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"Do you cherish that of God within you, that his power growing in you may rule your life? Do you seek to follow Jesus who shows us the Father and teaches us the Way?" (Christian Faith & Practice, London Yearly Meeting, 1960)
August 24, 2011
Luke 8.17
"For there is nothing hidden that will not become public, nothing under cover that will not be made known and brought out into the open."
When I was looking for NT Wright's take on the previous (Luke 8.16) post, one of his interpretations was close to what I'd said about it.
And there was another, which ties it to this verse:
"Do not be surprized, Jesus is saying, that at last the divine plan is being revealed. There had to come a time when this would happen; otherwise Israel's god would be like someone who kept the lamp permanently under the bed. At the same time, since that secret is still a mystery (in the popular sense, i.e. a puzzle) to most of Jesus' contemporaries, this saying functions as a warning: complete disclosure is on the way, and will not long delay." ----------- Hmmm, the nature of this revelation to be revealed.... remains mysterious-- not that God has hidden it under the bed, but that it remains a stretch, for most human beings, to catch on to it even in plain sight, "completely disclosed."
And so, I find this a reassuring verse! Among God's intentions... is that these intentions are going to be revealed and known by all.
The "other two"?-- Okay, looking in Mark I find these verses also together, also right after the parable.
In Matthew, not so. "Lamp" is back with 'Sermon on the Mount', ie with "You are the salt of the Earth" and "A city on a hill [Jerusalem?] can not be hidden."
And "will be revealed" is up around Matthew 10.26: "Do not be afraid of them. There is nothing covered up that will not be made known. What I say to you in the dark you must repeat in broad daylight; what you hear whispered you must shout from the housetops!" No parable attached.
Wright does a good job with this sort of question too: saying that since Jesus had a coherent, consistent message, the sayings and parables that conveyed it were almost certainly reused in many different ways, in many settings, on many occasions.
3 comments:
When I was looking for NT Wright's take on the previous (Luke 8.16) post, one of his interpretations was close to what I'd said about it.
And there was another, which ties it to this verse:
"Do not be surprized, Jesus is saying, that at last the divine plan is being revealed. There had to come a time when this would happen; otherwise Israel's god would be like someone who kept the lamp permanently under the bed. At the same time, since that secret is still a mystery (in the popular sense, i.e. a puzzle) to most of Jesus' contemporaries, this saying functions as a warning: complete disclosure is on the way, and will not long delay."
-----------
Hmmm, the nature of this revelation to be revealed.... remains mysterious-- not that God has hidden it under the bed, but that it remains a stretch, for most human beings, to catch on to it even in plain sight, "completely disclosed."
And so, I find this a reassuring verse! Among God's intentions... is that these intentions are going to be revealed and known by all.
Ha! I had this kind of question drafted. And this comment from NT Wright covers it.
A good comment on Luke 8.16 too in the prior.
Now. I looked at these verses in the other two. Why are they dangling here in mid-air?
One of my favorites about the secret Kingdom is Luke 10:21. So that is coming.
The "other two"?-- Okay, looking in Mark I find these verses also together, also right after the parable.
In Matthew, not so. "Lamp" is back with 'Sermon on the Mount', ie with "You are the salt of the Earth" and "A city on a hill [Jerusalem?] can not be hidden."
And "will be revealed" is up around Matthew 10.26: "Do not be afraid of them. There is nothing covered up that will not be made known. What I say to you in the dark you must repeat in broad daylight; what you hear whispered you must shout from the housetops!" No parable attached.
Wright does a good job with this sort of question too: saying that since Jesus had a coherent, consistent message, the sayings and parables that conveyed it were almost certainly reused in many different ways, in many settings, on many occasions.
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