Forever is a long time
Commentary
About the author
Michael L. Thompson, marketing director at CSS Publishing Company, is the author of the Charting The Course columns for June.
He is a graduate of Augustana College, Rock Island, Illinois, and Hamma School of Theology. A former ELCA pastor, he has served parishes in Ohio and Pennsylvania. Currently, he is an illustration writer for Emphasis and has contributed to the new wedding meditation anthology, "This New Life Together" published by CSS.
Recently a group of Bible scholars called The Jesus Seminar came out with some very controversial writings. According to them, 82 percent of Jesus' words in the Bible are judged to be inauthentic. Richard Ostling, in his January 10, 1994, Time magazine article, reported some of the findings of The Jesus Seminar with these words: "He did not preach salvation from sin through sacrifice; he never said 'Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.' For that matter, he probably never delivered the Sermon On The Mount. As for the question posed to Peter and disciples, Jesus never asked it. And he never cured any diseases. As for the other miracles? No loaves and fishes, no water into wine, no raising of Lazarus. And certainly no resurrection."
As could be expected, there was strong reaction to the work done by these scholars. Jacob Neusner, professor of religious studies at the University of South Florida, calls The Jesus Seminar "either the greatest scholarly hoax or the utter bankruptcy of New Testament studies -- I hope the former."
In an adult Sunday school class where the work of The Jesus Seminar was being discussed, an interesting question was raised: "Will these scholars profess belief in their findings when they are on their deathbeds?" "After all," the follow-up question pointed out, "forever is a long time."
In light of today's scripture selections, that question from the adult class makes for some interesting speculation. What would those scholars think about the unforgivable sins Jesus discusses in the gospel lesson? Would they feel they had committed the sin? If so, would it matter to them? And, in the 14th verse of the second lesson, Paul makes reference to the fact that "we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus." It would seem that the scholars' 82 percent authenticity rating for Jesus' biblical statements would bleed over into their reaction to Paul's writings to the church in Corinth. Paul accepted so much of what Jesus said and did after his own conversion that his own credibility is called into question when he affirms the resurrection which the scholars clearly deny. Finally, I have to wonder how the members of The Jesus Seminar would react to charges that the rejection of long-held beliefs of the faithful could be easily compared to the nation's rejection of the Lord in 1 Samuel 8:7.
Outline I
Samuel and the people of God
1 Samuel 8:4-11, 16-20 (Revised Common)
In this passage, the exchange between Samuel and the people of God sounds very much like a conversation between a parent and a child. The child wants something that the parent feels is unwise. The reason given for the child's desire is an age-old one: "Everybody else has one."
A. The people say, "We want a king to rule over us like all the other nations." They had done well under the judgeship of Samuel. However, as he grew older, he made a serious mistake in appointing his sons to take over. They were men who took advantage of their new high office and soon, corruption was the centerpiece in their style of government. As a result, the people became disillusioned with the behavior of Samuel's sons. They looked around at other nations and their political systems and decided they wanted a monarchy like everyone else.
B. Although Samuel cannot be objective about the disaster his sons have brought to his people, he knows that there are serious problems with monarchies as well. He warns the people of those perceived difficulties. Their children will have to go to war for this king. A tenth of all their property will go to the king while they themselves will become like slaves to the king.
C. Their response to Samuel's warnings again sound very similar to a teenager reacting to a parental warning. "But having a king will make us like all the other nations. PLUS, we will have a king who will take care of us and fight our battles for us. In other words, they either heard very little of Samuel's warnings about monarchies or else they chose to ignore his warnings. Our human nature seems to inform our need to make our own mistakes ... even when we've been forewarned about the consequence of those mistakes.
D. Samuel saw change coming for Israel, tried to make it better, but ultimately had to give in to the people's wishes. It was a new, but not better, day for the chosen people.
OUTLINE II
Slogans
2 Corinthians 4:13:5:1(June 5: Revised Common, Roman Catholic, Episcopal; June 12: Lutheran)
Some of the most popular items in mail order catalogs are pieces of clothing with slogans on them ... particularly quotes about aging. There are phrases like "You're not getting older; you're getting better." or "Aged to Perfection" or "Fifty is nifty." In this passage, Paul presents an important notion about the passage of time and its effect on us.
A. Throughout our life, whether we like it or not, our physical capabilities decrease as we get older. Fortunately, spiritual growth is not limited or diminished during that same time span. In fact, the passage of time and the gaining of experience enhances and informs our spiritual growth.
B. Paul was an expert on endurance. He had been tested physically in so many ways he could write the textbook on suffering. However, one of the keys to his endurance and perseverance was his belief that there was an enormous amount of glory waiting for him in the next chapter of life. And that glory far outweighed any of the inconveniences and pains he had endured because of his faith in and commitment to Jesus Christ.
C. With that in mind, Paul suggests that we keep our priorities in order ... remembering what is truly important. The famous writer, Michael Crichton, was interviewed recently concerning his new book and his new-found happiness with his wife and daughter. One of his comments was, "My daughter told me one day how fortunate my publisher is because he gets to spend time with me everyday. She was making it clear that she wanted to be like my publisher ... spending time with me. Suddenly I was reminded that in the midst of all the 'stuff' of life, the most important things are human relationships." As Christians we would agree with his straightening of priorities, but we would say the most important "thing" is our relationship with the Lord and the eternal dimension that brings to us.
OUTLINE III
Hard sayings
Mark 3:20-35(June 5: Revised Common, Roman Catholic, Episcopal; June 12: Lutheran)
A. Much of what Jesus said in his ministry could be labeled as "hard sayings." Often his comments go completely against common accepted or politically correct notions of the world. When he says, "Love your enemies," we cringe at the difficulty of doing such a thing. The world tells us to hate our enemy, or, at least, distrust him to the point you could never really love that person. Jesus says, "Don't worry about the things of this world ... what you eat and what you wear." Hearing that, we are tempted to say, "Well, it is easy for Jesus to talk that way then, but in our fast-paced, financially insecure world, we have to worry a little bit just to stay ahead of the game.
B. In this passage Jesus departs from his usually illogical ways and uses logic to make his point. The religious leaders were accusing him of defeating demons by being in conclusion with Satan himself. Seeing this whole encounter as a desperate attempt to discredit his work, Jesus asks the question, "How can Satan cast out Satan?" He then makes the logical point that would be used centuries later by an American president caught up in a tragic civil war. In vv. 24-25 Jesus says to the religious leaders, "If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand."
C. In light of the insulting and disrespectful things that have been said to him, Jesus goes one step further and indicates that insulting the Holy Spirit will NOT be forgiven. Many folks have difficulty with this notion, feeling that a loving God would never refuse forgiveness for any sin. However, William Barclay gives a very helpful explanation in his Daily Study Bible Series. He writes, "... if a man, by repeated refusals of God's guidance, has lost the ability to recognize goodness when he sees it, if he has got his moral values inverted until evil to him is good and good to him is evil, then, even when he is confronted by Jesus, he is conscious of no sin; he cannot repent and therefore he can never be forgiven. That is the sin against the Holy Spirit."
Michael L. Thompson, marketing director at CSS Publishing Company, is the author of the Charting The Course columns for June.
He is a graduate of Augustana College, Rock Island, Illinois, and Hamma School of Theology. A former ELCA pastor, he has served parishes in Ohio and Pennsylvania. Currently, he is an illustration writer for Emphasis and has contributed to the new wedding meditation anthology, "This New Life Together" published by CSS.
Recently a group of Bible scholars called The Jesus Seminar came out with some very controversial writings. According to them, 82 percent of Jesus' words in the Bible are judged to be inauthentic. Richard Ostling, in his January 10, 1994, Time magazine article, reported some of the findings of The Jesus Seminar with these words: "He did not preach salvation from sin through sacrifice; he never said 'Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.' For that matter, he probably never delivered the Sermon On The Mount. As for the question posed to Peter and disciples, Jesus never asked it. And he never cured any diseases. As for the other miracles? No loaves and fishes, no water into wine, no raising of Lazarus. And certainly no resurrection."
As could be expected, there was strong reaction to the work done by these scholars. Jacob Neusner, professor of religious studies at the University of South Florida, calls The Jesus Seminar "either the greatest scholarly hoax or the utter bankruptcy of New Testament studies -- I hope the former."
In an adult Sunday school class where the work of The Jesus Seminar was being discussed, an interesting question was raised: "Will these scholars profess belief in their findings when they are on their deathbeds?" "After all," the follow-up question pointed out, "forever is a long time."
In light of today's scripture selections, that question from the adult class makes for some interesting speculation. What would those scholars think about the unforgivable sins Jesus discusses in the gospel lesson? Would they feel they had committed the sin? If so, would it matter to them? And, in the 14th verse of the second lesson, Paul makes reference to the fact that "we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus." It would seem that the scholars' 82 percent authenticity rating for Jesus' biblical statements would bleed over into their reaction to Paul's writings to the church in Corinth. Paul accepted so much of what Jesus said and did after his own conversion that his own credibility is called into question when he affirms the resurrection which the scholars clearly deny. Finally, I have to wonder how the members of The Jesus Seminar would react to charges that the rejection of long-held beliefs of the faithful could be easily compared to the nation's rejection of the Lord in 1 Samuel 8:7.
Outline I
Samuel and the people of God
1 Samuel 8:4-11, 16-20 (Revised Common)
In this passage, the exchange between Samuel and the people of God sounds very much like a conversation between a parent and a child. The child wants something that the parent feels is unwise. The reason given for the child's desire is an age-old one: "Everybody else has one."
A. The people say, "We want a king to rule over us like all the other nations." They had done well under the judgeship of Samuel. However, as he grew older, he made a serious mistake in appointing his sons to take over. They were men who took advantage of their new high office and soon, corruption was the centerpiece in their style of government. As a result, the people became disillusioned with the behavior of Samuel's sons. They looked around at other nations and their political systems and decided they wanted a monarchy like everyone else.
B. Although Samuel cannot be objective about the disaster his sons have brought to his people, he knows that there are serious problems with monarchies as well. He warns the people of those perceived difficulties. Their children will have to go to war for this king. A tenth of all their property will go to the king while they themselves will become like slaves to the king.
C. Their response to Samuel's warnings again sound very similar to a teenager reacting to a parental warning. "But having a king will make us like all the other nations. PLUS, we will have a king who will take care of us and fight our battles for us. In other words, they either heard very little of Samuel's warnings about monarchies or else they chose to ignore his warnings. Our human nature seems to inform our need to make our own mistakes ... even when we've been forewarned about the consequence of those mistakes.
D. Samuel saw change coming for Israel, tried to make it better, but ultimately had to give in to the people's wishes. It was a new, but not better, day for the chosen people.
OUTLINE II
Slogans
2 Corinthians 4:13:5:1(June 5: Revised Common, Roman Catholic, Episcopal; June 12: Lutheran)
Some of the most popular items in mail order catalogs are pieces of clothing with slogans on them ... particularly quotes about aging. There are phrases like "You're not getting older; you're getting better." or "Aged to Perfection" or "Fifty is nifty." In this passage, Paul presents an important notion about the passage of time and its effect on us.
A. Throughout our life, whether we like it or not, our physical capabilities decrease as we get older. Fortunately, spiritual growth is not limited or diminished during that same time span. In fact, the passage of time and the gaining of experience enhances and informs our spiritual growth.
B. Paul was an expert on endurance. He had been tested physically in so many ways he could write the textbook on suffering. However, one of the keys to his endurance and perseverance was his belief that there was an enormous amount of glory waiting for him in the next chapter of life. And that glory far outweighed any of the inconveniences and pains he had endured because of his faith in and commitment to Jesus Christ.
C. With that in mind, Paul suggests that we keep our priorities in order ... remembering what is truly important. The famous writer, Michael Crichton, was interviewed recently concerning his new book and his new-found happiness with his wife and daughter. One of his comments was, "My daughter told me one day how fortunate my publisher is because he gets to spend time with me everyday. She was making it clear that she wanted to be like my publisher ... spending time with me. Suddenly I was reminded that in the midst of all the 'stuff' of life, the most important things are human relationships." As Christians we would agree with his straightening of priorities, but we would say the most important "thing" is our relationship with the Lord and the eternal dimension that brings to us.
OUTLINE III
Hard sayings
Mark 3:20-35(June 5: Revised Common, Roman Catholic, Episcopal; June 12: Lutheran)
A. Much of what Jesus said in his ministry could be labeled as "hard sayings." Often his comments go completely against common accepted or politically correct notions of the world. When he says, "Love your enemies," we cringe at the difficulty of doing such a thing. The world tells us to hate our enemy, or, at least, distrust him to the point you could never really love that person. Jesus says, "Don't worry about the things of this world ... what you eat and what you wear." Hearing that, we are tempted to say, "Well, it is easy for Jesus to talk that way then, but in our fast-paced, financially insecure world, we have to worry a little bit just to stay ahead of the game.
B. In this passage Jesus departs from his usually illogical ways and uses logic to make his point. The religious leaders were accusing him of defeating demons by being in conclusion with Satan himself. Seeing this whole encounter as a desperate attempt to discredit his work, Jesus asks the question, "How can Satan cast out Satan?" He then makes the logical point that would be used centuries later by an American president caught up in a tragic civil war. In vv. 24-25 Jesus says to the religious leaders, "If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand."
C. In light of the insulting and disrespectful things that have been said to him, Jesus goes one step further and indicates that insulting the Holy Spirit will NOT be forgiven. Many folks have difficulty with this notion, feeling that a loving God would never refuse forgiveness for any sin. However, William Barclay gives a very helpful explanation in his Daily Study Bible Series. He writes, "... if a man, by repeated refusals of God's guidance, has lost the ability to recognize goodness when he sees it, if he has got his moral values inverted until evil to him is good and good to him is evil, then, even when he is confronted by Jesus, he is conscious of no sin; he cannot repent and therefore he can never be forgiven. That is the sin against the Holy Spirit."
