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"The Other Side" ? Sounds like a horror movie.
It is...we'll get to that!
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AS WE GET INTO MATTHEW 8-10, the section that leads up to, and includes, the 2nd teaching block..
three topics stand out:
a)THE OTHER SIDE
One of the first things we notice is an inclusio of "The other side"
(8:18 and 8:28)....What's up with Jesus going there?
Ray Vander Laan: here's the slideshow of the first "field trip" we'll take today:
>>"When Storms Come (Sea of Galilee)"
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:
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For our 2nd field trip, we venture all the way to the dreaded "other side" of the lake..
via this video:
>>"Piercing The Darkness (Decapolis on the Other Side of the Lake)"
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- Note the cross-cultural implications of Jesus' two feedings of the multitude:
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see:
(diagram below by John Stevenson, see 2nd link above)
- 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):
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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...
teaching
preaching
healing
.....click to read these sections of David Bauer's commentary.
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One writer comments:
- These three activities were his chief occupations in public ministry. Think of what Jesus did:
- He was teaching 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
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C. Titles
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:
Check out this chart ,and note re: each title:
- where in the gospel
- how often
- and on whose lips
- where they cluster
- inclusios etc.
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| click chart(and then click again once on a new page) to enlarge |
-Son of God (7x..or 8, if you count 3:17)
-Son of the Living God (once, hmm)
-Son of Man (29x.....and all by one person!)
-Son of David (9x)
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
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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),
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