Joshua EdgrenBearing His Reproach (The Continuing Adventures of Jesus #39) (KC)
INTRODUCTION
As prophesied, when Paul arrived in Jerusalem, false reports were swirling around, and a riot broke out and Paul was nearly killed. No doubt there were critics who thought Paul could have been more careful, clearer in his teaching, but the real reason was the name of Jesus.
Jesus promised that if we followed Him, we would be misunderstood, lied about, and sometimes persecuted and killed. But when it happens, we’re still often caught off guard and surprised. While it is always worth double checking our words and actions, we have to be prepared for unjust treatment, and we have to be prepared to rejoice when it happens.
The Text: “And after those days we took up our carriages, and went up to Jerusalem. There went with us also certain of the disciples of Caesarea…” (Acts 21:15-34)
SUMMARY OF THE TEXT
As planned, Paul and his entourage went down to Jerusalem where they were warmly welcomed, and Paul immediately met with James and all the elders in Jerusalem and reported all that the Lord had done (Acts 21:15-19). The elders informed Paul that there were now thousands of believing Jews in Jerusalem, but a false rumor is going around that he forbids Jews from keeping the law and circumcising their children, and large crowds are coming into town (probably for Pentecost) (Acts 21:20-22).
So the elders asked Paul to sponsor the sacrifices of four men who have taken Nazirite vows, and near the end of the seven days of purification, some Jews from Asia stirred up the crowds and accused Paul of teaching against the temple, the law, and bringing Gentiles into the temple (Acts 21:23-29). A mob quickly formed that began beating Paul, intent on killing him, but the captain of the guard rushed in with soldiers and rescued him (by arresting him), amidst a cacophony of confused accusations (Acts 21:30-34).
THE ACCUSATIONS
The accusations the Jews brought are half-truths and lies. It is true that Paul taught that neither circumcision nor uncircumcision ultimately matters, but only obedience to Christ (1 Cor. 7:19, Gal. 6:15). He also taught that the ceremonial law was a “tutor” for Israel until Christ came (Gal. 4:1-10). But he had also had Timothy circumcised (Acts 16:3), taken a Nazirite vow himself (Acts 18:18), and was at least respectful of the Feasts of Unleavened Bread and Pentecost (Acts 20:6, 16).
So what does this mean? Paul was very concerned to not make Jewish ceremonies a prerequisite for fellowship with God or in the church (e.g. Gal. 2:11ff). He’s happy to make concessions on these “customs” so long as they are just pious customs. He is happy to live as a Jew to win Jews to Christ, and he is happy live as a Gentile to win Gentiles to Christ (1 Cor. 9:20-22). And this is why he is happy to sponsor the fulfillment of these Nazirite vows (Acts 21:23-24). But Paul was fierce about the truth of the gospel and simple obedience to God’s moral law (the Ten Commandments) (e.g. 1 Tim. 1:4ff).
MISUNDERSTANDING & PERSECUTION
So we have here Paul doing everything he can to show deference to different people, and having done so, he is lied about, beaten, and nearly killed by religious people. When the Roman captain of the guard shows up, he even assumes that Paul is probably guilty of something and arrests him (Acts 21:33). And just after our text, it comes out that the captain assumed Paul was some notorious Egyptian terrorist (Acts 21:38).
People often assume that if there’s a mob, there must be someone else who did something wrong to cause it. Someone must have said something or done something to enrage them. But sometimes mobs are just collective, irrational rage, as we see here (Acts 21:34). We have to remember that the center of our faith is a perfect man, who always said and did what was perfectly right, and they hated him, lied about him, and eventually murdered him. And Jesus said, “If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you…” (Jn. 15:18-21). We must be careful not to suffer as evildoers, but we should also expect to suffer simply because we are Christians (2 Tim. 3:12).
APPLICATIONS
This episode demonstrates the potency of lies and slander. We live in a world inundated with lies and slander. But lies and slander are violence against the truth and the true character of those made in God’s image (Lev. 19:16, Prov. 18:8). Of course, people don’t set out to become murderers. They spin or shade the truth because it seems important for their “cause,” because the other side is so bad, etc. But there are no brakes on that car. When you are reckless with the truth, you become a bad guy, even if you try to tell yourself it’s for some good reason.
In Prince Caspian, when one of the dwarves suggests enlisting the help of some evil hags and ogres, Caspian refuses, and Trufflehunter says, “We should not have Aslan for a friend if we brought in that rabble.” To which Trumpkin also added that they wouldn’t have him. You can’t bring in lies and slander, even against God’s enemies without becoming another one of God’s enemies: “Lying lips are abomination to the LORD: but they that deal truly are his delight” (Prov. 12:22).
Do not easily believe rumors or accusations. This requires judiciousness, thoughtfulness, and being quick to listen and slow to tweet. Do not follow the multitude to do evil (Ex. 23:2), including on social media.
At the same time, you ought not fail to join your voice to the truth, even unpopular truths. When the elders in Jerusalem received Paul warmly, they were standing up for the truth of Paul’s good reputation, even though he was being smeared in the news.
Practice this in your families, with your kids. Don’t assume the worst. Protect their reputations. Be loyal to Christ, the truth, and one another.
And when you get it wrong, admit it, confess it, and make it right. But remember that to follow Christ is to take up a cross, a sign of humiliation and suffering.
The Day of the Lord (Acts of the Apostles #5)
INTRODUCTION
We saw last week that the gift of tongues was a marvelous blessing for those who had ears to hear. For believers, the point was all about the grace of God, and the wonderful works of God. But we also saw that for unbelievers, the reality of gibberish in the streets of Jerusalem was beyond creepy. If they had known the meaning of Scripture, they would have heard ominous music in the soundtrack. They were on the threshold of their doom.
We have seen how Luke set the stage for recording Peter’s sermon. In English, the sermon takes about two and a half minutes to speak, but it says later (v. 40) that Peter spoke “many other words” in the follow up. Given the nature of the case, it is important to take in all of Peter’s sermon at one go.
THE TEXT
“But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words: For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day. But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh . . . And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke: The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come . . . Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ” (Acts 2:14–36).
SUMMARY OF THE TEXT
Peter stood up, and with a loud voice got the attention of these men of Judea and residents of Jerusalem (v. 14). He responds to the charge of drunkenness first. That cannot be it because, he argued, it was only around 9 am (v. 15). These events were actually a fulfillment of a prophecy from Joel (v. 16; Joel 2: ), which he then quotes (vv. 17-21). God is going to pour out His Spirit on all flesh—sons, daughters, young men, old men (v. 17), not to mention male and female slaves prophesying (v. 18). That is the first portent. The second portent is the disintegration of heaven, earth, sun and moon, leading up to the day of the Lord (vv. 19-20)—thunder, lightning, and blue ruin. In this context, whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved (v. 21).
Who will the Savior be? These men of Israel already knew that Jesus of Nazareth was attested by God by many miracles and signs (v. 22). The death of these Jesus, also not a secret, was not a divine misfire. Christ was crucified by wicked hands, but also in accordance with the settled plan of God (v. 23). God raised Him from the dead because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on Him (v. 24). This too was prophesied (Ps. 16:8-11). David saw the Lord, who was on his right hand, such that he would not be moved (v. 25). This was the source of David’s gladness and hope (v. 26). His soul would not be left in Sheol/Hades, and the Holy One would not see corruption (v. 27). The way of life is revealed, and it is joy in the presence of God (v. 28). Peter comments on this passage, saying that David could not have been talking about himself, because his grave was still right there in Jerusalem (v. 29). As a prophet, he was actually saying that a descendant of his would be raised from the dead in order to sit on the throne of David (v. 30), and that this had been sealed with an oath from God. The Christ would be killed, but would not decompose, and would rather be raised (v. 31). Jesus was raised, and all these men speaking in tongues were eye-witnesses of it (v. 32). This risen Christ, now ascended to the right hand of the Father, received the Holy Spirit from the Father, and poured Him out (v. 33). Again, this is not David—for how did David speak of his descendant? He called Him “my Lord,” the one seated at the right hand of God (vv. 34-35; Ps. 110:1). And this is why the entire house of Israel needs to be assured of the fact that God has made this very Jesus, the one crucified a couple months before in that city, both Lord and Christ (v. 36).
DECREATION LANGUAGE
One common form of prophetic declaration is something I call “collapsing solar system” language. The sun goes dark, the moon turns blood red, and all the stars fall like ripe figs in a windstorm. This language occurs frequently in the Old Testament, and there are a number of striking places in the New Testament where these places are cited and repeated. Bible scholars call this kind of language decreation language.
Many ordinary Christians, taking the Bible at face value, go out and look at the night sky, and because everything is still up there, they assume that these prophecies are yet to be fulfilled in our future. But this ignores what the language meant in the Old Testament.
The places are Joel 2:28-32 (cited here); Amos 8:9; Ezek. 32:7; Is. 13:10; Is. 34:4. What do these expressions refer to? Throughout the Old Testament, they always refer to the destruction of a city or nation. “The oracle concerning Babylon which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw” (Isaiah 13:1). And the meaning of such expressions does not change in the New. Remember, the disciples had asked Jesus when the promised destruction of Jerusalem would occur, and part of His reply was to quote Is. 13 and Is. 34. It means the same thing. He was talking about the destruction of Jerusalem, and not the dissolution of the space/time continuum.
Now we saw last week from Is. 28 that the gift of tongues was a portent of destruction for Jerusalem. And Peter’s sermon immediately following makes this explicit. Trouble was certainly brewing. He quotes a passage from Joel, and that passage had two elements. One was the Spirit being poured out voluminously on God’s people, and the other was the great cataclysm. In Peter’s message, these two elements were all of a piece. Pentecost in 30 A.D. and the Destruction in 70 A.D. were all the same event—the great and terrible Day of the Lord.
PREACHING THE RESURRECTION
We do not just preach that Jesus was raised from the dead. We also declare what it means that He was raised from the dead. The risen Christ pours out His Spirit promiscuously—not dispensed with a teaspoon. The risen Christ will visit terrible desolations on the city that murdered Him. The risen Christ offers terms to anyone who willing to call on the name of the Lord. Mercy is extended in the day of wrath. The risen Christ had been identified beforehand by God with miracles, but then betrayed to murderers by the glorious foreordination of God. The risen Christ was raised in accordance with what Scripture had said a millennium before. The risen Christ is on the throne of David, which is the throne of the world. And so it is that the risen Christ cannot be received as anything other than Lord and Christ.
Discerning the Lord’s Will (The Continuing Adventures of Jesus #38) (KC)
INTRODUCTION
How do you know what the will of God is for you? We pray that God’s “will” would be done on earth as it is in heaven, but we have many choices to make, some obviously significant and every choice momentous.
Paul said that he was compelled by the Spirit to go to Jerusalem (Acts 19:21, 20:22), and yet, the same Spirit filled disciples urging Paul not to go (Acts 21:4, 11). Does God do this regularly? Does God send mixed signals?
God is not trying to trick anyone, but He does test us. The Holy Spirit drove Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted (Mk. 1:12). This was not so that Jesus would fail, but so He would succeed. Christians must trust and obey God’s clear Word, and then we trust His providence in the gifts, opportunities, and desires He gives us.
The Text: “And it came to pass, that after we were gotten from them, and had launched, we came with a straight course unto Coos, and the day following unto Rhodes, and from thence unto Patara…” (Acts 21:1-14).
SUMMARY OF THE TEXT
After leaving the Ephesian elders at Miletus, Paul’s entourage sailed along the coast of southwest Asia Minor, until they came to Syria (Acts 21:1-3). While there for seven days, the disciples, by the Holy Spirit, warned Paul not to go to Jerusalem before sending him on his way with prayers (Acts 21:4-6). Sailing south along the coast of Palestine, they came to Caesarea and stayed with Philip, one of the seven, who had four faithful daughters (Acts 21:7-9). While there, the prophet Agabus, foretold that Paul would be arrested in Jerusalem, and everyone tried to dissuade Paul from going (Acts 21:10-12). But while Paul felt the emotional force of their pleas, he was unmoved and ready to die if necessary, and the brothers committed him to the will of the Lord (Acts 21:13-14).
THE WILL OF GOD
How did Paul know what the will of God was? We may not be able to answer exhaustively, but we can have a basic understanding of how God wants us to discern His will. Theologians commonly distinguish between the “decretive will” of God and the “preceptive will” of God. The decretive will is what God has decreed will come to pass before all time (Gen. 1:3, Is. 46:10, Eph. 1:11); His preceptive will is what God has revealed is good and right for His creatures to do (cf. His law, Ex. 20, Dt. 5). So it is God’s preceptive will for all men to repent of their sins and obey God’s law, but regardless of whether they do or not, God works all things together for good for those who love Him (Rom. 8, Gen. 50:20). So while we cannot know God’s ultimate decretive will, His preceptive will (His law and gospel) is the central revelation of His will for us (1 Thess. 4:1-7).
DISCERNING THE WILL OF GOD
So, when you’re trying to determine God’s will, begin by asking: is it lawful/moral? If not, it is not the will of God. It is not the will of God for you to marry an unbeliever, to disobey your parents, or cheat or steal. These moral obligations also include providing for your family, your parents, and having a church community. You would need a clear indication from God that a higher duty is requiring you to set aside one of those duties (e.g. a boss or parent or pastor asking you to sin).
If it is lawful, then the next questions would be: What are your abilities, opportunities, and desires? You may have the ability and desire, but no opportunity. You may have the opportunity, but no ability or desire. As it is sometimes said, “the need is not necessarily the call.” Many orphans need to be adopted, many unreached peoples need to be evangelized, but the need is not necessarily the call. But if you have an opportunity and the ability, sometimes the will of God comes down to what you really want to do. On the other hand, as Jonah learned the hard way, sometimes the need amounts to a command and it doesn’t matter what you want to do (e.g. the Good Samaritan). Also, remember that wisdom is found in the multitude of counselors, and at the same time, you can’t just go along with the multitude (Ex. 23:2).
FACE TOWARD JERUSALEM
Later, Paul will explain that he came to Jerusalem to bring alms and offerings (Acts 24:17). While there may have been other factors at work, it appears that Paul was very concerned to bring his entourage from the new churches in Greece with their offerings to Jerusalem. He knew the risks involved full well, but he believed that this was what was most needful, perhaps particularly for the unity of the Jewish and Gentile churches.
It also continues the pattern of the apostles imitating Jesus, “And it came to pass, when the time was come that he should be received up, he stedfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem” (Lk. 9:51). And just as Peter wanted to insist that Jesus not go (Mk. 8:31ff), Paul faced similar resistance, testing his resolve. And so we can expect similar testing, and while it can occasionally be wise to double check our decisions, our general instinct ought to be “not to doubt in the dark what we knew in the light.” If we are walking in the Light, confessing our sins and forgiving one another, while God does test us, He does not trick us.
APPLICATIONS
Safety is Not the Highest Good: Our God plays with death and dragons. Wisdom is not reckless, but it is ambitious and courageous. By faith some overcame armies; and by faith some were stoned and sawn in two (Heb. 11). And all of them obtained a good report. Winning and victory are found in obedience to the Lord, not necessarily surviving.
Parents, beware of making safety the highest good. Obedience is the highest good, and obedience often requires selfless courage, danger, and even harm. Paul was prepared to go to prison and die if necessary for the name of Jesus. Wives, beware tempting husbands or children to be unfaithful by your fear of harm. Better the obedience of Christ (dying at 33), than a long life of grieving His Spirit.
Stick to Your Near and Clear Duties: “Seek first the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you” (Mt. 6:33). “Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart” (Ps. 37:4). And this includes keeping your word/vows/covenants (Ps. 15:4). This is how God ordinarily shows us His will.
Two Layers of Meaning (Acts of the Apostles #4)
INTRODUCTION
In the second chapter of Acts, we have the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, resulting in the gift of tongues, a powerful sermon, and a massive ingathering of new believers. As we read about this stupendous gift of tongues, we might have the same reaction that the initial hearers did. What on earth does this mean (v. 12)?
THE TEXT
“And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven. Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language . . . And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one to another, What meaneth this? Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine” (Acts 2:1–13).
SUMMARY OF THE TEXT
The day of Pentecost was one of the feasts of the Lord appointed in the Old Testament Mosaic calendar (Lev. 23:15). The Feast of Firstfruits was celebrated the day after the Sabbath of Passover week, and the Israelites were instructed to count fifty days after that day, which would end on the day of Pentecost (from the Greek word for fifty). This festival is also called the Feast of Weeks, or the Feast of Ingathering. It was a harvest festival. When that day arrived, the followers of Christ were all in one place, and were all in one accord (v. 1). And suddenly the room where they were all sitting was filled with a sound from heaven—like a rushing mighty wind (v. 2). Cloven tongues like fire appeared, and rested on each of them (v. 3). They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began speaking in other languages (glossa) as the Spirit enabled them (v. 4). Devout Jews were there in Jerusalem, coming from every nation under heaven (v. 5). We are not told directly, but the disciples apparently spilled out into the street because a multitude gathered as the report spread. All of them were confounded because they all heard their own languages (dialektos) being spoken (v. 6). They began to speak to one another about it because they could tell that all the speakers were Galilaeans (v. 7). How is it we are hearing our native tongues (v. 8)? The word again is dialektos. All the nations are then listed, 17 in all (vv. 9-11). The wonderful works of God are being declared in all these different tongues (glossa). They were astonished, but still in doubt about what it could all mean (v. 12). There were also some wiseacres, of course, who accused them of being drunk (v. 13).
TONGUES ARE LANGUAGES
The tongues here are not to be understood as mystical jabbering. These are languages, with grammar, vocabulary, and syntax. We can assert this confidently for various reasons. First, the people listening identified what was being spoken with the languages of their home countries (vv. 6, 8). Second, glossa and dialektos are words that refer to languages. We get our word dialect from the second one. Third, elsewhere the apostle Paul requires any such expressions in church to be translated (1 Cor. 14:13).
153 AND THE FEAST OF INGATHERING
There are 17 nations mentioned here, and 17 is the triangular of 153. This means that 17 plus 16 plus 15 down to 1 all adds up to 153. And that is the number of fish that were caught in John 21:11, when Peter was restored to ministry. And what was that ministry? He had been called to become a fisher of men (Mark 1:17). When Jesus had done a similar miracle for Peter, this overwhelmed him with his own sinfulness (Luke 5:8). So the fish were clearly emblematic of the coming haul at Pentecost. We also have the fact that throughout Scripture, the sea represents the Gentiles and the land the Jews. No one in the Old Testament is shown eating fish, but in the New Testament fishing (and the eating of fish) comes to the front and center.
The practice of encoding numbers in names (called gematria) was common in the ancient world. They could do this in a way that we cannot because they used the same symbols for letters and for numbers. We have Roman letters and Arabic numbers. But in Hebrew, the first nine letters corresponded to 1-9, the next nine were 10-90, and the last five were100-400. So?
Well, the prophet Ezekiel promised that the time of the New Covenant would be a time of glorious fishing. “And it shall come to pass, that the fishers shall stand upon it from Engedi even unto Eneglaim; they shall be a place to spread forth nets; their fish shall be according to their kinds, as the fish of the great sea, exceeding many” (Ez. 47:10). The prefix En simply means spring, and so if we look at the numerical value of Gedi in Hebrew, we find that it is 17, and the value of Eglaim is 153. Ezekiel is talking about the salvation of the Gentiles under the figure of fish, swimming in living waters from the Temple, and he uses these two numbers. This means that we are justified in taking 153 as a symbolic number for the Gentile nations who will be brought into the kingdom of God—fulfilled here at Pentecost.
TWO LAYERS OF MEANING
Because these tongues were actual languages, one of the things meant would be the things that were being said. What the disciples were declaring were “the wonderful works of God” (v. 11). The languages meant what the languages were saying.
But what did the mere fact of this miracle mean?
“Brethren, be not children in understanding: howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men. In the law it is written, with men of other tongues and other lips will I speak unto this people; and yet for all that will they not hear me, saith the Lord [Is. 28:11-12 (see also Dt. 28:49)]. Wherefore tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not: but prophesying serveth not for them that believe not, but for them which believe. If therefore the whole church be come together into one place, and all speak with tongues, and there come in those that are unlearned, or unbelievers, will they not say that ye are mad? [or drunk]” (1 Cor. 14:20–23).
For the unbelieving Jews, the sign of foreign languages in the streets of Jerusalem was a sign of pending judgment. You would not listen to the prophets who continually warned you in your own language (Is. 28:9-10), so maybe you will understand when you hear the languages of foreign soldiers in your streets. But for the foreigners who heard the wonderful works of God in their own language, this was the equivalent of prophecy, which was for those who believe.
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