Luke 1:68-79

Luke 1:68-79 (NRSV)

⁶⁸ “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,

for he has looked favorably on his people and redeemed them.

⁶⁹ He has raised up a mighty savior for us

in the house of his servant David,

⁷⁰ as he spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets from of old,

⁷¹      that we would be saved from our enemies 

and from the hand of all who hate us.

⁷² Thus he has shown the mercy promised to our ancestors,

and has remembered his holy covenant,

⁷³ the oath that he swore to our ancestor Abraham,

to grant us⁷⁴ that we, being rescued from the hands of our enemies,

might serve him without fear,⁷⁵ in holiness and righteousness

before him all our days.

⁷⁶ And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High;

for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,

⁷⁷ to give knowledge of salvation to his people

by the forgiveness of their sins.

⁷⁸ By the tender mercy of our God,

the dawn from on high will break upon us,

⁷⁹ to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,

to guide our feet into the way of peace.”

                 Luke 1:68-79 is part of the narrative contained in verses 57-80 that relates the story of the birth, circumcision, and manifestation of John, with the Benedictus. The story is unique to Luke. Due to the doubt of Zechariah, God muted his response to the power and mercy of God. Having regained his voice at the birth of his son, the Spirit enables him to prophesy. The circumcision of John was important to Luke in that it made the connection with the covenant between God and Israel clear. In this story, the neighbors witness the birth, while in the story of the birth of Jesus the shepherds will become witnesses. 

            The song of Zechariah brings the narrative time to a halt to provide commentary on the extraordinary events that it recounts. It rehearses major themes of the importance of John as prophet and forerunner, the interweaving of the stories of John and Jesus into the one tapestry of the redemptive purpose of God, the faithfulness of God, and the character of the coming deliverance and restoration of the people of God. As one of three "canticles" or songs found at the beginning of Luke's gospel, the Benedictus (1:68-79), along with the Magnificat (1:46-55) and the Nunc Dimittis (2:29-32), occupies an important part in the ancient devotional exercise known as the Liturgy of the Hours. The liturgy consists of a schedule for prayer and reflection on Scripture at specific times of the day and night. Although it focuses on the Psalms, these three passages are included in the Liturgy of the Hours as major elements. This indicates that they were themselves considered, by those who devised the exercise, to be of the same literary tradition as the Old Testament Psalms. This would have pleased Luke. One of his main goals was to clarify the many ways in which Christ's ministry was a continuation and fulfillment of God's ongoing relationship with Israel as revealed in the Old Testament. More than Matthew's interest with proving by citation of texts that Jesus was the expected Messiah, Luke wished to impress upon his Gentile audience that Jesus was the proof that God's had not forgotten the promises God made to Israel. So just as the Old Testament contained Psalms that told of God's trustworthiness, Luke begins his Gospel with several new Psalms of his own. 

            Even in our time, we love rescue stories, whether they be of human beings or of animals. In many ways, the Bible is a rescue story, and this passage gives a brief and thoughtful consideration of what that rescue means. We gather to worship and sing Christmas carols, and inevitably, Zechariah’s theme appears before our wondering eyes:

 

Long lay the world in sin and error pining,

’Till he appeared and the soul felt its worth.

—O Holy Night

 

To save us all from Satan’s power

When we were gone astray

O, tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy …

—God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen

 

Hark! the herald angels sing: “Glory to the newborn King!

Peace on earth and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled.”

—Hark! The Herald Angels Sing

 

Oh, come O Rod of Jesse’s stem, from ev’ry foe deliver them

That trust your mighty pow’r to save;

Bring them in vict’ry through the grave.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel, shall come to you, O Israel! 

—O Come, O Come, Emmanuel

 

Jesus was born because after sending sages and prophets into the company of human beings to no effect (see Hebrews 1), a personal visit by the Creator to his creation was deemed to be necessary — the last resort. Thus,

 

Veiled in flesh the Godhead see,

Hail the incarnate deity

Pleased as man with man to dwell

Jesus our Emmanuel

—Hark! The Herald Angels Sing!

 

            Luke is deeply concerned with the problems of theodicy raised by many historical catastrophes experienced by Israel. A provocative question: "If God has not been faithful to the promises made to God's elect people and has allowed their holy city and temple to be destroyed, what reason do Gentile Christians, who believe in this God, have to think that God will be faithful to promises made to them?" The answer provided by Luke is that God - through Jesus - was faithful to promises made to Israel, but in an unexpected way to include Gentiles, the unclean, the poor, women, Samaritans, rich toll collectors, and assorted other outcasts as well as elect people who are repentant of their initial rejection of Jesus, God's prophet and Chosen One.[1]

            Luke paints a picture of Jesus as the frequently rejected prophet sent to this "reconstituted" Israel who nonetheless will save those who accept him. In this way, Luke stresses Jesus' continuity with God's previous promises to Israel, and his fulfillment of them. Jesus' life, then, for Luke, saves God's reputation by God sending yet another prophet to a rejecting people, and then raises that prophet from the dead to prove his fidelity to him. Karris concludes that this God will surely be faithful to promises made to Jesus' followers who journey from all corners of the globe to take up their places at the heavenly banquet with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.[2]

            Many of the overarching themes of Luke are also present here. Jesus comes from the Israelite royal house of Judah by virtue of being Joseph's heir (1:27). We might also infer from the fact that Zechariah and Elizabeth are Aaronid Levites (1:5) and Mary is their relative (1:36), that Jesus is also of high priestly lineage through Mary. However, tribal lineage was through the father, so we must not infer that Jesus could have been a priest. We can infer that as Luke has an interest in the Son of David (King), and prophet, he also has an interest in connecting Jesus to the priesthood. Luke underscores the notion that Jesus is also the quintessential prophet in the Old Testament tradition in Chapter 4. Here Luke alone adds stories of foreigners ministered to by Elijah and Elisha to place Jesus' ministry to Gentiles in continuity to theirs - given the fact that as a prophet, he too is unwelcome in his home country (Luke 4:25-27). 

            The general style of the Benedictus is like the Magnificat. It gives divinely inspired commentary on the significance of the events that have begun to take place. Since the psalm does not consider Gentiles, we see the Jewish outlook of the psalm. The canticle is a poem that Luke has drawn from elsewhere to put on the lips of Zechariah, with verses 76-77 adapting the poem to this context. Luke also calls it prophecy in that while being a hymn of thanksgiving in verses 68-75, it also foresees the future in verses 76-79. 

            The ministry of the angel in Luke accomplishes the desired result of its mission, namely, that human creation breaks out in praise of God who has willed this and begun to accomplish the coming of the reign of God. To praise the mercy of God is to have people who look and move willingly and readily to the One who comes, as earthly creatures who have appropriated what the prophet or priest says to them even though they know that they are in no position for what they said to come to them and to happen. They have responded to the mystery of divine grace. The angel announces such a mystery of grace, despite all its improbability. God has brought home the divine Word to Zacharias. He is obedient to his heavenly calling in accordance with the incitement of the angel. The song confirms that the fact that there has taken place a visitation of the earthly creation by God and the heavenly creation.[3]    

            The origin of the Benedictus is obscure. Along with the Magnificat, it comes from an initial period and from the worship life of the church, or as private compositions of one or more of its members. It is an originally independent unity, a Jewish eschatological hymn, composed in Aramaic or Hebrew.[4] Verses 76-77, added by Luke, makes it obvious that we can understand the canticle before only from a Christian background. Christians have worked over hymns that originally came from the parallel movement of awakening and reform that we have learned to know much better through recent discoveries by the Dead Sea. We cannot say with any finality. Luke thought them sufficiently true and important to use them at this point as an introduction to this account of the things delivered to the Christian community.[5]  

            In verse 67, Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit, speaking a hymn of thanksgiving in verses 68-75 and a prophesy that foresees the future in verses 76-79, fulfilling the prophesy in Joel 2:28 that the Spirit of the Lord will come upon all flesh, “and your old men shall dream dreams.” 

            The first portion of the Benedictus (vv. 68-75) echoes Mary’s Magnificat and resonates with Elizabeth’s words of thanksgiving. ⁶⁸ “Blessed be the Lord God (YHWH Elohim) of Israel, an address we also find in Psalm 41:13, 72:18, and 106:48. In Genesis 24:27 we find a similar phrase, only now with “God of my father Abraham.” In I Kings 8:15, Solomon in his prayer uses the phrase. We have the encouragement to praise, but why are we to do so?[6] The Lord God has looked favorably, a parallel thought in Exodus 3:16, where the Lord has responded to what the Egyptians have done to them. Luke sets a pattern here in that the visitation of the Lord in the New Testament is a favorable thing. We see this in Luke 1:78, 7:16, and 19:44. The Lord God has looked favorably on the people of the Lord and redeemed them. The Lord God is also a "redeemer" calling to mind the role of the nearest relative within covenant law to ransom his kin from debt slavery and imprisonment. In Psalm 111:9, God sent redemption to the people of God. ⁶⁹ The Lord God has raised up a mighty savior for us in the house of the servant of the Lord, David. The NIV translates as “He has raised up a horn of salvation for us.” The image of the horn as a symbol of strength for the Davidic monarch occurs in Psalm 132:17. In Ezekiel 29:21, the Lord “will cause a horn to sprout up for David.” In Psalm 89:17, the Lord has lifted the horn of Israel by divine favor. David refers to God as “the horn of my salvation” in I Samuel 22:3. In Psalm 18:2, the Lord is “the horn of my salvation.” However, Luke may also be calling to mind the meaning of Jesus' name in Hebrew when he predicts that God will raise up a "horn of SALVATION" (Hebrew yeshua, Greek for Jesus) in the house of David. The sending of deliverer is ⁷⁰ as the Lord God spoke through the mouth of holy prophets from of old. Micah says the Lord will show faithfulness and loyalty even as the Lord has “sworn to our ancestors from the days of old.”[7] Thus, the “holy prophets” have predicted this same salvation, whose words Jesus now fulfills. Luke will refer to this again in Acts 3:21. Paul will stress this in Romans 1:2, where “God promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy scriptures.” The Lord is ready to do a new work of redemption in faithfulness to the divine Word. To state the obvious here, Jewish people will differ that Jesus of Nazareth fulfills the prophecies to which the New Testament refers. However, I would pause and ask them. If not in Jesus, how do you expect fulfillment today? We need to be open to unexpected fulfillment of prophecies, of which there are many in the Bible. The prophets said ⁷¹that the Lord God would save us from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us. This suggests political deliverance. This song reminds us that Christians should participate in social and political efforts. Christians know such influence will not make paradise of the earth. Such involvement can make life on earth tolerable. The disorder of this world is at a great distance from the harmony promised in the fullness of the rule of God.[8] ⁷² Thus he has shown the mercy promised to our ancestors. As just noted, Micah refers to the faithfulness and loyalty the Lord has “sworn to our ancestors.” Further, the Lord God has remembered the holy covenant. The Lord has not forgotten the covenant. We find similar thoughts in exilic texts in which the Lord is mindful of the covenant forever, for their sake remembering the covenant, and remembering the covenant established in the formation of Israel.[9] In such texts, we have a biblical hint of what it means that God is omniscient. God knows the needs of the people of God, and the remembrance of them is the comfort of the righteous.[10] The Lord God remembered ⁷³ the oath that he swore to our ancestor Abraham, to grant us⁷⁴ that we, being rescued from the hands of our enemies, might serve him without fear, ⁷⁵ in holiness and righteousness before him all our days. The covenant is in reference to Abraham (vv. 72-73, Luke 1:55; Acts 3:25). The Lord is mindful of the covenant made with Abraham and promised to Isaac (Psalm 105:8-9). The Lord will remember the covenant with Abraham and Isaac and remember the land. The Lord swore an oath to their ancestors regarding a land flowing with milk and honey. The Lord will show faithfulness to Jacob and unswerving loyalty to Abraham.[11] We can see another echo of Old Testament covenant traditions in the fact that the poem begins by recounting the mighty acts of God (vv. 68-73), just as covenant ceremonies begin in the Old Testament (Deuteronomy 1-4; Joshua 24).  We find a hint of the promise to Abraham after the near sacrifice of Isaac, in which the Lord will bless Abraham with many descendants and they will possess the gate of their enemies, and they will bless the nations.[12] The aim of God in days past had been to deliver the people out of their hand of their enemies, to free them from fear, in order that they might serve in holiness and righteousness before God. This still defines the divine purpose.

            The second portion of the Benedictus (vv. 76-79) takes up and answers the question of the neighbors in verse 66, “What then will this child become?” John will not be just in the audience. He will be in the arena. The dust, blood, and sweat of life will mar him. He will strive valiantly. John will make mistakes. He will come up short. He will know great enthusiasm and devotion. He will spend himself in the worthiest of causes. His life will end with his imprisonment and execution. Yet, given that he prepared the way for the Messiah, his life ended in the triumph of high achievement. Even if we were to think of his end as a failure, he failed while daring greatly.[13] As Luke narrates Zechariah’s answer, he loosely rehearses Gabriel’s previous announcement to Zechariah about John’s birth and Elizabeth’s greeting. ⁷⁶ In addition, you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, ⁷⁷ to give knowledge or experience of salvation (γνῶσιν σωτηρίας,) to his people by the forgiveness of their sins. The remission of sin was a not a central theme of the messianic age of salvation in contemporary Judaism.[14] Luke casts John the Baptist as a prophet of the Old Testament type as well. Just as Jesus in 1:32 is the Son of the Most High, John in 1:76 is the prophet of the Most High. Luke applies passages about the expected prophetic precursor to God's return to John several times here and in the first few chapters of Luke. Luke 1:17 evokes Malachi 4:5-6 when it portrays John as the one who comes in the spirit and power of Elijah. Luke 1:76 and 3:4 alludes to Isaiah 40:3-5, equating John with the voice that cries in the wilderness in preparation for the Lord's arrival. Luke 7:27 cites Malachi 3:1, equating John with the messenger whom God sends. Luke has the message of John the Baptist correlate with the message of the apostles as he depicts it in repentance and forgiveness of sins in Acts 2:38, 5:31, 10:43, 13:38, and 26:18. Such a message is a fulfillment of the time to which Jeremiah looked forward in 31:34, when the Lord said, “I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more.” ⁷⁸ By the tender mercy of our God, confirms that the love and grace of God have their true origin in the movement of the heart of God. Everything that God is and does arises out of the root of this original, free, and powerful compassion, and thus is from the outset open to the need and distress of another. Compassionate words and deeds do not have their ground in a subsequent change to conditions but have their root in the divine heart.[15] This leads followers of Jesus to be merciful. This anticipates the saying of Jesus that God blesses the merciful. It reminds us that the art of being gentle — of kindness and forgiveness, sensitivity and thoughtfulness and generosity and humility and good old-fashioned love — have gone out of fashion. Ironically, as people express a shrill demand for their rights, people are destroying a basic longing and hope to have a peaceful, stable, secure, and caring place to live, be, learn, and flourish.[16]Arising out of the mercy of God, the dawn from on high will break upon us. The Old Testament has some close parallels. They are to arise and shine, for their light has come and the glory of the Lord has arisen upon them (Num 24:17, Mal 4:2, Isa 60:1-3). Those in distress are to give thanks for the steadfast love of the Lord (Ps 107:10-15). On those who dwelled in darkness a great light has shined (Isa 9:2). Even the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings (Mal 4:2). Dawn breaking upon us is in order ⁷⁹ to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death. The image of one whose dawning brings light to those who sit in darkness is powerful. It has several parallels in the Old Testament.  Some sitting in darkness and gloom are prisoners in misery, due to their rebellion. Even then, the Lord delivered them (Ps 107:10-15). Darkness covers the earth, but the Lord will arise, and glory will appear in such a way that the nations will come to the light they will see in Israel (Isa 60:1-3). Light has shined upon those who have sat in deep darkness (Isa 9:2). The Lord will liberate those who sit in the darkness of the prison (Isa 42:7). The reference to “the shadow of death” is a somber biblical reminder of the basic human truth that the end that has yet to come casts a shadow in advance and defines the whole path of life as a being for death in the sense that our end has not integrated into our existence. Rather, it threatens each moment of our living self-affirmation with nothingness. We thus lead our temporal lives under the shadow of death.[17] The light will come to guide our feet into the way of peace.” The song begins with referring to the enemy and ends with peace. The work of peace seems impossible. Some enemies are so devoted to evil that all that one can do is defeat them. In many other situations, however, if we want to make peace with the enemy, we will have to figure out a way to work with the enemy. At that point, the enemy becomes a partner.[18] The path to such peace will involve goodness and forgiveness.[19] In short, Luke frames the Benedictus as a prophetic psalm, by a priestly Israelite, attesting to both Jesus and John as the long-awaited fulfillments of God's promises to Israel - the proofs of God's faithfulness. This merciful and redemptive visitation of Israel by God, in faithfulness to God and to the people, forms the subject-matter of this hymn, as well as the Magnificat.

Listen to Karl Jenkins’ “Benedictus,” a beautiful meditative piece as an instrumental featuring the piano, the 14th track of his album, Adiemus. 

Let me be clear with you. The events happening in Luke 1-2 have meaning considering the larger story of the redemption God already offered to the Jewish people. 

The beauty of it is that Zechariah remembered. He remembered the glorious past of Israel, and the God who made it possible. He connects what is happening with what has already happened with what will happen - to maintain the ancient covenant with Abraham. This newborn son, John, will go before the Lord to prepare his way thus fulfilling God's ancient plan. 

Zechariah remembered. He remembered that God promised redemption - rescue from all the enemies, all the fears, all the dark and deadly realities of life. 

Zechariah remembered that God promised a fresh beginning, a new dawn.

Zechariah remembered that God promised to show the Jewish people the path to perfect peace.

---

[1] Robert J. Karris, O.F.M. ("The Gospel According to Luke," in The New Jerome Biblical Commentary [Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1990]).

[2] Ibid, (676-77)

[3] (Barth K. , Church Dogmatics, 2004, 1932-67)III.3 [51.3] 503-504).

[4] (Bultmann, The History of the Synoptic Tradition, 1921, 1931, 1958), 296.

[5] (Barth K. , Church Dogmatics, 2004, 1932-67)IV.2 [64.3], 183-184).

[6] (Barth K. , Church Dogmatics, 2004, 1932-67)IV.2 [64.3], 183).

[7] Micah 7:19-20

19 He will again have compassion upon us; 

he will tread our iniquities under foot. 

You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.

20 You will show faithfulness to Jacob 

and unswerving loyalty to Abraham, 

as you have sworn to our ancestors from the days of old.

[8] Inspired by Jacques Ellul.

[9] Psalm 105:8-9

8 He is mindful of his covenant forever, 

of the word that he commanded, 

for a thousand generations, 

9 the covenant that he made with Abraham, 

his sworn promise to Isaac,

Psalm 106:45

45 For their sake he remembered his covenant, 

and showed compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love.

Ezekiel 16:60

 60 yet I will remember my covenant with you in the days of your youth, 

and I will establish with you an everlasting covenant.

[10] Pannenberg, Systematic Theology, Volume I, 379.

[11] Leviticus 26:42 

… then will I remember my covenant with Jacob; I will remember also my covenant with Isaac and also my covenant with Abraham, and I will remember the land.

Psalm 105:8-9

 8 He is mindful of his covenant forever, 

of the word that he commanded, for a thousand generations, 

9 the covenant that he made with Abraham, 

his sworn promise to Isaac …

Jeremiah 11:5

… that I may perform the oath that I swore to your ancestors, 

to give them a land flowing with milk and honey, as at this day.”

Micah 7:20

You will show faithfulness to Jacob and unswerving loyalty to Abraham, 

as you have sworn to our ancestors from the days of old.

[12] Genesis 22:16-18

"By myself I have sworn, says the Lord: Because you have done this, and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17 I will indeed bless you, and I will make your offspring as numerous as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of their enemies, 18 and by your offspring shall all the nations of the earth gain blessing for themselves, because you have obeyed my voice."

[13] Inspired by Theodore Roosevelt.

[14] Forester, TDNT, VII, 

[15] (Barth K. , Church Dogmatics, 2004, 1932-67), II.1 [30.2], 370).

[16] Wright, N.T. Simply Christian: Why Christianity Makes Sense. New York: HarperSanFrancisco, 2006; 8.

[17] (Pannenberg, Systematic Theology, 1998, 1991), Volume I, 272.

[18] Inspired by Nelson Mandela.

[19] Inspired by Nelson Mandela.

Luke 21:25-36

Luke 21:25-36 (NRSV)

²⁵ “There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on the earth distress among nations confused by the roaring of the sea and the waves. ²⁶ People will faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. ²⁷ Then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in a cloud’ with power and great glory. ²⁸ Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

²⁹ Then he told them a parable: “Look at the fig tree and all the trees; ³⁰ as soon as they sprout leaves you can see for yourselves and know that summer is already near. ³¹ So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. ³² Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all things have taken place. ³³ Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

³⁴ “Be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life, and that day does not catch you unexpectedly, ³⁵ like a trap. For it will come upon all who live on the face of the whole earth. ³⁶ Be alert at all times, praying that you may have the strength to escape all these things that will take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.”

Luke 21: 25-36 is part of the apocalyptic discourse of Jesus. It will give me an opportunity to discuss the importance of eschatology in the church today.

            Luke 21:25-28 contains sayings concerning the coming of the Son of Man.[1] Luke now represents Jesus as predicting events connected with the future of the world.  Jesus does move to what is happening upon the world.  In contrast to judgment, for Christians it will be deliverance.

            Passages such as this sound strange to us. An emphasis upon the end time or the end of the world leads some persons to otherworldliness, passivity in this life, and acceptance of the status quo. Yet, for all that Christian faith means to everyone who embraces it, the church cannot permit, much less endorse, a subjective captivity of the gospel.  Not even the community of faith is adequate as the arena of Christ's saving work.  The whole creation stands at the window eagerly awaiting the arrival of the day of redemption for the children of God. Further, such passages remind us that human effort will not bring us to the desired end. It rests upon the assumption that human history will not be a genuine story unless we think in terms of ultimate ends. A proper estimation of eschatology will help the church avoid the danger of always adjusting the church to the needs and anxieties of the culture.

Yet, we need to face the truth that rumors of the end of the world as we know it have been around for a long time. Apocalyptic elements in the Bible can become fads in the hands of some theologians and preachers. I think of the Anabaptists of the 1530s in Munster, Germany, the Millerites of the early 1840s, the early 1970s publication of The Late Great Planet Earth, and the Left Behind books and movies based upon such thoughts. Such language also gained attention in the secular world with the turn of the millennium. A thorough study of such movements would be a long book. Harold Camping studied the Bible and concluded the world would end May 21, 2011. He placed his message on 5,000 billboards. He estimated 7 billion people would die. He used millions of dollars to convey his message. When the date came and went, he amended the date to October 21. By then, the fad had subsided. In our time, we are naturally and justly skeptical of such language. A well know story from colonial New England says that during an eclipse panicked several state legislators. They moved to adjourn, thinking the end of the world must be near. However, one of them said, "Mr. Speaker, if it is not the end of the world and we adjourn, we shall appear to be fools. If it is the end of the world, I should choose to be found doing my duty. I move you, sir, that candles be brought."[2]

At the same time, if you pray the Lord’s Prayer regularly, you are praying apocalyptically: Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. If you recite the Creed, you are affirming your connection to the apocalyptic hope of the early Christians: “And he shall come again with glory to judge both the quick and the dead, whose kingdom shall have no end. … And we look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come.” When we ask God to interfere with our affairs on this world, we are asking for an end to the world, as we know it. When the author walks on the stage, the play is over. The world as we know it, says apocalyptic hope, will melt away like a dream and something else that never entered our heads to conceive arrives, something so beautiful to some and terrible to others.[3]

I see another dimension of such language in the Bible. People are ready for apocalyptic speech when they are desperate. Do we really want such earth-shaking occurring among us? Would such an expectation be a threat or promise to us? Our lives stretch between the times. Many people have good reason look at their lives with a sense of enjoyment and satisfaction. They are at peace with the world. Apocalyptic expectation in the Bible challenge present arrangements of society and look forward to something more and better. For those who experience this world as painful and tragic, the shaking of heaven and earth would be welcome. In fact, we need to take to heart the notion that Christianity is completely and restlessly eschatological.[4] One sign of the church adjusting its message to its contemporary setting too much is the loss of its apocalyptic speech and therefore its eschatological dimension. Regardless of our current setting, we need to know that the future of humanity and a concern for its destiny is not so much a matter of how or when, but a matter of whom. Thus, dreadful things happen in this world, but do not despair. God has not given up on us. We must not give up on God or ourselves. The future is not in the hands of beastly powers. The future belongs to the Human One. The future has the human face of Jesus Christ, the one who died for us so that we might find life.  

As Luke describes the events associated with the temple’s catastrophic destruction, he makes use of familiar prophetic imagery to alert his community about that tragic moment in history. ²⁵ “There will be signs [σημεῖα] in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on the earth distress among nations confused [συνοχὴ ἐθνῶν ἐν ἀπορίᾳ] by the roaring of the sea and the waves. The reference to the sea may be an echo of language about the sea found in Psalm 46:2-3 and 89:9. This upended response of nature to the appearance of the divine is typical of creation’s response to a theophany (see, e.g., Exodus 19:18). We need to remember that Jesus also cautioned his disciples not to misread customary disputes among states and natural processes on the earth. ²⁶ People will faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Isaiah 24:17-20 mentions the distress and confusion among people at the Day of Judgment. That day would be particularly shocking receives emphasis by the fact that the prophetic imagery is inverted. For, rather than the Lord coming to rescue Jerusalem from her enemies, the city and the temple would be destroyed (Isaiah 13:9-13; 34:1-17; Joel 2:1-11, 30-32; 3:14-17). In other words, people will find it impossible to believe that they are seeing the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple. To those who encounter these dreadful experiences, it will feel as though the world is ending. On this occasion, the signs will point to an event that would utterly disrupt their world.  ²⁷ Then, during this panic-stricken melee, they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in a cloud’ with power and great glory. We now reach the point of this passage. Scholars have generated an enormous body of scholarly literature concerning the “Son of Man,” which is Jesus’ favorite self-designation in the gospels, occurring some 72 times in the synoptics. In the New Testament, Jesus uses this term to describe himself in two contexts: his earthly life, mission, and fate (e.g., Mark 2:10 and parallels), and his role as risen, exalted and returning savior and judge. The two roles have a close relationship, symbolized by the fact that Jesus always uses the expression to refer to himself in the gospels. We cannot fully understand either role without reference to the other. In the New Testament, the accepting, rejected and crucified savior is also the risen, exalted and judging savior. The basis of the New Testament figure is the divine being seen by the prophet Daniel (chapter 7, one “like a human being”), an exalted angel personifying the Jews and perhaps to be identified with the archangel Michael.[5]This is the first time that Luke has mentioned the future coming of the Son of Man in the context of the passage from Daniel (common in synoptic gospel traditions, cf. Mark 14:62), but it is by no means the first time Luke has described Jesus as the Son of Man within the context of his gospel. Luke clearly identifies Jesus as the Son of Man in the conflicts with the Pharisees early in his ministry concerning the ability to forgive and the status of Sabbath law (5:24; 6:5). Later, he describes the Son of Man as the sign for “this generation” in the same way that Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites (11:30). Furthermore, the Son of Man will return at an unexpected hour (12:40) and “the days are coming when [the disciples] will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and [they] will not see it” (17:22). At his own trial, Jesus claims, “from now on the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the power of God” (22:69). Finally, the disciples see Jesus ascending to heaven in a cloud and are told that he will return in the same manner (Acts 1:11), while Stephen sees Jesus, the Son of Man, at the right hand of God (Acts 7:55-56). Thus, for Luke, the Son of Man tittle encompasses the identity of Jesus in the form of his earthly ministry, his present exaltation and his future return. Revelation 1:7 refers to the crucified as the one “coming with the clouds.” Didache 16:8 refers to the world seeing “the Lord coming on the clouds of heaven.” Early Christianity proclaimed the risen Lord as the end-time messianic King whom Jewish expectation hope for and whom God will send. In so doing, it merged expectation of his return with Jewish expectation of the Son of Man who will come on the clouds with great power and glory to judge the living and the dead. Based on this passage, the First Council of Constantinople (381) added “with glory” to the original Nicene Creed (325).[6] ²⁸ Now when these things begin to take place, and the returning of Jesus as judge finally comes, the followers of Jesus are to have comfort and encouragement, and therefore stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” The coming of the Son of Man in a cloud is a time for rejoicing, not terror, for the disciples know the Son of Man, Jesus. This Son of Man will be the one whose coming brings their redemption near (21:28; cf. Luke 1:68, 2:38). The response of the world will be fear, but the response of disciples will be confidence and hope. Christ is the one who summons, so they lift up themselves to God. The situation of the people of God after the resurrection of Jesus is an intriguing one. They should look to the exalted, royal man. Yet, Christian teaching suggests Christ has come to them as their Brother and will come again. Christ is now present with them below even though Christ is above. As they look up, they are part here below in the holiness in which Christ is the One who alone is holy.[7]

            The redemption of which Jesus speaks in this passage, as often elsewhere, signifies the deliverance of his followers from both the destruction about to claim the inhabited world and from its attendant, ongoing powers (e.g., Zacchaeus’ deliverance and change of life in Luke 19:9). The usage has its roots in the Exodus tradition of deliverance, and, as there, is normally understood corporately (as in Luke 24:21, “But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel”). The notion of individual deliverance, apart from the body of followers that grew up around Jesus, is quite alien to the gospels, however much it has become a staple of latter-day Christian thinking. Further, the deliverance envisioned has its foundation not upon Christ’s death or resurrection, but with his return.[8]  

            Luke 21:29-33 contains the parable of the fig tree.[9]

²⁹ Then he told them a parable: “Look at the fig tree and all the trees; ³⁰ as soon as they sprout leaves you can see for yourselves and know that summer is already near. They are attentive and insightful enough to detect a change in the seasons. Jesus used images from nature, but the use here is not bold or unusual.  It is proverbial or common-sense wisdom.  The fig tree is a deciduous tree that thrives in the dry Mediterranean climate, and in the summer, its foliage is bright and seems to lend a bit of a “tropical” feel, sharply distinguishing between winter and summer. Therefore, using this parable and the knowledge of the identity of the Son of Man, the disciples have no reason to fear the end times. If they can interpret the signs as easily as they can interpret the seasons, and they realize that they know the One who is coming to bring their redemption, their fears should abate. The image may refer to the nearness of the kingdom. ³¹ So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. They need to develop attentiveness and spiritual insight to discern a change of the times. When trees regain their leaves, the disciples will be able to interpret that as a sign that signals the changing seasons. In the same way, the disciples will also be able to interpret the signs of the end to show the change of the times. 

³² Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all things have taken place. The interpretive thorn in the passage occurs here. To whom does “this” refer? Commentators have proposed several answers. (a) Jesus’ contemporaries; (b) the Jewish people; (c) human beings in general; (d) the generation of the end-signs. As scholars have noted, if Jesus is referring to his contemporaries, the saying would apply only to the first generation, and would create obvious difficulties for subsequent generations, including the generation that produced Luke’s gospel. For an increasingly Christian audience, option (b) would become increasingly irrelevant. Option (c) seems too general to be meaningful, leaving option (d) as the most plausible referent, if the writer of Luke’s gospel is writing after the destruction of the temple, when many events would have impressed themselves upon their witnesses as the very end-signs of which Jesus spoke. From Jesus’ perspective, when they see these things unfolding before them, they are to remain steadfast, confident in their faith. These events — though disturbing on one level — should not surprise the disciples because Jesus had already spoken about them ahead of time. In short, Jesus’ words are to reassure his disciples. Continuing to provide the disciples with reassurance, Jesus tells them “this generation will not pass away until all things have taken place” (21:32). This contrasts with heaven and earth, which will pass away, but is in parallel to Jesus’ words, which will not pass away. Therefore, “this generation” should put their trust in Jesus’ words, as Jesus is a trustworthy prophet. While this statement would have been important for the disciples’ faith, it would have also been significant for Luke’s audience. Assuming that the gospel of Luke was written after 70 A.D. (80-85 A.D. are accepted dates), Luke’s audience would have known that Jesus’ prophecies about the destruction of the temple came true. Luke has depicted Jesus as a prophet whose words the audience can trust throughout the gospel; there is no reason the audience should not also trust his words about the end times. This exhortation, then, is to trust those words rather than the fleeting nature of heaven and earth, which will not last (21:11, 25-26, 33). How are we to think of such a statement? It may well be that the event of Easter confirms the message of Jesus to the degree that it at least partially fulfills the intimation of the coming divine rule. The end did not actually come before the generation of Jesus passed away. Nevertheless, for Jesus himself the final salvation of the rule of God became a reality with his resurrection from the dead.[10] Biblical notions of the end find no support in our scientific knowledge of the world. The scientific end of the universe looks to a remote future. One cannot readily argue that the biblical picture of the end and the scientific end coincide. However, in phenomena that threaten the survival of the race we may see signs of the end that point to possible disasters for us that our beyond our imagining. Yet, signs of the end are not the end itself and do not enable us to calculate when it will come. No one knows the time. That we must count on an end of this world and human history finds support in the inner logic of the historicity of our sense of meaning. The meaning of individual events occurs in the context of the totality, which must have an “end.”[11]

³³ Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.  Such an oath affirms the truth of accompanying statements.

Luke 21:34-36 contains sayings concerning the need to be watchful and ready.[12] This is counsel on how to prepare for the day of the Son of Man.  The disciples are to be always ready, by their ethical life and their life of prayer.  That day will come suddenly. Our tendency might be toward laziness and indifference. Yet, if we realize the living Christ is here, we would stay awake and be ready through a life of prayer and through leading a life worthy of Jesus Christ. Always be ready. William Barclay put it this way, “The only way to prepare to meet God is to live daily with God.” 

³⁴ “Be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation (using a Greek word found only here) and drunkenness (using another infrequent word) and the worries of this life. We guard many things. A nation needs to guard itself from its enemies. Businesses need to guard themselves from threats. Individuals need to guard their homes. This verse offers ways for us to guard our hearts. While the list here is unique, its concerns are common as threats to Christian morality (e.g., Matthew 13:22; Romans 13:13; I Corinthians 7:23; Galatians 5:21; I Peter 4:3-4; II Peter 2:13). They are to keep their guard up so that day does not catch you unexpectedly, ³⁵ like a trap. For it will come upon all who live on the face of the whole earth. Luke knows his audience will not miss the final coming of the Son of Man for the end would affect the whole earth. ³⁶ Be alert at all times, praying that you may have the strength to escape all these things that will take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.” Christian morality depends, primarily, on the belief expressed in the final verse, that Christians will have to give an account of their lives. The end of the segment that began this chapter stresses the need for vigilance.[13] Through security in Jesus’ identity and promises, the disciples should heed his exhortation to “be awake!” The danger of security is apathy, and that was not the goal of Jesus’ exhortations. Instead, because the disciples know their redemption is drawing near (21:28), and that the kingdom of God is near (21:31), they are to stand up straight (21:28) and be alert in prayer. Even though they know all these things were to happen, they could still miss the signs of the end by not continuing to wait and watch. (21:35). Yet if they do not continue to be watchful, they will not be able to present themselves as faithful followers who will stand in front of the Son of Man. Knowing who is coming and that one can interpret the signs of the end, followers of Jesus need not be anxious. Watchfulness is Jesus’ exhortation to faithful disciples in expectation of the fulfillment of God’s promise of coming redemption.

We live in anxious times. I say this, knowing that every generation has enough tension to stimulate us to respond with anxiety. Natural disasters and economic and political realities impinge upon our lives. Fear, dread, and uneasiness can easily invade our lives. Modern life adds to the difficulty in that we receive news alerts on our phones, we do not get enough sleep, we overcommit ourselves, we eat an unbalanced diet, and have too much caffeine. Some studies suggest that Sunday night has become a cause of anxiety. The weekend is winding down. Minds shift to work, the activities of the kids, and the long to do list. Our mentality is that of productivity Monday to Friday, focusing upon working hard and showing our industriousness, and a leisure mentality Saturday and Sunday, which allows us to rest and play. Sunday evening becomes a tug of war because we feel guilt over relaxing on the weekend and apprehensive about the work that is ahead.[14] This passage invites us to look forward with hope rather than anxiety. 

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[1] Luke has freely revised Mark 13:24-27. However, Luke eludes the specifics mentioned by Mark and Matthew (e.g., “the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light,” Mark 13:24) in favor of details not included by either of the other two synoptic evangelists. Many scholars do not think Jesus said any of this, suggesting that he did not say anything about the coming of the Son of Man as a future, cataclysmic event.  For them, the words are from a contemporary of Luke who is addressing his generation. Further, this saying contains references to the Old Testament that some scholars think are more likely from an early Jewish-Christian prophecy rather than from Jesus. Mark linked the end of the world with the destruction of Jerusalem.  Luke avoids this.

[2] Lamar Williams Jr., Mark, (Louisville: John Knox Press, 1983) p. 242.

[3] C. S. Lewis, Sunbeams: A Book of Quotations, ed by Sy Safranksy (Berkeley, CA: North Atlantic Books, 1990, p. 80.

[4] Karl Barth, Romans, p. 

[5] See John J. Collins, “Old Testament Apocalypticism and Eschatology,” The New Jerome Biblical Commentary [Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 1990], 303.

[6] Pannenberg, Systematic Theology Volume 3, 609.

[7]  (Barth 2004, 1932-67), IV.2 [66.2] 527.

[8] Joseph A. Fitzmyer, The Gospel According to Luke X-XXIV [Anchor Bible 28A; Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1985], 1350).

[9] The source is Mark. Although the illustration is found in all three gospels, suggesting its authenticity in the earliest stage of transmission, as a parable it is intrusive in its current context. Luke uniquely adds “and all the trees” (v. 29), a typical example of Lukan rhetorical expansion (see also 3:16; 4:15; 9:1; and Fitzmyer, 1352), which adds little to the impact of the illustration. Only Luke’s gospel labels the illustration of the fig tree (vv. 29-31) a “parable” (v. 29). 

[10] Pannenberg, Systematic Theology Volume 2, 366.

[11] Pannenberg, Systematic Theology Volume 3, 589, 590. 

[12] The source is verses 34-35 from Luke and verse 36 from Mark. Some scholars do not think Jesus said any of this. For them, Mark invented the conception of being on guard. It may also have been part of early Christian preaching. Verse 36 may view the trials and tribulations connected with the destruction of Jerusalem in retrospect. For some scholars, the conception of the Son of Man is alien to Jesus.

[13] An ending that is unique to Luke.

[14] Thompson, Derek. “How Civilization Broke Our Brains.” The Atlantic, January/February 2021, 82-84.

Wolff, Carina and Chrisanne Grisé. “18 Everyday Things That Could Trigger Anxiety.” The Healthy, April 1, 2021, www.thehealthy.com. 

I Thessalonians 3:9-13

I Thessalonians 3:9-13 (NRSV)

⁹ How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy that we feel before our God because of you? ¹⁰ Night and day we pray most earnestly that we may see you face to face and restore whatever is lacking in your faith.

¹¹ Now may our God and Father himself and our Lord Jesus direct our way to you. ¹² And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, just as we abound in love for you. ¹³ And may he so strengthen your hearts in holiness that you may be blameless before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.

 

I Thessalonians 3:9-13 begin with a thanksgiving for the report Timothy has brought to Paul concerning what is happening among the Christians in Thessalonica. This merges into a prayer.

⁹ How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy that we feel before our God because of you? Paul legitimates the profusion of outpourings of gratitude. Yet, he seems to tweak them lightly. Despite their laudatory faith and steadfastness, they still have more to learn. The expression of thanksgiving that remains the tone of Paul throughout the letter is also one of overwhelming joy. Earlier in the letter (see 2:19-20) Paul has used the theme of joy: joy that these new followers of Christ would also spread the news of “hope or joy or crown of boasting” in God’s presence. Underlying Paul’s joy is the relief that all is going so well with this community. With the difficulties new Christians faced in the pagan world and in the synagogue, joy at the progress of the community (and the presence of God that provides for that progress) leads to this prayer. ¹⁰ Night and day we pray most earnestly that we may see you face to face and restore (or supply by his insights and guidance) whatever is lacking in your faith. The shortcomings are gaps in their knowledge of Christian doctrine and code of Christian behavior. They seem to have some delinquency or problem with their faith. The prayer supports the view that the letter is an interim communication until he can be there in person. Paul is looking forward to teaching the community the duties of Christian discipleship and other as-of-yet unexplored territories of faith (Ephesians 3:8-12). Chapter 4 takes up this suggestion by moving away from words of thanksgiving and into lessons on the proper behavior, beliefs and eschatological expectations the Thessalonian Christians should manifest. This young community has come a long way and overcome some hardships, but their faith is still new, and growth in faith still needs to increase.

I Thessalonians 3:11-13 has the context of a prayer for the Thessalonians. It is difficult to grasp the significance of the prayer without the context of the letter. The prayer forms a transition to the instruction that follows. 

¹¹ Now may (optative rather than imperative mood) our God and Father himself and our Lord Jesus direct (singular verb) our way to you. This verse forms a colon, a metrical unit that expresses one complete thought. The newness of faith and need for growth in faith is reason enough for Paul’s expression of hope for a return to them. He still has work to do and still has faith to nurture. Paul is addressing his prayer to God the Father and God the Son. This is the first occurrence of “fatherhood” in Paul’s writings. Such a designation of God as Father, especially in prayer, while taking place in the Jewish world, would become very distinctive among the Christian community. As Paul does this, he emphasizes the relationship of God to humanity (in parental terms) and the relationship of Jesus to humanity in terms of Jesus as Savior or Lord. God is not only the Father of our Lord Jesus; God is also Father to all believers. Verses 12-13 form a second independent benediction “colon.”^[1] In each of these grammatically separate colons, the subject matter that stands at the very front of the colon is God or Jesus.  Bracketing the end of this extended thanksgiving section, the double benediction reminds readers of the motifs Paul expressed in chapters 1-3. ¹² Moreover, may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, just as we abound in love for you. Brotherly love must spread from one another to the human race.  Paul’s prayer is one that outlines his priorities. “Love” is at the top of Paul’s list. Love will hold this infant congregation together in the face of the persecution that they face. His prayer is that God will not only increase their love for each other, but for all. Paul uses as an example his own love for this congregation. God expects mutual love of all Christians, and is a common New Testament theme — just as Paul loves this community, they must love each other. Love also comes from God, and the Spirit helps this love to grow among the Christians. Paul’s discussion of the inner love of the community of believers and outward love of God is a message that he would further develop (I Corinthians 13; Galatians 5:13). Love in the New Testament usually takes place between Christians. Here, however, love shows the readiness of Christians to receive all people. The existence of the community is not an end in itself. The community exists for the sake of the world that God loves. The mutual love practiced within the community is to find its repetition in love practiced for all.^{[2] 13} In addition, may the Lord so strengthen your hearts with this love that you will have a life dedicated to God and therefore in holiness, that you may be blameless before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.^[3] This is not merely a prayer for love of any kind, but Christian love — a love that would carry them to the time of Jesus’ return. "Holiness" begins with brotherly love but it will not reach its completion until the Parousia. Judaism commonly attributed holiness to God, the Sabbath and God’s dwelling places, such as the tabernacle and the temple. Over time, Israel articulated holiness in two different ways: In the Torah, and especially the Levitical law, holiness described a state of personal and ritual purity; in the prophets, holiness often described a communal and moral state of justice. The parousia should provide an incentive for holy living.  This holiness is not a new or separate petition of Paul for the believers in Thessalonica, but a statement about how the increased gift of love would function in the lives of the believers. The increase of love in verse 12 refers to the present time in which the Thessalonians find themselves; whereas the “strengthen your hearts” refers to the future and that which is final. For Paul at the second coming, the end of time, it is his prayer that the believers will be seen as blameless and enter into the presence of God. By reading ahead into I Thessalonians 4:1-12, one can see that Paul is using “holiness” to describe personal purity and “love.” They address the requirements of holiness first, which requires bodily self-control, the abatement of lust and regard for others as persons and not objects (4:3-7). As for the requirements of love, the authors feel that they “do not need to have anyone write” because “you do love all the brothers and sisters throughout Macedonia” (4:9-10). Yet from the following exhortations, one may deduce that love is fundamentally communal and involves right relationships within a community.

The first lesson in soul-crafting Paul offers here is that they "abound in love for one another and for all" (v. 12). This is the first step in "strengthening their hearts in holiness." What is an attitude that "abounds in love?" With what kind of love are we to abound?

Literature expresses the power and danger of love. Human beings have so much desire for love that we might seek a quick fix in a pill or potion.

Yet marked I where the bolt of Cupid fell.

It fell upon a little western flower,

Before milk-white, now purple with love's wound.

And maidens call it "love-in-idleness."

Fetch me that flower. The herb I showed thee once.

The juice of it on sleeping eyelids laid

Will make or man or woman madly dote

Upon the next live creature that it sees.

Fetch me this herb, and be thou here again

Ere the leviathan can swim a league.^[4]

In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, J.K. Rowling uses a discussion of love potions to explain the nature of love for her young readers. Professor Slughorn, the potions master at Hogwarts, is telling some students about Amortentia, a powerful love-potion: "Amortentia doesn't really create love, of course. It is impossible to manufacture or imitate love. No, this will simply cause a powerful infatuation or obsession." Yet, the professor is still very cautious about the havoc such a concoction can cause. "It is probably the most dangerous and powerful potion in this room." This, he explains, is because of "the power of obsessive love."^[5]

Love can take some hard work, especially when being human involves so much pain.

When Paul urged the Thessalonians to "abound in love," he was speaking to a community that had already had its capacity to love significantly challenged. Persecutions and suffering at the hands of the city's pagan officials, condemnations from the Jewish synagogue and contentions within their own ranks had threatened to strain the loving nature of the Thessalonians. Surely, we who do not face such challenges ought to find it easier to abound in love. Yet, the challenge is before us. If we take Paul's own life as an example, we can discern at least three ways that the apostle might have expected the Thessalonians, and all Christians, to abound in Love.

First, as Christians, we need to respond to life with love. We must take whatever hits life brings our way and respond to them with love. Consider the world in which we live. We human beings do not practice love all that much. Therefore, there is a good chance that what will hit us will not be love. The challenge of the Christian is to respond with love no matter what. When someone clobbers us with hate, we love. When someone jabs us with jealously, we love. When someone shoves us around with pettiness, we love. When someone floors us with dishonesty, we love. When someone plows us over with prejudice, we love.

Second, as Christians, we need to take the initiative in loving others. To "abound in love" means we, too, must step forward and add our voices and our testimony to that great cloud of witnesses. It is not enough to know we are the recipients of God's love. To "abound in love," we must make love known to the world by making love visible in our actions. Charles Schultz made one of the most stirring indictments on the church ever penned many years ago. Snoopy is shivering out in a snowstorm beside an empty food dish. He was looking longingly, expectantly, toward the house. Lucy came out and said, "Go in peace, be warmed and filled!" Then she turned and went back into the house and slammed the door. In the last frame, you saw a confused Snoopy looking toward the house, shivering, hungry, and utterly baffled. To make known the love of Christ takes more than words. To make the love of Christ known takes action and results.

Third, as Christians, we need to have a love that lets our light shine. We have only to glance at the New Testament to determine the effects of Paul's ministry and message. This apostle, who spent more time in prison than out, has managed to have his words, his testimonies, become a witness throughout the church for two millennia. It is because Paul's words "abound with love" that they continue to resound with the spirit of truth as loudly today as they did when delivered before the Thessalonian Christians.

The Shack by William Paul Young tells the story of Mack Philips whose young daughter someone abducted during a family vacation. Evidence indicates that she someone murdered her in an abandoned shack. Four years later, Mack gets a mysterious note inviting him to the very shack where the crime was apparently committed. The note purports to be from God. In his visit to the shack, he meets God in the form of a wise woman. At one point, Mack questions God about the trinity, and God speaks about the need for being three persons yet entirely one. In explaining this to Mack, God says, "All love and relationship is possible for you only because it already exists within Me, within God, myself. Love is not the limitation; ... I am love." Over several conversations Mack picks up a phrase used extensively by God, "You seem to be especially fond of a lot of people. Are there any who you are not especially fond of?" She (God) lifts her eyes as if running down a list of every created being then says, "Nope, I haven't been able to find any. Guess that's jes' the way I is."

Yes, Paul is clear that the Christian life is about relating to God in Christ in such way that the relationship transforms us into increasingly loving persons. When we see that the love God has for us already in Christ, then we can live in this relationship.

            While Paul makes just a brief reference to “the coming of our Lord Jesus” in this passage, it is a reminder that Christ will come again. This brief reference, with which one might compare 2:19, also points toward a more detailed discussion of the return of Christ later in the letter in 4:13-5:11. Just as Paul is enthusiastic about being able to be with this congregation again, so should the church in Thessalonica, and indeed all Christians, be eager about the second coming of Christ. Paul knows about the “advent” of the good news into the community of believers. He delivered it to them. However, Paul is also aware that the coming of Christ into the lives of the believers will bring conflict and division, just as it brings peace and good will. Christ may not yet have come in his glorious advent, but Paul has proclaimed that Christ is already present in the Christian community, which is a new creation in Christ.

I offer a concluding prayer. 

“Behold, you come. And your coming is neither past nor future, but the present, which has only to reach its fulfillment. Now it is still the one single hour of your Advent, at the end of which we, too, shall have found out that you have really come. O God who is to come, grant me the grace to live now, in the hour of your Advent, in such a way that I may merit to live in you forever, in the blissful hour of your eternity.”^[6]

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[1]          Robert Jewett, "The Form and Function of the Homiletic Benediction," Anglican Theological Quarterly, 51, 1969, 20‑21

[2]  (Barth 2004, 1932-67), IV..2 [68.3] 805, 809.

[3] "Holy ones" could be the chosen, the saved, the angels.

[4] --Oberon to Robin in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, Act 2, Scene 1.

[5] --J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Scholastic, 2005), 186.

[6]          (from Karl Rahner, Encounters with Silence [Westminster, Md.: Newman Press, 1965], 87).

Jeremiah 33:14-16

Jeremiah 33:14-16 (NRSV)
¹⁴ The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah. ¹⁵ In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David; and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. ¹⁶ In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety. And this is the name by which it will be called: “The Lord is our righteousness.”

The theme of Jeremiah 33:14-16, part of a larger section of Jeremiah 33:14-26, is the sure promises of God. The entire section is an addition to the Book of Consolation as a promise for the institutions of the future.[1] It concerns the sure promises of the Lord. The passage stresses the promises to the Davidic line. Several people, led by Ishmael, of the Davidic line, went to Egypt because of their fear of the Chaldeans. When Evil-Merodach became king, he pardoned Jehoiachin, allowing Jehoiachin to eat at the table of the king. We also discover what happened to Jeremiah. The prophecy is part of a larger message of the Lord’s healing of Judah and Israel, following his punishment of them for their wickedness (32:6–33:18).

Jeremiah 33: 14-18 seem to build upon 23:5-6, delivered in late 589 or early 588, in which the Lord will raise up for David a righteous Branch, which shall reign as king wisely and execute justice and righteousness. The Lord will save Judah and Israel will live in safety. The Branch will have a name, “The Lord is our righteousness.” That prophecy deals with the ideal king or Messiah of the David line under whose just and victorious rule the Lord will actualize all dynastic hopes. ¹⁴ The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will fulfill (qum)[2] the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah. ¹⁵ In those days, after the present distress, and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch,[3] “shoot” becoming a technical term for a promising shoot or fresh growth from the stump of a seemingly dead tree, and thus, the expected king as in Zechariah 3:8, 6:12, as well as Jeremiah 11:1. The Lord will cause this righteous Branch to spring up for David; and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. See 23:5, but here the promise broadens to include not a single king but a dynasty. Jeremiah affirms the Davidic hope. The promise referred to here is similar to that of Deuteronomy 18:1-8, where the Lord is the inheritance of Levi, and II Samuel 7, where the Lord establishes a covenant with David. To the ordinary Israelite, that promise appeared broken by the exile; Jeremiah prophesied that the promise, in abeyance, remained in force. It plays little role in the rest of Jeremiah's thinking. The name now applies to Judah and Jerusalem. The promise broadens to include a never-ending line of priests who serve the king. ¹⁶ In those days, after the present distress of Israel, the Lord will save Judah and Jerusalem will live in safety. Moreover, this is the name by which people will call it: “The Lord is our righteousness, close to the name of Zedekiah.” Jeremiah applies the name to Judah and Jerusalem rather than the Davidic king. Consistent with virtually the entire corpus of prophetic thought, Jeremiah predicts security and safety when the future king executes justice and righteousness in the land. Because the king was the Lord’s anointed representative on earth, social justice and personal righteousness were the indispensable twins of all legitimate rule in ancient Israel.

In exile, Israel would learn to express profound sadness, rage, and loss. If nihilism is a primary mark of our age, then homelessness may well be the basic condition of a mobile and technological culture.[4] The exile speaks to any society or group of people within society who experience a profound sense of dislocation that touches every aspect of their lives. Old certitudes seem less certain. Old privileges are under challenge. Institutions seem unable to deliver what the challenges of the time seem to demand. Further, the option of going back to the way it was does not seem possible or desirable. The culture does not even seem to have something as basic as language and norms that might help us find remedies for that which ails us.[5] We need to go deeper in order to avoid denial and higher in order to imagine a hope filled future. The people of the Lord will need to recover the promises to Israel and the church in order to offer a future with hope. Whether the culture will listen to the witness they offer in word and deed is another matter. In exile, the people of the Lord need to embrace their true home. 

Regardless of how we analyze our present condition in the culture or among the people of the Lord, we may well carry within us a vision of wholeness that we sense our true hope. It beckons us to a new future. If we find home, we find peace. Finding such a home heightens our care and concern that so many have not found such a home. We then have the responsibility and privilege to share in word and deed with others.[6]

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[1] Such promises could come from another hand than that of Jeremiah. As we shall see, however, if other judgments are correct, I find no reason not to consider the passage in this context.

[2] which in the hiphil stem means here “[to] cause to happen what has been promised, or threatened” (Koehler-Baumgartner Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the OT). The NRSV translates the Lord’s words as “the promise I made.” It is more richly and fully understood in the Hebrew behind the translation: It is “the good word (or thing) [a noun from the root dabar — pronounced dahVAHR] which I spoke [a verb from the same root dabar].” The Hebrew word for good is tob [pronounced tove], which here means just right or fitting, pleasant, beautiful or of excellent practical value. God “dabar-ed” a just right dabar to his people about what he would do for them.

[3] May have referred in its original context to Zerubbabel, whose name means “Branch/shoot of Babylon.” He was one of the leaders of post-exilic Judah and a descendant of David. The similarity of this king's name with Zedekiah's suggest a prophecy early in that reign.

[4] Nietzsche suggested this. - George Grant, Technology and Empire, Toronto: House of Anansi, 1969, p. 17

[5] Inspired by - Walter Brueggemann, "Conversations Among Exiles," The Christian Century, July 2-9, 1997, although I take it a different a direction.

[6] (Frederick Buechner, The Longing for Home: Recollections and Reflections [San Francisco: Harper San Francisco, 1996].)