Speaking In Tongues (part 16)

Building on his thinking concerning the equality of Jews and Greeks, slaves and free, and ostensibly male and female, and seeking to create a unity and outwardly focused spirit of service amongst the members of the church body, Paul continues, writing “So now there are many members, but one body.  The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I do not need you,’ nor in turn can the head say to the foot, ‘I do not need  you.’” (1 Corinthians 12:20-21)  Why would a body desire to cripple itself by demeaning some functions while elevating others?  There is a trace of a sense that what may have been going on here is that the body of Corinthian believers were actually attempting to coerce those who did not exercise the type of spiritual gifts that were deemed to be more honorable (both inside and outside of the church) to leave the association. 

If this is the case, Paul certainly could not abide this.  He continues: “On the contrary, those members that seem to be weaker are essential, and those members we consider less honorable we clothe with greater honor, and our un-presentable members are clothed with dignity, but our presentable members do not need this” (12:22-24a).  Though one may have read these words many times before, once the honor and shame culture is squarely in view, and once one sees how that culture has been carried into the church in a way that is clearly not appropriate, it is no longer possible to read these words about “weaker,” “honor,” and “dignity” in the same way.  At the same time, Paul qualifies his usage by using phrases such as “seem to be” when referencing those that are thought of as being weaker, along with “we consider” when speaking of those thought of as “less honorable.”  Surely this is meant to be provocative.

With what comes next Paul picks up on a prominent feature of the Jesus tradition, together with its teaching about the kingdom of the Creator God and the enactment of that teaching through its meal practice, which is that of the first becoming last and the last becoming first.  Unity and equality with no divisions leaps directly to the fore when he writes “Instead, God has blended together the body, giving greater honor to the lesser member, so that there may be no division in the body, but the members have mutual concern for one another” (12:24b-25).  There is an example-of-Jesus-based last as first and first as last construct there, and mutual concern is a key. 

With an active ethic of the preferring of the other regardless of status, Jews and Greek are to have mutual concern for each other.  For Jews, this is revolutionary.  Slaves and free are to have mutual concern for each other---also revolutionary.  Men and women, by extension, are to have mutual concern for each other---part and parcel of turning the world upside down.  This mutual concern must move beyond sentiment, resulting in actions that demonstrate that mutual concern, with mutual concern over-riding societal constructs that would normally function to limit and govern such actions.  It is in that same frame of thought that one is then able to go on to read “If one member suffers, everyone suffers with it.  If a member is honored,” with this honor assigned through the court of public opinion, “all rejoice with it” (12:26).

Corinth's Communion (part 22)

Picking up at the seventh verse of the chapter: “To each person the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the benefit of all” (1 Corinthians 12:7).  Note the “all.”  “For one person is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, and another the message of the knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, and to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit” (12:8-9).  Noting the “all” of the seventh verse, attention is again called to the use of “same” and “one” that is repeatedly on offer to this apparently factionalized and segregated church.  Continuing, Paul writes “to another performance of miracles, to another prophecy, and to another discernment of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, and to another the interpretation of tongues” (12:10). This short soliloquy is capped with “It is one and the same Spirit, distributing as he decides to each person, who produces all these things” (12:11). 

Lest there be any confusion, the stress of the final statement, based on the movement of the entire letter, does not fall upon the “each person,” but rather, upon the “one” and “same,” as the subject matter is the spiritual gifts (and therefore presumably the “one and the same Spirit” that provides said gifts).  With that in mind, one can continue a quest towards concreteness and illumination, having so much of the socially-identifying-meal-practice-shaped analysis reinforced when reading “For just as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body---though many---are one body, so too is Christ.  For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body.  Whether Jews or Greeks or slaves or free, we were all made to drink of the one Spirit.  For in fact the body is not a single member, but many.  If the foot says, ‘Since I am not a hand, I am not part of the body,’ it does not lose its membership in the body because of that.  And if the ear says, ‘Since I am not an eye, I am not a part of the body,’ it does not lose its membership in the body because of that” (12:12-16).  By noting the use of “whether Jews or Greeks or slaves or free,” which would have been common and recognized points of division and reasons for honor or shame, does one not hear the stinging criticism being leveled through these words? 

Continuing then, “If the whole body were an eye, what part would do the hearing?  If the whole were an ear, what part would exercise the sense of smell?  But as a matter of fact, God has placed each of the members in the body just as He decided.  If they were all the same member, where would the body be?  So now there are many members, but one body” (12:17-20).  If these suppositions are correct, one can only envision the dramatic pause that may very well have taken place after this portion of the reading.  It takes very little effort at this point to imagine that the person who was reading this letter to the congregation, whether it was a member of the church or an emissary of Paul, had been instructed by the Apostle to read these particular words and then stop, and then to scan the room and meet the eyes of each and every person in an effort to make a dramatic point concerning the “oneness” of the body of Christ and this congregations failures.

Having done that, the reader, also knowing full well the divisions and separations that were at work in this church, whether socially constructed or based upon constructs rooted in opinions concerning a hierarchy of spiritual gifts, would continue with “The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I do not need you,’ not in turn can the head say to the foot, ‘I do not need you.’  On the contrary, those members that seem to be weaker are essential, and those members we consider less honorable we clothe with greater honor, and our un-presentable members are clothed with dignity, but our presentable members do not need this” (12:21-24a).  With this, one would have to agree that the honor and shame notions presented in this study are completely inescapable, practically clinching the argument here being made. 

Raising Lazarus For Glory (part 9)

Jesus’ response to the desire to see Him on the part of this group of Greeks in Jerusalem is fascinating, especially in light of this ongoing attempt to determine how the raising of Lazarus was going to reveal the Creator God’s glory.  When the inquiry from the Greeks is presented to Him, as they seem to stand in the place of peoples from all Gentile nations that will be brought into a desire to see the Creator God’s messiah, “Jesus replied, ‘The time has come for the Son of Man to be glorified’.” (12:23)  The Son of Man, of course, is one of the titles of the messiah, Israel’s king.  Many held to the belief that when the messiah appeared, He was going to be the physical embodiment of their covenant God.  So the glorification of the Son of Man would, by extension, be the glorification of Israel’s God.  This response by the one who they believed may very well be that long-awaited messiah must have been quite an encouragement to these answer-seeking Greeks.    

It seems possible that the whole of the Lazarus scenario has fed into and led up to this point.  By all appearances, it can be reasoned that these Gentiles have been induced to come to Jesus because of the events and situation that have occurred because of Lazarus’ raising.  Having spoken of the glorification of the Son of Man, Jesus then goes on to speak about the kernel of wheat falling into the ground and dying, and its provision of grain (12:24).  At this point, in the context of His God’s glory, it seems that Jesus has His pending ordeal in mind, as He says, “Now My soul is greatly distressed.  And what should I say?  ‘Father, deliver Me from this hour’?  No, but for this very reason I have come to this hour” (12:27). 

To what had He come?  As the story goes, He had come to the time of His death.  He had come to the time that He was referring to as His glorification.  He had come to the time that would show forth the covenant faithfulness of Israel’s God, thus bringing that God the glory that Israel had been raised up and separated out to bring to Him, but had failed in that task.  It is in this context that Jesus says “Father, glorify Your Name” (12:28a).  What follows that statement?  The author reports that “a voice came from heaven, ‘I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again’.” (12:28b)      

The story goes on to report that upon the hearing of this thundering sound from heaven, “Jesus said, ‘This voice has not come for My benefit but for yours.  Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out’.” (12:30-31)  When one reads about “judgment,” many are naturally prone to think of God’s wrath, having been conditioned to do so.  However, that need not always necessarily be the case.  In this case, and in relation to the glorification of the Creator God, “judgment” is accompanied by the driving out of the ruler of the world.  Judgment marks the beginning of the renewed creation and the manifestation of the kingdom of heaven.  Because of this, there is both a positive and a negative aspect of judgment. 

Indeed, the positive aspect of judgment is that of “liberation.”  Taking the positive sense then, the ruler of the world that is being driven out is death, as death has been understood to have reigned since Adam.  Through His comprehension of His now pending and rapidly approaching crucifixion and Resurrection, Jesus insists that death will be defeated.  With that defeat, the world will be liberated from its bondage to and fear of death, as the power of the Resurrection (the same power that raised up Jesus from the dead) will reign in this world through those that are in a believing union with Jesus, calling Him Lord, doing so in a trusting allegiance in Him as King, and interacting with this world accordingly.  This Resurrection power, presumably and mysteriously in operation by the Spirit of the Creator God, in and through the people of the covenant, who are those people because of their confession of Jesus as Lord, will be the tool that the Creator God uses to deal with evil in the world and to push back darkness, as He makes His people to be reflectors of His light and glory. 

Raising Lazarus For Glory (part 8)

To this point, this study has traversed a chapter and a half of the Gospel of John, with the bulk of the trek related in some way to the death and raising of Lazarus.  On two occasions, mention has been made of the glory of the Creator God in connection with the raising.  The first mention of the Creator God’s glory was upon Jesus’ hearing about Lazarus’ sickness.  The second time was in response to Martha’s insistence that Lazarus would stink, having already been in the tomb for four days.  Both times would lead the reader to believe that Lazarus’ raising itself was that which would reveal the glory of the covenant God, but further observation will allow one to conclude that such was not necessarily the case. 

Immediately after the Pharisees can be heard saying, “Look, the world has run off after Him” (John 12:19b), in reference to the welcome of Jesus into Jerusalem as King, one goes on to read, “Now some Greeks were among those who had gone up to worship at the feast.  So these approached Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and requested, ‘Sir, we would like to see Jesus.’  Philip went and told Andrew, and they both went and told Jesus” (12:20-22). 

It can be presumed that the Greeks that were in Jerusalem for Passover had seen (or at least heard about) this rousing welcome of Jesus, having also, along with the teeming masses, learned at least some information about the raising of Lazarus and the growing number of people that were, because of that raising, looking to Jesus as the Messiah.  It can also be imagined that these Greeks, in making inquiries about this Jesus fellow, who was now being loudly hailed as Messiah, had learned about some of His rather strange practices of regularly interacting with Gentiles.  Though they were Greeks, since they were in Jerusalem for Passover, it is likely that they had adopted the covenant markers (the works of the law), and were justified (saved, righteous, part of the covenant people).  It is the combination of a number of factors that most likely served to induce these Greeks to ask Jesus’ disciples for an audience with Jesus. 

Because they were in Jerusalem for Passover, and therefore in recognition of the Creator God’s covenant and His covenant people, which was likely indicated by their adoption of covenant markers themselves, it can also be deduced that they were aware of what were taken to be the prophecies of messiah, and would have been especially keyed in on those prophecies which clearly showed forth the messiah as so much more than a messiah for ethnic and national Jews alone, but which, according to some readings, announced a messiah for all peoples and all nations. 

It is worthwhile to attempt an examination of the scenario, in an attempt to determine why it was that they would want to see Jesus.  What was their peculiar motivation?  It is quite possible that, even though they were Greeks (Gentiles) that recognized the covenant and the covenant people, and even though they were in Jerusalem to recognize the Creator God’s saving deliverance in association with the Passover, that they were systematically excluded from full fellowship with those of ethnic and national Israel, even if they kept to the covenant marker of circumcision, along with the food and Sabbath laws. 

With the “Jesus situation,” combined with their understanding of a presumed understanding of the messiah as a figure that would transcend the traditional covenant boundaries, they desired to see Jesus.  A direct audience with the one being hailed as messiah could certainly put these controversial issues to rest.  The question was, with the knowledge that they were Gentiles, would He see them or would He rebuff them---putting them off as unworthy, regardless of potential bearing of covenant markers, because they were not of Israelite descent? 

Regarded As Nothing (part 1 of 2)

There is danger not only that this business of ours will come into disrepute, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be regarded as nothing – Acts 19:27a  (NET)

The words above are reported to have been spoken by a man named Demetrius.  He lived and worked in the city of Ephesus.  According to Acts, his trade was that of “a silversmith who made silver shrines of Artemis” (19:24b).  With the way that his story is presented, it appears to be the case that Demetrius was quite the influential man in the city of Ephesus, as it was his instigating words that would nearly bring the whole of the city (using hyperbole) to the point of riot.  This influence, if it was indeed what it appears to be, was gained from the fact that he “brought a great deal of business to the craftsmen” (19:24c).  While also being a man of influence, he was also a man of awareness.  Like any good businessman, he kept abreast of current events that could have an effect on his business, whether for good or for ill.  Quite recently, as the story goes, an event had occurred in Ephesus that was of considerable concern to Demetrius.

Backing up a bit in the nineteenth chapter of Acts, one discovers the report that “God was performing extraordinary miracles by Paul’s hands, so that even when handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his body were brought to the sick, their diseases left them and the evil spirits went out of them” (19:11-12).  These things are taking place in Ephesus.  As would be imagined, such events would make quite the impression on those that were their witnesses. 

Apparently, these things that were taking place at the hands of the apostle Paul also served as something of an inspiration, as Luke reports that “some itinerant Jewish exorcists tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were possessed by evil spirits, saying, ‘I sternly warn you by Jesus Whom Paul preaches’.” (19:13)  The reader can go on to learn, in fact, that it was seven brothers that were doing this very thing.  Fascinatingly, “the evil spirit replied to them, ‘I know about Jesus and I am acquainted with Paul, but who are you?’  Then the man who was possessed by the evil spirit jumped on them and beat them all into submission.  He prevailed against them so that they fled from that house naked and wounded” (19:16). 

What happened following this rather interesting event?  Again, not surprisingly, “This became known to all who lived in Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks; fear came over them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was praised” (19:17).  Though the aspiring exorcists had failed in their invocation of the name of Jesus in order to cast out the evil spirit, the subsequent occurrences of their being overpowered still, oddly, seeing as how it was the voice of the evil spirit itself, had the result of bringing praise to Jesus.  This provoked a response on the part of the people which enables one to go on to find that “the Word of the Lord continued to grow in power and to prevail” (19:20b).  Naturally, this leads to the question, which must be answered according to the context of the narrative of Acts and Paul’s over-arching message, was what “Word of the Lord” was it that was growing in power and prevailing? 

That seems to be a rather simple question to answer, as it was obviously the Gospel that Paul was preaching.  The Lordship of Jesus was the sum and substance of Paul’s message, and it was highlighted by talk of the crucifixion (which would militate against Lordship) and Resurrection (which would aid in vindicating that Lordship).  Earlier in this same chapter, it is said that “Paul entered the synagogue and spoke out fearlessly for three months, addressing and convincing them about the kingdom of God” (19:8).  Paul’s preaching of the kingdom could not possibly be disconnected with His preaching of Jesus as the crucified and resurrected Messiah of Israel, Who was the Son of God, Lord and King of the world (the Gospel).  Paul would not be preaching a kingdom without its King, that being Jesus; and apart from His crucifixion and Resurrection, Jesus could not be spoken of as King.

Foolish, Weak, Low, Despised, Nothing (part 1 of 2)

But God chose what the world thinks foolish to shame the wise, and God chose what the world thinks weak to shame the strong.  God chose what is low and despised in the world, what is regarded as nothing, to set aside what is regarded as something, so that no one can boast in His presence. – 1 Corinthians 1:27-29  (NET)

As an attempt is made to come to a proper understanding of what the Apostle Paul is here attempting to communicate, we need to keep in mind what it is that he has been setting forth to this point of his letter to the congregation at Corinth.  Paul has been writing about the cross, which, in and of itself, would be taken to be odd, as crucifixion (due to the profound shame associated with it, which was of paramount concern in an honor and shame culture) was most assuredly something that generally went unmentioned in polite society. 

Paul, in a nod to cultural sensibilities of the day, has called the message of the cross “foolishness to those who are perishing” (1:18).  Indeed, if one wanted to rally a movement, it would be foolish in the utmost to make consistent reference to the fact that your leader was crucified.  Paul however, clearly unconcerned about so much foolishness, and in making reference to this same cross, reports on God’s plan to “destroy the wisdom of the wise” and “thwart the cleverness of the intelligent” (1:19).  He has reminded his readers that while the “Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks ask for wisdom” (1:22), he preaches “about a crucified Christ” (1:23).  As we should be well aware, a “crucified Christ” was an absolute oxymoron.  There could be no such thing.  In his day, crucifixion, especially for a Jew, meant precisely the opposite of “anointed one” (Messiah/Christ).  For all, Gentiles included, crucifixion implied failure.  Thus, the implication of that, echoing the “foolishness” mentioned before, is that the cross is not a miraculous sign for the Jew, nor the sign or indication of wisdom to the Greeks. 

For the Jew, as it is worth reiterating ad nauseum, in light of the fact that it would be Jews that first came to believe in Jesus as the Christ, and who also would seemingly violate their strict monolatry/monotheism to worship the crucified One, it was quite contrary to the miraculous, as the cross was a sign merely that a person had failed in their messianic quest, getting him and (most likely) his followers crucified.  The Gentiles (the Greeks) would have looked at all of these attempted overthrows and revolutions, in the face of Roman power in expectation of their God acting on their behalf, as foolishness.  The dominant Greek philosophies of stoicism and Epicureanism would have spurred a general questioning of the need for all the hope and all the bother.  

In general, stoicism postulated a God that was far away and apathetic to the plight of humanity.  Broadly speaking, the epicureans said that the purpose of life is to pursue pleasure.  Clearly, their constant expectation of God’s action in Messiah and its underlying revolutionary fervor that took thousands of the Jews to their death, fit neither one of those models.  It is for these reasons, at the very least, that the message of the cross, of the crucified Christ, was “a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles” (1:23b). 

In the face of all of this, Paul continues on to write that “to those who are called” (1:24a), Christ is both “the power of God” (1:24b), thus fulfilling the Jewish requirement for a miraculous sign, and “the wisdom of God” (1:24c), thus fulfilling the Greek need for wisdom.  To this, Paul adds, “Think about the circumstances of your call, brothers and sisters.  Not many were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many were born to a privileged position” (1:26).  We must notice that Paul writes “not many,” which would imply that some members of the congregation that he was addressing were wise and powerful and privileged (or perhaps desired positions of power and privilege), while also making mention of the fact that this is added shortly after Paul’s mention of “those who are called.”  In this, we are able to see that to them, because the Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God, it did not matter that none but a few of the called were wise or powerful or born to positions of privilege.  

Gone After Him

Look, the world has gone after Him. – John 12:19b

This was spoken of Jesus, by the Pharisees.  What was it that precipitated these words?  The Gospel of John ultimately traces this back to the raising of Lazarus from the dead, which is recorded in the eleventh chapter of John.  It was due to this miraculous occurrence that took place at the word of Jesus, that “Many of the Jews…believed in Him” (11:45).  It was in response to that belief that “the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered the Council and said, ‘What are we to do?  For this Man performs many signs.  If we let Him go on like this, everyone will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation’.” (11:47-48)  They were concerned that the people would rally around Jesus as the promised Messiah and redeemer and king of Israel, sparking a revolt; and therefore, Rome and its Caesar would have no choice but to come out against Israel and put down the revolution.

This whole Lazarus business was a problem.  It could bring nothing but trouble as far as the chief priests and Pharisees were concerned.  We read that “When the large crowd of the Jews learned that Jesus was there,” that being the town of Bethany, just a short distance from Jerusalem, “they came, not only on account of Him but also to see Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead” (12:9).  You see, as long as people could see Lazarus, back from the dead, with potentially hundreds and hundreds of eyewitnesses to confirm both that he had been dead and was now alive, there was a risk.  The chief priests and Pharisees did not believe that Jesus was the Messiah, so as far as they could tell, nothing good could come from His being elevated to such a position in the eyes, hearts, and minds of the people.  They decided that an effective way to deal with the problem was to eliminate Lazarus.  “So the chief priests made plans to put Lazarus to death as well, because on account of Him many of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus” (12:10-11). 

This was evidenced by the fact that “The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem” (12:12).  They went out to Him, shouting “Hosanna!  Blessed is He Who comes in the Name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!” (12:13b)  Thus, the leaders’ fear were confirmed.  The people were being led to follow somebody that was clearly not the promised Messiah that would liberate Israel.  We go on to find out that “The reason why the crowd went to meet Him was that they heard He had done this sign” (12:18), which was that “He called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead” (12:17b).  It was all that people could talk about, which is quite understandable.  This is what prompted the Pharisees to say, “Look, the world has gone after Him” (12:19b).

Had the world gone after Him?  Was it not just the people of Israel?  What comes next?  What do we read?  We find that “among those who went up to worship at the feast were some Greeks” (12:20).  These Greeks, Gentiles of course, went to one of Jesus’ disciples and said, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus” (12:21b).  Is this not interesting?  Not only was Jesus to be the Messiah for Israel, but Israel’s Messiah was also to be the ruler of all the nations.  Here, we find that it was more than the Jews going after Him.  It was more than the people of Israel that were going away and believing in Jesus.  There were Gentiles going after Him as well.  These Greeks could very well represent the whole world going after Him.  So what is Jesus’ response to the inquiry of these Gentiles?  Does He say that He does not have time for them?  Does He put them off?  Does He say, “that’s nice to hear”?  No, upon learning that Gentiles were desirous of seeing Him, He says, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified” (12:23b).  It seems that Jesus saw this wish to see Him as a grand part of His mission.    

Sparked by the Grecian inquiry, Jesus launches into a dissertation on dying, bearing fruit, losing and hating one’s life, eternal life, service, following Him, being where He is, and being honored by the Father (12:24-26).  He almost immediately begins speaking of coming to this hour as it related to the purpose of His life and ministry (12:27).  Again, in a series of statements sparked by the Greeks desiring to see Him, Jesus exclaims, “Father, glorify Your Name” (12:28a).  Shortly thereafter, we hear Jesus saying, “Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out” (12:31).  Extending that, not only was the ruler of the world being cast out, but He would shortly be replaced by Jesus, as King and Ruler of the world, by the coming of the Kingdom of God, through His Resurrection.  Jesus says, “And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to Myself” (12:32).  He would draw people to Himself though He would undergo the shaming and dishonoring spectacle of crucifixion (which was partially designed to repel people from the crucified one).  He would draw people to Himself through the giving of new life, just as He had done for Lazarus.  He would draw people to Himself, just as He had drawn these Greeks.  From that point on, there would never come a time in which it could not be said of Jesus, because of the power of the Gospel’s proclamation drawing people to Him, “Look, the world has gone after Him.”     

This Jesus Is The Christ (part 2 of 2)

However, this did not mean that now all the other men who had gone to their deaths as the head of messianic movements were now to be looked back upon and viewed as potential messiahs, because part of Paul’s argument from Scriptures was to show that the Messiah must not only suffer and die, but that He also must rise from the dead.  Naturally, Paul argued unceasingly for the fact of the Resurrection of Jesus from the dead, and it was this fact, supported by correct understanding of the Scriptural prophecies of Messiah in regards to having to suffer and die on behalf of the covenant people of God, that proved that He alone was the Messiah and should be recognized as such. 

We can imagine here that Paul went into a dissertation in regards to the resurrection much like we find in the fifteenth chapter of Corinthians, recounting the over five hundred eyewitnesses of the resurrected Christ that could be produced to offer testimony of that fact.  In addition, Paul would most likely have pointed to the fact of the empty tomb and the implausible theories put forth to explain that empty tomb, as evidence in favor of a living Jesus. 

With this now placed in proper perspective, what was the result?  “Some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a great many of the devout Greeks and not a few of the leading women” (17:4).  So not only were some of the Jews convinced that Jesus was the Messiah (the Christ), but some Gentiles were convinced of this as well.  Gentiles were agreeing to the claim of Jesus as Messiah.  They were believing in Jesus.  They were believing in the Messiah that, in predominant Jewish thought, was supposed to be the Messiah for Israel, and Who would set Israel over all nations and all peoples.  With this development, it was no wonder that we find that “the Jews were jealous…set the city in an uproar” (17:5), and attacked the house where Paul and Silas were apparently staying. 

Strangely enough, these Jews that are mentioned here were saying of Paul and Silas that “These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also” (17:6b).  While it is true that the message of the Gospel was turning the world upside down (breaking down all class and social barriers through the proclamation of a universal kingdom of which Jesus was Lord), we probably have to imagine that the thinking behind this statement, considering the source, was a bit more provincial, carrying with it the connotation that the expectations of the Jews, of Israel, in regards to what would happen when the Messiah came---when their God acted to exalt Israel above all nations---is what was being turned upside down. 

Rather than being a Messiah for the Jews only, it appeared that this Jesus was being a Messiah for all peoples (redeeming all people from exile), thus dashing superior, nationalistic hopes.  In that light, echoing what was said to Pilate in order to convince him to condemn Jesus and send Him to the cross (John 19:12b: “If you release this man, you are not Caesar’s friend.  Everyone who makes himself a king opposes Caesar”), these men added, with an odd and ironic turn of events, that “they are acting against all the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus” (17:7b), acting as if they cared about Caesar in the least little bit, when all of their messianic hopes included rebellion against Caesar and a desire to see him deposed from his throne.         

Parallel Stories

The fourteenth chapter of Acts begins as a continuation of the thirteenth chapter of Acts.  Rather than repeating what would come to be a fairly standard occurrence, Luke writes “The same thing happened in Iconium when Paul and Barnabas went into the Jewish synagogue” (14:1a).  That “same thing,” of necessity and due to the rapid movement of the narrative from one story to the next, must include the idea that “the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit” (13:52).  The Holy Spirit was being poured out in Iconium, as Paul “spoke in such a way that a large group of both Jews and Greeks believed” (14:1b).  With more and more people being embraced by the arms of covenant due to their believing, “they stayed there for a considerable time, speaking out courageously for the Lord” (14:3a). 

In association with this speaking out on His behalf, Luke insists that the Lord, “testified to the message of His grace” (14:3b), with that message and grace being the Gospel (Jesus is Lord) and the extension of the covenant implied by that message of God becoming King in and through and as His Christ (Messiah/King), and confirmed by the “granting of miraculous signs and wonders to be performed through their hands” (14:3c).  This is an obvious, conscientious adaptation of the words from Joel that had been on the lips of Peter at Pentecost, as recorded in the second chapter, which was “I will pour out My Spirit in those days and they will prophesy.  And I will perform wonders in the sky above and miraculous signs on the earth below” (2:18b-19a).  To this Peter had added talk of “Jesus the Nazarene, a man clearly attested to you by God with powerful deeds, wonders, and miraculous signs that God performed among you through Him” (2:22b). 

Later on in that same chapter, we find another point of allusion, in that “Reverential awe came over everyone, and many wonders and miraculous signs came about by the apostles” (2:43), not the least of which was “All who believed were together and held everything in common, and they began to sell their property and possessions and distributing the proceeds to everyone, as anyone had need” (2:44-45).  By this, they accomplished what Caesar could not (which is the subject of another study), while proclaiming the Gospel in their very actions, gaining “the good will of all the people” (2:47a), with the result that “the Lord was adding to their number every day those who were being saved” (2:47b).  This took place as more and more came to the confession of Jesus as Lord, thereby joining the covenant people of God based on their allegiance to and belief in that claim. 

What were the miraculous signs and wonders performed by Paul and Barnabas in Iconium?  Though there is no specific, immediate mention, and though even in chapter two Luke passes over this statement without making what we would think of as any immediate, substantiating claims, chapter three contains the record of a man that had been lame from birth being healed, at the command of Peter, in the name of Jesus.  This healing in Jesus’ name, as was the point of other healing stories that would have been a component of the oral (pre-written) Jesus tradition in Paul’s day, made the point that Jesus did indeed rule over all things.  We can imagine the same types of things are in mind when Luke will later write about the performance of signs and wonders in connection with speaking out courageously for the Lord Jesus (as did Peter and John).

Though they met with opposition, with this opposition eventually forcing the need to flee from Iconium to other cities, Paul was never dissuaded from his message, as Luke records that he “continued to proclaim the good news” (14:7).  Let us never fail to equate “good news” with “Gospel.”  Concurrently, let us never fail to equate “Gospel” with “announcements about the ruler of the world.”  We shall not fail in this because neither the audiences of Luke or Paul or any of the earliest believers in Jesus would have failed in this.

Not only do we imagine that Luke intends to draw out the similarities between the preaching of the Gospel at Pentecost and Paul’s preaching of the Gospel in other cities, which serves as an indication that Pentecost (the pouring out of the Holy Spirit so as to create belief in Jesus as the means by which God would place people in right standing with Him---make righteous, justify, save, etc…), in a way, was an event that was repeated whenever and wherever the Gospel was being preached, but the report of miraculous signs and wonders in chapter fourteen (though the setting has changed from Iconium to Lystra) is followed by an event that almost precisely parallels the mention of signs and wonders in chapter and two and the event that opens chapter three.  As we hear about “a man… lame from birth” (14:8) that is healed at the command of Paul, we consider the idea that the preaching of the Gospel message (the good news) has the same impact and effect in Gentile cities, and on and for Gentiles, as it did in Jerusalem, and on and for Jews. 

In an almost comical twist, the healing in chapter fourteen results in “the priest of the temple of Zeus” bringing “bulls and garlands to the city gates,” as “he and the crowds wanted to offer sacrifices to them” (14:13).  When a lame man is healed in chapter three, at the Temple in Jerusalem, “the priests and the commander of the Temple guard and the Sadducees came up to them, angry because they were teaching in Jesus the Resurrection of the dead.  So they seized them and put them in jail until the next day” (4:1b-3a).  Divergent responses indeed.  This, of course, followed the people “being filled with astonishment and amazement at what had happened” (3:10b), as the people were “completely astounded” and “ran together to” (3:11) Peter and John.  In the parallel story in Lystra, it just so happened that “when the crowds saw what Paul had done, they should in the Lycaonian language, ‘The gods have come down to us in human form!’” (14:11b)  Following the healing (though before the arrival of the priests from the Temple), Peter and John took the opportunity to preach Jesus, in whom “The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our forefathers” (3:13a), had taken human form.  Paul, after the arrival of the priest from the temple, took the opportunity to proclaim the power of the same Creator God, who was the ultimate subject of the good news that he had been preaching.  Peter and John had to argue for their lives, were threatened, and eventually released.  Paul, preaching the same Jesus and the same God, with the same, subversive subtext, “scarcely persuaded the crowds not to offer sacrifice” (14:18b) to he and Barnabas.       

Jew, Gentile & Justification (part 1 of 3)

Therefore what advantage does the Jew have, or what is the value of circumcision? – Romans 3:1  (NET)

This questions flows from the presentation of the first two chapters of Romans (there wouldn’t be any chapter divisions in the letter).  Paul builds from his question of “what advantage does the Jew have…?” (3:1a), which leads to his declaration that “Jews and Greeks alike are all under sin” (3:9b).  With this, Paul accelerates the process, important to him, of leveling out all people before God, thus contributing to his efforts towards Gentile inclusion under the covenant through the declaration of faith in Jesus rather than the works of the law (current covenant markers), as he pieces together disparate statements from the Psalms and from Isaiah, writing “There is no one righteous, not even one, there is no one who understands, there is no one who seeks God” (3:10-11).  This would certainly be more than a bit deflationary to his Jewish listeners. 

He continues with “All have turned away,” as we note the importance of “all” to Paul both in Romans and in the remainder of the Pauline corpus (always remembering, in all that he writes, that he is the Apostle to the Gentiles), “together they have become worthless; there is no one who shows kindness, not even one” (3:12).  This is quite the accusation, and it probably deserves to be heard together with the ringing accusations of the first chapter, which can be applied to Jew and Gentile alike. 

Because these verses are prefaced by reference to “Jews and Greeks,” we also hear Paul co-opting words from the Psalms that were originally penned as polemics against the enemies of the king of Israel, so also enemies against Israel and Israel’s God, and re-deploying them as polemics against all peoples, both Jews and Greeks.  All are placed under God’s judgment.  Even in judgment, the equality of all peoples before God is paramount, regardless of the sources of equality.  So, regardless of what Israel may say or think about itself, Paul, by utilizing the language used by members of Israel and reserved for their enemies or the enemies of their covenant God, groups Jews and Greeks together and universally insists that “Their throats are open graves, they deceive with their tongues, the poison of asps is under their lips.  Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness” (3:13-14). 

Borrowing from Isaiah, and from words directed to an Israel that was failing to live up to its covenant responsibilities, Paul adds: “Their feet are swift to shed blood, ruin and misery are in their paths, and the way of peace they have not known” (3:16-17).  He rounds out his rhetorical flourish with a return to the Psalms and finishes with “There is no fear of God before they eyes” (3:18).  So yes, even though Israel has their covenant markers, and by those covenant markers can be identified as members of the covenant, they are not truly participating with God under that covenant and are therefore truly indistinguishable, in God’s eyes, from Gentiles that bear no covenant markers.  Consequently, a new covenant mark is needed and it is one that is going to apply to all people. 

Having said what he has said, and having utilized the words from the Psalms and from Isaiah, Paul wastes no words, continuing on to write “Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world may be held accountable to God” (3:19).  Generally, our focus when we look upon that verse is the law and the silencing of mouths, with this presumably directed to those who, because of the source of their righteousness (the covenant markers that indicates their status as “justified”), believe themselves to have some type of claim on God that is owing to the “good works” by which they believe themselves to have attained unto righteousness.  Of course, we know that this idea of “good works” as a means to attain righteousness, set in juxtaposition to a position of “grace alone,” is a foreign concept that really has no place in consideration of the messages of Jesus and of Paul.