Salvogesis

Now after others got their answers, soldiers who have also come to be baptised by John are eager to know what is required of them. Like the tax collectors, the soldiers know they need to give food and clothes to the poor - but they don’t own toll booths; they don’t own franchises. They aren’t rich. Quite the opposite: while the tax collectors were apt to get rich from this 1st Century inflation-less microcosm of market-driven free enterprise, the Judean soldiers were likely to get poor from it; so, what should they do when they are saved from the impending wrath? Verse 14, John says, “Don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsely—be content with your pay.” This sounds easy enough doesn’t it: don’t extort money from people, don’t falsely accuse people, and be content with your pay. Easy? Maybe. These soldiers weren't Romans; they were Judeans just like the tax collectors and just like most of the rest of the crowd. These soldiers worked for the Romans just like the tax collec...

After John answers questions from the crowd about what one should do to be saved from the coming wrath (v.7), tax collectors who are part of this crowd say in essence, “yes, we all know that: everybody who is saved will give food and clothes to those in need. But what specifically should WE, saved tax collectors, do when we make this public confession through this baptism that we have come here to make today?”[4] Verse 13, “Don’t collect any more than you are required to,” John tells them. Now this sounds easy but let’s take a little look at the way things ran back then. It was not all that different from the way things are run today. These tax collectors were probably Jewish toll booth operators working for the Romans. Their job was to collect tolls and they made their money from surcharges applied to the tolls. The Romans used an early franchise system of sorts to collect these taxes.[5] They pseudo-privatized their toll booths. Much like fast food restaurants, big chain stores, an...

John, ‘the Baptist’ as he is called, is a celebrity preacher in 1st Century Palestine. He is on a speaking tour into all the country around the Jordan (Luke 3:3). People are making an effort to see him. In order to see John in those days you can’t just hop the TTC or catch a ride. You have to walk, by and large, and you have to walk and long way; you probably have to take at least one day off work. Picture this scenario with me. Pick some famous person you want to see; they are coming near Toronto – maybe a couple of hours away - and you have been given free tickets. (Who might that be?) You take time off work or cancel your plans for the day to go see them. Now imagine that they are a celebrity preacher. Major Danielle Strickland of The Salvation Army was recently named one of the most influential Christian speakers. Imagine she comes to town. Big crowds come to see her and not just Salvationists but all kinds of us. Let’s say we get a bus full of people and we all take the day off ...

In this passage that we have just read, Matthew’s version of the Christmas story, we are faced with three responses to the miracle of the birth of Christ, the coming of the Messiah, that of Joseph (his legal father), Herod (the king of the Jews), and some magi (astrologers, astronomers, magicians or wise men, traditionally ‘we three kings’). Magi Magi are astrologers, astronomers, or wise men (cf. Daniel 2:2,10; Acts 8:9; 13:6,8). Our word ‘magic’, interestingly enough comes from the same root as ‘magi’. In Acts 13:6,8, this same word, ‘magoi’, is actually translated ‘magicians’[9]. In the Christmas story traditionally these magi are commonly known as ‘we three kings’ (ca. 225 CE Tertullian called them kings[10]). Now – of course – there is no mention as to how many of these magi there are in this story. The Bible mentions that they bring three different kinds of gifts – gold, frankincense, and myrrh – but does not mention how many magi there were (Matthew 2:11). The word ‘magi’ is pl...

In this passage that we have just read, Matthew’s version of the Christmas story, we are faced with three responses to the miracle of the birth of Christ, the coming of the Messiah, that of Joseph (his legal father), some magi (astrologers, astronomers, magicians or wise men, traditionally ‘we three kings’) and Herod (the current king of the Jews). Herod Herod is a regional king. He works for the Romans and he is known throughout history as ‘Herod the Great’. Herod the Great is the political leader at this time and in this place. He is a politician of his era and as such is involved in all the political intrigue of his era in all the ways that political intrigue is carried out in his era (cf. Josephus, Bellum ii.10–13; cf. also Josephus, Antiquities xvii. 224, 229, 250, 304, 307, 340).[6] He is a king but his job is no more secure than that of a contemporary politician in a minority government and Herod defends his title and his job no less vigorously than our present day leaders: i...

In this passage that we have just read, Matthew’s version of the Christmas story, we are faced with three responses to the miracle of the birth of Christ, the coming of the Messiah, that of Herod (the king of the Jews), Some magi (astrologers, astronomers, magicians or wise men, traditionally ‘we three kings’) and Joseph (his legal father). Joseph First we have Joseph: Joseph is a carpenter/stone mason. He is from the tribe of Judah and – of course – a famous ancestor of his is King David. Matthew records a few things about Joseph: we are told in our text today that Joseph, Verse 19, is righteous. In our world today when we think of a righteous person… if someone were to tell you that a person is righteous… if someone were to say that a visitor that we have here today is a righteous woman or man, what would we think that they would be like? They would pray, read the Bible, love God and love their neighbour (cf. Luke 10:27). All of the above would probably be true of them and more. ...

B.   What is implied by being altogether a Christian? “What more than this, can be implied in the being a Christian altogether?” Three things: the love of God, the love of one’s neighbour, and faith. One has to love God with every ounce of emotion and action. One must “love the Lord your God with all they heart, and with all they soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength.” One must love all people, friends and enemies, and we must do so with such sincerity that we love them as much as we do ourselves. We must have faith in God. We must have more than a belief in God. We must have a faith in Christ that even ‘purifies the heart’. Only then according to Wesley are we altogether a Christian. This second list is not disconnected from the first. The attributes of the ‘almost a Christian’ are a subset of the ‘altogether a Christian’. Wesley acknowledges that even in his less affluent and less self-focussed times, that this is a difficult teaching. He lets us know as well...

A. What is implied by being almost a Christian? Wesley’s description of the ‘almost Christian’ includes three traits, the first of which is ‘heathen honesty’. Immediately one is drawn into his discussion, for one does not necessarily in our contemporary society equate heathens and honesty whereas Wesley describes them as more honest than many people even in the churches these days. Heathen honesty encompasses refraining from the following acts: being unjust, taking from one’s neighbour, oppressing the poor or the rich, defrauding anyone at all and – insofar as possible – owing anyone anything. The common heathen also acknowledges truth and justice and does not think highly of liars. They can also expect love and assistance from each other: they will feed the hungry and clothe the naked and give away all that they don’t need. One may engage in all these elements of ‘heathen honesty’ and still be only ‘almost a Christian’. The second trait that defines the ‘almost Christian’ is a for...

Review of John Wesley's 'The Almost Christian' Preached at St. Mary’s Oxford, before the University, on July 25, 1741. Sermon 2 by John Wesley launches into his discussion of what defines a Christian from the base of Acts 26:28 : 'Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian' The primary metaphor that Wesley uses to unite the discussion is a description of one whom he defines as the ‘almost Christian’. This is a wonderful vehicle for the discussion; as he compares her/him to the ‘altogether Christian,’ it demands that the hearer/reader pay more attention than if Wesley had merely launched into a discourse of faith versus works. Most readers/listeners, I would imagine, at some point during the description of the ‘almost Christian’ would have cause to ask, as Wesley articulates “Is it possible that any man living should go so far as this, and, nevertheless, be only almost a Christian? What more than this, can be implied in the being a Christian altogether? ” (Outl...

Now we can understand how Pharaoh would not be so happy, seeing defeat snatched from the jaws of victory in this way as the work of his magicians, sorcerers, and wise men is gobbled up before his very eyes. You can understand how he would be more than a little upset. Now this upsettedness is further exasperated. Have you ever seen those Egyptian headdresses? Picture King Tut – he’s a famous pharaoh. What does his headdress – his hat – what does it look like? – A Snake, a Cobra. Pharaoh has just not only seen all these snakes eaten by the staff of this guy who was run out of the kingdom decades ago but he has also seen this powerful symbol of his family, this powerful symbol of himself, and this powerful symbol of his whole country mocked and devoured before his eyes. It would be like if we went to visit this or any president of the United States and suddenly chopped up and burned and American flag right in front of him; what would he do? At the very least he would have us arrested;...