ULTIMATE PITS IN THE BIBLE

 The prevalent occurrence of natural or purposefully dug pits in biblical times gave rise to their use metaphorically as standing for the place of death or damnation (often capitalized in translation as “the Pit”). Thus we have the following Scripture references:

Job 33 contains no less than five mentions of the Pit (vv. 18, 22, 24, 28, 30) which act as a sort of recurring chorus in this extended poem. In three of these cases (vv. 22, 28, 30) it is seen to be listed in poetic parallelism to death itself. And in one case (v. 18) it parallels the expression “crossing the River.” As Seow notes, “In Mesopotamian mythology the dead cross the river Hubur; in Greek myths, the Styx.” In addition, there is Job 17:13-16 in which the terms Pit and Sheol are seen to be synonymous to one another.

Five places in the Psalms (vv. 28:1; 30:3; 40:2; 88:4,6; and 143:7), the Psalmist cries that he is on the brink of death, called the Pit. As Kselman explains, The Pit in these poetic references is another designation for Sheol, the Hebrew place of the dead where all hope and communication with God is cut off and souls live a sort of shadowy existence.

We find two references to the Pit in the Book of Proverbs, one toward the start of the book and one toward the end. The first occurrence is clearly to the place of death:

        “Like Sheol

                let us swallow them alive and whole

                like those who go down to

        the Pit.” (Proverbs 1:12)

And in Proverbs 28:18 we read: “And one who walks in integrity will be safe, but whoever follows crooked ways will fall into the Pit” (NRSV) This verse is a little more ambiguous since it is doubtful that the author really felt that it was possible to escape the snare of death entirely. We also have the evidence of the Hebrew and Syriac manuscripts which both read “will fall all at once.” in place of “will fall into the Pit.”

Isaiah contains a number of references to pits, mostly of a metaphorical nature. Thus, in Is. 14:15, 19 we have what is known as a taunt song describing the fall of an unnamed king of Babylon. Blenkinsopp's opinion, which one can choose to accept or reject, is that this poem “draws on a Canaanite myth of the gods Helel and Shahar (Morning Star and Dawn), who fall from heaven as a result of rebellion. In Christianity the myth reemerges as the fall of Lucifer and his attendant angels (cf. Lk 10.18).”

Then in Is. 24:17-18, 22 we read an apocalyptic passage in which the people of the earth tremble as God's judgment begins on them. At this time, both the kings of the earth and the angels will find themselves subject to ultimate punishment. The Pit in this case is compared to a snare and a prison.

But in contrast, in Isaiah 38:17-19 the prophet describes his own situation in which his sins have been cast behind God's back and he is restored to full life of praise to Him. Similarly, Is. 51:14 promises that the oppressed will be released from the threat of death and the Pit.

Moving on to the book of Ezekiel, we come across vv. 19:4,8, a highly poetic description of two lion cubs representing Jehoahaz who was taken captive to Egypt and Zedekiah who was exiled to Babylon. There is an interesting literary parallelism found between verses 4 and 8b-9:

        “he was caught in their pit;

                and they brought him with hooks to the land of Egypt” (v. 4)

        “he was caught in their pit.

                With hooks they brought him to the king of Babylon.” (vv. 8-9)

In another taunt song reminiscent of Isaiah 14, Ezekiel in chapter 28 prophesizes against the Prince of Tyre, saying “They shall thrust you down to the Pit, and you shall die a violent death in the heart of the seas.” Similarly, Tyre herself receives her judgment notice in chapter 26:19-21 where the Pit is equated to the land of the dead.

In Ezekiel 31 we read more of the same as Egypt's fate in predicted. Verses 14-17 demonstrate the identity of Sheol as the Pit. And in the following chapter the two concepts are further equated. The total alternations between these words are summarized as follows:

Chapter 31: Pit (v. 14); Sheol (v. 15); Sheol (v. 16a); Pit (v. 16b); Sheol (17)

Chapter 32: Pit (v. 18); Sheol (v. 21); Pit (v. 23); Pit (v. 24); Pit (v. 25); Sheol (v. 27); Pit (v. 29); Pit (v. 30)

Most significantly, the Pit (generally capitalized) does not show up again until the Book of Revelation, Chapter 9. The first eleven verses of that chapter are presented in an orderly manner as follows:

1. A fallen star is given the key to the bottomless pit (abyss) (vv. 1-2)

        2. Locusts like scorpions appear (vv. 3a)

                3. They are given authority to torture people for five months (vv. 3b-5)

                        4. Reaction of the people (v. 6)

        2'. Appearance of the locust-scorpions (vv. 7-10a)

                3'. Their power to torture people for five months (v. 10b)

1'. The king over the bottomless pit (v. 11)

As far as the five-month period is concerned, Ruiz explains that “although this may be a reference to the life cycle of locusts, which are hatched in spring and live until the end of summer, the likely significance of this time period is symbolic, indicating the limited time span of this plague.”

As a sort of contrast to the events of Revelation 9, we have another appearance of the Pit in Chapter 11. This time it is two prophets who are given authority by God. After giving their witness, the Beast in the Pit is allowed to make war on them and kill them. However, God raises up their dead bodies, striking fear in the hearts of the people, much as the people reacted earlier in Rev. 9:6.

Lastly, the bottomless pit appears in Revelation 20 as the angel of the pit seizes the personified forces of evil and imprisons them for 1,000 years while peace reigns on earth. But they are released temporarily and allowed to wage spiritual warfare against the people. However, that is only allowed for a short period of time, after which Satan and his cohorts are cast into the lake of fire as their final punishment.

I will not attempt to wade through all the literature of the Pre-, Mid-, and Post-millennialists as well as Dispensationalists to try and pin down exactly what will happen in those last days of earth. You should feel free to consult your favorite resource for that answer as long as you keep in mind that many sincere and educated believers may totally disagree with whatever scenario you have been taught.

ELEMENTS OF WORSHIP

 

Elements of Worship

There was a well-known preacher of a previous generation named A.W. Tozer who wrote a slender pamphlet titled Worship:The Missing Jewel of the Evangelical Church. Below are a few quotations from that book regarding the elements which go into true worship of God. There is also a full-length book on that same subject and with a similar title, Worship: Recovering the Missing Jewel by Allen and Borror. I would recommend it for those who wish to go into the subject in more detail.

But I would like to stick to a few comments by Tozer, who begins introducing the subject with a few general thoughts:

    “Worship is a moral imperative.” He references Luke 19:37-40 in regard to that statement.

    “We have almost everything, but there's one thing that the churches, even the gospel churches do not have: that is the ability to worship.”

    “It's an attitude, a state of mind, a sustained act, subject to degrees of perfection and intensity.”

    “...worship is capable of running from the very simple to the most intense and sublime.”

    “If there is one terrible disease in the Church of Christ, it is that we do not see God as great as He is. We're too familiar with God.”

Regarding that last statement, I remember feeling highly uncomfortable in church singing the old hymn “In the Garden” with its lyrics:

“I come to the garden alone
while the dew is still on the roses,
and the voice I hear falling on my ear,
the Son of God discloses.
Refrain:
And he walks with me, and he talks with me,
and he tells me I am his own;
and the joy we share as we tarry there,
none other has ever known.”

I had always assumed it had been written by some overly sentimental, repressed old maid until I found out that the author was in fact a man. At that point, it felt downright creepy to be singing those words. In any case, the hymn certainly does not portray the sublime and perfect God of the whole universe or His Son, but instead an intimate romantic lover.

Of course, there is always an equal but opposite fault present in the Church, and that is often found in the high churches – denominations coming straight out of the Reformation who could be often characterized as “the frozen chosen” to use a favorite phrase of a friend of mine who considered himself one of them.

Getting back to Tozer, he next sets out the necessary elements he feels need to be present in worship:

Boundless Confidence

“You cannot worship a Being you cannot trust. Confidence is necessary to respect, and respect is necessary to worship. Worship rises or falls in any church altogether depending upon the attitude we take toward God, whether we see God big or whether we see Him little. Most of us see God too small...You can't make God big, But you can see Him big.”

In that regard, I highly recommend a little book written in the 1960's by J. B. Phillips titled appropriately Your God Is Too Small. He exposes many of the mistaken and woefully inadequate conceptions people have about the nature of God. And such misconceptions were rife in the pagan world for millennia in their stories of deities who had totally flawed personalities and could be easily tricked by mere mortals.

Such misconceptions are alive and well today in the “Name It, Claim It” and Prosperity Gospel schools of preachers who show their parishioners the techniques they can use in order to get God to do their bidding. One such budding preacher was in a Sunday school class I attended. And he even taught us that if you can find the proper verse in the Bible that contains an appropriate promise, simply claim it for your own and God has no choice in the matter but to give you whatever you desire.

Admiration

As Tozer goes one to say, “Man is better qualified to appreciate God than any other creature because he was made in His image and is the only creature who was...The God of modern evangelical rarely astonishes anybody. He manages to stay pretty much within the constitution...He's a very well-behaved God and very denominational and very much one of us...The God of the modern evangelical isn't a God I could have much respect for.”

At one church I attended and taught Sunday school at for years, I only heard a preacher once point out the obvious by warning that we had better not become so in love with our “perfect doctrine” and “perfect method of church leadership” that we leave no room for God to come along and interfere with it. Unfortunately, I saw no indication that the eldership of that congregation ever paid any attention to that warning in subsequent years.

Fascination

Tozer defines this as being “captivated and charmed and entranced. Excited, not with how big you're getting or how big the offering was. Not with how many people came out to church. But entranced with who God is...” I have honestly seen very little of this element in any church I have attended over the years, and actually it appears that most church leaders, at least outside the pulpit, would be more than a little upset if God came down and brought a sudden end to all their worldly plans and ambitions for their congregation.

We each have our own way of being fascinated by God's work. For some it is found in the way He has guided and superintended their lives over the years, and for others it is found in the contemplation of the wonders of nature. My personal fascination is primarily with the perfect manner in which His Word, the Bible, is constructed.

Adoration

Again, quoting Tozer, he explains this means “to love God with all the power within us. To love God with fear and wonder and yearning and awe. To yearn for God with great yearning, and to love Him to a point where it is both painful and delightful...I think God is disappointed because we make Him to be no more than a source of what we want. Even our Lord Jesus is presented too often much as 'Someone who will meet your need.'...Well, He is that indeed; but ah, He's infinitely more than that.”

Conclusion

Each of us is constituted differently with a different make-up in terms of the three aspects of personality: intellect, emotion, and will. Therefore I find it interesting that to a certain extent the various branches of Christianity tend to appeal more to one or another of those three. To grossly oversimplify, we might say that the Pentecostal wing has a somewhat greater attraction for the emotional believer; the liberal churches stresses the importance of the will in terms of doing good works; and the High Churches stress the intellectual aspect in terms of teaching and maintaining perfect doctrine and appealing to those who hold to a proper reverence for God and His ordinances.

LITERAL PITS IN THE BIBLE

I have previously posted two short essays titled “A Pit of One's own Making” illustrating the principle that traps one sets for others often backfire on the plotter. But I would now like to turn our attention to some more literal pits that are mentioned in the Bible as well as (in a subsequent post) ultimate pits.

There are a variety of Hebrew and Greek words translated as “pit” or some equivalent terms in English. These include beer, bor, pachath, sheol, shuchah, phrear and abussou. Of these, at least the last one may sound familiar since it is the basis for the English word “abyss.” Between all of them, one can count roughly 50 references in the Bible to pits of one sort or another. Let's concentrate on the literal pits only in this present post.

Genesis 14:10 In this obscure passage we are told of the attempted rebellion of a coalition of Canaanite kings against their overlords led by Chedorlaomer. The Canaanite kings flee for their lives but the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah accidentally fall into tar pits. Their property, as well as Lot himself, are taken by Chedorlaomer. I am well aware of the danger of falling into such death traps, having visited the LaBrea Tar Pits in Southern California on several occasions and viewed the large variety of ancient animal bones recovered from such death traps. This event also presages the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah and narrow escape of Lot and his daughters narrated a few chapters later in Genesis.

Genesis 37:20-27 This is perhaps the most famous story in the OT involving a pit. As you no doubt recall, Joseph the dreamer has raised the ire of his brothers and they put him down in a pit in the ground before deciding what to do with him. Eventually, of course, they sell him to a band of traveling merchants and Joseph ends up as a captive in Egypt. This story illustrates another use of pits in biblical times, as a jail. We must keep in mind that other than much later when the Romans were in charge of Israel, there were no handy jails around for prisoners to dwell in until their ultimate fates were decided. Thus, we are told in the NT of the several such secure holding tanks in which Christians such as Peter, Paul and Silas were kept captive.

II Samuel 18:17

This illustrates a different sort of pit in that it is a burial pit. After Absalom had been killed during his attempt to usurp David's throne, Joab's men throw his body in a pit and cover it with a mound of rocks. As McKenzie says, “this kind of burial was reserved for a cursed person (Josh 7.26).”

Jeremiah

There are four references to literal pits in this prophetic book. The first is found in 2:6 where God reminds the people how He had led them out of Egypt and brought them safely through all sorts of dangers in the wilderness, including deserts and pits.

Then in Jeremiah 38:6-13 is narrated the story of Jeremiah himself being lowered into a pit and left there. It is uncertain if the intent was merely to confine him until his fate was decided (as with Joseph much earlier) or whether they were just hoping he would eventually die there, but fortunately he was rescued from that fate.

Next comes Jer. 41:7,9 with its description of Ishmael (of the royal seed of Judah) and his traitorous act in murdering Gedaliah and the inhabitants of Mizpah and filling up an empty cistern (i.e. pit) with their bodies. And finally there is the prophecy in Jeremiah 48:43-44 concerning the coming judgment against Moab who will face “terror, pit, and trap.”

Zechariah 

Zechariah is the last prophet in the OT to mention a pit, in 9:11. Boda has much to say regarding this verse but I will just share a few of his words. “The place of imprisonment in 9:11 is a cistern in which there is no water. Such a cistern (bor) as a prison is described at several points in the OT (see Gen. 37:20, 22, 24, 28-29; 40:15; 41:14; Isa. 24:22; Jer. 38:6-13; Lam. 3:53), which explains why the phrase bet habbor ('house of the cistern') refers to a prison (Exod. 12:29; Jer. 37:16). Some see the lack of water as positive, since water could have drowned them, while others treat this as a negative feature, since such a pit would lack drinking water. More likely, the water is not the issue, since it is probably a stereotypical phrase for a pit designed or available for imprisoning someone.”

STONING IN THE NEW TESTAMENT

Stoning in the New Testament

There are many questions readers have in coming across those occasions in the Bible in which the punishment of death by stoning is either prescribed in the Old Testament or attempted (or actually carried out) in the New Testament. Examples in the NT include the attempted stoning of Jesus, the proposed stoning of the woman caught in adultery, stoning to death of Stephen, and Paul's being stoned and left for dead. Below are comments from the scholarly literature divided roughly according to which aspect of the action is discussed.

How was this type of capital punishment actually carried out?

To begin an answer in a rather strange way, I would like to point to the introduction to Cole Porter's still popular song “Anything Goes,” which goes:

“Times have changed
And we've often rewound the clock
Since the Puritans got a shock
When they landed on Plymouth Rock.
If today
Any shock they should try to stem
'Stead of landing on Plymouth Rock,
Plymouth Rock would land on them.”

Interestingly, the above lyrics actually combine the two concepts of falling on a rock and having a rock fall on someone. And that combination fairly accurately describes the most common biblical occurrence of the corporal punishment known as stoning. Most people do not realize that stoning in biblical times was apparently often carried out by first throwing the offending party off of a high spot, assuming that one was available nearby. If he was still alive after that, then the crowd would throw stones on him from that same height until he was dead. That first optional step in the procedure is generally passed over in most NT passages except for Luke 4:28-29, in which the hostile crowd's intent in regard to Jesus is made quite obvious.

As Cradock says, “The synagogue, now a mob, attempts to stone Jesus. Hurling a person against stones was as acceptable a form of stoning as was hurling the stones against the person.

Bruce provides more justification [although somewhat later in time] for this view: “In the second century A.D. this [i.e. Deut. 17:7)] was interpreted as follows in the Mishnah...The drop from the stoning place was twice the height of a man. One of the witnesses pushes the criminal from behind, so that he falls face downward. He is then turned over on his back. If he die from this fall, that is sufficient If not, the second witness takes the stone and drops it on his heart. If this cause death that is sufficient; if not, he is stoned by all the congregation of Israel.' (Sanhedrin vi. 1-4).”

And as another early witness to this procedure, we have the account of the stoning of James the brother of Jesus as recorded by Hegesippus: “Then they seized him and threw him down and began to stone him, since he did not die from his fall.”

What were the offenses deserving of stoning?

Borchert: “The claim of Jesus...was clearly recognized from Jesus' perspective to be a blasphemous statement they could not tolerate. Accordingly, they again made their judgment call, and their verdict implied death by stoning (John 8:59; cf. Lev 24:11-16; 1 Kings 21:10-13).”

Neil says that ”stoning to death outside the city walls (i.e. outside the camp) was the punishment for blasphemy (Lev. 24:10ff).”

Were the New Testament examples legal or illegal actions?

“Since the Romans had taken away the Jews' right of capital punishment, it seems that Stephen's stoning was more a mob lynching than an official execution. Yet it had a small semblance of justice, since according to the law [Deut. 17:70], the first to begin stoning the condemned person must be 'the witnesses', which means his accusers, whether in Stephen's case these were the false witnesses of [Acts] 6:13 or Sanhedrin members.”

Craddock feels that in Stephen's case, “this is far from official procedure; it is angry mob reaction. “Even so, it foreshadows not only the trial and death of Jesus but also the fate of many of his followers.”

“It is not clear whether Stephen's death was the result of judicial action by the Sanhedrin or of mob violence. The Sanhedrin would presumably have to be ratified by Pilate as head of state; Pilate, however, would be at Caesaera and not in Jerusalem, and if he eventually heard that one more Jewish trouble-maker had been dispatched by an angry crowd he would not be too concerned.” (Neil)

Bruce says, “There is some doubt about what happened next. Did the crowd of bystanders take the law into their own hands and lynch Stephen?...The reference to the witnesses suggests that Stephen's stoning was carried out as a legal execution...But if it was a legal execution, how are we to account for its being carried out on the spot, without the authorization from the Roman governor which was required in the case of Jesus?” He concludes, as did Neil above, that “Pilate could be relied upon to turn a blind eye on occasion.”

Turning to Jesus' experience, Marshall says, “The act envisaged is not a formal execution but lynch law – and on the Sabbath at that. It may have been intended to stone Jesus (cf. John 8:59; Acts 7:54ff....) Since the attempt did not succeed, it is hard to guess what was intended.”

What about the story about the woman caught in adultery? (John 7:53-8:11)

Then there is this story in which the Jewish leaders ask for Jesus' opinion regarding the fate of a convicted adulteress. The main problem with this narrative is that practically all commentators are in agreement that this does not belong in John's Gospel at all. Concerning the textual evidence, Metzger says, “The evidence for the non-Johannine origin of the pericope of the adulteress is overwhelming.” And Comfort states, “The passage, which is clearly a later addition, came from an oral tradition. It does not belong in John's Gospel as part of the original text.”

However, that by no means imply that these words are to be discarded as unhistorical. In fact, a healthy proportion of Bible scholars running the gamut from fundamentalists to liberals treat this narrative as a free-floating authentic story which was attached to John's Gospel at a later date rather than to have it lost to posterity.

With this background, the incident appears as yet another attempt by Jesus' enemies to trick Jesus by forcing him to chose sides, either option of which was likely to put him in a bad light with the Roman authorities or the Jewish people. Jesus' way out of the quandary was to put the onus on the Jewish leaders themselves instead and make them confront their own sinful ways. But he did not let the woman in question off scot-free either. As Morris says, “She is to make a clean break with sin. Jesus does not refer specifically to adultery, though there cannot be any doubt that that is primarily in mind. His words are perfectly general. He is calling the woman to amendment of life, the whole of life.”

 

JOHN 7:1-52 (PART B)

You may have noticed in Part A of this series that several scholars alluded to the Old Testament background of some of John's comments in this chapter. In this post I would like to share some additional thoughts on that phenomenon.

Verse 24

“An ideal human judge imitates God's righteousness (Lk 12:57; Jn 7:24) but does not attempt to usurp God's role as the final judge (Deut 1:7)...Scripture lends grandeur and finality to images of judgment because God is held as the ultimate authority, the ultimate justice. As the psalmist declares, 'The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the LORD are perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple' (Ps 19:7).” (Dictionary of Biblical Imagery)

Verses 26-31

“Many studies of the Jewish messianic hope omit one of the most important sources: the Gospels themselves. When one reads them to find the hope entertained by the Jewish people, one finds a hope similar to that reflected in the Psalms of Solomon [a book in the OT Apocrypha]. It is quite clear that the people expected a messiah to appear (Jn. 1:20, 41; 4:29; 7:31; l K. 3:15)...There was a tradition that he would suddenly appear among the people from an obscure origin (Jn. 7:26-27)...The Messiah was expected to remain hidden until he would suddenly appear on the scene (7:27), but Jesus was a well-known figure.” (Ladd)

Similarly, Bird states, “Christos is an adjective signifying 'anointed [with oil]'; it is used in the LXX [Greek Septuagint] to translate the Hebrew word masiah, designating a person appointed by God for a specific role...The Lord intends to raise up a 'righteous scion' to usher in the salvation of Judah and Israel (Jer 23:5-6) with a reinstitution of the Davidic throne and a rebuilt temple (Jer 33:5-6). The new Davidide will be a shepherd to the house of Israel (Ezek 34:22-24)...Finally, in Daniel there is a vision for God's kingdom to crush all human kingdoms (Dan 2:44-45)...In sum, there is an incipient messiahship in the OT through the idealization of the Davidic kingship configured in light of eschatological hopes for the restoration of Israel...We find in John 7:25-44 that Jewish speculations are set in juxtaposition to the messianic identity of Jesus...there is some doubt among the crowd about Jesus because no one is supposed to know where the Messiah is from (Jn 7:26-27). Then again, the signs that Jesus does are regarded by the crowd as clear evidence of his messianic credentials (Jn 7:31)...”

Verse 35

R.E. Brown explains that the term 'Diaspora' in v. 35 “refers to the Jews living outside the Holy Land; the expression 'Diaspora of Israel' occurs in LXX [the Greek Septuagint] in Isa xlix 6; Ps cxlvii 2.”

Verse 36

Leon Morris: “From Deut. 16:13 it would appear that the feast at one time went for seven days, but Lev. 23:36 makes it plain that there was also an eighth day (even though it is mentioned separately from the seven). It is not quite clear whether it was the seventh day or this eighth day which was the climax of the whole celebration, and of which John speaks as 'the great day of the feast'.

Verses 37-38

These two verses “draw our attention to one of the most memorable parts of the Festival of Tabernacles, the seven-day water ceremony and the prayers for rain. On each of the seven days prior to the final day.., priests drew water from the Pool of Siloam and carried a golden pitcher full of the water to the temple and then around the altar with the high priest leading the way. As the priests neared the water gate, the shofar was blown, and then the psalms of praise and thanksgiving were sung to God for the harvest (Pss 113-118). As the ceremony developed, the Pharisees, who were primarily urban dwellers, insisted that a significant emphasis should be placed on the petition for rain because by this time of year (the fall) their cisterns would be nearly empty after the dryness of summer. Such symbolism carried the meaning beyond the emphasis of the desert experience, and the harvest symbolized in the citrus symbols that were raised in thanksgiving to God for the recently gathered fruits (cf. Zech 14:16-19...).” (Borchert)

Kostenberger states, “The narrative depicting Jesus' first teaching cycle in chapter 7 builds toward the climax of 7:37b-38, where Jesus issues the invitation to all who are thirsty to come to him and drink, so that believers would, once the Spirit had been given, become sources of 'streams of living water.' Thus, in keeping with the theme of Tabernacles, 'With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation (Isa 12:3), the prophetic vision of Isa. 58:11 would be fulfilled.'”

Ladd: “A contemporary Baptist scholar understands the word about birth of water and of the Spirit [in John 3:5 and 6:54] in sacramental terms...If this is Jesus' meaning, it is easy to see how the later church interpreted these words in terms of Christian baptism. However, it is equally possible that birth of water is no reference to baptism at all. Water and Spirit are linked with a single preposition and both seem to refer to the life from above. Water is coordinate, not contrasted with the Spirit. Elsewhere John uses water as a symbol of the life-giving operation of the Spirit (4:14; 7:38).” He then quotes Dunn as saying, “In the Old Testament water is a symbol of God's activity in quickening men to life (Isa. 55:1-3; Jer. 2:13; 17:13; Zech. 14:8; Ezek. 47:9) and is often linked with the eschatological re-recreation and renewal to be effected by the gift of the Spirit (Isa. 32:15-17; 44:3-5; Ezek. 36:25-27; 39:29; Joel 2:28). The reference to water, then, far from being a literal reference to the sacrament of baptism, is a symbol of the spiritual cleansing effected by the Spirit. Rather than expressing a sacramental view of baptism, John seems to be challenging any sacramentalism which he assumes on the part ot his readers.”

Verse 38

Brown spends a great deal of time suggesting various OT Scriptures as the closest background to the comments in v. 38. Possibilities he mentions include Deuteronomy 8:15; I Samuel 1:15; Psalm 42:1-2; 105:40-1; 114; Proverbs 18:4; 20:27; Isaiah 29:8; 43:11, 20; 44:3; 48:21; Zechariah 14:8; and Ezekiel 47:1-11.

“Since Jerusalem had no river flowing through it.., the river the psalmist pictures as flowing through Jerusalem (Ps 46:4) must be a symbol of God's presence, and a similar reading is likely for Ezekiel's vision of a river flowing from the temple (Ezek 47). Similarly, Jesus speaks of a spritual reality when he says, 'Out of the believer's heart shall flow rivers of living water,' by which he meant the Holy Spirit (John 7:38-39).” (DBI)

Verses 38, 42

Grant Osborne notes: “John's pattern of quotation follows that of his Gospel as a whole. In the Book of Signs (chaps. 2-12) they are introduced with some form of 'it is written' (1:23; 2:17; 6:31, 45; 7:38, 42; 8:17; 10:34; 12:14) while in his passion narrative (chaps. 13-20) they are introduced by 'in order that it might be fulfilled'...In John 7:38 he is the source of the living water of the Spirit (possibly Is 12:3), and in John 7:42 he fulfills Micah 5:2 as well as 2 Samuel 7:12-16, Psalm 89:3-4 and Isaiah 9:7 in his origin as the Davidic Messiah.” Alternatively, Kostenberger feels that v. 38 may refer to Psalm 78:15-16 and Zechariah 14:8.

“And, while it is true that it is hard to find an Old Testament passage which unambiguously prophesies that rivers of living water will flow from the believer, it is also true that it is harder still to find one which says this of Christ. Exod. 17:6; Ps. 105:41; Ezek. 47:1 and Joel 3:18 are adduced, but a good imagination is required to see in any of these a prophecy that Christ would become the source...” (Morris)

Verse 39

Concerning this verse, Kostenbrger says, “The crowd continued to debate Jesus' identity. Some saw Him as the Prophet mentioned by Moses (Deut. 18:15, 18). He would speak God's words to people but not in the awesome display of Mount Sinai from which Moses spoke. Jesus is indeed that predicted Prophet (Acts 3:22), but many rejected Him as such.”

Verse 42

“The objectors back up their case with an appeal to the Bible. 'The scripture' usually refers to a specific passage, but there is no place where the Old Testament says precisely this. It seems that here it is the general tenor of several Old Testament passages that is in mind (e.g. I Sam. 20:6; II Sam. 7:12ff.; Ps. 89:3f.; Mic. 5:2, etc.). The expectation shows that the Exile was not held to have put an end to the possibilities of the Davidic line. In due course, when God sent His Messiah, He would be of that line, and, indeed, come from the very town of Bethlehem...The verse is another example of the Johannine irony. How strange that these people were citing as an objection to Jesus' messiahship just that fact that they required to attest it, had they but known the facts of the case.” (Morris)

Verse 49

This verse refers to “this mob which knows nothing of the Law.” Brown says, “The poor who were ignorant of the Law were already a problem in Jeremiah's time – see Jer v 4 where Jeremiah seeks to excuse them.” Brown adds that the curse in this verse “may be associated with passages like Deut xxvii 26, xxviii 15; Ps cxix 21 which curse those who do not conform to the law.”

JOHN 7:1-52 (PART A)

This passage describes Jesus' appearance at the annual Feast of Tabernacles. In itself, it has no symmetrical literary organization; one need to consider all of chapters 7-8 to see that. Note that symmetry exists whether on not one includes the controversial 8:1-11.

The Structure of John 7-8

    1. Opposition between Jesus and evil in the world (7:1-13)

            2. Jesus is sent from God (7:14-36)

                    3. Jesus as the Living Water (7:37-52)

                            (4. The woman caught in adultery: 8:1-11)

                    3'. Jesus as the Light of the World (8:12-19)

            2'. Jesus sent from the Father (8:20-30)

    1'. Opposition between Jesus and sons of the Devil (8:31-59)

Below are some comments on John 7 collected from a number of scholarly sources; it is hoped that some of these may be helpful in understanding this chapter.

John 7:1-9 There is a similarity between Jesus' brothers challenging him to perform miracles at the populated feast in Jerusalem and the earlier occasion when Mary asked him to do something about the lack of wine at the wedding feast. In both cases, Jesus appears to refuse, but then goes ahead and does what is requested anyway. The major difference was that Mary believed in Jesus whereas his brothers did not. “Proximity to Jesus, either in a family or as a disciple, does not guarantee faith.” (Blum) Culpepper points out one key point that indicates the brothers' mocking tone in their question. It is very similar to Satan's questioning during the tempting in the wilderness when he says, “'If you are' (or 'do'), then publicly reveal your power.” (see Matthew 4:6; Luke 4:9)

Jesus' cryptic statement in v. 6 that their “time is always here” has at least two possible interpretations according to Culpepper: (a) “their time is the world's time and will always be such” or (b) “the time for them to believe is already given and ready.”

There is textual variation in v. 8, which either reads “I am not going up to the feast” or “I am not yet going up to the feast.” Hernandez feels the latter must be a scribal addition to explain the fact that Jesus did go to the feast. He also sees a word-play here in which Jesus is stating that he will not “go up” in the ultimate sense of dying. Blum similarly notes that 'going up' may have a geographical meaning since Jerusalem is located in the hills or a theological meaning: going back to the Father.

John 7:10-24  Verse 10 reveals another similarity with the miracle at Cana in that it first appears that Jesus will not do what is requested by his family, but then goes ahead and does it in his own way and own timing.

Raymond Brown points to the disparaging way Jesus' enemies refuse to refer to him by name but persist in calling him “that man” (7:11; 9:28; 19:21). He notes that this practice continued into later Judaism.

The amazement in v. 15 of Jesus' learning should remind the reader of Mark 1:22, Jesus as a child impressing the religious leaders in the temple. But in this case, as O.M. Hendricks says, it is “a statement of elitism by the religious authorities.” My brother-in-law once engaged a visiting pastor to his church in a religious discussion. Apparently the pastor was impressed and asked him what his profession was. My brother-in-law explained that he was engaged in doing woodcraft. At that point, the pastor dismissed him with the words, “Oh, a man of the trades.”

Regarding v. 17, Ellis states: “There can be no greater authority than this which can be put to the test. Elsewhere, our Lord was similarly questioned (cf. Mt. 21:23; Jn 6:30) and He gave always the same answer in principle.”

In vv. 19-20 that the crowd is not aware of the authorities' plan to kill Jesus, and so they reply “You have a demon!”, which is another way of saying, “Are you crazy or something?” Note that the people had earlier called John the Baptist “demon-possessed.” (see Matthew 11:18).

The “one work” referred to in v. 21 is the earlier healing by Jesus of the lame man by the Pool of Bethesda.

Jesus appears to be misspeaking in v. 22. However, as Ellis explains, “Although this [circumcision] was practiced by the patriarchs, Moses regularized it within the Law (cf. Lev. 12:30).”

Brauch says in reference to vv. 22-23, “Here Jesus confirmed the truth already articulated in the prophetic word of Isaiah 1:12-17, that God is much more concerned about our doing good to others and having compassion and seeking justice than ritual acts and external observance of holy days and festivals, including the sabbath.”

It turns out that Jesus here is not quoting from anything in the OT, but instead to a regulation unknown to us which was, however, apparently known to his hearers. But there is a close parallel to Jesus' conclusion regarding healing found in Rabbi Eleazar den Azariah who reasoned from the lesser to the greater: “If circumcision, in which only one member of the body annuls the sabbath, how much more so for the rest of the body.” (Maccoby)

John 7:25-31  The concept that no one will know where the Messiah comes from (v. 27) appears in popular writings circulating at that time (see I Enoch 48:6; 2 Esdras 13:51-52), but is not found in the canonical books of the Bible.

Ellis expresses his opinion of v. 30: “It seems that John almost suggests that the Jews were physically incapable of laying hands of Him before 'the hour' struck.”

John 7:32-36  “Jesus says he will go to the one who sent him and they will not be able to find him. Does this mean that Jesus will elude his opponents by returning to the Father or will Jesus flee to the diaspora?...For the reader who does not know the outcome, the veiled language is a source of drama; for the informed reader it is a source of ironic enrichment.” (Culpepper) He explains that the first scenario expressed the belief that Jesus would perhaps commit suicide. Conversely, when the Jews wonder if he will flee to the Greeks, that “is probably intended as a veiled statement of truth.”

John 7:37-44  As most commentators will point out, the background for Jesus' words here is that they reflect the ceremony carried out during the festival where water was transported from the Pool of Siloam to the Temple – a symbol of, among other things, the coming deliverance by the Messiah.

“On the last and greatest day of the Feast of Tabernacles, God incarnate stood in his temple calling out to his thirsty people to come to him and drink. How ironic that his unrecognized voice was a disturbing presence in the festivities that had for so long been celebrated to welcome his presence!” (Dictionary of Biblical Imagery)

The words in v. 38 are not an exact quote from the Old Testament, but the general idea is found in Proverbs 18:4; Isaiah 44:3; 58:11. (Hendricks)

There is some dispute as to where the punctuation belongs in vv. 37-38. Depending on how the text is broken up, the water is said to flow either from the belly of the believers or from that of Jesus. Carson is of the opinion that it “is more likely correct to see a sentence division at the end of 7:37, making the believer the one from whose being the water (= Spirit) flows. The believer is thus viewed as a channel for the outflowing of the Spirit to others (cf. 15:26f).”

Keener points out that “in either case the Spirit comes ultimately from Jesus to believers.” And Wenk similarly adds that “it is quite obvious that the Spirit is associated with both the word and the water that accomplishes the eschatological cleansing and re-creation as anticipated in Ezekiel 36:25-26.”

In regard to vv. 37-39, Bruner states that “according to John 7 faith in Christ brings not just enough water to wet the tongue of the believer, it receives from Christ in the Spirit not only spiritual existence and revivication, but spiritual power as well.”

There appears to be a contradiction in v. 39 if one interprets it as saying that the Spirit had not been active up to this point. Smeaton explains: “He does not mean that the Spirit did not yet exist...but that these [prior] operations of the Spirit had been but an anticipation of the atoning death of Christ rather than a giving.”

Regarding vv. 41-44, Strauss explains, “Two traditional messianic expectations are expressed by the Jews...For some, Jesus cannot be the Messiah since they know where he is from, for others, he cannot be the Messiah because he is apparently from Nazareth, not Bethlehem. But both are wrong. The first group does not know where he is from, since he is from heaven. The second does not know his earthly origins, since he was indeed born in Bethlehem and from the line of David.”

In 7:42, “Jesus denies the Jews' ultimate right to claim descent from Abraham spiritually. Yet more, if any nation could claim the right to address God as Father, it was Israel...But Jesus refuses to acknowledge even this right, since these Jews have rejected the unique Son of God.” (Ellis)

John 7:45-52  The Jewish leaders refer dismissively to “this crowd” in v. 49, but who are they referring to exactly? Schutz feels that it “reflects a well-attested scorn of rabbinic scholars for the common people.” In a similar vein, Fitzmyer translates the phrase as “that rabble which knows not the law,” expressing Pharisaic disdain for others.

Bietenhard attempts to get more specific: “In Jn. 7:49 ochlos [crowd] doubtless refers to the term 'am haares, people of the land...in the post-exilic age it denoted the foreign or mixed population, as distinct from the returned exiles. It became a term of abuse, connoting ignorance of and lax attitude towards the law.”

Nicodemus, who had come to Jesus by night (John 3:1-3) attempts to defend Jesus but is immediately labeled by his fellow religious leaders as “one of them.” We unfortunately see the same sort of reaction in Congress today when anyone tries to break party ranks with the lock-step beliefs of their fellow legislators in even a small way. And even more unfortunately, there are people in the church who are always trying to sniff out even the slightest deviation from their version of orthodoxy in the congregation so that they can be the first to denounce it.

 

LUKE 24:32 (PART 2) COMMENTARIES

 

Luke 24:32 (Part 2) Commentaries

In the first part in this series, I went over the sort of information one can glean from a passage in the Bible without much outside help. But there is much more insight one can gain regarding the whole Emmaus episode from commentaries written by those who have studied the Bible in more depth. Although you can get free access on the Internet to some older commentaries, recent sources tend to have much more reliable information at their disposal. One proviso, however, is that you must still take everything you read under careful advisement, taking into account, whenever possible, the theological background and commitment of the commentator. The following quotations are given in somewhat random order.

Porter says, “The Emmaus discourse is one of the most important in the NT, for in it our Lord taught how His life and mission, His death and resurrection had to be viewed in the context of God's self-revelation in the OT scriptures. It thus forms the vital link between the OT promises and apostolic exposition of the fulfillment in Jesus of Nazareth.”

Regarding the named follower from Emmaus, Tasker's opinoin is that “in the early Latin and Syriac versions the Cleopas of Lk. xxiv. 18, was confused with the Clopas of Jn. xix. 25, but it is probable that they were two different people with two distinct names...”

“The resurrection story is marked by powerful emotions. These emotions run a notable range – disbelief, joy, perplexity, amazement, fear – but they all share the intensity that is one of the leading qualities of the story (Mt 28:8; Mk 16:5, 8, 11-12; Lk 24:3, 5, 11, 32).” (Dictionary of Biblical Imagery)

R.E. Brown: “It is typically Lucan that the first account of an appearance should occur on a journey; and just as on the long journey to Jerusalem so also in 24:47 Jesus gives important revelation to disciples: He appeals to the whole of Scripture in order to explain what he has done as Messiah. In the Book of Acts the apostolic preachers will do this, and Luke wants to root their use of Scriptures in revelation given by Jesus. Yet even though the disciples' hearts glowed when Jesus opened to them, they recognized him only when he broke bread. This prepares for the (eucharistic) breaking of the bread in the Christian community described in Acts...”

K.L. Anderson feels that the ending of the parable in Luke 16:19-31 “almost certainly is an oblique reference to Jesus' resurrection from the dead, which one cannot comprehend apart from the divine plan of salvation foretold in the Scriptures (Lk 24:25-27, 32, 44-46).”

“The concept of the heart (kardia) in the Gospels carries over from the OT term (leb, lebab), which refers to 'all aspects of a person: vital, emotive, noetic [relating to the mind or intellect], and voluntative' (Freiberg). Positively, the heart is the place of...spiritual awakening, upon encountering the risen Christ (Lk 24:32).” (Meadors)

Childs: “The Gospel accounts of the resurrection testify to a variety of different experiences of the risen Christ by means of a variety of literary forms...Thus, Luke's witness to the risen Christ speaks of Jesus who was (and is) known in the eucharist, in the 'breaking of bread' (24.35).”

Drury says, “In the Emmaus story the happiness of the present moment of recognition floods back into the unhappy past by means of interpretation, changing it utterly. Good exegesis plucks from the mind a rooted sorrow and sets the heart aglow (v. 32). Present happiness carries into the next scene with Jesus himself among the apostles at last. He asks for food and eats before them. The meal at Emmaus, fot all its wonder, was incomplete. He gave them bread but vanished before eating. Now he eats: fish, recalling the great catch at 5:1-11; and honey, the food of the promised land toward which the original exodus travelled.  All is complete.”

LUKE 24:32 (PART 1) -- BASIC CONSIDERATIONS

 

Luke 24:32 (Part 1) – Basic Considerations

As an example of how much information can be derived by looking in detail into just one simple verse of Scripture, consider this statement in Luke's Gospel in which two followers of Jesus from Emmaus talk to one another as they are returning to to Jerusalem to inform the Apostles that they have seen the risen Christ. Below is the first of a three-part discussion of this verse.

Translations

Since most of us are not fluent in Greek, we are dependent on versions in our mother tongue. So the first thing we should do before delving deeper into this particular verse is to look at several renderings in our native language. Since mine is English (at least the American version of it), here are how some translations and paraphrases render the key phrase in v. 32:

        NEB: feel our hearts on fire

        Living Bible: our hearts felt strangely warm

        TEV: like a fire burning in us

        The Message: didn't we feel on fire

        NIV, NRSV: hearts burning within us

        JBPhillips: hearts glowing

        KJV, RSV did not our hearts burn within us

        JB: did not we feel our hearts on fire

        NASB: were not our hearts burning within us

        AB: were not our hearts on fire

As you can see from the above, there is virtually no disagreement between any of these versions concerning what the two followers said.

Text

However, a NT translation is only as good as the original Greek text from which it is derived. Now unfortunately there is no master document in Luke's own hand to use as a guide. Therefore the next best thing is to compare all the numerous copies of Luke's Gospel made over the years. In doing so, where the manuscripts differ in their wording, preference should generally be given to the earliest sources rather than just looking for a majority opinion, as the translators of the King James Version preferred to do.

So to determine whether there are any significant disagreements between copies of the original text, there are fortunately at least two available resources available to today's reader. The first is to purchase a good modern study Bible. It should contain textual notes in the margin or as footnotes at the bottom of each page to show where there are alternative readings found in some manuscripts (generally called “authorities” or abbreviated as mss.).

Turning to our specific verse in question, the New Oxford Annotated NRSV Bible contains the footnote “some mss omit 'within us'” In this case, you can see that whether that particular phrase was originally present or not in the original really makes no difference to the meaning of the verse.

A second type of resource can be purchased if you want to go into more detail, namely, a textual commentary. I will quote from two of the most popular of these for the New Testament:

Metzger explains that the RSV Translation “Committee was reluctant to omit the words ['within us'] entirely, in view of the possibility that copyists may have deleted them as superfluous in the context. It was thought best, therefore, to retain them in the text, but enclosed within square brackets indicating doubt that they have a right to stand there.”

Comfort: “The two earliest mss and the Syriac version omit 'within us'. A variant reading is...by way of scribal expansion.”

Vocabulary

Authors over the years have demonstrated that they tend to prefer the same words and phrases in their writings. Thus, if one sees a notable departure from the norm in a text, one might suspect that a later editor has tampered with it in order to make a point of his own. In the case of Luke 24:32, the key vocabulary includes “hearts,” “burn,” and “within us.” An analytical concordance of the Bible will show which original Greek words appear in this verse and where those words are utilized elsewhere. Thus, we find that Luke's Gospel uses “burn” (kaiomai) in 12:32 and 24:32. This word does not appear in either Matthew or Mark, and only once in John's Gospel. But it is also found once in Hebrews, a letter widely believed to have been written by Luke.

The plural “hearts” (kardia) can be found only once in Matthew, three times in Mark, and no less that thirteen times in Luke's Gospel. Again, we can find it once in Hebrews also. As for “within” (en), the statistics are Matthew (3), Mark (1), Luke (8).

Moving on to other vocabulary found in Luke 24:32, we come to “in the way” (odo), “opened up” (dianiogo), and “scriptures” (graphas), the last one in the specific context of explaining. “In the way” can also be found in Luke 9:57; 12:58; and 19:36. “Opened up” appears in Luke 2:23; 24:31, 32, 45 and Acts 16:14; 17:3 versus only one appearance in Mark's Gospel and none in Matthew or John.

As for “scriptures,” that word does appear in a number of places in the NT, especially in the context of being fulfilled. However, only Luke uses it in the more general sense of preaching from, expounding, opening up, and explaining. These sort of occasions are presented seven times in his writings – Luke 24:27,32,45; and Acts 8:32,35; 17:11; and 18:28.

There is one additional phrase of note in Luke 24:32 which reads, “(in) the same hour.” There are two different ways to express that idea in Greek, neither of which is utilized by Mark or John, and only once by Matthew:

        en ekeine te hora: Luke 7:21; Acts 16:33

        (en)aute te hora: Luke 10:21; 12:12; 20:19; 24:32; 24:33; Acts 16:18; 22:13

Thus, the inevitable conclusion is that in no way is the vocabulary of Luke 24:32 foreign to Luke. There are other deductions which can be made from these observations, but they will be mentioned elsewhere.

Word Meanings

This brings us to another aspect of the vocabulary in the passage, namely, whether these words in their present context are to be understood in a literal or figurative sense. Despite the claims of many fundamentalists that they always go with the literal meaning in biblical passages (unlike religious liberals who wish to rob Scripture of its true implications), when pressed they back down and re-define “literal” as “the most normal meaning” (which on occasion just happens to be figurative). So ignoring that quibbling minority opinion, common sense dictates that the two anonymous believers in the passage are not at all speaking about a bad case of heartburn after the dinner with Jesus. And even “heartburn” has nothing at all to do with the heart or heat.

Then what are the two really saying? Since they may be utilizing a figure of speech common in their own culture which is not the same as the meaning in our present one, we might be well advised to consider what Bible scholars might have to say regarding the subject.

Context

The immediate context of this verse is crystal-clear. The two men from Emmaus are quickly retracing their steps back to Jerusalem so that they can tell the Apostles the good news of their encounter with the resurrected Jesus.

Then there is the context within the four Gospel accounts which is generally most helpful in shedding light on difficult passages found there. To see if there are any such parallel mentions of the events in Luke 24:32 found in the other three Gospels, one could just leaf through those narratives to see whether or not they exist. But in this case, you would fail to find any. The conclusion is that Luke had some unique sources either not available to the other three or that he had a particular reason in mind for including this event. By the way, looking for such parallels is a much easier task if you happen to have close at hand a Harmony of the Gospels, a resource readily available in several different editions. All parallel passages are located in side-by-side columns so that you can readily compare them with one another.

Fortunately, in the case of Luke 24:32, there is an additional resource to fall back on, namely, the recounting of the same events in the second part of Luke's two-part history. But I will save that discussion for the second post in this series.