·
16 George Berkeley, 1753, and Joseph Butler, 1752, Bishops and Theologians was an Irish philosopher whose primary achievement was the
advancement of a theory he called "immaterialism" (later referred to
as "subjective idealism" by others). This theory denies the existence of material substance and instead contends that familiar objects like tables
and chairs are only ideas in the minds of perceivers and, as a
result, cannot exist without being perceived.
·
18 Bernard Mizeki, Catechist and Martyr in
Rhodesia, 1896
·
22 Alban, First Martyr of Britain, c. 304 is venerated as the first-recorded British Christian martyr,[1] for which
reason he is considered to be the British protomartyr. Along with fellow
Saints Julius and Aaron, Alban is one of
three named martyrs recorded at an early date from Roman Britain ("Amphibalus" was the name
given much later to the priest he was said to have been protecting). He is
traditionally believed to have been beheaded in the Roman city of Verulamium (modern St Albans) sometime during the 3rd or 4th century and his cult has
been celebrated there since ancient times.
·
25 James Weldon Johnson,
Poet, 1938
OLD TESTAMENT: Proverbs 8: 1 - 4, 22 - 31 (RCL)
Proverbs
8: 22 - 31 (Roman Catholic)
Prov 8:1 (NRSV)
Does not wisdom call,
and does not
understanding raise her voice?
2 On the heights,
beside the way,
at the crossroads
she takes her stand;
3 beside the gates
in front of the town,
at the entrance of
the portals she cries out:
4 "To you, O
people, I call,
and my cry is to
all that live.
22 The LORD
created me at the beginning of his work,
the first of his
acts of long ago.
23 Ages ago I was
set up,
at the first,
before the beginning of the earth.
24 When there were
no depths I was brought forth,
when there were no
springs abounding with water.
25 Before the
mountains had been shaped,
before the hills,
I was brought forth--
26 when he had not
yet made earth and fields,
or the world's
first bits of soil.
27 When he
established the heavens, I was there,
when he drew a
circle on the face of the deep,
28 when he made
firm the skies above,
when he
established the fountains of the deep,
29 when he
assigned to the sea its limit,
so that the waters
might not transgress his command,
when he marked out
the foundations of the earth,
30 then I was
beside him, like a master worker;
and I was daily
his delight,
rejoicing before
him always,
31 rejoicing in
his inhabited world
and delighting in
the human race.
PSALM 8 (RCL)
Psalm 8: 4 - 9 (Roman Catholic)
Psal 8:1 (NRSV) O
LORD, our Sovereign,
how majestic is
your name in all the earth!
You have set your
glory above the heavens.
2 Out of the
mouths of babes and infants
you have founded a
bulwark because of your foes,
to silence the
enemy and the avenger.
3 When I look at your
heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the
stars that you have established;
4 what are human
beings that you are mindful of them,
mortals that you
care for them?
5 Yet you have
made them a little lower than God,
and crowned them
with glory and honor.
6 You have given
them dominion over the works of your hands;
you have put all
things under their feet,
7 all sheep and
oxen,
and also the
beasts of the field,
8 the birds of the
air, and the fish of the sea,
whatever passes
along the paths of the seas.
9 O LORD, our
Sovereign,
how majestic is
your name in all the earth!
8 Domine,
Dominus noster (ECUSA BCP)
1 O
Lord our Governor, *
how
exalted is your Name in all the world!
2 Out
of the mouths of infants and children *
your
majesty is praised above the heavens.
3 You
have set up a stronghold against your adversaries, *
to
quell the enemy and the avenger.
4 When
I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, *
the
moon and the stars you have set in their courses,
5 What
is man that you should be mindful of him? *
the
son of man that you should seek him out?
6 You
have made him but little lower than the angels; *
you
adorn him with glory and honor;
7 You
give him mastery over the works of your hands; *
you
put all things under his feet:
8 All
sheep and oxen, *
even
the wild beasts of the field,
9 The
birds of the air, the fish of the sea, *
and
whatsoever walks in the paths of the sea.
10 O
Lord our Governor, *
how
exalted is your Name in all the world!
2 A Song of Praise Benedictus es, Domine (alt. for ECUSA; BCP)
Song of the Three
Young Men, 29-34
Blessed art thou, O
Lord God of our fathers; *
praised and exalted above all for ever.
Blessed are thou
for the name of thy Majesty; *
praised and exalted above all for ever.
Blessed are thou in
the temple of thy holiness; *
praised and exalted above all for ever.
Blessed are thou
that beholdest the depths,
and dwellest
between the Cherubim; *
praised and exalted above all for ever.
Blessed art thou on
the glorious throne of thy kingdom; *
praised and exalted above all for ever.
Blessed are thou in
the firmament of heaven; *
praised and exalted above all for ever.
Blessed are thou, O
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; *
praised and exalted above all for ever.
13 A Song of Praise Benedictus es, Domine (alt. for ECUSA; BCP)
Song of the Three
Young Men, 29-34
Glory to you, Lord
God of our fathers; *
you are worthy of praise; glory to you.
Glory to you for
the radiance of your holy Name; *
we will praise you and highly exalt you for
ever.
Glory to you in the
splendor of your temple; *
on the throne of your majesty, glory to you.
Glory to you,
seated between the Cherubim; *
we will praise you and highly exalt you for
ever.
Glory to you,
beholding the depths; *
in the high vault of heaven, glory to you.
Glory to you,
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; *
we will praise you and highly exalt you for
ever.
NEW TESTAMENT: Romans 5: 1 - 5 (all)
Roma 5:1 (NRSV)
Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our
Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have obtained access to this grace in
which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God. 3 And not
only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces
endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5
and hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our
hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.
Paul has written that union with God
(justification) comes through faith. “Peace”, a Jewish concept, expresses all
the benefits of a right relationship with God – namely a partnership of
reconciliation, eternal well-being and wholeness of life. “Grace” (v. 2) is God’s free and
unmerited offer of mercy and love towards all people. Earlier (in 3:23), Paul has noted that “all have sinned and fall short of the
glory of God”, i.e. of what God intended for humans when he created us. Even
so, through God’s grace, we “boast in our hope of sharing” (v. 2) in this glory,
this gift of complete oneness with him in eternal life. Christ is our entry point to God’s
grace. This justification has a second effect: even in times of trial
(“sufferings”, v. 3, perhaps when
beset with doubt that Christ loves us) it lead us to openness to God’s plans
for us (“hope”, v. 4), for “suffering
produces endurance” (v. 3, including
patience under fire), which in turn “produces character” (v. 4, proven-ness under
testing). This process makes us better able to be open to God. Our hope, unlike
that we have in fellow humans, is assured (“does not disappoint”, v. 5), for God has
given us his Holy Spirit, who is present in us, and who continually brings
God’s love to us.
Verse 1:
“peace”: In Hebrew, this is shalom, the state of being in which one
enjoys all the benefits of a right relationship with God, namely partnership in
reconciliation, eternal well-being and wholeness of life. Being justified is
very similar, although it implies action.
Verse 1:
“through our Lord Jesus Christ”: Christ is active as the mediator,
the interface between the Father and humans, in carrying out God’s plan of/for
salvation. In some form or other, Paul makes frequent use of this phrase in
this chapter: see also vv. 2, 9, 11, 17, 21.
[ JBC] He writes in 1:5:
“through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the
obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for the sake of his name”; see
also 2:16.
“Through” means mediated by, in the Father’s plan of salvation. [ NJBC]
Verse 2:
“obtained access”: JBC offers secured
an introduction. We have been introduced into the sphere of divine favour
through Christ. He has, as it were, led Christians into the royal audience
chamber and into the divine presence.
Verse 2:
“we boast in our hope ...”: In contrast to the boasting by Jews of their
relationship to God mentioned in 2:17:
“But if you call yourself a Jew and rely on the law and boast of your relation
to God”. [ CAB]
Verses 2,3,11: “boast”: In Paul’s writings, this word is sometimes meant in the
obvious sense, but not here. Basking in glory is what he means
here. [ NJBC]
Verse 3:
“boast in our sufferings”: Paul also uses the word “boast” in 2
Corinthians 11:30; 12:9 and
also 1 Corinthians 1:31; 3:21;
2 Corinthians 10:17;
Galatians 6:13;
Philippians 3:3.
[ CAB]
Verse 3:
“endurance”: The Greek word is hupomone. See also 8:25 (where
the Greek word is translated as “patience”) and 15:4-5.
[ CAB]
Verse 4:
“character”: The Greek word is dokime, from a verb meaning to
test, so the sense is proven-ness under testing. [ CAB]
Verse 5:
“and hope”: The sense is easier to see if we insert such between and and hope.
A human may disappoint one by not doing what he or she commits to do, but God
is not like this. [ NJBC]
Verses 5,8: “God’s love has been poured ... through the Holy Spirit”,
“Christ”: In v. 5,
God is the Father. These verses lead later to the doctrine of the Trinity.
Verse 5:
“poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit”: In the Old Testament and in
the Apocrypha, pouring
out of a divine attribute is commonplace: for example, mercy in
Sirach 18:11,
wisdom in Sirach 1:9,
grace in Psalm 45:2,
and wrath in Hosea 5:10 and
Psalm 79:6.
See especially Joel 2:28 for
the outpouring of the Spirit. [ NJBC]
Verses 6-11: Christ, in his death, has borne the consequences of our sin, and
thus has reconciled us to God. This reconciliation is the result of God’s
action; it is something we were too “weak” (v. 6)
to bring about.
Verse 6:
“For while we were still weak”: i.e. before we knew Christ. [ NOAB]
Verse 6:
“weak”: NJBC offers helpless.
Verse 6:
“Christ died for the ungodly”: Paul writes in 4:5:
“But to one who without works trusts him who justifies the ungodly, such faith
is reckoned as righteousness”. [ CAB]
Verses 7-8: It would be rare enough for anyone to die for a pious
(“righteous”, v. 7)
person, and perhaps a bit more likely for a particularly “good person” to do
so, but Christ sacrificed his life for us when we were neither: we were sinners
without hope then!
Verse 8:
God’s love is unconditional, spontaneous, not dependent on human love for him.
Verse 9:
“justified by his blood”: This is a restatement of 3:24-25:
“they [those who have fallen short of true godliness] are now justified by his
grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put
forward as a sacrifice of atonement by his blood, effective through faith ...”.
[ CAB] In 4:25,
justification is the result of Christ’s resurrection, but here it is the result
of his death. [ NOAB]
Verse 10: In Galatians 2:20,
Paul writes: “... the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son
of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”. [ CAB]
Verse 10: “while we were enemies”: Perhaps Paul thinks partly of himself
here, as a former persecutor of Christians.
Verse 11: In 1 Corinthians 1:30-31,
Paul writes: “He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, who became for us
wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification and redemption, in order
that, as it is written, ‘Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord’”. [ CAB]
Verse 11: “we have now received reconciliation”: In 3:21-22,
Paul writes: “But now, apart from law, the righteousness of God has been
disclosed, and is attested by the law and the prophets, the righteousness of
God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe”. [ NOAB]
GOSPEL: John 16: 12 - 15 (all)
John 16:12
(NRSV) [Jesus said,] "I still have
many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 When the Spirit of
truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his
own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things
that are to come. 14 He will glorify me, because he will take what is mine and
declare it to you. 15 All that the Father has is mine. For this reason I said
that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.
After the Last Supper,
Jesus continues to tell the disciples about the mission they are to undertake.
The “Spirit of truth” ( 15:26)
is the Holy Spirit; he will be sent to the disciples, the Church, by Christ
“from the Father”. Jesus’ statement “yet none of you asks me, ‘where are you
going?’” (v. 5)
seems strange because the disciples have asked the question earlier ( 13:36, 14:5).
Perhaps he is saying: overwhelmed with “sorrow” (v. 6),
you are missing the main point: the coming of the Spirit. By leaving them,
Jesus is able to send the Spirit, “the Advocate” (v. 7).
One thing the Spirit will do is to show “the world” (v. 8,
unbelievers, possibly Jews) that they are wrong on three counts:
·
their idea of sin is incorrect (v. 9);
·
the righteous (the Jewish authorities) who condemned
Jesus were wrong: he is God's agent (v. 10);
and
·
he has defeated sin (v. 11).
An example: healing on
the Sabbath is not sinful.
Now v. 12-13:
the disciples have much more to learn from Jesus, but they are not yet ready to
comprehend it. The Spirit will expand on what Jesus has told them. In guiding
them, the Spirit will speak what comes to him from God (as Jesus has spoken
what the Father has told him). The Spirit will “declare” (v. 13)
about events “to come”, not only prophecy about the end-times but also guidance
in the way of Christ, after Jesus’ death and resurrection. The Spirit will
elucidate for them that Jesus fulfils God’s plans; he will reveal the essential
nature of God, and show Christ’s power (“glorify”, v. 14).
Whether the word comes from the Father, the Son, or the Holy Spirit, it is the
same.
15:26-27: “the Advocate ... the Spirit of truth”: In
Mark 13:11 Jesus
describes the function of the Holy Spirit in these terms: “When they bring you
to trial and hand you over, do not worry beforehand about what you are to say;
but say whatever is given you at that time, for it is not you who speak, but
the Holy Spirit”. Matthew 10:20 is
similar. [ NJBC]
15:26: “the Advocate”: BlkJn offers the Champion.
The Greek word translated Advocate is parakletos,
sometimes transliterated as Paraclete. While in 1 John 2:1 it
refers to Christ, in John it refers to the Holy Spirit: see also 14:26 and 16:7.
The Greek word is derived from a verb meaning call to one’s side .
The Latin word advocatus has the same meaning, but there is a
distinction to be made between the Greek and Roman judicial systems. In a Roman
court, an advocatus pleaded a person’s case for him, but a
Greek parakletos did not: in the Greek system, a person had to
plead his own case, but he brought along his friends as parakletoi to
influence the court by their moral support and testimony to his value as a
citizen. BlkJn argues
that the sense in John is of giving help – as is usually the
sense in the New Testament, e.g. “console” in 2 Corinthians 1:4 and
“exhort” in Romans 12:8.
A Champion is one who supports by his presence and his words.
15:27: In Acts 1:8,
Jesus says “you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you ...”.
The Church too is to witness, to work with the Holy Spirit, by living the life
that Christ made possible, continuing Christ’s work in the world.
16:1-4a: A forewarning of conflict. It is to be
expected that the world, even the religious world, will persecute the followers
of Christ. See also Acts 22:3-5 (Paul’s
defence in Jerusalem) and 26:9-11 (Paul
before Agrippa II). [ NOAB]
16:1: “from stumbling”: BlkJn offers be made to
fall away (from the Faith).
16:2: “put you out of the synagogues ... those who
kill you”: Charges of blasphemy and impiety have been laid against Jesus
earlier by those thinking that “they are offering worship to God”: see 5:37b-38; 7:28; 8:27, 55.
While some scholars see this as evidence that John was written in the last
quarter of the first century, when the synagogue liturgy was changed to include
a prayer that made participation by Jewish Christians impossible, an earlier
date for John is reasonable on the following grounds:
- Mark, Matthew and Luke all contain predictions of
persecutions and of death for the faith (see, for example, Matthew 5:10;
Mark 13:9;
Luke 12:4, 11)
- Jesus can be expected to forewarn his followers of
persecution after his death
- While the final breach between the Church and the
synagogue should probably be dated after the fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD,
relations between the two were by no means cordial before that: see, for
example, Paul’s exit from the synagogue in Corinth in Acts 18:5-17 and
the martyrdom of James the Lord’s brother in Acts 12:2-3.
[ BlkJn]
Other scholars point to
the persecution by Jews in Asia Minor found in Revelation 2:3 (Ephesus), 2:9 (Smyrna)
and 3:9 (Philadelphia)
as a context for a second episode of persecution that affected the Johannine
community. Whatever the particulars, 15:18-16:4a presumes
the hostility from the unbelieving world will be a permanent facet of Christian
life. [ NJBC]
16:2 “worship”: BlkJn offers service.
He says that the Greek word conveys also the idea of worship. Many Christians
today call their worship services.
16:3: “they have not known the Father or me”: For
failure to know Christ or the Father, see also 1:10; 8:55; 17:25.
Such people have an inadequate apprehension of the true nature and activity of
the Father and of Jesus, with an inability to obey God’s will. [ BlkJn]
Comments : Jesus’ statement “yet none of
you asks me, ‘where are you going?’” (v. 5) seems strange because the disciples
have asked the question earlier: It is possible that two alternative
accounts of Jesus’ teaching at the Last Supper have been included, v. 5 being
part of one account, and 13:36 and 14:5 being
part of the other, and that the two accounts were reversed during editing.
16:6: This verse is the reverse of 15:11:
“I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your
joy may be complete”. [ NJBC]
16:6-7: “sorrow” at Jesus’ departure is transformed by
“the truth” that his death and resurrection make possible the Spirit’s work. [ NOAB]
16:7: “if I do not go away ...”: 7:39 says
“Now he said this about the Spirit, which believers in him were to receive; for
as yet there was no Spirit, because Jesus was not yet glorified” and in 14:16 he
says “... I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be
with you forever”. [ JBC]
16:8: “prove the world wrong about sin ...”: BlkJn offers convict the
world of sin. The Greek word he translates asconvict is also
found in 3:20,
where the deeds of an evil person will be exposed for what
they are. This is the activity of a judge and prosecuting attorney in one.
Others argue that the word carries the connotation of educative discipline
here, as in convince someone about something. The word is also
found in 8:46;
there the NRSV translates it as “convicts”. [ NJBC]
16:8: “prove the world wrong about ...
righteousness”: How will Christ convict unbelievers of righteousness? BlkJnsays that the word translated
“righteousness” (dikaiosune ) is used only here in John, and may
mean justification or acquittal . This is how
Paul uses the word, as meaning moral uprightness. If this is what
John intended, v. 10 speaks
of those who come to belief in Christ: they will be acquitted because of Jesus’
resurrection. By this argument, the “judgement” is the condemnation which is
the alterative to acquittal; unbelievers are condemned based on the devil
already being condemned.
16:9: In 3:19-21,
Jesus says “‘... this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world,
and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. For
all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their
deeds may not be exposed’”. In 1 Corinthians 2:8,
Paul says “None of the rulers of this age understood this; for if they had,
they would not have crucified the Lord of glory”. Colossians 2:15 says
that God “disarmed the rulers and authorities and made a public example of
them, triumphing over them in it [the cross].” [ NOAB]
16:11: “ruler of this world”: In 12:31,
Jesus says “‘Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world
will be driven out’” and in 14:30 he
says “‘I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is
coming. He has no power over me’”. [ NOAB] 8:42-47 tells
us that those who seek to kill Jesus are doing the works of their father, the
Devil. [ NJBC]
16:12-15: As in 14:25-26,
the Advocate plays an important role within the community; there Jesus says “‘I
have said these things to you while I am still with you. But the Advocate, the
Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything,
and remind you of all that I have said to you’”. [ NJBC]
16:12: 13:7 tells
us that the disciples are not ready to receive further teaching from Jesus:
Peter has asked with surprise: “‘Lord, are you going to wash my feet?’”; Jesus
answers: “You do not know now what I am doing, but later you will understand’”.
[ BlkJn]
16:13: “Spirit of truth”: In 14:17,
Jesus says “‘This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive,
because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with
you, and he will be in you.’” and in 15:26 he
says “‘When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the
Spirit of truth who comes from the Father, he will testify on my behalf’”. [ JBC]
16:13: “the Spirit of truth ... will guide you into
all the truth”: Philo, in Life
of Moses 2.265, speaks of a divine spirit guiding the mind to truth.
Psalm 25:5 asks
that God “lead me in your truth, and teach me ...”. The term “Spirit of truth”
is also found in 14:17 and 15:26.
1 John 4:6 contrasts
“the spirt of truth” with “the spirit of error”. 1 John 5:6says
that “the Spirit is the truth”. This terminology was current when John wrote;
it is also found in 1QS (*Qumran Rule of the Community) 3-4 and Testaments
of the Twelve Patriarchs (even to using the same verbs for
“testify” (15:26)
and “guide”). There are differences in the theology, but there are sufficient
parallels for it to be likely that John’s term “Spirit of truth” is a
development from the usage in contemporary Judaism. [ BlkJn]
16:13: “all the truth”: To NJBC, “truth” must have the same
meaning here as in the rest of this gospel, i.e. belief in Jesus as the sole
revelation of God and the one who speaks the words of God. In 8:40,
Jesus describes himself as “a man who has told you the truth that I heard from
God”. In 8:47,
he tells some Pharisees: “Whoever is from God hears the words of God. The
reason you do not hear them is that you are not from God”. See also 3:20 and 3:33.
16:13: “declare to you”: The Greek verb is anangellein .
In 4:25,
the Samaritan woman speaks of the coming prophet in similar terms: “‘I know
that Messiah is coming’ (who is called Christ). ‘When he comes, he will
proclaim [anangellein] all things to us’”. [ NJBC]
16:13: “things that are to come”: The reference is
not simply to prophecy but also to the interpretation of the life and death of
Christ and the declaration of the new order which follows his departure to the
Father. [ BlkJn]
© 1996-2019
Chris Haslam
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