The Foolishness of God

I’ve been reading several short devotionals for Advent recently, and the common theme that seems to pervade them all is Jesus’ humble entrance, his poverty, and his sacrifice. Sometimes when I think of everything that Jesus did in his lifetime, it doesn’t surprise me as much as it should because I just think that he was God on a mission. But the more I ponder, the more I remember, he really was fully human. How tempting would it have been to make his earthly father proud by taking over the trade and being a successful carpenter. At 30 years old, when he began his public ministry, Jesus probably had mastered every skill of the trade and probably had grown a sizable customer base by then. He could’ve built himself a life of comfort. He was probably at the peak of his physical strength and could have started a family like everyone else his age. Of all the people he could have chosen to spend his life with in ministry, however, he chose people who had no education or wealth, who couldn’t have even made him look better in public or have attracted influential people to join him.

Makes me wonder about myself. I don’t regard myself with even half as much humility and lowliness as Jesus did. When I’m 30, I’ll hopefully have finished my PhD. Imagine if I left my profession then and chose to associate with the least educated in my society, befriending them, living with them, teaching and serving them without pay, without amassing earthly comforts, without even the opportunity to make my parents and professors proud. I’m not saying that that is the only noble way to live. It would be foolishness by every worldly measure. But what if God were to call me to that after I graduated? Maybe that’s a little bit like what Jesus did.

How much more obvious can it be to even the most casual observer that Jesus was not out to make an impression on anyone? 

"Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?...For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men...But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God." 
~1 Cor 1:20, 25, 27-29

Textual Criticism

2nd c. fragment of Thucydides' Historiae Bk 7

2nd c. fragment of Gospel of John

"When we have documents like our New Testament writings copied and recopied thousands of times, the scope for copyists' errors is so enormously increased that it is surprising there are no more than there actually are. Fortunately, if the great number of MSS increases the number of scribal errors, it increases proportionately the means of correcting such errors, so that the margin of doubt left in the process of recovering the exact original wording is not so large as might be feared; it is in truth remarkably small. The variant readings about which any doubt remains among textual critics of the New Testament affect no material question of historical fact or of Christian faith and practice." -F.F. Bruce, The New Testament Documents: Are They Reliable?

I am so thankful that Bruce wrote a book like this. Although he wrote it in the 1940s, he has updated and revised it up until the 80s, with footnotes pointing us to recent studies on the dating of the NT documents. It is absolutely fascinating.

Bruce began his academic career as a classicist, studying the NT in its classical context. Thus, this book was born out of his observation that, in comparison with the classical texts we have now, the NT documents have much more extant manuscript evidence pointing to its authenticity (see Preface to the Fifth Edition).

I found this point absolutely true this semester as I began studying the texts of three Euripidean plays. I was first introduced to textual criticism in seminary, so my first exposure to manuscript evidence was overwhelming. There was a never-ending number of biblical manuscripts (not to mention allusions and quotations from early Christian authors) to sort through in coming to a provisional conclusion on an original wording. Yet, when I began reading Euripides, I glanced at the critical apparatus and was shocked at how few manuscript evidence there was to go on. Rather than a list of variants, it was mostly a list of corrections proposed by modern scholars. Most of the manuscripts, in fact, are medieval.  (e.g. The Bacchae is based on two medieval manuscripts, the L and P, dating to the early 14th century, with eight rather incomplete witnesses from the 2nd cent. BC to the 5th AD, which means the earliest fragment is still three centuries after the play was written.) Yet, there is much less discussion on the authenticity of classical works. To be fair, there do exist many fragments on such classical works dating back to the first few centuries BC and AD, but hardly entire works (as compared to the Codex Sinaiticus, for example).

Knowing these facts gives me more confidence and interest in textual critical work of biblical manuscripts than classical. Obviously, as a student of ancient languages, the older the evidence, the more exciting the research!

Trust

"[Grace] falls over the waterfall of the present into a reservoir called past grace, and, therefore, past grace reservoir is getting bigger every minute, which means you've got more to thank God for every minute of your life than you did before. The right response to past grace is thankfulness, and the right response to future grace is faith... (paraphrase) To trust in past grace means to draw from it confidence in future grace." - John Piper, sermon at BBC

Pastor John gave a very fitting sermon yesterday in view of the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday. He preached on living by faith in future grace. It realigned my perspective on trusting God. More than any other year, this year has probably been the greatest lesson in trusting God I've ever received. From enduring a nerve-racking graduate school application season, to finishing my degree at GCTS, to moving halfway across the country, to starting a grueling doctoral program, I have never had more opportunities squeezed into a single year to learn a little more about trust.

It dawned on me yesterday after hearing the sermon that when I pray for more trust in God, I'm really praying for more experiences like I had this year, because my trust in God grows by recalling past evidences of his grace. It fuels my trust in him for future grace.

The psalms are replete with examples. Here is a small sampling:

Psalm 77 - "I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your wonders of old. I will ponder all your work, and meditate on your mighty deeds."

Psalm 9 - "I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds."

Psalm 63 - "My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food, and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips, when I remember you upon my bed, and meditate on you in the watches of the night; for you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy."

Psalm 66 - "Come and see what God has done: he is awesome in his deeds toward the children of man..."

Psalm 103 - "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's."

Psalm 106 - "Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever! Who can utter the mighty deeds of the Lord, or declare all his praise?"

Psalm 107 - "Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man... Whoever is wise, let him attend to these things; let them consider the steadfast love of the Lord."

You can't go far into the book of Psalms without coming across a recounting of God's deeds in the past.   Pastor John made a point that trusting in God's promises takes a lifetime to learn, so we have to make it a habit. David was definitely someone who had the habit of reviewing what God had done in the past, and to allow the resulting gratefulness fuel his trust in God for the future.

What better time to start building this habit, if we aren't already doing so, than this week as we all get a bit of extra time off to ponder what God has done.

Life of a Classics Grad Student: A Self-Interview in Pictures

What do you do for school?

What do you do during your free time?

What books do you read for fun?

(a moment of indulgence in self-pity)

Doing for God

Bedouin Goatherd at Wadi Kelt, Israel

Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you;

your burnt offerings are continually before me.

I will not accept a bull from your house

or goats from your folds.

For every beast of the forest is mine,

the cattle on a thousand hills.

I know all the birds of the hills,

and all that moves in the field is mine.

If I were hungry, I would not tell you,

for the world and its fullness are mine.

Do I eat the flesh of bulls

or drink the blood of goats? -Psalm 50:8-13

If you were like me and grew up in a church ever since you were a kid, you’ve probably heard this phrase a million times: “We’re doing this to serve God.” It was drilled into me from a very young age. All service -- leading worship, cleaning the church, going on a missions trip, visiting nursing homes, singing in the choir, holding clothing drives and food drives, teaching Sunday School, babysitting the kids at cell group meetings, leading small groups in youth group, etc. was for God.

It struck me as I was reading this psalm this morning how ridiculous the notion is that I could do anything for God. Does God really need my help to do any of this? Do my sacrifices of time and talent benefit him in any way? Can I give anything to God that isn’t already his? Problem is, I grew up with this notion that I could benefit God, or at least his kingdom, by being self-sacrificial and volunteering my time and energy to doing good deeds.

This psalm, however, says that nothing we give or offer to God is needed, because everything is his to begin with, including our time and our talents. So what exactly are we doing when we “serve God”?

Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving,

and perform your vows to the Most High,

and call upon me in the day of trouble;

I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me. -Psalm 50:14-15

The attitude of these following verses is one of thanksgiving and the posture is one of receiving, even while “doing for God.” What that means is, I do for God, because getting involved benefits me. I want to be a part of his work in the world, not because I can do great things for him, but because he will do great things in me while I’m involved.

A loose analogy would be something like the relationship of a master and his apprentice. The apprentice doesn’t work for the master primarily because the master needs help; rather, the apprentice helps so that he can learn the trade, thereby benefitting from working for him.

All service for God benefits me, not God. God can get his purposes accomplished perfectly without me. Yet, that fact doesn’t encourage me to slack off and do nothing, because doing for God benefits me. What kind of benefits? Experiencing his goodness in giving me his best, seeing more of his faithfulness in keeping his promises, feeling security and joy in doing the work I was made to do, and watching my life unfold more perfectly than I could ever have planned for myself.

Once in a while I wonder if my work is as beneficial to God’s kingdom as, say, the work of a missionary, or a social worker, or a Bible translator, or a pastor, or even a musician. But I am mistaken to even think in that way. Doing for God can’t be measured by how much or how little it affects his kingdom. It is measured by how closely I am walking in step with the Spirit, by my faithfulness to any task he gives me, and by the hope I have when I follow his leading.

In other words, there is no point in judging a Christian’s usefulness by what he does for God. In God’s sight, no one is useful. We are only responding to the gift of his invitation to join him in his work, and in the process, reap the benefits on our own heads. When we follow his leading, nothing is ever wasted.

Goliath: A Lose, Lose, Lose Situation

"Who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?" -1 Samuel 17:26

I recently re-read the story of David and Goliath and was reminded again of why David was a man after God's heart. He had incredible confidence in his identity in God.

It struck me that when Goliath came out to challenge Israel, the passage says that "All the men of Israel said, 'Have you seen this man who has come up? Surely he has come up to defy Israel." However, when David hears this guy, he says something slightly different: "Who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?" And again, "Your servant has struck down both lions and bears, and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God." And when he addresses Goliath: "I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied."

Clearly, David recognized from the start that Goliath was not just defying Israel. He was really defying God himself. The battle wasn't a champion versus a lone, young boy. It was a human champion versus the living God of the universe. That perspective was what gave David the courage to stand up to this guy and enter the fight with full confidence that God would deliver.

Complete trust in the almighty, unconquerable God. It makes me think how unfounded my fears are when I encounter evil and hostility toward Christianity in this world. If I genuinely believed that my identity is wrapped up in Christ, and that God is fighting for me, I would have no lack of boldness. I would not be hesitant to display my faith in Christ. And I would not be so concerned for others' acceptance of me.

David didn't use his confidence in his identity for personal gain either. "This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand... that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel..." He wanted God to make his own name glorious in the face of this God-defying, self-exalting human being. He was confident that God is a jealous God and his glory will not be robbed by an insignificant, boastful human.

I want David's kind of confidence in my identity in God. When I am rejected, judged, or considered naive to be a Christian, when my choices and goals in life do not make me look successful by the world's standards, and when I am despised for it, it doesn't need to affect me, because it is the almighty God of the universe whom they are rejecting, not me. The God I serve can't be beat. So let his enemies try and fight, because, to borrow words from The Office, it is a "lose, lose, lose situation."

Parents revisited.

It's really kind of foolish how in all my thoughts about the future, I know exactly how I want things to go. I think that I know exactly how I want to raise my kids, how I want my husband to act, and how I will behave as a wife and mother. In reality though, I wonder if I will actually be able to carry out all of my ideals.

In recent generations, there seems to have been a sort of pervasive arrogance towards how we think of older generations, especially our parents' generation. I know that I so often naturally think that my future plans are going to be better than my parents'. After all, I know what they've failed at and what I will be sure to avoid when I am older. The truth is, I don't really know what my parents went through to give us kids the experience and life we had. Maybe they did fail in some areas, or could have improved in others, but they have also succeeded in many, many things.

If I stepped back and looked at Mom and Dad objectively, they really are incredibly capable individuals. They left their homeland when they were my age and moved halfway across the world to a place that doesn't speak their native language. It is impressive how they were able to get a Master's in the US, raise 4 kids, homeschool, and now preach, teach, and counsel everywhere.

Chances are, I probably won't even be able to match what they've done, so how foolish and arrogant of me to think that I can improve on them and manage my future family and marriage better.

It's easy to observe their failures and think that I would never make the same mistakes. But I'm sure that there are some things that are much more complicated and difficult to manage when you are actually in the moment. For example, I've always told myself that I will never spank my children while angry. I will be consistent with family rules. I will train my babies to sleep by themselves. I will teach my children Latin and Greek at an early age. Etc etc etc. But the fact is, I'm sure they had the very same ideals I have. Maybe facing the situations firsthand is much more difficult than sitting here theorizing and planning.

It's not that I think it's pointless to have ideals. It's the arrogance of thinking that I will be more capable and careful to do better than my parents. It's the wrong mentality to have. I should rather be looking up to them and hoping to emulate them in the good things they've accomplished. The same goes for the other adults of their generation who have been a part of my life. I want to be looking for the things I can strive to imitate, instead of thinking that I can be a better woman.

It's quite true how they say experience is the best teacher. I will never know how much the older generations know until I have experienced it for myself. Once I have to deal with a sick or rebellious child, then I will probably be in awe at how my parents survived four.

Why does my generation have such a distrustful attitude towards older folks? Why do we distrust their experiences and wisdom so much? What is it that makes us think we know better? Perhaps it's just natural human pride. We see their errors and are confident we would never do the same in their shoes, but we really won't know until we experience the same for ourselves. Let's cultivate an attitude of humility toward older generations. There's so much to be gained.

Review: A Royal Waste of Time by Marva J. Dawn

This is a book I read for theology class that I recommend for everyone involved in church ministry.

Review: A Royal Waste of Time by Marva J. Dawn

"Single" Eyes

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

“The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!

“No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.

Matthew 6:19-24 (NIV)

Pastor Caleb Ingersoll preached on this passage several weeks ago. I've always wondered why Jesus stuck that paragraph about the eye being a lamp right in between his lecture on earthly vs. heavenly wealth. The first paragraph talks about storing treasure in heaven, and the third paragraph about serving either God or money. Both are about heavenly vs. earthly wealth. So what does the eye being a lamp have anything to do with it?

Caleb did an awesome job explaining to me from the Greek how it is related. The NIV uses the word "good" to describe the eyes. In Greek, the common word translated as "good" is ἀγαθός. The interesting thing is, that is not the word used in this verse. The word in this verse is ἁπλοῦς which means "single". In other words, if your eyes are single-focused, your whole body will be full of light. The Greek word translated as "bad" in the NIV is not the typical κακός but the word πονηρός, which, in a physical sense, means "diseased". Eyes that are diseased usually cause problems in vision, like the inability to focus on things clearly.

The passage makes much more sense after looking at the Greek. Those verses in the second paragraph are leading up to Jesus' statement about God and money. You need to be single-focused in your devotion to God. A divided focus between heavenly and earthly wealth is a diseased focus. It brings only darkness.

Just wanted to share that cool tidbit I learned from the sermon. Discoveries like this send shivers of excitement down my spine.

Wow, Moses.

I've read Exodus 32 probably a hundred times by now, and I can't believe I never noticed Moses' awesomeness in his little exchange with God here. The action is all focused on the idolatrous, whoring Israelite nation, dancing in front of some beautiful, golden calf, when just weeks ago, they were all fearing for their lives as God's terrifying presence descended on Mount Sinai. God was so angry with them he wanted to wipe them out flat.

So God says to Moses in v.10: "Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them, in order that I may make a great nation of you." What?? Moses was just offered a perfectly good chance to quit his frustrating role as leader of the complaining, ungrateful Israelites and be recipient of a wonderful covenant with God. He could have made a great name for himself. And it wouldn't have been against God's wishes either. God wanted to do this. If I were Moses, I would've totally let God have his way. God wants to give me this amazing honor? Sure! Why not?

Instead, Moses intercedes on Israel's behalf and pleads for God to turn away his anger. And his reasons are, one, because the Egyptians would mock, and two, because God had made a covenant with Abraham. In other words, Moses was more concerned about God's reputation among the nations and his covenant faithfulness than about his own worth and prestige.

Amazing. Moses is definitely a guy who had his heart and mind set on making God's glory great. God's offer to Moses must've been so enticing. I mean, if God handed me an amazing opportunity like that, such as to become the president of Oxford University or become a bestselling author, I'd jump at the chance and be utterly grateful to God. But Moses was like, "Uh uh, I am not taking you up on that. Your glory is more important."

Yes, theologically speaking, God's glory would have been demonstrated either way, by punishing Israel's sin, or by upholding his covenant with Abraham. Ultimately, of course, he does both. But I'm just saying that, at that moment, Moses' biggest concern was God's renown. Would that I could remember that for myself always.