The wise men Matthew 2

    Matthew chapter 2 starts like this

2 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, [a]wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.”  3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.  5 So they said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet:

6 ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
Are not the least among the rulers of Judah;
For out of you shall come a Ruler
Who will shepherd My people Israel.’ ”

I've always thought that there were three wise men who came to find Jesus, but the scripture doesn't actually ever say that there was 3 men.  It says that there were wise men who gave Jesus three gifts, gold, frankincese and myrrh.  Also, if you look at the passage, by the time the wise men made it to Bethlehem Jesus was in a house with his parents.  So while historically they are part of the Christmas story, they weren't there on the night Jesus was born in a physical body.  I'm grateful to Matthew for telling us this story because the other gospel records do not record it at all.

One of the remarkable things that I think when I read the passage about is that the scribes and Pharisees could rightly interpret Micah 5:2 as saying that Jesus would be born in Bethlehem, but they seemed indifferent about going to see him themselves.  You notice it doesn't say that the scribes and Pharisees went with the magi to find Jesus.  Yet, here were the magi, who most likely traveled from somewhere around modern day Iran or Iraq and they had the wisdom to seek out Jesus.  Possibly they learned about the Messiah from writings that the Jews took with them when they went into exile hundreds of years beforehand.

    So, those who should have been seeking him were indifferent, yet the pagan Persian astrologers (wise men) had enough wisdom to seek him.  I think this is what made them truly wise.   Notice also that they brought him gold, frankincense and myrrh.  Some of these herbs were commonly used in burial customs at the time.   They probably financed Joseph and Mary's trip to Egypt which is mentioned later in the passage.  There is thought that the gold represented his kingship, the frankincense and myrrh represented his suffering and eventual death.  So, even in his birth there is a foreshadowing of his death. 

  So, why does it say that Herod was troubled and all Jerusalem with him.  There was a saying attributed to Emperor Augustus that it was safer to be Herod's pig than his son.  That is because Herod, towards the end of his life,  Herod became paranoid and had several of his family members killed including his wife and three sons.   Herod was a master building who contributed much to the enlarging of the Jewish temple, but he was not a nice man.  Herod felt threatened by Jesus even though he was still an infant and paranoid that he was a threat.  And as we see later on in Matthew, when Herod became paranoid people died.

   There was a passage in 2 Peter 3:11 that the pastor mentioned at the church I attended this morning.  The passage before verse 11 says that the Lord will come like a thief and the elements of earth and heaven will be burned up with intense heat.  Then in verse 11 it says, 

  "Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness."

     What made these men  wise men is that they were looking for a redeemer not from the stars or even Herod, but the Messiah.  And when they found him they did not hesitate to give him their best and to worship him.  While the Pharisees and scribes never recognized Jesus, the wise men did not hesitate in their acknowledgement of this young toddler or baby as being the Messiah.  In their wisdom, they recognized him immediately.  

     In Proverbs it says that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.  The word fear there is a word that means reverence.   The wise men had a reverence for God while the scribes and Pharisees had some knowledge about God.   But, they did not have true wisdom because if they did they would have gone to Bethlehem.  The wise men gave their all for Christ and are an example for us of putting him first and seeking Him with all our heart.

Introduction and chapter 1 of 1 John notes

 Study of 1 John started November 5, 2023

1 John Introduction

The author- John was possibly born in Bethsaida (John 1:44) and was a son of Zebedee and Salome.  It appears his mother helped with the financial support of Christ (Mark 15:40,41).  He and his brother James were called “sons of thunder” Mk 3:17.  John lived in Ephesus, the capital of the province of Asia Minor, the Roman proconsul resided there.  John may have been battling against Gnosticism during his later years.  It said that deity cannot unite itself with anything physical such as a body.  It understood that knowledge is superior to virtue.  John battled against this by saying that Christ came in the flesh.  It is possible that 1 John may have been written around 90 A.D.  

Wycliffe divides the book up into these sections

1. Fellowship’s conditions 1:5-10

2. Fellowship’s conduct 2:1-29

3. Fellowship’s characteristics 3:1-24

4. Fellowship’s cautions 4:1-21

5. Fellowship’s cause 5:1-21

1 John 1

John begins by saying that which was from the beginning.  In other words, he was in existence already.  Beginning is the word arche- which means- beginning or origin

John uses the word manifested twice in verse 2- phaneroo- to make manifest or visible or known what has been hidden or unknown.  John is making it clear that he is an eyewitness.  He has both handled, seen and heard and now bears witness.  He says that he bears witness that they might have fellowship with us and that your joy may be full.  

Fellowship- koinonia- fellowship, association, community, communion.

Joy- vs.4- chara- joy, gladness, the joy received from you, the cause or occasion of joy. Jesus mentioned joy in John 15:11, John 16:24 and John 17:13.  

Guzik- “the idea of the Logos- of the Word- was important for John and the Greeks and Jewish worlds of his day.  For the Jew, God was often referred to as the Word because they knew God perfectly revealed himself in his Word.””

John declares the message that they heard that God is light and in him is no darkness.  Evidence that we know him is that we also walk in the light as he is in the light.  John is not talking about what God does, but who he is.  The principle idea is one of holiness.  Wycliffe says that “the cleansing of Christians is a consequence of walking in the light”.  Walking in the light makes us aware of our need to be cleansed.  We need to confess our sins.  If we do God has promised to forgive us and cleanse us of all unrighteousness.  One of the evidences that we are not in the light is that we say we do not sin.

Guzik- “the word fellowship has in it not only the idea of relationship, but also of sharing a common life.  When we have fellowship with Jesus, we will become more like Him.”

Vs.7 “we walk”- peripateo- to walk, to make one’s way, progress, to make due use of opportunities.

Vs.7 and 9 cleanseth- katharizo- to make clean, cleanse, can mean in a physical sense, but also in a moral sense, to purify from wickedness, to free from guilt of sin, to purify

Vs.8 we deceive- planao- to cause to stray, to lead astray, to go astray, to be led into error

Vs.9 we confess- homologeo- to concede, to agree with, assent, to profess.

Vs.9 faithful- pistos- trusty, faithful, that can be relied on.

Vs.9 forgive- aphiemmi- to send away, to bid going away or depart, to let go, give up a debt, to remit, go way from one.

Key words from vs.5-10 purify or cleanse and walk and light.

Who Loved Him More? Do you love Him?

       There is a story in Luke 7 about when Jesus went to dine with a Pharisee named Simon.  The story is in verses 36-42

36 When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. 37 A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. 38 As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.

39 When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner.”
40 Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to tell you.”
“Tell me, teacher,” he said.
41 “Two people owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii,[c] and the other fifty. 42 Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he forgave the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?”

      This woman was criticized for loving Jesus through a gift of her tears and anointing.  Simon himself did not display even the common signs of respect of the day to Jesus.  He did not welcome Jesus or give him a chance to wash his feet.  Yet, the woman washed his feet with her tears and her hair.  This woman had experienced the reality of Jesus forgiveness.  So overwhelmed by this gift of mercy that she wanted to show her appreciate and love.  She realized from the depth of her soul that she did not deserve it.  Her love showed itself by its actions.  Simon's lack of love also showed itself by a lack of action.

      The problem with the Pharisee was not that he was following the law, but rather he was doing so without love.  If you think about what scripture describes what Pharisees are like you may use many words, but most likely love is not one of them.  And 1 Corinthians 13 is very clear that we can do all things right, become a martyr for Christ, give all our money away to the poor, but if we have not love then we are nothing but a noisy gong or meaningless noise.  

      In another place in scripture, Jesus is asked what is the most important commandment.  He says that it can be summed up by loving God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength and then loving our neighbor.   As I think about this and the actions of the woman who interrupted the meal at Simon's house I ask myself the question "How does my love for God show itself?"  In what sense does it demonstrate itself in gratitude for what God has forgiven me.   It clearly is and was a debt that I could never repay.  If you were on trial and evidence had to be brought forward in a witness box that showed others how much you love God and others would there be enough evidence to convict you?  Are you more like Simon or more like the woman at Jesus' feet?  I fear that there are many times when I more closely resemble Simon and fall short.  I'm thankful that God then does not treat me as I deserve, but has mercy and patience with me.  For like the disciples, I am slow to learn.

"In direct proportion to your acceptance of God's forgiveness is your ability to forgive." Harold Wiley Freer in "Growing in the Life of Prayer" page 85

Some thoughts about the church in Corinth

   Since March of this year, I have been doing a verse by verse study of the book of 1 Corinthians.  I have also listened to the class on 1 Corinthians taught on the bibleproject web site.  In that class, the teacher spends some time speaking about the controversy of chapter 11 and Paul's role of women in the church.  Though Dr. Lucy Peppiatt has some different views than mine it is a very interesting class that I would recommend.

       I have found it encouraging that though the Corinth church had many problems Paul still had a lot of good things to say about them.  For example, in chapter 1 verse 4, he says that he always thanks God for them because they have been enriched in every way.  It says that they do not lack in any spiritual gift.  He never questions their salvation, though he does describe them in chapter 3 as "infants in Christ".  Paul may have written another letter to Corinth which remains lost that was possibly more direct and harsh.  But, he never gives up on them.  In fact, his discipline is proof that he loves and cares for them.  Just as God's discipline is proof of his love for us  Hebrews 12:7-11.

     I have found in my studies that part of the definition of a biblical scholar is someone who wants to argue about a minor point that nobody else has even noticed!  When I did a thesis on Colossians it was said that there were over 42 different viewpoints on what problem the Colossae church was dealing with.  42!  It helps the student of the Bible to go back and look at what the original readers of the text would have thought about what was written and their world.  We mistakenly try to reach the text as if it was written first and foremost to those in the 21st century instead of the first.  For example, possibly over 2/3 of the people in Corinth were slaves.  Slavery at that time was not limited to a race, but rather it was economic.  Many of these slaves were captured or enslaved as a result of their land being conquered by Rome or due to debt that they had to repay.  Their world was in some way very different from ours, especially when it came to worship, slavery, temples and idols and social roles.  

     Paul goes on at length about head coverings in chapter 11 for women.  Which most churches obviously don't practice today nor should they.  So, why all the fuss about head coverings?  If you look at drawings of Corinth you see that there were many temples in Corinth.  (I put some links to some sites at the end of this post).  Part of the worship of these pagan gods was often sexual immorality and prostitution.  Turns out, that the only women in Corinth typically walking around without head coverings were prostitutes of which Corinth had over 1,000 to Aphrodite alone.  Most married women in those days covered their heads in Greek as well as Jewish culture.  I guess he didn't want the christian women to be mistaken for prostitutes!

     As I was reviewing what Paul said in chapter 11 and the chapters before it, I came to the conclusion that I saw four overarching principles here and in the book as a whole.  I would like to share them with you.

The overarching principles here is 

1. We are to act in love towards others.  Paul will say more about this in 1 Corinthians 13. 

2. We are not to cause a stumbling block. Paul has already said in 1 Corinthians 8:13 that if what he eats causes another to sin he won’t eat meat again. vs.32- do not cause anyone to stumble is the word aproskopos- not causing to stumble, not led into sin, blameless.  Paul tells the “do not cause others to stumble'' vs. 32.  also in 2 Corinthians 6:3.  Jesus warns about being a stumbling block to others in Luke 17:1-2  He says it would be better for you to have a milestone hung around your neck and you thrown into the sea than to be a stumbling block. Sounds like Jesus took it very seriously! The Pharisees were creating stumbling blocks for others Matt 23:13.

3. Do everything to help others come to Christ and be saved.  Paul closes this chapter by saying that he does seek his own good, but the good of the many that others may be saved. vs.33 also see 1 Corinthians 9:22.

4. To do what you do for the glory of God vs.31.  Romans 15:1- Paul says we should bear with the failings of the weak and not just to seek to please ourselves.  1 Corinthians 6:20 says that we were bought with a price and therefore we are to honor God with our bodies

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Corinth

https://www.bibleplaces.com/corinth/

https://www.britannica.com/place/Corinth-Greece

How does God give? 1 Corinthians 1:4-7

 1 Corinthians 1:4-7

4 I always thank my God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. 5 For in him you have been enriched in every way—with all kinds of speech and with all knowledge— 6 God thus confirming our testimony about Christ among you. 7 Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed.

     One of the amazing things about the way that Paul starts this letter to Corinthian church is that no matter how many problems they have that he expresses thanks for them.  They have numerous problems including divisions, lawsuits, pride and sexual sin among them.  While Paul will address each of these problems it does not diminish the fact that they are still believers in Christ and he says that they have been enriched in knowledge and speech and are not lacking in any spiritual gift.  They were given the grace of God verse 4 by Christ and also enriched by Him in all things verse 5.  To confirm in verse 6 is a legal term (bebaloo) that means (according to Wycliffe commentary of 1 Corinthians) as a "properly guaranteed security".   God has confirmed you as a believer before the courts in heaven though you may not feel complete now.

 

      Years ago I attended a service at a charismatic church.  The pastor asked the congregation about how does God give.  He has some water and a empty pitcher at the front of the sanctuary.  He began to pour water into it and asked how full does God give to us?  Then he proceeded to pour until the water flowed over and onto the floor and it went everywhere!  This is the picture of how God gives to believers.  The word "enriched" in verse 5 is ploutizo in the greek and it means to richly furnish, to make rich.  He does not give in a way that is lacking vs.7.  Lacking is the word 'inferior to power, fail, to be in want, lack".   The problems in Corinth and with us is not because of God's unwilling to give spiritual gifts or that he is somehow lacking.  God is able to give exceedingly, abundantly beyond all that we can ask or imagine. Ephesians 3:20.

8 He will also keep you firm to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

    You notice in these verses who it is who is doing the work.  It is not up to our goodness or ability.  There is a passage in the bible about the consecration of Aaron and his sons as priests in Exodus 29.  In this passage, what you notice is that Aaron just stands there.  He isn't chosen because he is greater than others or because of something he did.  He doesn't really do anything but is consecrated and washed by Moses.  In verse 8 of 1 Corinthians and verse 9 the emphasis is on what God does.  It is God who "keeps you firm to the end".   It is based on God's faithfulness verse 9 not our own.   Aren't you glad that it is not dependent on our faithfulness but on His!  The emphasis is on Christ who is mentioned 9 times in the first 9 verses of 1 Corinthians.  

Forged through Trial

    One of the characters in the Bible that has always interested me is Joseph, the son of Jacob in the book of Genesis.  Joseph's story is found starting in Genesis 37 with a story about a dream.  In two of Joseph's dreams he sees "We were binding sheaves of grain out in the field when suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around mine and bowed down to it." (Gen 37:7)  The second dream is much like the first except it is the sun, moon and eleven stars which were bowing down to Joseph (Gen 37:9).  Joseph's brothers are already jealous of Joseph because of the attention and love that Jacob has for him and these statements fuel even more anger.  So much so, that they decide to throw him in a cistern to kill him and then sell him into slavery for 20 shekels of silver (Gen 37:28)  How's that for a dysfunctional family!

         This could have been the very end of Joseph's short life, but God is up to something in this story.  Repeatedly, though bad things happen to Joseph the Bible says things like "The Lord was with Joseph and he prospered. . . ." (Gen 39:2)  It is not that God caused his brothers to act out in anger, but that God would use these circumstances to mold and make Joseph into a tool that he could use.  The Joseph who dreamed dreams in Genesis 37 would be forged through the crucible of trial to become a man that God could use.  God still does the same thing today.  

I noticed this when I was on crutches several years ago due to a hurt knee.  The doctor told me that I was not to put any weight on my knee for several weeks to allow it to heal.  I noticed that those who had also experienced being on crutches would often be the ones who would ask if they could help me or hold the door for me.  Those who had not the same experience would often just walk on by without a thought about the struggle I was having.   It's interesting how that adversity made those who had experienced it more sensitive to others.  Could God be using you in the same way to be sensitive to others pain?

    Another time in 1995, I got sick with pneumonia.  In total, I was sick for about 6 weeks though I was not hospitalized.  At one point, I was running a fever of 103 and started to have problems with my memory.  I remember my wife asking me how I proposed to her and I could not remember.  My short term memory was shot and I was confused.  I remember going to a book store and looking at all the books wanting to buy something but could not even remember what authors or books I had read and which I had not.  I had dinner one night with my in-laws and afterward could not tell you who they were.  That experience lasted about 3 days where I had confusion, but then that fog went away and I was able to remember everything.  That experience with memory problems helped me to be more compassionate, so that when God made me a chaplain in a nursing home for about 2.5 years I was able to relate to the residents struggles.  

   Moses also went through a time of waiting and trial in the wilderness.  Though I am not putting myself in the same place as Moses, but simply saying that God often uses trials and adversity to prune us. The first time that Moses attempts to save another Hebrew from an Egyptian it results in Moses running for his life from Pharaoh and living for 40 years on the back side of the desert. (Exodus 2:15).  God allows Moses to lead sheep around the desert for many years before he is ready one day to do more.  On that day and not before, God appears to Moses (Exodus 3:1-6).  

  There are a number of passages in the Bible that talk about how God's children are tested through adversity.  In Romans 5:3 Paul says, 'Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.  And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. (Romans 5:3-5).  In much the same way as Joseph, Paul learned that when he was weak that God was strong and that God's grace was sufficient for all of his needs. (2 Corinthians 12:9-10).

    Going back to Joseph, by the time he is given the interpretation of Pharoah's dream in Genesis 41 and put in charge of Pharoah's household he is a different man.  He has learned things like trusting in God, patience, faith and somehow to trust God even though things have not gone well for him for a long time.  He is able to say to him brothers "it was not you who sent me here, but God."  (Genesis 45:8)  Yet, he does not blame God for his adversity, but understands that God was using it to bring about a deliverance for the 7 years of famine.  This is all the more remarkable in that Joseph did not have the Bible or even know the name of God at this point, yet he trusted him.

Some other verses on trials and difficulties:

James 1:2-4  "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, becauseyou know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.  Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."

John 15:1-2 "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.  He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, so that it will be even more fruitful."

A Study in Daniel Introduction and part of chapter 1

 

A Study in Daniel

Introduction:  Daniel went into exile some time around 605 B.C. and continued to the third year of Cyrus (about 536 B.C.) which is a period of about 69 years.  There is a great deal of debate about the date of this book because some scholar cannot accept some of the very specific predictive prophecy in this book.  

In terms of history, we know that the Babylonian empire started with Nebuchadnezzar’s father Nebopolassar.  Nebuchadnezzar’s reign was from 605 B.C to 562 B.C.  He was noted for large building projects which he brags about in Daniel 4:30  After the Babylonian empire came to Medes and the Persians and then the Greeks.

There is a large section of writing in this book that is in Aramaic.  This was the commercial language of the day in which this was written.  The Aramaic section begins from 2:4b and continues to 7:28.  The emphasis in this section is on the nations of the world.

King Jehoiakim who is mentioned in chapter one was a king that was put in power by Pharaoh Neco.  His original name was Eliakim son of Josiah, but Pharaoh changed his name to Jehoiakim.  He was 25 years old when he reigned and ruled for 11 years.  In 2 Kings 24:1 it mentioned that Jehoiakim became Nebuchadnezzar’s servant.  In 2 Chronicles 36:5-8 it says that Jehoiakim reigned 11 years and was eventually bound in bronze chains to go to Babylon and that Nebuchadnezzar also took some of the vessels of the temple 2 Chronicales 36:7.

Jesus made reference to Daniel and thought he was a real and righteous man see Matt 24:15, Mk 13:14.  The Lord mentions Daniel to Ezekiel in Ezekiel 14:14 and 14:20.  Ezekiel mentions the wisdom of Daniel in Ezek 28:3. 

A possible outline for Daniel would include

1.       Daniel 1:1-2:4a- the historical introduction

2.       Daniel 2:4b-7:28  The nations on earth

3.       Daniel 8:1-12:13- the Hebrews, as the relate to Gentile dominion and its future in the plan of God.

Daniel 1:1-2- Jehoiakim was in his third year as king when The Babylonians captured Jerusalem and took some of the vessels of the temple to Babylon.  The vessels are referred to in Daniel 5:2-3.  In 2 Kings 24:1 it mentions that Jehoiakim became Nebuchadnezzar’s servant.

Daniel 1:3-7  The king orders one of his officials Ashpenaz to bring in some youth who were from the royal family and nobles to be taught the literature and language of the Chaldeans for 3 years vs4-5.  Their names were changed to Babylonian names.  Daniel became Belteshazzar.  They were given the king’s choice food but Daniel did not want to defile himself so he refused and requested vegetables.

Daniel and his friends Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah are described as good looking, showing intelligence, understanding and knowledge.