Friday 5 September 2025

Psalm 38:1-8

Background
This letter to the church in Philadelphia is both cryptic and controversial. It was, of course, not written to the famous American city but to a little church in the Turkish province now known as Alaşehir. There are a number of subtle metaphorical and biblical themes running through it, which take a bit of unpacking…

First, Philadelphia means ‘city of brotherly love’. In the Bible, this is a rare thing – especially when we think of Cain and Abel (Genesis 4), Jacob and Esau (Genesis 25-28), or Joseph and his brothers (Genesis 37). In these stories, we find that one brother is gifted in relation to God, and the others are insanely jealous. Jesus’ story of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15) includes brotherly jealousy, but the remarkable thing is the grace of the father who loves both despite their contrasting relationships. In that story, although one son was rebellious and the other resentful, the door was never shut.

This leads us to the second theme of doors and keys. Jesus says he has the key of David. He is the holy one, the true one. These are Messianic claims, which would be hard for the loyal Jewish community to accept. The Temple in Jerusalem had been destroyed in AD 70, which would be painful, even for a Jewish community 1000 miles away in Turkey. But the door Jesus opens is not to an earthly temple, but to the heavenly courts of God.

The Jewish synagogue in Philadelphia would have been larger and with a higher standing in society than the small emerging Christian church (which was probably little more than a house church). Many probably looked down on the Christians, and may not have helped them in times of persecution, which explains the animosity expressed in this letter. ‘Synagogue of Satan’ reflects that Satan is the ‘accuser’, and that might describe the attitude of many within the synagogue towards the new Christ-followers. But, it is prophesied that they will bow down to the Christians, reflecting the actions of Joseph’s brothers in Genesis 42:6. They will be vindicated, just like Joseph was. “I have loved you” (verse 9) is a quote from Malachi 1, which also discusses Jacob and Esau.

But the story of Jacob and Esau gives hope of reconciliation (Genesis 33), and so does the story of Joseph (Genesis 45). We don’t know how the Prodigal Son ends – Jesus leaves that open to us, and so too the relationship between those of the Jewish faith and those who follow Jesus as Lord and Christ.

To Ponder:

• Read the passage again, thinking about the stories mentioned above, and praying for the relationship between God’s people Israel, and the Church of Jesus Christ.
• Why are family relationships so often the most difficult? Why do those who have so much in common so often become such fierce enemies? Where do we see this in the world today, or in religion, and what hope does Jesus give us for reconciliation?

Bible notes author: The Revd Andrew Murphy
Andrew is a Methodist presbyter in the East Mercia Circuit, and currently the minister of the churches of Market Harborough, Kibworth and Rothwell, and part of the ministry team at St Giles, Desborough. He is married to Emily, with two children, aged nine and eleven. He has been in the ministry for 17 years, previously serving in the Hinckley Circuit. He trained at the Wesley Study Centre in Durham, is a published hymn writer, supports Newcastle United FC, and is proud of his roots in Consett, County Durham.