Seder 7 Sermon: Contextualizing the Gospel

 We know that when Jesus spoke to groups of people, he often used parables to make important points (Mt 13, e.g.)  

In a sermon at Church of the Messiah on November 25, 2023, Kyle Kettering reflected on this practice of Jesus.  He noted that parables 

• make things clear.
• deal with reality, with a focus on God.
• usually are making one main point.

In explaining why he used parables (Mt 13:10-15), Jesus observed that not everyone was receptive to what he was trying to communicate.  He quoted Isa 6:9-10, which says that Isaiah faced a similar challenge. 

These verses from Isaiah are often misunderstood.  They do not say that God didn't want the people to understand.  Instead, they say that the people often were not eager to listen, and Isaiah had to accept the fact that many would not respond to his message.  But Isaiah prophesied in hopes of getting as many as possible to listen, and the same was true for Jesus.  For Jesus, parables were an effective way to get a point across, make people think, and sometimes move them to action.  

Jesus' "parable of the soils" is about the fact that there are varying responses to the proclamation of the Gospel.  Today, when fewer people in our culture understand the language and concepts of Christianity, it is important to consider how to most effectively present the Christian message.  Kyle reflected on the fine balance required to make that message accessible without compromising it. 

Seder 7: Isaiah 42---The Servant of God, Collective and Individual

 A major figure in Isaiah 41-53 is God's Servant.  In some places Isaiah uses this term collectively, to refer to the Israelites as the people of God.  For example, in Isaiah 41:8, God speaks to "Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, the offspring of Abraham, my friend."  When the term is used collectively, God may be pointing out Israel's shortcomings in carrying out its calling, as in Isaiah 42:19:  "Who is blind but my servant, or deaf as my messenger whom I send?  Who is blind as my dedicated one, or blind as the servant of the Lord?" 

There are also places where the term is used for a special individual, an ideal representative of Israel, as in Isaiah 42:1:  "Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations."  

Isaiah 42:1-6 has often been interpreted messianically, as we see in the Gospels.  For example, Matthew 12:15-21 applies this passage to Jesus.  The divine voice at Jesus' baptism references Isaiah 42:1 (Mt 3:17). 

Isaiah 42:6 is also applied corporately to the work of the apostles in Acts 13:46-48.  The apostles indeed were furthering Israel's mission to be a light to the nations.

Seder 7: Genesis 9---A Question on Human Diet

 In Genesis 9:3, God tells Noah and his family, "Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you.  And as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything."  

A lot of dietary latitude is given here, but is it as broad as our English translations make it sound?  In his NIVAC commentary on Genesis, John Walton discusses the meaning of remes, the Hebrew word for "moving thing" in verse 3.  Walton says that this word is in no place "a catch-all category for all creatures."

He explains that there is an Akkadian cognate nammasu/nammastu, "which typically refers to wild animals that travel in herds; they are distinct from wild animals that hunt or scavenge, from the domesticated cattle, and from the docile beasts that do not tend to be found in herds"---animals like deer, antelope, gazelle, and ibex.  So Genesis 9:3 may be kind of a deer hunting license.   

There is mention in Genesis of distinctions between clean and unclean animals (Gen 7:2,8; 8:20).  So it may be that we should see Genesis 9:3 within such a framework.  Since the narrative in Gen 1-11 is quite laconic, there is no way to be dogmatic about such things.  

Seder 7: Psalm 17--the prayer of a righteous man

The psalms associated with the Genesis account of Noah have tended to focus on the way of the righteous, highlighting the fact that Noah was a righteous man who walked with God (Gen 6:6-9).

Psalm 17 follows this trend.  Here David brings an urgent need before God, asserting that his cause is just.  The sages in the midrash on the Psalms thought of Proverbs 15:8:  "The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD, but the prayer of the upright is acceptable to him."  David's prayer is a prayer of the upright.

We also think of James 5:16:  "The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working."

David in his prayer asks for vindication and investigation (v 2).  He asserts his loyalty to God and sincerity in following Him, and he is open to correction and guidance (as in Ps 139:23-24).  He is not bragging or being self-righteous, just speaking honestly.

David prays with great confidence, showing the close relationship that he has with God.  He is confident in God's merciful character (as in 2 Sam 24:14).

David feels surrounded and besieged by enemies (reminding us of Ps 22, and showing David as a type of the suffering Messiah).  In his suffering, he places himself in God's hands.  He is not concerned about attaining worldly riches, but is content with God's presence, both the next morning and in a future resurrection (v 15).

Seder 7 Sermon: Coming out of the Ark with God's Guidance

After over a year of patiently waiting in the ark, Noah and his family go out at God's command (Gen 8:14-19).  God instructs them to be fruitful and multiply, reaffirming the commission he had originally given to Adam.  It was a time of renewal of creation.

In his sermon this week, Rob Wilson looked at the parallels between Noah's situation and our circumstances at the end of April 2020, when we wait at home wondering about how and when to come out and resume normal activities. 

In Gen 8-9, God made an eternal covenant with all life on earth, symbolized by the rainbow.  Noah and his family would represent God in starting a new world. 

Later God called Israel to represent him, and he promised to send the Messiah, who would "bring forth justice to the nations" (Isa 42:1).  He and his followers after him would be "a covenant to the people, a light to the nations" (v 6).  Ultimately there will be a new world which will be so great that the former world will no longer be remembered (Isa 65:17-18; Rev 21:2-7).     

Rob emphasized that God will instruct us as we go out and restart the world.  As we do so, we are to properly represent God in the world.  He urged us to trust God and seek his guidance.