Gen 1:1-5, John 21:1-14 for Sunday, June 24, 2007

Translation:
Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. (2) The earth was formless and empty and darkness was upon the surface of the sea. The breath of God hovered upon the surface of the sea. (3) And God said, "Let it be light." And it was light. (4) And God saw the light, that it was good, and God divided between the light and the dark. (5) God called the light day and God called the dark night. It was evening and it was morning, day one.

John 21:1 After this, Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias. And he was revealed in this way: (2) They were together: Simon Peter and Thomas, called Didymus and Nathanael from Cana of Galilee and the sons of Zebedee and two other of his disciples. (3) And Simon Peter said to them, "I am leaving to fish." They said to him, "We will go with you." They went out and they got into the boat and in that night they caught nothing. (4) And now early morning came and Jesus stood on the shore, however the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. (5) Therefore, Jesus said to them, "Children, have you no fish?" They answered him, "No." (6) But he said to them, "Throw the net on the right side of the boat and you will find some. Thus they threw it and they wer eno longer able to drag it for the number of fish. (7) The disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord!" When Simon Peter heard that it is the Lord, he put his coat on (for he was naked) and he threw himself into the sea. (8) But the other disciples came in the boat, for they were not far from the shore, about 200 cubits, dragging the net of fish. (9) When they got out onto the shore they saw a charcoal fire with fish and bread lying on it. (10) Jesus said to them, "Carry the fishes which you just caught. (11) So, Simon Peter went up and dragged the net onto the shore full of 153 large fish and it was a great number, but the net was not torn. (12) Jesus said to them, "Come, have breakfast." But not one of the disciples dared to ask him, "Who are you?" They knew that it was the Lord. (13) Jesus came and he took the bread and gave it to them and the fish likewise. (14) This was now the third time Jesus was revealed to the disciples after rising from the dead.

There is so much to say and so little time! These are well-loved scriptures. Surely any Google search would turn up endless websites and books for all of us to explore.

The Genesis scripture is well known and much-debated in many circles. We learn a lot about God in five short verses. First, God creates. the verb for "create" might actually be a technical term used to speak about the newness and uniqueness of what God is doing. In any case, this verb is used only where God is the subject, so this creating is an intentional work of God. It seems unlikely that God would be creating literally out of nothing, but rather that God is ordering and organizing the universe. Before God began, it isn't that there was nothing to work with. It was simply formless, void, dark. When God gets started, he organizes light from darkness and creates days--God orders.

So much could be said about these five verses of Genesis, but I'll end with one last favorite remark. God's act of creation is not static. God creates and evaluates--God calls light "good." Good is different from perfect. Good is not complete, not finished. Moreover, God's words "let there be..." leaves room for a creaturely response, a kind of consultation. God does not create alone, but in conjunction with creation. God does not create statically, but leaves room for change.

The text from John is more than a little curious. Jesus has died and risen from the dead and the disciples occasionally have an experience where Jesus appears to them. This is another act of God's creation. Genesis relays a more familiar act of creation, but resurrection is also an act of creation. Appearances of the risen Christ proves to us that Jesus really did conquer death.

Fishing was the profession of the disciples before they met Jesus. After his death, you can imagine what their dismay and confusion. As a society, we know that when a charismatic leader dies a movement may find a new direction, or die with its leader. The disciples were in a transition time and chose to fall back on what they knew best: fishing. The did not immediately choose to carry on Jesus' ministry in the same ways Jesus had when he was alive.

So, the disciples set out to go fishing one evening. Fishermen typically caught fish in the evening so that the catch could be fresh for the morning markets. Fish was a dietary staple for many. After a whole evening of fishing and catching nothing when the first rays of morning began to shine, the disciples were ready to pack it in. This is when Jesus appears to them, though they do not know it is Jesus. He commands them (it is even grammatically a command in Greek) to throw their nets on the right side of the boat. You can imagine their exhaustion, or maybe even pure desperation. Without fish to sell, they could have no money, nothing to eat, no livelihood and no way to support themselves. We may have more technology today, but these simple matters of economics have remained the same.

They follow Jesus' command and catch so many fish that the nets are full! Jesus performed a similar miracle earlier in their ministry together and the disciples recognize him (finally!). They are anxious to see Jesus and Peter dives in to swim to shore while the others haul the fish in the boat. When they arrive on shore, they notice that Jesus already has some fish. There are three Greek words used for fish in this passage. The type of fish Jesus has is a dried or preserved fish, already cooking over the fire. Jesus instructs them to bring their fresh fish over and invites them to breakfast. They recognize it is Jesus almost immediately and do not even dare ask him to clarify his identity.

I think the important message here is the obedience to Christ. The disciples tried to fish by themselves with luck and a little skill on their side. They were not successful. The only way they could nourish themselves was to be obedient to Christ and rely on his instructions to be true. The same would follow for their ministries. Very little could have been accomplished with luck and skill. Reliance on Christ was the only way to effectively spread the Gospel message. Trust that the message was true and that the ministry would work were the only ways to make new believers in Christ.

These are two incredibly packed scriptures and we have so little time to really dive into them with such a short blog. I like to think of them as two creation stories. One tells of the ordering of the cosmos and the other tells of the miracle of resurrection. Both require us to be obedient, to listen for God. Both require us to rely on God, but also to be active participants with God.

3 John for Sunday, June 10, 2007

Translation:
(1) The elder to Gaius the beloved, who I love in truth. (2) Beloved, with regard to everything, I pray you prosper and be in good health, that it is going well with your soul. (3) I was very glad for the coming of brothers and bearing witness in your truth, that you walk in truth. (4) I have no greater joy than this, that I hear my children are walking in the truth.

(5) Beloved, you are acting faithfully when you work among the brothers and these strangers, (6) they bear witness to your love before the assembly, you will do well sending them forth in a manner worthy of God. (7) For, on behalf of the name they went out, taking nothing from the Gentiles. (8) Therefore, we ought to support such [persons], in order that we may become fellow workers in the truth.

(9) I wrote something to the assembly, but Diotrephes, wishing to be first among them, did not welcome us. (10) On account of this, if I may go, I will remind him of the work which he does in evil words, talking nonsense about us and not being satisfied with this, he himself does not welcome the brothers and he hinders those who want to and casts [them] out from the assembly.

(11) Beloved, do not imitate the evil, but the good. Those who do good are from God. Those who do evil have not seen God. (12) Demetrius has been witnessed by all and by the truth itself, and we bear witness, and you have known that our witness is true.

(13) I had much to write to you, but I do not wish, through ink and pen, to write to you. (14) But, I hope to see you soon and we will talk face-to-face. (15) Peace to you. The friends greet you. Greet the friends by name.

The Third Letter of John is one of the shortest books of the Bible, but is certainly packed with lots for us to think about. The letter is informal in style, even by Greek standards, though it is clearly addressed to a church (likely meeting in a home, perhaps the home of Gaius). The language is steeped with theology, making it unlikely that this was intended to be a secular letter.

We cannot identify the writer except as "the elder," but we do know that he uses familial language to refer to his addressees. He calls the "children" and "Beloved," clearly terms of endearment. There is an intense focus on "witness" and "testimony" with particular focus on "truth." Roman society at this time was quite mobile. The advantage of this mobility was encouragement Christians could offer one another which gave a greater bond of affiliation, even if it was a loose bond. They were testifying "truth," or the truth of Jesus Christ (the Gospel).

The "elder" also speaks to the hospitality offered to these traveling Roman Christians. They have welcomed these "missionaries" into their community and probably even their homes. The writer seems to think this act of love and hospitality is nothing short of an act of faith. Moreover, these traveling Christians are not accepting any form of payment from Gentiles (non-believers) as this could compromise their credibility. Therefore, it is all the more important that they are supported by fellow Christians. To send these Christians out in a way worthy of God was to provide for their journey in every way possible: paying for expensive, giving them food, washing their clothes, aiding in a comfortable travel. Moreover, the "elder" makes the point that the real benefit goes to those who offer to support these traveling Christians, since they too become "fellow workers in the truth."

This is contrasted with Diotrephes, who is quite nearly the antithesis of everything Gaius and his community has offered. Diotrephes is always wanting to be first in the community, and does not accept the "elder" or traveling Christians. He treats them with contempt, spreading gossip about them, intentionally being inhospitable and even punishes those who want to be hospitable. We must remember that we hear all of this from the "elder's" view point and we know absolutely nothing about what might have brought on this conflict and Diotrephes' strong reaction. It certainly is counter to that of Gaius and his community, however.

The "elder" closes by endorsing Demetrius, who is likely the traveling Christian that Gaius is familiar with. Demetrius is trustworthy and has a good reputation with the "elder" and all who know him. Demetrius is not a threat and deserves hospitality, not the scorn Diotrephes offered.

The "elder" closes by saying that his thoughts are too many to disclose by letter and that he hopes to meet face-to-face, indicating that he hopes to visit sometime.

This brief letter is so informal and nearly colloquial that it reads like a letter from a friend. Indeed, the title "Beloved" has been variously translated to read "friend." There is a common bond between the sender and the addressee. They both know the Gospel message and know the Christian lifestyle. The "elder" can count on Gaius for hospitality and a warm welcome.

Many of us have friends like this even today where we can always count on a warm welcome even if it has been months and even years since our last contact. Just as Gaius and the "elder" lived at a distance from each other, and could only count on the infrequent visit and letter to keep in touch, so we also have friendships that must endure many miles and only occasional contact. Even so, these are bonds that can be trusted, have been tested and proven to be true. Where do these relationships exist for you?