Tough Love

The Episcopal Church puts forward 1 John 2:18-29 as one of the daily readings for the day I am writing and posting. 

I have a particular affection for 1 John. When studying Koine Greek, the medium of the New Testament, in graduate school we began with 1 John. It is the easiest text to translate. The first word we learned was teknion - “little children.” 

The Apostle John is addressing churches of Asia Minor. His goal is to give direction to believers,  the teknion, that faced dramatic challenges to their faith - even as we do in our day and in our denomination. John, inspired by the Holy Spirit, writes against the false teachers that had infiltrated the church of his era. Would that contemporary clergy speak as boldly to the issue of false teaching in the contemporary church. Alas!

Specific the text we are working with today wants the reader - the hearer to understand the dramatic difference between those that deny Jesus the Messiah - and those acknowledge Him in faith. In short, those who deny Jesus do not have God - the only God - the Holy, Holy, Holy God. This is a New Testament wide message. That is a tough love teaching by John. The Apostle offers the message because he loved his recipients. I am grateful that the Episcopal Church appoints this reading for this day. It is timely. 

Guess what I dreamed - or die!

Daniel was deported from Israel to Babylon. Shortly after he arrived he faced execution. The back story is that Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, had a most disturbing dream. That dream would affect the lives of a number of men in his court. 

Wanting to know the meaning of the dream he summoned those that might be up to the task - his magicians, soothsayers, enchanters, sorcerers, and astrologers. The complication was that the king wanted more than interpretation - he wanted them to tell him the dream itself - or be executed. Because Daniel and his friends were numbered among the wise men they faced the same dire outcome.

Arioch, commander of the king’s guard went about fulfilling the king’s awful wishes. He thus searched for Daniel. 

The commander of the king’s guard was not a man to mess with. He had a fancy title but his job description was brutal. Among other tasks he was responsible for the execution or deportation of citizens of conquered cities - as well as the dismantling of the city. Sixth century Jerusalem itself would feel the wrath of one bearing this title. Thus to understand Arioch - understand his function. 

Here is the takeaway - when Arioch came to scoop up Daniel, the text tells us, Daniel spoke to the functionary with wisdom and tact. That impresses me. We probably will not have to deal with one coming to take us for execution - unless the Lord deems it best. But, we all deal with difficult people of a lesser stripe. Words of wisdom and tact may salvage an otherwise grim encounter.

"Take - Eat"

“For, as any ancient Jew would have known, the Passover sacrifice was not completed by the death of the lamb, but by eating its flesh. Five times the Bible states that they must “eat” the lamb; five times it emphasizes the sacrificial meal. 

The Passover was not completed by the death of the victim, but by a “communion” of sorts—by eating the flesh of the sacrifice that had been killed on your behalf.” 

— “Jesus and the Jewish roots of the Eucharist.” Brant Pieter

This has profound implications for the Holy Eucharist. “Christ our Passover has been sacrificed for us. Let us keep the feast.”