3rd Sunday of Easter 2004
Common Themes:
In these passages we have two excellent examples of conversion.The first is Saul of Tarsus when he receives a vision on the road to Damascus. If you are going to focus on the conversion, you should include verses 7-20 in your scripture lesson because it completes the pattern. Psalm 30 is the other example. You may not see the connection at first glance, but if you look at the structure as I?ve outlined it below, you will see that the central section of the Psalm talks about the psalmist?s complacency and how he found that God could take that away in an instant. His call to praise and his determination to pray both stem from that moment of shock when he found that his complacency was not justified.
Paul was a man who was certain of his mission. He was so ?right? about things that he felt it was appropriate to arrest, whip and even kill those who disagreed with him. But he had his certainty shaken one day on the road to Damascus. Using Psalm 30 and Acts 9:1-20 as your scriptures, you can talk about the nature of conversion and what it takes to shake us out of our complacency and our unjustified self assurance. Be sure to notice how Paul?s personality doesn?t make an about face in the same way in which his beliefs do. If you read Paul?s letters, you find the same absolute certainty of his own ?rightness? that characterized him before his conversion. Is this a good thing or a bad thing? How do you understand it?
An alternate scripture to compare to Paul?s conversion is John 21:1-19. Peter had denied Jesus and this is the first conversation we have recorded after that event. Peter is returning to a place of trust in the Christian movement. How does this experience compare and contrast with that of Paul? If you were in the early Christian movement would you trust Peter more, or Paul? Why?
This can be a very practical sermon because we often have difficulty accepting newcomers in our congregations who come from exceptionally ?bad? backgrounds. What ?bad? means varies by congregation. What about people who have fallen into sin, or have left and even turned against their brethren and then want to be reconciled? How should that be handled in the church? We have here some examples from Jesus?turning the persecutor completely around, and accepting the wanderer and betrayer back into the fold. Can we do that?
To combine all texts, consider the ?sacrificed lamb? of Revelation 5:11-14. How does the notion of the lamb, who is simultaneously the lion of Judah fit in with our theme? I would suggest that this change of viewpoint represented by the symbolism of Revelation 5 illustrates the change of viewpoint that is involved in conversion. You?ll have to use some additional verses, but look at 5:5 & 6. There is the expectation and the actuality illustrated for us. The viewer (this is a vision, after all) is led to expect a lion, but is instead presented with a lamb, and not just any lamb, a lamb that looks like it has been sacrificed. From there we turn to the praise given to the lamb as worthy to open the scroll, i.e. worthy to unroll the events of human history and to guide the activities of heaven and earth. We?re so used to the symbol of the lamb representing Jesus that we may not realize just what a shocking turn this is in the symbolism of the book.
The story of Saul?s conversion to Christianity is the best known story of conversion that we have. I have already discussed the idea of a conversion story. There is another story here as well?the story of the reaction of the early Christian community both to the conversion and to Paul?s claim to be an apostle. I suggest using all 20 verses rather than just 1-6 in order to set this broader scene. Look back to chapter eight as well. This incident follows the mission activity and dispersion brought on the church by the persecution that followed the martyrdom of Stephen.
In chapter 8 we learn first that the persecution, instead of slowing the growth of the new movement simply helps it to spread. Chapter 9 tells us that not only did the church spread more following the persecution, but the main persecutor changed sides. This is a key turning point in the story of Acts.
Suggested sermon topic: The Difference One Person Makes. Ask what Christianity would be like without Paul. Survey what Paul did, the number of churches he founded and the letters he wrote. What if he hadn?t had that encounter on the road to Damascus.
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(1) But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the High Priest (2) and asked for letters from him to Damascus to the synagogues, so that if he found certain persons who were of the way, whether men or women, he could bring them bound to Jerusalem. (3) But as he was traveling, and came near Damascus, suddenly a light shone out from heaven (4) and he fell on the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?? (5) And he said, “Who are you?” And, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. (6) But get up and enter the city and you will be told what to do.?
(7) Now the men who were traveling with him stood speechless, because they heard the voice, but they didn’t see anything. (8) Saul got up off the ground, but when he opened his eyes he couldn’t see anything. And they lead him into Damascus, (9) and for three days he was there, not able to see, and he didn’t eat or drink.
(10) But there was a disciple in Damascus by the name of Ananias, and the Lord spoke to him in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “I’m here Lord!” (11) The Lord said to him, “Rise up and go into the street called ‘Straight’ and in Juda’s house find Saul of Tarsus because he is praying. (12) And he saw a man, Ananias by name, coming in and putting his hands on him so that he might see.” (13) And Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many concerning this man, the sort of nasty things he has done to the saints in Jerusalem. (14) And here he has authority from the high priests to bind all who call on your name.? (15) But the Lord said to him, “Go! For he is my chosen vessel to carry my name before nations and kings and the children of Israel. (16) For I will show him the sort of things he must suffer for my name.” (17) And Ananias went out and entered the house and put his hands on him and said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on your way here sent me, so that you can see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.? (18) And immediately things like scales fell from his eyes, and he saw again and rose up and was baptized (19) And he ate and was strengthened. And he stayed with the disciples in Damascus for some days, (20) and immediately he began to proclaim in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God. |
Christianity was seen as a sect of Judaism, certainly heretical in Saul?s view. Note that his activity was to be confined to the synagogues in Damascus.
Saul is given an experience of the risen Jesus. As far as we can tell he uses this as part of his claim to be an apostle. If this is true, it is an interesting precedent.
Heard the voice ? this seems to contradict Acts 22:9 which says that they did not hear the voice. Note that there are two cases?the object in this case is in the genitive, and in 22:9 is in the accusative. In classical Greek a distinction was made between the genitive object, which emphasized hearing without reference to understanding, and the accusative which focuses on understanding. Thus they could ?hear? the voice without understanding it (9:7), but not hear and understand it (22:9). Robertson (506) says that it is valid to use this argument, despite the question of whether the distinction is common in Hellenistic Greek. Wallace (GBB 133) says, ?The exceptions, in fact, are seemingly more numerous than the rule! Thus, regardless of how one works through the accounts of Paul?s conversion, an appeal to different cases probably ought not form any part of the solution.? Wallace suggests, instead that the word had different nuances in two different sources used by Luke, and rather than being a contradiction, is testimony to Luke?s unwillingness to alter the tradition as found in his sources (GBB 134n168). Ananias is not too anxious to get involved with Saul.
Man, Ananias ? I omit ?in a vision? along with some of the oldest manuscripts. I believe it is more likely that this phrase was added in explanation rather than omitted. See Metzger, A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament for the opposite view.
God doesn?t use our standards in determining who he will call. We would ask the persecutor to remain an ordinary member until we could build confidence that his conversion was genuine.
Conversion results in witness, and only sometimes in open proclamation as is indicated here. |
A Psalm of thanks for deliverance from death. I believe it is chiastically structured as follows:
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A |
Statement of Praise |
Verse 1, 2 lines |
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B |
Prayer and Deliverance |
Verses 2 & 3, 4 lines |
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C |
Call to Praise |
Verses 4 & 5, 6 lines (I split these smaller than BHS does) |
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X |
Arrogance and Fall |
Verses 6 & 7, 4 lines |
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C? |
Absence of Praise |
Verses 8 & 9, 5 lines |
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B? |
Prayer and Deliverance |
Verses 10 & 11, 5 lines |
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A? |
Statement of Praise |
Verse 12, 2 line |
This structure throws the focus on verses six and seven which specific that the psalmist was arrogant in good fortune and then he found that his fortune was subject to God?s will. It was in this way that he slipped from God?s favor as he separated himself from the will of God. That is the primary lesson learned.
The structure can help you get at the main point of the Psalm. Whether you agree with all my outlining or not, verses six and seven place the issue of complacency and of understanding our dependence on God in the center. That is the particular issue in this Psalm.
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I produced the Hebrew text here with the Sentence Diagramming tool from Logos Series X with the Biblical Languages add-in. This tool will do much more, but in this case it allowed me to work with the text word by word and arrange it as desired in order to show the structure.
Logos Original Languages Series X
This is an add-on for which you need the Logos system itself.
Try one of the following:
Logos Scholar?s Library Series X I use this along with the original languages add-in listed above. There are many valuable exegetical tools included. For example, the lemma report shows a word as it occurs throughout scripture (or in a selected portion) in all its forms. I used this tool in discussing the word ?lamb? in our passage from Revelation below.
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A Psalm, a song for dedication of the house, of David.
(1) I will exalt you, YHWH, because you have drawn me up, And you have not allowed my enemies to rejoice over me.
(2) YHWH, my God, I cried out to you, and you healed me.
(3) YHWH you lifted my soul up from Sheol, You revived me from those going down to the pit.
(4) Sing to the Lord, Oh his holy ones, Praise the memory of his holiness.
(5) For his wrath is destruction, Life is in his will.
In the evening one lies down weeping, But in the morning–singing for joy!
(6) But when I was complacent I said, I will never be moved.
(7) YHWH by your will you made me stand mountain-strong.
You hid your face, I was terrified.
(8) To you, YHWH, will I call And to you, Lord, will I look for compassion. (9) What gain is there in my blood? in my going down to destruction? Will dust praise you? Will it proclaim your integrity?
(10) Hear, YHWH and show me mercy! Oh YHWH, be my helper! (11) May you turn my mourning to joyful dancing, May you removed my sackcloth and clothe me with joy.
(12) So that my heart may praise you, and not be silent, YHWH my God I will praise you forever. |
As always, the superscription is verse one in Hebrew which, in most Psalms, means that the Hebrew and English verse numbering differ by one. I?m departing from my previous practice and using the English verse numbers for your convenience.
(Note also that this is Psalm 29 in the LXX numbering.)
LXX adds ?to completion? or ?for completion? to the beginning of this superscription.
LXX: ?I have cried out (perfect) and you will heal me (future).? Hebrew uses imperfect with waw-consecutive. A simple repointing of the text would make a future reading possible.
LXX: You saved me from those going down into the pit.
The Hebrew pointing here could be modified in several ways, including the Qere and the BHS marginal notations. I have chosen to take ?those going down? as a plural participle, in which case the Psalmist is praising God because he gave him life when he was amongst those on the way to Sheol, i.e. he was delivered from amongst those who were dying.
LXX: ?Confess fully the memory (or remembrance) of his holiness.?
LXX: ?For there is a plague (or stroke) in his wrath, And life in his will (or pleasure).?
NRSV: For his anger is but for a moment; his favor is for a lifetime. I read ?rega;? as derived from ?strike? in agreement with Job 26:12, following Dahood (AB: Psalms I).
Traditionally this has been read, ?His anger is for a moment, his favor is for a lifetime.? I would suggest that both the theme of the Psalm and the particular vocabulary support this understanding, along with the LXX translation. ?Will? and ?favor? are both within the semantic range of the Hebrew word used here.
NRSV: ?By your favor, O Lord, you had established me as a strong mountain.? In Hebrew, the word for ?mountain? is plural.
The psalmist realized that it was only because of God?s will that he had good fortune. YHWH looked away, and he became immediately terrified. That?s why he will call to YHWH from now on.
The misfortune, which he now identifies as getting complacent and out of God?s will has made him determined to place his faith in God and depend on God?s compassion and grace. He can?t quite get away from pleading his own cause and his own value, however, as he points out that he won?t be able to follow this course should he be in the grave. ?If I die,? he says, ?all this praising stuff is off!?
We return to the affirmation that God hears and answers. I read the perfects in verse 11 as sequential from the imperatives of verse 10 with Dahood (AB: Psalms I).
Taking MT kabod with different vowel pointing as kabed or ?liver? with the metaphorical meaning of one?s inward self. |
One of the key issues in Revelation is who is in charge of history and who is going to be victorious in the end in the great battle between good and evil. In Revelation 4 & 5, the answer is given by speaking of the worship of God and the lamb around the throne, God in chapter 4 and the lamb in chapter 5. The terms are quite parallel. I would suggest reading both chapters together in preparation to teach from this passage.
Suggested commentary selection: Ben Witherington III, Revelation in the New Cambridge Bible Commentary
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(11) And I looked and heard the sound of many angels around the throne and of the living creatures and of the elders, and there were tens of ten thousands and thousands of thousands of them. (12) And they said in a loud voice,
Worthy is the sacrificed lamb to receive Power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise.
(13) And I heard every creature that was in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea and the creatures that are in them saying,
To the one who is sitting on the throne and to the lamb Blessing and honor and glory and strength into the ages of ages.
(14) And the four creatures kept saying, “Amen!” And the elders fell down and worship. |
All of the heavenly beings are involved in God?s worship. Through representation by the living creatures and by the 24 elders, all the beings of earth are involved.
Tacitus, (Annals XIV:15) gives a description of continuous adulation around the emperor. The scene was of debauchery and sycophancy. Perhaps John intends here a sort of ?anti-caricature? of such a scene (also cited in Witherington, Revelation).
Lamb ? Greek arnion which occurs once outside of Revelation (John 21:15 where it is likely used for variety). It occurs 28 times in the book of Revelation.
In our chapter, the lamb is introduced when people are looking for the ?lion of Judah? (Rev. 5:5) but instead John sees a lamb who has been slain (my translation is ?sacrificed lamb?).
Many of the characteristics attributed to the lamb in Revelation seem very little like those of a lamb, such as ?the wrath of the lamb? (6:16), one can wash robes in the blood of the lamb (7:14), he?s victorious in war (17:14), he is a light (21:23).
Now the worship is explicitly stated, not merely through representatives. Note the flexibility of vision?a few minutes before we are seeing a scene purely in heaven. Now the revelator describes universal worship.
God and the lamb are praised in similar terms.
Agreement is expressed between heaven and earth in the praise of God. |
This passage combines a story of a post-resurrection appearance of Jesus with the story of Peter?s restoration. You can choose either element as a focus in teaching from the passage.
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After these things Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples on the sea of Tiberias. Now he revealed himself in this way: (2) Simon Peter and Thomas called Didymus and Nathaniel from Cana of Galilee and the (sons) of Zebedee and two other disciples. (3) Simon Peter says to them, “I am going fishing.” They say to him, “We’re coming with you!” They went and got in the boat, and they caught nothing that night. (4) But when it was already becoming early morning, Jesus stood on the shore, yet the disciples didn’t know that it was Jesus. (5) Then Jesus says to them, “Children, do you not have anything to eat?” They answered him, “No.” (6) And he said them, “Cast the net on the right hand side of the boat, and your will find some. So they cast it, and they were no longer able to draw in the net because of the quantity of fish. (7) Then the disciple that Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” Then Simon Peter, hearing that it was the Lord, put on his coat, for he was naked, and he threw himself into the sea, (8) but the other disciples went with the boat, for they were not far from the land, but about 200 cubits. (9) Then as they disembarked onto the land, they saw a fire laid, and a little fish lying on it, and bread. (10) Jesus says to them, “Bring some of the fish that you just caught.” (11) Then Simon Peter came up and drew the net onto the ground, filled with 153 big fish. And even though there were so may, the net didn’t tear. (12) Jesus says to them, come, and have breakfast. But none of the disciples dared to inquire of him, “Who are you?” Because they knew that it was the Lord. (13) Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and the fish likewise. (14) This was the third time that Jesus showed himself to his disciples after he rose from the dead. (15) So when they had eaten, Jesus says to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?”
He says to him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” He (Jesus) says to him, “Feed my lambs.” (16) He says to him a second time, ?Simon, son of John, do you love me?? Peter says to him, “Take care of my sheep.” (17) Jesus says to him a third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” And he says to him, “Lord, you know all things, you know that I love you.” Jesus says to him, “Tend my sheep. (18) Very truly I tell you, when you were a young man, you dressed yourself and you walked about wherever you wished, but when you get old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and will take you where you don’t want to go.” (19) Now he said this signifying what type of death he would glorify God with. And having said this he said to him, “Follow me!” |
The return to fishing indicates that the disciples still have not gotten hold of the great commission and started their activity. I would suspect there were many scenes like this amongst followers of Jesus between Easter and Pentecost. When Pentecost came, the uncertainty of what to do next vanished, and we find the focus entirely on accomplishing the mission Jesus had given them.
Numerous efforts have been made to find a symbolic value for the number of fish. It?s more likely, however, that the reason for this number is simply that they counted, possibly to divide their catch.
Son of John ? some manuscripts read ?Jona? in place of ?John? but the evidence for that text is poor. Also in verses 16 & 17.
Some commentators make a point of the different words for ?love? used in this passage. I have used red text indicating those I translated from Greek agapao and left those from phileo in black. Agape is considered the divine form of love, the one asked of Christians, while philos tends to be used of feelings. But many other commentators believe that John is using the two words for variety, and that the distinction is not clear in Hellenistic Greek. It appears to me that they are used synonymously in this passage, though this is not so throughout the New Testament. (Morris, NICNT: John, comments on this issue). |
