Through A Glass Darkly

“Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.” Acts 17:11

Here is an interesting question: What if the Bereans would have come to a different conclusion from Paul regarding their readings of the Old Testament? Who determined who was right?  In essence, what determined the orthodoxy of the Bereans?  Could it have been their submission to the teaching and interpretations of a man?

I believe the answer to this question goes a long way in seeing the breadth of authority and it not being exclusively tied to that “which is written.”

1Now there arose a great outcry of the people and of their wives against their Jewish brothers. 2For there were those who said, “With our sons and our daughters, we are many. So let us get grain, that we may eat and keep alive.” 3There were also those who said, “We are mortgaging our fields, our vineyards, and our houses to get grain because of the famine.” 4And there were those who said, “We have borrowed money for the king’s tax on our fields and our vineyards. 5Now our flesh is as the flesh of our brothers, our children are as their children. Yet we are forcing our sons and our daughters to be slaves, and some of our daughters have already been enslaved, but it is not in our power to help it, for other men have our fields and our vineyards.” 6I was very angry when I heard their outcry and these words. 7I took counsel with myself, and I brought charges against the nobles and the officials. I said to them, “You are exacting interest, each from his brother.” And I held a great assembly against them 8and said to them, “We, as far as we are able, have bought back our Jewish brothers who have been sold to the nations, but you even sell your brothers that they may be sold to us!” They were silent and could not find a word to say. 9So I said, “The thing that you are doing is not good. Ought you not to walk in the fear of our God to prevent the taunts of the nations our enemies? 10Moreover, I and my brothers and my servants are lending them money and grain. Let us abandon this exacting of interest. 11Return to them this very day their fields, their vineyards, their olive orchards, and their houses, and the percentage of money, grain, wine, and oil that you have been exacting from them.” – Nehemiah 5:1-11

4Now before this, Eliashib the priest, who was appointed over the chambers of the house of our God, and who was related to Tobiah, 5prepared for Tobiah a large chamber where they had previously put the grain offering, the frankincense, the vessels, and the tithes of grain, wine, and oil, which were given by commandment to the Levites, singers, and gatekeepers, and the contributions for the priests. 6While this was taking place, I was not in Jerusalem, for in the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes king of Babylon I went to the king. And after some time I asked leave of the king 7and came to Jerusalem, and I then discovered the evil that Eliashib had done for Tobiah, preparing for him a chamber in the courts of the house of God. 8And I was very angry, and I threw all the household furniture of Tobiah out of the chamber. 9Then I gave orders, and they cleansed the chambers, and I brought back there the vessels of the house of God, with the grain offering and the frankincense. – Nehemiah 13:4-9

In both of these passages we see the righteous anger of Nehemiah. He was angry at the unjust exploitation of “brothers” in the faith as well as the profaning of God’s holy house of worship. I don’t have the time hear to recount all the references in the scriptures to the righteous anger of the saints (there are a great deal), however, I did want to make one comparison of Nehemiah and Saint Nicholas. But before I do that I want to list one more quote from the 13th chapter of Nehemiah:

15In those days I saw in Judah people treading winepresses on the Sabbath, and bringing in heaps of grain and loading them on donkeys, and also wine, grapes, figs, and all kinds of loads, which they brought into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day. And I warned them on the day when they sold food. 16Tyrians also, who lived in the city, brought in fish and all kinds of goods and sold them on the Sabbath to the people of Judah, in Jerusalem itself! 17 Then I confronted the nobles of Judah and said to them, “What is this evil thing that you are doing, profaning the Sabbath day? 18 Did not your fathers act in this way, and did not our God bring all this disaster on us and on this city? Now you are bringing more wrath on Israel by profaning the Sabbath.”

19As soon as it began to grow dark at the gates of Jerusalem before the Sabbath, I commanded that the doors should be shut and gave orders that they should not be opened until after the Sabbath. And I stationed some of my servants at the gates, that no load might be brought in on the Sabbath day. 20Then the merchants and sellers of all kinds of wares lodged outside Jerusalem once or twice. 21 But I warned them and said to them, “Why do you lodge outside the wall? If you do so again, I will lay hands on you.” From that time on they did not come on the Sabbath. 22Then I commanded the Levites that they should purify themselves and come and guard the gates, to keep the Sabbath day holy. Remember this also in my favor, O my God, and spare me according to the greatness of your steadfast love.

23In those days also I saw the Jews who had married women of Ashdod, Ammon, and Moab. 24And half of their children spoke the language of Ashdod, and they could not speak the language of Judah, but only the language of each people. 25 And I confronted them and cursed them and beat some of them and pulled out their hair. And I made them take oath in the name of God, saying, “You shall not give your daughters to their sons, or take their daughters for your sons or for yourselves. 26 Did not Solomon king of Israel sin on account of such women? Among the many nations there was no king like him, and he was beloved by his God, and God made him king over all Israel. Nevertheless, foreign women made even him to sin. 27Shall we then listen to you and do all this great evil and act treacherously against our God by marrying foreign women?”

Again, we have retold for us the account of the righteous anger of Nehemiah. This time, regarding the violation of the sabbath, he threatens physical assault on those who would dishonor God’s holy day. Then, he actually does beat those who married foreign wives. What kind of behavior is this for a follower of Yahweh? Is this acceptable behavior for a follower of Christ?

I am not going to give my answer to those questions in this post (not because I don’t have one, but because it would take to long and it is not really the point I am trying to make). The reason I point this out is to compare Nehemiah to the beloved Saint Nicholas…that’s right “Santa Clause.” There really was a man (a bishop in fact) named Saint Nicholas. You can read about him here. A little piece of info. that is new to me and possibly to you is that at the First Eccumenical Council of Nicea (325 A.D.), Nicholas punched Arius in the nose! If you remember your church history, Arius was the heretic who denied the divinity of Christ. Apparently, during the debates, Saint Nick was so enraged he couldn’t restrain himself and struck Arius. Nicholas was removed from the council and stripped of his bishopric. However, while in prison, he was apparently visited by Jesus and Mary who comforted him and gave him the scriptures to read. After hearing of this miracle, Constantine re-instated Nicholas as a bishop and to the council.

How much of this is actual history? How much is embelished revisionism? I don’t know and I don’t have the time now to chase down the sources. My point in all of this is simply to highlight the refreshing nature of someone taking a real stand for the truth. In an age of wimpy, fearful, politically massaged words…speech crafted in such a way as not to offend anyone, it is nice to remember those who have been passionate about the truth. There is nothing worse today than to be called a fundamentalist or a fanatic. Well, the world has been driven by fanaticism! It is not the bane of our culture. Nothing short of fanaticism is what Jesus demands of his followers. Plucking out eyes and cutting off hands for the sake of the kingdom is not what I would call moderation. A willingness to die for our confession or give up our family for the truth is no politically acceptable faith. I am not endorsing violence, but rather pointing to a much needed virtue in our days…passion!

(The above picture is of Nicholas striking Arius at Nicea)

I am currently preaching through the letter to the Ephesians. I am just finishing up chapter 4 and I noticed something tonight as I was reading my text for next week. Paul opens chapter 4 with the idea of our “walk” as Christians. I believe there is a possibility that this same theme can be followed all the way through 6:9. Nothing mind-blowing, but I thought it was interesting. Here is a brief outline as I see it:

Ephesians 4:1-16 – Walking in Unity

Ephesians 4:17-32 – Not Walking as the Gentiles

Ephesians 5:1-2 – Walking in Love

Ephesians 5:3-14 – Walking as Children of Light

Ephesians 5:15-6:9 – Walking in Wisdom