Week
of 7 Easter - B
This is a Three-Year Lectionary based on the Lutheran Book of
Worship 3-year Lectionary (for public worship), "Prayers of the
Day..." (Propers), p. 13-41, Augsburg Publishing House, Minneapolis,
1978. It is based, with only minor variations, on the Revised Common
Lectionary, used by many denominations, including the Episcopal,
Lutheran, Presbyterian, and Methodist churches:
http://www.commontexts.org/
and:
http://www.commontexts.org/rcl/usage.html
The daily readings are the Propers (Lections) for the following
Sunday, so that the daily devotions can prepare us for worship.
Additional Lections are from Common Service Book of the Lutheran
Church, "Scripture lessons for Matins and Vespers," United Lutheran
Church of America, General Rubrics VIII. Scripture lessons for
Matins and Vespers, p. 299 - 304, Philadelphia, 1918.
The previous 2- year Bible Study based on the Lutheran Book of
Worship, Daily Lectionary for personal devotions p.179-192, Augsburg
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Podcast Download: Week of 7 Easter B
Sunday 7 Easter B
First
Posted May 24, 2009;
Podcast: Sunday 7 Easter B
Psalm 47 – God reigns as king of all nations
Acts 1:15-26 –Jesus’ Commission to the Church
1 John 4:13-21 - Abiding in Love
John 17:11b-19 - Jesus’ Prayer for his Church
Psalm Paraphrase:
The people of God call all nations to praise and rejoice in God’s
dominion of all the earth. The Lord is God and ruler of all Creation,
whether we accept his reign or not. His will shall be done, whether we
accept it and do it or not. God is Lord and king of all creation, but he
has no obligation to us to be all that a gracious and loving God
implies, unless we are willing to trust and obey him.
The people of God are those who have experienced God’s reign in their
own lives and testify that God’s will is for our good and in our very
best interest. God wants us to come to know him and have personal
fellowship with him (Acts 17:26-27), and that is only possible through
Jesus Christ (Acts 4:12; John 14:6), the fulfillment, embodiment and
demonstration of God’s Word in human flesh (John 1:1-3, 14).
Acts Paraphrase:
The eleven remaining Apostles of the original Twelve (minus Judas
Iscariot, the betrayer) and the rest of Jesus’ followers (about a
hundred and twenty; the Church) had been told by Jesus to remain in
Jerusalem until they had received the promised Holy Spirit (Luke 24:49;
Acts 1:4-5, 8). Peter suggested that they choose a replacement for the
apostleship of Judas, and they prayed and then chose Matthias by lot (by
chance; like rolling dice).
1 John Paraphrase:
We will keep Jesus’ commandments, not from fear, but from love, in
response to the love God has shown us in Jesus Christ. Jesus’
commandments are that we should love God and our fellow people (Mark
12:30-31). We are to grow in our ability to love God and others through
practice. If we seek to trust and obey Jesus, we will not have any
reason to fear the Day of Judgment. Our love for others will reveal our
obedient trust in the Lord (John 13:35).
John Paraphrase:
On the eve of his betrayal, Jesus knew that he would no longer be
physically with his disciples in this world. He prayed that the Father
would keep Jesus’ disciples in his name (the whole character and person)
of God as Jesus shared in God’s name; that they would be one as Jesus
and the Father are one. During his physical earthly ministry Jesus had
guarded his disciples from evil, with the exception of Judas, who chose
to leave that protection (thus fulfilling scripture).
Jesus prayed that they would experience the joy of Jesus fulfilled in
themselves. Jesus had transmitted God’s Word to his disciples. The world
is opposed to God’s Word and hates Jesus’ disciples as it hates Jesus.
Jesus' disciples are in the world to witness to the world. They can’t
avoid persecution by the world, but the Lord can preserve them from
evil.
Jesus sends his disciples to carry on and complete the mission to the
world which the Father sent Jesus to accomplish. Jesus consecrated
himself to God’s service, so that his disciples could also be
consecrated to God’s service. Jesus prayed that his disciples would be
sanctified (purified and rendered fit for God’s service) by God’s Word
(the Bible, and Jesus Christ, the living Word, fulfilled, embodied and
demonstrated in Jesus (John 1:1-3, 14), and by his indwelling Holy
Spirit.
Commentary:
Christians are “disciples” of Jesus Christ, commissioned to carry on and
complete the mission of Jesus Christ to bring forgiveness, restoration
of fellowship with God, and salvation from eternal condemnation and
death to all people who are willing to receive it. Jesus’ earthly
ministry was a demonstration and example of the mission of Jesus Christ.
Jesus made “born-again” (John 3:3, 5-8; Acts 2:1-12) disciples. People
who responded to Jesus’ Gospel of forgiveness and salvation followed
Jesus, learned to trust and obey his commands over a period of time in
fellowship with him, and ultimately received the gift of the indwelling
Holy Spirit which Jesus promised to his disciples who trust and obey him
(John 1:31-34; John 14:15-17; Acts 2:1-12).
Jesus’ Resurrection from the dead, testified to by over five hundred
eyewitnesses (1 Corinthians 15:5-8), demonstrated that there is life
beyond physical death. After his Resurrection, Jesus commanded his
disciples to go into all the world and make “born-again” disciples,
teaching them to obey all Jesus’ teachings (Matthew 28:18-20).
The Church had not yet received the anointing of the Holy Spirit, and
should have waited for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit before making
this choice. Matthias was appointed to the office, but was never heard
from in scripture again. I believe that God’s choice for that office was
Paul (Saul of Tarsus). Instead of a disciple who had been present
during all the earthly ministry of Jesus, Paul was the first
“born-again” disciple of Jesus Christ who had not known Jesus during his
earthly ministry, and is the example for us to follow.
The Holy Spirit is the seal and guarantee that one is in Christ and has
eternal life (2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13-14; Romans 8:9b, 11,
15-16). Only Jesus “baptizes” (anoints) with the gift of the indwelling
Holy Spirit (John 1:31-34) only upon his disciples who trust and obey
his commands (John 14:15-17). If we realize that Jesus is the Son of God
we will know the love God has for us, demonstrated in Jesus’ sacrifice
for us on the Cross, and will experience his love in the touch of his
Holy Spirit within us. We come to a personal knowledge and experience of
Jesus Christ and God our Father through the indwelling Holy Spirit.
Through the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit, we can be discipled,
guided, empowered, and guarded from evil by the risen Jesus as his
original disciples were, during Jesus’ earthly ministry. We can have a
personal fellowship with Jesus through his indwelling Holy Spirit. The
Holy Spirit is the unifying Spirit of Christ within his disciples that
gives unity of purpose and guidance to his Church (1 Corinthians 6:17;
12:13; Ephesians 2:18; 4:4; Philippians Psalm 41:27). Through the
indwelling Holy Spirit we personally experience the joy of Jesus’
presence within us, comforting us although we may be persecuted for the
Gospel by the world. The Holy Spirit is the seal and guarantee that one
is in Christ and has eternal life (2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians
1:13-14; Romans 8:9b, 11, 15-16).
God’s people are not those who call themselves God’s people, but those
who trust and obey God. God has always intended to create an eternal
kingdom of his people who willingly trust and obey God. Jesus Christ has
always, from the beginning of Creation, been God’s only plan to give us
eternal life in his kingdom (John 1:1-5, 14; see God’s Plan of
Salvation, sidebar, top right, home). No one can come to God and please
God except through obedient trust in Jesus Christ (Acts 4:12; John
14:6). This temporal lifetime is our only opportunity to seek and come
to know, trust and obey God (Acts 17:26-27).
During his earthly ministry Jesus demonstrated his mission and “method”
to his disciples. Jesus’ mission is to bring forgiveness, salvation from
God’s eternal condemnation, and restoration of fellowship with God to
all who are willing to receive it as a free gift, through faith
(obedient trust) in Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:8-9). His “method” is
personal discipleship. Jesus made “born-again” (John 3:3, 5-8) disciples
and taught them to continue and repeat the process (Matthew 28:19-20).
The disciples weren’t immediately filled with the gift of the Holy
Spirit, but only as they waited in obedient trust (Luke 24:49; Acts
1:4-5, 8; 2:1-12).
Jesus had told his disciples to wait for the “baptism” of the Holy
Spirit, but the disciples found it difficult to wait. Their experience
of waiting in the upper room in Jerusalem for the outpouring of the Holy
Spirit is a warning and lesson to the Church. In many “churches” today
leaders and members are still conducting their “mission” as unregenerate
“disciples.” They pray and then they go ahead and do what seems right
to them, without the guidance and empowerment of the Holy Spirit, and
perhaps even using worldly (unholy) means of guidance like drawing lots
or rolling dice.
In many “churches” today there is no mention or teaching of
discipleship. “Churches” are making “members” and building “buildings.”
In many cases, church leaders are chosen as much by chance as Matthias
was; people make a “career” decision, show up at seminary and complete
the course. It takes “born-again” disciples of Jesus Christ to make
“born-again” disciples of Jesus Christ. A person who has not experienced
spiritual rebirth cannot imagine the experience, and cannot pass on to
others how to become reborn. If the “church” isn’t making “born again”
disciples, where is her leadership coming from?
Many “churches” are preaching “Cheap Grace;*” God’s free gift of
salvation, without the requirement of discipleship and obedient trust.
Calling ourselves Christians without discipleship and obedient trust in
Jesus doesn’t make us “Christian” any more than calling ourselves God’s
People without obedient trust in God makes that so (Matthew 7:21-27!
Anyone who trusts and obeys God, will know, accept, trust and obey
Jesus, because Jesus is the fulfillment and embodiment of God’s Word
(John 1:1-5, 14).
Is Jesus your Lord (Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 6:46)? Are you Jesus' disciple
(John 8:31)? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus (John 14:21)? Have you
received the indwelling Holy Spirit since you first truly believed (Acts
19:2)? Are you making disciples of Jesus Christ and teaching them to
obey all that Jesus commands (Matthew 28:18-20)? Do you know with
certainty where you will spend eternity (1 John 5:11-13; Ephesians
1:13-14)?
*See: The Cost of Discipleship, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Collier Books, Macmillan Publishing Co., NY 1963 ISBN 0-02-083850-6
Monday 7 Easter B
First Posted May 25, 2009;
Podcast: Monday 7 Easter B
Psalm 104:25-34 - God's Purpose for Creation;
Paraphrase:
Consider the great diversity of Creation, from microscopic one-cell organisms to huge dinosaurs; from the inner-space within the atom to the vastness of the cosmos. God has brought forth an orderly Universe from primordial chaos (Genesis 1:2). All Creation has been created by and bears witness to God’s divine wisdom. All Creation has been brought into existence, is sustained, and comes to an end by God’s will.
God has given every living thing the “breath”* of life, but God’s intention for mankind is for more than the breath of physical life. God has created us to be eternal beings. (We are all eternal; the question is where we will choose to spend eternity; John 5:28-29.) God wants to fill us with his Spirit,* through whom we receive eternal life and fellowship with God. God wants to renew us spiritually, similarly to the way God constantly renews his Creation physically.
God’s glory is beyond what we can imagine! He uses the awesome power of his Word, by which the Universe was created, to give us physical and spiritual life! When we begin to understand God’s nature and character we will rejoice and praise him and seek to please him.
Commentary:
God’s Word, his will for Creation and mankind, has been revealed by the Bible, by Jesus Christ who is the fulfillment, personification and illustration of God’s Word in human flesh, and the divine wisdom which has been “built into” this Creation (John 1:1-5; 14). The gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Christ, the Spirit of God (Romans 8:9b) is God’s fullest personal revelation of himself to us individually. Jesus Christ is God’s only plan for the forgiveness of our sins (disobedience of God’s Word; see God’s Plan of Salvation, sidebar, top right, home), restoration to personal fellowship with God, and our spiritual re-birth and eternal life through the gift of his indwelling Holy Spirit, which only Jesus gives only to his disciples who trust and obey Jesus (John 14:15-17).
Is Jesus your Lord (Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 6:46)? Are you Jesus' disciple (John 8:31)? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus (John 14:21)? Have you received the indwelling Holy Spirit since you first truly believed (Acts 19:2)? Are you making disciples of Jesus Christ and teaching them to obey all that Jesus commands (Matthew 28:18-20)? Do you know with certainty where you will spend eternity (1 John 5:11-13; Ephesians 1:13-14)?
*The same word is translated both “breath” and “Spirit;” RSV, Psalm 104:30a note “s.”
Tuesday 7 Easter B
First Posted May 26, 2009;
Podcast: Tuesday 7 Easter B
Ezekiel 37:1-14 - The breath of life;
Background:
Ezekiel was a priest and prophet in Judah, the remnant of Israel, from before the fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonians, and during the Exile. This is a word of hope from God that although Israel feels lost beyond all hope of recovery, that God is yet able to restore them.
Ezekiel Paraphrase:
God gives the “breath*” of life to all living things in this Creation. To mankind he has given more than just physical life; he has given us an eternal soul, and through faith (obedient trust) in Jesus Christ he gives us the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit. We’re living in the physical sense and existing in the eternal sense, but without the gift of the Holy Spirit, we’re spiritually dead.
Commentary:
God’s Word through Ezekiel was fulfilled; God caused the people of Israel to return from exile after seventy years. God’s Word is eternal; it is fulfilled over and over, as the conditions of its fulfillment are met.
The imagery of this text is the picture of what the Lord is doing and will do to his people who trust and obey him. We may individually and collectively, as People, Church, and Nation, feel and seem spiritually to be very dry bones, but yet the Lord is able and willing to command the mighty wind of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:2) to blow upon us and fill us and revive us again!
Jesus Christ is the one who raises the dead to eternal life (Lazarus, for example; John 11:1-44), who has promised to return to judge the living and the dead (in the spiritual as well as physical sense; 1 Peter 4:5; John 5:28-29), and Jesus is the only one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit (John 1:31-34). It is the presence of Christ’s Holy Spirit within us that gives spiritual life (John 3:3-5-8). Through the indwelling presence of the Lord, we have personal fellowship with him, and will know that his Word is faithful and powerful. The Holy Spirit is the seal and guarantee that one is in Christ and has eternal life (2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13-14; Romans 8:9b, 11, 15-16).
When Jesus returns and raises the dead on the Day of Judgment, all will know that Jesus is the Lord, and the fulfillment of God’s Word, but then it will be too late to change our eternal destiny.
Is Jesus your Lord (Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 6:46)? Are you Jesus' disciple (John 8:31)? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus (John 14:21)? Have you received the indwelling Holy Spirit since you first truly believed (Acts 19:2)? Are you making disciples of Jesus Christ and teaching them to obey all that Jesus commands (Matthew 28:18-20)? Do you know with certainty where you will spend eternity (1 John 5:11-13; Ephesians 1:13-14)?
*The same word in Hebrew means “breath,” “wind,” and “spirit.” This text involves a play on these three words.
Wednesday 7 Easter B
First Posted May 27, 2009;
Podcast: Wednesday 7 Easter B
Acts 2:1-21 - The Day of Pentecost;
Background:
Jesus had told his disciples to stay in Jerusalem until they had received the “baptism” of the Holy Spirit (Luke 24:49; Acts1:4-5, 8), and that promise was fulfilled on the Day of Pentecost. Pentecost was originally the Jewish Feast of Weeks (a “week” of weeks; seven weeks; forty-nine days). Thus Pentecost was the fiftieth day after the offering of firstfruits at the beginning of the grain harvest (Leviticus 23:15-16).
Acts Paraphrase:
On the Day of Pentecost, the disciples were gathered together (probably in the upper room where they had celebrated Passover; The Last Supper). The sound from heaven of a mighty rushing wind filled the place. Tongues (flames) of fire appeared and were distributed and resting upon each one of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak in different foreign tongues (languages) as the Spirit moved them.
There were Jews in Jerusalem from all over the world and they heard the "commotion" and came to see what was happening. Each was amazed to hear their own language being spoken. They realized that the disciples were from Galilee, and couldn't understand how they were able to speak in the native languages of Parthians, Medes, Elamites, Mesopotamians, Judeans, and those from Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia, Phyrigia, Pamphylia, Egypt, and parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene. There were also Jews and converts to Judaism from Rome, and Cretans and Arabians, each hearing in their own language the mighty works of God. They were amazed and wondered what was happening. But some mocked the disciples and suggested that they were drunk.
But Peter stood up and began to address the multitude, saying that the disciples weren't drunk as some supposed, because it was only 9:00 A.M.. What was happening was the fulfillment of the prophecy of Joel 2:28-32. God had declared through the prophet that in the last days (after the physical coming of Jesus) God would distribute his Spirit upon all people. In that day the descendants would (all) prophesy, young and old would have prophetic visions and dreams. All the servants of the Lord would be filled with the Holy Spirit, and would prophesy.
God declared that, as the coming Day of the Lord (the Second Coming; The Day of Judgment; the End of the Age) approached, he would cause wonders to be seen in the heavens, and disturbances of nature on earth, like blood, fire, and smoke. The Sun will be darkened and the moon will become blood-red. In that Day it will be those who call on the name of the Lord who will be saved.
Commentary:
Pentecost became the birthday of the Church, when the “firstfruits” of eternal life in God’s kingdom were given in the “baptism” with the indwelling Holy Spirit. The gift of the Holy Spirit is the “down-payment,” the “security deposit,” the “seal,” that guarantees that one is in Christ and has eternal life (2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13-14; Romans 8:9b, 11, 15-16) , and it is the presence of the Holy Spirit within Christians that gives spiritual rebirth (John 3:3, 5-8) and personal fellowship with the Lord. Jesus is the only one who “baptizes” with the Holy Spirit (John 1:31-34). In the Gospels, the “baptism” of the Holy Spirit was to be accompanied with “fire” (Matthew 3:11; Luke 3:16), and this was fulfilled on the Day of Pentecost. Fire also symbolizes “refining” and “judgment” (Matthew3:12).
The “anointing” with the Holy Spirit was also manifested by speaking in “tongues” (languages) by the “anointed.” The manifestation Luke (the author of Acts) described represents the reversal of the confusion of language God caused at the Tower of Babel (Genesis 11:1-9), and one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, given to equip Christian witnesses to proclaim the Gospel. (A different manifestation of “tongues” was described in the Corinthian church; 1 Corinthians 14:1-33. That was a private ecstatic prayer language which was a sign, not for believers but for unbelievers; 1 Corinthians 14:21-22.)
Notice the change in Peter by the anointing of the Holy Spirit. Peter had been so intimidated by Jesus’ arrest that he denied his Lord three times, once to the menial servant of High Priest (Luke 22:54-62; John 18:15-27). Now he immediately proclaimed the Gospel with power, authority and boldness.
These are the “Last Days;” from Jesus’ resurrection and the Day of Pentecost onward. The prophecy of Joel, that the Lord would pour out his Spirit on all flesh (his people; those who will receive it), began to be fulfilled on the Day of Pentecost. Until the manifestation of Jesus Christ, the presence of the Holy Spirit was limited to very few individuals who trusted and obeyed God. Jesus’ sacrificial death on the Cross made it possible for his disciples to be cleansed and purified through obedient trust in Jesus (John 14:15-17), so that God’s Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Christ, could abide in them.
God’s Word declares that, in the messianic age (i.e., since the coming of Jesus Christ), the “anointing” by the Holy Spirit will be manifested in all God’s people (who seek and accept it through faith -obedient trust- in Jesus Christ). Young and old, male and female, will be inspired and empowered by the Holy Spirit to declare the prophetic Word of God, warning the world of the approaching Day of Judgment, and that salvation from eternal condemnation and eternal death is only possible through Jesus Christ, only to those who call upon him in faith (obedient trust; Acts 4:12, John 14:6).
Is Jesus your Lord (Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 6:46)? Are you Jesus' disciple (John 8:31)? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus (John 14:21)? Have you received the indwelling Holy Spirit since you first truly believed (Acts 19:2)? Are you making disciples of Jesus Christ and teaching them to obey all that Jesus commands (Matthew 28:18-20)? Do you know with certainty where you will spend eternity (1 John 5:11-13; Ephesians 1:13-14)?
Thursday 7 Easter B
First Posted May 28, 2009;
Podcast: Thursday 7 Easter B
John 7:37-39a Living Water
Background:
The Feast of Tabernacles (Feast of Booths, or Ingathering) was a commemoration of the wilderness wandering which began on the fifteenth of the seventh month (September-October) and lasted for seven days.* Temporary shelters were built in the fields, and in latter times, in Jerusalem by pilgrims to the festival. It was associated with the harvest of olives and grapes for oil and wine.***
During the seven days of the festival, water was carried in a golden pitcher from the Pool of Siloam and poured out on the altar in the temple as a reminder of the water from the rock in the wilderness (Numbers 20:2-13).** Please visualize water pouring down over the altar, onto the floor, flowing over the threshold and out into the world (compare Ezekiel 47:1-5).
Paraphrase:
It is in this context that Jesus declared at the climax of the festival that he is the source of living water which quenches spiritual thirst. To those who come to Jesus for living water Jesus gives the gift of his indwelling Holy Spirit who will become in them an (artesian) spring of living water overflowing into the world around them bringing life to others and welling up to eternal life.
Commentary:
Jesus is the fulfillment of the symbolism of the Feast of Tabernacles water ritual. Jesus is the Rock who provides living water in the wilderness of this present world which overflows into eternity (compare 1 Corinthians 10:4). Jesus is the fulfillment of the river of God flowing from his Temple, his throne (Compare Revelation 22:1-2).
Olive Oil was used to anoint kings. Jesus is the Messiah, the Christ (both words mean “anointed” in Hebrew and Greek respectively). Jesus is God’s anointed eternal king and heir to the throne of David. Jesus was anointed by God with the Holy Spirit at his baptism John 1:31-34), and Jesus is the only one who baptizes (anoints) with the Holy Spirit, only his disciples who trust and obey him (John 14:15-17).
Wine is the cup of blessing of the Passover feast which became the element of the Lord’s Supper (Holy Communion; the Eucharist) representing Jesus’ blood shed for us on the Cross as the sacrifice for the forgiveness of our sins. Wine contains alcohol (“spirit”) and is an appropriate symbol of the Holy Spirit, who gives us joy and encouragement.
The Holy Spirit is the “firstfruits” of eternal life. We begin to experience eternal life in God’s kingdom and fellowship with the Lord now through the indwelling Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the seal and guarantee that one is in Christ and has eternal life (2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13-14; Romans 8:9b, 11, 15-16).
Is Jesus your Lord (Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 6:46)? Are you Jesus' disciple (John 8:31)? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus (John 14:21)? Have you received the indwelling Holy Spirit since you first truly believed (Acts 19:2)? Are you making disciples of Jesus Christ and teaching them to obey all that Jesus commands (Matthew 28:18-20)? Do you know with certainty where you will spend eternity (1 John 5:11-13; Ephesians 1:13-14)?
*The Oxford Annotated Bible, Revised Standard Version, Ed. by Herbert G. May and Bruce M. Metzger, John 7.1-52n, p. 1294, New York, Oxford University Press, 1962.
**Ibid John 7.37-39n p 1295
***Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible, David Noel Freedman, William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., Feasts, Festivals, p 458, Grand Rapids Michigan, 2000, ISBN 0-8020-2400-5
Friday 7 Easter B
First Posted May 29, 2009;
Podcast: Friday 7 Easter B
Numbers 11:16-17, 24-29 -- The Seventy Elders “anointed”
Paraphrase:
The Lord told Moses to gather, at the tabernacle, seventy elders of the tribes of Israel who were known to be elders and officers over the people. The Lord declared that he would come down and meet with them there, and would place some of the Spirit which was upon Moses and put it upon them, so that Moses would not have to bear the burden of leading the people alone.
Moses did as the Lord had commanded, and the Lord descended upon the tabernacle in a cloud (Exodus 13:21-22). God put his some of his Spirit upon the elders and they began to prophesy, and the gift of prophecy continued in them.
Two of the Seventy, named Eldad and Medad, had remained in camp, instead of coming to the tabernacle, but the Spirit came and rested upon them, and they began to prophesy, like the others. But someone ran and told Moses what had happened. Joshua, the son of Nun, one of Moses' assistants, asked Moses to forbid Eldad and Medad from prophesying. But Moses asked Joshua if he were jealous for Moses' sake, and said, "Would that all the Lord's people were prophets, that the Lord would put his spirit upon them" (Numbers 11:29b).
Commentary:
In the Old Testament, the gift of the Holy Spirit was rare, given only to a few leaders of the people who trusted and obeyed God, whom God raised up. Jesus’ sacrificial death on the Cross made it possible for all his disciples who trust and obey Jesus to be “anointed” (filled) with the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit (John 14:15-17). Only Jesus “baptizes” with the Holy Spirit (John 1:31-34).
Christ is our “Moses” who leads us out of the “Egypt” of bondage to sin and death of this world, through the wilderness of this lifetime and into the eternal Promised Land of God’s heavenly kingdom. Jesus’ disciples are called by the Lord to enter into and complete the mission of forgiveness of sin (disobedience of God’s Word), salvation from eternal condemnation, and restoration of fellowship with God to all who will receive it as a free gift, through faith (obedient trust) in Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:8-9).
As Moses needed the seventy Holy Spirit-filled and inspired elders to help lead the people of God in the wilderness, the Church of Jesus Christ needs Spirit-filled and inspired disciples to carry out Christ’s mission on earth. In a sense all the people of the world are God’s people, because he is their Creator, whether they acknowledge him or not. God loves each one, and doesn’t want any to perish eternally (John 3:16-17).
The Lord is faithful and he knows the innermost thoughts and attitudes of each of us. Eldad and Medad received the “anointing” of the Holy Spirit even though they were not in the “house of God” with the rest of the seventy elders. Their “anointing” did not depend upon their enrollment in the “church” or their acceptance by the hierarchy of Church leaders. The human “church hierarchy” tried to exclude Eldad and Medad, because they weren’t members of their group, and they wanted to keep the power and position of leadership among themselves.
Moses (as the forerunner and illustration of Christ) was not jealous and threatened by Eldad’s and Medad’s anointing, and welcomed their participation, recognizing it as the authentic gift of God. Moses’ prayer was that not only Eldad and Medad, but all the people of God, the members of the Congregation, would be filled with the Holy Spirit and proclaim God’s Word.
Jesus has made that possible. All Christians are to be disciples of Jesus Christ, to learn to trust and obey Jesus, to wait for and seek the infilling of the Holy Spirit (John 14:15-17; Luke 24:49, Acts 1:4-5, 8) and then to go into the world and proclaim the Word of God in the power, guidance and authority of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the seal and guarantee that one is in Christ and has eternal life (2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13-14; Romans 8:9b, 11, 15-16). Anyone who does not have the “anointing,” the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Christ, does not belong to Christ (Romans 8:9b).
Is Jesus your Lord (Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 6:46)? Are you Jesus' disciple (John 8:31)? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus (John 14:21)? Have you received the indwelling Holy Spirit since you first truly believed (Acts 19:2)? Are you making disciples of Jesus Christ and teaching them to obey all that Jesus commands (Matthew 28:18-20)? Do you know with certainty where you will spend eternity (1 John 5:11-13; Ephesians 1:13-14)?
Saturday 7 Easter B
First Posted May 29, 2009;
Podcast: Saturday 7 Easter B
Romans 8:14-17, 22-27 Led by the Spirit;
Paraphrase:
“For all who are led by the Spirit are sons (and daughters) of God” (Romans 8:14).
The Holy Spirit sets us free from slavery to sin and fear of eternal condemnation and eternal death. When we pray to God our Father in the fullness and inspiration of the Holy Spirit the Holy Spirit himself confirms that we are children of God. So we can be certain that we share the inheritance and glory of God with Jesus as we share in Jesus’ suffering for the Gospel now in this present world.
This whole Creation, and we ourselves, have been subjected to limitations, deterioration and decay, which are like delivery pains, in order to give birth to God’s eternal kingdom. The gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit within us is the “first fruits,” the “security deposit,” the “down-payment” securing our eternal life in the new eternal Creation in heaven, which has been freed from the deterioration and decay of this present Creation. God taught his children to give an offering to God of the “first fruits” of the harvest, so that we can acknowledge his providence and can understand that the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit is his “first fruits” offering to us assuring us of the full spiritual harvest of eternal life in his heavenly kingdom, his new Creation, freed from bondage to death and decay.
We now “groan inwardly” and long to be free from the suffering and deterioration of life in this present Creation as we wait for our heavenly adoption and the redemption of our earthly bodies, because that is the promise and the hope in which we received salvation. We can’t see and experience it yet, or there would be no need for hope, but we can wait patiently for it in confidence because of the gift of the Holy Spirit within us.
The Holy Spirit within us sustains us and intercedes for us to God, beyond and overcoming our human weakness. In our human limitations we don’t even know what we truly need, but we can be assured that Spirit of God does and will intercede for us according to God’s will and eternal purpose, which is to create an eternal kingdom of his people who willingly trust and obey him, following and conforming to the example of Jesus Christ (see Romans 8:29-30).
Commentary:
God has given us life in this Creation so that we can have the opportunity to seek and come to know that God is good and that he loves us (Acts 17:26-27). God created this world “very good,” (Genesis 1:31a) but it is temporal; it is limited in time, as are we. It grows old and deteriorates as do we ourselves. The evil in this world is caused by man’s disobedience of God’s Word (the definition of “sin”), which God allows so that we will have the freedom to choose whether to trust and obey God or not.
Jesus has always been God’s one and only plan for the forgiveness of our sin, salvation from eternal condemnation and eternal death, and restoration to fellowship with God (Acts 4:12; John 14:6; see God’s Plan of Salvation, sidebar, top right, home). Jesus Christ has been built into the very structure of this Creation (John 1:1-5, 14). Jesus came into the world, born of the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:30-35), so that we could see what being born of the Holy Spirit “looks like” in human flesh, and so that we could be spiritually re-born (John 3:3, 5-8) through faith (obedient trust) in Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit within us makes it possible to follow Jesus’ example and to become like him.
God has revealed his goodness and love in Creation, and in his Word (the Bible). Jesus Christ is God’s fullest revelation of himself to the world in human flesh. Jesus Christ is the fulfillment, embodiment and illustration of God’s Word in human flesh (John 1:14). The gift of the Holy Spirit is the fullest revelation of God and Jesus Christ to us personally and individually (John 14:21, 23).
Only Jesus “baptizes” with the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit (John 1:31-34) only upon his disciples who trust and obey him (Jesus; the Holy Spirit; John 14:15-17; Isaiah 42:5e). The Holy Spirit is the seal and guarantee that one is in Christ and has eternal life (2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13-14; Romans 8:9b, 11, 15-16).
Is Jesus your Lord (Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 6:46)? Are you Jesus' disciple (John 8:31)? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus (John 14:21)? Have you received the indwelling Holy Spirit since you first truly believed (Acts 19:2)? Are you making disciples of Jesus Christ and teaching them to obey all that Jesus commands (Matthew 28:18-20)? Do you know with certainty where you will spend eternity (1 John 5:11-13; Ephesians 1:13-14)?
