2 John and 3 John compared
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The Old Testament in 2 John
There is only one possible allusion to the Old Testament in 2 John. In Numbers 12.8 God says that with Moses he speaks face to face, clearly, not in riddles. In 2 John 12 the elder says he wishes not to write but to speak face to face with the chosen lady.
The response expected of the readers of 2 John
- Obey God’s commands
- Obey God’s commands (6)
- Love one another
- Love one another (5)
- Walk in love (6)
- Hold to the truth and reject false teachings
- Know the truth (1)
- Walk in the truth (4)
- Acknowledge Jesus as having come in the flesh (7)
- Watch out not to lose what the reward they have worked for (8)
- Don’t run ahead, but continue in the teachings of Christ (9)
- Do not welcome Christ-denying teachers into your house (10-11)
- Expect a visit from the author
- Be ready for my visit (12)
Observation
- At first glance, the section on love and the section on deceivers seem to be separate and unconnected. But in Greek they are connected by the word ‘for’. The readers apparently need to show love to each other by rejecting the false teachings that would harm their group.
The situation behind 2 John
- The situation of the author and the people around him
- The author is an elder (1)
- The author loves the lady in the truth (1)
- The author saw some of the lady’s children walking in the truth (4)
- The author is happy about it (4)
- The author hopes to visit (12)
- There is a chosen sister with the author that sends greetings (13)
- The situation of the recipients and the false teachers around them
- The recipient is a ‘lady’ and her ‘children’ (1)
- Deceivers have gone out into the world, and they are denying the incarnation of Christ (7)
- The lady and her children have worked hard, and there is a danger they could lose their reward (8)
- There is the danger that the deceivers could arrive to the lady’s house (10)
Some implications of 2 John for today
- What does it mean to ‘walk’ in the truth?
- We need love to balance truth
- We need truth to balance love
- If we support teachers of false doctrines, we become their accomplices
- The importance of believing in Jesus’ coming in the flesh – his bodily, physical nature
2 John index
Introduction to 2 John
- Translation of 2 John
- Outline of 2 John
- The situation behind 2 John
- The response expected of the readers of 2 John
- The message and motivation given by the author of 2 John
- Some implications of 2 John for today
2 John literary features
2 John in its canonical context
Exegetical notes on 2 John
Bibliography
- Bibliography for 1, 2, and 3 John
Virtues and vices in the book of Job
I recently went through the book of Job to get an overview of the book’s vision for morality. In previous posts I outlined the themes of prayer and spirituality and interpersonal justice and mercy in the book. The rest of the moral material I found in Job was in the form of names for general virtues and vices. Rather than belabor you with every verse reference for each term, I merely list the categories that the book specifically names. Those wanting to dig deeper could do word searches for these virtues and vices in Bible software and even dig up the original Hebrew words and find their specific nuances.
- Clean hands vs defiled hands
- Good vs evil, sins, offenses
- Humility, humble vs pride, proud
- Innocent vs guilty
- Integrity, blameless, pure vs corrupt, vile
- Just, justice vs injustice
- Kind, kindness vs ruthless
- Piety vs godless/ungodly
- Righteous/upright vs wicked
- Sincere vs crafty, deceit, error
- Wisdom, understanding vs foolishness
- Right vs wrong, wrongdoing
Prayer and spirituality in the book of Job
I recently went though the book of Job to see what kind of life the book sees as ideal. It had been a while since I had read it, so I assumed there would not be much material, and that the book would focus almost exclusively on the topic of suffering. But actually the book contains a wealth of theological, ethical and spiritual content far beyond what most people associate with Job. Below are the phrases in Job, from the New International Version of the Bible, for prayer and spiritual devotion. May you inhabit the positive phrases long enough to begin embodying them. May you also reflect find the negative phrases helpful as you prune resistance to God from your heart.
Descriptions of devotion to God in the book of Job
- fear God (1.1, 1.8, 2.3, 28.28, 31.23)
- devote your heart to him (11.13)
- hope in him (13.15)
- devotion to God (15.4)
- submit to God and be at peace with him (22.21)
- accept instruction from his mouth and lay up his words in your heart (22.22)
- return to the Almighty (22.23)
- find delight in the Almighty (22.26)
- lift up your face to God (22.26)
- closely follow his steps (23.11-12)
- keep to his way without turning aside (23.11)
- not depart from the commands of his lips (23.12)
- treasure the words of his mouth more than my daily bread (23.12)
- find delight in the Almighty (27.10)
- please God (34.9)
- obey and serve him (36.11)
- stop and consider God’s wonders (37.14)
Descriptions of prayer in the book of Job
- appeal to God (5.8)
- look to God (8.5)
- plead with the Almighty (8.5)
- plead with my Judge for mercy (9.15)
- stretch out your hands to him (11.13)
- my prayer is pure (16.17)
- my eyes pour out tears to God (16.20)
- plead with God (16.21)
- pray to him (22.27, 33.26)
- call upon God at all times (27.10)
- cry out to you, O God (30.20)
Descriptions of rebellion against God in the book of Job
- curse God (1.5, 1.11, 2.5, 2.9)
- sin by charging God with wrongdoing (1.22)
- despise the discipline of the Almighty (5.17)
- deny the words of the Holy One (6.10)
- provoke God (12.6)
- vent your rage against God (15.13)
- he shakes his fist at God and vaunts himself against the Almighty, defiantly charging against him (15.25-26)
- they say to God, ‘Leave us alone! We have no desire to know your ways. Who is the Almighty, that we should serve him? What would we gain by praying to him?’ (21.14-15)
- they said to God, ‘Leave us alone! What can the Almighty do to us?’ (22.17)
- there are those who rebel against the light, who do not know its ways or stay in its paths (24.13)
- want nothing to do with the light (24.16)
- be unfaithful to God on high (31.28)
- they turned from following him and had no regard for any of his ways (34.27)
- to his sin he adds rebellion; scornfully he claps his hands among us and multiplies his words against God (34.37)
- contend with the Almighty (40.2)
- accuse God (40.2)
Other spiritual and religious topics mentioned in Job
- Concealing one’s sin (31.33)
- Idolatry (12.6, 31.26-27, 36.14)
- Religious customs (1.5, 1.20, 2.12, 16.15, 42.8)
- Repentance (34.33, 42.6)
- Sabbath-keeping (37.7)
- Trust in riches (31.24-25, 36.18)
- Worship (1.20-21, 36.24, 37.24)
Interpersonal ethics in the book of Job
For being a book about human suffering, Job has a lot to say about how we treat one another. The words ‘justice’, ‘upright’, ‘righteous’, ‘innocent’, ‘guilty’, ‘ruthless’, and ‘clean hands’ are used often. What phrases from the lists below are true of the way you have treated others? How can you use these lists to improve your treatment of others?
Phrases for treating others unjustly and unmercifully in Job
- cast lots for the fatherless and barter away one’s friends (6.27)
- denounces one’s friends for reward (17.5)
- oppressed the poor and leave them destitute (20.19)
- seize houses that belong to other people (20.19)
- demand security from one’s brothers for no reason (22.6)
- stripped men of their clothing, leaving them naked (22.6)
- give no water to the weary (22.7)
- withhold food from the hungry (22.7)
- send widows away empty-handed (22.9)
- break the strength of the fatherless (22.9)
- “They drive away the orphan’s donkey and take the widow’s ox in pledge. They thrust the needy from the path and force all the poor of the land into hiding.” (24.3-4)
- “The fatherless child is snatched from the breast; the infant of the poor is seized for a debt.” (24.9)
- prey on the barren and childless woman, and to the widow show no kindness (24.21)
- “On my right the tribe attacks; they lay snares for my feet, they build their siege ramps against me. They break up my road; they succeed in destroying me— without anyone’s helping them. They advance as through a gaping breach; amid the ruins they come rolling in.” (30.12-14)
- deny justice to one’s menservants and maidservants when they had a grievance (31.13)
- ““If I have denied the desires of the poor or let the eyes of the widow grow weary, if I have kept my bread to myself, not sharing it with the fatherless— but from my youth I reared him as would a father, and from my birth I guided the widow— if I have seen anyone perishing for lack of clothing, or a needy man without a garment, and his heart did not bless me for warming him with the fleece from my sheep, if I have raised my hand against the fatherless, knowing that I had influence in court….” (31.16-21)
- “…if the men of my household have never said, ‘Who has not had his fill of Job’s meat?’— but no stranger had to spend the night in the street, for my door was always open to the traveler….” (31.31-32)
- cause the cry of the poor to come before God (34.28)
- laying snares for people (34.30)
- drag people away from their homes (36.20)
Phrases for treating others justly and mercifully in Job
- “Think how you have instructed many, how you have strengthened feeble hands. Your words have supported those who stumbled; you have strengthened faltering knees.” (4.3-4)
- “How you have helped the powerless! How you have saved the arm that is feeble!” (26.2-3)
- rescue the poor who cried for help, and the fatherless who had none to assist him (29.12)
- “I was eyes to the blind and feet to the lame. I was a father to the needy; I took up the case of the stranger. I broke the fangs of the wicked and snatched the victims from their teeth.” (29.15-17)
- “Have I not wept for those in trouble? Has not my soul grieved for the poor?” (30.25)
Other interpersonal and social issues mentioned in Job
- Accepting bribes (15.34, 36.18)
- Adultery and lust (24.15, 31.1, 31.9)
- Deceit, lying (6.28, 11.11, 12.16, 13.4, 13.8, 13.9, 15.31, 15.35, 27.4, 31.5, 36.4)
- Marauding (12.6)
- Murder (24.14)
- Partiality (13.8, 13.10, 31.21, 34.19)
- Stealing (30.5, 31.39, 24.2, 24.14, 24.16)
Joseph
No Holiday Inn on this greatest of holidays
No Samsonite luggage
No cool shower at the end of the journey
No remedy for ‘donkey lag’
Just a smelly stable and a moaning young wife
How you wish you had something better to offer her
No pre-natal unit
No midwife
No Lamaze
No Pampers and no sign of pampering
Just a nervous first-time father-to-be
Frantically hunting down towels, water and swaddling clothes
Enduring animals’ noises, a woman’s screams, and an infant’s cries
On this Silent Night
No relatives
(where were your parents? weren’t they from the City of David, too?)
No friends
(why did they label you a fornicator for obeying a dream?)
No angels
(why did they only appear to these intrusive, gawking shepherds and not to you?)
No red carpet
(why would God let his child be born at this time, in this place, in this way?)
You are close to the Miracle, yet so incidental to it
A new father only by technicality
A Bible figure briefly mentioned then set aside
Wearing someone else’s name
You lay Someone else’s child
In someone else’s manger
We, like you, wish to be faithful to the dream we were given
But we, like you, feel tired, poor, lonely, confused and unnoticed
Sweaty pilgrims far from home we peer from the sidelines
Waiting for angels that never arrive
Wondering why the world looks unchanged
Wondering why peace on earth has yet to arrive
But looking to you gives us hope
That we, too, are witnesses to a miracle
That somehow we participate in the making of history
And that disguised, somewhere, even in our messy, frantic, smelly, noisy lives
God is with us also
Inauguration day (an unfinished story fragment)
“Look at me! Help me!” the dragon said frantically. “I’m a martyr! You’ll be oppressed by this dictator for all eternity! Help me and I will free you all! I am your only hope!” The crimson-colored dragon was being nailed to a large, wooden cross. It struggled desperately to free itself.
The people were tired of the rhetoric. It was a last-ditch plea that fell on deaf ears. In fact, the rhetoric of the dragon only confirmed for the people the appropriateness of the dragon’s fate. Had it begged for mercy perhaps they would have been inclined to listen. But they had been enticed, threatened, intimidated, allured, confused, etc by the dragon’s propaganda for so long that they knew it was meaningless. He was a liar to the end. And this was the end.
The angels finished pounding the nails and stepped aside as He approached. His pierced human hands—carpenter’s hands—grasped the wooden cross and hoisted it above his crowned head, as effortlessly and confidently as an experienced weightlifter. The white-robed multitude gasped as the serpent was lifted up, its tail flailing and the mouth from its ten heads spewing forth its final lies. The angels lifted a dark, metallic lid from a large hole in the ground, and thick smoke billowed forth. Jesus stood for a moment at the edge with the crucified dragon raised above him. Then he hurled the beast headfirst into the abyss.
Suddenly it happened. Before the dragon’s rhetoric could even fade into the deep distance, it was abruptly covered over by a deafening blast. The crowd—billions of them!—had erupted into praise. Countless people, stretched out over miles, screamed out the name of Jesus in thousands of languages and sang at the top of their glorified lungs. It was a wall of sound that showed no signs of diminishing.
Jesus stepped up to a white platform in the center of the multitude. It seemed as though he were unable to contain the frenzy of the crowd. Nor did he show any desire to. This was the moment they—and he—had been waiting for, for the entirety of history. They were the oppressed and disenfranchised. The lonely and forgotten. The cheated and swindled. The poor and powerless. They had been the dragon’s victims—albeit willing victims—for far too long. Now this was their moment of release and celebration. God would indeed wipe every tear from their eyes. But for now the tears needed to come, one last time. It was finally over.
The wall of praise continued on unabated. Eventually the thunderous noise would end, but not like the fleeting euphoria of human happiness. No one would come to say, “Okay, the party’s over, let’s move on.” This would not be merely the ‘best moment’ of heaven, to be remembered nostalgically for eternity as the good old Day. The sound of praise would be transformed into eternal lives of praise. The enthusiasm of this moment would never end, but would simply be translated into service and fellowship, concepts the people in the crowd had always been fond of talking about, but had barely begun to experience.
When would Jesus silence the crowd, to speak? Would he need to? Did it matter? His very presence said it all. There were no more contenders now. His enemies were beneath his feet. He alone was king now. The most beautiful sound in heaven wasn’t an angelic choir but this spontaneous outburst of uncontrolled rejoicing, history’s great sigh of relief. The earth beneath them seemed to radiate with song as well. Finally!
It was a strange sight for many in the crowd. Many of them had never imagined Jesus so . . . excited, beaming from ear to ear, like a child opening his favorite present, like a politician winning a hard-earned election. He had borne patiently, sacrificed himself, carried out his plan through flawed agents for centuries, and was it all worth it? Seeing his face, they knew the answer. It had all been for this moment. God was thrilled! And his joy was contagious, making the multitude sing and shout all the louder….
Nine women mentioned by name in Acts
Women mentioned by name in Acts:
- Sapphira (Acts 5.1-11)
- Lydia (Acts 16.13-14)
- Damaris (Acts 17.34)
- Priscilla (Acts 18.19, 26)
- Aeneas (Acts 9.33)
- Tabitha / Dorcas (Acts 9.36)
- Rhoda (Acts 12.13)
- Drusilla (Acts 24.24)
- Bernice (Acts 25.13, 25.23)
Anonymous women mentioned in Acts:
- Philip’s four prophetess daughters (Acts 21.9)
- Distinguished women of Asia (Acts 13.50, 17.4, 17.12)
- Widows (Acts 6.1, 9.39, 9.41)
- Women among the 120 in Acts 1.14
- Other women mentioned in Acts 5.14, 8.3, 8.12, 9.2, 22.4.
Source: unknown.
Five references to eye contact in Acts
- In Acts 3.4-6, Peter and John direct their attention to a beggar, and he directs his attention to them.
- In Acts 6.15, the council gaze at the face of Stephen.
- In Acts 13.9, Saul/Paul fixes his attention on Elymas the sorceror.
- In Acts 14.9, Paul directs his attention to a crippled man in Lystra.
- In Acts 23.1, Paul directs his attention to the council.
Source: unknown.
Eight accusations against the disciples in Acts
- Acts 4.1-2: Proclaiming that Jesus is risen
- Acts 5.28: Falsely accusing the religious leaders of murdering Jesus
- Acts 16.21: Advocating customs that are not appropriate for Romans
- Acts 17.6: Turning the whole world upside-down
- Acts 17.7: Undermining Caesar’s decrees by saying that Jesus is a king
- Acts 18.13: Worshiping God in ways that contradict Jewish laws
- Acts 24.5: Instigating riots
- Acts 24.6: Attempting to profane the temple
Source: unknown.
Thirteen ‘threes’ in Matthew
- Jesus’ genealogy is divided into three sets of 14 in Matthew 1.1-17.
- There are three angels in Matthew 1.18-23.
- There are three gifts in Matthew 2.11
- Jesus is tempted three times in Matthew 4.1-11.
- There are three secret acts of righteousness in Matthew 6.1-6, 6.16-18.
- There are three sets of three miracles each in Matthew 8-9
- There are three ‘Fear nots’ in 10.26-31.
- Jesus lists three people not worthy of him in Matthew 10.37-38.
- Jesus pronounces woes against three cities in Matthew 11.20-24.
- There are three sayings about ‘little ones’ in Matthew 18.6, 18.10, and 18.14.
- Jesus prays three prayers in the garden of Gethsemane (Matthew 26.36-46)
- Peter denies Jesus three times (Matthew 26.69-75).
- Pilate asks three questions in Matthew 27.11-17.
Source: unknown.
Six passages on the presence of God in Matthew
- Matthew 1.23 says that Jesus will be called Immanuel, which means ‘God with us.’
- In Matthew 10.40, whoever receives the disciples receives Jesus himself.
- In Matthew 18.20, where two or more disciples are gathered in Jesus’ name, Jesus is with them.
- In Matthew 23.21, God’s presence is in the temple.
- In Matthew 25.31-46, Jesus is present in the least of his brothers, and what people do (and fail to do) for them, they do (and fail to do) for him.
- In Matthew 28.20, Jesus promises to be with his disciples in the Great Commission.
Source: unknown.
Fourteen passages on mercy and forgiveness in Matthew
Mercy:
- Matthew 5.7 is one of the beatitudes. The merciful will receive mercy.
- In Matthew 9.13, Jesus says that God desires mercy, not sacrifices.
- In Matthew 9.27-30 two blind men ask Jesus to have mercy on them, and he heals them.
- In Matthew 12.7, Jesus again mentions that God desires mercy, not sacrifice.
- In Matthew 15.22-28, a Canaanite woman begs Jesus to have mercy on her, and he eventually heals her daughter of a demon.
- In Matthew 17.14-18, a father asks for Jesus to have mercy on his son, and Jesus eventually heals his son of a demon.
- In Matthew 18.33, Jesus mentions mercy in the parable of the unforgiving servant (cf. below in connection with forgiveness).
- In Matthew 20.29-34, two blind men ask Jesus to have mercy on them, and he heals them.
- In Matthew 23.33, Jesus rebukes the scribes and Pharisees for tithing their spices while neglecting the greater responsibility to show mercy.
Forgiveness:
- In Matthew 6.12-15, the Lord’s prayer asks forgiveness as we forgive our debtors. After the prayer Jesus insists that forgiving others is the way to be forgiven by God.
- In Matthew 9.1-8, Jesus teaches about forgiveness in the context of the healing of the paralytic man.
- In Matthew 12.31-32, Jesus says that any sin can be forgiven but blasphemy of the Holy Spirit.
- Matthew 18.21-35, Peter asks Jesus about forgiveness, prompting Jesus to tell the parable of the unforgiving servant.
- In Matthew 26.28, Jesus says that his blood is poured out for the forgiveness of sins.
Source: the author’s personal study.
The fulfillment of Scripture in Matthew
Matthew contains twelve explicit fulfillments of Scripure:
- In Matthew 1.22-23, Jesus’ birth is cited as a fulfillment of Isaiah 7.14.
- In Matthew 2.5-6, Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem is cited as a fulfillment of Micah 5.2.
- In Matthew 2.15, the time Jesus spent in Egypt is cited as a fulfillment of Hosea 11.1.
- In Matthew 2.17-18, the massacre of the children of Bethlehem is cited as a fulfillment of Jeremiah 31.15.
- In Matthew 2.23, Jesus’ residence in Nazareth is cited as a fulfillment of a word of the Lord to the prophets. There is nothing like this in our Old Testament, and scholars have different theories as to what Matthew might have meant here.
- In Matthew 4.14-16, Jesus’ move to Capernaum is cited as a fulfillment of Isaiah 9.1-2.
- In Matthew 8.17, Jesus’ healings are cited as a fulfilment of Isaiah 53.4.
- In Matthew 12.17-21, Jesus’ efforts to keep a ‘low profile’ are cited as a fulfillment of Isaiah 42.1-4.
- In Matthew 13.14-15, Jesus’ use of parables to hide truths from others is cited as a fulfillment of Isaiah 6.9-10.
- In Matthew 13.35, Jesus’ use of parables is cited as a fulfillment of Psalm 78.2.
- In Matthew 21.4-5, Jesus’ arrival to Jerusalem on a donkey is cited as a fulfillment of Zechariah 9.9.
- In Matthew 27.9-10, the use of Judas’ money to buy a field is cited as a fulfillment of Jeremiah, though the verse quoted is Zechariah 11.13.
Source: unknown.
Nine times Jesus is worshiped in Matthew
A number of people worship Jesus or kneel before him in the Gospel of Matthew. Jesus never rejects such adoration, in contrast with angels and others in the Bible who swiftly reject the worship others try to render to them.
- In Matthew 2.11, the Magi worship the infant Jesus.
- In Matthew 8.2, a leper kneels before Jesus and calls him Lord.
- In Matthew 9.18, a ruler kneels before Jesus.
- In Matthew 14.33, the disciples worship Jesus after he walked on the water and calmed the winds and the waves.
- In Matthew 15.25, a Canaanite woman kneels before Jesus.
- In Matthew 20.20, the mother of James and John kneels before Jesus.
- In Matthew 21.15, the children in the temple cry out “Hosanna to the Son of David!”
- In Matthew 28.9, the disciples worship the risen Jesus.
- In Matthew 28.17, the eleven disciples worship Jesus on the mount where he gave the Great Commission.
Source: Mark Allan Powell, Fortress Introduction to the Gospels. (Mineapolis: Fortress Press, 1998), 76
Five times Paul refers to riches in Colossians
- God has qualified the Colossians to share in an inheritance in the kingdom of God (Colossians 1.12)
- God has chosen to reveal the ‘glorious riches’ of the mystery of the gospel to Gentile saints (Colossians 1.27)
- Paul wants his readers to have ‘full riches’ of understanding (Colossians 2.2)
- In Christ all ‘treasures’ of wisdom and knowledge reside (Colossians 2.3)
- The readers are going to receive an inheritance as a reward from the Lord (Colossians 3.24)
Source: the author’s personal study.