Category Archives: Bible study

New free resource: Quick reference guide—how to read the Bible in the language of honor and shame

Bible commentary, Bible study, Global Christian mission, Gospel of Jesus, Honor and shame,
Read Bible honor and shame graphic
This free resource is a quick-guide to reading the Bible in the language of honor and shame. Developed by Werner Mischke, Director of Training Ministries, Mission ONE.

As part of the seminar I am leading tomorrow, I am making available this free resource. It’s an 8.5 x 11-inch document in black and white that can be easily reproduced and shared. This little resource is a reflection of what I have learned about the pivotal cultural value of honor and shame in the Bible. It also reflects what I do when I read the Bible to reveal the honor/shame dynamics present in the text.

The resource features:

  • Primary honor/shame dynamics in the Bible
  • How to read the Bible through the lens of honor and shame
  • Recognizing the broad spectrum of words related to honor and shame
  • Basic cross-cultural ministry skills related to honor and shame

Benefits:

  • Easily reproducible, print it out in black and white
  • Graphically rich, easy to read
  • Easy to share—cut it in half and give one to a friend, or send it as an email attachment
  • Convenient size, fits in your average-size Bible for quick reference

Download here.

The “honor-status reversal” motif in Scripture, part 2: The increase in honor status for believers is embedded exclusively and totally in relation to Jesus Christ

Bible commentary, Bible study, Global Christian mission, Gospel of Jesus, Honor and shame
Honor-status reversal is a major motif in the Bible
Honor-status reversal is a major motif in the Bible

In my prior post about honor-status reversal, I stated that, as followers of Christ and members of his body, the church, Scripture teaches that we are called to identify with our Lord to such an extent that our relationship with him leads to a magnificent increase in our own collective honor status. Using Scripture, I hope to make the case in this post that this increase in honor status for believers is real, and that it is embedded exclusively and totally in relation to Jesus Christ. My approach is to list several verses followed by some comments.

However, first of all, shown below is a graphic based on a diagram from the ESV Study Bible which illustrates the honor-status reversal of Jesus Christ based on Philippians 2:9–11. Observe this truth again—that after Christ’s public humiliation through the crucifixion, he was rewarded by supreme, magnificent, comprehensive, highly exalted honor.

Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that 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. (Philippians 2:9-11 ESV)

The honor-status reversal of Jesus Christ as diagrammed by the ESV Study Bible
The honor-status reversal of Jesus Christ as diagrammed by the ESV Study Bible

So this honor-status reversal is clearly represented here in the life, drama and Person of Christ. Can we also apply this dynamic of honor-status reversal to the community of believers who call Jesus Christ their Lord and Savior? Or is it reserved exclusively for Christ? Consider the verses below.

Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. (Romans 6:3–5 ESV)

Normally, we do not associate the truth of being “baptized into Christ Jesus” and “baptized into his death” as identification with his humiliating shame. It’s ugly and assaults our sense of pride. We like to think that Jesus died for my sins in my place, but being “baptized into his death” is so harsh and hard for us to grasp.

Some comments:

  • Could it be that in order for us to experience the sense of being “united with him in a resurrection like his” (v. 5)—which includes the honor and exaltation of his resurrection—we must first identify with Christ in the shame of his death?
  • It is clear that our identification with Christ in his resurrection is not solely for our eternal life after we die. Otherwise, Paul’s emphasis that “we too might walk in newness of life” would not make sense, as this clearly represents living life on earth after salvation and prior to death. Could it be that “walking in newness of life” refers to a new lifestyle which both contains and reflects the glory and honor of Jesus Christ?
  • Is this identification with Christ primarily experienced individually—or corporately? Could it be that the emphasis in this passage—as are most of Paul’s writings—is corporate, that his epistles are intended primarily for believers in community? Could it be that the individualistic bias we have in the West keeps us from apprehending this reality?

Other passages in Romans that illustrate the honor-status reversal for believers in Christ:

  • Romans 6:6–14 actually elaborates even further on the honor-status reversal that believers experience in Christ.
  • Romans 8:34–38 expresses the dynamic of believers being on the low, shameful end of the spectrum, “being killed … regarded as sheep for the slaughter”, whereas on the high, honorable end of the spectrum, being “more than conquerors through him who loved us.” Think of the believers at Rome, the church as an oft-shamed minority group, who breathed the air of the honor of the Roman Empire and it’s “glorious” conquerors. What did it mean to know that, in Christ, they were “more than conquerors”? This again is an example of honor-status reversal for the believer.

These other passages are also examples of honor-status reversal for believers, with that honor and glory embedded exclusively and totally in Christ:

  • 1 Corinthians 1:26–31
  • 1 Corinthians 15:42–49
  • 2 Corinthians 5:16–21, 2 Corinthians 13:4
  • Galatians 2:20–21, Galatians 4:5–7, 26–31
  • Ephesians 2:1–7 gives us a dramatic picture of honor-status reversal from being “dead in trespasses and sins” to having been “raised…up with him and seated…with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus”. This is followed is followed by the classic verse about grace: Ephesians 2:8-9. Then Ephesians 2:11–22 offers another example of honor-status reversal—but this time, it is with regard to the Old Testament story of God’s people: “So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God” (2:19). What is so striking to me is that the famous verse about salvation by grace is wrapped inside of a text which has two powerful examples of honor-status reversal.
  • Ephesians 4:8–10
  • Philippians 2:5–11, Philippians 3:8–10, 20–21
  • Colossians 1:13–14, 21–22, Colossians 2:12–15

The honor-status reversal which Christ himself experienced was not just for his glorification, but also for the community of believers who would follow him as Lord. Honor-status reversal is also for believers—in Christ!

In what is known as the High Priestly Prayer of Christ in John 17, Jesus prayed to the Father:

I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one (John 17:20-22 ESV).

Why is it so radically challenging to our Christian sensibilities, that Jesus prayed to the Father, “The glory that you have given me I have given to them”? Normally we think that glory belongs exclusively to God. But this is not supported by Scripture. Could it be that when we, as believers in community, embrace our honor-status reversal in Christ, we will more easily apprehend that Jesus actually has shared with us—his glory and honor.

What does this mean for people struggling with shame? What does this mean for people whose overwhelming concern is their honor status? What does this mean for Christ’s gospel being extended to the billions of people and thousands of people groups whose pivotal cultural value of honor and shame?

I’ll be writing more on those topics later.

Free 13-lesson Bible study on world missions in English and Spanish

Bible study, Biblical basis for partnership, Global Christian mission, Training

Here’s a free Bible study on world missions in English and Spanish. Each Bible study is one page—appropriate for a series of one-hour discussions. Through this study, you and your small group will discover the wide-ranging biblical basis for God’s global purpose to bless all the peoples of the earth. I am grateful to the folks at SIM whose team in Latin America translated this Bible study into Spanish.

The topics are as follows:

1. Abraham and the Global Blessing:
GENESIS 12:1–3, HEBREWS 6:13–20
God’s promise to bless Abraham’s “family” — foundation for global mission

2. God’s Passion for His Glory:
EXODUS 9:13–16, NUMBERS 14:21
The ultimate catalyst for mission

3. Tell of His Glory Among the Nations:
PSALM 96:1-12
Can global mission be saturated with joy and glory to God?

4. Glory, Forgiveness, Mission:
ISAIAH 6:1–8
How does a holy God send redeemed sinners on mission?

5. The Involuntary Missionary: JONAH 1–4
How God’s people use “resistance strategies” to avoid God’s mission

6. The Man for All Peoples: VARIOUS VERSES FROM THE GOSPELS
The “all-nations, all-peoples” salvation message of Jesus Christ

7. Our Lord’s Great Commission, part 1: MATTHEW 28:18–19
All authority / All the peoples

8. Our Lord’s Great Commission, part 2: MATTHEW 28:20
All that I commanded / All the days

9. The Glory of The Story: ACTS 1:6–8
Working together for mission — Author, Helper, Hero…and Church Member

10. The Glorious Mission of the Christian Community: EPHESIANS 3:1–10
The church of Jesus Christ — new community for global mission

11. Beautiful Feet, Powerful Word: ROMANS 10:8–18
“How shall they hear without a preacher?”

12. A Glorious Aspiration: Glory to Jesus from All Peoples:
ROMANS 15:8–21
Worship and glory to Jesus as the ultimate motive for mission

13. The Joy of Partnership: PHILIPPIANS 1–4
The vital role of partnership in fulfilling the Great Commission

Download English version of Bible study

Descargue la versión española del estudio de la Biblia

Quick! Four 10-minute lessons on honor and shame

Bible study, Honor and shame
4lessons honor and shame
You can do these four lessons in about 10 minutes each—and learn about honor and shame in the Bible

Download this free 4-page Bible study about honor and shame. Each lesson should take just 10 minutes. Click here to download.

The lesson objectives are:

  1. Understand the two sources of honor and be able to identify them as they occur in the Bible.
  2. Observe that wherever there is a conflict in the Bible, the ultimate issue is not winning and losing—but who gains honor and who is shamed.
  3. Examine the sevenfold bestowal of blessing upon Abraham 
as a prototype for the person who follows God.
  4. Examine the restorative love of a father as he runs to protect his son from shame, and then restores his honor in a great celebration.

This is being developed as part of a seminar I am doing later this month at a church in Tuscon to help Christians develop new skills for building relationships with people for whom honor and shame is a primary cultural value.

The little four-pager introduces the subject of honor and shame to participants, the intention being that they’ll invest 10 minutes a day the four days before the seminar. In this way, the material about honor and shame will not be brand new to them the day of the seminar—and everyone will enjoy the learning experience a little more.

For more information, write to me at werner@mission1.org.

New video teaching about honor and shame

Bible study, Competencies for cross-cultural partnership, Cross-cultural partnership, Cultural intelligence, Global Christian mission, Honor and shame,

“Big Shame or Big Honor? Exploring the Dynamics of Honor and Shame in Cross-Cultural Partnership” by Werner Mischke may be seen here: https://vimeo.com/43444852

Presented at the 2012 COSIM conference, this teaching:

  1. Shows how the story of the Prodigal Son uses honor and shame concepts to introduce the message of salvation through Christ,
  2. Examines the key dynamics of 
honor and shame from a 
social-science perspective—
with examples from Scripture,
  3. Explores honor and shame 
as the pivotal cultural value of the Bible, and of most of the Majority World / 
unreached peoples, and
  4. Examines applications 
to cross-cultural ministries 
and partnerships through understanding the dynamics of honor and shame.

For a free 30-page article by Werner Mischke, “Honor & Shame and Cross-Cultural Relationships”, visit: beautyofpartnership.org/about/free. To contact Werner Mischke about Bible-based training in honor and shame dynamics, write to werner@mission1.org.

Does Jesus have cultural intelligence? Part 2 … Relating to the quintessential deviant

Bible study, Cultural intelligence

In my last post, I introduced the idea of Jesus having cultural intelligence (CQ) based on his remarkable conversation with a Samaritan woman, “the woman at the well.”

This conversation—along with its impact on the woman, her Samaritan community, and Jesus’ disciples—is recorded in John 4:1–42.

“Woman at the well” by Martin Howard. Used by permission with Creative Commons license.

In this post I’ll begin exploring one aspect of the cultural intelligence of Jesus, based on this “formula” or definition of CQ, which comes from Brooks Peterson: [1]

“Knowledge about Cultures plus Awareness of Self and Others plus Specific Skills equals Cultural Intelligence.”

Let’s look at the first part of this definition: “Knowledge about Cultures”.

What specific knowledge did Jesus have about the Samaritan woman, and her Samaritan culture? What knowledge would Jesus have had, based simply on his living in his society like any other man of his day?

According to the ESV Study Bible the tensions between Jews and Samaritans were intense, and sometimes led to great conflict and bloodshed:

Tensions often ran high between Jews and Samaritans; thus Josephus recounts fighting between Jews and Samaritans during Claudius’s reign in the first century a.d. being so intense that Roman soldiers were called in to pacify (and to crucify) many of the rebels (Jewish War 2.232–246).

For additional insights about the social and cultural distance between Jesus and the Samaritan woman, consider the comments below from Jerome Neyrey, a scholar who has written extensively on the pivotal cultural value of honor and shame in the ancient Mediterranean world. Neyrey writes:

Of what might the Samaritan woman be a “representative”? Looking at 4:6-26, we argue that the narrator has concentrated in this one figure many of the characteristics of marginal persons with whom Jesus regularly deals in the synoptic gospels. She is an amalgam of cultural deviance. In terms of stereotypes, she is a non-Jew, who is ritually unclean; she is a “sinner,” a publicly recognized “shameless” person. … As a shameless woman, she embodies most of the social liabilities which would marginalize her in her society. At a minimum, she represents the gospel axiom that “least is greatest” or “last is first.” Ultimately, she represents inclusivity into the Christian group in a most radical way. The stereotype of gender expectations serves to portray her precisely as the quintessential deviant, the last and least person who would be expected to find favor with God (see 1 Cor 15:8-9). Her status transformation in 4:6-26 is basically that of a person moving from “not in the know” to “in the know” and from outsider to insider.[2]

What are we to conclude about Jesus? From this cultural reading of the passage we learn that Jesus related profoundly to the “quintessential deviant”. Jesus includes the Samaritan woman in his story and mission, despite her social and cultural deviance. It’s a radical kind of inclusivity.

Jesus knew all these things about Samaria and the Samaritan woman. Nevertheless, Jesus was totally intentional in going there. With regards to the verse, “And he had to pass through Samaria” (John 4:4 ESV), the ESV Study Bible says:

Jesus had to pass this way because of geography (it was the shortest route), but the words may also indicate that Jesus’ itinerary was subject to the sovereign and providential plan of God (“had to” translates Gk. dei, “to be necessary,” which always indicates divine necessity or requirement elsewhere in John: 3:7, 14, 30; 9:4; 10:16; 12:34; 20:9).

Indeed, “Jesus’ itinerary was subject to the sovereign and providential plan of God.” Concerning this entire episode of his cross-cultural encounter with the Samaritans, Jesus said to the disciples,

…My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work. (John 4:34 ESV)

It was the will of the Father who sent him. Jesus considered his cross-cultural encounter with this Samaritan woman—the “quintessential deviant”—as vital to life as eating. What are the lessons for us?

My next post will explore the things that Jesus knew about the Samaritan woman because of his divine knowledge—and what implications this has for understanding the cultural intelligence of Jesus.

========================
1. See Brooks Peterson: Cultural Intelligence: A Guide to Working with People from Other Cultures (Boston: Intercultural Press, 2004, p13)
2. See Jerome Neyrey: “What’s Wrong With This Picture? John 4, Cultural Stereotypes of Women, and Public and Private Space”, accessed at http://www.nd.edu/~jneyrey1/picture.html

Resolving the tension between grace and truth—through ‘missional grace’

Bible commentary, Ephesians, Global Christian mission,

When Christian leaders disagree on the relative emphasis on grace versus truth, I imagine it being resolved through missional grace. Here’s what I mean.

I imagine that on one side, there are the grace champions, and on the other side, the truth champions.

Grace champions are passionate about the fact that GRACE is the answer to living in a fallen world; they believe that Jesus Christ—especially in his transforming love—is the answer to our brokenness as individuals, families, communities. In my thinking, if I’m a grace champion, I believe people must repent and experience healing from their brokenness. We are all in pain, and for most of us, life is a struggle in one degree or another. We are all sinners. Praise God, His grace helps us overcome. We all need Jesus! 

Truth champions are passionate about the fact that TRUTH is the answer to living in a fallen world; they believe that Jesus Christ—especially in His transforming Word—is the answer to all our deceptions. In my thinking, if I’m a truth champion, I believe people must repent of their sin, their belief in false truths, their worship of false gods. We all need the truth principles in God’s Word to overcome our own sin and sinful deceptions. We need the truth of God to stand against our sinful culture. We are all sinners. Praise God, truth sets us free! We all need Jesus!

Sometimes truth champions oppose grace champions. Truth champions are concerned that, if one is too grace-oriented, too forgiving, too accepting—the objective truth of God’s Word will be marginalized—with the result that the church will lose its significance in a secular, relativistic culture. They fear that, instead of standing against the evils of the culture, the church will succumb to and decline with the culture; the church will have lost its mission, its identity.

Sometimes grace champions oppose truth champions. They are concerned that, by being too truth-oriented, the love and grace of Christ will be marginalized—with the result that the church will alienate struggling believers and be unattractive to a lost world. They fear that the church, instead of being a place that welcomes the hurting, ends up as more of a social club for the successful; the church will have lost its mission, its identity.

==============

Into this divide between grace champions and truth champions, God’s Word speaks of Jesus Christ:  

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us,
and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father,
full of grace and truth.” –John 1:14 ESV

In Jesus Christ, there is no division, there is no conflict between grace and truth. Simply, Jesus Christ is full of grace and full of truth in perfect integrity. This Word—this Son—is glorious! … as glorious, honorable and worthy of praise as the Father who sent him.

Yes, Christ was sent. “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us …” God the Father sent God the Son to this world, and he “became flesh.”

If I am to be a faithful follower of Jesus Christ, then I’ll be engaged in a glory-filled, life-long missional journey, endeavoring to live out my life as a harmony of grace and truth.

Do you want a fuller understanding of grace? Are you involved in a conflict between grace and truth? Some insights from the book of Ephesians:

Examine the word grace in Ephesians 1: 6–7, along with its context (verses 3–14). Because of grace, what does the believer receive in these verses? Because of grace we are in Chirst, in the Beloved One; therefore we have received … redemption, forgiveness, adoption into God‘s family, knowledge of the mystery of his will, an inheritance … indeed, all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Chirst. The treasures and blessings are infinite in scope.

Examine the three times the word grace is used in Ephesians 2:5–9. Because of grace, what does the believer receive in these verses? The believer is “made alive together with Christ;” the believer receives the elevated position of being seated with Christ “in the heavenly places,” all by virtue of God’s effort, not our own. This is “not of works, so that no one may boast.” It is the gift of grace. And to think this all happended “while we were dead in our trespasses.” Amazing what the believer receives by grace!

But now consider Ephesians 3:1–13. Here we see another dimension to the grace God. Here, grace is not only about what the Apostle Paul receives, it’s also about what he is divinely commissioned by God to give. Paul is given the enormous responsibility (you’ll see he considers this a gift of grace in verse 2, 7 and 8!) …

“… assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace that was given to me for you,” (Ephesians 3:2 ESV)

“Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God’s grace, which was given me by the working of his power. (Ephesians 3:7 ESV)

“To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ,” (Ephesians 3:8 ESV)

Do you see it? Paul viewed grace not only as the means of his forgiveness, but also as the means for his calling and mission. Shouldn’t it be the same for all believers in the church today? Of course, Paul was specifically called to be an apostle to the Gentiles in the early church, and so his unique calling does not apply to you and me. But here is the principle that does apply:

As grace saves us, so also, grace sends us to those who are yet to receive the blessing of the gospel of Christ.

So how might an expanded, truth-filled, missional understanding of grace resolve the so-called conflict between grace and truth? By enabling us to see that grace is not just for saving the lost, and compensating for weakness or sin and failure.

True biblical grace transforms the believer into someone who goes, who is sent. Grace-saturated followers of Christ (like Apostle Paul) are honorable servants and ambassadors whose passion is to bless those neighbors and peoples and nations (those we might even call our enemies!) who have not yet received the transforming gospel of Christ.

If grace does not include mission, it is small, truncated, and self-centered. We are not just saved by grace. We are sent by grace. This is missional grace.

In the glory of Christ and his mission to bless all peoples and nations, there is no divide between grace and truth.

Seated at the right hand of God—with all enemies under His feet

Bible study, Ephesians, Honor and shame

that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places … And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church.
–Ephesians 1:20, 22 ESV

Consider these words describing the honor of the one reigning as victor—“seated him at his right hand.” Consider also the words of shame describing the ones conquered and put into submission—“he put all things under his feet.” These word meanings belong to a culture dominated by the values of honor and shame.

Observe the two verses in the Psalms from which the words in Ephesians are clearly derived:

The LORD says to my Lord: Sit at my right hand,
until I make your enemies your footstool.
–Psalm 110:1

You have given him dominion over the works of your hands;
you have put all things under his feet,
–Psalm 8:6

Now consider how the following Old Testament verses reinforce 1) the honor of being seated at the right hand of the king, or 2) the honor of kingship ordained by God, or 3) the shame of enemies in being ‘put under the feet’ of the conqueror:

So Bathsheba went to King Solomon to speak to him on behalf of Adonijah. And the king rose to meet her and bowed down to her. Then he sat on his throne and had a seat brought for the king’s mother, and she sat on his right.
–1 Kings 2:19

daughters of kings are among your ladies of honor; at your right hand stands the queen in gold of Ophir.
–Psalm 45:9

Then Solomon sat on the throne of the LORD as king in place of David his father. … And the LORD made Solomon very great in the sight of all Israel and bestowed on him such royal majesty as had not been on any king before him in Israel.
–1 Chronicles 29:23, 25

You know that David my father could not build a house for the name of the LORD his God because of the warfare with which his enemies surrounded him, until the LORD put them under the soles of his feet.
–1 Kings 5:3

In the New Testament, the supreme exaltation of the Lord Jesus Christ is frequently described by Christ being seated at “God’s right hand;” and that simultaneously, all enemies of Christ are shamed by being “put under his feet.” The passage quoted from Ephesians chapter 1 at the beginning of this post is but one of many verses in the New Testament which reflect this theme.

Jesus said to him, … from now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.
–Matthew 26:64

This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing.
–Acts 2:32–33

For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. For God has put all things in subjection under his feet. …
–1 Corinthians 15:25–27

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.
–Colossians 3:1

He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,
–Hebrews 1:3

And to which of the angels has he ever said, Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet?
–Hebrews 1:13

Now the point in what we are saying is this: we have such a high priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven.
–Hebrews 8:1

But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet.
–Hebrews 10:12–13

looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
–Hebrews 12:2

who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him.
–1 Peter 3:22

Again, notice the sheer frequency of this theme in the New Testament: Jesus Christ is seated and enthroned at God’s right hand in highest honor—and correspondingly, all enemies, indeed “all things,” have been utterly subdued and shamed—put under his feet. The force of this truth cannot be appreciated without understanding the pivotal cultural value of honor and shame.

The honor of Christ’s never-ending victory over death

Bible study, Ephesians, Honor and shame

… not only in this age but also in the one to come.
–Ephesians 1:21 ESV

What is the significance of Jesus Christ having this highly honored state of being “… not only in this age but also in the one to come”? Surely there are some cultural signals that give perspective to this statement. Why is Paul making this point of Christ’s never-ending Lordship and victory over death?

  1. Could it be that Paul has in mind the stark impermanence of the Greek and Roman deities of his time? When one reads about the petty variableness of the Greek gods, when one considers the tragic deaths of many of the Roman rulers, it seems that Paul is emphasizing that, whereas Greek gods are capricious and Roman rulers both capricious and temporary, Jesus Christ will absolutely remain—permanently!—as the highly exalted one “… not only in this age but also in the one to come.”
  2. Yes, the victory which was won when the Father raised Jesus Christ from the dead is permanent, but is also personal for those who follow Christ. It represents an eternal victory over death and hell, pain and tragedy. Therefore, followers of Jesus Christ—those who are His—those who are in Christ—are assured that when they face death, their own resurrection will also be eternal. It is a living hope grounded in the permanence of the resurrected Christ “not only in this age but also in the one to come.” How personal is this for believers? Consider that just as God the Father raised Jesus Christ from the dead (Eph. 1:20), so also God has “raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:6). This constitutes for believers a profound identification with the honor of our Lord Jesus Christ.

What is the affect of this profound honor, this living hope? It is the ability for the Christ-follower to live without guilt, without fear, without shame. When a believer identifies with the honor and righteousness of Christ, he or she is set free from the need to play petty games of one-upmanship.

Jerome Neyrey has a whole chapter in his book Honor and Shame in the Gospel of Matthew, called “Vacating the Playing Field.” Neyrey expounds on The Sermon on the Mount, and explains how Jesus is calling his disciples to vacate the ‘public playing field’ of the ‘honor and shame game.’ Neyrey says:

In regard to the value of honor, several things should be noted. First, Jesus contrasts grants of honor from neighbors (“praised by men,” Matt. 6:2) with grants for honor from God (your heavenly Father will reward you,” 6:4, 6, 18; see John 12:43). As always, people require some acknowledgment of their worth. Second, even in his rhetoric, Jesus himself plays the honor game, challenging others and claiming honor himself. He does not attack the honor system itself; in fact he operates out of it by challenging other versions of it and ranking one grant of honor over another. Far from dismantling the system, he redirects how honor is bestowed and withdrawn. Third, Jesus invites disciples to join his honorable world, where the opinions of neighbors do not count for much and where their expectations do not control one’s behavior. And so he replaces the cultural expectations of the local code with his own expectations. Fourth, Jesus’ subversive commands would not be imaginable to disciples unless an alternative structure for worth, reputation, and respect were put in place, namely, honor from Jesus and reward from one’s heavenly Father. [1]

Do you see from Neyrey’s explanation that discipleship to Jesus Christ may be viewed as an exchange of a human-based source of honor for a Jesus-based one? Criticizing the Pharisees, Jesus said, “for they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God” (John 12:43).

Through salvation, one receives the righteousness of Jesus Christ in exchange for condemnation. One also embraces the honor of Christ in exchange for shame. The result is to live courageously, freely, magnanimously, generously, passionately—indeed, gloriously!

O Lord, do I reflect this freedom from the opinions of others, this courage and passion—this honor for you as Lord in my life?

1. Jerome Neyrey: Honor and Shame in the Gospel of Matthew (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 1998), p. 221.

For what does Paul pray to the “Father of glory”? Part 3

Bible study, Ephesians, Honor and shame

that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places,
far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.
–Ephesians 1:20–21 ESV

In verse 21 we have a clearer description of where Christ is “seated.” He not only is seated “at his right hand in the heavenly places;” he is seated “far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come.”

What is going on here in this verse? The apostle is expressing the super-exaltation of the Lord Jesus Christ after his resurrection. The language here is descriptive of the highest possible honor being given to Jesus Christ following his death on the cross by which Christ endured the greatest possible shame. The power of this passage is easily lost on those who are not from an honor-shame culture. Let’s consider in greater detail the meanings of key words:

  1. “far above all rule”—the Greek word is ‘arche.’ According to Strong’s Concordance, the meaning is: “beginning, origin; the person or thing that commences, the first person or thing in a series, the leader, that by which anything begins to be, the origin, the active cause.” Vine’s says, “Begin, Beginning, Beginner: means ‘a beginning.’ The root arch—primarily indicated what was of worth. Hence the verb archo meant “to be first,” and archon denoted “a ruler.” How interesting that the Bible says, Jesus is “far above” whoever one may imagine has the first or highest place of worth or honor.
  2. “far above all … authority”—the Greek word is ‘exousia.’ According to Strong’s, the meaning is “the power of authority (influence) and of right (privilege) … the power of rule or government (the power of him whose will and commands must be submitted to by others and obeyed). So Jesus is far above all power of authority, influence, right and privilege, rule or government.
  3. “far above all … power”—the Greek word is ‘dynamis.’ According to Strong’s, the meaning is “strength power, ability … inherent power, power residing in a thing by virtue of its nature, or which a person or thing exerts and puts forth … power for performing miracles … moral power and excellence of soul … the power and influence which belong to riches and wealth.
  4. “far above all … dominion”—the Greek word is ‘kyriotes.’ According to Strong’s, the meaning simply, “dominion, power, lordship.”

From the perspective of the pivotal cultural value of honor and shame, it is helpful to understand that this was a hierarchical society, as opposed to an egalitarian society like the American one. This means that leadership titles—caesar, king, high priest, lord, father, grandfather—were hugely significant. The ascribed honor given to people in high authority was immense. However, for people living in an equality-based society like the West, where people in authority are often viewed with cynicism and even disdain, this idea of great respect and honor for people in places of authority is viewed almost as a weakness, not as a strength. In America especially, we have no king, therefore, we have no social equivalent for kingly rule and royalty.

So to grasp the full weight of Ephesians 1:21, we Westerners and especially, we Americans, must imagine ourselves in a different society—one in which hierarchy trumps equality, and where the currency of honor and shame trumps the currency of money and material things.

What would the first-century readers and hearers of this letter from Paul have thought as they first encountered these verses describing the greatly elevated honor and super-exaltation of Jesus Christ?

Can we imagine the comfort they would feel in knowing that the Lord and Savior residing in their hearts would be sitting at the right hand of the Father—and given a name above all names?

Can we imagine first-century peasants who have forsaken the honor of their own kinship ties—and the vital loss of wealth and honor that went with that—in order to follow Jesus Christ? Can we imagine how the super-exaltation of their Lord more than compensated for their own loss of honor as they ‘drank in’ the honor of being 1) a child of their heavenly Father, and 2) being in Christ by faith, thus, being with their Savior who is sitting at the Father’s right hand? (see Ephesians 2:6).

Is it possible for Western Christians to even begin to feel the relief, the density, the joy—that the glory of the resurrected Christ gave to destitute, honor-starved believers in the first-century Mediterranean world?