John the Baptist Proclaims God's Message

International Sunday School Lesson
For Week Ending December 28, 2008

Scripture Text: Luke 3:7-18 (NRSV)

Background: Luke 3:1-20

Purpose: To consider how we can proclaim by our actions our commitment to God.

Luke 3:7-18
(7)John said to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, ‘You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? (8)Bear fruits worthy of repentance. Do not begin to say to yourselves, “We have Abraham as our ancestor”; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. (9)Even now the axe is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.’
(10) And the crowds asked him, ‘What then should we do?’ (11)In reply he said to them, ‘Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise.’ (12)Even tax-collectors came to be baptized, and they asked him, ‘Teacher, what should we do?’ (13)He said to them, ‘Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you.’ (14)Soldiers also asked him, ‘And we, what should we do?’ He said to them, ‘Do not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusation, and be satisfied with your wages.’(15) As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah,(16)John answered all of them by saying, ‘I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. (17)His winnowing-fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing-floor and to gather the wheat into his granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.’ (18) So, with many other exhortations, he proclaimed the good news to the people.

My Thoughts by Burgess Walter

This is our second look at John the Baptist. We also visited John in our first study of the year, back in September. At that time the Gospel of Mark was our source. Today we look at this unique character from Luke's gospel.

Since the finding of the “Dead Sea Scrolls” left by the Essenes, Bible scholars have been debating whether John the Baptist was a follower of the Essenes. The Essenes were a group that now claims such followers as John the Baptist, Jesus, Mary, and Elizabeth and Zechariah as well as many of the disciples. They rebelled against the organization or Temple structure that existed in Jerusalem. They felt it had been corrupted during the reign of the Maccabees, when the priesthood was sold to the highest bidder and was no longer necessarily of the linage of Aaron. They were apocalyptic, meaning that they expected God to act soon to destroy evil. They had a commune near the Dead Sea. They were very scholarly, and well versed in many types of religions, but they also believed in being separated from a corrupt world.

John was not your typical Evangelist, he was not there to attract a crowd, he was there to preach repentance, he did not care what your station in life was, he preached repentance. He told his audience that being a son of Abraham meant nothing. He preached, as Jesus did, about sharing with those that were without. If you are a Tax Collector that is okay but do not collect more than you were suppose to. If you were a soldier that is okay but do not extort or use your authority to falsely accuse and quit complaining about your wages.

I am going to spend some time talking about the “threshing floor” found in verse 17. I find this reference very interesting. There are many references to the “threshing floor or threshingfloor as it is referred to in the King James Old Testament.

The first mention is when Joseph takes his father Jacob/Israel home for burial in Genesis 50:10-11. Another reference is when Gideon puts out the fleece in Judges 6:37. One of the more interesting is found in the Book of Ruth where Ruth's mother-in law convinces her to go to the threshing floor where Boaz is working late and he wakes up with Ruth at his feet (Ruth 3:2-14) and out of this union came Obed, father of Jesse, father of David.

Another interesting event takes place in 2nd Samuel 24:16-24.and I Chronicles 21:15-28.(same story) David had disobeyed God and God was ready to destroy Jerusalem, but God repented and David purchased the “threshing floor of Araunah or Ornan the Jebusite” and erected an altar. The interesting thing is, that this is exactly where Solomon chooses to build the Temple (see 2nd Chronicles 3:1). Now knowing all of this is the reference to the “threshing floor” is really a knock at the organized Jewish leaders that ran the rebuilt temple, in Jerusalem. Is John the Baptist saying God is going to clean out His “threshing floor,” meaning the Temple? We know Jesus ran the money changers out of the Temple, but is John saying your time has come and gone, you will now be judged. Truly for us Gentiles, it was “good news” God's promise to Abraham was extended to all, God's grace that was extended to David at the “threshing floor of Ornan” was extended to each of us. How will our actions proclaim our commitment?

Shepherds Glorify God

International Sunday School Lesson
For Week Ending December 21, 2008

Scripture Text: Luke 2:8-20 (NRSV)

Background Text: Luke 2:1-20

Luke 2:8-20
(8) In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. (9)Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.(10)But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: (11)to you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is the Messiah, the Lord. (12)This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.’ (13)And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, (14)‘Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favours!’(15) When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.’ (16)So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. (17)When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; (18)and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. (19)But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. (20)The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

My Thoughts by Burgess Walter

This passage has a lot of interesting ideas, and the first thing I notice is how the author Luke, brings in the more humble and lowly, much like he did with women. In his text, he introduces us to the shepherds. The occupation of shepherd was not a lofty one to aspire to, it was more like the second job for those that had trouble making ends meet. It does however, have a very favorable history for the Jews. Remember Moses was tending the herds of Jethro, his father-in-law, when God spoke to him through the burning bush. And Isaac tended his father-in-laws herds. David was tending the sheep when Samuel came to Jesse's home to anoint a king. At first glance we would say why, "the shepherds in the fields", why not in Rome to Caesar? Or in the Temple to the High Priest? How would either of these been received?

We are not told if this angel was the same angel, Gabriel, that had spoken to Mary, and Zechariah. We are told that he appears with a host of angels as well as the “glory of the Lord.” We know from the Old Testament that God's glory often appeared to the traveling Jews in the Exodus, sometimes as fire and sometimes as a cloud. It was called the “Shechinah Glory” by Jewish writers but that word is not used in the Bible. It refers to “a visible majesty of divine presence.” I can understand the terror they felt, but notice it was only Zechariah, that met the angel in the temple by the altar of incense, that doubted. Every indication is that the shepherds saw, heard, were frightened, but it never says they doubted. Unlike Zechariah they could not wait to tell their tale, or to find this evidence that the angel promised.

The promised Messiah, could be found as a baby, lying in a manger, in the city of David. That in itself would require a lot of faith, to believe the King of Kings and Lord of Lords would be found wrapped in some cloths and in a manger, not a palace, no crown or ring, just wrapped in bands of cloth. The heavenly chorus starts singing and praising God, that order is about to be restored. God is in heaven and peace is coming to His creation. The sins of Eden are about to be reversed for ever and ever to those that accept him as their Lord and Savior.

If we can find the same faith as the shepherds, we to can find the Babe, waiting for us to accept Him as our new born King. The shepherds felt the urgency to go quickly and find this thing that the Lord had made known to them. I can imagine the doubt of those standing near by and hearing the shepherds story. I can also imagine the satisfaction that Mary felt, by the confirmation of what Gabriel had told her from the beginning. It all makes sense for those that believe, to everybody else, it is just a nice story. What are you doing to share your story of how you found this Babe of Bethlehem, that can save to the uttermost, that can bring a peace to your world that the rest of the world can only mock? The shepherds returned to their job glorifying and praising God and telling their story. What story will you tell this Christmas?

Elizabeth's Commitment

International Sunday School Lesson
For Week Ending December 14, 2008

Scripture Text: Luke 1:39-45 (NRSV)

Luke 1:39-45
(39) In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, (40)where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. (41)When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leapt in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit (42)and exclaimed with a loud cry, ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. (43)And why has this happened to me that the mother of my Lord comes to me? (44)For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leapt for joy. (45)And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.’

My Thoughts by Burgess Walter

This lesson, like so many others, needs to be placed in historical context. For more than 500 years the people of Israel and Judea had lived in slavery or under a very oppressive ruler. There was little hope and their life was, for the most part, mundane and humbling. People went about their life, but there was little joy in the daily living. Luke puts a historical marker in when he references "In the days of King Herod of Judea." Herod had been appointed by Rome in 40 BC and he pleased Rome by being a very oppressive ruler of the Jews. He tried to keep the Jews happy by rebuilding Solomon's Temple, but he also had to extract the tax from those same people in order to keep Rome happy.

Years earlier the Prophet Zephaniah had written in his prophecy of 3:12-13; “For I will leave in the midst of you a people humble and lowly. They shall seek refuge in the name of the Lord -- the remnant of Israel; they shall do no wrong and utter no lies". God had indeed left a remnant of lowly, humble servants; among them were Mary, her cousin Elizabeth and Elizabeth's husband, Zachariah. Luke tells us both Elizabeth and Zachariah were decedents of Abijah, who was a descendant of Aaron, and therefore of the priestly line.

This couple took the commitment to God and their responsibility to continue the priestly duties very seriously. Because of this we can assume, since this was Mary's cousin, that Jesus could also claim the priestly line as well as the Kingly line from David. Jesus would qualify for both priest and king.

I think it is important to remember that Zachariah was doing the Lord's work when he was confronted by the angel Gabriel, and was told of this special child that was growing in Elizabeth's womb. Zachariah was so shocked and because of his lack of faith, in believing Gabriel, he was struck dumb and unable to speak until after the birth of John. Even though Gabriel had said John would be filled with the spirit while still in the womb,imagine Elizabeth's surprise when he leaps inside of her at the appearance of Mary and the fetus of Jesus. No wonder Elizabeth, shouted "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb,” when Mary entered her home.

It's important to note that it is Elizabeth that pronounces the blessing on Mary. Mary was not on the same social or economic level as Elizabeth and Zachariah. Mary was lowlier than her cousin Elizabeth, yet Elizabeth pronounces a blessing on her. It reminds me of Abraham and Melchizedek when they met in the King's Valley in Genesis 14 and Abraham receives the blessing of Melchizedek and offers a tithe to him. Melchizedek knew Abraham was called by the "God most high."

Luke does not tell us why Mary went to visit her cousin Elizabeth, and share with her the visit of Gabriel. We can only assume because Elizabeth and Zachariah had also received a visit by this same angel and because Elizabeth and Zachariah were of the Levitical line she felt close to them, and knew she could share this heavenly news and not be ridiculed. She would in fact receive the very blessing Elizabeth gave her. It is amazing what happens when everyone involved are being obedient to God's call on their life. Mary receives the blessing and Elizabeth is blessed by giving birth to the one that would "make straight the path".

This lesson along with last week's lesson is about commitment. The question for us is also about commitment. How committed are we? Are we willing to seek out those than can help us make sense of an abrupt change in plans? Are we willing to put conventional thought aside and believe God has a plan for us? God has given us a commandment "Go and tell." as well as "Go and share.

Mary's Commitment

International Sunday School Lesson
For Week Ending December 7, 2008

Scripture Text: Luke 1:46-55 (NRSV)

Luke 1:46-55
(46) And Mary said, ‘My soul magnifies the Lord, (47) and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour, (48) for he has looked with favour on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; (49) for the Mighty One has done great things for me,And holy is his name. (50) His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. (51)He has shown strength with his arm; He has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. (52) He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; (53) he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty. (54)He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, (55) according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants for ever.’

My Thoughts by Burgess Walter

As we approach this Advent season, I am glad we can take a look at this important and interesting passage from the Book of Luke. In his Gospel, as well as in his second letter to Theophilus (The Book of Acts), Luke differs from the others in the way he portrays women. This passage is often called "The Magnificent," from the first word of the Latin translation. There are fifteen discernible quotations from the Old Testament in this poem, showing Mary's insight and knowledge of the Old Testament writings. Also note that this all takes place in the presence of her relative, Elizabeth, who will soon bear a son called John, whom we will come to know as "John the Baptist," or John the Baptizer. In Luke's Gospel, Luke writes not only about women, but also on the needs of the poor, and other disenfranchised individuals. I would like to look at these verses and see what we can glean.

The poem begins in verse 46, with Mary's gratification that God has chosen her, a poor but devout young woman, to bear the Messiah. When Mary says, "My soul magnifies the Lord," it is rather profound. The Greek word translated as "soul" in this verse has a complicated meaning. In Hebrew thought, the soul was not a separate entity that left the body at death. The Hebrew's considered body, soul and spirit all parts of human nature. They were all parts of a unified, whole person. Mary uses "soul," here, to mean the depths of her feelings and emotions. She expresses an idea similar to that of the author of Psalm 103:1, when he said, "Bless the Lord, o my soul, and all that is within me, bless His Holy name."

In verse 47, the second line compliments the first, when you add, "my spirit rejoices in God my Savior" to, "my soul magnifies the Lord." The poem expresses how fully Mary praises God. The Ancient Greek use of, "savior," implies protection and deliverance. In Greco-Roman society, the term was used to describe Gods and political leaders who provided safety and material comfort. In Hebrew, this word was often used to describe God's rescue and deliverance of Israel, as in Isaiah 43:3 and Psalm 34:3-6, where there are many of the same themes we find in Luke 46-47. Certainly, the way Mary uses the term in Luke, indicates God's sovereignty, protection, providence, and care. In verse 48, similar to Luke 6:20-22, Luke highlights one of the important themes of his Gospel, the idea that those who are poor, outcast, or downtrodden are blessed. In Luke's understanding, Mary was chosen by God, not in spite of her lowliness, but because of it. When Mary calls herself lowly, she does not mean that she is inwardly humble, she refers instead, to her low social standing.

Mary's role of bearing the Christ Child would affect all of subsequent human history. Mary would be a blessing to all generations to come. In verse 49, Mary, having used "Lord" and "Savior" to describe God, uses a third title, "The Mighty One." This term speaks of God's power and strength. (The Greek word "mighty," comes from the same root from which we derive the English word dynamite.) "Mighty," refers to God's ability to act and influence events. The use of the word "holy" carries its original meaning, which referred to something that was set apart, worthy of dedication. To call God's name "holy" is to speak of the reverence and respect due to God.

The Methodist are sometimes called a "holiness" denomination, since we believe in being set apart for God and in being dedicated to God and his teachings. In Mary's words, God's name is to be set apart for special treatment.

Verse 50 is a reminder that God's mercy is dependable. God is consistent, showing mercy through time, "from generation to generation." It is God's mercy that balances his power and might in the previous verse. God is both powerful and merciful. Fearing God is an act of respect, reverence, and awe.

Verse 51 gives a different picture, one of a muscular God who can scatter the proud. The proud includes the arrogant and those that think of God as an equal or a lesser, or as a myth, at best.

Verse 52 is more specific. God judges corrupt political leaders (as well as corrupt church leaders). He can bring low the mighty and raise up the lowly.

Verse 53 shows the contrasts and tensions that come from a "Holy God." The challenge is for those that have, to share with those that are without. God can bless whom He wishes, and He can withhold His blessing if He chooses. None of us have a claim to His riches, we are only promised His presence (Emmanuel).

Verses 54-55 connect God's act in Mary's pregnancy with Israel's history. God promised the patriarchs that Israel would be an important people and that they would be God's special instrument. God had been present throughout Israel's history, always sending leaders and prophets and teachers to guide His people. Now, through Mary, He was about to become one of us so that he could be a better priest, prophet, teacher and savior.