Teaching
Commentary
This week, all three lessons present the teaching ministry for the people of God.
The story about Ezra demonstrates how Judaism began to take shape as a teaching religion. At the center was the law. An interesting parallel from Egypt during the Persian period reports how the government ordered a codification of religious law. Whatever code Ezra read, Holiness, Priestly or some earlier parts of these, he added a step to the production of the canon. He made a notable contribution to the development of a biblically based religious faith.
The story records both respect for the text in the original language and interpretation in the language of the people, important aspects of biblical faith to this day. The earliest interpretations appeared as Targums, in a sense, the beginning of commentaries.
An institution was in the making to preserve and develop the teaching of Scripture. The synagogue would outlast the temple and serve as a precursor to the Christian congregation.
Institutional authority for the official book and its interpretation could grow rigidly narrow and authoritarian at times. Both New Testament lessons emphasized the role of the Spirit in Christian teaching.
The story about Jesus also leads us to think about the synagogue. He seems to have taught in synagogues until the crowds became too great. By this time, in addition to the law, a lesson from the prophets was read.
Some interpreters have connected the "year of the Lord's favor" with the Jubilee Year in Leviticus 25:8-17, 23-55. Such dependence upon the law by a prophet would not be unusual. The Jubilee was a year of forgiving debts, restoring mortgaged property, freeing indentured slaves --in other words, returning the community to an equitable status for all. Although many good scholars question whether the law was ever put into practice and whether the prophet was referring to it, it gives a very tangible picture of an ideal for the day of the messiah and very specific connotations for understanding the freeing experience envisioned for salvation.
Instead of a synagogue, 1 Corinthians introduces us to a Christian congregation. The teaching is neither from the law nor the prophets, although both would have been appropriate. Rather, the teaching is from an apostle, who demonstrates the distinctiveness of the congregation by considering it the body of Christ.
OUTLINE I
Taught from the law
Nehemiah 8:1-10
A. v. 1a. The Water Gate was probably just west of the Gihon Spring in the walls of Jerusalem that had been rebuilt by Nehemiah (3:26). Important as walls were to the ancient city, indeed, as much as material provisions are needed by all earthly institutions in any time, more is required.
B. v. 1b. Order for society. Life had been rather disordered in Judah for a century or more, as people continued to return from exile and struggled to survive, some taking advantage of others. Being a scribe, Ezra was learned in the law. He had recently arrived with orders from the Persian king to bring the law to Jerusalem (Ezra 7:14). Although we do not know exactly what body of law he brought, it would have been traditional law associated with Moses.
C. vv. 2-3, 7-10. Understanding for the people. The one criterion for those who were gathered to hear the law was that they could understand. This requirement medicates the age and capability of those held responsible to obey the law.
Since the law was read in Hebrew, it needed to be interpreted into the language of the people, Aramaic. As a result of the guilt recognized from the law, the people needed reassurance, which their leaders provided by declaring a feast day.
D. vv. 4-6. Jewish tradition speaks of the event as the Great Synagogue. The platform and podium, the worship setting and particularly the prominence of the scroll of the Law resemble later synagogues.
OUTLINE II
A body united
1 Corinthians 12:12-30
A. vv. 12-13. The church as the body of Christ with diverse members is spelled out realistically in terms of ethnic differences and differences of social status, which form a unity because all are sustained by one Spirit.
B. vv. 14-21. Paul has fun caricaturing the false reasoning of dissatisfied church members. One may want to break away from the church because it is not possible to hold a position held by another church member. Another may wish the whole church to be like himself, but then the church would lack necessary functions. If a member were to stand alone there would be no church, no relationship to the body of Christ. In fact, each member needs the other members exactly because of their diversity, which is, after all, God's creation. This part has relied upon the metaphor of the human body.
C. vv. 22-27. Back to reality, the diversity is assessed according to weaker, less honorable and less respectable members. These receive special attention because the church desires all members to enjoy dignified status. The goal is to remove any cause for dissension. The motivation comes from the unity of the church, however, because members share both suffering and honor.
D. vv. 28-30. Actual positions in their diversity are listed according to what appears to be a hierarchical order. They are introduced by the basic reality, "You are the body of Christ and individually members of it."
OUTLINE III
Taught from the prophet
Luke 4:14-21
A. vv. 14-15. As typical for Luke, the Spirit is mentioned as empowering Jesus' ministry. This summary displaces more detailed reports in Mark and Matthew. Luke places parallels to those reports later, because he wishes to start with the theme of Jesus' ministry, in a story not preserved in the other gospels.
B. vv. 16 and 20. Like almost anyone, Jesus wanted to visit his hometown on occasion. As a person faithful to the practices of his religion, he attended the synagogue on the Sabbath Day. The details conform to known customs --a visitor invited to read the lessons, stands to read and sits to teach.
C. vv. 17-21. The theme comes from a reading in Isaiah 61:1-2, with some emendation to provide the emphasis desired. Luke would easily agree that the Spirit of the Lord should be the source of the messiah's ministry. Also agreeing with the quotation, Jesus' anointing at baptism, his healing ministry and his freeing of captives and those oppressed from sin and devils are highlighted in Luke's report of a sermon by Peter in Acts 10:37-38. At the beginning of the passage, the gospel for the lowly (best translation of the Hebrew anawim without an article), suggests several reports of Jesus' ministry found only in Luke. At the close, "the year of the Lord's favor" means the messiah brings salvation. Jesus concludes by announcing his messianic fulfillment of the promises.
The story about Ezra demonstrates how Judaism began to take shape as a teaching religion. At the center was the law. An interesting parallel from Egypt during the Persian period reports how the government ordered a codification of religious law. Whatever code Ezra read, Holiness, Priestly or some earlier parts of these, he added a step to the production of the canon. He made a notable contribution to the development of a biblically based religious faith.
The story records both respect for the text in the original language and interpretation in the language of the people, important aspects of biblical faith to this day. The earliest interpretations appeared as Targums, in a sense, the beginning of commentaries.
An institution was in the making to preserve and develop the teaching of Scripture. The synagogue would outlast the temple and serve as a precursor to the Christian congregation.
Institutional authority for the official book and its interpretation could grow rigidly narrow and authoritarian at times. Both New Testament lessons emphasized the role of the Spirit in Christian teaching.
The story about Jesus also leads us to think about the synagogue. He seems to have taught in synagogues until the crowds became too great. By this time, in addition to the law, a lesson from the prophets was read.
Some interpreters have connected the "year of the Lord's favor" with the Jubilee Year in Leviticus 25:8-17, 23-55. Such dependence upon the law by a prophet would not be unusual. The Jubilee was a year of forgiving debts, restoring mortgaged property, freeing indentured slaves --in other words, returning the community to an equitable status for all. Although many good scholars question whether the law was ever put into practice and whether the prophet was referring to it, it gives a very tangible picture of an ideal for the day of the messiah and very specific connotations for understanding the freeing experience envisioned for salvation.
Instead of a synagogue, 1 Corinthians introduces us to a Christian congregation. The teaching is neither from the law nor the prophets, although both would have been appropriate. Rather, the teaching is from an apostle, who demonstrates the distinctiveness of the congregation by considering it the body of Christ.
OUTLINE I
Taught from the law
Nehemiah 8:1-10
A. v. 1a. The Water Gate was probably just west of the Gihon Spring in the walls of Jerusalem that had been rebuilt by Nehemiah (3:26). Important as walls were to the ancient city, indeed, as much as material provisions are needed by all earthly institutions in any time, more is required.
B. v. 1b. Order for society. Life had been rather disordered in Judah for a century or more, as people continued to return from exile and struggled to survive, some taking advantage of others. Being a scribe, Ezra was learned in the law. He had recently arrived with orders from the Persian king to bring the law to Jerusalem (Ezra 7:14). Although we do not know exactly what body of law he brought, it would have been traditional law associated with Moses.
C. vv. 2-3, 7-10. Understanding for the people. The one criterion for those who were gathered to hear the law was that they could understand. This requirement medicates the age and capability of those held responsible to obey the law.
Since the law was read in Hebrew, it needed to be interpreted into the language of the people, Aramaic. As a result of the guilt recognized from the law, the people needed reassurance, which their leaders provided by declaring a feast day.
D. vv. 4-6. Jewish tradition speaks of the event as the Great Synagogue. The platform and podium, the worship setting and particularly the prominence of the scroll of the Law resemble later synagogues.
OUTLINE II
A body united
1 Corinthians 12:12-30
A. vv. 12-13. The church as the body of Christ with diverse members is spelled out realistically in terms of ethnic differences and differences of social status, which form a unity because all are sustained by one Spirit.
B. vv. 14-21. Paul has fun caricaturing the false reasoning of dissatisfied church members. One may want to break away from the church because it is not possible to hold a position held by another church member. Another may wish the whole church to be like himself, but then the church would lack necessary functions. If a member were to stand alone there would be no church, no relationship to the body of Christ. In fact, each member needs the other members exactly because of their diversity, which is, after all, God's creation. This part has relied upon the metaphor of the human body.
C. vv. 22-27. Back to reality, the diversity is assessed according to weaker, less honorable and less respectable members. These receive special attention because the church desires all members to enjoy dignified status. The goal is to remove any cause for dissension. The motivation comes from the unity of the church, however, because members share both suffering and honor.
D. vv. 28-30. Actual positions in their diversity are listed according to what appears to be a hierarchical order. They are introduced by the basic reality, "You are the body of Christ and individually members of it."
OUTLINE III
Taught from the prophet
Luke 4:14-21
A. vv. 14-15. As typical for Luke, the Spirit is mentioned as empowering Jesus' ministry. This summary displaces more detailed reports in Mark and Matthew. Luke places parallels to those reports later, because he wishes to start with the theme of Jesus' ministry, in a story not preserved in the other gospels.
B. vv. 16 and 20. Like almost anyone, Jesus wanted to visit his hometown on occasion. As a person faithful to the practices of his religion, he attended the synagogue on the Sabbath Day. The details conform to known customs --a visitor invited to read the lessons, stands to read and sits to teach.
C. vv. 17-21. The theme comes from a reading in Isaiah 61:1-2, with some emendation to provide the emphasis desired. Luke would easily agree that the Spirit of the Lord should be the source of the messiah's ministry. Also agreeing with the quotation, Jesus' anointing at baptism, his healing ministry and his freeing of captives and those oppressed from sin and devils are highlighted in Luke's report of a sermon by Peter in Acts 10:37-38. At the beginning of the passage, the gospel for the lowly (best translation of the Hebrew anawim without an article), suggests several reports of Jesus' ministry found only in Luke. At the close, "the year of the Lord's favor" means the messiah brings salvation. Jesus concludes by announcing his messianic fulfillment of the promises.
