Fulfilling the Word
Lately, I have been posting some articles that help us to get inside the world of Jesus. There are good reasons why I am doing this. Among those reasons is the specific purpose of being able to better “fulfill” (interpret) the Word of God. Without that ability, we will suffer from the kind of lack of understanding that “abolishes” (misinterprets) the Word of God from pulpits all over the evangelical world.
The church today includes many different roles that are filled by individuals with titles such as deacon, pastor, overseer, and elder. All of these titles have their roots in the synagogue. I want to focus on one specific position and title as we discuss the importance of properly “fulfilling” the Word of God from the pulpit.
In the synagogue, there was a position known as a chazen. A chazen would pray, preach behind a wooden pulpit, and provide supervision for the reading of the Torah. It is important to note that the chazen did not actually read the Torah; he merely stood next to the one who did. His job was to correct, oversee, and ensure that the Scriptures were properly "fulfilled." Another name for the chazen was “overseer.” If someone were to “abolish” the Torah, which means to “misinterpret” it, then the overseer would step up to help him “fulfill” the Torah, which means to “correctly interpret” it.
The following article was published in the August 23, 2006 edition of the "The Southern Spirit, page 7, and its content reveals an obvious example of how one can easily “abolish” the Word of God:
“Most of the evangelical churches in a certain city sponsored a "Day of Prayer," inviting all who would to assemble at a certain auditorium to pray "all during the day." A number of pastors were selected to give short messages on prayer at the beginning of each hour.One pastor surprised the attendees by saying, "All of the praying we do here today is second-class." Perhaps "startled" would be a better word than "surprised." He let the thought intrigue them for several seconds, and then he read this text:But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet,and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. (Matthew 6:6, KJV)
He then went on to say that however sincere and full of faith our public prayers are, and even if they ‘get results,’ they are at best only second-class prayers. The praying that Jesus commands is private prayer, secret prayer.
Someone openly objected that Jesus must have meant ‘individual prayer’ when He said that, not the ‘corporate prayer’ of a congregation. But the speaker countered by returning to the context of the text cited."His disciples came unto Him . . . and He taught them, saying, ..." (Matthew 5:1, KJV)
The pastor closed his meditation by challenging those present to pray as sincerely as possible that day together, and to take the burden of prayer home to 'finish the job in first-class praying - in secret.'
Oswald Chambers explains in a number of his devotional teachings why secret intercession is the best. I have no one to impress if I am in secret as no one will know that I am praying. I can be my most honest with God. I have no reason to 'put on airs' of pretended piety or humility. And He already knows the whole truth anyway.'
Comrades, I too want to urge us all to pray well in our public services. But the greater lesson is that the most effective (first-class) prayer is when only the one praying and the One being prayed to know about it.”
Please allow me to “fulfill” the Word by drawing from the historical context of the first century Jewish world of Jesus, and by explaining the Hebrew word translated as “prayer closet.”
The article concerning the "prayer closet" is the result of an obvious lack of knowledge pertaining to first century Jewish garb. A "prayer closet" is a tah-lit, which is Hebrew for "tent-little," translated in English, “Little Tent.” The tah-lit is often referred to in English as a "prayer shawl" or "prayer closet." The Jews wore the "prayer closet" over the ha-luk, which is what we often see Jesus wearing in Westernized movies. The ha-luk is actually first century Jewish "underwear."
The "prayer closet" is worn over the shoulders and during prayer it is pulled toward the face by both hands to signify "closing the door of your closet." This was done because the hundreds of thousands, and possibly millions of Jews who would gather at the Tent of Meeting could not all fit inside. So, they would wear their own "little tent" and pray as a way of joining their brothers and sisters who were in the Tent of Meeting. We exemplify this ancient way of praying by closing our eyes and bowing our heads, while folding our hands near our face. This is probably an evolutionary outcome of pulling the "prayer closet" to cover the face during prayer.
"Going into your praye closet" was not a message from Jesus telling the disciples to "go home and pray," but a message to pray alone "and" together, pulling up your "prayer closet" as not to appear boastful in your prayers. Those who went "into their prayer closets" were praying along side everyone else at the Tent of Meeting, whether inside the tent or outside the tent by going into their little tents. Knowing what a prayer closet is can also give us some idea of the likelihood that Paul may very well have been a "little tent" or “prayer closet” maker."
The kind of Scriptural misinterpretation that is exemplified by the article quoted previously makes it very important for us to ask questions.
Some things are mysteries; some are misinterpretations.
Every pulpit should have a chazen standing close by to make sure the Word is "fulfilled."
Forever learning,
Johnny
16 comments:
Interesting...I never looked at that passage of scripture as meaning that private prayer was better then praying in public, just more effective because it's easier to focus...I heard this passage preached from the pulpit during a sermon when the preacher was getting back to the basics of prayer, and even though he didn't go into as much historical depth, he emphasized the importance of private prayer simply for means of having alone time with Jesus, how this is important in any relationship...and that going into ones room (or whatever) and making time for God privately is essential for your personal relationship with him...his sermon helped me alot in my personal relationship with Jesus Christ....either way I think whether you know the interpretations and historical info or not, this text does not state that public prayer is secondary but that boasting is wrong, relationship is important and 'flash' prayers are ineffective....i think the Pastor in your story was way out in left field on this one even if you're just reading any old version of 'The Holy Bible'
Good facts though...very interesting. You have a big brain.
No I don't; just a big library.
Thanks.
Johnny
Good post.
Is the "chazen" what Timothy was refering to when he spoke of an "overseer"?
What are your references to the "chazen" and the prayer tent?
Hi Bret,
Dr. Ron Moseley's book, Yeshua: A Guide to the Real Jesus and the Original Church is the reference.
I can only assume that Timothy is speaking of a chazen, because the Jewish translation of the New Testament uses the word "congregational leader," which is another name for the chazen. With that said, I believe that it is safe to answer, “Yes.”
Johnny
Very Interesting.
I’ve just begun reading Duling and Perrin’s “The New Testament” (3rd Ed) and, at least in the beginning, they refer often to the Lord’s Prayer, using it as an example for application of the various types Biblical interpretation.
As far as I have gotten (which isn’t far) they don’t address the “little-tent/prayer shawl” aspect, which is fascinating to me and provides an important ray of light.
But even with the "little-tent/prayer shawl” explication, Matthew 6:6 can be read as raising a question about “public prayer” such as out-loud unison recitations of the Lord’s prayer itself.
Early on, Duling and Perrin touch on the Matthean emphasis on praying “in private.” And they say: “In the Matthean context the prayer instructs and serves as a model and an example of a superior way that contrasts with the long winded Gentiles, but much more, with hypocritical Jewish leaders.” (Op cit, p 22)
Personally, I used to think that the Lord’s prayer was internally inconsistent: Christ tells us to pray secretly and then leads a public prayer,
I now understand that, in that section, at least, Christ wasn’t leading a public prayer, he was teaching how to pray.
Personally, I have come to conclude that “The Message” captures the heart of Jesus’ teaching here:
QUOTE
5"And when you come before God, don't turn that into a theatrical production either. All these people making a regular show out of their prayers, hoping for stardom! Do you think God sits in a box seat?
6"Here's what I want you to do: Find a quiet, secluded place so you won't be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace.
7-13"The world is full of so-called prayer warriors who are prayer-ignorant. They're full of formulas and programs and advice, peddling techniques for getting what you want from God. Don't fall for that nonsense. This is your Father you are dealing with, and he knows better than you what you need. With a God like this loving you, you can pray very simply. Like this:
END QUOTE
There is an interesting discussion of the views on public v. private prayer and the “Matthew 6:6: Rule” at http://www.religioustolerance.org/prayer.htm
Per that discussion, one small apparent irony: this seems to be a case where theological liberals tend to want to apply a literal reading, and theological conservatives want to apply a “looser” interpretation
Namaste
Walker
Good insights. Thanks for investing in me with your studies.
It appears that Jesus' emphasis is on godly humility rather than giving a lesson on prayer. This may be Jesus opportunity to use a well-understood practice to make his point.
When Jesus tells how God dresses the flowers, He is showing how God provides for needs; he's not showing them how God physically puts clothes on flowers. With that said, I tend to believe that the point Jesus is making has very little if anything to do with private prayer, but with the humility of God's people.
That's my take on it. Otherwise he would not have used the example of the "prayer closet" which was actually a tool for bringing everyone together symbolically "in the tent." Therefore, by showing how their faces are not seen and how they are not speaking out loud when praying together, but praying silently, Jesus is giving an illustration to God's children of how their prayers in the "prayer closet" are not seen or heard by the people all around them, but are directed only toward God and for His ears. This is his way of showing them that they can serve, speak to, and work for God, without bringing attention to themselves.
Jesus uses other illustrations to make this same point, such as not “sounding the trumpets” when giving alms, which is done by pouring their money into the collection boxes a few coins at a time, causing the trumpet-like openings to make a lot of noise.
Though he tells us not to bring attention to ourselves by putting our offerings into the plate bill-by-bill or coin-by-coin, we don’t assume that this is a lesson for how to put our money in the plate. If that is the case, then what would cause us to believe Jesus’ “prayer-closet” lesson is more than a lesson on humility in serving God?
Consider that and let me know if you gain any further insights.
Grace and peace,
Johnny
A thought/question:
It occurs to me that Jesus's rules were rarely, if ever: "Well, according to the third clause of subsection B(1)(c)(iv) of the Xth commandment (amended pursuant to Article 7C(3)(t) of the New Covenent), here is exactly what you should do."
It seems to me the rules he lays out are "big picture" rules: "Here's the underlying policy - 'Honor God' - and here's how you generally accomplish that."
[Personally, I can take either approach, depending on which gets me top the resultI seek. I think I need to work on that a bit!]
Namaste
Walker
Walker,
The way I try to look at Scripture in order to properly interpret it, is through the eyes of first century, Second-Temple, Jewish eyes. With that in mind, it is fairly safe to assume that we can clearly hear and apply the words of Jesus without soaking it in our own "wishes."
In other words, as children we hear what we want to hear when our parents say, "No more cookies!" So, we find ways to hear that command within our own perspective to mean "No more cookies, unless you can get Grandma to give you some when Mommy and Daddy have gone to bed." As adults, we know that they mean "No cookies, until Mommy or Daddy say you can have cookies." Poor example, but I believe the point is clear.
We have to be able to hear Jesus from the mouth of Jesus, rather than from the mouth of a 21st Century, Westerner. Though his words transcend our own culture and applicability, and are able to be effectively used by us, we would do injustice to his words if we deny that Jesus was speaking in a specific way to a specific people in a specific culture.
If I tell you that I'm selling a 4 cylinder Volvo motor, you may purchase it for your Volvo before realizing that it is a boat motor. So, understanding the context that Jesus is teaching in helps us to better apply it to our own world, without trying to apply it to a wrong context.
This is why it's important to understand what a "'Jewish''prayer closet'" is. If we trust the commentators who did not have an understanding of the Hebraic perspective of the gospels, then we may be buying a motor, but unable to apply it to that which we have bought it to run.
A "prayer closet" was only one thing to Jesus and his listeners. Jesus wasn't using the prayer closet as a timeless allegory to apply to whatever a culture defined as a closet. He was specifically using the "prayer closet" of that world and that time to make a point. Our definition of a closet would actually do harm to the teaching of Jesus message to the disciples, if we attempt to fill in "tah-lit" with "room where you keep your clothes." It is completely different and does not even remotely allow for the same message that Jesus taught.
By applying our own understanding of a closet, we change the message to be one that teaches seclusion rather than community.
Grace and peace,
Johnny
>>By applying our own understanding of a closet, we change the message to be one that teaches seclusion rather than community.
Hmmm. I see it as teaching "private prayer" as opposed to seclusion (one can be private sitting in the pew during the service.)
I'm not sure I see where this particular passage teaches "community." (I am a ardent supporter of communal worship, but I am also a question asker {G})
NIV: Matthew 6:6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
Each of the several translations of this section of Matthew I skimmed at http://www.biblegateway.com use the concept of prayer as "what is done in secret."
The one exception I saw was from The Message, which is an interpretation, not a translation.
Can you point me to any passages which explicitly teach "open communal prayer?"
Namaste
Walker
Hi Walker,
Ultimately, Jesus is confronting the issue of showing off, not the subject of private prayer, though praying in the "prayer closet," which is a practice of praying with everyone at the temple with your prayer shawl covering your face, is the illustration he uses.
The reason I say that this changes Jesus message from community to seclusion is because Jesus used the illustration of what people do together in public prayer, which is to put their prayer shawl over their head (closing the door). When we change the meaning of the "prayer closet" to fit our understanding of a "closet," then we think of something that we all have in our individual homes. We then do further damage to the message by assuming that Jesus is saying "Go home."
He's not telling anyone to go home and pray without their brothers and sisters present, but to remember that when you do pray with others present, don't be a show off.
A better translation of this passage for today in our culture would sound like:
"And when you pray during Sunday worship, do not be like the self-righteous show-offs; for they love to stand up in the chapel or wherever people are praying in order to put the focus on themselves, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray on Sunday, don't invite yourself to the pulpit or stand up in the pews to pray out loud with elaborate, eloquent prayers. Instead, sit in your seat, bow your head, clothes your eyes, fold your hands and speak to your Father in heaven of whom you can't get the visual attention. Then the Father, who sees you praying in your seat, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on running off at the mouth like cult worshipers, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for you Father knows what you need before you ask him."
Grace and peace,
Johnny
We pretty much agree about "prayer-warriors" and show-offs, but I still don't see that it is an "endorsement" of "community."
Earlier, I gave a link to a site (religious tolerance?) which listed a number of references to prayer which were all pretty much to the effect of "keep it private."
So I'm wondering if there are any explicite examples of the sort of open prayer we do in churches etc?
>>Otherwise he would not have used the example of the "prayer closet" which was actually a tool for bringing everyone together symbolically "in the tent."
But the times that I can think of that Jesus was said to pray, he was going off by himself.
I am not trying argue that we are wrong to have communal public prayer, just looking for more information.
Namaste
Walker
Jesus would go off to pray; He would also ask the disciples to stay awake with him while he did.
Also, I'm not trying to convey that Jesus is teaching about communal prayer with this Scripture passage, but that he is not indorsing individual praying at home with this passage.
I am also not saying that Jesus would teach us not to pray at home, alone. I am suggesting that the passage of Scripture that we are speaking of is not a teaching on individual prayer, but individual humility during congregational worship.
The problem with misinterpreting the "prayer closet" comes when we think that this passage is a lesson on "private prayer" instead of a lesson on humility within a crowd, when addressing God in prayer.
Grace and peace,
Johnny
Walker,
There is a corporation here in North Carolina, which also exists in other states that is called "The Pantry."
I also have a pantry in my house.
Now let's say that 2000 years ago we stopped calling the food closets in our homes a pantry, but the corporation still exists.
And let's say that every three months everyone in a town travels to our local “Pantry" store to buy groceries as a community. Some people are wasteful and run into the store rushing for the donuts and they buy all of them before anyone else gets a chance to even purchase one.
So, the local authorities establish a law stating that we are to be sure that we share the donuts from our "Pantry."
Now, 2000 years from now, we again call the food closet in our homes a “pantry."
Now let’s say that a new U.S. 2000 years into the future is being built and those making the laws are trying to figure out what the laws were in the U.S. in our time, 2000 years earlier, so that they can rewrite them. They come across the law that says we have to share donuts from ou pantry in an ancient U.S. library book, and begin telling everyone that they have to make sure they have extra donuts in their pantries to share with others.
But the law wasn't really talking about a pantry in our home; it was speaking of a local grocery store where we gathered to buy our weekly groceries. They could believe that we in the U.S. of 2000 years ago were unwilling to share our personal donuts with neighbors, all because they think that a pantry in our time has the same definition as a pantry in their time. They would then endorse keeping extra donuts in their pantries in case someone came by and wanted one, rather than preventing themselves from buying all the donuts in a store before others have a chance to buy.
So, it's not really a law about having extra in the home, but a law that teaches rationing of groceries in a store. It’s not about people buying extra to provide for guests, but about people buying less, so that others can buy donuts too.
These are two completely different meanings. One has us buying more for our personal homes; the other has us buying less so that others can buy their own.
Does this help?
Grace and peace,
Johnny
I think we're talking past each other a bit.
I too believe the passage was not intended to tell folks to come home to pray, that it was intended to counter boastful theatrical prayer and encourage private (even if in a crowd) prayer.
Prayer done in secret, as all (that I have looked at) of the translations describe.
>> Jesus would go off to pray; He would also ask the disciples to stay awake with him while he did.
Even at Gethsemane, although he took disciles with him to pray, he ultimately left even them behind, going off "a stone's throw."
Now this is where I personally get too analytical, I think: because they report what he prayed, presumably they heard him (although he might have told them after returning, and that detail got lost over the years before Matthew and Luke were written.)
I agree with you, however, that the lesson is really about one's "presentation" and how to establish the right frame of mind and conditions for prayer, and is not "According to Subsection C.2.(d) the phalanges of one's thumbs must be perfectly aligned, and ...."
Namste
Walker
Walker,
Thanks for all of your input and questions. I really appreciate it.
Though it may seem that we may become frustrated, the fact is we need to dig, dig, dig in order to know that we know what we know we know...you know.
Thanks again.
Johnny
I think I know
(maybe)
Namste
Walker
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