How Much More

I have had some extra time, after a long quarter at Fuller, to look at various texts from the scriptures. I have also been reading McLaren's new book titled Everything Must Change. While I have grown less fond of McLaren in some of his latest writing, he has captured me with his latest articulation of reality in his new work. (I recommend the text for all... Not only those seeking to understand reality within a postmodern culture, as has been much of McLaren's previous work.) As I was reading last night before going to bed, McLaren spent a short time on the word construction seen in the Bible, "HOW MUCH MORE". It is a common word construction not only in the New Testament, but also in the entire text. "Paso mallon" is the Greek that the New Testament authors use in order to bring hope to some hopeless contexts. I have been encouraged today in spending time with these texts, written by so many different authors, in so many different communities, throughout the second half of the first century. I hope that they can be an encouragement today to you too!



Matt. 7:11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!

Matt. 10:25 It is enough for students to be like their teacher, and servants like their master. If the head of the house has been called Beelzebul, how much more the members of his household!

Matt. 12:12 How much more valuable is a human being than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.”

Luke 11:13 If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

Luke 12:24 Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds!

Luke 12:28 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith!

Rom. 5:9 ¶ Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!

Rom. 5:10 For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!

Rom. 5:15 ¶ But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many!

Rom. 5:17 For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!

Rom. 11:24 After all, if you were cut out of an olive tree that is wild by nature, and contrary to nature were grafted into a cultivated olive tree, how much more readily will these, the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree!

1Cor. 6:3 Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more the things of this life!

2Cor. 3:9 If the ministry that brought condemnation was glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry that brings righteousness!

Heb. 9:14 How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death,d so that we may serve the living God!

Heb. 10:29 How much more severely do you think those deserve to be punished who have trampled the Son of God underfoot, who have treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified them, and who have insulted the Spirit of grace?

Heb. 12:9 Moreover, we have all had parents who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live!

The Latest from Dove

Dove does a brilliant job in making short films. In light of some teaching that we have done within our community, my friend Rene brought this film to my attention this morning. This is the latest in a series proclaiming the same "saving" message for women (and maybe men too) today.

I Am Legend

Whitney and I saw I Am Legend yesterday. If you get a chance, please go and see the film. The suspenseful timing is perfect, and the often slow pace gives viewers the feel of the context of the pain in the movie. I was "in" the entire time, and when the ending came, I found myself sad that there was no more. While some of the "Christian" themes in the movie (and there were a ton), could have been a little less forced and awkward, and while I could have done without so many of the close ups on Will Smith's face (a la Tom Cruise in War of the Worlds), and while the ending was a bit cliche (I'll keep it a secret), I really enjoyed the film and appreciate that director Francis Lawrence did a great job articulating some fresh and new ideas for Hollywood. With a 6.1 out of 10 on Rotten Tomatoes, I think that the effort of the film deserves at least a 7!

Kinetic Film

Here is the latest film that Kinetic has produced. For more of our films please go to www.kineticfilms.blogspot.com.

Paul's Table Manners Part 2

As we continue to narrow upon the text, it will be necessary to take a quick look at the six verses preceding 1 Corinthians 11:23. In the following directives I have no praise for you, for your meetings do more harm than good. In the first place, I hear that when you come together as a church, there are divisions among you, and to some extent I believe it. No doubt there have to be differences among you to show which of you have God's approval. When you come together, it is not the Lord's Supper you eat, for as you eat, each of you goes ahead without waiting for anybody else. One remains hungry, another gets drunk. Don't you have homes to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you for this? Certainly not! (1 Corinthians 11:17-22). Paul demonstrates the severity of the error by leaving his, “yes, but…” approach as seen in earlier motifs within his writing, and offering “no praise” toward the Corinthian church for their actions in communion. He writes that one (the poor) remains hungry, while another (the rich) gets drunk. This text, and the severity of Paul’s writing within this specific text, lay the foundation for 1 Corinthians 11:23-34. Paul is not happy with the Corinthian church for their actions around the table.

From the text we know that the church gathered in Corinth for a meal. We also know that the ancient church gathered in homes. Since the homes of the wealthy were more suitable to accommodate large crowds, it was most common to meet in the home of the wealthy. There are many theories surrounding what exactly was happening in the house churches of Corinth regarding the meal. I will highlight three. The first is that in following Hellenistic tradition, the head of the household would invite guests to a meal that was held in two stages. The first stage was the main meal, while the second stage was dessert. The poorer members of the church were simply not invited to the first portion, or the meal, but only to the dessert portion of the party. A second theory is that the rich were actually eating their meal in the presence of the poorer members as the poorer members of the church watched. A third theory, and one that I prefer, is that the rich welcomed the poor into the celebration at the scheduled beginning of the celebration. However, the rich gathered before the scheduled beginning to eat and drink (meat and fine wine) extensively before with poor arrived with their limited contributions. Regardless of which theory one desires to believe, the point of the passage remains clear. There was an overindulgence by the rich at the meal, therefore leaving the poor feeling inferior. To Paul, this is not what Jesus desired the church to practice around the communion table.

Beginning with the assigned text, the first four verses have a unique remembrance motif toward them. For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes (1 Corinthians 11:23-26). The word aÓna¿mnhsin which comes from aÓna¿mnhsiß is translated as remembrance. The word aÓna¿mnhsiß is literally appealing to memory. It is the same word used by the author of Hebrews. But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins (Hebrews 10:3). As a Western people, we must “remember” that our understanding of memory keeps the memory in the past. This word, however, also has implications of “remembering into the present”. In the Old Testament, remembering had little to do with the simple act of mental exercise, but also included physical activity. Just as Israel was to remember that they had been delivered from Egypt by building a memorial, so are we to remember the reality of Christ by eating the bread and drinking the wine. I submit that the act of remembering was especially important in the Pauline community of Corinth, as their actions in creating social divisions did not match well with the life of Jesus. Thus, Paul called them to remember the Messiah as they ate, a call of repentance to a people that had strayed from the very purpose of the meal.

Of all of the verses in chapter eleven, verse 27 comes with the most baggage. This baggage has been created in the West by a poor translation of the word aÓnaxi÷wß as “unworthily” rather than as “in an unworthy manner” in the King James Version of the text. Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord (1 Corinthians 11:27, KJV). The mistake has led to excluding people who “feel unworthy” from the table, when communion is precisely meant for those very people, for sinners. There is an individualistic ethos to this translation that is representative of the West. Rather, when translated as “in an unworthy manner”, the text more clearly points the reader away from the “unworthy individual” and toward those whom are unwilling to share their material goods with other Christians in the community. A better way to capture this passage would be to translate aÓnaxi÷wß as careless. Don’t be careless when partaking the elements. In other words, “care” for the elements and “care” for the community that surrounds the elements. This mistranslation of the KJV becomes more clear when put the in context of the passage in its entirety, and when viewed through the lens of Paul’s discontentment with the Corinthian people in their practice of a communion that did not include the very way that Christ lived.

For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves (1 Corinthians 11:29). Paul calls the church to discern the body of Christ to avoid judgment on themselves. Through the lens of the individualized West, and with a poor KJV interpretation upon the word aÓnaxi÷wß, it would be easy to unpack this verse as a mysteriously inward examining of the literal body and blood of Jesus. However, again, this lens is a cultural phenomenon that probably misses the full essence of Paul’s first century words. By the body of Christ, Paul probably meant the people that comprise the church. Paul precedes the term the body of Christ with the word “discern” in verse 29. To fail to discern the body of Christ, or the church, before taking the bread and the wine, is to incur God’s judgment. Paul’s main concern in this passage is unity in the body of Christ between the rich and the poor. This again, is not a text calling the individual to be inwardly introspective in case he or she might need to avoid the table, rather he is calling the church to discern their disunity by viewing the abuse of those of lesser socioeconomic status at the table, lest the rich be judged for their autocratic attitudes.

Paul saw many problems with the church in Corinth. His first letter to the Corinthians was one of pastoral advice for living the best kind of life. Within this specific section of chapter eleven, Paul is urging the church out of a wicked practice. The rich are suppressing the poor and as a result, many are becoming sick and dying. Paul is using the table as a means of making a point that Christ would not have accepted this type of behavior because he came for the very people that were being suppressed in Corinth. This text has an unfortunate history as it has been abused through poor translations and cultural lenses. This text is not one that encourages individuals to be self-absorbed in contemplation before communion in order to evaluate the worthiness of the table… No! The table is a place of celebration for all sinners who recognize the reality of Jesus. Rather this is a text that calls the body of Christ, the church, to discern its call to be the people of God, living in the image of grace, because as Gordon Fee states, “grace received that does not recognize the need to be gracious to others is to miss the point of the Table altogether.”

Paul's Table Manners Part 1

23For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, "This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me." 25In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me." 26For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. 27Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. 28A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. 29For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself. 30That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. 31But if we judged ourselves, we would not come under judgment. 32When we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned with the world. 33So then, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for each other. 34If anyone is hungry, he should eat at home, so that when you meet together it may not result in judgment.
1 Corinthians 11:23-34

This passage has an unfortunate history. Often misinterpreted to exclude people from the table, one can only imagine the damage that misinterpretations of this passage has caused, exercising the very point that Paul himself was arguing against. In this paper I hope to give a more informed interpretation of this difficult text, slowly narrowing upon the passage. Beginning with important background information from Corinth and imperative socio cultural ideals, I will then tighten onto the text itself. In the end I will show that Paul’s central premise of this text is to reinforce that the purpose of communion is not to exclude believers based upon status, but rather to include all believers in the practice of communion.

The Aegan Sea was two miles to the east, while the Adriatic sea lay only a couple of miles to the west, Corinth existed in between two seas. A city with over 100,000 inhabitants, because of its location, it attracted a cosmopolitan population. An ancient day Las Vegas, the city was filled with scoundrels, as freed slaves of Greek, Syrian, Jewish, and Egyptian origin came to the thriving city to become wealthy, and many of them did. With the diverse population in mind, one can only imagine the charisma of the city, and therefore the charisma of a growing church in the city. Therefore, Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians was overflowing with Christologically pregnant pastoral responses to a charismatic church. The city was filled with many people, with many different ideals due to differing backgrounds. Not surprisingly, within this size of a city, the diverse population also brought large differences in socio economic class.

A natural way that these gaps in class were designated was through meals. Bread and wine were common elements within an ancient meal. At a traditional Jewish meal, the head of the house would say the traditional prayer over the bread, break it and distribute the bread to those whom sat (or lay) at his table. (Again, typically people of the same “status” as him.) Quoting the Dead Sea scrolls from the Qumran community, “And when they prepare the table to dine or the new wine for drinking, the priest shall stretch out his hand as the first to bless the fruits of the bread and of the new wine.” Josephus also records the actions of a noon meal within the Essene community, “they go into the dining room, as into a certain holy temple, and quietly set themselves down; upon which the baker lays them loaves in order; the cook also brings a single plate of one sort of food, and sets it before every one of them; but a priest says grace before the meat and it is unlawful for anyone to taste of the food before grace is said.” Jesus would have naturally fallen into the role of head of house or priest when it came time for the last supper, and thus, his breaking of bread, pouring of wine and prayers would have been common. Yet the Last Supper was different than the typical Jewish meal. The Last Supper had eternal implications, thus Paul commented upon the meal, and we still practice what Jesus told his followers to practice in the meal within our churches today.

Similar to today, it was uncommon for the rich to eat with the poor two thousand years ago, for as people sit at a table with one another, something much more mysterious happens than the satisfaction of appetites. Relationship is pursued. Life is shared, conversation progresses and commonalities are recognized. In the ancient world, table fellowship with another person was a ceremony richly symbolic of friendship, intimacy and unity. Relationship was also reconciled at a meal. When people were estranged in the ancient world, a meal invitation was like an open door toward reconciliation. At a meal, wounds were healed, forgiveness was asked, and forgiveness was granted. With this all in mind, it simply did not make sense that the rich would have table fellowship with the poor. They had nothing in common, no desire for unity, and the rich certainly did not want to put forth the effort to move toward reconciliation with the poor. This thought brings us to 1 Corinthians 11:23-34 and the context surrounding the meal in which Paul is speaking.

The words in 1 Corinthians 11:23-34 are not unique. The chain of historical tradition that Paul received, goes back, largely unbroken, from the words of Jesus himself. These words of Jesus show up in three other spots within the New Testament. They also appear in Matthew, Mark and Luke. All four of the author’s accounts, including Paul’s account, knew Jesus’ words. In essence, Matthew and Mark’s account of the Last Supper are similar, while Luke and Paul’s accounts are similar. However, when compared against each other as pairs (Matthew and Mark versus Luke and Paul), there are two differences that are important for the context of this paper. Firstly, in Matthew and Mark, there is an emphasis upon blood, whereas in Luke and Paul, there is an emphasis upon covenant. The emphasis upon covenant leads to a priority upon relationship, not only between God and human, but also between human and human. This emphasis makes sense in light of Paul’s context for his letter and for his pastoral responses to the sinful actions of the Corinthian church. Luke and Paul also include a command that this action of communion should be repeated, and that this repetition should be practiced as a means of remembering Jesus himself. This remembrance motif is extremely important for the context of the Corinthian situation. I will examine this word later in the paper. While these two differences between Paul and Luke over and against Mark and Matthew are important, and while there are many more differences that I did not highlight, the two most important elements of the Last Supper remain the same in all four accounts. All include the broken body of Christ symbolized by the bread, and the shed blood of Christ symbolized by the wine. And of course, in all four accounts, the elements of the bread and the wine are open to all whom might feast upon them.

Christmas Films

Whitney and I love to watch films. We have been blessed by the magic of Netflix. For a mere 18 dollars per month, Whitney and I watch a plethora of films from a variety of genres. With the holiday season among us, the genre that we have been commonly viewing has been that of the Christmas variety. While the material can get a little cheesy in the common Christmas film, the premises are always heart warming. The films commonly have the power to bring the "ethos" of Christmas past into the present. Here are the top ten Christmas movies from the past 25 years that Whitney and I recommend watching this holiday season.

10. The Santa Clause 2
The best of the trilogy of Tim Allen's The Santa Clause movies.

9. The Chronicles of Narnia
Okay, so maybe not a "Christmas movie", Santa does make an appearance and there is plenty of snow!

8. Christmas With the Kranks
Another Tim Allen movie that is surprisingly funny and charming.

7. Polar Express
A Chris Van Allsburg classic (from Grand Rapids, MI!).

6. The Family Stone
This movie convinced Whitney to have 6 kids!

5. Elf
Will Ferrell is hysterical in this soon to be classic.

4. A Christmas Story
Watch it all day on cable TV Christmas Eve and Christmas day.

3. Home Alone
This year Whitney and I appreciated how well done this movie was created.

2. Scrooged
The surprise number 2 selection is a creative recreation of A Christmas Carol and features Bill Murray.

1. Christmas Vacation
The movie that combines all that one could ever desire in a Christmas film!

Brakes

Another quarter at Fuller Seminary has passed. I wrote my last sentence, on my last paper, on Wednesday at 2 PM and smiled as I saved my last document on my hard drive. I have been reflecting upon where I was last year at this time, and I think that this Christmas break will be quite different. I could not wait to dig into winter classes and thus began working on a distance learning class to pass the time. This year, however, the last thing on my mind will be school. (Instead I plan on venturing into the mystery of building a bookshelf! With my lack of experience, it may just take me the whole of 30 days to complete!) As I move into my last year at Fuller, "senioritis" is officially kicking in. While I appreciate the opportunity to study at Fuller, and the process of learning in graduate school, I am getting antsy to pour back into a community of people on a full time vocational basis. After writing approximately 200 pages of Word documents this quarter, I anticipate leaving the computer to once again be with people. My computer and I have become awkwardly acquainted over the past year. We spend more time together than, well, I suppose I spend with anybody else. Strangely enough, my computer is always responsive to me and always warms up as I spend time with him/her. However, my relationship with my computer is awkwardly one way, and this is why I am ready to leave the plastic feel of the keyboard for the flesh and blood of real relationships. Let the countdown begin... 364 days until my last day in the classroom.