Mail Call - 6

28 Aug., 2018

Adam Baumann
Concordia Theological Seminary
Fort Wayne, Indiana
Fall Quarter, 2018-2019


18 - 27 Aug. 2018

One more week before classes start.  Books are (mostly) purchased.  Schedules are figured out.  No panic yet, and, after passing through the gauntlet of Summer Greek, I don't expect any.  At least initially.

I like books, but dropping over three hundred dollars a quarter is a bit frightening.  Granted, these are very useful books, especially the commentaries.  Be nice if the costs weren't so high.  Or require finding bookshelf space.

For being an uneventful week, we sure are busy.  New Student Orientation is on Friday, 31 Aug., and is all day.  Its required for all students, including those who have been here for two months studying Greek.  At some point the whole family is supposed to have a picture taken for the school directory.  And there's a financial literacy seminar on Saturday both Meg and I are to attend, but kiddos are not allowed.  Yeah, I don't really get it either.  Oh well.

No doubt that there will be plenty to report on next week, and every following week.  Hoping to keep on top of such things.  Depending on how things go, there may or may not be a report following orientation.

Thirteenth Sunday after Trinity (26 Aug. 2018)

Promises, promises...

The men of Israel took captive 200,000 of their relatives, women, sons, and daughters. They also took much spoil from them and brought the spoil to Samaria.  But a prophet of the LORD was there, whose name was Oded, and he went out to meet the army that came to Samaria and said to them, "Behold, because the LORD, the God of your fathers, was angry with Judah, he gave them into your hand, but you have killed them in a rage that has reached up to heaven.  And now you intend to subjugate the people of Judah and Jerusalem, male and female, as your slaves. Have you not sins of your own against the LORD your God?  Now hear me, and send back the captives from your relatives whom you have taken, for the fierce wrath of the LORD is upon you."  Certain chiefs also of the men of Ephraim, Azariah the son of Johanan, Berechiah the son of Meshillemoth, Jehizkiah the son of Shallum, and Amasa the son of Hadlai, stood up against those who were coming from the war and said to them, "You shall not bring the captives in here, for you propose to bring upon us guilt against the LORD in addition to our present sins and guilt. For our guilt is already great, and there is fierce wrath against Israel."  So the armed men left the captives and the spoil before the princes and all the assembly.  And the men who have been mentioned by name rose and took the captives, and with the spoil they clothed all who were naked among them. They clothed them, gave them sandals, provided them with food and drink, and anointed them, and carrying all the feeble among them on donkeys, they brought them to their kinsfolk at Jericho, the city of palm trees. Then they returned to Samaria.  2 Chronicles 28:8-15

A Maskil of David. Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.  Blessed is the man against whom the LORD counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.  For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long.  For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. Selah  I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD," and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah  Therefore let everyone who is godly offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found; surely in the rush of great waters, they shall not reach him.  You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with shouts of deliverance. Selah  I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.  Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding, which must be curbed with bit and bridle, or it will not stay near you.  Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the LORD.  Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!  Psalm 32

To give a human example, brothers: even with a man-made covenant, no one annuls it or adds to it once it has been ratified.  Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, "And to offsprings," referring to many, but referring to one, "And to your offspring," who is Christ. This is what I mean: the law, which came 430 years afterward, does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to make the promise void.  For if the inheritance comes by the law, it no longer comes by promise; but God gave it to Abraham by a promise.  Why then the law? It was added because of transgressions, until the offspring should come to whom the promise had been made, and it was put in place through angels by an intermediary.  Now an intermediary implies more than one, but God is one.  Is the law then contrary to the promises of God? Certainly not! For if a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law.  But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.  Galatians 3:15-22

Then turning to the disciples He said privately, "Blessed are the eyes that see what you see!  For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it."  And behold, a lawyer stood up to put Him to the test, saying, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?"  He said to him, "What is written in the Law? How do you read it?"  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."  And He said to him, "You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live."  But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"  Jesus replied, "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead.  Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side.  So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.  But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion.  He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him.  And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, 'Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.'  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 10:23-37

The narrative of Scripture is, essentially, one long sting of promises from God to His people.  Granted, there are promises from one person to another, and even some promises from people to God, but the vast majority that matter are promises made by God.  The most well known of these are the covenants.

The cornerstone of these covenants might just very well be God's covenant with Abraham.  At that point, the promise of a messiah went from a bit vague to certain.  God promised, directly, that He would send the savior as a descendant of Abraham.  Its unfortunate that the grammar of said promise, as noted by St. Paul, has tripped up so many who think that the covenant is to Abraham and all the Hebrews.  The reality is that the covenant is between Abraham and his singular archetypal offspring: Jesus.

As the recipient of such a promise, as well as the author of it, Jesus knew about how these things worked.  So when a lawyer asked Him what he had to do to be part of the covenant, Jesus wasted no time letting the man know where his place was.

Jesus asked if the man fulfilled the law, to the letter.  And, seeking to prove himself righteous by his won merit, the man said he had kept the law of Moses.  He though that the covenant made to Abraham, and ratified at Sinai belonged to him.

But that's not how it works.

In his letter to Galatia, St. Paul notes a bit of grammar in the covenant made between God and Abraham.  The promise is made to Abrahams offspring.  Not "offspring," in the plural, as one would expect of the "father of many."  No, the covenant, the promise, the blessings, even the law, are given for a singular offspring to keep and uphold.  The ultimate and true son of Abraham: Jesus Christ.

But that doesn't mean the law is null and void for us.  The law is good, since it is the rules and norm we are to do so as to be good citizens, children, neighbors, workers, etc.  Hence one of Jesus's most well known parables: the Good Samaritan.

Jews in Christ's time hated Samaritans.  And the feeling was mutual.  The animosity goes all the way back to the reign of Rehoboam, who saw the kingdom of Israel that his grandfather David ruled split in two.  Over time the northern kingdom established its capital in Samaria, and in the end was conquered by Assyria.  Their peoples were assimilated into the culture, to the point of forced marriages that lead to, what the Jews considered, "mutts."

The promise, or more specifically the Mosaic law, had been given to the Jews, not those "Gentile pseudo-Jews" from up north.  This reason alone was seen as justification enough to look down upon those "half-breeds."

So when the young lawyer confronts Christ with his idea of what the law meant, the Author of the Law puts the law into proper perspective.  Christ tells a story about a man.  Who the man is does not matter, all that maters is that he had been attacked and left for dead.  So how does a law-abiding Jew react when the letter of the law meets the truth of the Law?

We know this story.  The priest, who had the Scriptures memorized, who had an intimate understanding of the purpose of the temple (or so he thought), ignored the man.  The Levite, who had the law memorized, who had an immense understanding of the traditions of the Jewish people, also ignored the man.  But the Samaritan, who everyone would expect to turn his nose up at some be-troubled individual, had a grasp of mercy and of the Law that exceeded the religious leaders.  He, alone, understood the purpose of the Promise.

What our hypothetical Samaritan understood, what the Jews failed to grasp, is what Hosea said: "For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice."  (Hosea 6:6a)  Some translations say "mercy" instead of "steadfast love," but the end result, and meaning, is the same.

The promise God gave was not contingent upon our sacrifices, or on any other action of ours.  Rather, the promise was contingent on the Sacrifice, and our reaction is showing love and mercy.

Mail Call - 5

21 August, 2018

Adam Baumann
Concordia Theological Seminary
Fort Wayne, Indiana
2018 Summer Greek


4 - 17 August, 2018

The final test was on the 16th.

Passed the test.  Passed the class.

Is there anything more to say than "done?"  Except this isn't the end, other than the end of the beginning.  Classes proper starts on the 4th of September.  At that point, this goes from trying to learn a skill necessary to start to the "real deal."  What I've been doing hasn't, technically, been seminary.  It's been pre-seminary work.

Now, I've and my fellow summer Greekies have been, as some of the second-year seminary students would say, survived our baptism of fire.  Summer Greek was our boot camp, and Dr. Nordling was our drill instructor.  The drill was tough.  The marches were grueling.  The standards were set high.  And we not only survived, but succeeded.

A couple professors said that guys who pass through the Summer Greek tackle translations better than the pre-sem guys.  Why?  Because there is something to having struggled together.  The camaraderie.  The support.  The program is built to take "average Joe layman" (or "average Jo laywoman") and teach them the equivalent of four semesters of university-level Greek in 10 weeks.

Summer Greek at CTSFW is meant to teach.  I've heard it said that the equivalent program at CSL "weeds out the weak."  I don't think that's true, but I know for certain that everyone at Fort Wayne, both professors and students, want the guys studying summer Greek to succeed.

And now comes some much needed respite.  Two weeks before the Fall Quarter starts.  Church History, Liturgics, and Greek Readings and in my immediate future.

Onward.

Twelfth Sunday after Trinity (19 August, 2018)

Done.

Is it not yet a very little while until Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field, and the fruitful field shall be regarded as a forest?  In that day the deaf shall hear the words of a book, and out of their gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind shall see.  The meek shall obtain fresh joy in the LORD, and the poor among mankind shall exult in the Holy One of Israel.  For the ruthless shall come to nothing and the scoffer cease, and all who watch to do evil shall be cut off, who by a word make a man out to be an offender, and lay a snare for him who reproves in the gate, and with an empty plea turn aside him who is in the right.  Therefore thus says the LORD, who redeemed Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob: "Jacob shall no more be ashamed, no more shall his face grow pale.  For when he sees his children, the work of my hands, in his midst, they will sanctify my name; they will sanctify the Holy One of Jacob and will stand in awe of the God of Israel.  And those who go astray in spirit will come to understanding, and those who murmur will accept instruction."  Isaiah 29:17-24

Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD, O my soul!  I will praise the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.  Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation.  When his breath departs, he returns to the earth; on that very day his plans perish.  Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God, who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, who keeps faith forever; who executes justice for the oppressed, who gives food to the hungry. The LORD sets the prisoners free; the LORD opens the eyes of the blind. The LORD lifts up those who are bowed down; the LORD loves the righteous.  The LORD watches over the sojourners; he upholds the widow and the fatherless, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.  The LORD will reign forever, your God, O Zion, to all generations. Praise the LORD!  Psalm 146

Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God.  Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God, who has made us sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.  Now if the ministry of death, carved in letters on stone, came with such glory that the Israelites could not gaze at Moses' face because of its glory, which was being brought to an end, will not the ministry of the Spirit have even more glory?  For if there was glory in the ministry of condemnation, the ministry of righteousness must far exceed it in glory.  Indeed, in this case, what once had glory has come to have no glory at all, because of the glory that surpasses it.  For if what was being brought to an end came with glory, much more will what is permanent have glory.  2 Corinthians 3:4-11

Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.  For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.  For the Scripture says, "Everyone who believes in Him will not be put to shame."  For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing His riches on all who call on Him.  For "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."  How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in Him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?  And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!"  But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, "Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?"  So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.  Romans 10:9-17

Then He returned from the region of Tyre and went through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis.  And they brought to Him a man who was deaf and had a speech impediment, and they begged Him to lay his hand on him.  And taking Him aside from the crowd privately, He put His fingers into his ears, and after spitting touched his tongue.  And looking up to heaven, He sighed and said to him, "Ephphatha," that is, "Be opened."  And his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly.  And Jesus charged them to tell no one. But the more He charged them, the more zealously they proclaimed it.  And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, "He has done all things well. He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak."  Mark 7:31-37

"Just do it."  "You can do it."  "What are you doing with your life."  "I think I can, I think I can, I think I can."  "Do or do not, there is no try."  "Pull yourself up by your bootstraps."  "God helps those who helps themselves."

We are far too infatuated with what we can do.  Self-help books.  Do-it-yourself television shows.  Websites with step-by-step instructions.  Easy-to-read instructions.  We are always looking for whatever solution is appealing, affordable, and least painful.  Our trust is in ourselves and in our ability to save ourselves.

And we fail.

We fail because we place our trust in someone who cannot do anything.  Not "do anything right" but do anything at all.  So then if our deeds, reason, and strength cannot save us, who or what are we to put our trust in?  Moses?  A king?  A prophet?  The stars?  Fate?  The Great Pumpkin?

How about the One who does all things well?  How about the One who fulfilled the Law, who brought the Good News, who gives us the Spirit of God through water and the body and blood of the Savior?

The people had searched for this person to trust in.  And they kept looking to the wrong person, or hoping for the wrong results.  Which is why, when Christ came, the people were wanting sings, miracles, and mass feedings.  That's part of why Christ told people not to talk about what was happening.

It does seem weird that the Word of God would want people to be quiet about the Gospel.  But His "gag order" wasn't stopping people from proclaiming the Gospel, but keeping people from drawing improper attention to His ministry, especially His early ministry.  People weren't looking at Him because He was the Savior.  They weren't following Him because He was undeniably the Son of God.  They wanted healing and food for today, not eternal life.

People are impatient.  People are picky.  And that's why we wander off on our own to try to forge our own solution to the problem, since God clearly isn't fixing things quick enough.  We want our "best life now," not "Thy will be done."  We want ivory towers, sports cars, thousand dollars shoes, not "give us this day our daily bread."  We want to be the ones who "do all things well."

But with us there is no "do or do not."  There is only "try and fail miserably, making our problems worse."  Our trust must rest in the one who not only does all things well, but who Did.  The one who Completed the Law.  The God-Man, Christ, who died, conquering Hell, and rose.

Done.

Eleventh Sunday after Trinity (12 Aug. 2018)

Fight Fair?

Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, "I have gotten a man with the help of the LORD."  And again, she bore his brother Abel.  Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a worker of the ground.  In the course of time Cain brought to the LORD an offering of the fruit of the ground, and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the LORD had regard for Abel and his offering, but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his face fell.  The LORD said to Cain, "Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen?  If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it."  Cain spoke to Abel his brother. And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him.  Then the LORD said to Cain, "Where is Abel your brother?" He said, "I do not know; am I my brother's keeper?"  And the LORD said, "What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood is crying to me from the ground.  And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand.  When you work the ground, it shall no longer yield to you its strength. You shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth."  Cain said to the LORD, "My punishment is greater than I can bear.  Behold, you have driven me today away from the ground, and from your face I shall be hidden. I shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me."  Then the LORD said to him, "Not so! If anyone kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold." And the LORD put a mark on Cain, lest any who found him should attack him.  Genesis 4:1-15

"Hear, O my people, and I will speak; O Israel, I will testify against you. I am God, your God.  Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you; your burnt offerings are continually before me.  I will not accept a bull from your house or goats from your folds.  For every beast of the forest is mine, the cattle on a thousand hills.  I know all the birds of the hills, and all that moves in the field is mine.  "If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for the world and its fullness are mine.  Do I eat the flesh of bulls or drink the blood of goats?  Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and perform your vows to the Most High, and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me."  But to the wicked God says: "What right have you to recite my statutes or take my covenant on your lips?  For you hate discipline, and you cast my words behind you.  If you see a thief, you are pleased with him, and you keep company with adulterers.  "You give your mouth free rein for evil, and your tongue frames deceit.  You sit and speak against your brother; you slander your own mother's son.  These things you have done, and I have been silent; you thought that I was one like yourself. But now I rebuke you and lay the charge before you.  "Mark this, then, you who forget God, lest I tear you apart, and there be none to deliver!  The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me; to one who orders his way rightly I will show the salvation of God!"  Psalms 50:7-23

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience-- among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.  But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ--by grace you have been saved-- and raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages He might show the immeasurable riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.  For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.  For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.  Ephesians 2:1-10

Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you--unless you believed in vain.  For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.  Then He appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep.  Then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles.  Last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared also to me.  For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.  But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.  1 Corinthians 15:1-10

He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: "Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.  The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.  I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.'  But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me, a sinner!'  I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted."  Luke 18:9-14

People seem to like conflict.  We prefer to escalate things, standing our ground and digging our heels in as we prove not how right we are, but how wrong "they" are.  We compare ourselves to each other.  The goal is confirming how exceptional we are, not how flawed our own life may be.  And when someone is "better" than us, we seek to "cut them down to size."

The first recorded sibling rivalry started that way.  Abel's sacrifice was acceptable to God, since it was done as He had instructed.  Cain's "home made" worship style, though, was rejected.  But Cain didn't get mad at God, or chastise himself for not doing things correctly.  He saw Abel's acceptance God saying "Yep, your brother is better than you.  I don't love you."  You can practically hear Satan whispering in his ear "All that stands in your way is that little twerp.  After all, you're the first-born.  You're the promised one who will make things right.  You can't let him ruin all your hard work."

Like Cain, the hypothetical Pharisee in Jesus's parable thinks himself above those considered "sinners" in his self-justifying eyes.  He compares himself with all sorts of very specific "evil doers."  He singles out those who break the Sixth and Seventh commandments, but completely ignores how he breaks the Eighth commandment right there.  And the Fifth commandment, according to Christ's definition of it.  And the Third commandment for using worship as a venue to proclaim his own self-earned righteousness.  And the Second commandment for misusing God's name in a self-serving prayer.  And the First for considering himself, essentially, perfect without God's aid, making himself and his self-righteousness his true god.

God has never been in the business of people working their way to salvation, or comparing themselves to their "sinner" neighbor.  Rather, if there is anyone to compare yourself to, you are to be compared to Christ.  That is how God saves; by means of a salvation He established.  He draws near to us in a worship that He established for us.  He counts us righteous and sanctifies us through sacraments He designed.

We have no reason to quarrel with our neighbor, most especially to compare ourselves to them in hopes of proving ourselves "less bad."  We are not called to look down on others, as if we are "holier" somehow.  The tax collector's prayer is our prayer: "God have mercy on me, a sinner."

Mail Call - 4

7 August, 2018

Adam Baumann

Concordia Theological Seminary

Fort Wayne, Indiana

2018 Summer Greek

30 July - 3 August, 2018

Both midterms are behind the class now. By 10 August we will have completed all 42 chapters of the textbook. One textbook completed in 9 weeks. From little to no knowledge of Greek to 18 men being able to understand the Greek text read any given chapel service.

Things in Greek have gone from mildly challenging to at times floundering. The last two days of July resulted in quite the "hiccup:" -μι verbs. These "me" verbs are old in form, as in older than the version of Greek used by the New Testament authors. As such, they've got some peculiarities. So instead of learning a new ending or such to add to the stuff already learned, we've learned whole new charts. Greek verbs are usually declined following one of two patterns, each with about 190 forms.

We learned three more versions of these patterns in as many days. Actually, its worse than that, since the form learned on the first day of August isn't just one of these old "me" verbs, but one that has both "strong" and "weak" forms of one of the past tenses. At this point I am pretty sure we have learned over 1000 potential forms.

All this on top of three different noun declensions, at least three adjective forms, variations to everything, "marker" words for clauses and phrases, prepositions, and uses of different cases, both logical and confusing.

On the plus side, our English grammar has never been better.

The final test is on 16 August, just over a week away. These ten weeks have gone by quickly, and few of us actually thought we'd be able to use the language with any level of proficiency or confidence. Clearly the method works.

We have our class schedules for the entire year, and know what books we will need. It is a daunting list, so the couple weeks allotted between the end of Summer Greek and the start of the Fall Quarter will be much appreciated.

Sorry for the long gap between these posts. It has seriously been that busy.

Tenth Sunday After Trinity (5 August, 2018)

Warning: Falling Rocks

The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD: "Stand in the gate of the LORD's house, and proclaim there this word, and say, Hear the word of the LORD, all you men of Judah who enter these gates to worship the LORD.  Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Amend your ways and your deeds, and I will let you dwell in this place.  Do not trust in these deceptive words: 'This is the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD.'  "For if you truly amend your ways and your deeds, if you truly execute justice one with another, if you do not oppress the sojourner, the fatherless, or the widow, or shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not go after other gods to your own harm, then I will let you dwell in this place, in the land that I gave of old to your fathers forever.  "Behold, you trust in deceptive words to no avail.  Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, make offerings to Baal, and go after other gods that you have not known, and then come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, 'We are delivered!'--only to go on doing all these abominations?  Has this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, I myself have seen it, declares the LORD.  Jeremiah 7:1-11

A Psalm. A Song for the Sabbath. It is good to give thanks to the LORD, to sing praises to your name, O Most High; to declare your steadfast love in the morning, and your faithfulness by night, to the music of the lute and the harp, to the melody of the lyre.  For you, O LORD, have made me glad by your work; at the works of your hands I sing for joy.  How great are your works, O LORD! Your thoughts are very deep!  The stupid man cannot know; the fool cannot understand this: that though the wicked sprout like grass and all evildoers flourish, they are doomed to destruction forever; but you, O LORD, are on high forever.  For behold, your enemies, O LORD, for behold, your enemies shall perish; all evildoers shall be scattered.  But you have exalted my horn like that of the wild ox; you have poured over me fresh oil.  My eyes have seen the downfall of my enemies; my ears have heard the doom of my evil assailants.  The righteous flourish like the palm tree and grow like a cedar in Lebanon.  They are planted in the house of the LORD; they flourish in the courts of our God.  They still bear fruit in old age; they are ever full of sap and green, to declare that the LORD is upright; he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.  Psalm 92

What shall we say, then? That Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith; but that Israel who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness did not succeed in reaching that law.  Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works. They have stumbled over the stumbling stone, as it is written, "Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense; and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame."  (...)   Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved.  For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.  For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness.  For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.  Romans 9:30-10:4

And when He drew near and saw the city, He wept over it, saying, "Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes.  For the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and surround you and hem you in on every side and tear you down to the ground, you and your children within you. And they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not know the time of your visitation."  And He entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold, saying to them, "It is written, 'My house shall be a house of prayer,' but you have made it a den of robbers."  And He was teaching daily in the temple. The chief priests and the scribes and the principal men of the people were seeking to destroy Him, but they did not find anything they could do, for all the people were hanging on His words.  Luke 19:41-48

Contrary to pop-cultural opinion, Christ's teachings are not about our best life now.  Quite the opposite.

As humans, we default to being legalists.  We find, or formulate, rules that will lead to success in some fashion.  Whether its pleasing ourselves, others, or God, these rules will bring wealth, health, and happiness.  If we can just try a little harder.  Be a little holier.  Give a little more.  Say the right prayers, with the right emphasis.  Feel those emotions, which we all know is God's way of saying "yep, you've got the holy spirit flowing through you like a fire."

Jeremiah, the Psalmist, Paul, and Christ Himself all disagree.

The Lord sent Jeremiah to preach to a peoples steeped in sin and self-righteousness based on pagan laws, rituals, and worship.  Time and time again the prophet warned them "turn back to God or be destroyed."  And ever time the people rejected the word of God.  They followed their emotions.  They sought riches and comfort.  They took advantage of the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widowed.  And they payed the price: exile.  That's how the Law works.

The Psalmist also knows how evildoers work.  He compares them to grass, weeds really, which sprout up quickly and everywhere.  They spread and seem to take over places.  But they are easily destroyed.  Not like the righteous ones of God.  These are the ones God has made righteous, and because of that delight in the Lord and His Law.  Their roots are deep and unshakable.

Perhaps that is why St. Paul was willing to go to the Gentiles instead of the Jews.  After all, Paul was a Pharisee, a Jewish theological genius.  Who better to prove Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah?  But Paul knew the Jews were seeking a righteousness through keeping an un-keepable law.  The Gentiles, though, received the Messiah in faith.

"But how can this be," the Jews (and other legalists cry out).  God established the Law.  And you must keep the Law, lest you die and go to Hell.  All these pagans who know nothing about God and His temple are just able to waltz in and be "equals" to the children of Abraham seems wrong.

Maybe it is, but who are you to question God?

Christ lays down some Law in Jerusalem.  At the very epicenter of what should be understanding God's Law is instead legalism, idolatry, and fraud.  So He first passes judgement on Israel, prophesying the destruction of Jerusalem.  Then He cleanses the temple.  That's right, one last act of grace before His death.  One last chance for the Jews to come clean before the last vestiges of the old covenant are swept away.

And in its place is a new covenant, where the Law is loved and obeyed instead of worshiped.  Under this new covenant we are free to obey the Law, instead of slaves to the stumbling block it once had been.