The Radical Exegete

Why Is There Suffering?

2009-05-09T20:39:00.001-07:00

Basic Justice: The good are rewarded, the evil are punished

Biblical positions:
1. All humanity suffers because of the rebellion of our leaders against God’s morality (Gen 3-11)
2. The good prosper, the wicked are punished in this life (Proverbs)
3. God established governments to reward the good and punish the evil—it is the primary institution of justice (Rom 13;
4. The good suffer and the wicked prosper (Psalm 73)
5. The good suffer for no discernable reason, but will obtain prosperity eventually (Job)
6. The good will prosper and the evil will be punished, eventually (Psalm 37; 73)
7. Everyone is wicked, but God has mercy on a few (Psalm 14; 103)
8. The good suffer because they are good and are trying to stand with God’s goodness (Matt 10)
9. God will create a utopia without suffering, but the evil will be excluded (Isa 65-66; Rev. 20-22; Daniel 12; etc)
10. Those who suffer now for God will obtain reward in God’s kingdom (Jesus)
11. Those who live luxuriously now will suffer in God’s judgment (Luke 6, 16)
12. There is none who are good, but God grants grace to a few to be changed, persecuted and then rewarded (Jesus, Romans)

Humanistic positions:
1. Human institutions (family, government, non-profits, etc) are instituted to create justice.
2. There is no justice, just arbitrary good and evil, reward and punishment.
3. The wicked need not be punished, but transformed.
4. Personal economic well-being creates a society of justice.
5. Unjust oppression must be overcome by revolution.
6. Unjust oppression can be overcome by discussion and economic reprisals.

The problem of injustice is not foundationally institutional, but within human nature itself.

Faithfulness To The Absent King

2008-11-11T11:30:00.000-08:00

Matthew 25:31-46 and Giving

Although often called, “The parable of the sheep and the goats”, it is really a straightforward description of judgment day which initiates the kingdom of God, being neither a parable nor is the phrase “sheep and the goats” anything more than a passing simile.

“My Brothers”
There have been various interpretations of the phrase, “my brothers”, which proves to be the crux of the text. Some have interpreted this phrase to mean the Jews, some to be the poor of the world, and more. However, this phrase is repeated two other times in Matthew, in chapter 12:50—“For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.” And in 28:10 where Jesus is sending a message to “my brothers” to meet him in Galilee. Both of these specifically designates his disciples. “The will of my Father” has already been associated earlier in Matthew as the teaching of Jesus (Matthew 7:21-24). Thus, these “brothers” of Jesus are those who live out the teaching of Jesus, become his disciples and so suffer loss because of it. This completely parallels the beatitudes, which speak of the persecuted and poor of those who are righteous inheriting the kingdom. Here in Matthew 25, we see this promise fulfilled—the brothers of Jesus and those who assisted them receiving the kingdom of God enter into the kingdom of the one finally coming to rule. It is also interesting to note that the beatitudes mark the first pericope of the first body of teaching in Matthew, while the description of the coming of the Son of Man is the final pericope of the final body of teaching in Matthew. The other phrase to indicate the identity of these brothers is the phrase “the least of these”. Although many translations put the word “even” in the English, the Greek has no equivalent. It is better seen as Jesus’ personal title for the disciples, “the little ones”, or “the least”, as seen in Matthew 10:42; 18:6, 10, 14, as “the little ones”. While specifically a different Greek word, the concept remains close, (see Luke 16:9—“He who is faithful to The Least, will be faithful in much…”)

Judgment in Matthew
There are many other passages in Matthew that deal with the righteous receiving the kingdom, and the unrighteous being punished:
• Matthew 7:21-27—Description of punishment of those who say “Lord” but do not obey Jesus; parable of the two houses.
• Matthew 8:11-12—Statement of judgment of those who apparently will receive the kingdom.
• Matthew 10:14, 40-42—Promise of reward for those who assist the righteous and the prophets.
• Matthew 11:20-24—Prophecy of judgment of the cities who rejected Jesus although works of power were done there
• Matthew 12:36-37—Prophecy that on the day of judgment individuals will be judged on the basis of their careless words.
• Matthew 12:39-41—This generation will be condemned by Nineveh and the Queen of Sheba because they listened to their prophets and one greater than those prophets has come to them.
• Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43—Parable of the wheat and tares
• Matthew 13:47-50—Parable of the fish in the net
• Matthew 16:27—Son of man will come to repay everyone according to what he has done
• Matthew 18:23-35—Parable of the unforgiving servant
• Matthew 21:28-32—Parable of the two sons; Sinners entering kingdom before the Pharisees
• Matthew 21:33-41—Parable of the tenants in the vineyard
• Matthew 22:2-14—Parable of the wedding banquet
• Matthew 24:44-25:13—Warning to be ready; parable of the 10 virgins.
• Matthew 25:14-30—Parable of the talents

Hospitality and Judgment
Out of these passages, Matthew 10:40-42 is most significant in comparison with the description in Matthew 25:31-46. Both in that passage and in this one, it is the one who offers hospitality or mercy to those who are righteous that are focused on, rather than the righteous themselves. The ones who “welcome” the righteous are said to gain the reward of the righteous. The term “welcome” is already used in 10:14, speaking of the hospitality the apostles should receive. If they should not receive this hospitality, Jesus says, then “it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment.”

Genesis 18 and 19 offer a significant paradigm in relation to Matthew 10 and 25. Yahweh and two others appeared to Abraham, and Abraham bowed before them, begging them to accept his humble hospitality. After they accepted, he proceeded to offer them a great feast. There is no indication that Abraham understood his visitors to be powers of heaven, but simply to be strangers passing by. In opposition to this example is the reaction of Sodom to two of the same strangers. They enter the town, and the one righteous person in the town offer them hospitality—but it turns out he does so primarily out of fear of what the rest of the town would do. For even as Abraham went out of his way to offer hospitality to the strangers, so did Sodom go out of their way to do evil to the same strangers, threatening them with perverse acts of sex. This type of treatment of strangers is cause enough to destroy the town and the outlying areas. Jesus compares the towns who refuse to offer hospitality to the apostles with Sodom, but he claims that the punishment will be worse for those who reject the apostles than it was for Sodom.

All of this emphasized the place of those who may not be a prophet or an apostle themselves, but who come in contact with them. The prophet, righteous one or apostle of Jesus (in 25:31-46 called “my brothers”) becomes the point of reward or punishment, depending on how one responds to them. Should one respond with hospitality and kindness (as the teaching of Jesus commands—Matthew 7:12; 9:13; 12:7), then that one will be rewarded in the final judgment. Should one not offer hospitality or kindness to the righteous one, then he will be punished on the final day. This is the paradigm of Genesis 18 and 19, Matthew 10 and Matthew 25.

Faithfulness to the Absent King
There is one other significant point of Matthew 25:31-46. The act on which punishment or reward rests is not primarily an act of kindness, although it reflects a heart of mercy. If it was simply kindness Jesus was looking for, then to act this way to any stranger or poor person would do. However, Jesus emphasizes that it is “my brothers” who are the key point—the righteous ones who follow Jesus. In Matthew 10:42, the focus in on giving hospitality “in the name of a disciple”—“disciple” being a distinctive term of a follower of Jesus. Thus, the reward is not just given to those who are kind to those who are righteous in general, but specifically those who offer hospitality to those who are followers of Jesus. The emphasis is not mercy in general, but a display of faithfulness to Jesus by enacting his command of mercy to those who come in his name.

This fits the paradigm of a king returning to his people after an absence, as the context of 25:31-46 seems to indicate. The parable of the talents (25:14-30) immediately precedes it, describing the judgment of a property owner over his slaves about their work during an absence. The slaves were rewarded or punished in accordance with the instructions of the property owner. The parable of the ten virgins (25:1-13) describes the judgment of the virgins’ actions (or inactions) while awaiting the coming of the bridegroom. The virgins were included or excluded depending on their state of readiness when the bridegroom came. Before that (24:45-51) is the analogy of a slave who needs to be working for when his master arrives. If the slave is not working, he will be punished, but if he is faithful to the master by working when he is absent, then the master will reward him.

All of these parables speak of faithfulness to an absent master through actions. A slave is faithful to his master in his absence by working hard. A virgin is faithful to her coming bridegroom by being prepared in her responsibility. A steward is faithful to his master by increasing his money while he is absent. Even so, while the king is absent, faithfulness is given to him in his absence by caring for his appointed servants—those who obey Jesus’ commands and who suffer loss and persecution for it. On this is the day of judgment based.

Summary
Thus, the teaching of Matthew 25:31-46 can be summarized: While awaiting the coming of the Son of Man, those faithful to Jesus will be characterized by offering hospitality and mercy to those who suffer due to being obedient to Jesus. On the day of judgment, those who offered such mercy will be included in the kingdom, while those who refused will be excluded and punished eternally.

Notes on Revelation 4

2008-07-10T20:34:00.001-07:00

Door in heaven opened—This is a passageway to the Spirit world, an alternative universe that runs parallel to our world.

First voice—This is Jesus, who has not yet been named. This may indicate that this is a separate vision taking place at a later time, because John has to inform us who he was speaking to, as if we weren’t just hearing a long set of speeches from this same voice.

“Come up here”—Some say that this phrase is in the future and it represents the rapture. This could not be, for the following reasons:
a. The end of the sentence is where the spirit-being indicates that he would show “What will happen after this”, thus the prophecy of future times is not yet.
b. The purpose of the sentence is to give prophetic knowledge, not to live in heaven
c. John does not represent the church, but is simply a prophet.
Thus, the statement is not about the rapture, but an invitation to receive spiritual knowledge.

“In the spirit”—This might be the prophetic spirit, indicating an ecstatic trance, or it could be the Spirit World itself (or both). Clearly, John is indicating that what he is seeing is in the spirit world and he is reflecting that in his words.

The Vision—This is a Throne vision, such as was often experienced in the OT (e.g. Isaiah 6, Ezekiel 1-2, I Kings 22:19ff). This passage closely parallels Ezekiel’s vision, but it also gives some changes from that. From this point through much of the rest of the book, all action is centered on the throne. This reflects basic Christian theology that all real political and natural actions come from the authority of God—whether good or evil from a human perspective.

The throne—God is spoken of as the one who sits on the throne, not mentioned directly as is common in the first century. John is seeing the reality on which the ark of the covenant was copied (Hebrews 8:5). Thus there are parallels between the temple/tabernacle and the throne room of God, including cherubim, precious stones, and a sea. (Exodus 28, II Chronicles 3-4). This description is copied from Ezekiel 1:26-28,

Jasper, Carnelian, Emerald—Representing magnificence. All were used in Eden (Eze 28:13). Probably a summary of the full list of stones in Rev 21. The throne room is the seed of the new creation.

Rainbow—Also Eze 1:28. As God promised in Genesis 9, the rainbow would be ever before him, to remind him to keep his promise not to destroy all of humanity.

Twenty four elders, thrones—God’s full people have always been represented by 12 tribes. The original leaders of the tribes were the patriarchs, who are given blessing by Jacob/Israel in Genesis 49 and Moses in Deuteronomy 33. A father is a leader, always, and represents the clan. But Jesus proclaimed that the 12 apostles would sit on twelve thrones and rule over the twelve tribes (Luke 22:30, Matt. 19:28; Rev. 21:12ff). All the promises of God are represented here, giving the ruling of the people of God to both patriarchs and apostles.
They are not angels, because angels are always mentioned separately. They are priests, of a sort (as there are 24 head priests in the early temple—I Chron. 24:4-6), as they lead worship and pray to God. But they are also kings, as they sit on thrones and have crowns. Nor are they the church, for the church is spoken of as multitudes in white robes (7:9-17). It is best to see them as the leaders—as “elders” are always seen as leaders of a clan—of the people of God.

Lightning, sounds, thunder—The kind of voice that came from God during the speaking of the ten words (Exodus 19:16; 20:18; Job 37:2; Job 40:9; Psalm 77:18). This voice of God is the source of later judgments in 8:5, 11:19 and 16:18.

Seven lamps=seven spirits-- See Zechariah 4:2-6. God’s spirit is seen as His power through which He works in the world. Spirit is not ethereal, but super-physical. The “lightning” in Ex 20:18 is in the LXX translated as “lamps” or “torches”—the same word used here. These are certainly seen as representing God’s power.

Sea of glass like crystal—In Genesis 1, the sea is divided between the earthly sea and a spiritual one. Sea monsters (like Leviathan or Satan) frolic in the heavenly sea (Psalm 104). In the Temple, there was a sea which was a giant basin for the priests to wash their hands between sacrifices (II Chron 4:2-10). In the OT, there are two main physical seas—the “Reed” or Red and the “Great” or Mediterrarian. Solomon placed his sea toward the Southeast, so that might represent the Red Sea. But this Sea is unique, clear as crystal, like the water in the final utopia (22:1). Ezekiel also saw an “expanse” of crystal in his vision of the throneroom (Eze 1:22). The spiritual sea is the living space of powerful spirits, many of which are in opposition to God. But God is Lord of all of them, no matter their opposition to God and His creation. Genesis 1 is actually God’s way of separating the powerful spiritual creatures from God’s creation on the earth, so that the earth creatures might be ruled by humans. (Isaiah 51:9-11; Psalm 74:12-15; Eze 32:2)

Four living ones—Not “creatures” as most translations. The term is more generic than that. These are the beings found in both Ezekiel and Isaiah before the throne (Ezekiel 1:5-21; 10:1ff; Isaiah 6). They are called either “cherubim” (Ezekiel) or “seraphim” (Isaiah). They are represented in both the ark of the covenant (2 of them) and statues in the holy of holies of the temple (two of them) (Exodus 25:18ff, II Chron. 3)

Different traditions of the cherubim/seraphim—The number of wings vary (4 in Ezekiel, 2 pairs of three in Isaiah, 6 unpaired ones in Revelation); Their position varies (above the throne in Isaiah, the base of the throne in Ezekiel, “in the midst of the throne” in Revelation); Faces differ (4 faces of each in Ezekiel; one different face on each of the four in Rev.).

In the midst of the throne—The four living ones actually hold up the throne. This is the same in Ezekiel 10.

Four types of cherubim—In rabbinic writings, the lion, ox, eagle and human are the strongest beings, lords over the animal kingdoms. A late rabbinic saying is, “The mightiest of the birds is the eagle, the mightiest among the domestic animals is the ox, the mightiest among the wild animals is the lion and the mightiest of all of these is a human being. God has taken all these and secured them to his throne.”

Six wings—A detail from Isaiah 6.

Full of eyes, eyes all around the wings—Could represent omniscience. Not only do they represent the main groups of animals, they see all within their respective animal kingdoms?

Holy Holy Holy—The word “holy” means the separate, the uniquely pure. In Hebrew, when a word is repeated, it is increased. Thus a thrice repeated “holy” would mean “the most holy”. The congregation could stand in the Holy, the high priest alone could go into the Holy Holy, the presence of God is the Holy Holy Holy. Thrice repeated “holy” is also stated by the seraphim around the throne in Isaiah 6.

Lord God Almighty—Oft used title of God (e.g. Amos 3:13; Hosea 12:6; Nahum 3:5; Zech 10:3; Malachi 2:16). God’s sovereignty and power is emphasized. God is the unlimited ruler of the universe.

He who is and was and is coming—God is sovereign over all ages, past, present and future.

The Living One—The supreme living one, Lord over all other living ones.

Forever and ever—Literally, “to the One Living to the ages of ages” (See Daniel 4:34 and 12:7). Ultimately, this is actually a repeat of the earlier, longer praise.

Notes on Letters in Revelation 2-3 Intro

2008-07-10T20:33:00.000-07:00

Pattern of the letters—
Command to write to an angel of a church
Christ’s self description
Commendation of a church’s good works (Except Laodikia)
Accusation due to sin (Except Smyrna and Philadelphia)
Exhortation to repent with a warning of judgment/or an encouragement
“He who has an ear…”
Promise to the victors

Chistic formula:
Ephesus-- Condemned
Smyrna—Approved
Pergamum—Some condemned, some approved
Thyatira—Some condemned, some approved
Sardis—Some condemned, some approved
Philadelphia—Approved
Laodikia-- Condemned

Themes in all the letters:
Angel: The letters are sent to the angel of the church. While “angel” could mean a human messenger, the word is never used in Revelation in this sense. It is always intended as the spirit that represents a particular entity. So the letters are sent to the representative of each city church/Christian synagogue that stands before Christ.

Church as a unit: Although each city church is spoken to as a unit, each individual within the church is judged individually. Most of the churches are of one mind to such a degree that they are either condemned or approved of as a unit. But Thyatira, especially, is divided between those who listen to false teachers and those who do not. While the former are roundly condemned, the latter are completely approved of.

“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches”—This phrase is used in every letter. It is a phrase used to call attention to the significance of each letter. It is based on Jesus’ commonly used phrase, “He who has an ear, let him hear.” This means if one has the ability to physically hear then that one should pay attention because this is important. The addition, “what the Spirit says to the churches” makes it clear that this is a prophecy that John is receiving from the Spirit and it is being given to Jesus’ churches.

“Church”—The word used is “ekklesia” which literally means a congregation, and in the OT is often used of the congregation of Israel, namely those who are able to enter the temple. These are speaking of Jesus synagogues (synagogue is a synonym of ekklesia in Semetic Koine). It could be translated as “congregation.”

Notes on Revelation 1

2008-07-10T20:32:00.000-07:00

“Revelation” or unveiling or opening—An opening, likely in vision form, of the Spirit world (Daniel 2)
Displaying the “reality behind reality”

Messiah Jesus—Christos is used among early Christians to be a title of the Messiah, the Jewish replacement of Caesar. Jesus, who died and rose again, is revealed in the writing to be that Messiah.

“Slaves”, servants of a king, those bound by a covenant to serve a greater one, although the freedom of that one, apart from the command of the king, is not limited.

“Quickness” or “nearness” Similar to Mark 1:15; Indicating an immediate fulfillment whose fruition might occur later: e.g. Jesus crucifixion -> destruction of Jerusalem.

God to angel to John to churches—This is the same pattern the law was given, with John taking Moses’ place and the churches taking the place of Israel.

John—Probably not John the apostle, certainly not John the elder (writer of John and epistles), nor John the Baptist. John was a common name, used of many leaders of the early church. Hebrew—Yohan. John is a prophet of Asia Minor.

Prophecy—John saw visions and wrote what he saw down. This was common work for a prophet. Often the visions of the spirit world were symbolic in nature (e.g. Jeremiah 1; Zechariah), and they sometimes related to the future. But the point of the visions and the sermons related to them was to re-focus the devotion and ethical behavior of the recipients.

“One who reads” is the one who is reciting the book to any particular church. Some reciters were in a church and would receive a text, more often they would travel from church to church, reciting the text in each church. These are blessed for continually reciting God’s word.

“Keep the words”—The point of prophecy is not so much to believe it, as to obey it. Those who hear it are only blessed if they obey the point of the prophecy.

“Grace and Peace”—Common introduction in Greek epistles to Jewish people. It uses both the common Greek greeting and the common Hebrew greeting.

Him who is and was and who is to come—There is a Greek problem with the grammar here. It indicates that a reference to Exodus 3, where God revealed himself as the “I Am” is in mind. The fact that God is also the God who was and who is to be indicates that all ages are ruled by God—He has never ceased to rule.

Seven Spirits—The seven spirits is a reference to the Holy Spirit, just as Zechariah 4:2-7 also refers to seven items which are really the one Spirit of God. The Spirit is probably seven here to indicate representation of the seven churches, even as there are seven angels and seven lampstands—all probably the same representation of the churches to God.

The Witness, the Faithful—In Greek, this might normally be understood as “the faithful witness”, but this title is repeated in 2:13 of Antipas, with the addition of “my” twice. This indicates that Jesus was faithful in His speaking of God’s word, even to the end, even facing persecution. This is important, as this is what the book insists that the churches do—be a faithful witness to Jesus in the midst of persecution.

Firstborn of the dead—As is stated elsewhere in the NT (such as I Corinthians 15), Jesus is the first one to have been permanently released from the clutches of death. As the “firstborn” He is also the primary inheritor of God’s kingdom, the Son of God—Psalm 88:27-37; II Samuel 7:13-16; Psalm 2:7-8.

King of kings—Also an important NT title. It means “emperor”, just as Caesar was. Jesus IS the ruler, because he sits as king at the right hand of God the Father (Hebrews 1). The kings of the earth are the enemies of the Messiah, as stated in Psalm 2.

All of these titles—“Faithful Witness” “Firstborn” and “Ruler of the Kings of the earth” can be found of David in Psalm 88: 27 and 37. “Faithful witness” is also found in Isaiah 43:10-13.

Doxology—Jesus loved us so much, he sacrificed himself for our sins. This makes him both priest and sacrifice. This self-sacrifice established the kingdom of God, which we may all enter in due to the forgiveness of our sins. The Passover lamb is alluded to.

Kingdom, priests—Due to Jesus’ work, His people make up a kingdom, specifically, THE kingdom of God. Jesus’ people function as priests, mediating for the world before God through the Spirit. Jesus’ people is elsewhere designated as a kingdom of priests (I Peter 2:5-10), as are the people of God in general (Exodus 19:6). Because we are sprinkled with His blood, we have become priests (Exodus 29:10-21), even as the ancient Israelites were (Exodus 24).

Glory and Power—Due to this work of redemption, God deserves all the respect and the authority over all the kingdom. Jesus did the footwork, but the Father offered the plan. Jesus, in the doxology, remains submitted to the Father throughout.

“Of the ages”—Meaning all the glory and power of all ages, thus for all eternity.

“He comes in clouds”—From Daniel 7:13, which is about the Messiah’s enthronement over all the nations after God’s judgment. “Who they have pierced”—From Zechariah 12:10, which speaks of God’s judgment over all nations after they rejected God and his messenger. The two passages were also used together in Matthew 24:30. Daniel 7:13 is also used in reference to Jesus in Mark 13:26 and 14:62. The fact that it is all the nations of the earth who rejected Jesus and not just Israel is emphasized here.

“Mourning”—This mourning could speak of a rejection of Jesus, i.e. mourning that Jesus has come to take over their nations. Or it could mean a process of repentance due to Jesus’ death, i.e. a realization that Jesus died for them and so weeping over their own sin. Probably the first, since that seems to be the context of Daniel, Matthew and Mark.

Alpha and Omega—In Jewish literature the whole of the law could be described as being from “aleph to tau”, the first and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet. God’s complete authority is described by the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, probably since the lingua franca of rulers from Alexander’s time was Greek. This Greek phrase is also used in Greek magic literature to describe certain gods.

The Almighty—This phrase is used in Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi to describe God’s unending authority.

The suffering, the kingdom, the endurance—All three of these are connected, and John and those he was writing to share in all three.

Patmos—An island off the coast of Turkey. Tradition states that John was in exile there. There are a couple marks against that idea—first of all, the text doesn’t say it. All it says is that he was there due to his testimony of Jesus, but this may be because he was called to proclaim the gospel there. Secondly, Patmos wasn’t a place of exile. It is possible that other, smaller islands near Patmos were places of exile, but Patmos was a part of the Roman Empire. This is not to deny the tradition, but the tradition could be a misreading of the text.

The Lord’s Day—This phrase isn’t clear. It is used to refer to God’s judgment in the OT, but since the phrase is used as a temporal indicator, that meaning doesn’t do it. It might be the Sabbath (Friday night to Saturday), but we have no indication that Christians or Jews used this phrase for the Sabbath at that time. This could be Sunday, although the phrase wasn’t used for Sunday until long after Revelation, although the Epistle of Barnabas indicates that Sunday (“the eighth day”) was a day for Christian celebration. It just isn’t clear.

“In the Spirit”—This is a phrase used in Ezekiel to indicate a prophetic trance.

Seven—Seven, in Scripture, is a number of fulfillment or completeness.

Voice like a trumpet—A really loud voice. Possible allusion to Exodus 19.

The seven cities—There is no particular order to the cities, although all of them are in Asia Minor, modern-day Turkey. Seven churches of John’s ministry were chosen to indicate a complete number, which represents all churches in the world. There is nothing to indicate that they each represent a different church age.

Seven lampstands—Lampstands were part of the Temple’s “furniture”, representing the people of God before the throne in God’s court (Exodus 25, 37, Numbers 8). These lampstands are also the seven spirits in Rev. 1:4, which is the presence of the church before God. This is a reference to Zechariah 4:2-6. It might be that the light itself emanating from the lampstands is the Spirit. Lampstands as temple furniture: I Kings 7:49; I Chron 28:15; II Chron 4:7, 20; Jeremiah 52:19-- lampstands taken away along with other utensils;

Among the lampstands—Jesus is among the lampstands as a priest, tending the lamps so that the light doesn’t go out.

“One like the Son of Man”—This is a description used of two different people in Daniel. In Daniel 7, it describes the Messiah receiving authority from the Ancient of Days. In Daniel 10, it describes an archangel who struggled to visit Daniel. Both passages are used to describe Jesus.

White hair—This description is borrowed from Daniel 7:9-10, which is describing the Ancient of Days, God the Father, judging the world.

Feet, tunic, sash, eyes—These descriptions are that given to the archangel in Daniel 10: 5-9.

Feet of polished bronze—The kind of bronze indicates that they have been worked on. This could indicate purity or endurance through suffering.

Clothing—The white clothing with a golden sash could either be priestly or kingly clothing, perhaps highlighting the ambiguity between Jesus’ kingly and priestly functions over the church. This clothing is described in Zechariah 4:3, 11-14; I Maccabees 10:88-89; 14:30, 32-47. In all of these passages, the rulers are both authoritative as a king and has a priestly function.

Stars—Stars are often associated with spirits in the OT (e.g. Daniel 8:10). However, in Daniel 12, “stars” are used to describe the chosen of Israel who would be resurrected in God’s kingdom. These stars are used to describe the church, as represented by spiritual beings. Jesus has them in his hand to indicate his rule over them.

Sword from the mouth—This is based on Isaiah 11:4 and 49:2, and the image is repeated in Revelation 2:16 and 19:15. This indicates that Jesus’ weapon against his enemies is his words, and his words will destroy them completely.
Voice like many waters—This is based on Ezekiel 43:2, where God comes to judge the nations. This is a similar image to the previous one, where his voice is used as a weapon. “Many waters” is often used in the OT as a description of terrible wrath (Psalm 18:16; Psalm 93:4)

Face as the sun—This is somewhat described in Daniel 10 of the archangel, but it is an exact quote about the Israelite warrior of Judges 5:20. Thus, Jesus is seen as a victorious warrior.

Description of Jesus—Put together, the description of Jesus is that of an all-powerful spirit, similar to both God and the most powerful of angels. He is a king, ruling over the church. He is a priest, tending the church. And he is a warrior, victorious against the enemies of God.

Falling on his face—John follows Daniel’s pattern, falling in fear before the powerful being before him (Daniel 8 and 10). Even as Daniel, John is told to be strong and given further instructions.

“Do not fear”—Jesus speaks the words of all spirits, for the one gazing upon the spirit not to be afraid, because the spirit intends the one seeing him no harm. But more than this, Jesus tells John that he need not be afraid of death at all. Jesus himself passed through death, came out on the other side and is now in charge of death itself.

Death and Hades—Death and Hades (also called Sheol in Hebrew) are often personified in the Bible, and also a description of a place. It is the final authority over humanity, where complete justice is given, and separation from life is complete. Jesus, however, has taken authority over this god and this realm, determining himself who lives and who dies after death.

What you have seen…-- This statement is difficult to interpret, and many commentators have looked at it different ways. While “what is to come” is not best understood as “what is in the future”, it is still not clear. I prefer to simply understand it as the whole of the visions that John has and will experience.

The mystery—Jesus gives John an indication that what he is seeing is not all literal. The stars are not literally stars and the lampstands are not literally lampstands. Rather they represent other things. Some things in the visions are explained, while others are not. We are to be wise in making determinations about what means what, but we need to remember—what is seen is not always what is real.

Angels—Do angels mean spirits or messengers? Since “angel” in the book of Revelation means “heavenly spirit” in the other 60 uses of the word in the book, then it would make sense that it means so here. But what is the relationship between a church and their angel? The spirits are often rebuked for the actions of the churches in the next couple chapters. But this seems to be the identity responsibility of the mediator—the spirit represents God to the church and the church to God. Thus the church might often speak to the angel as God—not to worship the angel, but to bring to God the message—and Jesus might speak to the angel as the church—again, not to blame the angel, but as a representative of the church.

Turn The Other Cheek

2008-03-13T20:07:00.000-07:00

To understand the principle Jesus is getting at, we must understand both the summary that He gives as well as all the examples:

Summary: "Do not resist an evil one"
The significant term here is "resist". It is used in different contexts, but often in the context of rebelling against an authority. Thus, it might be translated as "do not rebel" or "do not stand against the authority". It is used in this way in Ephesians 6 when we are told to "stand against" or "resist" the devil. Thus, we are told in one place to resist, but in another place not to. Of course, this fits Jesus' example who did not resist arrest, but constantly resisted Satan and the demonic authorities.

Examples:
Whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.
In the ancient world it is a common punishment for an authority to slap his underlings. Masters slapped slaves, fathers slapped children, guards slapped prisoners and magistrates slapped (or had slapped) anyone who was under their authority in a court situation. To "turn the other cheek" is to offer oneself to be slapped more. In the context of an authority, a single slap would be considered acceptable, even a just punishment. But if one was slapped again, it would be oppression and an acceptable situation for an appeal. Jesus, in the trial before Annas, was actually questioning the justice of being slapped at all. This is what the turning the other cheek is doing as well, questioning the righteous judgement of the authority. If they give into it and slap you again, they have proved their unrighteousness.

If anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, let him have your coat also.
Those whom were owed were considered the authority over those who were in debt. The one who is owed had the right to throw the other into prison (see Matt 18). According to the law, there were strict guidelines as to how much a debtee could receive from a debtor. The debtee could not put the debtor into danger, by, for instance, taking his coat overnight (Exodus 22:26-27). Should a debtee take too much so as to threaten the life of the debtor, then the debtor can cry out to God and God would judge the debtee. Thus, inviting a debtee to take one's only covering is to invite the debtee to display his unrighteousness and so be judged.

Whoever forces you to go one mile, go with him two.
In the ancient world, a Roman soldier had the right to "volunteer" any non-citizen of Rome to carry his pack for a mile. But the law is strict about it being only one mile. Should the Roman insist upon two miles, then he would be judged. This is offering a soldier to do injustice according to the law and so be judged by the law.

Give to him who asks of you,
and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you.
Roman soldiers could also take possessions from non-citizens. These possessions are to be "borrowed", but often they never came back.

All of these examples are legal oppressions. A magistrate has the right to slap. A debtee has the right to take clothes from the debtor. The soldier has the right to have one carry his pack or to take the possessions of a non-citizen. These are all oppressions and they ar all legal, according to human law. The point here is to not only accept the legal oppression, but to go extra in creating a super-legal situation. The law covers a single slap, a coat, a single mile. But Jesus is saying that the oppression must be obvious, beyond recognition.

Why? Because if we resist the evil authority for the legal oppressions, then we are rebellious and we will deserve what punishments we get. But if we are in a place where we are being punished to the extreme and we don't deserve it, then God will step in. God is interested in justice and will step in if injustice is done. So Jesus is recommending creating a situation of obvious oppression to which we may appeal to God (as stated in Exodus 22), and God will step in, take away the oppressor and give us justice (Luke 18:1-7, and Mark 12:1-9)

Condemnation in Matthew

2007-12-12T22:34:00.000-08:00

Jesus' basic message was that of repentance-- Matt. 4:17
The people of God who do not act like the people of God are only good to be cast out of the people of God-- Matthew 5:13
Those who insult will be thrown into hell-- Matthew 5:22
Those who do not reconcile with their brother will be thrown into prison (hell)-- Matthew 5:25
Those who do not separate from their body parts that cause them to sin will be thrown into hell--Matthew 5:29-30
The one who judges will be judged by God-- Matthew 7:1
However we judge, we will be judged by God-- Matthew 7:2
We must first repent ourselves, then we can assist others to repent-- Matthew 7:5
Those who judge others without correcting themselves is a hypocrite-- Matthew 7:3-5
Most people will be destroyed, only a few people will obtain life-- Matthew 7:13-14
False teachers are those who do evil in their lives, no matter what they teach-- Matthew 7:15-20
Jesus will eternally separate himself from those who ministered for Him, but did not do what He said-- Matthew 7:21-23
Those who hear Jesus' words but does not act on them are those facing destruction-- Matthew 7:24-27
Those who expect to receive God's blessing-- "the sons of the kingdom" will be thrown out of the kingdom into the outer darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth-- Matthew 8:11-12
Jesus calls a disciple's family, "dead"-- Matthew 8:22
Jesus casts evil spirits away, and they claimed that he was torturing them-- Matthew 8:28-32
Jesus offers forgiveness of sins to a crippled man and then heals him to display that forgiveness-- Matthew 9:1-8
Jesus eats with sinners to heal them and to welcome them into God's kingdom--Matthew 9:10-12
"Compassion" means giving people a second chance-- Matthew 9:13
"Compassion" means to heal the blind-- Matthew 9:27-29
Jewish households or towns are condemned as unworthy if they refuse to listen to or offer hospitality to apostles. These towns will have a worse judgment than Sodom-- Matthew 10:13-15
Those who deny Jesus will be rejected by him before the Father-- Matthew 10:33
Jesus came to create opportunities for the righteous to be persecuted-- Matthew 10:34-36
A person must reject their social obligations to their family if they conflict with Jesus' demands (which they will)-- Matthew 10:37; Luke 14:23
The OT judgment will be nothing compared to the judgment on Jewish towns who saw the miracles of Jesus but still rejected Jesus-- Matthew 11:20-24
Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit (seeing the work of God and claiming it is evil) will not be forgiven.-- Matthew 12:32
One is made righteous or judged according to their thoughtless speech-- Matthew 12:36-37
Those who hear Jesus' words and reject it will be condemned by those who paid attention to God's words in the past-- Matthew 12:41-42
Jesus' family is not his physical one, but those who do God's will-- Matthew 12:46-50
Jesus spoke in parables as a judgment to the unbelieving, so that they would hear but not understand God's word-- Matthew 13:13-15
Only those who hear Jesus' word, receive it and endure in it through temptations and persecutions will obtain God's blessing-- Matthew 13:18-23
All of those who cause people to fall from faith in God, those who are lawless will be thrown into hell-- Matthew 13:41-42
A person is defiled by words and actions of evil, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, thefts, false witness, and slander-- Matthew 15:18-19
Jesus calls a Caananite woman a dog, and then heals her daughter-- Matthew 15:25-28
Those who cause people to fall from faith will be horribly punished; we need to separate ourselves from anyone or anything that causes us to fall from faith-- Matthew 18:6-9
God will seek out those who fall from faith-- Matthew 18:12-14
Confront a brother privately if he is sinning, forgive him if he repents-- Matthew 18:15; Luke 17:3-4
Prove a brother is sinning by two or three witnesses if he denies it-- Matthew 18:16
Separate the brother from the community of God if they refuse to repent of their sin-- Matthew 18:17
We are to forgive anyone who repents of their sin, no matter how many times they sin and repent--Matthew 18:21-22
Those who do not forgive their brothers when they repent will be condemned by God-- Matthew 18:23-35
Divorce is equal to adultery-- Matthew 19:9
It is very difficult for a wealthy person to enter into God's kingdom, because of how difficult it is to be rid of one's possessions-- Matthew 19:21-24
Jesus condemned the temple practice because moneychangers were in the worship area of the women and gentiles-- Matthew 20:12-13
The leaders of God's people who persecute God's prophets and Son will be destroyed by God-- Matthew 20:33-41
God will take the kingdom of God away from those unworthy to lead it and give it to those worthy, who do His will-- Matthew 20:42-43
Those originally invited to God's kingdom will be rejected as well as anyone not doing God's will-- Matthew 22:1-14
Hypocrites, those who do not do God's will but claim to be teaching God's will, who seek pride instead of humility, who offer excuses to those seeking to disobey God, who emphasize obedience in the lesser things of God (tithing) but neglect the greater things of God (justice, mercy, faithfulness); who focus on outward appearances instead of the heart; who persecute God's prophets-- these leaders will go to hell-- Matthew 23
The leader of Jesus people who use his position for personal excess will be given a place with the hypocrites where there will be weeping-- Matthew 24:48-51
The servant of Jesus who does not work with what Jesus gave them will be thrown out of God's kingdom-- Matthew 25:14-30
Those who refuse to offer hospitality and meet the needs of Jesus' disciples are sent to hell eternally-- Matthew 25:31-46
Jesus does not condemn either Peter or Judas, but allows them to determine their own fate according to their repentance-- Matthew 26

Systematized

A. The final judgment on the last day is the only physical punishment. This final judgment is based on one’s careless speech and actions.
B. Those who go to hell are those who claim to follow God, but are hypocrites, rejecters of God’s word, those who refuse to help disciples in need and those who cause others to fall away from God in deed or belief.
C. The church will only be pure after judgment, but those who commit blatant sins without repenting are to be treated as an outsider to the church.
D. Repentance/confession is the only requirement for forgiveness or acceptance in the church.
E. Those who sin and are separated are to be welcomed back and given another opportunity to repent.
F. Leaders of God’ people may not be hypocrites, persecutors, doers of evil, people who excuse other’s evil
G. The basis of condemnation is: hating, sexual immorality, unfaithfulness to one’s promise or marriage, slander, not giving to those in need, not forgiving those who repent, judging without repenting of one’s own sin, claiming God’s miracles are evil,

Three Kinds of Sin

2007-09-18T21:53:00.000-07:00

Kinds of sin (Hebrew)

Pesha—“Transgression” Rebelling against God and casting off His authority
Avon—Intentional sin but out of weakness of will
Chayt—Unintentional sin (that which sacrifices are satisfactory for)

Poor in Spirit

2007-08-09T19:39:00.000-07:00

Exact phrase "poor in spirit"
Proverbs 16:18-19 Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before stumbling. It is better to be humble in spirit with the lowly Than to divide the spoil with the proud.
(Those who are poor, socially lowly)

Similar phrases:
"Oppressed" or "hard" in spirit-- I Samual 1:15 (wife mocked for inability to conceive)

Anguish of my spirit/bitterness of my soul-- Job 7:11 (Disease, death of family, loss of riches)

Brokenhearted/crushed in spirit-- Psalm 34:18 (troubled, afflicted)

Forsaken and grieved in spirit-- Isaiah 54:6 (wife cast away)

Contrite and humble spirit-- Isaiah 57:15 (judged by God for sin)

Spirit of fainting-- Isaiah 61:3 (imprisoned for debt)

Spirit is troubled-- Lamentations 1:20; 2:11 (distress over destruction of Jerusalem)

Heat of my spirit-- Ezekiel 3:14 (confusion over vision of seeing God)

Spirit troubled-- Daniel 2:1-- (disturbing dream)

my spirit distressed-- Daniel 7:15-- (disturbing visions)

Conclusion: The use of a anguished state with the phrase "in spirit" or "my spirit is" is a way of communicating an inner response to an outer trouble or calamity. It is not just an emotional state, caused by one's own sense of unworthiness or "humility". To be "poor" or anawim in spirit is to be greatly distressed due to one's poverty.

Gods in the Bible

2007-06-21T11:53:00.000-07:00

Deuteronomy 32:8—The numbers of the nations were limited by the number of gods.
National gods: Deut. 12:2; Deut. 12:30; Deut. 29:18; Josh 23:7; II Sam 7:23; I Kings 11:2; II Kings 18-19/ II Chron. 32/Isa 36-37; Daniel —good example of ancient concept of gods and nations

God compared with other gods— Exodus 15:11; Exodus 18:11; Psalm 86:8; Psalm 96:4f.; II Chron. 2:5
God battles the gods—Zeph. 2:11; Exodus 12:12; Numbers 33:4; Jeremiah 46:25

Yahweh is the God of gods— Deut. 10:17; Joshua 22:22; Psalm 84:7; Psalm 95:3; Psalm 97:9; Psalm 135:5; Psalm 136:2; Daniel 2:47; Daniel 11:36

The gods are supposed to deliver their peoples from enemies II Kings 18-19/II Chron 32/Isa 36-37; II Chron 25:15; II Kings 18:33ff

The gods should worship Yahweh Psalm 97:7

Serving Yahweh before the other gods Psalm 138:1

Do not make a covenant with other nations gods Ex. 23:32

God redeemed his nation from other gods II Sam 7:23

There are gods that did not make the heavens and earth, they shall be destroyed Jeremiah 10:11

Gods rule Psalm 58:1; Psalm 82

Gods which are not gods Jer. 2:11; 2:28; 5:7; 16:20; Acts 19:26; Gal 4:8

King of Tyre and his power—Eze. 28:1-19

Isa. 14—The king of Babylon and his power—sin of pride, called a star, above all stars

NT:
Many gods or one God?—I Cor 8; Gal 4:8-9

Gods are demons—Deut. 32:17; Psalm 106:37; I Cor 10:20-21; Rev. 9:20; Ps. 96:5 (LXX)

Spiritual warfare: Ephesians 6:

Stars: Gen. 1; Judges 5:20ff; Job 38:7; Ps. 148:3; Isa 13:10ff.; Daniel 8:10; Gen. 1; Ps. 136:9; Joel 2:10/Acts 2; Joel 3:15; Matt 24:29/Mark 13:25/Luke 21:25; Jude 1:13; Rev. 1:20; Rev. 12:4;

Sons of God-- Gen 6:1ff; Job 1 and 2; Job 38:7; Deut 32:43 (LXX); Ps. 29:1 ; Odes 2:43; Ps of Sol 17:27

Catalog of Sufferings in Luke/Acts

2007-05-30T17:33:00.000-07:00

Catalog of Sufferings in Luke/Acts
"Taking up your cross daily"

Luke
1:71—We have enemies and those who hate us.
Response—God delivers us
2:34-35-- This child is a sign to be opposed and a sword shall pierce your own soul
4:1-13-- Testing in the wilderness during a fast.
Response-- Answered by God's word alone.
4:28-30-- In rage, the hometown synagogue attempts to throw Jesus over a cliff (before stoning?)
Response—Jesus passes through the crowd without harm
5:16-- Having to run away to pray
Response—Jesus does what he can to pray
5:21-- Accused of speaking blasphemies
5:30-- Grumbling at him
6:1-2-- Opposition because the disciples do not follow the traditions
Response-- Examples from God's word
6:6-10-- Looking closely in order to judge Jesus for healing on the Sabbath
Response-- Statement on principle of benevolance; healing a man-- the very act which they wish to judge him for
6:11-- Anger at Jesus, discussions to his detriment;
6:12-- Whole night in prayer
6:18-- The sick and the demon possessed
Response-- Jesus healed them
6:20-- The poor
Response--Receiving from God his kingdom
6:21-- The hungry
Response-- God will satisfy you
6:21-- The mourning
Response-- God will cause you not to weep
6:22-- Those who are persecuted-- hated, ostracized, insulted, scorned as evil for the sake of Jesus
Response-- Rejoice; God will give you reward
6:35 (implicit in earlier verses) Not receiving what is your due, not receiving justice
Response-- God will give you a great reward
6:37-- Not doing judging
Response-- you will not be judged
6:39-- A false teacher leads others into hell-- because he makes them like him
Response-- Follow Jesus, do what he says
7:2ff-- Centurions slave is fatally ill
Response-- Jesus heals
7:11ff-- Widow has lost her son
Response-- Jesus heals son
7:19-- Questioned by John
Response-- Reassures John with showing the fulfillment of Scripture
7:33-- John is accused of having a demon
7:34-- Jesus accused of being a glutton and a friend of sinners
7:45-46-- Jesus did not receive the respect that was his due
Response-- he receives it from a sinner
7:37-38-- Woman shames herself in public because of her sin
Response-- She is forgiven
7:49-50-- Jesus' ability to forgive sins questioned
Response-- Jesus continues to forgive sins
8:13-- Those who hear the gospel and suffer testing from it, they fall away
8:23-24-- Danger because of a storm
Response-- Fear; Jesus rebukes the fear and the storm
8:28ff-- Demon-possessed man
Response-- Jesus rebukes demons and commands them to go to herd of pigs.
8:37-- Jesus asked to leave because he healed demoniac
Response-- Jesus left
8:41ff-- Jairus' daughter sick and dead
Response-- Jesus heals
8:43ff-- Woman is bleeding for 12 years
Response-- She reaches out for healing and is healed
9:3ff-- Missionaries dependant on God to provide needs
Response-- Community that believes will provide
9:9-- John beheaded by Herod
9:10ff-- A rest with the disciples turns into teaching and healing and feeding
Response-- Do the ministry
9:22-- Jesus will suffer and be rejected by the authorities, killed
9:23-25--All who follow Jesus must suffer for him; they will lose their life, they will do things that might shame them
Response-- they will gain life for eternity
9:44- Jesus will be given over to the hands of men
9:48-- Not seeking out the greater position, but being least
Response-- That one will be great
9:51-- Jesus determined to go to Jerusalem in order to suffer
9:56-- Jesus didn’t come to punish but to deliver from punishment
9:57-58-- Jesus does not have a place to rest
9:59-60-- Commitment to Jesus requires the loss of social obligation
9:61-62-- Commitment to Jesus requires no looking back
10:3ff-- Emphasis on the opposition to the activity to prepare towns for Jesus
10:4-- Carry nothing in preparation for mission work
10:10--Cities rejecting the gospel; not listening to apostles
Response: wipe dust of feet off in protest
10:17-- Disciples seeing demonized
Response-- commanding demons to go
10:29ff-- Loss of resouces for loving another
11:4-- Pray to not lead into testing, pray for daily bread
11:39ff-- Jesus insults and rebukes Pharisees and Scribes (causing suffering?)
11:53-54-- Scribes and Pharisees questioned Jesus, trying to catch him in what he says.
Response-- Jesus warns against the Pharisees
12:4ff-- Some will try to kill you
Response-- Don't be afraid of those who can only kill the body; confess Jesus
12:11-12-- You will be brought before religious authorities
Response-- Don't worry about what to say
12:21ff—Don’t store up treasure for yourself
Response-- Don't worry about your food, clothing
12:33-- Jesus demands us to Sell possessions
Response-- Give to poor, receive kingdom
12:49-53-- Jesus casts a fire on earth, which causes suffering and division
12:50-- Jesus has suffering to undergo himself
13:1-5-- Blood is mixed with sacrifices; tower fell on some; perishing for all who do not repent
Response: Repent and you will not perish
13:11ff-- Woman who had a sickness caused by a spirit for 18 years
Response-- Jesus heals
13:14-- Synagogue official opposes Jesus' healing
Response-- Jesus rebukes hypocrites who offer aid to their animals, but not a child of Abraham
13:33-34-- Prophets and apostles killed and stoned by those in Jerusalem
Response-- Jerusalem will be judged until they turn to the Messiah
14:1ff-- Man with dropsy
Response-- Jesus healed him
14:8ff-- Humiliation at being forced to take the last place
Response-- Take the humble place and you will be exalted.
14:13-- the poor, lame, crippled
Response-- invite them to your feasts
14:21ff-- poor, lame, crippled, strangers
Response--invite them to the kingdom
14:26ff-- Anyone who follows Jesus must hate their father, mother, wife children, brothers and sisters and their own life; they must carry their own cross; they must give up all their own possessions
Response-- consider the cost before you decide to follow Jesus
15:1ff-- Lost sheep, lost coin
Response-- one will find them and God will rejoice when they are found
15:14ff-- Prodigal son is starving and impoverished
Response--Son repents, father accepts him back home
15:28-- Son rejects father and prodigal son
Response--If he repents and rejoices, he will join the father
16:1ff-- Manager is about to lose his job
Response-- he gets rid of money in order to have security
16:16-- ?
16:19ff-- Lazarus, the poor man, was suffering while the rich man did nothing about it
Response-- Angels took the poor man to Abraham's bosom, while the rich man was punished in flames
16:23ff-- Rich man in torment in Hades; his brothers are on earth, heading to Hades
Response-- It is just for him to suffer because on earth he had comfort and didn’t help Lazarus; his brothers should read the law and the prophets
17:1-2-- Future suffering if you cause a little one to stumble
17:12ff-- ten leprous men
Response-- Jesus heals, one returns in gratitude and he is saved by his faith
17:25-- The son of man must suffer and be rejected by his generation
Response-- Judgment will destroy all rejecters
17:30ff-- On the day the Son of Man is revealed, run and take nothing with you-- like with Sodom
17:32-- Whoever seeks the things of their life will lose them; whoever loses the things of his life will save his life
18:7-8-- those who are seeking justice
Response-- cry continually to God and God will respond quickly
18:22ff-- Wealthy man told to sell possessions and give to the poor
Response-- became sad
18:28-- Disciples left homes; others left family for the sake of the kingdom
Response-- they will have many times as much in this kingdom and in the one to come, eternal life
18:31ff-- Jesus will be handed to Gentiles, mocked, mistreated, spit upon, scourged, killed
Response-- God will raise him up
18:35ff-- Blind man, begging for mercy
Response-- Jesus heals him
19:2ff-- Jesus condemned because he goes to the house of a sinner, Zacchaeus
Response-- Zacchaeus says that he gives to the poor, Jesus accepts him
19:12ff-- Citizens hated nobleman
Response-- when he returns, he has them killed
19:41ff-- Jerusalem will suffer many things
Response-- Jesus weeps
20:1ff-- confronted by religious leaders about his authority
Response-- Jesus refuses to answer unless they state clearly of their spiritual condition. Then he openly speaks of their rejection by God.
20:19-- Tried to take him away
20:20ff-- Spies are sent to trip Jesus up in his words
Response-- Jesus answers with wisdom, exposing their deceit; they are unable to catch him in contradition
20:27ff-- Saducees give him a trick question
Response-- Jesus exposes the weakness in the question and gets to the heart of the issue
21:12-19-- In the last days of the temple, many will persecute the disciples-- arresting them, bringing them before rulers; they will be betrayed by family members and some will be put to death and they will be hated by all because of Jesus.
Response: Dont prepare what you say ahead of time, for it will be given you; Endure in Christ, God will protect you
21:20ff-- Devestation of Jerusalem, woes to pregnant and mothers
21:34ff-- Suffering on those in the worries of this life when the end comes
Response-- Be on guard for the day; pray for strength
22:3ff-- Judas betrays Jesus to the chief priests and officers; he looks for an opportunity to hand Jesus over
Response (21ff)-- Jesus announces that he will be betrayed but does not reveal who it is.
22:19-- Jesus will sacrifice his body and blood
Response-- he does it for the disciples; they are to do this act in memorial
22:28-- The disciples stood by Jesus through his trials
Response-- The Father will grant the disciples places in the kingdom
22:31-- Satan has asked to sift Peter
Response-- Jesus prayed that Peter's faith wouldn't fail; once he returned, he is to strengthen his brothers
22:33-- Peter is ready to go to prison and death for Jesus
Response: Jesus says that Peter will deny him.
22:39ff-- The time of testing is coming
Response: Jesus prays and tells his disciples to pray.
22:42ff-- Jesus prays that the suffering is taken from him,
Response-- he is refused, but strengthened. He steels himself up.
22:47-- Jesus is betrayed and arrested
Response-- Jesus tells the diciples not to use the sword; Jesus asks the arresters why they did not come to the temple.
22:56ff-- Peter is repeatedly accused of being with Jesus
Response-- Peter denies he knows Jesus
22:63-- Jesus is mocked and beaten, blazshemed against
22:66-- Jesus is put on trial
Response: he speaks only the simple truth
23:1-- Jesus is brought before a gentile ruler and accused falsely
23:5, 10-- Accused
23:8-11-- Herod questions him then treats him with contempt and mocks him
Response-- Jesus is silent
23:13ff-- Pilate finds him innocent, so he punishes him and says he will release him
23:18-- The people want a murderer released, not Jesus
23:20ff-- Pilate wants to release Jesus, but the crowd insists that Jesus be crucified
23:24-25-- Pilate agrees to the crowds demands
23:26-- Simon of Cyrene is picked to carry Jesus' cross.
23:27ff-- They are led to be crucified and women follow them, weeping
Response: Jesus tells the women to weep for themselves, for the days will be evil to come.
23:33-- Jesus is crucified with criminals
Response-- Jesus asks that they would be forgiven
23:35-37-- Jesus is mocked by rulers and the soldiers and one of the criminals
Response-- the other criminal rebukes the mocking one, claiming that Jesus did nothing wrong. Jesus says that the criminal will be with Jesus in paradise.
23-- Jesus suffering and being crucified
REsponse-- God causes darkness to come upon the land and the temple veil is torn in two; a soldier states that Jesus is innocent and the crowd is grieving
24:7-- Jesus said he would be delivered into the hands of sinful men, crucified and God would raise him.
24:26-- It was necessary for the Christ to suffer
24:46-- It is written that the Christ would suffer and rise again on the third day

Acts

1:18-- Judas fell in the land he bought and died
Response-- Let Judas' place be desolate; let another take his place
2:13-- The disciples are mocked and called drunk
Response-- Peter defends them
2:23-24-- Jesus is nailed to a cross by godless men and put to death
Response-- God ends his agony of death
3:2ff-- A man lame from birth
Response-- Peter and John heal him in Jesus' name
4:1ff-- Peter and JOhn are arrested and placed in jail overnight for their speech
4:5ff-- Peter and John put on trial and asked-- by what authority do you do this?
Response: Peter and John proclaim Jesus
4:17ff-- Rulers threaten Peter and John and tell them not to speak of Jesus
Response-- they refuse
4:23ff-- They are put on trial by the religious leaders
Response-- They pray for boldness and continuing healing. God grants them the Spirit
4:34-- All the owners of land or houses would sell them and bring the money to the apostles where it would be given to the poor
5:1ff-- Ananias and Saphira killed by God for withholding money in land they had sold
5:13-- People refused to associate with the apostles, but still held them in esteem
5:17ff-- the high priest were jealous of the apostles and had them thrown in jail
Response: An angel released them from jail and told them to speak about Life
5:26-- The apostles are brought back to jail and questioned by the High Priest
Response-- Peter accuses them of killing Jesus, who was innocent and says that Jesus will forgive the sins of Israel
5:33-- It is the intention of the high priest to kill them
Response-- Gamaliel urges patience
5:40-- The apostles are flogged and told not to speak about Jesus
Response-- The apostles rejoice that they had suffered and they preached Jesus.
6:11ff-- Stephen accused of blasphemy-- false witnesses and he was taken to the council and questioned
Response--Stephen defends himself saying that the Temple is man-made and this generation is deserving to be destroyed
7:52-- The elders of Israel have persecuted all the prophets of God throughout Israel's history. Killed all of them and now betrayed and murdered the Righteous One
Response-- They gnashed their teeth
7:57-60-- After Stephen's spech, those at the temple covered their ears, rushed at him, drove him out of the city and stoned him.
Response-- Stephen asks God for their forgiveness
8:1ff-- Great persecution against the church; they are scattered; they are arrested in their houses and put in prison.
Response-- the church shares the gospel outside of Jerusalem
9:1ff-- Saul threatens and speaks murder against the disciples, and he is allowed to bring any disciples found in Damascus bound to Jerusalem
Response-- Jesus shows himself in a vision to Saul; He says, "Why are you persecuting me?"
9:11ff-- Ananias is told to go to the house of the persecutor to heal him
Response-- Ananias goes
9:29-- Helenistic Jews attempt to kill Saul for speaking of Jesus
Response-- the disciples sent him away to Tarsus
9:33ff-- Aeneas is bedridden for eight years
Response-- Peter heals him
9:36ff-- Tabitha dies
Response-- She is risen from the dead
11:27ff-- Famine around the world
Response-- Any disciple that had means, each of them determined to send a contribution to the relief of the church in Judea
12:1-- Herod arrested some of the church and had James killed and had Peter arrested
Response-- Prayer by those in the church, angel released Peter and the Peter went to another place.
12:18ff-- Herod searched for peter and killed the guards who had allowed him to escape
Response-- Herod killed in Tyre
13:8ff-- Elymas opposes Paul and Baranbas, attempting to keep an authority from the faith
Response--Paul declares the magician blind
13:45-47-- Jews saw the crowds around P and B and they contradicted their speech and were blaspheming
Response-- P and B turn to the Gentiles
13:50ff-- The Jews incited some leaders of the city to begin a persecution against P and B and they were driven out
Response-- P and B shook the dust of their feet off
14:2ff-- Jews who disbelieved embittered Gentiles against the brothers; finally, a group of Jews and Gentiles and authorities attempted to stone them
Response--P and B fled
14:19ff-- Jews from Antioch stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city
Response-- Paul got up and left the city the next day
14:22-- We must enter the kingdom of God through many tribulations (prob--like those that Christ suffered)
16:19ff-- Paul and Silas are takent to court, as Jews, because of casting out a demon from a girl; They are beaten; thrown into prison
Response--Singing hymns of God; An earthquake set them free;
17:5ff-- The Jews formed a mob and attacked the house of Jason, where P and S were staying, and took him to the authorities
Response-- Jason gave a pledge to the authorities and the disciples sent Paul and Silas to Berea
17:13-14-- Jews of Thessalonica stir up crowds against P and S
Response-- The brothers send Paul away to the sea
18:6--Jews resisted the gospel of Jesus and blasphemed
Response-- Paul goes to the gentiles; God tells Paul not to be afraid, but to keep speaking
18:12ff-- the Jews take Paul to the judgment seat; Sosthenes is beaten in front of the judgment seat
Response-- the Governor drives them away; Paul leaves after a few days
19:8ff-- Those in the synagogue were hardened to the gospel and they spoke evil of the Way publically
Response-- Paul withdrew from them
19:24ff-- A gentile assembly arose in opposition to the believers
Response-- The town clerk settles them down and sends them home
20:9f-- A young man falls from a third floor, listening to Paul and dies
Response-- Paul heals him
20:19-- Paul speaks the gospel with all tears and trials and humility
20:22ff-- Paul will face bonds and afflictions in Jerusalem, but he is willing to face them for Jesus
20:29f-- Savage wolves will spearate the flock, false prophets will arise--
Response-- be alert; hold to the gospel
20:34-- Paul supplied his own needs through his work, coveting no one's money or clothing
21:11-- Paul will be bound and delivered to the Gentiles by the Jews at Jerusalem
Response-- Paul was ready to be bound, even die for the name of Jesus
21:27ff-- The Jews in the temple laid hands on Paul because they thought he had brought a Gentile in the temple; he was dragged out of the temple, beaten; he was chained; after he spoke he was threatened
Response-- Paul tried to reason with the Jews, to no avail
22:24ff-- Paul is about to be scorged
Response-- He tells them he is a citizen and they do not treat him that way
22:29ff-- The Jews accuse him and he speaks before the council and cheif priests; the high priest commands him to be struck
Response-- Paul rebukes the high priest, then retracts it when he finds out who he is. In the midst of the trial, Paul says he is on trial because of the resurrection of the dead and the council is thrown in disarray
23:10f-- Paul is taken back to the barracks
Response-- the Lord stood by paul and encouraged him
23:12-- Some Jews make a vow to kill Paul and involved the cheif priests and council to be involved in it.
Response-- the plot is reported to Paul who had the Roman commander-- Paul is taken to Caesarea

What is or was the Church?

2006-08-07T20:48:00.000-07:00

Ekklesia= assembly; e.g. "the assembly of Israel"; Implies a distinct community that has members, which is not open to those who flaunt rebellion against the Lord.
Koinonia=partnership/community; Used in connotation with business partnerships; a sharing/partnership with each other as a community of believers and with God and the Holy Spirit.
It is world-wide
It is a community of people
It is a people who shares with one another—share joy, peace, Holy Spirit, gifts from God, resources.
It is separate from those who are outside of God, whether they claim to be of God or not.
It can be distinguished by geographic area: "The Assembly at Antioch" "The Assembly of Judea, Samaria and Galilee" "The Assembly of Anawim in Gresham"
What a church is:
Synagoug—assembly in OT; used specifically of the gatherings of the non-Christian Jews throughout the NT, but once used of a Christian assembly—James 2

Primarily a social unit, reflective of the cultural expectations of the religious people who set them up. Speakers, readings, propriety, etc.

I Cor 14—Not speaking of order for the sake of propriety—for the sake of communicating that this is "religious"; rather, the concern is what was expressed in ch 13—that the ekklesia would be built up, that all would be done for the purpose of building the kingdom of God, of loving the brothers and sisters in the church at large, not just the one gathering.

What was the early church?
It is neither identified with the Jewish synagogue system, nor is it separated from it.
It had gatherings, which was roughly based on synagogue rules, but has distinct charactaristics.
It had great variety from gathering to gathering, but certain principles always remained intact—the teaching of Jesus, the Lord’s supper, the reading of Scriptures, the singing of hymns, baptism as membership entrance, sharing of resources for those in need.
It had a message that was not understood by any of the synagogues, so that it was called "new".
As a whole, the church was not conformed to society, Jewish or otherwise; it was instead trying to create a transformation of society through the Holy Spirit and the life and teaching of Jesus.

Use of Egypt in the OT

2006-06-09T12:02:00.000-07:00

Hebrew word-- Misraim
Son of Ham-- Gen 10:6
Refuge in Famine-- Gen 12
Seen as very fertile-- Gen 13;10
Land from the river of Egypt given to Abrahm-- Gen 15:18
Isaac commanded not to go to Egypt-- Gen 26:2
King of Egypt is Pharaoh-- hebrew word, par'oh
Joseph prevents famine in Egypt and surrounding areas-- Gen 41
God tells Jacob not to be afraid to go to Egypt-- Gen 46:3
Jacob blesses Pharaoh-- Gen 47
Egyptian and Hebrew blood mixed-- Gen 48:5
Israel enslaved in Egypt under new dynasty-- Exodus 1
Pharaoh attempts genocide against Israel
Moses raised in Pharaoh's household-- Ex 2
Yahweh fought war against Pharaoh and Egypt-- Ex 3-12
Yahweh delivered Israelites and destroyed Pharaoh's army-- Ex 14-15
Egypt is a byword for pleanty to eat-- Ex 16:3; Num 11:5, 18; 20:5;
Egypt is a byword for oppression-- Ex 20:2
Israel to remember their oppression in Egypt and not to treat others as they were treated-- Ex 22:20, 23:9; Lev 19:34; Deut 10:19; Deut 24
Egypt seen as a negative ethical example-- Lev 18:3
Main characteristic of God as the one who delivered the Israelites out of Egypt-- Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua 24, Judges; I Sam 10:18; II Sam 7:23; II Kings 17:36; Ps 81:6; Jeremiah 2:6, 16:14, 23:7; Dan 9:15; Amos 2:10, 3:1; Micah 6:4;
God bought Israel from Egypt, so they are not to treat their brothers as slaves-- Lev 25
Yahweh judged the Egyptian gods during the plagues-- Numbers 33:4
Battle against Egypt is seen as example of how Yahweh will fight for Israel in the future-- Deut 1:30
Because the Israelites were forced workers in Egypt, God commands them to take one day off of seven-- Deut 5:15
Egyptian slavery and deliverance is to be remembered and passed on from generation to generation-- Deut 6, 7:18
The new land will be more fertile than Egypt-- Deut 11
Egypt is a source of military might-- Deut 17:16; II Kings 18:24; Isa 31
When Israel is disobedient, the plagues of Egypt will visit them-- Deut 28:27, 60
When Israel is disobedient, they will return to Egypt-- Deut 28:68
Israel's border is the "brook" of Egypt to the Sea-- Josh 15:47
Retelling of Exodus story-- Joshua 24:4-7; I Sam 12:6-8; Neh 9; Ps 78; Ps 105; Ps 106; Ps 135:9-9; Ps 136:10-11; Jer 32:20-21
Pharaoh and Egyptians as example of stubbron rebellion- I Sam 6:6
Solomon's wisdom surpassed the wisdom of Egypt-- I Kings 5:10
Deliverance from Egypt seen as part of Yahweh's name, even when applied to idols-- I Kings 12:28; Exodus 32
Egypt fought agianst Jerusalem-- I Kings 14:25; II Chron 12
Egyptian kings can be hired to fight for other nations-- II Kings 7:6
Egypt's military support is like a crushed reed-- if you lean on it, you yourself will be harmed-- II Kings 18:21; Isa 36:6; Ez 29:6
Pharaoh killed Josiah when he opposed him and replaced him with his son-- II Kings 23:29, 34
The rulers of Israel ran to Egypt to escape the Chaldeans-- II Kings 25:26
Solomon's military might came from Egypt-- II Chron 1:16-17; 9:28
"When they came out of Egypt" used as a time marker
Egypt will worship God-- Ps 68:32
Chaldeans seen as like Egypt-- Isa 10:24-26
Yahweh will collect his people from Egypt-- Isa 11:11
Isa 11:15, 27:12; -- Yahweh will destroy the waters of Egypt
Judgement against Egypt-- Isa 19, Egypt will give their allegiance to Israel and Yahweh; Egypt will cry out to Yahweh due to their oppressors and Yahweh will deliver them
Israel is not to seek Egypt for military aid-- Isa 30, 31, 36
The Egypt of military might is to be humiliated and destroyed, the Egypt that seeks Yahweh will be exalted-- Isa 19, 30,
Israel that depends on Egypt will be humiliated, Israel that depends on Yahweh will be exalted-- Isa 31
Egypt is the price paid for Israel's deliverance-- Isa 43:3
Eschatalogical promise-- the wealth of Egypt will be given to Israel-- Isa 45:14
Going to Egypt to worship their gods is an aboimination-- Jer 2
All the nations are uncircumcised-- Jer 9:26
Pharaoh's assistance with military might will come to nothing-- Jer 37:7
Those who go to Egypt for safety will perish there-- Jer 42-44
Egyptian temples will be destroyed-- Jer 43:12f
Israel burned sacrifices to Egyptian gods-- Jer 44:8
Egypt will be destroyed-- Jer 46
Israel "played the harlot" with Egyptians (idolatry, depended on military strength?)-- Eze 16:26; 23
Yahweh delivered Israel from Egypt, but they did not forsake the idols of Egypt-- Eze 20:7ff
Yahweh against Pharaoh who declared himself a god; Yahweh will cause Egypt to be desolate-- Ez 29:3ff, 30, 32
Yahweh will cause all production of idols to cease in Egypt-- Eze 30
The Egyptians will be scattered throughout the lands-- Ez 30:23
Daniel 11-- King of Egypt (Ptolomy)
Hos 7:11-- Ephraim seeks out Egypt
Hos 8:13; 9:3-6-- Israel will return to Egypt
They will not return to Egypt, but Assyria-- Hos11:5
They will return from both Egypt and Assyria--Hos 11:11; Zech 10:10
Egypt will be destroyed for the violence they did against Judah-- Joel 3:19
Seas of Egypt will dry up-- Zech 10:11
Egypt will celebrate Israel's feasts-- Zech 14:18-19

Isaiah 52:12-53:13-- A Preliminary Commentary

2006-05-12T15:51:00.000-07:00

New American Standard Text
Behold, My servant will prosper, He will be high and lifted up and greatly exalted. Just as many were astonished at you, My people, So His appearance was marred more than any man And His form more than the sons of men. Thus He will sprinkle many nations, Kings will shut their mouths on account of Him; For what had not been told them they will see, And what they had not heard they will understand.
Who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, And like a root out of parched ground; He has no stately form or majesty That we should look upon Him, Nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him. He was despised and forsaken of men, A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; And like one from whom men hide their face He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted.
But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed. All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him. He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He did not open His mouth; Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, So He did not open His mouth. By oppression and judgment He was taken away; And as for His generation, who considered That He was cut off out of the land of the living For the transgression of my people, to whom the stroke was due? His grave was assigned with wicked men, Yet He was with a rich man in His death, Because He had done no violence, Nor was there any deceit in His mouth.
But the LORD was pleased To crush Him, putting Him to grief; If He would render Himself as a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, And the good pleasure of the LORD will prosper in His hand: "As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see it and be satisfied; By His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many, As He will bear their iniquities. Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great, And He will divide the booty with the strong; Because He poured out Himself to death, And was numbered with the transgressors; Yet He Himself bore the sin of many, And interceded for the transgressors."

Context of the passage
Isaiah 40-55 was written while the nation Judah was in exile in Babylon, under the authority of the Persians. The prophet was speaking the word of Yahweh to those in exile, assuring them that Yahweh had not forgotten them, but would deliver them soon. He was also reminding them not to take part in the foolishness of idolatry. Just before and just after this passage about the servant, the Lord is speaking to Jerusalem, speaking of the city’s glory restored.

Who is the servant?
This is a most difficult question, and one of the earliest exegetical questions ever recorded (Acts 8)—and it is still mostly unresolved. From Isaiah 41:8 to 49:3, the servant in Isaiah is clearly marked as Israel, God’s nation. However, in 49:5 there is a clear shift. The prophet himself begins to speak of himself as God’s servant, and that he is sent to Israel. This perspective probably continues through 50:10. But in our passage, there is another clear shift. The prophet is not the servant anymore, but is an onlooker, observing what is happening to the servant. And the prophet includes himself in those who have "strayed away", unlike the servant. While it is possible that the servant could be Israel again, it is unlikely, for the prophet seems to be speaking from the perspective of Israel in general. To add to the confusion, the prophet’s speech in 50:5-10 sound much like the circumstance here in 52 and 53. I would say that it is one of two possibilities: Either the servant in 52/53 is an anonymous righteous man known to the prophet; or another person wrote this passage about the prophet that had been writing up until this point about the prophet that wrote from 49:5 to at least 50:10. If we accept the possibility that Isaiah was a collection of a school of prophets instead of two or three authors, then the final option is quite possible.

Rejection of the servant
One of the major themes of 52/53 is that the servant was rejected. He was unattractive, even to the prophet, and so he was dishonored by all. This unattractiveness could be a physical problem, such as being lame or having a skin condition. Whatever his problem, but there was something about him that was shameful, unseemly. It was assumed that he was punished by God and so no one would even look at him.

Persecution of the servant
But the servant was not just rejected, but persecuted as well. He was "crushed", scourged, afflicted and oppressed. He was killed and buried with the wicked, "cut off" from his people. This is the rejection of the criminal, the rebel, the one who does harm to the people at large. He was called a "transgressor." At the same time, this is clearly an issue of persecution, for he had not participated in false witness, nor done any violence—two possible reasons for the death penalty. He was innocent of wrongdoing.

Who persecuted the servant?
At first glance, it would look as if the only answer to this question is God, Yahweh himself. The servant, it says, was "stricken" by God and that God took pleasure in his crushing. However, it does not say that God took pleasure in his suffering, but in his willing offering of himself as a sacrifice for the sake of others. The terms that are used are clearly speaking of the death penalty being used on the servant. In the captivity context of the Israelite people, this persecution could only have been legally administered by the Gentile authorities. So why do they mention that God had punished him? Because the Persian authorities had God’s stamp of approval to discipline and punish the people. The Israelites were handed over to the authority of the Babylonians, and then to the authority of the Persians. To be punished by the proper authorities is to be receiving God’s punishment. This does not mean that God himself was angry at the servant, but rather that the representatives of God’s discipline was calling down God’s wrath which they had authority to wield.

Sins of the people
The people, meaning the Israelites, including the prophet, had sinned and this sin led to the persecution of the servant. It might be possible, but it is unlikely that it is the sins of idolatry and injustice that sent Judea into the hands of the Babylonians in the first place. It could be that they had sinned in not defending the servant from the authorities. Another possibility is that the authorities gave a command in opposition to the laws of Yahweh, and the servant alone refused to obey that law, but remained innocent before Yahweh (such as in Daniel 3). This would single out the servant among his people, allowing him to suffer punishment by the ruling authorities due to the fact that they all had sinned. However, the specific sin and how this connects with the persecution of the servant has too many possibilities to be known.

Sacrifice of the Servant
Is this describing "substitutionary atonement" as described by Anselm and the early reformers? In all probability, not. While there is a statement that the servant was punished "for" the people’s sin, the relationship is probably causal. Sacrificial language is used ("sprinkle" "guilt offering"), but no form of identification or penal replacement is indicated. In fact, penal substitution is declared illegal in Ezekiel 18, an exile text written before this one.
The significance of the sacrificial language is often misunderstood. Sacrifice is a simple gift to God, given to create a continuing relationship. The servant, in this case, is offering himself—possibly by his obedience. This punishment shames the people, for they knew that they should have died. This causes them to repent. God, in this case, would be ready to accept the death of the servant as a free will offering, for God's honor, and the repentance of the people from their sins due to the death of the servant as sufficient discipline. No more discipline of the people's sins are required.

Sprinkling of the gentiles
Sprinkling was a common ritual, used to make the unclean pure and those unacceptable to God welcome to enter God’s presence. Thus, the servant’s actions and rulership make it possible for Gentiles to be a part of God’s people. While Gentiles are welcome to worship Yahweh in the OT, the concept of them being acceptable to be in the presence of Yahweh is unique in the OT. It is not described in this passage how this sprinkling is done for the Gentiles, unless it is simply through the rulership of the Servant. The substitution aspect is for the people of the servant, not the gentiles.

Reward of the servant
Because of the Servant’s willing sacrifice, Yahweh, the ultimate authority over all the earth, will give the servant authority over the people of God. It is not described how the servant would be given authority, since he already suffered the death penalty. The word "raised" in later times would mean resurrection from the dead—however, there is no clear indication that resurrection is a conceptual possibility at the end of the fourth century BC. It is possible that one might survive the death penalty by the power of Yahweh, such as in Daniel 3 and 5, but since Yahweh’s deliverance is not mentioned, it doesn’t seem to be the strongest possibility. All we really have is the vindication of the servant—a reversal of the original declaration of guilt by a higher court—and his rule over God’s people. The other aspect of reward is having children, which is another aspect of Yahweh’s blessing, which also requires a living body, unless the children in mind are adopted.

Pattern of redemption
a. The people are disciplined by Yahweh.
b. Yahweh promises them redemption from slavery.
c. God chooses an unlikely, dishonored redeemer.
d. The redeemer is given the death penalty by authorities because of the sins of God’s people.
e. Yahweh accepts the death of the servant and repentance of the people as sufficient discipline/punishment.
f. Yahweh restores the people to their kingdom.
g. The servant is raised to be the leader of God’s people.
h. Gentiles are received as part of God’s kingdom.

A Summary of Jesus' Parables

2006-04-19T23:20:00.000-07:00

Basic Discipleship/True Faith
1. Wise and Foolish builders—Matt. 7:24-27; Luke 6:47-49
The one who gains God’s approval at the day of judgement is the one who hears and does Jesus’ words.
2. Building a tower—Luke 14:28-30
Take care to finish the sacrifices Jesus’ requires if you begin to follow him.
3. The two sons—Matt. 21:28-32
The one who is faithful to God is not the one who says they will obey, but the one who does obey.
4. Talents/Pounds—Matthew 25:14-30; Luke 19:12-27
The servant of Jesus must take what Jesus gives him and do work with it, or he will be judged.
5. The Slave’s Duty—Luke 17:7-10
The servant of God/Jesus does not look for a reprieve, but keeps working.
6. The Sower—Mark 4:3-8,13-20; Matt. 13:3-8, 18-23; Luke 8:5-8, 11-15
The word of God is spread to many different kinds of people—some believing, some not.
The word of God only is fully accepted and enduring among a few from all who listen.
Unbelief, testing and concern for this world will destroy the work of the word.
7. Treasure in the Field—Matt. 13:44
A person must sacrifice much to gain the joy of the kingdom
8. Pearl of Great Price—Matt. 13:45-46
A person must sacrifice much to gain the joy of the kingdom.
Various Ethical Issues
9. Trees and Fruit— Matt. 7:17-20; Matt. 12:33-34; Luke 6:43-45
You know if a person is good or bad by their actions and words. A person’s actions and words come from who they are inside.
10. Unforgiving Slave—Matt. 18:23-35
Whoever does not forgive the one who sins against them will not be forgiven by God.
11. Good Samaritan—Luke 10:25-37
Show mercy to everyone who has need, no matter who they are.
12. Pharisee and Tax Collector—Luke 18:10-14
Repentance makes one righteous; lack of repentance is lack of righteousness.
13. Speck/Beam in Eye—Matt 7:3-5; Luke 6:41-42
Do not judge other’s sins without first repenting of your own sin.
Parables on Wealth
14. Rich Fool—Luke 12:16-21
The one who focuses on wealth in the present life is not ready for the judgement.
15. Rich man and Lazarus—Luke 16:19-31
Greedy people with no concern for the poor will suffer after they die
Poor people will be comforted after they die
Moses clearly speaks to Jews what they should do with their wealth
16. King going to war—Luke 14:31-33
To prepare for judgement, we should surrender our wealth to God’s purposes.
17. Unjust steward—Luke 16:1-8
The disciple of Jesus should use wealth for the sake of needy righteous people so those righteous people will prepare a place for you in the kingdom.
Parables on Prayer
18. The friend at midnight—Luke 11:5-8
Be persistent in your request to God.
19. A Father’s good gifts—Matt. 7:9-11; Luke 11:11-13
God will grant any request that is good for his children.
20. The Unjust judge—Luke 18:1-8
The disciple needs to be persistant in his request to God and God will answer
Kingdom Parables
21. The Sower—Mark 4:3-8,13-20; Matt. 13:3-8, 18-23; Luke 8:5-8, 11-15
The word of God is spread to many different kinds of people—some believing, some not.
The word of God only is fully accepted and enduring among a few from all who listen.
Unbelief, testing and concern for this world will destroy the work of the word.
22. Seed Growing—Mark 4:26-29
The approach of the kingdom of God is unknown-- both the means of it happening and the timing--, but when it comes, action is necessary.
23. Mustard Seed—Mark 4:30-32; Matthew 13:31-32; Luke 13:18-19
The kingdom of God begins as insignificant, but in the end it will control all the nations of the world.
24. Leaven—Matt. 13:33; Luke 13:20-21
The kingdom of God is small but it becomes pervasive over time.
25. Treasure in the Field—Matt. 13:44
Once one discovers the reality of the kingdom, great sacrifice is necessary to gain it.
26. Pearl of Great Price—Matt. 13:45-46
Once one discovers the reality of the kingdom, great sacrifice is necessary to gain it.
28. The Weeds and the Wheat—Matt. 13:24-30, 37-43
At the judgement, those who do good and bad will be separated by the angels.
Until then, the good and bad will live together.
God intended the world to be filled with good people.
Satan caused people to do bad actions.
At the end, the good people will live with God in the kingdom
At the end, the bad people will be punished eternally
29. The Dragnet—Matt. 13:47-50
At the judgment, those who do good and bad will be separated by the angels.
At the end, the good people will live with God in the kingdom.
At the end, the bad people will be punished eternally
Parables of Jesus’ Ministry
30. Doctor healing the sick—Mark 2
A minister of repentance needs to speak and associate with those who need repentance.
31. Lost Sheep—Matt. 18:12-14; Luke 15:4-7
A leader of God’s people will leave the many who are doing well to bring back one who has fallen away. And when the fallen away return, there is great rejoicing.
32. Lost coin—Luke 15:8-10
A master of God’s people will leave the many who remain to bring back one who has fallen away. And then the fallen away return, there is great rejoicing.
33. Prodigal son—Luke 15:11-32
Some of God’s people will rebel and fall away
Some of those who fall away come to their senses and come back.
God accepts a repentant one back as if it were a resurrection.
Some who have not fallen away do not accept the repentant
God expects the repentant to be accepted by all of his people
Those who do not accept the repentant are outside the kingdom
34. Children in the marketplace—Matt. 11:16-19; Luke 7:31-35
The leaders of the Jews liked neither Jesus nor John for seeming arbitrary reasons.
35. Two debtors—Luke 7:41-43
The one whom God has forgiven more, displays more devotion
36. Banquet/Wedding feast—Luke 14:16-24; Matt. 22:1-14
God’s kingdom comes for the Jewish leaders
The Jewish leaders rejected the kingdom of God when it came
The Jewish leaders will not enter the kingdom
God’s kingdom is now offered to the Jewish outcasts and the Gentiles
Those who do not have righteous practices will not enter God’s kingdom
37. Wicked Tenants—Mark 12:1-12; Matt. 21:33-46; Luke 20:9-19
The Jewish leaders were in rebellion against God.
The prophets God sent to correct them were ignored, beaten and killed.
God sent Jesus—his Son— to correct them
They killed Jesus
God would then punish the Jewish leaders, cast them out of his kingdom
God will hand the leadership of his kingdom to other leaders.
38. Workers in the vineyard—Matt. 20:1-16
God is generous enough to grant those who have fallen away and who repent an equal opportunity for reward as those who have never fallen away.
God rebukes those who have not fallen away who complain about this arrangement.
39. Strong man—Mark 3:22-27; Matt. 12:29-30; Luke 11:21-23
Satan must be attacked and overcome in order to gain those enslaved by him.
Day of Judgement Parables
40. The Barren Fig Tree—Luke 13:6-9
God will grant his people another space of time to act in righteousness before he judges them.
The Weeds and the Wheat—Matt. 13:24-30, 37-43
At the judgement, those who do good and bad will be separated by the angels.
Until then, the good and bad will live together.
God intended the world to be filled with good people.
Satan caused people to do bad actions.
At the end, the good people will live with God in the kingdom
At the end, the bad people will be punished eternally
The Dragnet—Matt. 13:47-50
At the judgment, those who do good and bad will be separated by the angels.
At the end, the good people will live with God in the kingdom.
At the end, the bad people will be punished eternally
King going to war—Luke 14:31-33
To prepare for judgement, we should surrender our wealth to God’s purposes.
41. Budding Fig Tree—Mark 13:28-32; Matt 24:32-36; Luke 21:29-33
You will know that the kingdom of God will be completed when you see the signs.
Disciples and the final day
42. Thief in the Night-- Matthew 24:43; Luke 12:39
No one knows when the kingdom will come, you need to be alert for it.
43. Watchman—Mark 13:34-36; Luke 12:35-38
No one knows when the kingdom will come, you need to be alert for it.
44. Ten Maidens—Matt. 25:1-13
Some disciples will be ready for the Son of Man coming, some will not. Only those disciples who are alert and waiting will enter the kingdom.
45. The Waiting Slaves—Mark 13:34-37; Luke 12:35-38
No one knows when the Son of Man will come, be alert for it at any time.
46. The Faithful and wise slave—Matthew 24:45-51; Luke 12:42-46
The disciple’s Lord is absent
One can be faithful and rewarded on the day of judgement,
or one can take advantage of the master’s absence for selfish motives and be punished on the day of judgement.
The one who knows more of the master’s will is responsible for more.
Talents/Pounds—Matthew 25:143-30; Luke 19:12-27
The disciple’s Lord is absent
The Lord granted all disciples something of worth.
Each disciple is responsible to use what they have of worth for his Lord’s benefit
Those who use what they have for the Lord’s benefit will be commended and given greater responsibility on the day of judgement
Those who fail to use what they have for the Lord’s benefit will be punished on the day of judgement.
The enemies of the Lord will be punished.
The Wise and Foolish Builders—Matt. 7:24; Luke 6:47-49
The one who hears the teaching of Jesus and does it will be rewarded on the day of judgement
The one who hears the teaching of Jesus and does not do it will be punished on the day of judgment.
On Teaching
47. The Blind leading the blind—Matt. 15:14; Luke 6:39
Bad teachers cause destruction to themselves and others.
48. Unshrunk Cloth—Mark 2:21; Matthew 9:16; Luke 5:36
To mix a new teaching with an old practice causes both things to fail.
49. New Wine—Mark 2:22; Matthew 9:17; Luke 5:37-39
To mix a new teaching with an old practice causes both things to fail. And the old will be considered better.
50. Lamp on a stand—Mark 4:21ff; Matt. 5:15-16; Luke 8:16; Luke 11:33
Jesus’ teachings and the practices he offers ought to be displayed, proclaimed.
51. Old and New Treasures—Matthew 13:52
The disciple who has learned from Jesus will have both the old and new teachings to teach.

Foolishness in the OT

2006-04-19T23:09:00.000-07:00

Foolishness--OT
Deut 22:21-- Acting like a harlot in one's father's house
Judges 19:23f--Having sex with a man to disgrace him
I Samuel 25:25-- Reviling his protector
II Sam 13:12-- Having sex with one's sister
Proverbs 5-- Committing adultery
Ecc 2:3-- foolish pleasure--getting drunk?
Ecc 2:12-13-- wanton pleasure?

Foolishness is mentioned as a sin that makes one unclean by Jesus in Mark 7

Psalm 74-- Translation and Commentary

2006-02-19T21:54:00.000-08:00

Psalm 74— NASB
O God, why have You rejected us forever? Why does Your anger smoke against the sheep of Your pasture?
2 Remember Your congregation, which You have purchased of old, Which You have redeemed to be the tribe of Your inheritance; And this Mount Zion, where You have dwelt.
3 Turn Your footsteps toward the perpetual ruins; The enemy has damaged everything within the sanctuary.
4 Your adversaries have roared in the midst of Your meeting place; They have set up their own standards for signs.
5 It seems as if one had lifted up His axe in a forest of trees.
6 And now all its carved work They smash with hatchet and hammers.
7 They have burned Your sanctuary to the ground; They have defiled the dwelling place of Your name.
8 They said in their heart, "Let us completely subdue them." They have burned all the meeting places of God in the land.
9 We do not see our signs; There is no longer any prophet, Nor is there any among us who knows how long.
10 How long, O God, will the adversary revile, And the enemy spurn Your name forever?
11 Why do You withdraw Your hand, even Your right hand? From within Your bosom, destroy them!
12 Yet God is my king from of old, Who works deeds of deliverance in the midst of the earth.
13 You divided the sea by Your strength; You broke the heads of the sea monsters in the waters.
14 You crushed the heads of Leviathan; You gave him as food for the creatures of the wilderness.
15 You broke open springs and torrents; You dried up ever-flowing streams.
16 Yours is the day, Yours also is the night; You have prepared the light and the sun.
17 You have established all the boundaries of the earth; You have made summer and winter.
18 Remember this, O LORD, that the enemy has reviled, And a foolish people has spurned Your name.
19 Do not deliver the soul of Your turtledove to the wild beast; Do not forget the life of Your afflicted forever.
20 Consider the covenant; For the dark places of the land are full of the habitations of violence.
21 Let not the oppressed return dishonored; Let the afflicted and needy praise Your name.
22 Arise, O God, and plead Your own cause; Remember how the foolish man reproaches You all day long.
23 Do not forget the voice of Your adversaries, The uproar of those who rise against You which ascends continually.

Psalm 74— NLT
O God, why have you rejected us forever? Why is your anger so intense against the sheep of your own pasture?
2 Remember that we are the people you chose in ancient times, the tribe you redeemed as your own special possession! And remember Jerusalem, your home here on earth.
3 Walk through the awful ruins of the city; see how the enemy has destroyed your sanctuary.
4 There your enemies shouted their victorious battle cries; there they set up their battle standards.
5 They chopped down the entrance like woodcutters in a forest.
6 With axes and picks, they smashed the carved paneling.
7 They set the sanctuary on fire, burning it to the ground. They utterly defiled the place that bears your holy name.
8 Then they thought, "Let's destroy everything!" So they burned down all the places where God was worshiped.
9 We see no miraculous signs as evidence that you will save us. All the prophets are gone; no one can tell us when it will end.
10 How long, O God, will you allow our enemies to mock you? Will you let them dishonor your name forever?
11 Why do you hold back your strong right hand? Unleash your powerful fist and deliver a deathblow.
12 You, O God, are my king from ages past, bringing salvation to the earth.
13 You split the sea by your strength and smashed the sea monster's heads.
14 You crushed the heads of Leviathan and let the desert animals eat him.
15 You caused the springs and streams to gush forth, and you dried up rivers that never run dry.
16 Both day and night belong to you; you made the starlight and the sun.
17 You set the boundaries of the earth, and you make both summer and winter.
18 See how these enemies scoff at you, LORD. A foolish nation has dishonored your name.
19 Don't let these wild beasts destroy your doves. Don't forget your afflicted people forever.
20 Remember your covenant promises, for the land is full of darkness and violence!
21 Don't let the downtrodden be constantly disgraced! Instead, let these poor and needy ones give praise to your name.
22 Arise, O God, and defend your cause. Remember how these fools insult you all day long.
23 Don't overlook these things your enemies have said. Their uproar of rebellion grows ever louder

Psalm 74—Commentary

The writer of the psalm was of the school of Asaph, who was a famous singer and musician in the day of David. The writer lived through the destruction of Jerusalem and of Yahweh’s temple in 586 BC. This psalmist here is having a frank discussion with God about this event: discussing his shock, remembering God’s accomplishments and insisting that God do something.

Section 1: The destruction of Yahweh’s city (vv. 1-11).
The psalmist is shocked at seeing the destruction of Jerusalem and sits on the ruins of the temple. His greatest shock is that his God, Yahweh, did nothing at the sight of this blasphemy. Yahweh’s temple was shamelessly destroyed and his city ruined. The psalmist can’t believe that Yahweh saw such destruction, and so he is calling God to look at it—"Walk through the destruction! See the ruins!" The destruction was devastating, and it only points out the evil of the enemies who did this. They purposely destroyed everything that was used to glorify Yahweh, to honor him (v.6-8), and they set their own symbols of glory in place of it (v. 4). These enemies were unworthy to even touch the sanctuary, and not only did they touch it, but they destroyed it! And Yahweh stood by and did nothing—this is the most incredible part of the whole thing (v. 11).

Section 2: Yahweh the Ancient Warrior (vv. 12-17).
It is at this point, that the psalmist remembers the most ancient story of all about Yahweh. In times past, the terrible dragon Leviathan, and the monster Yom, (translated "the Sea") rose up to destroy the whole earth. They took control of the earth, Yahweh’s own possession, and covered the earth with water (Genesis 1:2). But Yahweh did not sit aside and allow his enemies to take over his possession—he took decisive action. He split the waters asunder, and he crushed the heads of the dragon (vv. 13-15). And he established new boundaries and borders to control these enemies—he made day and night and the sun to rule the light (v.16). And he caused land to divide the waters and seasons to control the devastation of the waters (v. 17). This is the whole purpose of creation—to control the enemies of Yahweh who seek to bring chaos and destruction on the earth. Genesis 1 actually explores the same themes, but keeps them subdued underneath the descriptions of Yahweh’s power of creation. Yahweh is the powerful warrior who uses creation to defeat his enemies!

Section 3: Cry for Deliverance (vv. 18-23).
Reflecting on this ancient story, the psalmist comes to his conclusion: prayer. Because Yahweh is the divine warrior who destroys his enemies, then the psalmist knows he has the right to call Yahweh to destroy his enemies at this time. He calls Yahweh’s attention to the fact that the enemies of Jerusalem were mocking Yahweh and tearing down his reputation. He asks Yahweh to deliver the people of God, who are now oppressed (vv. 19, 21). And he calls on Yahweh to purify his reputation, and to cause his enemies to be cast down (vv. 18, 22-23).

Jesus' View on Inclusion

2006-01-09T15:24:00.000-08:00

1. Texts on Exclusion
2. Texts on Inclusion
3. Texts on a Mediating View
4. Summary of Jesus' position on Inclusion/Exclusion
5. Basic Jewish position on Inclusion/Exclusion
6. Differences between Jesus and general Jewish viewpoint on inclusion/exclusion

Texts on Exclusion:
Sheep and Goats—hospitality to the reps of the King-- Matt 25:31-46
The church separating some from their own on the basis of sin—Matt 18:15-19
Repent or perish dishonorably—Luke 13:1-5
Do not give the spirit to unbelievers—Matt 7:6
Forgive or you will not be forgiven—Matt 6:14-15; Mark
Rebuke then forgive if they repent—Luke 17:3-4
Jesus eating with sinners to give an opportunity to repent—Mark 2
God rejoicing over repentant—Luke 15
God receiving those who believe the prophet’s message to repent—Matt 11:28-32
Rejection of the Pharisees—Matt 23
Rejection of the scholars of the law—Luke 11:39-52
Rejection of the wealthy/popular—Luke 6:24-26
Rejection of the unbelieving/unrepentant towns—Matt 11:20-24
Membership in community is determined by following God’s will—Mark 3; Matt 12:50
Rejection of the rich who fail to assist the poor—Luke 16
Rejection of those who love/serve money—Luke 16; Matt 6
Rejection of those who love/serve possessions—Luke 12; Matt 6

Texts on Inclusion:
Matthew 7:1-5—Be careful how you judge, you will be judged in the same way, get your own act cleaned up before you judge others.
Forgiving others—Matt 6:14-15; Matt. 18:20-32; Luke 17:
Jesus eating with sinners to give an opportunity to repent—Mark 2
Jesus not rejecting sinners out of hand—Luke 15
Loving those who do harm to you—Matt. 5:42-48; Luke 6

Mediating view texts:
Both "sides" of Jesus’ position on "the line" is represented by every witness of Jesus: Mark, Q, Luke, Matthew. John’s sources does not represent the "mercy" texts quite as openly, clearly limiting his love commands to those who have already accepted Jesus.
There are a number of texts which display a "mediating" position between these two "equal and opposite" positions of Jesus, also found in various sources.
Mark 2—Jesus is eating with the sinners in order to provide an opportunity for them to repent
Luke 15—Jesus is not rejecting sinners out of hand, but going to them so they have another clear chance to repent from their sin and so return to God
Matthew 11—Those who rejected John’s message to repent are rejected by God, but those who accepted repentance, no matter how sinful they are, they are accepted
Luke 17— Forgiveness is offered by the community to the one who repents.
Sermon on the Mount—Those who persecute the community are offered benefits by the community, but they are not offered the spirit (Matthew 5:42-48; 7:6)
Matt 18:15-19—Membership in the community is dependent on repentance from sin

Jesus’ position on inclusion seems to be this:

A. God’s will judge others by whether they obey His word/will
This judgment will take place at the end of the age/ after death
This judgment will condemn those who act against God’s word, including impurity, lack of compassion, oppression, tearing other’s honor down without cause
The judgment will accept those who did act in these ways, but have repented
God, meanwhile, is not judging—except on occasion—but rather providing for everyone, even the most wicked.

B. The minister of God provides opportunity—going to them— for all sinners to repent of their ways
The minister of God does not accept as members of God’s community those who refuse to repent.
The minister of God must accept as members of God’s community those who do repent, no matter what they have done.
The minister of God must do good—provide assistance, as he is able, and pray blessings for—to everyone, without exception.

Jesus’ position is similar to the generally held position of Jewish groups in Jesus’ day in these ways:
-God judges between groups
-God typically judges based on the purity of the groups involved
-God’s judgment is mostly future, but in some ways present
-God’s ministers draw lines between those who are accepted by God and those who are rejected

This position is clearly a distinctive in Jesus’ teaching as opposed to other Jewish teachings available in the first century. The differences seem to be pinpointed in these areas:
-God’s will is not limited to purity issues, but also include issues of compassion. Most Jewish leaders of Jesus’ day excluded issues of compassion from God’s judgment.
-Purity sins include that of idolatry of money and possessions. Most Jewish leaders of Jesus’ day did not view money or possessions as having to do with purity issues.
-Jesus commands second chances for those who have already been rejected by God’s community. Many Jewish leaders of Jesus’ day excluded the sinner once for all, even if they had repented.
-Jesus searched out the sinner to give them opportunity to repent. No Jewish leader sought out the sinner, but avoided their company.

Jesus’ community are to do good to everyone without exclusion, even to those who harm the community. Jewish groups generally taught to at least avoid, if not participate in all out war, against those who persecuted the community.

Significant Incarnation Texts

2006-01-09T15:19:00.000-08:00

Summary of conclusions at bottom of post

John 1:1-5, 9-14--
The Word was a power in the spirit world-- creator of all things in this universe with God, and, frankly was God. It was life and there was no death; it was light (exposure, knowledge), and there was no darkness.
When that power came into the world, it became darkened, unknown, unaccepted by the ones whom he had created. Nevertheless, through this very rejection, some were granted the ability to be sons of God
The well-known, accepted one became an outcast for the sake of allowing some to be children of God. Moral: believe in the Word

II Cor 8:9
Jesus was rich and he sacrificed it to become poor so that through this others might become rich.
Translation: Jesus had much and was granted much honor in the spirit world, which he surrendered to be a poor man and dishonored so that others might have honor before God
Rich=honor, see Rev 3:17
Moral-- give up your wealth to those who are in need

Phil 2:4-11
Jesus was divine, but he emptied himself, becoming human, becoming slave-like, and allowing himself to die a shameful death. So God allowed him to be exalted in the spirit world, above every other power.
Translation: Jesus was honored in the spirit world, gave it up to gain great dishonor and so gained the greatest honor in both universes
Moral-- Christians should not focus on their own honor, but grant honor to others.

John 6:41-42, 51, 57-58
Jesus came from heaven, so that some may partake of his flesh and blood and so live eternally

John 8:42
Jesus came from God and he did not come by his own desire, but God sent him

John 9:39
Jesus came into this world to create reversals-- those who seen to know become ignorant, and those who are ignorant become knowers

John 16:27-28
Jesus came from the spirit world and he is returning to that world again. Moral: Believe that the son came from God.

John 17:8
One of Jesus' significant goals-- to train the disciples in the incarnation

John 18:36-37
Jesus came into this world to become a king, but his kingdom is not of this world, but the spirit world. Jesus came into this world to tell the truth, and to become a kin

Heb 1:3-2:15
Jesus was greater than angels, for he was called a son, and begotten by God; he was to be worshipped by angels; angels are servants, but Jesus was to be served by his enemies. (1:4-14)
Jesus was made lower than angels for a period of time, becoming a human and suffering testing and death. (2:9, 14)
Because of his humanity and death:
-Jesus was granted the place of honor-- the right hand of God (1:3)
-All things were placed under Jesus' rule (2:5-8)
-Jesus allowed many humans to acheive freedom from death by sanctifying them (9, 11, 14)

Col 1:15-22
Jesus was in the spirit world, haivng the fullness of God, the head of the kingdom of God, the beginning of all things, the creator of all things, including all authorities.
Jesus was killed by those authorities as dishonored in order to reconcile all things to God.
Moral-- You have been made right with God through Jesus. No other intermediary?

Pattern of incarnation
Jesus had great honor in the spirit world
He surrendered that honor in order to deliver some from seperation from God
His surrender was a sacrifice of all honor due him
Because of this sacrifice, Jesus was able to obtain greater honor and save others

Forgiveness in the NT

2005-11-17T11:34:00.000-08:00

ilaskomai-- "propitiation" or "forgivneness"
Exodus 32:14-- Because of Moses' intercession, the Lord "ilasthe" (was pursuaded/relented) to preserve his people
Deuteronomy 21:8-- The town nearby a murder will be "eksilasthestetai" (forgiven) of any guilt by proclaiming their innocence and asking for "ileos" (forgivness)
II Kings 5:18-- Naaman is asking for "ilasetai" (be pardoned) for having to bow in the house of Rimmon with his master.
II Kings 24:4-- Because of the innocent blood which Manassah shed, the Lord would not "ilasthevai" pardon it
II Chron 6:30-- A request for the Lord to hear the requests of the people during a famine or plague as they lift their hands toward the temple of God and to "ilase" forgive them according to their hearts.
Luke 18:13-- The tax collector is asking for mercy from God because he is a sinner.
Hebrews 2:17-- The high priest is asking for forgiveness for the sins of the people

ilastrepion-- "mercy seat" "means of forgiveness" "place of forgiveness"
Exodus 25-- Mercy seat-- the throne of God in the tabernacle. "I will meet you above the ilastrerion and I will speak to you about all that I will give ou in commandment for the sons of Israel" (25:22)
ex. 31:7-- The mercy seat
Ex 35:12-- the mercy seat
Ex 37-- mercy seat
Leviticus 16-- mercy seat; if Aaron does not approach the mercy seat in just the right way, he will die.
Numbers 7:89-- A voice spoke from above the mercy seat
Amos 9:1-- mercy seat
Ezekiel 43-- mercy seat
Hebrews 9:5-- mercy seat
4Maccabees 17:22-- The blood of the martyrs provided a ilastreriou means of forgiveness
Romans 3:25-- whom God displayed publically as a ilastrerion

ilasmos
Lev. 25:9-- day of atonement
Num. 5:8-- ram of atonement-- price paid to a relative or a priest to make restitution for a wrong done-- accompanied with confession
II Mac 3:33-- the high priest was asking for recovery for a man so the king did not think the Jews were doing wrong. He offered a sacrifice with it, which was called a "ilasmon"
Psalm 130:4-- There is ilasmos forgiveness with you
Amos 8:14-- Hebrew-- sin Greek- ilasmou/forgivness-- in an oath
Ezekiel 44:27-- On that day he shall offer his ilasmon--
sin offering or means of purificaiton
I John 2:2-- He is the ilasmos for our sins and for the whole world's
I JOhn 4:10-- God sent his son to be the ilasmon of our sins.

eksilaskomai
Gain forgiveness through sacrifice-- not used in NT

Blood in the Law

2005-11-04T20:59:00.000-08:00

Shedding of blood = death-- Gen 9; Gen 37:22

No eating of blood-- Gen 9; Lev 3:13; 7:26-27; 17:10-14; 19:26; Deut 12:16, 23; 15:23; Acts 15:20, 29; 21:25

Eating blood connected with occultism-- Lev 19:26

blood calls out-- Gen 4

blood=life-- Gen 9:4; Lev 17:14; Deut 12:23

Justice for shedding man's blood is having blood shed-- Gen 9:6

kill then cover up blood (hide blood from God so there won't be a repeat of Cain?)-- Gen 37:26

Blood as a sign-- Ex 12

Blood spinkled on people for establishing covenant-- Ex 24

Atonement through blood-- Ex 30:10

In sacrifices, blood is to be sprinkled around the altar-- Ex 29; Lev 1, 3, 4, etc.

The blood of birth causes a woman to need purification for 33 days-- Lev. 12

Blood mixed with hyssop will purify-- Lev 14:51

Menstrual blood causes impurity-- Lev 15

The blood is the life of the flesh-- Lev 17:11

Blood is given on the altar for atonement-- Lev. 17:11

Blood avenger-- one who acts in vengeance of a killing-- accidental or otherwise-- Num 35; Deut 19

Blood pollutes the land-- Num 35:31ff

No expiation can be made for land in which blood was shed on, except by the blood of the one who shed it-- Num 35:33; Deut 19:13

The blood of animals is to be poured out on the ground-- Deut 12:16

Innocent blood must be avenged if the land is to be pure-- Deut 19

Purification from the shedding of innocent blood-- Deut 21:1-9

Deut 32:42-- Yahweh will avenge the blood of his servants, thus will atone for his land and people

People eating with blood-- I Sam 14:32f.

Sin against innocent blood-- I sam 19:5

Sinning by shedding blood and taking vengeance by one's own hand-- I Sam 25:26, 31

Require blood when wicked men kill a righteous man-- II Sam 4:11

flesh and blood-- physical life-- eph 6:12; Gal 1:16; I cor 15:50; Heb 2:14;

All things are cleaned through blood and without the shedding of blood there is no forgivness-- Heb 9:22

God's Provison of Food

2005-11-04T20:56:00.000-08:00

God provided bread for the Israelites in the wilderness—but no one knew what this bread was—Ex. 16; it was special bread that fell from heaven

Jesus spoke of giving bread in the wilderness—his flesh and blood was what would sustain one for eternal life-- John 6

Jesus provided bread in the wilderness—He fulfilled God’s promise of food

Leviticus 26:3-6—God’s promise to provide abundant food if they obeyed commandments; Lev 26:26—There will be famine if the people disobey God

Psalm 37:5; Isa. 33:15-16—God provides bread for the righteous and their children

God takes away bread of those in judgment—Isa 3:1

God will provide bread for the exile from the land—Isa. 51:14

Abraham’s "bread" was a wonderful feast—Gen 18:5-8

Bread is what people seek in famine—Gen 41

To eat is to be one people with—Gen 43, I Cor 5, Gal 2

Eze 36:27-30—God will grant abundance of food when the kingdom comes

Deut 8:3—Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God; God allowed them to be hungry and then fed them so that they would understand that one’s bread comes as a result of obedience to God’s word and that God directly provides bread.

Oppression in the Bible

2005-10-31T13:24:00.000-08:00

What is oppression?

Law:
Abusing immigrants, slaves, poor (Exodus 22)
Creditor harming debtor due to debt owed—Exodus 22
Judge determining against the poor due to a bribe
Judgment against one for the sin of another, e.g. a son cannot be punished for the action of his father Deut 24
Neglecting the needs of the poor—widows, orphans, immigrants, slaves (Deut 15)
Refusing to lend to a brother in need (Deut 15)
Neglecting to pay temporary labor at the end of the day (Deut 24)

Prophets:
Refusing to defend the needy-- Isa 1:17, 23; Jeremiah 5:28
Stealing from the poor-- Isaiah 3:14-15
Unjust judgments against the poor-- Isa 10:1-2
Not assisting the needy-- Eze 16:49
Taking interest for loans-- Ezekiel 18:15-17
Enslaving a people-- Amos 1:6
Excessive violence in war, especially against innocents-- Amos 1:13
Excessive rent against the poor-- Amos 5:11
Accepting bribes-- Amos 5:12
Turning away those who need shelter for a night-- Amos 5:12

Wisdom:
Siezing someone else's house for debt-- Job 20:19
Pushing the needy aside from the road-- Job 24:4
Enslaving the fatherless-- Job 24:9
Taking clothing and food from the needy-- Job 24:10
Killing the poor-- Job 24:14
Keeping provision from the poor-- Job 31:16-22
Causing the poor to cry to God-- Job 34:28 (Exodus 22)
Refusing to hear the cry of the poor—Prov 21:13
Taking from the needy—Prov. 22:22-23
Taking a bribe—Ecc. 7:7

NT:
Dishonoring the poor—James 2; Luke 14
Not forgiving debts that cannot be paid—Matt 18
Not forgiving sins when one repents—Luke 17
Neglecting the needs of the poor—Luke 16
Retaining wealth when others were in need—James 5; Luke 16; Luke 12
Holding wealth for one’s own potential future need, when others have need now—Luke 12
Keeping extra wealth for yourself when you could give the excess to others—I John 3; Luke

Honor and Dishonor Terms in the Bible

2005-10-31T13:11:00.000-08:00

Conclusions are at the bottom of the post

Hebrew:

Kabod-- Honor, glory, be heavy, great, huge, severe

Shechem was an honored member of his family-- Gen 34:19
Moses is heavy of speech, tongue-- Exo 4:10
Pharaoh "heavied" his heart-- Exodus 8:11, etc.
Yahweh is honored through Pharaoh and chariots during exodus-- Ex 14:4, 18
Moses' task is too great-- Exo 18:18; Num 11:14
Honor father and mother-- Ex 20:12; Deut 5:16
Yahweh will be treated as holy, and so will be honored-- Lev. 10:3
Baalam promised honor through wealth-- Num 22:17-18, 37
Yahweh's name is honored-- Deut 28:58
Prosperity honors God and man-- Judges 9:9
Eli honors his sons over Yahweh, for they have made themselves fat with Yahwehs offerings-- I Sam 2:29
Honor is opposite of despise, contempt; those who honor Yahweh consistently will be honored by him-- I Sam 2:30
Man of God, who is held in honor-- I Sam 9:6
Honor Saul by returning with him-- I Sam 15:30
David honored more than any in Saul's house-- I Sam 22:14
David dishonored himself by uncovering himself, and he will humble himself even more-- II Sam 6:20-22
David honored the Ammonites by sending comforters when their king died-- II Sam 10:3
Honor establishes position-- II Sam 23:23
Jehoash defeated Edom and so enjoys honor-- II Kings 14:10
Those who honor those who fear the Lord may remain in Yahweh's tent-- Ps 15:4
Honor Yahweh-- fear, praise stand in awe of him-- Ps 22:24
Call on Yahweh in trouble, Yahweh saves, the one saved gives him honor-- Ps 50:15
Offer a sacrifice of thankgiving honors Yahweh-- Ps 50:23
Nations worshipping Yahweh honor him-- Ps 86:9
Giving thanks honors Yahweh-- Ps 86:12
Yahweh's salvation is honor to the one who cries to him-- Ps 91:15
Yahweh is honored through wealth and produce-- Prov 3:9
Wisdom will honor you if you prize and embrace her-- Prov 4:8
He who helps the poor honors God-- Prov 14:31
The one who cares for his master will be honored-- Prov 27:18
A people who oppresses themselves is where the lowly insult the honored-- Isa 3:5
The land of Zebulun, etc were treated with contempt, but now with honor-- Isa 9:1
Tyre will be destroyed in order that the honored of the earth might be despised-- Isa 23:9
To honor the Lord is to honor his name in all places-- Isa 24:15
Strong people will honor Yahweh, and cities of ruthless nations-- Isa 25:3
Yahweh is honored by increasing his nation-- Isa 26:15
Honor with lips only is not true honor-- Isa 29:13
Israel is honored and so others are sacrificed in her place-- Isa 43:4
Desert creatures will honor Yahweh-- Isa 43:20
Israel has not honored Yahweh with sacrifices-- Isa 43:23
Yahweh strengthens those whom he honors-- Isa 49:5
Yahweh's sabbath is honored if one does not act in his own interests-- doing one's own things, seeking one's own pleasure, speaking one's own word-- Isa 58:13
Yahweh's temple will be honored by great materials to make it with-- Isa 60:13
The honored will be multiplied and made significant-- Jer. 30:19
Nakedness is dishonorable-- Lam 1:8
Being cast lots for or chained is dishonorable-- Nah 3:10
A son honors his father and a servant his master, Yahweh is dishonored by defiled offerings-- Mal 1:6-7

hadar-- honor, be partial toward, majesty

In judgment, one must not be partial toward the poor or rich-- Exodus 23:3; Lev 19:15
Honor the aged-- Lev 19:32
Yahweh has honor before him-- I Chron 16:27
Only God can exalt himself with honor and majesty-- Job 40:10
God crowned man with honor-- Ps 8:5
God grants the king honor by saving him-- Ps 21:5
Yahweh's voice is full of honor-- Ps 29:4
God is majestic-- Ps 45:4-5; 90:16; 96:6; Ps 104:1; Ps 145:5
God's work is majestic-- Ps 111:3
God's kingdom is majestic-- Ps 145:12
To bind the nations is an honor to God's people-- Ps 149:8-9
A young mans strength is his honor; an old man's gray hair is his honor-- Pro 20:29
Do not honor yourself in the presence of great people-- Prov 25:6
Hide from Yahweh's majesty, which is shown by earthquakes-- Isa 2:10, 19, 21
Yahweh's servant has no honor or majesty-- Isa 53:2
Yahweh's garments are majestic-- Isa 63:1
Elders were not honored-- Lam 5:12
The majesty of God-- i.e garments-- made Israel beautiful-- Eze 16:14

Par'ar-- beautify, glory, boast

Pharaoh setting the time instead of Moses-- Ex 8:5
Israelites boasting-- Judges 7:2; Isaiah 10:15
Glory, beautify the house of God-- Ezr 7:27
Exalt the humble (anawim), honor them-- Psalm 149:4
The Lord glories himself in Israel--Isa 44:23; 49:3
Yahweh glorifies Israel-- Isa 55:5; 60:9
Yahweh will glorify his house-- Isa 60:7, 13
The people will be righteous to glorify God-- Isa 60:21; 61:3
God has glorified his servant-- Isa 61:10

Kalam-- be ashamed

Numbers 12:14-- a woman is put to shame for seven days if her father spit in her face
Judges 18:7-- Security-- no rulers putting them to shame for anything, no covenants with anyone.
Ruth 2:15-- do not shame Ruth, the gleaner
I Sam 20:33-34-- Saul dishonored Johnathan because he threw a spear at him
II Sam 10:5-- Men shamed because they were shorn
II Sam 19:3-- people humiliated because of losing in battle
Ezra 9:6-- Shame because of sin
Job 19:3-- You are not ashamed to wrong me
Psalm 35:4/40:14-- Shame, humiliation, dishonor, dismay, defeat, repulsion, turned back-- all versions of shame
Ps 44:9-- Rejected by God is a shame
Ps 70:3-- Let shame be on those who delight in my hurt
Ps 74:21-- poor and needy and oppressed are shamed, but God can save them from it.
Prov 25:8-- To lose a court case is shameful
Prov 28:7-- a bad son is shameful to a father
Isaaa 41:11-- Those will be ashamed/will perish
Isaiah 45:17-- You will not be ashamed for eternity
Isa 50:6-7-- I suffer shame-- striking, my beard torn out, spitting my face, but because God hellps me, I am not ashamed, and I will not be ashamed when he helps me.
Isa 54:1-5-- Barren women are ashamed, but the Lord will call them his own and they will not be ashamed, so forget the shame of your youth
Jer 3:3; 6:15; 8:12-- You sinned and were punished, but you refused to be ashamed
Jer 14:3-4-- A drought is a shame to the rulers and the farmers.
Jer 22:22-- God will make ashamed those who are wicked
To have one's lovers abandon her is shameful
Eze 16-- the infant was shamed-- God delivered her from shame; the young woman was faithless, but had no shame; God will shame her and restore her to himself.
Eze 36:32-- God is not redeeming Israel for her sake, and this should shame her for her sins
Eze 43:10-11-- The plans of the temple should shame those who sin before the Lord

Greek:

Timao-- to honor, to assist, to set a price on

Matt 15:4; Mark 7:10-- Honor father and mother is providing for them
Matt 15:8; Mark 7:6-- They honor God with their lips, but their hearts are far from him
Honor the Son as they do the Father; he who does not honor the Son, does not honor the Father who sent him-- John 5:23
I honor the Father (with miracles?), and you dishonor me (by accusing him of having a demon)--John 8:49
If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him-- John 12:26
They honored us with honors-- Acts 28:10
Honor all people, honor the king-- I pet 2:17
Time-- honor, price (noun)
a prophet has no honor in his own country-- john 4:44
Giving the honor/price of the land to the apostles-- Acts 4:34-5:3
Those who persevere in doing good will receive honor-- Rom 2:7, 10
Give preference to one another in showing honor-- Rom 12:10
Give honor to whom honor is due-- Rom 13:7
We give more honor to the less honorable-- I Cor 12:23
Elders who rule well are worthy of double honor-- I Tim 5:17
Slaves are to regard their masters as worthy of honor-- I Tim 6:1
Honor to God-- I Tim 1:17; 6:16; Rev 4:9, 11; 7:12
Vessels of honor and dishonor; some to wickedness, some to holiness-- Rom 9:21; II Tim 2:20-21; I Thess 4:4
Jesus granted honor, by granting him all the work of God-- Heb 2:7
Suffering was crowned with honor-- Heb 2:9
Jesus has more honor than Moses-- Heb 3:3
No one takes the honor of priesthood to himself, but accepts it when called by God-- Heb 5:4
The trials will be the proof of your faith which will result in honor at the revelation of Jesus-- I Peter 1:7
Husbands show your wife honor, so that your prayers may not be hindered-- I Pet 3:7
Jesus given honor by God's pronouncement-- II Pet 1:17
Jesus is worthy of honor-- Rev 5:12-13
The glory and honor of nations will go into the eternal city-- Rev 21:26

Protokathedria-- Seat of honor

Matt 23:6, Mark 12:39; Luke 14:7, 8; Luke 20:46

kataisxuno-- to be put to shame

Luke 13:17-- Jesus shamed his opponents by winning over the crowds with his arguments
Rom 5:5-- Hope does not shame us, because of the Holy Spirit
Rom 9:33/Rom 10:11/I Peter 2:6-- He who believes in the rock of offense will not be shamed
I Cor 1:27-- God has chosen the foolish things to shame the wise and the weak things to shame the strong
I Cor 11:22-- To shame those who have nothing is to disgrace the church of God.
II Cor 9:4-- If the Corinthians have nothing or little to give, and Paul comes to collect it with the Macedonians (who gave much out of their poverty), then Paul and the Corinthians would be shamed
I Peter 3:16-- If one slanders a believer who has done nothing wrong, than the slanderer will be shamed.

Atimaia--dishonor (noun)

Rom 1:26-- Desires which are dishonoring, eg homosexuality
Rom 9:21/II Tim 2:20-- the potter has the right to take some clay for honorable use and some for dishonorable use.
I Cor 11:14-- Nature teaches that a man's long hair is a dishonor to him
I Cor 15:43-- A body dies in dishonor, in weakness; it is raised in glory, in power
II cor 6:7-10
Glory--right hand, good report, remaining true, well-known, living, not put to death, rejoicing, making many rich, possessing all things
Dishonor-- left hand, evil report, considered deceivers, unknown, considered dying, considered punished, considered sorrowful, considered poor, having nothing
II cor 11:21-30-- our weakness has made us shamed, but I will speak boldly about our shame-- workers, imprisoned, beaten, in danger of death, lashed, rodded, toned, shipwrecked, a day and night in the ocean, journeys, many perils-- from rivers, robbers, Israelites, Gentiles, in the city, in the wildersness, at sea, from false brothers and sisters, working, hardship, sleepless nights, hunger, thirst, without food, in cold and exposure-- Paul is weak in all these things, and though some call it shame, it is his glory to boast in.

atimazo-- to dishonor
Mark 12:4/Luke 20:11-- the leaders of the age treated the messenger of the king/owner with dishonor (thus treating the king with dishonor)
Acts 5:41-- The apostles were honored because of the dishonor they had suffered
Rom 1:24-- People's bodies are dishonored by giving themselves to what they want-- impurity
Rom 2:23-- The followers of the law dishonor God by disobeying the Law
James 2:6-- By giving place to the rich and neglecting the needy, you dishonor the needy who are rich in faith.

astheneia-- weakness
Matt 8:17-- He took on our weaknesses
Luke 5:15; 8:2; Luke 13:11-12; John 5:5; Acts 28:9-- They were healed of their weaknesses
John 11:4-- the weakness will not end in death, but the glory of God
Rom 6:9-- I am speaking in earthly ways because of the weakness of your flesh
Rom 8:26-- The Spirit assists our weakness
I Cor 2:3-- I was with you in weakness and fear and trembling
I Cor 15:43-- the body is sown in weakness/shame, it is raised in glory/power
II Cor 11:30-- I will boast in my weaknesses
II cor 12:5-- I will not boast about visions, but about my weaknesses
II cor 12:9-- My grace is sufficient-- power is completed by weakness-- so Paul boasts about weaknesses
II cor 12:10-- Weaknesses-- insults, distresses, persecutions, difficulties, for Christ's sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong
II cor 13:4-- Jesus was crucified because of weakness, yet he lives because of hte power of God; we are weak in Him, yet we live in him because of hte power of God
Gal 4:13-- A fleshly weakness caused the gospel to be preached to the galatians
I Tim 5:23-- drink wine for your weaknesses
Heb 4:15-- Our high priest understands weakness and testing
Heb 5:2-- Jesus can deal gently with the ignorant and misguided, because he is subject to weakness
Heb 7:28-- Other high priests are continually weak, Jesus is complete forever
Heb 11:34-- from weaknesses some saints were made strong by faith.

Conclusions:

What actions in ancient times were considered to be honoring of another?

To be treated as holy is to honor one
To fear a king is to honor him
For a king to win a battle is honor
To honor the people of the king is to honor the king
For a people to be multiplied is to be honored
To give someone excellent gifts is to honor them;
To have excellent materials or craftsmanship is to honor something
To beautify something is to honor it
To exalt something, to grant an exalted position is to honor it.
To praise something is to honor it
To be the desire of many is honoring
Allowing someone else to make a decision is honoring them
To thank someone for what they have done is to honor them
To help another in their time of need is to honor them
To give money to another is to honor them
To gain wealth is to be honored
To act in the interest for another, rather than one’s own interest is to honor
To have one’s name treated well is to honor that one
To be accompanied by the honored is honorable
Destruction of a city is dishonorable to the people

What actions were considered dishonorable to another?

To offer lousy gifts is to dishonor
To treat with contempt is to dishonor
To be naked is to be dishonored
To lose one's wealth is to be dishonored
To have what was yours given to another is dishonoring
Being imprisoned is dishonoring
Being chained is dishonoring
Having one’s blood spilled is dishonoring
To despise one is to dishonor them
To speak honor, but act in dishonor is dishonoring

How would one honor oneself?

To boast is to honor oneself
To gain wealth is to honor oneself
To steal is to honor oneself
To give oneself a position is to honor oneself

Basic Principles of honor:
To be dishonored for God or Christ is honor, both among the people of God now and among God for eternity
To dishonor a servant—because of his master— is to dishonor his master; to honor a servant is to honor his master
The church honors those held to be dishonored in the church
The church dishonors those who dishonor the master
The church honors those who are dishonored for Christ

Blasphemies in the Old Testament

2005-10-31T13:06:00.000-08:00

Leviticus 24:11-16-- cursing another with the name of Yahweh-- LXX "whoever speaks the name of the Lord will be put to death"
Num 15:30-- Reviling God in speech, acts defiantly
2kings 19:6/isa 37--belittling the lord
Eze 20:27ff-- using God's name in worshipping other gods
Neh 9:18-- delcaring an idol to be Yahweh
Ezekiel 35:12, 13-- speech opposed to Yahweh
Isaiah 52:5-- Yahweh belittled

Foolishness in the Old Testament

2005-10-31T12:57:00.000-08:00

Deut 22:21-- Acting like a harlot in one's father's house
Judges 19:23f--Having sex with a man to disgrace him
I Samuel 25:25-- Reviling his protector
II Sam 13:12-- Having sex with one's sister
Proverbs 5-- Committing adultery
Ecc 2:3-- foolish pleasure--getting drunk?
Ecc 2:12-13-- wanton pleasure?