NL 346: Pentecost - Acts 2:1-4 & Galatians 4:1-7; 5:16-26
image: “Fruits of the Spirit Fire Tree” by Tyler Neyens (Flickr)
May 23, 2021
Galatians 4:1-7
Initial Thoughts
The verses immediately before this compares children who are minors to slaves, so there may be a cultural gap to try and leap here.
This is a passage in the midst of some heavy theology that Paul is doing
Bible Study
Historical Context of Galatians
Authentic Paul
Marcus Borg places it second in the chronological New Testament, just after Thessalonians, around the year 52. Others place it as Paul’s first letter.
“The identity of the Galatians and the date of the letter are disputed. If Paul wrote to the congregations he and Barnabas established on their first missionary journey, he may have written Galatians as early as 49… But if Paul was writing to the Celtic tribes that had settled in the northern part of the province of Galatia modern-day Turkey), he was writing in the mid-50s… to congregations he established on his second missionary journey” (from the intro to Galatians in the Common English Study Bible, p. 353 NT).
Main theme of the letter: “A person is made right before God on the basis of what God has done in the saving death and resurrection of Jesus Christ rather than on the basis of doing the works of Moses’ Law.” (from the intro to Galatians in the Common English Study Bible, p. 353 NT).
Seems to be recently after Jerusalem Council, and still struggling with ramifications of being a Gentile Christian.
Are you in the family or not?
Family metaphor
Family is an important institution in all ancient cultures and to the Jews in particular
Social safety net
Status in society
Connection to God
Judaism is a religion of family, with Abraham as the Father, and the Covenant of the Law as the connection to God.
Hierarchy of Owner to Slave and Parent to Child is a clear social relationship.
This metaphor connects the believer to this hierarchical relationship. No longer about Owner/Slave or Parent/Child, but that of God/Believer. When once the believer was connected to God through the Law, now the believer can be connected to God in a more direct way - that of Jesus Christ.
People can move from slave to free, or from child to adult. Believers are called to move into adulthood, no longer under the “slavery” of the Law.
Adopted by God through Jesus
No longer a slave to sin, but a son or daughter of God
Welcomed into relationship (think prodigal son) - “Abba, Father!”
“Born of a woman. Born under the Law.”
Back to Mary. Humanity of Christ is important.
Under the Law - is more than his Jewish heritage because here Paul is talking about the Jewish customs of upholding the Law.
The Law is a part of a system that covers all.
Jewish Law that sorts the world into clean/unclean, or insider/outsider.
Roman Law which persecutes any that are unwilling to submit.
Jesus is born into these systems so that he can free us from these systems.
Jesus frees all people equally from these systems that pit one against another, that set up haves and have-nots.
Meaning in context of Christmas
“Over against the deeply entrenched human desire to limit salvation to self, family, and nation, the readings for the First Sunday After Christmas relentlessly insist that God alone draws the boundary around God’s salvation and that God includes all creation within it” (Texts for Preaching, Year B)
Christmas changed everything. We no longer operate in a system where some are in and some are out. The world has been adopted by God, and we must respond to this freedom.
Paul is imploring a church to live in freedom, to stop dividing itself, to stop deciding who is in and who is out, and welcoming all.
Thoughts and Questions
Keep reading a little and find “Now, after knowing God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless world system?”
Perhaps we can ask, “No, after you have experienced Christmas, how can you turn back and pretend it didn’t happen?”
Galatians 5:16-25 Fruit of the Spirit
Bible Study
Literary Context
“Many commentators consider this verse to be the beginning of the final major section of the letter, taking v. 2-11 as the closing of the central argument, and treating 5:13-6:10 as a unit of moral exhortation appended to the main body of the discussion.” (Richard Hays, New Interpreters Bible, v. 11, p. 321)
Paul has gone to great lengths to express the need for freedom from the Law.
As evidenced largely in circumcision, Paul makes the argument that there is no need to be “slave” to the Law, which only convicts.
Verses 2-12 summarizes his argument against circumcision
V. 6“Being circumcised or not being circumcised doesn’t matter in Christ Jesus, but faith working through love does matter.”
Freedom with limits
Freedom does not mean “anything goes.”
Freedom does not mean the American concept of individuality, autonomy, and self determination.
Freedom in Christ is set against being bonded to the Law.
This language makes sense when considering a culture where slavery and freedom were fluid states. One person could go back and forth between slavery and freedom, and slavery bound to another, and back again.
`”Paul understands that all human beings are free in some sense and enslaved in some sense. The question is from what or whom they are free and to what or whom are they enslaved. In Galatians, he urges freedom from the law, but that same freedom carries with it enslavement to Christ as liberator, and also to others who belong to Christ.” (Charles Cousar, Texts for Preaching, Year C, p. 407)
Freedom in this sense is not about freedom from obligation, but instead considers to whom the obligation is owed.
The obligation in one sense is to Christ, but practically it is to each other.
Slaves to one another means that all of the freedom we gain from Christ is simply to be rendered to service to each other.
“The constraints are the responsibility and commitment to the welfare of others in the community. While Paul had invoked the social reality of slavery to help describe in 3:28 the new life in the new community in Christ, saying that in the Christian community “there is no longer slave or free,” he does not hesitate to use the same language positively -- recycled, reimagined, repurposed, reused -- here to describe the relationship and mutual commitment of the members of the community to one another.” (Alicia Vargas, Working Preacher)
“The freedom Paul envisions here is freedom from the law, but equally important is his insistence on the One who does the calling…” (Charles Cousar, Texts for Preaching, Year C, p. 407)
Ironically, Paul’s insistence on “Freedom from the Law” is supported by quoting from the Law: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
The Spirit vs The Flesh
Common English translates “The flesh” as “selfish motives”
The choice that Paul presents is not “holiness” or “sinfulness” as it is often presented, at least not in the traditional sense.
The choice is not “abstinence vs indulgence”
Paul is presenting a choice between selfishness and selflessness. Love is motivated by the well being of others. “The flesh” is motivated by only my own well being.
Paul’s list is not comprehensive, but the parts that are more ‘fleshed out’ are telling.
“The list is in some respects conventional. It begins with three terms identifying sexual offenses, continues with two words for idolatry and occult magical practices, and concludes with two terms for self-indulgent partying. The most interesting feature, however, occurs in the middle of the list: a lengthy catalog of eight words that highlight dissension and offenses against the unity of the community… Paul’s concentration on these community-destroying behaviors shows that his primary concern is for the unity and peace of the Galatian churches.” (Richard Hays, New Interpreters Bible, v. xi, p. 321)
“Flesh refers to a way of thinking or behaving that is confined to the human sphere, that operates without the guidance of the Spirit of God.” (Charles Cousar, Texts for Preaching, Year C, p. 407)
Thoughts and Questions
Taking this passage seriously is important - especially for progressives.The arguments Paul puts forth here are often used as conservative fodder for “slippery slope” logic (which is by nature faulty). It is easy to use this passage to become legalistic and show how some abuse their freedom. If we - as progressives - ignore this passage, we allow others to claim it and abuse it.
Some will claim that being LGBT affirming falls under the “anything goes” mentality of the “the flesh.” If needed in your context, speak to the lie of this. LGBT inclusion is not falling for the sins of the flesh, or capitulating to cultural norms, it is decisively declaring that the fruit of the Spirit is Love, and that love between two people is not a sin.
Just last week we were declaring “There is no slave or free.” And now we are declaring that we are in fact “slaves to one another.” Which is it Paul? We are all free to love, but love is bondage. To love someone is to not allow them to suffer, and to treat them with compassion, kindness, and grace. When you love someone, you do not have the freedom to sit idly by while they are harmed. If you exercise that freedom to do so, you can no longer claim to love that person.
Acts 2:1-21
For more conversation on Acts see: /notes/pentecostb
Listener Comment from 2014: “The problem with Pentecost is not that it's a busy time of the year, but that it so unambiguously requires of us that we carry the gospel out into the world, and blow our own covers. It is one thing to adore the infant Jesus, another to mourn the death of Jesus in our insular communities. It is something else, VERY else, and to many, VERY scary, to proclaim the gospel in every action we take, and to publicly proclaim ourselves to be THOSE people, those [insert negative adjective here] Christians. Pentecost gives us marching orders. Christmas is so much easier…”
Initial Thoughts
Acts 2 according to The Twible, by Jana Riess: “Product launch: Holy Ghost language course. Better than Berlitz! [Warning: User may seem inebriated. Tongue may catch fire.]
Every year- same passage- make it new!
Bible Study
Pentecost - fifty days or seven weeks after Passover (Lev. 23:15-22)
Giving of law at Mount Sinai
End of the Spring Harvest
All were included in the celebration: Deut. 16:11 “you, your sons, your daughters, your male and female servants, the Levites who live in your cities, the immigrants, the orphans, and the widows”
“Pentecost is the moment when gestation ceases and birthing occurs. Thus, it is both an end and a beginning, the leaving behind of that which is past, the launching forth into that which is only now beginning to be. Pentecost therefore is not a time of completion. It is moving forward into new dimensions of being, whose basic forms are clear, but whose fulfillment has yet to be realized.” (Walter Brueggemann, Texts for Preaching, Year B, p. 347)
Double Celebration:
End of the Spring Harvest (we aren’t in Illinois anymore)- connections to Peter’s Sermon (Joel 2:24a "the threshing floors shall be full of grain” and Luke 10:2 “The harvest is great, but the laborers are few”)
God gives the Hebrews the Torah - not explicit in the Hebrew Bible, but traditionally celebrated.
Gift of the Torah - which unites a people as a holy nation and priestly kingdom
Gift of the Spirit - which unites all people
Both are inclusive celebrations to be blessings to all people
Who is they? (David Bender, Feasting on the Word, Year B, volume 3)
The 11 (Acts 1:13)?
Has Matthias been added (Acts 1:26)?
Have the women been added (Acts 1:14)?
Do we allow the gift of the Spirit to flow through our congregations or only our seminaries and adjudicatories?
Baptism of the Spirit- see Luke 3:16, Acts 1:5
Images of the Spirit
Rush of wind, tongues of fire, community gathered
Freedom of the Spirit
Not limited by language
Perhaps the semi-collapse of Enlightenment orthodoxy, with its elevation of reason and science as the only paths to true knowledge of the world, has opened the door to a recovery of a kind of pre-/post-Enlightenment religiosity in which once again people are open to, and therefore experience, "signs and wonders." - David Gushee
Not limited by different languages or even needing to be explained - “What does this mean?” They cannot explain it and still today we try and answer this question
Spirit of Liberation
Liberation from Chaos - Genesis 1-2
Liberation from Babylon - Isaiah 11:2
Liberation from Rome - Luke 3:16, Acts 1:5
What do we need to be liberated from?
The church?
Consumerism?
Self-importance? Self-delusion? Self-disregard?
Reversal of Babel (Gen. 11)?
The lectionary seems to think so (Babel’s only use in the Lectionary is Pentecost C)
Genesis - One language = building a tower to the heavens to “make a name for ourselves”
Acts - “One language” = sharing God’s great deeds of power
Not about making the people great- about making God great
Community for its own sake is not always a good thing- but a Spirit-filled community working for God is world changing
Not necessarily:
The reversal of Babel would have been uniting all people under one language- not what happens here
About Evangelism- not about undoing Babel
Couldn’t it be both?
The reversal of the self-centeredness of Babel and the focus on declaring the Good News of God’s great deeds of power in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to all the ends of the Earth (Acts 1:8)
Joel 2:28-29
Joel background - not much is known about Joel or historical context.
Possibly post-exilic, living in Jerusalem (Common English Study Bible notes, p. 1445 OT)
“The book shows a blend of judgment and deliverance.” Subheadings in order:
Lament
Mourning
Suffering
Prophet’s Prayer
Alarm and Peril
Change your hearts
Compassion and promise
Judgment on nations
Coming war
Salvation
2:28-29 is within the Compassion and Promise section.
“For Joel the outpouring of the Spirit are a prelude to disaster, but for Peter these wonders have been fulfilled in Jesus Christ… and their purpose… is nothing less than the redemption of humankind.” (Brueggemann, Texts for Preaching, Year B, p. 349)
Spirit of inclusivity
Age, gender, ethnically (all persons)
Signs and Wonders - theme throughout the first half of Acts - performed by Jesus, the Spirit, Stephen, (Moses), Philip, Paul and Barnabas
The word of the Spirit is something which has happened, did happen (on Pentecost) and continues
“Your young will see visions. Your elders will dream dreams.” Is it just me, or does that seem to be a reversal? I think of older people have mystical visions, and younger people as dreaming dreams. Yet here it is, the young are given visions usually reserved the old and wise, and dreams are given to those who may not live them out.
All who call upon the name of the Lord will be saved
What does salvation mean?
What does it mean to call on the name of the Lord?
If all can call on the name of the Lord, then do we still need priests?
Response: They are drunk
Going the wrong way and dismissing the warnings: Planes Trains and Automobiles clip
Do we really want the gift of the Spirit? It will be violent. It may burn us. It may push us to places where we do not wish to go. Perhaps it is easier to dismiss
They are intoxicated with the Spirit which will lead them to do foolish things - like follow a crucified Lord
Thoughts and Questions
From either Becca or Lydia (can’t remember which) on Lit Liturgy Podcast: “Christmas is stupid without Easter. Easter is pointless without Pentecost.”
Is the current church as flexible as the ancient church to adapt to where the spirit is calling or do we insist on the Spirit working within our institutional and/or traditional methods?
Do we truly allow the spirit to guide us or is the Spirit in the backseat?
Are we willing to be led by the spirit without knowing the destination?
Local churches struggling week to week
Denominations struggling year to year
Pastors struggling with calls
Can we be led out of the temple and into the wilderness?
What do we need to be liberated from?
The church?
Consumerism?
Self-importance? Self-delusion? Self-disregard?
“Without Pentecost, we’d just be people who tell Jesus’ story. With Pentecost, we’re people who live into Jesus’ story” (Danielle Shroyer, The Hardest Question blog)
Is the current church as flexible as the ancient church to adapt to where the spirit is calling or do we insist on the Spirit working within our institutional and/or traditional methods?
Do we truly allow the spirit to guide us or is the Spirit in the backseat?
Are we willing to be led by the spirit without knowing the destination?
Local churches struggling week to week
Denominations struggling year to year
Pastors struggling with calls
Can we be led out of the temple and into the wilderness?
It is easy to slip into an us and them mentality- the Spirit breaks through those barriers. Who are the “they” in your community who the Spirit is pushing you (and your church) toward?
What noise is your church making? It is drawing people together or keeping them apart?
How are you proclaiming God’s great deeds of power? Are you working to make a name for yourself/church/family/country or a name for God?
What does it mean to be saved? (also something not often talked about)
Opening music: Misirlou, One Man 90 Instruments by Joe Penna/MysteryGuitarMan at MIM
Closing Song by Bryan Odeen