I’ve always enjoyed this particular epistle. So much so that when my college professor for an advanced Greek reading course asked me to choose a book to translate that summer, I picked this particular letter. He grinned widely and I knew I must have made a mistake. “Should I choose something else?” I asked. “No no,” he said with an innocent face. “It’s a great choice. Come back next week with Chapter one translated.” His devilish smirk had a reason. What I didn’t know, couldn’t know until I looked at it, is that all of chapter one is a single sentence. Yep, one long run-on sentence which makes translating it particularly difficult.
A number of reader’s ask where all my information comes from, and how do I produce the materials on this site, and even how I produce the site. Today I thought I’d take some time to answer those questions.
Jesus continues to teach using the third person until he gets to the passage we are studying in more detail today, verses 10, 11 and 12. You will notice that there is a shift in verse 11 where Jesus stops speaking in the third person and starts speaking in the second. But before we get into the meat of what Jesus is teaching in these three verses, I want to make sure we understand what Jesus is intending in all the beatitudes.
We closed yesterday with the observation that “Only an evil ruler looks to satisfying his own needs before the needs of his people and the future of his kingdom.” A good royal, on the other hand, has a zeal for the public welfare. The phrase “public welfare” is a loaded term today with mostly political ramifications, but in this case the term is much broader in its meaning. In the ancient kingdom of Israel the welfare of the people could entail building public roads, seaside docks and marketplaces. Lowering taxes, assuring the people had what they needed for the annual sacrifices, and the practice of gleaning were all used to assist the people. God even implemented a system of forgiveness of debts every seven years. The term “public welfare” applies to every facet of life, not simply free money from the government.
This week we start a new series on the book of Ephesians. One of Paul’s “prison epistles,” Ephesians was written alongside the letters Philippians, Colossians and Philemon about ad 60-62. The Ephesian church was built five years previous to this letter, and became the central hub of Christian missions. Ephesus was a costal metropolis which thrived under Roman rule. At it’s sea ports stood the temple of Diana, 425 feet long, 220 feet wide, to greet all travelers arriving by ship. Because it held one of the Seven Wonders of the World it was also an area heavily populated with metal workers who would form Diana replicas, charms and amulets of all kinds.
Last week we mentioned that Jesus had two key concepts emphasized in the Sermon on the Mount. Last Thursday we learned the first of these was persecution; today we learn the second. The second key concept is: Rejoice when persecuted.
We’ve spent the last couple weeks examining characteristics of royal peoples as they apply to Christians, a people who are unique in that they too are royalty but of a kingdom that is not yet manifest in our world. I can’t think of a better place to start learning about becoming Heavenly Kingdom royalty than to understand The Beatitudes. Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount is one of the most familiar passages in the New Testament. The passage contains what is commonly called “the Beatitudes”. The beatitudes are remarkable in their clarity of meaning, and yet are often completely misunderstood.
In our continuing study of the character of Kingdom royalty we come to Foresight. Not the ability to see the future or have a premonition, but the ability to take information and plan accordingly. In business it’s called vision, and in the Bible too: “Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he” (Proverbs 29.18, KJV). Foresight, or vision, often leads one to clean direction as in 1 Chronicles 12.32: “From Issachar there were 200 leaders and all their relatives at their command – they understood the times and knew what Israel should do.” So foresight is the art of taking information, understanding the variables and leading in a clear direction.
Is the person you show to others who you really are?
How often do you break commitments?
How "sound" was your last tax return?
A casual perusal of Job 1.1-2.1 is enough to discover the central theme of the entire book. Notice the very first thing Satan attempts to get Job to do? Notice what it is that Satan tries to get Job to give up? So what is the story of Job really about? On all three counts the answer is identical: Integrity.
Yesterday we left off announcing that there are two key concepts Jesus teaches during the Sermon on the Mount. The first of these concepts is: Realize persecution WILL happen. Jesus tells us in Matthew 10.22 that “All men will hate you because of me…” And Paul tells Timothy “In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted…” (2 Timothy 3.12). This truth prompts two questions: do you desire to live a godly life in Jesus? When was the last time you were persecuted?
My junior year of college a fellow undergraduate running for student body president had “Unity” listed as part of his campaign platform. His oath was to unify the student body. During a debate one moderator asked the candidate, “How much unity does the student body have now? How do you intend to increase unity? And how do you measure unity so you know if you have accomplished your goal?” The candidate squirmed. Unity is a nice idea but is difficult to quantify.
We should start by saying that the word “moderation” does not appear in the Bible, but the concept is taught throughout. The Greek words often translated as “moderation” are usually translated as “patient” or “gentle”. Patience, gentleness, sobriety, and even grace are all attributes that, in certain contexts, illustrate the modern notion of moderation. The words intend to illustrate an avoidance of excesses, self-restraint, or living within reasonable limits. All these ideas are befitting Kingdom royalty.