2504AFC012425 – A Promise is a promise! 😀 ← PODCAST LINK
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Luke 4:14-15 –14 Then Jesus, filled with the power of the Spirit, returned to Galilee, and a report about him spread through all the surrounding country. 15 He began to teach in their synagogues and was praised by everyone.
Aloha nui loa, ʻŌmea! Grace and Peace to each of you from God our Father and our Lord, Jesus the Christ, in the Power of the Holy Spirit. Today’s key verse is from the Gospel reading for the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time. In this passage, we see that – at the beginning of his ministry – Jesus was “knockin’ it outta the park.” He has returned to his home town, Nazareth. He got up to read from the Scroll of the Prophet Isaiah “where he had grown up, and went according to his custom into the synagogue on the Sabbath day.” Here is that passage for your inspection:
Luke 4:16-21 – 16 When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, 17 and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written:
18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to let the oppressed go free,
19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
20 And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. 21 Then he began to say to them, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”
This is what Jesus read from that scroll:
Isaiah 61:1-2 a (GNT) [1] – 1 The spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me;
he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners;
2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor …
What promise was fulfilled in their presence? The covenant Promise of a Savior. There are successive covenant expansions, but only One Promise supported by every step in the covenantal progression: A Saviour will restore us into the presence of God. Now that I am an Old Man, I find that my patience for many things is either waning or missing altogether. I know and understand that this One Promise is the warp and weave of the whole fabric of my life. You’ve seen this phrase in many of these posts: Maran atha! Marana tha! Our Lord has come! Come Lord! This happens whenever I forget the best lesson I learned in Navajo Country. Wait patiently in patient waiting. Huh? Here’s what I mean:
Hebrews 6:15 – 15 And thus Abraham, having patiently endured, obtained the promise.
James 5:7-8 – 7 Be patient, therefore, belovéd, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious crop from the earth, being patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains. 8 You also must be patient. Strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near.
2 Peter 3:3-9 – 3 First of all you must understand this, that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and indulging their own lusts 4 and saying, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since our ancestors died, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation!” 5 They deliberately ignore this fact, that by the word of God heavens existed long ago and an earth was formed out of water and by means of water, 6 through which the world of that time was deluged with water and perished. 7 But by the same word the present heavens and earth have been reserved for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the godless.
8 But do not ignore this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like one day. 9 The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some think of slowness, but is patient with you*, not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance. * Some translations read “on your account,” or “for your sake” and YES, he is coming back! As far as we know Jesus and his Mother were the last persons to be bodily taken up into Heaven. Have you any idea who was the first? Here’s a clue. The first time we hear about him is in Genesis 5:18-24 – 18 When Jared had lived one hundred sixty-two years he became the father of Enoch. 19 Jared lived after the birth of Enoch eight hundred years, and had other sons and daughters. 20 Thus all the days of Jared were nine hundred sixty-two years; and he died.
21 When Enoch had lived sixty-five years, he became the father of Methuselah. 22 Enoch walked with God after the birth of Methuselah three hundred years, and had other sons and daughters. 23 Thus all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty-five years. 24 Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him.
Enoch was also the name of a son of Cain (See Genesis 4:17-18). The name “Enoch” occurs about 14 times in the Bible (depending on which translation your consult; we use the NRSVCE) [i] Here is a quick list (without hyperlinks): Genesis 4:17, Genesis 4:18, Genesis 5:18, Genesis 5:19, Genesis 5:21, Genesis 5:22, Genesis 5:23, Genesis 5:24, 1 Corinthians 1:3, Sirach 44:16, Sirach 49:18, Luke 3:37, Hebrews 11:5, and Jude 1:14. The references in the New Testament are particularly important as they refer to Enoch the son of Jared who was of the sixth generation from Adam through the line of Seth, Adam’s third son. The name Seth means “compensation.” Eve named him that because he was “compensation for the los of Abel whom Cain had murdered. That’s is where Enoch fits into the Bible timeline. Now, why is he the Person of the Week?
Take another look at the last verse in that passage from Genesis 5. Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him. In several of the passages from Genesis in the above list, Enoch is described as on who “walked with the Lord.” You might recall a couple who did that a few generations previously: Eve and Adam. In Genesis 3:8, we read that Adam and Eve “heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze” and we infer from that that God visited them in Eden before they chose to rebel against his command to not eat of that forbidden fruit. (Remember: The Fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil is Free Will which allows us to choose Life of Death.) Enoch ben Jared pleased God and intimately walked with him. In Hebrews 11:5 The Apostle Paul tells us, For it was attested before he was taken away that “he had pleased God.” God did not walk with Eve and Adam after they sinned but there is speculation that he did. Enoch walked with God, that is was obedient and reverent and always in God’s presence. He was taken up and was not found again. Nor has he returned to this Earth.
We should also be aware that there is an apocryphal “Book of Enoch” which was a very popular and well-known sort of reference book in the time of Jesus. It contains many inconsistencies, a lot of questionable prophesies, and is excluded from the canonical collections of nearly all 23 Rites in union with the Roman Catholic Church except for the Coptic Rite. The references to Enoch in the Epistles refer to that well-know document, however those references do NOT recommend its inclusion in Church Liturgy or the Canon of Scripture. It is used as an example to illustrate and to strengthen his argument against false teaching – heresy – and not as an endorsement of the content. It would be like referring to Grimm’s Fairy Tales and the Story of Faithful John (↔ Learning Link) as a reference for losing everything to gain enduring happiness when all is returned.
Now, what is the connection between today’s Key Verse and the information about Enoch? It is the Promise. Enoch made his life a persistent and continuous (↔ Music Link) Gift to God and – and as example to all who aspire to join Our Father in Heaven – God demonstrates that he gathers up those you love justice, show mercy, and walk humbly before him (yup. Micah 6:8 – AGAIN!) will ultimately get to meet Enoch (and a handful of other “translated” folks) in Heaven. (↔ Music Link)This is the Jubilee Year of Hope, and that Hope of Heaven is too good to pass up. “As for me and my house” we’re gonna try to walk with God (↔ Music Link). Can I get and AMEN there?
Whatever, whenever, wherever, whoever, however, if ever, forever —
at your service, Belovéd!
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Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture passages are from the New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE) New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Biblical languages inserts from Bible Hub (Bible Hub: Search, Read, Study the Bible in Many Languages) Visit at http://biblehub.com
Aloha Friday Messages by Charles O. Todd, III is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License
[i] New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE) New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
[1] Passages marked (GNT): Good News Translation (GNT) are from the Good News Translation® (Today’s English Version, Second Edition)© 1992 American Bible Society. All rights reserved. For more information about GNT, visit www.bibles.com and www.gnt.bible.
