So You’re a Priest: Getting Out of Our Own Way

This is part 15 of a sermon series through 2 Corinthians (including Christmas Eve). If we are to be God’s agents on earth, if we are his ambassadors (2 Cor 5:20), if listening to us is supposed to be as good as hearing from God, then let there be nothing in us that garbles the message! Let there be no justification for dismissing the message because of the messenger!
2 Corinthians 6

Commentary

v3 stumbling block. "We give no offense." (See also Matt 4:6; John 11:9-10; Romans 9:30-33; 14:13-21; 1 Peter 2:4-8). Paul has just said that the time to receive God’s favor is now (6:2). What follows is a defense of his ministry; in no way has he caused anyone to stumble. By implication, he is charging the Corinthians to examine themselves. From 1 Corinthians, we know that there were divisions in the Corinthian church, and some members believed themselves to be more spiritual than the others. The onus is always on us to examine ourselves as Paul examines himself here.

v4b-5 in great endurance ... & hunger. The first of four sets of criteria by which Paul examines himself and we can examine ourselves. The first list is a list of trials, for certainly under duress people commonly show in what they place their trust.

v6-7a in purity ... & in the power of God. The second set of criteria is fruit of the Spirit of God. "By their fruits you will know them" (Matt 7:15-20).

v7b-8a with weapons of righteousness in the right hand & in the left ... The third set of criteria is the full spectrum of circumstances under which ministry is tested. Attacks come from all sides: from friends and enemies; in the middle of success as well as failure. Sometimes nothing is as dangerous as success.

v8b-10 genuine, yet regarded as imposters ... having nothing, & yet possessing everything. The last set of criteria is antithetical. Although we may be regarded as imposters, unknown, dying, beaten, etc. what are we really? One must always take charges against one’s life and ministry seriously, what is coming on behind the scenes?

v11-13 Although Paul appears to have been defending himself, in reality here we see his underlying intent. What are those super-spiritual in Corinth revealed to be under trial? What is their fruit? How are they under all circumstances? Who are they really? Can they reciprocate Paul’s love?

Points to Ponder

Which is the more difficult test for you: standing up under rare—but intense—trial, or the steady drain of daily troubles?

Which is the more difficult test for you: using your gifts, or misusing your gifts? (I wonder if we don’t inflect the greatest damage we when we abuse the spiritual gifts God has given us.)

Which is the more difficult test for your faith: success, or failure?

Where have you resisted examining yourself? Where is your authenticity on the line?

From whom are you withholding sincere love? Why?

Read 1 Peter 2:4-8. Others may reject the message because of its content, but give them no reason to reject the message because of its messenger!

So You’re a Priest: The Magic of Christmas

The 4th Sunday of Advent!

The Advent reading for this Sunday was Matthew 2:1-12.

Probably no part of the nativity story in Christian folklore has more inaccuracies associated with it than the story of the visit by the Magi. Consider:

their number: Tradition holds that there were three magi. However, Matthew does not record the number of visitors, only the number of gifts.

their names: Although the Eastern church has a variety of names for the magi, in the West since the 8th Century the names given to the visitors are generally Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar. The Bible does not record their names.

their profession: Tradition holds that the visitors were kings, or wise men. The term magi (plural for mage) used to refer to them comes straight from the Greek text. Technically, a mage was a Zoroastrian priest; as part of their religion, these priests were also astrologers. As the term made its way west, it came to be used for other dabblers in the occult, e.g. Simon Magus (Acts 8:9-13) and Elymas the Sorcerer (Acts 13:6-11). Mage comes into modern English as the word magic.

their homeland: Traditions vary as to the origin of the magi, from Greece, to Egypt, to Persia, and even China. The Bible simply says, "from the east." (However, if we assume that the magi was, in fact, Zoroastrian priests, since Zoroastrianism was centered in Persia in the east, that makes for a pretty credible case.)

their date: Traditional cards and nativity scenes have the magi visiting the infant Christ in the manger; however, Matthew 2:7 records that Herod quizzed the magi about the date in the past when the nativity star had appeared and later Herod gives his soldiers orders to kill all of the boys in Bethlehem under the age of two (Matthew 2:16). Therefore, the implication is that the magi may have arrived somewhat after the birth of Jesus.

So, what do you do after you have worshipped at the feet of Jesus?

2 Corinthians 5:16-21

Commentary

v16 regard from a worldly point of view. Literally, "understand according to the sinful nature." This is the mindset that looks at a saint or a sinner and only sees a way to make a buck, or an impediment to one’s way of life, or a bug to be squashed. This is the mindset of the Sanhedrin as it contemplates Jesus. This is the mindset of the gays right now as they protest Obama’s selection of Rick Warren to give the inaugural prayer. This is the mindset of American evangelicals who try to make the country a theocracy.

v17 new creation. "New" in this passage refers to something with a new, unused, or heretofore unknown quality. Thus, if anyone is in Christ, the tenor of their life is supposed to be fundamentally changed—not a little better, not a little nicer, but of a different quality. Isn’t this where we struggle? We want our old life, plus the bonus of Christ, but Christ says everything must change!

v18-19 ministry of reconciliation. By now, we should be picking up on the world "ministry", suspecting that it is the word diakonia (from which we get the word deacon) meaning humble service. Our suspicions are correct. "Reconciliation" refers to friendly relationship with God (and only to a lesser extent to relationships between people). Therefore, our humble service is to bring others into this friendly relationship.

v20 Christ’s ambassadors. One might object, saying "I cannot force anyone to change!" That is not the role of an ambassador. An ambassador is supposed to represent, to speak for, another. When Zalmay Khalilzad, current US Ambassador to the UN speaks at the UN, he does not speak for himself, but rather for the US president, George W. Bush. Khalilzad cannot force the UN to change; however, speaking with him is supposed to be as good as speaking with the president himself. Can we say that as Christians? Is speaking with us as good as speaking with Jesus? According to Paul, it’s supposed to be!

Application

The magic of Christmas is that the magi are utterly changed. It’s no illusion, no sleight of hand; they are a new creation.

Matthew 2:12 says, "Having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route." Ancient theologian Gregory the Great preached a famous sermon on this text, saying, "Having come to know Jesus, we are forbidden to return by the way we came." We are a new creation. The quality and direction of our lives cannot be what they were. If there is no change of quality, no change of direction, maybe there was no real change at all.

Tradition holds that the magi were baptized by the apostle Thomas on his way to India. One must imagine the magi, back from Bethlehem utterly changed. Their priestly profession had changed; they were now priests for the infant God that they had seen, but could not possibly fully comprehend. Their fascination with astrology had changed; why seek signs from God in the heavens when you have seen God in the flesh? Their orientation was turned upside-down; instead of the emphasis on moral duty and human responsibility inherent in Zoroastrianism, now their sole duty was to live as heralds, as ambassadors of the Coming King. If they were, indeed, baptized by Thomas, they lived for perhaps 40 years between the promise beheld in the visit to the Child and the fulfillment of the full gospel and sacrament of Christ delivered by Thomas. Forty years is a long time to wait, but sometimes that is what God calls us to.

Points to Ponder

Are you a new creation? Where is the quality of your life different for having Christ in you? Can anyone notice the diffference?

If we are Christians, were are called to be Christ’s ambassadors. Is speaking with us as good as speaking with Jesus?

So You’re a Priest: Live for One Thing

3rd Sunday of Advent!

The Advent reading for this Sunday was Luke 2:8-20.

Later in 2 Corinthians 5, Paul will call Christians "ambassadors of reconciliation" (v18-20). In the nativity story, the shepherds becomes such ambassadors, becoming emissaries for the real, but largely unseen, world in the heavenlies which opened up briefly and gave them a message of hope which has been retold for two thousand years.

2 Corinthians 5:11-15

Commentary

v11 plain. In the Greek, this is a verb, and in the context of 2 Corinthians, with its theme of the seen and unseen kingdoms in conflict, the best meaning for the verb is probably, "To make manifest, or visible, or known, what has been hidden or unknown, to make evident, whether by words, or deeds, or in any other way." What we are is being revealed by God, and what we are is being disclosed to those around us.

v12 commend. Literally, "to stand with." When read with v11, Paul is saying, "We’re not trying to ally ourselves with you, to ingratiate ourselves to you, or align ourselves to you. Rather, we are committed to following God’s call, and I hope this way of living in the unseen kingdom of God is being revealed to you.

v14 Christ’s love compels us. The force of Christ’s love here is to hold us together when we are ready to fall to pieces.

Application

"Peace on whom God’s favor rests," the angels proclaimed to the shepherds, and so their lives are changed. Nothing changed in the visible world, the so-called "real world" of sheep, predators, fellow shepherds and families; however, everything was changed in the invisible world of the heavenlies, which briefly opened a portal and announced, "Fear not!"

The shepherds went to Bethlehem to see the special child. Did they leave anyone behind with the sheep? Was their regard for the old world now so low that they abandoned their charges? Or perhaps there was one who still feared, who believed not, and settled for staying behind with the sheep he could see instead of questing for the child he could not yet see. There always seems to be one of this sort.

God’s love compelled them to go, holding them together not just in the presence of the angels, but in the trip to Bethlehem, and in their lives thereafter. We live in a time when faith has been privatized by the secular world, but the shepherds knew differently; for them, that brief moment when the angels appeared and their subsequent trip to see the child had to be talked about. They told Mary what they saw and heard, and it was an encouragement to her. Certainly they told their friends and family later. On the surface nothing changed; certainly most people who were not there and did not see were skeptical. However, on the inside, something was different, and for some that difference became more and more apparent over time. For when one knows God’s good pleasure, it becomes easier to not sweat the small stuff, to let go of petty gripes and grievances, to rest secure in the knowledge of God’s grace.

Points to Ponder

No doubt years later the shepherds sat around on the same hills saying, "Yup, it was on a night just like tonight when the angels appeared and we went and saw the boy." Such reminiscing helped them keep faith in a faithless world. Do you have stories of when you realized God’s grace? Are you comfortable sharing your stories with others? Why or why not?

Strangely, even when we tell our stories to people who don’t believe, the act of retelling our stories can still solidify our faith. When do you think it is appropriate to share your stories with people that don’t believe? Could it be that the possibility of something else, the hope for something better, what Philip Yancey calls "rumors of another world," is what they are dying to hear? If they don’t hear from you, whom will they hear from?

So You’re a Priest: Will One Thing

Second Sunday of Advent!

The Advent reading for this Sunday was Matthew 1:18-25.

For today’s sermon, and its relevance to Joseph, check out the preceding verses: the "begats", i.e. the genealogy of Jesus (Matthew 1:1-17).

This is part 11 of a sermon series through 2 Corinthians. For weeks now, Paul has been contrasting two different kingdoms, two very different ways of living. We live in the cusp, the no man’s land between a world of death and a world of life—a kingdom in opposition to God that seems real, but is really no more substantial than vapor, and the kingdom of God that seems to be an apparition, but is becoming more real every day.

You live in both worlds, both kingdoms—that is what it is to be human—but in which kingdom does your heart live? Søren Kierkegaard, 19th-Century Danish philosopher and theologian said in a book by the same name, "Purity of heart is to will one thing." In today’s Scripture, Joseph struggles between his plans for himself and his family and God plans, God’s call on his life. What does it mean for him to follow God?

2 Corinthians 5

Commentary

v7 by sight. Previously we read "what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal" (2 Cor. 4:18). "Living by sight" means being guided by what makes sense in this world, making decisions based on the consequences this world has to offer. We are called to make choices based on a different standard.

A better translation of this verse might be, "We walk by faith, not by appearances," which better reflects the insubstantial nature of some of the worldly things we erroneously depend upon.

v9 we make it our goal. "Ambition" is too small a sense of the action; what is going on here is some more like one’s life ambition, or highest aspiration. (This sort of ambition is also found in Rom 15:20 and 1 Th 4:11).

v10 things done. This is far too nonspecific—the verb here means something more like "the things we practiced" (i.e. the things that consumed our time, that we were accomplished practitioners thereof (e.g. Rom 1:32; Phil 4:9; Col 3:9). Specifically, the verb here denotes action directed towards a specific end, as opposed to random action. The implication is that the judgment that we stand under is not for the occasional, unfortunate sin in our lives, but rather the sins that are deeply sown and repeated throughout our lives.

Application

When my two college-aged children and their friends came home for Thanksgiving, we played a game called Would You Rather?. The game consists of pairs of questions involving perplexing, and sometimes disgusting, choices, e.g.:

Would you rather eat a small can of cat food OR 7 whole lemons, seeds, pulp, juice, and rind?

Would you rather have 14 fingers OR 16 toes?

Would you rather age only from the neck up OR age only from the neck down?

Kierkegaard—and Paul in 2 Corinthians, and Matthew in the Advent reading—all speak to the war between the two kingdoms which is waged in our hearts, and minds. In this war, who will win our hearts and minds? In this war, how long will we be torn, being two-faced lovers, double-minded devotees?

Would you rather spend eternity in heaven OR would you rather burn forever in hell?

This is the way religion frequently introduces itself, but this choice is no choice at all. Practically speaking, this is not the Would You Rather? dilemma that demands our attention every day. Our daily choices are more mundane, e.g. Would you rather win tonight’s argument with your spouse, but repeat the argument again tomorrow night OR would you rather lose the argument and never repeat the argument again? Kierkegaard maintains that heaven versus hell is not a real choice and demonstrates no real purity of heart. The desire for rewards, seen or unseen, changes nobody’s heart. Perhaps this is why so many who respond to an altar call, or parrot a sinner’s prayer, have no lasting change in their lives. They are still double-minded, acting religious only when it’s in their best interest to do so.

As Joseph, would you rather raise the most famous child in history, although you are not really the child’s father OR would you continue the line of your ancestors, being the child’s biological father, but raising a child destined for obscurity?

On one level, this is the choice that Joseph has to make. It is no mistake that sudden discovery of Mary’s pregnancy in Matthew’s account comes right on the heels of the genealogy of Joseph, which mentions five women in passing:

Judah the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar ...

Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab,

Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth ...

David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah's wife ...

and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.

The first four women, all noteworthy women to be sure, are all mentioned in passing—but the line of the ancestors remains unbroken through the men. In fact, some of the mothers were not even Israelites! However, for Joseph, the refrain changes. Joseph is not called the father of Jesus; rather, he is simply "the husband of Mary" through whom the blessing comes. Adding insult to injury, Joseph is never heard from again in the gospel accounts after the one event in the life of the adolescent Jesus recorded in the gospels (Luke 2:41-50).

We are not Joseph. The great deeds presented to us are somewhat smaller: Would you rather work in obscurity, never knowing that your kindness and mercy helped change hundreds of lives OR would you rather be praised during your lifetime, never knowing if the praise was sincere or hollow? Paul appears to exhort us to strive to please God. However, ambition for good works and great deeds is not to will one thing. The ambition for great deeds is still the mark of the desire for reward and praise.

Would you rather do good OR be good?

Matthew 1:19 says Joseph was a righteous man. A fuller sense of biblical righteousness is "having the character of God." The goal of Christians is not to do good, not to earn rewards, but rather to be conformed to Christ—to think as Christ things, to feel as Christ feels, by the transforming power of the Spirit. This is a gift from God—not something we can manufacture on our own. So our ambition in Christ is not to do good deeds for the sake of doing good deeds, but rather to have the mind of Christ. If this happens, good deeds will follow.

In ethics, this is known as trait-deontological ethics. We don’t try to do good deeds to achieve good ends. We don’t try to do good deeds because we ought to. Rather, our ambition is to be the person we are created to be in Christ ... and commit the results to God. This is walking by faith and not by sight.

Points to Ponder

v 7 says, "We live by faith, not sight." Would you rather take a chance of looking like a fool to your friends but knowing God intimately OR take no chances with your friends and trust that you’re ‘good enough’?

More on living by faith, not sight:

This Christmas season, would you rather have a gift of time and no material gifts OR your most coveted material gift and no time to enjoy it?

This Christmas season, would you rather do Christmas just like you always have, even if you feel like something has been missing OR would you rather try something new, not knowing how it will turn out?

So You’re a Priest: Swallowed up by Life!

First Sunday of Advent!

The Advent reading for this Sunday was Luke 1:26-38.

This is part 10 of a sermon series through 2 Corinthians. For weeks now, Paul has been contrasting two different kingdoms, two very different ways of living:

a law of the letter vs. a law of the Spirit,

a way of life that leads to death vs. a way of death that leads to life,

a fragility of the body vs. a tenacity of the Spirit

One is tempted to view reality as a duality: that is, a material world and a spiritual world striving for dominance. In Christian dualism, one believes that the spiritual world is good; the material world is evil, best avoided, tolerated when necessary, and escaped from ASAP. Christian dualism gives rise to cults, hermits, asceticism, and the worldview common to many evangelicals: the sooner the world goes to hell, the sooner we can be raptured and start living the good life in heaven. However, this is not the biblical worldview.

2 Corinthians 5

Commentary

v1 the earthly tent we live in. i.e. our bodies. The KJV translates tent as tabernacle, and the temptation then is to look at our bodies as a holy abode if God’s Spirit is with us. However, correct that might be, the main point here is the impermanence of our current abode, just as Abraham living in a tent (Hebrews 11:9) was a metaphor for the impermanence of his earthly circumstances.

v2-3 At first glance, these verses appear to support the Christian dualist worldview. However, I see in these verses a reference to two other biblical characters who were found naked. Adam & Eve’s great tragedy was not being naked, but breaking relationship with God through willful disobedience. One can imagine Adam & Eve evicted from Eden, groaning, longing for their idyllic home, but mostly grieving the intimacy with God that they had destroyed.

v4 swallowed up by life. We have an innate sense of how life should be: peaceful, secure, prosperous, happy, loving, healthy, fair. The Hebrews called this life shalom. It was the life Adam & Eve squandered. It is the life that Jesus promises. It is the life that the world will see one day when the dwelling of God is once again with men (Revelation 21:1-4).

Application

One of the controversies in the early church involved the role of Mary. For centuries, early church fathers had given Mary the title Theotokos, meaning Mother of God, or more literally one who gives birth to God. In the 5th Century, the patriarch Nestorius challenged this view, claiming that Mary should only be called Christotokos, meaning Mother of Christ, or one who gives birth to Christ. For Nestorius, it was inconceivable that the Son of God should have a conception (pun intended). Nestorious maintained that the divine aspect of Jesus must have existed from the beginning, whereas only God’s appointed human agent—literally the Christ—could be pinned down to a point in time. By arguing for two distinct aspects to Jesus, one divine and one human, Nestorius was condemned by the Council of Ephesus in 431 of heresy.

In the incarnation of Jesus, Christian dualism crashes against the hard fact of a life that is 100% divine, eternal spirit and 100% mortal, finite humanity—and yet this fusion of two worlds is life fully expressed.

There is a similar tension at work in us. We groan underneath the burden of the life we live, and yet there is another life, a life that predates us, that we are called to live: it is our life in the mind of God. Since the very beginning, long before the creation of the universe, we existed in the mind of God. We didn’t exist as disembodied spirits; we were not pre-incarnated in other bodies; we were simply in the mind of God until the appointed time when we were realized in our mother’s wombs. We did not receive a mortal body as something to be endured; rather, we received our bodies for the very purpose of learning how to live, to wit: life is a gift to be given back over to God.

A strange thing happens when we give our lives back over to God. At first it feels like losing control, giving up, or dying. Christians even call it dying to self. But then the miracle happens: our relationship to God begins in earnest, and we are swallowed up by life. We are swallowed up by the life that exists in the mind of God. The power of that life becomes possible only because of our relationship with God. Our lives start to change in ways that we could never have predicted, never have manufactured on our own. It is the power of God at work within us to will and to work, according to his purpose (Philippians 2:12-13).

It was never the case that our bodies were a mere inconvenience to be shucked ASAP in favor of a disembodied spiritual life. God’s plan for humans has always been for our relationship with him to be lived out within our finite bodies. In the words of Mary (Luke 1:38) we are God’s to direct, may it be unto us even as it is in the mind of God. See in Paul’s words today not the desire to shed his body as a snake sheds its skin, but rather to move into a world where the mortal has been swallowed up by immortality and the prayer "Thy kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven" is a reality.

Points to Ponder

Compare the language of this passage with 1 Corinthians 15:50-54. What words, phrases, and ideas do you see in both passages?

So You’re a Priest: In Case of Emergency, Break

This is part 9 of a sermon series through 2 Corinthians. For a while Paul has been extolling "the gospel of the glory of Christ" (2 Cor. 4:4) and exhorting the Corinthians to live boldly and confidently in their faith. However, now Paul is going to take a different tack ...

Corinthians 4:7-18

Commentary

Through this whole passage, note how many ideas are repeated, but reworded in different ways. The rewording highlights contrasts (v7: power is from God and not from us), and limitations (v9: struck down, but not destroyed). Overall, these parallel constructions give us a picture of two worlds in opposition: a world of death that we can see clearly, and a world of life that is seen poorly—if at all—but is being made manifest of the Spirit of Jesus.

v7 jars of clay. Our bodies, formed from the dust of the ground, are metaphorical jars of clay. A literal jar of clay is a cheap and fragile container; only a fool would put something precious in such. However, the foolishness of God is to put his Spirit in us, fragile as we are!

v8-9 These verses are a peristasis catalog: i.e. a list of circumstances common to people. This is the first of several such lists in the letter (6:3-10; 11:23-33; 12:9-10). In this list, each circumstance is qualified—limited in its intensity—by the trailing clause. In short, we are broken, but not shattered.

v10-11 body. The NIV muddies the intent by taking two Greek words, soma & sarx, translating them both as body, even though the NIV rightly translates sarx most other places as "sinful nature." The KJV does slightly better, translating the end of v11 as "our mortal flesh."

Paul uses soma when referring to the body of Christ (i.e. the church) and there is a temptation to read v10 as references to the church, but nowhere else in this letter does Paul refer to the body of Christ, whereas he repeatedly refers to our weak human bodies.

revealed. In both v10 and v11 a better translation is "made manifest." What looks like dying from a worldly point of view at the last moment is turned into something else. The power of Jesus is made manifest as we work through physical trials (v10) and as our sinful nature is changed into something new (v11).

v18 temporary. Literally, "for a season."

Application

Looking at other sermons and commentaries on these verses, the temptation is to say that the message is "No pain, no gain," i.e. through our trials we endure, we earn, we work our way to glory.

That would be to trivialize the message.

One would never put valuable treasure, say gold, into a fragile jar of clay if the intent were to keep the treasure safe. One would only put treasure into such a container if the intent were eventually to break open the container, letting the treasure out to be seen, to be enjoyed, to be spent. Think about a piñata full of candy; it is only a enjoyable shell for the prize inside. To get to the prize, considerable violence is going to be inflicted on the shell. Likewise, consider the festive packages you will give or receive at Christmas; although sometimes the packaging is the valuable gift, usually the gift is hidden by layers of ribbons, paper, foil, tissue, cardboard, and tape.

To some extent, the Spirit of God living within you is like that. It is the treasure within you, and at just the right time, you must be broken for it to come out. The piñata and the Christmas gift must be torn open at just the right time—too early or too late, and something is lost. A treasure never revealed is a tragedy. Timing is everything.

In lots of buildings there is a glass box on a wall with the words "In case of emergency, break the glass." Inside is something important: a fire extinguisher, a fire hose, an ax, an AED. Again, timing is everything. Breaking the glass when there is no emergency is vandalism. Failing to break the glass when there is an emergency is a missed opportunity. For the Spirit of Christ to be at work in you during your trials, something in you has to give. For it to be otherwise would be like trying to get to the fire extinguisher without breaking the glass. How often do we try to get through our trials in one piece?

But these analogies don’t tell the whole story. First, we’re not supposed to save God behind glass only for emergencies. But the point isn’t about how to live the Spirit-filled life when everything was going well, but rather what to do when you are hard-pressed, perplexed, persecuted, and struck down. Are you going to have the good sense to let the glass be broken and let the Spirit work?

Second, for the piñata, and the Christmas gift, once the package is opened and the hidden gift away is revealed, usually the packaging is rubbish, an annoying cleanup chore. I wonder if our fears about becoming rubbish in the sight of God don’t drive us in one of two directions. On one hand, we resist being opened up, afraid that what little treasure we have might be lost or frittered away. On the other hand, we fear that maybe the treasure is gone (or worse, was never there) and we are already rubbish. On one hand, we fear losing what little value we might have; on the other, we fear we have already lost whatever value we ever had. But we are never rubbish in the eyes of God; even when we are broken, we are not abandoned (v9); even when we fail God, he will not fail us.

All of these analogies fail, in part, because the treasure is inanimate even as the packing is dead and lifeless. Perhaps the fuller analogy of the package with the treasure hidden within is found in the insect world in the form of a cocoon or a chrysalis. The living larva spins the material for its new casing and, once completed, inside the treasure begins to form. However, for the new creation—e.g. a butterfly—to be revealed, the casing must be broken. Old life in old forms gives way to new life in new forms, and so it is in the world of the Spirit. The old world and its ways, which we see and tend to live by, must give way to a new world being birthed by the Spirit of Christ. We can see this new world only faintly. Like blind men, we tend to grope our way along in this new world by faith and not by sight.

Like the clay jar we have been designed to be broken in order to let the treasure out. However, like the caterpillar, we have been designed to be transformed, old life replaced by new life. We are never broken and discarded like rubbish, but brought into a new way of living that makes the trials—the labor pains of new life being born—a fleeting memory.

Points to Ponder

Where have you tried to get through trials without being broken? Could it be that admitting your need for God and trying a new course of action would have shortened the trials?

Birth is a trial, but it is only for a short time. Even the longest labor is fleeting compared to the promise of life to come.

So You’re a Priest: Let There Be Light!

This is part 8 of a sermon series through 2 Corinthians. Today’s passage is linked with last week’s passage where Paul spoke about the veil of Moses and how a veil comes over people’s minds when they hear the Old Testament law. Last week I said that one of my great frustrations is that people frequently don’t want to see, or hear, the truth. I can watch them put on their veils:

a veil of hard-heartedness (the response to something they don’t want to hear);

a veil of false ignorance (the response to something to which they don’t want to be held accountable);

a veil of righteousness (the presumption to know better, or to be good enough already).

The bane of Christians is the presumption to think they have it all figured out, but as soon as Christians begin to presume to know it all, or to at least know enough, they have set themselves up for a fall. When Paul wrote in the last chapter about those who are blind to the truth because of the veils they wear, he was talking about precisely the people who would have called themselves God’s chosen people. The biggest veil, the largest deception, is to assume that these verses are talking about somebody else and not us!

2 Corinthians 4:1-6

Commentary

v1 Therefore ... If there is ever a sure-fire hint that you have to check the preceding verses for context, this is it. Just in case we weren’t sure, two of the oft-repeated words from last week—veil and glory—pop up here as well (v3 and v4,6, respectively).

We do not lose heart. We are supposed to be bold and unabashed in speaking to others. When our veils drop (not if, but when they drop) as with Moses, we should be reflections of the glory of God.

v2 This verse elaborates the implications of not losing heart. If not losing heart means abandoning secrets, shameful ways, deceptions, and distortions of the word of God, then losing heart means to embracing secrets, shameful ways, etc. Losing heart is to deceive our selves about the promises and power of God in our lives.

The power behind our deceptions is revealed in v4. The devil, the god of this age, darkens the minds of unbelievers so that they cannot perceive the gospel of Jesus as the way to a new life. The temptation is to read the word "unbeliever" and think that this verse has nothing to do with us "believers", but this way of thinking is not biblical. In the Bible, belief is borne out by what you do—how you live your life—not by what you say or think.

v6 Let the light shine out of darkness. God’s light doesn’t shine through the veil and God doesn’t take down the veil. God does what only he can do: circumvent the veil altogether and take his light straight into the darkest place—the human heart, the heart of the unbeliever, our own hearts even, when we choose to put on the veil and be stubborn, or play ignorant, or lie to our selves.

Application

"Nothing is so easy as to deceive one’s self; for what we wish, that we readily believe." (Demosthenes, circa 350 BC)

We don’t think of ourselves as Christians as delusional or self-deceived, but then neither did the Jews. The Jews would have said they were the people of the word of God; they were the people of the law; they a holy nation, a chosen people. They knew what they needed to do as individuals and as a nation to be healed, to bring justice, to be saved. "What does the Lord require of you? To act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God" (Micah 6:8).

Nevertheless, the complaint of the prophets was that the religious elite had lost their way. Using Paul’s language from v2: some adopted shameful ways, worrying about their needs before the needs of the people for whom they were supposed to be the keepers of shalom; some adopted secret ways, becoming cultic in their worship of God; some distorted the word of God, making the holiness of God into a set of rules to be followed instead of a gift that God bestows on those who love him.

The only measure of what you believe is what you do. If you want to know what people believe, don’t read what they write, don’t ask them what they believe, just observe what they do. (Ashley Montagu, anthropologist)

Those who had lost their way would have claimed to believe in God. But belief is not a function of what we know, but what we do. Adopters of shameful ways believe in indulging self before God; adopters of secret ways believe in fears that drive them to live out their neuroses trying to get life right; adopters of a distorted word believe trying to manipulate the word, forgetting some parts and expanding on other parts, in order to control it.

These are some of the ways the god of this age, Satan, works to veil our minds to the saving truth.

Could it be that Christians too go through life with blinders on, veils lowered, and eye shut? Could it be that most of us go through life oblivious to reality, realities that are simultaneously more beautiful and yet more ugly, more full of grace and yet more demanding, more joyful and yet more sobering than we could imagine?

We want to believe the beauty, the grace, and the joy, but we throw on our veils when we see the price tags that this life comes with. This life of beauty, the gospel of the glory of Christ, demands our whole life.

God will not rip our veils off. Rather, God speaks straight to the darkness in our soul and says, "I love you. I never said that following me would not hurt; I just say it will be worth it. I never said that following me would be easy; I just say that I will help you carry the burdens. Now, when you are ready, take off your veil so you can see clearly to follow me."

Points to Ponder

How do these quotes relate to the sermon?

What we think, or what we know, or what we believe is, in the end, of little consequence. The only consequence is what we do. (John Ruskin)

Some things have to be believed to be seen. (Ralph Hodgson)

There can be no happiness if the things we believe in are different from the things we do. (Freya Madeline Stark)

Which of these quotes best describes how you think life works?

How does the following relate to 2 Cor. 3:12-4:6?

Parable of the Olive Grafts (Romans 11:13b-24)

I am talking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch as I am the apostle to the Gentiles, I make much of my ministry in the hope that I may somehow arouse my own people to envy and save some of them. For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? If the part of the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, then the whole batch is holy; if the root is holy, so are the branches.

If some of the branches have been broken off, and you, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root, do not boast over those branches. If you do, consider this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you. You will say then, "Branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in." Granted. But they were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but be afraid. For if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either.

Consider therefore the kindness and sternness of God: sternness to those who fell, but kindness to you, provided that you continue in his kindness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off. And if they do not persist in unbelief, they will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. After all, if you were cut out of an olive tree that is wild by nature, and contrary to nature were grafted into a cultivated olive tree, how much more readily will these, the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree!

So You’re a Priest: Immodest Christianity

This is part 7 of a sermon series through 2 Corinthians. Today’s passage is sometimes called a "Christian midrash" of Exodus 34:29-35. (Midrash is a Jewish form of interpretation, where one passage is used to interpret—and expand upon—another passage.) In Exodus, after Moses received the 2nd set of stone tablets of the Ten Commandments, his face was radiant and the people feared him, so he hid his face beneath a veil until the radiance faded. Veils frequently connote modesty—e.g: a bridal veil, or a niqāb, the veil often worn Muslim women, often in conjunction with a hijab—but veils can serve more sinister purposes as well.

2 Corinthians 3:12-17

Commentary

v7-11 Paul’s argument in these verses proceeds from the lesser—the ministry of the Mosaic law—to the greater—the ministry of the Spirit of Christ. The lesser ministry brought death & condemnation and faded away, but the greater ministry brought the Spirit & righteousness and lasts forever.

The lesser ministry brought death and condemnation, because the Israelites were judged and found wanting by the very law that given to save them. The fault was not in the law, but in people, for it is the bane of humanity to take that which could benefit them and use it unscrupulously. (Note also that the lesser ministry is still deemed glorious.)

v12-13 Rabbincal interpretation of Exodus 34 is varied, but modesty is frequently the motivation ascribed to Moses (e.g. not wanting the Israelites to see the radiance diminish over time). In any event, Christians, by contrast, are to be immodest —"not like Moses"—and bold, or open, in their ministry.

v14-15 I said it is the bane of humanity to take that which could save them and use it unscrupulously. That is the process at work here: self-righteousness that schemes to find justification within the law; selfishness that seeks to transform the law to personal benefit instead of being transformed by it. It is the lawyer asking Jesus, "Who is my neighbor?" not to be edified by, but to diminish the moral requirement of, Jesus’ teaching (Luke 10:29). It is the child failing to care for parents even while professing dedication to God (Mark 7:11).

v16-18 These verses are a study in contrasts between the greater and lesser ministries: open vs veiled; free vs fettered; Spirit-life vs spiritless-death; ever-increasing glory vs glory that fades away.

ever-increasing glory. Don’t miss this! Even for the mature Christian, there is no "good enough". How much more does God have in store for those who follow him?

Application

As a pastor, one of the great frustrations is that people frequently don’t want to see, or hear, the truth. I can watch them put on their veils: a veil of hard-heartedness when I teach something (like tithing) they don’t want to hear; a veil of false ignorance ("I just don’t understand") when I say something to which they don’t want to be held accountable; a veil of righteousness that presumes to know better, or to be good enough already.

However, as a pastor, one of the great joys is when veils come off, for the promise is that we will look like Jesus (v18). To let the veils fall off is to be healed.

Points to Ponder

What veil, or veils, are you wearing? What are you reacting to?

If you take off your veil, what will people see: Jesus, or another veil?

So You’re a Priest: Are You a Bible Worth Reading?

This is part 6 of a sermon series through 2 Corinthians. Last week, Paul alluded briefly to "peddlers"— itinerant preachers and philosophers who peddled the word of God for profit (2 Cor. 2:17). They would come to town with a long list of accolades, excite the locals into coming to hear them speak, give a rousing speech, take a collection, get more accolades, and leave. Today, Paul contrasts his ministry with that of the "peddlers"—compared to the peddlers’ flash and hype, what gives Paul’s ministry substance?

2 Corinthians 3:1-6

Commentary

v1 some people. i.e., the peddlers. Paul asks two rhetorical questions about his own ministry, each of which presumes a negative answer: no, Paul should not have to sell himself to his own church; and, no, Paul’s ministry is not about wowing congregations with long lists of accolades.

v2 You yourselves are our letter. The only worthwhile commendation is the one evident to everybody in changed lives.

v3 you are a letter from Christ. The glory does not accrue to Paul, but to the Spirit of Jesus; it is through the Spirit of Christ that the ministry happens.

tablets of stone ... tablets of human hearts. Paul draws upon Ezekiel 36:26-27:

I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.

In changing the words of Ezekiel from heart to tablet, Paul does two things: (a) he gives an interpretation of Ezekiel, i.e. a new heart implies a new way, a new law, of life; and (b) he sets up a metaphor for talking about God’s new law, his new covenant, over and against the old law, given to Moses and symbolized by the stone tablets of the Ten Commandments in the verses that follow (2 Cor. 3:7-18).

v6 ministers of a new covenant. Paul is the first NT writer to mention the new covenant. Chronologically, the new covenant is probably first mentioned in 1 Cor. 11:23-26 and then is mentioned here. What Paul has in mind is a fulfillment of Jeremiah 31:31-37:

The time is coming," declares the Lord, "when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah..."

"This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time," declares the Lord. "I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people..."

letter. A minor translation difficulty: prior to this verse, "letter" refers to an epistle, a piece of correspondence; however, here "letter" refers to the written word. Just as ink—the written word—is contrasted with Spirit in v3, here the written word is also contrasted with Spirit. In both cases, the power of the Spirit is desired to the power of a written word.

Points to Ponder

If you asked Paul what the most important letter he wrote was, would he say, Romans, or Galatians, etc., or would it be the letter written in people’s hearts?

What written on your heart? More to the point, who is commended / glorified by what’s written on your heart?

I wonder ... could it be that the most important letter of the Bible is written in your heart? Could it be that we err by trying to make others read the Bible when it is a more effective witness for them to read us?

God has empowered you to live according to the new law written in your heart. As you live according to that law, you are a minister, an agent, of that new way of living.

So You’re a Priest: The Fragrance of Christ

This is part 5 of a sermon series through 2 Corinthians. Knowing what you know of Jesus in the New Testament, what does Jesus look like to those around him? What would Herod, Pilate, or Caiaphas (the high priest) have said about Jesus? How about the Pharisees? How about the rich and powerful? How about the dredges of society, the prostitutes and the lepers? How about those without hope or faith? Which of these would have seen Jesus as the genuine article, a real success story?

2 Corinthians 2:12-17

Commentary

Today’s text is on the cusp between two sections of Paul’s letter. What came before was his defense (such as it was) for a change of travel plans; what follows is Paul’s defense of a new form of ministry, his (and our) ministry of a new covenant.

v12-13 We like to think of ministry as a series of mountaintop experiences, but Paul’s ministry has a lot of valleys in between. Paul was ministering in Troas, yet he had a sense of unease due to the absence of Titus. No doubt Paul prayed to meet Titus (returning from Corinth) in Troas, and failing to rendezvous with him there, Paul opted for Macedonia.

v14 through us. The Greek word order is important:

But Thanks be to God,
who always leads us
in triumphal procession in Christ
and through us
spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him
in every place.

The focus is the center: through us. Through us the mysteries of the saving power of Jesus are revealed.

fragrance. The metaphor of an aroma that will be a sweet aroma to some and a sickly stench to others is introduced here.

v15-16 The same Greek word order (called a chiasm) appears again:

For we are to God
the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved
and those who are perishing.
To the one we are the smell of death;
to the other, the fragrance of life.

By this means Paul introduces that idea of two worlds in conflict: one world that is perishing, although it knows not; and another world to which the Spirit is laboring to give birth.

v17 we do not peddle the word. Please do not see this as a Biblical mandate for not supporting a pastor! The culture at that time had a lot of itinerant preachers who would appear, preach, collect an offering, and hit the road again. Paul says, "I am not that man."

Application

There is a lot that God does that makes little sense: the suffering of the righteous, the worldly success of the unrighteous, unfettered evil, the existence and power of Satan. If God is God, why evil?

However, a new world is being born, a new age is being ushered in by the Spirit. Ultimately that new age will be manifested in a new heaven and a new earth and the dwelling place of God will be with us (Rev. 21:1-4). Ultimately the old earth, the old way of living, will pass away. It is the way of life that is incompatible with God.

We live in the age where the old still dominates at times, the old mindset still prevails. And when the new way of living appears, the old recoils at its appearance, for the old knows the truth: to let this new thing live, everything must change. The old way of life will fight for its life, even as it is dying.

Points to Ponder

Where is the Spirit breathing new life into you? Where is the cutting edge for you of a new
way to live?

At the same time, where do you resist? Can you trust God to bring you through the change?

Prophetic Sign?

Sunday afternoon, about 1:30, the church sign:

Casco Alliance Church

Making a Difference in the Neighborhood

got taken out by a truck attempting to make the turn onto the side street by church.

A moment of silence for our new sign, which was almost exactly one year old ...

Ironically, in the adult Sunday School class that very day, I had asked the question: The sign says, "Making a difference in the neighborhood." Are we interested in making a difference, or not?

The previous sign had said, "A caring, sharing fellowship," which seemed a bit introspective.

This sign, "Making a difference ..." was certainly a challenge to be lived up to in the community.

What should a sign say, and to whom is it speaking?

Is a sign for those who go to the church already?

Is a sign for other Christians to dope out what kind of a church we are?

Is a sign for lapsed Christians in an attempt to woo them back?

Is a sign for non-Christians to entice them in?

You know what I'm saying. Signs like "A Bible-believing church" speak volumes to those who know the lingo, but to what purpose? Signs like "Gods is still speaking" speak volumes as well, but to whom?

What should a sign meant to explain the church to non-churchgoers say?

So You’re a Priest: Grieving for Grace

This is part 4 of a sermon series through 2 Corinthians. Last week ("Good Grief!") I said that grief is the pain, the friction, caused by the desires of this world rubbing up against the call of another world, the world for which we have been made. Today let’s see how that looks in the church.

2 Corinthians 2:5-11

Commentary

Today’s text is a continuation of the text from last week (2 Cor 1:23-2:4). Although the two texts together are one, long argument, there were two distinct, but related, points to be gleaned by breaking the argument in half. Last week, I spoke mostly about the grief (the friction between this world and the next) felt by the sinner. It was pain that led to a change of heart, a change of attitude. This week, we’re looking at the grief felt by God’s agents of grace, who have to bear with loving and encouraging the unlovable. Grief can soften even the heart of a saint.

v5 grief. The repetition of the word here is a tipoff that the passage continues Paul’s argument from the previous passage. The verb tense used here indicates long, drawn-out action: you grieve now because of past events when someone grieved you. Isn’t that the way it is for us? We find ourselves depressed and unable to cope because we have allowed ourselves to be victimized by others. (NOTE: Do not read what Paul is not saying! Paul does not say not to punish the sinner. Rather, the punishment inflicted thus far is enough, and Paul will not pile on more. Instead, now is a time for healing.)

v7 forgive/comfort. The Biblical antidote for victims is invariably the same. Forgive your enemies and pray for those against you. Remember a few weeks ago, I said, "Comfort does not mean being comfortable." How would that apply here?

excessive sorrow. The NIV uses the word sorrow instead of grief, but it’s the same word used in v5. Is the grief Paul fears depression and self-condemnation by the sinner, or judgment and unforgiveness on the part of the church? Either way, it’s the friction of two worlds colliding!

v8 reaffirm your love. The one punished still belongs, still has a place.

v10 forgive. Curiously the verb tense is the same odd tense (perfect) used in v5 denoting present status due to past action: past forgiveness implies current forgiveness. There is no taking back of forgiveness. There is no such thing as conditional forgiveness. This is pure grace.

v11 Anything short of forgiveness gives Satan a foothold.

Application

We don’t know who the troublemaker was, but 1 Corinthians gives some likely candidates—those involved in: incest (1 Cor 5); making rules about eating meat sacrificed to idols (1 Cor 8); impropriety in worship (1 Cor 11,14). In at least one case, Paul advised expelling the sinner from the group. So how does that jibe with Paul’s instruction here to forgive and comfort? How do we judge, discipline, and yet forgive?

Forgiveness must always be unconditional. Anything less is an abuse of power; anything less is lording it over those who are caught in the snares of this world. Unconditional forgiveness must precede discipline; it must precede contrition by the sinner; it must precede any attempt to love or comfort the sinner. When we try to deal with the sinner without forgiveness first, we risk acting out of our own pain, grief, and neuroses.

Forgiveness doesn’t mean going back to the way things used to be. Certainly that’s not what Paul wants here. However we, agents of God’s grace, turn into agents of grief when we refuse to forgive. The grief we feel is the need to nurse old wounds even as God calls us to something better. Letting go of the past is going to feel like losing, or dying. But forgiveness by us frees us to be fair in the discipline and limits meted out. Step into your future; let God heal you so you can heal others.

Points to Ponder

Does forgiveness mean forgetting the evil, or not letting the memory of evil consume us?

Where do you need to unconditionally forgive someone? What comfort do they need from you?

So You’re a Priest: Good Grief!

(I put this out early, because I don't think I'll have any time to get it out there tomorrow ... PS - Hi out there to all you guys in Cold Bay!)

This is part 3 of a sermon series through 2 Corinthians. As I said last week, although Paul goes to great pains to defend his change of plans, I am not satisfied. Not that I don’t understand the tensions involved; rather, I don’t understand what caused him to change his mind. Here he goes more into his thought process—we will get the Why? but not the How? of his change of mind.

2 Corinthians 1:23-2:4

23 I call God as my witness that it was in order to spare you that I did not return to Corinth.
24 Not that we lord it over your faith, but we work with you for your joy, because it is by faith you stand firm.
1 So I made up my mind that I would not again in grief come to you.
2 For if I grieve you, who is left to make me glad but you whom I have grieved?
3 I wrote as I did lest in coming grief I might receive from those in whom I ought to have rejoiced (having confidence in all of you, because my joy is all of you).
4 For I wrote you out of great distress and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to grieve you but to let you know the depth of my love for you.

Commentary

I rewrote portions of the NIV verses here in order to highlight certain words & ideas not clearly communicated in the NIV translation. Two word groups stand out in today’s passage: the contrasting ideas of joy/rejoicing and grief/grieving.

Joy: During the Great Awakening, the great preacher Jonathan Edwards observed revival going on around him and pondered: How one could distinguish between genuine revival and counterfeit enthusiasm? He preached a series of sermons that grew into A Treatise Concerning the Religious Affections. Among other arguments, Edwards says neither praise, nor strong feelings, nor love, nor zeal, nor confidence, nor testimonies are evidence of a regenerate (born again) spirit. However, Edwards continues, regeneration is more likely where there is an orientation towards God which has as its focus God, not self. This change of orientation might include: humility; gratitude; a quest for holiness; a change of nature; a softened heart; and the promotion of love, mercy, meekness, and forgiveness. This orientation is what Paul has in mind when he refers to joy. In an earlier sermon I said comfort does not imply being comfortable; here we see that joy does not imply manic happiness.

Grief: The word group refers to a particular kind of grief or pain, i.e. the friction caused by the desires of this world rubbing up against the call of God’s kingdom. It is the sorrow Paul feels for the lost (Rom. 9:1-3). It is the remorse that leads to a change of heart (2 Cor. 7:9-11). It is the shattering of the dreams of the rich young ruler against the rock of Christ. (Mark 10:20-23). It is not gratuitous pain; it is growing pain, putting aside worldly desire for the sake of something more.

Application

When Jesus (and later Paul) arrived on the scene, the discussion of pleasure and pain was totally different. Why do we do about pain? Greek philosophers came in two basic flavors:

Some said the goal was to maximize happiness while minimizing pain (Epicureanism). We see that in the world today, where people on one hand strive after things that they think will make them happy and on the other they avoid the things which they think will cause them pain. Where do you do this?

Some said the goal was to maximize self-control while avoiding passions, good or bad (Stoicism). Marcus Aurelius said, ""Get rid of the judgment, get rid of the 'I am hurt,' you are rid of the hurt itself." We see something like this in Buddhism, which claims, "The suffering ends when the craving ends, or one is freed from all desires by eliminating the delusions." Where do you do this?

Christianity says something different. Pain is the crucible where we have the opportunity to be forged into something different. Pain is the place where God is calling us to turn from a preoccupation with worldly desires—happiness, confidence, security, etc.—to godly contentment—humility, forbearance, tolerance, gratitude, etc. (However, unlike Buddhism, although the pain changes it never ends as long as we’re in the world. We are not called to live outside of the world, but in it, changing it. The friction between the old and the new is always going to be there--not just between us and them, but within us as well.)

Paul was willing to scold the Corinthians—and let them stew in their own juices for a while—because he hoped that their pain would lead to repentance (2 Cor. 7:10-11). His absence allowed that pain time to do its job. At the same time, although Paul spared himself the pain of disappointment and confrontation, he suffered through the pain of surrender of control—allowing the Spirit time to work instead of going back to force the Corinthians to conform to his will.

Points to Ponder

Where to you need to work through the pain of repentance? The pain of surrender of control?

Where has pain driven you closer to God? Can you be in pain and still have joy as described above?

So You’re a Priest: When Plan B Becomes Plan A

This is part 2 of a sermon series through 2 Corinthians. As I said last week, best guess is that Paul wrote at least 4 letters to the church in Corinth, and what we call 1st and 2nd Corinthians are the 2nd and 4th letters, respectively. The other two are presumed lost. After sending what we call 1 Corinthians to Corinth, Paul followed up by sending Timothy to check on the situation, and Timothy came back with a bad report. This prompted Paul to visit in person, and he left in humiliation. When he got back to Ephesus, he wrote the third letter, apparently scolding or reprimanding them.

Presumably in that letter, he indicated that he would be back soon for another visit on his way to Macedonia. Furthermore, he’d visit them again on his way back from Macedonia. However, at some point his plans changed. Paul went straight to Macedonia, intending to have a one, longer, visit in Corinth.

Put yourself in Paul’s sandals for a minute:

Why might you want to go straight to Corinth ASAP? On the other hand, why might you want to put off the visit as long as possible?

What would be the benefit of two, shorter, visits with a side trip to Macedonia in between? On the other hand, why might a single, longer, visit be better?

How might the church in Corinth react when you changed your plans?

2 Corinthians 1

Commentary

v12 boast. Last week I said that afflictions and tribulations are mentioned more in this letter than in any other NT book. Likewise, Greek word group for boasting is used more in this letter than the rest of the NT combined (31 of 61 references). One might think the two are related somehow, but the Greek for boasting can also mean rejoicing or glorying in (just as one might boast in, rejoice in, or glory in the Boston Red Sox).

v14 boast of us just as we will boast in you. In spite of all the troubles, Paul does not lose his long-term perspective. In the short term, we may have troubles of many kinds, but over time, can we boast, can we rejoice of, our growth in Jesus Christ?

v17 ‘Yes’ and ‘No.’ Reminiscent of Matt 5: 37, where Jesus says, "Let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No'." What Paul and Jesus have in mind is double-mindedness—saying one thing even while making plans to do another, being so fickle in our promises that we have to swear oaths to make our words believable. The dilemma for Christians who pray for God’s will and commit themselves to a certain course of action is always the same: What do you do when circumstances change?

v20 ‘Yes’ ... ‘Amen’. Remember, amen means "truly," or "it is so," and is a holy affirmation of what has just been said.

v21-22 The point of Paul’s reasoning lies in the certainty of God—not us!—as the initiator and guarantor of what is to come

deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. The NIV overreaches in its interpretation. The conclusion is something more like, "put his Spirit in our hearts as earnest money." Earnest, or good faith, money is a down payment, vouchsafing a contract that has its fulfillment in the future. Such is God’s work in us.

Application

I’m not really happy with Paul’s reasoning for why he changed his plans. I’ve read the letter in different translations, hoping that Paul’s convoluted way of writing—do I say ‘Yes, yes," and ,"No, no"?—could be made clear by somebody’s interpretation of what Paul said. (And it would be an interpretation—reading between the lines—e.g. 2 Cor 7:8a: Even if I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it, though I did regret it—is interpreting Paul’s frame of mind and his motivation.) Certainly Paul is concerned that the Corinthians view him as a man of character, a man of Spirit, and apostle of Jesus Christ, and therefore a man whose words and deeds reveal not just a man of integrity, but a man sent by God on a mission.

Certainly we struggle with the same tension, the incongruity between what we say we are going to do and what we actually do.

It can happen with great, life-changing events, like jobs: I prayed about what I was supposed to do next, and I thought God told me to do Plan A, but no everything seems so hard, and wrong, and I’m wondering if I heard God right. In fact, I wonder if I heard God at all. Maybe it was Plan B all along. Or maybe I’m delusional. Maybe I’m just fooling myself.

It can happen with small, seemingly inconsequential events, like habits: I prayed about dieting, but then I forgot until the cheeseburger hit my lips, and by then it was too late. I need to pray harder, I guess. Maybe tomorrow.

Hint: they’re all life-changing events—if you realize that the power of God is not made manifest by what you do as much as who you are. The further we go with Christ, the more we realize he cares less about Plan A or Plan B than he cares about the person we are becoming in the process of following. Paul made his plans to visit Corinth (and no doubt he prayed about those plans before committing to them) and then life threw him something unexpected. His plans changed. The further we go with Christ, the more we realize that God is found at those forks in the road where we either doggedly follow our original plans or opt to go a new way.

Hint: we cannot make inflexible rules about following God—at that fork in the road, sometimes God is happy us taking either way, sometimes only one way, and sometimes neither way (ouch!). Perhaps Paul had to repent of his original plan—prayed over as it was. Perhaps Paul had a change of heart. Perhaps it had nothing to do with the original plan but rather Paul’s willingness to adapt. [1] Not all changes of heart entail yielding to temptations, but all changes of heart ultimately entail yielding to God.

God’s, "Yes!" is the word planted in you, the Spirit of Christ growing within you. We might vacillate, but God’s calling does not waver. We might stumble, but God will pick us up. We might be confused by the choices we have to make along the way, but God says, "I will rejoice in you, as you give me glory by turning to me in the process of making a decision." Often, that turning towards God is more important the actual decision itself. [2]

Points to Ponder

Religious groups that refuse to reconsider past decisions tend to end poorly, like Pharisees, Southern anti-abolitionist churches, or fundamentalist (polygamous) LDS churches. Where have you seen churches lose their way by sticking with theological or social positions forever?

Where are you living bound to a past decision? Could it be that God’s "Yes!" to you would involve you saying, "No!" to your past decision and moving on?

End Notes
1 - In 2 Cor 2:12-13 Paul indicates that he expected to rendezvous with Titus—who had gone to Corinth—in Troas. However, when Titus didn’t arrive, Paul pressed on to Macedonia. Was Titus’ extended stay in Corinth the hand of God at work?
2 - As I have said before, I think lots of our choices are like ice cream. Could it be that God says, "Chocolate or vanilla: pick what would make you happy, but thank you for asking my opinion. You are a good child for asking."