September 30, 2014 Revelation Chapter 2

Revelation Chapter 2

Originally posted Wednesday December 10, 2008

General Comment: As we read the messages to the seven churches we will see a general pattern in John's approach. All of the letters have several features in common:

1.   Each is addressed to the angel of one of the seven churches. In the Rabbinical and Church fathers' writings there was speculation about certain biblical characters being incarnations of angels (Jacob/Israel, John the Baptist). in Jewish thought there were guardian angels that stood in the presence of God on behalf off human beings. MT 18:10 is a good example of this thinking in Jesus' day: Referring to the new converts to Christianity (little children) Matthew writes that "in heaven their angels continually see the face of [God]" Angels also are understood to be heavenly messengers. In fact the word for angel - "angelos," is accurately translated as "messenger." For example John the Baptist is an angelos (MK 1:2). Angels as messengers appear in the stories of Abraham, Lot and Jacob (Jacob's ladder).

2.   The words are spoken to John, who is instructed to write them.

3.   Each uses a different title or description of the speaker.

4.   Positive comments are made to five of the churches while the other two have nothing positive mentioned.

5.   Negative comments are made to five of the churches while the other two have nothing negative mentioned.

6.   Each church receives words of admonishment, exhortation and/or encouragement.

7.   Each of the seven are given a promise related to those who remain faithful in the coming trials. These are called the "victors."

Ephesus is the first church to be addressed and with good reason. Paul spent three years of his missionary work in Ephesus. It served as his base of operation from which he and his co-workers traveled throughout the western province. The other five churches and more were established in the mid first century and Paul's work there was continued by his "disciples" after his death. Ephesus was a well organized and powerful Christian center by the end of the century. It was the home of the Johannine church which produced the Gospel, letters and the Revelation. Tradition has it that Jesus' mother, Mary, moved to and lived in Ephesus before the destruction of Jerusalem (see John 19:25b-27). In 431 CE a Church Council held in Ephesus declared her to be "mother of God."

The city - occupied by some 500,000 mostly Gentile pagans, also had a significant Jewish community along with many disciples of John the Baptist and Samaritans as evidenced in John's Gospel. Ephesus was the location of the enormous temple of Artemis (the Roman Diana), the virgin goddess of the hunt - one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, In Christian times it would be the site of great church councils, religious schisms and the birth place of a number of heretical Christian sects.

Readers who have a Harper or other good biblical atlas - recommended for all serious students of the Bible, will see the clustered pattern of the location of the seven churches.

Revelation, Chapter 2:1-7 The Message to Ephesus

1. Written to the angel of the church in Ephesus, these are the words of the one who holds the seven stars and walks among the seven lampstands (1:16a, 13).

2. Positive recognition: The works, struggles and patient endurance are well known to the speaker. The Ephesians have been diligent in identifying those among them who do not live in godliness. They are quick to spiritually discern the difference between authentic and false apostles who come among them to preach and teach. In repeated times of persecution they have remained faithful in their faith in Christ without becoming weary. The church at Ephesus, like so many in the latter part of the 1st century onward, was harassed by Gentiles who believed Christians were atheists and elitists in their avoidance of the pagan temples. This attitude frequently involved the City Magistrates and Roman Governor since Christianity was not considered to be a "legal" religion (see 1 Cor. 15:32).

3. Negative appraisal: Even so, they have "abandoned [their] first love." As we have read in previous letters love is the essential glue that holds the community together. It is mutual and self giving. Its character is that of one's love of God and Christ and their love for the believer. Without this abiding love the community disintegrates and becomes the prey of the ambitious and teachers of myth and speculation.

4. Admonishment/encouragement: The church needs to consider this first love from which she has "fallen" (from grace). Now there is an urgent need for the church to repent and return to those former works of love. Not to do so will bring spiritual ruin, the rejection of the church in the present, characterized by the removal of the lampstand. Notice however that there is no mention of the removal of the star - the angel of the church, from the hand of Christ. The church may be uprooted from its heavenly representation but not from the possibilities of repentance before the Parousia which is yet to occur. In the church's favor - and a door to re-establishing her lampstand, is her hatred of the Nicolatians. The reference to the Nicolatians is obscure and given to considerable speculation. They are associated with a threat to the church and based on other letters they may be classed with the false prophets and teachers of Jude and John's letters. One early Christian writer mentions them as "living lives of unrestrained indulgence" (Iraenaus). The name may lend itself to interpretation through translating it from its Latin roots as "conquerors of the laity." By the time of Revelation the church had become structured with a hierarchy of bishops and other officials. This may be a warning to the church against the inherent dangers of power. Even with leaders, no matter their rank, their teachings and direction must be open to discernment and testing. They are not kings. They are called forth by God as humble shepherds in imitation of Christ.

5. Promise to the victors: The opening phrase, "Let anyone who has an ear listen." appears in all seven addresses to the churches. This is reminiscent of Jesus' saying in MT 11:15. Also common to all seven letters is the directing of these last words to "everyone who conquers" (is victorious over the world of Satan). It is to these victors that permission will be given to enjoy the fruit of "the tree of life" in the new Eden (the paradise of God). Eating the fruit of the tree of life, as we note in Gen. 2:9 and 3:22, is to share in the eternal life which belongs to God. The meaning is derived from the Jewish tradition that God will one day transform the earth into a paradise representing the closing of the circle of history - beginning and ending in Eden. The idea is also found in Isaiah and Paul's writings about a renewed earth.

The second part of the phrase common to the letters is "Listen to what the spirit is saying to the churches." Is this the spirit associated with the seven stars or angels held in the speakers hand or is it the Holy Spirit or Spirit of Christ? Because these words precede the promise to those who are victorious over the world of Satan, it is best to attribute them to Christ as the speaker. Of course, Spirit of Christ and Holy Spirit were often used synonymously in the New Testament.

Revelation 2:8-11 Message to Smyrna

1. Written to the angel of the church in Smyrna, these are the words of the first and the last [one], who was dead and is now alive (1:17).

2. Positive recognition: While the church in Smyrna is materially poor, her faith and hope has made her rich. The church is also suffering affliction from the world but their poverty and affliction are as nothing compared to the riches promised by Christ. The church is the object of slanderous statements and rumors by members of the Jewish community. One of the common slanders of the time was the ridicule of the virgin birth stories of Matthew and Luke, both of which would be in circulation in Asia minor. In such derogatory language Jesus was said to be the illegitimate son of Mary who had become pregnant either by being raped or as a result of a consensual relation with a Roman soldier. Such a slur was considered as blasphemy by Christians who believed that Jesus was the Son of God. The speaker rejects these rumor mongers as not being true Jews. Indeed, they are of the "Synagogue of Satan!" Satan is the prime antagonist in Revelation - the enemy of God and all Christians, who will do anything to malign or tempt believers to renounce Christ. 

3. Negative Appraisal: The speaker offers no criticism of the church in Smyrna

4. Admonishment/Encouragement: The present experience is framed in eschatological terms. In the last days before the Parousia there will be tribulations but the church is not to fear the suffering about to occur. The words are specific in their prediction that some will be thrown into prison where they will be tested for ten days. This is the work of the devil. Under the reign of the Emperor Domitian Christians were imprisoned and often tortured to extract confessions of their allegiance to Christ. The speaker encourages those who face this suffering to endure, to be "faithful [even] until death." If they do so they will receive "the crown of [eternal] life. The irony of the martyr receiving a crown is found is relationship to the Emperor. Domitian wears the crown of the earthly power and empire which is temporary. The martyr wears the eternal crown

5. Promise to the victors: Those who are tested conquer the world and remain faithful to the end will not be harmed "by the second death." We will see this term later in our reading in relation to the final judgment. In brief, this is an extension of the belief that at the final resurrection all humanity will be judged and their eternal fate determined. Revelation has a rather dark image of this second death, associated with the famous lake of fire. Other lines of early Christian thought understood the second death to be spiritual death, essentially non-existence and with no fire. Another view, perhaps held by Paul, although this is not clear, he may have been an advocate of ultimate and universal salvation after the fashion of Isaiah. The point is that Revelation is but one strand of thought regarding the ultimate fate of humanity.

Revelation 2:12-17 The Message to Pergamum

1. Written to the angel of the church in Pergamum, these are the words of "him who has the sharp two-edged sword (1:16b). The sword generally represents the Word of God which can either condemn or save, based on one's response to the word as preached. It also can be the symbol of authority, in this case the authority to wield it in judgment.

2. Positive recognition: The church is located in the place not only where Satan's throne is located but where Satan dwells. The presence of Satan is symbolized by the practice of the Imperial cult in its worship of the Emperor. In Domitian's last years as Emperor he demanded he be worshipped as a god. There were temples dedicated to the Emperor in most cities including Pergamum. Worship included making offerings to the Emperor and singing by male choirs (hymnodes) chanting poems as part of the worship for which they would receive crowns.

In the presence of such evil - by Christian standards, the church continued to confess Christ as Lord (and not the Emperor), refusing to renounce their faith even when Antipas, one of their number, was martyred.

3. Negative Appraisal: There are a few things that need correcting in Pergamum. There are some among them who "hold to the teaching of Balaam" (Num. 23-24). The reference is to those who are worshipping in the pagan temples, eating food sacrificed to idols and participating in the sexual rites with temple prostitutes. Not only are these members participating in ungodly acts, they are encouraging others to do the same (creating stumbling blocks) without any action being taken by church officials. Also there are members who are following the teachings of Nicolaitans who we have already met in Ephesus (2:6). The presence of these groups is a stain on the entire church, including those who are not part of their ungodliness. It seems odd that the issue of eating food sacrificed to idols is still alive after Paul's strong stance against such restrictions in 1 Cor. 9. It is probable that as time went on the fervor regarding the end times grew sharper and higher disciplines with respect to paganism were imposed. This fervor is not unlike what we are witnessing in our own culture. With each passing year and each new "threat" - real of imagined, the claims that the last days are here become more strident and the urging to be more draconian in following the minutiae of religious rules gets louder. The Montanist heretics of the early 2nd century would fit well in any number of modern groups.

4. Admonishment/Encouragement: The situation requires immediate repentance. If they will not repent - and that would include dealing with those following and promoting false teachings, the sword will become a weapon with which Christ will come and make war on the church in Pergamum. Does this mean that the Parousia would not occur if everyone repented? That is an unlikely scenario. The Parousia is an event involving all humanity and not just the Church.

5. Promise to the Victors: Those who have remained faithful despite the testing in persecution and others who repent will receive "some of the hidden manna" (symbol of the great Messianic banquet alluded to so often in Jesus' acts in John's Gospel). They will receive a white stone (purity and honor) on which a new name is written, known only to the recipient. The new name may be an identifier of the carrier as a Christian in contrast to the mark of the beast discussed later.

Revelation 2:18-29 The Message to Thyatira

1. Written to the angel of the church in Thyatira, these are the words of the Son of God (1:14b-15a; Dan. 10:6).

(Of interest is that Lydia, the first Christian convert in Europe, was a "seller of purple" from Thyatira which was renowned for is dyeing and indigo industry).

2. Positive Recognition: The church is known for its "works" which include their "mutual love, faith, service and patient endurance." The comment that the church's "last works are greater than the first" is an indication that something has happened to improve their practice of love, faith and service.

3. Negative Appraisal: The problem in the Thyatira church is close to that of Pergamum. Both are examples of the church being seduced into accommodating herself to the world's standards rather than standing in sharp contrast to those standards.  As with Pergamum that tolerated those who were following the teachings of Balaam, here it is the toleration of a self-professed prophetess named Jezebel. She is teaching and charming others into participation in cultic sex and eating food offered to idols. She has been given time to repent from her own practice of such ungodly acts and teaching others to do the same but she has not.

The description of the woman relates her to the Jezebel of 1 Kings 16:31 who led her husband, Ahab, the king of Israel, into the worship of Baal, a Canaanite cult which also practiced cult prostitution.

4. Admonishment/Encouragement: The speaker warns the church that Jezebel will soon be thrown on a bed. She and those who follow her adultery (here, the worship of other gods) will be thrown  "into great distress unless they repent." The "bed" is often used in scripture to denote the soiled bed of adultery. In this context the adultery includes both the sexual practices of pagan worship as well as the worship of pagan gods especially while at the same time Jezebel and her "children" are claiming to be Christians. Her children are those in the church who have followed her teaching that such dual allegiance is acceptable and that they are freed of restrictions regarding sexual morality. They will be struck dead. The point is made that such an event will be as an example to the church that the "one who searches minds and hearts" will deal with everyone according to what their deeds deserve.

5. Promise to the Victors: The promise is extended to those in Thyatira who have not succumbed to the teachings of Jezebel and compromised their faith by participating in worldly ungodliness - "the deep things of Satan." There will be no other burden placed on those who are faithful other than "holding fast" to that faith until the Parousia. To the victors - those who conquer within themselves the world's ungodliness and do godly works until the end, will be given authority over the nations (MT 19:28). This authority is to share with Christ in the Messianic role of shepherding the nations. To the victors - to all who conquer, Christ gives the morning Star so that they "shall shine forth as the brightness of the firmament...into the eons" (Dan. 12:3).

September 29, 2014 Revelation Chapter 1

Revelation Chapter 1

Originally posted Tuesday December 9, 2008

General Comment: Although Revelation (Gr. = apokalypsis) is the last book in the New Testament it was not the last to be written. That honor belongs to 2 Peter, written some 3 to 4 decades later. Revelation was written during the latter part of the reign of the Roman Emperor, Domitian, between 92 and 96 CE. Revelation's audience includes the churches of western Asia Minor. Seven of these churches are named in chapters 2 and 3 and probably represent those churches with which John was most closely associated as a prophet. However, and as with all New Testament writings, the actual circulation would have been to a greater number of churches. The mention of seven specific churches is not an absolute indication of their importance over all others. The number seven appears several times in Revelation and is symbolic of completeness and wholeness. To address it to the seven is to address it to all Christian communities - the whole of Christendom, now complete and awaiting the events which John predicts must happen soon. We are already familiar with the divine "must." In its use here it serves to emphasize John's certainty that the events witnessed in his visions will take place any moment. 

The writer is a Jewish Christian prophet. The poor quality of the Greek indicates a person whose original language was Aramaic. He would have been one of many Jewish Christians who fled from Judea (or Galilee) in the years before the destruction of Jerusalem (70 CE). He calls himself John (a common Jewish name) but he is not to be confused with the source of the Gospel bearing that name or the writer of the letters of John. Because of the proximity of the addressed churches to Ephesus, he has been considered by some to have been part of a larger group of prophets and evangelists who's preaching and teaching became the core of the Gospel of John. This is doubtful. He certainly represents a later and more desperate time not reflected in the Gospel.The Gospel reflects an environment of hostility in which the antagonists were Jewish Pharisees who were leading the formation of a new understanding of Judaism - without Christians. In Revelation the antagonists represent Roman Imperial religion and Roman persecutors. As such Revelation is the most political of all the New Testament writings, speaking to a specific time with symbols and images framed by a specific set of circumstances being experienced by these Christians of western Asia Minor. The circumstances are cosmic in nature. The basic premise of all apocalyptic writings is that the world is thoroughly evil and beholden to Satan. There is absolutely nothing that human beings can do to defeat the cosmic power of evil. In such absolute hopelessness and futility there is only one recourse for deliverance. The remedy will be God's direct and final intervention in history by which all evil is destroyed, all believers vindicated and a new world order established under the reign of Christ. It is this utter despair that drives John's visions and is at the root of every generation's reinterpretation of John's words.

Much has been made of the significance of Revelation for the modern age. The simplicity of its purpose and its intended meaning for the beleaguered Christians at the end of the 1st century has been all but lost. In the frantic attempt to rip it from its moorings as an attack against Roman power, it has been refitted with the latest cast of characters and newspaper clippings into a prediction of the end of the age. No doubt the original message of remaining strong in one's faith through all circumstances serves our age as well as John's. There are many enemies that tempt our faith but most of them come from within us and not from the outside. For many church members Christianity is a casual and inconsistent relationship. The God of the universe is more of hymn than heart. No doubt the fiery prophet of Patmos, were he among us today, would find cause to rekindle the flames of faith that we might once again be a people whose hearts are strangely warmed.

Revelation, Chapter 1:1-8 - Introduction and Salutation

The English translation of the opening verse is misleading. This is not the revelation of or about Jesus Christ. It is a revelation given to Jesus by God with the intent that it be shared with God's "servants." The revelation is of events soon to occur in the lives and times of those who will hear it. Christ's chosen messenger, who has made this revelation known, is John, who has faithfully given his testimony "even to all whom he saw."

This revelation is so important John pronounces the blessedness (happiness) over all who read the prophecy to others and all who hear and keep what is written, "for the time is near." The implicit understanding is that those who do not listen as well as those who do listen but do not "keep" (practice) what they have heard have lost God's blessing. John is a prophet. He speaks what he sees "in the Spirit." To ignore the Spirit is to abandon all hope.

John addresses the seven churches of [western] Asia. He invokes the grace and peace from the God of all time (vs. 8; Exod. 3:14; Isa. 41:4), the "seven spirits" who are "before the throne [of God]" and Christ. The triune invocation represents the presence of God as the sustainer of not only the believers past but the hope of his/her future. The spirits, because they are before the throne, represent the collective, worshipping presence of all Christians before God. The Christ is the victorious Christ who  has defeated death through resurrection and is Lord of all earthly powers. This latter assertion is important to our understanding of other New Testament verses which declare the Lordship of Christ over all things heavenly and earthly. These references - mostly in Paul's letters, refer to the resurrected Christ of glory to whom God has given absolute authority. In Revelation this authority is about to be exercised in a cataclysmic fashion upon the Roman Empire which is the manifestation of Satan's reign in the world. It is this Christ for whom all humanity waits and every eye will see as he "[comes} with the clouds" (Dan.7:13).

Revelation, Chapter 1:9-20 - A Vision of Christ

John prefaces the beginning of his vision with the details of his situation. He describes himself as a fellow believer. He is one who shares "in Christ" the present and anticipated persecution and the coming messianic kingdom (for and into which they have been freed by Christ's sacrifice). With his fellow Christians he faces both with "patient endurance." He was on the island of Patmos, one of a number of islands in the Aegean Sea, off the southwestern coast of Turkey. It is situated approximately 65 miles from Ephesus, John's probable home. Its remote location and rugged terrain made it suitable for the isolation which often led the prophets to fast and experience visions. The island was used by the Roman Governor of Asia as a place of exile, perhaps including hard labor in the sulfur mines. The text indicates John may have been exiled as a result of his prophetic preaching (the word of God). and his "testimony" (witness) to Christ. However, without John's clarification we should not rule out the possibility that John deliberately sought such a remote area for the very purpose of seeking God's direction. It was common for prophets (and Jesus) to seek the wilderness areas to listen for God's inner voice. We read of an excellent example of this kind of experience in the story of Jesus' seclusion in the wilderness after his baptism. This has been the experience of mystics in all religions throughout the centuries. Being alone with God, in communion, empty of thought, without a sense of self, the space between dissolves and the two become one. In the space between breaths, In moments such as these there are no distinctions, just the still small voice seen within one's spirit.

His first vision was of Christ speaking and it occurred on a Sunday - "the day belonging to the Lord." He writes that he was "in the Spirit" which is a way of describing a spiritual trance induced by severe fasting and meditation. Being in the Spirit he heard a voice with "a great sound as if of a trumpet" (Exod. 19:16; Heb.12:18-19; 1 Cor. 15:51-52). The voice instructs him to record his experience in a book and to send it to the seven churches. As John turns toward the voice he sees the heavenly image of "one like "a Son of Man" standing amidst seven golden lampstands. Elements of John's description are taken from Dan. 7, 10 and Ezek 1. The meaning of these features is not germane to the vision beyond emphasizing John's meager attempt to communicate his encounter with a heavenly being who is yet to be identified. One aspect of the image, the two edged sword, does have other biblical roots as a reference to the prophetic word of God in Heb. 4:12. Its use here by John, prefacing the letters to the seven churches, is relevant to the later word of judgment spoken against the churches. In John's descriptions we should note his use of the words "like" and "as if." This is akin to Paul's comment that we look in a mirror and see but dimly. John struggles to describe the images before him. The language of visions is mythological. He uses the best words he can find to describe something which is not of his world and is beyond his human ability to understand.

John's reaction to what he sees is to fall prostrate before the glorious being as one totally unworthy of being in the presence of the voice  (Ezek. 1:28). The voice which has taken form now touches and speaks to John in a gentler and more comforting tone. John need not be afraid (Dan.8:18; MT 17:6) for the voice is that of the heavenly Christ, the "first and the last" (Isa. 44:6, 48:12), one who was dead yet now "[is] living into the ages of ages (forever), who has the keys of Death and Hades (MT 16; Rom. 6:9; Ps. 68:20 - judgment). "Hades" is both the Greek and Roman god of the underworld. It is also the place of the dead, the equivalent of the Hebrew "Sheol" but not the typical New Testament Gahanna (hell). Generally Hades and Sheol were not considered as places of torment but more as a place where the dead "languished." Even the word "hell" is sometimes used in a similar way. Taken together all of these terms were understood as the place of waiting for the final judgment. Death is used in two ways. There is physical death which happens to all humanity and there is also spiritual death, the outcome of the judgment of the ungodly. The former is a state of waiting for the judgment while the latter is the destruction (nothingness) of the ungodly. 

The voice again instructs John to write. What he has already seen is self evident; what is present is being seen in the present moment;  what is to take place after this is the opening of the forthcoming visions of the events of the end times as well as the heavenly setting in which the visions take place. Invs. 20 the voice gives an explanation of two parts of John's vision. Such explanations are common in other apocalyptic writings such as Daniel and 4 Ezra but unusual in Revelation. The seven golden lampstands - in visionary language, are not simply representative of the seven churches to which John has been instructed to write. They are the heavenly ideal of what the seven churches should be - beacons shining in the darkness of the world with the light of Christ. It is metaphorical, yet real and a later vision will encompass the fate of the church that does not live up to such an ideal. The seven stars in Christ's right hand (the hand of honor) are the angels (spirits) of the seven churches (see 1:4). John does not provide any explanation for the differing location of the lampstands and stars in relation to Christ. In Johannine thought the Spirit of Christ returns to be in the midst of the church as teacher and encourager. This may be represented by his being envisioned by John as in the midst of the seven lampstands (churches). The angels - or spirits, of the churches are kept close, being held in the safe hand of Christ until his return.

September 28, 2014 Jude

Jude

Originally posted Monday December 8, 2008

General Comment: It is impossible to be certain of the authorship of this homily. He could be Jesus' younger brother, Jude (Judas in Greek), therefore the brother of James (MK 6:3) the leader of the Palestinian Church. Early Christian tradition mentions the activity of Jesus' siblings in the churches of Palestine and Syria. There is a Jude mentioned as one of the original twelve as the son of James (LK. 6:16) but according to John's Gospel Jesus' brothers were not believers until after the resurrection experience. In any case the internal evidence indicates the writer of "Jude" was not an apostle. There is an interesting entry in the writings of the Christian writer Hegesippus of the second century, quoted by the historian Eusebius. He writes regarding the grandchildren of Jude, the brother of Jesus. They were charged with being descendents of David (as Jesus was assumed to be). The Emperor Domitian had ordered that all David's descendents be killed but when the Emperor had Jude's grandchildren examined he considered them "of no account" and ordered their release. Later writings indicate the descendents continued to be an active part of the leadership of the church well into the 2nd century. Considering the traditional evidence it is reasonable to accept that Jude and his offspring were active in the Church through at least the 2nd century. The letter may have been written under his name and authority by one of his decedents.

The recipients include one or more churches with predominately Jewish Christian members. The text contains Jewish biblical and extracanonical material presented without explanation and in a way that indicates the audience's familiarity. Of special interest are references to the Jewish apocalyptic book I Enoch, Aramaic copies of which were found among the Dead Sea Scrolls uncovered in the Essene caves of Qumran. Enoch was written in the late 1st century BCE or early 1st century CE and was widely read in Jewish as well as Christian circles. Its visional imagery was of the same body of material used in Daniel, Revelation and other apocalyptic writings.

Jude 1-2 Salutation

Jude identifies himself as the brother of James but not of Jesus. It is doubtful that anyone, brother or not, would make such a claim without being criticized for extreme hubris. To be the brother of James, a highly regarded leader, may serve as a circumventive way to say the same thing with acceptable humility.

Jude addresses the churches with three adjectives: called, beloved and kept. These are matched with three blessings: mercy, peace and love. The believer is called by the mercy of God; beloved (forgiven) by the sanctification of God; and kept safe for eternal life by the love of Jesus Christ. The term "beloved" is widely used in the Gospels to refer to Jesus. In all of Paul's letters and later writings, it is used as a reference to the members of the Church. Such an address is meant to convey a believer's status as one loved "by" God not "of" or "in" God.

Jude 3-4 Occasion of the Letter

Jude's intent was to write a teaching homily as a means of rejoicing with his readers over what they have shared though their mutual faith in Christ. However, he has learned that "certain intruders," itinerant prophets and teachers from outside the community, have insinuated themselves into the community. He uses the word "stolen" to convey the disguise used by the intruders to gain the confidence of the community. They have "secretly slipped in." What they turned out to be were false teachers and Jude now finds it necessary "to contend for the faith." Here "faith" is the collective term referring to Christianity as a body of belief. Jude's mission is to exhort the churches to keep their confidence in the Gospel which has been preached from the very beginning.

He is certain that these false teachers whose coming was foretold are already condemned for their ungodliness and deceit. The reference is to the prophets of Israel as well as Jesus' own words to his Disciples warning them of false prophets. It was widely understood by the Church that in the last days - to which this letter points, false prophets would arise seeking to lead the people astray. This has been a rather constant theme throughout the New Testament.

But what was this false teaching that uses the grace of God as a license to ignore and pervert the grace of God? In Paul's letters he warns believers against mistaking the idea of freedom in Christ and freedom from the law as a license to sin. Jude uses the sexually loaded word "licentiousness" as an apt description of the sexual immorality he has in mind. To be set free from the restraints of the law, for these purveyors of the perversion of grace, is to disregard God and adopt an "anything goes" view of personal behavior. What they have forgotten - or ignored, is the law of Christ, the law of the imitation of Christ in all things. The false teachers do not stop at ignoring God's grace. They deny "the only master and Lord..." While Jude does not elaborate on the shape of such a denial, the meaning is clear. To deny Christ as the "only" Lord and Master is to accept that there are other lords and masters -:such as Caesar and pagan deities, to be worshipped and obeyed.. For these interlopers Christian behavior is only one option among many. It can be applied or set aside as the need arises - that need being the desire to act in ways of self interest, self serving and unloving acts. Without shame they have rejected the authority of God. They have rejected the notion that a disciple of Christ is a servant of Christ and all those whom God loves. The narcissism of these false teachers leads them to see themselves as the earth around which the sun revolves.

Jude 5-16 Judgment on False Teachers

Jude has already pronounced God's judgment as having been spoken long ago. Here he provides three parallel examples of judgment from the Old Testament and Talmudic Halakah. He reminds them of what they and the Gentiles among them already know of the scriptures. The Israelites had murmured against God (had no trust) during the wilderness wandering. Setting up idols to worship, "they rose up to revel." They were judged and destroyed and did not enter Canaan. The angels who left heaven to cohabit with the daughters of men (Gen. 6:1-2; 2 Pet. 2:4) were judged and chained in "the deepest darkness." Sodom and Gomorrah were also judged and destroyed because of their sexual indulgences, "going after other flesh." Taken from the Genesis story of Lot, the men of Sodom sought to sexually attack the two angels who appeared as men (Gen. 19:1-5). Jude equates the sexual immorality in each of these examples with the "dreamers" (prophet visionaries), the false teachers of his day. They "defile the flesh, reject authority" and slander the angels." How they slander the angels is not made clear. In the Rabbinic tradition the angels delivered the Law to Moses. Insofar as these false teachers reject the very idea of law they are slandering, acting against the angels who acted on God's behalf..Jude compares their slander of angels with the story of the Archangel Michael. In the "Testament of Moses," a 1st century Jewish apocalyptic writing, Michael disputed with Satan over the possession of Moses' body. Michael wanted to honor Moses with a proper burial while Satan thought he should have the body because Moses had sinned by killing the Egyptian who was beating a fellow Hebrew. (Exod. 2:11-12). Michael did not think it was his place to rebuke Satan ("a condemnation for blasphemy" vs.9). Instead he uttered the words, "The Lord rebuke you," thus avoiding usurping God's authority to judge.

By comparison with Michael, these false teachers "slander whatever they don't understand." By their rejection of a law they do not understand they are destroyed by the very licentiousness that:"freedom" from the law brings upon them - acting instinctively like an "irrational animal" satisfying its lusts. Jude uses three Old Testament examples as a prophetic statement referring to the actions - and condemnation, of the false teachers. They "go the way of Cain" who is a condemned murderer (Gen. 4:2-12) and in Jewish tradition teaches others to sin. They "abandon themselves to [the prophet] Balaam's error" (Num. 23-25). According to Jewish tradition (not well attested in the Old Testament story) Balaam was a false prophet guilty of acting out of greed and leading the people of Israel into idolatry and sexual impurity. They "perish in Korah's rebellion." Korah led a rebellion against Moses (and, therefore the Law) and as a result was swallowed by the earth (Num. 16:1-3; 26:9-11). In each case Jude associates the actions of the false teachers/prophets with that of the three Old Testament characters. Like Cain they lead others to sin (rejecting the law and God's authority). Like Balaam they are greedy prophets who lead the church members to idolatry and sexual impurity. Like Korah and his associates, they will perish in their rebellion against God and Christ. 

With such a description of these "intruders" Jude calls them "blemishes on [their] love feasts" (Eucharist). They "feast without fear (reverence for God), not having a care about or recognition of their own utter sinfulness. The word for "blemish" can be translated as a "reef" which is hidden and dangerous to ships. These teachers hide their deceit and are dangerous to the faith of the community. They are "shepherds who care only for themselves" (vs.12b). Jude uses four metaphors from nature to describe them. They are unproductive - doing no good, like waterless clouds; like a tree in late autumn they bear no fruit (good works); like the foam cast up form wild waves their teaching brings them shame; like wandering stars they are forever destined for the "deepest darkness"

Jude 17-23 Exhortations for the Last Days

Jude turns his attention to the coming judgment. He cites the Jewish apocalyptic prophesy of 1 Enoch 1:9 as having been written concerning the final judgment of these false prophets (vss. 14-15). He summarizes the text with the prophecy "See, the Lord came with ten thousands of holy ones (angels) to execute judgment on all." Note Enoch's use of the present tense - "the Lord came" as if the event had already occurred. All apocalyptic imagery is visionary as "seen" by the prophet as it happens. 

This is the final judgment on the last day when all humanity is to be judged. Yet Jude identifies the specific condemnation of the false prophets who have committed "deeds of ungodliness" and "spoken harsh things against [Christ]." The acts of ungodliness and harsh words relate to the extreme distortion of what it means to be free in Christ in vs. 4 where the false teaching is expressed as "anything goes." Their speech is characterized as deceitful, meant to lead others astray and to impress the members of the churches to think that these prophets really know the truth by putting on airs of authority.

As an added witness that these false prophets are ungodly, Jude reminds the "beloved" that the time of their appearing was predicted by the apostles and by Jesus. The cited text of vs. 18 is not found in the New Testament per se. It may be from a separate saying in the secondary oral tradition. It certainly reflects the general understanding of the early church regarding the turmoil and speculations expected in the last days (see 2 Pet.3:3; 1 Tim. 4:1; 2 Tim. 3:1). Jude makes clear the disqualifiers distancing the false prophets from anything resembling Christianity. They are "scoffers," ridiculing Christian belief as well as believers. They are of the world, dreamers "devoid of the Spirit." This latter point regarding the Spirit is in itself a condemnation of the teachings as well as the teachers. Only visions and teaching which come from the Holy Spirit are valid in the church. All others are of human origin and are divisive.

As for the beloved, Jude exhorts them to keep (contend for) their faith, keeping it strong through "[prayer] in the Holy Spirit (the inspirer of unspoken and spoken prayer);" to remain in God's love for them through their godly lives (Jhn. 15:9-10); and to keep strong their hope in eternal life (God's saving mercy through Christ's on the last day). The concerns of the beloved are to extend beyond self interest (as should be the case of all Christians). There are some who are wavering in their faith (being enticed by the false prophets) and some who are already in "the fire" and in need of being "snatched out of the flames" before it is too late. How such a "snatching" is to be accomplished is not given. Certainly it includes moral instruction over against the false teaching on freedom from the law. In our time we have heard of "deprogramming" members of cults "rescued by parents and/or friends. Jude is probably advising the faithful to make a full faith effort to turn the "lost sheep" back to godliness, to show them mercy just as they once received God's mercy. In his last comment on the subject he allows that the best that can be done for those who have irretrievably gone over to "the dark side" is to pray for God's mercy while the faithful keep their distance from the presence of such evil lest they be spiritually contaminated (see Zech. 3:3-4).

Jude 24--25 Benediction

The Benediction is given as a doxology over what Jude has been stressing as he writes of the stark distinction between the condemned false teachers and the beloved. In the face of intrusive assaults by those who have rejected the faith of the apostles the doxology reaffirms that it is only God who can "keep [them] from falling," prepared to stand "without blemish" on the last day and all of this through "Christ our savior."

September 27, 2014 3rd John

3rd John

Originally posted Monday December 8, 2008

3rd John 1-15

The Elder is writing a personal letter to a fellow Christian, Gaius. He bears a very common name and is unknown beyond this letter. However, from the letter it would appear that Gaius is the leader of a house church in the Johannine circle of churches.

The Elder uses the typical niceties of a Greek letter, asking after Gaius' physical health, that it might be as sound as his spiritual health. He mentions the arrival of and report from "some of the friends" (fellow Christians), who have come from Gaius and his own joy at hearing of Gaius' continued "faithfulness to the truth." It pleases him when he hears that "[his] children (Gaius and those with him) are walking in the truth." The sentiment is the same as expressed in 2 John vs. 4 where the Elder was overjoyed to hear from another church (the Chosen Lady of 2 John) that "some of the "children" [were still] walking in the truth." His reference to Gaius as one of his children gives added credence to the probability that the Elder is a person with authority over several churches. The members would be the Elder's spiritual children in a similar way as Paul's reference to Onesimus as his spiritual child in the letter to Philemon.

He praises Gaius' for the hospitality he has extended to the friends even though they [were] strangers." These friends could have originally come to Gaius as representatives from the Elder as part of a normal round of visits to a number of church communities. It is more likely, based on vss. 6-8 that, they were traveling evangelists (or prophets) on a missionary journey "for the sake of Christ." It is interesting to compare his opinion of these "friends" with his warning to believers in 2 Jhn 10-11 not to show hospitality to the false prophets. The Elder finds the travelers' (friends) work deserving of Gaius' generous support at a level "worthy of God" for they have not accepted any support from the Gentiles. (We surely are meant to think of the "Gentiles" as referring to non-believers since Gaius would have been a Gentile). The point is that the traveling friends should be supported by other members of the extended household of God and not by outsiders. The Elder writes, by supporting the evangelists they become co-workers "with the truth" in their missionary work.

The Elder mentions to Gaius that he has separately written to "the church." He gives us no idea as to what church this is or its locale. It is doubtful that it is the church in Gaius' house otherwise why would a letter be directly sent to the members and not through the church's patron? Perhaps, as some writers have conjectured, he is referring to I and II John. All we can do is to speculate. What is not in doubt is that Gaius knows who Diotrephes is. He is the direct opposite of Gaius in Christian character. He has rejected the Elder's authority and he has refused to show hospitality to the friends whom Gaius has recently entertained and supported. Further, he opposes those who do want to show such hospitality, going so far as to expel them from the church (which leads us to think he also is a patron of a house church). The Elder is determined to visit the community and to "call attention" to this transgression against one of the prime commandments - to love one another, and to the false charges Diotrephes is spreading against the Elder.

In an unrelated exhortation he urges Gaius to continue to "imitate what is good," for those who do good are of God (walking in Christ and in the truth). The Elder mentions and testifies on behalf of Demetrius as someone who has and walks in the truth. Again we do not know of his relationship to either the Elder or to Gaius. To receive the favorable testimony of the Elder would indicate he is one whose message is in accord with obedience to the prime commandments of loving one another and accepting Jesus as the Christ who has come in the flesh from God.

In a truly sincere final greeting, the Elder writes of his hope to visit Gaius soon so they can enjoy his hospitality and they can talk together of these and other issues. In the meantime he exchanges greeting from and to those "friends" who have come to the Elder and those staying with Gaius.

September 26, 2014 2nd John

2nd John

Originally posted Monday November 24, 2008

2nd John 1-13

The Elder (Overseer) addresses the readers as the "Chosen Lady" and her children (the household of God), in keeping with the Greek word for Church, "ecclesia," which is a feminine noun. Using the familiar themes of truth and love, he expresses his and others' love for the community "in the truth" that abides in him and in all who share in the truth. This double use of "truth" can express two contextual meanings. In vs. 1a "in truth" can be stated as "in Christ," living one's life in Christ as a faithful believer. In vss. 1b-2 the truth that is known and abides in the Elder and readers forever, is the accepted teaching, the truth that Jesus Christ came in the flesh and was not a spirit devoid of a human nature. In vs. 3 we note the Elder's emphatic use of "will" related to the spiritual gifts of grace, mercy and peace. He does not simply hope they will be with him and the Chosen Lady and her children, he knows they will be. These three gifts are not platitudes. They represent the continuing faithfulness of God and Christ who love the Church. It is by God's grace that the believer is called to faith, by God's mercy that the believer is forgiven and in peace that the believer will live, now and eternally.

The Elder rejoices at the news that some of the members of the addressed community are remaining faithful to the truth of Christ which others reject. This statement provides some insight into the situation. The readers are not part of a church that has as a whole broken fellowship with the Elder's community. They have been divided by the teachings of false prophets who deny that Christ came in the flesh. The Elder does not make the outcome clear but it is probable that those who were influenced left the community to form a new one. In the wake of this separation the Elder urges the "some" who have not "gone out" to remain true to the commandment they "had from the beginning" (when they were converted), to love one another. To have love for one another and for God is to "walk according to [God's] commandments" in love and truth (see 3:23f).

Repeating the information about the schism shaking the church, (1 John 2:18-19) the Elder is attempting to shore up resistance to any further rupture of the community. The deceivers/antichrists who reject the teaching that Christ came in the flesh have "gone out into the world" of deception where the truth of Christ does not abide. The remnant "some" are to be on guard lest they also become deceived and lose the reward of eternal life. Those who have gone out, have rejected the teaching about Christ; they are not of God for it is God's Spirit who is the teacher. They have gone beyond the teaching about Christ. 2 John is not specific on this point of "going beyond" the teaching about Christ. The teaching which abides in the believer is the truth of Christ as the Son of God and Messiah who has come in the flesh. To go beyond this truth most likely refers to some attempt to reject Jesus' humanity as a suffering servant who actually dies on a cross. In such a Christology Christ is re-imaged as a spiritual being that descended from heaven and then returned without having suffered or died. The language of John's Gospel - the Word in the beginning who was made flesh and dwelt among us, gave rise to a host in interpretations of Jesus as the heavenly redeemer who only seemed to be human (Docetism, Gnosticism). Those who have gone beyond the truth about Christ "do not have God." Those who continue to abide "in the [true] teaching of Christ" do.

The Elder exhorts those who remain faithful to keep apart from the deceivers. They are not to offer anyone hospitality in the church or in the home who comes with any teaching other than the truth they have learned "from the beginning." Indeed, to welcome such persons is the same as participating in their evil teaching. Given the importance of hospitality in the life of the early church this exhortation gives voice to just how serious this schism had become and the Elder's desire to stop the cancer from spreading any further.

In a brief final greeting the Elder expresses his hope that he can visit the community and talk with the members "mouth to mouth" about these matters. Such a meeting will complete their joy - a fitting complement to the Elder's joy in vs. 4.  The mention of such a cordial gathering stands in stark contrast to the rejection of false prophets. In a final note of solidarity the Elder sends the greetings of the readers' "chosen sister," the church from which he writes.

September 25, 2014 1st John Chapter 5

1st John Chapter 5

Originally posted Friday November 21, 2008

1st John, Chapter 5:1-5 Faith Conquers the World

In 3:23 John wrote of two commandments: to believe (confess faith in) the name of God's son, Jesus the Messiah, and to love one another. In 4:2-3 he interprets the first commandment to include and emphasize that Jesus has "come in the flesh" as the human Messiah. It is difficult to be sure what John meant by "in the flesh." It certainly was penned against some contrary understanding of Jesus' ministry being taught by the pseudo-prophets and it is not from God. The best we can say is that there were those who were seeking to discredit the teaching that Jesus, the incarnate Word of God was a "flesh and blood" human being who was the Messiah and died. This was not compatible with their view of an exalted and divine Son of God.

John is certain that to be born (as a child) of God is to confess Jesus as both the human, in the flesh, Messiah and divine Son of God. He is also certain that the believers' love for God is love for God's children. That this coincident love is true is realized in actual expressions (acts) of love for the children of God and obedience to God's commandments (see above). In effect, loving one another as children of God is the same as loving God. "To love the parent is to love the child." (We may see here a hint of Jesus' words, "Love God and love your neighbor.") Imagine God's love moving along the circumference of a circle. As it moves God's love passes through each successive point on the path. God's love moves toward and through each of us toward and through others. With each circuit love passes from all of us back to God.

John implies that God's love empowers believers to "conquer the world." He understands the world as represented by false prophets who reject the idea of Jesus as the human Christ who came into the world from God. They are the antichrists. Because the believers are of God and the antichrists are not, the believers are spiritually more powerful than the antichrists. Their power, John writes, is faith. Through a consistent, practiced faith in Christ as the Son of God the world of evil is conquered. With such an assertion of power through faith we could become discouraged and think our faith is terribly deficient. The world of evil - however we measure evil, has not been conquered. Is this our fault? If we just had more faith would the world's ills, sin and otherwise, be conquered? It is certain that each individual Christian is responsible for her or his spiritual life, relationship with God and obedience to faith's call to love kindness, do justice and walk humbly with as much of God as we have come to know - so far. Were we to practice such a discipline we would indeed experience a measure of victory over whatever forces get in the way of becoming an example of God's love let loose in the world (releasing hope and healing). Our world may be rather small at first, but the more acts of love we share with others, the wider our world becomes. All we are asked to do is to let love do its part. We will be richer for it and the world will actually be better. To quote Mother Teresa again, "The more love we pour into the world the less room there is for hate."

1st John, Chapter 5:6-12 Testimony

The previous passage ends recognizing the power of an individual's faith in Jesus as the Son of God. Just how Jesus is the imputed divine Son of God is understood in several New Testament variations. Paul writes in Romans that Jesus becomes the divine Son of God at the resurrection. Mark places this event at Jesus' baptism. Matthew and Luke ascribe it to Jesus' birth and John understands divinity to have been pre-existent with the Word made flesh (Jesus). The John of this letter presents other testimonies of the Son of God who came into the world. They are of the Spirit, the water and the blood and all are in agreement. The Spirit is the Holy Spirit of God and it is this spirit that gives testimony to Jesus as the Son of God "by water and blood." There are a number of interpretations related to the meaning of the water and the blood. The most satisfying answer for this writer is to frame Jesus ministry which is bringing light and life into the world between his baptism and his death. His purpose, for which God sent him into the world, began in the waters of his baptism and ended in the blood of his crucifixion. In the Gospel of John we read the story of Jesus' death and the soldier who pierces his side with a lance. From the wound come water and blood, beginning and end. The water and the blood represent the completion of Jesus' obedience to God's purpose. Although in John Jesus was always Son of God, the cross is the public witness that he is the Son of God. As an added but subtle truth John writes that it is the Holy Spirit that bears witness. The Jewish symbol for the spirit of God poured out is water.

1st John, Chapter 5:13-21 Epilogue

John writes to confirm the gift they have received through their faith in Christ as the Son of God, a share in the life of God - eternal life. This life, their hope in God's promise, is the basis for their prayer. John's idea of answered prayer is narrower than the Gospels' which seem to say God answers all prayers of the faithful. John adds what is a more reasonable approach to prayer: that God answers prayer that is asked "according to [God's] will. That sounds like a bit of rationalization. To say that an unanswered heart-felt prayer means the request wasn't in God's will is not very satisfying. We end up blaming God rather than being realistic about the circumstances when there is an unacceptable outcome. Perhaps it is enough to pray in hopefulness and realize the result is not in our hands. This is what John has in mind in his example of praying for someone who has sinned. If the sin is not mortal (Grk = "not toward death") God will forgive the sinner based on a believer's prayer. John does not tell us what a sin unto death is. We may draw a conclusion from what he has already written regarding those who have broken fellowship and seceded from the faithful followers of John's authority. In effect the mortal sin would be that of apostasy, the denial of the Christ as understood by the church.

John knows that those who have remained within the church under his authority do not sin - they do not secede. They are the ones who are born of God and, so, under Christ's protection from the devil - in an eternal life sense, even though the whole world is under the devil's power.

The last phrase of vs. 20 has been taken by some to declare that Jesus is God. Since the doctrine of the Trinity is more than two centuries in the future such a conclusion is doubtful. In early Christian liturgy identifying Jesus with God was common but it always was a statement of the oneness of the Father and the Son in purpose. The idea of common purpose is derived from John's Gospel which frequently offers images of the closeness of Jesus and God: the Father and I are one; if you have seen me you have seen the Father. But these are not Trinitarian statements. They are affirmations of Jesus as the revelation of God's character and purpose which are seen in and fulfilled in and by Jesus' ministry. 5:20 is instructive for interpretation. John writes that the Son of God came to give understanding so that we may know (believe in and follow) God. This is the one who is "the true God and eternal life."