Week 5 October 3, 2012

Matthew 3

 

 General Idea: A man goes out to baptize and preach the coming of the Lord, to “prepare ye the path.” Obedience, willingness to go all out in faith, and a willingness to endure extreme persecution for the Lord characterized John the Baptist. He was the road builder laying the path for the Lord. He removed the rocks of 1. What does it say?

 

A. “Preparing The Way Of The Lord” (3:1-12) (Also in Mark 1:1-11; Luke 3:1-22; John 3:22-36)

 

He denounced people for what they had done. 

He summoned them for what they ought to do.

True preachers point at God, not themselves.

Holy Spirit - here He is again.

Holy Spirit meant life, power and creation

Rabbis said Great is Repentance for it brings healing to the world.

Definition of repentance: Ris that the sinner forsakes his sin and puts it away out of his thoughts and fully resolves in his mind that he will not do it again Medieval jewish scholar - Maimonides

Jews held that true repentance brings for fruits which demonstrate the reality of the repentance - and so do Christians.

My story of repentance - Scott saying he's sorry.  

Repenting for lying Cal State B and the DMV

The true penitent is he who has the opportunity to do the same sin again, in the same circumstances, and who does not do it.

2. What does it mean?

 

3. What is God telling me?

 

4. How can I be changed so I can learn and grow?

      

5. What is in the way from these precepts affecting me? What is in the way

 

Week 6 October 10, 2012

Matthew 3

In Matthew 3 we see John the Baptist out near the Jordan River, baptising people who came to repent and demonstrate their believe Jesus as the Messiah - the son of God.   John even rebuked the Pharisees and Sadducees when they came to the river because he knew they were hypocrites. As we focus here on the message of John the Baptist, let's look at the importance of repentance.  If we repent, is that all that we have to do?  Does it matter how we live as long as we truly believe that Jesus is the Son of God?  I think that the repent-confess-baptize process is also a reflection of thought AND action.  As Christians we must express our change of heart, but then we must act on that change of heart by the way we live our lives.

I like an article by Billy Graham for two reasons.  One, I like it because it is from Billy Graham. I am so thankful for Billy Graham, and I hate to imagine a world without his evangelistic influence and his wisdom.  I still remember him sharing from the Cox Convention Center at the memorial service for the bombing victims. One of his points was that all of the children were certainly in heaven because they had not reached the age of accountability.

In the article about adults who were questioning their need to do anything more than ‘believe’ in Jesus,  he first said that hopefully all of the adults had accepted Christ as their savior and were saved.  So Billy Graham understands and promotes the significance of repentance -- like we discussed last week.  John the Baptist had called people to Repent and to Confess and to be baptized.  He was saying that people need to repent – admit their sin and then  turn from their evil ways and accept the Messiah and then turn TO Christ and live for him.  All of this turning is action – action that will look like being in an active relationship with Jesus.

This article represents the very real dilemma we might face if someone we know -- often someone we care about very much -- says words of belief in Jesus but doesn't live in relationship with Jesus.  And some people in our lives might have such a philosophy and still be very loving and pleasant to live with.  We might know or experience others who are antagonistic as they live like the devil but claim to believe in Jesus as the Son of God. 

Believe and Repent  and Save are VERBS -- they suggest action.  I would offer to you that we must believe and then live in relationship with our savior.  However, to know how to be patient with those who are pulling against a relationship with Christ and who are challenging what we know to be true will require us to do just as Billy Graham advises.  We must consistently pray - for the person as well as for ourselves.  To know how to live with and be someone we love (or want to love) who rejects what we know to be true will take grace - grace from God.  So BG's advice is good.

Week 8 October 24, 2012

Matthew 4:12 – 17

Jesus made a clean break from Nazareth when he began his ministry.  He left Nazareth and went to Capernaum, in the fertile Galilee region – very populated and people were likely to hear him and hear about him.  204 villages with 15,000+ people. 

Places are characterized in various ways.  I just taught a class in Del City and most of my students were military or former military and worked at Tinker.  It’s generalizing, but most (all?) people there are open to protecting the second amendment (right to bear arms) and are politically conservative.  Laguna Beach in Southern California?  Artsy; people there are very open to various forms of beauty reflected from life and nature. 

People in Galilee were open to new ideas.  Characteristics of Galileans:

·      “Fond of innovations, and by nature disposed to changes, and delighted in seditions” _Josephus

·       

o   Who was Josephus? Josephus was born in Jerusalem in A.D. 37/38 and became a historian writing principally about the Jewish people up until his death ca. 100. Four of his works are extant: 1) The Jewish War; 2) The Jewish Antiquities; 3) Vita (life) and 4) Against Apion. These works provide us with knowledge of the New Testament era which we otherwise would not possess. In short, Josephus has contributed to our understanding of the social, political, historical (incl. chronological data) and religious backgrounds of the New Testament.

·      ready to follow a leader

·      ready to begin an insurrection

·      quick in temper

·      given to quarreling

·      brave

·      honorable

·      courageous

·      wanted honor more than gain/wealth

Jesus considered his audience. He went to a highly populated area where his message would disseminate quickly.  

I think about people who just throw that message out there and do it in the name of being courageous or obedient.  For example, Windsor Hills Baptist preachers or walk-ups. I have had a walk-up witnesser.  I was the witnessee.  In a mall, when I had a stomach virus and had had too much coffee to drink while studying. I am sure the Evangelism Explosion person did not believe me when he asked if I knew where my soul would go if I died that very night.  I really thought that dying that very night was a distinct possibility, so I truthfully answered that I would go to heaven.  I could tell he didn’t believe me, but I was too sick and tired to convince him otherwise.

What do we learn about Jesus as God? Jesus as man? in this passage?

Matthew 4:18-22

Jesus called these men to be his disciples – to be fishers of MEN.  What were their characteristics? NOT scholarship, wealth, social status or influence. They were not poor but were simple, hard working, but with no great future ahead of them. The qualities that made them good at catching fish also made them good at catching people.

 Example of Socrates from Barclay p.90.  A poor man said to Socrates that he was poor and could only offer himself.  Socrates responded the poor man was giving his most precious gift of all.  That is exactly what God needs of us --  ourselves. Our very self.]

Whether you are a good fisher of men or a good fisher of fish, you need:

o   Patience

o   Perseverance

o   Courage

o   Eye for the right moment

o   Bait to fit the fish (often we cannot be the bait for our own family)

o   Keep self out of sight

Do you have a story – an example of any of good fisherman characteristics?

Week 7 October 17, 2012

Matthew 4: 1-11

The question that faced Jesus in his temptations was how would he lead people to God?

            Would he be a mighty conqueror?

                        As mighty conqueror, he could force people to serve him – or lure them into service with impressive acts or with force.

Would he adopt the method of patient, sacrificial love? 

As a patient teacher, he would speak to others and answer their questions and address their needs. As one who loved sacrificially, he would give of himself – his power for healing, his energy and time, and ultimately his life.

Read 4:1-11

About the text :

œ The Greek word used is peirazein means to TEST.  The scriptures we read uses the word TEMPT, which has somewhat of a negative connotation – temptation is associated with an option to entice people into sin or to do wrong. 

            For example, think about when Abraham took Isaac to the altar to sacrifice him. Abraham was not TEMPTED to sacrifice his son.  God was testing Abraham, so peirazein meaning makes a difference. 

Let’s look at the events in the dessert as a TEST of Jesus rather than a TEMPTATION.  How does that change things?  I don’t know if it changes things, except that it might change how we know and understand Jesus.  As I consider this as a temptation, I realize that it must really be a temptation for Jesus – in other words: Jesus could actually consider making the other choice.  He was truly tempted to change the stones into bread.  If it wasn’t a possibility, then it wouldn’t have been a temptation.  It is not a temptation for me to decline mangos.  I don’t like mangos, so I can’t be tempted with them.

            When I think of the events in the dessert as TESTS, then I realize that Jesus could succeed or fail in response to the questions.  Again, it wouldn’t have been a test if there wasn’t the potential for him to choose either option.

œ This test occurred in the wilderness.  Jesus was totally alone. Interesting to note,  Christ himself must have been the source of information to others about this event in the desert he was completely alone.  So the disciples that wrote about it in the gospels had heard Jesus share his experiences.  A primary source to be sure! Christ had to be the one to tell anyone about his struggle in the wilderness.

Please consider your tendencies in relating to others and in how you spend your time.  Do we ever resist being alone and facing our thoughts or tests?   Why would we do that?  What does being alone look like in our world today?  What are our temptations and tests today? Maybe you have a child that just does not like to be alone. Or maybe you know someone who admits that he/she does not like to ever be alone.  One of  my former students was talking to me one time about her mission trip to India, and how the toughest part of the whole project was overcoming her fear of being alone.  Not fear for her safety, but just fear at having to stay alone in a missionary house, fear of not being able to communicate and being so alone with herself. 

œ Christ was tempted through his strengths.  He had miraculous powers, he controlled life and he was a ruler. 

·      We will be tempted through our strengths. For example - grace, charm, generosity, work ethic.  So how can these positive qualities be twisted into something that could be negative… a temptation? When I am teaching literature, and we are studying characters, we talk about the virtue/vice paradox.  The very thing that is your virtue (your strength) can also be your vice (your temptation.)  For example, to have a positive work ethic is considered a very good thing, but what if your drive to work hard overtakes you and you become a workaholic and you neglect God and your family?  Or what if you are a very generous person, but after others comment on your generosity you begin to act a bit smug or condescending to others whom you gift or whom you want to impress?

1^st temptation. The devil appears to a tired Jesus after 40 days of fasting.  And he suggests to Jesus that he should change the nearby stones to bread.  This would gratify Christ’s need for food to end his fast. And… think about this.  Christ could then also use bread to draw hungry people to him, and they would worship him and thank him for the gift of bread.  However, this doesn’t work because then people would be bribed to Christianity. And Christianity should be about giving and not getting.When Christ responds to Satan and says that ‘Man shall not live by bread alone,’ he not only resisted the temptation and passed the test, but he was explaining that others should be attracted to him for the spiritual life that he had to offer them. 

Now, as we discussed in our time together on Wednesday night, I am not sure how this shakes out with the feeding of the 5000 on the shores of Galilee.  Jesus basically ‘invented’ bread for all of those hungry people.  But as Barbara pointed out, when he left and then came back across the lake, he did not multiply bread for the people again when they asked. The two differences that I thought about are (1) the stones to bread was in a solitary situation and (2) the devil was the one asking him to change the stones to bread.  The feeding of the 5000 was in response to a physical need the people had and he multiplied bread from bread.

2^nd temptation: Satan suggests that Jesus could throw himself down from the pinnacle of the temple but then save himself from death.  This would have been impressive for people to see – very sensational.  However, sensationalism does not last, and people would just want more and more to continue their belief in Jesus.  So Jesus cites another scripture (Duet 6:16) and reminds Satan that we should not put God to the test on our behalf.

3^rd temptation: Satan offers that if Jesus will fall down and workshop him, that he would give Jesus all the kingdoms of the world.  Jesus wanted followers.  He wanted everyone in the world to see The Truth and to accept him as the Son of God and to inherit eternal life.  So, it must have been a temptation for Jesus to decline this offer of compromise from Satan.  As I think about the temptation, it seems audacious that the devil would suppose to offer Jesus a throne! Jesus is THE one with the power and omnipotence, but Satan was trying to confuse him in his weakness and get him to compromise his deity by worshipping Satan instead of God the Father. 

[This makes me wonder what we compromise in our lives/world today…]