tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10516116150555324932024-03-12T16:42:19.658-07:00Crux ChristiAlexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04363610655668801080noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1051611615055532493.post-74618025346311520902015-10-28T12:40:00.001-07:002015-10-28T12:40:58.643-07:00Matthew's Nativity<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">In his birth story, chapters 1-2, Matthew attempts to
improve Mark in two significant ways. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Firstly, in Matthew, Jesus is not just Son of God at his baptism,
he is Son of God at birth. In the Hebrew Bible, the nation of Israel is the Son
of God(Ex 4:22, Hosea 11:1). Similarly, David and the Davidic kings, as
representatives of Israel are also Sons of God(Psalm 1). In Mark’s Gospel, it
is at the baptism that Jesus begins to recapitulate Israel’s history. He comes
out of the waters, receives both theophany and anointing of God’s spirit, is
named beloved son, and is finally driven into the wilderness to be tempted. Matthew
of course, retains this baptism schema, but begins Jesus’ recapitulation of
Israel’s history at his birth.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Besides attaching Jesus to the line of Abraham, the father
of Israel, and David, the king of Israel, Matthew likens Jesus’ birth to the
birth of the greatest of Hebrew prophets, Moses. Jesus’ birth contains elements
of both Moses’ birth and the exodus of Israel. This exodus of Jesus though, is
an exodus not from the king of Egypt, but from the unworthy king of Israel,
Herod. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Just as the infant Moses escaped from the hand of Pharaoh,
the infant Jesus escaped from the hand of Herod by fleeing to Egypt. Just as
God took His son Israel out of Egypt, God too redeems His son Jesus from Egypt.
Matthew ends his birth story with a quote from Hosea 11:1 “Out of Egypt I have
called my son” which signals the reader to look and see how Jesus’ early life as
just narrated figures the history of Israel. As such, Matthew hopes to show his
readers that Jesus’ beginnings follow a familiar pattern. For those with eyes
to see, Jesus truly is the climax of Israel’s history.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Secondly, and more importantly, the birth story functions to
foreshadow Jesus’ climactic recapitulation of Israel’s history in his own final
days. Matthew, as with the other Gospels, is at heart an apology for the idea
of a crucified Messiah. Its purpose is to answer the question, “How could a man
who died on a Roman cross be the Messiah of Israel?” Besides the proof afforded
by the resurrection, Matthew tells his passion story in such a way that he too
can say with Paul, “Christ died and was raised <i>in accordance with the scriptures.</i>”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">The death and resurrection in Matthew are replete with
images from the Exodus, Israel’s founding story. Jesus likens his death to a
baptism, he establishes a new covenant in his own blood, and he finishes the
final cup of the Passover on the cross. So if Jesus relives the exodus in his
first days, he more so relives the exodus in his last days. As he did with
Israel, God faithfully raises Jesus up from the waters, from the grave. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">In addition, the ingathering of the nations into Israel
which is foreshadowed by the declaration of the centurion at the cross is
itself foreshadowed by the adoration of the magi. The new Israel reconstituted by
Jesus in his calling of the Twelve will include the faithful Gentiles as well
as faithful Jews. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">The Gospel of Matthew is a brilliant attempt at Christian Midrash.
Matthew successfully shows how God’s salvation of Israel was figured in His
salvation of Israel through Jesus. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04363610655668801080noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1051611615055532493.post-15524497696548353192014-10-13T20:42:00.000-07:002014-10-13T20:42:24.591-07:00My Grace is Enough<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">In my last post I attempted to show that the heart of Paul’s
gospel is human participation in the death and resurrection of Christ. United
with Christ, the believer plunges into the grave and is raised up into new
life. The old passes away and there is new creation. The sin-enslaved body
which gives death as its wage is crucified and the spiritual body is raised to
life. Sin lies defeated, no longer able to work death in the believer. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">In each movement, the
believer is with Christ and is in Christ. Christ undoes death by death. In
summary, <span style="color: red;">“One has died for all; therefore all died”(2
Cor 5:15).</span> <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">We can lay out Paul’s thought in four basic propositions. 1-Christ
took on our vulnerable flesh. 2-Christ destroyed our flesh on the cross. 3-God faithfully
raised Christ to new, bodily life. 4-Christ’s new body, though similar to ours,
can never again be touched by death. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>This is the story
Paul compels his readers to take part in.</b> Baptism serves as the symbol of our
participation with Christ(Romans 6:4).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">If this participatory interpretation of Paul’s theology is
not yet fully convincing, we may look to Paul’s life for further insight. If
participation is truly central to Paul’s gospel, his self-understanding should reflect
this. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">2 Corinthians 10-13 appears to be a useful place to start.
Here we find Paul’s defense of his ministry to his church in Corinth. It is his
most zealous and passionate writing. Many scholars believe it to be the “Letter
of Tears” referenced in 2 Corinthians 2:4. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">At this point in Paul’s ministry, everything he had been
working for in Corinth appeared to be falling apart. His church was being torn
from his arms by a group of Christian apostles. These “super-apostles,” as he
calls them, convinced many Corinthians to reject Paul. It is here at this point
of desperation that Paul pens arguably his finest work. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">To win back his children Paul seeks to prove that he is
truly qualified to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. The super-apostles had
made the Corinthians well aware of Paul’s dubious credentials as an apostle. Paul
wasn’t a disciple of Jesus, nor did he ever meet Jesus. He didn’t even have a
letter of recommendation from a real apostle! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">There was even more damning evidence brought against Paul by
the super-apostles. Here is what classified Paul as a pseudo-apostle. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;">“Did I commit a sin by humbling
myself so that you might be exalted, because I proclaimed God’s good news to
you free of charge? I robbed other churches by accepting support from them in
order to serve you. And when I was with you and was in need, I did not burden
anyone, for my needs were supplied by the friends who came from Macedonia. So I
refrained and will continue to refrain from burdening you in any way”(2 Cor
11:7-9).<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">The super-apostles had persuaded the Corinthians to doubt
Paul’s ministry because of his refusal to receive payment. “Surely a true
apostle requires compensation,” the Corinthians thought, “Really valuable,
life-changing messages don’t come cheap. How can someone who lives in poverty
be worthy of honor?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Undoubtedly, these super-apostles influencing the church were
quite impressed with themselves; so impressed that they expected a worthy
payment. They had wealth, power, charisma and success; all things Paul never
obtained. In a culture that believed Heaven rewarded the honorable and punished
the shameful, the super-apostles were apparently upstanding gentlemen. So upon
arriving in Corinth their question concerning Paul was simple. Is Paul a man of
honor or of shame? Could he, a man apparently stricken by God, really be a true
apostle? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Here is how Paul decided to answer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;">“But whatever anyone dares to boast
of-I am speaking as a fool-I also dare to boast of that. Are they Hebrews? So
am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they descendants of Abraham? So am I.
Are they ministers of Christ? I am talking like a madman-I am a better one:
with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless floggings, and
often near death. Five times I have received from the Jews the forty lashes
minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I received a stoning. Three
times I was shipwrecked; for a night and a day I was adrift at sea; on frequent
journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from bandits, danger from my own
people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness,
danger at sea, danger from false brothers; in toil and hardship and thirsty,
often without food, cold, and naked. And, besides other things, I am under
daily pressure because of my anxiety for all the churches. Who is weak, and I
am not weak? Who is made to stumble and I am not indignant? <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;">If I must boast, I will boast of the
things that show my weakness. The God and Father of the Lord Jesus(blessed be
he forever!) knows that I do not lie. In Damascus, the governor, under King
Aretas guarded the city of Damascus in order to seize me, but I was let down in
a basket through a window in the wall, and escaped from his hands”(2 Cor
11:21-33)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>In a breathless list
of persecutions, anxieties, vulnerabilities, and humiliations, Paul makes the
case for his apostleship. The Corinthians now have an extended list of reasons
to abandon Paul.</b> <b>In a culture of honor
and shame, Paul brings only those things which bring him disgrace to the
forefront. </b>How does he expect to persuade anyone? He explains himself, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: red;">“Therefore, to keep me from being
too elated, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment
me, to keep me from being too elated. Three times I appealed to the Lord about
this, that it would leave me, but he said to me ‘My grace is sufficient for
you, for power is made perfect in weakness.’ So, I will boast all the more
gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore
I am content with my weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and
calamities for the sake of Christ; for whenever I am weak, then I am strong”(2
Cor 12:7-10).</span> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">In Paul’s eyes, the cross of Christ, the weakness of Christ,
has proven the world upside down. What the world deems wisdom is foolishness. What
it deems success is failure. <b>If Christ,
the one worthy of all honor, died in shame on a cross, all human
accomplishments are reduced to nothing. Nothing remains unaltered by this single
fact.</b> He now sees his weaknesses as strengths. In his weaknesses, he experiences
Christ. Therefore, Paul will only boast in the cross and the salvation it
brings.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;">“I want to know Christ and the power
of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in
his death, if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead”(Philippians
3:10-11). <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Knowing Christ
through sharing in his sufferings has become the only desire of Paul’s heart. With
his heart and mind transformed, he understands what boasting truly means. The
one who boasts in strength proves himself estranged from Christ. Anyone who
scorns weakness has refused to die with Christ. There is no salvation, no new
life, apart from death in Christ. In every beating, every flogging, Paul dies
with Christ. In every anxiety, persecution, and hardship he is with Christ and
Christ is with him. He in Christ and Christ in him. <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">The cross-shaped communities Paul sought to establish and
maintain were under constant threat of being undone because of the vision of
the cross espoused by the super-apostles. <b>Theirs
is an incredibly attractive vision, but one that lacks the full force of Christ
crucified. It does not bid man to come and die so that he may truly live</b>. <b>Nor does it reveal the one great truth, <span style="color: red;">“My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in
weakness.”</span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">To accept the cross-less gospel is to abandon Christ. To
miss the meaning of the cross is to miss everything. <b>In weakness and suffering, the Christian must participate in the death
of Christ.</b> There is no hope of sharing in Christ’s resurrected life if the
cross is traded for worldly strength and success. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">For this reason alone,
Paul chose to persuade his children with a list of his weaknesses and failures.
<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh20UhKRMEu4Zbz3E519Nc2-amfUxV1yaeSLaRCnAZ3EfvMjWW8UcNAz-4lSk7dmIZqlq5GOQj4JA0wKizHw3mfBrOdNXeoTmi_bGTaKdb0QuT1_PI92rALTkvD0t782VnogLGQqdnPasI/s1600/Jean-L%C3%A9on_G%C3%A9r%C3%B4me_-_The_Christian_Martyrs'_Last_Prayer_-_Walters_37113.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh20UhKRMEu4Zbz3E519Nc2-amfUxV1yaeSLaRCnAZ3EfvMjWW8UcNAz-4lSk7dmIZqlq5GOQj4JA0wKizHw3mfBrOdNXeoTmi_bGTaKdb0QuT1_PI92rALTkvD0t782VnogLGQqdnPasI/s1600/Jean-L%C3%A9on_G%C3%A9r%C3%B4me_-_The_Christian_Martyrs'_Last_Prayer_-_Walters_37113.jpg" height="371" width="640" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">These autobiographical passages have presented us not just
with evidence, but with the fullest, most sublime expression of Paul’s
participatory vision. In every instance Paul envisioned his ministry as
participation in the cross of Christ. His profound understanding of Christ and
his cross unquestionably make him worthy not just of the title apostle, but Apostle
of the Lord.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04363610655668801080noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1051611615055532493.post-54062600774708407042014-10-10T13:55:00.000-07:002014-10-10T21:21:20.472-07:00Found in Him<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">The Apostle Paul was constantly fighting an uphill battle. Among
the Gentiles his message of the cross was mocked as foolishness, devoid of any profitable
wisdom. Worse still, it was declared a curse from God by his own people. Despite
this, Paul took his unattractive message of the crucified Messiah into these cultures
of beauty, power and wisdom. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">But what was it about the cross that Paul found so
compelling? Reading his letters it becomes apparent that he found in the cross
a moment of incomparable salvation. Though paradoxical, the power of God was on
display at the crucifixion; power to reduce even the wisest to complete
foolishness. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">To understand the Pauline vision of the cross we look to 2 Corinthians
5 as an outline and then Romans 5-8 for a fuller exposition. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw8g8ZG2zZ28N4pp6LZvElHkd2CnQKJs55dgniQK41aVBtF4t6BAQkogT8PztQiRB3TwI2GkhROFlgWcK6XMMQGCbAA2iId5lZ2-i6T2OdAvD30JWBBKMp4_FpxNh5-oC7z6ffZS9X4Dg/s1600/Giovanni_Battista_Tiepolo_-_Christ_Carrying_the_Cross_-_WGA22268.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw8g8ZG2zZ28N4pp6LZvElHkd2CnQKJs55dgniQK41aVBtF4t6BAQkogT8PztQiRB3TwI2GkhROFlgWcK6XMMQGCbAA2iId5lZ2-i6T2OdAvD30JWBBKMp4_FpxNh5-oC7z6ffZS9X4Dg/s1600/Giovanni_Battista_Tiepolo_-_Christ_Carrying_the_Cross_-_WGA22268.jpg" height="553" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="color: red; font-size: large;">“For the love of Christ urges us on,
because we are convinced that one has died for all; therefore all have died.
And he died for all, so that those who live might live no longer for
themselves, but for him who died and was raised for them.”(2 Cor 5:14-15)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">The idea that Christ died for all is agreeable to most Christians.
Perhaps less agreeable though, is Paul’s declaration that through Christ’s
death, everyone died. <b>Christ’s death and
the Christian’s death are inseparably tied in Paul’s thought.</b> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">One should ask then, what is gained from the death of the
believer? For Paul, the death of the believer meant a freedom from slavery to
sin which he believed was the universal condition of humanity(Romans 3:9). This
salvation affected by the cross is the transformation of one’s very nature. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Christ’s death, and thus our death through participation in
his, allows us to live no longer for ourselves but for Christ. This is the beauty
of the cross for Paul. <b>The self-seeking
life, the one which pays death as its wage is undone(Romans 6:23).</b> The resurrected
life of Christ is now available to all. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: red; font-size: large;">“From now on, therefore we regard no
one from a human point of view; even though we once knew Christ from a human
point of view, we know him no longer in that way. So if anyone is in Christ,
there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has
become new! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ,
and has given us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was
reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them
and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us. So we are ambassadors for
Christ, since God is making his appeal through us; we entreat you on behalf of
Christ, be reconciled to God.” (2 Cor 5:16-21)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">To the believer, a profoundly new way of understanding
Christ and his cross has become apparent. It is neither a stumbling stone, nor
foolishness any longer, but the very power of God to renew the whole of
creation. <b>Paul calls this salvation more
precisely reconciliation, the making of peace.</b> The believer is reconciled
to God because of Christ. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Now, some have interpreted this reconciliation as a kind of appeasement
of God’s wrath. That through Christ’s death, God was no longer wrathful at the
world. This misreading cannot, fortunately, be reconciled with the text. The fundamental
problem at the heart of everything for Paul, is not a wrathful God but a
wrathful, rebellious creation. Creation can do nothing but rebel as she is
enslaved to sin having a mind set on the flesh.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: red; font-size: large;">“To set the mind on the flesh is
death, but to set the mind on the spirit is life and peace. For this reason the
mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s
laws-indeed it cannot, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.”
(Romans 8:6-8)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>For Paul, hostility and
death are tied to the life of the flesh, but peace and life are tied to the
life of the spirit.</b> What the cross does for humanity then, is unshackle us
from the life of wrath towards God. The creation, despite her trespasses, is
made new by Christ. She is finally at peace with her Creator. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">It seems common to have this understanding of God exactly
backwards. But does God need appeasement before He can love? Is not His every
movement compelled by love?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Romans 5:9 can be a stumbling block for this understanding.
Most translations read “saved through him[Christ] from the wrath of God.” The
translators have assumed the words “of God” as they do not appear in the Greek.
Based on its context though, we must take this verse to be describing salvation
from our own wrath, not God’s. Paul correctly calls all people ungodly, sinners
and enemies of God(5:6,8,10). Despite all this, he says, God sent Christ to die
for us because of love. <b>It is clear then, that we are the hostile enemies of God, not the other way around. We
have broken the peace, and severed the relationship, not God. With steadfast
endurance we violently resist the God of peace. All of this to say that despite
our hatred for Him, God’s fundamental posture towards His creation is love and
pity.</b> <b>Through our death in Christ,
God has offered us a way to put an end to our hostility.<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Therefore, Romans 5-8 also supports a view of the cross that is participatory rather than penal. We may now resume our analysis of 2 Corinthians 5.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Back to our 2 Corinthians passage, <span style="color: red;">“For
our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become
the righteousness of God.” (2 Cor 5:21) </span>The first half of this verse is
initially difficult to understand. The struggle, I believe, stems from the pre-existing
framework we have brought to the text. Though Christians often come to this passage with a penal understanding of the cross, it just will not fit.<b> Paul has not all of a sudden ceased to
think of the cross in terms of participation. </b>Remember, “Christ died for
all; therefore all died.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">For clarity we must turn to Romans once again. <span style="color: red;">“We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the
body of sin might be destroyed and we might no longer be enslaved to sin. For
whoever has died is freed from sin.” (Romans 6:6-7) </span>Notice first, the lack
of retribution language in both of these texts describing the cross. Christ’s
death here is not a kind of punishment for humanity’s sins. Instead, the
believer participates in Christ’s death and resurrection. By doing so, he gains freedom from his sinful nature(body of sin). <b>The believer hands over his sinful body to Christ so that it too might
be crucified.</b> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: red;">“He made him to be sin” </span>Here Paul is setting out to
prove that the body of Christ that was on the cross is analogous to our own sinful
bodies. This is very important for Paul. Christ’s death is only effective for
us if his body is like our bodies. Christ, though he was blameless, became a
body of sin, our body of sin, and destroyed it once and for all.</b> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">The effect of this death therefore, is not forgiveness per
se, but new life. Just as God was faithful to raise Jesus to new life, He is in
the same way faithful to the believer. Our new life, as with Christ’s
resurrected life, is no longer vulnerable to sin and death. In becoming the
very righteousness of God, the believer lives a life of the spirit. The sinful
body can no longer compel him on towards destruction. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Thus, at the center
of Paul’s thought is participation in the death and new life of Jesus Christ,
our Lord.</b> <b>In the death of Christ, weakness
has become power, sin has become righteousness, hostility has become peace,
death has become life upon life, and the repulsive cross has become unimaginable
beauty. What is foolishness to the world has proven to be the pearl of greatest
price. <span style="color: red;">“I regard everything as loss because of the
surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered
the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain
Christ and be found in him”(Philippians 3:8).</span></b></span><o:p></o:p></div>
Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04363610655668801080noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1051611615055532493.post-27207880990748884752014-10-07T21:07:00.002-07:002014-10-10T21:16:08.227-07:00Statement of Faith: Scripture<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">I’m going to write here a couple of posts of commentary on a
typical evangelical church “Statement of Faith.” I find these documents
fascinating as windows into the thinking and thus practice of many churches. The
instinct to codify the foundational teachings is a noble and necessary endeavor
that is as old as the church itself(1 Cor 13, Apostle’s Creed). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">The sometimes dubious texts used to support the doctrines
presented here and in other statements prove that Christians must be vigilant in
the pursuit of sound exegesis. The pull to read into the text is strong and ever
present. So here ya go.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: red; font-size: large; line-height: 115%;">The
Scriptures or Bible<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: red; font-size: large; line-height: 115%;">We
believe the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be the verbally
inspired word of God, the final authority for faith and life, inerrant in the
original writings, infallible, and God-breathed. (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter
1:20-21; Matthew 5:8; John 16:12-13)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: red; font-size: large; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">This church understandably begins with its views on the scriptures.
This arrangement is certainly common but remains outside of orthodoxy. <b>The Bible cannot be the starting point for
Christians because the scriptures were unequivocally not the starting point for
the first Christians.</b> <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Christians, uniquely among religions, believe a person is
the truth, not a book. John the Evangelist tells us this in his epilogue. Paul
also calls Jesus “the image of God,” something he never uses for his scriptures.
The NT writers were adamant that Jesus of Nazareth is the truth about God and
the truth about everything. Nothing and no one else will do. <b>This Jewish peasant carrying his execution
stake up the Hill of Calvary is the full and total revelation of who God is and
who God has always been.</b> For this reason the center of the Christian faith
has always been the historical person and work of Jesus and should remain so. But
why did the sacred authors of the NT claim such a thing about this man? The
answer lies in a single historical event they claimed forever changed their
perception of reality. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Paul tells us in his letter to the Galatians, that this particular
event affected each of the twelve disciples three days after the crucifixion of
their rabbi. <b>The belief of the twelve
that Jesus was raised from the dead by God is the sole reason the church began
and the sole reason we have the NT writings.</b> Resurrection proved for the
disciples that God was faithful to his servant, their Lord. Paul declares this
clearly in 1 Corinthians 13, and also says that in raising him up from the
dead, God appointed Jesus as son, proving him righteous and true (Romans 1). So
without the resurrection, Jesus is nothing but a peasant crushed by Rome. He is
not Messiah, Son of Man, nor Savior. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">The fidelity of the NT documents also hangs upon whether or
not Jesus got up after the crucifixion. <b>If
what these authors experienced of Jesus is true, then their message, preserved
for us, is also true.</b> The Evangelists, Paul and the rest of the NT authors eagerly,
sincerely and reliably point to this single historical event which vindicated
the words and deeds of Jesus. <b>For the earliest
Christians, the resurrection of Jesus meant that the story of his life really matters; it meant he matters more than the Jewish scriptures, more than any
revelation of God ever given. Nothing is outside of the supremacy of Jesus for
the Christian.<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Which leads us into the Old Testament. It is important to
appreciate that as Jesus travelled from village to village, he met with fierce opposition
from those who read the Jewish scriptures the most, not the least. <b>While he was alive, those who knew the
scriptures saw little that was special about Jesus. The Scribes, Pharisees and
Sadducees certainly did not believe the scriptures testified to him! </b>But
this is the very point the Gospels strive to make. <b>Jesus didn’t make sense to most Torah observant Jews. Those who saw him
alive after crucifixion had no choice but to read the OT in light of him</b>. If God raised Jesus from the dead, then Jesus
is the truth that all other truths are subject to. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">All of this goes to
say that there is no Christian way to read the as the “verbally inspired word
of God, the final authority for faith and life, inerrant in the original
writings, infallible, and God-breathed” without first understanding the
absolute centrality of Jesus and his resurrection from the dead. <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">The kind of descriptors being used for the Bible here is
also concerning. All of them seem good and true, but they set the reader up for
failure. There is no acknowledgement that the Bible is a library of books by
many different human authors, some of whom did not agree. A plain reading of
the texts as if they are a whole does not produce the singular voice that this
statement suggests. <b>If what binds all
the books of scripture together is their attestation to Christ, as Jesus claims
on the road to Emmaus, we need to do a better job expressing the limitations
and purposes of the Bible. If we enter into the whole of the scriptures with
the expectation of absolute, plain truth about anything and everything, we will
undoubtedly find a God that looks little like Jesus.</b> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">At best this church’s initial statement of faith simply ignores
the historical and contextual issues related to reading the Bible. At worst, it
condones the belief that the Bible is the Truth which only Jesus can truly
provide. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04363610655668801080noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1051611615055532493.post-50236157729546232822014-06-10T14:26:00.001-07:002014-06-10T14:49:42.306-07:00For He Will Save His People<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://www.theistic-evolution.com/christonthecross.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.theistic-evolution.com/christonthecross.jpg" height="400" width="262" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">I want to look at one of the ways Matthew makes sense of the
cross. Fortunately, Matthew tells gives us his answer up front. His messiah is named
Jesus “for he will save his people from their sins”(1:21).<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">I am going to suggest that Matthew believes Jesus
accomplishes this salvation in a three-step process. First, Jesus becomes a
surrogate for idolatrous Israel. He is the new Israel, the Israel that rejects
the idols of violence and power. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Second, as the faithful Israel, Jesus takes upon himself the
natural consequences of her infidelity. With great mercy, God, acting through
Jesus, saves His people from the consequences of their sins, utter destruction
at the hands of the Romans. The violence and evil of Israel will be the very
means through which He accomplishes this. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Third, Jesus sends out his disciples to the ends of the
earth to call a new people of God, one which displays devotion through love and
mercy. In this new community, cross-shaped love, not the sword, will be the
means by which the kingdom is brought to earth.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">In regards to the first point, Matthew relates the story of
Israel to the story of Jesus in a number of ways. Matthew tells us that Jesus
is called out of Egypt as a child(2:21). He is lifted out of the waters of the
Jordan, just as Israel was lifted out of the Red Sea(3:16). He is tempted in
the wilderness for 40 days without food(4:2). He goes up the mountain to
receive and then reveal the Law of God(5:1). Jesus reenacts the story of
Israel. In a very important way though, Jesus is different from Israel. He does
not go after idols but remains faithful to God. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Jesus’ final temptation is exemplary of this. When offered
all the kingdoms, the very things Israel has desired for so long, he refuses.
In this act, Matthew tells us, Jesus worships God alone. He does not succumb to
the idols of power and authority. Unlike Israel, he desires only to do the will
of God. In her constant pursuit of power, Israel reveals she is not concerned
with God. The very expectation of a warrior messiah who will defeat the Romans
is a product of this idolatry. Revolt after revolt, she tries to restore her
kingdom. <span style="color: red;">“From the days of John the Baptist until now
the kingdom of Heaven has suffered violence and the violent take it by force”(11:12).
</span>The logical end to this rebellion will be her destruction; the
destruction of the people of God. The means through which God will restore the whole
world will be no more. God will fail. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">From here we are in a position to make sense of Jesus’
insistence on the cross and his teachings on retaliation. Nonviolence is not
just the will of God it is to be the sign of Israel’s devotion to God. The people
of Israel are to be peacemakers, love their enemies, and greet those who hate
them. They are to be persecuted for righteousness sake. These acts will be the proof
of Israel’s rejection of idols. Jesus himself will embody this ethic in the
most radical way. He will love his enemies to the point of allowing them to
destroy him. Jesus will forgo the wide path of the sword and instead, take the
narrow path of the cross. This is his obedience to God. This is the obedience Israel
could not accomplish. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">This leads us into the second point. Though he does not take
up the sword, he will be punished as if he did. Upon a cross, the scourge of
rebels, Jesus will relinquish his life. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">At a moment of extreme political tension, Jesus takes the
punishment Israel deserved. This was to be the moment of the destruction of
Israel. She would receive the wages of her sins. During this Passover, Israel
would attempt to restore her kingdom and be forever crushed under the weight of
Rome. Barabbas and the two rebels at Jesus’ right and left would be the instigators
of this catastrophe. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">God though, does not give up on His unfaithful people. Jesus
steps into the mess, offering up his body and blood for Israel. At the perfect
moment, Israel’s fervor is diverted away from Barabbas and onto Jesus. An
entire nation that desires the violent defeat of the Romans calls for the blood
of Jesus(27:25), the very blood to be poured out for the forgiveness of sins(26:28).
In Jesus’ death peace is secured; unfaithful Israel receives life and
forgiveness in exchange for her disobedience. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">In addition to saving Israel from her sins, Jesus offers her
a new way to be God’s people. A way that leads to life instead of death. She is
to seek the Kingdom of Heaven by giving up the desire for power. The pagans
will know her as God’s people by her love of mercy, service and humility. This
is true devotion to God. This is how the people of God will escape the wrath of
the pagans.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">For Matthew this is the most important way in which the cross
is a moment of great salvation. God’s plan to restore the whole world is not
thwarted by the sin of His people. Israel is saved and called to embody Jesus
in the world. The cross, and not the sword, is how the kingdom will come. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04363610655668801080noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1051611615055532493.post-11551445190890179742014-06-07T22:34:00.000-07:002014-10-10T21:08:15.870-07:00Sit At My Right Hand<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://jesusandcross.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/jesus-view-from-cross.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://jesusandcross.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/jesus-view-from-cross.jpg" height="400" width="370" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">In the Gospel of Mark, a chair is not simply a chair. Rather,
the seat one takes is the indicator of one’s social worth. At each meal,
everyone takes his proper place at the table. The powerful sit with the powerful
in the highest positions and the weak sit with the weak in the lowest
positions. To sit in a better seat is to demand respect from those below you. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Naturally, the characters in the Gospel desire the highest
seats. Thinking that Jesus will receive the seat above all others as Messiah,
the disciples come to him asking for thrones on his right and left. As friends
of the king of Israel, they expect to receive the very best seats, seats above
those of the current rulers of Israel, the priests and the scribes. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;">James and John, the sons of Zebedee,
came forward to him and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us
whatever we ask of you.” And he said to them, “What is it you want me to do for
you?” And they said to him, “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at
your left, in your glory.” But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you
are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or be baptized with the
baptism that I am baptized with?” They replied, “We are able.” Then Jesus said
to them, “The cup that I drink you will drink; and with the baptism with which
I am baptized, you will be baptized; but to sit at my right hand or at my left
is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.” When
the ten heard this, they began to be angry with James and John. So Jesus called
them and said to them, “You know that among the Gentiles those whom they
recognize as their rulers lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants
over them. But it is not so among you; but whoever wishes to become great among
you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave
of all. For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his
life a ransom for many”(Mark 10:35-45).<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">James and John have no idea what it means to sit at Jesus’
left and right in glory. Just as the scribes who like to have the “best seats
in the synagogues and places of honor at the banquets”(12:39), the disciples likewise
desire to take seats above others. They want to be powerful and respected too.
Jesus responds by redefining greatness, or rather, by correctly defining
greatness. Being great means taking the worst seat, putting one’s self last. One
who is great renounces power and refuses praise from men. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">This error of the disciples stems from a misunderstanding of
the Messiah. They, along with the scribes, believe he will be a king as David
was a king. He will be a son of David in the sense that he will rule Israel,
and then the world, as a political and military tyrant. The scribes use psalm
110 to support this vision of the Messiah. In typical fashion, Jesus turns the
scripture against them. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;">“Why do the teachers of the law say
that the Messiah is the son of David? David himself, speaking by the Holy
Spirit, declared: ‘The Lord said to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand until I put
your enemies under your feet.’<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;">David himself calls him ‘Lord.’ How
then can he be his son?”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Jesus’ claim is that the Messiah will be greater than David.
David himself calls the Messiah “Lord.” If a son inherits the traits of his
father, the Messiah will not be a son of David. The Messiah is someone entirely
different. Do not expect another king like David. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">This does not mean that Jesus does not fulfill the
scriptures. It means that he fulfills
them in an entirely new and unexpected way. Jesus will sit in the greatest
seat, the one at the right hand of God, but few will notice it. His seat will
be the cross. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">From the cross, Jesus’ enemies are put under his feet.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;">Those who passed by derided him,
shaking their heads and saying, ‘Aha! You who would destroy the Temple and
build it in three days, save yourself, and come down from the cross!’(15:29-30)
<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">The word used for “come down” in this verse is καταβαίνω. Κατα
means “down” and βαίνω is a verb for “go” or “step.” It is closely related to
the word for foot, βάσις. If Mark wished to convey a simple going down he could
have used κατέρχομαι which has no relation to feet or the act of stepping. Through
this choice of καταβαίνω, Mark suggests that Jesus was asked to step down from
his cross by his enemies. The mocking voices come from below Jesus’ feet. The
rulers of Israel have truly seen <span style="color: red;">“the Son of Man seated
at the right hand of the Power”(14:62)</span>. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">In choosing the lowest seat in the world, the seat reserved
for slaves and criminals, Jesus has chosen the greatest seat in the Kingdom of
God. Taking up one’s cross and following Jesus means sitting in the worst seat. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04363610655668801080noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1051611615055532493.post-86758876977346631332014-06-06T15:35:00.001-07:002014-06-06T15:35:39.025-07:00Resurrection Now?<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://www.thescripturesalonebibleschool.net/uploads/5/8/0/2/5802036/3275434_orig.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.thescripturesalonebibleschool.net/uploads/5/8/0/2/5802036/3275434_orig.jpg" height="400" width="310" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">Those who believe Colossians and Ephesians were not written
by Paul often appeal to their teachings on resurrection. On this issue, it
seems these letters do not match the undisputed Pauline letters. While Romans
and 1 Corinthians speak of resurrection as a future hope, Colossians and Ephesians
present resurrection as a present reality for those believe. For this reason,
most scholars consider Colossians and Ephesians to not be from the hand of
Paul.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">The evidence is rather convincing. In Romans 6, Paul is
careful to show that believers have only experience Christ’s death, not yet his
resurrection. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;">“Do you not know that all of us who
have been baptized into Chris Jesus were baptized into his death? Therefore we
have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was
raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in
newness of life.For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we
will certainly be united with him in his resurrection. We know that our old
self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be destroyed, and we
might no longer be enslaved to sin. For whoever has died is freed from sin. But
if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him”(6:3-8).
<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">The closest Paul comes to proclaiming a present resurrection
in his undisputed letters is also in Romans. <span style="color: red;">“So you
also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus”(6:11).
</span>They must consider themselves to be risen despite the fact that the
resurrection has not yet come. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">In the Letter to the Colossians though, this language of
future glory is absent. Instead, the resurrection is spoken of as already
having taken place. <span style="color: red;">“When you were buried with him in
baptism, you were also raised with him through faith in the power of God, who
raised him from the dead”(2:13).</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">One writer preaches a baptism into death, and another writer
a baptism into death and into life. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">One method of arguing for the authenticity of Colossians and
Ephesians is to say that Paul’s theology developed over the course of his life.
The undisputed letters then, represent an earlier theology of baptism and
resurrection while the “disputed” letters represent a latter development in his
thought. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Those who find this argument convincing will also often
claim that the Pastoral Letters of Paul, including 2 Timothy, are similarly
authentic. The problem with this is that 2 Timothy, a letter which claims to be
written in the last days of Paul’s life, attacks those who believe the resurrection
has already occurred. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;">“As for me, I am being poured out as
a libation, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good
fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith”(2 Timothy 4:6-7).<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;">“Among them are Hymenaeus and
Philetus, who have swerved from the truth by claiming that the resurrection has
already taken place”(2 Timothy 2:17-18). <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">If one were to only have the Letter to the Colossians, he
could not be blamed for believing that the resurrection had already occurred. The
writer of 2 Timothy has set out against just such teachings.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">It seems, then, that Paul could not have written both
Colossians and 2 Timothy. Either his theology developed later in his life as is
seen in Colossians and Ephesians, or he remained adamant that believers had not
yet experienced resurrection. If 2 Timothy is authentic, then even in his last
days Paul was teaching against this false doctrine of present resurrection. It
would be truly perplexing if all of these letters were by the same person. What
other ways are there to make sense of them? </span><o:p></o:p></div>
Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04363610655668801080noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1051611615055532493.post-43051501062450972192014-06-06T13:28:00.000-07:002014-06-10T18:41:13.151-07:00The Word Became Flesh<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://ypseni.files.wordpress.com/2010/03/resurrection.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://ypseni.files.wordpress.com/2010/03/resurrection.jpg" height="400" width="262" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">Though he does not mention it explicitly, John begins his gospel
with the cross. He looks ahead to the cross as the light’s decisive victory
over the darkness. The darkness will seek to destroy the light, but the light will
not be overcome(1:5). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">These cosmic entities of light and darkness are not just
abstractions for John. They are human characters. Jesus is the light and Satan
is the darkness. Jesus is life, Satan is death. The setting is likewise not
some cosmic plane. Our own world is both the stage in which they do battle and
the prize for which they fight. Jesus, the awaited Messiah and rightful king of
the world, has overcome the present “ruler of the world.” The darkness has been
lifted.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">As Jesus’ time draws near, he speaks to his disciples of the
fate of the current ruler.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;">“Now is the judgment of the world;
now the ruler of the world will be driven out. And I, when I am lifted up from
the earth, will draw all people to myself.” He said this to indicate the kind
of death he was to die(12:31-32).<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">This casting out of Satan is the reason Jesus has come into
the world. In defeating the one who holds the power of death, Jesus himself will
seize eternal life. Death will no longer have any authority over his body.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">It is this defeat of Satan that allows John to write of the
cross as being for others. Everything Jesus gains, will be declared to those
who believe(16:15). In attaining eternal life then, Jesus gives eternal life to
those who believe. Jesus bears the cross so that all people might obtain
eternal life(3:16). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">For John, the flesh of Jesus is a necessity for this
imputation of his eternal life to others. Jesus’ victory is of no use to flesh
and blood if he himself is not flesh and blood. His body and our body must be
of the same kind for us to receive his eternal body. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">This is the primary way in which the writer understands the
cross. Jesus has defeated the one who holds authority over death and in doing
so achieved an eternal body. Any who eat of his flesh will receive the body
that Jesus won(6:51). </span> <o:p></o:p></div>
Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04363610655668801080noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1051611615055532493.post-14613701787606087642014-06-04T19:12:00.003-07:002014-06-04T19:12:49.616-07:00Glorification of the Son of God<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.jahbread.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/raising_of_lazarus_by_logicon1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.jahbread.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/raising_of_lazarus_by_logicon1.jpg" height="400" width="297" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">The raising of Lazarus is a strange story. Jesus could have
prevented his friend’s death but chooses not to. He intentionally remains where
he is for two days after hearing his friend is sick(11:6). Upon arriving,
Martha, Lazarus’ sister, tells Jesus “Lord, if you had been here, my brother
would not have died”(11:21). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Why would Jesus let him die? No one wants to die. The answer
Jesus gives can be troubling. <span style="color: red;">“This illness does not
lead to death; rather it is for God’s glory, so that Son of God may be
glorified through it”(11:4). </span>Has Jesus let his friend die merely so that
he can display his power? So that people can come to believe in him? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">While this is clearly a part of the reason(11:42), the
glorification of the Son of God Jesus speaks of represents something quite
different. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">For John the evangelist, the raising of Lazarus serves as
the impetus for the arrest and execution of Jesus by the chief priests and
Pharisees(11:53). After this sign, they fear “everyone will believe in
him(Jesus), and the Romans will come and destroy both our holy place and our
nation”(11:38). It is not the incident
in the Temple, as in the Synoptic Gospels, but this resurrection that sets into
motion Jesus’ demise.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">John believes that this demise is the very way in which
Jesus will be glorified. The cross is the instrument of his glorification. This
can be seen clearly in a couple passages. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">During the last day of the Festival of Booths, Jesus proclaims
that all who come to him will receive rivers of living water. This water is the
Spirit, which was to come after Jesus is glorified(4:39). It is only until
after his death and resurrection that Jesus breathes out his spirit onto the
disciples(20:22). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">The night before his death, Jesus begins his Farewell Discourse
with the words, “<span style="color: red;">The hour has come for the Son of Man
to be glorified”(12:23)</span>. This hour, he tells his disciples, troubles
him(12:27).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Jesus does not orchestrate the raising of Lazarus merely so
that others may believe. He orchestrates it so that he will be glorified
through the outrage of the religious authorities. By raising Lazarus, Jesus
clears a path by which he may be glorified. Glorified on a cross.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04363610655668801080noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1051611615055532493.post-1004955963118265512014-06-04T14:59:00.004-07:002014-06-04T15:00:43.588-07:00Election: A Blessing to All<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Paul has a serious problem. The Gentiles in Rome are
wondering why Israel has rejected her Messiah, her king. Is this not a sign
that God has abandoned His people? Has the promise God made with Abraham been
broken? If so, what’s to say God won’t abandon the Gentiles too? How can an unfaithful
God be trusted?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/60/Sacrifice_of_Isaac-Caravaggio_(Uffizi).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Paul begins answering these questions by directing his
readers’ attention to the story of Abraham. Why did God call him? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Ever since sin and death entered the world, God has desired
to remake the world. This desire led God to call a people through whom creation
might return to its former glory. God called Abraham and his descendants so
that the whole world would be blessed(Genesis 22:18). God was going to reign on
earth as he had in the beginning. Through Israel He would accomplish this. But now
that Israel has rejected her Messiah, Paul says the Gentiles will carry on the
promise given to Abraham.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEgk9BgEI26al1pH5p3gS3_P1vYB2Sd86lmD71Tyal_GASEOHNn6GjPDA2ADVutYykVWRQ-N53OYa-oWir6Sz3IT472bxivwip3Oxc-agHPndxFQu01MKHdq0X5xQIIEJhauWDhxccTzu_rZu56kBa56Rwzj3lkD4NdWaBQN9M20p3mo0a3L219gZpGrLMKOsMOD=(Uffizi).jpg&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/60/Sacrifice_of_Isaac-Caravaggio_(Uffizi).jpg" height="246" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">Knowing this background allows us to better read the Letter
to the Romans. Certain traditional readings should be rethought. For instance, God’s
crafting of vessels of wrath is not an indication that God has predestined some
to eternal hell(9:22-23). Likewise, the hatred God has for Esau before his
birth does not represent God’s unconditional hatred for the non-elect(9:13). Instead,
these comments are aimed at convincing Gentiles that they should not be proud
of their current position as God’s elect. Whom God elects, is entirely up to
God. The Gentiles, just as Israel before, did nothing to deserve it. At certain
times God has used one people and not the other to carry out his purposes.
Being called is not something to boast of(11:18). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">The Gentiles would now fulfill the promises made to Abraham.
They would be the people through whom God would reign as king on earth. This
understanding of God’s promise to Abraham is crucial to understanding the
letter. The election Paul writes of is not for the sake of the elect, but for
the sake of the world. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">God’s intention was always to bring all people into His
family. Even Israel will not be estranged from God for long. Paul is certain Israel
will return to her God. Though it appears God has given up on Israel, Paul says
God never breaks his promises. <span style="color: red;">“And so all Israel will
be saved”(11:26). </span>The Gentiles, as well as the Jews, will at one point participate
in God’s restoration of the world as His elect.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2Fupload.wikimedia.org%2Fwikipedia%2Fcommons%2F6%2F60%2FSacrifice_of_Isaac-Caravaggio_" with "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEgk9BgEI26al1pH5p3gS3_P1vYB2Sd86lmD71Tyal_GASEOHNn6GjPDA2ADVutYykVWRQ-N53OYa-oWir6Sz3IT472bxivwip3Oxc-agHPndxFQu01MKHdq0X5xQIIEJhauWDhxccTzu_rZu56kBa56Rwzj3lkD4NdWaBQN9M20p3mo0a3L219gZpGrLMKOsMOD=" -->Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04363610655668801080noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1051611615055532493.post-35565030420554310092014-06-04T12:19:00.002-07:002014-06-10T18:44:23.624-07:00The Sign of Jonah<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://iconsbyfathervladimir.com/uploads/2011/12/363.-The-Holy-Prophet-Jonah1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://iconsbyfathervladimir.com/uploads/2011/12/363.-The-Holy-Prophet-Jonah1.jpeg" height="400" width="280" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">In the Book of Acts, Luke describes the early Church as
being one in mind and purpose. When the apostles receive the Holy Spirit on
Pentecost, they go out into the world to preach the one true message about
Jesus. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">The discovery of the Gospel of Thomas seems to contradict
Luke’s description. The Gospel of Thomas, some scholars say, is early, possibly
earlier than the Synoptic Gospels. Interestingly though, two of the most
important aspects of catholic Christianity are absent in Thomas; the passion
and the resurrection. It has thus been assumed that the early Christian
community that created Thomas was not concerned with the passion, and perhaps,
did not believe in the resurrection.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">The Q Sayings Gospel, a hypothetical source for the shared
material between Matthew and Luke, similarly calls into question the unity of
the early Church on display in the book of Acts. Q, it is said, also lacks
material about the resurrection and the cross. However, certain sayings of Q present
evidence to the contrary. In my view, the Q community was not largely divergent
from the Synoptic community. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">One Q text is found in Matthew 12:39, with its equivalent in
Luke 11:29.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;">An evil and adulterous generation
asks for a sign but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.
<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Here, in response to unbelieving Pharisees, Jesus likens his
own prophetic work to that of Jonah. Matthew, but not Luke, continues the
thought <span style="color: red;">“For just as Jonah was three days and three
nights in the belly of the sea monster, so for three days and three nights the
Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth”(12:40). </span>For Matthew, this
is the obvious intention of Jesus in comparing himself to Jonah. Just as Jonah,
Jesus will be redeemed from the grips of death and serve as a warning to the
people. As a Jewish prophet, Jonah is unique in that his story is one of a kind
of death and resurrection. There were many prophets of judgment Jesus could
have identified with. If not for the reason that Jesus will also die and rise,
why does Jesus identify specifically with Jonah? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Luke follows the Q verse with <span style="color: red;">“For
just as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so the Son of Man will be
to this generation”(11:30). </span>Luke and Matthew are in agreement. Jesus
will become a sign in the manner that Jonah did. Luke’s logic of judgment falls
apart otherwise. It is because Jesus will die and rise that Nineveh will be the
rightful judge of this current generation(Lk 11:32). Nineveh believed the
prophet who came out of the belly of the monster but the Pharisees will not
believe the prophet who came out of the belly of the earth. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">The verses in Matthew and Luke that follow the Q saying may
be the creations of the late Church. Perhaps to interpret the sign of Jonah as
they did, requires post resurrection faith. This seems highly implausible. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">First, the verses in Matthew and/or Luke that proceed the Q
saying may very well be from the Q document itself. There is absolutely no way
to know when Q stops and the evangelist begins.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Second, in the minds of his Jewish contemporaries, “The sign
of Jonah” would have heavily implied a kind of death and resurrection. What
else could Jesus have meant by this? Why this prophet?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">This, I believe, is strong evidence that the Q community, if
it existed, thought of Jesus as the resurrected messiah, just as did Mark and
the other Synoptic evangelists. There were no early Christian communities, as
far as we know, that thought otherwise. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04363610655668801080noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1051611615055532493.post-28839919675230903732014-06-02T15:01:00.002-07:002014-06-04T12:23:25.422-07:00Follow Me<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8e/Hoffman-ChristAndTheRichYoungRuler.jpg/1024px-Hoffman-ChristAndTheRichYoungRuler.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8e/Hoffman-ChristAndTheRichYoungRuler.jpg/1024px-Hoffman-ChristAndTheRichYoungRuler.jpg" height="315" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">A rich man came to Jesus asking how he could attain eternal
life. Jesus gives the expected answer; follow the Ten Commandments. Surprisingly,
though, Jesus fails to mention the first four commandments. He lists those
commandments regarding right behavior towards others but not those regarding
right behavior towards God. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">In these first four, idols and the worship of other gods are
forbidden. Did Jesus think these commandments were irrelevant to attaining
eternal life? Or did he just assume the man kept them because he was a Jew? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">I don’t think any of these options work. Jesus did address
these commandments but in an unexpected manner. A simple question would not
have gotten to the heart of the man’s issue. Jesus knew the man did not recognize
that his possessions were preventing him from worshiping God alone. Only a
challenge would open the man’s eyes. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;">“You lack one thing: go, sell what
you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven;
then come follow me”(Mark 10:21).<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Jesus does not giving him a new commandment about money, but
reinterprets the old ones pertaining to God. The man’s failure consists in
those commandments Jesus did not mention. His possessions are an idol, another
god. He needs them and cannot part from them. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">What is particularly striking about Jesus’ challenge though
is not that he commands the man to give all these up. The striking thing is
what he asks him to do afterwards. “Come follow me.” The claim Jesus is making is
that once one’s idols are cast out, following Jesus is the way one worships God.
For the man to follow the commandments he must give up his idol, money, and
worship God alone. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">To worship God, Jesus says, is to follow his son. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">This has implications on how we read the rest of Gospels. Jesus
commands his followers to keep the Torah in Matthew 5:17-18, but he defines
Torah in an unexpected way. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">On the mount, he speaks of his teaching’s relation to Torah,
<span style="color: red;">“Do not think I have come to abolish the law or the
prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. For truly I tell you, not
until heaven and earth pass away, not one stroke of a letter will pass from the
law until it is all accomplished. Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of
these commandments, and teaches others to do the same will be called least in
the kingdom of heaven”(Mttw 5:17-19). </span>And at the end of the sermon <span style="color: red;">“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them
will be like a wise man who built his house on rock”(Mttw 7:24).</span> What we
find is that The Sermon on the Mount is not another interpretation of Torah
among many others. It is a redefinition of Torah. Jesus’ words are Torah. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Christians thus, are to obey Jesus’ words precisely because
the Law and the prophets will not be abolished. Devotion to the Law must remain
but its observance now consists in following Jesus. Jesus speaks the Law which
the Torah was only a shadow of. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">The first of the two greatest commandments then, <span style="color: red;">“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and
with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength”(Mark
12:30)</span> is made manifest by going after Jesus. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04363610655668801080noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1051611615055532493.post-88837156331003146362014-06-01T16:04:00.002-07:002014-06-04T12:24:53.492-07:00A Brother Forever<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fb/Probably_Valentin_de_Boulogne_-_Saint_Paul_Writing_His_Epistles_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fb/Probably_Valentin_de_Boulogne_-_Saint_Paul_Writing_His_Epistles_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg" height="295" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">The apostle Paul writes a letter from a prison cell. Handing
the letter to his new friend through the bars, Paul tells him to take it home
to his master. This friend is a runaway slave. Going home means severe
punishment, maybe death. Why would Paul ask this of him?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">The slave trusts Paul though. Paul has brought to eternal
salvation. Perhaps Paul can now save him from his master’s wrath. Besides, as a
slave he will not survive long apart from his master in the harsh Roman
society. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">He returns and hands the note to his angered master. While
he anxiously awaits the verdict, he envisions two possible scenarios. His
master may accept Paul’s message, welcoming him home, or reject it, tearing the
letter up. Hoping for mercy but expecting punishment the slave waits. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Two thousand years later, this letter survives, canonized in
the New Testament as Paul’s Epistle to Philemon. Though it is less than a page
in length, this letter accomplished more for the slave than he could have
imagined. It seems that even in prison Paul had his successes. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">In writing the letter, Paul hopes to attain mercy for his
friend, Onesimus. More than this though, he aims to transform the master’s
entire mindset. He attempts this by offering this master, Philemon, to
ascertain the significance the crucified Lord might have upon his relationship
with Onesimus. See, Philemon is also a
Christian, a friend of Paul. He yet has something to learn from Paul about
being a Christian. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">For Paul, to become a Christian is to be adopted(Galatians
3:29). While a Roman man would adopt an orphan in order to acquire a male heir
to ensure his family’s survival, Paul speaks of a God who has become the father
of many adopted children at his own expense. In Jesus, the Gentiles have been
adopted into the family of God. Acting as a surrogate for God, Paul speaks of
Onesimus as his own son to make this clear to Philemon. Paul is adamant that
Onesimus no longer belongs to Philemon. This slave is now Paul’s son. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: red;">I am appealing to you for my child, whose father I have
become during my imprisonment(1:10). </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Onesimus has been removed from one family and been grafted
into Paul’s. As such, Philemon can no longer view Onesimus as his property. To
do so would be to do violence to Paul. Philemon does not yet understand, but he
and Onesimus are siblings, both graciously adopted by God. From now on,
Onesimus and Philemon are not slave and master, but beloved brothers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: red; font-size: large;">Perhaps this is the reason he was separated from you for a
while, so that you might have him back forever, no longer as a slave, a beloved
brother—especially to me but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the
Lord(1:16).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Paul has made a claim on the life of Onesimus and brought
him into his own family, the family of God, where “there is neither slave nor
freedman”(Galatians 3:28). In doing so, he has pressured Philemon to act in
light of this new reality. Paul asks only that he treat Onesimus as he would
treat Paul. As his son, Onesimus is Paul’s very heart(1:12), and should be
welcomed as if he were the Apostle himself(1:17). To do any less would be to
reject the very one who brought Philemon his salvation. “I say nothing about
your owing me even your own self”(1:19). Philemon owes everything to Paul, and
thus everything to God, who adopted him out of grace. How can he offer anything
to Onesimus but mercy? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Next, Paul asks Philemon to consider if he can treat
Onesimus as a slave at all. He states that he desires his son, Onesimus, to
remain with him from now on(1:13). Philemon is to complete a certain “good
deed”(1:14). In light of Paul’s desire, this good deed should unequivocally be
taken as the release of Onesimus from his bonds.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"> Paul could demand
this explicitly but he “preferred to do nothing without your consent”(1:14).
Here he teaches Philemon to think as a Christian, to be transformed by Jesus.
The truth is Paul has sent Onesimus back so that they might not remain
estranged but be reconciled as brothers. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Paul’s Letter to the Philippians, describes how brothers in
Christ are to treat each other. In declaring the two brother, Paul is
encouraging Philemon to ask what it means to <span style="color: red;">“Let the same mind be in you that
was in Christ Jesus, who though he was in the form of God, did not regard
equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the
form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form,
he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death, even death on a
cross”(Philippians 2:5-8)</span>. What does it mean for Philemon to worship the Lord
who took on the form of a slave? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">The adoption enacted by God and made evident by Paul has
radically altered the master and slave relationship, effectively replacing it
with a fraternal one. One should ask, can slavery exist in any meaningful way
between people who <span style="color: red;">“Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in
humility regard others as better than yourselves”(Philippians 2:3)</span>? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Paul has accomplished what he set out to do. He has entirely
disarmed Philemon. Philemon may be able to demand retribution from a slave, but
can he from a beloved brother in the family of a gracious God? How can he make
demands of Paul’s child, when he himself owes Paul his entire life? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Having finished the letter, Philemon is running out of time
to act. Paul writes he will be visiting him once he is freed from his own
bonds(1:22). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Philemon takes a deep breath. His eyes slowly lift from the
paper and onto Onesimus who is fidgeting, staring at the ground. Hearing those
words never before spoken between master and slave, Onesimus lifts his face.
“Welcome home, brother.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXJQXixOMiX5bK6FBlyysnhtrWSv9wQrKlef7aUD22OSgA9h9eUHLBtkiTdLTn2h8Td29CrgvKMH334nQwsmi7seQh2aBvKluCohvao_Qbep50xcZdvT-UyQd_Oug1QbAPhV3naiNJgDw/s1600/paulpic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;">
</a><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Taking him into his arms, Philemon continues, “Our friend
Paul needs you to be with him from now on. Let me give you money for your
trip.” </span><o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br /></div>
Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04363610655668801080noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1051611615055532493.post-45441068377550943582014-05-31T13:32:00.002-07:002014-06-02T16:03:15.236-07:00I Permit No Woman...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5dVjaGC5-RaqwT-wUP3ggUcS6bTm6whZcOwnnIb_OQVBsACaQaramXpJOUU2-1XS0YU-fLILumCmAG1qfniLNSjt1mQ5plP5ocd5vmt760zL4wllwf2bnVXq3H2Pk3uoyF85WfzrQSCo/s1600/paul+conversion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5dVjaGC5-RaqwT-wUP3ggUcS6bTm6whZcOwnnIb_OQVBsACaQaramXpJOUU2-1XS0YU-fLILumCmAG1qfniLNSjt1mQ5plP5ocd5vmt760zL4wllwf2bnVXq3H2Pk3uoyF85WfzrQSCo/s1600/paul+conversion.jpg" height="320" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Paul’s conversion story has been and continues to be
meaningful for countless Christians. Nobody rides horses today but who would
pass up the opportunity to fall out of one’s vehicle of choice and see that
blinding light? Maybe like Paul, your life would be forever changed for the
better. At one moment persecuting Christians as a violent Pharisees and at the
next writing the poem we read at weddings. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">One thing remains perplexing and troubling though. If Paul came
to love Jesus, the one he says <span style="color: red;">“emptied himself, taking
the form of a slave, being born in human form, he humbled himself and become
obedient to the point of death–even death on a cross”(Philippians 2:7-8)</span>,<span style="color: red;"> </span>why do his views on women seem so self-serving and patriarchal?
Would Jesus, who praised Mary for leaving her “many tasks” at home to come be a
disciple at his feet, speak of women the way Paul speaks of women(Luke 10:38-42)?
Would Paul belittle the women who supported Jesus’ ministry, caring for him at
the cross when all the male disciples had fled in fear(Mark 15:40-41)? Some Pauline texts suggest he would. How then,
can a Christian follow the example of Paul who in 1 Timothy 2 argues women
should have no authority over men because Eve was the one who sinned? Adam, he
assures us, was only deceived. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">A common response to Paul’s apparent misogyny is to point
out that he did not in fact write many of the letters contained in the New
Testament. For instance, very few scholars believe Paul actually wrote 1 Timothy
or Titus, though they bear his name. If these two letters do not represent the
views of Paul then some of the harshest language against women in the New
Testament belongs not to the apostle, but to later writers. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">One text that cannot be dealt with this easily is 1 Corinthians
14:33b-36. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;">As in all the churches of the
saints, women should be silent in the churches. For they are not permitted to
speak, but should be subordinate, as the law also says. If there is anything
they desire to know, let them ask their husbands at home. For it is shameful for
a woman to speak in church. Or did the word of God originate with you? Or are
you the only ones it has reached?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">1 Corinthians is considered one of the 7 “undisputed letters”
of Paul. Scholars are in agreement that Paul penned it. This text presents what
I would consider to be the only evidence that the historical Paul forbid women
from speaking in his churches. Some scholars though argue that even this text
is on shaky ground. Perhaps the most damaging argument to its authenticity is
that the ancient manuscripts are not in agreement as to where it goes in 1
Corinthians. Some have these verses after 14:40. This suggests that the verses
were a note at some point placed in the margin that later scribes tried to fit
appropriately into the text. These scribes did not agree as to where it went
because it was not originally in the letter.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">The internal evidence against the verses is also striking.
What law forbids women to speak and commands them to be subordinate? There seems
to be no such law in the Law of Moses. In addition this is not how Paul argues
in his undisputed letters. The Law is neither the model of right living nor the
reason for right living. In 2 Corinthians 3, in fact, Paul calls the Law of
Moses “the ministry of death” and says the ministry of the Spirit has replaced
the Law, setting it aside(3:10-11). Paul’s vision of ethics comes from the
story of Jesus not from the Law. For instance, in Romans 8, Paul argues for
right living on the basis that the spirit of Jesus lives in those who believe.
Or in Philippians 2 where he encourages his readers to love simply because Jesus
loved. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Finally, despite what this text teaches, there are places in
the undisputed letters where it is clear that Paul has given women positions of
authority. He names Phoebe a minister(Romans 16:1), and calls Junia one prominent among the
apostles(Romans 16:7). A woman named Chloe appears to be his messenger for the
church in Corinth(1 Corinthians 1:11). Most damning to the text in question
comes from 1 Corinthians itself. In 11:5 Paul implies that it is right for women
to both pray and prophesy in his church. How then, can he write only three
chapters later “women should be silent in the churches”? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">If this text is inauthentic, as it appears to be, Paul’s
words in Galatians can and should be considered one of the most radical claims
ever made in the ancient world. <span style="color: red;">“There is no longer Jew
or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female;
for all of you are one in Christ Jesus”(3:28). </span>The experience Paul had
of Jesus truly changed his life. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04363610655668801080noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1051611615055532493.post-42660234922667715882014-05-30T15:15:00.004-07:002014-06-02T15:55:31.052-07:00The Defilement of the Pharisees 2: A Renewed Israel<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">The claim of N.T Wright’s <i>Jesus and the Victory of God</i>, is that Jesus is best understood as a
Jewish eschatological prophet. Jesus thus carries on the tradition of the Prophets
before him, proclaiming a coming judgment if Israel does not repent. With this
established, Wright believes much of the content in the Synoptic Gospels fit well
the profile of a Jewish eschatological prophet. For instance, he reads The Sermon
on the Mount as Jesus’ challenge to Israe</span><span style="font-size: large;">l to become the nation God always
intended her to be. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Jesus’ call for Israel to be a shining city on a hill then is
a call for her to bring her God to all peoples. Through the leadership of
Jesus, Israel will finally fulfill God’s promise to Abraham; that through him
and his descendants the entire world would be blessed(Genesis 12:3). In receiving
a renewed heart, Israel will become a blessing to those who have been for so
long estranged from God. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk99IPiPHIrPMEQmrKlej7YbQTvmGMYxq6BJ_sdG5_XvmEfXUtatajP81IDHnR9e3fmxFIRgy7cAuTTO-wnE9go4glWNOoCLi66_o5Yun2p2X_VgLcoWEtRNtDDThXuvPZVaLFJFywIKk/s1600/SermonOfTheBeatitudes_Tissot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk99IPiPHIrPMEQmrKlej7YbQTvmGMYxq6BJ_sdG5_XvmEfXUtatajP81IDHnR9e3fmxFIRgy7cAuTTO-wnE9go4glWNOoCLi66_o5Yun2p2X_VgLcoWEtRNtDDThXuvPZVaLFJFywIKk/s1600/SermonOfTheBeatitudes_Tissot.jpg" height="400" width="277" /></span></a><span style="font-size: large;">The evangelist who makes this point most strongly is
certainly Matthew. Jesus in Matthew has a unique mission to be the good shepherd
the Pharisees and the priests have failed to be. His leadership will restore
Israel and bring about this blessing. The defining characteristic of Israel will
no longer be sacrifices(9:13, 12:7); it will be a heart that loves God and
neighbor. For Matthew, once Israel can do this she will then be a blessing to
the nations. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">With this in mind, we can now begin to deal with the
difficult texts; those that suggest that for Matthew, Jesus’ mission was only
for the Jews. In chapter 10 Jesus sends out the twelve “Go nowhere among the
Gentiles, and enter no town of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep
of the house of Israel”(10:5-6). Wright points out that the twelve he sends are
representative of the twelve tribes of Israel. This particular mission then, is
symbolic of the restoration of Israel. Through this restoration, God’s promises
to Abraham are to be fulfilled. Consequently, this saying does not mean Matthew
thought Jesus and his disciples avoided Gentiles throughout the entire
ministry. Matthew’s text itself proves this is not the case. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Elsewhere in the gospel Jesus blesses Gentiles, healing a centurion’s
servant(8:5-13), and exorcising the Gadarene demoniacs(8:28-34). The scene with
the centurion is remarkable because Jesus tells him, <span style="color: red;">“I
tell you, many will come from east and west and will sit with Abraham and Isaac
and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, while the heirs of the kingdom will be thrown
into outer darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth”(8:1-12).
</span>For Matthew, many Jews and much of their leadership will not make it
into the restored Israel, the Kingdom of Heaven. This centurion and many other
Gentiles like him will partake in God’s blessings instead.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Matthew also takes from Mark the story of the Syrophoenician
woman along with its entire greater context. There is some indication however
that Matthew did not perceive how Mark was using the story. Notably, Matthew
adds to it an urging on the part of his disciples to send her away and a saying
about mission on the lips of Jesus. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;">A
Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, “Lord, Son of
David, have mercy on me! My daughter is demon-possessed and suffering
terribly.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;">Jesus did
not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, “Send her away,
for she keeps crying out after us.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;">He answered,
“I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;">The woman
came and knelt before him. “Lord, help me!” she said.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;">He
replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the
dogs.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;">“Yes it
is, Lord,” she said. “Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their
master’s table.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;">Then
Jesus said to her, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” And
her daughter was healed at that moment(Matthew 1522-28).<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">It seems that Matthew has tried
to make clearer what he believes to be the plain meaning of the text in Mark.
Jesus did not come to bless the Gentiles, only the Jews. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">This reading is problematic. How
can Jesus say he was only sent to Israel when his actions speak otherwise? Earlier in the gospel we saw him heal gentiles
and proclaim a Kingdom including both Jew and Gentile. Perhaps rather than being
a statement to the woman, verse 24 is a question to the disciples. “Was I sent
only to the house of Israel?” Having seen the blessings given to Gentiles
already, do the disciples really believe that Jesus was sent only for the house
of Israel? Matthew then has Jesus ask the woman the same question in the form
of a riddle as in Mark. She sees what the disciples do not and is commended for
her faith. She understands Jesus’ teachings about defilement. The Israel Jesus
comes to call is not concerned with washing or food laws or temple sacrifices
or even circumcision. The true Israel is concerned with inner purity, a renewed
heart. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Matthew’s Jesus freely heals the
Gentiles and states clearly that those who enter the Kingdom will not
necessarily be those who were expected to inherit it. If read in light of God’s
promises to Abraham, Jesus’ sending of his disciples exclusively into Israel in
chapter 10 is not further exclusion of Gentiles but the enacting of their full
inclusion by means of restoring Israel. Matthew then, along with Mark and Luke presents
a Jesus who invites all who will follow. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04363610655668801080noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1051611615055532493.post-18206664721880056502014-05-29T23:54:00.001-07:002014-06-02T15:56:03.628-07:00Tying up the Strongman<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">The Beelzebul Controversy of Mark 3 reveals that no one, not
even his enemies, denied that Jesus exorcised demons. He was well known,
perhaps best known, for being a powerful exorcist. Expectedly then, The
Synoptic Gospels, present Jesus performing exorcisms frequently. Instead of
turning water into wine, the very first public act of Jesus’ power in Mark and
Luke is the cleansing of a man with an evil spirit. From the time he starts his
public career, Jesus is engaged in a cosmic battle between good and evil. Jesus
enters a world in which Satan has obtained authority over all the kingdoms(Mttw
4:8-10, Lk 4:5-7). He must act to restore God’s creation, freeing it from the
control of Satan. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEish1aluajAj2S4DggWf9Y-gG-vJOFlcGRIpzAzqEAsRbxsSDgYmYIbs96K0W9aT7qfpgHN8VdO3npu6CTuKC9AQcLTlaf5wPw6AYEpJg_P_EnXUcqpneFH7jwhWuOcp6Bv_kC0LSggpdc/s1600/demons-vs-jesus.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEish1aluajAj2S4DggWf9Y-gG-vJOFlcGRIpzAzqEAsRbxsSDgYmYIbs96K0W9aT7qfpgHN8VdO3npu6CTuKC9AQcLTlaf5wPw6AYEpJg_P_EnXUcqpneFH7jwhWuOcp6Bv_kC0LSggpdc/s1600/demons-vs-jesus.gif" height="385" width="400" /></span></a><span style="font-size: large;">This restoration is the good news Jesus proclaims. However,
it is not until after being tempted in the wilderness that Jesus begins to make
this proclamation. Jesus must tie up Satan before he can bring the reign of God.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Jesus asserts this during the Beelzebul Controversy.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;">And the teachers of the law who came
down from Jerusalem said, “He is possessed by Beelzebul! By the prince of
demons he is driving out demons.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;">So Jesus called them over to him and
began to speak to them in parables: “How can Satan drive out Satan? If a
kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. If a house is
divided against itself, that house cannot stand. And if Satan opposes himself
and is divided, he cannot stand; his end has come. In fact, no one can enter a
strong man’s house without first tying him up. Then he can plunder the strong
man’s house”(Mark 3:22-27).<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">The scribes are correct that Jesus has the power to cast out
demons but they do not understand where this power comes from. In seeing the
kingdom of Satan falling they assume Satan has become divided. Jesus, possessed
by a demon, is casting out demons. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">The truth of the matter though is that one greater than
Satan has come. Jesus tied up the strongman in the wilderness and is now freely
plundering his kingdom with the exorcism of demons. Those in Satan’s grips are
being freed because Satan cannot stand. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Matthew and Luke include in their version of the
controversy, “But if it by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the
kingdom has come to you”(Mttw 12:28, Lk 11:20). Exorcisms are the manifestation
of one kingdom replacing another. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">The definitive blow to the kingdom of Satan comes when Satan
is dethroned. In the request of James and John for thrones of power(Mark 10),
Jesus reveals his means of dethroning Satan. Jesus himself will be seated in a
throne but it will be a throne of weakness rather than power. The cross is his
throne. In taking it up he will overthrow Satan. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Many of the elements of a royal coronation and enthronement
are present in Mark’s passion narrative. Jesus is robed in purple, crowned with
thorns, and mockingly paid homage. Though those witnessing his crucifixion are
blind to the truth, the true messiah, the ruler of the whole world, is being
made king before their eyes. Satan falls like lightning as Jesus is lifted up.
In secret, like a mustard seed, the Kingdom of God has entered the world.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04363610655668801080noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1051611615055532493.post-438400575204166492014-05-29T17:06:00.000-07:002014-06-02T15:56:27.341-07:00Temptation in Mark <div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0B8kq9oVq8fP3WwB7QJWQBotv60ckVDCPaNUwG84JT5eahFa5DAg0Il6d7zKpHN032XCWGymypqQlVtR_5Ti7Lu4kTtkRfoteQ7ZIFszxpTuI0r4p5q11MPrkcIH8QhbHS7sM7MSdaVs/s1600/Temptation.JPEG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0B8kq9oVq8fP3WwB7QJWQBotv60ckVDCPaNUwG84JT5eahFa5DAg0Il6d7zKpHN032XCWGymypqQlVtR_5Ti7Lu4kTtkRfoteQ7ZIFszxpTuI0r4p5q11MPrkcIH8QhbHS7sM7MSdaVs/s1600/Temptation.JPEG" height="400" width="322" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">Mark is sometimes thought of as the bare-bones gospel.
Matthew and Luke had to fill out his story to give the complete picture of
Jesus. This may be true but it is important to take Mark on his own terms. In
the case of the temptation in the wilderness Mark predictably lacks most of the
familiar details. However, this does not mean he lacks a full understanding of
Jesus’ temptations.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: red; font-size: large;">And the Spirit immediately drove him
out into the wilderness. He was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan;
and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him(Mark 1:12-13). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Here we find no mention of being taken atop the Temple and
offered all the kingdoms of the world. Neither is there mention of the offer to
turn stones into bread. Mark leaves his readers to wonder what happened those
forty days in the wilderness.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Mark does not leave us entirely clueless though. There are
other scenes of temptation which need to be examined. In the middle of the gospel,
chapter 8, after Peter confesses that Jesus is the Messiah he rebukes Jesus for
predicting his death and resurrection. Peter tempts Jesus to forgo the cross. In
his mind the cross is for criminals, not the Messiah. Jesus famously responds
to Peter’s attempts <span style="color: red;">“Get behind me, Satan! For you are
setting your mind not on divine things but on human things”(Mark 8:33). </span>Here
Mark suggests that the temptation of Satan, is to refuse the cross and cling to
one’s life. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">In another, final scene of temptation, Jesus is mocked by
the chief priests and scribes passing him on the cross. <span style="color: red;">“He saved others; he cannot save himself. Let the Messiah, the King of
Israel, come down from the cross now so that we may see and believe”(Mark
15:31-32). </span>Again he is tempted to leave the cross and live. It is this
temptation that Jesus was first offered in the wilderness by Satan. Thrice he
is tempted and thrice he remains faithful to God. He could have left the
wilderness and never proclaimed the good news. He could have become the warrior
Messiah Peter dreamed of. He even could have stepped down from the cross. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">This temptation to forgo the cross is exactly the temptation
his disciples faced as well. <span style="color: red;">“Whoever wants to be my
disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me”(Mark
8:34). </span>Instead of following their teacher, fear of the cross seizes them
and they flee. Instead of denying himself Peter denies his Lord so that he too
can avoid the cross. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Jesus was tempted with the most natural of inclinations.
Just like us, he was tempted with the words, “save yourself”. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04363610655668801080noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1051611615055532493.post-74988696809780405802014-05-29T16:02:00.001-07:002014-06-02T16:03:01.695-07:00The Defilement of the Pharisees: Mark 7-8<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDnM50umdu3TQ6mXyL6wrgfQc1iN8SAXjD6T_7IuojT0IiFkKQBBJF6aGyMe8Xi2Jtav2LUR5NdSYoh5UcZldiT1aZhkLaoBZvZKzr3o9Smu-BqSPAO3PK0hwUXqiEOQJgGr3wUmVUCsU/s1600/peter+and+paul.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDnM50umdu3TQ6mXyL6wrgfQc1iN8SAXjD6T_7IuojT0IiFkKQBBJF6aGyMe8Xi2Jtav2LUR5NdSYoh5UcZldiT1aZhkLaoBZvZKzr3o9Smu-BqSPAO3PK0hwUXqiEOQJgGr3wUmVUCsU/s1600/peter+and+paul.jpg" height="400" width="313" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">Did Jesus preach a message only relevant to Jews? Was Paul’s
extension of Christianity to the gentiles never intended by Jesus?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">The New Testament appears to not always be clear on the
issue. Paul, of course, believed Jesus had finally made accessible the God of
Israel to gentiles. His letters were written almost exclusively to gentiles. In
Jesus the wedding feast for all peoples prophesied in Isaiah 25 was beginning
in his midst. As the earliest Christian writer, it seems likely Paul was just
reiterating the welcome of gentiles Jesus preached. This has always been the
belief of the Church. But can Paul be trusted as a source for the views of the
historical Jesus? There seem to be early opposing voices. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">For instance, Paul mentions in Galatians 2 that when he came
to Jerusalem, he found Peter welcoming only other Jews to his table. Peter
seems to have believed, at least before being confronted, that gentiles were
not fit for the Jesus movement.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">In addition, the
gospels of Mark and Matthew seem to present Jesus as much more concerned with
Israel than with the gentiles. Both make use of the rather </span><span style="font-size: large;">embarrassing story
of the Syrophoenician woman who comes to Jesus begging him to heal her daughter
of a demon. Jesus, surprisingly, compares her and all gentiles to dogs begging under
the children’s table – the table of the Jews. Matthew augments this ethno-centrism
by including two sayings concerning the exclusively Jewish nature of Jesus’s
ministry (10:6, 15:24). If Paul is adamant there is one table for all people,
why does Jesus call this woman a dog and claim to have “only for the house of
Israel”?</span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Luke, writing his gospel using Mark and possibly Matthew,
may give us a hint as to what is happening. Certainly Luke includes material
that goes back to Jesus, but his Jesus is noticeably kinder to gentiles. Being
a keen writer, he does not simply regurgitate Mark. Luke excludes the Syrophoenician
woman presumably because it would have startled his gentile audience. Similarly,
no sayings about the house of Israel appear in Luke either. Is this an attempt
to cover up the hard reality about Jesus? <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Though it would be easy to conclude that the earliest
Christians along with Jesus were anti-gentile, I think a closer look reveals
that all our sources present Jesus as welcoming to gentiles and Jews alike.</span><span style="font-size: large;">We will examine Mark 7, the text most devastating to the
image of a hospitable Jesus.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: red; font-size: large;">The woman
was a Greek, born in Syrian Phoenicia. She begged Jesus to drive the demon out
of her daughter.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: red; font-size: large;">“First
let the children eat all they want,” he told her, “for it is not right to take
the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: red; font-size: large;">“Lord,”
she replied, “even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: red; font-size: large;">Then he
told her, “For such a reply, you may go; the demon has left your daughter”(Mark
7:26-29).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">It appears Jesus adopted the prevailing Jewish view that
gentiles were like dogs, low and unclean. For those awaiting the grafting of
the gentiles into the family of the God of Israel, the wait would continue. The
gentiles, it seems, will forever be cursed, receiving only the crumbs of God’s
blessings.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">There are problems with this line of thought though. If
Jesus is only giving the crumbs fit for the gentiles, why does the he
accomplish the healing of the daughter? Why is he so impressed by her response?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Daniel Kirk offers a way forward by reminding readers to
notice Mark’s arrangement of his pericopes. <a href="http://www.jrdkirk.com/2011/02/03/the-blessed-dog-of-mark-7/">http://www.jrdkirk.com/2011/02/03/the-blessed-dog-of-mark-7/</a>
He argues that the miraculous feedings
on either side of the exorcism are the key. The first feeding, one performed in
Jewish territory, produced baskets of leftovers. The subsequent feeding, this
time in the gentile region of Sidon, also produces a surplus. Jesus builds for
the gentiles their own table and again the crumbs amount to baskets and baskets
of food. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Despite this the disciples remain ignorant of Jesus’ ability
to produce an excess out of the seemingly insufficient. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: red; font-size: large;">Aware of
their discussion, Jesus asked them: “Why are you talking about having no bread?
Do you still not see or understand? Are your hearts hardened? Do you have eyes
but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? And don’t you remember? When I broke the five loaves for the five
thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: red; font-size: large;">“Twelve,”
they replied. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: red; font-size: large;">“And when
I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces
did you pick up?” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: red; font-size: large;">They
answered, “Seven.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: red; font-size: large;">He said
to them, “Do you still not understand?”(Mark 8:17-21)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Having witnessed Jesus break bread twice the disciples are
afraid they will be in trouble for forgetting to bring bread. They cannot see
the fullness of the blessings Jesus brings. The woman, however, knows the
crumbs will satisfy for the crumbs are more than enough. If there were baskets
of leftovers at the table of Israel and baskets of leftovers at the table of
the gentiles, Jesus satisfies all people.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">There is further evidence to support this interpretation. To
start, the theme of Mark 7 is the distinction between clean and unclean. The
Pharisees teach that a clean outside makes a clean inside. The Pharisees are
indignant because Jesus’ disciples do not wash before they eat and so confront their
teacher. Jesus responds to them “it is not what goes in that defiles a person
but what comes out of the heart”(Mark 7:15). Along with this, he makes the
radical claim that all foods are clean. A significant portion of the Jew’s
identity is here trivialized by Jesus. The Pharisees are wrong to assume the
gentiles are unclean simply because they do not wash or eat as the Jews. These
have nothing to do with defilement. It is the strictly washed and dietary
observant Pharisees who are unclean, for out of their hearts comes slander,
arrogance and folly(Mark 7:22). Again, Mark’s placement of texts has suggested
something unconventional is going on with the story of the gentile woman.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2w8XAZDDJLyzh07fJsAzUYZQP-ZFqXFVIGQS1EB057g58UwcyZY5F8eriP3o68MyPP3QQe0Y8Os4ECsDxq3kESUVGGjlue7mZ5RhXfvcu2dbgxd3zy9PXtLDwhewgVk8ihP94Dcn-xfU/s1600/christ_canaanite_woman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2w8XAZDDJLyzh07fJsAzUYZQP-ZFqXFVIGQS1EB057g58UwcyZY5F8eriP3o68MyPP3QQe0Y8Os4ECsDxq3kESUVGGjlue7mZ5RhXfvcu2dbgxd3zy9PXtLDwhewgVk8ihP94Dcn-xfU/s1600/christ_canaanite_woman.jpg" height="302" width="400" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Lastly, the placement of the healing of a deaf mute
immediately after the story points toward this reading. In this gospel, proper
hearing and sight are required to understand Jesus. Mark uses particular healing
stories to represent the process of the reader coming to understand the gospel
of Jesus. Having finished the story of the faithful gentile woman, will the
reader too have ears to hear the message about clean and unclean? Will the
reader “be opened” just as the deaf man? Or, will he remain blinded like the
Pharisees and the disciples? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Unlike the disciples, the Syrophoenician woman has ears to
hear what Jesus is preaching. She has eyes to see that Jesus is not limited in
the blessings he brings. Unexpectedly, Mark has used this story to subvert the
Jewish attitude toward gentiles inviting all to come and experience Jesus.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Next time I will examine a much more problematic text,
Matthew. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04363610655668801080noreply@blogger.com0