A Jewish Bible Companion (Part 22 of 0)

Paul’s Epistles and the Feasts – Part twenty three

It is clear that Paul intended his letters to be read as part of the ecclesial worship service. “I charge you by the Lord that this epistle be read unto all the holy brethren” (I Thes. 5:27). “When this epistle is read among you, cause that it be read also in the church of the Laodiceans; and that ye likewise read the epistle from Laodicea” (Col. 4:16). This last passage also indicates that Paul expected his letters to be circulated among the ecclesias. Paul’s inspired letters would be collected together so they could become part of the reading plan for the early Christian worship service.

I will not give a complete reading plan for Paul’s letters in this article. Instead, I give reasons for believing that Romans 12-14 was read at Pentecost, II Corinthians 3-9 was read at Tabernacles, and I Thessalonians 2-5 was read on the two weekly meetings prior to Passover. These connections link Paul’s letters to the calendar, making it relatively easy to fill in the rest between these festival readings; these details will be left to the reader.

Romans 12-14 at Pentecost

Recall that Matthew placed the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus’ exhortation for Pentecost, so that it would be read at Pentecost. Here is a list of parallels between Romans 12-14 and the Sermon on the Mount. These parallels suggest that Paul’s letters were arranged so that Romans 12-14 would be read at Pente­cost.

  1. Rejoice in tribulations — Paul’s “Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribula­tion” (Rom. 12:12) recalls Jesus’ “Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you” (Mt. 5:12).
  2. Bless them that persecute you — “Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not…Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink” (Rom. 12:14,20) echoes “Love your enemies, and pray for them that persecute you” (Mt. 5:44 RV).
  3. Resist not evil — Jesus commands us not to retaliate in response to evil done to us. “Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: but I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also. And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain” (Mt. 5:38-41).
    Paul delivers the same message (using a different word for “evil”). “Recompense to no man evil for evil…Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves…Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good” (Rom. 12:17,19,21).
  4. Peacemakers — “If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men…Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another” (Rom. 12:18; 14:19) recalls the seventh beatitude “Blessed are the peacemakers” (Mt. 5:9).
  1. Love is the fulfilling of the law — In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus gives the true underlying meaning to the second half of the ten commandments, which were part of the Jewish readings for Pentecost. “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil…Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill…Thou shalt not commit adultery…Thou shalt not forswear thyself…An eye for an eye…Thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies…Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets” (Mt. 5:17,21,27,31,33,38,43,44; 7:12). Paul has the same lessons in Romans. “Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. Love worketh no ill to his neighbor: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law” (Rom. 13:8-10).
  2. Judge not — In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus warns against judging our brother: “Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?” (Mt. 7:1-3).

Paul issues the same warning in Romans: “Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not; and let not him which eateth not judge him that eateth: for God hath received him. Who art thou that judgest another man’s servant?…But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ…Let us not therefore judge one another any more” (Rom. 14:3-4,10,13).

  1. Stumbling blocks — Paul’s “Judge this rather, that no man put a stum­blingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother’s way” (Rom. 14:13) alludes to Jesus’ lesson in the Sermon on the Mount, “If thy right eye causeth thee to stumble…And if thy right hand causeth thee to stumble” (Mt. 5:29,30 RV).
  2. The kingdom of God is not meat and drink — In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus exhorts us not to be anxious about what we eat and drink, rather we are to seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness. Seek spiritual things first, and natural things will follow. “Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on…But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteous­ness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Mt. 6:25,33).

Paul makes the same point in Romans. “For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Rom. 14:17).

II Corinthians 3-9 at Tabernacles

II Corinthians 3-9 is filled with allusions to Tabernacles’ themes, making Tabernacles a perfect time to read these chapters.

  1. A new covenant — Two of the readings for Tabernacles refer to the renewal of the old covenant that God made with Israel after the golden calf sin (Ex. 34:10,27-28; I Kgs. 8:9). To some extent, this renewed covenant, which was based on mercy, grace, truth, and forgiveness (34:6-7), was a type of the new covenant in Christ. Paul alludes to the old and new covenants when he writes, “[God] made us sufficient as ministers of a new covenant. ..until this very day at the reading of the old covenant the same veil remaineth unlifted” (II Cor. 3:6,14 RV).
  1. The glory that was passing away — At Solomon’s dedication of the temple, which was read at Tabernacles, “It came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the Lord, so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud: for the glory of the Lord had filled the house of the Lord” (I Kgs. 8:10-11).

Similarly, the Tabernacles’ reading in Exodus is followed by the transfiguration of Moses (Ex. 34:29-35). At first, “Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone; and they were afraid to come nigh him” (34:30); Paul says that the old covenant “came with glory, so that the children of Israel could not look steadfastly upon the face of Moses for the glory of his face” (II Cor. 3:7 RV).

Then, “Aaron and all the rulers of the congregation returned unto him: and Moses talked with them. And afterward all the children of Israel came nigh” (34:31-32). From this Paul infers that the glory in Moses’ face “was passing away” (II Cor. 3:7,11,13 RV); otherwise, they would not have been able to come nigh.

  1. The veil — Finally, we read, “When Moses had done speaking with them, he put a veil on his face” (Ex. 34:33 RV), the reason for which Paul explains, “Moses put a veil upon his face, that the children of Israel should not look stedfastly on the end of that which was passing away” (II Cor. 3:13 RV).

The real lesson for Tabernacles is that the new covenant far surpasses the old, both in having more glory, a glory that remains, and in removing the veil.

  1. This tabernacle — At Tabernacles, the Jews dwelt in tents for the week to remember that Israel had lived in tents during their probation in the wilderness (Lev. 23:39-43). The tents in the wilderness were temporary dwellings, whose object lesson was to encourage each Jew to look forward to a future, permanent, dwelling place in the land. Paul alludes to these ideas when he writes, “For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven: if so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked. For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life” (II Cor. 5:1-4).
  2. The temple of God — As mentioned earlier, a major theme at Tabernacles is Solomon’s dedication of the Temple, God’s dwelling place on earth. So Paul writes, “What agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people” (II Cor. 6:16).
  3. Sowing and reaping — Tabernacles is the feast of ingathering, like our Thanksgiving. Jesus’ speech for Tabernacles (ML 13) contains the harvest parables, including the parable of the sower. Similarly, Paul refers to this Taber­nacles’ theme when he writes, “He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully” (II Cor. 9:6).
  1. Allusions in I Corinthians to Jesus’ speech for Trumpets — Tabernacles follows Trumpets and the Day of Atonement. II Corinthians 3-9 follows I Corinthians which contains appropriate readings for both of the earlier occasions.

Jesus’ speech at Trumpets includes the following prayer, “At that season Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, 0 Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou didst hide (“the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom” I Cor. 2:7) these things from the wise and understanding (“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent” I Cor. 1:19), and didst reveal (“God hath revealed them unto us” I Cor. 2:10) them unto babes (“babes in Christ” I Cor. 3:1; “in malice be ye babes” 14:20 RV): yea, Father, for so it was well-pleasing in thy sight (“it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe” I Cor. 1:21). All things have been delivered unto me of my Father (“He hath put all things under his feet” I Cor. 15:27-28): and no one knoweth the Son (“the Son” I Cor. 15:28), save the Father; neither doth any know the Father (“now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known” I Cor. 13:12), save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son willeth to reveal him” (Mt. 11:25-27 RV). The allusions to this prayer in I Corinthians are indicated above. The last references are in I Corinthi­ans 15, which might have been the Pauline reading for Trumpets.

  1. Forgiveness at the Day of Atonement — II Corinthians 2:5-11, about the forgiveness and re-fellowship of the repentant sinner, would be an appropriate reading for the Day of Atonement.

I Thessalonians 2,4-5 just before Passover

Recall that Matthew 23 was read at the first memorial meeting of the Jewish year, and Matthew 24-25 was read at the second. Here is a list of detailed parallels between I Thessalonians 2,4-5 and Matthew 23,24-25. These parallels are evidence for when these chapters in Thessalonians were read in the Pauline cycle.

  1. Jews kill the prophets — “For ye brethren, became followers of the churches of God which in Judaea are in Christ Jesus: for ye also have suffered like things of your own countrymen, even as they have of the Jews: who both killed the Lord Jesus, and their own prophets (“ye are the children of them which killed the prophets…thou that killest the prophets” Mt. 23:31,37), and have persecuted us (“ye shall…persecute them” Mt. 23:34); and they please not God, and are contrary to all men: forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they might be saved (“ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in” Mt. 23:13), to fill up their sins alway (“Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers” Mt. 23:32): for the wrath is come upon them to the uttermost (“All these things shall come upon this generation…Behold, your house is left unto you desolate” Mt. 23:36,38) (I Thes. 2:14-16).
  2. The word of the Lord — “This we say unto you by the word of the Lord” (I Thes. 4:15). Is this Paul’s way of pointing us to the words of Jesus in the gospels, the Olivet Prophecy in Matthew in particular?
  3. The return of Christ — “The Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout” (I Thes. 4:16) parallels “They shall see the Son of man coming…with power and great glory” (Mt. 24:30).
  1. Angels with a trumpet voice — “With the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God” (I Thes. 4:16) echoes “he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet” (Mt 24:31).
  2. The elect gathered — “The dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds (“com­ing in the clouds of heaven” ML 24:30), to meet the Lord in the air” (I Thes. 4:16-17) recalls “they shall gather together his elect” (Mt. 24:31).
  3. As a thief — “The day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night…Ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief’ (I Thes. 5:2,4) echoes “If the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come” (Mt. 24:43).
  4. Sudden destruction — “When they shall say, Peace and safety: then sudden destruction cometh upon them” (I Thes. 5:3)
  5. Travail — “As travail upon a woman with child” (I 5:3) alludes to “All these things are the beginning of travail” (Mt. 24:8 RV).
  6. Children of light — “Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness” (I Thes. 5:5) refers to the five wise virgins who had oil in their lamps (Mt. 25:4), in contrast to the five foolish virgins whose lamps were going out (Mt. 25:8).
  7. Sleep — “Let us not sleep…they that sleep sleep in the night” (I 5:6-7) alludes to the ten virgins who “slumbered and slept while the bridegroom tarried” (Mt. 25:5).
  8. Watch — “Let us watch” (I Thes. 5:6) mimics “Watch therefore” (Mt. 24:42; 25:13).
  9. Drunken — “They that be drunken are drunken in the night” (I Thes. 5:7), like the evil servant who “eats and drinks with the drunken” (Mt. 24:49).
  10. Appointed to wrath — “God hath not appointed us to wrath” (I Thes. 5:9) in contrast to the evil servant who suffers his house to be broken up, who shall be cut asunder, and who is appointed his portion with the hypocrites (Mt. 24:43,51).
  11. Wake or sleep — “Whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him” (I Thes. 5:10). Even the five wise virgins were asleep when the bridegroom came!