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On Following Jesus: Trust (Faith) (Part 2 of 2) by Peter L. DeGroote |
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Notes for Bible Talk: June 29, 2005 Please read: Matthew 9: 10-13
Romans 4: 13-21 Genesis
12: 1-9 |
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Bible Talk is an informal
discussion of biblical passages, ideas, and related material. The discussions are on Wednesday
evenings at 7:30 pm, following the Service of Word and Table. Occasionally,
they will not be held due to special events. These Notes are intended to
assist participants in thinking about the passages and some of their
implications prior to the gathering. Usually, the Notes are
prepared and the discussion is led by Rev. Peter L. DeGroote |
Wednesday, June 29, 2005 On Following Jesus: Trust (Faith) 1.
Last week we asked why a wealthy tax collector would abandon his career and
become a follower of Jesus. In our discussion we also took a more
comprehensive look at the “call stories.” (A supplemental reading entitled
“The Sturdiness of the Gospel Call Stories was handed out and can also be
found on the website.) 2. This
week we turn to a related question: after Matthew decided to follow Jesus,
why did Jesus follow Matthew to his home where he attended a party of
Matthew's friends, who were thought of as sinners? 3. Jesus
commonly violated the social norms and religious rules against eating with
people labeled unworthy or unclean. His willingness to associate with such
people was roundly criticized. Far more important was the implication of
Jesus' teachings as they sat around those tables. He spoke of relationships
based in the love of God and others in ways that did not require either the
traditional religious practices or the official religious leadership. This
was heresy, a cause for a trial, and even a death sentence. 4. Paul's
letter to the several Christian churches in
Paul used theological language to explain the pattern of relationships
arising from Jesus' rule of love. His comments are summarized in the phrase,
"the righteousness of faith."
Righteousness refers to a relationship with God. Faith refers to trusting
God. For Paul, the first step in loving God is trusting God. Out of trust, a
relationship develops. For Paul, and many since, that’s righteousness. 5. Paul
illustrated his point using the story of Abraham’s trust (faith). Abraham’s father,
Terah, had led his family (tribe) from
Their migrations were part of a larger movement of peoples from east to west
beginning around 3000 BC. Scholars are not sure of the causes beyond the
general description of political, economic, or social upheaval. Related was
the need for tribes of nomadic herdsmen to occasionally split into one or
more groups to assure enough land to feed their growing herds of cattle. Such
divisions commonly occurred on the death of a leader with the result that the
patterns of leadership could be easily altered, sons or kinsmen splitting
leadership into groups, often called clans.
The departure of a group from the tribe greatly changed all lives,
particularly for those who departed. They would venture into unknown,
possibly hostile lands, knowing it unlikely they would see their relatives
again, an unsettling situation, to say the least, particularly in a society
in which one’s sense of identity was totally tied up with the larger group.
Piecing together the history and the biblical story, we can imagine Abraham
deeply troubled, unsure of what to do. Faced with a crisis, he “heard” a
promise that was the hope of any clan or tribal leader: “Go to the land I
will show you” and you will have land and descendents, and they will become a
great nation. It would not be an error to say that Abraham came to understand
that if he were to go and do what one who trusted God was supposed to do, all
would be well. 6. Paul
reminded the Romans that that Abraham had received the promise of God
“through the righteousness of faith.” In other words, Abraham had trusted
what God had “told him,” acted on it, and continued to act on it for the
remainder of his life, creating a life-long relationship. The promises of a
future were not specific, it was not fortune telling, and there were many ups
and downs, but the relationship proved reliable and fulfilling.
7. The fact that Jesus taught that a relationship with God did not require
the rules and authority of a traditional religion can be thought of as
permission to go our own way; to ignore the religious community. That
conclusion overlooks Jesus’ creation of alternative communities of faith
among those made unwelcome by traditional religion. Jesus did not teach a
private religion. Christianity is a social religion, an important
understanding found in both Paul and in the story of Abraham. A. If Paul did not require the
traditional practices of Judaism, he did teach a number of rules based on the
rule of love. Community harmony is necessary if we are to learn and live the
love of God and others. Even so, he understood that the rules merely
facilitated community peace. It is to be expected that rules and practices
may differ from one community to another; they do not define the faith. Trust
in God, demonstrated by the love of God and others, provides that definition.
B. The same sense of community
is found in Abraham’s story. God’s promise to him was not personal, but for a
whole tribe of people and all of their descendents. Peter L. DeGroote |
The sources for biblical quotations are
labeled as follows: NRSV: The New
Revised Standard Version, Copyright ©1989, The National Council of
Churches of Christ in the SV: The Scholar’s Version; i.e., The Five Gospels, The Search for the
Authentic Words of Jesus, Robert W. Funk and Roy W. Hoover, and The Jesus Seminar, Copyright © 1993 by Polebridge Press. TM: The
Message, The New Testament in Contemporary Language, Copyright ©
Eugene H. Peterson 1993. navpress,
M: My paraphrase. |
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