What If Caiaphas Had Tweeted?

Mark Coppenger | March 13, 2013 | The Bible + Life

It’s interesting to follow the Twitter traffic during episodes of The Bible on the History Channel. Though reaction to the series has been pretty positive, there are detractors. One tweeted a summary “Yawn” to the second installment, adding, “David seems like more of a smart aleck than a man after God’s own heart.” Another ventured some humor: “The folks live tweeting The Bible are being very inconsiderate. Some of us are still reading the book and don’t appreciate the spoilers.” And others brought out preaching points: “David tells Bathsheba ‘No one will ever know!’ 3000 yrs later the world still knows.”

This social media reaction to screen characters makes me wonder how things might have gone had Twitter been in full gear in Bible times. Maybe Eutychus would have tweeted, “Yawn. Paul’s already made that point twice, and I’ve got to get up for work at dawn,” just before he fell asleep and keeled out of a third story window in Troas (Acts 20:7-12). Or maybe one of Paul’s critics would have observed, “Hey, I thought this guy was supposed to be a great spokesman for God. He’s not that dazzling” (2 Corinthians 11:6).

Who knows what jokes would have circulated (“A Roman, a Sadducee, and an Essene go into a tavern and . . .”). And past missteps would have taken on new life as tweets, retweets, and Google citations (“Peter may talk grand now, but he was a wimp when I asked him a simple question by the campfire one night” [Luke 22:54-62]).

If today’s traffic is any indication, embarrassing photos would have gone viral (Bartholomew picking his nose?); astonishing videos would be suspect (“If you look really, really close, you’ll see a jump in the image when He doubles that fish by breaking it.”); Caiphas would have tweeted warnings to and about the Lord; Peter would have tried to delete the one where he said he’d never let Jesus down; Judas would have used ListServe for fundraising, as would a Dalmanuthan trying to get his fishing buddies to come hear this new “rabbi” on the shores of Galilee; Nicodemus might have stopped his tweeting long enough to ask Jesus for clarification, “Wait a minute. How do you spell ‘born again’ in Greek?” (John 3); disciples could have used Twitter for logistics—“Hey, folks, can anybody use extra food? We’ve got 12 baskets of leftovers?” (Matthew 14:20); key points of the Sermon on the Mount would have gone out in real time.

Galatians 4:4-5 says that God sent Jesus to earth “in the fullness of time,” when circumstances were ripe for the gospel revelation. A common language, the Pax Romana, and a great road system served the first-century spread of the gospel. The Law, the Writings, and the Prophets were in place, all pointing to the Messiah. God’s people had, through the centuries, shown that they needed grace and mercy, and not just a set of rules and animal sacrifices. Things were finally in place.

I think we can be grateful that other things, such as Twitter, were not yet in place. As valuable as tweets can be, I can’t help but think they would have made hash of Jesus’ timing, forcing a premature, “nuclear” confrontation with the authorities. And confused, inflammatory gossip would have metastasized more quickly (“I can’t believe He called the Pharisees ‘whitewashed goons’” [Matthew 23:27]).

Thank God the Lord came when the time was ripe—and not overripe with social media frenzy.

Can’t I Just Skip Over the Genealogies in the Bible?

BibleMesh | March 7, 2013 | Q&A On The Bible

The Bible contains some long genealogies, with a host of strange names, from Jehoshaphat to Shealtiel. It’s tempting to ignore or skim over them. After all, what does it matter that Azor was the father of Zadok or Abijah the father of Asaph?

But a closer look shows them rich in significance. For instance, the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew 1:1-17 shows that God was utterly faithful to bless the nations through Abraham and to raise up a king from the line of David, just as He promised. The world was oblivious to Jesus’ bloodline around the time of Perez or Eliud, but God was at work through these people just the same. Generation after generation, the Lord superintended history, ensuring that the “torch would not be dropped.”

This doesn’t mean that all the torchbearers had flawless pedigrees or resumes. Rahab is a prime example. Hebrews 11:31 says she was a prostitute in Jericho before she joined the Israelite cause and later became the mother of Boaz, who married Ruth. And what about Ruth, also an ancestor of Jesus? Well, she was a fine woman, faithful to her widowed mother-in-law Naomi. But she came from the Moabite people, who were offspring of an incestuous encounter between a drunken Lot and one of his daughters.

Then there was David, who took another man’s wife for himself and had the husband killed to cover his adultery.

These people don’t sound like promising material for God’s great work of salvation on earth, but He is able to work with everyone and everything to accomplish his purposes.

So when you read that Hezekiah was the father of Manasseh, don’t glaze over, but thank God for His constancy in shepherding the inheritance of Abraham through the centuries. And when you read that some of the procreators were scoundrels or the relatives of scoundrels, rejoice that He can do great things with bad bets. There’s even hope for us.

(Note: This article is presented within The Biblical Story Course as an Insight under Books of the Bible, Matthew’s Genealogy).

“Refuge” in the Psalms

David Roach | March 4, 2013 | The Bible + Life

While reading through the Psalms recently, one word caught my attention: refuge. In the ESV its noun and verb forms occur again and again—more than 40 times in all, as in “take refuge in him,” “the LORD is his refuge,” “he is the saving refuge of his anointed,” “be a rock of refuge for me,” etc. (If you use another translation, the verb form might be rendered “put trust in” or “find protection in,” and the noun could also be translated “protection” or “stronghold.”) Since it seemed like an important word, I looked up its Hebrew root (hasah) in a lexicon. What I found reminded me that in the Bible individual words are important. In this case God loaded a single word with life-changing value.

“Refuge” calls our attention first of all to sin and the wreckage it causes. When the Old Testament speaks of refuge, it is always in the context of a threat, something wrong or dangerous in the world. Sometimes the threat is physical, as in seeking refuge from a rain storm (Job 24:8; Isaiah 4:6), shade from hot sun (Judges 9:15), or protection from adversaries (Psalm 61:3). In other instances, the threat is spiritual or emotional, as in a refuge from shame (Psalm 31:1; 71:1) or loneliness (Psalm 142:4). But in all these cases, the Bible’s use of “refuge” reminds us that we live in a world wrecked by sin—a world of dangers around us and brokenness inside us. We cannot avoid these realities, only seek shelter from them.

Yet the word “refuge” also calls our attention to God’s power to save us from sin and its consequences. Many times, it references His ability to protect us from the dangers just described. He provides shelter in a storm, vindication in the face of shame, and friendship in times of loneliness. Even more significantly, the Lord is our refuge in the Day of Judgment. Though He will bring a day of reckoning for sin, He grants His people forgiveness and gives them refuge from His wrath (Nahum 1:7; Deuteronomy 32:37). Indeed, the greatest need of all men and women is shelter from the horrible consequences of sin, and this word in Scripture reminds us that God offers such shelter.

Not everyone receives this shelter though. The Hebrew verb “to seek refuge” implies placing one’s trust in the source of shelter in order to receive its benefits. Job 24:8 speaks of people clinging to rocks in a rain storm to find refuge, and in Psalm 104:18 badgers find protection from danger by seeking refuge under rocks. Most of the time, however, the trusting implied by this word is spiritual in nature, especially in the Psalms. Those who seek protection from ruin and judgment by trusting idols are foolish (Deuteronomy 32:37). Those who seek shelter from the consequences of their sin by lying about it will be destroyed (Isaiah 28:15-17). Those who depend on their riches for deliverance from sin’s curse likewise will be ruined (Psalm 52:7). Only those who seek refuge from judgment by trusting God and following Him will be sheltered from eternal ruin. “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1).

The Old Testament’s use of “refuge” is, in a sense, an old covenant rendering of John 3:16, calling to mind the fact that clinging to Jesus as our Lord and Savior is the only way to find shelter from God’s judgment—“. . . whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

Of course, every instance of “refuge” doesn’t imply all of this meaning. Sometimes badgers are simply seeking protection under a rock. The specific meaning is determined by context. Still, the depth of meaning in this one Hebrew word reminds us that every single word in Scripture is inspired by God, powerful to change our lives, and worthy of careful study. Just try paying attention to “refuge” next time you read through the Psalms.

Humans Are Made in God’s Image. What Does That Mean?

BibleMesh | February 28, 2013 | Q&A On The Bible

(Note: This is a portion of an article on Image of God that is presented within The Biblical Story Course under ERA 1: Creation, lesson 2).

Statement of the Doctrine
Among all the creatures of the earth, only human beings are made in God’s own image and likeness. The Creator established a unique relationship with humanity, giving to humans a special moral status and vesting them with dignity and respect.

Biblical Support
The image of God (Latin: imago Dei) is one of the foundational concepts revealed in the opening chapter of the Bible. Establishing a unique relationship with humans, the triune God declared, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness” (Genesis 1:26). In short, the Bible teaches that to be human is to image God and to image God is to be human.

The doctrine of the image of God plays an important role in the history of salvation. The author of Genesis teaches that Adam’s son, Seth, was an imager of God just as his father was (Genesis 5:1-3). Moreover, in the covenant God made with Noah and his children after the Flood, the image of God is provided as the reason human life is distinct from animal life (Genesis 9:6). Furthermore, the Apostle James says that because they are imagers of God, we should not curse other humans (James 3:9).

Historical Interpretation
Historically, there are several prominent interpretations of the imago Dei. First, the relational view highlights God’s closeness to human beings in personal relationship. Second, the structural view of the image of God points to certain qualities or abilities that distinguish humans from animals: rational capacity, volition, moral awareness, and consciousness, for instance. Finally, the functional view focuses on the functions humans are called to serve in God’s created order; namely, to be dominion stewards over the earth (Genesis 1:28).

There is truth in all of these options. The most important point to make, however, is that human beings, and only human beings, are imagers of God. This accords every human being special status in God’s eyes (see Psalms 8:1-9) and requires that they be treated with dignity and respect.

BibleMesh
Human beings are, by nature, religious. They may even know that a powerful Deity exists (see Romans 1:19-20 and Acts 17:22-38). Yet, as Augustine famously said, “[O]ur heart is restless until it rests in you [God].” Furthermore, God loves human beings. He sent His own Son in human flesh to die for human beings. Finally, He is concerned for the ways humans treat one another. The doctrine of the sanctity of every human life and the notion of human dignity ground the Judeo-Christian conception of human rights and the protection of human life from conception until natural death.

Quick-Take Video on Image of God
Prof. C. Ben Mitchell (Union University, Jackson, TN) provides a brief teaching video on the Image of God and how it should impact our understanding of man’s role and value in the world.

WWJD—As a Youth?

BibleMesh | February 22, 2013 | The Bible + Life

49 “Why were you searching for me?” he asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” 50 But they did not understand what he was saying to them. 51 Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart. 52 And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men. Luke 2:49-52 (NIV)

The question, “What would Jesus do?” came to prominence through the writing of Charles Sheldon, whose book, In His Steps, was an American best seller just before the dawning of the 20th century. In the book, a town was revived by devotion to the single standard that actions be Christlike. Almost a century later, the question again took center stage through republication of the book and the widespread production of bumper stickers, bracelets, board games, and study-group materials with the label, “WWJD.” Through it all, the obvious assumption was that the Jesus in question was an adult, but there is one passage that sheds light on His behavior as a boy. It too is instructive.

Though apocryphal writings presume to report a number of deeds from Jesus’ youth, the New Testament offers only this one between the time of His baby dedication at the temple (Luke 2:22) and His baptism in the Jordan by John the Baptist (Luke 3:21). The year before His bar mitzvah at 13, his parents took him to Jerusalem during Passover. Upon departure, they lost track of Him, assuming, quite reasonably, that He was somewhere in the group with which they were traveling. When, though, they could not locate Him in the camp, they headed back to Jerusalem in search of their boy.

Though His parents knew Him to be the Messiah, they were still indignant at his choice to remain with the teachers. Like contemporary Christians, they were susceptible to irrational anxiety, questioning the Lord’s judgment and actions at one point or another. In this case, Jesus was dialoguing respectfully with teachers of Scripture. Mary was exasperated, asking how He could treat them that way. She spoke of the imposition on Jesus’ father (little “f” – v. 48), and He responded that He needed to be in the house of His Father (capital “F” – v. 49).

Here things could have broken down. The parents had misread His nature and were dismayed at what they perceived to be a misdeed. The youth was involved in an edifying project, consonant with His highest calling. He could call on resources to survive and prosper on His own. So what did He do? “[H]e went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them” (v. 51, italics added for emphasis). He literally chose to be “arranged under” them (from hupotasso).

How remarkable that the Lord of the universe would submit Himself to earthly parents. Of course, it is no less odd than a sinless man’s submission to baptism, as in Jesus’ case at Jordan. But in both instances, Christ honored institutions that we must honor—baptism and parenting.

Consider the authority that the young Jesus gave to parents of all times by His example in Nazareth. Mothers and fathers have not seized their basic prerogatives; they are a gift from God, as was demonstrated and validated by the Savior’s behavior in His youth. Accordingly, the use of this parental authority is a matter of sacred stewardship, to be exercised with the utmost care. For parents, the question is more particularly WWJHYD (“What would Jesus have you do?”) The answer is obvious—to raise children scripturally for the glory of God.

Marriage from Genesis to Revelation

David Roach | February 18, 2013 | The Bible + Culture

A group of homosexual activists recently published what they called the “Queen James Bible”—an edition of Scripture with eight verses edited in order to prevent “homophobic interpretations.” The implication is that if these eight verses are tweaked, the Bible doesn’t have anything to say condemning homosexuality or limiting marriage to the covenant union of one man and one woman for life. The editors of the Queen James Bible were terribly wrong, for from Genesis to Revelation Scripture teaches that marriage between a man and a woman is God’s standard and it condemns supposed alternatives. Of course, every book does not contain an explicit command against homosexuality, and some mentions of marriage and family assume the traditional structure rather than commending it explicitly. But through precepts, examples, analogies, and prohibitions the Bible makes it clear that God loves marriage and hates all affronts to this covenant union.

Genesis records the creation of marriage in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2:18-25). Exodus gives the commandment not to commit adultery (Exodus 20:14). Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13 clearly condemn homosexuality. (These verses are not merely prohibitions against having homosexual relations with male prostitutes in Molech’s temple, as the Queen James Bible asserts.) Numbers 5:11-31 exalts marital faithfulness by imposing stiff penalties on a woman who breaks her marriage vows. Deuteronomy 5:18 repeats the command against adultery in its recounting of the Ten Commandments.

In Joshua, Caleb’s offer of his daughter’s hand in marriage as a reward for conquering a Canaanite city clearly suggests that marriage is a blessing (Joshua 15:16-17). Judges contains a graphic example of Israel’s violating the Lord’s standards of sexual purity and depicts such behavior as wickedness (Judges 19:22-30). Ruth contains the famous love story between Ruth and Boaz. In 1 & 2 Samuel David’s marriage to Abigail pictures a woman of character and a brave man uniting in a covenant bond (1 Samuel 25:1-43). Solomon’s violation of God’s standards for marriage in 1 & 2 Kings led to division of his kingdom (1 Kings 11:1-13). The first nine chapters of 1 & 2 Chronicles are a genealogy showing that God propagated the line of His chosen people through heterosexual marriage and childbearing. In Ezra Israel wept and repented of breaking God’s command regarding whom to marry (chapters 9-10). Nehemiah confronted, cursed, and beat those who broke God’s commandments on marriage (Nehemiah 13:23-25). In Esther even a pagan king recognizes the blessings of marriage to a godly woman.

Job pictures the protagonist’s wife beside him through trial (Job 2:9-10). Psalm 51 records David’s brokenness after taking sex outside marriage, while Psalm 45 celebrates a royal wedding. Proverbs is filled with warnings against adultery (e.g., Proverbs 7:1-27) and tells a man to delight in the wife of his youth (5:18). Ecclesiastes admonishes a man to enjoy life with his wife (Ecclesiastes 12:9). Song of Solomon is an entire book glorifying heterosexual marriage.

Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, and Ezekiel all use the image of a woman breaking her marriage covenant to depict the wickedness of Israel’s covenant breaking with God (Isaiah 1:21; Jeremiah 2:1-37; Lamentations 1:2; Ezekiel 16:1-63). Daniel 5:1-30 pictures God’s judgment on a hedonistic king as he throws a drunken party with his wives and concubines. Hosea illustrates the sinfulness and shame of a wife who breaks the marriage covenant with her husband (chapters 1-3). Joel 2:8 references the sadness of a betrothed virgin whose husband dies before she can experience the joy of marriage consummation. Amos 2:7-8 condemns deviations from marriage in ritual prostitution and incest. Obadiah, Jonah, Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah announce God’s judgment against the Assyrians and Babylonians—kingdoms whose sin involved sexualized religions that perverted God’s design for marriage. Micah 1:7 likens Israel’s spiritual infidelity to the physical immorality of a prostitute. In Haggai 2:5 God vows to keep promises He made to Israel hundreds of years earlier. Of course, the preservation of His people to see such fulfillment was made possible by their procreation through heterosexual marriage. Zechariah personifies wickedness as a woman, possibly representing Israel’s sin of marrying foreign wives or their idolatrous worship of perverse female deities (Zechariah 5:5-8). Malachi 2:14-15 references God’s plan instituted at creation for a man and woman to enter a covenant relationship producing godly offspring.

Matthew, Mark, and Luke all depict Jesus speaking against divorce and exalting the lifelong nature of marriage between a man a woman (Matthew 5:27-32; Mark 10:1-12; Luke 16:18). In John, Jesus performs His first miracle at a wedding feast (John 2:1-11). Acts shows Aquila and Priscilla as an example of a husband and wife working together to advance the gospel (Acts 18:24-28). Romans 1:26-27 condemns those who depart from God’s plan for marriage and engage in homosexual acts—a passage edited in the Queen James. First Corinthians condemns sex outside marriage and commands it within marriage (1 Corinthians 7:1-40). In 2 Corinthians 12:21 Paul expressed fear that the Corinthians had not repented of sexual sin.

Galatians 5:19-21 includes among the sinful “works of the flesh” sexual immorality, sensuality, and orgies. Perhaps the Bible’s most famous passage praising marriage is Ephesians 5:22-33. In Philippians Paul uses the metaphor of a family to describe the warmth of his relationship with Timothy (Philippians 2:21). Colossians 3:18-19 gives instructions for the relationship between husbands and wives. First Thessalonians commands believers to abstain from sexual immorality and control their bodies (1 Thessalonians 4:3-5). As former pagans, the Thessalonians’ temptation toward pagan sexual sins likely was strong. So Paul’s admonition in 2 Thessalonians to live worthy of their Christian calling (2 Thessalonians 1:11) surely included fidelity to the marriage covenant. First Timothy lists being “the husband of one wife” among the qualifications for both elders and deacons (1 Timothy 3:2, 12). Another mention of Aquila and Priscilla in 2 Timothy 4:19 suggests they were still faithful to one another years after their initial appearance in Acts. Titus 1:6 repeats that an elder must be “the husband of one wife.” In Philemon commentators think Apphia, mentioned in verse 2, may have been Philemon’s wife.

Hebrews 13:4 commands, “Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled.” James 2:11 repeats God’s command not to commit adultery. First Peter gives further instructions for husbands and wives (1 Peter 3:1-7). Second Peter 2:6 mentions God’s judgment of Sodom and Gomorrah (from which we get the word “sodomy”) as an example of what the Lord will do to the wicked. First John uses the roles in a traditional family to reference various groups in the church, a warm greeting that reflects John’s positive opinion of the family (1 John 2:12-14). John again uses family imagery in 2 John—a lady and her children—to address either a church figuratively or an individual (verse 1). Third John employs warm family language again to describe John’s relationship with the believers (verse 4). Jude also mentions Sodom and Gomorrah’s judgment, this time with an explicit mention of their homosexual sins (verse 7). Finally, Revelation compares the joyful consummation of God’s relationship with His people to a wedding (Revelation 19:9; 21:9).

To change the Bible’s teaching on marriage, a person has to do a lot more than edit eight verses.