July - Reading 7

Good afternoon -

Our Scriptures for today are:

Luke 8:40-56

Colossians 3:15-25

Psalm 130-131

1 Chronicles 15-16

May God continue to bless you as you read from His Word.

 

Good afternoon –

I always like it when our Bible reading plan hits upon congruencies and cross-references in the Scriptures. We have a very near miss tonight. When you have read 1Chronicles 15 and 16, go over to Psalm 132 which is our reading for tomorrow. The first 25 verses of Chapter 15 are unique to Chronicles. As we read Chronicles, I get the feeling that the Chronicler was very interested in music as so much of the additional information has to do with this aspect of the acts described. The Chronicler also points out the reason for the failure of the first attempts to move the Ark, that “God was not consulted” in the attempt. We see that David is returning the Israelites to the instructions they received in the Torah. Chapter 16 is also a chapter in review in our Psalmic readings. We find the Psalms of praise in Psalms 96, 105, and 106.

In our reading in Luke one thing that stands out to me is that Luke, a physician, does not go into greater detail about the failure of the doctors to heal the Temple servant’s daughter as Mark did in Mark 5:26. Perhaps this was professional respect? I would also like to note that Christ does not tell the dead girl that her sins are forgiven. It was her father’s faith that reanimated the girl and that faith was for that man’s forgiveness, not the girl’s.

In Colossians, we read Paul’s instructions for Christian living and we are instructed to do ALL of our work to the Glory of God. It does not end with our church work. Even in our secular jobs people will judge us and judge the Christian philosophy through our actions and living. We never come out from under the microscope.

May God bless you

- Clint

 

Sunday School lecture 11/30/03 part I

Colossians 3:18-4:18

Last week's lesson ended with Paul's ultimate incentive to good Christian living: do everything in the name of Christ. As we have learned from our studies, Paul was a master of transitional phrases. It is often quite difficult to tell whether he meant for a single verse to apply to the preceding comments or to the thoughts to come. Verse 3:17 is a perfect example of this. Paul gave us instructions last week towards Christian conduct in the church and this week moves into instructions concerning conduct in the home and then onward into society. He then rather abruptly moves into a very personal autobiographical Passage that gives us a glimpse into some of the interpersonal relationships of various New Testament characters and his current situation.

It is an interesting characteristic of this Book that the message goes from a very high, ethical theology to the very basest of human affairs, yet the focus steadily remains on Christ throughout.

3:18-4:1 Living for Christ in the Home

It is commonly and widely known in every culture that moral training begins at home and Paul's world was no exception. It should be noted here that the emphasis in these instructions is on duties, not rights, and all of these duties are reciprocal. In a Christian home, there is no partiality because of gender, age or station. This Passage is very similar to Ephesians 5:22-33 but is much briefer.

He begins with instructions to the husband and wife. Paul instructs the wife to submit to the husband. This imperative is repeated often in the New Testament (Ephesians 5:22; Titus 2:4-5; 1Peter 3:1). The intent here is that the wife is to defer to her husband's decisions on governmental matters within the home such as profession, clothing or geographical location. One should never interpret this verse as saying that the husband has a right to be a dictator or a despot. Notice the contrast between the slave's obligation or the child's imperative to "obey." To the contrary, the wife's submission is voluntary and reliant on the husband's unselfish love. This submission is not to be forced on the wife but is rather given agreeably by the wife as she recognizes that the family must have a head. Such loyalty to a loving and devoted husband is called "fitting in the Lord." It is part of the natural as well as the Christian order, being established by God from the creation of man and wife.

The husband's duty is to "love…and not be harsh." To assign the husband any type of duty in the Graeco-Roman world was a rather revolutionary concept. Male dominance was already an established norm in the society but women were regarded as little more than property. It naturally arose that the women should be submissive as the natural order required the husband to protect and provide for his wife but Paul now raises the station of the husband to being Christlike. Subjection to such a man would not be indignant for the woman. (Ephesians 5:25)

Again, we see reciprocal duties between children and fathers. The term "fathers" here is not limited to just the male parent. We see in Hebrews 11:23 that the Greek word pater (pat-ayr') is used for both parents. Children are to obey their parents, as it is "pleasing to the Lord." We must keep in mind that Paul is here addressing Christian households. The discipline of Christian parents is essential for spiritual maturation of children. The parent's obligation on the other hand is to not be harsh with the child. The natural rebellion of a child should not incite the Christian parent to excessive use of authority. This instruction becomes increasingly more relevant as the child grows from childhood to adolescence. The reason given for not embittering the child is that he "may become discouraged." If the parent is too exacting, too demanding, or too severe, the child may lose heart and give up on trying to please at all.

Paul now moves to instructions toward slaves within the Christian household. As we discussed in our study of Philemon, slavery was a well-established institution in the Graeco-Roman world. While the practice is no longer legally recognized in most of the civilized world, the principles can easily be applied to the modern workplace. The one instruction given to this class was obedience "in all things." Again, we must keep in mind that Paul is addressing Christian households, as the thought that he would give his support to a command that countered the Gospel is contrary to New Testament thought. The slave's owner was merely an "earthly master," and the slave was already a freeman in Christ. Therefore, their service need not be cringing or hateful, but full of zeal as though they were working for God Himself. This transformed slavery from the unenviable position of captivity to the level of a vocation.

If the instructions for husbands to not be harsh with their wives were revolutionary, the instructions to slave owners to treat their slaves justly and fairly was completely alien to Paul's audience. This instruction gives the slave class a right. Paul points out that the slave owner is not in absolute power, that he too has a Master, that being God. Just as the husband and wife are likened to Christ and the church in Ephesians 5, so Paul likens the master/slave relationship to God and his followers.


continued

 

Sunday School lesson 10/24/04 - continued

Luke 8:40-56 A Double Miracle

In direct contrast to the rejection by the Gentiles on the eastern shore, the crowds on the western shore enthusiastically welcomed Jesus back. The assumption is generally made that this crowd was comprised of the same people who made up the crowd earlier in this chapter.

Jairus is named as a ruler of the synagogue. Upon Christ's return, he falls at the Master's feet begging Him to come and save his daughter's life. However, before Jesus can make it to Jairus' house, another miracle is performed. This is the only place in the Gospels in which one miracle is performed during the midst of another. The crowds pressed in upon Jesus as He made His way to Jairus' home. In the midst of them, a woman who had been hemorrhaging for twelve years came up behind Christ and touched the hem of His robe. The woman had exhausted the knowledge of the medical community to no avail and we are thus impressed upon that her condition was not curable by human means.

The word "fringe," "hem," or "border" represents the very edge of the robe worn by Christ. This was a very audacious move on this woman's part. There were three types of contact that would cause one to be excluded from society: contact with a corpse, leprosy, and contact with one who had a bodily discharge. By Law, this woman had no right to do what she did.

Jesus had previously shown that He did not need to observe these customs. As the Messiah, He did not become unclean through contact but rather imparted cleansing. Jesus felt the power go out of Him that healed this woman. When He asks who it was, all denied that it was them, even though many had been touching Him according to the text. When He asks a second time, the woman admits that it was her with much fear. After her confession, Jesus does not scold her but praises her faith, sending her on her way with a blessing of peace.

In the meantime, a member of Jairus' household arrives and announces that there is no need for Jesus to come for the girl is dead. Jesus hears this announcement and instructs Jairus not to fear, only believe. Healing was widely recognized as a rabbinic gift but reanimating the dead was an act performed only by Israel's most powerful prophets. Arriving at the home, He enters the home with only Peter, James, John, and the parents. Announcing to the crowd that the girl was only sleeping brings forth ridicule in the form of laughter. Perhaps the mourners felt that Jesus was incapable of dealing with a death. The scene here preambles the greater truth that will later be revealed in the Gospel. Jesus Christ has dominion over not only infirmities, demons and nature, but over death itself. That the girl is sleeping calls to mind the image of her reawakening, a cornerstone of Christian philosophy.

With the simple command of "child, arise," the girl comes back to life and the resurrection is confirmed by her eating. As was the case in most of the previous miracles, the witnesses are instructed to not report what they have seen.

 

Our Scriptures for 7/8 are:

Luke 9:1-17

Colossians 4:1-9

Psalm 132

1 Chronicles 17-19

 

Our Scriptures for 7/8 are:

Luke 9:1-17

Colossians 4:1-9

Psalm 132

1 Chronicles 17-19

 

Our Scriptures for 7/8 are:

Luke 9:1-17

Colossians 4:1-9

Psalm 132

1 Chronicles 17-19

 

Our Scriptures for 7/8 are:

Luke 9:1-17

Colossians 4:1-9

Psalm 132

1 Chronicles 17-19

 

Our Scriptures for 7/8 are:

Luke 9:1-17

Colossians 4:1-9

Psalm 132

1 Chronicles 17-19