What does it mean, “Poured out?”

After that, I will pour out My spirit on all flesh;
Your sons and daughters shall prophesy;
Your old men shall dream dreams,
And your young men shall see visions.

The most powerful question in biblical interpretation is, Why are you telling me this? It’s the most basic question we should address to the author we think stands behind a passage from Scripture Why did this seem important enough to pass on? What message do you want me to read from it? How do you want me to act on it? What mistakes in life or doctrine do you want to guard me from?

Why are you, the author, telling me this? Time and again, we see characters in the New Testament turning back to the Old, and asking the same question about one passage after another: why was it so important, to someone living long ago, to pass this message on? And of course, in their new context, with the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ fresh in their minds, they answered this question by saying, because beneath whatever they seem to be saying on the surface, they were really talking about the things we have seen happening now. The New Testament writers had the sense that in the events of the life of Jesus, above all his death and resurrection, the Scriptures were coming to life in a way neither they nor anyone else had ever experienced before, and they had an overwhelming desire to communicate these new insights. The time was fulfilled, and the kingdom was near at hand.

There are many prophecies in the Old Testament concerning the Day of the Lord. This passage, from Joel 3, is among the best known, because Peter quotes it in what is arguably the first sermon preached in the history of the Church, on the day of Pentecost. Why does Peter quote Joel to the Jewish bystanders in this scene? Better yet, why does Luke, who we assume to be the author of the Book of Acts, choose to tell us this story?

Peter quotes Joel to answer the most basic, the most urgent question the Jews in this scene are asking: “Are these men drunk?” – which illustrates an important point, namely that, no matter how much human beings and human society have changed in the last two millennia, the compulsion to discount the supernatural and look for humdrum explanations has always been there. We sceptical moderns did not invent it.

Peter therefore makes a bold pronouncement, to remind these bystanders who they are (faithful, believing Jews), where they are (Jerusalem, the royal city of David, the point where all things began, and the epicentre of divine activity), and what time this is (not just a historic moment, but a never-to-be-repeated time of revelation, a decisive turning point in human history). The question they should be asking as God’s people, at that time, in that place, is, what is God doing here, now, for us, and for the world? The answer to these questions can be found only in the Bible, nowhere else – which at that time means, in the Hebrew Scriptures, what we call the Old Testament.

Peter quotes Scripture to show that these events are indeed a revelation of God: this is what was spoken of through the prophet Joel. The Scriptures are being fulfilled, the kingdom has come near, and now is the time to turn again to God – not as individuals who would dearly love to be able to speak in tongues and be the envy of their friends, but as members of God’s people, the elect chosen to proclaim his divine purpose to the world.

Why Joel? Why these verses? Simply because what they say about the Spirit is key to understanding what has just happened. The Spirit is spoken of many times in the Hebrew Bible, beginning in the first lines of Genesis, where the Spirit moves on the face of the deep. Thereafter the Spirit is spoken of in many ways: the Spirit of God is wisdom, the reward for disciplined effort and study. It is a talent for works of craftsmanship. It is a gift or presence given to individual human beings so that they can lead God’s people in times of emergency, speak God’s word of warning when his people fall away, or proclaim a message of hope to the entire world. So why Joel? Why these verses? Firstly, because the message they contain is a universal message: It will come about after this That I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind – not just the blood descendants of Abraham. And secondly, because this outpouring will happen at a time when the Day of the Lord is near.

What about this pouring out, specifically? The Old Testament speaks of the giving of the Spirit (or spiritual gifts) in many different ways, not just pouring. People are endowed with the Spirit (the craftsman Bezalel, Exodus 31.3, implying a lifelong gift). The Spirit comes upon them (Balaam in Numbers 24.2) descends upon them (Othniel, Caleb’s younger brother, in Judges 3.10), alights upon them (the Righteous Branch in Isaiah 11.2), or falls upon them (Ezekiel 11.5). It enters into them (but only in Ezekiel; 2.2 and 3.24). It is put upon them by God (the elders again in Numbers 11.25, the Servant in Isaiah 42.1; on all God’s people in Ezekiel 11.9 and 36.26-27). It rests upon them (the elders in Numbers 11.25), and grips them (Samson in Judges 14.6; David in 1Samuel 10.6 and 16.3).

Sometimes, the Spirit is poured out – but not that often. In Isaiah, the people wait Till a spirit from on high is poured out on us, And wilderness is transformed into farm land (Isa 32.15). Later (and perhaps this is the passage the prophet Joel had in mind), the LORD promises that even as I pour water on thirsty soil, And rain upon dry ground, So will I pour My spirit on your offspring, My blessing upon your posterity (Isa 44.3). Zechariah, another prophet from the time after the exile, uses the image of pouring in a passage John’s gospel quotes as a messianic prophecy: I will pour out a spirit of compassion and supplication on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that, when they look on the one whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn (Zec 12.10; see John 19.37). These are all important passages, but there are not many of them.

Other things in the Hebrew Bible are poured out much more often: the blood of sacrificial animals for example, as in this scene from Exodus, at the ordination of Aaron and his sons as the first priests: take some of the bull’s blood and put it on the horns of the altar with your finger; then pour out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar (Exo 29.12). This instruction is repeated several times in directions for related rituals. The murderous letting of blood (Gen 9.6, 37.22; Lev 17.4) can only be cleansed by pouring out the blood of the murderer: blood pollutes the land, and the land can have no expiation for blood that is shed on it, except by the blood of him who shed it (Num 35.33).

In the prophets, the thing poured out most often, figuratively, is the fury of the LORD at his disobedient people. Ezekiel is particularly full of such passages: Very soon I will pour out My wrath upon you and spend My anger on you (Eze 7.8). The proper response to divine anger is tears of repentance, as in Lamentations: Pour out your heart like water In the presence of the Lord! (Lam 2.19).

Hannah, who will be the mother of Samuel, prays in this way to the LORD for the gift of a child. We hear her indignantly reject the accusation of the priest, Eli, who mistakes the passion of her prayer and believes she is drunk: I have drunk no wine or other strong drink, but I have been pouring out my heart to the Lord, praying to him for the gift of a child (1Sa 1.15). We have come full circle, back to the scene Luke depicts in Acts 2, with someone in the throes of deep spiritual experience being accused of drunkenness by someone who misinterprets what they are seeing – ironically someone who should be attuned to the things of God, but who prefers a mundane explanation.

Did Luke intend to remind us of Hannah, as well as Isaiah? It is really not possible to say. Like all other biblical writers, Luke carried most of the Scriptures in his head, not in his notebooks. The whole Bible is built on echoes and parallels, new writings basing themselves on older ones. Most echoes are conscious and deliberate, but some are a matter of habit and style, of choosing and re-using familiar words and images almost automatically. It is well recognised that Hannah’s song inspired the Magnificat in Luke’s gospel, Mary’s words of joy to her cousin Elizabeth, as they rejoice together over the children they are carrying (Luke 146-55).

Let’s again ask Luke the question we began with, Why are you telling me this? Why does he want to remind us of the prophets? Why does he want to ground these new and exciting events in Israel’s history, its Scriptures, and its religious traditions? The answer is, because the gospel of Jesus Christ is not something new, but the fulfilment of all that came before. In the events of first century Judea and Galilee, the plan and purposes of God were seen unfolding. We should expect to see the same thing today. Nothing that happens in the world is completely random, and we should train ourselves to look at things differently from people around us. The better we know our Bibles, the easier it is to see the signs of God at work.

The day of Pentecost was a special day, a foundational event for the church. The temptation is to say that nothing like it will ever happen again, until some far-off day we can only glimpse now. That is not much of a basis for purposeful Christian living. So instead, let’s open our eyes, and open our hearts. Let’s be like Hannah: let’s pour out our spirit in prayer to the Lord, and not let the world or anyone close to us pour cold water on what we see happen next.

Bible citations from the North American Standard Bible and JPS Tanakh translation. Image from piqsels.com

Being on the alert

Be of sober spirit, be on the alert
1Peter 5.8

War has been described as months of boredom punctuated by moments of sheer terror (Guy’s Hospital Gazette, 1914). The COVID-19 pandemic has been like this for a lot of people.

To begin with, it was all about shortages in the shops – toilet paper and paracetamol. It was all quite tedious and irritating, but at least we felt we were doing something, even if it was only stockpiling for our own benefit.

But then for some people the situation became one of pure terror. Either they were taken into hospital themselves, or they had to see one of their nearest and dearest taken away by ambulance, and were to go with them

The lockdown has shut us up within our own four walls. In that way, the lockdown gives us physical protection. But it doesn’t make us strong – in many ways, it renders us powerless. It drastically limits not just what we can do for ourselves, but what we can do for other people. And being there for other people is a big part of what our faith is all about.

We’ve often sung “Strong Tower”, by the Newsboys. The strong tower in the song is a symbol of God’s loving protection. It’s an image we find in many places in Scripture, but I think the inspiration for the song comes from 2 Samuel 22:

The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,
my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,
my shield, and the horn of my salvation,
my high tower and my refuge,
my savior; you save me from violence.
I called upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised,
and I was saved from my enemies. 2 Samuel 22:2–4
All references are to the NASB (New American Standard Bible)

When we sing “Strong Tower” in church I usually remind us all, the strong tower isn’t a safe place where we can hide away. Soldiers locked up in the tower can’t do very much for the King. To serve the King, to take on his enemies they have to go out. God’s loving protection gives us the strength and confidence to take on the world.

You can think of the strong tower as being God himself, or God’s love. You can also think of God’s Word as a strong tower.

Every castle has watchmen on the battlements so they can see anyone approaching. When we stand on the Word of God, we have a better view of the world – if we’re alert. From that point of vantage, we can see Jesus returning – and so we have hope, a hope that keeps us from dozing and dropping our guard.

Think back to the situation of the disciples after Jesus left them; think back to the situation of the first believers. They really expected Jesus to come back soon – in days, or weeks. It took time for them to adjust to the idea that that wasn’t going to happen – we even see that process taking place, in the transition between Paul’s early letters, and the one we think are later.

The temptation for the disciples initially was to find a safe place, and wait to be saved. Jesus knew in advance they were going to face that temptation – so he told them a parable.

The parable is of slaves left to watch over their master’s house. We find versions of it in Matthew, Mark and Luke. The master has either gone on a long journey, or to a wedding – that detail doesn’t matter.

The point is, how they behave while the master is away; and what he expects them to be doing when he gets back.

If we go back to the war analogy again, think of the months of boredom – those times when there’s nothing going on. Soldiers might not be so careful about looking after their kit and cleaning their weapons. Their officers might get bored too – they might let their companies sit about eating and getting fat, so they’re not fit and ready for battle.

Think of a sentry on duty, alone for hours with nothing to do but watch. I’ve worked on night shift – I know how hard it is to stay awake at 4 in the morning. It’s difficult to maintain discipline and readiness at those times, but it’s vital, and military regulations emphasise that fact.

The Manual of Military Law used in the British Army during the Great War said, A sentinel found asleep or drunk at his post while on active service would, if the character or circumstances of the offence were sufficiently grave, be liable to suffer death.

The Roman army went one step further: if a sentry fell asleep on duty, he would be clubbed to death by his fellow soldiers – the comrades he had placed in danger.

Jesus doesn’t want us to obey through fear. In one version of the parable, when the master comes home, he puts on his pinny and serves dinner to his slaves. That’s the action of a master who rules through love.

It would never have happened in real life, not in the time when the gospels were written. But it makes sense in the context of the kingdom of God.

Peter says in his letter, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time (1 Peter 5.6). That’s what happens when the master serves his slaves – he rewards them for their faithfulness by raising them up, by treating them as equals. That’s what Jesus is promising to do for us, too – if we are faithful.

What does it mean to be faithful? It means, not to become preoccupied with our own sufferings, our own feelings of boredom, our feelings of resentment at how being able to do what we want, or buy what we want, or eat where we want. It means, be alert to what’s happening in politics, but don’t get sucked into the blame game to the point it obscures compassion.

Faithfulness mean being alert – being watchful – especially over ourselves: alert to the risks our own behaviours might create for other people; alert to the spiritual dangers during the lockdown, of sloth and despondency and despair.

Peter also talks about suffering – what does it mean to suffer, in the context of faith? I don’t think we should put the emphasis on physical injury and pain. The experience of suffering that unites Jesus and Paul is the experience of rejection and betrayal, even from people close to them.

So for us to suffer like them is for us to risk being vulnerable. I’m not saying, break the lockdown rules – I don’t mean that kind of vulnerability. I’m saying, with all the lockdown rules in force, yet with so much at stake spiritually, maybe we have to take the risk of being misunderstood or rejected, by sharing more openly what Jesus means to us than we have been at other times.

Be alert, be faithful, have confidence in God, be prepared to take the risks he calls you to take – then, After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you (1Peter 5.10).

Image from pickpik.com

The uncontainable Church

Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved. Acts 2.46-47, NASB

This is a passage Archbishop of York John Sentamu preached on at Spring Harvest a few weeks ago – I hope it’s still here
Even if you’ve heard it already, it’s worth hearing again

This is one of those summary passages Luke uses to make the transition between parts of his narrative
– Here, between Peter’s first sermon, on the day of Pentecost, and his second, after the healing of a lame beggar outside the temple some days later

It follows on thematically from the story of the Emmaus road – people’s eyes are being opened, through the preaching of the gospel, and the breaking of bread among the faithful
– To which we now add the public witness of believers’ transformed lives

Luke gives us something that could be an idealised picture
It’s too early really to call this a church, but in terms of church life, it’s richer and more blessed perhaps than any later fellowship

This fellowship has so many good things, I’m tempted to what John Sentamu did, and go through them all one by one
But that would be redundant – he did it better than I could

So instead, let’s think about Luke’s reasons for writing this passage in the way he has
Is Luke a naïve writer, just piling up random things that make this early church look good?

It’s not that simple – but I do think he is painting this picture for a reason
And that reason is, that the lives of the churches whose people are going to read this account are falling short of the example Luke is giving them here

Luke obviously didn’t have the congregations of our own time in his thoughts
But we too fall far short of the picture he gives us here

Lots to celebrate, lots to marvel at, a miracle of life and witness
What is the idea that binds all these many good things together?
It’s unity – all the things Luke mentions are things that people do together
Their unity is their witness – Luke underlines this again and again

Everyone hears the apostles’ teaching
Everyone devotes themselves to meeting and eating together
Everyone see and believes in the healings and other miraculous signs
Everyone shares their money and belongings with the fellowship
Everyone prays and praises God together

The communal, sacrificial life of this fellowship has been compared to the life of the community that lived around this time at Qumran, who left us the Dead Sea Scrolls
There is one big difference however – that community deliberately separated itself from the wider community

This community in Jerusalem is different
It deliberately lives its life of faith in the public arena
It shares its gifts with anyone who wants to be a part of it

As a result, everyone in this fellowship is regarded as a blessing by people outside
And everyone wants to be a part of it (the church grows daily, sometimes by the thousand)

Is this all about numbers? No; this eagerness to join is a work of the Spirit, a sign God is at work
This gathering of people is a sign of the coming of the kingdom

God is doing what he has promised – he is bringing home the exiles, from wherever they are:
I will bring them back from the land of Egypt
And gather them from Assyria;
And I will bring them into the land of Gilead and Lebanon
Until no room can be found for them (Zechariah 10.10, NASB)

The gathering of God’s people goes on, not just until everyone is home, but until it overflows to the whole world

First, on the day of Pentecost, it was Christ’s disciples speaking in their own tongues to Diaspora Jews from all round the Mediterranean
Now, the doors are open wide and the world is beginning to flood in
The astonishing growth of this fellowship is a sign God is using Israel, his people, to reconcile the world, through the gospel of Jesus Christ

This is what happens in church, when you follow the leading of the spirit
When you all stop trying to go your own way, and allow the Spirit to gather you together, so that others can be gathered in turn

We are in lockdown, but the life of this church should be uncontainable
It should overflow to people round about, because the Spirit that lives in us is uncontainable

That’s a challenge, at the moment
We have our meeting online today – how do we turn that from something that contains us, to something that gathers other people?
We pray for people in our homes – how do we turn that from a self-contained activity, to something that gathers others into the sense of God’s power and purpose?
We keep in touch with one another, in any way we can, by letter and cards, by phone, by text, by email, facebook, WhatsApp – how do we extend our fellowship beyond the people we already know?

The church has never faced a challenge like this
But instead of just saying, we’ve never had problems like this, let’s say instead, because it’s a unique situation, we’ve never had opportunities like this
Let’s ask God to show us where they are – and let’s ask him for the courage and imagination to seize them, the way the believers in Jerusalem did

Image by lollyman @ flickr.com

Who is Lord of your life?

The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.”

I know a lot of Christians who don’t read the Old Testament
– Because they think it is boring (I think that’s the usual reason: the Old Testament is ‘difficult’)
– Or they reject it on theological grounds (we’re not happy with a wrathful God, or commandments to slaughter enemies)

If we think that way, if we bracket out the Old Testament, a lot of the New Testament makes no sense
Even a lot of the New Testament then seems irrelevant to the story we want the Bible to tell – which is all about us being saved and going to heaven

It’s a hard thing to say, but that’s not the real gospel story

We’ve been looking at the first sermon delivered by one of the apostles
– Peter’s sermon on the day of Pentecost

In this sermon, Peter quotes the first verse of Psa 110:
David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says, “  ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.” ’ Acts 2:34–35 (ESV)
We should make special note of this – because this verse is quoted or mentioned more often in the New Testament than any other verse from the Old Testament (it is either quoted directly or alluded to in Mark 12.36, Mat 22.44, Luke 20.43, Rom 8.34, 1Co 15.25, Eph 1.20, Col 3.1, Heb 1.3, 1.13, 8.1, 10.12-13, 1Pe 3.21-22, Rev 3.9 – and that may not be an exhaustive list)

Why does Peter quote this Scripture here?
Firstly, because the people listening to him are Jews: anything not from Scripture, they will disregard
Secondly, and more importantly, because this verse backs up Christianity’s central claim: that Jesus Christ is Lord

Jesus Christ is Lord – that is the original creed of the Church: Every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Php 2.11)
That is what Peter’s Jewish audience has to be brought to recognise

That’s also true for us: if we don’t focus on that central truth, we end up focusing on the fringe benefits:
– Jesus is our friend, Jesus is a nice guy (actually I don’t know where that idea comes from – it’s not prominent in the gospels)
– Jesus is a wise teacher, he shuts up the smart alecks and the bullies
– Jesus feeds his friends: he can make food appear out of nowhere when we’re hungry
– Jesus is a healer, he is particularly good at making nasty skin conditions disappear

These are all good things, but they’re incidental
They aren’t what Jesus is – they’re signs of what he is
The central truth about Jesus is, Jesus Christ is Lord
That’s not just nice – it’s world-changing

When we recognise who Jesus is, we recognise who we are
If Jesus Christ is Lord, we’re no longer waiting for the Messiah: he’s here
We’re no longer waiting for rescue: we are saved
We’re no longer waiting to be brought out of exile: we’re home

If Christ is our Lord, we can start living in a new way
We can stop living in a world that is passing away
We can stop following human leaders and chanting their slogans

We can stop pinning our hopes on things that will always disappoint
We can stop living in fear of what might happen, and start living as if we’re grateful for what has happened

We can live like the apostles: fearlessly, wisely, compassionately, adventurously, boldly
That’s something worth holding on to, in a time like this