Born in a Barn

     In the south if someone does not shut a door all the way,  we would yell at them to "Shut the door!" and then add, "Were you born in a barn?" The idiom probably started on the farm where barn doors are often left open. But it is funny to think that someone, even from the south, might actually be born in a barn. But we know the truth, Jesus was. Not only was he born in a barn, his first cradle was a feeding trough. The Greek word for "feeding trough" is phatne. It is used two times in Luke the 2 chapter to describe Jesus' baby crib ("crib" has a similar derivation or morphology as feeding trough). But we see that today Christianity covers the globe and has millions of dedicated followers. A more humble beginning would be hard to imagine. Even being born in a taxi is a step up from where animals eat and well, live. 

     I was looking yesterday over the fence at the construction of Centers of Learning's (COL) new school building. The workers were on top of the roof putting on flashing and getting it ready to nail down the composition shingles.  COL has had a confirmed word of direction from the Lord to "finish the  High School". So it was awesome for me to stand there and gaze at our work of faith. What part are they building first?  They are building the barn! The stable! The crib! You know where they are going to keep the animals! That's right our multi-million dollar project is starting with a manger. Hmmm. 

      When you think about it, it is perfect. God's work often starts with humble beginnings. Our lives are examples of that. And our Lord when he did show up on earth, He humbled himself (Phil.2). Because of that humble obedience to the word, the world received its savior and its salvation.
      Now we are not trying to save the world by building this school, but our faith does say we can make a difference with a generation of young people. It may not be everything. Compared to what Christ did it may be small, but God warns us by asking "for who dares make light of small beginnings"(Zach. 4:10)? 
       So as I watch the nails being driven and hear the echo of the hammers, I take faith that a new day is being birth at COL, created by obedient faith to the word among us.  It may be a manger now, but someday soon it will be the point of destination for those students wanting to change the world.

Preaching the Lectionary, Proper 17 (continued)

Continued from, well, before.

      It is interesting to look at old movies, maybe not that old, five or ten years, and it is amazing how fast the famous actors of a few years ago are gone. And those of fifty years ago are completely forgotten. Fame is short lived and glory is fleeting.
      Humility is a fundamental principle or law in the Christian life, and yet it can be fleeting too. It is an "honor" that is bestowed by someone else. If you think you have achieved humility it has probably fled from you.
      Even though humility can be as a vapor it can also be an attitude from God that brings recognition and permanence. Moses, the Bible says, was the most humble man of the Old Testament. The stability and strength in which he walked before God, remained with him a lifetime. Some call him the father of the nation of Israel.
      Humility is important since it involves authority. Paul tells us that because Christ humbled himself he was give a name above every name in heaven and on earth. This may be Jesus' concern for the Pharisees since they were the ones in authority in Israel and did not seem to know this principle. It is disturbing that the Pharisees seemed unaware of the connection between what they were doing and what the scriptures tell them to do. When reading the story it seems obvious to us, but we must stop and ask our selves, “do we ever act like they do?” Should we check ourselves before going to a festival, party, dinner or social gathering? There may be those there that the Lord would like to honor. It may even be someone who we think is not honorable. We do not always know what someone might need or what someone has done, especially if they are humble about their experience.
      During some of the State of the Union addresses the presidents have asked people to sit in specific seats that were visible to all. The president would then point them out and honor them for something they have done. Wouldn't it be embarrassing and awkward if someone else got to those seats first?
      Could this thinking happen to us? I am going to describe 3 events where seating may be important. Be honest and see what your response would be.
1. Let us say that you are invited to a wedding and the reception of a close friend. At the reception, do you look at the seating arrangement to see who’s sitting next to you? Ever disappointed? Have you ever changed the assignments? (Friends episode)
2. Your boss offers you tickets to see the Lakers play. There are two sets of tickets, one set is courtside, the other set is 15 rows back. You can choose either set. What is your choice?
3. A close associate of yours invites your favorite author to speak at a luncheon. You are invited too. There is open seating, you enter the dinning room ahead of everyone else, where do you sit?
       These situations may not be tempting to you because you already have chosen to be humble. Maybe you go to a movie and pick the worse seat. Two rows back from the big screen. Or maybe on a really crowded airplane you choose the seat between the two biggest guys. You pick the seat nobody else wants, right between two National League football players. You squeeze in between so you can fulfill this law of humility.
        This is another way we have trouble interpreting the wisdom scriptures. We want to fulfill God's word with such zeal that we might not have any wisdom in how we apply it. Wisdom is defined as "knowledge of what is true or right coupled with just judgment as to action."[dictionary] The just judgment in Jesus’ parable is that the lord of the banquet would tell you where to sit. That is where our faith comes in to play. As we position our hearts before the lord in all humility, we don't focus on producing humility as it will flee too quickly when gazed upon, but we look to our Lord who will help us find the exact seat he has for us. True humility is doing the will of God. Being who God wants us to be, no matter where he places us, is the answer. If we all have this attitude then all the seats are the same.
        Looking to man is not the answer either. We do not have to depend on men or on "the kindness of strangers". We are not playing musical chairs, either. It is not all by chance or luck or quickness that when the music stops you are in the right spot or can quickly get to the chair. Our lives are ordered when we submit ourselves to the Lord in humility. He will not waste one minute of our lives.
      It is interesting to look one more time at the Luke scripture concerning the dinner. After Jesus had explained to the other guests their need for humility, he talked to the host of the dinner. Jesus rebukes the host for inviting his friends, neighbors and acquaintances. Those who Jesus said could "repay you". These were not the ones to invite. He suggested that he give a feast in which he invited the halt, lame and the poor to eat at his table, those who could not pay him back. This was an interesting request. I have to say, I have yet to give a party where all the guests were poor, lame, blind and homeless. But Jesus suggested this to the host. His reasoning was that the host would be repaid, but it would come during the eschaton. I don't know if Jesus was suggesting that the host was wasting his time with this group of "friends".

       Is Christ asking us to have people such as this as our dinner and party guest? I think  he was serious. But beyond that difficult request is the hope that everyone at the dinner (the Shabbat) would conduct himself or herself in a way that addresses the kingdom of God. The Pharisees believed in the coming day of the resurrection of the righteous. Jesus wanted them to live like there is a tomorrow, the eschaton,  to be responsible to. Christ’s interpretation and application of the scriptures maintain this tension of “already but not yet". He knew the Kingdom of Heaven had come in some measure with his appearance and that men should be living in that dictate. To live otherwise was to live in a lesser day with lesser hope and lesser fulfillment. Jesus was not being cynical or mean spirited in his explanation and application these scriptures. He was encouraging every man to press into the age he was representing to them. The opportunity for them to receive the Kingdom of God, that had come near to them, was real.
     It is the same with us. He offers us to live in this present age and still be a part of the age to come. We are called to apply the scriptures in this present age with Kingdom intent. "We are heaven's colony. We are citizens of the Kingdom. We live by a different set of rules that those around us" (Stevens). Jesus’ reasoning was one of hope and deliverance for all of us who can in faith, humbly apply the scriptures to our lives today.

From the Beginning, a Scify story?

First John one makes a claim that is hard to dismiss. It is hard to ignore or argue against it. It confronts the logical, rational soul of modern  man. John is flatly claiming knowledge of something that scify writers only pretend to know. The best scify types of movies, novels, and "across  America" late night radio shows speak concerning the beginning of time and space and visitation by heavenly beings. John
 in one sentence shakes the foundation of all science writing whether "real"science or scify. And what he says goes deep into the psyche of man because in man is the need to satisfy this very deep yearning. A yearning spawning a mind numbing number of stories, legends and tales that are one step beyond most of our own experiences. What did John say that was so edgy, so dramatic, so mysterious?

%O h\n a˙p= a˙rch:ß, o} a˙khkovamen, o} eÔwra◊kamen toiæß ojfqalmoiæß hJmwÇn, o} e∆qeasa◊meqa kai… aiÔ ceiæreß hJmwÇn e∆yhla◊fhsan peri… tou: lovgou th:ß zwh:ß _ 

Translation Please!

"That which was from the beginning" (John 1:1 - Genesis 1:1, yes that is the beginning John is talking about).The "that which"  (the being which) "was  from the beginning, which we heard",(It talked in John's language) "Which we saw with our eyes" (John and others saw it.) "We felt with our had, concerning the word of life."

John said in the next few verses that this being he and some others saw, heard, touched, was a person sent from the Creator of all we know. Not just a being that helped populate the earth like some pre-Egyptians space landing pyramid (Star Gate), but the being that created all things! The Creator of the Universe came into John's town and talked, walked and if you read further you find he ate with John too. A being that has eternal life. A being powerful enough to blow himself out of death. The creator of all things can't be held by that which was created by Him.

Governments make secret buildings and areas to hold these mysteries. Books tell about their destructive force, and usually they are all wanting to wipe out the human race. And movies scare us spit-less with death and destruction except in "The Day the Earth Still". I mean the original. 

But this being came to earth and proclaimed peace and freedom to captives and health to the sick. The only destruction he promised was to the evil things the scify writers describe to us that are waiting in some dark abandon house or the backseat of our car. They are the works of the devil.  It is all contained in John's report. An eye witness account, a daily journal, of his personal experience with this celestial being. You can read it for yourself. 

THE Creator in human form ate, drank, talked, slept, and got mad in John's lifetime and mostly in his presence. It wasn't a "visit" to the mother ship for probing. It wasn't on a dark and lonely country road or a pattern of lights over a large town or a farm house. Or a large bug maybe a coach roach that was  living in human skin. This was someone John lived with for three years! Night and day he was traveling on the road with him. If you have ever traveled extensively with some one you know how close you can get! But John found love. He witnessed eternal life. He saw the power of our Creator. He heard words of reconciliation. And greatest of all, he felt that deep, deep yearning to be in touch by our celestial Father happen for him and others (read "The Heavenly Father's Search"). And greatest, greatest of all is he claimed it could happen to us, you and me. Yes, we are not alone on this pale blue dot adrift in timeless space.

Personally, I am an eye witness of that transforming touch. I, like John, have felt it, touched it, heard it and at times seen it. It is the eternal being in the form of Godly love in my life and others like me. The experience is there for everyone. God sent his son into our world because he felt our yearning for Him. The greatest scify story ever told is in the Bible. Read it some late night. It will thrill you. It is the genuine thriller. 

The Hero of Capernaum

         We see in Mark 1: 21-28 a great story of Jesus and his first public sermon launching his Galilean  ministry. Mark tells us that Jesus had just finished his time in the desert and that he has come to the shoreline of the Sea of Galilee to call into ministry a few of his disciples. He was trolling for fishermen. He is near the town of Capernaum, near where the Jordan flows into the lake (sea of Galilee). There is fresh water  with nutrients entering the lake here and thus it was a favoite spot for fisherman then as it still is today.  Capernaum was a fishing village. Today you can see the town of Capernaum in ruins but very visible.  The ancient city has been excavated to a large degree. One can still see the synagogue that Jesus went into on that Sabbath morning in Capernaum. (It is situated below the one now standing.)
         Capernaum sat along a very busy highway that Roman soldiers guarded. The road is called the Via Maris, road or way to the sea. The "sea" is a real sea. The road goes from Caesarea on the Mediterranean Sea to Damacus of Syria. So it was a major thoroughfare. Interesting side note.  The Centurion that we read about later in Mark is posted here and probably commanded the troops. Centurion is taken from  (Latin: centurio; Greek: κεντυρίων) and means that this officer commanded anywhere from 80 - 100 men. Why is that interesting? Glad you asked. Luke tells us that this Centurion built the synagogue in Capernaum!!!(Luke 7:5). The very one that Jesus and his disciples are about to walk into. Mark writes that they enter "straightway" on the Sabbath. 

       That Sabbath was probably like all the others.  The wind gently blowing from the sea through the shoreline trees that act as a natural windbreaks. The people were gathering into the synagogue as is the habit of the Jewish community on the Sabbath. Peter who lived in this village is there with some others in his family. Matthew in the parallel text has Jesus' own family there. Jesus and his newly called disciples entered the synagogue. He was well known enough that they let him teach. 
       Jesus began to  teach while His new disciples are going to be taking notes. The fam is sitting watching, all though the women are probably in another room or at least sitting separate, which was customary.  All are enjoying this peaceful Sabbath morning by the sea. Its a day off for the fishermen, probably their only day off. I could see some of them beginning to drift off to sleep. Some of the young people may be thinking about what they are going to do after "temple". They are thinking about a swim, or go fishing, play kick-the-whatever they kicked back then, do what normal kids do on a Sabbath afternoon in Capernaum. All was as it should be. Expectation were probably low, because Mark records that when Jesus began to speak the townspeople were amazed, shocked, astonished, by his authority.  Mark uses one of his favorite words in verse 23 he writes Euthus - immediately, straightway. Kai… eujqu;ß h\n e∆n th≥: sunagwgh≥: aujtwÇn a⁄nqrwpoß e∆n pneuvmati a˙kaqa◊rtw/ which means "And immediately in their synagogue was a man with an unclean spirit...".  Of course I don't think you can And immediately anything. I think you can And suddenly situations. I think this may have more of the feel of the narrative. Jesus is teaching, the village folk are listening, some swatting at flies, some dozing, some day dreaming, you have been there, its Sunday morning as usual, the gospel is being preached.  Then Harry stands up. You know crazy Harry. OMG. How embarrassing. He screams out "Leave us alone, I know you, Jesus of Nazareth, have you come to to destroy us? You are the Holy One of God." That wakes everyone up. Pop went the day dreams, Huh went the fisherman, "what the hell" blurred the young man,  and faint away went Harry's mother.  Maybe Mary said "oh here we go". But for sure everyone's attention was on the situation. Jesus tells the demoniac to "be musseled like an ox". That is the best translation according to Robertson. We might say "put a sock in it". Whatever Jesus cast out the demon, the man convulses, which means he twitches and, medically speaking, his stomach turns over, (vomits). And then to add to the horror, literally, he screeches as the demon leaves. Wow! What a show! Its like the bar scene in Star Wars. Obeone Kanobe has just cut the aliens arm off. All the music stops and everyone stares in total silence, not even the crickets make noise. The universe is frozen for those few seconds. The smoke rises from the demoniac hair and he sits up a new man. His mothers breaks into tears of  emotional release. His estranged girl friend gazes with renew affection.  The world seems suddenly right there on the shores of Galilee.  The music starts up just like the movie and everything is back to normal or is it?. The crowd awaking to what has just happened tries to put the pieces together. Instead of the normal teaching, they ask "do we have a new teaching with authority?"  What is going on here? The scribes are amazed. The news goes out far and wide. Afterwards, Jesus walks down the street to Peter's place and ministers to his mother-in-law. Jesus stays with Peter.


         What a great little story. What an opening statement to a ministry. One thing I noticed in this; none of the gospels mention the text from which Jesus taught . Most use the word authority in conjunction with the teaching, but they do not point to the text. Actually only two of the Gospels mention the demoniac. They all mention the authority with which Jesus taught. But understand what went on that day in the synagogue of Capernaum we need that demoniac and his reaction to Christ. Mark tells us that the crowd was "amazed"(NASB) KJV interprets the word as astonished. T.A.Robertson translates it as "to strike a person out of his senses by some strong feeling."
         The point I am trying to make is that Jesus' teaching caused a reaction in the crowd. But why? They were astonished at his teaching. If I am astonished by someone then there usually is a reason. The person went beyond my expectations. Probably beyond my faith for that person. Did these good people think they were going to be hearing from a hilly-billy, an uneducated rebel. After all can anything good come from Nazareth? Isn't that what the unclean spirit said. "I know you Jesus of Nazareth".  What was he doing in the synagogue anyway. Were the townspeople that used to demoniacs that they just let them come to the temple. Interestingly Harry uses the plural pronouns in his attack on Jesus. "Leave us alone and ...destroy us? Was Harry talking for the community. Did they have other things hidden that they did not want revealed. Was Harry the only honest man in town? It seems for all of his disturbance Harry went home cleansed that day.
          Jesus actually only spoke 6 words that are recorded that morning. This was mainly an illustrated sermon. I believe that Jesus was saying something to the community through the unclean man. Why? Let us read a little further. In verse 29-34 we read that Peter took Christ into his home which was just down the street. After sundown, the whole town is outside Peters door with ill and demon possessed friends, neighbors and relatives. The whole town is there! Jesus heals and cast out demons the rest of the night. That town was full of Harrys'. I think the citizens got the message that morning in the synagogue.
           Well again what is this to me? So that town was full of demons, great story. But I have to ask myself what is my reaction when Jesus blows into my hometown, like Eastwood on the streets of Laredo.  When the word is preached with authority how do I react. Do I mumble with the other scribes about this teaching, or wonder with congregants about new doctrine or do I just plainly let the demons arise and challenge the timing or the background of the preacher. Or do I make room for the word in my home like Peter?
           When I am working or at home or with friends and the Holy Spirit brings to mind the word I have heard do I react push it aside or accept it. Do I recognize the Holy One? At least the demoniac knew who he was.  Am I just talking with the scribes and the demons about the word. Is my reaction one of mental concent?  Really that little town on the north shores of the Sea of Tiberas is not that far away. That Sabbath morning can be our every day experience, when Jesus comes to my "temple" and mounts the pulpit of my heart. When the word comes to us in whatever form with authority will we allow our demons to be cast out. It maybe ugly for a moment or two, but the newness that the word with authority brings, the word of Christ, is redemptive and salvific.
           Suddenly Harry is looking better in this story. He may be the Hero of Capernaum. 

The Gospel 1,2,3.

     Paul in 2 Timothy 2:8b-9 talks about his gospel. When I read the words, "my gospel", it struck me that Paul has written a gospel too. He tells in three parts what his gospel is. It is wrapped up in Timothy 2:9. Let me quote it for us, starting in 2:8- 9. "Remember that Jesus Christ of the seed of David was raised from the dead according to my gospel:  Wherein I suffer trouble (1), as an evil doer, even unto bonds(2); but the word of God is not bound (3)."  
      It seems to me Paul is telling Timothy what his gospel is. "According to my gospel, namely, Christ suffered evil, was numbered with the sinners, died and bound in grave clothes, but the "word" of God is not bound. Christ arose. Paul saw the unbounded nature of the word in the earth being free from even prison chains and death.
      Looking closer at the Greek we can see the connection Paul was making. Kokopatho according to Roberston means "suffer evil ". Many translate this "hardship". The first part of this word "koko" is translated first, evil. The second part has its root in Pascho. Yes this is the Greek word for Passover. We might relate to the English meaning of this word which is "pathos". This has a more obsolete meaning of suffering.  We might think of Christ's time during his crucifixion as "the passion", "the suffering". He bore the evil of this world for us. Without sin, without guilt, without crime he became a criminal for us. He was crucified between two "malefactors" as Luke calls them. The Greek for this word is, well lookie here, it is what Paul uses about himself, malefactor, a criminal, a kokourgous. The only other place this is found is in Luke. Luke refers to the two criminals crucified with Christ. In like manner Paul  sees himself both as "the chiefest of sinners" and suffering for Christ sake maybe even "filling up" of the sufferings of Christ (Col.1:24). But any event whether bond in chains or in death, the word of God has thrown off the grave clothes and is free. It is interesting to me that here Paul makes a link to the "word" as it is used in Acts and in John. It has taken on personifications. It is unbound and free. Also I believe a reference to the resurrection.
Now that is reading a lot into one verse. Maybe too much if that is possible.

Keruzon ton logon

To Martin Luther there were few things that he held to be sacramental. One of these things was preaching. Actually communion and preaching he felt were the two sacramental offices of the church. Granted he was responding or reacting to the Catholic Church which had not a few sacramental offices and at that time were abusing a good many of them.  But Zwingli, Calvin and Hobbs all felt that preaching was a major important indispensable part of the Christian community.


Examining the scriptures I find that kerusso Greek for preaching, is found sixty times in the NT. That is more times than the word "salvation". On closer reading we find amazing usages of the word.  Many times in the NT it records Jesus preaching to the people. In Matthew 4:17 we see Jesus preaching and again in Mark 1:14, John is thrown into prison and Jesus is preaching the kingdom of Heaven. In Matthew 10:7 and Mark 3:14 Jesus is sending forth the disciples exhorting them "to preach". The scriptures record the command form of the verb, imperative of the word, keruzon. We see this in Mark 16:15 when Christ was commissioning the disciples to go into all the world and yes, preach. Again in Matthew it is preaching of the kingdom of God in all the world that precipitates the ending of the age. 
So why is preaching soooo important. It can be soooo boring. I know I've listened to myself. And we have listen to others or not, like our mothers and wives and again I said "or not". But there seems to be plenty of it going around. So I guess by how much it is used makes it important?


But there certainly is another reason it is important. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by a word from God (Romans 10:17 ). And in another place Paul said "...how shall they hear without a preacher?" (Romans 10:14). Preaching the living word creates faith in the heart of those who hear. But why has God chosen this way to communicate? Because God wants to communicate with His creation. He wants to live in community and in communication. Remember the reformation fathers ...and Hobbs : ), believed that preaching was in dispensable to the community. God not only by a word created all things, he by a word became flesh and lived with us in community. He wants to be Immanuel, God with us. Talking to us, living with us, and loving us as our Father, His word in and among us. 


Preaching becomes one of the main vehicles for creating this communication within the community.
There are those who want to down play preaching. There was a movement in '30s to put a moritorium on preaching in the Catholic Church. A mother of five, Helene Froelicher, declare "no". She said preaching was Reformatio Sacrae Eloquentiae.  This began a movement to put more emphasis on preaching. What timing was that! At that same time, Hitler was showing all the world what preaching has the power to do. The  force of the tongue put to destructive use. James was right. It can set a whole world aflame! If that is the power it has with Satan what power does hit have with God?  Paul said "it is the power of God!" (1Cor.1:18). The speaking of the Word of God created all things, it can save all things. Paul exhorts Timothy to preach the gospel in season and out of season. And applying that to himself in 1Corinthians 9  he says "Woe to me if I preach not the gospel of Jesus Christ." 


John Robert Stevens in his book entitled Living Prophecies  said "for this is the day that the word of the Lord shall come in creative power from the lips of the humblest saint."  We are living in the days when the word of God is going to be spoken, preached, by humble saints and His Kingdom will come. The fulfillment of our Lord's prayer, "Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, On this earth...." The power of God is returning to you and me. Paul said it to the Athenians, "the word is near you, even in your mouth".  Paul in Corinthians 12 said again,"let everyone prophecy".  We should be speaking the word with all boldness. It is how the new age is going to come.

Past Post

1. I was just studying the “Samaritan travel log” in the Gospel of Luke. Luke tells the story of Zacchaeus, the wee little man. Many of you may remember the story by that song. Luke’s use of the Greek vocabulary is more ambitious than the other evangelists and draws a lot from the Septuagint, which was a commonly read Old Testament translation in Jesus’ time. So as Luke is telling the story the crowd “murmurs” and complains about Jesus eating with the sinner, Zacchaeus. The Greek word for “murmuring” that Luke uses is found only in this story and one other place in Luke to describe the murmuring of a crowd of Pharisees. This exact same word is found in the Old Testament to describe the murmuring mixed multitude that rose up against Moses. Is Luke telling his Jewish readers what kind of crowd this was? By using the exact word Luke is likening this crowd to the mix multitude of Moses’ day. I think it was a 3D lesson for the Jewish readers of that day. But the meaning may pass us by if we just see the English.

2. Douglas Barker
   September 1st, 2009 at 8:21 am
   

   I was looking again at John 3:16 and the blog that Jeremiah wrote. Another simple word from that deep text caught my eye. “Houtos” in the greek, translated often as “so”, as in “God so loved the world”. The “so” connects to verse 14 and 15. God in this way – The Greek says “For God in this way loved the world. In what way? In a way that expressed His desire for us to live forever. He wanted us to have eternal life. He loved us in that way. Sometimes I forget that eternal life was very important to God. Jesus reminded his disciples of this, “rejoice that your names are written in the Lamb’s book of life”.

3. Douglas Barker
   September 6th, 2009 at 6:34 pm
   

   Prayer is an important part of our life. It is worth noting that the disciples didn’t ask Jesus for a lesson in systematic theology or a survey of church history. What they did ask for was to be taught how to prayer. In the prayer which the Lord taught them it is commonly known that he used the Greek form of the verb that is called the imperative. This form denotes action/command and it is important in prayer. What is often overlooked is the use of the vocative. This is an older form of the noun that is used when addressing someone specifically. This is not for general use. This is a very personal form of the noun. “Father” Christ was speaking directly to his father. Christ was inclusive enough to use the pronoun “our”. But he was talking directly to His Father. The vocative with the imperative shows us the language and the grammar of personal relationship. It is out of this very personal relationship denoted by the vocative that the imperative finds its use. It might be irreverent to demand from God, but if God is your Father, then from this relationship the deep demand can be made.

4. Douglas Barker
   September 10th, 2009 at 8:38 am
   

   The Greeks have a style for emphasizing a point. The structure of this literary style is called chiastic style. It has been used through the years by Homer, the unknown author of Beowulf, and Milton’s Paradise lost. We also find this used with regular frequency in the New Testament. Chiastic structure is best described as A-B-C-B-A. The word itself Chiastic comes from the Greek letter Chi which is our English X. If you envision the top left part of the x as “A” and the bottom right as the other “A” with the B’s on the top right and bottom left then you would have “C” in the middle, thus reading the X from left to right top to bottom it would be A-B-C-B-A. So what? Well Luke uses this form in his shorten recording of the Lord’s Prayer. He uses this form to emphasize the Lord’s teaching. There are 5 petitions in Luke’s Lord’s prayer. (A)Father, hallowed be your name, (B) Your kingdom come (C and the focused petition) Give us each day our daily bread (B) And forgive us our sins as… (A) And lead us not into temptation. By using this form to emphasize “give us each day our daily bread” Luke is saying that the Lord is teaching his disciples that above all that they daily must receive from the Father without which none of the other petitions could be accomplished. We need our daily connection or waiting on the Lord to accomplish the things we want done, even God’s will. John always wanted to write a book on emphasis. It may already have been done hiding in plain sight.

5. Douglas Barker
   September 11th, 2009 at 6:28 pm
   

   The English language has a word, kerygma. It means to preach. This comes straight from the Greek word kerussein. But it does not mean to preach in the Greek, it means to proclaim. In Isaiah 61:1f of the Septuagint, this word is found twice. In Luke 4 Christ reads this passage in the synagogue heralding forth his ministry. As the late Professor W.P. Friedrich commented on this passage by saying, “He proclaims, like a herald, the year of the Lord, the Messianic age. When heralds proclaimed the year of jubilee throughout the land with the sound of the trumpet, the year began, the prison doors were opened, and debts were remitted. The preaching (kerygma) of Jesus is such a blast of the trumpet.” We are fast approaching the day when we will blow the trumpets and herald in a new day, let it be with kerussein.