Reformation Day Remembrance: Resting in God’s Promises

Reformation Day Remembrance: Resting in God’s Promises

In the Lutheran church, the month of October is always remembered as the month of Reformation. We are not tired of hearing that on October 31, 1517—on the eve of All Saints Day—Dr. Luther nailed the invitation to discuss the 95 theses. The theses were concerning the practice of Indulgences—an attempt to financially smooth the way to heaven for the living ones and their relatives who passed away. Nowadays, this practice is very rare. But the attempts to achieve heaven by doing more and more, better and better, are deeply rooted in our hearts. Therefore, we need to remember the Reformation time and time again.

Why We Still Need the Reformation

Reformation is not simply a set of theological propositions. Even though Martin Luther had a Doctor of Theology degree, he cared for the daily lives of the people of God. He first re-introduced the sweet teaching of the Bible to men and women of Wittenberg. Then his teaching went across Germany, Europe, and the whole world. And the sweet teaching of the Bible is the Gospel—the Lord's forgiveness He extends to us in Jesus Christ. Being united with Jesus, we are adopted into the Family, the Church.

The Gospel at the Heart of the Reformation

With the Day of Thanksgiving and the Christmas season approaching, the life of LWML members picks up a faster pace. More and more events fill the calendar: Congregational meetings, LWML sessions and rallies, Christmas parties at the church and school for children and grandchildren, family gatherings…and so on and so forth. And sometimes, one might feel all the events are great and needed for you, the family and children, the church, the LWML. And they are probably great, but I want you to pause for a second and go back to the achievements of the Reformation.

Vocation Frees Us from Holiday Pressure

Luther spent much time trying to explain the ideas of vocation, being a beloved child of God. We are to do many godly acts, but we do them not to become the children of God or to prove that we are. We do not need to prove it—for the proof is found at the Baptismal font where God promised us His love and care. Being the daughter of God frees you to take a deep breath and assess what will be godly and beneficial for you and your family this year.

Planning from Your Identity as God’s Child

Usually, it is the mother's or grandmother's task to plan the festive part of the year. But a mother's vocation is to present the gracious presence of God to the family. So, going through the calendar, you can see what events can be postponed to next year or which responsibilities can be delegated to others.

Resting in God’s Promises

Neither Thanksgiving nor the Christmas season should be seen as a race. We can truly enjoy them, knowing that our status as children of God is safe and secure in God's promises fulfilled in Jesus. And that's why the Reformation is so important—to remind us, time and time again, of the Biblical discovery made by Dr. Martin Luther.

2 Corinthians: Concerns about the Corinth congregation

Paul's concerns for the church at Corinth

text: 2 Corinthians 1 – 2

Outline:

Introduction: 1:1-2

a. 1:3-5, Blessed be the God and Father of comfort

  b. 1:6-11, Coming to Asia, being help by prayer

    c. 1:12-14, simplicity and sincerity

      d. 1:15-22, I wanted to come to you

        e. 1:23-24, I call God to witness against me

      d'. 2:1-4, I made up my mind not to make a painful visit to you

    c'. 2:5-11, Sorrow and forgiveness

  b'. 2:12-13, I came to Troas, looking for Titus

a'. 2:14-17, Thanks be to God

Comments: As St. Paul begins, he greets the congregation in union with Timothy – a regular “model” from the apostle, he comes to the people of God with two or three witnesses. Then, he addresses the issues of suffering in the world and the comfort we receive in God. Therefore, his previous letter that caused some pain should be seen as a tool of God for their repentance and forgiveness.

Following the introduction, St. Paul points out that God is the Father of Jesus, and He is the Father of all comfort. We know that the Comforter is sent into the world – the Third person of the Trinity, Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit unites us in the sacrament of Holy Baptism with Jesus's suffering and death (Romans 6:3-5). It is the same Holy Spirit that comforts us when we go through the trials of life.

The apostle doesn't want to look “theoretical.” He shares with them the afflictions they experienced in Asia. Depending how one dates the letter, it might include the two hour roar of angry men in Ephesus (Acts 19:28-34); or, he could've meant being jailed in Philippi (Acts 16:19-34); or, being stoned to death in Lystra (Acts 14:19-23)... So, when he says “we felt that we received the sentence to death,” (2 Corinthians 1:9) he means business. And he mentions trial not to boast in his super-powers, but to underline the hope/reliance they had on God who raises the dead (see the last paragraph).

This resurrection message should be received with simplicity and sincerity. Here St. Paul juxtaposes these virtues to worldly wisdom. To some extent, he follows his own line of thought from the First letter – 1 Corinthians 1:18-31. He encourages them to read the letter as is – not looking for the philosophical layers (2 Corinthians 1:13). Then they will be able to boast in their father of the Gospel (1 Corinthians 4:14-15), as he will boast of them.

The resolute St. Paul shows in his intent to see the Corinthians is based on God's faithfulness. All of His promises are fulfilled. And all them are fulfilled in Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 1:20). This is a very important verse one needs to bear in mind, discussing the question of modern “fulfillment” of Biblical prophecies.

His desire was not to bring them pain – he, actually, suffered and endured pain himself, thinking about their situation, described in the first letter. Yet, he is not the reason for the pain, because his pain does not really concerns the apostle. He cares about their spiritual well-being. And the pain was brought to the whole congregation (cp. 1 Corinthians 5:1 – most of the interpreters connect these two dots, by the singularity of the one who sinned and usage of title Satan in two letters). He encourages them to come back to mutual love with the apostle and among themselves (2 Corinthians 2:4-5,8-9).

This raises the question of forgiveness – as Peter asked Jesus: “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” And we know the answer – 77 (Matthew 18:21-22). In the first letter St. Paul was dealing with their indifference to a grave sin. Apparently, they took some steps to implement a discipline. But now they got to another extreme – not receiving a fallen brother into the fold. As a result, they played into Satan's design – creating another instance of disunity. St. John Chrysostom commenting on this says: Satan can destroy us even under the show of piety (ACCS, NT:VII, 206, also, LC III: 62-63).

Giving them a personal example, the apostle points out that he is the one seeking unity. He couldn't even preach properly in Troas unlit he found Titus, who should've been there (2 Corinthians 2:12-13). Troas is in Asia, but searching for the co-laborer brought him to Macedonia. This is how much St. Paul valued unity among the brothers.

He concludes with giving thanks to God – matching the blessings of God in the opening statement. God leads us in triumphal procession – very beautiful liturgical terminology. He also spreads through us the fragrance of the knowledge of Him everywhere. This phrase has a sacrificial meaning. The Book of Leviticus states the the sacrifice of ascension is sweet aroma to the LORD (1:9). Which means that a minister should be ready for a sacrificial life (cp. Romans 12:1-2). St. Paul puts this two aspects together in his letter to Ephesians (5:2). Having a personal experience of receiving a death sentence (see above) and showing the example of faith in God who raises the dead (2 Corinthians 1:9). When people see how Christians go through their “death-and-resurrection” experiences, relying on God of resurrection, the aroma of the risen Jesus spreads among the people – those who are saved see the suffering as a sign of life, while the unbelievers see nothing but death. And the example of this is sufficiently presented by His ministers, commissioned by God, speaking in Christ (2 Corinthians 2:16b-17). 

Book of Acts: Paul goes to Jerusalem

Paul goes to Jerusalem

The Passage: Acts 21:1-17

Structure:

a. 21:1-3, Journey of St. Paul

  b. 21:4-6, “don’t go to Jerusalem”

    c. 21:7-9, Visit to Philip (the Deacon)

  b’. 21:10-14, owner of the belt will be bound in Jerusalem

a’. 21:15-17, Journey of Paul

Historical and geographical context:

Many travels: Cos, Rhodes, Patara, Phoenicia, (passing by Cyprus, possibly they got lost), Syria, Tyre, Ptolemais, Caesaria, Jerusalem. About a month of travel.

Visit of Philip. Philip is mentioned as one of the deacons of Jerusalem congregation (Acts 6:5). Then he ministered outside of Jerusalem, preaching in Samaria and converting the Ethiopian eunuch (Acts ch. 8). Apparently, he settled in Caesaria serving an evangelist (a person who proclaims the “good news”, cp. Eph. 4:11), being an active part of the congregation started by Cornelius (Acts 10).

Staying with Mnason of Cyprus. The man is mentioned only once in the Bible. Recently, scholarship got into a heated debate. Was he of a Greek origine (being from Cyprus) or a Jew (cp. Acts 4:36)? Where was the house: between Caesaria and Jerusalem or next to Jerusalem? With the shortness of the Biblical background, we can say definitively very little. First, Luke calls him “early” disciple (ESV), lit. “old” (or from of old). Which can mean – one of the unnamed 70/72 that Jesus sent on a mission (Lk. 10:1-20). Or, he could’ve been one of the “converts” of Pentecost or visits of Peter (Acts 9:36-10:48). IMHO, the MOST important take away – St. Paul and his companions (including St. Luke) did not use the system of inns (cp. Lk. 2:7; Mt. 2:9). Together with the previous note (on Philip) and other Biblical passages (Heb. 13:2-3; 2 John 9-11; Gal. 6:10) we can see that the Church creates its inner connectedness between the members of the Kingdom.

Theology:

Postures for prayer. Second time in a row we see that people praying for the travels of St. Paul and his companions kneeling. There are a few postures mention in the Scripture: standing (Rom 14:10-12; note that St. Paul quotes Is. 45:23 mentioning that “every knee shall bow”), prostrating (Neh. 8:9; Mt. 2:11), raising of hands (1 Tim. 2:8). Different postures are applicable for different situations.

Theology of New Testament prophecy. In the times of the Old Testament prophets were people from “the counsel of God” – He valued their opinion (cp. Amos 3:7; 7:1-6; Abraham is an example of the prophet – Gen. 18:17-19; 20:6). Then they would deliver the will of the Lord to the people in their speeches/sermons and/or writings. Sometimes they would be given a glimpse of the future (Dan. ch. 7 through 12). In the New Testament their role is basically the same – familiarize people with the will of God and (very rare) foretell the future. Thou Agabus appears twice in the Book of Acts and both times delivers a sad message (below).

Paul follows the footsteps of Jesus. Nobody tried to talk St. Peter from his arrests or afflictions. This is the second time we have seen people attempting to change Paul’s decision to appear in Jerusalem. His response is similar to the response of Jesus – basically, we encounter “get behind me Satan” scene (cp. Mt. 16:21-23). Also, see the parallel between what the companions of Paul say accepting his determination and the prayer of Jesus in the Garden (Mt. 26:36-44; Acts 21:14).

Brothers vs. disciples. St. Luke uses two different terms describing the members of the church. It is possible that these terms indicate a somewhat different status within the community of believers. On the other hand, he might have a different nuance in mind – he mentions “disciples” pointing out their respect toward the apostle. When he uses “brother”, St. Luke refers to the family status of all the members of the church, stating equality of the Pauline status in relation to the status of Jerusalem and Caesarian leadership.

Other themes: Agabus – sad prophet. First, he appears in Acts 11:27-30 (lesson 25). Back there he brought sad news about the famine. Here, he predicts the imprisonment of “the owner of the belt” (Acts 21:11). Looks like God trusts him with a delivery of sad news to the brothers. It is a very difficult ministry – to carry out it faithfully is a great achievement, however unpleasant. Also, see an example of the ministry of Jeremiah the prophet; and the ultimate example of prophetic ministry of Jesus. 

Gospel of John: Night meeting with Nicodemus

 Night meeting with Nicodemus

Text: chapter 3

Outline: First of all, it is a good time to state that chapter three is a part of a larger unit – chapters 2 to 4 – seven parts, again.

A. 2:1-12, Jesus at Cana of Galilee

  B. 2:13-25, Jesus at Jerusalem

    C. 3:1-21, Nicodemus (man, night meeting)

      D. 3:22-36, St. John glorifies Jesus

    C'. 4:1-42, Woman of Samaria

  B'. 4:43-45, Jesus goes to Jerusalem

A'. 4:46-54, Jesus comes to Cana in Galilee

Chapter three itself can be outlined as following:

A. 3:1-2, Nicodemus: You are the teacher from God

  B. 3:3-8, Born of the Water and the Spirit

    C. 3:9-15, Bearing witness on whoever believes has eternal life

    C'. 3:16-21, Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life.

  B'. 3:22-24, The disciples of Jesus and St. John baptize people (in different places).

A'. 3:25-30, John the Baptizer: He must increase, and I must decrease.

D – Conclusion, 3:31-36, repetition of the main themes: born from above, witness, Father loves the Son, eternal life.

Comments: Meeting of Jesus and Nicodemus gives a foundation for many dogmatic decision made by the Church – understanding of the Holy Baptism, the ministry of the Spirit and the Son. There are also a few misunderstandings – why night, etc. I'll try to address the main ones.

Let's start with the time of the meeting. There are propositions that Nicodemus came to Jesus by night because he was afraid. He was afraid for his position as a ruler of the Jews (John 3:1) or he was afraid for his life, like disciples after the crucifixion of Jesus (cp. John 20:19). I don't agree with this interpretation. The reason being – John has no problem to say that disciples were afraid, the parents of the blind man feared the Jews (John 9:22) etc. But he doesn't say anything like this about Nicodemus. So, why did he come by night? I think he came by night because he and Jesus were busy doing the ministry – in their own respected areas. The only possible time for them to meet was when every one else went to sleep.

The language of Jesus. The phrase “born from above” vs “born again” is a reason for misunderstanding. The Greek word “anothen” has two meanings – again and from above. Nicodemus obviously understands it as being born again – literally, from his mother – can a man second time come to his mother's womb? (John 3:4). Then Jesus explained to him the true meaning of the beginning of the spiritual life – being born from the water and the Spirit (John 3:5). This one of the foundational text for baptismal theology in the Book of Concord (AC II:2).

Wilderness imagery. Unlike other Gospels the Gospel of John does not have a wilderness story. At the same time there no lack of wilderness imagery – here is one of the examples. Jesus reminds Nicodemus of the Bronze serpent that Moses used to heal the wounds of the people of Israel (Numbers 21:4-9). Building on this example, Jesus foretells that He – the Son of Man – will be lifted up (John 3:14). What is He talking about? Crucifixion or Ascension? The way to solve it is to allow the Scriptures interpret the Scriptures – later, Jesus again will talk about Him being “lifted up” (John 12:32). There John will clearly point out that it was a reference to His death (John 12:33). That's why we use crucifixes in the Church – the Crucified Savior draws people to Himself.

The golden verse. Who doesn't know John 3:16? The extend of God's love in Jesus has no boundaries. Love for the [whole] world led Father to send His only begotten Son to be the source of eternal life. Yet, there are churches who misunderstand even this verse. The Presbyterian and Reformed churches believe that the World means a collection of the elect – only those who would receive Jesus by faith, for them and only for them Jesus died on the cross. We reject this notion – the world did not accepted Jesus (cp. 1:10). He died to bridge the gap between the rebellious world and the Creator (2 Corinthians 5:19). Some people would accept and have a life of faith, and some people would keep on fighting to the end (no pun intended...).

Ministry of John. The second title for John the Baptizer is John the Forerunner. He began the ministry prior to Jesus – to prepare the way (cp. Like 3:1-6). Also, his martyrdom would point to the ultimate sacrifice of Christ. In between he would minister to people, but his ministry was unique in a sense that he would always point to Jesus. It can be summarized in the phrase from this chapter - “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30).

Given vs reception. We already touched a little bit on the topic of election. There is another extreme – teaching of free will of reception. One of the most obvious implication of that is “we don't teach our children, they need to receive Jesus on their own.” But St. John the Baptizer explained it very plain – a person can not receive even one thing unless it is given to him from heaven (John 3:27). We teach our children, because it is given to them – since they are born in the family of the believers. The world without the knowledge of Christ is under the wrath of God (John 3:36). We don't want our children to be under the wrath, but to believe and to be obedient to the Son.                            

The Twelve: St. Thaddaeus or St. Jude

St. Thaddaeus or St. Jude

Identity: Before we start to talk about the meaning of the name and life story, we need to identify who he really was. Modern scholarship (especially secular) make a big deal out of “confusion” with three lists of the apostles we have in the Gospels of Matthew (10:1-4), Mark (3:16-19), and Luke (6:13-16). Luke gives one more list in the Book of Acts (1:13). While Matthew and Mark talk about Thaddaeus, Luke mentions Judas the son of James in both of his books. Along with this John mentions Judas (not the Iscariot) as a part of the fellowship at the Last Supper (John 14:22). We also have the Letter of Jude – the last of the 7 General or Catholic Epistles. Therefore, if we believe that the Apostles and Gospel writers knew what they were talking about. We just need to assume that Judas, Jude, and Thaddaeus is the same person. This should not surprise us for we have multiple instances of people having more than one name – Simon being also called Peter would be a parade example.

Meaning of the name(s). Let us start with Thaddaeus. Depending on the origins it can mean “courageous heart” (if derived from Aramaic), or “gift of God” (if derived from Greek).

Judas – Greek form of Hebrew name Judah – means “praise the LORD.” It was the name of the fourth son of Jacob by Leah (Genesis 29:35). As you might remember Leah and Rachel got into to a racing competition for the love of their husband. Bible simply states that Jacob loved Rachel – it was the love from the first sight, and he was ready to serve seven years for her (Genesis 29:20). Leah was trying to gain Jacob's love by bearing him sons. First came Reuben, then Simon, then Levi – every time she hoped and hoped... Then Judah was born, and she praised the LORD. She finally can to the ultimate type of relationship – relationship with God. She stopped bearing.

Story: Part of the Twelve. We don't have many stories for Judas (Jude), but the fact that Lord Jesus Christ selected him to be one of the Twelve means something. What were the criteria? Apart from personal assessment of Jesus, St. Luke left us the list of features the apostles paid attention to when they replaced the traitor. In the first chapter of the Book of Acts the apostles are looking for someone else to be “on the team.” Let's see what they considered right to be qualified. There are two basic conditions: (1) be with the group from the very beginning (from the baptism of/by John [Baptizer]) (2) until the day of Jesus's ascension. Covering the time-span of the ministry of Jesus. But within this the apostle should be a witness of resurrection. For sure, when Jesus selected the Twelve, they didn't have the resurrection yet. But what we can certainly know is he was with the disciples from the time of Jesus being baptized by John. This means that he heard the voice from heaven: This is my beloved Son, in Whom I'm well pleased (Mark 1:10-11).

Conversation at the Last Supper. We also see Judas as an active participant at the Last Supper (John 14:22). It is very interesting that Judas listens very carefully, takes his time to process a very rich “spiritual food” of Jesus' sermon, and then asks the question. His question related to what the Lord said a couple sentences prior. But he didn't want to leave it alone, having “I'll ask later” attitude. And Jesus response to his question, taking him very seriously. The distinction between the disciples and the world is maintained by faith through the reception of the word, the word that came through the Son from the Father. When the disciples will receive the word and follow Jesus' commands, the love of Jesus will be manifested among the disciples – that's how the world will know about the Savior (John 13:34-35). This was the driving force for Jude's ministry – be it writing his Letter or preaching of the Gospel to unknown lands (Armenia included).

The Letter of Jude was written around 60AD. The apostle encourages the church not giving in to the evils of the world as it tries to penetrate the church and corrupt the church from within. But imminent judgment on the ungodly IS coming. Though it looks like the wicked prevail (at times and places), there is a greater judgment that is ultimately coming to the world (cp. Ps. 73).

As long as the Church is present on earth, the forces of evil will attack her from the outside and try their best to penetrate corrupting from the inside. The Letter of Jude is very helpful with the identification of these attempts, encouraging the “beloved” to hold fast to faith once delivered to the saints. Also, regardless of the difficulty and severity of the spiritual and life combat, we eagerly await the Second Coming of Christ which will complete the ultimate deliverance.

Tradition: Commemoration date for Jude and Simon (the Zealot, we'll talk about him next week) is October 28. Traditionally, the symbols for St. Jude is ship – for traveled extensively – or a spear – reflecting of the record of St. Michael's spiritual engagement with the devil.

Prayer: Almighty God, You chose Your servants Simon and Jude to be numbered among the glorious company of the apostles. As they were faithful and zealous in their mission, so may we with ardent devotion make known the love and mercy of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

1 Corinthians: Conclusion

Conclusion

text: 1 Corinthians 16

Outline:

A. 16:1-12, Unity in three gifts of God: material (1-4), time (5-9), people (10-12).

  B. 16:13-14, final encouragement to the Corinthian congregation.

A'. 16:15-20, Unity through greetings.

  B'. 16:21-24, Blessings.

Comments: At the very end St. Paul returns to the ultimate concern he had for the congregation in Corinth – unity. He will address it in a way of caring for the ministry – utilizing the three main gifts: material resources or money, quality time spent together, and people who dedicate their talents to the work in the Lord's field. At the same time unity can be seen in or even experienced through mutual participation in life of each other. All of this is surrounded by blessings and encouragements.

A. Three gifts. The apostle starts with a remark concerning fundraising for the benefit of Jerusalem church (at that time the believers underwent a period of persecution in Judea). He wants the fundraising to be organized ahead of time – then the collection of the offerings would be complete before his arrival. Same as he commanded the church in Galatia (16:1). This shows that, being in Ephesus, he encouraged all of the churches he had relations with collect donation for the sake of their brothers in Christ in Judea.

Also, he talks about the time he wants to spend with them. He openly states that he doesn't want to see them in passing. His intent to spend quality time, maybe even the whole period of winter (16:6-7). This phrase presents him not a modern fundraiser, concerned about money only, but a father caring for his spiritual children (cp. 4:14-15).

The third gift of God to the church is people or the ministers. At this point St. Paul brings up the names of two of them – Timothy and Apollos. We know that Timothy will eventually settle in Ephesus (1 Timothy 1:3). As of right now, he is a helper of St. Paul, and comes wherever the apostle needs him. Being young, probably even younger than he was during the time when St. Paul wrote him (cp. 1 Timothy 4:12), he needs an emotional support from more experienced minister, which Paul proved with gladness, ensuring that the congregation would care for Timothy.

Concerning Apollos, the apostle looks loose – Paul wanted him to come to Corinth earlier, but allows for the personal inputs from his colleagues. The mission can not be raced, it should be guided by the Holy Spirit (cp. Deuteronomy 20:8).

B. Final encouragement. The apostle lists 5 features of a Christian living:

Be watchful – be vigilante, stay awake

Stand firm in the faith – a posture of being ready for whatever comes one's way (the word appears only 7 times in the NT).

Act like men – meaning, being mature

Be strong – resembles Joshua 1:6,7,9,18

all should be done in love (cp. Chapter 13)

A'. The unity of the church is not an abstract thing – it can and should be seen in the involvement of the congregations and districts (dioceses) in each other's life: praying for each other, helping and supporting the ministry of each other. St. Paul reminds Corinthians the people they new from previous or resent engagements. He starts with Stephanas and his household, the most resent convert in Achaia (the South Greece region around 1 Corinthians). He and two others (Fortunatus and Achaicus) came to see the apostle, which made him happy enjoying fellowship (16:17).

The churches of Asia (current Turkey) – Ephesians, Galatians etc. He also mentiones Aquila and Prisca (short for Priscilla), who at this time hosted a church gathering in their house (in Ephesus). They spent time with Paul at Corinth (Acts 18:1-3). It is always good to hear the familiar names – people you know who continue to work in the field of the Lord in every circumstance.

Then he concludes “all the brothers send you greetings” (16:20). All the brothers – wherever St. Paul is [most likely in Ephesus] + the people he knows about and associates with – they all extend their greetings to the congregation in Corinth. The unity of the brothers is an encouragement in itself to Corinthians to keep peace and unity among themselves.

B'. The blessing. It begins with acknowledgments that the greeting is written by his own hand – see more on this in “Epistolary Opening” lesson. Therefore, the concluding words have a special weight when he again reinforces the theme of love (cp. chapter 13). Yet, here it come even stronger – it is not simply meaningless to engage without love, but the person should be anathematized, same terminology he brings up in the Letter to Galatians talking about the Gospel (1:6-9).

Two last lines are grace of the LORD and my love be with you [in Christ Jesus]. God's grace IS the foundation of the Christian faith and life. And it should be expressed in love (once more, showing how much this word, theme, and attitude means to him). Amen – which is truly so.

Book of Acts: From Troas to Miletus

From Troas to Miletus

The Passage: Acts 20:15-38

Structure:

a. 20:15-18a, Arrival to Miletus and call for Ephesian’s elders

St. Paul’s speech:

parts 1 [v. 18b-24]:

  b. 20:18b-19, among you

    c. 20:20-21, I didn’t shrink

      d. 20:22-23, Holy Spirit

        e. 20:24, my life has no value

part 2 [v. 25-30]:

  b’. 20:25, among you

    c’. 20:26-27, I didn’t shrink

      d’. 20:28, Holy Spirit

        e’. 20:29-30, not sparing the flock

take away [31-38a]:

 f. 20:31, I admonished you with tears

  g. 20:32, I commend you to God

   h. 20:33-34, I coveted no one’s silver and gold

   h’. 20:35, I have shown that working hard we help the weak

  g’. 20:36, he knelt and prayed with all

 f’. 20:37-38a, weeping of all

a’. 20:38b, ship – departure from Miletus

Historical and geographical context:

This famous sermon is delivered in Miletus – we don’t have much information on St. Paul’s ministry here. Yet, he wants to avoid Ephesus – probably deciding not to risk his life there; his destination was Jerusalem (Acts 20:16,22).

There is also a minor chronological challenge – St. Luke reports in Acts 19:8 and 10 that the total time of St. Paul in Ephesus should account for 2 years and 3 months. At the same time, in his sermon he speaks of three years (20:31). This conundrum can be solved by understanding that he addresses leaders from the whole of Asia, not only the elders/bishops of Ephesus (cp. 20:16,18).

Theology:

Very personal speech. St. Paul is on his way to Jerusalem. Everyone tells him and everything points to the reality of the arrest. Meeting with people dear to his heart, whom he taught for about three years (see Historical and Geographical challenge), he is sharing his personal concerns or fears about the future of Asian congregations. On the other hand, they are sad to realize that most likely they won’t see him again…

Guidance of the Holy Spirit. On one hand, St. Paul encourages the leaders [elders and/or bishops] of the church saying that their ministry is not based on their own authority: it is the Holy Spirit that made them overseers to care for the church. Yet, the same Holy Spirit testified to the apostle that trip to Jerusalem will end up with imprisonment and afflictions (Acts 20:23). Establishment, comfort, and guidance during hardship of life are the elements of the ministry of the Third person of the Trinity.

Unity of the church. St. Paul addressing representatives from different congregations tells them that they are to care for the church – as we confess: one, holy, Christian (lit. universal/worldwide), apostolic church. One of the main challenges is a rise of men who will drive away disciples after themselves (Acts 20:30). For the apostle the unity of the church is based on the unity within the Godhead of Trinity – the relationship of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Having example when his work (or the ministry of the Holy Spirit through him) was almost destroyed by schismatic distortions in the congregation of Corinth (cp. 1 Cor 1-4), he warns the leadership of the whole Asia to do “preventive maintenance”, commending them to God and the word of His grace (Acts 20:32).

Responsibility of the leaders of the church. Apart from keeping the unity in the Body of Christ (the church), St. Paul charges the leaders with paying close attention to themselves and to all the flock, caring for it (Acts 20:28). Close attention to themselves is not a sign of selfishness, but a practice of regular self-evaluation. Saying this in public, I believe, was Pauline attempt to establish and maintain the brotherhood mutual trust, commitment, and accountability.