Context | Knowable Word

Context Matters: All Things Work Together For Good

September 7, 2018 By Peter Krol

Perhaps, when you went through a tough spell, a friend or mentor reminded you that all things work together for good for those who love God. Perhaps you’ve reminded others of the same thing in their tough spells. And such comfort may be in line with what the Apostle Paul hoped to achieve in Romans 8:28. But do you understand why? Do you understand what is the “good” for which all things work together? This verse is not a promise to remove or alleviate suffering. Nor does it require us to take a noble or pious perspective about suffering, as though, if you love God, all things that happen to you must be seen as “good” things.

Because context matters. If we learn to read the Bible for what it is—and not as a collection of independently assembled proverbial sayings—we’ll discover that some of our most familiar passages say something slightly different from what we’ve always assumed.

Basic Observation

Let me first address one wrongful use of Romans 8:28. I’ve sometimes heard people refer to this verse to suggest that all things are good for those who love God, as though we should be happy or pleased with the suffering we endure. As though suffering is a good thing.

But the verse doesn’t say “all things are good for those who love God.” It says, “all things work together for good for those who love God.” Simple observation should clear out our thinly veiled reincarnations of stoicism or asceticism. Your suffering is not good. It will not last forever. One day, every tear will be wiped from your eyes, if you love God and have been called according to his purpose. Your suffering is bad, a product of living in a fallen world.

But God still uses it to work together for good. But how?

Train of Thought

To understand Paul’s argument in this part of Romans 8, we need to see that he’s talking about not only suffering but also glory. Rom 8:18 tries to compare the present suffering with the coming glory—and finds such a comparison be not worth our time. Rom 8:30 ends with the sure result of God’s calling: not only justification but glorification. These two references to glory (Rom 8:18, 30) create an inclusio that marks off a unit of thought for us. Let’s trace it accordingly.

The main idea (Rom 8:18): Our present suffering is not worth comparing with the coming glory. (Note: This unit unpacks Paul’s conclusion from the previous section (Rom 8:17): that we who are children of God are also his heirs, if indeed we suffer with him in order to be glorified with him.)

Julia Manzerova (2010), Creative Commons

How does Paul prove these things aren’t worth comparing? First, he addresses the present suffering we can see.

The creation suffers (Rom 8:19-21): It waits, it endures futility, and it’s bound to corruption.
- The creation groans (Rom 8:22): like a woman in the second stage of labor, groaning that she’s got to push this baby out!
- So also we groan (Rom 8:23a): inwardly, despite having the Spirit as the firstfruits of God’s promise
So also we suffer (Rom 8:23b-25): We wait with patience, we anticipate final redemption, and we can’t yet see what we hope for.

Second, he addresses the hope we have for glory we can’t see.

We do not groan alone (Rom 8:26-27): The Spirit, who knows both our desperate weakness and the will of God, takes our concerns directly to the Father on our behalf.
We do not suffer without purpose (Rom 8:28-30): God determined before the ages began to make his people like his Son. This means they don’t only suffer with him; they’re also glorified with him.

In the rest of the chapter, Paul gives 5 questions we should ask (“What then shall we say to these things?”) to help us appropriate the unseen, coming glory in the midst of our visible, present suffering:

If God is for us, who can be against us (Rom 8:31)?
Won’t he also graciously give us all things with his Son (Rom 8:32)?
Who can accuse us (Rom 8:33)?
Who can condemn us (Rom 8:34)?
Who can separate us from Christ’s love (Rom 8:35-39)?

Conclusion

Romans 8:28 does not say that suffering is a good thing. Nor does it promise to alleviate suffering here and now. Rather, the verse gives us a sense of purpose in our suffering: It shows us that God is making us to suffer like Jesus now so we can be glorified in resurrection like him on the last day. Jesus’ life sets a pattern for those who love him. This is God’s good purpose, which he is working out while we, along with the creation, wait patiently for the redemption of our bodies and the revealing of us as heirs of God.

Context matters.

Context Matters: Mary and Martha

September 3, 2018 By Ryan Higginbottom

Harry Thaker (2018), public domain

Perhaps you’ve heard the account of Mary and Martha. One sister (Mary) sits at Jesus’s feet while the other (Martha) complains about a lack of help in the kitchen.

This story is often cited to reinforce the practice of devotional time, to warn against distractions, and to scold people (especially women) about fussiness regarding hospitality.

But we must answer a crucial question. What is the context of this story? The Bible is not just a collection of sayings and proverbs, ripe for picking and snacking on when we please. As we learn to read the Bible for what it is, we’ll see that some of our most familiar passages take on different and deeper meanings than we’ve assumed.

The Middle of Luke

The middle third of Luke’s Gospel begins in Luke 9:51 when Jesus “set his face to go to Jerusalem.” Instead of itinerant preaching around the Sea of Galilee, Jesus begins to move purposefully toward the city of his ascension (see Luke 9:51).

Much of the beginning of this section concerns discipleship. In Luke 9:51–56, Jesus rebukes James and John for wanting fire from heaven to fall on those Samaritans who didn’t receive Jesus. In Luke 9:57–62 we read of three encounters with hesitant followers, and Jesus presses them on this question: What will be your highest priority—comfort, tradition, family, or me?

Jesus sends out 72 disciples in Luke 10:1–24 to preach (and bring near) the kingdom of God. In this passage, Jesus makes it clear that his followers must rejoice primarily that their names are written in heaven (verse 20). But he also explains how the Son reveals the Father (verse 22) and how those who reject the disciples actually reject the Father (verse 16).

This leads to the conversation with the lawyer (Luke 10:25–28) and the parable of the Good Samaritan.

The Greatest Commandments

This lawyer stood to test Jesus, asking what was necessary for eternal life. When Jesus turned the question around, the lawyer answered correctly.

And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” (Luke 10:27)

Jesus praised the lawyer’s answer, and the lawyer asked a question in an attempt to justify himself. “And who is my neighbor?”

Jesus’s answer to this question is the parable of the Good Samaritan. We won’t take that parable apart in this article, but the ending is instructive.

Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.” (Luke 10:36–37)

While the lawyer was concerned about the word “neighbor” as a noun, Jesus wanted him to understand “neighbor” as a verb. Instead of defining who should receive love as a neighbor, Jesus focused on how to be (or become) a neighbor.

And, for many people, this brings the section to a close, with the story of Mary and Martha included as an awkward footnote.

Mary and Martha

Martha welcomed Jesus into her home and we are immediately introduced to her sister, Mary. The first description of Mary is the classic description of a disciple, sitting at Jesus’s feet and listening to his teaching (Luke 10:39).

Martha was “distracted with much serving,” and complained about her sister to the Lord. Jesus addressed her with affection and compassion.

But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her” (Luke 10:41–42).

While Luke makes it clear that Jesus had welcomed, traveled with, and been supported by women from early in his ministry (see Luke 8:1–3), we must not overlook the gender dynamics at play here. Jesus commends discipleship for women over distracted, anxious hospitality.

Jesus directs Martha to the “one thing” Mary has chosen. Namely, himself! And on the heels of a conversation with a lawyer, it stands out that the one necessary thing Jesus mentions is not the law. The law is not bad, but now the Keeper and Interpreter of the Law is present, the One whom the prophets and kings longed to see (Luke 10:23–24).

The Greatest Commandment

After the conversation with the lawyer, the parable of the Good Samaritan fleshes out what it means to “love your neighbor as yourself.” But the story of Mary and Martha is also connected to the lawyer’s answer to Jesus.

In a classic chiastic move, Luke has switched the order of explanation. The last story explains the first commandment.

How do we love the Lord with all our heart, soul, strength, and mind? Look at Mary. She has chosen the good portion.

We keep the greatest commandment by being a disciple of Jesus. We listen to his word. In contrast to anxiety and trouble, we look to and follow Jesus, the One who makes the Father known.

Conclusion

The story of Mary and Martha is not primarily about domestic duties. It’s not mainly about “quiet times” or distractions either.

Luke teaches us to love God by loving and following the Son. And we grasp this point when we read the Bible with our eyes open to all that’s happening within its pages.

Context matters.

Context Matters: Ask, Seek, Knock

August 24, 2018 By Peter Krol

When you hear those 3 short words—ask, seek, knock—what is the first thing to enter your mind? If you cross paths with the statement, “Ask, and it will be given to you,” you don’t even need the context, right? You know beyond a shadow of doubt that it’s talking about prayer. Can’t we just get right to application? Why bother asking the interpretive question: What does it mean?

The Text

What does “ask, seek, knock” mean? My answer to the question depends on which text we’re looking at. For the sake of this post, I’m focusing on Jesus’ words in Matt 7:7-11, deep within the Sermon on the Mount.

Marco Verch (2017), Creative Commons

The Problem

The problem is that the paragraph also appears, nearly verbatim, in Luke 11:9-13. And the context there clearly refers to prayer:

“Lord, teach us to pray” (Luke 11:1).
“And he said to them, ‘When you pray, say…'” (Luke 11:2-4).
“How much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask for him!” (Luke 11:13).

So I would be wrong to say that “ask, seek, knock” is not about prayer. Certainly it’s about prayer…in Luke 11.

And so we take this clear teaching on prayer in Luke’s gospel, and we assume Matthew means the same thing in the Sermon on the Mount. I’ve even seen commentaries on Matthew that take “the Holy Spirit” from Luke 11:13 and import it into Matt 7:11, as though “the Holy Spirit” must be the “good things” Jesus wants us to ask for in Matt 7.

Now I affirm that Scripture interprets Scripture. But we must not forget that each Scripture has a context. We have no trouble remembering this fact when we try to reconcile Paul’s teaching on justification by faith with James’s teaching on justification by works. Similarly, Matthew 7:11 meant something to the original audience of Matthew’s gospel, who probably didn’t yet have access to Luke’s gospel. So how would they have understood Matt 7:7-11 within its own context?

An Analogy

Different biblical authors can use the same event for a different purpose. We have endeavored to show this fact with respect to the feeding of the 5,000 and the resurrection of Jesus.

And if they can use the same event for a different purpose, why can’t they also use the same sayings for a different purpose?

The Sermon

I’ve already argued for reading the full Sermon on the Mount as a single speech. And I’ve explained the sermon’s big picture, along with the main theme of Matt 7:1-12: reciprocity.

Matt 7:7-11 fits squarely within this train of thought:

Matt 7:1: First reaction to tension or conflict among kingdom citizens: Don’t judge. Let it go.
- Matt 7:2: Your standards of sizing others up will be reciprocated against you. Implication: Be as generous as possible in your assessment, so others will be generous in their assessments of you!
Matt 7:3-4: If you can’t let it go, your second reaction is to evaluate yourself first.
- Matt 7:5: Otherwise, you will not be able to see your sibling’s issue clearly.
Matt 7:6: Not everyone is a fellow kingdom citizen. Those outside the kingdom are not strong candidates for correction.
Matt 7:7-11: [The text at hand.]
Matt 7:12: Conclusion: Do to others what you wish they would do to you.

Catch This Train

So, when Jesus tells you to keep the principle of reciprocity in mind (doing to others what you want them to do to you), and he applies it to cases where we find ourselves in the midst of disagreement…

Wouldn’t it be marvelous if he gave us some direction about how to resolve those disagreements?

Now that I’ve discerned that my antagonist is a brother (Matt 7:3-4) and not an outsider (Matt 7:6), and I’ve confessed my part in the conflict and have taken full responsibility for it (Matt 7:5a)…how do I now help my fellow Christian to get the speck out of his or her eye (Matt 7:5b)?

Jesus’ conclusion is clear enough: I should approach this person in the way I would want him to approach me (Matt 7:12). So how would I want someone to approach me if they’ve got a problem with me they can’t overlook (Matt 7:1)?

I would want them to ask for my perspective on the matter instead of making declarations about how terrible they believed my motives to be.
I would want them to seek to understand my perspective and not merely dismiss it as foolish, immature, or idolatrous.
I would want them to knock on my door, gently respecting how sensitive the issue might be to me. I would not want them to force their way in with their side of the story.

So perhaps I ought to approach others in the same way I would prefer to be approached.

What the Father has to Do With It

As a father, I understand these principles of gentle and compassionate reciprocation. If my son asks for bread, I won’t give him a stone (Matt 7:9). If my son asks for a fish, I won’t give him a serpent (Matt 7:10).

And my Father in heaven is even better than I am at giving good gifts when I ask (Matt 7:11)! So we do have, after all, an oblique reference to prayer. But this prayer in Matt 7:11 is not the paragraph’s main idea. It simply supports the larger argument that it will go better for you if you ask questions instead of making demands.

Jesus does something here that he’s already done in chapter 6 of this sermon (which Ryan carefully explained a few days ago): He links our relationship with God to our relationships with one another. In Matt 6:14-15, he explains that a failure to forgive others is evidence that we have not been forgiven by God. And now in Matt 7:11 he suggests that if we can trust God to give us good things when we ask, and we can trust our evil selves to give good gifts to the children we love, so we can trust God’s people to give us good things when we ask as well.

Conclusion

What better thing can we ask others for than peace, unity, understanding, and mutual respect, especially when we have offended one another?

In other words, the way to remove the speck of a fellow Christian is not to come at it with a shovel and dig it out. You do it by asking questions, seeking to understand the person’s point of view, and knocking on the issue respectfully until the person is willing to open the door and let you in. Isn’t this exactly how you wish people would treat you when they have a problem with you?

Context matters.

Note: I readily admit I could be wrong about this. Perhaps Jesus really is changing the subject to prayer in Matt 7:7-11, and then again to a broad principle for relationships in Matt 7:12. As one example, perhaps John Stott is right when he says, “Matthew 7 consists of a number of apparently self-contained paragraphs” (Stott, J. R. W., & Stott, J. R. W. (1985). The message of the Sermon on the mount (Matthew 5-7): Christian counter-culture (p. 174). Leicester; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.). The issue is that Stott—an otherwise keen observer of the Bible’s train of thought—does not in this case argue his point from the text; he merely assumes it and exposits the text accordingly.

So I wrote this post in an effort to allow the genre and train of thought—more than widespread assumption—to drive interpretation.

Thanks to Adewale Odedina in Nigeria for suggesting I tackle these verses.

Context Matters: The Lord’s Prayer

August 20, 2018 By Ryan Higginbottom

Olivia Snow (2017), public domain

You’re probably familiar with the Lord’s Prayer. In fact, you might feel like you’ve heard it a million times.

You might pray it as a family or during worship at church. Many pastors have preached through this passage, and most of the church’s historic catechisms analyze this prayer in detail.

But we rarely consider the context of the Lord’s Prayer. Because of the frequency with which this prayer is recited, the Lord’s Prayer might be the passage of Scripture most often removed from its context.

But context matters. The Bible is not a collection of independent stories, proverbs, and prayers. Each book was written by an author with a purpose. If we learn to read the Bible for what it is, we’ll discover that some of our most familiar passages take on different or deeper meanings than we’ve always assumed.

The Sermon on the Mount

As recorded by Matthew, the Lord’s Prayer falls in the middle of the Sermon on the Mount. (Peter has written about this portion of Matthew’s Gospel recently here and here.)

Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil. (Matthew 6:9–13)

This sermon is for Jesus’s disciples (Matt 5:1), and in chapter six Jesus is teaching about spiritual practices and values. For a watching world, these are crucial aspects of life that denote one of Jesus’s followers.

Private Religious Practices

In Matthew 6:1–18, Jesus is concerned with the disciples’ religion. And Jesus contrasts the children of God with the hypocrites and Gentiles. The overarching command is this: “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven” (Matt 6:1).

When you give to the poor, don’t draw attention to yourself like the hypocrites. Rather, give to the poor in secret. (Matthew 6:2–4)
When you pray, don’t draw attention to yourself like the hypocrites. Rather, pray to your Father in secret. (Matthew 6:5–6)
When you fast, don’t draw attention to yourself like the hypocrites. Rather, fast in secret. (Matthew 6:16–18)

In each of these situations, Jesus says the hypocrites will reap the reward they seek (honor or praise from people) but nothing else. Those whose practices are done in private—without concern for notoriety—will be rewarded by God.

The Lord’s Prayer falls in the middle of this instruction. It is not a prayer that is prayed to attract attention, but it is private, trusting communication between a disciple and God.

God is Father

In the Lord’s Prayer we are famously instructed to address God as “Our Father,” but this is part of a longer and wider point Jesus is making about God’s family.

Until the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus had not spoken of God as Father in Matthew’s Gospel. But in these three chapters, Jesus refers to God as Father 17 times, with a whopping 12 of them coming in chapter six. Part of Jesus’s point is that his disciples have a new relationship with God. He is not simply the law-giver or judge, but he is father.

This is the exact point Jesus is making when he introduces the Lord’s Prayer. He tells the disciples not to “heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do.” The Gentiles think that when they pray they will “be heard for their many words.” But for disciples, God is Father, and “your Father knows what you need before you ask him.”

You do not need a lengthy or eloquent prayer to turn God’s gaze. You already have his attention. You are his child! Of course he will listen!

The way we pray, including the way we pray the Lord’s Prayer, reveals whether or not we believe God is our loving father.

Forgiveness

The fifth petition of the Lord’s Prayer concerns forgiveness, and Jesus continues to teach about the topic after saying “Amen.”

For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. (Matthew 6:14–15)

The word “for” at the beginning of this sentence is instructive. For disciples, Jesus’s teaching on prayer must be connected to their interactions with other people. The way they approach God in prayer, and even the forgiveness they seek from God, is connected to the way they forgive others.

We don’t have the space to exhaust the Bible’s teaching on forgiveness, but many other passages teach that we cannot earn forgiveness from God. What Jesus says here must make sense when considering other portions of the Bible which are more straightforward.

In short, the way people treat those who have sinned against them reveals an important part of their heart toward God. Those who are forgiven by God make a consistent practice of forgiving others. And those who do not forgive others may not know the forgiving love of God.

Conclusion

The Lord’s Prayer is not an isolated collection of six requests. And while it is instruction from Jesus on how to pray, it is more than that.

The Lord’s Prayer is an illustration of what it looks like to pray to a heavenly Father who knows what you need before you ask him. It is an example of how to pray in secret, how not to practice your righteousness before men, and how to seek reward from God. And it is a reminder that our relationship with God cannot be divorced from our relationship with other people.

Context matters.

Context Matters: Judge Not, Golden Rule

August 17, 2018 By Peter Krol

Perhaps you’ve seen someone defend their wicked or foolish behavior by misquoting Jesus’ immortal command, “Do not judge.” And perhaps you’ve seen fine and thoughtful explanations of the verse (Matt 7:1) that clarify Jesus’ oft-dismissed intention: to prohibit not all judgment but merely hypocritical judgment (Matt 7:2). But let’s also track the flow of Jesus’ argument, the key to which lies in another oft-misquoted verse: The Golden Rule (Matt 7:12)—to guard against possible over-correction to a real problem.

Context matters. If we learn to read the Bible for what it is—and not as a collection of independently assembled proverbial sayings—we’ll discover that some of our most familiar passages say something slightly different from what we’ve always assumed.

A Sermon is a Sermon

These verses from Matthew 7 are part of what we call “The Sermon on the Mount.” And we must not ignore the fact that Matthew presents these verses as part of a sermon (see more on this in my post on Matthew 5).

A sermon has a point. It makes an argument. It seeks to persuade an audience to believe a certain thing or to act a certain way.

A sermon is not…a collection of independently assembled proverbial sayings. So verse 1 is not an independent statement; it’s part of an argument (or series of arguments). The same goes for verse 2, verse 3, and so on. Even verse 12.

Especially verse 12. Which is clearly stated as the current argument’s conclusion: “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.”

The Big Picture

The entire Sermon on the Mount is about citizenship in the kingdom of heaven. Chapter 5 describes the type of person who enters the kingdom (Jesus’ later speech in chapter 13 will expand on this theme). Chapter 6 describes the religion and values of those kingdom citizens (Jesus’ speech in chapter 10 will expand on this theme). A glance at chapter 7 as a whole now shows us that Jesus moves onto how citizens of his kingdom relate with one another (Jesus’ speech in chapter 18 will expand on this theme)—we’ve got not only the judgment and conflict resolution between brothers in Matt 7:1-12; we’ve also got guidance to discern true from false brothers in Matt 7:13-23. Then Matt 7:24-27 concludes the entire sermon.

With that flow in mind, we can take a closer look at Matt 7:1-12.

An Argument Involving Reciprocity

Nearly every sentence in Matt 7:1-12 has a sense of reciprocity. What you do to others will return on you. The way you treat them affects the way they treat you. Somebody does something, and somebody else does something back.

Judge not, that you be not judged (Matt 7:1).
The judgement you pronounce will be pronounced on you (Matt 7:2).
Don’t obsess over the speck in your brother’s eye, while neglecting the log in your own eye (Matt 7:3-5).
Don’t give holy things to dogs, or they will turn and attack you (Matt 7:6).
Ask, and it will be given, etc. (Matt 7:7).
Everyone who asks receives, etc. (Matt 7:8).
When sons ask, fathers give good things (Matt 7:9-11).
So/Therefore…do to others whatever you wish they would do to you (Matt 7:12). Implied reason: Because what you do to them will eventually return to you.

Nicolas Raymond (2013), Creative Commons

Why We Should Care About Reciprocity

When it comes to our relationships, our conversation, our demeanor, and our fighting style, Jesus wants us to hold this one idea paramount: What goes around, comes around. We ought to anticipate this and “pay it forward.” Do to others what you would like them to do back to you. Don’t expect them to act any differently toward you than you have acted toward them.

He’s not talking mainly about salvation, forgiveness, or acceptance by God, who—praise him!—never treats those who are in Christ as their sins deserve. But he is talking about human communities, personal bickering, hurt feelings, pet peeves, and the astounding dynamic that exists when the blinded try to lead the blind. Citizens of the kingdom of heaven are more righteous than the Pharisees (Matt 5:20). They are even expected to be as perfect as their heavenly Father (Matt 5:48). But they’re clearly not there yet.

They need to get their religion (Matt 6:1-18) and values (Matt 6:19-34) straight. They should not be surprised when they bump into other sinners like themselves (Matt 7).

And when they do, they must be prepared to distinguish between a true—albeit wrong or sinful—brother (Matt 7:1-5, 7-12), and a pig-dog, or false brother (Matt 7:6, 13-23). And the most important thing to remember is: What goes around, comes around.

Reciprocity in Practice

This point is quite simple to grasp but excruciating to put into practice. Yet we must settle for no less (Matt 7:24-27). What is it that Jesus wants us to not only hear but also do?

Don’t judge (Matt 7:1). This should always be your first reaction. If you can let it go, then let it go. Find any way possible to cover it over in love. Don’t you wish other people wouldn’t size you up so much (Matt 7:2)?
But Jesus knows that’s not always possible. So your second reaction must be to look at yourself first to see what you have contributed to the tension or conflict (Matt 7:3-4). There is always something. And if you can’t see it, you will not be able to see your brother’s issue clearly (Matt 7:5).
Remember, though, that not everyone is a brother. There are those who are outside the kingdom (Matt 7:6, also Matt 5:20, 6:7, 6:32), though we learn in Matt 7:13-23 that, outwardly, they might look just like true brothers—unless we know to look at the right bits of evidence. Don’t try to fix non-brothers! Don’t bother to help with their specks. The only result will be your own demise. In this, Jesus taps into the wisdom tradition of Solomon (Prov 9:7-9). (To be more direct: I’m suggesting that the “holy things” and the “pearls” in this verse are rebuke or correction!)

Wouldn’t you love it if others treated you this way? If they didn’t size you up? If they didn’t jump all over everything you did wrong or that hurt them? If they introduced the topic by confessing first how they had failed you? If they trusted you enough as a sibling in Christ to respect you and try to help? If their help came not with accusation but empathy and compassion, respecting your boundaries and hot buttons, and resulting in greater effectiveness for you in the faith?

So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

What’s Next

I’ll stop there for now. But next week, I’ll discuss how the verses in Matt 7:7-11 fit into the argument. Before then, can you take a look at it yourself? Please don’t assume he’s suddenly changing the topic to prayer, and try to see for yourself how those verses advance the argument. I’d love to hear what you come up with. (Note: In Luke 11:1-13, Luke repackages this teaching to give it a clear context of prayer. But Matthew seems to have something different in mind. Let’s not read Luke’s point back into Matthew.)

Context matters.

Context Matters: The Most Commonly Overlooked Life Advice

August 3, 2018 By Peter Krol

Perhaps you’ve heard about the famous Bible verse for graduates: “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope” (Jer 29:11). I’ve heard that this verse comes up often in commencement speeches. And why not? It’s packed with inspiring vision and hope for young people about to proceed into young adult life. Sure, people sometimes criticize the way this verse tends to be read (for example, see The Gospel Coalition and Relevant Magazine take it on). Such critics talk a lot about context…exiles…70 years in Babylon…blah blah blah. But if we could only free our minds from these shackles, we’d see that the common usage of this verse doesn’t go nearly far enough.

Context matters. If we keep reading the Bible as a collection of independently assembled proverbial sayings, we’ll discover that we really can look deep within our hearts for ultimate meaning and get whatever we want out of life.

Why Jer 29:11 Doesn’t Go Far Enough

Sometimes people offer a vision for life, prosperity and wellness from that lone verse, Jer 29:11. But it might be good to consider an even more helpful verse, which comes just a few chapters earlier, and therefore clearly applies in the same sort of situation (life advice for young people experiencing a momentous milestone). Jeremiah must have intended this verse for 21st century graduates of Christian high schools. And if I ever have the privilege of speaking at such a school’s commencement ceremony, I will make sure to cover this crucial verse.

Here is the verse:

Then you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Drink, be drunk and vomit, fall and rise no more.’ (Jer 25:27)

Daniel Filho (2006), Creative Commons

Let’s Not Be Merely Hearers of the Word, but also Doers

Here is the word of the Lord! I am prepared to obey God by saying this to them. I hope they are prepared to obey God by living according to it. It doesn’t matter how scared or confused they are about the future; God has spoken his will with utmost clarity. May they not be like the foolish builder, who built his house on the sand. Such is the person who hears the word of God and fails to do it.

If they won’t listen to me, the next verse tells me just what to do:

And if they refuse to accept the cup from your hand to drink, then you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts: You must drink!’ (Jer 25:28)

All we have to do is read a single verse, on its own, as though it had been addressed directly to us, and we, too, can enter the third heaven. We don’t even have to wait for our next major milestone. We can put it into practice, and have the time of our lives, this very weekend.

Context matters.

Context: Children and Parents

August 1, 2018 By Peter Krol

Mike Leake shows us why context matters in the letter of 2 Corinthians. Some might see a universal principle in 2 Cor 12:14: “Children are not obligated to save up for their parents, but parents for their children.” But the historical, logical, literary, and biblical contexts show us the limited scope of what Paul meant.

Leake does a great job showing us how to approach the text of Scripture with caution and care for the context.

Check it out!

Context Matters: You Have Heard That it was Said…But I Say to You

July 27, 2018 By Peter Krol

Perhaps you’ve heard about Jesus’ disagreement with the Old Testament. The people of Israel had received a set of laws through Moses, but Jesus trumped them in his Sermon on the Mount. An extreme version of this view might say that Jesus disregarded the Old Testament law and put a new law in its place. A softer view might say that Jesus took the outwardly focused OT laws and added to them an inward dimension, focused on the heart. But perhaps we should take a closer look.

My goal in this post is not to develop a comprehensive theology of Old and New Testaments, nor to explain what our thinking should be on the OT law. My aim is more focused. I want to look at just one passage that some might use to claim that Jesus either set aside, or in some way added to, the law of Moses.

The Pertinent Formula

I’m referring to Jesus’ repeated formula: “You have heard that it was said…But I say to you…” (Matt 5:21, 27, 31, 33, 38, 43). Seems clear enough, right? You have heard what Moses said—you shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, and so on—but I have something new and/or different to say. Moses was great, but I am greater. The old has become obsolete and is ready to disappear; the new has come. The law of liberty. The law of love. The law of Christ.

ajshain (2011), Creative Commons

The Immediate Context

But look at where Jesus just came from. Remember that the Sermon on the Mount was a sermon. It was all spoken at once. In fact, what Matthew has recorded to us could be spoken out loud in about 10 minutes, and it’s highly unlikely that such large crowds would have gathered on a mountain for only a 10-minute speech. So Matthew has likely condensed and summarized all that Jesus actually spoke that day. But the point remains: Don’t break it into tiny pieces. Read the sermon as a unit.

And right before Jesus launches into his sixfold “but I say to you” formula, he makes the following introductory comments:

Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. (Matt 5:17-20)

Jesus could not be more clear about the fact that he did not come to abolish the Law. Certainly, we can debate what exactly it means that he came to “fulfill” it. But there is no question that Jesus did not come to abolish it (Matt 5:17). Heaven and earth will pass away before the tiniest stroke of the Law passes away (Matt 5:18). And Jesus has no goodwill toward anyone who would relax “one of the least of these commandments” or teach others to relax them. The great ones in his kingdom are those who do the Law, and who teach others to do it (Matt 5:19). And to even enter Jesus’ kingdom, we must have a righteousness that exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees (Matt 5:20).

Interesting. Note all the contrasts lined up in a row:

Jesus came not to abolish the Law :: Jesus came to fulfill the Law
Heaven and earth will not pass away :: The Law will be accomplished
Anyone who relaxes even a single command, and teaches others to do so, is least :: Anyone who does the commands, and teaches others to do them, is great
Scribes and Pharisees [presumably, by the sentence’s logic] will not enter the kingdom :: Those more righteous than scribes and Pharisees will enter the kingdom

So Jesus contrasts his purpose (fulfill) with what is not his purpose (abolish). And he contrasts right use of the law (do) with wrong use of the law (relax). And he contrasts those who get into the kingdom (more righteous than scribes) with those who don’t (scribes).

And then… He works through 6 more contrasts, 6 case studies, having to do with the Law. “You have heard that it was said…. But I say to you….” The context therefore suggests that the 6 contrasts of verses 21-48 are following on the theme of verses 17-20. In other words, they are contrasting those who abolish or relax the commands with those who do them and teach them.

The Quotations (OT Context)

But that doesn’t make sense of the fact that Jesus actually quotes the Old Testament laws! The thing he is negating is the Old Testament text. The OT Law. “You shall not murder,” “You shall not commit adultery,” and so on.

But there is more here than meets the eye.

For the first two (murder and adultery – Matt 5:21, 27), Jesus quotes Exodus, and then he goes on to talk about heart-intentions. But I’ve written before (e.g. here and here) about how the law in Exodus was always about heart-intentions. This is nothing new.
The third quote (on divorce – Matt 5:31) is from Deut 24, which permits divorce only on the ground of “indecency” (i.e., sexual immorality). Jesus is not disagreeing with Moses but simply reiterating what Moses said.
The fourth quote (on swearing – Matt 5:33) is drawn from Lev 19:12, Num 30:2, and Deut 23:21. But none of those passages say anything about swearing “by heaven” or “by the earth” or “by Jerusalem”or “by your head” (Matt 5:34-36).
The fifth quote can be found all throughout the books of Moses (Matt 5:38), but never in support of vengeance. In fact, this stipulation exists to prevent personal vengeance and to limit what sanctions civil courts may impose.
The sixth quote…is no OT quote at all (Matt 5:43). It has a ring of truth (“You shall love your neighbor”). But you can spend all day looking up “and you shall hate your enemy” and you will not find it.

This sixth “quote” is the linchpin that alerts us to something significant. Jesus is not quoting the Old Testament laws to correct them in some way. He is quoting what these people have heard their teachers say about the Old Testament laws.

He is quoting those who have, in fact, relaxed the commands. Those who teach others to do the same. Those who abolish what God has required of them. Those whose righteousness is like the scribes and Pharisees…. Actually, we have much reason to believe he is quoting the scribes and Pharisees themselves.

Matthew’s Broader Context

Chapter 5 is not the first place in Matthew where Jesus quotes the Old Testament. Look at how Jesus chooses to refer to the Old Testament itself:

“It is written” (Matt 4:4)
“Again it is written” (Matt 4:7)
“For it is written” (Matt 4:10)

Later in the book, he will incredulously ask the scribes and Pharisees “Have you not/never read…?” (Matt 12:3, 5; 19:4; 21:16, 42; 22:31). He will command them to go and learn what the Scripture says (Matt 9:13, 12:7). He will accuse them of setting aside (relaxing) the word of God for the sake of their oral tradition (Matt 15:3, 6). He will curse them for not entering the kingdom (Matt 23:13) and for missing the point of the law (Matt 23:23-24).

My point: When Jesus refers to the Old Testament, it is the written word. When he mentions what “you have heard that it was said,” he is talking about the Pharisees’ oral traditions.

Conclusion

In Matthew 5, Jesus is not setting aside the Old Testament law in favor of a new teaching. He is upholding the full standards of the law, as intended by God. He identifies those who obey the law and adhere carefully to the written word according to its original intention, and he contrasts them with those who relax the commands, who abolish them, to hold to their own accumulated teachings about the law.

Context matters.

Context Matters: A Bruised Reed

July 13, 2018 By Peter Krol

Perhaps you’ve heard of the Puritan Richard Sibbes and his famous work The Bruised Reed and Smoking Flax. Though you may not have read it, you’ve likely been influenced by it. If you hear the phrase “bruised reed,” and your first thought is of a suffering person desperate for hope, you largely have Sibbes to thank. And while Sibbes’s work is packed with exceptional pastoral wisdom that looks to Jesus, our Chief Shepherd, it’s frankly lacking in careful contextual Bible study. No matter how familiar we are with biblical phrases, let’s make every effort to observe them carefully and heed their context.

Crack the Code

When people throw around phrases like “Jesus never broke a bruised reed,” they use it like a code. Almost an allegory. The “reed” is a person. The “bruise” is their suffering. To “break a bruised reed” would be a failure of tenderness or compassion that crushes the spirit or destroys the trust of the wounded soul.

Pastorally, these principles are crucial to understand. I would not condone any efforts to ignore them or justify harsh treatment of Christ’s sheep. Those who suffer are particularly wounded and vulnerable. And our Lord’s tenderness and compassion sound forth from the Scripture at high decibels (Ex 19:4, Ezek 34:11-16, John 21:15-19, Mark 5:33-34, Mark 5:39-43, Luke 7:11-15, etc.).

So I am not challenging the wisdom of compassionate tenderness, especially when someone has gone through the valley of the shadow of death. I think only that we need to be careful with our metaphors, so we don’t run afoul of the biblical author’s intent.

I’ve written for Desiring God on this topic of the bruised reed. But let me repeat here the arguments of both Isaiah and Matthew, in their use of the bruised reed metaphor. Please suspend your disbelief with me, try to set aside your familiarity, and look at these texts with fresh eyes.

Isaiah 42

The image of the bruised reed is in verse 3, but let’s follow Isaiah’s thought before and after it. This poem speaks of Yahweh’s servant, upheld, chosen, and delighted in (Is 42:1a). Yahweh put his Spirit into this servant, with the goal that “he will bring forth justice to the nations” (Is 42:1b).

This goal of justice is no small matter for Isaiah. We could trace the theme of justice all through his book of prophecy. The lack of it is a major accusation against Judah (Is 9:18-10:4, etc.) and the surrounding nations (Is 14:4-6, etc.). Its restoration in the future is the hope of Israel and her promised Davidic king (Is 11:1-5, etc.).

And in chapter 42, the Spirit is on Yahweh’s servant to bring forth justice (Is 42:1). He will bring forth this justice faithfully (Is 42:3). And he will not grow faint or be discouraged until he establishes this justice in the earth (Is 42:4). The main idea here is that the servant will bring justice on earth, even though we might expect him to grow faint or be discouraged before he’s able to do so.

Now how will he do it?

“He will not cry aloud or lift up his voice, or make it heard in the street” (Is 42:2). He will not force the unjust to comply. He will not open a picket line until he gets his way. He won’t even be a major public figure. His voice will work effectually away from the typical forums of civil discourse or political advancement.

And that’s when Isaiah brings in his metaphor. “He will not cry aloud…a bruised reed he will not break…he will faithfully bring forth justice” (Is 42:2-3). The metaphor illustrates the point made in verse 2, that he will not cause political change through typical political channels. He will be an unlikely hero. He will accomplish Yahweh’s purpose of justice, but not according to the world’s expectations of someone who can or will exercise justice (along with great power, pomp, pizzazz, or military might).

Isaiah expands on this idea later in the chapter, where Yahweh confesses, “For a long time I have held my peace; I have kept still and restrained myself; now I will cry out like a woman in labor; I will gasp and pant” (Is 42:14). The servant will faithfully labor to bring forth justice by working behind the scenes, quietly and carefully. But after a while, the time will come when Yahweh will, in fact, cry out and simply “lay waste” and “dry up” and “turn darkness into light” (Is 42:15-17).

The point is this: When Isaiah speaks of the bruised reed, he is not using it as an allegory of ministry to hurting people. He is using it as a word picture to describe the quiet and unobtrusive machinations of Yahweh’s servant establishing justice. This servant keeps such a low profile that, as he passes through the marshes, not even bruised reeds will break off. Not a twig will snap. His draft won’t have enough force to blow out even a smoldering wick. And this unpretentious strategy will not last forever. The time will come for him to eventually beat his chest, get everyone’s attention, and just get the job done.

Matthew 12

According to Matthew, Jesus heals a man’s withered hand, on the Sabbath, in direct defiance of the ruling elite (Matt 12:9-13). As a result, those elites begin conspiring to destroy him (Matt 12:14).

Jesus knows what’s going on, and he withdraws (Matt 12:15a). He doesn’t put up a fight or launch a PR campaign; he just slinks back into the shadows. And many follow him, and he heals them (Matt 12:15b), but his goal right now is not to make too much of a fuss. He has to keep laying low. So he orders these people not to make him known (Matt 12:16).

This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah…my servant…a bruised reed he will not break…until he brings justice. (Matt 12:17-21)

According to the flow of Matthew’s gospel, it was not yet time for Jesus to make a fuss. For this season, he backs off and avoids too much attention. “His messianic mission had a noteworthy ninja element” (DG).

But while going up to Jerusalem one last time, he can talk about almost nothing but his coming victory over death (Matt 20:17-19, 22, 28). He will faithfully bring forth justice. The time for silence has ended. So he must pick a fight in the most public forum—the temple during the Feast of Passover—in order to get himself killed (Matt 21-23). They take up their plot once again (Matt 26:3-5). This is his path to victory.

Conclusion

This contextual study of the bruised reed metaphor is not meant as an excuse to ever be harsh, demanding, or manipulative with wounded people. By no means! Instead, I hope merely to show you the glory of your Savior Jesus Christ, who accomplished all he set out to do.

And by way of application, perhaps we ought to be slow to use Jesus’ harsh words with the Pharisees as a model for our own public dialogue. That is, unless we are called by God to get ourselves killed for the sin of the world.

Context matters.

Looking for Ideas for “Context Matters”

July 6, 2018 By Peter Krol

I’m on the road this week and don’t have time to write a regular full post. So it’s as good a time as any to ask for suggestions!

I’ve really enjoyed writing some sample Bible studies on verses that are easily misunderstood when removed from their context. Do you have any suggestions on other verses I could write on for this series? What are some verses you’ve seen commonly taken out of context? Or what are some verses that you’re really not sure what to do with, and you’d like to know how the context can help you make progress in understanding them?

For reference, here is a list of verses I’ve covered so far.

Please let me know your ideas for future posts. You can comment below, use the contact form, or email me at peter.krol@knowableword.com.

Or, you can even try your hand at writing your own “context matters” study and submitting it as a guest post!