The Way

Bottom Line: Table-Fellowship—what we know as Communion—is living out God’s future kingdom in the present.

Takeaways

• The prophet Isaiah had a vision of what the world will look like when God comes to put everything right. It will be a grand banquet where all nations recognize the God of Israel and he brings justice to the world by making sure there is enough for everyone. This is Isaiah’s Kingdom of God.
• The early church, as preached by Paul, made Isaiah's future Kingdom a present reality through table-fellowship. By including everyone in this meal, who was willing to submit to the Law and live as if circumcised in heart, they were able to demonstrate the community’s communion with God and one another.
• However, this communion was threatened by both Judean and Gentile culture. The Judeans threatened it by insisting that Gentiles practice Judean observances of the Law, such as circumcision, Sabbath-keeping, and food-laws. The Gentiles threatened it by insisting on celebrating table-fellowship through Roman banquet practices that divided people into stations. 
• However, when everyone partakes of the same bread—that is, the teaching given to us by Christ, which is the bread of life—then it’s possible to overcome the obstacles and bring the kingdom into the present. 

Bottom Line: To see what Paul means by “works of the law,” it behooves us to see how the early Church Fathers defined that concept.

Takeaways

• In Romans and Galatians, Paul says that “works of the law” are not a means of justification. “For we hold that a person is justified by faith apart from works prescribed by the law.” (Rom 3:28). “Yet we know that a person is justified not by the works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ.” (Gal 2:16) But, theologians through the years have defined “works of the law” in different ways, and this has affected how we believe someone is “saved.” 
• The “Old Perspective” defines “works of the law” as any human effort, including good works and pious deeds, that one performs in an attempt to justify oneself. However, because of our inability to perform such works perfectly, they believe that there's nothing anyone can do for their salvation. Thus, in their view, we are “saved” by “faith only.” The scholars we talk about that fall into this perspective include Martin Luther (1483-1546), John Calvin (1509-1564), Rudolf Bultmann (1884-1976), and Douglas Moo (b. 1950). 
• The “New Perspective” refers to biblical scholarship that began in the 2nd-half of the 20th-century. According to these scholars, Paul’s “works of the law” refer specifically to Jewish observances—such as circumcision, Sabbath-keeping, and food laws—that are meant to separate Jews from Gentiles. In other words, they function as identity markers that indicate that one is a part of the Jewish nation. They argue that Paul rejects “works of the law” because God’s promises, which are fulfilled by Jesus, are intended for all nations—not simply Jews—and so these identity markers are unnecessary. The scholars that we talk about who represent this view are E.P. Sanders (b. 1937), James Dunn (1939-2020), and N.T. Wright (b. 1948).
• Matthew Thomas, in his book Paul’s “Works of the Law” in the Perspective of Second-Century Reception, argues that the best way to determine what Paul actually meant is to see what the Church Fathers had to say. After all, they wrote shortly after Paul died. What he discovers is that they define “works of the law” similarly to the “New Perspective” scholars. In other words, the Fathers define “works of the law” as signifying Jewish identity (e.g. circumcision, Sabbath-keeping, and food laws) and not pious deeds or works in general. So, for Paul, walking the Way (i.e, performing pious deeds) is still a part of our path to salvation. This can be summed up as loving God and neighbor. Some of the Church Fathers we talk about include St. Justin Martyr (d. 165), St. Irenaeus of Lyon (130-202), and Origen (184-253). 

I encourage all my listeners to pre-order Paul’s “Works of the Law” in the Perspective of Second-Century Reception by Matthew J. Thomas at either InterVarsity Press (click here) or Amazon (click here).

Bottom Line: If God is the Lord of creation, then the nations are called to walk the Way together under the instruction of the scriptural God.

Takeaways

• As the Israelites entered into Canaan for the fist time, we have this idea that the nations who already lived in the land were annihilated. However, this is not the case. The Israelites were to co-exist with the other nations. 
• A major theme of the Mosaic Law, God’s instruction to his people, is justice for all peoples, including the foreigner who lives among you.
• God’s concern is for the entire world, not just the Holy Land. Therefore, the example of Israel in Canaan is just that: an example that should be extended to all peoples around the entire world.
• The image of peace through obedience to God’s instruction is the vision offered to us in the prophets and it’s a challenge to our modern conceptions of nationalism, immigration, and concern for our own ethnic interests. 

Bottom Line: It’s in the Syrian wilderness, away from the corrupting influence of humanity, that the Shepherd gives his Word so that we can walk the Way!

The Takeaways

• The Old Testament always speaks in concrete images, so the image of a shepherd in the field is not a philosophical, abstract image. Scripture actually envisions the people, living by “Shepherdism,” in an actual geographical location that is much larger than Bible maps usually depict. This is the Syrian Wilderness.
• The Syrian wilderness is important because all the shepherds and tribes have to live together. They wander until they find an oasis and they exist in peace under the command of God’s word and instruction.
• God’s instruction is given to us in the wilderness. In fact, key moments of instruction are always in the wilderness: the Law of Moses is given in at Mt. Sinai and Jesus gives his Sermon on the Mount away from the cities. 
• The words for “word” and “wilderness” in Hebrew are related, which reinforces the idea that God’s word gives life even in the wilderness away from the laws of the king. This connection is clear in the Song of Solomon.

Photo: Ubari Oasis (photograph by Sfivat, distributed under a CC BY-SA 3.0 license).

Bottom Line: There is an inner narrative coherence through the entirety of scripture.

The Takeaways

1) The inner narrative of the Bible plays out in 7 different “acts.”

• The Origins
• The Patriarchal Period and Covenant
• The Exodus and Judges
• The Monarchy (The United and Divided Kingdoms)
• The Exile and the Prophets
• The “In-Between" History and Its Importance
• The Unexpected Fulfillment through Jesus Christ

2) After God creates the world, humanity ends up exiled into a fallen and broken world. But, from the very beginning, God acts to rescue us and “re-create" us as his people.

3) However, over and over again, humanity fails to heed God’s instruction and we end up exiled.

4) But, through Jesus, humanity is finally rescued and everyone is called to become a part of God’s people, fulfilling the promise originally given to Abraham.

5) God’s promise is offered to everyone through grace free of charge, but it comes with a charge: we are to be a people of love: loving God and loving our neighbor. 

Bottom line: The solution to our ego and pride, which tells us that we can “do it” on our own, is to learn to humble ourselves and become like a shepherd depending fully on God.

The Takeaways

1. One of the Bible’s major objectives is to humble us so that we realize that we are under the care of God; we’re dependent on him for everything, including life. In other words, we can’t “save” ourselves. 
2. In order to get this point across, scripture constantly gives us a sharp critique of humanity and our institutions, including the concept of kings and cities. These concepts are critiqued because inherently embedded in them is the idea that humanity can rule and protect itself apart from God. This is the “sin” or “problem” of humanity. (So, what’s the solution … find out in today’s episode of The Way)
3. The Bible’s alternative is what Fr. Paul Tarazi calls, “shepherdism.” A shepherd, looking after his flock in the field, is out in the elements and, therefore, completely dependent on God for everything.
4. Some of the “greats” of the Old Testament were shepherds: Abel, Moses, and David (before he was a king). The prophets predict that when God returns to rescue his people from their exile, a new shepherd will rise to look after God’s “flock.” And, indeed, Jesus is considered the “Good Shepherd.” 

Summing Up

So, how does this help us to understand the Bible? 

Well, as we read through the various stories, we are now able to recognize if scripture is being critical of human activity. If the answer is, yes, then we know that it’s trying to break our ego so that we can fully depend on God.

 We can ask ourselves when we see this: what characteristic aspect of pride or ego is being displayed? How is scripture showing us the downfall of such intentions? What’s the proper response or how can we turn to God instead? 
 
 We can also recognize “shepherding” images in scripture. These images show us how God cares for us through his instruction and how we can learn to trust God and walk the Way.

As we read through the story, the questions become: how do the characters submit to God? What’s the result or outcome? If the character is a shepherd, how are they listening to God’s command? What actions do they take? Or what instruction do they act on? What sort of leadership qualities are being displayed by being a shepherd instead of a king? 

I think you’ll find that Shepherdism appears all over scripture and, if you pay close attention, it’ll show you how to walk The Way.
 
Photo: Hermes Kriophoros (photograph by Wikipedia, distributed under a CC BY-SA 3.0 license).

Takeaways

1 - In Galatians 3, Paul understands the Law to be a sort of custodial guide (in Greek, pedagogue). In the ancient world, this was a slave who played the role of the parent. They were responsible for the education of a child: teaching them to read and write, and taking them to school. They were often strict and formed a life-long relationship with the children they raised. 

2 - All societies and cultures are founded upon violence. And, within our societies, violence is perpetrated by conflict between people. Like a teacher on the playground, the Law sets boundaries to eliminate the violence. And, sometimes, the teacher has to put a “curse” on you by putting you in timeout. 

3 - But, Jesus reveals the true intent of the Law: to promote harmonious relationships within a community. We call this the gospel: loving God and neighbor. If everyone were to live by this intent, there wouldn’t be a need for boundaries. There’d be no need for a teacher on the playground because everyone would be looking out for everyone else. This is why Paul says we’re no longer under a custodial guide and why boundaries are no longer necessary (Judean/Greek, slave/free, male/female). 

4 - Walking The Way of the gospel is hard. We continue to purposely set up boundaries precisely so we can incite conflict and violence. We do it in politics (my party is always right while the other party is dooming our country) and we do it in religion. For example, Orthodox Christians have set up a boundary between “us” and the Turks precisely so that we can denounce Turkey using Hagia Sophia as a mosque again. However, the gospel of love asks that we love our neighbor, turn the other cheek, and walk the extra mile because God causes the sun to shine on everyone. So, how should the Orthodox respond in light of the gospel?

Photo: Relief found in Neumagen near Trier, a teacher with students (photograph by Shakko, distributed under a CC BY-SA 3.0 license).

The Takeaways

1 - When Jesus says "you are the light of the world" and "a city set on a hill cannot be hidden," he's referencing ideas taken from the prophets.

2 - The prophets tell us that God destroyed the physical temple because God's real temple is not limited to a particular place or time. Instead, his temple is wherever people gather to learn his instruction.

3 - The light that Jesus refers to is the instruction that's contained in the Bible.

4 - Scriptural instruction isn't about the nature of God or Christ. Instead, it shows us how to love one another.

5 - When we imitate the disciples and go around proclaiming this Good News, we become God’s moveable temple. We are the light that shines in the darkness. And, as we proclaim God’s instruction to the world, we are truly walking The Way.

Image: Eigerøy fyrstasjon (photograph by Nanco Hoogstad, distributed under a CC-BY 2.0 license).

Image: a relief of the suovetaurilia, a roman sacrifice that included pigs (photograph by Marie-Lan Nguyen, distributed under a CC-BY 2.0 license).

Bottom Line: Scripture reorients our perspective so that we can see God at work in the world.

Scripture Verses:

“In the fifth month, on the seventh day of the month … a servant of the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem. He burned the house of the Lord, the king’s house, and all the houses of Jerusalem; every great house he burned down. All the army … broke down the walls around Jerusalem …[and] carried into exile the rest of the people who were left in the city and the deserters who had defected to the king of Babylon—all the rest of the population. But the captain of the guard left some of the poorest people of the land to be vinedressers and tillers of the soil.” (2 Kings 25:8-12 edited)

“For if you truly amend your ways and your doings, if you truly act justly one with another, if you do not oppress the alien, the orphan, and the widow, or shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not go after other gods to your own hurt, then I will dwell with you in this place, in the land that I gave of old to your ancestors forever and ever.” (Jeremiah 7:5-7)

“Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: … I myself will fight against you with outstretched hand and mighty arm, in anger, in fury, and in great wrath. And I will strike down the inhabitants of this city, both human beings and animals; they shall die of a great pestilence. Afterward, says the Lord, I will give … the people in this city—those who survive the pestilence, sword, and famine—into the hands of King Nebuchadrezzar of Babylon, into the hands of their enemies, into the hands of those who seek their lives. He shall strike them down with the edge of the sword; he shall not pity them, or spare them, or have compassion.” (Jeremiah 21: 3, 5-7 edited)

“The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. … But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” (Jeremiah 31:31, 33)