Daily Bible Reading: Sirach [Ecclesiasticus] 41-42 and Acts 20:1-12

Sirach 41 – On Thoughts of Death: “O death, your sentence is welcome to a man in want, whose strength is failing, to a man worn out with age, worried about everything, disaffected and beyond endurance” (40:3-4).

But we should not fear death in any case. It is “the sentence passed on all living creatures by the Lord” (40:4). 

Reputation: “Be careful of your reputation, for it will last you longer than a thousand great hoards of god. A good life lasts a certain number of days, but a good reputation lasts for ever” (41:12-13).

Sense of Shame: There are also many things it is right to be ashamed of: “licentious behavior” before your father and mother, of “wrong-doing” before a judge, of “impiety” before the people, etc, etc. (41:16-26). There are many details here but little profundity.

Sirach 42 – But there are also things to be glad of – being honest, making honest money, keeping firm discipline over your children, etc. 

Acts 20:1-12 – Paul leaves for Macedonia, going by land, I think. From Macedonia, where he spends three months, and he writes his Letter to the Romans. He wants to return to Syria by ship but he is convinced that a plot against him by the “Jews” makes an overland trip through Macedonia safer. He is accompanied by seven others from all over the region.

They go to Troas where they meet Luke again. Luke comes by ship from Philippi. The first day of the Jewish week had become the Christians day to assemble – but it began in Jewish tradition the evening before. Paul preaches a sermon that went on until the middle of the night (20:7). A young man named Eutychus was next to a window, grew drowsy and fell asleep, falling out of the window and down three floors. He seems dead, but Paul revives him. Then he continued his talk until daybreak.

 

A father loses sleep over his daughter no matter what her stage in life is. A few nasty things are said about women.

Then he turns to the awesomeness of nature – God’s great work: “He has imposed an order on the magnificent works of his wisdom, he is from everlasting to everlasting, nothing can be added to him, nothing taken away” (42:21-22). It is the nature of all things from God that they “go in pairs, by opposites” (42:24).

aily Bible Reading: Sirach [Ecclesiasticus] 40 and Acts 19

Sirach 40 – On Fear of Death: A “heavy yoke lies on the sons of Adam from the day they come out of their mother’s womb, till the day they return to the mother of them all. What fills them with brooding and their hearts with fear is dread of the day of death” (40:1-2).

Life is all “fury and jealousy, turmoil and unrest, fear of death, rivalry [and] strife” (40:4). 

Despite this pessimism, the writer believes in the end “all bribery and injustice will be blotted out” (40:12).  

Acts 19 – While Apollos is in Corinth, Paul goes back to Ephesus by land. The issue there is the one introduced with Apollos – whether believers there have just received the baptism of John or if they also have received the Holy Spirit. The baptism of repentance that John administered is not enough; there must also be a spirit-given faith in the one who came after John – Jesus Christ. Whether there is another water-baptism in Jesus’ name is not clear. It may just have been a laying on of hands to impart the Holy Spirit. The sign of it is the 12 or so believers speaking in tongues and prophesying.

In what may be from a different source, the next verses talk about Paul’s return to Ephesus and his preaching about the Kingdom of God [this may be connected with belief in the messianic purpose of Jesus].  After three months or so, there begins to be a division in the church there. Paul ends up taking his followers to another location. He lectured daily from 11 to 4 over a period of two or three years. It is from Ephesus that he writes the Letters to the Corinthians, Galatians and Philippians. Miracles are reported to have occurred from contact with Paul and even from things touched by him. Even exorcists start using Jesus’ name in their magic – a number of infamous incidents came from the group and people were “impressed” [it’s all pretty unclear].  In the end, though, use of magic is rejected and all the magic books are burned by those who once used them [not by their opponents].

Paul decided to return to Jerusalem through Macedonia and Achaia and then plans to go to Rome He stays for a while, though, sending Timothy and Erastus ahead to Macedonia. A serious conflict arises “in connection with the Way” (19:23). A silversmith with a big business in making shrines to Diana stirs up those dependent on the trade against Paul. Two of Paul’s friends – Aristarchus and Gaius – are taken by a mob. He wants to appeal to people but believers are afraid of the response if he goes to the “theatre” [the lecture room of Tyrannus, where he taught]. It apparently is an argument between the Jews and Christians. Alexander speaks for the Jews. The crowd starts chanting support for Diana. The Temple of Diana (associated in Ephesus with Artemis) was one of the wonders of the ancient world, opened in 550 BC. Diana was Apollo’s twin sister. The crowd is finally convinced to leave and take their objections to the “regular assembly” of the town (19:41).

 

Daily Bible Reading: Sirach [Ecclesiasticus] 38-39 and Acts 18

Sirach 38 – On the Balance of Faith in God and Faith in the Knowledge of Men: “The Lord has brought medicines into existence from the earth, and the sensible man will not despise them. . . He uses them to heal and to relieve pain” (38:4-6).

“My son, when you are ill, do not be depressed, but pray to the Lord and he will heal you . . . The let the doctor take over—the Lord created him too—and do not let him leave you, for you need him. Sometimes success is in their hands, since they in turn will beseech the Lord to grant them the grace to relieve and to heal, that life may be saved” (38:9-14).

On Mourning: “Let grief end with the funeral; a life of grief oppresses the mind. Do no abandon your heart to grief, drive it away, bear your own end in mind . . . Remember my doom, since it will be yours too; yesterday was my day, today is yours” (38:20-22).

On Leisure’s Role in Productive Crafts: The Jerusalem Bible note says this is similar to an Egyptian text called Satire on Trades. It is the fact that some people have leisure time that makes the search for wisdom possible. The ploughman’s “mind is fixed on the furrows he traces” (38:26). 

Sirach 39 – On Scholars: “[T]he man who devotes his soul to reflecting on the Law of the Most High” (39:1).  He studies the ancient writings, he serves the princes and travels, and he “has experienced human good and human evil” (39:5).  He prays and if God determines it, “He will be filled with the spirit of understanding . . . and in prayer give thanks to the Lord” (39:6-7).

Praise to God and His Works: “As his blessing covers the dry land like a river and soaks it like a flood, so wrath is his legacy to the nations, just as he has turned fresh waters to salt” (39:22-23).

All the bad things are made by God to punish. Here I struggle. Too many good people suffer terrible crosses. It is not all so simple. Still I can say “yes” to these words: “All the works of the Lord are good, and he will supply every want in due time. You must not say, ‘This is worse than that’, for everything will prove its value in its time. So now, sing with all your heart and voice, and bless the name of the Lord!”(39:34-35).

Acts 18 – From Athens, Paul goes on to Corinth, and meets Aquila whose family is from Pontus on the Black Sea. Previously in Italy, Aquila and wife Priscilla fled because of the edict of Claudius expelling Jews from Rome. Like Paul, they are tentmakers, so he stays and works with them. Sabbath days are times for debate in the synagogues. Paul and Timothy arrive and Paul spends all his time proclaiming the gospel of Christ.

When the Jews reject him, he feels free to go to the pagans. A great many are converted including the head of the synagogue – Crispus – and Paul stays on for 18 months. Ray Brown notes that Paul writes I Thessalonians from Corinth; it is “the oldest preserved Christian writing” (311). Corinth is the capital of Achaia, and when Gallio becomes proconsul, the Jews try to bring Paul before the tribunal, accusing him of promoting a worship that is against the law. Gallio ultimately refuses to involve himself in this internal conflict. The reference to Gallio permits us to date Paul’s stay in Corinth to the years 51-52 AD.

Paul leaves for Syria along with Aquila and his wife. They arrive in Ephesus and go their separate ways. Paul debates in the synagogue but does not stay. He promises to return and leaves, sailing to Caesarea. I think the geography here is messed up. It talks about him sailing to Caesaria but then going through Galatia to Antioch. He couldn’t have done both.

The story goes back to Ephesus and says that Apollos came there and preached about Jesus – accurately apparently – but somehow he “had only experienced the baptism of John” (18:25). Aquila and Priscilla give him further instruction “about the Way” (18:26). He then goes over to Achaia  [Corinth] where he “helps the believers considerably by the energetic way he refuted the Jews in public and demonstrated from the scriptures that Jesus was the Christ” (18:28).

 

The blacksmith, the potter and other workers “put their trust in their hands, and each is skilled at his own craft” (38:31). But for all their hard work and the necessity of having them to build our towns, they “are not remarkable for culture or sound judgment, and are not found among the inventors of maxims. But they give solidity to the created world, while their prayer is concerned with what pertains to their trade” (38:34).

Daily Bible Reading: Sirach [Ecclesiasticus] 37 and Acts 17:15-34

Sirach 37 – On False Friendships: “[S]ome friends are only friends in name. Is it not a deadly sorrow, when a comrade or a friend turns enemy?” (37:2)

On Advisers: “Any adviser will offer advice, but some are governed by self-interest” (37:7). You should always know what the interests of your advisers are, so you can properly judge their advice.

“Do not consult a woman about her rival, or a coward about war, a merchant about prices, or a buyer about selling, a mean man about gratitude, or a selfish man about kindness, a lazy fellow about any sort of work. . .[b]ut constantly have recourse to a devout man, whom you know to be a keeper of the commandments, whose soul matches your own, and who, if you go wrong, will be sympathetic” (37:11-12).

“Stick to the advice your own heart gives you; no one can be truer to you than that” (37:13). And “beg the Most High to guide your steps in the truth” (37:15).

Real Wisdom: “Reason must be the beginning of every activity, reflection must come before any undertaking. Thoughts are rooted in the heart, and this send out four branches: good and evil, life and death, and always mistress of them all is the tongue” (37:16-18).

Another bit on eating moderately follows.

Acts 17:15-34 - Paul waits in Athens, and Luke gives us a great account of the historic context Paul faced in this great city, “the center of culture, philosophy, and art” (Brown 311) at this time. He is revolted at the idolatry of the city – debating not only with the usual Jews and God-fearers in the synagogue but with anyone he met in the streets. Epicurian and Stoic philosophers debate him. They invite him to the Council of the Areopagus. The writer notes that the people living in Athens LOVED to discuss all the latest ideas – this is cool.

Paul makes this argument to them: He says he’s been “admiring [their] sacred monuments” (17:23) – and especially the altar inscribed “To an Unknown God.”  He then tells them the God he preaches IS this God. “Since the God who made the world and everything in it is himself Lord of heaven and earth, he does not make his home in shrines made by human hands . . .From one single stock he not only created the whole human race . . .but he decreed how long each nation should flourish . . .And he did this so that all nations might seek the deity, and by feeling their way towards him, succeed in finding him. Yet in fact he is not far from any of us, since it is in him that we live, and move, and exist, as indeed some of your own writers have said” (24-28). I can’t tell you how I love and appreciate these words; it so captures my own experience of feeling the pull of the Creator in my life.

While God permitted men to worship false gods in the past, when we were ignorant, “now he is telling everyone everywhere that they must repent, because he has fixed a day when the whole world will be judged, and judged in righteousness, and he has appointed a man to be the judge. And God has publicly proved this by raising this man from the dead” (17:29-31). Some laugh at Paul when he says this, but he wins some too, including Dionysius the Areopagite and a woman named Damaris.

 

Daily Bible Reading: Sirach [Ecclesiasticus] 36 and Acts 17:1-14

Sirach 36 – Jerusalem Bible note says the prayer here “reveals the sentiments of pious Jews about the year 190 just before the Maccabaean revolt” (1085). As a teacher of history, I find the Maccabaean revolt interesting to contemplate. In a way it was a revolt of very conservative religious leaders who were fed up with the dissolution of strict Jewish culture and practice. The young people of their day were fascinated by and drawn to the “worldly” values and universalism of the Hellenists. Probably most Quakers today would not have felt any sympathy for the Maccabaeans. They were the religious conservatives of their day.

The author here asks God to extend his realm beyond the Jews to all nations. “Let them acknowledge you, just as we have acknowledged that there is no God but you, Lord” (36:4).

“Rouse your fury, pour out your rage, destroy the opponent, annihilate the enemy” (36:6).

“Show compassion on your holy city . . .Bear witness to those you created in the beginning [the Patriarchs?], and bring about what has been prophesied in your name. Give those who wait for you their reward, and let your prophets be proved worthy of belief” (36:12-15).

“The man who takes a wife has the makings of a fortune [or ‘the best of possessions’], a helper that suits him, and a pillar to lean on . . .when a man has no wife, he is aimless and querulous [‘a tramp and a wanderer’]” (36:24-25).

Acts 17:1-14 – Mission to Thessalonika - They pass through Amphipolis and Apollonia on their way to Thessalonika, where there was a synagogue. They stay for three weeks, presenting their message, using arguments from scripture (17:2) to show that Jesus was the Christ. A number of Jews, Greek fellow-worshippers and some wealthy women are converted – Aristarchus is one. Some members of the synagogue, however, are angry and stir up the city. They accuse Paul and the others of trying to claim Jesus as a rival emperor (17:7).

Ray Brown points out that the “charges” brought against Paul “resembles the list of charges against Jesus before Pilate in Luke 23:2—a list found only in Luke” (310). The charges against Jesus are inciting people to revolt, opposing the payment of tribute to the Roman emperor and claiming to be a king (Christ). Here Paul is accused with the entire Christian community of “turning the whole world upside down” and breaking “every one of Caesar’s edicts by claiming that there is another emperor, Jesus” (17:6-7).

Paul and Silas are sent away to Beroea (just south of Thessalonika) where they find the Jews more accepting. Every day “they studied the scriptures to check whether it was true” (17:11). Interesting this searching of the Old Testament – they will find so much in their to link Jesus to the narrative in multiple ways. Interesting also that Luke points out so directly that many women – apparently quite influential and wealthy in this region – are drawn to the message of Paul and Silas. The angry people from Thessalonika come after them, and Paul moves further south to Athens while Silas and Timothy remain for a while.

 

Daily Bible Reading: Sirach [Ecclesiasticus] 34-35 and Acts 16:19-40

Sirach 34 – On Dreams: “As well clutch at shadows and chase the wind as put any faith in dreams. Mirror and dream are similar things: confronting a face, the reflection of that face” (34:2-3).

“[D]reams have led many astray, and those building their hopes on them have been disappointed” (34:7).

On the Happiness of Those Who Fear the Lord: “Happy the soul of the man who fears the Lord. On whom does he rely? Who supports him? The eyes of the Lord watch over those who love him, he is their powerful protection and their strong support, their screen from the desert wind, their shelter from the midday sun, a guard against stumbling, an assurance against a fall” (34:14-16).

On Sacrifices: they are useless unless they are offered sincerely and not at cost to others.

Sirach 35 – Keeping the Law More Important than Sacrifices: “A man multiplies offerings by keeping the Law; he offers communion sacrifices by following the commandments. By showing gratitude he makes an offering of fine flour, by giving alms he offers a sacrifice of praise” (35:1-2).

“Mercy is welcome in time of trouble, like rain clouds in time of drought” (35:24).

Acts 16:19-40 - They meet a slave girl in Philippi who is a “soothsayer” (Jerusalem Bible note says the term literally means “Python spirit,” and this refers to the python who belonged to the Delphic oracle). She annoys Paul by proclaiming the men’s mission every time she sees them, so he orders the spirit to leave the woman in Jesus’ name (16:18). Her masters drag Paul and Silas to the law courts and accuse them of “causing a disturbance” by advocating practices it was “unlawful for us as Romans to accept or follow” (16:21-22). Jerusalem Bible notes that any kind of proselytizing Romans was unlawful for Jews or Christians. They are scourged and thrown into prison. 

That night, they pray and sing God’s praises, and suddenly there is an earthquake that basically knocks the prison down and results in them being able to go free. Note here again an echo of a similar experience Peter has in Acts 12:3. The jailer, fearing he will be held responsible, starts to commit suicide, but Paul stops him. He asks “what [he] must do to be saved” (16:30). They tell him “’believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved – you and your family’” (16:31).

The next day, an officer comes to order their release, but Paul makes a stink about it and says they must come and escort them out. The magistrates do come and beg them to leave the town. Then they go to Lydia’s again and leave from there to go to Thessalonika.

 

Daily Bible Reading: Sirach [Ecclesiasticus] 33 and Acts 16:1-18

Sirach 33 – On God’s Creative Will: “Like clay in the hands of the potter to mold as it pleases him, so are men in the hands of their Maker to reward as he judges right. Opposite evil stands good, opposite death, life; so too, opposite the devout man stands the sinner” (33:13-14).

On Avoiding Dependency: “Neither to son nor wife, brother nor friend, give power over yourself during your own lifetime. . . . As long as you live and there is breath in your body, do not yield power over yourself to anyone” (33:20).

On Slavery – harsh “wisdom” of a different era here, seemingly like the advice to parents on dealing with their children: “Work your servant hard, and you will know peace of mind; leave his hands idle, and he will start thinking of his freedom” (33:26).

If you have only one slave, “treat him as a brother since you need him as you need yourself. If you ill-treat him and he runs away, which way will you go to look for him?” (33:33)

Acts 16:1-18 – Paul and Silas head north through Syria and Cilicia to Derbe and Lystra. There they meet Timothy whose mother was a Jew and father a Greek. Paul wants him to travel with them. He has him circumcised to make him more acceptable to the Jews of the area. While Paul seriously believed that Gentiles did not need to be circumcised to become part of the Christian community, the son  of a Jewish woman was technically Jewish, so circumcision may have seemed more appropriate to him.

They go farther north and west through Phrygia to Mysia on the upper northwest corner of Asia Minor, but they stop before going into Bithynia (north of them on the Black Sea) – the “Spirit of Jesus would not allow them” (16:7).

They then turn south and go to Troas on the Aegean Sea where Paul has a vision in which a Macedonian appears to him and begs him to come across to them. They arrange passage in the belief that God has called them to go.

Note that here in verses 9 and 10, the “voice” of the narrator changes from third person (“they”) to first person (”we”); Luke must have joined Paul and Timothy. They go to Neapolis and Philippi, a Roman colony and principal city of the region. Jews in Philippi had no synagogue, so they worshipped near the river. They preach to the women there (16:14), one of whom – Lydia – is a leading woman of the area in the purple dye trade. She and her family converts and she invites Paul, Timothy and Silas to stay with them.