7th Sunday in Easter, 2004
Revelation. 22:12-21 (12-14, 16-17, 20-21)
Themes:
The primary theme of these passages together seems to be the coming of God?s kingdom. We have the prayer and prediction (John 17:20-26), the method (Acts 16:16-34), the accomplishment (Revelation 22:12-21), and the rejoicing (Psalm 97). Individually, of course, each passage may be used in a number of other ways.
Some other themes and passage combinations are:
- Worship, Psalm 97 and Acts 16:16-34
- Salvation, Acts 16:16-34 and John 17:20-26
- God?s Presence, Psalm 97
Consider tying in Exodus 34 or some other passage related to the Sinai theophany
Another alternative is Ezekiel 1 (See my essay Ezekiel 1: A Glimpse of the Glory of Yahweh) - The meaning of unity, John 17:20-26
There are a number themes in this passage. Of course, the primary meaning continues to be the continuing spread of the gospel against all opposition and despite all obstacles. Paul and Silas find themselves opposed here by the demonic, by the prejudices and desire for gain in the town, by the town authorities who beat and imprison them, and finally by the prison walls. When surrounded by prison walls, in pain from being beaten, and unable to move because of the stocks they worship, and the result is freedom for them and salvation for the jailer.
This kind of results come from not losing focus or determination no matter what comes up. In the modern church it takes very little to prevent us from accomplishing the missions God gives us. Paul insists on the freedom to follow God?s agenda. Even when the girl with the spirit proclaims something that is true, Paul puts a stop to it. God?s message is carried out in God?s timing and by God?s methods.
I love the worship service conducted in the prison. Not only do Paul and Silas remain faithful, but they are open and public about it. Imagine the witness that comes from their willingness to praise and pray when things seem like they?ve hit the bottom.
Notes:
- I recommend the CEV to get the feel of this passage.
- This is one of those cases where I think The Message loses some of the meaning in the process of being contemporary. Note, of course, that Dr. Peterson does not recommend his translation for scripture readings.
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(16) Now as we were going out to pray, a certain female slave who had a spirit of divination me us. She provided much business to her owners by giving oracles. (17) She followed Paul and us and cried out saying, “These men are slaves of the most high God, who are proclaiming to us the way of salvation.” (18) And she continued doing this for many days, and Paul was disturbed so he turned to the spirit and said, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And it came out of her in that same hour. (19) But when her owners saw that their hope of business was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace before the rulers (20) and took them before the magistrates and said, “These men are troubling our city, being Jews, (21) and they are proclaiming a way of life which is not permissible for us to accept, since we are Romans.” (22) And the crowd joined together against them, the officials had Paul and Silas?s clothes torn off and then had them beaten. (23) They beat them severely, threw them in prison and told the prison-keeper to keep them very secure. (24) He accepted this charge and threw them into the innermost prison and secured their feet in fetters. (25) Now in the middle of the night Paul and Silas were praying, singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening. (26) And suddenly there was a great earthquake so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately the doors of the prison were opened and all the fetters were unfastened. (27) The prison-keeper woke up and saw the doors of the prison open, and he began to draw his sword, thinking that the prisoners had escaped. (28) But Paul called to him with a loud voice, saying, “Don’t do yourself any harm, for we are all here.” (29) So he asked for a torch and fell trembling before Paul and Silas, (3) and took them outside and said, “Sirs! What must I do to be saved?” (31) And they said, “Put your faith on the Lord Jesus and you will be saved and your household.” (32) And they spoke the word of the Lord to him with all of those in his household. (33) And he received them at that hour of the night and washed their wounds, and he and all those of his household were baptized immediately, (34) And he took them into his house and set a table before them and all his household rejoiced because they had come to put their faith in God. |
Spirit of divination ? ?puthon? or python, which comes from the serpent that once guarded the Delphic oracle. This came to be associated with a spirit of divination.
1 Thessalonians 2:2 may refer to this event.
The Learning Bible has some good comments on this passage, and an excellent article on salvation, God?s Saving Love (Salvation), on p. 1923. |
Psalm 97 is a fairly straightforward Psalm of praise to God because he is a just, good, loving and powerful ruler. It centers around a description of a theophany (verses 2-6), and then proclaims universal joy and worship because of God?s greatness. This passage can tie in with several other theophanies (Isaiah 6:1-9, Ezekiel 1, Exodus 19 or 34. Paul uses Exodus 34 in 2 Corinthians 3.)
Verse 1 opens and introduces the Psalm, then 2-6 describe the theophany and immediate results, while 7-9 describe the authority of God and the joy of the world because he is sovereign. 10-11 speaks to the righteous, and 12 closes the Psalm, looking back to and expanding on verse 1.
Reading notes:
- The Message does an excellent job of getting the feel of this one, despite comments on the previous passage, I?d recommend it for the reading on this one.
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(1) YHWH rules, let the earth rejoice. Let the many islands be joyful. (2) Clouds and thick clouds are around him, Righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne. (3) Fire goes before him. It burns up his enemies all around. (4) His lightning lit up the world. The earth saw it and rejoiced. (5) The mountains melted like wax from before YHWH. From before the Lord of all the earth. (6) The heavens proclaimed his righteousness, And all the peoples saw his glory. (7) All those who serve an idol will be ashamed, Those who praise idols. Worship him, all gods! (8) Zion heard and rejoiced, And the daughters of Judah were glad, On account of your judgments, YHWH. (9) For you are YHWH most high over all the earth, You are very exalted over all gods. (10) You who love YHWH hate evil, He keeps the lives of his faithful ones, From the hand of the wicked he rescues them. (11) Light shines out for the righteous. And joy for the upright of heart. (12) Rejoice YHWH, oh you righteous, And praise the memory of his holiness. |
Rules ? or ?has become king?
Psalm 19:1-6.
Accepting the common emendation of ?zr;? to ?zrh? |
The actual reading for today is verses 12-14, 16-17 and 20-21, but I prefer to deal with the whole passage. The compilers of the revised common lectionary preferred to leave the judgment portions out of the passage. There is some justification for this because of the nature of the other passages, all of which point to salvation and to universal rejoicing over God?s sovereignty and saving acts. But at the same time the verses we are using imply the judgment by limiting those with access in the first place.
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(12) Look, I’m coming quickly and my reward is with me, to give to each one as his work is. (13) I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end. (14) Blessed are those who wash their robes so that they might have a right to the tree of life and might go in through the gates into the city.
(15) Outside are dogs and sorcerers and fornicators and murderers and idolaters and everyone who loves or does something false. (16) I, Jesus, sent my angel to testify these things to you about the churches. I am the root and the seed of David, the bright morning star. (17) And the spirit and the bride say, “Come,” and let the one who hears say, “Come,” and let the one who is thirsty come. Let whoever wants receive the water of life freely. (18) I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book, “If anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues which are written in this book, (19) and if anyone takes away from the words of this book of prophecy, God will take away his part from the tree of life and from the holy city, and from the things written in this book.
(20) The one who testifies these things says, “Yes, I’m coming quickly.” Amen! Come quickly, Jesus. (21) May the grace of the Lord Jesus be with all of you. |
These are people who have put their trust in Jesus, and have followed him. Revelation knows nothing of salvation that doesn?t impact the life. We are regularly presented with contrasts in moral terms, not just in terms of belief.
Dogs ? REB read perverts.
Compare Deuteronomy 4:2, 12:32. Neither of these passages should be taken in support of an end to the gift of prophecy or as stating that the canon is closed. Revelation was late in being accepted into the canon, and it had this notice when it was distributed separately form the rest of the New Testament. The author is demanding accurate copying and representation of the book. Nobody should add to or take from what he says. That in no way implies that this is all that God will ever say to anyone. |
This passage is the third part of the prayer of Jesus in John 17. First John prays for himself, then for his disciples, then for all the church that was to come. It is a wonderful example of intercessory prayer, and also introduces an excellent theology of the church and a vision for church unity.
We frequently get the wrong focus on what ?witness? means. In the scriptures, witness is most commonly making plain to the world the work of God amongst his own people. Thus Ezekiel (chapter 36) speaks of the world knowing who God is when God shows his holiness through the people. Here God?s unity will be manifested through the people who have put their trust in God, and those people will be unified.
Unity is another concept that gives us difficulty. Being in God or in Christ (and the reverse, which emphasizes other aspects of the unity) doesn?t mean that everyone does and thinks the same thing. If we look at the universe, we know that God must love diversity because he created so much of it. But there is a love which can be shown through the many and various persons, activities and situations that occur ?in? God. It is not that their individuality is erased or even hidden. Rather, it is all brought into the giant system that is God?s universe.
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(20) I’m not asking about these alone, but also about those who will put their faith in me by means of their message, (21) so that all may be one, just as you, Father, are in me and I in you, so that also they might be in us, so that the world might believe that you sent me. (22) And I have given them the glory that you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one. (23) I in them and you in me, so that they might be made mature in unity, so that the world might know that you sent me and you loved them just as you loved me. (24) Father, I wish that those whom you’ve given me might also be with me where I am, so that they might see my glory which you gave me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. (25) Righteous father, indeed the world did not know you, but I knew you, and they knew that you sent me. (26) And I made your name known to them and I will continue to make it known so that the love with which you loved me might be in them as I also am in them. |
Unity is witness, and Christian unity involves us in Christ and Christ in the church. In literal terms that is a contradiction, but both are part of the ?plan? of the church.
Look back to 1:1-3. |