Life in the Spirit: Life with a Mission 24.i.11

Part One Life in the Spirit What is it?

What is not Life in the Spirit? Not divorced from daily life Not escapism Not dualism Not divorced from ministry

What is Life in the Spirit? Question about our identity: –Who we are: authentic identity Question about our mission: –What we do: authentic mission Identity and Mission: –Constitutive parts of our spirituality

Confucian Spirituality? No dualistic thinking Continuum fr interior to exterior Continuum fr self to others Continuum fr virtue to responsibility Continuum fr knowledge to action – 知行合一 –Unity betw knowledge and action

Overall Framework 天將降大任於斯人也，必先苦其心志，勞其筋 骨，餓其體膚，空乏其身，行拂亂其所為，所 以動心忍性，曾益其所不能。 When heaven is about to confer a great responsibility on us, it will first toughen our will with suffering, exercise our sinews and bones with toil, deprive our flesh with starva- tion, drain our body with destitution, con- found our exploits—all to invigorate our mind and harden our nature and to endow us with abilities to do what we were powerless to do.

大任 Great Responsibility Conferred by Heaven  divine Precondition: training (askēsis) Suffering is spiritual… … only if it fits the divine purpose Unity betw responsibility & training Unity betw self and mission

Plan Jesus: Life & Mission in the Spirit –Luke 4 Life in the Spirit is a Life of Hope –Romans 8

Part Two Jesus’s Mission: A Life in the Spirit Luke 4

Summary of Luke 4 Jesus full of the Spirit (1) Led by the Spirit into the desert (1) Tested by the Evil Spirit (2–13) Returns in power of Spirit (14–15) Proclaims mission (16–22) –“Spirit of the Lord is upon me” (18) Crowd rejects him (23–30)

Ministry totally defined by the Spirit –Struggle against an Evil Spirit –Results in power of the Holy Spirit –Spirit of the Lord is upon him W/o endowment of Spirit, Js is nothing Identity, mission, activities… …totally defined by life in the Spirit

The Nazareth Manifesto (4.18–19) “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

The Nazareth Manifesto (4.18–19) “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

The Nazareth Manifesto (4.18–19) “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

Jesus’s Proclamation “The year of the Lord’s favor” –Jubilee: Restoration of all properties –…Including Israel! –Only a king could declare Jubilee “Today this is fulfilled in your hearing” Jesus the King proclaims Jubilee now!

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor” Luke 4.18–19 = Isaiah 61.1–2a

1 The spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me; he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners; 2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor,

1 The spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me; he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners; 2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; They shall build up the ancient ruins, they shall raise up the former devastations; they shall repair the ruined cities, the devastations of many generations.

1 The spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me; he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners; 2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; They shall build up the ancient ruins, they shall raise up the former devastations; they shall repair the ruined cities, the devastations of many generations.

5 Strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, foreigners shall till your land and dress your vines; 6 but you shall be called priests of the Lord, you shall be named ministers of our God; you shall enjoy the wealth of the nations, and in their riches you shall glory. (Isa 61.5f)

5 Strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, foreigners shall till your land and dress your vines; 6 but you shall be called priests of the Lord, you shall be named ministers of our God; you shall enjoy the wealth of the nations, and in their riches you shall glory. (Isa 61.5f)

5 Strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, foreigners shall till your land and dress your vines; 6 but you shall be called priests of the Lord, you shall be named ministers of our God; you shall enjoy the wealth of the Gentiles, and in their riches you shall glory. (Isa 61.5f) Isaiah 61:  Reversal of roles betw Jews and Gentiles  Eschatological reversal

Leviticus 25 8–12: 50th year a Jubilee year 13–17: Get back prop; econ calc on 50 yrs 18–24: land not sold in perp; land is God’s 25–28: land sold reverted to orig. owner 29–34: except walled city & Lev properties 35–38: take care of dependent kin w/o interest 39–43: no slavery 44–46: EXCEPT GENTILES!!

Leviticus 25 (cont.) Every 50 years, all return to own lands –All grounds laid fallow –All debts forgiven –Start from scratch again –Total egalitarianism No slavery system for the Israelites –No Israelite can be bought as slaves –Massive Exception… –…Gentiles COULD be bought as slaves

He said to them, “Doubtless you will quote to me this pro- verb, ‘Doctor, cure yourself!’ And you will say, ‘Do here also in your hometown the things that we have heard you did at Capernaum.’” And he said, “Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in the prophet’s hometown. But the truth is, there were many widows in Israel in the time of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a severe famine over all the land; yet Elijah was sent to none of them except to a widow at Zarephath in Sidon. There were also many lepers in Israel in the time of the pro-phet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.” When they heard this, all in the synagogue were filled with rage. They got up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they might hurl him off the cliff. But he passed thru the midst of them and went on his way (Luke 4.23–30).

What Set Off the Crowds? Elijah sent to Sidon (1 Kgs ) Elisha cleansing Naaman (2 Kgs )  Gentiles will be included in Jubilee! Unpopular among the Nazareth crowd

He said to them, “Doubtless you will quote to me this pro- verb, ‘Doctor, cure yourself!’ And you will say, ‘Do here also in your hometown the things that we have heard you did at Capernaum.’” And he said, “Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in the prophet’s hometown. But the truth is, there were many widows in Israel in the time of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a severe famine over all the land; yet Elijah was sent to none of them except to a widow at Zarephath in Sidon. There were also many lepers in Israel in the time of the pro-phet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.” When they heard this, all in the synagogue were filled with rage. They got up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they might hurl him off the cliff. But he passed thru the midst of them and went on his way (Luke 4.23–30).

Part Three Concluding Remarks

Life in the Spirit Affirming Empowering Suffering Unpopular

Confucian-Christian Spirituality Unitary thinking Responsibility-centered Interconnectedness with others –Self  family  society  world Interconnectedness with creation… –More tomorrow…

Thank you!