Sunday School Overview: Spring Quarter

Spring Quarter: Social Teachings of the Church

March: Fulfilling Our Obligations to Neighbors

By Rev. Adrian Gubbs

In the Christian Church social concerns have always been vital to the faith. Hospitality to strangers was crucial to the covenant with Israel. Jesus put love (agape) for neighbor right alongside total love (agape) for God. In Mark 12 a scribe approached Jesus and asked a tough question: “What is the first commandment?” We cannot be sure how sincere he was in asking the question, or if he sincerely thought his question would certainly stump Jesus. Jesus’ answer was that the first commandment is to love God with your total being, and the second is to love your neighbor as you love yourself; that is the standard for the Church, the followers of Christ Jesus. When the scribe, a Bible teacher, agreed with the answer, Jesus told him that he was “not far from the kingdom of God.” He was so close, but not quite there. What did he lack?  Best guess is that he lacked consequential, confirming actions (cf. Luke 10:28). James 2 affirms the old saying that “actions speak louder than words” and confirm – or contradict – what we say we believe. The Epistle of James calls for a genuine concern for the poor that results in actions to meet the needs of the poor. Accompanying actions is the test of honest faith.

The first three words in the book of Daniel were in Hebrew and can be literally translated into English as, “In year three.” Verse 5 has the same words translated as, “for three years.” The book of Daniel is an apocalypse, and numbers are symbolic. In the first instance there is no record of a Babylonian siege of Jerusalem in the third year of King Jehoiakim; the first siege of Jerusalem and exile of Jews to Babylon occurred in 598/597 BCE, the eleventh year of Jehoiakim’s reign. Did the writer of Daniel get his dates wrong? No, in several places he intentionally stated incorrect dates to remind us that the book is an apocalypse, not a historical document. “Three” is an important number in apocalyptic literature – it is adequate, it is fulfilling, it is not exaggerated, and it is not lacking. For most of his kingship Jehoiakim was submissive to Babylon, but he rebelled when Nebuchadnezzar was preoccupied in other parts of the empire. Several years passed before Nebuchadnezzar could turn his attention to Jerusalem, but by then Jehoiakim had died. His son, Jehoiachin, became king, quickly surrendered, and was exiled to Babylon along with most officials in Jerusalem, including Ezekiel and “Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azaria.” These four were among captives selected to be groomed to serve in the court of King Nebuchadnezzar. At Daniel’s request the king’s steward allowed the four to forego the king’s food and to keep a Jewish diet for three years. At first the steward refused, but finally agreed to a ten-day test, then approved the kosher diet for the three-year training period. “Ten days” is stated three times; and after the three years the four Hebrews were found to be ten times better – not just the others, but ten times better than the native professional magi. The number ten in apocalyptic literature represents God’s people. So, what is the apocalyptic message in Daniel 1? First, the first exile was at the appropriate time and in the appropriate number during the reign of Jehoiakim. Second, it is very important – it is crucial – that God’s people, all God’s people, keep themselves physically and spiritually fit. This message is affirmed in Paul’s advice to Timothy; he said that physical fitness is valuable, but spiritual training is more valuable for this life and the next (1 Timothy 4:7-8).

Deuteronomy 15 presents the code for the remission of debts in the seventh year. The law goes on to insist that one must not be legalistic and less compassionate toward the poor as the seventh year nears, but to respond to the needs of neighbors with generosity. “Open your hand to the poor and needy in your land” (verse 11b). Jesus set a high standard of care for the poor when he said that his followers serve Jesus himself when they open their hands to the needs of others (Matthew 25). Did Jesus really mean what he said about ministering to the needs of the poor and needy?

In Acts 10 Peter was confounded and confused about a dream he had, at least, until he arrived at Cornelius’s house in Caesarea. It was around noon, while lunch was being prepared, that he fell into a trance. He saw all kinds of animals, clean and unclean, being lowered from heaven as in a sheet, and he was told to kill and eat. This happened three times; and three times he refused to eat anything that was ritually impure; and three times he was advised that, “What God has made clean, you must not call profane” (verse 15). About the time he awoke, three strangers were at the gate asking to speak to Simon Peter. The next day he departed with them to Caesarea. The meaning of his dream/vision became clear to him when Cornelius, a Gentile, explained why he had invited Peter to his house. As Peter told them about Jesus and the Day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came upon all those Gentiles who were gathered in Cornelius’s house. So, it became clear to Peter that God does not discriminate. Paul expressed the same thought when he said that there is no difference between Jew and Greek, slave and free, male and female; rather, all are one in Christ! And if you belong to Christ, you are a descendant of Abraham!

In 1963 the Reverend Martin Luther King gave his famous “I Have a Dream” speech, in which he envisioned a nation of justice and equality. Almost three thousand years before that, the prophet Isaiah told of a dream in which he envisioned many nations turning to the One true God and establishing world peace – beating swords into plowshares, spears into pruning shears, nations not threatening nations, and nations no longer learning war (Isaiah 2:2-4). Some say those visions are impractical and impossible. Some say they are the idle dreams of idealists. Some say those dreams are only possible in Heaven. However, the LORD gave that prophetic word to the prophet Isaiah! God does not inspire impossible dreams. God accomplishes great things through people who believe in Him. The world, without Christ, cannot know grace and peace. We are reminded in Acts 17 that all humankind came from God, that they look everywhere for Him, but He is very near. “In Him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28).