June 27

A few thoughts from today's readings:

1. I've just learned the Kleinig principle - ask "What is surprising about this text?" There's a surprise concerning the Joshua text, though it actually appears in Matthew 1:5. The confirmation kids are surprised to learn that Rahab was an ancestor of Jesus. I think it has something to do with the way she earned money....
2. Rev. Erik Rottmann a few years back wrote a sermon on the Baptism of our Lord referencing Rahab. "Common and ordinary thread or common and ordinary water, it does not matter: your Lord has attached to your water the same great promise and assurance as was attached to Rahab's red thread. The Israelite spies assured this Christian that her red cord would spare her from the coming judgment, so also does God give you the same assurance with regard to your Baptism. It is as if He says to you, 'Do not take this baptismal string down. Do not take My Word and promise lightly. Do not underestimate the seriousness of the sign I now give you. This Baptism string is my promise to you that when the walls come tumbling down, you shall yet live. You will be saved, spared, delivered, and preserved and this red string now hangs for you as proof and assurance that every promise I now make to you will indeed come true.'"
3. I've started noticing that Sihon and Og are mentioned all over the place in the OT - the story is told in Numbers, but then it is referenced again in Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, 1 Kings, Nehemiah, Psalms, and Jeremiah (click here to see all the references). Rahab knows both of the parting of the Red Sea (which happened about 40 years earlier) and the defeat of Sihon and Og. What does it say about us that our modern minds are only impressed with one of those two events, and cannot recall the other?
4. Cyril of Alexandria is a favorite of mine. (Weedon likes him a lot too - just see how many times he quotes Cyril for his Patristic Quote of the Day - and this page is only the last two months of results!) When working through Lukan texts 2 years ago, I noted that one of my books kept referencing him, so I found a used copy online of his commentary on Luke. Wow! In today's TDP writing, you get a small taste of the way he weaves other Scriptures into the text at hand. You can find his Commentary on John here, scroll up a little for his commentary on Luke, and see some of his other writings. You can also hear Rev. Richard Stuckwisch talk about Cyril on Issues, etc here.

now to write a sermon.