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21
2009
Biblical Observations - by Book
Here you can find practical analysis of passages from each book of the bible as they are completed.
If a book is missing from the list, it is because studies for sections of the book are not yet available.
05
2006
Corinthians II 10:7-18
In this text, Paul outlines precisely why a person’s ultimate reference helps or hinders their efforts in not only proclaiming, but living out the gospel as examples of Christ. His words reflect heavily on the interoperability of royal kingship in the kingdom of God, where effectively every citizen will operate with monarchial rights and obligations. If we are Lords unto ourselves, the universal royalty of God’s kingdom is compromised and the order falls apart. Apostleship is not about personal attention or personal power.
Rather, the gospel of Christ has to serve as the ultimate reference and source of authority for all members – eliminating the risk that by self-assurance, a leader will fall away from the kingdom and drag others with them.
05
2006
Mark 3:28-35
This passage incorporates the tail-end of one of the most serious charges laid against Jesus by the official Judaic leadership – that of operating on earth by virtue of an unclean spirit. While this betrays their own bias against the possibility of any valid communication from God being relayed outside of their sphere of influence, Jesus takes this opportunity to educate the population with regard to the power of the spirit of God to bind people to him – not as servants, but as family.
Within the context of traditional Jewish leadership, the Law of Moses was considered the ultimate authority and the ultimate testament of God to His people. There was no other revealed Word of God that could hold a candle to it. The covenant of Moses is obviously tied to the fulfillment of the Law. The covenant of David, likewise, was dependent on the ability of the monarch to fulfill the Law.
24
2006
Luke 5:1-11
Within the Davidic tradition of psalmody, one detects that David is as much a general as he is a king. In this passage, Jesus illustrates the power that he will imbue upon the apostles, while also showing them a visible example of how influential they will be in the redemption of history if they cooperate humbly with God.
David’s psalms are often recollections of needs – the first stance of his relationship with God. These are the needs of his people on a specific level and scale, but also for the needs that David recognizes and speaks of with regard to strategic placement of the nation.
24
2006
Timothy II 3:10-15
The battle of polemic, from Paul’s point of view, is one of hair-splitting, but the decisions are critical to the future doctrine of Christianity. In his exhortation, Paul encourages Timothy to take a strong approach, but to do so in a way that is faithful, not angry. He is able to use himself as an example of those who seek the true Christ – those who follow the false doctrine will find a lot of support from Paul’s contemporaries, but he has not been as lucky.
During the course of Paul’s greater mission, he is confronted with some of the most difficult diplomacy battles a person could ever face. Internally, he had to struggle with the futility of the cultural battles he had been given custody over. There were not many men who could have even been given the assignment he was given, but God assumes the ability to make a rod of leadership and discipline from anyone He chooses. Having been a member of both traditional and innovative communities of faith, Paul faced the difficult task of telling both warring communities that Christ’s appearance has presently made their entire political and religious struggles irrelevant.
18
2006
Luke 10:16-21 / Hebrews 2:2-10
Taken in tandem, these two readings shed a balanced light on the victory of Christ and the rightful attitudes of those who have been delivered from sin. While the author tells the Hebrews to be thankful that Christ was able to submit to death in order to elevate our stature above the angels, Christ himself reminds us through Luke that the victory won is not as important as the membership one has received by God’s grace in the kingdom to come.
Within the early Christian communities, as is often found even today, there is a difficult struggle to maintain the integrity and grace of the gospel without putting others down. We can see from the letter to the Hebrews that we have plenty of reasons to be thankful and to celebrate our release from the bondage of this world through our membership in Christ’s assembly.
18
2006
Hebrews 2:2-10
This text is a powerful admonition to hold firmly to the things that Christ said early on in his ministry. The speaker calls attention to the awesome magnitude of power offered by the present configuration of the kingdom of God. He remarks how through Christ we have access to a kingdom and dominion that not even the angels or custodians of the former covenant were able to gain.
While a good portion of this sentiment is certainly polemical against Jerusalem proper, the text validly notes the transformation of the nature of the kingdom of God – that it is no longer a location that is even taken care of by the angels any longer.
18
2006
Luke 10:16-21
This passage parallels the commission of the seventy apostles with the appropriate deposition of grace in the Exodus cycle – this gospel passage is one of many makes the parallel revealed to Paul between Jesus and Moses crystal clear.
Following the drowning of the Egyptians on the day they crossed the Red Sea, the Hebrews and Moses were given a full scale declaration of hope. It is hardly possible to ignore what Christ is forecasting here regarding the cross and the status of the apostleship.
13
2006
Matt 23:29-39 / Cor. II 8:16-24, 9:1-5
These readings are bound in irony – in the gospel we see Christ reprimand the Pharisees for what they will do to the ones whom he sends, while Paul speaks to the Corinthians about how they are to receive the apostles in joy and with generosity.
Examining the Matthew passage, Christ exposes the hypocrisy of the Pharisees – how in claiming to have pulled together a righteous society in the wake of the failures of their fathers, they have themselves fallen into the same trap – killing the prophets sent by God, yet claiming to be righteous.
13
2006
Corinthians II 8:16-24, 9:1-5
While at the start it may appear that Paul’s concern is in regard to the reputation of the apostles and teachers who are traveling between assembled communities, we see by the end of this passage that Paul is really concerned over how the communities themselves will be viewed – specifically in connection to how they deal with those who come to them to educate them about the gospel of Christ.
Paul is concerned with regard to what the communities will say about the apostles – there are several dangers here that Paul is trying to avoid.
13
2006
Matthew 23:29-39
This passage shows Jesus at his most ominous – laying down the line in the sand in idyllic prophetic fashion. Many times the prophetic role of the new covenant is misunderstood to be someone who is able to tell the future. Within the Judahite tradition, it is not so.
Prophetic vision is enabling – an opening of the eyes to the lattice of valid paths on earth. Within the superstructure of wisdom literature, one finds a rich tapestry of traditional dramas – movements – courses of action – paths, if you will. The prophet is one who sees these paths and knows them – and so when the prophet witness that you are on one of these paths and do not know where it goes, he tells you – plain and simple – precisely where that path leads. He or she does so as a warning – so that if you are wise you will re-examine your path, re-evaluate where you think it will lead and hopefully turn to the path of righteousness. The prophet speaks, so that illumined with the word of truth you will not stumble, but will follow your course to its due end.
10
2006
Mark 3:6-12 / Cor. II 8:7-15
These texts are bound together in the lectionary because they both focus on the significant amount of charisma that comes from the proper application of proper grace in proper context.
Proper grace
Christ is clearly one who is acknowledged by foreign and local spirits to be the Son of God. He looks like God. He acts like God. Overall, he loves like God. People around Christ are seeing their lives change just by following his words, his movements and his faith.
10
2006
Corinthians II 8:7-15
This powerful passage introduces the Corinthians to the crucial third stance of the developing a ‘Davidic relationship’ with God – and of course, he uses Christ as the prime example.
Having seen everything that the Corinthian church had manifested through their application of the gospel:
10
2006
Mark 3:6-12
For those who follow the shifting demographics of Judah at the time of Christ, what you see in this passage is a typical yet powerful observance by the evangelist regarding the diversity of Christ’s following.
Within this group you see all of the player whom you would expect, in places that are entirely predictable:
03
2006
Matt 19:16-26 / Cor 15:1-11
Why are these two texts bound together?
Both texts are bound with respect to the degree of difficulty required to engage and maintain the gospel in daily life.
03
2006
Matthew 19:16-26
This text is a powerful example of how Christ seeks to graft those on the fringes of the divine tree of life deeper into the system. Christ begins by clarifying the root: the Father is the root of all good – that is to say, the source of all life is the only one that is good. A teacher is not good unless the Father makes him or her so. Recalling the prominence of Genesis theology at this time, the goodness of all creation is by the declaration of God that it is so. In other words, apart from the word of life that the Father provides, nothing exists – let alone anything good.
So Christ begins the reorientation of the mindset of the man – Christ sees the man as a four-point David in the making. He sees the man appeals for wisdom – granted, the man goes to Christ, but Christ picks up the focus and returns it to the father. Thus, point one of the Davidic relationship is achieved. The man has come to God with a need – eternal life.
03
2006
Corinthians 15:1-11
This is one of many places where Paul strives to point out not only the power of God’s grace to transform human life, but the love involved in doing so.
It is this love, overall, that Paul wants the community to recall. All that is necessary is for them to remember who Paul previously was, and they somehow are expected to have an instantaneous testimony to God’s ability to transform people by love.