Diocese of Charleston Bible Study + December 9, 2015

Galatians 4:22-31
Luke 8:16-21

Galatians 4:22-31 (NKJV)
For it is written that Abraham had two sons: the one by a bondwoman, the other by a freewoman. But he who was of the bondwoman was born according to the flesh, and he of the freewoman through promise, which things are symbolic. For these are the two covenants: the one from Mount Sinai which gives birth to bondage, which is Hagar— for this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and corresponds to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children— but the Jerusalem above is free, which is the mother of us all. For it is written: "Rejoice, O barren, you who do not bear! Break forth and shout, you who are not in labor! For the desolate has many more children than she who has a husband." Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are children of promise. But, as he who was born according to the flesh then persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, even so it is now. Nevertheless what does the Scripture say? "Cast out the bondwoman and her son, for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman." So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman but of the free.

Luke 8:16-21 (NKJV)
The Lord said, "No one, when he has lit a lamp, covers it with a vessel or puts it under a bed, but sets it on a lampstand, that those who enter may see the light. For nothing is secret that will not be revealed, nor anything hidden that will not be known and come to light. Therefore take heed how you hear. For whoever has, to him more will be given; and whoever does not have, even what he seems to have will be taken from him." Then His mother and brothers came to Him, and could not approach Him because of the crowd. And it was told Him by some, who said, "Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, desiring to see You." But He answered and said to them, "My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it."

Commentary 

For the people of Judea in Christ's day, being a part of God's people, being a person who was redeemed and who was set to be saved, to be delivered through judgment on the last day, was a simple matter of being a member of a particular family. As they read the book of Genesis, and then the rest of the Torah, they understood that after Adam failed and Noah's salvation of the earth failed, God chose and called Abraham, to whom He gave a family. That family grew into the nations of Israel and Judah, the latter of which were their forefathers. This family inherited all of the promises made to their forefathers, chiefly Abraham himself, Isaac and Jacob, giving them the land of Canaan, promising them a king to rule over them, and peace and rest from their enemies if they obeyed God's Law. Occasionally outsiders became new members of this family, primarily the way any family admits outsiders, through marriage, though also occasionally through adoption.

As long as they were Abraham's children according to the flesh, they believed that they were part of the chosen people, special out of all the peoples of the world, chosen and beloved by God above all others. The other nations of the world, the Gentiles, were looked down upon as dogs or worse. Because they were, by and large, hostile to Judea, the Judeans assumed they were God's enemies and hated by Him as well. When the people of Judea thought about the day of judgment, they didn't think about giving an account for their own sins, or the redemption of the poor, the fatherless, and the widow from within Judea. Rather, they looked forward to it as they day in which they believed God would take revenge for them on their enemies and finally give them the peace and prosperity on this earth which they believed they deserved.

What the Prophets whose words are recorded in the Old Testament, and Christ Himself, sought to teach the people was that they did not understand their calling and their election. They were not chosen and called because they were more righteous than the other peoples of the world. In fact, according to passages like Deuteronomy 9, quite the opposite. Rather, they were chosen and called by God according to His purpose. That purpose was that by revealing Himself and His Law to the people of Israel, they would become a nation different than all the other nations of the world. Seeing the justice and peace that reigned over a nation that followed the Law of the Lord, the other nations of the world would desire the same, and come to worship Israel's God as well. Israel's purpose was not to triumph over the Gentiles, but to bring them to salvation as well.

The ancestors of the Judeans of Christ's day had failed to accomplish this divine mission for which they had been chosen for one primary reason: though they were the ones who had heard the voice of God, in the Torah which they alone were given, and through the Prophets whom the Lord sent to reinforce and explain the message, they had not put it into practice. It was not enough to receive the Torah on tablets hand-written by the Lord Himself if Israel and Judah did not then go on to live and obey the Torah. It was not enough to have Prophets in their midst if the Prophets were going to be ignored, or worse, when their calls to repentance became offensive, persecuted and killed.

What too many of the Judeans of that day failed to see was that God was not content to allow the failure of His people to become the failure of His salvation. There was already in Christ's time a process of judgment taking place, in which the people of God to that point were being purified. Those who were truly faithful to the Lord received in Christ a depth of knowledge of Him and a closeness to Him of which they had never previously dreamed. But at the same time, those who were members of the people only according to the flesh, who were in fact faithless, were being cut off. Further, God was preparing to, in Christ, accomplish His original purpose, and bring in faithful children for Abraham from all the nations of the world. As reflected in our epistle reading today, St. Paul lived to see a day when the family of God had radically changed shape, with more children from the previously barren Gentiles than from the faithful remnant of Israel.

Just as was the case in the beginning, however, with Abraham, so also is the case with this newly constituted people of God. By calling and electing His Church, God is not playing favorites or selecting some for salvation while letting others perish. Rather, Christ's Church is called to His purpose, to the proclamation and spread of the Gospel to the ends of the earth, to the making of disciples, and to teaching all to follow the Lord's commandments. Wherever the Church goes in the world, She brings all of Christ's authority and power with her, power to heal, to transform, to forgive, and to save a world lost in sin.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, it is not enough for us to hear Christ's words in the Gospel and through the teachings of His Apostles. It is not enough for us to memorize and learn the teachings of the Church. We must take what we have heard and what we have learned, and do it. We must practice what we, as the Church, preach and we must do so publicly before the world, so that all people can see and learn Christ's will as well. This is why we have been chosen and called to be a part of God's family, and to be His people, that all the people of this old earth might find salvation in Christ through His Church.

Questions to Ponder 

1. In today's Gospel, Christ reminds us that a day is coming when all will be revealed, and everyone will be required to give an account for their words and actions in this life. This means that no matter how successfully we may think we have hidden our sins and our wrongdoing, whether we've managed to avoid punishment or even having our sins recognized, the truth is still the truth. If we have stolen, then until and unless we repent, we will always be a thief. If we lust in our hearts, until and unless we repent, we will never be sexually pure. If we have lied, we will always be a liar, until and unless we repent, regardless of whether or not we are found out. Are their things you've done in your past that you've kept hidden from everyone because you're ashamed, or you fear some punishment or consequence? Repentance and confession are available to you now, today, so that you will not only never have to fear being found out again, but can be healed by Christ.
2. St. Paul tells us in today's epistle that we are free from the Law. This does not mean that the commandments don't apply to us or that sin is no longer sin. Rather, this means that we are free to go beyond just keeping the rules of the Law and seeking to avoid sin to positively, as children of God, doing good, and becoming like our Father in heaven. Do you actively look for opportunities to do good, to show kindness, and to love other people every day? In addition to trying to avoid sin, do you take advantage of various situations in which you could help others?
3. Our Lord tells us that we have been given what we have been given, we have heard the teaching which we have heard through the Church, and God has taught us what we have learned through experience, for a purpose. That purpose was not to alleviate our curiosity or to allow us to become puffed up over our knowledge or wisdom. Rather, we have been taught by Christ so that we could, in turn, lead others to Christ and to the Faith, by our words and how we live our lives. Do you seize opportunities to learn more about the Faith? What you do learn, through sermons, classes, reading, and other opportunities, most importantly, do you put it into practice every day? Does what you learn affect how you live your life? Have the words of Christ in the Gospel, and communicated by His Church, changed and transformed you?

Questions or Comments?FrStephen@stgeorgecharleston.org

Note from the Author – No rights reserved. If you find anything good, or helpful, or worthwhile in these Bible studies from week to week, feel free to take and use it as you see fit. I do not need credit.

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