Every job has its share of rote, redundant tasks.
But patterns save time, especially when volume production is involved. And noticing patterns is equally productive as well. It always pays off, whether I’m building or reading.
Not only that, I’ve discovered that being able to detect recurring themes in text is essential to the inductive study method. But if I’m not careful to discipline the process, I find it too convenient to extract a meaning completely out of context to confirm something I’ve been taught, importing some form of personal bias into the interpretive process.
[What’s the ‘Inductive study method?” see: Inductive Study? Sounds Like a Plan.]
So, perhaps the Berean’s approach to verifying something they’d heard is a good paradigm for me to follow.
In Luke’s narrative of the book of Acts, he describes the impartial attitude of the Jews in the synagogue at Berea upon hearing what was claimed to be good news from Paul and Silas:
“The brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so. ” [vss. 17:10-11] [my emphasis]
The text gives the reader no indication of what they were looking for, only that they were comparing what had been written to what was said. I can read everything that they could’ve read and compare it to what Paul [and others] wrote in the New Testament epistles.
And while the Bereans might not have known who the “Seed” of Abraham was, I do.
As a result, I could post volumes of articles about what I recognize to be the familiar and recurrent hope of both the authors and readers of the ancient Jewish Writings and Prophecy—or what is now known as the Old Testament.
That familiar and recurrent hope was the expectation of a promise to be fulfilled through a Messiah [Christ], which was given by God to Abraham and his Seed. [see: Gen.12:1-3, 22:15-18; Gal. 3:14-18]
The cornerstone of that prophetic promise was that they would even be raised up from the dead and be given “authority and dominion” as “saints of the Highest One” in His everlasting kingdom. [Dan. 7:27, 12:2]
Based on the extensive knowledge of the Jewish Writings and Prophecy the Bereans probably had, I have to wonder…did what Paul and Silas shared provide any insight to what they already understood when they examined the Scriptures?
Was it an accurate proclamation of a recurring, familiar promise? Absolutely.
So what’s the big deal? I’m not aJew.
Well, maybe that’s why Jesus and His apostles often referred to something they called The Good News. Perhaps that’s why this same common thread of hope has been stitched into the fabric of the New Testament narratives and letters:
“For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles —if Indeed you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace which was given to me for you, that, by revelation, there was made known to me the mystery, as I wrote before In brief. By referring to this, when you read you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which, in other generations, was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit. To be specific, that the Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel…” [Eph.3:1 -6] [my emphasis]
“For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For all of you who were baptized Into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants—heirs according to promise.” [Gal. 3:26-29] [my emphasis]
There you go.
The hope of the faithful Gentile disciple is understandable, consistent and real.
As a “fellow partaker of the promise,” he’s a co-heir with the “Firstborn of many brothers,” Jesus Christ, in the Kingdom that He will inaugurate when He returns to the Earth, [see: Rom. 8:16-17, 28- 30]
It doesn’t get any better than that.
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Posted: February 26, 2015 by cjournalme
Common Threads are Common
Every job has its share of rote, redundant tasks.
But patterns save time, especially when volume production is involved. And noticing patterns is equally productive as well. It always pays off, whether I’m building or reading.
Not only that, I’ve discovered that being able to detect recurring themes in text is essential to the inductive study method. But if I’m not careful to discipline the process, I find it too convenient to extract a meaning completely out of context to confirm something I’ve been taught, importing some form of personal bias into the interpretive process.
[What’s the ‘Inductive study method?” see: Inductive Study? Sounds Like a Plan.]
So, perhaps the Berean’s approach to verifying something they’d heard is a good paradigm for me to follow.
In Luke’s narrative of the book of Acts, he describes the impartial attitude of the Jews in the synagogue at Berea upon hearing what was claimed to be good news from Paul and Silas:
“The brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so. ” [vss. 17:10-11] [my emphasis]
The text gives the reader no indication of what they were looking for, only that they were comparing what had been written to what was said. I can read everything that they could’ve read and compare it to what Paul [and others] wrote in the New Testament epistles.
And while the Bereans might not have known who the “Seed” of Abraham was, I do.
As a result, I could post volumes of articles about what I recognize to be the familiar and recurrent hope of both the authors and readers of the ancient Jewish Writings and Prophecy—or what is now known as the Old Testament.
That familiar and recurrent hope was the expectation of a promise to be fulfilled through a Messiah [Christ], which was given by God to Abraham and his Seed. [see: Gen.12:1-3, 22:15-18; Gal. 3:14-18]
The cornerstone of that prophetic promise was that they would even be raised up from the dead and be given “authority and dominion” as “saints of the Highest One” in His everlasting kingdom. [Dan. 7:27, 12:2]
Based on the extensive knowledge of the Jewish Writings and Prophecy the Bereans probably had, I have to wonder…did what Paul and Silas shared provide any insight to what they already understood when they examined the Scriptures?
Was it an accurate proclamation of a recurring, familiar promise? Absolutely.
So what’s the big deal? I’m not aJew.
Well, maybe that’s why Jesus and His apostles often referred to something they called The Good News. Perhaps that’s why this same common thread of hope has been stitched into the fabric of the New Testament narratives and letters:
“For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles —if Indeed you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace which was given to me for you, that, by revelation, there was made known to me the mystery, as I wrote before In brief. By referring to this, when you read you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which, in other generations, was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit. To be specific, that the Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel…” [Eph.3:1 -6] [my emphasis]
“For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For all of you who were baptized Into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants—heirs according to promise.” [Gal. 3:26-29] [my emphasis]
There you go.
The hope of the faithful Gentile disciple is understandable, consistent and real.
As a “fellow partaker of the promise,” he’s a co-heir with the “Firstborn of many brothers,” Jesus Christ, in the Kingdom that He will inaugurate when He returns to the Earth, [see: Rom. 8:16-17, 28- 30]
It doesn’t get any better than that.
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