disciple of Jesus for three years, Judas was expecting Jesus to be a charismatic and militant leader to overthrow the Roman Empire and become the king. Subsequently, Judas would share the glory of power and authority. When Jesus spoke of his own death, Judas was disappointed at the realization Jesus was not the kind of Messiah he expected, so Judas sold his teacher for thirty pieces of silver, an equivalent compensation for the death of a slave in Exodus 21: 32. By dipping into the same bowl, Jesus and his disciples shared a covenantal bond of friendship. Ironically, Judas betrayed Jesus at the most intimate table fellowship at the Passover, a festival at which the Jewish people remembered God's leading them out of bondage in Egypt. Furthermore, Judas used a kiss, a great expression of affection for one's teacher at the time, to mark the person to be arrested. Later, Judas was unable to repent. He chose to hang himself instead of turning to God for forgiveness. Interestingly, the same word "betrayal" is used for the religious leaders who bore false witnesses against Jesus. On the other hand, Peter was readily willing to die for Jesus and even used the sword to fight against injustice. Yet, Jesus reprimanded Peter's impulsion and engagement with violence. After Peter denied his association with Jesus, the perceived criminal, he wept bitterly and repented.
The second contrast is between Pontius Pilate and Joseph of Arimathea. Pilate chose the honey sweet cup and Joseph chose the thorny but good road. As a governor, Pilate possessed political power. As a Sanhedrin and a council member, Joseph had religious power. They chose to use their power in opposite ways. Pilate was astonished by Jesus' silence, but he decided to ignore his wife's warning, and wilted in his power to please the crowd. Although Pilate washed his hands, he still betrayed the knocking of his own conscience. He not only condemned Jesus to be killed by the most terrible punishment, but he also sent guards to secure Jesus' tomb in case Jesus' disciples would steal the body. On the other hand, Joseph of Arimathea did not consent with the council that delivered Jesus to the Roman authorities (Luke 23: 50-56). Roman law of the time denied crucified people burial, and the bodies were usually left to be devoured by vultures or dogs. Under such circumstances, Joseph of Arimathea, risked his own political security in asking for Jesus' body. Joseph, a rich man, even placed Jesus in his own tomb.
Like Joseph of Arimathea, Simon of Cyrene and the women disciples of Jesus chose to walk on the good road. Simon, a Jew from Cyrene, a city in present-day Libya, was made to carry the horizontal beam of the cross for the severely scourged Jesus (Matt 27: 32). Simon was not a disciple of Jesus, nor had he dipped into the same bowl of food with Jesus. Traveling from North Africa to attend the festival, he shared and eased Jesus' suffering by carrying the beam. The women followers of Jesus: Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee's sons traveled all the way from Galilee to Jerusalem. They ministered to Jesus shortly after his death (Matt 27: 55-56). Out of deep love and devotion, the women disciples also prepared Jesus' body for burial (Matt 27: 61).
Mission Connections for Our Context
As we reflect on these different people, we may be confronted with the question of who we might have been? Would we share the same cup with Jesus? Would we walk on the good road? We may dream of big things we can do for Christ, but many times, in unrehearsed and unnoticed situations, our true character shines through. God the Creator calls believers to be different from Judas, or Pilate. We are called to hear integrity and resist evil in Church or politics. God calls us to be like the repentive Peter, to denounce violence, and to overcome fear of suffering. He calls us to be like Joseph, willing to risk loss of power in order to do the right thing. Moreover, He calls us to be like Simon and the women disciples, serving and loving Christ from our marginality. Drinking the bitter cup and walking on the good road may be holding hands and singing beloved songs with a grandmother who suffers from Alzheimer's. It may be building a cardboard shelter and feeding a hungry neighborhood cat. It may be rejecting consumerism and reducing waste. It may be carefully listening, researching, and discerning a much-debated topic. Walking with Christ also calls us to receive unexpected hospitality from others. I think of a young Muslim mother who used her last food source to feed us, a small group of Christian visitors. I also think about the incredible forgiveness my friend's father offered to the person who killed his son. That forgiveness gradually compelled the murderer to turn his life around and he even became a pastor.
Philippians 2: 5-11 calls believers to take on the same mindset as Christ. Jesus called out the heinous crime of Judas' betrayal, but grieved deeply for Judas' life. Jesus prophesized Peter's denial but showed kindness to Peter when he repented. Jesus proclaimed his messiahship but refused to compromise with tyrants. With the women and men who ministered to him, Jesus received hospitality, faithful friendship, and sacrifice that he himself embodied. Jesus, the true Passover Lamb, would share the new cup of covenant with his followers.
Drinking the bitter cup and walking on the good road with Jesus is often uncomfortable and inconvenient, but we are never alone. True humility from Christ drives out our egocentric arrogance and superiority. Out of the bitter cup and the good road comes the healing for our wounded world.
Biographical Summary
Susangeline Patrick, Ph.D. (Asbury Theological Seminary) is an adjunct professor of History of Christianity at NAIITS.