A little Greek goes a long way

I heard a sermon a while back on Matthew 15. In that passage, Jesus exclaims “O woman!” (ὦ γύναι, 15:28) and in that sermon the preacher suggested that the ‘O’’s are significant in Matthew. That made me curious...

Sad to say, glancing down at the pew Bible, the NIV, was no help: it doesn’t translate the ‘O’ [tut tut NIV!] Moving to the ESV on my phone, I found it does translate it in Matt 15:28 and so I did a quick search in the English ESV text for other examples of ‘O’ in Matthew. There are ten such passages: 

2:6 "'And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.'"

6:30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

8:26 And he said to them, "Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?" Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.

8:29 And behold, they cried out, "What have you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?"

14:31 Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?"

15:22 And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and was crying, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon."

15:28 Then Jesus answered her, "O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire." And her daughter was healed instantly.

16:8 But Jesus, aware of this, said, "O you of little faith, why are you discussing among yourselves the fact that you have no bread?

17:17 And Jesus answered, "O faithless and twisted generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him here to me."

23:37 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not!

Lots to work with there, but then I checked the Greek and here’s the thing: there’s only an ‘O’ in Greek in two of those passages: 15:28 and 17:17. The ESV has added the rest [tut tut ESV!]

That said, what we’re left with might suggest that the two ‘O’’s are important after all. When the woman is introduced in ch15, she is an outsider (a Canaanite) whose faith contrasts with the mounting opposition from the Jews (15:1-9 and 16:1-4). By chapter 17 she stands out as a striking exception to a whole unbelieving generation which includes even the disciples. Her faith is great; the rest, for the time being, are faithless: 

15:28 “O woman, great is your faith”                    

 ὦ γύναι, μεγάλη σου ἡ πίστις·

17:17 “O faithless and twisted generation”           

ὦ γενεὰ ἄπιστος καὶ διεστραμμένη

So, not race, not gender, not even the best possible apprenticeship (which the disciples received) is a guarantee of anything. Faith is what counts.

Galatians: The last word

A helpful thought and some encouragement for anyone preaching through Galatians this year:

“The last sentence of this polemic Epistle is a benediction and the last word is a word of affection, ‘brethren’ [=brothers and sisters]... It takes the sting out of the severity. Thus concludes this Epistle so full of polemical fire and zeal, yet more full of grace – free sovereign grace, justifying sanctifying grace, and full of forgiving love even to ungrateful pupils; an Epistle for the time and an Epistle for all times.”

Philip Schaff, quoted in Philip Schaff, ed., St Chrysostom: Homilies on Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, Thessalonians, Timothy, Titus, and Philemon, Nicene & Post-Nicene Fathers 13 (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1976), 48.

Screwtape’s sermon on mission Sunday

My dear devils, it is a privilege to be able to reflect with you for a few minutes on the Great Commission we have received from Our Father Below.

Before we come to our text this morning, though, we must face facts. The Enemy’s followers are stubbornly obedient to his supposedly ‘great commission’ and reports from many parts of the world are enough to put fear into the heart of the stoutest tempter.

There are some encouragements of course. We have great success in encouraging the thought that repetition counts for more than definition. Incessant talk about mission need not trouble the heart of the meekest tempter if it is never defined. Indeed there is great sport to be had seeing what harmless activities can be smuggled under that label. 

Nevertheless, in some quarters The Enemy’s Word holds fast and they not only concern themselves with the true mission but (most regrettably) they have also been taught by that Word to pray for workers for that harvest field. This is most serious. As we know, The Enemy takes strange delight in this and indulges his infantile children in a most unseemly way.

What then is to be done? You might think the answer lies in distracting them from this task but I say let them pray. Indeed, our text today teaches us not hinder the little children. Turn with me to Mark 9:38.

You recall the context: The Enemy’s Son has sent them out to spread the Bad News but when they return they give the most wonderful report:

 “Teacher,” said John, “we saw someone driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us.”

Delicious isn’t it? Do you see? We have nothing to fear from His disciples praying Matthew 9:38 prayers if we can teach them to think Mark 9:38 thoughts. Workers can go into the harvest and have very great success, but it is no matter. Because their labours can produce a very great harvest for us. All we need to do is sow that thought: “not one of us.”

In every patient and congregation there will be ample material to work on:

As The Enemy gathers subjects from different cultures and classes (where does this perverse love of diversity come from?!) it is a simple matter to awaken old loyalties and rivalries. 

As his subjects gather themselves to work in some area of the harvest field let them think that only their methods are proper, or that their small corner of some field is really the whole. Let them acknowledge only their efforts as ‘strategic’ (may Our Hellish Father bless the demon that first brought that thought to their minds!) and let them pray, but only for their labours. That way, with only a little effort, they can pray for His glory but all the while seek their own. If we only remember these things, we can be of good cheer, for the harvest will be plentiful.  

Amen.

A Better Story, by Glynn Harrison

 

Glynn Harrison’s new book really does brim with good things.

I’ve not written a full review, but here are a few general comments and then some choice quotes to whet your appetite and encourage you to buy the thing and get people in your church discussing it.

1.     The whole book is driven by an evident desire to serve and equip the church.  Hard not to like that.

2.     Throughout, there’s a really winsome acknowledgement of our shortcomings as evangelicals, coupled with a willingness to celebrate the good to be found in the sexual revolution (e.g. greater equality for women, a shift away from bigoted oppression of minorities, some heroic examples of sacrificial service).

3.     Glynn recognises the need for some deep and careful theological reflection. At one point he writes “I find myself looking for some serious theological engagement with these weighty issues, especially gender ideology and questions of human identity.” (22). In some ways A Better Story meets that need. Although it is written in a very accessible style, the book summarises a remarkable amount of research and insightfully analyses cultural trends by drawing on multiple disciplines. At the same time, it is a clarion call for some more hard thinking. 

4.    There is an urgent call to make sure that Christians know what they believe and why. This is crucial as the church becomes more of a minority and is seen as an immoral minority on the basis of our views about sexuality and gender. In that way, A Better Story is quite church focussed. On the other hand, it is not simply advocating a withdrawal from the world. Rather, the better story of the title is to be told and embodied both in the church and in the world.

5.     There’s lots of C. S. Lewis. Hard not to like that too.

Ok, now some quotes:

“TV, pop stars and the movies didn’t simply furnish young people with trendy new role models. They were the co-opted handmaidens of burgeoning post-war consumerism.” 7

(quoting Steve Gillon) “Almost from the time they were conceived, Boomers were dissected, analysed, and pitched to by modern marketeers who reinforced [their] sense of generational distinctiveness.” 8

With the arrival of pop psychology in the 1970’s “self-expression was transformed from a mindless act of defiance into a moral quest. It was no longer change for change’s sake, or freedom for freedom’s sake; it was freedom for the sake of authenticity and becoming your true self.” 15

“You can’t out-fact a story. You need to tell a different story. A better story.” 46

74 “Many [young people] still stumble into an awareness of their sexuality through the prism of what the church is against rather than what it is for. I am frequently invited to give a talk on the question of pornography. Almost always I decline unless it forms part of a positive body of teaching on the biblical vision for sex. I am no longer prepared to help perpetuate a culture than knows what it is against, but has little idea what it is for.” 74

“We shouldn’t begin our critique of [the sexual revolution] with what we believe, but, crucially, in terms of what it promised. 76

Quoting W. Bradford Wilcox: the decline in marriage means “large numbers of young men will live apart from the civilising power of married life.” 103

“Marriage creates a culture that binds men to their responsibilities for the children they bring into the world.” 109

“Perhaps it’s about getting in touch with one’s inner hero. But what if your inner hero turns out to be elusive? What if the self you discover within turns out to be a weak, vulnerable and rather dependent thing? And what if your suspicion grows that the notion of your inner hero itself has simply been marketed to you?” 116

“As a couple make their wedding vows, they bear bodily witness to the covenantal character of God’s love. Or rather, as they keep their wedding vows they demonstrate its special character.” 152

“Both single and married people who abstain from sex outside the marriage bond point to the same thing. They both ‘deploy’ their sexuality in ways that serve as a sign of the kingdom and the faithful character of God’s passion. In refusing to have sex outside marriage, the single person witnesses to the unbreakable link between passion and faithfulness. And in refusing to commit adultery, the married person bears witness to the same truth.” 153-4

“How about viewing marriage preparation as one of the first and most important pastoral skills acquired during ministerial training?” 188