{"id":114978,"date":"2020-02-04T00:46:57","date_gmt":"2020-02-04T07:46:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/markshea\/?p=114978"},"modified":"2020-01-11T17:08:56","modified_gmt":"2020-01-12T00:08:56","slug":"nerding-out","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/markshea\/2020\/02\/nerding-out.html","title":{"rendered":"Nerding Out"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

So a few days ago, my wife sent me this.<\/p>\n

\"Image<\/p>\n

She got it from her sister Kathleen, who overlaid the Bible verse on a picture Jan took\u00a0 a while back when we kayaking in Pacific County (a wonderful September day!). Neither of us are sure what it means, but Jan speculates it may be because I am neither fish nor fowl nor good red meat. I\u2019m going with that. At any rate, it was good for a laugh and hug, and I\u2019m always good for that.<\/p>\n

I posted it on the Book of Face and a reader was incautious enough to write:<\/p>\n

\u201cAll kinds of\u201d is a biblical phrase? I wouldn\u2019t have guessed. I\u2019m all kinds of surprised.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

This was a reckless thing to say to a man who is only too ready to launch into biblical\/theological nerdery on the flimsiest provocation.<\/p>\n

\"No<\/p>\n

Herewith is my reply:<\/p>\n

In biblical parlance it means \u201cmany different species\u201d. In American slang it means \u201ca whole lot of\u201d. It\u2019s a reference to the Church\u2019s mission to all the Gentiles and not just to the Jews.<\/p>\n

The best rule of thumb when reading the New Testament is to look at the Old Testament for the background of the mental world the people writing it lived in. They are a people more marinated in the thought forms and worldview of the Old Testament than the most devout Star Trek<\/em> fan is marinated in the lingo of the franchise. They really and truly believe these are the oracles of God and have been raised in an entire culture that thinks the same thing. So when Genesis reports God said<\/p>\n

\u201cLet the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds: cattle and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds.\u201d And it was so. And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds and the cattle according to their kinds, and everything that creeps upon the ground according to its kind. \u201d (Ge 1:24\u201325)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u2026they just use that language. But they also (and this is very typical for that culture too) assume there is a deeper spiritual meaning to be found in it too. That is the background for this epoch-making incident in the book of Acts:<\/p>\n

Now the apostles and the brethren who were in Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcision party criticized him, saying, \u201cWhy did you go to uncircumcised men and eat with them?\u201d But Peter began and explained to them in order: \u201cI was in the city of Joppa praying; and in a trance I saw a vision, something descending, like a great sheet, let down from heaven by four corners; and it came down to me. Looking at it closely I observed animals and beasts of prey and reptiles and birds of the air. And I heard a voice saying to me, \u2018Rise, Peter; kill and eat.\u2019 But I said, \u2018No, Lord; for nothing common or unclean has ever entered my mouth.\u2019 But the voice answered a second time from heaven, \u2018What God has cleansed you must not call common.\u2019 This happened three times, and all was drawn up again into heaven. At that very moment three men arrived at the house in which we were, sent to me from Caesarea. And the Spirit told me to go with them, making no distinction. These six brethren also accompanied me, and we entered the man\u2019s house. And he told us how he had seen the angel standing in his house and saying, \u2018Send to Joppa and bring Simon called Peter; he will declare to you a message by which you will be saved, you and all your household.\u2019 As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them just as on us at the beginning. And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he said, \u2018John baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit.\u2019 If then God gave the same gift to them as he gave to us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could withstand God?\u201d When they heard this they were silenced. And they glorified God, saying, \u201cThen to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance unto life.\u201d (Ac 11:1\u201318).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The all kinds of animals<\/em>, like the all kinds of fishes<\/em>, becomes an image of all the Gentile nations that are welcome in the Church. It\u2019s why John mentions this incident:<\/p>\n

Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the beach; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to them, \u201cChildren, have you any fish?\u201d They answered him, \u201cNo.\u201d He said to them, \u201cCast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.\u201d So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, for the quantity of fish. That disciple whom Jesus loved\u2020 said to Peter, \u201cIt is the Lord!\u201d When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his clothes, for he was stripped for work, and sprang into the sea. But the other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, but about a hundred yards off.
\nWhen they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish lying on it, and bread. Jesus said to them, \u201cBring some of the fish that you have just caught.\u201d So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, a hundred and fifty-three of them; and although there were so many, the net was not torn. (Jn 21:4\u201311).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

This miraculous catch of fishes after the Resurrection is the bookend to the first<\/em>\u00a0time Peter met Jesus and caught a miraculous draught of fishes. His first impulse had been to beg him to \u201cGo away from me, for I am a sinful man\u201d and Jesus had replied, \u201cFollow me and I will make you fishers of men.\u201d Now the real fishing expedition is about to begin as the Church is born and the number of fish is significant. Jerome tells us that 153 is the number of nations in the world according to ancient opinion. The point is, yet again, that the mission is to all the Gentiles.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

So a few days ago, my wife sent me this. She got it from her sister Kathleen, who overlaid the Bible verse on a picture Jan took\u00a0 a while back when we kayaking in Pacific County (a wonderful September day!). Neither of us are sure what it means, but Jan speculates it may be because […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":92,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[641],"class_list":["post-114978","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-theology-stuff"],"yoast_head":"\nNerding Out<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"So a few days ago, my wife sent me this. 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