15 So then, be very
careful how you live. Don't live like foolish people but like wise people. 16 Make the most of your opportunities
because these are evil days. 17
So don't be foolish, but understand what the Lord wants. 18 Don't get drunk on wine, which
leads to wild living. Instead, be filled with the Spirit 19 by reciting psalms, hymns, and
spiritual songs for your own good. Sing and make music to the Lord with your
hearts. 20 Always thank God the
Father for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
We're now nearing the
end of the series in Ephesians.... and you get the sense that St. Paul is
wrapping things up. For the last couple of weeks I've been content to use
one-word descriptors to sum up what Paul is talking about in terms of God's
Blueprint for the Church. Last week that one-word descriptor was
"different." The week before it was "unity." If I were to
stay with a one word descriptor for this week, it would probably be something
like "FOCUSED."
Paul's 'Jewishness' comes out in
this very brief passage. By which, I mean, he uses typical rabbinic CONTRASTS
(wise vs foolish, filled with wine vs filled with the Spirit, redeeming the
time vs not redeeming the time, etc. etc.), and he also frames his comments in
terms of WISDOM.
Any time the word wisdom occurs in
the New Testament, there's an immediate question as to whether or not the
writer is thinking in terms of Greek wisdom (philosophy, schools of thought,
etc.) or Jewish wisdom. The Alexandrian Jewish scholar Philo attempted to show that
the two were not completely incompatible, yet for the purposes of the biblical
writers they are most frequently viewed as opposites and/or incompatible. For
instance:
(Prov 14:12) There
is a way which seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.
(1Cor 3:19) For
the wisdom of this world is foolishness before God.
(1Cor 1:19) For it
is written, "I WILL DESTROY THE WISDOM OF THE WISE.
In contrast to the world's wisdom, the Scriptures usually point to God
(and His Word) as the source of true wisdom:
(Prov 9:10) The
fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom
(James 1:5) But if
any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and
without reproach
(2Tim 3:15) and
that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give
you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus
I suppose if one were
looking for a simple/concise definition of "wisdom" in the biblical
sense, it would be: "having the mind of God." On the surface this seems
unattainable--after all, God is God and we're not. Yet the Scriptures over and
over paint a different picture. That far from being unattainable, God has
reached out and revealed Himself precisely for this purpose: so that we, his Creation, can become like Him. That
said, the Scriptures also paint the picture that such a pursuit is not as
mundane as simply "making a decision for Jesus." It is a life-long
process of formation.
This gets us back to
this week's brief section from Ephesians 5. What does being FOCUSED on this
[life-long] FORMATION look like? It strives for wisdom (knowing the mind of God
as revealed in His word, v15). It is cognizant of the "time" (season)
that we're in (v16). Ancient and agrarian cultures are especially 'seasonally'
driven. You must do certain things in
certain seasons or else you take grave risks. [think of the fable of the ant
& the grasshopper... and not recognizing the season]. Making the most of the opportunities ("redeeming the time,
KJV) is the order of the day because the
days are evil. The days are evil...is an interesting phrase. I've wondered if it
occurred anywhere else, but so far it appears to be unique to Ephesians.
Regardless, Paul appears to be using the phrase as evidence or reason to be
about the business of God.
He goes on to further
unpack what this means: 18 Don't
get drunk on wine, which leads to wild living. Instead, be filled with the
Spirit. We could almost use modern thought processes for following his
logic. If the times are that bad, if the days are "evil," then
perhaps my first impulse is to reach for certain "coping mechanisms"
such as abusing alcohol. In this sense, "drunk on wine" can be
metaphorical for ANY escapist and unhealthy (spiritual OR physical) coping
mechanism. He could easily have said: don't
drug out; don't fall for 'shop till you drop;' don't lose yourself in
cyberspace every waking hour; don't be overcome by the career treadmill; don't
go into permanent off-the-grid retirement/vacation mode.... etc. etc. etc.
The point being, if you FILL yourself up with these things, there's no room for
God's Spirit...hence the contrast in v18.
Finally, for enquiring
minds, he tells us HOW to be filled up by God's Spirit: 19 by reciting psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs for your own good.
Sing and make music to the Lord with your hearts. As much as memory verses
are of great value and having Christian music on the radio in your car, that's
not what Paul is talking about here. In the KJV the passages begins with a
"ye." 15 See then that YE walk
circumspectly... Point being, Paul
is addressing the GROUP, and hence, is talking about GROUP WORSHIP. Whole
articles could be written on this topic, but Paul's point seems to be that the
importance of the corporate worship of the congregation cannot be
under-emphasized. It is nothing less than the ACTIVE FILLING UP of the Holy
Spirit in the life of believers! Vs 20 has a neat 'double-meaning' emphasis, as
he mentions giving thanks always to God,
which can mean recognizing that all that we have and our life as a whole comes
from God and should be received with a thankful heart. Yet, the Greek word
there is "eucharisto"... the word we get our sacramental word
"Eucharist" from. This points us back to the Eucharistic Gathering of
the congregation--where we not only give thanks to God for the greatest gift
ever, His Son our Lord, but we actually receive the blessings needed to go back
out and redeem the time of the evil days that we find ourselves in.
cheers,
TM
No comments:
Post a Comment