Bible Snapshots

1 Corinthians:  Paul writes to the church in Corinth to address some big problems: division, sexual misconduct, confusion about food and worship practices, and controversy surrounding Jesus’ resurrection. His main theme us that all these issues can be resolved because Jesus is alive. 

All too often the church squeezes the life out of itself by it’s internal squabbling and division and through such disconnect, forgets that the church the place that God in Christ wills life in all its fullness.

It is said that when the British and French were fighting in Canada in the 1750s, Admiral Phipps, commander of the British fleet, was told to anchor outside Quebec. He was given orders to wait for the British land forces to arrive, then support them when they attacked the city. Phipps’ navy arrived early. As the admiral waited, he became annoyed by the statues of the saints that adorned the towers of a nearby cathedral, so he commanded his men to shoot at them with the ships’ cannons. No one knows how many rounds were fired or how many statues were knocked out, but when the land forces arrived and the signal was given to attack, the admiral was of no help. He had used up all his ammunition shooting at the “saints.”

From Paul’s writings the question arises how does Jesus’ resurrection relate to people’s daily life choices? Paul’s main thesis is that Jesus teaches non-violence, unity, and self-giving love, but if his life ended with a brutal execution, who is to say he’s right and worth following? 

The fact that Jesus is alive proves that his selfless way is better—where not even death can shut it down. Self-centred practices damage the community, but Jesus’ life gives people real reasons for unity and sexual integrity and the power to love others. 

His resurrection tells his followers that they too have an abundant future beyond death. This is just the beginning—his life opens a view to a whole new reality. The promise of new life, new bodies, a new Heaven, and a new Earth gives us a new way of seeing every aspect of daily life with hope and purpose.

So Paul issues a challenge to Jesus followers in Corinth — followers of Jesus are held to a standard of integrity and morality as we seek to represent his new way of life to our communities. Paul addresses a variety of experiences and seeks to help the church see them through the lens of the Gospel message. Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection are what unifies a diverse body of believers and allows us to live in a completely new way fused with the hope of God’s Kingdom.

In Short, the Gospel Changes Everything.

Loving God,

we come to you in worship and thanksgiving.

You are greater than we can understand;

open our eyes that we may see the wonderful truths

you have shown to us in Jesus.

You are more loving than our hearts can respond to;

help us to give ourselves to you in worship

so that we learn what you want us to be.

You are wiser than we can know;

still our minds as we worship you

so that we can understand the things you are saying to us.

Loving God, in Jesus

you chose to come to the world in humility.

You chose the path the world saw as foolish.

You used what the world considered weak.

We worship and adore you. Amen. 

Bible Snapshots

One scholar summarised Paul’s letter to the Romans as, “The gospel reveals how God is righteously ‘righteousing’ unrighteous individuals”

In other words how sinners can be justified by faith. Luther emphasised justification by faith alone. However, he did not mean that our justification is created by our faith. It is not our faith that causes God to love us. Rather our justification is because of the Cross.

Michelangelo, the great Renaissance artist, is known for his statue of David and the incredible Sistine Chapel. But what many don’t know is that Michelangelo lived as the Reformation was sweeping through Europe and was influenced by Reformation ideas about justification by grace through faith.

Michelangelo was plagued throughout his life to live up to his own and others’ high demands for his artwork. But as he approached his death, a spiritual rebirth began to occur. One of his final works, intended to be his gravestone, was a statue of himself, in the guise of Nicodemus—the one who was “born again” (John 4)—holding the dead body of Jesus. You can see the statue at the Duomo Museum in Florence, Italy, where a poem by Michelangelo is printed on the opposite wall. In the poem, Michelangelo describes coming to the end of his life and seeing that his artwork was actually harmful to his soul because it became “my idol and my King.”

At the end of the day, his only hope was not in being a great artist or receiving acclaim from others, but rather, the “divine Love, who to embrace us, opened his arms upon the cross.”

Essentially the message of Romans is found 5:1-2 “Since then it is by faith that we are justified, let us grasp the fact that we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have confidently entered into this new relationship of grace, and here we take our stand, in happy certainty of the glorious things he has for us in the future.”

Dear Lord Jesus Christ, I come before you today with a heart full of gratitude and thanksgiving. I claim the promise that I am justified by faith and have peace with God through you. I pray that you will continue to strengthen my faith and help me to live a life that is pleasing to you. May your peace that surpasses all understanding fill my heart and mind, and may I always trust in your unfailing love. Thank you for being my Lord and Saviour. In your precious name, I pray. Amen.

Bible Snapshots

We move to Luke’s second book the Acts of the Apostles. Some have considered the essential theme of this book as - “He is at God's right hand for us!” . The title, Acts of the Apostles is now given to the fifth and last of the historical books of the New Testament. The author styles it a "treatise. 

It was early called "The Acts," "The Gospel of the Holy Ghost," and "The Gospel of the Resurrection." It contains properly no account of any of the apostles except Peter and Paul. John is noticed only three times; and all that is recorded of James, the son of Zebedee, is his execution by Herod. It is properly therefore not the history of the "Acts of the Apostles," a title which was given to the book at a later date, but of "Acts of Apostles,”

Perhaps the essential summary of Luke’s treatise is found in Acts 1:8 You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. Pope Francis Pope writing of such a mission “you will receive power from the Holy Spirit”. (Acts 1:8) Just like the Spirit broke the bonds of the Apostles’ fears in the days after Jesus’ death and resurrection, we are encouraged as Christian disciples to pray since it “allows us to be refreshed and strengthened by the Spirit as the inexhaustible divine source of renewed energy and joy in sharing Christ’s life with others.”

However, Rev’d John Stott of All Souls Langham Place fame points out. “God intends us to penetrate the world. Christian salt has no business to remain snugly in elegant little ecclesiastical salt cellars; our place is to be rubbed into the secular community, as salt is rubbed into meat, to stop it going bad. And when society does go bad, we Christians tend to throw up our hands in pious horror and reproach the non-Christian world; but should we not rather reproach ourselves? One can hardly blame unsalted meat for going bad. It cannot do anything else. The real question to ask is: Where is the salt?”

It is interesting that the word "martyr" comes originally from the ancient Greek legal term for “witness" and the book of Acts is full of witness statements. Another name used for the Acts of the Apostles is the Acts of the Holy Spirit who enables disciples of Jesus to witness who leave everything to follow Christ. Martin Luther once said, “A religion that gives nothing, costs nothing, and suffers nothing, is worth nothing.”
(Martin Luther)

Risen and ascended Lord Jesus,

When we are numbed by the suffering of the world,

Take us back to the deep truth

Of your power and glory,

Of your invincible Kingdom,

Of your promise of reconciliation.

In the knowledge of this truth,

Help us to bring our gaze to earth

And find the strength to go into the world,

to do your will on earth as in heaven.

To build the kingdom of God

On earth as it is in heaven. 

Bible Snapshots

The Gospel of John’s overarching theme appears to - He is the Son of God! With the express purpose to demonstrate Jesus as the source of eternal life. John does this by announcing that God's Word, which brought all things into being, became flesh in Jesus of Nazareth. That during his ministry, Jesus reveals the power of God by performing seven miraculous signs, including turning water into wine, healing the sick, and raising the dead.

Many would argue that this theme is succinctly recorded in John 3:16 “For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that every one who believes in him shall not be lost, but should have eternal life.” J B Phillips

Martin Luther famously said of John 3:16, “it is the Bible in miniature.”

All great theologians have had their favourite texts; but this has been called "Everybody's text." Herein for every simple heart is the very essence of the gospel. This text tells us certain great things.

• It tells us that the initiative in all salvation lies with God. 
• It tells us that the mainspring of God's being is love.
• It tells us of the width of the love of God.

As Augustine put it: "God loves each one of us as if there was only one of us to love.”

Father, I believe that you gave Jesus to save me from my sins. I confess that I cannot fully understand that love, but I thank you and praise you with all of my heart. Please forgive me when my life does not reflect your loving evaluation of my worth. Give me the strength to believe what you say about me and what you have done for me. I place my full trust in your love to continue its transformational work of redemption in me. Thank you that you are making me better than I am right now. Thank you even more for ransoming me from my sin and giving me life with you. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Bible Snapshots

We next come to Luke's gospel with a suggested theme - He is a friend of sinners.  Luke is distinctly different from both Mark and Matthew in that it is suggested that Luke’s Gospel is mainly written for a gentile audience. It is further suggested that the main focus of Luke's Gospel is the nature of the salvation that Jesus Christ provides. Because Jesus encounters a wide variety of people in Luke, this Gospel offers a glimpse into the different facets of salvation–its spiritual, physical, and social dimensions.

Reflecting on the Gospel of Luke, Scottish Theologian William Barclay suggests, that within its pages, “Jesus promised his disciples three things—that they would be completely fearless, absurdly happy, and in constant trouble.”

Luke pays special attention to the theme of Jesus' mercy. In fact, in his narration we find some episodes that highlight the merciful love of God in Christ, who said that he had come to call, not the just, but sinners (cf. Lk 5:32) Luke particularly frames this message by referring to Jesus as the Son of Man.

Jesus is called the Son of Man for at least three reasons. Firstly the title Son of Man reveals Christ’s humanity, secondly his humility, thirdly his deity, in that Jesus is the supreme example of all that God intended humankind to be, the embodiment of truth and grace

Classic of this teaching is Luke’s telling of the Zacchaeus incident. Jesus has come "to seek out and to save the lost". To his follow-Jews, Zacchaeus is a traitor and, in their words, a sinner. Yet he is the man whom Jesus chooses to be his host during his stay in Jericho. What does this say about Jesus? About his ministry? About his priorities? Do I share these or am I among the naysayers and critics?

Perhaps as we consider the Son of Man who came to save the lost, we should  pray, Lord, I am often like Zacchaeus, making huge efforts to catch a glimpse of you, only to find that you are waiting for me, calling me by name, inviting yourself into my heart. Once I am with you, I find happiness in putting things right, ordering my life, finding the springs of generosity and justice that have been stifled by old habits. Jesus, as I meditate on the story of Zacchaeus, you look at me as you looked at him. You call me by name, and invite me to join you. You do not make demands, but in your company I want to change something in myself, and to offer it to you. I seek you Mercy, Amen.

Bible Snapshots

In Mark’s Gospel, a suggested overriding sentence to describe the narrative could be - His wonderful works prove Him. 

Scholars suggest that Mark’s Gospel is the earliest record to find its way into the cannon of scripture. It is the shortest gospel, and unlike Matthew or Luke has no reference to the nativity. Some have suggested that Mark’s gospel is really about the death of Jesus. It's a passion narrative with an extended introduction, some people would say. Mark tells the story by thinking about the death and letting all the events that lead up to that death move toward it and through it.

So is the sentence - His wonderful works prove him - a fitting description.  An analysis of the gospel determines that Mark emphasises Jesus’s deeds over his words (as compared to the other Gospels). With Miracle stories taking up a greater part of the total book and are told in greater detail. As a consequence Jesus’s teaching takes up a less of the total book and is told in less detail.

Perhaps this is why many suggest that Mark's gospel message can be summed up in one verse, “For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve” (Mark 10:45).

Many titles of the Lord include the word servant - servant king, servant Messiah, servant Lord. This is one of Jesus' deepest identities - he is among us as one who serves. Watch him in the gospel teaching his disciples to be like him, one who serves others in love. He teaches this to each of us in prayer.  

Being a servant or slave seems repulsive to the modern mind. In quiet prayer today may we  think of how we might give quiet, unrecognised or unrewarded service to those around us not announcing it or seeking recognition.

So let us learn how to serve

And in our lives enthrone Him

Each other's needs to prefer

For it is Christ we're serving

This is our God, The Servant King

He calls us now to follow Him

To bring our lives as a daily offering

Of worship to The Servant King. Amen

Graham Kendrick

Bible Snapshots

We leave idioms that originate from scripture and look at the bible through a series of statements that seem to summarise what various books of the bible are saying.

We start with Matthew - in this gospel, in a simple yet profound way it declares that “The Messiah is here!” As we read Matthew’s narrative we become aware that, not only do we see Jesus Christ revealed as Israel's King and Messiah, but His coming to earth as God in the flesh reminding us of His deep love for us. In the gospel’s conclusion we are assured that now resurrected and ascended, the Lord Jesus will always be with us, even to the end of time.

In Summary, within Matthew we find Jesus the Messiah proclaiming God’s continuing righteous reign in his words of blessing and deeds of healing. Jesus calls his followers to experience God’s mercy anew, constitutes them as a new community of faith, and then, as crucified and resurrected Messiah, claims all power and authority as he commissions these disciples for mission. 

However, biblical scholars such as N T Wright warn us of misinterpreting the Gospel of Matthew when he says, “In Matthew’s gospel, Jesus’s sayings in the other gospels about the “kingdom of God” are rendered as “kingdom of heaven”; since many read Matthew first, when they find Jesus talking about “entering the kingdom of heaven,” they have their assumptions confirmed and suppose that he is indeed talking about how to go to heaven when you die, which is certainly not what either Jesus or Matthew had in mind. Many mental pictures have grown up around this and are now assumed to be what the Bible teaches or what Christians believe.”

So what is the kingdom of heaven in Matthew’s context. Our friend Fred Beuchner has some helpful words, “The Kingdom Heaven is not a place, of course, but a condition. Kingship might be a better word. "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done," Jesus prayed. The two are in apposition.

Insofar as here and there, and now and then, God's kingly will is being done in various odd ways among us even at this moment, the Kingdom has come already.”

At the end of the Beatitudes, Jesus also references the kingdom of heaven. This time He says, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 5:10) Notice the present tense. 

If the kingdom of Heaven is where God is, well might we pray.

Be still, for the presence of the Lord,

The holy One, is here;

Come bow before him now

With reverence and fear

In him no sin is found

We stand on holy ground.

Be still, for the presence of the Lord,

The holy One, is here. Amen