From that slideshow, pay special attention to a)why bodies of water had negative "historical world" symbolism and b)"The Orthodox Triangle" vs. "the other side": the Decapolis,
More: here is a significant VanDer Laan article on the Sea of Galilee which touches on its symbolism. Here also are notes on water:
(diagram below by John Stevenson, see 2nd link above)
Feeding of the 5,000
Feeding of the 4,000
Mark 6:34-44
Mark 8:1-9
Took place after the multitude had been with Jesus for one day.
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Took place after the multitude had been with Jesus for three days.
The multitude was mostly Jewish.
The multitude would have been mostly Gentile.
Took place near Bethsaida on the northwestern shore of the Sea of Galilee.
Took place in the Decapolis on the southeastern shore of the Sea of Galilee.
Jesus used 5 loaves and 2 fish.
Jesus used 7 loaves and a few small fish.
There were 12 small baskets of leftovers.
There were 7 large baskets of leftovers.
Who is Jesus in Matthew?
The one who's not afraid of evil
The One who takes us to the "other side"...cross/culturally.
HEADS UP: One question on the midterm will say "Say as much as you can about
'THE OTHER SIDE.'" (lots of help in the links above)
QUESTION: If this section of the gospel places so much emphasis on cross-culural minsitry/mission..
then why..strangely..in the climax of the section, does Jesus tell his disciples NOT to go to Gentiles, but only Jewish. Think about it, one response is here.
Here's a cheap home movie clip of mine , showing scenes from both sides of the Sea of Galilee, inclucing Decapolis, which we studied today ...also including the infamous Sea of Galilee McDONALD'S...(note: the clip concludes at some war bunkers in the Golan Heights, and the synagogue Jesus taught in in Capernaum):
------- b)TEACHING/PREACHING/HEALING/
to go more in depth into Matt 8-10, we noted yet another literary structural outline:
Twice, Matthew makes almost identical statements, which might lead us to draw an inclusio around them:
And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people.
(Matt. 4:23)
AND
And Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness.
(Matt 9:35)
Maybe Jesus only did three things in this section. Q>Who is Jesus in Matthew? A>The one who teaches, preaches and heals.
Since this threefold ministry is so intentionally signaled, might it not mean that in other places in Matthew
that when one or two of the three is mentioned, the third is implied, hidden somewhere, or conspicuous by its absence?
How about 11:1?:
"After Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and
preach
in the towns of Galilee "
Where is the healing?
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How about 15: 29-30:
Jesus left there and went along the Sea of Galilee. Then he
went up on a mountainside and sat down (implies teaching ).
Great crowds came to him (so now you expect to see him teaching, but he is healing instead...or is healing a firm of teaching here?)
bringing the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute and many others, and laid them at his feet; and he healed them.
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For some helpful commentary on the "literary world" implications of Jesus' three activities...
These three activities were his chief occupations in public ministry. Think of what Jesus did:
He wasteaching in their synagogues. What was a synagogue service like? We have some insight in two New Testament passages: Luke 4:16-21, where Jesus began to teach about his own ministry. We also have Acts 13:15ff, where Paul used the invitation to speak as an opportunity to preach the gospel based upon the history of Israel. In the service, a reading from the Law and the Prophets, which followed prayers, would be followed by a distinguished Rabbi, either resident or visiting, being invited to teach concerning a point of the Law or the Prophets. He would read a text and explain and apply it. This is what Jesus evidently did. And the traditions of the synagogue required that the teacher be attractive in his appearance and presentation, as well as intelligent and godly. Interestingly enough, such a teacher did not have to be ordained. And his message was to be tactful and not too personal. That Jesus taught often in the synagogues of the land, tells us that he was a welcome teacher and respected. No wonder he was referred to as "Rabbi."
The text tells us that he also was actively preaching the Gospel/good news of the Kingdom. You are of course aware that the word, gospel, means good news. And the substance of the gospel is given in verse 22, to wit that the Kingdom of Heaven was near. It is referred to elsewhere as the gospel of peace (Rom 10:15), the gospel of Jesus Christ (2 Cor 9:13), and its message was simply that the Kingdom of Heaven had come. To the Jews this would be good news, as it would mean that the Lord was announcing the reign of Messiah (Isa 9:6,7) and peace between Himself and Israel (Isa 52:7). God had come to rule and thus to show his love and concern for his people. And that is the essence of the gospel.
We want to be careful not to distinguish too closely between teaching and preaching, though, because he did both at the same time, cf. the next three chapters. Teaching would emphasize a systematic presentation of the truth. Preaching or proclamation would emphasize declaration of the truth, as opposed to giving a systematic presentation of it. In his teaching he gave the details of what the Kingdom of Heaven is like.
Finally, and this is what usually catches our attention most in this passage, he healed the sick. The text says, he healed (literally) all chronic diseases and all occasional sicknesses among the people. The word, all, would place him in different category from other healers that were also going about the land. Perhaps the word would best be translated as the NIV does, every, because not all in the nation were healed. These other healers did not heal every case. They had their successes and their failures, but Jesus healed every disease he came into contact with, with no failures. The question needs to be asked, though, why? ..
Notice how these three ministries are tied together. What ties them together is the Kingdom of Heaven. The public teaching of Jesus focused upon the grace of God in coming to rule over his people and show his love and concern for them as their King. The healings were a tangible, easy to understand demonstration of the truth and power of the Kingdom. Jesus did not simply heal for the sake of making people feel better or improve their quality of life. Rather, those who were healed had an obligation to worship and serve the Lord, even to repent-cf. John 5:1-14. That is why, when Jesus preached he proclaimed the message that he did, Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near. This is an important point, one that is missed by some in the healing movement in Pentecostal Church circles. We are mistaken if we separate healing from the gospel's message and focus on it or any other miraculous part of the gospel instead of on the Kingdom of God. -Link
--- C. Titles
We haven't looked much at the "titles" of Jesus yet. See Hauer and Young pages 251ff.
And we note that some of these titles really kick in in this chapters 8-10 section: Son of Man and Son of God particularly. It would seem obvions that these two titles are opposite in meaning: Jesus as human and God, respectively....but a study of the literary/historical world reveals that "Son of Man" was often used as a messianic connotations (and in a sense could mean "God"..see especially Daniel 7:
To get more info on the titles, and a sense of how they are used in other biblical books, see this.
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Check out this article on the title "Son of God" and what it implies to Christians and Muslims, and implications for Bible translation: >>The Son and the Crescent
If you ignore the politics of the video (even set to a Pink Floyd song!), you can see a rare glimpse inside the Muslim Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem,(gold dome at right) built on the site of the Jewish temple..and see the inscription (1:18ff) around the interior, saying something like "God has no companion (or "son"). It is blasphemy to say he has a son." It also seems to acknowledge that Jesus was a "servant" of God.
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We also noticed a chiasm in the 5 teaching blocks on matthew, making chapter 13 central:
Finish Amish Grace chs 1-5
Matthew 8-15
Three Worlds Assignment Nov 2. your choice of text...don't forget the two required sources
>>5 points Extra credit:
Bring a page of notes next class reflecting your research into the "three worlds" and context of Matthew 12:31-32, answering the question,
"What is the unpardonable sin?"
Use any skills you have learned in class, especially reading those verses in context (what comes before and after them),
Below: backstory of the wedding , with a classic example of "buiilding a fence around the law" (For next test, be familiar with this topic (discussed below), and be able to explain how is this an example):
Discussion on how Jesus was interpreting/reinterpreting the law of Moses/Torah(Matt 5:17-48).
Some would suggest that he is using the rabbi's technique of "Building a fence around the TORAH."
For example, if you are tempted to overeat, one strategy would be to build a literal fence around the refrigerator...or the equivalent: don't keep snacks around.
In each of the five examples, Jesus begins by citing an existing commandment. His following statement may be translated as either "And I say to you... " or as "But I say to you ...” The first option shows Jesus' comments to be in keeping with the commandments, therefore his words will be an expansion or commentary on the law. This is good, standard rabbinic technique. He is offering his authoritative interpretation, or amplification, to God's torah, as rabbis would do after reading the torah aloud in the synagogue. The second translation puts Jesus in tension with the law, or at least with the contemporary interpretations that were being offered. Jesus is being established as an authoritative teacher who stands in the same rabbinic tradition of other rabbis, but is being portrayed as qualitatively superior to their legal reasoning.
After citing a law Jesus then proceeds to amplify, or "build a hedge" around the law. This was a common practice of commenting on how to put a law into practice or on how to take steps to avoid breaking the law. The idea was that if you built a safe wall of auxiliary laws around the central law, then you would have ample warning before you ever came close to breaking the central law. A modern example might be that if you were trying to diet you would need to exercise more and eat less. In order to make sure that that happened you might dispose of all fats and sweets in the house so as not to be tempted. Additionally, you might begin to carry other types of snacks or drink with you so as to have a substitute if temptation came around, and so forth. In the first example of not killing, Jesus builds a hedge that involves not being angry and not using certain types of language about others. One of the difficulties is that it becomes very difficult not to break his hedges. This might drive his hearers to believe that he is a hyper-Pharisee. Some interpreters have wanted to argue that Jesus does this in order to drive us to grace—except grace is never mentioned in this context. This is a wrong-headed approach to get out of the clear message that Jesus is proclaiming: you must have a transformed life. By building his hedges, Jesus is really getting to the heart of what the law was about. In the first example, the intent is not just to get people not to kill each other (though that is a good thing to avoid), rather it is there to promote a different attitude about how to live together. Taken together, the 10 Words (Commandments) and the other laws which follow in Exodus-Numbers paint a picture of a people who will look out for one another rather than just avoiding doing injury to one another. This becomes clear in Jesus’ solution at the end of the first example. The solution is not to throw yourself on grace or to become paralyzed by fear, but to seek right relations with the other person. There seems to be an implicit acknowledgment that problems will arise. The solution is to seek the best for the other person and for the relationship. This is the heart of the law. The problem with the law is that it can only keep you from sin, but it cannot make you do good. The rabbi Hillel said “what is hateful to you, do not do to others.” In 7:12, Jesus provides his own interpretation “In everything do to others as you would have them do to you.” He changes the saying from refraining from sin, to actively doing good. The thesis statement in 5:20 is “unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” This then is how to exceed, or go beyond the law. In each of the five examples, the way to exceed the law is to make the relationship right.
Instead of drawing a new line in the sand that you are not supposed to cross before you are considered guilty, Jesus, confirms that the center is "love your neighbor" and then just draws an arrow (vector) and tells you to go do it. There is never a point at which you are able to finally fulfill the commandment to love. You can never say that you have loved enough. In the gospel of Matthew, the supreme example of this is Jesus' own life and death. His obedience and love knew no boundaries. --by Greg Camp and Laura Roberts
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On the 6 antitheses of the Sermon on The Mount, remember my Paraguay stories? "Ever committed adultery, Bill?"
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"question of the day"..
Off the top of your head, list words and ideas that come to mind when you think of the story of the giving of the Ten Commandments on Mt Sinai.
Then scroll down for the question..
Was "wedding" on your list?
.....or "love"?
What does all this have to do with a wedding?
THE TEN COMMANDMENTS AS A WEDDING:
The Ray VanderLaan videos on Mount Sinai are not online , but the
This of course affects how we raed not only the Ten Commandments. but the Sermon on the MOUNT..
Get caught up on Amish Grace, chs 1-5 and Matt 5-7 -Next "Three Worlds" Assignment die Nov 1. See syllabus:
Three Worlds Paper/Video :“Who Do They Say Jesus Is?” Due Tues Nov 1
Your task in this paper is to analyze how various groups in the Gospel of Matthew react to the teachings and actions of Jesus. You are required to cover disciples, crowds, religious leaders. You may formulate additional groups as seems to be most appropriate in your analysis. Focus on names and titles they ascribe to Jesus, questions and issues they raise, disagreements and other response patterns, and anything else that shows how they seem to understand him. You may append tables or charts if you find it helpful. Base your comments on the text of Matthew only. Include chapter and verse references or direct quotations. Avoid unsupported generalizations. Avoid statements about how Jesus viewed these groups or why you agree or disagree with their views. Please focus on simply describing how they viewed Jesus. This paper should demonstrate that you have read the gospel thoroughly. The paper is intended to demonstrate that you are gaining familiarity with the narrative methodology being used in the course.
Sample process: 1. read the Gospel of Matthew 2. Select a group and locate the passages where that group is present 3. Identify and label the ways that they indicate who they think Jesus is 4. Identify and summarize reoccurring themes. 5. Note any discrepancies in the views of the group (is the group unified or fragmented) and give examples. 5. Repeat for next groups (wash, lather, rinse, repeat) 6. Write a thesis statement that succinctly summaries the groups’ views. This is what your paper will then support. 7. Write a section for each group that restates the view of the group and provide examples. 8. Write a conclusion that summarizes the main views of the groups. Note similarities and differences between the groups. 9. Revisit and revise the introduction to make sure that it accurately defines your position and helps the reader know what to expect in the paper. 10. Proofread the paper. Reading it aloud is helpful. Perhaps take it to the ASC for review per the section about Submitting Assignments.
