Rabbi’s Reflections – Saturday, February 6, 2021
Shabbat Shalom,
Daily Bread, reading plan by Lars Enarson (https://www.thewatchman.org/)
Sat 6-Feb-2021 24th of Sh’vat, 5781 Parashat Yitro
Ex 20:15-23Isa 6:1-7:6; 9:5-6Matt 5:13-20
A Repentance Paradigm by David Harwood
We’ve been working with a repentance paradigm found in Ephesians 4. It is a standard description of the process of true repentance.
The one who steals must steal no longer—instead he must work, doing something useful with his own hands, so he may have something to share with the one who has need. (Ephesians 4:28 TLV)
Note, this verse immediately precedes the verses we’ve concentrated on. It exemplifies the pattern we find therein. So we might follow this together, here it is:
The one who steals must steal no longer—instead he must work, doing something useful with his own hands, so he may have something to share with the one who has need.
29Let no harmful (rotten) word come out of your mouth, but only what is beneficial for building others up according to the need, so that it gives grace to those who hear it. 30Do not grieve the Ruach ha-Kodesh of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
31Get rid of all bitterness and rage and anger and quarreling and slander, along with all malice. 32Instead, be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving each other just as God in Messiah also forgave you. (Ephesians 4:28–32 TLV)
Paul wrote, “Stop doing that. Start doing this, instead.” Look at the pattern.
Repent from stealing. Work and share, instead.
Repent from rotten words. Edify others, instead.
Repent from bitterness, rage, wrath, clamor and abusive speech. Become kind, instead.
The same model holds true in our instruction about inner-speech.
Here is the repentance paradigm applied to our inner-narratives.
Do not allow any rotten inner-conversation proceed from your heart about yourself to yourself.
Instead, concentrate upon what is wholesome and strategically strengthen your soul according to your immediate need.
Make it your ambition to please God with your meditations and impart grace to your inner-being
And don’t make God sad.
All bitterness, and rage, and wrath, and clamor, and abusive speech (towards yourself), must be removed from you “
The pattern we find is, “Stop that. Change direction. Start this.”
Well, with what might we replace self-directed “bitterness, and rage, and wrath, and clamor, and abusive speech…”? What is the positive replacement? What should we do, instead? What is the Messiah’s emissary’s counsel?
This:
Instead, be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving each other just as God in Messiah also forgave you (Ephesians 4:32 TLV)
In this verse the believing community is called to turn from ungodly interactions and develop holy attitudes.
Let’s reflect upon and apply this exhortation (Ephesians 4:32) in line with what we considered regarding our inner-narrative.
Become kind towards yourself,
Become compassionate towards yourself,
Become forgiving and favorable towards yourself
Talk to yourself in the way God in the Messiah has forgiven and been favorable towards you.
Let’s begin to examine some of these words. It is time for a brief excursion into Greek.
Instead, be kind (χρηστός, – chrēstos) to one another,
compassionate (εὔσπλαγχνος, – eusplanchnos),
forgiving (χαρίζομαι – charizomai – be favorable towards) each other, just as also God in Messiah also forgave (χαρίζομαι – charizomai – been favorable towards) you.
The three words we’re looking at are chrēstos, eusplanchnos, and charizomai. We’ll examine the first two, today.
Here we go.
Become Kind
This word, chrēstos, describes Yeshua’s gentle, mild, easy, kind yoke.
“For My yoke is easy (chrēstos) and My burden is light.” (Matthew 11:30 TLV)
Paul, telling them to become kind, instructed his disciples to not put heavy burdens on one another. We can be kind and release people from the burdens of our personal expectations.
Along with that, take a look at this use of chrēstos pertaining to your Father:
But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Then your reward will be great and you will be sons of Elyon, for He is kind (χρηστός, – chrēstos) to the ungrateful and evil ones (Luke 6:35 TLV)
Yeshua described kindness as loving, and doing good to, our enemies. This includes helping them economically and not expecting them to repay. When I read this I realize that kindness releases people from even our reasonable expectations.
Here is something that surprised me. Paul wrote that our morals, our ethics, should be good, or, kind.
Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good (χρηστός, – chrēstos) morals.” (1 Corinthians 15:33 TLV)
Ethics that do not produce kindness, but promote proud judgment, are not good. Sometimes we may need to think about how our self-directed expectations need to be transformed into that which serves our kind God.
Let’s become kind. Let’s express kindness to ourselves in our inner-narratives.
Release yourself from reasonable and unreasonable expectations and embrace a way of viewing life that causes you to be kind to yourself.
You need to become compassionate towards yourself, instead.
Become … Compassionate:
In Ephesians 4:32 the Greek word translated compassionate, or tenderhearted, is eusplanchnos. When I looked at it I saw that it could be crudely translated “good guts.” So, I knew there had to be a better definition.
Louw-Nida is a standard Greek English Lexicon. Every word in the New Testament, every nuance of each word, is catalogued therein. When I looked up eusplanchnos there I saw it defined along these lines: “pertaining to being affectionate and compassionate.” Paul is calling for the believers to be affectionate towards each other.
This is an emotion. It is viscerally felt.
Peter used this word too. He wrote:
Finally, all of you be harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, tenderhearted (εὔσπλαγχνος, – eusplanchnos), humble-minded. (1 Peter 3:8 TLV)
A healthy inner-narrative follows the same pattern.
Instead
Instead of being self-embittered, or angry at ourselves, we are to transform our inner dialogue to a consecrated self-communication of kind affection. We consecrate the meditations of our heart to give God’s presence pleasure.
We are actually called to be generous in our interpretations of our motives and actions. This flies in the face of our culture of self-examination and self-recrimination. Before the throne of God, who dwells within your heart, partner with the great Kohen Gadol, and become your own advocate.
Our next post will concentrate on the last part of this exhortation. Meanwhile, please consider the call to become kind and affectionate towards your self. Your inner-being lives in the presence of the holy God who loves you. Let’s give His presence pleasure.
My hope is that everyone who reads this will become sensitive to the human tendency to be one’s own adversary. Let’s not partner with the adversary. Let’s align ourselves with our Advocate.
Along the lines of Ephesians 4:32, please…
Become kind towards yourself,
Become compassionate towards yourself,
Become forgiving and favorable towards yourself
Talk to yourself in the way God in the Messiah has forgiven and been favorable towards you.