In Romans 12:4-8 Paul refers to three kinds of speaking he expected in church services: prophecy, exhorting, and teaching. He calls them different functions. As I read the evidence of Pauls letters, heres how I imagine these different ministries taking place in a church service in Corinth in the years following Paul. How I long for more Miriams and Teritiuses! As the hymn proposed by Phoebe reached its climax, the group of 50 or so in her home was struck once again by the final lines: …at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. The apostle himself had taught them these words a decade or more earlier, along with its ancient tune, “Doe of the Morning,” a favourite from his days in the synagogue when he was tutored by the great Gamaliel in Jerusalem. Paul had taught them many such hymns (and tunes) as he laid down the traditions concerning the Lord Jesus. After a brief time of silence, Crispus, the president of the meeting and one-time ruler of Corinth’s synagogue, invited a young Demetrius to read one of the scrolls kept safe in a clay jar in Phoebe’s cupboard. It contained a portion of the prophet Isaiah written in Greek. It was a favourite of the community, as it had been of their apostle. With the utmost seriousness Demetrius began reading: The Lord says: “These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men. Therefore once more I will astound these people with wonder upon wonder; the wisdom of the wise will perish, the intelligence of the intelligent will vanish …” The reading continued for at least ten minutes, before Crispus motioned with his hand to Miriam. “Dear sister, please bring us a word of exhortation, if you would,” conscious of her long association with the Scriptures as the daughter of an eminent family of the synagogue. Miriam was a widow and a deacon of the church of Cenchrea, just like Pheobe. Her main ministry was ensuring that the other widows were cared for in the daily food roster. Frequently, however, she was called upon to offer insights into the Scriptures of Israel. “Brothers and sisters,” Miriam said with grace and confidence, “the prophet calls on us not to follow mere human rules but to listen only to the word of the Lord. Here alone is where true wisdom is found. Our city philosophers think that they are wise and we are the foolish. They mock us for following the crucified one. Of course, on their definitions that is right. We are fools. But God has spoken and acted in his world, disclosing what the rational mind could never have discerned on its own. In my own family there are Pharisees of note. They too claim to be wise. They build a fence around the Torah, establishing rule after rule passed down from the fathers. They bind my people in traditions they themselves are unable to keep.” Miriam continued on like this for ten minutes or more, quoting scripture from memory and anecdotes from her strict Jewish upbringing. “If I am not mistaken,” she said as she concluded, “our Lord Jesus himself once accused Jewish teachers of placing heavy loads on their disciples and being unwilling to lift a finger to help them.” Speaking more hesitantly, she added, “Indeed, I seem to recall that this very passage from Isaiah was quoted by our Lord.” She paused. “Is that correct, Tertius?” She singled out the freedman whom Paul himself had chosen to remember the ways and words of the Lord. He stood up. Tertius was an elderly gentleman whose dignified demeanor hid the scars of his former life as the slave and scribe of Claudius Lysias, a local port official. Tertius always conveyed thoughtfulness and trustworthiness, qualities the apostle always looked for in the teachers he entrusted with the apostolic traditions. “Yes, dear sister,” he said with appreciation. “What you have said is right. Indeed, as I have it from the apostle, the Lord Jesus was once in debate with the Pharisees and teachers of the law who traveled from Jerusalem to Galilee to confront the master. They accused him and his apostles of not eating with clean hands in accordance with the traditions of their elders. Imagine that, teachers of falsehood daring to confront the Lord of all truth!” He paused. The church sat eager to hear once again the Lord’s words. “Then the Master quoted this very passage from Isaiah, ‘They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.’ He drove the point home, insisting that they had let go of the commands of God and were holding on to the traditions of men. He rebuked them for breaking the law of Moses concerning honouring father and mother by decreeing their resources ‘corban’, that is, devoted to God and so not available to their parents. If I remember correctly, the Master concluded with the words, ‘Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like that’.” The statement was powerful and several people in the meeting could be heard repeating the words—as if to brand them into their own memories—“You nullify the word of God by your tradition.” Teritius sat down and Crispus asked Miriam if she wanted to add anything. She did not. But Drusilla the prophetess stood where she was and waited for Cripsus’ invitation. “Speak, daughter of Mnason,” he said. “Bring us something for our edification.” The congregation was used to Drusilla’s voice. Like the famous daughters of Philip the evangelist at Caesarea, she was well known for prophesying. Her words were always weighed by the elders but rarely did anyone believe she had spoken out of step with the teaching. Her words were brief but powerful, focusing everyone’s attention on the danger that awaits all who follow false wisdom, whether that of the synagogue or the marketplace. “The sacred writings and the teachings of the apostles,” she said in closing: “Only these can save us from the coming wrath.” And with that Crispus led the congregation in prayer. He pleaded the Lord to keep this small community in the truth and to save many throughout Achaia. And he praised God for the faith once delivered to the saints. After a final hymn, Phoebe invited everyone to move to the banquet hall where they shared another meal remembering the Lord’s death and resurrection.
Posted on: Sun, 25 May 2014 05:46:11 +0000
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