Rabbi’s Reflections - Favor and Luke By David Harwood
Shabbat Shalom {{firstName}},
Favor and Luke
By David Harwood
I’ve been looking forward to transitioning our survey of favor from the Hebrew Scriptures to the Apostolic Writings. If you’ve been following along with me, then you know that the Hebrew, chen (favor) was rendered charis in the Greek translation of the Tanak: the Septuagint. To me, it makes sense that the meaning of charis did not change its meaning when the writers of the New Covenant Scriptures consistently used it.
In the New Covenant Scriptures charis is normally translated into English as “grace”. However, there are a few examples when it is translated in accord with the intention of the Hebrew and the Septuagint which utilize chen/charis to convey favor.
Before we begin to unpack grace/charis in the New Covenant Scriptures, let’s look at a few verses where charis is translated in accord with its original intention: favor.
The first use of charis is translated favor. We find in Luke that Miriam was favored. Here are two verses which translate charis with its foundational meaning.
And coming to her, the angel said, “Shalom, favored (charis) one! Adonai is with you.” But at the message, she was perplexed and kept wondering what kind of greeting this might be.
The angel spoke to her, “Do not be afraid, Miriam, for you have found favor (charis) with God. Behold, you will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and you shall call His name Yeshua. (Luke 1:28,31)
The same formula we find in the Torah is rehearsed here. Father looked upon Miriam, He loved who He saw, and favored her.
Two more verses which translate charis as favor are found in the next chapter. We read that Yeshua was favored by Adonai in His childhood and adolescence.
His childhood was marked by favor. He was a human who grew, became strong, and excelled in the true reverence of God.
The beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord. Yeshua had that. This wisdom guided Him as He relied upon His Father. He conducted Himself wisely, prioritizing pleasing Adonai, and was rewarded with charis-favor-grace.
The Child kept growing and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor (charis) of God was upon Him. (Luke 2:40)
Yeshua merited grace. God’s favor (charis) rested upon Him.
Towards the end of his childhood the twelve-year-old Messiah interacted with teachers in Jerusalem. His wisdom was manifest. Afterwards, He returned home with his family and was subject to His parents. He entered adolescence. The grace upon His life continued.
And Yeshua kept increasing in wisdom and stature, and in favor (charis) with God and men. (Luke 2:52)
His spiritual and social growth was not stunted. He kept increasing in wisdom, stature and favor. His adolescence was marked by favor. Think about this, Yeshua could increase in favor with God - and He did. He grew in the qualities that provoked favor (charis).
This favor, this charis, this grace, was not unmerited. People found Yeshua to be someone who provoked favor. He “found favor in their eyes.”
The same is so with His relationship with Father.
In these examples of charis in Luke, in the Tree of Life Version, charis was wisely not translated as grace. Why wisely? Well, when people read grace, they normally think of something which at its root is unmerited. Unmerited favor means that there’s nothing about the favored person which would cause them to be favored: i.e. the favor they receive is undeserved.
That could not possibly be said of Yeshua or His mom. Surely there was something about Miriam that Father found worth favoring. Surely there was something about Yeshua that both God and people found to be attractive, that which provoked favor.
Agreed?
At its root, charis/chen means favor, and there is an emotional motive to favor. Favor is an expression of love. Love is motivated by something the lover finds worth loving.
The New Covenant Scriptures were written in Greek. The Septuagint was the Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures upon which the writers of the New Testament relied. In the apostolic writings the word charis is all over the place. Charis is generally translated into English as grace. However, let’s not forget that, within the context of biblical literature, charis is also a translation. Charis translates chen, and chen means favor.
Daily Bread, reading plan by Lars Enarson (https://www.thewatchman.org/)
Sat5-July 20259th of Tamuz, 5785 Parashat Chukat
Nu 21:21-22:1Jdg 11:1-33Jn 3:1-18
Favor and Luke
By David Harwood
I’ve been looking forward to transitioning our survey of favor from the Hebrew Scriptures to the Apostolic Writings. If you’ve been following along with me, then you know that the Hebrew, chen (favor) was rendered charis in the Greek translation of the Tanak: the Septuagint. To me, it makes sense that the meaning of charis did not change its meaning when the writers of the New Covenant Scriptures consistently used it.
In the New Covenant Scriptures charis is normally translated into English as “grace”. However, there are a few examples when it is translated in accord with the intention of the Hebrew and the Septuagint which utilize chen/charis to convey favor.
Before we begin to unpack grace/charis in the New Covenant Scriptures, let’s look at a few verses where charis is translated in accord with its original intention: favor.
The first use of charis is translated favor. We find in Luke that Miriam was favored. Here are two verses which translate charis with its foundational meaning.
And coming to her, the angel said, “Shalom, favored (charis) one! Adonai is with you.” But at the message, she was perplexed and kept wondering what kind of greeting this might be.
The angel spoke to her, “Do not be afraid, Miriam, for you have found favor (charis) with God. Behold, you will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and you shall call His name Yeshua. (Luke 1:28,31)
The same formula we find in the Torah is rehearsed here. Father looked upon Miriam, He loved who He saw, and favored her.
Two more verses which translate charis as favor are found in the next chapter. We read that Yeshua was favored by Adonai in His childhood and adolescence.
His childhood was marked by favor. He was a human who grew, became strong, and excelled in the true reverence of God.
The beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord. Yeshua had that. This wisdom guided Him as He relied upon His Father. He conducted Himself wisely, prioritizing pleasing Adonai, and was rewarded with charis-favor-grace.
The Child kept growing and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor (charis) of God was upon Him. (Luke 2:40)
Yeshua merited grace. God’s favor (charis) rested upon Him.
Towards the end of his childhood the twelve-year-old Messiah interacted with teachers in Jerusalem. His wisdom was manifest. Afterwards, He returned home with his family and was subject to His parents. He entered adolescence. The grace upon His life continued.
And Yeshua kept increasing in wisdom and stature, and in favor (charis) with God and men. (Luke 2:52)
His spiritual and social growth was not stunted. He kept increasing in wisdom, stature and favor. His adolescence was marked by favor. Think about this, Yeshua could increase in favor with God - and He did. He grew in the qualities that provoked favor (charis).
This favor, this charis, this grace, was not unmerited. People found Yeshua to be someone who provoked favor. He “found favor in their eyes.”
The same is so with His relationship with Father.
In these examples of charis in Luke, in the Tree of Life Version, charis was wisely not translated as grace. Why wisely? Well, when people read grace, they normally think of something which at its root is unmerited. Unmerited favor means that there’s nothing about the favored person which would cause them to be favored: i.e. the favor they receive is undeserved.
That could not possibly be said of Yeshua or His mom. Surely there was something about Miriam that Father found worth favoring. Surely there was something about Yeshua that both God and people found to be attractive, that which provoked favor.
Agreed?
At its root, charis/chen means favor, and there is an emotional motive to favor. Favor is an expression of love. Love is motivated by something the lover finds worth loving.
The New Covenant Scriptures were written in Greek. The Septuagint was the Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures upon which the writers of the New Testament relied. In the apostolic writings the word charis is all over the place. Charis is generally translated into English as grace. However, let’s not forget that, within the context of biblical literature, charis is also a translation. Charis translates chen, and chen means favor.
Daily Bread, reading plan by Lars Enarson (https://www.thewatchman.org/)
Sat5-July 20259th of Tamuz, 5785 Parashat Chukat
Nu 21:21-22:1Jdg 11:1-33Jn 3:1-18
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RR Psalm 30:6 Part 5RR Psalm 30:7 Part 6RR Psalm 30:8 Part 7RR - Psalm 30:9-11 Part 8RR Psalm 30:12,13 Part 9RR Favor (Chen/Charis) in Proverbs By David HarwoodRR Psalm 31:5 Part 4RR Psalm 31:3 Part 2RR Psalm 31:1,2 Part 1RR Psalm 31:4 Part 3RR Psalm 31:6 Part 5RR Psalm 31:7 Part 6RR Kohelet By David HarwoodRR “Taking Our Thoughts Captive – Part 2” By Jerry MillerRR Psalm 31:8 Part 7RR Psalm 31:8 Part 8RR Psalm 31:9 Part 9RR - Psalm 31:10 Part 10Zechariah and Favor By David HarwoodRR Psalm 31:11 Part 11RR - Psalm 31:12-14 Part 12RR Shalom SpecialRR Psalm 31:15 Part 13RR Psalm 31:16,17 Part 14RR Psalm 31:18 Part 15RR Psalm 31:19,20 Part 16RR Adonai-Tzva’ot and End-Time Favor By David HarwoodRR Psalm 31:21 Part 17RR Psalm 31:22 Part 18RR Psalm 31:23 Part 19
July
RR Psalm 31:24 Part 20RR Psalm 31:25 Part 21RR Psalm 32:1 Part 1Rabbi’s Reflections - Favor and Luke By David HarwoodRR Taking Thoughts Captive Part 3 by Jerry MillerRR Psalm 32:2 Part 2RR Psalm 32:5 Part 4RR Psalm 32:3,4 Part 3RR Psalm 32:5 Part 5RR Psalm 32:6 Part 6Some Nuances of Charis By David HarwoodRR Psalm 32:7 Part 7RR Psalm 32:8 Part 8RR Psalm 32:8 Part 9RR Psalm 32:9 Part 10RR Psalm 32:10 Part 11