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Advent 2020: 2 Peter 2:1-10(a)

During the season of Advent, I am translating from Greek to English the weekday epistle readings out of the Daily Lectionary of the Book of Common Prayer.

Wednesday, 16 December 2020 2 Peter 1:1-10(a)

The Text

Chapter Two

1. It happened that false prophets were among the people just as false teachers are among you. Some of them introduced destructive heresies, even denying the master who brought them, bringing instead destruction on themselves. 

2. Many will follow them into debauchery, which is how the way of the truth will be blasphemed. 

3. They will exploit you with greedy desire and phony words. Their ancient judgment is not idle, and their destruction does not sleep. 

4. For if God did not spare sinning angles, but bound them to gloom, sent them to Tartarus, and gave them over to be kept for judgment,

5. and since he spared not the ancient world, but protected the preacher of righteousness, Noah, and his eight, then brought on the deluge upon the godless world

6. and ruined to ash the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. He judged them to set an example of what is to be for the godless.

7. He rescued righteous Lot, worn down by the undisciplined debauchery of their behavior.

8. The righteous person living among them, seeing and hearing their lawless work, kept being tortured in his righteous soul.

9. The Lord knew how to rescue the godly from temptation and how to keep those being punished until Judgment Day.

10. Especially those following the flesh, following polluted desires, despising the Lordship. 

Commentary

The text changes abruptly at the end of verse 10. The lectionary follows this change by breaking up the reading mid-verse. It is a curious choice, but this is a good time to remember there were no verse divisions or chapter breaks when Peter wrote it. So, really, nothing to see here with that issue.

What is to be seen is the breathtaking argument Peter makes. We have to remember his target is false teachers. These false teaches have snuck into the church and spread heresies. Peter says God knows exactly how to deal with these people. We know how God deals with them, because of what he has done in the past. What has he done in the past? Peter is happy to explain it to you.

First, he punished the angels who went astray. This probably is a reference to Genesis 6 and is certainly a reference to the inferred but not definitive moment when angels rebelled against God and were smote down with the evil one. Peter says God sent these angels to gloom and destruction, a place called Tartarus. I gave the transliteration here, because it is significant. Tartarus is a synonym for hell, but it carries with it a different feeling than Hades or Sheol. Whereas Hades is kind of a shadowy murky place where people live and exist but without the hope of life on earth, Tartarus is a dungeon prepared for the Titans after the Olympians defeated them and banished them. Peter is linking the angels fall to the Titan’s fall, which is not something to glance over. It is an amazing bit of comparative religion that could inform us of how the early Christians understood the pagan world around them. To contextualize it in the modern sense, perhaps UFO’s, ghosts, and the legends of Zeus, Thor, and Thunderbird have more in common with demons and the devil than most of us think.

God knows how to handle rebellious spiritual beings, so he very well knows how to handle false teachers in your church.

But wait, there is more. He also knows how to punish them, because he did so in the flood and Sodom and Gomorrah. The deluge is literally a cataclysm, that is the word Peter uses. The ruined ashes of Sodom and Gomorrah show us he knows what to do with a city and a people who have rejected right and aligned with evil and exploitation.

So let’s review Peter’s argument: God knows how to put rebellious beings in dungeons, he knows how to drown wicked people, and he knows how to burn unrighteous heathens to a crisp, therefore the false teachers in your church will be no match for him.

Textually, verses 4, 5, and 6 are not a sentence in English, but it makes perfect sense in Greek. I left it the way it is because you get more of a feeling for it this way. At least, that is what I think.

I have to tell you, as a pastor who has fought continually one false teaching after another including but not limited to prosperity gospel, faith healers, political allegiance, and sexual debauchery this kind of affirmation of hard punishment brings a tear of joy to my eye. Burn, baby, burn.

We can’t leave this text, though, without thinking about Lot. I have serious problems with Peter’s understanding. He refers to Lot as ‘righteous’ and as someone who was ‘tortured’ in his soul. I’m not buying it. I’m not saying Peter is wrong, I am saying he gives Lot far too much credit. the Genesis account shows us a greedy compromised man who is willing to throw his daughters to a pack of sexually depraved wolves. If Lot was so tortured, he would have moved. But he didn’t, because he pitched his tent in that direction. He chose Sodom. He chose Gomorrah. He chose them because it is what he wanted.

I am not saying Peter is wrong, but Peter is wrong.

Questions For Application

A heresy is not something you just disagree with, but something that is doctrinally incorrect, like saying Jesus is not the son of God or he was not born of a virgin. What heresies do you think the church is particularly vulnerable to right now? Which ones are you a little too dangerously fascinated with? How does debauchery (sensuality, sexual sin) lead to blasphemy? What do you think a gloomy dungeon would be like? Peter is speaking here about judgment. Do you think about judgment on God’s enemies very often? Is it possible to oversell forgiveness and love and neglect the doctrinal necessity of judgment? We are very much like Lot, living in a an age of apostasy and debauchery. The question for us is, are we tortured or do we like it? Do not answer that question too quickly.

Advent 2020: 2 Peter 1:12-21

During the season of Advent, I am translating from Greek to English the weekday epistle readings out of the Daily Lectionary of the Book of Common Prayer.

Tuesday, 15 December 2020 2 Peter 1:12-21

The Text

12. It is my intention to remind you always about these things which you have known, and to be steadfast in the arrival of truth. 

13. I consider it proper that as long as I am in this skin, to rouse you with reminders

14. because I know I will lose my skin soon, just as our Lord Jesus Messiah showed me.

15. I will be diligent so that at any time after my exodus you will be able to remember these things.

16. For we do not follow cleverly made myths. Having become spectators of his majesty, we then made known to you the power and presence of the Lord Jesus Messiah.

17. For he received honor and glory from Father God when the voice was carried as it were from majestic glory – “This is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased.”

18. We heard this voice from heaven when we had been brought to be with him on the holy mountain.

19. We have the prophetic word, which is even firmer. You would do well to hold onto it as a shining lamp in a gloomy place until the day should dawn and the daystar may rise in your hearts. 

20. First, know this – that all prophetic scripture does not become open to personal interpretation. 

21. No prophecy was brought by a person’s will, but by the Holy Spirit carrying what they spoke from God. 

Commentary

It seems to me Peter views his primary task as that of reminder. He thinks it is proper and right for him to remind them of things, and as long as he lives he will do it. He even goes so far as to say that long after he is gone, he wants what he says to still be a reminder. The word he uses to describe his existence in this world is ‘tent’ or sometimes ‘tabernacle’. Many English renderings use ‘flesh’ but I think ‘skin’, which a tent was a skin of animals, because I think it works well in the parlance of tent making. What’s more, the first four letters in Greek word for ‘tent’ are roughly analogous to the four letters s-k-i-n. I always try to keep cognates if I can.

There is a strong connection in my mind, and if I were preaching this I would pull this out in a very long and probably boring way, with the biblical imagery and metaphors Peter is using. First, he says he is in a tent, and he will soon have an exodus out of that tent. The word exodus means departure, but I chose to keep the transliteration of the Greek here because it should remind the reader of the tents of the Israelites in the desert and also fo the tabernacle for God’s dwelling. Second, later he will reference the Mount of Transfiguration where the glory was revealed. It was there that Peter recommended, according to the Gospels, the erecting of tents for Jesus, Elijah, and Moses. Third, Luke tells us that it was on that mountain that Jesus spoke to the two Old Testament heroes about his upcoming exodus, or departure. Fourth, the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle but it was present in Jesus. Peter calls it majestic glory. What a beautiful phrase.

This is the kind of thing Peter is reminding them, and us, about.

As powerful as that memory is for The Fisher Apostle, he puts it behind the prophetic word. The truth of this concept cannot be delineated. Our experiences are interpreted by scripture. We do not interpret scripture by our experiences.

Questions For Application

What thing or things do you continue to keep doing until you ‘lose your skin’? Once you have your exodus event, what do you want the memory of you to remind people about their own faith journey? What do you hold on to that is like a lamp in a gloomy place?What is your favorite part of the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament)?

Advent 2020: 2 Peter 1:1-11

During the season of Advent, I am translating from Greek to English the weekday epistle readings out of the Daily Lectionary of the Book of Common Prayer.

Monday, 14 December 2020 2 Peter 1:1-11

The Text

2 Peter

Chapter One

1. Simon Peter – a slave and apostle of Messiah Jesus – to those sharing our privilege by receiving faith through the righteousness of God and our savior Messiah Jesus.

2. Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and our Lord Jesus,

3. who has bestowed on us all, everyone alive, his divine power and godliness through knowledge. He has called us to his own glory and virtue.

4. Being given the precious and greatest promises, that through this, we might share in the divine nature and so escape the coming evil desires of the world.

5. For this same reason, with all diligence you must supplement your faith with virtue, virtue with knowledge,

6. knowledge with self-control, self-control with patience, patience with godliness, 

7. godliness with kindly affection, kindly affection with love. 

8. For if these things are a part of you and multiply, you are not idle nor fruitless. It is a consciousness of our Lord Jesus Messiah.

9. To anyone where these are not present, he is blind and has closed his eyes, oblivious of his old sins being cleansed.

10. Therefore, all the more, brothers and sisters, you must be diligent. Make your own calling and election steadfast, for in doing so you will never stumble.

11. For such people, entry into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Messiah will be richly afforded.

Commentary

The lectionary goes from the cataclysmic Thessalonians to the equally cataclysmic 2 Peter. So many interesting and theological discussions emerge in this book. I don’t know if we’ll have time for them all, but we spend all week here.

Let me begin by saying this is not easy to translate. Unlike Paul, who uses a very linear thought process, Peter feels more to me like word salad. I think this betrays a Hebrew mindset, because that is the way I found Biblical Hebrew — just nouns thrown down with the verb hidden in there somewhere.

Peter lays aside his privilege, a very 21st century thing to do, by affirming that all those who have faith in Jesus share in his privilege of apostle and slave of Jesus. He is not claiming any authority greater than that of follower of Jesus. There is a humility in this approach that I find attractive. It makes the power of his rhetoric that much more convincing.

And his rhetoric is powerful. The ladder of virtues he employ is a classic ancient world concept. Verses 5-7 start with faith and end with love, and in between we find many of those spiritual fruits we are accustomed to partaking of. Take note, however, the big finale. He uses two different words for love. The first is brotherly affection, phileo. The second is agape, covenantal love. In its poverty English doesn’t have the flexibility to describe these different aspects of love, but both should be present in followers of Jesus. It is not enough to love someone at a deep level commitment, we must love everyone with kindness, with affection, with affirmation, and with respect.

If we think about verse 8 long enough, our brains explode. It appears to me what he is saying is these virtues, if we work on them and implement them, will give us an awareness of Christ’s presence and of his will. Maybe we can connect this thought to Paul’s words in Romans 12:1-2 — letting our mind be transformed, and through that process we can discern God’s will.

Perhaps those people who say they do not hear from the Lord or do not perceive his will are those who give no attention to these virtues, thus, as Peter says here, they are blind and cannot see.

Verse 10 brings a smile and a tear to my mind. In the first church I pastored there was a very kindly man who quoted this passage all the time — in almost every conversation — “make your calling and election sure,” he would say. This man was wise to emphasize these two paradoxical aspects of our life in Christ. On one hand, we are called and elected by him. On the other hand, we have a powerful obligation to tend to that election and to confirm by choosing to engage in the virtues with all diligence.

Questions For Application

Privilege is a hot button issue right now. What privilege do you enjoy? Who else could you extend that privilege to as an act of inclusion?Agape love is something we hear a lot about at church, but how do you work on phileo love, which is sometimes understood as brotherly or familiar kind of love? Read over the virtues again. Which one do you really need to work on?Have you made your calling and election sure?

Advent 2020: 2 Thessalonians 3:6-18

During the season of Advent, I am translating from Greek to English the weekday epistle readings out of the Daily Lectionary of the Book of Common Prayer.

Saturday, 12 December 2020 2 Thessalonians 3:6-18

The Text

6. And we command you, brothers and sisters, in the name of the Lord Jesus Messiah, avoid any brother or sister walking without discipline and not in accordance with the traditions you received from us.

7. For you yourselves know how necessary it is to imitate us, because we were not undisciplined among you. 

8. We ate no one’s free bread. Instead, we worked in labor and toil night and day to not be a burden to you.

9. Not that we do not have the right, but we gifted you an example in how to imitate us. 

10. Indeed, when we were with you, we commanded this to you; if anyone doesn’t want to work, neither shall he eat.

11. We hear about some among you who walk around idly working at nothing and bothering those who are working. 

12. To those doing these things, we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Messiah that they work quietly and eat their own bread.

13. Brothers and sisters, do not grow tired of doing what is right. 

14. If anyone does not obey our word in this letter, you must take note not to associate with him so that he may be ashamed.

15. You must not consider him an enemy but as a brother. 

16. Now may the Lord of peace give you his peace through all time and in all places. The Lord be with you.

17. This greeting is in my hand – Paul – it is the signature in every letter I write.

18. The grace of our Lord Jesus Messiah be with all of you.  

Commentary

The Thessalonian correspondences end with a shocking turn. Way back in the beginning of 1 Thessalonians (1:3), Paul commended their hard work ethos. It was one of the attributes he was thankful for and that helped the Thessalonians become so famous. But now, things have changed. Reading the text it becomes clear that A) Some people are not working. Paul calls this ‘undisciplined’ behavior. B) These people are begging for food (and money) from others who are working. C) The people who are not working are disturbing the labor of others. D) This behavior is contrary to what Paul taught and demonstrated when he was with them and it has made him angry they are using his words to justify their laziness. To show this frustration, verse 8 has two words that both mean work and taken together kind of mean something like “we worked our tails off” I modern vernacular. I used ‘labor’ and ‘toil’, but you get the drift.

The question for Bible students is, “What happened at Thessalonica?” The answer seems to be theological in nature. It appears that people had come to the conclusion that since Jesus was returning very soon then there was no sense or need at all to work and prepare for the future. It is the, “If I knew I was going to die next month, I’m going to quit my job and spend as much money as fast as I can” kind of thing. This is the plot to more than one book or movie.

Paul calls them out on this and tells them, in no uncertain terms, to knock it off. One of my favorite lines in all the Bible is found in verse 10: “If anyone does not want to work, neither shall he eat.” Within the community of faith there is zero tolerance for freeloaders. This is a different from helping the poor or needy. We are not talking about that situation or benevolent needs. What we are talking about are brothers and sisters who can work, should work, but instead choose not to and rely instead on others hard work.

I see two very practical applications here. The first is the obvious economic incentive that teaches us labor and work is good. Work is not bad, and we were made for meaningful productivity. The second, though, is a little more nuanced to get at. Dare I even say, it takes a little work. Just as a person who is lazy and uses theology to justify it is wrong, so too is it an abrogation of our commitments to not take work and care for things because we think the end is near. I’d like to point out the general feeling among most Christians in the 1970s and 80s was that Jesus would soon return and therefore, things like saving money for the future, environmental care, and debt spending were ignored. What did it matter if Jesus was coming soon?

Well, Jesus didn’t come.

To be sure, he will someday, but the result was ill prepared people, a decimated environment, and debt as a way of life.

Oh, you want another example? How about this one: Since God will take care of me and protect me (a theological excuse) it doesn’t matte whether I wear a face covering to protect others from COVID-19. After all, I don’t have a spirit of fear (theological excuse). Meanwhile, people are dying and hospitals are full. You see the connection here? A person’s lazy theological excuse which justifies their inaction has caused a great deal of labor and strife (even death) for someone else. This is the opposite of loving your neighbor as yourself.

Questions For Application

Can you think of someone who has used theological justifications to not do something difficult?Would you work if your livelihood (food on the table paying bills) didn’t depend on it? If yes, what kind of work would yo want to do?Paul writes, ‘Do not grow tired of doing what is right.’ This pandemic has worn me down and worn me out — I find myself weary. If you are like me, what we do to maintain our spiritual stamina?

Advent 2020: 2 Thessalonians 2:13-3:5

During the season of Advent, I am translating from Greek to English the weekday epistle readings out of the Daily Lectionary of the Book of Common Prayer.

Friday, 11 December 2020 2 Thessalonians 2:13-3:

The Text

13. We owe it to God to give thanks always for you beloved brothers and sisters in the Lord. God chose you as first fruits in salvation, sanctification of spirit, faith, and truth,

14. into which he called you by our gospel to acquire the glory of our Lord Jesus Messiah. 

15. So then, brothers and sisters, you must keep the traditions and stand firmly in what you were taught by us; whether by word or letter.

16. Now, may the Lord Jesus Messiah himself, and God our father, who loved us, give unending encouragement, hope, love, and grace. 

17. to encourage your hearts and to strengthen every good work and word.    

Chapter Three

1. Finally, brothers and sisters, pray for us that the word of the Lord might run and might be honored just as it has with you, 

2. and that we might be delivered from perverse and evil people. For not everyone is faithful. 

3. But the Lord is faithful. He strengthens and guards you from the evil one. 

4. And we are persuaded about you that what we command in the Lord you do, and you will do. 

5. May the Lord straighten out your heart in the love of God and patience of Messiah. 

Commentary

It is a little unusual to have the chapters broken up in this way, and it is even more unusual in that it makes very little logical sense with the text. However, that is what the lectionary did, and that is what we have.

The end of Chapter two is a behavioral exhortation in light of their redemption. Since they have been saved from all the gloom and destruction mentioned earlier, they should have a corresponding faithfulness. This faithfulness is a call to keep the traditions. Paul doesn’t take the time to spell those out, but we can assume the Thessalonians disciples would have known exactly what he meant. Likely these traditions are the teachings of Christ, the practice of baptism, communion, and of interpreting the Hebrew Scriptures through the life, death, resurrection, and eventual return of Messiah Jesus.

I find the appeal to tradition appealing. This appeal is, I admit, biased with the weariness of a lifetime of being sold the latest innovation in church life. Innovation is not evil, but the addiction the American church has to innovation, fadism, and the ever growing desire to be in the cool crowd is tiresome. It is enough, I think, to hold to the tradition, the New Testament tradition.

I wrestled with the grammar of verse 16 for much longer than I should have. The “may” in the verse comes with the verb “encourage” and is difficult to place. The whole thing is made that much harder because Paul treats Jesus and God the Father as one rather than two. To make the English smooth I really wanted to render it, “The Lord Jesus Messiah and God our Father, may they encourage …” But I did not. I think it would be justified to keep the verb tense together, but it reads clunky.

Chapter three begins with a request for prayer. It is an interesting prayer in that it is for deliverance from people seeking to thwart the work. He adds, almost as a throw away, “for not everyone is faithful.” That is when I stand up, applaud and say, “Preach it, Paul. Preach!” It does not take much imagination to think of someone who has abandoned the work and is yet throwing darts at Paul and the ministry from a distance. Paul is asking the Thessalonians to pray for him to overcome this kind of adversary. I wonder if this is the Satan from 1 Thessalonians blocking him.

I don’t know that I do enough specific praying in my own life about people who stand in the way. I tend to pray specifically for people, but I rarely pray specifically that problem people would be removed as an obstacle. I probably should work on that more . . . although I may enjoy a list of people to pray against far more than I should. Lord, help me.

Questions For Application

“To acquire the glory of Jesus” is a great mission statement. What would the glory of Jesus look like in your life?Paul prays for God to give them encouragement, hope, love, and grace. I honestly tell you right now encouragement is what I feel I need most. What do you feel you need most?Paul seems very preoccupied with heart and emotional issues. He asks for the Lord to straighten out their heart. What in your heart needs straightening out?

Advent 2020: 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12

During the season of Advent, I am translating from Greek to English the weekday epistle readings out of the Daily Lectionary of the Book of Common Prayer.

Thursday, 10 December 2020 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12

Chapter Two

1. Now, brothers and sisters, we ask you, as it pertains the coming of our Lord Jesus Messiah and our gathering together around him

2. to not be hastily agitated in your mind nor be disturbed in your spirit about the Day of the Lord, especially not by any word or letter passed off as if it were from us.

3. Let no one deceive you. In no way will it come except the apostasy comes first. Then the man of lawlessness, the very son of perdition, shall be revealed,

4. the adversary, the one exalting himself over everything called or worshipped as god, so much so as to sit himself in the Temple of God claiming that he is god.

5. Do you not remember I kept telling you these things while I was with you?

6. Now you know what is restraining the one to be revealed until his own time. 

7. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work, until the only one restraining him is out of the way. 

8. When the lawless one is revealed, the Lord will kill him by the breath of his mouth and annihilate him in the manifestation of his coming. 

9. Him who is by his actions, power, and marvelous lies the coming of the Satan.

10. Every deception and wickedness of those being destroyed is for those who did not welcome the love and truth that would save them.

11. Because of this, God sends them an effective error so that they will believe a lie.

12. Such that everyone who doesn’t believe the truth and who takes pleasure in wickedness shall be judged.

Commentary

Four things stand out in this tight section of amazing prophecy.

First, we are told to not be agitated by any kind of discussion regarding the end of all things. If only the people of God would listen to the Bible on this issue, for our history seems to be one of constant agitation about these things. Paul gives us the amazing stuff, but he couches it with the encouragement we need to just go on with our peaceful lives and not be bothered by it. These are things Jesus will take care of and he doesn’t need our help.

Second, the break in the levy is not the coming of the evil one, the antichrist, but instead it is the apostasy that seems to give him oxygen to operate. Not to be too wound up, but we live in a age of apostasy — ever increasing apostasy. People are walking away from the belief systems of the historic faith in favor of selfishness, sensuality, or down-right occultic practices. I am not saying the antichrist is imminent, but I am saying the cultural soup we live in is the perfect environment for one such as him to thrive.

Third, Jesus will kill this man of lawlessness, this son of perdition, the denizen of destruction. He will kill him with the breath of his mouth. That reminds me of Jesus saying, “I am” in John 18 and the guards falling down. It also reminds me of the image of Jesus with the word coming out of his mouth as a sword in Revelation 19. Jesus needs no army to accomplish is goals and to set things right.

Fourth, God is the one who will send a lie to the people who rejected him. I translate this as ‘effective error.’ The ESV talks about a ‘strong delusion.’ Either way, the Lord himself will bait the trap and then spring it. If you are concerned about this apparent duplicity in the Lord’s behavior, don’t be. This seems something closer akin in my mind to the decision the Lord made in Romans 1 where he let people who chased after idols and lies have their way and so he, ‘gave them up’ to their own desires. If people want to follow a lie, then he will let them follow it right one the cliff.

Questions For Application

Are you agitated about world events? How can faith help you?Apostasy is all around us. Who do you know that has walked away from the faith? Assuming they are gone, what can you do to help others not make the same awful mistake?God’s word is a sword — cutting and piercing. How might this idea of Jesus cutting down the antichrist be about the proper application of the scriptures?How can you sharpen your skills to detective errors in the way people think and live, and also keep them from infecting your heart and mind?

Advent 2020: 2 Thessalonians 1:1-12

During the season of Advent, I am translating from Greek to English the weekday epistle readings out of the Daily Lectionary of the Book of Common Prayer.

Wednesday, 9 December 2020 2 Thessalonians 1:1-12

The Text

2 Thessalonians

Chapter One

1. Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy: to the Thessalonian church in our Father God and Lord Jesus Messiah. 

2. Grace and peace to you from God our father and the Lord Jesus Messiah.

3. We owe it to God to give thanks for you, brothers and sisters, which is proper, because your faith thrives and the love you have for each other always increases. 

4. We ourselves brag to the churches of God about your patience and faith in all the persecutions and afflictions you endure,

5. evidence of the righteous judgment of God to consider you worthy to suffer for the Kingdom of God.

6. Since it is righteous to God to repay with afflictions those afflicting you,

7. and to relieve your affliction along with ours at the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven with his powerful angels 

8. coming in fiery flames punishing those who have not known God and those not obeying the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 

9. Whoever these people are being punished, they will pay with eternal doom from the face of the Lord – from the glory of his strength.

10. When he shall come, he will be glorified among his saints and marveled at by all those believing, because our testimony about you was believed on that day. 

11. Our prayer always for you is that you might be worthy of the calling of our God and desire goodness and faithful work in power. 

12. So that the name of our Lord Jesus might be glorified among you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and Lord Jesus Messiah. 

Commentary

The same three who were behind the first letter have written this second one. After spending a couple of verses (3-4) rehashing how great a church they are and how all the churches know about them, Paul moves on to the subject at hand: Judgment.

Jesus is coming to settle the score, to ‘afflict those afflicting you.’ This sentiment is not something we generally associate with Christian motivation, but revenge is certainly involved. It should call to mind the wonderful verse we often quote, “vengeance is mine, says the Lord” from its original context in Torah, Deuteronomy 32:35 and repeated by Paul himself in Romans 12, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay.” Paul is spelling it out here–this is exactly how he will repay. When Jesus returns he is going to do some serious smoking of those who have harassed, harmed, and hurt his people, his church. Vengeance is not bad, what is bad is when we seek revenge because we can’t do it without the problem of our own sin and guilt. The Lord however has no such hindrance and he is able to dish it out. This is a part of eternal justice.

The scene is like something from a science fiction movie. Jesus returns from heaven surround by the host of angels. Try as I might, my imagination cannot grab what that would look like. I feel it in my heart, but I can’t creatively work it out. But the scene is accompanied with fire.

Out of this free comes punishment. The punishment is for two distinct kinds of people. First, those who do not know God. This term feels nebulous to me and woefully unspecific. I would prefer here if Paul, Silvanus, or Timothy would have spelled it out that it is those who do not know Jesus as Lord. God is a looser term and may mean something less than the specificity we often give. The second kind of people he is after are those who do not obey the gospel of Jesus. This is more specific, but not enough to provide comfort. The gospel of Jesus, the good news of Jesus, in this context might mean the good news Jesus preached about repentance, kindness, and love. As a Baptist, I would really like for this to be about believing in the gospel, but it is not. It is about obedience. That means, as uncomfortable as I may be, some who do not know or believe could be obedient to the essence of the gospel while those of us who do believe, and know, may yet still be found disobedient.

I am no universalist, but in the depth of my soul I am certain we will all be surprised by who the Lord accepts and whom he rejects at his great day. That Paul feels this urgency is apparent in verse 11 — “our prayer is that you might be worth” — Yeah, when the stuff comes down, Paul is praying that the church might not be the ones receiving this judgment. Let that sink in a moment.

The punishment is a separation from the face of the Lord, from his presence into ‘eternal doom.’ A question we have to ask is this: is the doom one that lastings for eternity, or is the doom such that it has eternal consequences.

You’re on your own as you grapple with that.

Questions For Application

Verse three indicates Thanksgiving is owed to God, like a payment, or honor, or worship. What thanks do you owe to God?Who is afflicting you, and do you want them punished by God? Now turn that around — are you afflicting someone else, and how exactly does God feel about that?Can you imagine the scene of Jesus’ return?I was once scolded by a parishioner for preaching about ‘doom’ — I was told that message was positive enough. Do you agree with that parishioner, that doom(ed) topics should be avoided or do you think folks should know all the possibilities?

2020 Advent: 1 Thessalonians 5:12-28

During the season of Advent, I am translating from Greek to English the weekday epistle readings out of the Daily Lectionary of the Book of Common Prayer.

Tuesday, 8 December 2020 1 Thessalonians 5:12-28

The Text

12. We ask you, brothers and sisters, to appreciate those working among you, leading you, and advising you in the Lord.

13. Have immense regard for them in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves.

14. Brothers and sisters, we encourage you to warn the undisciplined, cheer up the sad, hold onto the weak, and be patient with all. 

15. See to it you do not return evil for evil, but always pursue good for one another and for everyone. 

16. You must always rejoice.

17. You must constantly pray.

18. You must give thanks in all things. This is the will of God in Messiah Jesus for you. 

19. You must not quench the Spirit. 

20. You must not despise prophecy.

21. You must test all things. You must hold fast to the good. 

22. You must avoid every form of evil.

23. May the God of peace himself make you holy through and through – in spirit, soul, and body – that you may be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Messiah Jesus. 

24. The one who called you is faithful to do it.

25. Brothers and sisters, you must pray for us.

26. You must greet all the brothers and sisters with a holy kiss.

27. I solemnly charge you in the Lord to read this letter to all the brothers and sisters.

28. The grace of our Lord Jesus Messiah be with you. 

Commentary

Appreciation for Christian leadership is absent in our culture. I continually speak to ministers and one after the other share with me how miserable their life is. I am in a great situation, but I am worried about my brothers and sisters in other environments.

The sad thing is, this was avoidable. For the last generation preachers and church pontificators have turned worship and church into a spectator sport geared toward gaining the largest possible marketshare regardless of the consequences. The result is a fanbase and not a fellowship. This is at best a fickle faith that says when the pastor no longer says everything I agree with or who tells me something that challenges me, well, fine I’ll go somewhere else where they will tell me what I want to hear.

Church is not a consumer good, and communities are not interchangeable. Treating it as such demonstrates infantile behavior.

Itching ears always want to be scratched. By contrast to this itching playing to the crowd, verse 14 teaches something which would make a great four point sermon. First, warn the undisciplined. Given the earlier verses, we can assume this is a warning against their lifestyle of selfishness that has them teetering on the edge of destruction. Second, cheer up the sad. The sad are those who are suffering loss. This is about grief ministry revolving through our hope of eternal life. Third, hold onto the weak. These are no doubt weaker brothers and sisters in Christ whom we must hold close to and drag them along the walk of faith. Fourth, be patient with all. This probably is a reflection on the tension he felt earlier in the letter about whether or not they had walked away from the faith. Patience is an important part of any relationship.

Beginning with verse 16 there is a series of eight imperatives with two more in verses 25 and 26. Most English renderings drop the imperative feel with things like “pray continually” “Do not quench” or “greet”. However, I feel like as Paul is winding this down he wants that urgent feel of command. This is not optional. In light of issues like life, death, defection, and the return of Messiah these are vital nonnegotiables.

Questions For Application

What have you done to demonstrate appreciation for your spiritual leadership? Which comes most natural to you — warning others, cheering others, holding others, or being patient with others? Which is hardest for you — warning others, cheering others, holding others, or being patient with others. Among those ten imperatives, which one do you need to focus on most right now? Is there another ‘must’ you feel is missing from your life that is not on this list?

Advent 2020: 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11

During the season of Advent, I am translating from Greek to English the weekday epistle readings out of the Daily Lectionary of the Book of Common Prayer.

Monday, 7 December 2020 1 Thessalonians 5:1-12

The Text

Chapter Five

1. But brothers and sisters, you do not have a need for me to write about the times and moments. 

2. For you yourselves know full well the Day of the Lord comes as a thief in the night.

3. Right when they shall say, “Peace” and “Security”, suddenly destruction then will come upon them just like birth pangs come. They shall not escape it.

4. But you are not in the dark brothers and sisters, therefore that day will not seize you like a thief.

5. For you are all children of light and children of day. We are not of the night and darkness. 

6. Consequently, we should not sleep as everyone else, but we must be watchful and sober.

7. For those who sleep, sleep at night; those who get drunk, get drunk at night.

8. But we, being creatures of the day are putting on the breastplate of faith and love and the helmet of hope for salvation. 

9. God did not put us here for wrath, but to acquire salvation through our Lord Messiah Jesus,

10. the one who died for us, so that together we might live with him whether we are awake or asleep. 

11. Therefore, continue as you are doing, encouraging one another and edifying one by one. 

Commentary

The twist in verse three should get our attention. The text reminds us that when people thing all will be well, when people are saying “we have achieved peace” and “we are all secure” that is when the Lord will come. It reminds us what every good storyteller knows: right when things are going too good to be true, that is when the bottom falls out. I am fascinated by the echo of Babel (Genesis 11) here. It might be a reach, but it was right at the height of human achievement when human beings thought they had achieved peace, unification, and power that the Lord came and confounded everything.

The two images of what the day is like are also gripping. One is birth pangs. Birth pangs are severe, and when things go well, it ends in something wonderful: new life. But, the pangs themselves start relatively mild (ADMISSION HERE–AS A MAN I DON’T NOW THIS FIRST HAND, BUT I HAVE OBSERVED IT FROM VERY CLOSE QUARTERS) but then the intensity increases with each successive wave. We can expect some sense in which the end will be like that — pangs, waves of problems that ebb and flow, but each wave is successfully worse.

This gradual onset of increasing pangs seems at odds with the other visual put forth by Paul — the thief in the night. There is no preparation, no warning, and usually no awareness of the event until after the fact. How do we square these two? One solution is to think not of the entire birth pangs, but of the sudden onset of them. A woman may know her time is near, but the uncertainty of the exact moment (unless induced) still lingers over her and her family. Another solution is perhaps to view it like a thief coming in the night at the start — but then the pangs come in successive waves until it is over.

Either way, it doesn’t seem very pleasant.

For verse 8, consider the longer treatment of this theme in Ephesians 6:10ff. The exhortation here to be awake and be sober is not about abstaining from drinking, unless one is prepared to argue we should abstain from sleep as well. These are examples of when we are not alert. Spiritually, we must not fall asleep on our obligations and our community, and we must not become intoxicated with either the world or ourselves. These will cause us to not be ready when the the first contraction hits.

Questions For Application

If you were awaken in the middle of the night to the presence of a prowler, what would your first thought be? Now, apply that to the coming of Jesus?When the birth pangs come, what is the greatest fear a woman has? Now, apply that to the coming of Jesus.How exactly are you watching? What proactive steps are you taking?

Advent 2020: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

During the season of Advent, I am translating from Greek to English the weekday epistle readings out of the Daily Lectionary of the Book of Common Prayer.

Saturday, 5 December 2020 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

The Text

13. Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to not know about the ones who have fallen asleep, that you might not grieve as everyone else who has no hope. 

14. For we believe that Jesus died and rose, that God, through Jesus, will then lead out with him those who sleep.

15. We say this to you as a word from the Lord, those of us left living at the coming of the Lord will not arrive before those who are sleeping.

16. The Lord himself will command the archangel sound the trumpet of God, then he will come from heaven. The dead in Messiah will rise first.

17. Then, those of us remaining alive will be seized and carried off together with them in the clouds, meeting up with the Lord in the air, and we will be with him always.

18. You must comfort one another with these words. 

Commentary

Saturday’s reading is not long, but boy does it pack a powerful punch.

I usually read these verses at gravesides for funerals. They don’t have the same ring in the chapel or the worship center as they do right beside the grave. For our faith teaches us that the dearly beloved we are laying to rest, if they have faith, will come up out of this very grave and meet Jesus in the air before those living do.

Verse 14 is an interesting grammatical pretzel for me. In the GNT there is an “if” in the text that should read something like “If we believe that Jesus died and rose” but then the “if” doesn’t fit the rest of the sentence unless something is supplied — like “If we believe that Jesus died and rose, then when we are asleep God will lead us out (of the grave) through Jesus.” That kind of construction is the only way I know to make the ‘if’ feature work, but I want you to know there is an ‘if’ there. Paul means this kind of redemption over death is contingent upon our personal beliefs. What we believe matters. If.

This is the essence of the comfort, and it is only for us if we believe and if the dead believed. We need to be careful to not preach or talk as if dead people who didn’t believe have this same assurance. They do not.

Paul seems to see an order that goes like this: The Lord commands the archangel to play the trumpet, Jesus comes from heaven, then the dead rise up. After that, and lastly, the believing community alive are caught up with Jesus in the air as he is en route to the earth to bring all things to an end.

Death is a fascinating subject, but I have always interpreted these lines to mean that for me, as a believer, when I die, the next moment after my death is the coming up into heaven with Jesus in the clouds rather than entry straight away into heaven.

That’s my take, anyway.

Questions For Application

Believers are not devoid of grief, but our grief is different. How so?Do you believe Jesus died and rose again and is coming again? (I do)Which do you believe — that we who believe go straight to heaven when we die or that we awake in the clouds as Jesus is coming back? Why?These are advent verses precisely because Jesus came the first time and promised to come again. How can you incorporate the promises of a second advent into your celebration of the first?