Tagged: paul

1 Thessalonians 1:1-10

This text is used for the Lectionary Year A on October 22, 2017.

The introduction of the first letter to the Thessalonians has a structure similar to many of Paul’s introductions. It follows the typical Greco-Roman format, which begins with sender and recipient information and moves into a greeting and thanksgiving section. In 1 Thessalonians, though, Paul’s thanksgiving section is superlative in every way. “We always give thanks for all of you constantly,” Paul writes. Then he launches into a glowing recommendation of the believers’ faith, love, and endurance. My family jokingly calls me the queen of superlatives and I defend myself by saying, “Well, I just get so excited about everything that I have to amplify my language to communicate my enthusiasm clearly.” Similarly, Paul is very excited in this passage and expresses his pleasure with intensified language. He has probably just received a report on the fledgling Thessalonian church with the arrival of Timothy and is thrilled to hear that the church has survived through the persecution that plagued its members since the church’s inception.

The story of the founding of the Thessalonian church can be found in Acts 17. After considerable trouble in Philippi, Paul and Silas came to the Macedonian city of Thessalonica. Although Paul’s preaching in the synagogue only yielded some Jewish followers, there were “devout Greeks and not a few of the leading women” that were persuaded by Paul’s teaching (Acts 17:4). It is this diverse group that formed the first community of Christ-followers in that city. There was trouble for this church from the beginning. We learn in Acts 17:5-9 that a group of Jews formed a mob against the believers and even dragged one believer, Jason, from his home just for housing Paul and Silas. The believers then sent Paul and Silas away from their city, presumably to keep them safe, but it is likely that the persecution of the Thessalonian Christians continued even after the missionaries moved on.

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Philippians 3:4b-14

This text is used for the Lectionary Year A on October  8, 2017.

Imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery, but it is also an effective method of discipleship. Throughout Philippians, Paul sets examples before his Philippian disciples for them to emulate. In chapter one, Paul models an attitude of thankfulness in the midst of suffering. He rejoices that his imprisonment has inspired others to proclaim Christ more boldly (1:12-14) and he sets a paradigm for Christ-focused sacrificial living as he announces that for him, “Living is Christ and dying is gain.” (1:21). Then, in chapter two, Paul encourages the Philippians to imitate Christ’s humility when he poetically describes Jesus as one who emptied himself and gave up his divine status to live as a human servant and die a criminal’s death. Chapter two ends with Paul’s desire to send two examples of servanthood to the church, Timothy, and Epaphroditus, disciples who would model sacrifice among the Philippian churches. In chapter three, Paul seems to take a detour in subjects, but his emphasis on imitation continues. Once again, Paul is going to use himself as an example of faithful discipleship so that the believers might find a firm foundation in the face of a looming threat to the community.

On the whole, Paul’s letter to the church in Philippi is one of encouragement and serves as an intimate picture of Paul’s affection for the Philippian Christians. However, Paul does not shy away from addressing the persisting problems plaguing the church, including the squabbling among church leaders, the lack of unity in the body, and the temptations and persecution these Christians experienced on a daily basis in their strongly pagan city. In this section of the letter, which begins in 3:1, Paul does not attack a problem that the Philippians are currently facing but shows deeper insight, warning the Philippians about a challenge that could be just around the corner for them. In 3:2, Paul’s three-part command to be aware (Beware the dogs! Beware of the evil workers! Beware the mutilators of the flesh!) implies that the offenders in question are not yet in Philippi but may be coming soon and could be damaging for the church. Paul had probably already had dealings with these “evil workers” and had witnessed the consequences of their false teaching (perhaps in Galatia). The opponents he describes here could be Jews trying to win converts among the Gentiles or Jewish Christians, perhaps Judaizers, who tried to convince Gentile Christians to adhere to the whole Jewish law. In either case, Paul’s use of the insult “dogs” is sharply ironic. Jews commonly called Gentiles “dogs, ” but here Paul uses the slur against Jews who posed a threat to the Gentile Christian population in Philippi. His passionate language throughout this passage demonstrates how destructive he believed this potential problem could be to the unity and security of the Philippian house churches.

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1 Corinthians 3:10-11, 16-23

This text is used for the Lectionary Year A on February 19th, 2017.

Paul writes to the church at Corinth from Ephesus while demonstrating his deep love for the church and his debt to God’s grace. Paul’s word to the church faces three critical challenges. First, the culture at Corinth presents an almost overwhelming challenge. Imagine walking through Corinth near the time of Paul’s writing around A.D. 54 or 55. The hustle and bustle marketplace in the city, people buying and selling, would grab your attention. Architecture would also catch your eye: the bema, a huge public platform used for legal proceedings (Acts 18:12-17) or the Temple of Octavia, a pagan temple dedicated to Caesar Augustus used for emperor worship or the famed temple of Aphrodite, goddess of love where temple prostitutes gathered and other temples such as the Temple of Apollo or the Temple of Asclepius, god of healing. The beautiful also served as a major trade route.

As a side note, during the reigns of the Roman emperors Tiberius, Gaius, and Claudius (A.D. 41-54) each one constructed many projects and new buildings. Outsiders to Corinth, though, knew that “to be a Corinthian” meant to live a life of immorality. The Temple of Aphrodite contributed to this label.

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