James the Just

Mark 6:1-6, Acts 15:12-21, Galatians 2:1-14

Many Christians do not know that Jesus had a brother named James. In fact, the New Testament reports that Jesus had four brothers. In Mark 6:3 and Matthew 13:55 they are identified as James, Joses (Joseph in the gospel of Matthew), Judas and Simon. In the same passages there is also a reference to the "sisters" of Jesus, so it seems he had at least two sisters and maybe more, but these are not named. In these passages there is no indication that the brothers and sisters of Jesus are stepbrothers and stepsisters. The most straightforward reading of these passages is that they are all the children of Mary and Joseph.

The brothers of Jesus play only a minor role in the New Testament gospels. The gospel of Mark relates that the family of Jesus tried to restrain him, as people were saying, "He has gone out of his mind." (Mk. 3:21) However, this report is not confirmed in the other New Testament gospels. The gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke do record that once, when the brothers of Jesus and his mother tried to call him out of a crowd, Jesus said: "Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother." (Mk. 3:35, see also Mt. 12:50 and Lk. 8:21) Some read this as inferring that the family of Jesus opposed his ministry, but the passage may be understood as simply giving those who are faithful the same favored position as family members.

None of these passages are in the gospel of John, but in this gospel the narrator says in a parenthetical comment in John 7:5 that: "not even his brothers believed in him." In the fourth gospel, however, the brothers of Jesus are traveling with him, as though part of his ministry. Moreover, Acts 1:14 states that the brothers of Jesus and his mother were with the disciples in Jerusalem after the resurrection, "constantly devoting themselves to prayer."

We do not know if the brothers of Jesus supported his ministry, but they were leaders in the early church. Paul writing in the first generation of the church acknowledges the preeminence of James. In Galatians 1:18 Paul says that three years after his conversion: "I went to Jerusalem to visit Cephas [Peter] and stayed with him fifteen days; but I did not see any other apostle except James the Lord’s brother." In Galatians 2:9 Paul refers to James, Cephas and John as the "acknowledged pillars" of the church. Second century Christian writings refer to James as the first bishop of the Jerusalem Church and his successor as a brother of Jesus and James.

Clearly, James the Just (as he was known in early Christian writings) speaks for the apostles in Acts 15, which describes a council held in Jerusalem to resolve the dispute between the mission to the Gentiles and "the circumcision party." At issue is whether Gentile converts must keep the Law of Moses. In Acts 11:1-18 Peter explains to members of "the circumcision party" that in a vision to him God set aside the dietary restrictions of Jewish law, and in Acts 15 Peter again defends the mission to the Gentiles. After Barnabas and Paul describe the "wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles," James gives his decision: Gentile converts are to keep two dietary restrictions and to abstain from fornication (temple prostitution).

It is striking that Paul does not mention this council in his writings, which may mean that he did not attend or know of it. Instead, in Galatians 2-3 we find Paul in conflict with both Peter and James over rules in a church with Jews and Gentiles. Paul says in Gal. 2:7-9 that the Jerusalem Church approved his mission to the Gentiles and sent Peter to "the circumcised." In Gal. 2:10 Paul argues that the "acknowledged pillars" of the church only required of the Gentile mission that money be collected for poor Christians in Jerusalem, which Paul says he was happy to do.

So, when James orders Jews in the Antioch church not to eat with Gentiles, Paul is outraged. In Gal. 2:11-14 he writes: "But when Cephas [the Aramaic name for Peter] came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood self-condemned; for until certain people came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But after they came, he drew back and kept himself separate for fear of the circumcision faction. And the other Jews joined him in this hypocrisy, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy. But when I saw that they were not acting consistently with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before them all, ‘If you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile, and not like a Jew, how can you compel the Gentiles to live like Jews?’"

Clearly, the Jerusalem Church under the leadership of James was keeping the Law of Moses, and this means that during his ministry Jesus did not explicitly set Jewish law aside. Acts 15, which was written more than twenty years after the letters of Paul, presents a harmonizing view of this early conflict in the church. After the Jewish revolt in 66 and the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem in 70, leadership of the church shifted from Jewish Christians in Jerusalem to Gentile Christians in Roman cities. Acts plays down the conflict in the early church between the mission to the Gentiles and the apostles in Jerusalem and portrays as the work of the Holy Spirit the growth of the Gentile church. This view was incorporated into the account of the ministry of Jesus in the gospel of Luke, which is written by the same author.

Acts 21:17-20 reports that when Paul last went to Jerusalem he visited James and "all the elders," who told Paul "how many thousands of believers there are among the Jews, and they are all zealous for the law [of Moses]." Acts 21:25 reaffirms the decision of James in Acts 15. Seven days later, Acts 21:27-28 reports, Jews from Asia challenged Paul in the temple, accusing him of "teaching everyone everywhere against our people, our law, and this place." (Whether this was so we cannot know, but in Romans 10:4 Paul does argue: "Christ is the end of the law [of Moses] so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.") Paul was arrested to protect him from the wrath of the crowd, but was not tried by Jewish authorities in Jerusalem because he exercised his right, as a Roman citizen, to have his case heard by the Emperor in Rome.

In the fourth century, when the canon of the Bible was closed, the church was firmly in the hands of Gentile Christians and the letters of Paul were given prominence in the New Testament. The leadership of James the Just in the first generation of the church is only reflected in the New Testament in a single letter attributed to him. The inclusion of this letter, however, was fiercely disputed.

The letter attributed to James was not part of the New Testament authorized by the Council of Nicea in 325. But church leaders from Alexandria and Constantinople persuaded Jerome to include the letter in his Vulgate translation of the Greek New Testament into Latin, and this helped persuade Augustine to argue for its apostolic authenticity. The letter of James was finally included in the New Testament canon at the Synod of Hippo in 393 and at the Councils in Carthage in 397 and 419, and also at the Council of Rome in 382.

These same Councils excluded early Christian writings claiming apostolic authorship, and in some of these James the Just is prominent. In the gospel of Thomas, when disciples ask Jesus who will lead them after he is gone, Jesus answers: "You are to go to James the Just, for whose sake heaven and earth came into being." In the New Testament, however, Matthew 16:18-19 identifies Peter as "the rock" on which the church will be built, and Acts confirms that Peter supported the mission to the Gentiles. So Peter, not James the Just, is the leading apostle in the New Testament.

Grace and peace...Bob

Matthew 5:1-12

In the gospel of Matthew, Jesus says: "Happy are they who hunger and thirst for justice, for they shall be filled. Happy are the merciful, for mercy will be shown to them."

These teachings attributed to Jesus are known as the "beatitudes," the Latin word for "blessings," which is the traditional English translation for the Greek verb that begins each verse. In the gospel of Matthew, Jesus ascends a mountain and instructs his disciples in what is known as the Sermon on the Mount. For the author of the gospel of Matthew, Jesus is the new Moses who interprets the law of God.

In the gospel of Luke, Jesus comes down from the hills with his disciples to speak with people from both Gentile and Jewish cities. For the author of the gospel of Luke, the Sermon on a Plain portrays Jesus not as a new Moses, who is reforming Jewish law, but as a teacher and healer whose authority and power is recognized by Gentiles as well as Jews.

The parallel beatitude in the gospel of Luke is: "Happy are you that hunger now, for you shall be satisfied." (Lk. 6:21) In the gospel of Luke, Jesus promises the people that their hunger will be satisfied. In the gospel of Matthew, Jesus promises those who hunger for justice that there will be justice and that those who show mercy will receive mercy. The meanings in the two gospel accounts are not the same, but each promises that God's intervention in history will bring an end to injustice and hunger. These words have inspired Christians throughout the centuries to struggle both for greater justice and to relieve the suffering of those who are poor.

Grace and peace...Bob

Matthew 23:1-12

In the gospel of Matthew, Jesus says: "The greatest among you will be your servant."

This passage makes it clear that preaching the gospel without practicing it is worthless. Without matching deeds, our words are hypocritical. We are called to be servants.

We need to be humble about the good that we do.  We are to live out the joyous faith of Christian witness without seeking praise and recognition. We are called to be servants.

Grace and peace...Bob

Matthew 5:14-16

In the gospel of Matthew, Jesus says: "You are the light of the world. Let your light shine in people's sight, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."

This passage comes from what is known as the Sermon on the Mount. We find the theme of light also in the gospel of John, and Luke 2:32 records the passage from Isaiah about the servant of God who is to be a light for the Gentiles (or the nations). In the New Testament Jesus is understood as the fulfillment of the hope that is expressed in the scriptures of the Jews. He is the servant of God, but has not come only to serve the people of Israel. Jesus has come as God's beloved to serve the whole world.

This is Christian faith. The church affirms that Jesus gave his life for the world, not just for those who are Jews or Christians. Through Jesus, God is bringing all people into a new covenant. Here, in the gospel of Matthew, Jesus teaches that those who follow him are to let their light shine, as he has let his light shine, so others will praise God.

Grace and peace...Bob

Psalm 103

"Bless the LORD, my soul; let all that is in me bless God's holy name.  Bless the LORD, my soul; forget not of God's good deeds."

The psalmist prays that his soul might bless the LORD and that he will not forget the good deeds of God. It is easy, of course, to forget. It often appears that God has forgotten about us. Yet, the faith of the psalmist is that the Lord has not abandoned creation.

So, the psalmist encourages us to "hang onto" the promises of the LORD by continuing to bless God's holy name, no matter what. God may be waiting for a sign that we have not lost our faith. God may be listening for our prayers.

Grace and peace...Bob

2 Corinthians 1:18-24

Paul explained his ministry, saying: "We do not want to be masters of your faith, but fellow workers with you for your joy."

As Paul begins his second letter to the church at Corinth, he says that he, Silvanus (called Silas elsewhere), and Timothy have not been preaching a vacillating gospel. "All the promises of God," Paul says, "find their Yes in him (Jesus Christ)." (v. 20) But Paul says that he avoided coming to Corinth earlier in order to spare them. It seems Paul is critical of their beliefs and their practice. Later in this letter Paul asks whether or not he and his colleagues need new reference letters. (3:1) Clearly, there is a dispute in the church of Corinth, and leaders of one faction are unhappy with the teachings of Paul.

Paul says he and his fellow apostles are not trying to tell the Corinthians what they should do, but only want to work with them for the sake of the gospel. Paul denounces false apostles, who are undermining his authority, and because he defends his Jewish roots we can conclude that those opposing his control over the church in Corinth are Jewish Christians. This seems to be another instance of Paul's conflict with the Jewish Christian leadership in Jerusalem over whether restrictions of the Jewish law are to be imposed on Gentile converts.

Seeing this conflict in the early church, we ought not to be surprised by differences in the churches today.

Grace and peace...Bob

Isaiah 55:6-11

"Turn to God who will forgive freely. For, thus says the LORD, my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways."

The prophet counsels his people to turn to God for forgiveness. That is hard, because they have broken their covenant with God and for that disobedience severe punishment is to be expected. This was what Moses said, when he invited the Israelites to accept the covenant of God. But here Isaiah says that God's ways may be surprising. Rather than simply punishing Israel for its sin, God might forgive the people in order to motivate them to repent.

The forgiveness of God, which requires God to overlook or set aside previous threats, becomes a central theme in the New Testament. Jesus is the supreme act of God that manifests divine forgiveness. The church proclaims that the death of Jesus atones for human sin, but this should not be understood as another form of divine punishment. In the crucifixion of Jesus, God suffers the punishment that was promised earlier in scripture for breaking the covenant.

Grace and peace...Bob

Jeremiah 20:7-8

Jeremiah said: "The word of the LORD has brought insult and derision upon me. And so I said to myself, 'I shall not think about him, I shall no longer speak in his name.' But there seemed to be a burning fire in my heart, which I could not contain."

Jeremiah did not want to be a prophet, but he felt called. How did he know that his call came from God? He didn't know, but he had sufficient faith to test his calling by following it. 

Like Jeremiah, we cannot be sure that we are right about God, but we can test our faith by living faithfully with hope and love.

Grace and peace...Bob

Earth Story

Genesis 1:1-2:3

When Charles Darwin described evolution as the result of “natural selection,” he was drawing an analogy to the breeding of animals, which involves artificial selection.  It was well known that animal breeders could make changes in a species by breeding stock with certain traits.  Darwin’s hypothesis was that changes also occur spontaneously in nature, and that changes contributing to the survival of an organism in its environment are more likely to be passed on to the next generation.

Darwin proposed that natural selection might account not only for changes within a species, but also for the evolution of diverse species.  Thus, the word “selection” had a different meaning for Darwin than for animal breeders, as they select animals for breeding with the purpose of improving a trait.  Darwin conceived of “natural selection” as a natural process resulting in the greater survival of organisms that are fit for their environment.

Darwin did not argue that natural selection explains the origin of life, for the theory of natural selection only applies once there is life.  This is why his book is entitled The Origin of Species.  Natural selection is not an alternative explanation for the creation of life.  It explains only the evolution of diverse species on earth after there is life on earth.

Scientists may some day agree on a theory explaining the chemistry of life, although there is no such agreement now.  But even with such agreement, the theory would only explain how life began and not why life began.  Science is about causation (how), not purpose (why).  Scientists defending the theory of natural selection rightly argue that this theory does not offer any explanation as to the purpose of life or the purpose of diverse species.  The theory of natural selection simply describes the process by which diverse species have evolved.

It is a mistake, therefore, to think that a scientific explanation of causation proves there is no purpose.  Science is always asking how things are as they are.  Its method is limited to that inquiry.  Science does not ask why things are as they are.  Science tells us how life, once created, evolved as diverse species.  Science does not, and cannot, tell us why there is life, or why life has evolved as it has.  As a method of investigation, science looks only for causes.  As a form of knowledge, science does not offer any reasons for the causes that it identifies.

For questions of purpose, for reasons as to why life is as it is, for explanations of why we are here and what our lives mean, we turn to literature—to religious scriptures, to great stories, to historical accounts—to parables, poems, plays.

The biblical story of creation does not explain how life began, but why life began.  It tells a story in which God creates a world that is good.  The story does not explain God’s purpose in creating life, but certainly implies that life has a good purpose.  As with any story, there are events that happen, but the point of the story is not to explain the causes of these events.  The point of the story is that there is a good reason for these events.

The genesis story communicates to those “with ears to hear” the reason for creation, for life, for the earth as we know it.  The genesis story is not about causation, and thus there is no reason to defend it against a scientific explanation of natural selection.  The genesis story is about purpose and meaning.

The biblical story of creation affirms why there is life, not how life diversified.  It confirms that life is good, that humanity has a good purpose, and that creation is worth caring about.  We read this story from scripture to remind ourselves that we should care for the earth and all its life, that the earth story is our story as well, and that the story of nature and our story is also God’s story.

Grace and peace...Bob

2 Corinthians 13:11-13

Paul writes: "Live in joyfulness. Encourage one another. Be of one mind and live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you."

How are we to know if this is true? Some would say, because this is scripture. It is God's word.  Even so, this extraordinary affirmation requires some interpretation. Does it mean that God will protect us and guarantee our safety and success? Or that we will know the love and peace of God even when we suffer or fail? Or that if we life with joy and peace, and encourage are are of one mind with others, that then we will know that we are not alone?

The truth depends on you. On the choices you make. You will only know, if you have faith.

Grace and peace...Bob

Matthew 22:34-40

In the gospel of Matthew, Jesus says: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. The second is similar: Love your neighbor as yourself."

This is one of the most familiar passages in the New Testament. The gospel of Matthew records that when Jesus is asked by a Pharisee to identify the greatest commandment in the Jewish law, he quotes two commandments: the first from Deuteronomy 6:5 and the second from Numbers 19:18. In the account of this same incident in the gospel of Luke it is a lawyer who puts the question to Jesus, and in the gospel of Luke Jesus asks the lawyer how he understands the law. Then the lawyer quotes the same two commandments.

Are these three gospel accounts different memories of the same event? It is more likely that the gospels of Matthew and Luke have adapted the account in Mark 12:28-34. The gospel of Matthew emphasizes the authority of Jesus as teacher and interpreter of the Jewish law, whereas the gospel of Luke is happy to allow the Jewish lawyer to interpret his own law because it is presenting the story of Jesus to a largely Gentile community.

When the church included both the gospels of Matthew and Luke in the New Testament, it might have edited one or the other to make these stories consistent. But the church chose not to alter the gospel accounts that various Christian communities were reading. The New Testament cares more for witness than for history.

Grace and peace...Bob

Romans 15:1-7, 13

Paul writes: "We should not try to please ourselves, but consider what is good for our neighbors and so build up community."

In the gospel that Paul preached there was a freedom from the constraints of the law that some Christians took as permission to do whatever they wanted. So, Paul is writing the church in Rome to counsel that the spirit of Christ, which liberates Jews and Gentiles from the rules and regulations of the Jewish law, should not be understood as license, but rather as a calling to do whatever is best for the community of the faithful.

Paul must be read not only as a defender of freedom, but also as an advocate of community. He urges Christians to renounce self-interest for the sake of others.

Grace and peace...Bob

Isaiah 42:1-7

The LORD says to his servant: "I have called you in righteousness. I will take you by the hand and shape you. I will make you a light to the nations."

Jews have understood Israel to be the servant, who will be a light to the nations. The prophecy of Isaiah was read as part of the promise of God to restore Israel from captivity in Babylon in order to create a new world order with Israel as an example for all the other nations. This is an audacious claim, of course, but God seems to discover in love for Israel not only the capacity to forgive this special people for their transgressions, but also a concern for all the other peoples of the world.

The church understood this passage as a prediction of the coming of Jesus. In the gospel of Luke the aged Simeon, who sees Joseph and Mary with their baby Jesus in the temple, proclaims that scripture is being fulfilled in his sight. (Lk. 2:32) This shows how Christians have interpreted Jewish scripture as allegory.  The church did not understand this passage from Isaiah in terms of its literal or most obvious meaning, but discerned a hidden meaning or, we might say, a future meaning that was not yet understood. This way of reading the Jewish scriptures in the Old Testament is evident in both the writings of Paul and the gospels of the New Testament.

Grace and peace...Bob

Romans 8:14-17

Paul writes: "You did not receive a spirit which makes you a slave to fear again; you received the spirit of adoption by which we cry out, 'Abba! Father!'"

In this letter to the Christians in Rome Paul argues that they are "sons of God," because they are "led by the Spirit of God." (v. 14) Paul uses the Aramaic word "Abba," which has an intimate meaning like "Papa" or "Daddy." In the gospel accounts Jesus also calls God Abba.

Paul uses this image to assert that Christians have nothing to fear, as children of God, for they are "heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ." (v. 17) But Paul reminds the Christians in Rome that they must suffer with Christ in order "to be glorified with him." (v. 17) The promise of the church is that God will not abandon us, because he did not abandon Christ, but raised him from the dead. "He who did not share his own Son, but gave him up for us all, will he not also give us all things with him?" (v. 33) Paul encourages the Christians in Rome to remain faithful despite their suffering.

Grace and peace...Bob

John 12:47-50

In the gospel of John, Jesus says: "I did not come to judge the world, but to save it."

In this passage the Jesus of the gospel of John affirms that his words are God's commandment offering eternal life. Jesus affirms that he has not spoken on his own authority, but with the authority of God.

It is, of course, a Christian doctrine that Jesus is the word of God, but one may nonetheless distinguish the words attributed to Jesus by a gospel author from the living word of God. Although the specific words used by Jesus in this account in the fourth gospel are not corroborated by the other New Testament gospels, we may conclude that the emphasis on salvation rather than judgment is the "good news" of the Christian Bible. 

Grace and peace...Bob

Psalm 40:7-12

I said: "Here I am, I have come, and as it is written, I desire to do your will, my God. Your law is deep within my heart."

This is a psalm affirming the "steadfast love" and the "faithfulness" of God. The psalmist says that God does not require burnt offerings, but only that we do the will of God, which is written on our hearts.

Whether we are Jews, or Christians, or Muslims, or simply trying to be faithful to our sense of what is right, may we find our way through love.

Grace and peace...Bob

Fighting Evil with Good

Scriptures: Matthew 5:43-48, Romans 12:9-21

Christian faith does not offer an illusory hope of life on earth without evil. Instead, Christian faith calls us to fight evil with good in the world as it is. In Matthew 5:43-48 Jesus urges his disciples: "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you so that you may be children" of God, who "makes the sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous." (vs. 44-45) The lesson of scripture is that God loves our enemies, so the church calls on Christians not merely to love those who love them but to love as God loves.

Consider Paul’s counsel to the Christians in Rome. "Let love be genuine," he writes. "Hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good." (Rom. 12:9) Clearly, Paul believes that Christians should resist evil with their own goodness. "Bless those who persecute you," he says. "Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all." (Rom. 12:14, 17)

We need to be reminded that these teachings were not written for rulers. Jesus and Paul are not advising governing officials in Palestine or in cities of the Roman Empire. These teachings were written to help Christians resolve differences within their churches and persevere in the face of persecution.

Listen carefully to Paul’s words. "If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God." (Rom. 12:18-19) Paul knows that the Christians in Rome do not have control over what is happening there. "If it is possible," he says, Christians are to live in peace. "So far as it depends on you," he advises Christians, settle your differences among yourselves and with non-Christians without violence.

Paul expects there will be violence, but tells Christians in Rome not to seek vengeance. Although they may be unable to prevent persecution, they have the power not to seek vengeance through violence. Paul teaches that vengeance belongs only to God. If Christians are to live peaceably with non-Christians, then Christians must respond to evil with good. Listen to Paul’s words to the church in Rome: "If your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink; for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads." (Rom. 12:20)

What does Paul mean? He is quoting Proverbs 25:21-22. Literally, of course, showing mercy to one’s enemies will not "heap burning coals on their heads." But this metaphor may be taken to mean that loving our enemies is how they may come to have remorse for the injustice they have done to us. If they have harmed us, because they felt their cause was just, our loving response may undermine their self-justification, and so open their minds and their hearts.

Paul urges the Christians in Rome: "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." (Rom. 12:21) The power of evil cannot be defeated, if we respond to evil with evil, no matter how justified our response may be. Christian faith teaches that evil can only be overcome with good. Responding to evil with good is how we witness to the love of God for the world.

What does this mean for American Christians today? The New Testament was not written for citizens with the power to elect their government, nor does the Bible anticipate attacks on the United States at the beginning of the 21st century. But both scripture and the church call us to fight evil with good, and this wisdom should not simply be dismissed as either unrealistic or unpatriotic.

How might American Christians fight the evil of terrorism with good sense and good will?

1. By seeking justice rather than vengeance. The war against terrorism should not be motivated by a desire for revenge. When people are arrested and charged with being terrorists, they must be given a presumption of innocence and a fair trial. When war is waged against a government harboring terrorists, the violence must be limited to the objective of ending the government’s support for terrorism.

2. By providing food, water and medicine for our enemies. The goal of the war in Afghanistan should be to aid the people. Even as we fight this war, we should urge our government to reach out to our enemies so that at least some of them, some day, will become our friends.

3. By promoting the rule of law within and among nations. While our government wages war, it should also support initiatives for peace that help the United Nations mediate disputes among nations and that strengthen the use of international law in fighting terrorism.

4. By supporting all that is good in America. Patriotism in support of our civil liberties, our constitutional form of government, American openness and generosity, and a renewed spirit of community service deserves the support of every citizen.

5. By understanding the history of Islamic civilization. We should welcome the opportunity to learn more about the heritage of 1/5 of the world’s peoples, and to understand why terrorism against America is now being justified by some Muslims because of the way the Western nations have treated Islamic peoples.

6. By worshiping the one God of Jews, Christians, and Muslims. There is only one God. That is our Christian faith. The God of Abraham, Jesus and Muhammad is worshiped in different ways by Jews, Christians and Muslims. Yet our prayers are all directed to the God who is God, and only the God who is God will answer our prayers.

"Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." (Rom. 12:21) This Christian teaching is good advice. May we take it to heart and put it into practice.

Grace and peace...Bob

Luke 10:1-9

In the gospel of Luke, Jesus sends out his disciples saying: "Whenever you go into a town where they make you welcome, eat what is set before you; cure the sick who are there and say, 'The kingdom of God is very near you.'"

Jesus appoints seventy disciples and sends them out with instructions not to carry a purse, bag or sandals. They are to be poor among the poor, and to rely solely on God's grace and the hospitality of those who receive them. In the gospel of Mark, when Jesus sends out his disciples, he tells them to take a staff and "to wear sandals." (Mk. 6:9) It is a small contradiction, but both gospels cannot be right. Either Jesus told his disciples to wear sandals, or not to wear sandals (or he said nothing about wearing sandals). Most likely the author of the gospel of Luke has changed the words he found in the gospel of Mark, for it seems he edited the gospel of Mark in order to create what we know as the gospel of Luke.

How could the author of one gospel dare to change the words of another, even words attributed to Jesus? The author of the gospel of Luke had the gospel of Mark and other materials, which he used in fashioning his story. He likely assumed the author of the gospel of Mark had similarly fashioned a gospel story from various materials. Neither author was simply writing history or biography. Each was preaching the gospel by writing an account of the ministry of Jesus.

Grace and peace...Bob

1 Thessalonians 1:1-5

"We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ."

Paul is writing with Silvanus (who is also known in the New Testament by the name of Silas) and Timothy, his co-workers in the Gentile mission, to the church in Thessalonica. The letter begins by giving thanks for the Christians in Thessalonica and by reminding them that they are constantly remembered in the prayers of the apostles. Paul emphasizes that God has chosen the Christians in Thessalonica and that their faith is strengthened by God's love for them. This love, the apostle says, will nurture in them the faith, hope and love that are the primary manifestations of the gift of the Holy Spirit.

The Gentile Christians in Thessalonica are suffering persecution, because they no longer worship the idols of their city and empire. Paul urges them to be steadfast in their faith and to find hope in the coming day of the Lord.  The good news of the gospel is that living with faith leads to eternal life.

Grace and peace...Bob

Proverbs 23:15-19

"Let your heart remain constant in the adoration of God; for there is a future and your hope will not come to nothing."

What would it mean to live in constant adoration of God? This need not require withdrawing from the world, but instead may mean plunging fully into its ambiguous life. After all, this is how the gospels present the life of Jesus. He lived in a special relationship with God, but he healed and taught and lived among common people. Jesus especially nurtured relationships with many of those, who were condemned by his peers for being sinners. He didn't shun morally ambiguous situations in the world, but rather tried to redeem sinners by loving them and challenging them to aspire to the life of faith, hope and love.

When we feel down and discouraged, can we be constant in loving God and our neighbors? This is the real test of our faith.

Grace and peace...Bob

2 Thessalonians 1:11-12

"May God fulfill every good purpose of yours and complete all that you have been doing by faith."

Paul's first letter to the church at Thessalonica reveals that he is writing a Gentile Christian community, because he commends them for having turned "from idols to serve a living and true God." (1 Th. 1:9) These two letters to the Thessalonians are concerned primarily with maintaining faith in the face of persecution, as they wait for the coming Day of the Lord and the raising of the dead. Therefore, Paul begins his second letter with a descriptive warning of the "righteous judgment" that God will unleash, "when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance upon those who do not know God and who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus." (v. 8) The punishment of those who are unworthy, Paul says, will be eternal destruction and exclusion from the presence of the Lord.

This is Paul's threat to motivate the Christians in Thessalonica to be faithful. Then he prays that God will make them all worthy of their calling to be witnesses to the gospel and that God will complete what they, in faith, have begun. Is this "the word of the Lord?" Or, are these simply the words of Paul. Most likely there has been some backsliding in the church at Thessalonica. Will God consign to eternal damnation those whose faith is weak?

For centuries this has been Christian doctrine, but the Vatican recently clarified that hell was a "state of being apart from God" rather than a place where the dead are tormented. And many Protestant churches preach that the love of God embraces even those who fail to respond.

Grace and peace...Bob

James 1:21-25

"Those who listen to the word of God but do not do what it says are like people who look at their faces in a mirror and, after looking at themselves, go away and immediately forget what they look like."

This letter is attributed to James, the brother of Jesus, who became the first bishop of the church in Jerusalem. The letter is written in Greek, and it is very unlikely that the brother of Jesus was educated in Greek. So, the letter reflects the hand of a Greek-speaking Jewish leader of the church. But it may well communicate the teaching of James the Just, as he was known in the early church, for James was concerned with living the word of God as well as preaching it. The letter of James is a good corrective to the letters of Paul, because Paul is so eager to open the church to Gentiles that at times he seems to disparage the commandments of the Torah that require doing good works.

The gospel of Matthew was also seeks to correct Paul's emphasis on faith rather than good works, for in this gospel Jesus teaches that many call him "Lord, Lord," but fail to do the will of the Father. (Mt. 7:21-23) Faith without works is mere belief, and belief alone is not saving.

Grace and peace...Bob

2 Timothy 2:1-7

Paul writes: "Draw your strength from the grace which is in Christ Jesus."

Paul is instructing Timothy about his role in providing leadership for the church. Rather than focus only on details, however, he emphasizes that Timothy must trust in the grace of God that they have known in Christ Jesus. Timothy is not merely to rely on his own wits or sincerity of heart, but to rely in faith on God.

We might well take this teaching to heart. We are constantly putting our best foot forward, trying hard to appear in control and self-assured, masking our doubts and projecting a sense of confidence that we may not have. Can we go forward boldly, and yet rely on the grace of God? What would it mean to live our faith this way?

Grace and peace...Bob

Hebrews 11:8-16

"By faith, Abraham answered God's call and set out for the land he was to inherit. And he set out without knowing where he was going."

This letter was traditionally attributed to Paul, but it is unlike his other letters and does not name Paul as the author. The letter does emphasize "faith" in a way that reminds the reader of Paul, so it may have been written by a church leader familiar with Paul's writings. As is true in Paul's letters, Abraham is presented as the great man of faith, because he obeyed God. Hebrews also tells us that Sarah "by faith" was able to conceive a child in her old age. Thus, the old patriarch and his wife were to found a line through Isaac and then their grandson Jacob that became the people of Israel in covenant with God.

Paul argues that the descendants of Abraham, by faith, are now all those who are faithful to Christ, because Christ is the fulfillment of the law of the covenant. Hebrews takes up that argument with Jews, who might be tempted to think that the new covenant in Christ has not replaced the old covenant received by Moses on behalf of the people of Israel.

Grace and peace...Bob

Is Christian Faith True?

Luke 10:25-37, 1 Corinthians 15:1-8

I ask the question - "Is the Christian Story True?"- not because I have the answer, but because I cannot avoid the question. It is the question of my children, and it is my question. Because I think this may also be your question, I am raising it for our consideration. In what sense, if any, is the Christian Bible true? And how might we explain that to our children?

The Christian story has the form of an historical narrative, but there is no way to show that its history is true. The Bible contains facts that are historical, but its narrative is not primarily factual – at least, in a way that can be verified. The books of the Old Testament were edited and compiled by Jews to relate the saving story of their ancestors. The books of the New Testament were written and edited by Christians to show that Jesus fulfills the promises of Jewish scripture. The Bible was not written from the point of view of a journalist reporting current events. It asserts the faith of its authors and editors.

The story of Jesus Christ tells the story of Israel in a new way. The God who led the Israelites through the Red Sea and the wilderness across the Jordan River into the promised land is the God who is the Word made flesh through the blood of Mary, the baptism of John in the Jordan, and temptation in the wilderness by Satan. The God who gave the law to Moses and spoke through the prophets of ancient Israel is the God who fulfills the law and speaks to the world through Jesus. The God who promises to save the chosen people from their enemies for the sake of the world is the God who saves humanity from the devil through the death and resurrection of God himself as Jesus Christ. The Christian story of the New Testament rewrites the Jewish story of God.

Jews see this more clearly than Christians, because they know their scriptures better than we do. For Jews, however, the Christian story is not true to their story. Jews retold the Hebrew story of God through the writings of their rabbis in the centuries following the destruction of the temple in 70 CE. For Jews, the Messiah has yet to come, because the promises of God in the Hebrew scriptures have yet to be fulfilled. Moreover, Jews reject the Christian story because it replaces their covenant with a new covenant (our New Testament). In the Christian story Jews "disappear" by becoming Christians or by being rejected, and so for Jews this story cannot be true because they cannot "live it." (As Christians, we have yet to face this terrible consequence of the Christian story or to consider how we might reinterpret our Christian faith in order to include Jews as Jews.)

Because we can "live the Christian story," it might be true for us. But how would we know? The test of the truth of a story is what it means to "live it." Consider the story of the Good Samaritan. For centuries thousands of Christians have lived this story by helping their neighbors. As fact, the story is probably untrue. It is simply a parable. Yet, has not the moral and spiritual truth of this story been verified by all those who have lived it?

Of course, you don’t have to be a Christian to live such a story. So, although being a Christian would seem to mean being a Good Samaritan, it must also mean more. What would it mean to live the Christian story? How would we verify that we are living the Christian story? And how might we know, by living the Christian story, if it is true?

Let’s consider each of these questions. First, what would it mean to live the Christian story? We live the Christian story as Christians - by studying the Bible, by joining with other Christians in opening ourselves to the meaning of the story, and by sharing our faith with others through what we say and do. Verifying the truth of the Christian story is an empirical process. It involves inductive reasoning. We test the truth of the Christian story in our lives, as we try to live the story. The meaning we find, in being Christians, is evidence that the Christian story is true, at least for us.

Second, how would we verify that we are living the Christian story? By checking to be sure that our way of living, as Christians, doesn’t contradict the story. Engaging in Satan worship clearly is in conflict with Christian faith. Indifference to the suffering of others is commonplace among Christians as well as non-Christians, but contrary to the Christian story. Similarly, Christians who have persecuted non-Christians or other Christians are a living denial of the truth of the Christian story. There are many ways to live the Christian story, perhaps as many ways as there are Christians, but not all ways of living are Christian. Our lives, as Christians, must be guided by the story of the Christian Bible.

Third, how might we know, by living the Christian story, if it is true? We would know by the moral and spiritual truth that we find in our lives. We would know, at least, that the Bible story was true for us. However, we cannot know if the Bible is true in a more ultimate sense, or true for others as well. We only know that the Christian story has been true for many women and men, and that the Bible is one of the most compelling stories ever told. This might be reason enough for us not only to try to live the Bible story ourselves, as Christians, but to share our faith with others.

Of course, living the Christian story means reworking the story through our lives. Our story will reshape the Christian story as well as relate it, will change the story as well as convey it, will be our personal story as well as part of the Christian story. This is why the New Testament revises the Hebrew story of God. Bringing the Christian story to life through our lives is crucial. How true the Christian story is, for us and for others, is largely up to us.

Yet, you may ask, why believe in the God of the Bible, or in any God, in a world where so many suffer and all of us die? The Christian story offers a possible answer, which can only be proven by faithful living. In the Christian story the God of the Bible, in Christ, suffers and dies with all of us, and then lives again with us. The story implies that we are not solely responsible for our suffering and death, and that God is not able to overcome the suffering and death of life but chooses to share the human experience with us. Faith in the God of the Christian story means we do not have to face suffering and death alone.

Is there truth in the claim that faith in the God of the Christian Bible leads to eternal life? Our faith offers a living truth, if we acknowledge our shortcomings, forgive others, and love our enemies. Faith in the God of the Christian story, and faith in one another, may be a true way of living, for us and for others.

Grace and peace...Bob

Psalm 22:17-20

"The LORD rescued me from enemies who were stronger than I am and set me in the open."

This hymn of praise ascribed to King David a little before 1000 BCE says that the LORD delivered David because the LORD "delighted" in David. At this point in the story God does not "love" the covenant people, but at least God fancies them. We might say that the LORD rescues David so that the covenant story, which is a good and exciting story, does not end.

When the people of Israel continue to be unfaithful, God comes close to killing them off. But that would end God's story as well as Israel, as God is creating this story through what happens to Israel. If the story of God's chosen people ends, the story of God will also be over.

Similarly, we might understand the New Testament as a new chapter in the story, and in this sense the church is the newly chosen people of God. Now, however, the image of God is Christ, who is God for us, but also a man for all seasons.

Grace and peace...Bob

Isaiah 25:6-9

On that day, it will be said: "Look, this is our God; we put our hope in him and he saved us. Let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation."

The first part of the prophecy attributed to Isaiah (chapters 1-39) proclaims the judgment of God upon the covenant people at the hands of their enemies, because the Israelites have broken the covenant. The latter part of Isaiah (chapters 40-66), which is often called second Isaiah because its differences with the first part are evidence that it was written by a different author, reaffirms the restoration of Israel, but also presents a vision of God's suffering servant, who will bring about a new relationship among all the nations of the earth.

There are common threads between the two parts of Isaiah, and this passage is clearly a link between vision of judgment and the promise of restoration. The prophet calls the people of Israel to renew their faith in God, to look to God despite their suffering, and to hope in God's salvation. Might we, too, heed this call?

Grace and peace...Bob

Romans 12:3-8

"Just as each of us has one body with many parts, and the parts do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, who are many, form one body, and each of us belongs to all the others."

Paul's image of the church as the body of Christ implies that there are different roles within the church, but that all these are helpful for the functioning of the whole church. It seems clear that Paul created this metaphor to help settle conflicts within the church. There were arguments about the gifts of the Spirit that had to do with who had greater authority within the faith community. Paul's assertion that all the parts of the body are subject to the head, which is Christ, is a way of trying to quell the discord.

We often think of the early church as unified and harmonious and all the problems that have beset the church throughout history as a corruption of this first, perfect community. But Paul's letters reveal how much conflict there was in these early churches. The disciples in the church in Jerusalem, for instance, were Aramaic speaking Galileans who resisted Greek culture and language. Therefore, their church was closely tied to the Jewish tradition. In Roman cities, however, Christian communities were led by Jewish and Gentile Christians who spoke Greek, and in these places the church was far less "Jewish." Moreover, there were conflicts about speaking in tongues, and there were differences in the teachings of the various apostles. Perhaps acknowledging these differences will help us see that faith in Christ does not require agreement on Christian beliefs.

Grace and peace...Bob

1 Peter 5:1-4

"Watch over those who are entrusted to you, not simply as a duty but willingly and with gladness of heart, according to God's will."

This letter is attributed to the apostle Peter, but it is written in excellent Greek and thus in its present form, at least, reflects the hand of a Greek-speaking Jewish church leader, even if the ideas go back to Peter. The passage at the beginning of the fifth chapter concerns the care of members of the church. The letter urges that this not be merely a matter of duty, but be undertaken with "gladness of heart."

The author of this letter knows that duty alone will not sustain the life of the church. Our care for one another must reflect our sense of the care God has for us. Then doing our duty will reflect our gratitude to God.

Grace and peace...Bob

Luke 5:1-11

In the gospel of Luke, Jesus says to Simon Peter, "Put out into deep water and let down your nets for a catch." "Master," Simon replied, "we have worked hard all night long without catching anything, but because you say so I will let down the nets."

All the gospels in the New Testament record Jesus calling his disciples, but only the gospel of Matthew adds this story to the account. Yet, the gospel of John tells a very similar story of the risen Christ. (Jn. 21:1-19) It is possible that these two stories of the disciples hauling in a great catch of fish in the early morning are different versions of the same story. The varied use of stories in the gospels is evidence that the gospels are not history, but are testimonies of faith.

We see something similar with the story of the cleansing of the temple by Jesus. In the first three New Testament gospels this occurs when Jesus arrives in Jerusalem before his arrest, whereas in the gospel of John it comes at the beginning of the ministry of Jesus. (See Mt. 21:12-13, Mk. 11:15-19, Lk. 19:45-46, Jn. 2:13-17.) If Jesus had cleansed the temple at the beginning of his ministry, it seems unlikely that the other three gospels would omit this striking event. Moreover, a second cleansing at the end of his ministry would hardly surprise anyone.

The gospels are witnesses to faith in Christ and not journalistic reports of the travels, teachings and activities of Jesus. Jesus may or may not have helped his disciples haul in a great catch of fish, but the story tells us that he helped his disciples become church leaders and, as the gospel of Luke says, "fishers of men." (Lk. 5:10) The story not only demonstrates the power of Jesus, but validates the authority of the disciples as the leaders of the church.

Grace and peace...Bob

Matthew 10:37-42

In the gospel of Matthew, Jesus says: "If anyone gives so much as a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, they will certainly not lose their reward."

This passage from the gospel of Matthew contains harsh language about the conflicts that may arise from joining the church. "I have come," Jesus is quoted as saying, "to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man's foes will be those of his own household." (10:35) The gospel of Matthew seems to be written for a Christian community that is largely Jewish, because it emphasizes teaching about the law and the fulfillment of ancient Israelite prophecy. But other Jews oppose the church, arguing that Jesus has not fulfilled the prophetic teachings of their tradition.

For many Jewish members of this church, following Jesus as the Messiah means conflict with their families. Yet the passage ends with a statement about persecution, and this teaching is also in the gospel of Luke, which is written for a primarily Gentile Christian church. (Lk. 12:51-53) Perhaps the teaching reflects a general experience that confessing Christ leads to conflict with one's family.

In a culture that valued family ties more than we do today, this teaching strengthened the resolve of Christians who were being pressured by their families. Recognizing that Christians may be rejected by their families, the gospel urges the church to offer its members a new family.

Grace and peace...Bob

Romans 8:26-27

"We do not know how to pray properly, but the Spirit comes to help us in our weakness and intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express."

Paul is counseling the Christians in Rome about prayer. He reminds them not to judge prayers by their eloquence or length, as though God is impressed by the performance of the person praying. In prayer Christians are simply to give themselves to God, trusting that the Spirit of God will "speak" through them. This passage may remind us of the teaching about prayer attributed to Jesus in the gospel of Matthew: "And in praying do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him." (Mt. 6:7-8)

Paul does not say anything about what Jesus might have taught concerning prayer, so we cannot conclude that Paul is merely paraphrasing a teaching by Jesus. But clearly the church begins by teaching that prayer involves opening our hearts.

Grace and peace...Bob

Christian Conscience

John 14:18-25, 1 Peter 3:8-17 (quoting Ps. 34:13-17)

The English word "conscience" is used to translate a Greek word "suneidesis" that appears some thirty times in the New Testament. It is striking that none of the statements attributed to Jesus in the gospels include the Greek word for conscience, but perhaps less surprising when we realize there is no comparable word in the Hebrew or Aramaic versions of the Jewish scriptures, which are the scriptures Jesus knew.

It is Paul and his Greek-speaking colleagues who bring the idea of "conscience" into the Christian witness, because they were reading not only the Greek version of the Jewish scriptures (known as the Septuagint) but also Greek literature.

In classical Greek "suneidesis" refers to knowledge, especially knowledge based on an examination of past deeds. A person known for doing good deeds is said to have a good conscience. As the Hebrew scriptures concern the covenant between the people of Israel and God, there is no concept of conscience in the Jewish tradition until Jews are strongly influenced by Hellenistic culture under Alexander the Great and his successors and then under the Romans.

The ancient Israelite prophets did call on individuals to act ethically, but this meant keeping the law given to Moses by God rather acting on their conscience. Jeremiah 31:31-34 says for the LORD that a new covenant will be written on the hearts of the people, but this passage does not imply self-reflection. The author of Psalm 51 prays to the LORD for "a clean heart" and "a new and right spirit within me," (v. 10) but without any sense of critical self-examination.

In the Greek translation of the Jewish scriptures, however, which includes books written in Greek that are not in the Hebrew Bible, we find in the Wisdom of Solomon (17:11) a text using the Greek word "suneidesis" to indicate that wickedness is condemned when we reflect on our past actions. Contemporary Protestants may read this passage in Catholic Bibles, as the Catholic Church includes in its Old Testament all the books that were read by the first Greek-speaking apostles of the church in the Greek version of the Jewish scriptures.

Our Western idea of conscience is originally a Greek idea. The spirit of Socrates is alive and well in the Christian tradition, because Greek-speaking Jews integrated the Greek concern for a good conscience into Jewish thought. Greek-speaking Jews, who became leaders of the church in the first century, promoted the idea of a clear or clean conscience in their writings, and some of these writings were later included in the New Testament.

We see an example of such a witness in 1 Peter 3:8-17. The letter urges members of the church to "turn away from evil and do good," but does not refer to the Law of Moses to distinguish what is evil from what is good. Instead, the letter encourages Christians to "be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an accounting for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and reverence. Keep your conscience clear, so that, when you are maligned, those who abuse you for your good conduct in Christ may be put to shame." (vs. 15-16)

Although none of the New Testament gospels explicitly refer to "suneidesis," the gospel of John includes statements about the Spirit of God that many contemporary Christians identify with conscience. In John 14 we find Jesus talking to his disciples about being "in" them after he is gone, and promising that they will receive "the Advocate, the Holy Spirit" who will teach them all they need to know and will remind them of what Jesus has said. (vs. 20 and 26)

The idea that the Holy Spirit is present in each faithful person is what many Christians believe when they say, "let your conscience be your guide." The Catholic and Orthodox Churches have taught instead that the Holy Spirit speaks through the teachings and rituals led by priests, who stand in the place of the apostles, and so have with the authority to decide what it means to follow the Holy Spirit. Since Martin Luther, however, there has been a powerful alternative understanding, which emphasizes the "priesthood of all believers." This Protestant tradition claims that the Spirit of God speaks to and through the conscience of individual Christians.

Luther was reading Paul’s letter to the Romans when he realized that this was the key to understanding why the law of the Jews, or any other law, was supplanted by the reign of Christ in our hearts and minds. His break with Catholic authority identified Christian conscience with individual resistance to institutional authority, and thereafter this tradition of faith asserting liberty of conscience has been the foundation for all claims for religious liberty, freedom of speech, and many of the other individual rights that we cherish. It was Paul, after all, who affirmed that "Christ is the end of the law." (Romans 10:4)

Yet, Paul also urged Christians to temper their acts of conscience with love. We see this clearly in 1 Corinthians 8-10, for in these chapters Paul is trying to help the church in Corinth find a solution to conflict among its Jewish and Gentile members. Gentile Christians in Corinth are eating food offered to idols, arguing that they are free to do so because they do not believe in the idols. Jewish dietary laws prohibited eating such food, and Jewish Christians were protesting and threatening to leave the church over the dispute.

Paul agrees with the Gentile side of the argument, and says that the Jewish Christians who oppose eating food offered to idols have a "weak conscience." (I Cor. 8:7) But he appeals to the Gentiles to refrain from eating food offered to idols in order to encourage the Jewish members of the church to remain in the new community of faith. "’All things are lawful,’" Paul says, "but not all things are beneficial. ‘All things are lawful,’ but not all things build up. Do not seek your own advantage," he tells the Gentile Christians, "but that of the other."

Paul’s advice is detailed and practical. "Eat whatever is sold in the meat market without raising any question on the ground of conscience," he says, "for ‘the earth and its fullness are the Lord’s.’ If an unbeliever invites you to a meal and you are disposed to go, eat whatever is set before you without raising any question on the ground of conscience. But if someone says to you, ‘This has been offered in sacrifice,’ then do not eat it, out of consideration for the one who informed you, and for the sake of conscience – I mean the other’s conscience, not your own." (1 Cor. 10:23-29)

Three chapters later in this letter, Paul argues that love is the greatest spiritual gift. "Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things." (I Cor. 13:4-7)

These words were not written for a wedding ceremony, although they are often read to remind those being married what sort of love they should aspire to share. These words were written to urge those acting on the basis of their conscience, with freedom in Christ, to think of others in the church, who on the basis of their conscience might be offended.

In short, Paul is saying that conscience may be impatient or arrogant, and so must be tempered by love, the greatest gift of the Holy Spirit, which rejoices only in the truth. Christian conscience is always to be an act of love. This is what a Protestant reading of the New Testament adds to the Greek idea of self-reflection and individual freedom to decide what is right and wrong.

We are called to freedom in Christ, and that freedom involves being guided by our conscience. But we turn to Christian scripture and to life in the church to find the love that will "inform" our conscience. As Paul so eloquently reminds us: "now faith, hope and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love." (1 Cor. 13:13)

Grace and peace...Bob

1 Corinthians 13:1-13

"Even if I can understand all mysteries and know all things, even if I have the faith to move mountains, if I am without love I am nothing."

This passage in Paul's letter to the church in Corinth is one of the most beloved readings in the New Testament. It follows Paul's description of the church, as the body of Christ, and his affirmation that there are various spiritual gifts.

As Paul is pleading for cooperation and order within the church of Corinth, there must have been conflicts within the church including disputes about the importance of different spiritual gifts. Paul asserts that "God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, then healers, helpers, administrators, speakers in various kinds of tongues." (12:28) As an apostle, Paul claims more authority (with his spiritual gifts) than those who are speaking in tongues. And because he lists this gift as the least helpful to the life of the church, we can assume that in Corinth those speaking in tongues were claiming to have the most important gift of the Spirit.

Chapter 13 of this letter is introduced by the statement, "I will show you a still more excellent way." (12:31) Then Paul writes that love is the greatest gift of the Spirit. Paul is not referring to the passionate love between a man and a woman, but to the compassionate love we may have for others regardless of their gender. The church must manifest this love, Paul says, to be the body of Christ.

Grace and peace...Bob

Matthew 21:33-43

In the gospel of Matthew, Jesus says: "Have you never read in the scriptures: 'The stone rejected by the builders has become the cornerstone; this is the Lord's doing and we marvel at it'?"

This saying refers to Psalm 118:22. It is not clear in the Psalm what the "stone" refers to, but in the gospel it clearly means Jesus. In the gospels of Mark and Luke as well this statement follows the parable of a vineyard let out by its owner to tenants, who refuse to pay their rent and kill the son of the owner, when he comes to collect. The owner, Jesus says, will punish the tenants and let out the vineyard to others.

The text has been understood as condemning the Jews who rejected Jesus, but we need to recall that other Jews accepted Jesus as the Messiah. In fact, all the disciples of Jesus and Jesus himself were Jews, and the apostle Paul, who had the most to do with opening the church to Gentiles, was also a Jew. The parable and its concluding moral are not simply a condemnation of "the Jews." The gospel writers direct the judgment of God at those who resist the witness of the church and not against "the Jews" as a people.

Christians should be ashamed that the church throughout its history has used passages such as this to justify the persecution of Jews, as though God had commissioned Christians to serve as judges over the covenant people. With Pope John II, we should embrace the Jews as "our elders" in faith.

Grace and peace...Bob

Nahum 1:7-8

"God is better than a fortress in time of trouble. God recognizes those with faith, even when the flood rushes on."

The book of Nahum begins with an explanation that it is an oracle concerning Nineveh and contains the vision of Nahum of Elkosh, a vision that presents the LORD as judge of all the nations and not only of Israel. The God of this witness is harsh and unrelenting. Yet, the God who judges Nineveh, as well as Israel, is a God who expects the nations to rule with justice and with concern for the poor.

If God is LORD of all the nations, then all people may be urged to put their trust in God. Not only Israel, but also the enemies of Israel are called to be faithful.

Grace and peace...Bob