Studies serve for delight, for ornament, and for ability. Their chief use for delight is in privateness and retiring; for ornament, is in discourse; and for ability, is in the judgment and disposition of business. For expert men can execute, and perhaps judge of particulars, one by one; but the general counsels, and the plots and marshalling of affairs, come best from those that are learned. To spend too much time in studies is sloth; to use them too much for ornament, is affectation; to make judgment wholly by their rules, is the humor of a scholar. They perfect nature, and are perfected by experience: for natural abilities are like natural plants, that need pruning, by study; and studies themselves do give forth directions too much at large, except they be bounded in by experience. Crafty men condemn studies, simple men admire them, and wise men use them; for they teach not their own use; but that is a wisdom without them, and above them, won by observation. Read not to contradict and confute; nor to believe and take for granted; nor to find talk and discourse; but to weigh and consider. Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested; that is, some books are to be read only in parts; others to be read, but not curiously; and some few to be read wholly, and with diligence and attention. Some books also may be read by deputy, and extracts made of them by others; but that would be only in the less important arguments, and the meaner sort of books, else distilled books are like common distilled waters, flashy things. Reading maketh a full man; conference a ready man; and writing an exact man. And therefore, if a man write little, he had need have a great memory; if he confer little, he had need have a present wit: and if he read little, he had need have much cunning, to seem to know that he doth not. Histories make men wise; poets witty; the mathematics subtle; natural philosophy deep; moral grave; logic and rhetoric able to contend. Abeunt studia in mores [Studies pass into and influence manners]. Nay, there is no stond or impediment in the wit but may be wrought out by fit studies; like as diseases of the body may have appropriate exercises. Bowling is good for the stone and reins; shooting for the lungs and breast; gentle walking for the stomach; riding for the head; and the like. So if a man’s wit be wandering, let him study the mathematics; for in demonstrations, if his wit be called away never so little, he must begin again. If his wit be not apt to distinguish or find differences, let him study the Schoolmen; for they are cymini sectores [splitters of hairs]. If he be not apt to beat over matters, and to call up one thing to prove and illustrate another, let him study the lawyers’ cases. So every defect of the mind may have a special receipt.
A Bit on Redemptive Retreats from Exodus 12:31-42 August 15, 2008
Now that the tenth plague has swept through Egypt, there is no hesitation whatsoever about the departure of the Israelites from Egypt. The fear of death and further destruction has motivated the Egyptians to do everything necessary to speed the release of the Israelites from their country. They aren’t thinking any longer of the economic benefits of retaining the Israelites, whereas before they argued that they needed the labor for bricks and for gathering hay lest the country’s economy crash. But now the threat of economic crash means nothing in light of the loss of the oldest of the next generation, the leaders for the future of Egypt have been suddenly taken and the populace’ outlook on their future has been radically altered as well. The Israelites were also probably just as bewildered at this sudden change of events as the Egyptians; they were accustomed to the abuses of oppression that the sudden freedom to just leave would have been disorienting. They had to begin to orient themselves to life as free people of God; and to help them along towards this goal, God’s might had prompted the Egyptians to start unloading their gold, silver, and clothing on them in order to motivate them to leave more quickly.
Having lived as slaves for generation upon generation, the Israelites had to learn how to live as free people. We have this learning curve as well, having become so accustomed to living in a sinful world where we are oppressed and made to serve the will of an evil ruler. But when we are freed, we have to learn the culture and the manners of God’s kingdom of which we become citizens. In so many ways, we see the world through the eyes of sin and in terms of the values and priorities of the kingdoms of this world. We mistake the ‘plunder’ or benefits that we take from the world, in the grace of Yahweh, for a benefit bestowed on us by the world rather than by God himself. The generosity of the Egyptians in those last days of the Israelites’ time in Egypt was not a reflection on the character of the Egyptians but on the character of Yahweh, who had proven his power and presence before everyone. We have likewise been pursued; but rather than staking his claim on the firstborn children of every family (both Egyptian and Israelite, remember, though he let the sacrifice of a lamb stand in the stead of the Israelites’ children), he has now made his claim on us by giving his only begotten Son on our behalf.
A Bit on the Path to Perfection June 12, 2008
Just as the race course mentioned in Hebrews 12:1-4 is the path we take to the finish line, so the discipline mentioned in 12:5-11 is the path we take to perfection, wholeness, shalom. We believe God has begun a work in us and we anticipate the completion of that work; but we cannot anticipate the completion of the work while dismissing or despising the discipline he institutes to achieve perfection in us. Too many of us have this concept that God should just get to the results and forget the long, intricate work he goes to achieve those results; we want to be patient now! We want to be faithful in our quiet times now, and why hasn’t God made that true of us?! God can do anything; surely God can take away our lustful desires over night. He can give us endurance and perseverance through one, deep Holy Spirit injection.
But all (latent) these expectations we have of God are not determined by who God is. They totally miss his heart and his character. He is the God who pursued Abram even in Ur, taking the course of Abraham’s life to fulfill his promises to him; who brought Moses out of Egypt to lead his people out from under Pharaoh’s rule, but not to the Promised Land for another generation–after Moses’ own death; who instituted Saul as King before David; who waited for his people to repent for centuries before sending them into exile to provoke repentance; and who so thoroughly desires the world to be saved that he sent his only Son to die on the cross for our sins. None of God’s redemption comes in pat, instant answers. If God must suffer so much on our behalf, where do we get off thinking he’ll satisfy our selfish desires to be made perfect without any pain?
We serve a patient God; a God who so desires our love, devotion, and loyalty that he’s willing to carefully craft those characteristics within us over the course of our lives. We undercut God’s care for us when we insist that he can do whatever he wants whenever he wants–so why doesn’t he just take our sin away here and now, make us perfect here and now? We are humans created in his image, placed here in space to represent God in time. We were created to exist in time; why would God take no time to accomplish something that he created to happen within time? He would over-ride our nature as humans if he were to do that. Miracles do certainly happen, but many of the miracles we have recorded for us in Scripture address the healing of physical maladies that would not on their own heal over time; in this way, we see God intervening in time to instantly heal wounds that had existed for years, if not decades. While he may at times work in such extraordinary ways, we should not expect the extraordinary to dominate the ordinary in our lives. The ordinary ways of God accomplishing his will in our lives are just as glorious as the extraordinary ways; what is evident from both is that God’s power over-rides the power of sin and evil in our lives.
Just some thoughts…
A Bit on Babblefish May 29, 2008
This is a link to an article on what’s called miracle fruit. In effect it is a babblefish for the tongue, translating sour flavors to sweet ones for up to an hour. Lemon ice cream in Guinness tastes good on this flavor trip. Just thought I’d share…
A Bit on Exegesis and the Christian Life May 19, 2008
I presently work as a sermon researcher and in my morning reading, I came across this quote in chapter 11 of Athenagoras’ Plea for the Christians:
For who of those that reduce syllogisms, and clear up ambiguities, and explain etymologies, or of those who teach homonyms and synonyms, and predicaments and axioms, and what is the subject and predicate, and who promise their disciples by these and similar instructions to make them happy, who of them have so purged their souls as, instead of hating their enemies, to love them; and, instead of speaking ill of those who have reviled them (to abstain from which is of itself an evidence of no mean forbearance), to bless them; and to pray for those who plot against their lives? On the contrary, they never cease with evil intent to search out skillfully the secrets of their art, and are ever bent on working some ill, making the art of words and not the exhibition of deeds their business and profession. But among us you will find uneducated persons, and artisans, and old women, who, if they are unable in words to prove the benefit of our doctrine, yet by their deeds exhibit the benefit arising from their persuasion of its truth: they do not rehearse speeches, but exhibit good works; when struck, they do not strike again; when robbed, they do not go to law; they give to those that ask of them, and love their neighbors as themselves.
As someone who currently makes her living off of exegesis and presentation of subjects and predicates and who suggests helpful synonyms and explores etymologies and implements axioms (hermeneutical methods, perhaps fit this), this passage came as a shoulder-check in a crowd of other insights Athenagoras offers. I don’t think anything Athenagoras says here denigrates the work of careful exploration of a passage, but he insists that worthwhile theology is evidenced from one’s deeds as well as one’s words; and if someone is forced to choose between deeds and words as true demonstration of faith, it is better to draw conclusions about a person’s inward disposition towards Jesus from actions rather than from claims. It seems that this is the case because one’s actions encompass and represent more of one’s self than one’s words; words can draw us out of ourselves for a moment but allow us to immediately retreat, while actions extend redemption from the realm our hearts to the realm of our world even when we can’t articulate the intricate beauty of our motivation to love, serve, risk, or hope. While speech can be an action, it can never be our only action if we are to live as Christ has commanded and loved us to live.
A Bit on Deliverance, Pt. 5 February 29, 2008
Irrevocable goodness and justice act as Jesus’ tools of coercion. He does not coerce with tools of oppression, but with tools of freedom. We are drawn to him because we were created by and for him. We are compelled to do his will because he has seen and known us in our distress, and delivered us from it. We don’t proclaim any whimpy “Hosanna” then; we resonate the truth, “Blessed is the King of Israel” because he has poured out his blessings upon us by shedding his own blood for us. We don’t sing as those created for the order of the world as it is now, but as those who are redeemed for the world as it is becoming and will one day fully be. And, as the church, we are part of the world’s transformative process. We are the ones Jesus mentions in his answer to Pilate—everyone on the side of truth listens to me. We don’t conform our lives to the hopes and expectations of the world, but to the reality of our King Jesus.
In sum, Jesus’ kingdom is from above. He defeats the cosmic powers of sin, death, and the devil so that earthly powers that rely on them are robbed of their power and authority. Death is no longer ultimate, so those rulers who use it coercively and tyrannically lose their central threat. Starvation and thirst no longer hold ultimate sway, the loss of loved ones, the loss of land, the loss of wealth—by Jesus’ sacrifice, resurrection, and enthronement as King, all these things are unremittingly relegated to this age. As King, Jesus exercises authority over the systems and structures that so often provide earthly kings with their power. When those kings submit themselves to the rule of Jesus, they are able to govern justly and mercifully. When they reject the rule of Jesus, they forfeit their legacy—their evil deeds and murderous pursuits will be reversed at the end of the age. It’s not that Jesus no longer cares if his followers suffer or die; indeed he does, but when there’s no other alternative, Jesus has promised that death is not their end and he has guaranteed that it shall lose all influence whatsoever. Indeed, his death demonstrates the extent and depth of his care for his people. His heavenly rule gives us hope now because he makes it possible for us to live in the confidence of resurrection and complete redemption. When earthly rulers call us to rebel against God, we have the ability to stand in the face of death without fear. This is precisely how the early church stood before the Roman Empire; the rulers had lost the ability to employ the fear of death as a tactic, and the church flourished.
A Bit on Deliverance, Pt. 4 February 28, 2008
In light of Jesus’ power over death, the people are indeed right to sing “Hosanna” and “Blessed is the King of Israel!” They couldn’t be more justified in their praises, but their vision for their king was too limited. I think that they are like the people in 1 Samuel 8:19 who assaulted Samuel by saying, “We want a king over us. Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles.” They wanted a king like the nations had, not a king like God had designed for them to have (cf. Deut. 17). God had always planned to give Israel a king, but he wanted them to have a king whose character was fashioned after his own, not after the characters of the kings of other nations. Here in John 12, we see that the people’s hopes are fashioned after the kings of the world, not the kings their God desires to appoint for them. King David had come the closest, but even he capitulated his faithfulness to earthly power structures and tactics when, among other things, he pursued Bathsheba and murdered her husband Uriah. His son, King Solomon, was even worse. While wise in many ways, Solomon fashioned his life after the kings of the world, even stopping construction on the temple of God to build his own palace to house the daughter of Egypt! The Jews were so fixated on the glory of David and Solomon’s days that they missed the heart of God’s intent in giving them a King and Messiah in Jesus. We cannot blame them, really, since we do the same thing. Life under David and Solomon was certainly blessed by God in many ways, but now God has sent them one greater than both David and Solomon. Like the Jews of Jesus’ day, we expect the troubles in our lives to be removed by Jesus immediately. They were singing “Hosanna” because they thought Jesus was about to topple the thrones of earthly rulers, like we sing “Hosanna” when we think Jesus is about to get us a promotion or provide an extra deduction on our taxes or conform our spouse’s perspective on life to our own. In both cases, the “Hosanna” is sung too softly because the vision for Jesus’ power is too narrow. Then we find out that Jesus doesn’t work according to our expectations for life, but according to the reality of his character and our dignity as his people. We are worth more to him than a toppled throne or a higher pay scale. He doesn’t just want to defeat the unjust boss or the abusive spouse; he wants to undermine the very power structure within which they operate and rule. That’s why he would not allow his servants to prevent his arrest. Jesus doesn’t fight fire with fire, he fights fire with water; he puts conflagrations out altogether instead of driving his enemies away with increased heat. Again, this is how Jesus is King of kings and Lord of lords. He doesn’t just rule the rulers, but rules the cosmic powers on which so many rulers stand. Through his defeat of death, evil and sin, Jesus gives the victims of tyrannical, earthly rulers the opportunity to return to their full stature as humans made in the image of God, returning the dignity they lost on account of the employment of death and evil, and then conforming them after his own image. At times, he also does this for the rulers who employed death and evil. In every case, King Jesus exercises power over every vestige of evil, sin, and death in his creation.
A Bit on Deliverance, Pt. 3 February 27, 2008
Because Jesus is driving back death and every vestige of evil, we are grateful that Jesus is a highly political ruler who is able to govern the most common tools of earthly politicians: fear, oppression, torture, violent coercion (both passive and active, passive being the withholding of food and water supplies), and death. He does not deal in weapons or abuse, but in freedom and love. But in order that his kingdom might be filled to the brim with those freed from sin, death, and the devil, the full implications of his victory are being gradually yet steadily enacted in all corners of the earth. In this way, Jesus can answer Pilate, saying: “You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.” Jesus came into the world to institute and inaugurate his style of rule, the type of rule that doesn’t just match earthly powers but overcomes their very structures and systems of power. The Jews living in the Roman Empire didn’t just need a new ruler whom they could call their own; they needed a whole new system of power and rule. It wouldn’t do for Jesus to go dethrone Pilate and just pick up where Pilate left off, or to go to Rome and remove Tiberius from his throne. To do that would be to work within the earthly systems of rule and government; but Jesus was establishing a wholly new rule and government. A rule where the King seeks out fellowship with his people, is willing to give up his position in heaven for intimacy with his subjects, and only re-assumes the throne after he has secured an eternal place in his kingdom for his people by going to the cross. The structure of God’s kingdom, then, is not built on murder or fear but on self-sacrifice and love. We lay down our lives for one another, as Christ has done for us. That’s how this kingdom works. The system of God’s kingdom does not rely on wielding death effectively, but by removing the sting of death altogether. If this is indeed the case, as Scripture testifies it is, how could anything but the Pharisees’ fearful remark be true: “Look how the whole world has gone after him!”
A Bit on Church Affiliation February 26, 2008
In light of the recent Pew Forum study, we can see that religious identity is a matter of flux for many Americans. Living in a rather transient culture where many of us move frequently, change jobs and therefore social circles, are accustomed to our environments adapting to meet our preferences, etc., it’s not a surprise that there’s as much change in our denominations as there are in every other area of our lives. The question is, how do we steady ourselves? It’s a comfort to know that Jesus is the wise and powerful Head of his Church, and that he seeks after every sheep that wanders away. We do not have to be afraid that our culture is going to wash away what Jesus has accomplished and what the Spirit has applied in the Church. Jesus’ Spirit is actively at work in every branch of his church—yes, even those we may not specifically agree with on all points. As a result, we can see beauty in the diversity of American Christianity. Together, the blend of American denominations provides a more holistic image of Jesus’ character and his heart for the world than any of them do individually. We can be grateful for others as they may transition within denominations (and even rejoice when a beloved brother or sister from our church finds Christian community elsewhere), while also deciding to settle into our own home within the neighborhood. The concern the study raises is that many Christians may never find a home in any church they are a part of, though they attend regularly. That’s tragic in light of the sacrifice Jesus made so that we could be united to him, and therefore united to one another. We are created and redeemed for community, to do this Christian life with one another. It’s okay that people find homes in denominations different from ours. But wherever we find our home in the Christian neighborhood, we are to be in our church as family. We help one another understand the faith better; we walk alongside one another in difficult times; we confront one another when we fall into sin; we pray with and for one another in sickness and in health, in plenty and in want—indeed, until death do us part, if possible. We are here to be the image of Christ to one another, and to receive love from others who seek to image Christ to us. When moving from city to city, our church should be the hardest part of our life to part with in the transition. And it’s only right that we would love one another, that we would lay our lives down for one another—we are the church precisely because Christ has done that for us.
A Bit on Deliverance, Pt. 2 February 26, 2008
In John 18, Jesus says that his kingdom is not from this world—otherwise his servants would prevent his arrest. Rather, his kingdom is from another place. His authority comes from a place where he does not have to win power with a sword or slaughter his enemies in order to have the throne. He realizes that the greatest threat to his rule comes not from Caesar or Augustus or from the chief priests or the Pharisees; rather, the greatest threat to his rule and the well-being of his people are the cosmic forces that have enslaved humanity and distorted the image of God in us. This is how, as the Son of David even, Jesus supercedes every king that has gone before him. He does not coerce by imposing the threat of death and evil, oppressive tactics against his enemies or disloyal subjects; instead, he robs those coercive techniques of their permanent influence. Those who serve him as king have no reason to fear the tactics of earthly kings and rulers. When we encounter Jesus, then, we encounter the King and Messiah who breaks the expectations of worldly politics—he fights to the death, not just to be remembered with honor but so no other instance of death will hold one of his own in the grave. He won’t settle to just protect his borders so his people can all die of ‘natural’ causes; our King defeats the greatest of all enemies, taking a top-down approach to our freedom from all kinds of oppression. He has defeated death, he is driving back evil day by day, and there will be a day when every vestige of revolt and rebellion against God will be absent among us and within us.
