Scripture Reflections

Usually our newsletter devotions come from Sunday’s readings, but the boss is out of town and we’re taking some liberties! Today’s comes from John 2, the first passage in our new young adult study.

Jesus performed seven miracles in the first eleven chapters of the Gospel of John. He healed the dying, restored the crippled, gave sight to the blind, fed the hungry, and even raised Lazarus from the dead. His power on display showed that he has authority over all creation, even death itself. He didn’t do these signs to prove anything to anyone. Rather, the signs pointed toward Jesus’ mission—he came to die and rise again, and through his resurrection to restore all things. That’s why most of the signs were literally life-saving. 

But the first sign is different. Jesus is at a wedding, and the bridegroom didn’t bring enough wine for the guests. The only thing dead here is the party. No one is in danger. No one needs to be rescued. The only thing at stake is the reputation of a poor guy who didn’t plan well. That might be a bigger deal than we think it is, but it’s not life and death either. Still, we need to take note. The Son of God is on this cosmic mission, but the very first thing he does is quietly lift one man’s impending shame by turning water into wine. 

John follows this sign with Jesus’ cleansing of the temple. These two scenes seem so different from each other, but John goes out of his way to connect them. There are several reasons for this, but one very quietly ties Jesus’ motives in both together. 

After Jesus drove out the traders and money-changers, his disciples remembered a passage of scripture: “Zeal for your house will consume me.” This line comes from Psalm 69:9. That psalm is the prayer of someone who is unjustly drowning in shame and disgrace:

“The flood sweeps over me.” 

“What I did not steal must I now restore?” 

“It is for your sake that I have borne reproach.” 

“Dishonor has covered my face.”

“Save me, O God! For the waters have come up to my neck.”

It’s easy to dismiss shame as something we ought to be able to deal with ourselves. It can seem so inconsequential, especially when we compare it to matters of life, death, cosmic renewal, etc., but it’s at the core of Jesus’ mission. He will obliterate our shame by burying himself in it on our behalf. He will replace it with the glory of resurrection life. In John 2 it’s a quiet point, but it’s a strong one. Let that whisper of peace in Christ override all the world’s chatter and accusations today.

Justin

Psalm 123

To you I lift up my eyes,
O you who are enthroned in the heavens!
Behold, as the eyes of servants
look to the hand of their master,
as the eyes of a maidservant
to the hand of her mistress,
so our eyes look to the Lord our God,
till he has mercy upon us.
Have mercy upon us, O Lord, have mercy upon us,
for we have had more than enough of contempt.
Our soul has had more than enough
of the scorn of those who are at ease,
of the contempt of the proud.
Psalm 123

We usually think of mercy only in terms of what God shows us when we sin. His mercy, in those moments, is defined as “not getting what we deserve.” This definition accurately summarizes what it means for God to have mercy on us in our sinfulness, but it does not exhaust the Biblical conception of the mercy of God.

The psalm from last Sunday is a cry for mercy, but it has nothing to do with our sinfulness. Instead, it is plea that God would have mercy on people who are suffering the contempt and scorn of the proud. In this context, mercy is better defined as “relieve my suffering,” or “give me fair treatment.” This prayer springs from the heart of the down-trodden, who are subjected to hostile treatment from “those who are at ease”—wealthy and powerful people who persecute the people of God. God’s people cry, “Have mercy upon us, O Lord,” longing that God would show up and deliver them from this contemptuous cruelty.

Most of us won’t immediately identify with this psalm, and the dozens of others that express a similar prayer. We might experience the scorn of the proud from time to time, but it isn’t our ordinary experience. But whenever we are confronted with a psalm that doesn’t immediately apply to us, we should ask, “About whom should I pray this?”

There are, after all, Christians all over the world suffering the scorn of the proud. From those in Nigeria to those in North Korea, from China to the Middle East or India, we have brothers and sisters suffering under the oppression of hostile tribes and governments. For them, we can cry out to God for mercy, for alleviation of suffering and for fair treatment, looking to God as his eager servants. He is enthroned upon the heavens, yet he hears the prayer of his people, so let us plead for his mercy for these brothers and sisters!

Steven+

Song Spotlight

"Arise, Shine, for Your Light Has Come"

If you’ve ever thumbed through the Book of Common Prayer, you may have come across some songs with familiar words under a funny name. These “canticles” are songs from the Bible or from other texts written between the Old and New Testaments. They are among the oldest songs that God’s people have sung together, and they have a rich history in the musical history of Anglicanism.

On Sunday, we are going to sing a song based on one of these canticles—the 3rd Song of Isaiah (Isaiah 60). It starts with a wake up call: “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of God is on you.” The light breaks through a heavy darkness that covers the whole earth. In other places, Isaiah has used “darkness” to refer to ignorance and idolatry. It ought to have been confined to the world outside Israel’s borders. The light of God’s presence, reflected by Israel’s obedience to God’s law, should have kept it at bay. It should even have penetrated it like a beacon of hope to the world. Instead, Israel welcomed the darkness into itself, and Isaiah warned that the consequence would be exile from the light of God’s presence into the darkness of the surrounding nations.

Still, God promises to right their failure and re-gather Israel’s scattered children. The restoration of Israel and the joyful submission of the nations to God will take place together. The unleashed glory of God has a gravity that will draw the exiled and their neighbors toward Zion, like water running uphill. “Arise, come to the open gates, for the Father is welcoming you.” This hope isn’t just for the ones who stuck it out in the city. It’s for the lost and wandering too. If you find yourself there, may this song turn your heart toward the Father who has already opened the door for you.

God will turn this ragged crowd into a new people. He will feed and shelter them, and he will dwell with them. In his presence even the sun won’t shine, because the Lamb will be all the light that we need (Rev. 21:23). The fact that we are here shows that he has been keeping this promise. I hope this song will help your heart long for the rest of its fulfillment!

-Justin