The Bible Challenge: Day 338

The scriptures read are Nahum 1, Psalm 124, and Mark 2.

You have now read 60 books of the Bible! We will go through the last 6 this month.

Nahum 1. 90 years after the fall of Samaria, capitol of the northern kingdom of Israel, judgement is falling upon the Assyrian empire at last. The frightening army that piles up heads, disembowels pregnant women, and bashes babies against rocks will face God and be destroyed.

Psalm 124. A perfect marriage of music and video as we see the breathtaking Norwich Cathedral while listening to its choir sing this psalm.

Mark 2. For my reflections on this chapter, check out Day 34 here.

The Bible Challenge: Day 337

The scriptures read are Micah 7, Psalm 123 and Mark 1.

Micah 7. Micah starts out feeling pretty low. And it's because of his fellow human beings. But he doesn't give up. He knows God's punishment will not last. He sees the exiles and refugees returning. He knows God's forgiveness and mercy. God will be true to his promises.

Psalm 123. Here's a simple Celtic arrangement of this psalm.

Mark 1. (See my comments from Day 33 here.)

Redefining Apocalypse

The scriptures referred to are Isaiah 2:1-5, Romans 13:11-14 and Matthew 24:36-44.

The word “apocalypse” literally means “uncovering” or “unveiling.” Notice that it does not mean a disaster or the end of the world. It is simply a revelation of what had been hidden. But because of the Apocalypse of John, the older name for the book of Revelation, it has come to mean, in popular thought, all the graphically bad stuff that happens in the middle of that book, not the happy ending. Which makes those who study Revelation or Daniel or the other apocalyptic passages in the Bible look like ghouls who can't wait to see God's judgment fall upon the world. And while that may be true of some, it's not the purpose of these passages. At the times these books were written God's people were suffering. They were being persecuted and being martyred. And so an apocalypse both acknowledged that suffering and put it in context. It may have been judgment on them for their unfaithfulness, designed to trigger repentance, or it may have a time of trial because of the clash of God's people and their temporarily ascendant enemies. An apocalypse reassured God's people that their enemies would also be judged. But the ultimate goal of all of apocalyptic literature was to bring comfort with the promise of the coming of God's kingdom and the restoration of the world to way God intended it to be.

That is the focus of today's passage from Isaiah 2:1-5. It is also found almost word for word in Micah 4:1-3. Mount Zion, on which the temple sat in the midst of Jerusalem, becomes the most prominent of mountains. All the nations of the world, all the Gentiles, flow to Zion seeking to learn God's ways. All of the disputes between the nations will be resolved by God. Because God is a perfect judge, violence will not be needed to solve disagreements and they shall not “learn war any more.” I love that phrase. Because war is learned. An argument may lead to a fight, but war involves strategy, weapons and tactics. Some of our biggest technological achievements have been inspired and spurred on by war: swords, guns, cannons, bombs, missiles, chemical weapons, biological weapons, nuclear weapons. We have spent a good deal of energy and ingenuity on coming up with more effective ways to harm and kill each other. In a report on the popularity of semi-automatic weapons, one enthusiast said, “It's Barbie for guys.” He was talking about all the clever accessories and add-ons you can get for an AR-15 and its analogues. Get a hunting catalog and you will be astonished by all of the amazing technology one can use for tracking down creatures with brains smaller than our fists. But look closer and you realize these things were often adapted from stuff we've made for killing our fellow human beings in the theatre of war. Warfare is complicated and it must be taught. When God's kingdom comes, we will not need to teach our children how to stab, shoot, eviscerate, garrotte, gas, dismember, infect, blow up, decapitate or irradiate another person.

And although God will bring these things to their culmination, it does not mean we should just sit around and wait for Jesus to return. Nor should we spend much time calculating the date for the “End of the World.” Jesus said nobody knows the time except our heavenly Father, not even Jesus, at least in his earthly life. Jesus said, “You will hear about wars and rumors of wars. Look, do not be upset. It is necessary for these things to happen but it is not yet the end.” (Matt. 24:6) In today's gospel passage, he emphasizes how sudden it will be. No one will anticipate it. People will be going about their daily lives. The best we can be is prepared.

And by that Jesus did not mean start stockpiling weapons and building bunkers. You no doubt have seen the ads for the latest batch of reality programs. They are about preppers, people who are readying themselves to fight the hordes who will go after them when the world economy collapses, or the U.S. Government falls (or tries to take over), or the Antichrist rises and the Tribulation begins or everyone else becomes zombies. I saw the promo for one episode in which this guy was making armor that strongly resembled that devised by Tweedledee and Tweedledum in the original Alice in Wonderland illustrations. More jawdropping was him using a Sharpie to draw a dotted line on his pregnant wife's belly in case he had to perform a Caesarean section on her as they hunkered down in their shelter during Armageddon. Even his wife expressed doubts about this idea.

How did Jesus say we should prepare for his coming? By doing what he told us to do. In Matthew 24:45 and following, just after our lectionary passage cuts off, Jesus says, “Who is the faithful and prudent slave, whom the lord has appointed to be over over his household to give everyone their meals at the right time? Blessed is the slave whose lord, when he comes, finds him doing so.” Jesus contrasts this with the slave who uses his master's delay to begin to abuse his fellow slaves, beating them and looking only to his own meals and getting drunk. In other words, Jesus doesn't say prepare for my coming by hunkering down and arming yourself to the teeth. Do the job I gave you; do what I told you to do. And what did Jesus tell us to do? To love God with all we are and all we have, to love our neighbor as ourselves and to spread the good news, making disciples for him. To deny ourselves, take up are crosses and follow him. To love one another with the same love that Christ loves us. That is the opposite of abusing others and self-indulgence.

Paul put it this way in our passage from Romans: put on the armor of light. Paul doesn't elaborate but this harkens back to Ephesians 6 where Paul gives us an extended metaphor of the armor of God. But he also speaks in Colossians 3:9 and following that having stripped off one's old self, we should be “clothed with your new self, which is being renewed in knowledge, according to the image of its creator.” Which is in harmony with the times Paul talks of putting on the Lord Jesus Christ as he does in Romans 13:14. Our new self is our restored image of God in Christ, in whom we live.

Just as putting on armor protects one from physical harm, so putting on Jesus protects us from spiritual harm. As it says in the hymn version of St. Patrick's breastplate: “Christ be with me, Christ within me, Christ behind me, Christ before me, Christ beside me, Christ to win me, Christ to comfort and restore me; Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ in quiet, Christ in danger, Christ in hearts of all that love me, Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.” It is not to be used as a magic incantation but a prayer and reminder that we are in Christ and we need not fear or panic because Christ is with us and protects us. That allows us to concentrate on what we should do, not what our appetites or fears urge us to do.

This does not mean being unprepared for Jesus' coming, but no more so than one would be for any cataclysmic change. For hurricanes, the only natural disaster that gives one plenty of warning, smart folks get extra water, canned foods, flashlights, radios, batteries, etc. Because we may lose electricity, and ATMs and gas pumps won't work, we should fill up the car, take out sufficient cash for a week or two, refill prescriptions, and keep our phones charged up. If you're evacuating, you want to remember pet and/or baby items, and especially your important papers, family videos and photo albums, all the things that insurance simply can't replace. For the aftermath and cleanup, you want thick workgloves, widebrimmed hats, bug repellent, sunscreen, tools, wet wipes and garbage bags. That's not being paranoid; just being prepared.

How can we prepare for Jesus' return? Rather than obsess over the physical stuff, we need to make sure we have all we will need to be spiritually prepared. In place of food, we need to stock up on the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. We need to be plugged into God through prayer to make sure we have the spiritual energy we need. We need the toolbox and instruction book that is the Bible. And pay special attention to the rather obvious examples of what not to do. And just as you would check in with family and friends to see if they are all right and to let them know how you are doing, we need to stay connected with our sisters and brothers in Christ, even getting together to do the equivalent of putting up shutters and battening down the hatches.

But what about others--those who don't know Christ? How do we help them get ready for Jesus' return? Well, I don't suggest you start off telling them about the end of the world and all that. Jesus only talked about that with the disciples when they asked about it. Tell them the good news. And you can do it exactly the way the people in the Bible did. When Jesus healed someone, even if he told them to keep quiet, they would go about telling folks what God had done for them. And people would listen. You can do the same: tell people what Jesus has done for you.

It helps if you connect your story with their needs. If a friend has a health problem, and you have a doctor who has helped you with something similar, you would tell them about him or her. The same goes with other needs. If a friend's car is on the fritz, and you have a mechanic who is honest and does a good job, you recommend him. If you know a store or a website or a service that has helped you, you recommend them to others. Why not recommend Jesus when someone has a moral or spiritual issue?

Or start out by helping them with whatever practical needs they have. Jesus did. Folks initially came to him for practical help, usually healing. Then Jesus tied his spiritual message to their circumstances, as in talking of the bread of heaven with the 5000 he had fed. Help people and if they try to reward you or ask why, talk about how Jesus helped you and wants you to do the same for others.

And one big way to help people is through programs and activities that show in miniature glimpses of the world to come. Anything that brings about justice or peace or relieves pain or pushes back death or comforts those who mourn or wipes away tears. These are hallmarks of the new creation and what we do in Jesus' name should display these hallmarks, at the very least, in embryo.

If the new creation were something that exclusively happens after all of these apocalyptic events, then it is rather like the predictions they make at the beginning of hurricane season. They say there will probably be so many named storms, so many that reach this category or that, so many which will make landfall. And that information isn't terribly useful, unlike when they are telling you that hurricane so and so will definitely hit in some specific area within a certain period of time. To repeat, we do not know the day or time Jesus will return and what's more, we cannot know it. So how is the information we get in Isaiah 2 or Revelation 21 relevant to life now?

Maybe we should change the metaphor. Jesus spoke of these things as being like the pangs of childbirth. It hurts a lot beforehand but only for a while. Once you actually have the baby, the memory of the labor pain starts to recede and you enjoy the beautiful new person you've brought into the world. People, Christians included, often focus on the pain preceding the realization of God's plan and not the delightful results. But you don't wait till the first labor pains hit to prepare for having a child and what you'll do afterwards.

Jesus often spoke of the End Times as a harvest. To harvest something you first have to plant it. And that's something we can do now. If the kingdom of God is more like a crop, then we can get to work planting seeds, watering them, nourishing them, trimming the branches. We don't have to wait for the harvest; we can work towards it. We can put on the Lord Jesus Christ like our work clothes which will protect us from the thorns and the poisonwood and the heat of the noonday sun. The harvest will come when it's time. In the meantime, we can toil alongside our fellow workers in Christ and sing songs and encourage one another and invite others to take part and enjoy contributing to the miracle of the growth of God's new creation.        

The Bible Challenge: Day 335

The scriptures read are Micah 6, Psalm 122 and Matthew 28.

Micah 6. We start out with another courtroom scene where God is making his case.

Then someone (Micah?) asking how he can make things right with God? How much of a sacrifice must he make?

I love how Peterson renders v. 8: "But he's already made it plain how to live, what to do, what God is looking for in men and women. It's quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbor, be compassionate and loyal in your love, and don't take yourself too seriously--take God seriously."

God condemns financial fraud, cheating, violence, lying and deceit. And he will punish it.

Psalm 122. This is an amazing sound to get out of a church--not the choir but the whole church, singing this psalm heartily!

Matthew 28. Evidently this angel did not tells the guards "Be not afraid." Or he did and it didn't help. The women didn't faint at least. They did skedaddle. Running into Jesus, they are told that he will see the disciples in Galilee. It is interesting that the gospels uniformly say the women were the first witnesses to the resurrection. Women's testimony was not accepted in court. Why would the gospels base the resurrection reports on the women unless it were true?

It is interesting that the cover story to explain away Jesus' apparent resurrection confirms that the tomb was empty.

Here we get the Great Commission in which Jesus gives us authority to make disciples in his name, by baptizing and teaching them. Then he claims to be omnipresent, something only attributed to God. He will always be with us.

The Bible Challenge: Day 334

The scriptures read are Micah 5, Psalm 121 and Matthew 27.

Micah 5. The famous passage quoted in Matthew's nativity story is found here. It's about how the shepherd/leader of God's people will come out of Bethlehem. He will be a universal peacemaker.

The remnant of God's people will be exceptional. And God will end all war by ending those things people fight with and about.

Psalm 121. From Westminster Abbey, a lovely rendition of this psalm.

Matthew 27. Why did Judas change his mind? Did he not expect Jesus to be arrested? Was Judas a Zealot trying to force Jesus to start the revolution? Did he think Jesus had sold out in some way? It's impossible to know.

It's likely this crowd, gathered so early on the day of Preparation, when most Jews would be standing in line at the temple to get their lambs slaughtered, was made up largely of the Sanhedrin and members of Caiaphas' household. The idea is to get Jesus crucified and buried before the Sabbath/Passover. After the Sabbath was over it would be a fait acompli.

Crucifixion was meant to be both painful and humiliating. It was meant to discourage anyone else from trying the same things the executed person was accused of.

The robbers were likely revolutionaries captured with Barabbas.

The jeers aimed at Jesus echo the tempter's words in Matt 4:3,7.

The IVP Bible Background Commentary on the New Testament says the sour wine may not have been the painkiller that was offered to Jesus earlier but was given here to revive him and prolong his suffering.

Joseph of Arimathea must have had a lot of clout to get an audience with Pilate at such short notice and to get the body of Jesus, executed as a revolutionary, handed over to him, a non-relative. Most crucified criminals were put in a common grave, not a nice family tomb with a fine linen shroud.

The Bible Challenge: Day 333

The scriptures read are Micah 4, Psalm 120 and Matthew 26.

Micah 4. The first 3 verses of this chapter are virtually the same as Isaiah 2:2-4. All the nations will stream to Zion to learn from God and peace will break out. God promises to heal and restore his people.

But first comes the exile. The people will come out of it stronger.

Psalm 120. Two very different versions of this psalm. First, in the original Hebrew here. Second, a chamber version in Latin here.

Matthew 26. The plot to kill Jesus is under way, hatched among the religious leaders, anxious to preserve the status quo and keep the Romans from destroying the nation (Cf John 11:48-49). The average Jew knows nothing of what is going on.

The woman who anoints Jesus is NOT Mary of Magdala. It looks more like it was Mary, the sister of Lazarus, and done in gratitude for Jesus raising her brother from the dead. (Cf. John 12:1-8).

30 pieces of silver is the price of a slave. Judas sells out Jesus at a discount! And to betray someone you just ate with was especially disgraceful.

Jesus radically reinterprets the elements of the Passover meal. Covenants are sealed with the blood of a sacrifice. Still Jews would be revolted by the idea of drinking blood and eating human flesh.

Passover must be eaten within Jerusalem and the participants must stay there that night so they don't return to Bethany. Gethsemane means "olive press" so there was probably one there in the garden.

Staying up late and talking about God's deliverance on Passover was typical.

Kissing then was like a handshake today. Again, this makes Judas' betrayal even more reprehensible.

Not only was losing an ear painful but the servant would not have been able to serve at the temple. Jesus' healing of him restored the servant not only physically but spiritually.(Cf. Luke 22:51)

The temple guards come to arrest a dangerous messianic revolutionary. Jesus' remarks on swords shoots that idea down.

Some say this trial never took place because it was illegal to meet at night and give a verdict without waiting a day. Like leaders never did anything illegal when they fear their destruction! Beside these are the rules the Pharisees came up with later. The priests are their rivals, the Sadducees, and only care about getting this dangerous radical out of the way. Then as now leaders do what they want and later come up with justifications or coverups. Like technically Jesus did not blaspheme but the high priest is being melodramatic to get the verdict he wants.

Peter is brave enough to walk onto the high priest's property but not brave enough to stand up for Jesus, who could have used a friendly witness.

Grateful

Holiday comes from the words “holy” and “day.” But you would never know that from how we celebrate holidays in this country. Christmas is much more about presents and Santa than the birth of Jesus. Easter is much more about candy and eggs than the resurrection of Christ. And Thanksgiving is much more about food and football than gratitude to God. In each of these cases, part of the problem is that merchants have been very successful in promoting their contribution to the holiday, more so than churches have. To the average person a holiday means a day off from work or school and time to celebrate. The idea that worshiping God should have a major role in the observance of a holiday rarely occurs to most folks. It's odd given that, for instance, the word Christmas contains Christ. And the word Thanksgiving begs the question “To whom are we giving thanks?”

The cynic might say we should be thankful to the folks who grow and harvest our food. And that is true. But that is just near the end of the chain of events that brings us the things we should be thankful. We are omnivores, which means unlike Koalas or cows or vampire bats, we can survive on a great number of things. And our skill at cooking further extends the menu because there are a number of foods that have to be prepared before they are digestible. We would not have spread all over the world, living in every kind of environment, were our diet limited to one or two items. Who do we thank for that?

For that matter, our brains and social structures are such that we can create the farms, the harvesting machines, the transportation systems, and the chains of retail outlets that make food distribution as widespread as it is. Ants and bees might store food for large numbers but none distribute it over continents or overseas, or indeed, outside their colonies. We not only feed the world for money but we also create government programs, charities and non-profits to distribute food to the needy, because we do not believe in letting poor people starve, though that could save us money and resources. We are not only incredibly organized but altruistic, well outside the circles of our own families, nations, and races. Who do we thank for that?

Our planet is 93 million miles from our sun, which is far enough that it isn't too hot for life, like Venus with a mean surface temperature of 863 degrees Fahrenheit, but close enough that it isn't too cold for life, like Saturn with a surface temperature of 288 degrees Fahrenheit below 0. Our planet is tilted at 23 ½ degrees in relation to the sun which gives us seasons. Our seasons are stabilized—that is, kept from being too extreme, by the moon, the largest in relation to its planet in our solar system. The moon also blocks a lot of meteors that would otherwise hit earth. Who do we thank for that?

2/3 of the earth is covered with water. It traps heat and distributes it throughout the planet. Water is essential for life. No animal consists of less than 50% water. Water allows plants and animals to dissolve minerals and nutrients for energy. Plants also use energy from the sun and remove most of the carbon from the atmosphere and release a lot of the oxygen, making life possible for the rest of us. The composition of the atmosphere—78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen. 0.03% carbon dioxide—plus hydrogen from water are essential for the production of the carbohydrates, fats and proteins we need to eat. Who do we thank for that?

The fact that oxygen makes up 21% of our atmosphere is essential because if the percentage was lower, animals could not exist and if it were just 4% higher, most plants would go up in flames. For that matter the cosmological constant, the 4 fundamental interactions of the dimensionless physical constraints, the freezing temperature of water, and a number of other basic features of our universe seemed to be fine-tuned to allow the creation and maintenance of life. Who do we thank for that?

An atheist might say “no one.” We just happen to be in a universe that allows life. The fact that so many things had to come together just right for us to exist is just chance. I would say it's as if we won the lottery at every single point at which things have gone in a different way that would preclude life. It's been shown that this is so unlikely as to defy the laws of probability. So some cosmologists have postulated that there are multiple universes with different constants so our finding ourselves in the one so hospitable to us is like not as unlikely. Unfortunately, there is no evidence of these other universes, nor any method to test whether they in fact exist. Essentially, the best non-theistic explanation for why we find the universe fine-tuned for life is that it has to be for us to exist in it and observe it. Which isn't really an explanation. It tells us that a universe without life could not be observed. But it doesn't explain why an observable universe should exist at all. Why do we have brains capable of observing and analyzing things that are not strictly needed for our survival? Who do we thank for that?

Jesus of Nazareth lived and died 2000 years ago. He arose again and sent out emissaries to proclaim the good news of God's love, grace and forgiveness through faith in Christ. They wrote all they learned from and through him and made countless copies allowing us to compare and make sure we have the most accurate version of these inspired documents. He gives us his Holy Spirit so we can be healed of sin and spiritual sickness and to become more like Jesus everyday. Who do we thank for that?

We know the answer. It is God our Father, who created us and this universe and who is now in the process of recreating, of making all things new As he created the world through Christ, so now is he making the new creation through Christ. And if we let him, he will make us new creations, restoring us to his image, fit to live with him forever.

These things are real causes to give thanks. And yet we are rather churlish towards God. He gives us life, time, a beautiful and abundant world and we take these things for granted. Worse, we misuse, abuse and neglect his gifts. We use them to harm not heal. We ruin and destroy them. We ignore and neglect our stewardship of them.

And we are hurting ourselves. Psychologists have realized that a major component of happiness is gratitude. In an article in the Georgia Psychological Association, Dr. William Doverspike reviewed 3 recent studies. In one, participants were asked to think of someone who did something important and wonderful for them and who had not been properly thanked, write a letter expressing their gratitude and deliver it in person, spending time to discuss it. Compared with a control group, folks who wrote and delivered the gratitude letter expressed more happiness a month later.

In another study, people were asked to write down each night 3 things that went well that day. They were to do it for a week. At a 6 month follow up, they were still happier and less depressed than they had been at the beginning.

People who were asked to keep a weekly journal of what they were grateful for turned out to exercise more, report fewer physical symptoms, feel better about their lives overall, were more optimistic about the coming week and made progress towards personal goals. People who did a self-guided gratitude exercise daily reported being more alert, more enthusiastic, more determined, more attentive and more energetic.

Gratitude is a key component in mental health. So is showing our gratitude to God by helping others. Not only does volunteering help lower stress and depression in the volunteer, it results in greater physical health and longevity.

That makes sense because the Bible tells us this is why we were made. Genesis tells us we were created to be gardeners and stewards of God's creation. As Paul writes in Ephesians 2:10, “For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” When we do what we were designed to do, we are healthier. And so is the rest of creation.

Throughout history, Christians have set up and continue to create and support schools, hospitals, food pantries, clothing banks, hospices, and more. They visit people in hospitals, prisons, and nursing homes. They provide places for homeless shelters, literacy programs, day care for children or the elderly, and support groups for those who are bereaved, divorced, addicted, unemployed, and suffer from illnesses both mental and physical. While others plan further ways to exploit, degrade and ruin the people and things God made, Christians are called to fix, heal and build up creation.

It is called stewardship. It is recognizing that, as David said in 1 Chronicles 29:14, “For all things come from you and of your own have we given you.” God created all things. All that we have is gift and grace. All of our skills and abilities come from God. All of our time is a gift from God. Every moment, even the bad ones, Brother David Steindl-Rast reminds us, is an opportunity. What we have and what we are is a gift from God; what we do with them is our gift to God.

This Thanksgiving, begin to count daily your blessings from God. Start a gratitude journal. Every night list 3 things you are thankful for. Look for opportunities to love and serve God in return with your time, your talents, and your treasure. Help and heal yourself by helping and healing others. Share, listen, teach, encourage, forgive, protect, strengthen, enjoy, accept, guide, befriend, pray for, comfort, learn, support, liberate and trust others in Jesus' name. They are all great ways to be grateful to our gracious God and Savior.