It's been fun spending time considering each of these five phrases in Jesus's gospel to Jewish people (according to Mk1:15):
. TIME'S FULFILLED*!
. THE KINGDOM/REIGN OF GOD('S HELP)
. IS NEAR.
. GIVE UP YOUR AGENDAS &
. GIVE YOUR ALLEGIANCE TO THIS ANNOUNCEMENT.
This reflection is about the first phrase*:
TIME'S FULFILLED!*
The story started, has its climax now,
and all the time so far has come to this:
I know this for the king t'whom all will bow
said so in this announcement here of his.
This is no lonely "one off" kind of thing,
but next step in a story going strong.
So far there's old, old prophets witnessing,
and John the Washer, Anna, Simeon,
and Magi from the East see star in sky,
and something happ'ning under a fig tree,
and Jesus summarizes all this by
"The time's fulfilled!" Those sent by him, too see -
for, Peter to some others, Gentile folk
(Cornelius - Centurion, Caesarea),
starts up his Message with the spirit's poke -
reminds them of God's work fulfilled past years.
And Paul to Athens' Greek philosophers
sees indications in the city's life
of God's involvement. In their lives there were
some signs of insights, poets, prophets rife.
The Christ's evangelists (First Century)
learn this from Jesus as they do their thing.
For Phillip, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, all see,
and draw attention to this ful-fill-ing.
Fulfilling work of that creative love
that was before our story was on stage.
The human tale; with parent from above
who knows us from before we came of age.
His work, that's he who covenanted with
the fam'lies of the Earth as he gave voice,
in friendship, with no force of arms to kith
& kin, but love of life & health, for choice.
Can you join in this line of heralds true
who look around to see what God's been at,
and help folk to see that this ain't just new,
God's been at work, and is, and will be that.
And then the next step, would be to make plain,
as herald of that one, the news he told;
his leadership's begun, he'll come again,
he calls us to - allegiance, & - be bold!
* The first phrase of Jesus's rendition of the gospel, which Mark tells us that he went heralding in all the villages throughout his state of Galilee: "Now after John was imprisoned, Jesus went into Galilee and heralded the gospel of God. He said, “The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the gospel!” … He replied, “Let us go elsewhere, into the surrounding villages, so that I can herald there too. For that is what I came out here to do.” So he went into all of Galilee heralding in their synagogues and casting out demons. Mark 1:14-15, 38-39
Peter, to the Jewish throngs in Jerusalem for the Feast of Pentecost (see Acts 2, and how Peter interprets the current event, the opposite of God's work at Babel, for the people: as a fulfillment of their prophets' words. And then interprets the events of the last several years, in the life of Jesus, as a fulfillment of their prophets' words, before he gives his clear announcement, what their response should be, and tries to persuade them to make good their responses.)
Phillip the evangelist:
"Forced to leave home base, the followers of Jesus all became missionaries. Wherever they were scattered, they heralded the Announcement about Jesus. Going down to a Samaritan city, Philip heralded the Announcement of the Messiah. When the people heard what he had to say and saw the miracles, the clear signs of God’s action, they hung on his every word. Many who could neither stand nor walk were healed that day. The evil spirits protested loudly as they were sent on their way. And what joy in the city!" Acts 8:3-8
Later God’s angel spoke to Philip: “At noon today I want you to walk over to that desolate road that goes from Jerusalem down to Gaza.” He got up and went. He met an Ethiopian eunuch coming down the road. The eunuch had been on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem and was returning to Ethiopia, where he was minister in charge of all the finances of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians. He was riding in a chariot and reading the prophet Isaiah. The Spirit told Philip, “Climb into the chariot.” Running up alongside, Philip heard the eunuch reading Isaiah and asked, “Do you understand what you’re reading?” He answered, “How can I without some help?” and invited Philip into the chariot with him. The passage he was reading was this: As a sheep led to slaughter, and quiet as a lamb being sheared, He was silent, saying nothing. He was mocked and put down, never got a fair trial. But who now can count his kin since he’s been taken from the earth? The eunuch said, “Tell me, who is the prophet talking about: himself or some other?” Philip grabbed his chance. Using this passage as his text, he heralded Jesus to him. Acts 8:26-35
Peter to Cornelius' (non-Jewish) household (Acts 10)
"Talking things over, they went on into the house, where Cornelius introduced Peter to everyone who had come. Peter addressed them, “You know, I’m sure that this is highly irregular. Jews just don’t do this—visit and relax with people of another race. But God has just shown me that no race is better than any other. So the minute I was sent for, I came, no questions asked. But now I’d like to know why you sent for me.” Cornelius said, “Four days ago at about this time, midafternoon, I was home praying. Suddenly there was a man right in front of me, flooding the room with light. He said, ‘Cornelius, your daily prayers and neighborly acts have brought you to God’s attention. I want you to send to Joppa to get Simon, the one they call Peter. He’s staying with Simon the Tanner down by the sea.’ “So I did it—I sent for you. And you’ve been good enough to come. And now we’re all here in God’s presence, ready to listen to whatever the Master put in your heart to tell us.” Peter fairly exploded with his Announcement of God's leader: “It’s God’s own truth, nothing could be plainer: God plays no favorites! It makes no difference who you are or where you’re from—if you want God and are ready to do as he says, the door is open. The Announcement our leader sent to the children of Israel—that through Jesus Christ everything is being put together again—well, he’s doing it everywhere, among everyone. “You know the story of what happened in Judea. It began in Galilee after John heralded a total life-change. Then Jesus arrived from Nazareth, anointed by God with the Holy Spirit, ready for action. He went through the country helping people and healing everyone who was beaten down by the Devil. He was able to do all this because God was with him. …Acts 10:27-38
Paul to a Jewish synagogue in Antioch in Pisidia:
On the Sabbath they went to the meeting place and took their places. After the reading of the Scriptures—God’s Law and the Prophets—the president of the meeting asked them, “Friends, do you have anything you want to say? A word of encouragement, perhaps?” Paul stood up, paused and took a deep breath, then said, “Fellow Israelites and friends of God, listen. God took a special interest in our ancestors, pulled our people who were beaten down in Egyptian exile to their feet, and led them out of there in grand style. He took good care of them for nearly forty years in that godforsaken wilderness and then, having wiped out seven enemies who stood in the way, gave them the land of Canaan for their very own—a span in all of about 450 years. “Up to the time of Samuel the prophet, God provided judges to lead them. But then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul, son of Kish, out of the tribe of Benjamin. After Saul had ruled forty years, God removed him from office and put King David in his place, with this commendation: ‘I’ve searched the land and found this David, son of Jesse. He’s a man whose heart beats to my heart, a man who will do what I tell him.’ “From out of David’s descendants God produced a Savior for Israel, Jesus, exactly as he promised—but only after John had thoroughly alerted the people to his arrival by preparing them for a total life-change. As John was finishing up his work, he said, ‘Did you think I was the One? No, I’m not the One. But the One you’ve been waiting for all these years is just around the corner, about to appear. And I’m about to disappear.’ “Dear brothers and sisters, children of Abraham, and friends of God, this message of salvation has been precisely targeted to you. The citizens and rulers in Jerusalem didn’t recognize who he was and condemned him to death. They couldn’t find a good reason, but demanded that Pilate execute him anyway. They did just what the prophets said they would do, but had no idea they were following to the letter the script of the prophets, even though those same prophets are read every Sabbath in their meeting places. “After they had done everything the prophets said they would do, they took him down from the cross and buried him. And then God raised him from death. There is no disputing that—he appeared over and over again many times and places to those who had known him well in the Galilean years, and these same people continue to give witness that he is alive. “And we’re here today bringing you the announcement of his leadership: the Message that what God promised the fathers has come true for the children—for us! He raised Jesus, exactly as described in the second Psalm: My Son! My very own Son! Today I celebrate you! “When he raised him from the dead, he did it for good—no going back to that rot and decay for him. That’s why Isaiah said, ‘I’ll give to all of you David’s guaranteed blessings.’ So also the psalmist’s prayer: ‘You’ll never let your Holy One see death’s rot and decay.’ Acts 13:13-35
Paul to (non-Jewish) Greek philosophers in Athens:
"So Paul took his stand in the open space at the Areopagus and laid it out for them. “It is plain to see that you Athenians take your religion seriously. When I arrived here the other day, I was fascinated with all the shrines I came across. And then I found one inscribed, to the god nobody knows. I’m here to introduce you to this God so you can worship intelligently, know who you’re dealing with. “The God who made the world and everything in it, this Master of sky and land, doesn’t live in custom-made shrines or need the human race to run errands for him, as if he couldn’t take care of himself. He makes the creatures; the creatures don’t make him. Starting from scratch, he made the entire human race and made the earth hospitable, with plenty of time and space for living so we could seek after God, and not just grope around in the dark but actually find him. He doesn’t play hide-and-seek with us. He’s not remote; he’s near. We live and move in him, can’t get away from him! One of your poets said it well: ‘We’re the God-created.’ Well, if we are the God-created, it doesn’t make a lot of sense to think we could hire a sculptor to chisel a god out of stone for us, does it? “God overlooks it as long as you don’t know any better—but that time is past. The unknown is now known, and he’s calling for a radical life-change. He has set a day when the entire human race will be judged and everything set right. And he has already appointed the judge, confirming him before everyone by raising him from the dead.” Acts 17:22-31
Mark 1:2-7 even though Mark is primarily addressing a mixed audience (of people who are culturally Jewish & non-Jewish) in Rome, we still starts off showing that this Announcement of the leadership of Jesus, God's Christ, starts with him fulfilling hints made centuries before in ancient prophet's words, and fulfilling the clear message given by God's most recent prophet, John the Baptist (Washer).
Matthew often takes pains to show his Jewish audience that Jesus's birth, life, death, resurrection, and ascension to heaven all fulfill ancient prophecies about God's promised leader of humanity. And even points out things obscure beforehand to the unlearned, that have come to light since the coming, e.g. The numbers of descendants in Jesus's genealogy, between major events. The Magi from the East, leave (Persia ?) and after a circuitous route find the unweaned child.
Luke and John are often at pains to show that Jesus's life is lived in the context of a larger story that was going strong and that provided expectation and climax, and of which the coming, life, death, resurrection, assension & giving of the spirit of Jesus to his people, is to be seen as a fulfillment, climax, and start of a new phase. Not only do they each quote old prophecies that are being fulfilled, but Luke tells us about a number of separate instances of Jesus being the fulfillment for expectant spirits. The shepherds on the night of his birth, are let into the secret by a sky full of Angels. They go down from surrounding countryside into the township and find the baby born that night. The holy spirit leads a Godly man, old Simeon to connect with the child in the temple at his mother's post birth offering, and to recognise him as God's hoped for anointed leader of humanity - Messiah. And an old prophetess Anna, sees and hears that meeting, & "gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were waiting for God to set Jerusalem free." (Luke 2:38). It was not an event "on its own", or "done in a corner", or with no precedent (the Book 2 of Luke, Acts 26:25-29). Yet strangely, it may well involve much that is very personal to very many people, like the shepherds, the Magi, Mary, Joseph, Simeon, Anna, or in John's record, Jesus' first meeting with the sceptical Nathaniel: Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one whom Moses wrote about in the book of the Law and whom the prophets also wrote about. He is Jesus son of Joseph, from Nazareth.” “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” Nathanael asked. “Come and see,” answered Philip. When Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, he said about him, “Here is a real Israelite; there is nothing false in him!” Nathanael asked him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered, “I saw you when you were under the fig tree before Philip called you.” “Teacher,” answered Nathanael, “you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” Jesus said, “Do you believe just because I told you I saw you when you were under the fig tree? You will see much greater things than this!” And he said to them, “I am telling you the truth: you will see heaven open and God's angels going up and coming down on the Son of Man.” John 1:45-51 (with Jesus' last sentence being a clear allusion to Jacob's (preMosaic) "ladder", recognition of a gateway or portal into the Eden-like "house of God - shared with humanity" (Gen 28:10-22).
This is clearly the fulfillment of their best hopes & dreams.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thanks for adding to the conversation...