Gospel of John: First Passover

First Passover

text: John 2:13-25

Structure:

A. 2:13, Passover at Jerusalem

  B. 2:14-16, Jesus is in the Temple

    C. 2:17, Disciples remembered

  B'. 2:18-21, Jesus talks about the Temple

    C'. 2:22, Disciples remembered

A'. 2:23-25, Passover at Jerusalem

Comments: The Gospel of John is structured around three Passovers. First one is here, in chapter 2. The second one is a Passover-related – chapter 6. And thirst one is the longest of Gospel's story, John 12 – 20. There are four main themes in the first Passover: Passover itself, the Temple, signs of Jesus, and people coming to faith.

Passover of the Jews. The original Passover happened about 1400 years prior. Since then the Feast was a commemoration of the Exodus (remembering the past) and celebration of the work of God in the present. Even secular master minds use this paradigm – Isaac Asimov's short story “Anniversary” (1959) sets the plot in a house where three friends “recreate” the events of their rescue, living through them year after year as a symbolic ritual. The Sons of Israel supposed to live through the events of the first Passover as one of the three “required” feasts to attend (Deuteronomy 16:16-17).

Temple. This is the Second Temple. The first one – as everyone knows was built by king Solomon. And it was destroyed in the time of Jeremiah (587 BC). The Second Temple was built after the exile (see Books of Ezra and Nehemiah) and really beautified and expanded by king Herod (at least something good done by him). He ended up creating a large complex about 36 acres. Pilgrims from the whole world would come there. Therefore, the people who provided the possibility for fitting sacrificial animals were a blessing to worshiping community. But (!) as usual, people, being very creative in perverting the God's gifts, subverted the whole purpose of the sacrificial system into the money flowing enterprise.

Again, the problem was not with the money per se, the problem was that they would sell the animals in the sanctuary. What is the problem with this? Two things. People were more concerned with the getting the right/perfect lamb or ox than the meaning and reason for these sacrifices.

Also, the altar of the LORD WAS a place of exchange – people confessed their sins, getting absolution in return. But (!) having a trading outpost in the sanctuary created a sense of even exchange – I paid money, got an animal, then got my blessings. This procedure clouded the sense of grace that was engraved into the system. That's why Jesus rebukes them “do not make my Father's house a house of trade” (John 2:16).

Signs of Jesus. The theme of signs began in the previous passage (the first sign – turning water into wine in Cana of Galilee, John 2:1-12). Surprisingly, the Jews (the leadership of the community) were not upset with Jesus, they were looking for an explanation (John 2:18). They took His cleansing right – as a symbolic act. Now, can Jesus give them an explanation? Yes, He can, and He did. But – as we say – it went over their heads. It went over the heads of the Jews, but also went over the heads of the disciples. That's why St. John points out that the disciples remembered His phrase when they witnessed the resurrection of Jesus (John 2:22).

So, what was the meaning of His “sign”? Destruction of the Temple corresponds to the Temple's restoration in three days (John 2:19). Just on the surface, there are at least three aspects that should be taken into an account. First, when Jews emotionally respond to Christ statement, they bring up the factor of 46 years of previous construction project activities. They are not ready to see in the Temple anything but stones, furniture, etc. Jesus talks about [the Temple of] His body (John 2:21). The divine interpretation of His words points to two other aspects. First of all, His bodily resurrection – that's what disciples remembered. But remembrance in the Bible is the verb of action – making steps based on what was remembered. Therefore, third aspect is formation of the Temple of Jesus or Body of Christ – the Church.

People coming to faith. These bold actions (words included) brought many people to faith. Yet, Jesus didn't trust them. He knew their nature... even His disciples left Jesus at the Garden of Gethsemane, and the denial of Peter is a factor for an interpretation of this phrase. Also, they believed seeing His glorious actions. They did not witness the trial, flogging, and crucifixion yet... again, even His disciples did not interpreted the empty tomb right. At best, they were puzzled... Therefore, the fact of Jesus being the Christ is not based on the testimony of man – His actions, words, and testimony of the Father and the Holy Spirit are the formative reasons for our faith. 

Gospel of John: Creation narrative

First story: creation narrative

Text: John 1:19 – 2:12

Structure:

Day 1 – 1:19-28, confession of John

Day 2 – 1:29-34, Firmament – the Lamb of God

Day 3 – 1:35-42, First fruits, first disciples

Day 4 – 1:43-51, Heavenly lights – Philip and Nathaniel

Day 7 – 2:1-11, Sabbath – Wedding at Cana

Conclusion, 2:12, Placement to the Garden – He and the “family” moves to Capernaum.

Comments: The first story picks up on the first story of Genesis – Creation. Usually, commentators separate the testimony of John the Baptizer, selection of the first disciples, and the Wedding at Cana of Galilee. Yet, if we pay attention to John's choice of words, we see creation narrative as a backdrop drapes for the stage.

Day 1 – 1:19-28, confession of John

Day 2 – 1:29-34, Firmament – the Lamb of God

Day 3 – 1:35-42, First fruits, first disciples

Day 4 – 1:43-51, Heavenly lights – Philip and Nathaniel

Day 7 – 2:1-11, Sabbath – Wedding at Cana.

Conclusion, 2:12, Placement to the Garden – He and the “family” moves to Capernaum.

The Twelve: St. Bartholomew

St. Bartholomew

Meaning of the name: To begin with I need to share that the opinion I am holding is not a unanimous one. Yet, majority agrees that Nathaniel from the Gospel of John (1:45-51; 21:2) and Bartholomew of Synoptic Gospels and the Book of Acts (Matthew 10:1-4; Mark 3:13-19; Luke 6:12-16; Acts 1:13) are the persons. We are going to treat it this way. Therefore, we need to talk about both names, starting with Bartholomew.

The name is Aramaic: Bar-Tholmai – son of furrows. The agricultural allusion, the one who relies on God, hoping that the crop will grow strong and there will be ability to harvest the grains or fruits. It actually goes together with Nathaniel. Hebrew: Nathani-El – God given (given by God or given to God). One of the most trusting God vocation is a sower – because at some point one understands that he can't do anything. The seed grows without his input.

Life story: We know that he was born at Cana of Galilee (John 21:2). Which makes his presence at the wedding, where Jesus performed the miracle of turning water into wine even more significant. More to be said about it.

Gospel of John: Prologue

The Prologue

Text: John 1:1-18

Structure:

A. 1:1-3, Word with God.

  B. 1:4-5, Light vs. darkness.

    C. 1:6-8, witness of John.

      D. 1:9-10, He was IN the word.

        E. 1:11-13, He came to His own.

      D'. 1:14, Word dwelt AMONG us.

    C'. 1:15, witness of John

  B'. 1:16-17, Grace (upon grace) vs. Law

A'. 1:18, Son made know the Father

Comments: Dr. Weinrich in his commentary (Weinrich, John 1:1 – 7:1, CPH, 2015) dedicates 8 pages to a single phrase: in the beginning... By no means we can say that his brilliant commentary is the final word on this precious words of John. But it gives a reader a sense of depth of John's Gospel – 2000 years later a brilliant theologian dedicates these many pages to four Greek words. We don't have a luxury of a multi-volume format. Therefore, we will simply highlight the main directions for understanding the words of John given to us to believe (John 20:30-31).

The Word and the Son. There are countless papers written on the parallels between Genesis 1:1 and John 1:1. To point out just one – from the very beginning God works out the created world via Word (cp. Genesis 1:3). God speaks the world into being. Here we have the Word – the divine Logos – as the One who was, and is with, and is God himself. Should we understand it terms of time, or relationship? And the answer is YES. Later St. John will record the Revelation, where Jesus identifies Himself in terms of time (Revelation 1:8). We also shall see the revelation of the Father through Son [only] – John 1:18 and following the question of Phillip (John 14:8-9).

Light vs. darkness. In Genesis account of creation the darkness (Genesis 1:3-5) did not have the dark side (pun intended). The narrative of the first day simply tells us of duality of created world. God planned a period of the day for productive actions, and another period for us to have a rest. Any attempts to read the mutiny of angels into the first day should be answered by God's own assessment of the created world at the end of the sixth day – everything was done VERY good.

But John writes in the context of the fallen world. Therefore, for him the term darkness (or darkness related words) will bear a significant spiritual load (cp. John 13:30). At the same time, we need to be careful not to identify the Law of Moses with the darkness of the present age. The Law is turned into darkness by the people who didn't want to see the ultimate source behind the actions and the words of Moses (remember, Deuteronomy – the fifth book – of the Bible in Hebrew means the Words). Jesus will point it out very clearly (cp. John 6:32-34). Yet, if they insist on the supremacy of Moses, this turns a great gift of God into an idol – the LAW as a pattern of salvation, while we know that the ONLY way of salvation is grace of Jesus (John 1:17 and John 14:6).

The identity and witness of John. At the first glance a reader might be under impression that John talks about himself. It would make a perfect sense, but it would go against the pattern of the usage of the name John in the Gospel. Whenever it is used – it refers to John the Baptizer, while John identifies himself as “the disciple that Jesus loved” or “the other disciple” (cp. John 13:25; 20:3). This becomes really clear, reading John 1:15 – the testimony of John is the One who came after/later is ranked above because he was before (means forever, cp. John 1:1-3).

Presence in the world and dwelling among us. John comes back to the theme of light, which forces us to re-read Genesis 1:3 – the light of the first day was not created, it was spoken into the world, presenting the idea un-created light sustaining the world for three first days of the world. It is definitely not the light of the sun or any other star or celestial object for it gives LIFE to everything that exists in the world. Sun is essential to the life of the world, but it also can have devastating effect on the creatures – burns, cancer, fires... Therefore, the light of John 1 is Jesus – what John will illuminate even more in John 8 to 10.

Similarly, the mystical presence of the Word dwells among us – the word dwell here meaning the presence of God among His people only. No one, nothing can dwell in the world in the same way. Therefore, saying that the Word became flesh and dwelt creates a beautiful theological paradox for an Ancient mind, as well as a mind of a modern skeptic. How come transcendent God can be limited to the flesh of a human man? Paradox, it can only be resolved in Jesus Christ who is both God and man (cp. Creed).

Reception of the He. The whole purpose of John's Gospel is to show that Jesus is the Son of God, and believing in Him people can have eternal life. It should be received (John 1:12). But when one receives – that means that there is a Giver on the other end. We do not search for God (even when psychological picture looks like this), He is who reaches out for and to us. Jesus came to save the world (for us, John 3:16), and He comes in the Word and the Sacraments that everyone of us can have life [eternal] (to us, John 10:10). 

The Twelve: St. John

St. John

Meaning of the name: St. John had a Hebrew name Johanan, meaning “YHWH is gracious.” The name often appears in the list of priest before and after the Babylonian exile (Nehemiah 12:21-22 [cp. 12:10-11]). The Jews had a custom to keep the names within the family (cp. Luke 1:57-64). The fact of his potential priestly lineage will be important later.

Also, he and his brother James (Jacob) had a “title” sons of thunder. It can mean of their temperaments or ambitions (see later). It also can refer to the power of the voice, or a reverence for the LORD – for Psalm 29:3 describes Thunder as the voice of the LORD over waters. See also Exodus 19:19, 1 Samuel 7:10, and Revelation 11:19 – all of these places talk about thunder as a sign of God's presence.

Life story: He is a part of every major story with Jesus which made him one of the three pillars of the Church. Similarly to our lesson about St. Peter, we will pick just a handful stories that might paint a picture with large brush strokes.

Gospel of Mark: Transfiguration

Transfiguration

Text: 9:2-13

Comments: A. Context. We see this as a follow up to the first foretelling of Jesus' death and resurrection. Jesus got two responses: First, Peter rebuked Jesus. Second, there is no other response whatsoever. To give them a better understanding of the resurrection glory He takes 3 of His closer disciples to a mountain.

The mountain experience is overwhelming for them, and Jesus “charges them to tell no one until the Son of Man had risen from the dead” (v. 9). This triggers a conversation and He leaves it with a cliff hanger (v. 10-13).

B. Jesus and 3 others. Jesus selects James, John, and Peter as His “mighty men.” He spends more time with them and they see His glory of transfiguration. This is a pinnacle of Biblical leadership model. David had 3 mighty men: Josheb-Basshebeth a Tahchemonite, Eleazar son of Dodo, and Shammah son of Agee the Hararite (2 Samuel 23:8-12).

If we go even further in history, we should remember Moses and his three supporters: Aaron (his brother), Hur (community leader), and Joshua a son of Nun (military leader), helping Moses to pray and win the first battle of Israel after crossing the Red Sea (Exodus 17:8-16). Also, we should remember Noah and three of his sons: Shem, Ham, Japheth (Genesis 6:9). Or Daniel with three of his friends: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (Daniel 1:6-7). In the royal court we can see the following model: monarch, prime-minister (dealing mostly with the internal affairs), minister of foreign affairs, and chief military commander.

Ultimately this paradigm comes from the order of creation, however in reversed order. In human world/terms we have a leader and three supporters. In creation order we have Trinity who invites Adam into fellowship of God's counsel. So, if we begin from the Creation account we need to notice other stories of the Bible where a human was given this privilege: Abraham and three visitors (Genesis 18), Isaiah who see the LORD Sabaoth (Isaiah 6 and Isaiah 53:1).

C. Seven persons. We know that Jesus was met by Moses and Elijah. So. So far we have 6 personalities: Jesus, 3 disciples, Moses, and Elijah. Then the Father speaks, making seven persons total. This completeness is important. Because prior to that Peter said something really strange – he did not know what to say, and have decided to say something. Proverbs 17:28 says: even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise. Peter should've take a class on the Books of Wisdom... What's so strange about his words? The problem is that he equalized Jesus, whom he just confessed to be the Messiah, with Moses and Elijah. These later guys are great BUT (!) Christ is greater, far superior. Author of the Letter to Hebrews, comparing Jesus and Moses put it this way: For Jesus has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses – as much more glory as the builder of a house has more honor then the house itself (Hebrews 3:3).

That's why the voice of the Father is SO important – He rearranges everything to it's proper place: this is My beloved Son, listen to Him (Mark 9:7). Moses, Elijah, David, all the other writers of the Holy Scripture have no glory of their own. They are as important as long as they point to Jesus as Messiah.

D. Why Moses and Elijah? Why these two? Why not Abraham or David? I think there are at least two reasons for it. Moses and Elijah represent two very distinctive periods in Israel history enveloping (more or less) all of its span. Moses is the one who brought them from patriarchal period to the LAND. Elijah ministered in the period of divided kingdoms preparing Israel for the first (Assyrian) exile.

Second, both Moses and Elijah have “weird” death stories. We are told that Moses died, but no one knows where his grave is. Who dug the grave? OK, maybe Moses, but who put the dirt back into the grave?? With Elijah it's not simpler – if Jesus is the first being raised from the dead, where did the prophet go to await for the resurrection of Jesus? We have many questions... AS a result we end up with two mysterious people who passed through death in some different way – so, they are the perfect representatives to talk to Jesus about death and resurrection.

E. Bright glory of Jesus – a foretaste of the glory of resurrection. As I said in the very beginning, the mountain experience of the apostles and Jesus' request not to share it with anybody until resurrection triggered a thought process in the right direction – what this rising from the dead means? (9:10). What Jesus did is gave them a foretaste of His resurrected glory. When we compare this passage with what we see in the Book of Acts 9:3-6 and Revelation 1:9-19, the purpose of Jesus becomes clear.

Therefore, we can identify a few elements of heavenly glory: bright glorious apparel and profound conversations with the spiritual giants of all, and most importantly – fellowship with the beloved Son of God, our Lord and Savior! 

Psalm 14

Psalm 14

We continue to read the difficult psalms. They are difficult not because it is hard to understand them, but because they describe a difficult situation ‘till the last moment it is not obvious that GOOD will prevail.

Here is another, and I can say – the ultimate example.

It begins with a very straight statement: the Fool says in his heart – there is no God. Since the rest of the psalm is a farther description of the foolishness, we need to spend time on understanding the basics of it.

The word for Fool – Hebrew NaBaL – comes from a verb to fade, to fade away. It is a person who does not have own strength, he is falling down, and faints… Therefore, his decisions are not “solid,” there is not real substance in what he says or does. He is not even will to admit openly his rejection of a presence of God. He says it in his heart. At the same time, we need to remember that a heart of man is a decision-making organ. So, his plans and their execution is based on the fact that he doesn’t recognize any higher power over him. It comes from the usage of the word God in the Bible.  

Very often Christian make a little mistake thinking that God refers only to the one true God. Bible uses the same word speaking of false deities and even humans. At one time the LORD told Moses that he – Moses – is going to be god for pharaoh, and his brother Aaron will be his prophet (Exodus 7:1, note: there is no “like” in the original text). The word God in the Bible can identify any power stronger than us. Since the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit is definitely stronger than us – he is the God.

That’s the reason to point out the foolishness of a wicked man – he thinks that he is the ultimate power in this world. He “relies” on himself only.

If a person believes that he is the ultimate authority in his own life (and, as a result of absence of God, in the life of others), no wonder that his life goes south… vv. 1a – 4 pictures a terrible situation of moral collapse in society. This can happen when most people are under the spell of atheism. These verses became the background for St. Paul list of biblical proof-texts for the dominance of sin in human life (Romans 3:10-23).

Yet, even being neglected, the LORD looks down from heaven. He is searching for a single person who has an understanding, who seeks after God (v. 2). Understanding here means to be prudent or wise. That’s how Samuel describes the actions of David and his “platoon” in comparison to Saul’s commanders (1 Samuel 18:30). God is looking constantly for the people who are going to worship Him in spirit and truth (John 4:23).

Rejection of God can not bring comfort to a soul – as a result, they are in terror. He is with the generation of the righteous. Meaning that He leaves the wicked on their own – they are in terror because the environment they create. Proverbs picking up the theme say that the wicked falls by his own wickedness (11:5b). Following that St. Paul concludes that God simply gives up the rebels against Him to their own lust and sins (Romans 1:22-25).

The wicked still tries to attack the poor. Poor can be both an economical, social and spiritual condition (Matthew 5:3). But Living One is the refuge for the afflicted. He is the provider, provider of financial and spiritual support and safety.

Seeing that, people can testify that salvation comes from Zion – the place of the fellowship between God and man (Isaiah 2:2-3).   

The psalm ends with a sobering reality – Jacob will rejoice, and Israel will be glad. This WILL happen when the LORD restores the fortunes of His people. What does it mean? It means that His people needed to be restored… They screwed up… So, the fool(s) is everyone of us when we think of ourselves to high [feeding our own pride], or too low [dismissing the image of God]. But God is the Living One – He generously gives live to the people who walked away from Him. He is the One who gives reason to rejoice and be glad.

Psalm 5

Psalm 5

Introduction:

Structure:

Intro: superscription

A. vv. 1-3, Hear my cry for help

  B. vv. 4-6, You destroy all who speak falsely

    C. v. 7-8, I can worship in Your holy Temple

  B’. vv. 9-10, Declare them guilty

A’. vv. 11-12, You cover/surround him with favor

Superscription: What is interesting in the superscription is the instrument mentioned here is a flute. Flute is a very soft and gentle instrument, while the theme of the psalm is crying and pleading of the righteous with his request to God to declare the evildoers guilty (v. 10).

A. vv. 1-3, David had many people opposing him. In life, in ministry, in warfare… At the same time, he is reaching out to God – hoping that God will pay attention to his words, consider the groaning, listen to the prayers etc. Psalmist prepares a sacrifice, but the main “line” is his unity with God in prayer and waits. We can assume he waits for a response, any response: yen, no, later.

And while he prays to the LORD, he confesses Him to be his King and God. That’s the words that Thomas will use responding to the appearance of resurrected Jesus (John 20:28). Saying King, he pledges his loyalty. Saying God, he identifies YHWH as the only object of worship.       

B. vv. 4-6, 7 characteristics of sinful life: wickedness, evil, boastful, evildoers 9lit. workers/doers of iniquity), speaking lies, bloodthirsty, and deceitful. God rejects them all.  

C. vv. 7-8, David builds up the contrast with the wicked people – “but as for me” would be a better translation than “but I” (however literal it is). This is the first in Psalms when the word hesed appears. Very often it is translated as “steadfast love” (like here). Or mercy, grace, compassion, patience etc. The main aspect of this divine attribute is faithfulness. Faithfulness in a sense that nothing (grace, mercy, compassion etc.) is one time event – it has divine longevity. From the beginning of creation until we see Him face to face, He holds us in His arms and supports us by His love – all the time, that means faithfulness. Knowing this quality of God, psalmist is not looking for his way but is in search of Lord’s way.  

B’. vv. 9-10, now the psalmist goes into a comparison or response mode

	wicked	Response
1	No truth in their mouth	Make them bear their guilt
2	Their inmost is destruction	Fall by their own counsel
3	Throat is an open grave	Cast them out, for transgressions
4	Flatter with their tongue	For they have rebelled

 

A’. vv. 11-12, The LORD is a place of refuge for a godly person. See. Psalm 7:1, or Proverbs 18:10. David begins with the Name of the Lord and concludes that in Him – personally – he finds safety. We find safety being forgiven by God, reconciled with God, and restored to the right place in the presence of God.      

  

PSALM 87

Psalm 87

There are two main parts:

(a) vv. 1-3 – Zion vs. dwelling places of Jacob

(b) vv. 4-7 – Zion vs. other nations 

A. Zion vs. dwelling places of Jacob

Holy mountain – mountain is a higher ground, remember that the first great judgment was the Flood. After the Flood Noah builds the altar – mini-mountain – lifting up or elevating the place of worship above the ground as a remembrance of the Flood.  

  City founded by the Living one – interesting to notice that the first city was founded by wicked Cain, build on a spilled blood of his brother Abel. It should not be surprising for us – the great technological progress needs a sacrifice. So, should Christians leave cities? No, for our city of found by Jesus, who didn’t sacrifice “a brother” but spilled His own blood for our citizenship.  

    The gates are protected by Himself – if the gates are secure, the city/citizens are safe. He is protecting us by His Word and Sacraments – marking the perimeter of the city.  

      City of God is a place where the glorious things are spoken – it is easy to understand the claims of the pagan deities: many sacrifices, lots of smoke (and mirrors). Yet, Jesus has a different glory – dying for the ungodly, see Romans 5:6-8.    

 

B. Zion vs. other nations

vv. 4: 5 geography pointers

Rahab – Egypt (see Isaiah 30:7) – West

Babylon – East

Philistia and Tyre – seashores

Cush – Ethiopia – deep south

Dr. Martin Luther commented on this: it shall be a city as wide as the earth is, and in it shall be born Ethiopians, Egyptians, Babylonians, Philistines, residents of Tyre, and peoples of other lands and tongues. (RPL, p. 206)

v. 4b-6: Zion IS a birthplace for the God of LIFE is the founder of the city. Two things here: first, Zion is a place where the first commandment can be fulfilled – Genesis 1:28a: be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth. Second, It is paralleled with the idea that other places are places of spiritual death, as a place of absence/rejection of God.  

 

Conclusion:

v. 7: the words of singers and dancers (!).

Two words about dancers – it might look like a discotheque reading. It reality, we have a dance to perform every Sunday (at least), it’s called Divine Service or Liturgy. When a congregation is standing up in a proper time, when it sits down, when clergy, elders, and laity move in the appointed way – it is a liturgical and biblical dance.  

All my springs are in YOU: Springs are the sources of life in the desert climate: no water – no life, very simple.

Jesus identifies Himself with the springs of the living water – John 7:37-39.

He is the founder of the City of God – Revelation 21:10-14.       

 

Prayer: Thanks be to YOU, our heavenly Father, because You have called us into the Church of Your Son, Jesus Christ, and have begotten us again unto a lively hope through the Gospel. Keep us steadfast in the faith, that we may remain living stones in this Your spiritual temple to our last day, and cause us to rejoice over Your salvation. Amen.  

PSALM 117

All nations praise the LORD.

Only two lines – but such a deep meaning. Allow me to walk you through.

v. 1a. Praise the LORD, all nations!

We have a glorious beginning – Hallelujah “Living ONE”! God is not called by His status; He is called by His name. Israel God is called by the name, but He is called by the Gentiles.

In the light of current political events, it is an important reminder that at the end ALL nations will recognize Jesus as Lord of the world. It will be done because the disciples will bring the Good News to all the nations – Matthew 28:18-20. Baptizing people and instructing them in faith. St. Paul uses this verse as a “proof-text” for the mission of Christ – Romans 15:11 (Let’s read!)   

v. 1b, Extol Him, all peoples!

Psalmist “doubles down” – he encourages all the peoples to extol Him. Exclaim with the loud voices, keep triumphant praise.

Together the unity of all nations and all peoples means everyone with distinction and without exception. The Book of Revelation puts it in four categories: nations, tribes, peoples, and languages. Together with believers from Israel they will worship the Lamb Who sits on the Throne (Rev. 7:1-10). 

What a glorious picture!!  

It is a long-awaited fulfilment of the prophecies:

2 Samuel 22:50 – glory to His name among Gentiles (a psalm sang by king David by the end of his life).

Isaiah 11:10 – the root of Jessy will give a hope to Gentiles. 

Isaiah 2:2-4 (note nations and peoples in v. 4) – do you know where the statue dedicated to this verse is located?

Also psalm 72:11,17 has the same ideas – kings of their nations fall before Him and serve Him (compare to Psalm 2:1-12). 

 

v. 2a, For great is His steadfast love toward us,

Great here has two meanings: (1) it is great in fullness (extended to all nations, see above); (2) it is great in intensity (covering all sins and faults), it is true on global and personal level: Romans 5:20-21 and 1 Timothy 1:12-14.

 Steadfast love – a word [hesed] which is very difficult for translation. We’ve talked about it last time (Psalm 118:1,29). It also can include mercy, grace etc. Most importantly, we need to pay attention “steadfast” aspect of “love” – along with other aspects of the meaning it should include “faithfulness.” God is faithful to His promises, covenants, and prophecies. We can rely on the fact of our forgiveness through Jesus, guidance by the Holy Spirit, and promise of heavenly haven prepared for us by the Son of God.  

 

v. 2b, And the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever.

Faithfulness is a good translation; we also see it in Lamentations 3:22-23. It is a background for the hymn “great is Thy faithfulness.”

At the same time, we can add something: this word is related to very famous Hebrew word that all of you know – guess which one?

Jesus uses double of the word 25 times in the Gospel of John (for example 3:3; 5:24; 13:20). Using these doubles signifies that the words of Jesus are “really true.”   

Conclusion: Praise the Lord (Alleluia!)

The term denotes being clear (pure) sound and color, therefore “to show off [in a good sense], shine, or boast”

Think of the words of St. Paul in 1 Corinthians 1:30-31 (see the background in Jeremiah 9:23-24).

He is worthy to be praised, to be boasted about! He redeemed us!

Soli Deo Gloria – Glory be to God Alone!

St. PETER'S PRISON STORY

St. Peter behind the bars story  

The Passage: Acts 12:1-23

Structure:

a. 12:1-2, Death of Jacob, brother of John, by an order of Herod (by sword)

  b. 12:3-5, group of soldiers

    c. 12:6-10, Lord’s angel

      d. 12:11, Peter is released   

    c’. 12:12-17, His angel

  b’. 12:18-19, group of soldiers

a’. 12:20-23, Death of Herod (by worms)

Praying for bold preaching

Prayer for bold preaching   

The Passage: Acts 4:23-31

Structure:

a. 4:23, the report of what happened

  b. 4:24, Sovereign Lord

    c. 4:25-26, gathered together against You and Your Anointed

    c’. 4:27-28, gathered in the city against Your servant Jesus whom You anointed

  b’. 4:29-30, Lord

a’. 4:31, continued to talk/speak  

Historical and geographical context:

St. Peter and St. John go to their friends (this can be understood psychologically/emotionally or sociologically – as those who support them). Probably, it is the same house where they were gathered to choose the replacement for Judas and/or during events of Pentecost.  

Theology:

The report. It is important to see that the unity of the church is built upon common confession, togetherness in worship, and honesty in the description of life. St. Peter and St. John go and share their unpleasant experience with the rest of the gathering. Which teaches us a value of shared lives – all the good and all the difficult episodes of our walk with God. The unity of disciples in prayer let to the similar effects like the people of Israel experienced during the wilderness – shaking of the place.    

Addressing God as the Creator. Interesting how the disciples address God as the creator of the heavens and the earth, and the sea. He is the One who has the power to create and to restructure the world. This is the reason for the parallel passage in v. 29-30, where they ask for boldness, and the continuation for the healing, signs and wonders that were performed “through the name of Your holy servant Jesus”. Holy servant Jesus is the one whom Sovereign Lord raised from the grave overcoming the power of death – this is one more reminder of the creative powers of God who is the only one who can overcome the mortality.     

Using the psalms in prayer. First, check out how easily the disciples can incorporate the text of a psalm in their prayer. Not as a starter, and not as a conclusion (like we use Lord’s prayer to conclude the meeting or so). They address God as the Creator of the Universe and then apply the text of Psalm 2 for their particular situation. Or, better put – they see their situation through the lenses of Psalm 2. Which presupposes years of practice of praying using the Psalter.   

Inspiration of Scripture. There was no questions or confusion among the believers on the sources and the Source of the Word. For sure they recognized the difference in authorship of different parts or books of the Bible. That’s why NT writers often go back and mention Isaiah (Lk. 3:4-6), Jeremiah (Mt. 2:17-18). Here the communion of saints reflected on the words of king David. At the same time without any hesitation, they state that David was moved by the Holy Spirit when he wrote the psalm. Similar thought we can find in 2 Pet. 1:19-21. Thinking about the nature of Scripture, Peter says that the Word that we have is true (v. 19). His reasoning is based on the fact that prophetic word was not done according to the will of men, but “men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” (v. 21).   

Other themes:

Saying everything up to this point creates an interesting hermeneutical challenge (challenge for interpretation) – the attribution of Ps. 2 to David. The Hebrew text of the psalm (as we have it right now) does not have the superscription referring to David’s authorship. Does it post a contradiction? No, because this is a perfect example for us to see that the Bible is a Book that should be read in its entirety. There are parts of the Old Testament that help us to understand the mission of Messiah (Mt. 21:4-5) or the ministry of the Church (1 Cor. 10:11). At the same time there are parts of the New Testament that clarify and add a nuance or two to our proper understanding of the events, people, and situations that happened before the Incarnation of the Son of God. Therefore, the inspired voices of the disciples said that Ps. 2 is written by David. So be it!

St. Peter and St. John answer to the Council

St. Peter and St. John before the Counsel  

The Passage: Acts 4:5-22

Structure:

a. 4:5-7, Reaction of Rulers (question of power)

  b. 4:8-12, Speech of Peter being filled with the Holy Spirit

    c. 4:13, Initial assessment of the rulers

      d. 4:14, seeing the man rulers have nothing to say

    c’. 4:15-17, inner conferring – we can not deny, but it has to stop

      d’. 4:18, rulers charge apostles not to speak  

  b’. 4:19-20, Response of Peter and John

a’. 4:21-22, Reaction of Rulers (afraid of [the power] of people)  

Historical and geographical context:

Temple is the place of worship, social interactions (receiving alms), justice, and banking. We saw the first two in the previous lesson. The question of justice will come up here, while the banking will come up in a couple of lessons. It is important to understand that the Temple was a more “complicated” place. It is not a simple equivalent of our modern churches.      

Sanhedrin. ESV in v. 15 puts it as council. This is the first time St. Luke uses the term (14 in Acts, 1 in Luke [22:66], total 22 times in NT – number of letters on Hebrew alphabet). Sanhedrin was a gathering of the rulers of Judea gathered every day in the Temple area, in the building called House/Hall of Hewn Stones. Total number of members was 71: Moses + 70 elders (Num. 11:16-17, 24). Just by itself it is a symbolic number – prime, more specifically it is a permutable prime (71 and 17), also it is centered heptagonal number (1+7+14+21+28).   

Theology:

Theology of name (cont.). The rulers associate the Name and Place (1 Kings 8:48). Which was a correct interpretation prior to incarnation of Jesus. Yet, after the destruction there was an idea that the Name should be closer connected with the Word Ps. 138:2.    

Sanhedrin’s reasoning is similar to the reasoning for the crucifixion – John 11:45-53. If the power/authority over people is the main question, then the rulers will do everything to secure it. Knowing that they cannot deny the sign/miracle, the rulers attempt to suppress the spreading of preaching in the name. Note that they lit. do not have power, cp. 1:8, you will receive power, and St. Peter speaks being filled with the Holy Spirit. He already was one of the 120 – original Pentecostal group. Yet, we have here a fulfillment of Jesus’ promise (Mt. 10:17-20).       

Importance of people. The Book of Acts will present the masses raging against the Gospel (cp. Acts 19:28,34). Here we have a positive impact of the people. There is an important aspect of theology of gathering. St. John in his last two epistles concludes that he wants to see brothers face to face (2 John 12; 3 John 14). Also, it raises the important question for the future, “should we serve Holy Communion only individually during persecution or next governmental shut-down?”

Other themes:

Needed correction of translation in 13 – uneducated, should be “not scribes”. They did not belong to the educational elite scribal cast. It is not the point of knowledge, but an inner circle acceptance. Apostles WERE educated, for sure they were not illiterate, knowing 4 languages. St. Paul uses the same word for “common man” in 2 Cor. 11:6 as “un-skilled”. Also, Jesus promised to provide new generation of prophets, wisemen, and scribes (Mt. 23:34). The rulers did not see their “ID” of trained scribes…       

Usage of OT Scriptures. In the next passage the congregation as a whole recites and interpreters Ps. 2. But here St. Peter weaves in Ps. 118:22 in v.11. He attributes the stone of the passage to Jesus and builders – to the rulers (right at their faces). Doing this St. Peter follows the example of Jesus (Mt. 21:42). Also, Ps. 118 has a very interesting place in the Canon – right in the middle of the Bible (in our setting). There are 594 chapters around Ps. 118, it is surrounded by the shortest “chapter” (117), and the longest one (119). 594+594+1=1189. It should be Ps. 118:9 – it is better to trust in the LORD than to trust in princes. Or the real middle of Ps. 118:15 – Glad song of salvation are in the tents of the righteous.   

Significant numbers in the lives of people. He was 40 years old – being lame from birth (3:1) he spent 40 years “stumble along” – like Israel in the desert. Now he is brought into the “promised land” of life with Christ.