Bible Tuesday for Easter VII, 2015

Acts 1:15-17 & 21-26

In those days Peter stood up among the believers[a] (together the crowd numbered about one hundred twenty persons) and said, 16 “Friends,[b] the scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit through David foretold concerning Judas, who became a guide for those who arrested Jesus— 17 for he was numbered among us and was allotted his share in this ministry.”

21 So one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, 22 beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up from us—one of these must become a witness with us to his resurrection.” 23 So they proposed two, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was also known as Justus, and Matthias. 24 Then they prayed and said, “Lord, you know everyone’s heart. Show us which one of these two you have chosen 25 to take the place[d] in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place.” 26 And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias; and he was added to the eleven apostles.

In reading this first chapter of Acts, we must concentrate on hearing and seeing only what the writer tells us, and not fill in the “gaps” with what flannel boards, Bible book pictures, and famous artists have depicted.

The writer of Acts identifies Simon Peter (from the Greek petros as in “I will call you Petros and on this petros I will build my church.”) as the first leader of the church. Later in Acts we learn that Jesus’ brother, James, becomes the head of the church in Jerusalem as Peter and his wife do quite a bit of traveling.

Next, the writer lets the hearers and readers know how important the number 12 is to Jews. There are twelve tribes of Israel and as Jesus set out to restore Israel to God’s purpose of being God’s witnesses “in Jerusalem, in Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth,” (Acts 1:8) there must be twelve new patriarchs. So Jesus chose the twelve from his many disciples. As this section of the scripture opens, there are gathered “about 120 persons”, that is a multiple of twelve. Among these are found men, women, and children., including Jesus’ mother and siblings. (Acts 1:14)

When Judas died by suicide, Peter lead this group to select, by lot, someone who would take Judas’ place, as there needed to be twelve Apostles to make up the foundation of this new Isarel, this new People of God. Peter set the parameters for this person to be a man who had been with Jesus since his baptism until this very moment and they found two such guys! Why didn’t Leonardo diVinci paint these guys into his Last Supper?!

In ancient Hebrew tradition, the number twelve is special and symbolic of God’s people because it is the number 4 multiplied by the number 3. The number 3, in ancient Hebrew tradition well predating the Christian Doctrine of the Trinity, has been the number symbolizing God. The number 4 in that same ancient tradition symbolizes the four corners of the earth, the four winds, in other words, all of creation. So then 12 symbolizes God’s activity in all of creation. The Israelites believed they were God’s chosen people and God’s instruments in the world, and they had twelve patriarchs: Reuben, Simeon, Judah, Levi, Zebulun, Issachar, Asher, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Joseph, and Benjamin. Then, as Jesus established a new Israel who are given the specific mission of evangelizing God’s gospel, Jesus also chose twelve apostles: Simon (who is also called Peter), his brother Andrew, James and John (aka sons of Zebedee, or sons of Thunder), Philip, Bartholomew (aka Nathanael), Jude (aka Thaddeus), Thomas, Matthew (aka Levi), James the son of Alpheus, Simon the Zealot, Judas the son of James (aka Judas Issachariot).

Psalm 1

Happy are those
who do not follow the advice of the wicked,
or take the path that sinners tread,
or sit in the seat of scoffers;
2 but their delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law they meditate day and night.
3 They are like trees
planted by streams of water,
which yield their fruit in its season,
and their leaves do not wither.
In all that they do, they prosper.

4 The wicked are not so,
but are like chaff that the wind drives away.
5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
6 for the Lord watches over the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.

On the one hand, this psalm exhibits a classic breakdown of good vs. evil in the Hebrew understanding: follow God’s law and good will happen to you. Break God’s law and evil will happen to you. One can easily read a “gospel of prosperity” here.

On the other hand, this psalm also affirms the story of Joseph. Sure, in the end, Joseph ended up Pharaoh’s right hand man, and was materially secure, but his life before that Egyptian government position was not so. Nevertheless, God spoke to Joseph through dreams and God prospered the people around Joseph. Patiphar’s household benefited from Joseph’s slavery there. The jailer benefited from Joseph’s imprisonment there. Even fellow prisoners benefited from Joseph’s company.

Because Joseph was faithful to God, Joseph was like a tree getting plenty of water, bearing fruit that anyone can take for food.

1 John 5:9-13

If we receive human testimony, the testimony of God is greater; for this is the testimony of God that he has testified to his Son. 10Those who believe in the Son of God have the testimony in their hearts. Those who do not believe in God* have made him a liar by not believing in the testimony that God has given concerning his Son. 11And this is the testimony: God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.

13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.

Here the writer of 1 John is describing his theology. If one really believes in God, then that one must also believe in Jesus because throughout time God has been telling humanity about Jesus. If people don’t believe in Jesus, then they don’t believe in God either. If you do believe in God, then you also believe in Jesus and if you believe in Jesus, then you also believe in God. And all through all that belief the gift of eternal life is given.

John 17:6-19

”I have made your name known to those whom you gave me from the world. They were yours, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. 7Now they know that everything you have given me is from you; 8for the words that you gave to me I have given to them, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. 9I am asking on their behalf; I am not asking on behalf of the world, but on behalf of those whom you gave me, because they are yours. 10All mine are yours, and yours are mine; and I have been glorified in them.

11And now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one. 12While I was with them, I protected them in your name that you have given me. I guarded them, and not one of them was lost except the one destined to be lost, so that the scripture might be fulfilled. 13But now I am coming to you, and I speak these things in the world so that they may have my joy made complete in themselves. 14I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. 15I am not asking you to take them out of the world, but I ask you to protect them from the evil one. 16They do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world.

17Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. 18As you have sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. 19And for their sakes I sanctify myself, so that they also may be sanctified in truth.

In the gospel of John, Jesus and the disciples do not go to the Garden of Gethsemane on Maundy Thursday night, because in the gospel of John, Jesus is arrested on Wednesday night and dies at three in the afternoon, exactly when the lambs for Passover dinner are being slaughtered at the Temple. As such, the gospel of John does not record Jesus praying in the garden on the Mount of Olives immediately before he is arrested. Instead, Jesus prays after dinner, out loud to God so that all who are in attendance can hear.

Here, as in other passages of the gospel of John, we read this gospel’s teaching that “I and the Father are one.” This is a very difficult teaching which both spawns and challenges the doctrine of the Trinity. While in other gospels, Jesus, God the Father, and the Holy Spirit appear to be separate beings, in the gospel of John Jesus and God are far more muddled and blended. Jesus says to James and John, “I and the Father are one.” That concept is expounded on in the above portion of the High Priestly Prayer.

The High Priestly Prayer takes up most of John 17 and can be understood in three parts, Jesus prays for himself, Jesus prays for the faith community, and Jesus prays for the unity of God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, and believers. In the above section, Jesus’ disciples are humans, in the world, but because of their relationship with Jesus, and through Jesus and God, they are no longer “of” the world. As such, Jesus prays for protection for them, as those in the world tend to hate and destroy what is foreign to them.

Word-logos is Greek for “word” but it means much more than simply “a word, a verb”. In the gospel of John, logos usually is a blend of God’s will, God’s law, and what other gospels call the good news or the gospel.

Name-Throughout this passage Jesus refers to God’s name. The Greek is onoma and refers in the specific to God’s name (ie Yahweh, I am that/what I am) but in the general sense to function and power of God (creator, lover, husband, father, etc.) and the place that God holds in life.

Sanctify- To make holy. Holy means to set apart for God’s purpose, hence “Holy Water” is water set apart for God’s purpose, usually baptism or blessing. In this passage of John, Jesus asks God to sanctify the faithful in God’s truth. Today’s readers and hearers are not able to know exactly what the gospel writer meant by this sentence. No other gospels record Jesus saying this.

In this passage of John, God chooses those who would follow Jesus. But this should not be understood as predestination because that would mean those who have been chosen did not have a choice but were stuck with what God decided. But this passage of John also says that “these kept your word.” They could have rejected it, as many, many did and still do, but these kept it. In the Easter stories of Matthew, Luke/Acts, and John, Jesus then sends these out as witnesses to all the rest of the world, that all may join these as the new Israel, God’s chosen people of God.