Reflections Upon Paul’s Ephesians 1:15-23 Prayer – Part One

 

Reflections Upon Paul’s Ephesians 1:15-23 Prayer – Part One

 

Overjoyed to learn of the burgeoning Christian community in Ephesus, Paul writes and prays for this gathering of new disciples. He is also elated that the light of Gospel of Jesus Christ continues to spread throughout the Roman Empire. It is amazing that Christ’s message of love, grace, mercy, forgiveness and redemption reaches Ephesus, a major city. The Temple of Artemis stood in the city as an imposing religious structure. It ran three hundred columns on the side; possibly the length of three football fields. The cult of Diana remained unchallenged in the city of Ephesus until Christian disciples arrived. Following his apostolic mission to the city, Paul swells with enthusiasm when he learns of a burgeoning church community in a major Roman metropolis. He rejoices that the Gospel of Christ is reaching further into the Roman Empire. Beyond competing with emperor worship and myriad religions in the empire, the message of Christ is now available to average people, specifically the Gentiles. They have an eternal and earthly alternative to daily debauchery and licentiousness. Moreover, they can rightly relate themselves to the Risen Lord of  the universe who imparts unfailing love, redemption and personal transformation to them. He writes to the Ephesian disciples to encourage and empower them as well as express his unbridled excitement.

 

In this powerful first chapter of the book of Ephesians, Paul prays for the church. He starts a prayer that extends to the end of the third chapter. Typical of this learned man who wishes to impart the breadth and width of his knowledge and passion for Christ and His teachings, the apostle interrupts himself. He makes a few pastoral and theological detours within this prayer designed to empower his readers and hearers with a toolbox of spiritual disciplines. Each distraction affords the Ephesian disciples with practical tools for personal growth and spiritual development.

 

Central to this passionate pastoral prayer is the eighteenth verse. Paul intercedes on behalf of the Ephesians and asks the Heavenly Father to open the eyes of their hearts. He also asks Him to enlighten them as it relates to the hope in which they have been called and the glorious inheritance of God’s people. It is important to dissect that verse and its compound phrases. What are the eyes of the heart? How do you open them? Who opens them? Does God exclusively open them? How do disciples know when they are open? Paul’s statement evidently references a dimension of sight that exceeds natural eyes. Conceivably, it is possible to embrace daily life while simultaneously being blind to certain realities. Amid a very bleak experience, disciples can stumble in darkness because they fail to see any hope. Paul insists that Almighty God imparts eternal hope to disciples. In the Ancient Near East and specifically in the dynamism of the Roman Empire with its licentiousness,  myriad temptations and threat to the lives of Christian people, Paul encourages Ephesian believers to remain hopeful. Despite their sufferings and persecution because the civic religion of emperor worship fiercely opposed their wholehearted and unequivocal devotion to Christ, Paul recommends that they steadfastly put their hope and trust in Christ.

 

Paul then addresses the glorious inheritance of holy people. Anyone or anything that is holy has been set apart exclusively and distinctly for God’s purposes. Anyone or anything claiming to be holy cannot be contaminated by the vicissitudes of the world. They are clean vessels internally and externally. All residues of worldliness have been removed. For the people who have chosen proactively to devote themselves to the expansion of Christ’s teachings, reign and kingdom, they receive a glorious inheritance. As the generation of Israelites, who were born in the wilderness wandering years, unquestionably believed the promises of God inherited the Promised Land (Joshua 17); contemporary disciples who believe and trust God will inherit His covenantal promises. There are rewards to faithfulness in obeying God’s commands and promises.

 

Paul prays that the Ephesian believer will receive this revelation. He encourages them to resist the temptation to lapse into the quicksand of self-reliance. Oftentimes, we seek access to God’s power to realize our self-centered desires. We pay lip service to the concepts of discerning and obeying God’s will. Realistically, we do not want to know it. We really want His power to realize our will. In contrast, Paul prays that the church at Ephesus will abandon this ingrained self-centered fear. Paul rather hopes that they will allow Almighty God to show them the extravagance of knowing and living in His will. Hence, the apostle prays that God opens the eyes of their hearts to enlighten them.

 

You recall the childhood story of Pandora’s Box. Yielding to temptation though he had been warned straightforwardly and duly, someone opens the box. All types of critters, creatures and circumstances come out of the box. Unimaginable disastrous consequences appear. If only the person had listened to the dire warnings. Fearing destruction, the disobedient person finds solace and deliverance in the final thing that emerges from the box, the enduring attribute of hope. With the mercy of God and resilience, the errant person can seize hope and transform his life.

 

Similarly, Paul assures the Ephesians that they acquire hope as they genuinely rely upon God. He can redeem any situation no matter how adverse, misguided or erroneous. In opening the eyes of our hearts, the Holy Spirit reveals God’s presence. The fog of fear, depression, guilt, bitterness, cynicism, strife and other toxic emotions eclipse God’s presence. These penetrating emotions obscure hope. We cannot see anything positive. Paul says persevere within hardship believing in God’s unfailing love and unquestioned faithfulness. A personal Promised Land awaits if you seize hope.

 

Recently, the chief executive officer and director of human resources decided to terminate the employment of a staff member. In the three years and two months that I worked at this nonprofit organization, this team member had been given multiple opportunities to improve his performance, attendance and work relationships. They allowed two leaves for drug treatment. They mediated four or more verbally harsh confrontations with fellow employees whom he threatened. They allowed numerous occasions in which he disappeared for days and returned later without any explanation or doctor’s notes. He missed mandatory special days of work. His personnel file became thicker with disciplinary memoranda. A final outburst in the hallway of headquarters in which he berated his supervisor with profane and threatening words was the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back. Upon reading the lengthy and detailed description of the incident, these senior officers resolved that this situation was untenable and warranted termination.

 

This fellow is still active in drug addiction and alcoholism. His personal hygiene suffers considerably because he devotes his money to servicing his habit. He lives in an apartment that the organization owns. A payroll deduction is the method by which he pays his monthly rent. He takes clothes from the donation bin that the organization uses to serve the community. Primarily, he utilizes food donation places in the surrounding neighborhoods to eat. Essentially, he has imprisoned himself to his addiction by establishing guard rails of food, clothing and shelter. He does not see his incarceration. He falsely believes that he is free. He fallaciously thinks that he is in control of his life because he guards against homelessness, hunger and nakedness. He did not realize that he was not free to lose his job or consider working somewhere else. He did not accept that he did not have financial resources for entertainment, travel, clothing, transportation or other activities. His enslavement to his addiction does not allow him to experience anything other than work and perpetual pursuit of a mood-altering substance. The termination equates with an earthquake in his life. The foundation has been shattered into countless pieces. What will he do?

 

Reflections Upon Paul’s Ephesians 1:15-23 Prayer – Part Two

 

Reflections Upon Paul’s Ephesians 1:15-23 Prayer – Part Two

 

Having written the final disciplinary memorandum that yielded the decision to terminate his employment, I felt absolutely no regret or guilt. He should have been fired some time ago. The delay which created considerable legal liability for the organization baffled me. On the night following the decision, I spent time interceding on behalf of this man. I prayed Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians. I asked God to open the eyes of his heart to see that he had been given a chance to liberate himself from the bondage of addiction and imprisonment to reliance on an organization to manage his life. I hope he will see that he has become a ward of the organization. Someone else determined his care for his basic needs. He lacked self-reliance. At nearly forty-five years of age, he depended on them to provide for him as if he were their underage son. Still, he has an opportunity to regain his life and progress toward self-realization. I prayed well into the evening and early morning that he would turn to Almighty God instead of running toward yet another drug binge. Finally, he arrived at an existential state in which he could be free if he would put his hope and trust in Almighty God.

 

At the end of the book of Ephesians, Paul admonishes the church. “Be strong in the Lord and the power of His might.” I prayed that my former colleague would ask God for the strength and courage to resist the obvious and immediate impulse to use drugs. Would he look to God, the Maker of Heaven and Earth? Would he humble himself and say the words of the Serenity Prayer or a very simple an personal petition. “God, I don’t know what to do. I need your help. I do not want to buy and use drugs. Help me to see You in this process.” That genuine prayer would suffice to glean divine wisdom and assistance. Throughout the night and well into the next morning, I prayed fervently that this man would appeal to God for strength, willingness and mindset to see an open door to a new life. Finally, he could relinquish his imprisonment and belittling dependency upon other people. I hoped that he could imagine a life of genuine reliance upon God. That he could begin to envision a life of self-determination. He could embrace a way of life in which he is free to grasp the unique life that God created him to enjoy. I prayed that God would open the eyes of his heart to enable him to see abundant life which allows disciples to create and contribute to the betterment of humankind to the glory of God. Until I fell asleep, I asked God to dispatch angelic presence to this man to accompany him through the fourth watch of the night with the hope that he would rebuff the temptation to pursue drugs and alcohol. I sincerely hoped that he would ask God to help him.

 

Within a day of that man’s termination, another gentleman was fired. This second man had twenty years of experience at the organization. Mild mannered and gentlemanly in every sense of the word, he had near perfect attendance and no complaints. Periodically, this man expressed his displeasure with the lack of a promotion or any definitive expressions of gratitude. Unsurprisingly, he did not say anything being the gentleman that he is. It is regrettable that the people to whom he reported failed to value this man and his longstanding contributions to the organization. His termination is the surest indication of their contempt and indifference. Unjustly, they terminated his lengthy employment with a frivolous justification. He was on vacation. The director of human resources called him to advise him to read his email which contained official correspondence detailing his immediate termination. The incivility of their actions is simply astounding. Undeservedly, he accepted their decision. He came to the office to collect his belongings and wish the people with whom he worked well.

 

For him, I prayed that God would open the eyes of his heart and reveal the new beginnings embedded within this cruel injustice. Perhaps his previous words about ingratitude were an indication that he should move forward professionally and personally. Though he was not ensnared in the throes of addiction, he was imprisoned equally to a job that held no advancement financially or vocationally for him. He could have remained in that position for the balance of his working years without ever receiving just compensation or recognition for his contributions. Ironically, termination is the best outcome for some people. Its finality compels people to examine themselves and their lives. Otherwise, they remain comfortably on the merry go round of daily routines. Losing a job forces you to evaluate your skills, abilities, interests and allocation of time and energy. Introspection causes you to ask whether you are doing what you want to be doing? Are you living your best life? Are you earning enough money to enjoy life? Are you living the life you imagined? For this former colleague, I suspect that he was not. I never sensed any happiness or joy within him. He can appeal to God for guidance and assistance in rewriting the script of his life.

 

Steadfastly and genuinely, I hope both men progress to relying unconditionally and wholeheartedly upon God’s love, grace and faithfulness. The Bible describes the Lord’s will as “good, pleasing and perfect.” Living within His will results in a joyous and unimaginable life. We can release the bondage of addiction or imprisonment to paralyzing fear. Notwithstanding the stark contrast between these men and their lifestyle choices, both are existentially incarcerated. However, their terminations within a day of each other open the doors of their respective lives to new and exciting possibilities. Will they be able to see them? If they withdraw and humbly and sincerely ask for God’s help, He will open the eyes of their hearts.

 

Learning of the burgeoning faith in the Christian community in Ephesus, Paul writes to express his exuberance. Possibly, he sees this growing group of disciples in one of the most secular cities in the Ancient Near East as a major advancement in the cause of Christ. Even in ruins today, Ephesus reveals the vibrancy, brilliance, commerce, cosmopolitanism and diverse social and religious offerings of her heyday. Were you to travel to Turkey and stand on main street, as you view Ephesus’ impressive ruins, you can feel the energy, drama and vitality of the city. Archeologists have unearthed multistory apartments of the wealthy who had the equivalent of penthouses to take advantage of Ephesus’ commerce and culture. As you walk, you pass bath houses which were places of questionable activities. There are a few temples dedicated to Hadrian, a Roman emperor. The remaining façade preserves ornate and ostentatious Corinthians columns. At the end of main street, the remains of the Library of Celsus stand. The repository of tens of thousands of scrolls, this ancient library was one of the most impressive buildings in the Roman Empire. It gave Ephesus the distinction of being a major learning center. Interestingly, there were underground tunnels in the library that led to brothels. Men deceitfully told their wives that they were going to the library to read and study. A short distance from main street, the Temple of Artemis, one of the most imposing and impressive religious buildings in the Ancient Near East, extended the length of three football fields. More than three hundred Corinthian, Ionic, Doric and Composite columns adorned and upheld this formidable structure. Paul rejoices that the cause of Christ has gained an expanding foothold in this urban center of learning, commerce, culture, religion and governmental activity. He commends Ephesian disciples for their faith and love of God’s people. Primarily, he expresses his gratitude for them by consistently remembering them in his prayers.

 

Reflections Upon Paul’s Ephesians 1:15-23 Prayer – Part Three

 

Reflections Upon Paul’s Ephesians 1:15-23 Prayer – Part Three

 

Presumably, Paul prays for strength and perseverance for these new Christians in Ephesus. Beyond his excitement about their conversion to Christ, he realizes that they will face continual challenges to their development as disciples. Ephesus offers myriad temptations and possibilities to abandon their newfound faith and allegiance to Christ. Would they be able to endure and remain faithful to the Lord’s teachings and principles? Would they misguidedly try to blend Roman secularism and paganism with Christianity? Would they fallaciously compartmentalize their devotion to Christ while tolerating and participating in the licentiousness, hedonism and unbridled liberty of Ephesian society? Would Roman culture always win when it clashes with Christ’s Gospel? Paul prays for these recent converts as they develop spiritually during the embryonic years of the Christian faith. His example reminds mature Christians to pray for new believers. The twenty-first century global village and marketplace offer as many distractions, impediments and chances to backslide as the young believers in Ephesus faced. The internet can facilitate the worst impulses, especially selfish tendencies to indulge physical instincts. Vociferous claims that further secular humanism, moral relativism and religious pluralism drown out appeals to traditional Judeo-Christian values and approaches to family composition and social structures.

 

Social media is a double-edged sword. It instantaneously exposes governmental, legal, political and social scandals wherein leaders harm marginalized and vulnerable people, waste public resources and violate oaths of office. It is a means for average people to advocate for themselves and counterbalance the excesses of leaders. However, the internet regrettably gives voice to countless uninformed people who wax eloquent and authoritatively about public policy issues about which they know very little. Some independent journalists and influencers reinforce some of the worst impulses of society. They encourage worship of celebrity, self-aggrandizement and myriad hedonistic proclivities. Idolatry unfolds in many forms. Acquisition of millions and hundreds of millions of views, clicks and subscribers uncritically yields approval and endorsements. Hardly anyone will argue with commercial success. This incredible and incalculable resource and equally formidable and substantial obstacle could easily undermine any recent convert’s personal growth and spiritual development. Nonetheless, prayer remains one of the most reliable means of encouraging and empowering new disciples.

 

Paul asks God to empower his new brothers and sisters in Ephesus with the power of the Holy Spirit. He asks that they receive God’s power to sustain them as they obtain deep roots in the Christian faith. Amazingly, a magnificent oak tree that gives shade in summertime, offers leaves as fertilizer and maintains ecological balance between humankind and nature begins as an acorn. Just as remarkable are the invaluable contributions of countless Christians in the lives of people whom they encounter that begin with a sincere confession in the redemptive and sacrificial work of Christ. Each of these natural and social, relational and human interactions occur because of the growth of deep, wide, long and tremendous roots. Interestingly, it takes eight years to fully dig up an oak tree. The roots are so immeasurable that the search for them requires nearly a decade to extricate them. It is the hope of elders in the Christian faith that new disciples will grow roots in their love, commitment and faithfulness to the Lord that parallel the growth of an oak tree. Prayer for their perseverance in the Christian faith is necessary. In the testimony services of my childhood, many congregants would end their sharing by asking the gathering to “pray my strength in the Lord.” Embedded in this request is the desire to remain faithful to the Lord in heart, mind, soul and strength. There is also a desire to attain and maintain Christian integrity wherein a disciple’s cardinal principles and daily practices cohere. There is the practical and personal plea that the disciple will not yield to temptation and “fall away” from the Christian faith. Concern for the maturity of new believers (second and third generation Christians)  was a colossal concern for Paul and other first-generation disciples. The early Christian and New Testament church utilized four main spiritual disciplines: (1) learning the apostles’ teachings, (2) reliance upon the Holy Spirit, (3) fellowship and (4) prayer. Paul emphasizes the nonnegotiable practice of prayer in any disciple’s life. He prays for safety, growth and endurance of Ephesian disciples.

 

Parenthetically, the Lord in the “High Priestly Prayer” which the Fourth Evangelist records in the seventeenth chapter of his gospel prays for “those who will believe in me through this message.” Fascinatingly, during His earthly ministry and on the eve of His death and resurrection, the Lord Jesus Christ prays for all future believers. His prayer extends to twenty-first century disciples. More than twenty centuries ago, the Lord anticipates the spiritual assistance that neophyte believers would need to remain committed to Him and His Gospel. Moreover, He knows all disciples within their sociopolitical, economic and cultural context would need the Holy Spirit to strengthen and encourage them. Additionally, the evangelist, in the second chapter of his First Letter (1 John 2:19), speaks regrettably of some disciples who departed from the fold because they were not truly committed to Christ. Perhaps, they never truly submitted their hearts and minds to the Lord. Maybe, they never developed genuine and dedicated roots in the Gospel. Conceivably, no one prayed for their growth in the faith. You will also recall in Luke’s account of “The Last Supper,” (Luke 22:7-38), the Lord tells Peter that the devil seeks to sift him and the other apostles like wheat but that He, the Lord, prayed for them. Christ knew that they would face overwhelming obstacles and opposition as they sought to expand the church. Contemporary disciples contend with relative adversities as they strive to maintain intellectual respectability and existential integrity of the Christian gospel in the global village and marketplace.

 

Paul says he continually asks, “the Glorious Father,” “the God of our Lord Jesus Christ” to impart wisdom and revelation of the Holy Spirit to enable the Ephesian disciples to know Him better. Were they to grow persistently in a meaningful and deepening relationship with the Lord, their love, devotion and faithfulness commensurately grow. In this intercessory prayer, Paul specifically asks that God cultivates the spiritual gift of discernment in these new believers. He hopes they acquire spiritual tools and practical skills to differentiate between the fleeting delights of the world and the eternal and enduring promises of the new covenant that the Lord establishes. Wisdom in the biblical sense is the growing ability to reasonably apply spiritual, moral and ethical insight in appropriate ways to daily choices. Christian discipleship requires these spiritual gifts to mature and remain faithful. Plausibly, Paul recalls this stage of his Christian development and remembers the necessity of these spiritual gifts and abilities to perseverance in discipleship and ministry. More significantly, these components of discipleship empower disciples to more comprehensively know the Lord. That knowledge of Him practically yields greater acquisition of the heart, mind and character of Christ. Beyond intellectual assent, religious commitment, congregational fellowship and adherence to theological creeds and moral principles, Christian discipleship culminates in allegiance to the Lord and dedication to expanding His kingdom on Earth. Practically, it results in applying Exodus 20, Micah 6:8, Isaiah 61:1-10, Matthew, 6-7, Matthew 25, Luke 4:18, John 1-21, James 1:26-27 and 2:14-26 among countless other scriptures to all dimensions of professional and personal life. Paul’s prayer for the Ephesian church applies to contemporary disciples whose quest to develop parallels the challenges of these early Christians.

 

Reflections Upon Paul’s Ephesians 1:15-23 Prayer – Part Four

 

Reflections Upon Paul’s Ephesians 1:15-23 Prayer – Part Four

 

Paul specifies his petitions for the Ephesians. He asks God “to open the eyes of their heart” and “enlighten” them to comprehend the hope which He offers in Christ. He yearns for them to realize “the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people.” The “eyes of the heart” look twice and with intention upon spiritual and personal circumstances with gaining greater comprehension. They yield mental insight wherein understanding takes shape in the mind. Beyond the logical conclusions that a person derives from natural observation, the eyes of the mind attain epiphany. The “eyes of the heart” is a type of sight that yields clarity of mind, heart and will. Decision making is no longer done in a myopic, one-dimensional way. The ego and rational mind no longer predominate. Spiritually, the Holy Spirit speaks through intuition thereby allowing the inner voice to articulate God’s will, the inner eye to see His purposes and the inner ear to hear Him. The “eyes of the heart” opens a new realm of living and existence through intelligence, intuition, integrity and intention. This insight empowers disciples to understand God’s mysterious and ironic ways. This enlightenment increasingly yields divine wisdom and spiritual revelation that practically empowers disciples with the capacity to recognize God’s presence, grace and truth in daily life. It enables them to progress beyond rational concepts and grasp faith in God and hope as He selectively orchestrates human affairs to fulfill His promises and will. Faith and hope emerge from an interdependent relationship with Almighty God in which disciples experience God’s unfailing love and unimpeachable faithfulness. Paul’s prayer for enlightenment is a petition that the ability to consistently comprehend God’s purposes and spiritual realities will equip these new believers to mature as adherents to Christ’s teachings and building His kingdom.

 

The eyes of the heart enable Joseph to forgive his brothers, renounce punishment and revenge and spare their lives. Had Joseph remained angry, bitter and resentful, his thirst for retaliation would have thwarted God’s plan for establishing Israel as His chosen people through whom the nations of the earth would be blessed. The story of Joseph in Genesis chapters 37 to 50 is one of remarkable mysteries, ironies and forgiveness. His brothers cruelly sell him into slavery. His master’s wife, to whom he has been most respectful and obedient, becomes furious because Joseph does not yield to her seduction. Duplicitously, she levels false accusations of attempted rape and maneuvers his unjust imprisonment. Wrongfully convicted and unjustly incarcerated, Joseph spends a seemingly endless time in prison where his fellow inmates benefit from his spiritual gifts and kindness but are indifferent toward him. Freed before and because of Joseph, a few of them forget their pledge to remember him on the other side. More time passes and a famine strikes Egypt. Desperate for guidance, Pharaoh is open to assistance from any reliable source. God orchestrates the revelation of Joseph as His chosen instrument to resolve the famine and utilize it as the means of furthering His plan of salvation for humankind.

 

In Genesis 45, Joseph serves as the prime minister of Egypt as his abilities and gifts won Pharoah’s unqualified endorsement. His management of the famine as he averts starvation in the nation furthers God’s will. Jospeh’s magnanimous heart compels him to share food with surrounding nations as the expanse of the famine threatens their populations. His sharing extends to his family who travel to Egypt for food lest they starve. Their trips reunite Joseph and his brothers. The ensuing twenty years transform Joseph’s heart. His compassion for people motivates him to prevent starvation of countless people. Moreover, he learns the necessity of forgiving his brothers. Joseph retrospectively sees through the eyes of his heart that their dastardly deed was a component in God’s sovereign and gracious plan.

 

In revealing himself to his brothers, Joseph declares that God redeemed their evil action and utilized it as a means of saving the lives of many people. “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” (Genesis 50:20) Supernaturally, Joseph sees how God’s sovereign will redeems the years of his pain and suffering by transforming them into His providential purpose. This insight allows Joseph to forgive his brothers. He realizes that God transform their evil deed into a campaign to prevent countless people from starving. Joseph’s gifts, character and personality qualify him to become God’s instrument to save many people from starvation and launch Israel as God’s light to the nations. Had Joseph harbored and nurtured his thirst for revenge, he would have missed his divine destiny. I do not trivialize the depth of Joseph’s pain and disillusionment over the twenty years between being sold into slavery and reuniting with his brothers. It takes considerable time to heal from childhood and formative trauma. Those wounds are deep and thoroughgoing. Years of talk therapy may be necessary to achieve holistic healing and peace.

 

Forgiveness usually is paramount in the personal journey toward self-acceptance and self-realization. In time, it is possible to relinquish vengeance and righteous indignation. Looking through the eyes of the heart enables disciples to forgive as the Lord commands. Paul asks God to impart wisdom and revelation of the Holy Spirit to the Ephesian church. Joseph obtains wisdom as he yields his life to Almighty God and unwaveringly trusts Him though he may not understand any contradictions in which he lives. Undoubtedly, Joseph questions his cruel enslavement and unjust imprisonment. Why did God allow these evil deeds to occur? Though Joseph remains righteous, one adversity follows another one. Meanwhile, the author of Genesis says throughout the Joseph discourse, “the Lord was with Joseph.” As the seasons revolve for twenty years, Joseph receives divine wisdom and revelation. God opens the eyes of Joseph’s heart and enlightens him to see God’s will and purpose in Joseph’s life. God reveals to Joseph His plan and how He imparts His favor to Joseph to accomplish it. Through the eyes of the heart, Joseph realizes God’s use of mystery, irony and inconsistencies through human pain and inequities to manifest divine love and grace. As with Joseph, Paul hopes the embryonic community of Christian disciples in Ephesus will receive proportionate insight to empower them to endure as believers and purveyors of the Lord’s Gospel. He prays that God will equip them with spiritual gifts to realize that He will utilize their personal adversity to accomplish His purposes as He did in Joseph’s life.

 

Pause and consider any experience you have had in retrospectively seeing God’s divine purposes in your life. A wrongful termination may have catapulted you onto the path of your destiny. You could have remained on a lifelong detour and missed the very purpose for which you were born. A denial of admission to a graduate school degree program may have served a similar purpose. You may have acted hastily and applied to the wrong program. Your ego may have been seduced by a monetary option that did not cohere with your heart’s true desires. I recall interviewing a former banker when I worked previously as a graduate admission administrator. She made an appointment with me to formalize her application to a teaching program in English Education and teaching. On the previous Friday, she learned that she would lose her job because of right sizing in her department following a merger. For several years, she avoided termination after other bank mergers. On that morning, she felt God’s presence and comforting grace. She accepted a boilerplate severance package. To their great chagrin, the human resources professionals marveled at her calm response and sincere gratitude. She left the meeting and immediately made the call that yielded our appointment. This former banker confessed, “I feel as if God did for me what I simply could not do for myself. I have known for more than a decade that I only want to teach literature to high school students. I want to share my passion for good writing and reading with them. I want to turn on the light bulb in their minds. But I could not pull myself away from the money.” After her successful entry and completion of  the masters degree program, she began her career as a high school teacher.

 

Reflections Upon Paul’s Ephesians 1:15-23 Prayer – Part Five

 

Reflections Upon Paul’s Ephesians 1:15-23 Prayer – Part Five

 

With the eyes of the heart, she saw God’s handiwork in her life. Heretofore, money blinded her to seeing the mysterious ways in which God sowed the seeds of providence in her life. On the day of her epiphany, her humility and willingness to consider that God had mysteriously intervened in her affairs removed those lucrative scales. The Holy Spirit entered that bank conference room and enlightened her inner perception thereby enabling her to comprehend God’s favor upon her desire to teach. Perhaps, you have an experience similar to the banker turned English literature teacher. Whether work, education, love or a heartfelt dream, the “eyes of the heart” allows you to look beyond physical realities to see spiritual dimensions. Idea and activities that have eternal value are more meaningful than things with earthly worth. Paul begins this prayer for the Ephesians with a heartfelt hope that they will receive wisdom and revelation to enable them to see and understand the spiritual dimensions of living in the realm of Christ’s kingdom.

 

It is important to read the entire eighteenth verse. In the first half, Paul prays for the Ephesian church’s enlightenment. What is the objective of this prayer? He asks God to enhance their spiritual abilities in order that they may know the hope into which they have been called. For these people who lived in the Ancient Near East, hope was not a fleeting emotion in which people cross their fingers and wish all circumstances interconnect favorably. Hope extends beyond the heartfelt desires of a precocious and articulate grade school child who recites prayers that he had been taught. Hope is a well-reasoned commitment to a cause greater than personal ambitions and desires. It is a determined effort to realize grand ideals, cardinal principles and achievable goals. Hope requires knowledge, reason, mathematics, science and social science. Campaign staffers exercise their hope as they work tirelessly to gain an election victory for their candidate. For a year or more, they commit practically every waking hour to the overarching goal of electing a candidate whose platform, ideas and promises they believe are best for the electorate. Beyond their positive feelings for their candidate, they live their hope through the practical commitment of their hard work. As new converts to Christianity, Ephesian disciples can begin living a life of hope in the Lord’s teachings, building His kingdom and fulfilling The Great Commandment and The Great Commission. As they continually experience the infinite blessings of transformation, renewal and hope in Christ, they understand their dedication to Him by sharing this hope with others. Within the complexity of living in the Roman Empire’s social licentiousness, emperor worship, religious pluralisms and competing marketplace of ideas, recent disciples need practical hope to empower them to persevere in the Christian faith. They will employ the same intellectual tools and pragmatic methods as campaign workers. The Ephesian church begins its campaign for Christ’s teachings and kingdom. Expanding the church a disciple at a time is the hope to which the Lord calls them.

 

Additionally, Paul hopes the Ephesians understand “the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people.” Once in beginning a sermon, I asked all wealthy people in the audience to stand. Initially, a few people stood. After a few minutes, more people stood. Then, people began to stand until most people were standing. Some people did not stand. I asked, “For those of you who hesitated, does this exercise reveal your concept of wealth? I suspect that most of you initially gauged your wealth in terms of money. However, money is not the sole determinant of wealth.” Paul’s use of “riches” in this verse refers to a greater conceptualization of wealth than examining a financial balance sheet. Biblical linguists in translating this verse understand wealth to be cumulative. There is the increasing wealth of knowledge that emerges from continual scientific experimentation, social science research, composition in the fine and performing arts and evolving ideas in the marketplace of human need, desires and interactions. The total volumes of libraries in the world equate with the wealth of human discovery, knowledge and development. Museums arguably are more valuable than any bank as they are repositories of collective wealth of human ideas and imagination about God, nature, love, life, death and existence. The international space station represents future wealth for humankind as we learn whether space is inhabitable for mass populations. Essentially, science, technology, art and cultural expression are mechanisms of appreciating wealth. Still, there is wealth that people only obtain in relationship and experience. Marriage, family, work and friendships are examples of human interactions that impart wealth from the ancestors, history, traditions, culture and community. It is these cumulative and relational riches to which Paul refers in this verse.

 

The Ephesian disciples are poised to become recipients of incalculable wealth. They are the recipients of the Lord’s “glorious inheritance in his holy people.” The Wesleyan and Methodist quadrilateral views the Christian faith from four dimensions: Experience, History/Tradition, Reason and Scripture. First century Ephesian disciples inherit the faith of their forebears, specifically the original apostles and adherents to the Jesus movement. The first generation of disciples were faithful adherents to the teachings of Christ. They through the prevalent saying source imparted His authentic principles and lessons as they primarily witnessed them through their direct experience of Him. The “Beloved Disciple” and “Fourth Evangelist” testifies to his personal experience. “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life.” (1 John 1:1) Second and third generation disciples listened to John’s discourse and teachings of his immediate experience of Christ during the three and a half years of Jesus’ public ministry. Chances are John also shared lessons from the seminars that the Lord held with the twelve apostles in private after public preaching, teaching and healing. As the Ephesians listened and internalized these teachings, they inherited the riches of the original and authentic faith wherein they became disciples. Paul expresses his excitement for them that they have received such an invaluable gift in the collective Christian witness of their forbears. The apostles’ experience forms the historical foundation of Christianity. In sharing the Lord’s teachings, the  apostles discard false teachings, myths and superstitions.

 

The church offers disciples the cumulative wealth of Christian experience which empowers contemporary believers to endure in faithfulness to Christ regardless of personal and societal challenges. In tough times, disciples know they can triumph over adversity because their forebears successfully persevered during hardships. Paul encourages Ephesians congregants to embrace this eternal wealth instead of falling prey to erroneous teachings and questionable practices. He assures them that they will mature and contribute to the developing community of Christian faith. He points them toward eternal riches which can enrich a disciple’s earthly journey.

 

Reflections Upon Paul's Ephesians 1:15-23 Prayer - Part Six

 

Reflections Upon Paul’s Ephesians 1:15-23 Prayer – Part Six

 

In addition, this component of Paul’s prayer reminds us that the collectivity of disciples is “the Church.” For its first four and a half centuries, the church existed without ostentatious buildings containing stained glass, iconography, artwork, impressive pews and other material indicators of organized Christianity. Yet, the church grew exponentially. Trade routes and emerging organic relationships explain this growth. Wherever disciples went, they shared the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Ironically, Rome’s persecution of Christians compounded the growth of the Church. As disciples scattered to the outer regions of the empire, they founded additional house churches and Christian communities. Without the trappings of institutionalization, a professional and ordained clergy or social approval, the Church through the individual witness of committed disciples who lived in all corridors of the empire grew considerably. Whereas elaborate and impressive buildings designed with remarkable architecture symbolize the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ, they are merely bricks and mortar. The Church remains that grand existential and ontological gathering of disciples throughout the world who have committed their minds, hearts and souls to Christ’s teachings, example and kingdom.

 

In the nineteenth verse, Paul submits that the Lord imparts “his incomparably great power to us who believe.” The Greek adjectives  to describe Christ’s power in their etymological foundation translate into three primary adjectives: great, majestic and glorious. That combination alludes to the power that the Heavenly Father employs in resurrecting Jesus from the dead. Paul assures Ephesian disciples that the Lord makes available to them the same power that liberated Him from the pangs of death. Biblical commentators contemporize the translation of power and equate it with an arsenal of intercontinental ballistic missiles. Disciples do not live in fear, anxiety or trepidation. They rebuff emotions that emerge from such defeatist and toxic experiences. Regardless of what circumstances unfold daily living, Christians unquestionably believe that they can triumph over any adversity. They rely genuinely upon the Lord’s graciousness in sharing His power. In fact, one Bible scholar interprets the word, power, in this verse as “limitless potential.” Practically speaking, disciples have access to supernatural resources to defeat any enemy, resist any confrontation, answer any charge and surmount any situation. Because the Lord is gracious and liberally shares His power with disciples, they will become “more than conquerors” through His unfailing love. The latter part of the first clause of this verse reminds disciples of the necessity of belief in Christ. He shares incomparable power with anyone who believes in Him. Paul clarifies this nonnegotiable requirement of discipleship for the Ephesians.

 

The Lord shares His power with disciples to accomplish His purposes and actualize His principles. It is regrettable that some contemporary disciples seek this power to fulfill self-seeking desires or to neutralize self-centered fears. In the last half-century, the dominance of the “Gospel of Wealth and Health” in the United States corroded the biblical and discipleship imperative of fulfilling “The Great Commandment” (Matthew 22:34-40) and “The Great Commission” (Matthew 28:16-20). Compounded by the proliferation of the megachurch movement and the ascendancy of celebrity clergy persons whose success was most definitively measured by church budgets, membership and social media presence, this questionable theology distorted the purpose and principles of the Gospel. The Church exists to fulfill the cause of Christ, make disciples, adhere to baptism in obedience to His example and teach His principles to new converts. Therein, disciples expand the kingdom of Christ on Earth. From the period of apostolic gifts during the embryonic years of the church to the Holy Spirit’s guidance of disciples within the global village, the Lord shares His “mighty power” with believers to equip them to be the body of Christ within their communities. They practice self-care for congregants and provide direct services and social justice advocacy for their brothers and sisters in the human family.

 

The twentieth verse specifies that the same power of resurrection and ascension is available to disciples. Disciples can experience resurrection in everyday living. Difficult experiences such as termination, divorce, severe health challenges, natural disasters, accidents and myriad unforeseen circumstances can coalesce into an existential death. Working mysteriously within our challenges, the Lord imparts His power to enable us to withstand adversity. Each hardships presents means of personal development and spiritual growth. To conform to the heart, mind and character of Christ, we emulate His example and apply His principles in all affairs. Contrary to popular assumptions, we mature as disciples through practical and personal challenges. Growth requires more than memorization of Bible verses and attendance at corporate Christian education events. As we embrace daily challenges, we can experience resurrection countless times. In the eleventeenth chapter of the Gospel of John, Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead. The evangelist notes that Lazarus has been entombed for four days which means he was undeniably and unquestionably dead. Translated into the life of a contemporary disciple, Lazarus’ plight symbolizes hopelessness. However, the Lord appears and invokes new life as He recalls Lazarus from the dead. Similarly, the Lord recalls twenty-first century disciples to new purposes within their daily hardships. The Christian pastor and author, Eugene H. Peterson, explores pragmatic ways in which disciples apply Lazarus’ story and the concept of experiencing resurrection daily in his compelling book, Living the Resurrection: The Risen Christ in Everyday Life.

 

Paul in the twenty-first verse reminds Ephesian disciples of Christ’s supremacy. Jesus is Lord of all. During His earthly and public ministry, Jesus preached, taught and healed countless people. According to the apostle, John, enough books could never be written to minimally record Jesus’ incredible and miraculous deeds. (John 21:25) After such an indescribable and incredible ministry, Jesus is handed over to the Roman government and crucified as a common criminal for inciting insurrection against the Empire. The government crucifies Him. He dies and is buried. On the third day, Almighty God raises Jesus from the dead and exalts Him as the Lord of all. After appearing to His disciples and others who were especially chosen, Jesus ascends to heaven and sits at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty. Christ’ exaltation and ascension permanently and irrevocably elevates Him “far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.” Therefore, disciples in Ephesus, a major metropolis in the Roman Empire, do not need to fear any threats borne of emperor worship, Roman military might, demand for allegiance to the Empire and passage of laws. The name of Caesar or any Roman political official is not supreme to the Name of the Risen Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord retains unequaled preeminence in the first decades of first century and in any age to emerge. Beyond indicting prevalent emperor worship and reassuring Ephesians disciples despite daily threats to their lives, Paul encourages them that they now serve the most powerful Being in the world and universe, now and always.

 

Next, Paul designates the Church as the primary beneficiary of Christ’s exaltation. Why would disciples pledge their love, loyalty and allegiance to anyone or anything else other than the Person teachings and cause of Jesus Christ? The Lord’s power is available to the church to accomplish His purpose and build His kingdom. On Earth, the Church is the collectivity of Christ’s agents and ambassadors whose vocation is the emergence of Christ’s reign. Disciples pursue and esteem the kingdom of Christ above and beyond any government in which they live. To accomplish this task, Christ graciously imparts His power to the Church which “is His body, the fullness of Him who fills everything in every way.” In essence, the Lord completes His ministry and mission through the Church as He designates it as His body on Earth. Christ is daily completing “The Great Commandment” and “The Great Commission” through them. The latter two verses of this prayer and passage indicate the purpose for which the Church exists. The body of Christ seeks and implements the will of Christ.

 

Realizing the challenge that these neophyte believers will face, the apostle includes a prayer in this letter. First, Paul asks the Holy Spirit to instruct his fellow disciples with wisdom and revelation to bolster their relationship with Christ. He then asks that the Spirit open the eyes of their hearts to reveal to them the essence of the hope to which they have been called in Christ. Paul fears that the surrounding threats of Roman law and distractions of an illicit society will undermine their personal growth and spiritual development. He hopes they realize the great and magnanimous hope they share with the continuing generations and legacy of believers. Practically, the Ephesian disciples should glean faithfulness and fortitude from their forbears in the Christian faith. Additionally, they should rebuff any defeatist attitude as their community expands. The same power that raised Jesus from the dead is available to them to complete Christ’s mission and build His kingdom. Personally, they will triumph over any daily adversity. Collectively, they can rest upon the Lordship and power of Christ which far exceeds the reaches of Rome or any other authority. The Risen Lord is the ultimate power and ruler. As head of the Church, He endows His body to be His representative on Earth. As Christ “fills everything in every way,” He invokes unfailing love, grace, mercy and mystery in disciples’ daily living thereby enabling them to enjoy an abundant life on Earth and eternal life in the age to come. Paul wholeheartedly desires that the burgeoning Ephesian community of believers understand these great, glorious and incalculable riches await them as they persevere in Christian discipleship.

 

Book Review: Jonathan L. Walton Lens of Love: Reading the Bible in Its World for Our World - Part One

 

Book Review – Part One

Jonathan L. Walton, Lens of Love:

Reading the Bible in Its World for Our World

(Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster John Knox Press, 2018)

 

 

Do you find expressions of contemporary American Christianity intellectually inadequate, personally distasteful, socially irrelevant, contradictory of your values and principles relating to social justice? Is it a manipulative tool of hypocritical persons to further longstanding oppression of vulnerable and marginalized people? More frankly, do you despise the bastardization of the Christian faith? Do you refuse to attend weekly services at local churches because you fear The Reverend Doctor Charles Goodwill Cliché weekly erodes the Gospel of Jesus Christ with motivational speaking? Do you forego affiliating with a local congregation because you fear that it is not a resource to your local community? Do you find it reprehensible that clergypersons, political operatives, journalists and governmental leaders equate the Gospel and Christian faith with conservative ideology?

 

Do you respect clergypersons who defend a felon convicted of thirty-fours counts, an adulterer who exploits porn stars, declares bankruptcy six times, constantly ignores and violates the rule of law and never resists an opportunity to debase women and people of color as Christ’s contemporarily chosen instrument to establish the kingdom of God in the United States? Interestingly, this person’s foibles, incapacities and character defects contradict and nullify every principle that these clergypersons claim to hold dear. In exchange for a majority of ideologically aligned justices on the US Supreme Court, these clergypersons, their followers and allies were willing to compromise, if not discard, every single principle and value that they championed for decades. They ironically insist that their desecration of Christianity was done to preserve it. These questions combine to create a fundamental question, “What is the Gospel of Christ?” Practically speaking, how does one recognize an authentic, reasonable and pragmatically applicable articulation of it?

 

Do you lament the state of Christianity in contemporary America? Are you exhausted by daily revelations of sexual assault and abuse scandals by celebrity clergy people, megachurch pastors and denominational leaders? Does the systemic and collective refusal of organized religious leaders to demand accountability of these perpetrators disappoint if not disgust you? One of the largest Protestant denominations in the United States, under fierce compulsion from its female members, issued a multi-year report detailing sexual offenses by pastors and leaders against women but concluded its polity did not allow the organization any practical and effective means of accountability. In the same report, denominational leaders violently excoriate local congregations for allowing women pastors and they excommunicate churches that no longer characterize homosexual, lesbian and other sexual preferences as “sinful” and inherently contradictory to the Bible and a legitimate and acceptable lifestyle. Incredulously, these Christian leaders look away from sexual abuse and in some instances choose to blame the victims but forthrightly and unapologetically criticize and condemn the personal choices of consenting adults. Have you tired of homophobic and judgmental church teachings and tradition that assaults LGBTQIAPAS disciples with the assurance that God will only love them if they hate themselves and commit to a lifetime of self-condemnation  and inauthenticity? Walton answers these questions, employing the tools of higher biblical criticism inclusive of historical, source, rhetorical and textual criticisms, by stating that divine love when shared genuinely, justly and truthfully within the human family resolves the foregoing challenges.

 

Recently, I acquired answers to these questions in reading Professor Jonathan L. Walton’s engaging, scholarly but not pedantic, accessible and provocative but not polemical book, Lens of Love: Reading the Bible in Its World for Our World (Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster John Knox Press, 2018). An unexpected gift from a longtime friend, this book arrived serendipitously via the US Postal Service. Being an avid reader, I left it on the shelf for a few weeks as I plowed through my ever-growing and changing list of books to read. One day, I read the cover and thoroughly skimmed the chapters. Next day, I put it in my work bag and began a journey into a new and refreshing perspective for reading the Bible and understanding the Christian religion in the twenty-first century. In this volume of only 216 pages, Walton addresses the above questions from several dimensions. He does not grind an axe; nor does he offer a polemic wherein he condemns a grocery list of people with whom he disagrees. He forsakes the quicksand of self-assured categorical statements that he proffers as “the Truth.”

 

Instead, he asks readers to examine their prisms of experience with their concomitant ideological and existential myopia as they read the Bible and resist the temptation to impose a twenty-first century outlook upon the people, history, literature and religion of the Ancient Near East. He more straightforwardly asks readers to allow the Bible to speak for itself. Adhering fiercely to the integrity of higher biblical criticism and exegesis, Walton suggests that readers step away from their formative assumptions, religious superstitions and political persuasions. He posits that they will gain immeasurably from reading the Bible if they first seek to understand the scriptures in their historical, sociological, literary and anthropological context. Emerging within the Eastern tradition and culture of oral transmission of stories, the Bible records the sacred sayings, poems, narratives and discourses that people of the first century heard from their religious leaders. What did they hear? What did they understand? How did they allow these words to determine or influence their daily living?

 

To receive biblical wisdom in an intellectually respectable way, twenty-first century readers must respect the culture, people and history of their first century counterparts. Reading with integrity and allowing biblical texts to speak historically, contextually and authentically erases distortions that emerge from formative views that contemporary disciples uncritically accepted from grandparents, parents, teachers, pastors and other people whom they respect. Whether a conservative evangelical, liberal progressive or centrist moderate, American disciples can benefit immensely from Walton’s cardinal answer to the dilemmas that plague Christian expression. Employing the profundity of simplicity, Walton straightforwardly recommends that they read the Bible through the lens of love. Interestingly, Walton’s book encapsulates one of the most quoted verses in the Bible, John 3:16. The Fourth Evangelist contends that God’s faithful and unquestionable love for humankind is the essence of the Christian message. As disciples read the Bible, develop personally and progress spiritually, they should make love a foremost priority in their interpretation and choices in interpersonal relationships. Should one be confused or err as it relates to taking biblical and theological position, one should err on the side of love. Undoubtedly, the approach of emphasizing and relying upon Christ’s example of love translates to a disciple’s positions upon public policy and social affairs.

 

If you love the Bible, “the Word of God,” your admiration for this sacred literature will expand exponentially after reading Lens of Love.  Whether you read the Bible for religious purposes, academic study or personal pleasure, this book will open your eyes to myriad dimensions which you may have missed previously. Walton’s writing and perspective will help you to adjust your personal lens in reading scripture. Pleasantly, the Bible contains countless other examples of spiritually significant and existentially empowering myths and symbolism. Walton reminds us that “Truth,” if even determinative and definitive, is not limited to material verification and proof. He warns against an uncritical acceptance of the scientific method as the most reliable means of defining truth. Doing so results in a rank reductionism thereby imprisoning “Truth” and revelation to petri dishes, microscopic slabs, DNA samples other items in a laboratory. Walton demonstrates the power of the Bible to delineate truth for daily human living beyond the methods of science and math. It is neither a scientific nor mathematical textbook. It deals with other questions of human existence and offers pragmatic answers within any human context or historical era. Walton’s prose, methods, historical analysis and emphasis upon reading the Bible through the lens of love reintroduces disciples to the Bible’s multidimensional majesty and magnificence.

 

Walton’s framework additionally yields a new appreciation for the debt that English and Russian literature owe to the Bible. Arguably, the pious, humble and faithful character, Levin, overshadows the protagonist in Anna Karenina as he struggles with faith and religion. He does not understand the necessity to yield to orthodoxy, doctrines and religious institutions. Levin posits that a genuine and progressive search to encounter and relate to the divine suffices. In The Brothers Karamazov, two of the brothers, one a monk and the other a businessman, have a frank and provocative conversation about God’s existence, the human invention of religion and juxtaposing the prevalence of evil with popular religious observance. The latter brother asks the monk why the invention of a divine being and religion were necessary to human existence. What is its worth given the treatment of children and other vulnerable people. Essentially, is there any worth to any religion as it has been historically incapable of resolving human evil. More significantly,  people use religion to sanction their evil. In addition, the main plot of Thomas Hardy’s The Mayor of Casterbridge mimics the strife that unfolds between King Saul and David in the book of 1 Samuel, chapters 15 to 19. Michael Henchard and Donald Farfrae as jealous rivals and potent antagonists in the novel appropriate the biblical story. Shakespeare, Twain, Douglass and countless other authors resort to biblical stories as foundations for stories. In redirecting our attention to the importance of love when reading the Bible, Walton empowers us to find divine truth and wisdom in unexpected places.

 

The book contains four intellectually sweet delights. First, Walton supports his main points with allusions to the vast evidence of ancient and recent religious history. Avoiding the professorial tendency of slipping into the quicksand of being needlessly pedantic, Walton succinctly references five very respected scholars of American Religious History. Raboteau classically crystallizes the religious world of American slaves. They saw that “peculiar institution” as irrefutably contradictory with the Bibe and God’s will for humankind, generally, and them, especially. Per Leon Litwack, author of Been In the Storm So Long: The Aftermath of Slavery, and other secular historians, the slaves prayed fervently and faithfully for abolition  of the institution and personal freedom. Both books possess funny stories like the myths of John Henry Bunyan, Br’er Rabbit and other components of African American folklore that reflect the oral tradition in combatting oppression. Walton additionally cites George Marsden whose books examine the idea of American evangelical intellectuality, The Outrageous Idea of Christian Scholarship and The Soul of the American University Revisited: From Protestant to Postsecular. Professor Nathan O. Hatch’s compelling book, The Democratization of American Christianity, details an inverse relationship between burgeoning democratic ideals and an American iteration of Christianity which tolerated the annihilation of Native Americans, chattel slavery and subjugation of women. Lastly, he includes Jon Butler, author of several considerable works on American religious life, within his bibliography embedded within his prose. For students of History and more specifically American Religious History, Walton offers a short list of good books for further consideration.

 

A second delight that Walton offers is a short list of reliable biblical scholars whose books are widely read and used by academics, clergy and laity alike in research, sermon preparation and weekly Bible studies. Professor Raymond E. Brown was one of the world’s foremost authorities on the Gospel of John. Walton recommends Brown prevailing commentaries as sources to understand the “Sitz im Leben” (setting in life) of the Fourth Evangelist’s definition and use of divine love.

 

Book Review: Jonathan L. Walton Lens of Love: Reading the Bible in Its World for Our World - Part Two

 

Book Review - Part Two

Jonathan L. Walton, Lens of Love: Reading the Bible in Its World for Our World (Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster John Knox Press, 2018)

 

Walton masterfully and graciously writes a book about the Bible which billions of people still revere in an accessible, engaging and informative way. Clergy who have graduated from seminary will be reminded of their days and late nights of poring over religious monographs. He entices them to revisit some of their settled beliefs and opinions about scripture. Personally, I wish this book had been available when I was completing my Master of Divinity courses. I am happy for current students who have this piece of treasure as an introduction to formal historical, critical and analytical study of the Bible. Walton insists that students of the Bible grapple with irony, incongruity, ambiguity and longstanding contradictions. He does not allow an easy escape through emotions, facile verbal recitation and memorization. Respectfully, he asks readers to appreciate the Bible and the process of studying the Bible with intellectual integrity and genuine curiosity. This approach requires the suspension of predetermined knowledge and conclusions. Readers, like a forensic scientist, pathologist or crime scene investigator, should come to study the Bible with an open mind; thereby they allow the Bible to speak on its own and reveal the Divine as its authors, audience and historical context understood their experiences of God and religion.  Beyond the expanse of scholarly criticism, academics in all disciplines who are curious minimally about the study of religion within the Ancient Near Eastern world will find unimagined riches from Walton’s research, writing and insightful perspective. Reading the Bible within the lens of love is the most preferable and fulfilling methodology. LinkedIn professionals who crunch numbers, edit films, write screenplays, write legal briefs, prepare lesson plans, coordinate food pantries, prepare for surgery, draft blueprints, measure safety of bridges and tunnels or perform myriad other functions will find themselves similarly satisfied.

 

One of the delights of Walton’s book is its humor and recitation of funny African American Church idioms. He references the powerful testimony services of various denominations. In those worship experiences, average believers stand and offer personal statements of their individual experiences of God’s faithfulness. Their statements parallel the oral evidence of court witnesses. These disciples assure the congregation that the Bible and its promises about God’s unfailing love and unquestioned faithfulness are undeniably true because of their direct experience. We who have attended and participated in these services recall the warmth, affirmation and encouragement of those services. Walton’s summary places many readers on memory lane. Others travel mystically and anthropologically to a new venue and milieu of Christian worship and discipleship.

 

Regarding God’s power to heal and transform, testimony service traditionally contains vivid accounts of personal miracles. These stories closely parallel biblical accounts of theophanies like Moses’ discovery of a burning bush that is not being consumed by its flames, record a supernatural event. The suspension of natural law confirms God’s presence as He retains the right to do so to accomplish His purpose. Hints of the miraculous seems necessary to validate an account. Walton specifically notes that a believer who struggles with alcoholism attributes his delivery from addiction to God’s graciousness in “taking the taste out of his mouth.”

 

Walton allows that the rich and empowering traditions and experiences of local church membership can intersect with twenty-first century modalities of faith, religion and spirituality. Reading the Bible through the lens of love opens disciples to new vistas of reading Jung’s teachings on individuation while studying the Psalms. It permits disciples to embark upon the inward journey of inner healing and wholeness through the process of self-discovery and self-acceptance in counseling and psychoanalysis. It grasps the hard realities of depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder borne of childhood anxiety and other causes. It expands the horizon of the ways in which Almighty God assists disciples and their families in resolving these significant conflicts. It seeks extra biblical and ecclesiastical guidance. It collaborates with neuroscience, psychology, psychiatry, psychobiology and other disciplines to harness all resources within our global village.

 

Yet another delight of Walton’s equally delightful book is his rhetorical seasonings of literature and allusions to the rich traditions and cultural mores of the Black Church. African American literature, generally, and Black Women’s literature, specifically, contain myriad motifs that wrestle with religion and theodicy. Bearing the triple burden of gender, race and class, Black women fight to discover God’s presence and favor within their daily existence. Seemingly, they are amongst the most devout disciples who fervently and faithfully pray for deliverance and a better life. They regrettably remain in the same existential quicksand. How can a Jesus whom they love so much, to whom they faithfully appeal and for whom they defend against any other expression of deity be so cruel indifferent? Celie has frank conversation with God in the opening letter of Alice Walker’s The Color Purple. The protagonist in Anne Perry’s classic and early twentieth century novel, The Street, under the burden of her life walks away from it thereby abandoning her beloved son. Sula Mae Peace, whose unbridled courage and self-determination challenges fellow characters and readers alike to dare to live freely. Sula, the title character of Toni Morrison’s enduring and provocative novel, brazenly lives her life as she chooses notwithstanding any social compulsion to believe and obey God. So many other works of literature grapple with the worth of religion when embroiled in daily hardships. Walton suggests an interpretation of the Bible that accommodates these ironies and incongruities. He affirms God’s love for humankind on the individual level but demands that disciples develop the capacity and character to demonstrate Christian love on a societal basis. Black women and other vulnerable people do not non impactful charity but direct service consistent with Matthew 25 and social justice advocacy that actualizes Isaiah 61:1-10 and Luke 4:18.

 

For disciples who simply love the Bible and study of the world that fostered its composition and compilation, Walton explores the beauty and bounty of biblical scholarship. He cites the enduring scholars and commentators such Raymond Brown, one of the leading authorities on the Gospel of John, and Joseph Fitzmeyer’s work on the book of Romans. Delightfully, Walton references the compelling scholarship of Jennifer Glancy and other next generation biblical scholars whose intriguing and refreshing insights are very helpful to contemporary disciples. I highly recommend that you read the notes and consult these books. The Bible is a mysterious, fascinating and mystical book that minimally requires a lifetime of study to scratch the surface of its history, meaning and significance. It is pitiful that countless misguided disciples attempt to reduce its complexity, profundity and infinite lessons to rote memorization in their primary language. These well intentioned and similarly uninformed people do not realize that the Bible which they pound was delivered divinely in five different languages within the historical context of the Ancient Near East. Some of them esteem the King James translation above the meaning of the original languages of Greek, Hebrew, Ugaritic, Aramaic and historical pidgins in which the texts were transmitted orally and composed on papyri. Nevertheless, Walton overlooks those academic shortcomings. He posits that if readers and students of the Bible will read the book through the lens of love, that methodology triumphs over the failings of any technical academic approaches. The scholars whom Walton references provides a plethora of insights, examples and tools to assist lifetime Bible students in accomplishing their goals of learning the Word of God as fruitfully as possible.

 

Walton however depicts Christ’s love as equal to a collective consciousness and expression of justice and equality. Christian love is more than a warm and fuzzy feeling in one’s mind and heart. It extends beyond rote recitation of religiously and socially acceptable statements. Like the Good Samaritan, it asks individual disciples to share the resources of time, treasure, talent and temperament to expand Christ’s reign and kingdom by demonstrating His love in interpersonal relationships and within society. Love on a collective level means that disciples allow each person the freedom and latitude to experience God as he uniquely understands Him. We do not have to agree with other people or condone their lifestyle choices. Still, Christ’s love commands us to graciously embrace their rights to live freely and openly.

 

Reading through the lens of love opens disciples’ eyes to interpret familiar passages with a new perspective. This angle removes any condemnation and judgement of the woman caught in adultery. The lens of love demand that we ask the silent question, “Where is the man?” This type of reading leads to amazement when disciples consider that God sends the Israelite spies to Rehab who operates a brothel. Readers join Mary and Martha in the village of Bethany at the tomb of Lazarus where Jesus cries for His friend. Consider the immeasurable love that Esau extends to Jacob upon the occasion of their reunion after twenty years following the latter’s ill treatment of his elder brother. Countless other texts equally reveal God’s unfailing love in human relationships.

 

Walton’s compelling book challenges readers to reexamine their theology which is rational thought about the existence of a divine being and whether His existence bears any significance on anyone’s life. Regarding God’s attributes and holy character, love is the most simplistic and profound definition and description. In the sacrifice of Christ, Almighty God establishes the new covenant of love (John 3:16). He rewrites the Law and implements the new law of love which is a much higher standard than the rules,  regulations and requirements of black letter restrictions. (Matthew chapters 5, 6and 7). Through love, God obliterates the penetrating and persistent fear that believers have of His righteousness and judgment. His perfect love annihilates fears and liberates anyone who believes in Him to live abundantly and eternally (1 John 4:18). Irrespective of any Christian denomination’s catechism, love is the primary prerequisite of Christian discipleship. The Fourth Evangelist unequivocally rejects any notion that someone can profess undying and unwavering love for God without having and sharing love with his brothers and sisters in the human family and global village. A disciple cannot say that he loves God whom he has never seen while failing to love his brothers and sisters whom he sees daily. (1 John 5:12).

 

It is necessary to reiterate that love as the biblical writers and Walton utilizes demands truth, justice, mercy, human rights and fundamental fairness of process and result. Love is personal and collective. Admittedly, disciples have daily priestly duties and obligations to their spouses, families and friends. Seeking to improve their neighborhoods and adjacent communities, they engage important altruistic and civic work. However, they have a parallel responsibility to creating a more sustainable and equitable global village. All of humankind deserves a fundamentally fair world that imparts each individual and nation a chair to actualize their unique lives. Christian love in the context of environmental inequalities, nuclear threats, shrinking resources, geopolitical tensions and rising populations insists upon policies and solutions that preserve the human dignity of all nations.

 

Are you disheartened by the current state of the Christian religion in the United States? Do you fear the blasphemy and cacophony in contemporary discourse about Christianity will further erode commitment of younger disciples who are rightly distrustful of prevalent inconsistencies and incongruities of the Church’s beliefs and actions? Does the anti-intellectualism of American preaching offend you? Does it appear that the pervasive darkness that surrounds the faith of our forebears will persist and not yield to a brighter day? Amid this bleak moment, as move into the second quarter of the twenty-first century which also holds immeasurable promise for human advancement, Professor Jonathan Walton offers a marvelous light to anyone who stumbles in darkness.  He graciously and fortuitously offers Lens of Love: Reading the Bible in Its World for Our World with reason and reassurance for weary disciples, genuine seekers and suspicious participants in the discussion. Enthusiastically, I encourage you to eat this manna and drink this living water.