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Context Matters: Taste and See That the Lord is Good

March 16, 2020 By Ryan Higginbottom

Priscilla Du Preez (2017), public domain

Perhaps you’ve heard that Christians need to taste and see that the Lord is good, that God’s blessings extend to all of our senses. Maybe you’ve been given this encouragement in the context of celebrating the Lord’s Supper or as a reminder that God cares for your body. You may even have been told that “taste and see” means that God wants you to have all of the material blessings you can name.

Context matters. When we learn to read the Bible as a whole—not as a collection of disjointed sentences and phrases ready for posters and sermon titles—we’ll find that some familiar expressions have deeper meanings than we thought.

The Immediate Context

The phrase “taste and see that the Lord is good” comes from the middle of Psalm 34.

Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good!
Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!
Oh, fear the Lord, you his saints,
for those who fear him have no lack!
The young lions suffer want and hunger;
but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing. (Psalm 34:8–10)

In the immediate context, tasting and seeing God’s goodness is tied to taking refuge in him; this is the path to blessedness (Ps. 34:8). Saints who fear the Lord will lack no good thing (Ps. 34:9–10).

Just after these verses, David (the psalm’s author) mentions one of these “good things.”

What man is there who desires life
and loves many days, that he may see good? (Ps. 34:12)

This is what seeking the Lord must look like for anyone who wants a long life.

Keep your tongue from evil
and your lips from speaking deceit.
Turn away from evil and do good;
seek peace and pursue it. (Ps. 34:13–14)

The Bigger Picture

Just as we must not ignore the immediate context of Psalm 34:8, we also must not ignore the larger picture. When we read the entire psalm, we see the Lord’s goodness everywhere.

God answers us and delivers us from all our fears (Ps. 34:4)
Those who look to God are radiant and will not be ashamed (Ps. 34:5)
God hears and saves us out of all trouble (Ps. 34:6)
God delivers those who fear him (Ps. 34:7, 17, 19)
The Lord is near and he saves (Ps. 34:18)
The Lord redeems life, none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned (Ps. 34:22)

We often spiritualize the psalms, reasoning that the psalmist was facing military and physical threat while our dangers are moral or spiritual. But David wrote “taste and see” in the middle of this psalm for a reason.

David experienced the Lord’s goodness with his senses, in real life. God’s nearness, his deliverance, his salvation, his redemption, his hearing and answering—and consequently David’s crying out, looking to God, seeking God, and taking refuge in him—were just as real as honey on David’s tongue or the altar in front of David’s face.

And the goodness of the Lord is just as available to us as it was to King David.

Not an Easy Life

If we’re honest, we’d like the Lord’s goodness to eliminate all sickness, hardship, and want. But that is not reality in Psalm 34.

We have fears (Ps. 34:4) and troubles (Ps. 34:6)
We need deliverance (Ps. 34:7, 17)
We need to cry for help (Ps. 34:17)
We are brokenhearted and crushed in spirit (Ps. 34:18)

We see both from this psalm and from David’s life that turning to God does not ensure a life of trouble-free blessing thereafter. Psalm 34 is written to/for “saints of the Lord” (Ps. 34:9), so all the difficulties mentioned above come to God’s people. This is highlighted in the psalm itself: “Many are the afflictions of the righteous” (Ps. 34:19).

David, even as the anointed of the Lord, faced enormous hardship and threats to his life. In the introduction to Psalm 34 he references 1 Samuel 21:10–15. As David fled from Saul, he went to the king of Gath. But news of David’s military success preceded him, so he faked madness to save his life. And it worked! David cried for help, and the Lord heard him and delivered him (Ps. 34.17).

How to “Taste and See”

I had two questions before digging into this psalm: What does it mean that the Lord is good? How do we experience the Lord’s goodness?

The answers to both questions, from a detailed look at this psalm, are clear. When we seek God in humility, he answers and delivers us.

Seeking God in humility is difficult. It means admitting that we are poor (Ps. 34:6) and that we have fears and troubles beyond our ability (Ps. 34:17). Taking refuge in God and learning the fear of the Lord also have dramatic implications for our lives: we boast in the Lord (Ps. 34:2) and bless him at all times (Ps. 34:1), we keep our tongues from evil (Ps. 34:13), and we turn from evil and pursue peace (Ps. 34:14).

But the reward is far greater than the cost. “None of those who take refuge in him will be condemned.” Given what we deserve and what we are promised, this is the best news in the world! Even in the middle of this Old Testament book of prayers and songs, we see the work of Jesus—condemned in the place of his people.

So, while “taste and see” has no contextual reference to the Lord’s Supper, and no promise of material blessings, this psalm teaches that God’s people experience his deliverance with their senses. In our actual bodies, God delivers us, he saves us, he hears us, and he is near to us.

Context matters.

For more examples of why context matters, click here.

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Teach Bible Study to a 2-Year-Old

March 13, 2020 By Peter Krol

I’ve stated elsewhere that we can teach OIA Bible study to anyone of any age. It’s great to start ’em young.

Two-year-old children are terrific, not terrible. They’re learning so much so quickly, and they’re ready to feast on the bread of life. Jesus wants them with him (Matt 19:13-15), so let’s not get in the way.

How can you take advantage of this time of life? I won’t give a comprehensive manual for parenting, but I hope to help you inspire these little ones to treasure God’s Knowable Word and learn to study it.

1. Read Scripture

Believe it or not, Bible study involves the Bible. God’s Word reveals his heart (2 Pet 1:21) and pierces ours (Heb 4:12). It shapes us for glory (2 Tim 3:16-17). And it wasn’t written just for adults (Eph 6:1-3, Col 3:20).

But sometimes we give our children a diet of caffeine-free, low-fat story book Bibles, and we neglect the nutritious, life-giving, spiritually fattening, satisfactorily scrumptious, obedience-empowering, grace-delighting Word of God.

Children’s Bibles are just great. I like this one for two-year-olds (although sometimes it can use a stronger connection to the gospel). But children’s story Bibles are supplements. Not the meal.

Read the Bible regularly with your child or Sunday school class.

2. Focus on observation

Young children notice much more than we think they do. Just look at how much they imitate us.

While preaching a sermon last Sunday, I saw my two-year-old daughter copying my hand motions. The accuracy of her gestures threatened my composure and confirmed my suspicions. She catches far more than she lets on, and I’m in a position to hone her fledgling prowess.

Read just a few verses, and expect the children to notice stuff. Ask them about what they heard and have them repeat the key details. Then read a few more verses and repeat the process.

3. Ask basic questions

It seems obvious, but it’s easy to neglect, especially if older children are also present. I find myself often assuming the youngest child is “still a baby,” and I speak exclusively to the older children. But the youngest needs practice, too. “How many men did Jesus heal?” “Why did he heal them? Because they were _____ [sick].” “How many came back to thank him [hold up one finger]?”

4. Take advantage of the “Why” phase

By the time they reach 3 years of age, many children learn how to ask “why” and never turn back. They ask it all the time. Don’t be annoyed by it. In fact, you can beat them to it.

“Why did Jesus die? So we could have ______ [life].” “Why do we need Jesus? Because our hearts are ______ [sick].”

5. Ask leading questions

It’s okay if your questions have obvious answers. The repetition over time is more important than unique insight on the child’s part. Young children excel at memorization, and asking the same questions over and over builds their foundation.

In our house, the mantra is: “How does God want you to obey?” Answer: right away, all the way, and with a cheerful heart.

That’s followed by: “And why did Jesus die?” Answer: so we could have life.

Every Bible study connects in some way to these two questions.

When it comes to training my children, I don’t want to be original. I want to be useful.

6. Give them Jesus

They need Jesus more than anything – more than Bible knowledge, more than life lessons, and more than good behavior. Even at age two, children can learn that “Jesus” is usually the right answer to any question.

Question: What other ideas do you have? What resources have you found helpful?

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Reminder: Bible Reading Challenge Underway

March 11, 2020 By Peter Krol

Here is a friendly reminder that we’re in the midst of our annual Bible reading challenge. (See the link for rules.) You have until March 31 to read the entire Bible.

If you complete the challenge, just let me know by completing the form below, and you’ll be entered into a drawing for an ESV Reader’s Bible, Six Volume Set, With Chapter and Verse Numbers or a one-volume reader’s Bible of your choice.

Just make sure you complete the form after you finish. Entries are time stamped, and those with a finish date after the date of submission will be deleted.

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Mastering Book I of the Psalms

March 6, 2020 By Peter Krol

After completing my annual speed-read of the Bible, I like to follow Joe Carter’s plan for how to change your mind. Carter’s plan is simply to select a book of the Bible, read it 20 times in a row, and then move on to another book and do the same. After following that plan for 3 years, I’ve covered 20 books of the Bible, alternating between shorter books and longer ones. This discipline has been the most effective practice I’ve ever followed to help me master these books.

And for most of 2020, I’ve decided to tackle the third-longest book of the Bible: Psalms. (I already covered the second-longest, Genesis, in 2017. The first-longest, Jeremiah, still glares at me threateningly from an undisclosed rendezvous in my future timeline.)

To help me grasp the book’s ebbs and flows, and to prevent too much sensation of swimming in molasses, I’ve decided to consume the book of Psalms according to its five subdivisions, called “books.” Most Bibles will put headings over those five books: Psalms 1-41, 42-73, 74-89, 90-106, and 107-150.

So for now, I’m reading only Psalms 1-41 repeatedly (about to finish my 11th repetition). After 20 times there, I’ll move on to Book II, and so on.

The Data I’m Collecting

I’m creating a spreadsheet to help me analyze the psalms and the book’s larger structure. You can find the fruit of my labors here. (I’ll also post it on the blog’s Resources page, so you can easily find it in the future.)

On the spreadsheet, I’m tracking every ascription and description given for a psalm. I’m also tracking every psalm that uses the term “psalm,” “choirmaster,” or “selah.”

But besides such trivia, I’m also tracking which psalms are acrostics (where each verse or stanza begins with a subsequent letter of the Hebrew alphabet), what sort of poem each psalm is, which NT verses directly quote from each psalm.

And above all, I’m recording what I believe to be the main point of each psalm. My purpose in doing this is not to erase or ignore the nature of the poetry, which is typically intended to be felt and pondered and not merely reduced to a logical proposition. My purpose is simply to recognize that each psalm is profitable for teaching, correcting, reproving, and/or training in righteousness (2 Tim 3:16). And when I’m feeling especially discouraged about a particular sin that doesn’t seem to go away—to give a practical example—I would like the spreadsheet to help me remember the psalm whose primary purpose is to ask God not to discipline me in anger as my sin deserves. (In case you’re wondering, it’s Psalm 38.)

What I’m Gleaning

The biggest lesson for me so far is that the Psalms are clearly arranged with intention. This is no random assortment of devotional poems. The five books of Psalms have been set in their order to communicate a number of overarching themes designed to infect the prayer and worship of God’s people. To give only one example of the purposeful arrangement, notice how Book I has four psalms with an acrostic structure (marked in column H of the spreadsheet). No other Book has an acrostic, until Book V, which also has exactly four. This can’t be a coincidence.

For a brief, yet brilliant, take on the book of Psalms see the Bible Project video below. While I differ with them on a few details, I find their broad insight into the book quite stimulating. These guys are the ones who set me down the path of seeing the intentionality behind the book’s arrangement.

With respect to Book I, I was intrigued by the proposal that Psalms 15-24 make up an extended chiasm (a structure where the second half is a mirror image in parallel to the first half). As I have dug into these psalms myself, I can’t help but wonder whether the chiasm extends out all the way to Psalms 3-35. I’ve color-coded the parallel pairs in the spreadsheet.

Many commentators, not only those at The Bible Project, agree that Psalms 1-2 provide an introduction to the entire book. This introductions establishes a blessing on those who 1) hold fast to God’s Word and 2) submit to God’s King. I find it unsurprising that the center of the Book I chiasm consists of Psalms 19 & 20, which have the same pair of themes.

Not all proposed pairings are self-evident. But many are uncanny. For example, in Psalm 4, David asks God to answer him when he calls (Psalm 4:1), and in Psalm 34, David praises God for hearing him when he called (Psalm 34:6).

This leads to another insight I’ve gleaned, which is that there is clear movement over the course of the book. Each psalm, and even subsets of verses of a psalm, could be read or prayed in isolation as an act of worship (here are two examples). But at the same time, there is a broad movement over the course of the book that is worth following.

For example, consider only Book I. After introducing the main themes of the book in Psalms 1-2 (blessing on the one who trusts God’s Word and God’s King), the editor presents 39 psalms connected—with only one exception—to David. And in these psalms, we see a high percentage of laments and requests for help from persecution (19 psalms). Intertwined throughout are occasional psalms of praise or blessing (13 psalms). But most of the “praise” psalms even focus on praise for the opportunity to request help when life is tough (Psalms 9-10, 18, 21, 30, 33, 34, 40).

The first praise psalm (Psalm 8) is about how God set a human to reign as king over creation against God’s enemies. And the last praise psalm (Psalm 40) gives thanks for past deliverance in order to request further deliverance in the future (Ps 40:13-17). The rejoicing over past deliverance flows right out of the requests in Psalms 36-39. And the request for future deliverance sets up the Book’s final psalm (Psalm 41), which is as much a confession of faith as a lament over poor circumstances. “Blessed is the one who considers the poor! In the day of trouble Yahweh delivers him” (Ps 41:1).

Putting it together, we see the following flow of thought through Book I:

Blessed is the one who trusts God’s Word and God’s King – Pss 1-2
David was a king who trusted God’s Word through all sorts of turmoil – Pss 3-18
Center of chiasm: The king asks God to align his words with God’s words, and the people ask God to save the king – Pss 19-20
But David is not the end of the story. He has yet to be freed from oppression, sickness, and personal sin. He is not yet vindicated as the true Son of God. There must be something more – Pss 21-41

This leaves us wondering whether Book II might suggest what is that “something more.”

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A Commentator on Proper Use of Commentaries

March 4, 2020 By Peter Krol

Regardless of whether you agree with Tremper Longman on the best way to read the book of Genesis, his advice on how to properly use commentaries is terrific:

There is a right way and a wrong way to use a commentary. Actually, there are two wrong ways. The first is to ignore completely the use of commentaries. Some people do not consult commentaries because they believe that, since all Christians are equal as they approach the Scriptures, scholars have no privileged insight into the biblical text. The second error is to become overly dependent on commentaries. “These people have devoted their whole lives to the study of the Bible. How can my opinion measure up to theirs?”
Those holding the first position are wrong because they forget that God gives different gifts to different people in the Church. Not all people are equally adept at understanding the Bible and teaching it to others (1 Cor 12:12–31). Those holding the second position err in the opposite direction. They forget that God has given believers the Spirit by which they can discern spiritual things (1 Cor 2:14–16).
The right way to use a commentary is as a help. We should first study a passage without reference to any helps. Only after coming to an initial understanding of the passage should we consult commentaries.
Neither should we let commentaries bully us. Many times they will be of great help, but sometimes the reader will be right and the commentaries will be wrong.”

The piece at the Logos blog reflects further on the best use of commentaries.

Check it out!

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Context Matters: Jesus Came to Give Abundant Life

March 2, 2020 By Ryan Higginbottom

Perhaps you’ve heard that Jesus didn’t just come to give life, he came to give abundant life. You may have seen teachers urge that Christians should not be poor, should not be sad, should not be sick, should not be lacking in any blessings God can give. After all, how does a less than existence match up with an abundant life?

When we learn to read the Bible properly—not as a series of isolated words and phrases—we find that some familiar phrases take on entirely new meanings.

The Audience

Jesus uses the “abundant life” phrase to a group of Pharisees in John 10. Importantly, these Pharisees gathered after a controversy surrounding Jesus’s healing of a blind man.

In John 9:1–7, Jesus comes across a man born blind. He anoints the man’s eyes with mud, tells him to go wash in the pool of Siloam, and the man comes back with sight. This starts several rounds of questioning from the Pharisees directed at both this man and his parents. No one wants to proclaim Jesus as the Messiah for fear of the Jews (John 9:22).

However, the man’s life has been changed so dramatically, he cannot help himself. He tells the Pharisees that this man is clearly from God, and the Pharisees cast him out (John 9:33–34). Jesus seeks out the man again, and he confesses Jesus as Lord (John 9:38). The purpose of the healing is realized; the miracle points back to Jesus.

Jesus, the Good Shepherd

Jesus launches into an extended figure of speech that leaves the Pharisees confused.

Jesus first tells the Pharisees about the shepherd of the sheep. The sheep will follow the shepherd, because they know his voice. But they will not follow a stranger with a strange voice (John 10:1–6).

Since this first use of a sheep/shepherd metaphor is confusing, Jesus reloads. He uses different metaphors.

So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.” (John 10:7–9)

And then we arrive at the verse in question.

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. (John 10:10)

It’s quite natural, after hearing this, to ask: What does it look like to have life abundantly? John (and Jesus) anticipates this question, because the answer comes quickly.

I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. (John 10:11–15)

Having an abundant life means having a good shepherd!

Plenty of employees can perform simple tasks for the sheep, but they don’t care for the sheep at all. They will save their own skin when the wolf howls. But Jesus is so, so different. He is the good shepherd. He knows his sheep, and he lays down his life for his sheep.

Notice that nowhere in this passage do we see a discussion of money, large houses, swimming pools, or everlasting youth. The way Jesus uses this phrase has nothing to do with material possessions or anything doctors or therapists can offer. He intends something much better.

The Greatest Treasure

Jesus came to give himself for his sheep. He calls his sheep, and they perk up their ears and follow him because they recognize his voice. With the good shepherd the sheep will find pasture, shelter, and safety.

Jesus is quite comfortable at the center of this metaphor. Both his healings and his figures of speech point people back to him.

Many sheep are used to thieves and wolves in the field. But with a good shepherd, the sheep have a guide and friend who loves them. He knows them, and they know him. And this—this is abundant life.

Context matters.

For more examples of why context matters, click here.

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Context Matters: Leave the Dead to Bury Their Own Dead

February 28, 2020 By Peter Krol

Perhaps you’ve heard some of Jesus’ cryptic sayings, such as “Let the dead bury their own dead.” What are we to make of such a mysterious sentence? How shall we go about trying to puzzle it out?

Context matters. When we learn to read the Bible properly—and we don’t just take a guess at the meaning on our own—we’ll find that the clues are right there in the passage waiting to be found.

The Text

The command comes in response to a man who considers following Jesus. The man asks to be allowed to go first and bury his father. Then Jesus speaks the words under consideration: “Leave the dead to bury their own dead.”

This brief scene occurs in both Matthew 8:21-22 and Luke 9:59-60. For the sake of this post, I’m looking at Luke’s version. Because Matthew may have a different use in mind for this scene, I might analyze his version in another post. For this season, however, my head has been in Luke. So I’ll camp there.

Some Options

A number of options have been proposed for how to interpret this command.

Some describe an ancient Jewish practice of “second burial,” where a family would return to the tomb of a loved one a year after burial and rearrange the placement of the bones. They suggest that, because Jesus would presumably never contradict the 5th commandment to honor one’s parents (Ex 20:12), Jesus must be ordering the man to forgo this practice of second burial. “Leave the second-burial dead to bury their own first-burial dead.”

Others claim that the first “dead” in the verse refers to the spiritually dead. And a Christian ought to delegate the responsibility for burying their (physically) dead parents to those who are not Christians. “Leave the spiritually dead to bury their own physically dead.”

Still others suggest that the man’s father was not yet dead, and the potential disciple was merely making excuses not to follow Jesus. “Leave off the excuse of needing to care for the aging.”

Another idea is that the phrase means either that God must come first before all else, or that we must accept that what is done is done. “Bury your priorities and your past as though they were dead, and put me first.”

Still others propose that the command is not relevant to Christians today, but was only for the first apostles. Jesus’ call to them then was so strict as to preclude their responsibility to care for aging or dying parents. But his call on us today is not as strict. “Leave the dead apostles to leave the dead to bury their own dead.”

How are we to choose from among these options? Surely we won’t get the answer by closing our eyes and reflecting on the options until one of them feels right. There have got to be clues in the text itself.

Help from the Structure

In Luke’s account, we’re given three brief scenes with potential disciples, all in a row. The first (Luke 9:57-58) and third (Luke 9:61-62) both take initiative with Jesus and announce “I will follow you.” However, with the second potential disciple, the one we are considering, Jesus makes the first move: “Follow me” (Luke 9:59). This pattern sets up a simple three-part structure:

“I will follow you wherever you go.”
- “Follow me… But as for you…”
“I will follow you, Lord, but…”

The first and third potential disciples are idealists. They’re quick to make promises about what they will do. The first is a broad idealist, offering to follow Jesus “wherever.” And the second one is a narrow idealist, offering to follow Jesus under one small condition (“let me first say farewell to those at my home”). But both remain idealists who need a dose of reality: We won’t have the greatest of accommodations (Luke 9:58), and we need to be singly focused on the kingdom (Luke 9:62).

But the structure of the paragraph points a flashing neon arrow at the second potential disciple. Being at the center of the concentric structure, we ought to expect the punchline to fall there.

And so it does. Not only is Jesus the one to take initiative, but he also closes the vignette with a clear call: “But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:60). So in some way, “burying the dead” is in tension with “proclaiming the kingdom of God.” If burying the dead will get in the way of proclaiming the kingdom, then leave the task to the dead.

In brief, then, the structure helps us to see the main point: Go and proclaim the kingdom. But it doesn’t yet help us to grasp the precise interpretation of the phrase “leave the dead to bury their own dead.” We need more help.

Help Before and After

The train of thought in the larger passage may come to the rescue.

The paragraph before the one we’re examining (Luke 9:51-56) launches a major division in Luke’s gospel (see my post on how to navigate the middle of Luke). In that paragraph, James and John ask if Jesus wants them to call down fire on a village that didn’t receive him (Luke 9:53-54). Clearly he doesn’t, because he rebukes them and moves on to another village (Luke 9:55-56). So now is not a time for unflinching judgment.

The paragraphs after the one we’re examining (Luke 10:1-24) show Jesus appointing “seventy-two others” (so not including the Twelve) to go ahead of him (Luke 10:1) and proclaim the kingdom of God (Luke 10:9, 11). For this particular mission, they are to take no supplies and stop to greet no one (Luke 10:4). In other words, they are to leave possessions and ordinary politeness behind. This mission is far too urgent.

So the train of thought takes the following track:

Now is a time not for judgment but for patience—Luke 9:51-56
Now is a time for single-minded and urgent proclamation of the kingdom—Luke 9:57-62
Here are your marching orders for this season of patient yet urgent proclamation—Luke 10:1-24

Conclusion

I don’t think we have reason to believe that “leave the dead to bury their own dead” is intended by Luke as a code or metaphor for something else, as though we need to figure out who exactly the first “dead” are and who the second “dead” are. I also don’t see support from the context for even a precise definition for the saying.

Luke’s purpose here is not to tell us what to do with our dead. His purpose is to paint a picture of the urgency of proclaiming the kingdom of God. In particular, the urgency they had then of proclaiming Jesus’ approach toward Jerusalem to bring that kingdom (Luke 9:51, 53).

In painting this picture, Luke portrays a man who wants to bury his father. And Jesus wants the man to leave the situation alone for now so he can proclaim this urgent kingdom message instead. Somewhat like a modern father of a preschooler, late for a family gathering, telling his daughter to just leave her baby dolls to have their own tea party; we only need to get in the car! She would be missing the point if she began dissecting the question of whether dolls really have the ability to have their own tea parties without her.

So the weight of our interpretation ought to land on the proclamation of the kingdom instead of on deciding allowable burial practices.

Now, while the passage clearly has a particular setting (proclaiming Jesus’ imminent arrival in Jerusalem), I wouldn’t go as far as to say that this means the passage has no application to today (as with the last option on the list above). All Scripture is profitable for teaching and equipping. We can identify principles here for application, but we need to be careful not to read the instructions as though they had been delivered directly to us. There was something unique about Jesus’ journey toward Jerusalem, for which those 72 folks had a particular urgency. We likewise face an analogous urgency in our proclamation of the kingdom, but the instructions don’t always directly apply. For example, it may now be appropriate for missionaries to raise support (contra Luke 10:4; see Rom 15:24, Phil 4:15-18).

Context matters.

For more examples of why context matters, click here.

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Why Study Esther

February 26, 2020 By Peter Krol

Jesse Johnson has another great post at The Cripplegate, this time about the book of Esther. (I previously linked to one about Ezra.) In “Why Study Esther,” Johnson delves into the mystery of why God is never named or explicitly mentioned in the book.

To drive this point home, Esther is the only book of the Bible that does not mention God or God’s name. In fact, the author goes out of his way to avoid writing it (consider the pains he took in Esther 4:14, writing an ambiguous sentence when every Jewish child would know God was the one working).
But this too is by design. No book of the Bible has its focus on God’s sovereign direction of history to the extent that Esther does. It’s masterful. It’s clear. It’s unambiguous. But it’s also subtly beautiful.
Only a fool would look at a backyard covered in animal tracks and declare that because the animals can’t be seen now, they must not have been there at all. Similarly, only a fool would look at Esther and imagine that because God is not seen on stage that he is not there at all.

At the end of 2019, I spent a few months saturating in Esther, reading it 20 times in a row. I agree with Johnson on the book’s high value. The full article is worth your time.

Check it out!

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How to Navigate the Middle of Luke

February 21, 2020 By Peter Krol

Of the four New Testament gospels, Luke’s is the lengthiest. And in my opinion, the longest section within the book (Luke 9:51-19:27) is the most challenging to get through. It can feel aimless and meandering, almost as though Luke indulges his personal wanderlust without a clear purpose or organization.

Literary Stasis

At least his second volume, the book of Acts, can be organized according to travel sequences. The gospel moves out in waves from Jerusalem, into Judea, then Samaria, and then to the ends of the earth. And “the ends of the earth” section is commonly subdivided into Paul’s first, second, and third missionary journeys, with a voyage to Rome appended to the end.

But in Luke, Jesus simply commits himself to going to Jerusalem (Luke 9:51), and then he finally goes up to Jerusalem (Luke 19:28). And nothing really happens plot-wise in the intervening 10 chapters. There is a lot of talking and meandering, with occasional reminders that Jesus is “on the way.” But very few narrative events take place. And they are the sort of events that don’t typically show up on a summary timeline of the life of Christ.

There’s a funny thing about these 10 chapters. In a sense, Luke could have gone without them. Luke more or less puts Jesus into a literary stasis, frozen in the act of traveling toward Jerusalem (with almost no named stops along the way). And Luke’s overall themes could function without this part of the book. In Luke 1:1-4:13, Luke presents Jesus as, himself, the salvation of God. In Luke 4:14-9:50, Jesus proclaims the coming salvation of God through himself. And in Luke 19:28 to the end, Jesus goes and accomplishes the salvation of God. Luke could have jumped right from Luke 9:51 to Luke 19:28 without the intervening material, and the book would still have made sense.

The “parenthetical” nature of Luke 9:51-19:27 is so stark that commentators even have a label for it. They tend to call this section of Luke “The Travelogue” or “The Travel Narrative.”

What further sense can we make of this literary stasis?

Literary Divisions

It appears that Luke divides this large section into four sub-sections.* His literary signal, to show the beginning of a new sub-section, is a reminder that the plot is still frozen and Jesus is still “on the way” to Jerusalem.

When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem.
Luke 9:51

Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village.
Luke 10:38

He went on his way through towns and villages, teaching and journeying toward Jerusalem.
Luke 13:22

On the way to Jerusalem he was passing along between Samaria and Galilee.
Luke 17:11

In each case, Luke makes sure to remind us that Jesus is “on the way” to Jerusalem. And then, almost immediately, somebody asks Jesus a weighty question. And Luke spends the rest of the section showing us how Jesus answered the question.

So the pattern to mark each sub-section is as follows:

Luke reminds us that Jesus is on the way to Jerusalem.
Somebody asks a weighty question.
The following collection of scenes and dialogues answers the question.

For example, in the first section (Luke 9:51-10:37), James and John ask Jesus if he wants them to call down fire from heaven on an unresponsive village (Luke 9:54). Jesus rebukes them, and then he calls another disciple to “go and proclaim the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:60). The rest of the section describes the plan for such proclamation.

In the second section (Luke 10:38-13:21), Martha asks Jesus whether he cares that her sister has left her to serve alone (Luke 10:40). She asks Jesus to tell Mary to help her with the work. Jesus tells Martha that he absolutely cares about what Mary has done, and that Mary has actually chosen the better portion—to sit at his feet and grow closer to him. The rest of the section describes the process for such growth in the lives of those who will sit at Jesus’ feet. We get instruction about such practical topics as the Holy Spirit, prayer, tradition, money management, and repentance.

At the start of the third section (Luke 13:22-17:10), a random person asks Jesus if those who are saved will be few (Luke 13:23). Jesus acknowledges that they will, in fact, be few. And very many will strive to enter the kingdom but will find themselves weeping outside. The rest of the section shows a great concern for how many will get in and how many will be left out.

At the start of the fourth section (Luke 17:11-19:27), the Pharisees ask Jesus when the kingdom of God will come (Luke 17:20). Jesus claims that it has already arrived, but they are simply unable to recognize it for what it is. The rest of the section then describes how to recognize the kingdom, how it is already upon us, and how most Jews of that generation are just about out of time to enter it.

Summary

In summary, this lengthy section of Luke, this literary stasis, could be called “The Life of Discipleship.” This large section describes life in the kingdom of God, the life of those who would be his disciples. Luke freezes the plot to draw out the implications of what he’s told us so far in the book. What is Jesus really after? How would he describe the results he expects from his salvation? When does he expect things to play out? And what sort of people does he want his followers to be?

This lengthy section concerns four main topics:

How we must proclaim his kingdom (Luke 9:51-10:37)
How to grow as citizens of the kingdom (Luke 10:38-13:21)
Who is a true citizen, and who is not (Luke 13:22-17:10)
How to recognize that the kingdom has, in fact, come through Jesus (Luke 17:11-19:27)

Now that you grasp this skeleton, perhaps you can make more sense of the meandering parables and dialogues found there. We find some of Jesus’ most famous parables here (e.g. good Samaritan, lost sheep, prodigal son, Pharisee and tax collector, rich fool, and rich man and Lazarus). Perhaps you’ll grasp these parables—and other familiar texts—more clearly when you consider them within the context of their sub-section.

* For these structural insights, I am indebted to William Taylor’s marvelous two-volume study guide on Luke in the Read Mark Learn series (Christian Focus, 2016 & 2018).

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Context Mattered to Jesus, part 3

February 17, 2020 By Ryan Higginbottom

In the third and final temptation of Jesus, the devil takes him to a high mountain. He promises Jesus “all the kingdoms of the world and their glory” if Jesus will simply fall down and worship him.

On one hand, this sounds like an easy trap to avoid. Temptations don’t get much more obvious than worship the devil.

But for Jesus, this temptation is real. As the Son of God who will ascend to heaven, Jesus is destined for kingship, power, and glory. But the path is incredibly hard. It involves humiliation, suffering, betrayal, and a horrendous death.

Satan is proposing a way around the hardship, a back door to the main stage.

Resisting with Scripture

In response to the devil’s offer, Jesus counters with clear teaching from Scripture.

Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’” (Matthew 4:10)

This command is found in Deuteronomy 6:13. Here’s the larger context.

And when the Lord your God brings you into the land that he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give you—with great and good cities that you did not build, and houses full of all good things that you did not fill, and cisterns that you did not dig, and vineyards and olive trees that you did not plant—and when you eat and are full, then take care lest you forget the Lord, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. It is the Lord your God you shall fear. Him you shall serve and by his name you shall swear. You shall not go after other gods, the gods of the peoples who are around you—for the Lord your God in your midst is a jealous God—lest the anger of the Lord your God be kindled against you, and he destroy you from off the face of the earth. (Deuteronomy 6:10–15)

In response to his first temptation, Jesus’s use of Scripture showed that he was putting himself in the place of Israel. This raised the question, Will Jesus obey?

In the second temptation, Satan tempts Jesus to test the Lord, to call forth an unnecessary, dramatic rescue. Jesus turns this away as well, knowing that God is with him and that his delivery will come after the grave.

In this final temptation, Satan continues the pattern. He asks Jesus to claim now what he will receive later. To avoid the pain and rejection associated with his upcoming ministry, and to end up with glory, Jesus only needs to worship the tempter.

But Jesus refuses. He obeys. He will not forget the Lord, who brought his people out of the house of slavery and who will once again liberate his children. He will not go after another god, for he knows the Lord is in his midst—the Lord is with him. Jesus knows that the Lord is jealous and that his anger can be kindled to destruction.

Jesus is the Better Israel

We know what happened to Israel after Egypt. They grumbled, they didn’t obey the Lord, and they followed after other gods. Eventually, they went into exile because of their rebellion and idolatry.

Jesus stands where Israel fell. He walks the path from his baptism to his cross and he trusts the Lord with every step. In this encounter with the devil, Matthew shows Jesus’s intentions and first steps, and he invites careful attention to the Savior’s life and words.

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