The Use of Didactic Materials from the Bible in Spiritual Formation: Part Two

The Use of Didactic Materials from the Bible in Spiritual Formation

Part Two

“All that glitters is not gold” was a phrase William Shakespeare applied to making decisions based on external appearance. The idea is equally true when reading through the New Testament letters; not every word weighs equally. The joy lies in finding the words with true weight. Therein lies our first predicament-where shall we look? So often Bible studies I have done earlier in my life take a painstakingly slow course through a biblical passage examining each and every word as if under a microscope, turning it vertically and horizontally, hoping to find a glimmer of gold within those letters. Yet we would be appalled if someone took each word we uttered throughout the day and examined it with such detail. The sad part is how often our words are misunderstood by the one we speak with, as he or she takes a meaning from it which we never intended. We would be quick to play the C card, context.

Each of the New Testament writings has a context in which it was written, an audience it was directed to, and a language with associated meanings and ideas. Recovering these is a long, arduous task that sometimes yields a bounty and at other times only a bone. Yet, when it comes to the letters of the New Testament there is much value found on the surface if you and I know where to look. Context is key to guiding our eyes, ears, heart and mind.

Ancient letters had some structural elements that varied based on the type of letter or the audience for the letter. Searching for these common elements as we read will help us determine the nuggets of gold from the rocks and pebbles. As with most writings the first place to look is at the beginning, the introduction to the letter, or more formally the Salutation. Due to the lack of envelopes, the Salutation would include as first and foremost the name of the writer so that the recipients could quickly associate the writing with him. That is why Paul’s letters begin with “Paul.” The Salutation also included the recipient of the letter. Lacking a mail delivery service for non-imperial communication, letters were hand delivered by a traveler going in the same direction. It would be important to readily distinguish between one papyri sheet and another. Finally, the Salutation included a greeting, usually “Grace to you and Peace.”

Writer:

• Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, (Rom 1:1)
• Paul, called as an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, (1 Cor 1:1)
• Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, (2 Cor 1:1)

Recipient:

• To the church of God which is at Corinth with all the saints who are throughout Achaia (2 Cor 1:1)
• To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi (Phil 1:1)
• To Philemon our beloved brother and fellow worker (Philm 1)

Greeting:

•  Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (Philm 1:3)
•  Greetings (James 1:1)
•  May grace and peace 2be yours in the fullest measure. (1 Peter 1:2)

It was customary to include a few religious acknowledgements in these ancient letters also. In the period of the New Testament many gods were recognized and petitioned, but the New Testament letters reflect the monotheism of Judaism and Christianity.

Prayer

•  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, (2 Cor 1:3)
•  always offering prayer with joy in amy every prayer for you all, (Phil 1:4)
•  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, (1 Pet 1:3)

Thanksgiving

•  I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God given you in Christ Jesus (1 Cor 1:4)
• I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, (Phil 1:3)
• I thank my God always, making mention of you in my prayers, (Philm 3)

Recognizing these customary practices helps our reading and study by comparing and contrasting the language between letters rather than continuously focusing on the individual word choices within a single letter. We can also notice those times when more is added, as in Romans, 

set apart for the gospel of God, which He promised beforehand through His prophets in the holy Scriptures, concerning His Son, who was born of a descendant of David according to the flesh, who was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among call the Gentiles for His name’s sake, among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ; (Rom 1:1-6)

or when something is left out, as in Galatians.

I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; (Gal 1:6)

These customary elements to ancient letters are practical more than they are theological. Yet in the comparison of language used in various letters, the sensitive reader can identify a difference in the author’s tone, purpose, or familiarity with the audience, thus influencing how the remainder of the letter should be heard. 

The Use of Didactic Materials from the Bible in Spiritual Formation: Part One

The Use of Didactic Materials from the Bible in Spiritual Formation

Part One

“Don’t judge a book by its cover.” This popular adage is normally applied to instruct a friend or a child to be more sensitive toward another person whose first impressions may rub some spots raw. It should equally be applied to the book of books, the Bible. The various pages of this collection of individual books divided into two sections, The Old Testament and the New Testament appearing chronologically on either side of the birth of Jesus of Nazareth, contain varying genres, or styles of writing.

Poetry is easily recognized on most printed pages by the unusual format, although there are various subtypes that appear in poetic form: songs, hymns, proverbs, and prophetic utterances. The bulk of the material appears in prose form, word after word from beginning to the end of a line followed consecutively by more words forming sentences, paragraphs and entire chapters. Yet within these many words punctuation marks often distinguish between types: narratives frequently include “direct quotations” and “verbal command are identified with a punctuation mark!” Yet many lines have no identifying marks except for the comma and period. A third concern that frequently requires a touch of sensitivity so as not to draw the wrong conclusion appears in the voice of address used. The biblical text may simply be telling a story in the third person as it describes the actions of David, Samuel, Jeremiah, or Jesus. Yet other times it will use the second person form of address when “you” is/are included in the reading. Is the “you” singular-an individual reader- or plural-a community of readers? It is difficult to tell in most English translations.

A final distinction among prose writing comes in the oft-misunderstood teaching sections, where instructional, or didactic, words are written to an audience prior to the first century of our calendar. What shall I do with these words of instruction that most often seem foreign or address issues I am not encumbered with? That becomes the issue when you and I attempt to read the Bible to gain spiritual nourishment from the river of life. Didactic materials are focused primarily in the New Testament letters, although it is not unusual to encounter such materials in the Old Testament in places like Jeremiah 29, where Jeremiah writes to the exiles living in Babylon sometime between 597 and 587 B.C. Because mining for gold requires finding a rich vein, you and I will do most of our excavation where we know gold may be found.

Old Testament Prophets

This Blog was originally written in September 2014 but was never posted.

Recently our university hosted Palmer Chinchen, author of The Barefoot Tribe, on campus. During a very pleasant conversation over a Vietnamese dinner, he began to mention his focus on Justice. The word itself echoes powerfully in the ear of the reader who has spent time in the prophetic books of the canon. Justice is a critical theme for the prophets; it has to do with setting the world aright under God’s plan.

Therefore, return to your God,
Observe kindness and justice,
And wait for your God continually. (Hosea 12:6, NAS95)

The justice Palmer mentioned was surprising to me since he used no modifier in front of it as so many proponents use: Social Justice, Economic Justice, Legal Justice, etc. Later in a hallway conversation with James Bryan Smith, the two recognized that they are using different words to propose the same concept: Christ-imitating behavior.

Take away from Me the noise of your songs;
I will not even listen to the sound of your harps.
But let justice roll down like waters
And righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. (Amos 5:23-24. NAS95)

 The role of the prophet in the Old Testament was to help others confront false narratives. The basic narrative needing correction was that Israel’s powerful, important people (kings) were not gods, as many nations around them held their kings to be. Instead, they were to be God’s representatives on earth to insure that powerful, wealthy and influential individuals did not allow selfishness and personal ambition to overrun the status and personhood of their weak, poor, and common countryman. In other words, the King was to insure Justice. The prophet’s role was to remind the ruler of his duty to enforce justice.

Another role of the prophets was to remind the rulers (that’s normally who they talk to!) that there was one and only one God in Israel. Idolatry was not going to go unpunished since it eroded the people’s participation in their covenantal obligations. Idolatry by the leaders was mirrored among the common people. The prophet served as the moral compass and conscience for the nation when they forgot their spiritual center.

What, then, can we learn today from the prophets of old, if anything, about spiritual formation?

First and foremost, God indicates through the prophets that the activity of his people is to protect the rights of the poor and helpless. Those who are engaged in spiritual formation to be shaped into the likeness of God and his son Jesus must consider their treatment of the less fortunate as a primary responsibility.

‘Dispense true justice and practice kindness and compassion each to his brother; and do not oppress the widow or the orphan, the stranger or the poor; and do not devise evil in your hearts against one another.’ (Zechariah 7:9-10, NAS95)

Second, the role of the followers of Jesus is to remind their sojourners of the danger of beginning to lose sight of the holiness of God. The culture in which we live offers a multitude of attractions a follower of Jesus can pursue if he/she becomes stagnate in his/her life or relies on the activity of God at an earlier time of life to substitute for a living encounter with God’s presence in the now time.

Followers of Jesus must serve a prophetic role within their community of co-followers and gently encourage one another to return to a trusting, enlivening relationship with Jesus. More importantly followers of Jesus must be willing to build transparency within their community that allows them to listen and respond to brothers and sisters who bring a word of correction through the Spirit of God’s leaning. We do not walk alone!

 And just as He called and they would not listen, so they called and I would not listen,” says the LORD of hosts. (Zechariah 7:13, NAS95)

Advent (re-visited)

On December 10, 2012 I posted the following comments.

During the Advent Season, many church attendees are confronted with the idea that Christmas is more than a single day holiday celebration: like Independence Day, Memorial Day, and Labor Day  to name a few, and more than an extended buffet of shopping excursions into the commercial establishments screaming, "stuff, stuff, stuff your home with our stuff".  Instead these attendants to Christian Church worship services are encouraged to anticipate, to actually expect the coming of the Christ Mass, the celebration of incarnation. Thus in one fashion or another a local congregation accentuates the regularly scheduled worship with something more, the Advent reading and Advent candle lighting.

The most popular quad-diurnal theme focuses on Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love.  However, the website faithandworship.com provides an additional fourteen possible combinations. I remember vaguely from my childhood three from a fourplex of Prophets, Angels, and Shepherds. The churchofengland.org website states that the Four Last Things, Death, Judgment, Heaven, and Hell are traditional themes. What to make of the variety?  That is the real questions.

Does the celebration of advent and the selected themes speak to our human condition? Does the selection from the CoE speak about the focus of our celebration differently from the selection of Hope-Love?  I would say that the choice does speak about our human condition, but even more it speaks about our human focus.

Take for example the popular Hope-Love advent topics.  Are these something we possess already or something we look to receive at this time of year?  Is our focus on receiving from God?  Then shift to those from my memory, Prophets-Shepherds.  These represent those who proclaimed the coming of the messiah.  Does our selection reflect an emphasis on proclamation?

Symbolism is powerful. It not only reflects our thinking, it in turn shapes our thinking.  Be careful what you wish for, you may actually receive the same!

What does it take for you to prepare to celebrate the Incarnation? 2016 has been an unseasonably warmer fall. The frost on the pumpkins didn't come until well past October 31st and tomatoes were still putting on fresh fruit into November. Is cold weather a requirement for your mental preparation for Christmas? Must you wait until at least one week past Thanksgiving? The first Sunday of Advent falls only 3 days past Thanksgiving in 2016. How will you celebrate this sentimental season this year? More importantly, how will you live this season with expectations for God of Creation to be with you?