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A few years ago, I led a retreat on weakness, using 2 Corinthians as our text. As I studied the text, it seemed even more apropos because the letter confounds many scholars and appears to be an amalgamation of two or more letters. So even as we study the text, we begin in weakness, trusting the Spirit to reveal the Risen Christ in our midst. As I read Scripture, I try to read and consider the text as received even when the flow appears uneven or unclear, so my approach to 2 Corinthians is to read it as we have received it today in the form of one letter.

Lately I’ve been paying attention to Paul’s language of “in Christ” and in “one another.” He moves between both ways of talking, and I believe we are encountering a way of life that flows from the Father, through Christ, by the power of the Spirit. In other words, we are encountering “perichoresis,” the dance of life between Father, Son and Spirit. When Jesus Christ speaks of being in the Father and the Father being in Him (John 14:11John 14:11
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
11 Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works' sake.  

WP-Bible plugin), we see the express image of mutual indwelling of Son and Father and Spirit.

Instead of speaking and thinking in terms of isolated individuals, the Gospel reveals the Creator as one God in a mutuality of three persons: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. This idea of mutual indwelling or perichoresis shows up all across Paul’s letters. Here is a quick outline of thinking  about 2 Corinthians in a perichoretic way. (I realize this is rough and is not complete in any way.)

1. Comfort and Affliction (Chapter 1:1-11r 1:1-11
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Romans ^{1 1} Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God, ^{2 3} Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; ⁴ And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead: declared: Gr. determined ⁵ By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name: for obedience...: or, to the obedience of faith ⁶ Among whom are ye also the called of Jesus Christ: ⁷ To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ. ⁸ First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world. ⁹ For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers; with: or, in ¹⁰ Making request, if by any means now at length I might have a prosperous journey by the will of God to come unto you. ¹¹ For I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift, to the end ye may be established;  

WP-Bible plugin) – Paul opens with language of comfort that flows from the “God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” We are comforted in our afflictions and our comfort then flow to others who are afflicted. The affliction and comfort that we share with other is a comfort and affliction that we also share with Christ in His sufferings. So in a few sentences, Paul reveals a mutuality between himself, the people of Corinth and the Triune God. In this mutuality of suffering and affliction, we may know deep despair that even draws near to death, but we also know the Resurrection life in Christ that flows from the Father by the Spirit.

2. Paul and Corinth (Chapter 1:12-3:3r 1:12-3:3
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
12 That is, that I may be comforted together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me. with: or, in ¹³ Now I would not have you ignorant, brethren, that oftentimes I purposed to come unto you, that I might have some fruit among you also, even as among other Gentiles. among: or, in ¹⁴ I am debtor both to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians; both to the wise, and to the unwise. ¹⁵ So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also. ¹⁶ For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. ¹⁷ For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith. ¹⁸ For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; ¹⁹ Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. in them: or, to them ²⁰ For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: so...: or, that they may be ²¹ Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. ²² Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, ²³ And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. ²⁴ Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: ²⁵ Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. more: or, rather ²⁶ For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: ²⁷ And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. ²⁸ And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; to retain: or, to acknowledge a reprobate...: or, a mind void of judgment or, an unapproving mind ²⁹ Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, ³⁰ Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, ³¹ Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: without natural...: or unsociable ³² Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them. have...: or, consent with ^{2 1} Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things. ² But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things. ³ And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God? ⁴ Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? ⁵ But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God; ⁶ Who will render to every man according to his deeds: ⁷ To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life: ⁸ But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, ⁹ Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile; Gentile: Gr. Greek ¹⁰ But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile: Gentile: Gr. Greek ¹¹ For there is no respect of persons with God. ¹² For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law; ¹³ (For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified. ¹⁴ For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: ¹⁵ Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;) their conscience...: or, the conscience witnessing with them the mean...: or, between themselves ¹⁶ In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel. ¹⁷ Behold, thou art called a Jew, and restest in the law, and makest thy boast of God, ¹⁸ And knowest his will, and approvest the things that are more excellent, being instructed out of the law; approvest...: or, triest the things that differ ¹⁹ And art confident that thou thyself art a guide of the blind, a light of them which are in darkness, ²⁰ An instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, which hast the form of knowledge and of the truth in the law. ²¹ Thou therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? thou that preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal? ²² Thou that sayest a man should not commit adultery, dost thou commit adultery? thou that abhorrest idols, dost thou commit sacrilege? ²³ Thou that makest thy boast of the law, through breaking the law dishonourest thou God? ²⁴ For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you, as it is written. ²⁵ For circumcision verily profiteth, if thou keep the law: but if thou be a breaker of the law, thy circumcision is made uncircumcision. ²⁶ Therefore if the uncircumcision keep the righteousness of the law, shall not his uncircumcision be counted for circumcision? ²⁷ And shall not uncircumcision which is by nature, if it fulfil the law, judge thee, who by the letter and circumcision dost transgress the law? ²⁸ For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: ²⁹ But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God. ^{3 1} What advantage then hath the Jew? or what profit is there of circumcision? ² Much every way: chiefly, because that unto them were committed the oracles of God. ³ For what if some did not believe? shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect?  

WP-Bible plugin) – Paul transitions to a key theme that resurfaces at the end of the letter: his relationship with Corinth. As he introduces the relationship, he highlights a bond between him and Corinth that is established by God in Christ (2:21). This relationship, in the mist of the challenges, is a relation of mutual indwelling that has been created and is sustained by the Father in Christ through His Spirit. Paul reinforces the mutuality of relation by highlighting how those whom Corinth forgives, he also forgives. He is bound with them in Christ.

At the end of this section, Paul discusses how the people at Corinth are the “letter of recommendation” concerning his authority and ministry. This twist is fascinating because he does not point to external documents or some hierarchical form of authority but a relational authority that is still valid even when there is tension in the relationship between him and Corinth.

3. Mutuality in Covenant (3:3 – 5:10) – Paul’s mention of the letter of recommendation written on hearts transitions to a discussion about the mutuality of covenant with God between him and Corinth and between the contemporary followers of Christ and the ancient people of Israel who followed God through Moses by Torah. The law that was written on stone is now written on hearts but it is the same spirit who is bringing His people into life and glory even as they face suffering and pain. Even as our bodies weaken, we are stilling dwelling in Christ and in one another by the power of God’s Spirit who is bringing us all into glory.

4. Mutuality in Reconciliation (5:11-7:16) – Even as Paul celebrates God’s covenant binding of HImself to His people in Christ, he emphasizes how this is externalized in a life of reconciliation. We are reconciled to God and we are called to reconcile the world to God in Christ. Even as Paul talks about reconciliation, he also talks about his own relationship with the people at Corinth. This reconciliation is not simply between God and man, but must take form in relation between Paul and the people at Corinth.

In the midst of this discussion of reconciliation and Paul’s “open heart to the Corinthians,” we hear a warning about being unequally yoked. Paul raises the idea of relationships that are not based on mutuality in Christ but actually opposes the mutuality in relationship in Christ. While the idea of being unequally yoked is often applied to marriage (and rightly so based on some of Paul’s other comments), I think he is talking about relationships that break up the covenantal love of God’s people. And I think he returns to this later in the letter.

At the end of this section, Paul expresses his love and comfort in relationship with the people of Corinth. This comfort is from God mediated by Corinth through Titus (7:6-7). Paul finds joy in Titus who has found joy in Corinth, and this joy is but the grace of godly repentance by the Spirit. So all their lives are intertwined by God’s Spirit. They are being made into the prayer of John 17.

5. Mutuality Between Communities (8:1 – 9:15) – Paul now steps back from his relation with Corinth to focus on the relation between Corinth and the other churches. There is a mutuality of life shared between all of God’s people, even when they don’t know one another personally. This mutuality takes expression in sharing of life and resources. So even as Corinth prospers, they can strengthen other communities that are weak. Interesting that this passage is often used for giving to the church. Paul is encouraging giving, but the focal point of this giving appears to be from communities rich in resources to those who are in need of resources.

6. Mutuality of Adam and Eve (10:1 – 13:14) – In the final sections, Paul returns to his relationship with Corinth. He works out from the argument that just as the Corinthians are in Christ, so Paul is in Christ, and his authority derives from this relation (10:7-16). Then Paul does something that is shocking and fascinating, he connects his relationship with Corinth to the bond between a man and wife, and even further he connects specifically to Adam and Eve. I think Paul proceeding argument is based on the mutuality of husband and wife and the responsibility that Adam had to protect Eve (and according to Genesis he failed).

Corinth is in danger of being unequally yoked with people and ideas that are in opposition to mutuality in Christ, and ultimately are in service of Belial (7:14) or the seduction of the serpent (8:3). Satan is testing, tempting Corinth, and Paul will defend and protect his beloved no matter how much shame and humiliation it causes him. He is willing to humble himself if the community is exalted (11:7). He is willing to suffer humiliation, stoning, beating, imprisonment and more for the sake of this call in Christ. Of course, we can never forget that Paul is writing out from the mutuality of relation he shares with the Father in Christ by the Spirit. Even though he may rebuke at times, his heart is for building up the community at Corinth and not tearing down (13:10).

As we consider what does it mean to life in the reality of the Triune life of God, 2 Corinthians fleshes out an image of mutual indwelling in Christ in the midst of severe challenges and threats from inside and out. We also see a picture of Adam defending and guarding Eve with his life. This same image is fully revealed in Christ who steps fully into the suffering of the cross on behalf of his Eve.

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2:1 “Then we turned and journeyed into the wilderness in the direction of the Red Sea, as the Lord told me. And for many days we traveled around Mount Seir. 2 Then the Lord said to me, 3 ‘You have been traveling around this mountain country long enough. Turn northward 4 and command the people, “You are about to pass through the territory of your brothers, the people of Esau, who live in Seir; and they will be afraid of you. So be very careful. 5 Do not contend with them, for I will not give you any of their land, no, not so much as for the sole of the foot to tread on, because I have given Mount Seir to Esau as a possession. 6 You shall purchase food from them for money, that you may eat, and you shall also buy water of them for money, that you may drink. 7 For the Lord your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands. He knows your going through this great wilderness. These forty years the Lord your God has been with you. You have lacked nothing.”’ 8 So we went on, away from our brothers, the people of Esau, who live in Seir, away from the Arabah road from Elath and Ezion-geber. (Deuteronomy; ESV)

I’m slowly meandering through Deuteronomy with the Brazos Commentary by Telford Work in hand. I enjoy Work’s midrashic approach and find it deeply devotional. In the passage above, Work writes that Israel “must learn that confessional practices include business practices.” Reflecting on this remembrance, I see how Moses’ narrative provides application for several commandments including the commands not to covet, the command not to steal and possibly the command not to bear false witness.

The Lord sustained the Children of Israel through manna from the heavens, water from the earth and birds from the air. He has provided for their needs and they must not take from the descendants of Esau but pay them for provisions. First, I see the idea of “not coveting” because the Lord is their provider. Thus they are free to pass through the region without desiring the land or materials of the people.

Secondly, the supplies they do need must be bought. So instead of stealing, they purchase materials at a fair price. The commandment not to steal reminds us to be fair and honest in all our business as well as generous in our treatment of those around us.

Thirdly, they are to honor the ancient covenant. (This idea shows up in other places as honoring the ancient landmarks.) I see a connection hear with bearing witness. They honor the witness of past covenants in their current transactions. To violate those covenants might be a form of bearing false witness since the covenant “bears witness” to a relationship between persons.

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“A man can grow so tired, so weary that he forgets himself. He loses the stories of his father and his father’s father. Forgetfulness is like blindness. For when we lose sight of where we come from, we stumble forward not knowing whether to step to the right or the left.”

At the sound of Matthan’s voice, a stillness settled over the room. Every eye transfixed by this gentle, broken man. He limped from a battle wound during his years of service as a Centurion. His body bore the marks of serving the emperor and then serving the Lord Jesus Christ.
The years of suffering seemed only to heighten the joy of this aging soldier.

When Matthan chose to talk, everyone listened. His voice carried the weight of years and the weight of love.

“Darkness is all around us in every age. My father knew darkness, his father knew darkness and his father’s father knew darkness. A war rages against our soul, and we continually battle by telling our stories again and again and again.”

In the stories of old, Matthan reconnected to the faith given to Abraham, taught in Moses and glorified in Christ Jesus.

“Our fathers’ suffered years of darkness. They forgot their names, they forgot their songs, they forgot their God. After centuries in the land of Egyptian power, most Hebrews forget their past. They cried out for help, but didn’t even know who to call to for help. So they simply groaned.”

“Their cries came up to our Father. He heard them. He remembered. And through His servant Moses He called them out of the formless void of Egypt and into the mountain of creation, the holy Mountain Sinai. They heard the Voice. The terrifying, uncreated Voice. The Voice that called forth heaven and earth. The Voice the spoke light and darkness. The Voice of the Uncreated God. They heard and they trembled.”

“The Lord came down to His people and He spoke light and life. Just as He created the heavens and the earth, He recreated His people. He gave them Torah to shape their culture, their families, their songs, their dreams. He taught them how to remember.”

At this Matthan paused, leaned back, and looked around the room. As he looked into the eyes of this Gentile community around him, he asked, “Do you remember who you are?”

As he asked this question, Matthan gently laid his hand on the shoulder of Antony, “You are the children of Israel. Our Father grafted you into his family. This is your story. Don’t forget.”

“Our Father reached into darkness to rescue His family. Our Father freed His people from the cruelty of Pharoah. Our Father reached into the darkness to retrieve each of you. Our Father speaks over you just as he did that generation of freed slaves. Our Father is teaching us to be family, teaching us to love.”

“Even as our Father created a new heavens and earth in the midst of the corrupted heavens and earth, our Lord Jesus Christ, creates a new heavens and earth through each of you.”

“Dear friends, even as we eat this meal together, we are not alone. We are eating in the company of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. We are supping with Moses and feasting with David. We are resting in the company of the disciples as our Lord and Savior gives us good food to eat.”

As he said these words, Matthan grabbed a piece of bread from the meal and began to tear it apart.

“It is Christ Himself who serves us and satisfies our appetite. Come and eat. Come and drink, for our Savior has welcomed us to this meal of memory.”

“I was a soldier. I was wondering the deserts of Palestine when I heard the story. In the sweet song of the Savior, I heard my name. I came back to life in the desert of darkness.”

He passed around a cup.

“Jesus is calling us even now. He is calling us to drink of his blood. To rest in His love. To be one people. Drink my friends and lift up thanksgiving to the giver of all life!”

Even as he spoke these words, Matthan trembled under the weakness of his aged body. He was tired and ready for another feast.

“Dear friends. We are not gathered around Mt. Sinai this evening. We are not shuddering at the terrifying voice of the Uncreated Voice. And yet, He is speaking. He is inviting us to feast. He is welcoming us to Zion. He is preparing for a Marriage Supper. And even now we taste the first course. Come and eat, Come and drink. Our Lord has remembered even us.”

The small community began to sing. As they sang a doxology to the Lord Jesus, tears rolled down Matthan’s face like sweet oil.

1Behold, how good and pleasant it is
when brothers dwell in unity!
2It is like the precious oil on the head,
running down on the beard,
on the beard of Aaron,
running down on the collar of his robes!
3It is like the dew of Hermon,
which falls on the mountains of Zion!
For there the LORD has commanded the blessing,
life forevermore.
Psalm 133

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1Remember, O LORD, in David’s favor,
all the hardships he endured,
2how he swore to the LORD
and vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob,
3″I will not enter my house
or get into my bed,
4I will not give sleep to my eyes
or slumber to my eyelids,
5until I find a place for the LORD,
a dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob.”
6Behold, we heard of it in Ephrathah;
   we found it in the fields of Jaar.
7″Let us go to his dwelling place;
   let us worship at his footstool!”

Excitement rings through the in air in a soft win of hushed voices asking, “Could he be the one?”

They’ve been waiting a long time. Centuries. Tonight a child will be born to the tarnished house of David. Will he bear the ancient prophecies? Will Jesse’s root would bloom in him? The people long and pray, “Remember, O LORD, in David’s favor.”

Oh that the Son of David might rise up and strike down the Goliath’s of this age, the wickedness of Herod, the enslaving power of Rome.
All through the night, people gather around the house, asking “Could he be the one?” “Will he rebuild the house of the Lord?”
He inns not the one.

His father names him Joseph. And he grows in his father’s footsteps, a simple man bearing the quiet dignity of a royal family that had long since lost its status. They are simple people, simple carpenters. Their lives revolve around God’s precious gift to the His people: the Torah.

Joseph, like his father and like his father’s father, observes Torah. He worships the Holy One of Israel expressing his devotion through obedience. A man of few words, Joseph’s actions defines his faith. He sings out to the Lord of the Covenant.

8 Arise, O LORD, and go to your resting place,
you and the ark of your might.
9Let your priests be clothed with righteousness,
and let your saints shout for joy.
10For the sake of your servant David,
do not turn away the face of your anointed one.

In the fullness of time, Joseph seeks a righteous wife from a righteous people. The family must observe Torah. The family must walk in the ways of the Lord. The family must be a trustworthy, holy people. Joseph finds such a family. And within that family, he finds Mary.

Joseph’s family and Mary’s family covenant together and celebrate the betrothal between Joseph and Mary. As the time of feasting come close, Joseph takes Mary by the hands, looks her in the eyes and announces, “I am going now to prepare a place for you, but I will come again and take you into my house.”

As Joseph and his family travel home amidst laughter, teasing and rejoicing. Excitement dances in the air. He dreams new dreams. Soon his life his house will echo this rejoicing, overflowing with the voices of children. This poor man will treat Mary as a princess. The royal blood of the House of David will still shine in their simple life and their simple home.

11 The LORD swore to David a sure oath
from which he will not turn back:
“One of the sons of your body
I will set on your throne.
12If your sons keep my covenant
and my testimonies that I shall teach them,
their sons also forever
shall sit on your throne.”

Months passed and one night Mary’s brother suddenly appears at Joseph’s home. Marked with the anguished look of a man bearing news that split through his heart, he tries to speak. Joseph assumes the worst: “Is Mary dead?”

“No. She’s with child.” Falling to his knees, her brother begs for mercy upon her and the family.

Stunned, Joseph stumbles to the floor.

He grieves as though Mary really has died. God’s surprise appearance in Joseph’s life is unexpected and unwelcome.

He grieves for the betrayal. He grieves for the dreams now dead He grieves for her family who could not escape her shame. He even grieves for her.
He wants to spare them, yet the Torah constrains Joseph to act in certain ways. How can he act faithfully and yet with mercy toward her family? A dismissal would be quiet. No trial. No public shame.

A weak and weary man lay to sleep with a heart torn between betrayal and compassion. His sleep offers no respite. Suddenly his room lit up like the Eastern sky at sunrise and an angel of the Lord appears in his dream, “Son of David!”

These three words resounded deep within his soul, deep within his blood, deep within his family, and Joseph wakes up for the first time in his life.
His family bears the shame of a fallen house. “Son of David” echoed through his soul. It comes as blessing, a song of deliverance. It comes as a surprise of love. In these words of life, God’s “hesed,” his lovingkindess, his unrestrained mercy, his unfathomable love inspire Joseph back to life.

“Do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for he will save His people from their sins.”

13For the LORD has chosen Zion;
he has desired it for his dwelling place:
14″This is my resting place forever;
here I will dwell, for I have desired it.
15I will abundantly bless her provisions;
I will satisfy her poor with bread.
16Her priests I will clothe with salvation,
and her saints will shout for joy.
17There I will make a horn to sprout for David;
I have prepared a lamp for my anointed.

Joseph arises.

The once dead root, now stirs. God calls Joseph forth, and he obeys. His heart burns from the visitation, from the word of God. And now his mind now races with a flood of dreams, memories and new responsibilities.

For some reason an old legend about Moses’ father captured his imagination. A similar dream, a similar visitation, a similar command, “For he will save the Hebrews from their bondage in Egypt.” Moses’ father faithfully and quietly obeyed. He received no glory and simply faded into the shadows, and yet his faithfulness made a way for the redemption of God’s people.

Now Joseph has been offered a similar commission.

A love burns for Mary and for the baby within her womb. He will lay down his life for them. From now on, his life will serve of their lives. He will name the child “Jesus.” And by naming him, he legally claims Jesus as his own child.

As the Son of David, Joseph obeys the commission of God and makes way for the long awaited, true Son of David to come forth, restoring David’s fallen house and restoring God’s people.

The time, the time, the time. He must hurry.

In a moment, he’s running. Running to his parents’ house, alerting them that there’s going to be a wedding. While he does not mention the baby, he explains the Lord told him the wedding must happen right away. Soon the whole town is percolating with energy as everyone joins in the preparation.

Then a few nights later, Joseph dresses in the full regalia of the bridegroom. Flowers and robe flow around him. The Son of David goes to claim his bride.

The wedding party slips away in the middle of the night with torches, music, dancing and celebration. He appears at Mary’s house like a thief in the night. Mary’s grieving family had awaited his appearing for days with terror. They feared the trial, the public shame, the end of their family name. Their feared the curse over their poor, foolish daughter.

But Joseph doesn’t show up as the judge. He comes as the bridegroom to claim his bride.

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He never asked for this. He never sought this power, this recognition, this throne. Tomorrow David would covenant with the elders of Israel. Tomorrow they would anoint him as king. Tomorrow the long years of wilderness would finally be over.

He never asked for this. The call came as interruption, as surprise. Over seventeen years ago, Samuel appeared on his father’s land, requesting to see his sons. After a long day of prayers and waiting, Samuel summoned Jesse to bring forth the remaining son. David appeared as a ruddy shepherd boy. Could this young man be the future king of God’s chosen people? Could this young man carry the weight of shepherding the tribes of Israel?

From lonely days of song and solitude, this young man was suddenly thrust into years of political intrigue, battle and dangerous pursuit. He lost everything. He almost lost his life. He lived as an outlaw, hunted by the king of Israel and his army of henchman. He lived in caves and in enemy lands. He wandered. He wrestled. He questioned.

It’s funny how a few moments can forever change the whole course of your life. In one day, his life of peace was turned upside down into tumult, chaos, and struggle. Why would God call him only to abandon him?

Tomorrow David would be king over all Israel. Today he is a broken man, ruling the tribe of Judah by God’s grace alone. Broken by the hand of God in a wilderness of suffering and struggle, he has no presumption about his own greatness.

Even now groups are forming around David. Even now sects are plotting for power and favor with the new king. In the midst of all the excitement, all the clamoring, all the anticipation that pulses through Hebron, David slips away into the solace of his chamber and begins to sing.

O Lord, my heart is not lifted up;
my eyes are not raised too high;
I do not occupy myself with things
too great and too marvelous for me.
Ps 131:1Ps 131:1
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
131 A Song of degrees of David. ¹ LORD, my heart is not haughty, nor mine eyes lofty: neither do I exercise myself in great matters, or in things too high for me. exercise...: Heb. walk high: Heb. wonderful  

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Assuming the position of a servant, he kneels before the true king of Israel. He looks to the Creator of the land and the sea and the sky. He sings like a child in the presence of his Father.

But I have calmed and quieted my soul,
like a weaned child with its mother;
like a weaned child is my soul within me.
Ps 131:2Ps 131:2
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
2 Surely I have behaved and quieted myself, as a child that is weaned of his mother: my soul is even as a weaned child. myself: Heb. my soul  

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Silence. David rests, Sabbaths before the Lord. He remembers the faithfulness of the Lord. He remembers the lovingkindness of the Lord. He remembers the story of His people, delivered from the cruel slavemaster of Egypt to the land of Promise in Canaan. He rejoices in the goodness of the Lord. He sings on behalf of the people and the land.

O Israel, hope in the Lord
from this time forth and forevermore.
Ps 131:3Ps 131:3
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
3 Let Israel hope in the LORD from henceforth and for ever. henceforth: Heb. now  

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A knock at the door. David rises and follows his guards, follows his Lord, follows his people into a period that will change not only Israel, but the whole world.

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There are times in life when troubles surround us, stresses choke us, problems overwhelm us. There are times when we simply cannot see the way ahead, and each day feels like a struggle to survive.

The cry of Psalm 56 is the cry of God’s people facing immanent destruction. Will God forsake us in the hour of our deepest need? Will his silence continue even while the wolves devour us? Will He abandon us to the fire?

David articulates the desperation of God’s people in the midst of the terrors that hound us by day and night. And in his cry, we discover the possibility of trust that clings to God even as the flames rise around us.

David is running for his life.

The wolves are baying for blood. Terror on all sides. Death looms. God is silent.

In response to the peril of Achish’s bloodthirsty court, David writes a psalm celebrating the unshakeable faithfulness of the Lord. But first, it might be helpful to back up and understand how David found himself in the lap of enemy dogs ready to devour him.

David is king of Israel. Or at the least the “King elect.” The house of King Saul has been judged and found wanting. Samuel strips the kingdom from Saul and pronounces it’s inevitable demise. Under the guidance of God’s Spirit, Samuel anoints a new king: the unlikely son of Jesse.

David comes in the from the fields to go out in service of Israel. Samuel calls this shepherd-poet to serve the people and the land as King. But there is a slight catch. He will learn kingship from the house of Saul. He will become a true king in service of the king that is in rebellion to YHWH.

At first, he soothes Saul’s torments. His healing songs drive Saul’s terrors out of doors. But then another terror. From the land of Gath comes yet another raid by one of Israel’s enemies, the Philistines. Surrounded by warring tribes, this period in Israel’s history is intertwined with the threat of Philistines, Moabites, Edomites, Amalekites, and Ammonites.

Goliath, the leading warrior of the Philistines, threatens Israel and mocks Israel’s God. Saul the forsaken one has no power, no authority, no wisdom on how to fight this baying wolf.

Cowering in his tent with the rest of Israel, Saul is paralyzed in terror. David steps in for Saul and acts as the true king of Israel. He mocks the mocker of God’s people and assaults this beast in the name of YHWH of the Angels Armies. Cutting off Goliath’s head with his own sword, David delivers Israel.

The shepherd-poet turned warrior continues pursuing the Philistines. Even as David threatens the enemies of Israel, King Saul begins to believe that David threatens him. Fearing for the power of his house, he turns into a wolf and starts seeking David’s blood.

David is running for his life.

Israel hounds him, chases him, seeks to destroy him. The chosen king and deliverer of Israel is running for his life from the Saul and armies of the land. In their bloodthirsty pursuit, they chase him into Nod.

Ahimelech feeds David holy bread and gives him the captured sword of Goliath. David keeps running. Saul’s wolves catch up to Ahimelech, slaughtering him and the city of Nod, including priests, women, children and animals.

The wolves are still baying for David’s blood.

Driven from the land of promise into the arms of the enemy. He runs to the camp of the Philistines in city of Gath before King Achish. But Gath is no refuge for David. The generals are baying for his blood.

No matter where he turns, David is surrounded by wolves. Wolves from his people and wolves from his enemies. He is encircled, and there is no where to turn. He turns his faces, twists his limbs, drools on himself and plays the fool. In the face of his enemies, David humiliates himself.

Yet even as he is outwardly wasting away, David is inwardly crying out to God. After Achish sends away this madman, David will write,

Be gracious to me, O God, for man nips at my heals, tramples on me, seeks to swallow me;
all day long an attacker oppresses me;
my enemies trample on me all day long,
for many attack me proudly. (Psalm 56:1Psalm 56:1
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
56 To the chief Musician upon Jonathelemrechokim, Michtam of David, when the Philistines took him in Gath. Michtam...: or, A golden Psalm of David ¹ Be merciful unto me, O God: for man would swallow me up; he fighting daily oppresseth me.  

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The wolves are baying for blood. Terror on all sides. Death looms. God is silent.

In the grace of God, David has stepped into the position of Israel. Just as the nation is surrounded by tribes seeking to swallow the land and the people, David is surrounded by enemies seeking to swallow and destroy him.

Even as David is crying out to God, he is acknowledging his fear.

When I am afraid,
I put my trust in you.
In God, whose word I praise,
in God I trust; I shall not be afraid.
What can flesh do to me?  (vs. 3-4)

He is afraid. He is trusting. Terror surrounds him. He is out of control. The deliverer has been delivered into the hands of the enemy. He is helpless. He is battling fear and trusting God at the same time.

Outwardly he is powerless, humiliated as a drooling fool. Inwardly, he is crying out to YHWH of the Angel Armies. Stripped of power, assaulted by terror, he can only rest in the purposes of God, rejoice in the word of God. In this place of pressure, of pain, of fear, YHWH is shaping a king. A king that trusts the absolute faithfulness of God’s Word even in the face of absolute terror.

Just as the Father is shaping and training David in the midst of living, he is shaping and training us in the midst. Those who trust in the Lord are not abandoned even though the wolves may consume them. We may never stand before an enemy king. We may never run for our lives as the king and his army seeks to kill us. But we may know the fear of being surrounded by problems, struggles, crisis.

We may know the flames of suffering, the pain of living, the anguish of sorrow. In the mystery of His grace our fears, terrors, and doubts cannot consume His faithful love. The terror of Saul and the terror of Achish may be the places where our Father trains us and shapes into His image.

Outwardly we may waste away. Outwardly we may know the terror of emotions. But inwardly we also rest in the objective faithfulness of a Savior who is absolutely trustworthy. In Jesus we are not alone.

In Jesus, God enters into the pain and terror of life. Like David, this deliverer was delivered into the hands of the enemy. The leaders of Israel delivered him into the court of the Pontius Pilate. Like David, they were baying for his blood. Like David he was not abandoned.

Jesus was consumed. Humiliated. Beaten. Hung. Killed. And yet he was not abandoned. The Spirit of God raised Him from the dead. In his resurrection life, we encounter the Living One. He conquered the Evil One. He overcame the curse of death. He lives and lives and lives.

Even as we stand in the midst of terror, fear, pain, suffering and overwhelming circumstances, we are standing in the midst of the Living One, the Loving One, the Lord of Heaven and Earth.

We are not forsaken. Nothing can separate us from the love of God. Not even death.

So we may fear, doubt and struggle. Yet we can still rest in His absolute, unshakable faithfulness. Whether we live or die, we live or die in Him.

And in his faithful love, He is ever transforming us into the image of His love.

1    Be gracious to me, O God, for man tramples on me;
all day long an attacker oppresses me;
2    my enemies trample on me all day long,
for many attack me proudly.
3    When I am afraid,
I put my trust in you.
4    In God, whose word I praise,
in God I trust; I shall not be afraid.
What can flesh do to me?
5    All day long they injure my cause;
all their thoughts are against me for evil.
6    They stir up strife, they lurk;
they watch my steps,
as they have waited for my life.
7    For their crime will they escape?
In wrath cast down the peoples, O God!
8    You have kept count of my tossings;
put my tears in your bottle.
Are they not in your book?
9    Then my enemies will turn back
in the day when I call.
This I know, that God is for me.
10    In God, whose word I praise,
in the Lord, whose word I praise,
11    in God I trust; I shall not be afraid.
What can man do to me?
12    I must perform my vows to you, O God;
I will render thank offerings to you.
13    For you have delivered my soul from death,
yes, my feet from falling,
that I may walk before God
in the light of life.  (Psalm 56; ESV)

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flickr photo by nirats

This psalm of ascent seems to be a cry of repentance and longing for restoration from a people in exile. So as I thought about the Jewish diaspora, I wrote this little story.

Judith awakes in a cold sweat. “Where am I?”

The touch of the bed, the smell of the room, and the dim outlines of furniture. It all seems alien. “This is not my father’s house.”

As the cloudy thoughts of sleep fade, she realizes yet again, “This is not my father’s house.”

The house is quiet. No servants stirring. Her husband traveling with his regiment. She is alone.

Walking out to her courtyard, Judith will take up watch for Jerusalem.

1 Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord!
2 O Lord, hear my voice!
Let your ears be attentive
to the voice of my pleas for mercy!

Even as she cries out on behalf on her people, Judith cannot avoid crying out from the pain of her own grief.

“Don’t forsake us Lord. Your people sink down into the depths of Sheol. We are dying. We long for Messiah. Hear us Lord!”

A chorus of exiled voices rise up in the night air, “Hear us Lord!” Jews living in towns across the empire, continue crying, waiting, looking and longing for the restoration of God’s people.

Even as Judith cries out on behalf of her people, her mind keeps returning home.

3 If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities,
O Lord, who could stand?
4 But with you there is forgiveness,
that you may be feared.

Judith has been dead to her people for many years. Can a dead man live?

In the passion of her youth, she fell in love with a Roman soldier and gave all that she could give. As it turned out, she gave more than she even knew. In her family’s eye, she was no longer a Jew. Judith died. As did the child in her womb.

The journey to Rome was simply too difficult for her frail condition and the baby died en route. Her new husband gave her everything she wanted, but he could not give her another child. Her womb was dead.

Tonight in the stillness of the hour, she remembers. The bittersweet scent of the candles as her mother welcomed the Shabbot. The piercing blast of the shofar during Rosh Hashannah. And the holy hush on the “Day of Atonement.”

Atonement.

Even as she remembers, Judith longs that the Lord will not forget her. Can the Lord hear her in this exile of her own making? Will He listen as she cries out from Sheol. Or is she forever cut off? Cut off from family, from homeland, from yesterday.

She aches for atonement.

And so she waits for the lovingkindess of the Lord.

5I wait for the LORD, my soul waits,
and in his word I hope;
6my soul waits for the Lord
more than watchmen for the morning,
more than watchmen for the morning.

“Come Goel. Come Redeemer Kinsman. Look with favor on your forsaken child.” She dreams and longs for the restoration of her people, the restoration of her soul. As she prays, she remembers her husband telling stories about a Jew being held captive in the city. Apparently, he is meeting with Jews and Gentiles alike. He has stories. Fantastic stories of a the Lord dwelling in the midst his people. Amazing stories of redemption and love and forgiveness.

It may all be nonsense. And yet, what if? Maybe she will talk to this strange Jew as well. Judith rises and looks to the east for the coming of the dawn.

7O Israel, hope in the LORD!
For with the LORD there is steadfast love,
and with him is plentiful redemption.
8And he will redeem Israel
from all his iniquities.

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photo by Pensiero (via flickr)

Ezra and Nehemiah tell the story of repatriating the land of Palestine. This is a long, hard story of opposition against the people of God through political intrigue, threats and acts of terror. With this background in mind, I wrote a mini story on Psalm 129 about a people resisting enemy assaults while they remember the faithfulness of YHWH through a long history of attacks from enemies.

‘Much have they afflicted me from my youth up’, let Israel now say;
‘Much have they afflicted me from my youth up; but they have not prevailed against me.
The plowers plowed upon my back; they made long their furrows.
HaShem is righteous; He hath cut asunder the cords of the wicked.’
Let them be ashamed and turned backward, all they that hate Zion.
Let them be as the grass upon the housetops, which withereth afore it springeth up;
Wherewith the reaper filleth not his hand, nor he that bindeth sheaves his bosom.
Neither do they that go by say: ‘The blessing of HaShem be upon you; we bless you in the name of HaShem.’

We had been sleeping in our clothes day after day after day. Everyone was tired. Some days I wondered if we’d ever see the end. Some days I was sure that every ounce of strength had been poured out and nothing was left. And yet, we kept building.

Every morning we marched to the wall like a little army. All through the day and even into the night, we’d hear shouts from outside the city. Mocking us. Threatening us. Haunting us.

Some nights I wake up certain that someone was standing over me ready to cut my throat. But nothing. The night hung with dread. When the dawn came, I’d rejoin the work and soon start singing yet again.

Music. Ah yes, music. Now that seemed to give me strength. No matter how tired, how fearful, I felt, the music soon stirred a new boldness, a new energy, a new resistance. We would build this wall and nothing, no one would stop us.

We sang,

‘Much have they afflicted me from my youth up’,

and again,

‘Much have they afflicted me from my youth up;

This refrain would be repeated again and again as it circled the wall. Soon all the people were joined in one voice,

‘Much have they afflicted me from my youth up;

It built up louder and louder and louder until finally one of the Levites burst forth,

“but they have not prevailed against me.”

and again,

“but they have not prevailed against me.”
“but they have not prevailed against me.”

louder,

“but they have not prevailed against me.”

And we joined in one voice, we felt clothed in the power of the song. Like a grand drama, we lived out the story of our fathers and their fathers in the song.

During Pesach, Shalmai, the old Levite in our midst, reminded us to say that, “HaShem delivered me from Egypt.” Not just my father’s fathers, Not just my father, but I was broken under the yoke of Pharaoh. I burned in the hot sun of Egypt. I cried out for deliverance, and HaShem heard me. Every year, our clan reenacted the whole Exodus along with all the clans of Israel. Every where we danced Miriam’s dance, and laughed until we were intoxicated with joy. HaShem heard our cry, HaShem remembered.

Those memories burned in my mind as we continued singing,

“The plowers plowed upon my back; they made long their furrows.”
HaShem is righteous; He hath cut asunder the cords of the wicked.’

The joy in singing of HaShem’s faithfulness almost interrupted work as whoops and hollers went up, and we all felt the dance in our feet. But we kept working, emboldened in the face of those who sought to stop us, who sought to kill us. HaShem was faithful. And in His might, we mocked our mockers.

Let them be ashamed and turned backward, all they that hate Zion.
Let them be as the grass upon the housetops, which withereth afore it springeth up;
Wherewith the reaper filleth not his hand, nor he that bindeth sheaves his bosom.
Neither do they that go by say: ‘The blessing of HaShem be upon you; we bless you in the name of HaShem.’

This simple song of resistance connected all of us to one another and to HaShem. We couldn’t see Him and Hist angel armies. Our mockers didn’t leave us but continued to threaten. Our aching bodies still throbbed, and we longed for fresh clothes and deep sleep. But through the song we kept going. We kept singing, kept rejoicing, and kept building.

The days blur together now, and it seems like a lifetime ago. But I’ll always remember that final day. For 52 days, we toiled. We poured out our lives, our tears, our hopes into that wall. For 52 days, we sang, we cried, we hoped to make it one more day.

Sometimes it seemed like the end would never come. But it did.

One day a shout went forth and Nehemiah circled the city, visiting every gate, and every clan. As he rode into our camp, we cried aloud together, “It is finished!”

The walls of Jerusalem restored. HaShem protected us. The voices of death, and hopelessness and mocked fell away. We stood and sang and danced with all our heart before the faithful Father of us all.

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1 Psalm Of David When he was in the desert of Judah
God, you are my God, I pine for you;
my heart thirsts for you, my body longs for you,
as a land parched, dreary and waterless.
2 Thus I have gazed on you in the sanctuary,
seeing your power and your glory. Psalm 63:1-2Psalm 63:1-2
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
63 A Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah. ¹ O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; thirsty: Heb. weary where...: without water ² To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary.  

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The other day as I read Psalm 63, I was deeply moved by the first two verses (see above). When I tried to express what moved me, I wrote the following essay. Hopefully it makes sense and will bless someone.

Exiled in the wilderness, the psalmist gives voice to a wilderness deeper than the barren landscape. As he cries out to God, he gives voice to the ache and longing of people across the ages.

I have known the wilderness. Not the wilderness of desert living, or the wilderness of suffering under war, poverty or totalitarian rule. But I have known the wilderness of a dry soul, aching for something, someone.

When I was just four-years-old, I remember sitting amidst the toys and trappings of my Bozo-encircled room wondering, “Why do I exist?” In the stillness of the night or the quietness of the day, the longing for something or someone penetrated my heart even then. Looking through the fairy tale books, I longed to jumped inside the pictures and enter their world.

This longing opened the world around me as though everything was pointing beyond itself to something or someone. The soil in our backyard hid treasures just out of sight. The basement in our house pressed right up against other realities, powers, beings. In my childlike mind, the world seemed to open in two directions.

A thin veil stood between me and a world of light as well as a world of darkness. At times, everything around me seemed ready to burst forth in song at any moment. At other times and places, everything seemed pressing up against a terrifying void. This darkness threatened to disintegrate everything and everyone.

The hell I feared was not of fire but of isolation, disintegration, and absolute loneliness. In this world, hell would be waking up to no one. Consciousness without any relationship.

I could not survive by staring down into the abyss, so I searched for the light places, the holy places, the sanctuary. And like the psalmist, I’ve seen God’s glory and might in these thin places. I’ve found refuge and peace and joy within the wells of faith.

Like the sparrow who builds a nest, I found my nest in the faith of my fathers. I make no great claims to have disputed and disproved competing truth claims of world systems, religions, and ideologies. When facing the darkness, I’ve done what most children would do, I went home. Home to the faith of my fathers.

Wrestling with the claims of Christianity, I encountered the Who who kept calling, provoking, striking my heart. In the heart of Christian faith, I met Love in Person. So I write and speak and think from the position of one who keeps coming home to rest in Christ.

From this place of rest, I join the psalmist who prays,

“Whom have I in heaven but you Lord, and to be near you, I desire nothing on earth.” Psalm 73:25Psalm 73:25
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
25 Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee.  

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This short sentence has become something of a “breath prayer” for much of my life. Sometimes this prayer stood between me and the darkness. At first, this prayer was most likely a prayer of escape the struggles of this world.

Over time, I discovered something hidden deeper within the prayer. It is a prayer of relation that is not escaping earth by going to heaven. Rather, it is a prayer for relationship in the midst of the injustices, struggles and questions of this earth. The psalmist desires nothing of an earth where the Lord is absent, where humans are cut off from one another, where our own selfish cravings drive us further and further into isolation, destruction, and corruption.

The psalmist cries out not to be abandoned. He is not abandoned. The Father loves His creation. The Father loves His rebellious children who run from the light of His love. The same Lord who created the world in relationship, redeems the world in relationship.  The Father reconciles the world in and through the Son by the power of His Spirit. He enters into the breach of relationship between God and humanity. He brings all the anguish and suffering and disaster of this breach within Himself.

This restoration is about glorifying the entire cosmos in a relation of love. It is this relation, the mystery of this love revealed in Father, Son and Spirit, calling me into love, into relation, into life.

It seems now that the walk between darkness and light has been a walk between love and rejection of love. On the one hand, the Father has caught me up in a dance of love between Him and all His people. On the other hand, I am tempted to rejected this love, this dance.

In of our world of broken humans, rejecting love becomes so easy for all of us. We can be offended by almost every person we meet during the day. Real pain and real grief from the present combines with old offenses stretching back into relationships and even into childhood. We haunted by the ghosts of our past.
To escape, we may reject love, escape relation and plunge into a waterless wilderness of self-absorption, self-preservation, and self-consciousness. Life becomes heartless and lonely and hellish.

Into the Gehenna of our own creation, the Lord comes. He finds us on the refuse heap of corrupting self-imposed exile and adopts us into the family of God.

He leads us into sanctuary, into a thin place where heaven penetrates earth. We discover this holy place is a place of meeting, a place of relationship, a place of meeting. He is dancing a dance of love. In Him, we hear a song that is singing through all His creation.

Some days, I hear this anthem of love wherever I go. When I show up at the coffee shop, He’s already there loving the people in line, at the counter, sitting at the tables.

Might I join Him?
Might I follow Him into loving those who offend me, who disagree with me, who compete with me?
Might I join Him in loving the Mary Magdelene and others who are cast out and put down by the world around?
Might I also love those in power like the Pharisees?
Jesus is free to love those above and below, those oppressed and those who oppress. He freely embraces friends who will prove unfaithful, unreliable, and undependable.

He even embraces Judas. After a night of seeking the Father about who to appoint as disciples, Jesus welcomed Judas into this community of love. Even though He knew Judas would ultimately betray Him, He loved him, He welcomed him, He served him.

He loves and loves and loves and continues loving from the cross. This love is not momentary: I love you today, but tomorrow I may cut you off. This love is eternal: it crosses ages; it penetrates the good times and the bad times. While looking upon those who are killing Him, He prays for their forgiveness.

His dance of love is a dance on the edge of heaven and earth where light streams through into all people and places. Even the darkness. Especially the darkness.

In this dance, my steps are faltering and failing. I often choose anger over kindness and jealousy over graciousness. Even when I resist and reject His love, He continues calling, embracing, transforming.

He reminds me that I’ve really been adopted into the family of God. I’ve really been embraced by a Father who can turn every wilderness into a fruitful valley. I can really rest in His love. He is completely trustworthy.

Even when I face the darkness of suffering and death, He is still present. In Christ, I let go of pains, of sorrows, of hurts. I can rest. I can dance. By His grace, I am learning to live in the wonder that is bursting through everyone and every thing.

So I join the psalmist this day in crying out for sanctuary in the midst of the wilderness. Lord, I long for Your unfailing love, let me dance with you, in you, before you.

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The Glory That Is Too Wonderful For Words Alone
Colossians reveals the Glory of God in Christ Jesus. This glory is so all encompassing, so sublime, so overwhelming, that it breaks forth from the text and by the Spirit of God, reveals Jesus, the Hope of Glory, in the midst of His people. In other words, we don’t leave the muck and struggle of human existence to encounter God’s glory, His glory encounters us “in the midst” of our struggles, our sufferings, our earthly lives.

Writing from his prison cell to a people in a small, nowhere town, Paul proclaims the absolute Lordship of King Jesus over Colassae, the Roman empire, and the entire cosmos. Beholding King Jesus does not require mystical vision. Rather, a vision of His rule and power is unveiled whenever the gospel is proclaimed. The “word of truth” goes forth in the power of the Holy Spirit and produces the fruit of hope, faith and love.

In the mystery of God’s love, His people are “caught up” into the communion of love between Father, Son and Spirit.

1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,
2 To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father.

Paul uses a common convention when introducing his letter, and yet he infuses it with Trinitarian meaning. His initial greeting can be viewed in four distinct clauses:

1. Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God
2. and Timothy our brother
3. To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae
4. Grace to you and peace from God our Father.

The letter with a greeting that is from Paul (who is speaking and through Christ) to the community in Christ at Colossae. This communication is part of the flow of the Triune life of the Father, Son and Spirit. Paul is speaking by the will of the Father in Christ through the power of the Spirit to the a people who are in Christ by the power of the Spirit according to the will of the Father. When the body functions, it is functioning in and through Christ by the Spirit according to the will of the Father. We as the people of God, participate in the life of God when we gather, communicate, and share the gifts of the Spirit. We are living, breathing, and acting in Christ, by the Spirit and according the will and purposes of the Father.

1. Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God
Paul begins most of his letters by acknowledging that he is an “apostle.” He is addressing the people from a position of authority. Yet this authority does not reside in Paul, but resides in Christ Jesus.

It might be helpful to see a little background on the term apostle. Paul appears to combine a Hebrew word and a Greek word in his use of the word “apostle.”

The Greek word “apostolos” can mean messenger, sent one or ambassador. Its ancient origins appear to have referred to sending out a fleet on a military expedition. Over time, the meaning became applied more generally to a variety of naval enterprises. Eventually the word extends beyond fighting to exploring and colonizing.

The Hebrew word “saliah” also means messenger. It indicates the legal authority a messenger carries on behalf of a person or a community. Paul brings this idea of “legal authority to deliver a message” into the idea of being “sent on a colonizing expedition.”

His authority comes from the Triune community (by the will of the Father, in the Son, and through the power of the Spirit). But Paul first receives his outward commission from the church at Antioch. In Acts chapter 11, we read that the church at Jerusalem hears about the believers in Antioch and “sends out” Barnabas to investigate. Barnabas confirms the work and calls upon Saul (Paul) in Tarsus, asking him to join them.

Barnabas and Paul serve the community in Antioch for a year. Then the prophet Agabus informs the congregation that a famine is coming to Judea. The church at Antioch sends out Paul and Barnabas to raise money for the brothers and sisters at Judea from the other emerging congregations. This “sending out” becomes Paul’s first missionary journey.

He sent out from a body of people on a specific assignment. Much like the Hebrew messenger. Yet, His calling to be an apostle of Christ Jesus has come from the Father. Even as Paul is sent out from the human community, he is sent out from the Triune community.

As he proclaims the “gospel,” the “good news” of King Jesus and his universal rule, Paul establishes colonies of heaven whom he refers to as ekklesia or “called out community.” We call these colonies, the “church.”

Paul, the “apostle” writes as a man on mission. As an authorized representative of the Triune community, he is launching missions into the enemy country while he is imprisoned in enemy territory.

Here is a picture of God’s ironic kingdom. Paul the prisoner writes under the authority of a Palestinian Jew who died at the hands of the Roman Empire from some trivial incident. He is writing to some small, has-been town. And he is writing as one who is in the midst of setting up a colony of King Jesus in the midst of this crumbling kingdom (Roman Empire).

As it turns out, the kingdom did crumble and fade. And colonies of King Jesus continue spreading from town to town and nation to nation.

And Timothy our brother
Paul writes in relationship. Just imagine Paul and Timothy discussing the churches together, praying for the churches and even weeping over the struggles of the churches. In the midst, they may talk about insights or guidance from the Spirit and decide to write down these ideas. This makes the whole engagement from a relationship (Father, Son, Spirit) through a relationship (Paul and Timothy) to a relationship (the Colossian community).

3. To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae
Paul writes to a particular community of brothers and sisters in Christ who live in Colossae. Compared with Rome or Corinth or even Ephesus, Colossae seems like a strange place for Paul to write. He didn’t actually plant the church, and the small town seems insignificant beside its neighbors Laodicea and Hierapolis. JB Lightfoot writes, “Without doubt Colossæ was the least important church to which any epistle of St Paul is addressed.”

Yet, this letter speaks out from that one small town to people across many towns and places throughout history. In this short address, we see a pattern of particularity and universality. When God the Son enters history, He enters at a specific place and time. He is born into a family of the house of David. The man Jesus of Nazareth is and always will be a Jew. Yet He is fully God. Living and acting and interceding on behalf of all races and classes men and women.

God acts in the particular. He acts in the small. The mundane. And often the obscure. Yet these actions ripple outward impacting all things. The life and challenges of a few Christians in a little city on the far side of the Roman empire had and has cosmic significance. In Christ, we begin to discover that every little details matters. Matter matters.

And specifically related to people. We matter. Our little communities. Our little families. Our squabbles and love feasts all matter. Christ dwells in the midst of His people by His Spirit. He works in the midst of our small communities and His great transformative work continues to ripple out, impacting all the world.

Paul writes to the saints and the faithful. Why the distinction? The saints is a Jewish references, focused on the Israel as the “holy ones” or the people set apart as a priestly nation. Paul uses this reference for the brothers and sisters in Christ (Jew and Gentile). He is including the Gentiles in the people of God, those set apart to reveal the kingdom of God.

At the same time, he is reminding, exhorting them to hold stedfast. What are they holding to? A set of morals? A set of beliefs? Based on the exhortations in this letter, I might suggest that they are being exhorted to rest in Christ alone. Hold stedfast to the simplicity of the gospel. Abide in Christ. Love one another.

Don’t be misled by promises of greater power and significance that go beyond the simple rest of the work of Christ Jesus. The temptation in Galatians, Corinthians and other places is to add our own additional set of methods, assurances, observances that may be rooted in racial distinctions or cultic distinctions (calendar observances, etc). While these emphasis are not necessarily bad things, our identity is in Christ alone. The simplicity of that profound work of Grace in us can be clouded by our tendency toward turning good things, ideas and practices into idolatries that become the focal point of our trust for identity, salvation, etc. Hold fast to Christ and Christ alone!

4. Grace to you and peace from God our Father.
Paul offers a blessing from the Father. But we must remember the grace is not some power outside of the person of Jesus Christ. And when Paul blesses Colossae with Grace and Peace, he is exhorting and blessing in and through Jesus by the power of the Spirit. The gift is an outpouring of God’s love in and through the community.

James Dunn reminds me that peace is a Jewish greeting. Speaking to the Gentile and Jewish community who trust in Jesus, Paul offers the traditional Jewish greeting of “shalom.” Yet again, Paul reinforces through speech the ingrafting of Gentiles into the chosen people of God through Christ Jesus. Shalom is a blessing of harmony, prosperity, inward and outward peace that points in some way to the eschaton, the true peace that will finally be realized in the unveiling of Jesus Christ to all the cosmos.

Even as we read these words, we can rejoice that in Christ Jesus we’ve been adopted into the family of God and look forward expectantly to the day when the fullness of Christ will be revealed in all and through all.

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