By whose authority?
A DUTY THAT BCAME A DAILY PLEASURE-AFTER 700 BLOGS!
I guess some kind of new start is required after 700 bible blogs written Monday to Saturday every week for more than two years now. It started as a piece of self-discipline which kept me following the daily lectionary of some branch of the Christian Church, in the faith that over time this would keep me in touch with the wisdom of the scriptures, as they would bear on the changing events of my life and the life of the world. I think it has done that, giving me new insights into the meaning of scriptures that were well-known to me and introducing me to some others of which I was shamefully ignorant. Just yesterday, for example I was challenged by the news to compare the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem with the triumph of Aung San Suu Kyi in Burma. Of course, part of Suu Kyi’s sober humility is that she doesn’t see herself as a messiah; perhaps Jesus didn’t either.
By this time, the daily task has become an essential pleasure in my life, a way in which my routine keeps me in touch with the deep sources of living truth in the scripture, and even more importantly, in the gracious God to whom the scripture bears witness. I also am profundly grateful to those of you, many of you unknown to me, who read the blogs regularly or occasionally, and especially to those who have commented on them. Whatever your beliefs may be, you are an essential part of that community of the spirit outside of which no truthful study is possible. Rembrandt’s incomparable image reminds all who write about religious truths to study well, to think hard, and to listen to the angel.
This blog provides a meditation on the Episcopl daily readings along with a headline from world news:
US plans nuclear drones
By whose authority?
2 Corinthians 1:8-22
8 We do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters,* of the affliction we experienced in Asia; for we were so utterly, unbearably crushed that we despaired of life itself.9Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death so that we would rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead.10He who rescued us from so deadly a peril will continue to rescue us; on him we have set our hope that he will rescue us again,11as you also join in helping us by your prayers, so that many will give thanks on our* behalf for the blessing granted to us through the prayers of many.
The Postponement of Paul’s Visit
12 Indeed, this is our boast, the testimony of our conscience: we have behaved in the world with frankness* and godly sincerity, not by earthly wisdom but by the grace of God—and all the more towards you.13For we write to you nothing other than what you can read and also understand; I hope you will understand until the end—14as you have already understood us in part—that on the day of the Lord Jesus we are your boast even as you are our boast.
15 Since I was sure of this, I wanted to come to you first, so that you might have a double favour;*16I wanted to visit you on my way to Macedonia, and to come back to you from Macedonia and have you send me on to Judea.17Was I vacillating when I wanted to do this? Do I make my plans according to ordinary human standards,* ready to say ‘Yes, yes’ and ‘No, no’ at the same time?18As surely as God is faithful, our word to you has not been ‘Yes and No.’19For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, whom we proclaimed among you, Silvanus and Timothy and I, was not ‘Yes and No’; but in him it is always ‘Yes.’20For in him every one of God’s promises is a ‘Yes.’ For this reason it is through him that we say the ‘Amen’, to the glory of God.21But it is God who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us,22by putting his seal on us and giving us his Spirit in our hearts as a first instalment.
This is a startling illustration of Paul’s ability to move seamlessly from the mundane to the profound. As he explains his change of plans and affirms that he is not careless with promises, he suddenly characterises Jesus as the “Yes” to all God’s promises. Believers may well ask of God, “Is he our shepherd? Is he with us as we walk through the valley of the shadow of death? Will we dwell in the house of the Lord forever?” Paul says Jesus is the “yes” to these promises. Because of his life and death and rising we can believe what God has promised. God’s eternal faithfulness is thus put in the human context of keeping promises. Of course Paul admits that believers are not yet in full possession of the things promised. But they have been given the Spirit as a down payment on the full account. Another marvellously down-t0-earth metaphor for divine action! The Greek word Paul uses is “arrabon” which means “first instalment on a promised settlement”. I owe my knowledge of the word to Professor William Barclay, my teacher at Glasgow University many years ago, who was very good to me and all his students. I didn’t fully appreciate his goodness at the time nor did I keep all my promises to him. The faithfulness of God and his saints is a constant challenge to me still.
By whose authority?
Mark 11:27-33
Jesus’ Authority Is Questioned
27 Again they came to Jerusalem. As he was walking in the temple, the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders came to him28and said, ‘By what authority are you doing these things? Who gave you this authority to do them?’29Jesus said to them, ‘I will ask you one question; answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things.30Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin? Answer me.’31They argued with one another, ‘If we say, “From heaven”, he will say, “Why then did you not believe him?”32But shall we say, “Of human origin”?’—they were afraid of the crowd, for all regarded John as truly a prophet.33So they answered Jesus, ‘We do not know.’ And Jesus said to them, ‘Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.’
The religious leaders want to get a theological claim from Jesus which they can then submit to examination. Jesus refuses to give them an answer, not because he fears them but because any claim will be trivialised by their attitude -as if such a claim might be judged “well, 65% of his authority comes from God!” The issue of where a person’s fundamental inspiration comes from is not one which can be decided without reference to to the questioner’s own behaviour. Jesus makes them ask, “Why did we reject John the Baptiser?” and “Why can’t we tell our people the truth?” He pushes them to question their own source of inspiration, and when they refuse to do so, he refuses to answer their question. Jesus will not allow theological debate to be utterly abstract. The question about God is always also a question of our own desires and fears. Even the cheery atheist slogan bears witness to this, “There probably is no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life.” The question about “where we’re coming from” is there to be answered by believers and non-believers alike.
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