Today we begin our series on the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Galatian Christians.
Along with the letter to the Romans, Galatians is widely considered one of the two most important letters written by the Apostle Paul. These “books” in the Bible contain his strongest statements of theology concerning God’s plan of redemption for the world through Jesus Christ. As a result, the arguments and language of Galatians can be densely packed and difficult to grasp. To make matters even more difficult, there have been sharp disagreements about how to interpret and understand the finer nuances of Paul’s theology, and those disagreements have possibly become more strenuous in the last 15 years than they have ever been.
However, there is no reason we can’t read this letter together, and – with some diligent attention to the Old Testament narrative on the one hand and the first-century backdrop on the other – fully grasp Paul’s message to the extend that we are able today (we are always advancing in our understanding of theology, and we can expect that to continue).
Still, this will require some work on our part and it is well worth the effort.
Paul’s letter concerns nothing less than the meaning of the Christian “good news” or gospel, so this is something we must endeavor to get right. We’ve spent the better part of the last year reading through Christ’s teachings, ministry, death and resurrection, and as we move on to Paul’s letters we should bear in mind that some popular renderings of the Christian gospel (such as “Accept Jesus into your heart so you can be ’saved’ and go to heaven when you die” or, Joel Osteen’s “Let Jesus help you live your best life now” or political pundit Glen Beck’s recent articulation of the Christian gospel, “It’s all about you“) owe much to historical readings of Galatians and Romans, but they bear little resemblance to Jesus’ message of the Kingdom (see Matt 4-7, Matt 13, and Matt 25:31-46).
This apparent distance between Paul’s message and Jesus’ message is something we’ve inherited from the Reformation. 500 years ago the Protestant Reformers saw Paul’s strong emphasis on “salvation by grace through faith alone” as a powerful critique (and rightly so) of certain Catholic doctrines and practices that had no grounding in scripture. This Reformation emphasis, however, filtered through Enlightenment philosophies in the ensuing centuries, has only widened the apparent gulf between Jesus and Paul, leading some prominent contemporary theologians to conclude that Paul simply invented a new greek-influenced religion on top of Jesus’ death – a religion, they assert, that has nothing to do with the teachings of Jesus.
This problem is not merely academic. Despite 500 years of strong emphasis on “salvation by grace alone through faith” in Protestant churches it is widely recognized today that the Western Church bears little resemblance to Jesus (the Catholic Church and Orthodox Church fare no better). Unbelievers have noticed too. As one recent book title puts it, They Like Jesus, But Not the Church.
So, one way to attempt to move past the weak or thin versions of the gospel mentioned above is to try to grasp how Paul’s teachings do, in fact, build faithfully on the gospel of the Kingdom that Jesus proclaimed and demonstrated. This means we will need to dig a little deeper than normal, and perhaps ask some uncomfortable questions about our understanding of the gospel that reveal our own Enlightenment prejudices.
Again, let me say, it is well worth the effort. If we, as a small group of Jesus followers, do not grasp the depth and breadth of the good news that Jesus brings to the world we will be of little use to ourselves or anyone else. For the next 8-10 weeks, I’m asking you to make sacrifices in order to grapple with this letter from Paul. Work less. Spend less time watching television or surfing the internet. Spend less time at the gym. Whatever it takes to carve out an hour or so a day to seriously engage with the gospel of Jesus Christ that Paul is articulating.
No matter what you currently believe about the gospel, I can nearly guarantee that Paul’s breathtaking revelation of Jesus’ gospel will turn out to be a bigger, more surprising, perhaps more scandalous, and definitely more powerfully relevant to “real life” today than you realized.
A final word on what to expect from the format. Over the next 8-10 weeks we will gather on Sunday nights as usual and read through a portion of the text and engage with its meaning (we started last night by reading Galatians 1:1-2:10). Every Monday through Friday between gatherings we’ll engage with daily readings that help is dig a little deeper than we’re able on Sunday nights.
Today is our final reading before Easter, and much like yesterday’s chapter, today’s is packed with action as Jesus approaches the climactic moment of his earthly ministry. Take time to read through Matthew 27 today and reflect on the questions below:
Questions for Reflection:
- What scene or character in this chapter do you most identify with? Why?
- Imagine you were one of Jesus’ disciples, and expected him to be the anointed one who finally overthrew the Roman oppressors and vindicated you and your people. How would this series of events impact you? How might you have made sense of it all?
- There is a tension that runs throughout Jesus’ ministry between him and his followers: they want him to conquer with power but he typically serves and sacrifices instead – including giving the ultimate sacrifice. That is, Christ’s strength always looked like weakness. How does this tension continue today between Christ and his followers?
Today read Matthew Chapter 26 and reflect on the questions below.
Questions for Reflection:
1. Chapter 26 is packed with action. What portion of it speaks to you most powerfully and why?
2. Which character in this chapter do you personally identify with most? What does it teach you about Christ and about your relationship with God?
Today’s reading is a little longer, and introduces us to Jesus’ teachings about the end of the age – a subject we don’t often hear about during the Easter season, but one that is obviously tied to his resurrection. So, read Matthew Chapter 24 and 25 and reflect on the questions below.
Questions for Reflection
- How would you sum up Chapter 24? What is the main thing Jesus seems to be trying to say?
- How would you sum up the teaching of the three parables in Chapter 25?
- Why do you think Jesus might be discussing this during the week leading up to his crucifixion and resurrection?
- How do you think this subject of the end of the age might be relevant for us today?
Today read Matthew Chapter 23 and contribute your thoughts to the comments below.
Questions for Reflection
- What single saying in this long list of “woes” strikes you most or which one best sums up the whole list? Why?
- If Jesus were to come today and give a modern version of the “woes” for Christians, what kinds of hypocritical behaviors do you think he would be condemning?
Today read Matthew Chapter 22 and Deuteronomy 6:4-9 and contribute your thoughts to the comments below.
Questions for Reflection
- In this passage Jesus quotes part of the Jewish Shema from Deut 6, the most important prayer practice in Judaism (you can read more about the importance of the Shema here). How do you think reciting Deut 6:4-9 three times daily might affect your thoughts and life positively?
- How can we know if a religious practice, like reciting the Shema three times daily, is effective for good spiritual formation or if it is merely an empty religious ritual? How are Jesus’ words in Matt 21-22 helpful in making this distinction?
Today read Matthew Chapter 21 and Zechariah 9:9-17 and contribute your thoughts to the comments below.
Questions for Reflection
- Based on the prophecy in Zechariah 9, what would your expectations have been of Jesus if you were a Jew in that crowd?
- If Jesus is the promised messiah, why do you think he did and said these things in Matt 21? Are his actions and teachings consistent with Zechariah 9?
- What do you think Jesus is trying to get across in Matt 21?
and you know me.
2 You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar.
3 You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways.
4 Before a word is on my tongue
you, LORD, know it completely.
5 You hem me in behind and before,
and you lay your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too lofty for me to attain.
7 Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
10 even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
and the light become night around me,”
12 even the darkness will not be dark to you;
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you.
13 For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,
16 your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me
were written in your book
before one of them came to be.
17 How precious to me are your thoughts, [a] God!
How vast is the sum of them!
18 Were I to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand—
when I awake, I am still with you.
19 If only you, God, would slay the wicked!
Away from me, you who are bloodthirsty!
20 They speak of you with evil intent;
your adversaries misuse your name.
21 Do I not hate those who hate you, LORD,
and abhor those who are in rebellion against you?
22 I have nothing but hatred for them;
I count them my enemies.
23 Search me, God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
24 See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.
One of the remarkable things about the Psalms – and David’s writing in particular – is the intimacy being expressed. The use of “I” and “You” represent two concepts previously unexplored in ancient literature: the personal voice and the intimate God. This is the same kind of deep intimacy we encounter in the prayers of Jesus.
As we wind down our time in the Psalms and our study of prayer in genera, this prayer by David from Psalm 86 seems to sum up many of the touch points in prayer we’ve visited.
Hear, O LORD, and answer me,
for I am poor and needy.
2 Guard my life, for I am devoted to you.
You are my God; save your servant
who trusts in you.
3 Have mercy on me, O Lord,
for I call to you all day long.
4 Bring joy to your servant,
for to you, O Lord,
I lift up my soul.
5 You are forgiving and good, O Lord,
abounding in love to all who call to you.
6 Hear my prayer, O LORD;
listen to my cry for mercy.
7 In the day of my trouble I will call to you,
for you will answer me.
8 Among the gods there is none like you, O Lord;
no deeds can compare with yours.
9 All the nations you have made
will come and worship before you, O Lord;
they will bring glory to your name.
10 For you are great and do marvelous deeds;
you alone are God.
11 Teach me your way, O LORD,
and I will walk in your truth;
give me an undivided heart,
that I may fear your name.
12 I will praise you, O Lord my God, with all my heart;
I will glorify your name forever.
13 For great is your love toward me;
you have delivered me from the depths of the grave.
14 The arrogant are attacking me, O God;
a band of ruthless men seeks my life—
men without regard for you.
15 But you, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God,
slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.
16 Turn to me and have mercy on me;
grant your strength to your servant
and save the son of your maidservant.
17 Give me a sign of your goodness,
that my enemies may see it and be put to shame,
for you, O LORD, have helped me and comforted me.
Prayer Exercise
Much like the Lord’s prayer, this covers a wide range of human concerns. Take some time to pray through this Psalm much like we practiced with the Lord’s prayer, using it as a kind of outline. This is much longer than the Lord’s prayer, so you may want to select four or five verses that seem particularly striking to you and use those. If it helps, you could print it out double-spaced, and then write in the margins your own similar prayers alongside David’s.
Troubled over all the evil and injustice in the world? It’s hard not to be, because we’re aware of so much of it. Refugees running from murderous regimes. The slave trade is alive and well. People are “disappeared” all the time by corrupt governments. Torture is renamed “enhanced interrogation techniques” and becomes acceptable. And then there’s the complicated, tragic mess that is Haiti.
It’s overwhelming! Which seems to be why Psalm 37 is in the Bible. It has the potential to be an extremely irritating psalm, though, because it essentially tells us not to get so worked up over evil. The most annoying time to hear “don’t get angry” is when you’re angry. But there it is, three times in the first few verses:
“Don’t worry about the wicked” (1)
“Don’t worry about evil people” (7)
“Don’t lose your temper” (8)
Aren’t we supposed to be angry about the injustice in the world? Aren’t we supposed to care? What’s with all the don’t worry, be happy talk?
Psalm 37 helps us understand, and is a powerful tool against worry and rage in the face of evil. It empowers us in three ways:
- It tells us why we don’t need to worry: because God will bring about justice for his people in his own time and his own way. God is taking care of things and will make sure justice is done. In the end “the meek will inherit the land and will live in peace and prosperity” (11). Jesus quoted this psalm in the beatitudes, which likewise call for patience and faithfulness in the face of evil.
- The way it tells us why is also important: it’s written as an acrostic poem, every other line begins with the next letter of the Hebrew alphabet. It lends itself to repeating the same ideas in different ways. When we’re upset, we’re like children who simply need to be told over and over, and in many different ways, that everything is going to be alright. Psalm 37 does that.
- This psalm also tells us how to trust God despite the evil we encounter every day: “Trust in the Lord” (3). “Take delight in the Lord” (4). “Commit everything you do to the Lord” (5). “Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act” (7), etc.
Prayer exercise
Take a moment and identify what is worrying you right now. What people or situations are bothering you, causing anger or worry to rise up in you?
Now read Psalm 37 in its entirety out loud, pausing to reflect when a command is given to trust in the Lord or take delight in the Lord. Perhaps you’ll want to keep a bookmark at that place in your Bible so you can return to this Psalm when the injustice of the world starts to overwhelm you again.
