Why do I take the class on field trips?

Tonight's trip will be:

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Review Plus:

Texts
Worlds
Signs: Three Worlds, Bounded Set, Centered Set, Subversion of Empire
Matt 1 and 2...geneology video

Check out this shocking video (HT Michael), revealing one professor's policy on texting :in class:

Here's one teacher who welcomes texting in class:

Ten Literary World "Signs"

This below will be the quiz for week 4, NOT the one in syllabys:

Chiasm
Recurrence
Anomaly
Inclusio(n)
Generalization/Particularization
Double Paste
Units/Divisions
Intertextuality/Hyperlinking
Venn it
Drop-Down Box
Remix/Revisitation
Irony

Inclusio/Inclusion: a word or phrase is repeated at the beginning and end (and often in the middle) of a unit or book: bookends; implies everything in between the bookends is commentary on the theme/phrase of the bookenend. Ex: The "with you"s of Matt 1:23 and 28:20

1)Chiasm: reverse parallelism structure; ring structure, AB B' A' pattern. Ex. in Matthew: The first shall be last and the last shall be first," The Golden Rule

2)Recurrence (called "epistrophe" when it occurs at the end of a text): a word or phrase is repeated for emphasis; encourages thre reader to connect the dots thematically. Pay attention to symbolic numbers. Ex. The five teaching blocks of Matthew. See H and Y. p. 269

3)Anomaly: a break in pattern of recurrences (see c); one (or more, as long as it's s clear minority) items are different. Ex. Jesus geneaology includes five sexually suspect women

4)Inclusio/Inclusion: a word or phrase is repeated at the beginning and end (and often in the middle) of a unit or book: bookends; implies everything in between the bookends is commentary on the theme/phrase of the bookenend. Ex: The "with you"s of Matt 1:23 and 28:20

5)Generalization/Particularization: x. In Matthew 3, God says Jesus is the Son (general statement) ; in chapter 4, he is tempted in three specific ways (particularization) re: what kind of son he will to compare//contrast related texts through a Venn diagram. Ex. The Matt. and Luke birth/Christmas narratives; the two accounts of the Ten Commandments (Ex. 20 and Ex. 34)

6)Double Paste: Two texts are "pasted" together (cut and paste) and create a new text. Ex. Matt. 21:13=Isaiah 56:6-8 + Jeremiah 7:11

7)Units/Divisions the natural "literary world" way (vs. chapters and verses, see q) of organizing/outlining/charting a book or text. Ex. Matt. 4:17 and 16:21

8)Intertextuality/Hyperlinking: one text quotes another text Jesus says "My God, why have you firsaken me?" in Matt 27:46, referencing Psalm 22:1. See Chris Harrisson's rainbow in "Visualizing the Bible"

9)Venn it! It can be helpful o compare//contrast related texts through a Venn diagram. Ex. The Matt. and Luke birth/Christmas narratives; the two acccounts of the Ten Commandments (Ex. 20 and Ex. 34)

10)Drop-down box: Phrases that are near-synonymous, and help interpret each other.
Ex. Matt 4 temptations: "If" or "since,"; Kingdom of Heaven (Matt) and Kingdom of God (other gospels); Be perfect (Matt 5:48) and Be merciful (Luke 6:36)

11)Renix/revisitation: Especially in terms of the three temptations of Jesus in Matthew 4; throughout his life, he re-encounters newer variations on the same core temptation. See notes on Week 2 and Kraybill page 34

12)Irony! the use of words or ideas to express something other than and especially the opposite of the literal meaning See Hauer and Young pp

Chiasm(definition) once you are attuned to seeing them in Scripture (and most ancient literature) it seems they are everywhere.

Sometimes they are.
Who can argue that "the first

shall belast/
the last shall be first" is a chiasm?
A-B-B-A, X pattern.

(and this one, because it's in Matthew (20:16), will be important

for our class.
But often the chiasm is wide enough to spotlight and intended embedded theme in between the endpoints.

And to really help us get what the Spirit is saying...structurally.

People remember how to perform a piece of music by using musical notations on scale. A similar solution to the problem of remembering how to perform a piece of dance has been solved with the use of Labonotation. In antiquity, it seems most written documents were intended to be read aloud, hence to be performed. The purpose of writing wasto facilitate remembering how the document went when one read it aloud. But how did one make paragraphs or mark off units in a document read aloud? It seems that the main way to mark off a unit was to use repetition of words and/or phrases at the beginning and end of a unit, either alone (as in Matt 5:3, 10,"...for theirs is teh kingdom of heaven) or in parallel bracketing fashion (as John 1:18). The Greeks called such parallel brackets a chiasm, after one half of the letter "chi" (our 'X"), thus ">."-Social Science Commentary on the Gospel of John, p. 295, emphasis mine.. a free read online here.

here are some links to these literary devices we talked about:

Chiasm and inclusio: an intro
"Chiasm led me to Christ"
(a great story from a recent FPU grad)
Detecting chiasm
Inclusio
Chiasm in the Bible

The first shall be last..
Whoever exalts himself will be humbled..
The Sabbath was made for man...
Do unto others...
You come to be baptized by me?

Ask not what your country can do for you..
When the going gets tough..
God is good all the time...
Never let a kiss fool you..
Accept rejection...

So far, we have looked at small chiasms, where the parallelism is "literally" in the words ("First shall be last" etc.)...but look how even that chiasm grows:
Matthew 20... But we note how important is was NOT to go with standard chapter division, but start one verse before, so the grand chiasm (s) below emerged. "Literary world" is crucial (without it, we succumb to Verse-itis):

But many who are first will be last,
                     and many who are last will be first.

For the kingdom of heaven is like: a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire men to work in his vineyard.
He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard.
"About the third hour he went out and saw others standing last in the marketplace doing nothing.
He told them, 'You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.'
So they went. "He went out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour and did the same thing. About the eleventh hour he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, 'Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing? 'Because no one has hired us,' they answered.   "He said to them, 'You also go and work in my vineyard.' "When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, 'Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.' "The workers who were hired (last), about the eleventh hour came and each received a denarius. So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. 'These men who were hired last worked only one hour,' they said, 'and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.' "But he answered one of them, 'Friend, I am not being unfair to you. Didn't you agree to work for a denarius? Take your pay and go. I want to give the man who was hired last the same as I gave you. Don't I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I AM generous?'

      So the last will be first,
                               and the first will be last.
  --------------------------------------------------------
And they can grow larger, and the parallelism can be more general, thematic.
And getting over VERSE-ITIS helps a lot in seeing chiasm in the big sweep. This is Genesis 6:

For another SUGGESTED BOOK-WIDE CHIASM OF MATTHEW,see:
page 9 here.In fact, they can become as large as life, See
James B. Jordan, “Chiasm and Life” in Biblical Theology Basics:

“Very much of human life is ‘there and back again,’ or chiastic. This is how God has designed human beings to live in the world. It is so obvious that we don’t notice it. But it is everywhere. This shape of human life arises ultimately from the give and take of the three Persons of God, as the Father sends the Spirit to the Son and the Son sends the Spirit back to the Father. We can see that literary chiasm is not a mere curiosity, a mere poetic device to structure the text. It arises from the very life of God, and is played out in the structure of the lives of the images of God in many ways and at many levels. It is because human beings live and move so often chiastically, that poets often find themselves drawn to chiastic writing. God creates chiasms out of His inner life, and so do the images of God.

Biblical chiasms are perfect. That is, they are perfectly matched to the human chiasms they address and transform. As we become more and more sensitive to Biblical chiasms, we will become more and more sensitive to one aspect of the true nature of human life under God. We will be transformed from bad human chiasms into good human chiasms. In this way, becoming sensitive to chiasm can be of practical transformative value to human life, though in deep ways that probably cannot be explained or preached very well.

One further thought. We saw in our previous essay that chiasms often have a double climax, one in the middle and the greatest at the end. The food we bought at market is put away in the cupboard and refrigerator when we get back home. Moving forward to a final climax is what all literature does, whether it has a middle climax or not. (Shakespeare’s five-act plays always move to a climax in the third and in the fifth acts.) This is just another way that human life matches literary production, in the Bible as well as in uninspired human literature. Becoming familiar with the shape and flow of Biblical texts will have a transforming effect on human life.”

James B. Jordan, “Chiasm and Life” in Biblical Theology Basics.

-link, Michael Bull’s blog: Theology you can eat and drink

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Mike Rinaldi, a Visalian, and filmmaker (and Fresno Pacific grad) told this story at the first "Gathering to Bless Christians in the Arts":
Blake Snyder, the screenwriter behind the classicSave The Cat" book became a Christian not long before he died.

Often at this point in such a story, folks ask "Who led him to Christ?"

Go ahead and ask.

The answer is:

Chiasm.

It happened in large part because Mike, not even knowing if such a well-known and busy writer would respond to his email, asked him if he had heard about chiasm.

Turns out Snyder was fascinated with it all, and Mike was able to point out chiastic structure and shape in scriptwriting....and one thing led to another...and then in Scripture.

All roads, and all chiasms, lead to the Center and Source.

Mike, of course, learned chiasm in THIS CLASS

RECURRENCE-

the five teaching blocks of Matthew.

Jesus is the new Moses."

Matthew could have said that, or even said that five times..but instead he embedded thematically five times in the literary structure/fabric of his book;

It is no accident that 5 times Matthew offers an almost identical sentence to close off his five teaching blocks..

"When Jesus had finished saying these things, he moved on..."

..shows up in

7:28

11:1

13:53

19:1

26:1

diagram credit

See page 269 of your Hauer/Young textbook (the three paragraphs underneath the "Higher Righteousness" section) for more on this..

There is huge signficance of five teaching blocks in Matthew, how they are identified, and what they likely symbolize.

Why 5?

JJewish people reading Matthew would say
"Oh, I get it. Matthew is trying to tell us (5 times, no less( that Jesus is the New Moses (or the fulfillment of Moses)!"
Why? The answer has to to with the obvious intentionality of the5 "teaching blocks" in Matthew..Five being a hugely significant number for Jews...it's the number of books in the Torah, AKA the Five Books of Moses, AKA The Pentateuch "(Five Books in One.") . Moses=5ness.

More "New Moses" symbolism in Matthew:

Jesus as the new Moses in Matthew

Jesus as New Moses,

Inclusio

inclusio (definition)

see also: Inclusio

Ever notice Matthew starts with "His name will be called Emmanuel, which means 'God with us.'
And ends...very last sentence...with "I will be with you."?

No accident.
And neither is the midpoint and message of the gospel: "I will be with you" (18:20).
In Jesus, God is with us.
Jesus is the With-Us God.

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INTERTEXTUALITY/HYPERLINKING:

This means one text quotes another text. When both texts are biblical, this is often called cross-referencing. When we get into today's theme, we;ll see intertexting between The Ten Commandments (OT) and The Sermon on the Mount (NT)
One of Chris Harrison's projects is called "Visualizing the Bible":

"Christoph Römhild sent me his interesting biblical cross-references data set. This lead to the first of three visualizations. Intrigued by the complexity of the Bible, I derived a new data set by parsing the King James Bible and extracting people and places. One of the resulting visualizations is a biblical social network. The other visualization shows how people and places are distributed throughout the text." Chris Harrison-

But why should I tell you when I can show you?:

"The bar graph that runs along the bottom represents all of the chapters in the Bible. Books alternate in color between white and light gray. The length of each bar denotes the number of verses in the chapter. Each of the 63,779 cross references found in the Bible is depicted by a single arc - the color corresponds to the distance between the two chapters, creating a rainbow-like effect." .More info about this chart, and charts of the Bible as a social network here.

NOTE: Sometimes the text "intertexted" to is from another text or genre.

On Matthew and the signs, remeber how key pages 246-249 are, also 257-259.

You nay want to mark the pages with signs, anytime you see they fit, like I have:

------------------PARTY

Many changes ocurred as the Jews emerged into the NT era (new temple , synagogues, etc. But key for understanding Matthew are four "parties," groups, sects that emerged. These are discussed in detail in Hauer/Young, Chapter 10, particularly pp. 221-227 and Kraybill pp. 63-66 of the Upside Down book.

Pharisees .lay scholars/ middle class Oral and Written Torah    angels, demons, resurrection........
Sadduccees   priestly/aristocratic         Written Torah only               no angels, demons, resurrection

Essenes: quiet, communal, prob connected to Dead Sea Scrolls
Zealots    advocated armed rebellion against Rome

Read more on each from Ray VanDer Laan

MOVEMENTS OF JESUS’ DAY

POSTED IN: PEOPLE, RELIGIOUS GROUPS, MOVEMENTS OF JESUS DAY

Four views of Judaism

In Jesus' day, there were varying philosophies within the Jewish faith. While some Jews embraced the Roman rulers, others resisted with violence. And whereas some Jewish believers lived a simple, isolated lifestyle, others enjoyed a lifestyle of wealth and influence.

Four predominant religious groups emerged: Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes, and Zealots. During his ministry, Jesus' likely interacted with them all, touching the hearts of some, and sparking violent hatred among others.

Pharisees

Origin
Descended from Hasidim freedom fighters of the Maccabee era

Membership
Middle-class merchants numbering about 6,000

Beliefs
-Believed in entire Old Testament as law
-Accepted oral interpretation of the Old Testament
-Believed study of Torah was the highest act of worship
-God's desire was for his people to keep the law
-Believed in bodily resurrection and life after death

Practices
-Supported synagogues for Torah study and interpretation
-Strict, detailed obedience to oral and written law
-Accepted Rome as a necessary evil as long as they were allowed to practice their beliefs

Sadducees

Origin
Descended from Solomon's high priest, Zadok, and became a faction around 200 B.C.

Membership
Priests who were wealthy, aristocratic, and often Hellenistic

Beliefs
-Only accepted the Torah as God's law
-Rejected oral traditions
-Believed the Temple was the only path to God
-Did not believe in bodily resurrection

Practices
-Ran the Temple and all its ceremonies
-Dominated the Sanhedrin-the religious ruling council
-Lived a Hellenistic, affluent lifestyle
-Received Roman support

Essenes

Origin
Registered Maccabees' claim to the high priesthood in approximately 170 A.D.

Membership
Possibly dissident Sadducees or Pharisees; preferred isolation in wilderness to participation in Temple services led by corrupt priests.

Beliefs
-They needed to withdrawal from corruption
-Believed true priests descended only from Zadok
-Believed in rigid adherence to the Torah
-Believed they had been chosen to prepare for imminent arrival of kingdom of God

Practices
-Worked at copying and studying the Torah
-Lived in isolated communities
-Share property and communal meals
-Practiced ritual cleansing

Zealots

Origin
A movement formed against a Roman census in 6 A.D. and led by Judas the Galilean

Membership
Extreme Pharisess and religious Jews living primarily in Galilee

Beliefs
-Theology resembled that of Pharisees, however, they believed only God could rule
-Slavery was the worst evil
-Taxes were due only to God
-Hated the rule of Romans

Practices
-Practice terrorism against Romans
-Refused to pay taxes
-Adhered carefully to Torah interpretation -RVL

We began discussing these four groups in depth today

Here's how one writer views and succinctly characterizes each group's approach to culture (even though the following is overstatement:

"Pharisees separated from culture

Sadducees blended into the culture

Zealots ruled over culture/misused it

Essenes ignored culture....

The Pharisees were sectarian, developing an unending number of laws to separate themselves from the common people.

The Sadducees were syncretists, compromising their beliefs in order to blend into the culture.

The Zealots misused culture as they attempted to usher in God’s kingdom through the use of force.

The Essenes ignored culture altogether, retreating from society where they could seek mystical encounters with God in monkish privacy...

And so we see that sectarians love God but fail to love their neighbors,

And so we see that sectarians
love God but fail to love their neighbors,
while syncretists love their neighbors,
but fail to love God."

---------------

Kingdom

What is the central message of the gospel in one word?: Kraybill page 16

KINGDOM:In light of the video above, and the Bible's use of the term,

not realm, but reign

not place , but person

not race, but grace

not just "then and there," but 'here and now" (Matt. 4:17, 6:10)

the 'direction" in which the Kingdom originates is "both ways": from the future, and from the past.

Many Jews of Jesus' day (and actually, the Greeks) thought of the Kingdom of God as largely a future identity/reality/location.
So when Jesus, in Matthew 4:17 announces that he, as King, is ALREADY bringing in the Kingdom,

this not only subverted expectations, but sounded crazy....and like he was claiming to bring the future into the present.

The Jews talked often about "this age" (earth/now) and "the age to come." (heaven/future).
"Age to come" was used in a way that it was virtually synonymous with "The Kingdom."

Scripture suggests that:

The "age to come" (the Kingdom)
has in large part already come (from the future/heaven)

into "this age"
(in the present/on the earth

by means of the earthy ministry of Jesus: King of the Kingdom.

Thus, Hebrews 6:4-8 offers that disciples ("tamidim") of Jesus have
"already (in this age) tasted the powers of the age to come."

In Jesus, in large part, the age to come has come.
The Future has visited the present,

"The presence of the Kingdom of God was seen as God’s dynamic reign invading the present age without (completely) transforming it into the age to come ” (George Eldon Ladd, p.149,The Presence of the Future.)

Here are some articles that may help:

Kingdom of God: by George Ladd

THE KINGDOM'S RETROACTIVE RETROFUTURE

The "Lord's Prayer" does NOT say "daily bread".

Kingdom Now and Not Yet

BAPTISM

-- Tell me what these clips from "The Matrix" have to do with today's
topics: Jesus' birth, call, baptism and signs (help)

part 1: white rabbit (click to view)
part 2: Neo meets Trinity
part 3: choose your pill:
part 4: waking from the dream:
part 5: immersion into the Matrix
:
---

An interviewer once asked the Wachowski Brothers, creators of The Matrix trilogy if all the biblical allusions and references people spot in the movies were intentional.

I am guessing many fans were anxious for the (hardly orthodox Christian) brothers to deny or at least defuse such expectations

They said something like:

"Yes, and there are more than anyone knows!"

As examples, just trace the license plate references, IS 54 16

and the Nebuchadnezzar's plaque.

Texas Style Stylish Baptism:

online baptism?

REMEMEMBER This "literary technique" above (of two phrases being so related as to be almost synonymous/interchangeable is called, in computer language,

DROP-DOWN BOX

a "DROP DOWN BOX. We will picture it by this symbol/sign

In the same way as when you encounter a drop-down menu on a website, and you know you can choose different options, when we talk about "drop-down boxes" in the "text message" of the Bible, will mean a place where you can choose between two options/terms.

IN our passage, tonight we dropped down

kingdom of God/kingdom of heaven.

See notes from class on why this difference>\

Kingdom of God
Kingdom of heaven

is itself a drop-down-box.

Both refer to the same reality.

You may remember why the two terms:

heaven
God

and why only Matthew uses the first.

In fact, the first person to post in the comments below this post the reason why wins a prize.

Check out the INCLUSIO in MARK, which hyperlinks his baptism and death? (See "temple tantrum/ which curtain was torn?")

--

Joel Hofman has a great point:

All Bible translators have to confront the problem of words that don't convey the same meaning to a modern audience as they did to an ancient one, said linguist Joel M. Hoffman, author of "And God Said - How Translations Conceal the Bible's Original Meaning."

"For example, `John the Baptist' was really like `John the Dunker,'" Hoffman said.

John was doing something new by submerging people in water to cleanse them of their sins, but that is lost on people 2,000 years later, Hoffman said. Today, people hearing John's title might think it refers to a Baptist denomination rather than his then-strange behavior. -link

What are the THREE Scriptures (TRIPLE paste)quoted, paraphrased are alluded to in the "Text message from God" at Jesus' baptism:

“This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”

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Notes from FPU faculty Camp/Roberts:

All four gospels contain a version of Jesus’ baptism. Matthew records the story of Jesus’ baptism in chapter 3, Mark begins his gospel with the story in 1:1-11, Luke has the story in short form in 3:21-22, and John’s version is in 1:19-34. How does this text further answer the question “Who is Jesus?” in Matthew?

Read Matthew 3:1-17 Matt transitions to Jesus’ adult ministry by introducing him at his baptism. Mt uses a common ancient literary device called syncresis, which means to make a judgment about something or someone by comparison. It is, in that sense, a simple comparison/contrast. There are 2 comparisons that are being made in chapter 3. One has to do with Jesus and John, the other with Jesus and the Pharisees/ Sadducees. The passage is structured in 3 sections. vv. 1-6 is a description of John and his message. John is presented as a fulfillment of a passage from Isaiah 40, where Israel is being called to return from exile. John is engaged in the same ministry as Isaiah, that of recalling the people. One might conclude that Mt is insinuating that whileIsrael returned from exile in they never fully returned to God. John’s appearance and location set him the liminal space of the wilderness, apart from Jerusalem society. He stands in the Jordan River, where Israel also would have crossed into the land as they returned. The place of baptism in the Jordanmay draw the reader’s attention to the fresh start crossing the Jordan into the land represented for Israel.

vv. 7-10 is a description of the Pharisees, Sadducees and others coming to John for baptism. John confronts them with a message of repentance that specifies the repentance must include acts of righteousness that demonstrate their repentance. The reference “God is able from these stones to raise up children of Abraham” may draw the readers attention to the 12 stones piled at the Jordan when Israelentered the land under Joshua’s leadership. The implication is that even stones can be made into children of Abraham. The difference is their acts have to reflect the righteousness characteristic of true repentance and change.

A brood of vipers refers to a hole in ground where snakes would lay eggs and cover them with dirt for incubation. The newly hatched snakes would remain in the ground undetected by those passing by. A misstep into such a nest could be fatal. The threat is unseen; the passerby thinks the ground is safe, but it is not.The reference to cutting down plants that do not bear fruit is a common analogy used throughout Matthew (for example 7:16-20, 13:24-30). vv 11-12presents John comparing himself to “the one coming.” The comparison is based on a greater than/ lesser than logic. John is lesser because he baptizes with water; the one coming is greater because he baptizes because he baptizes with the Holy Spirit and with fire. John is lesser because he is not worthy to carry the sandals of the one coming. John announces judgment, the one coming is actually able to bring judgment.

vv 13-17 draws a comparison between Jesus and the Sadducees/ Phar and between Jesus and John. Note the way that the Sadducees and Pharisees are greeted vs. how Jesus is greeted. (see worksheet) The comparison between Jesus and John involves John putting himself as the lesser in Jesus’ presence. Jesus’ enigmatic response allowing John to baptize him is said to “fulfill all righteousness.” How is this to be understood? Does Jesus need to be baptized in the same way others do? John’s is

a baptism of repentance; is this what Jesus thinks he needs to do?
Repentance doesn’t only mean turning from inappropriate action, but also involves going in the direction you ought to be going. Jesus aligns himself with God’s purposes. The dynamics between John and Jesus would seem to indicate that part of God’s purpose is for J not to take the greater position but to place himself in the subservient position to John. This is a crucial, initial assertion that we will see reiterated through Mt’s gospel, which links righteousness to a reversal of power relationships, and Jesus being the faithful, humble servant. Immediately following this action, the divine voice announces affirmation of this action and of Jesus’ identity as beloved son. This is what is expected of the son.
---

Vander Laan video; WET FEET Complete video below:

excerpt about Joshua:
p

Notes on video:
There are at least three themes in the DVD episodes and lesson notes:

· Baptism

· God requiring us to take the first step

· The ark of the covenant and the Spirit’s indwelling (as God dwelled in a special way above the mercy seat, covering the ark)

RVL explains that the Israelites did not see the Jordan as holy or something to worship — unlike how the Egyptians saw the Nile or the Hindus saw the Ganges. Rather, the Israelites saw the Jordan as a barrier.

Additional background
In the poor soil of the Great Rift, plants only grow thickly at the river banks. Hence, the Jews spoke of the Jordan’s “thicket.” Despite being more of a creek than a river, it looked like a fence or barrier, as it produced an array of trees in a barren land.
And the river flowed very rapidly due to the steep grade from Horeb to the Dead Sea. It’s slower today as much of the water is gone for irrigation.
Old people, babies, men and women carrying all their possessions on their backs would have struggled to cross the River.
Some of the 12 tribes were given land east of the Jordan, but they all crossed over to take the western lands together.

Crossing the Jordan
What would they have seen crossing the Jordan as meaning to them? They crossed from what to what?

· anticipation and reality

· the desert and Promised Land (land of milk and honey)

· wandering and being home

· slavery and freedom

· safety and danger (they died in the desert of old age, by and large. They crossed over at Jericho, a large walled city, and then fought many battles)

· testing and triumph

· cowardice and courage

· a land of paganism and land transformed to show God to the world

· preparation and mission (Israelites wandered 40 years so that they’d be a desert-hardened people ready to conquer Canaan)

John baptized in the Jordan, near Jerusalem, meaning near Jericho, perhaps at the very place where the Israelites crossed.
Remember that Hebrew thought is more picture and metaphor, and that God often chose times and places for symbolic reasons. What would a First Century Jew, learning that John was baptizing in the Jordan think that meant?
He could have baptized higher up the river, in other rivers, in springs, in pools, even in Roman bathhouses — with heated water. Why do all the Gospels introduce John as baptizing in the Jordan, near Jericho? (people were there from Jerusalem, and that road went by Jericho)
Possible answers:

· It meant crossing a barrier. As the Israelites passed through water to the Promised Land, freedom, home, mission, etc., baptism symbolized —

o the coming of the Kingdom (Promised Land), freedom (promised by the prophets when the Holy Spirit returned to Israel, and John had the Spirit),

o the coming of prophesied inheritance (to the prophets, our “inheritance” is the new earth purged of wickedness, so that we are saved from our enemies): a new home

o freedom from sin (John baptized into forgiveness of sins)

o mission (John taught his followers that repentance was more than not sinning, it required new values)

(Luke 3:10-14) "What should we do then?" the crowd asked. 11 John answered, "The man with two tunics should share with him who has none, and the one who has food should do the same." 12 Tax collectors also came to be baptized. "Teacher," they asked, "what should we do?" 13 "Don't collect any more than you are required to," he told them. 14 Then some soldiers asked him, "And what should we do?" He replied, "Don't extort money and don't accuse people falsely--be content with your pay."

(Luke 3:18) And with many other words John exhorted the people and preached the good news to them.

o Jesus had not yet been revealed. Rather, this is the good news prophesied in the Old Testament, the coming of the Kingdom, God’s reign on earth, the Messiah, salvation from their enemies.

o Note parallels of “good news” to story of crossing Jordan

Jesus came to John for baptism
Why? Jesus said “to fulfill all righteousness,” which is hardly transparent. Why should a sinless man be baptized by John?

· To endorse John’s work

· To be anointed by the greatest of the prophets for mission (compare Elijah’s anointing of Elisha 1 King 19:16) although Jesus was hardly John’s disciple or apprentice

· To demonstrate the meaning of the baptism that was to come.

Remember, the Jews thought in pictures. How does Jesus’ baptism show us a picture of Christian baptism?

· Spirit descended and remained on him (John 1:32)

· This is my beloved Son

· In whom I am well pleased

Do the heavens open up when we are baptized?
RVL notes that there are several parallels between Jesus’ baptism and the Creation. See chart on p. 62 of teacher’s guide.
Notice that to the Jews, a body of water represented chaos. They were a desert people and water was dangerous. Rain meant floods rushing through waddis, killing people without warning. Even today, Jews don’t live on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, whereas Westerners would consider that prime real estate. Hence, in Rev 22, we are told there will be “no sea” in the new heaven and earth.

(Gen 1:2) Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

“Hovering” means to hover like a bird over a nest.
Both stories speak in terms of God doing his work through the Spirit over water. Both stories bring life out of the waters. Both stories lead quickly to temptation, except Jesus resisted the devil, whereas Adam and Eve did not.
Shortly after his baptism, we read of Jesus baptizing (John 3:22) in the Judean countryside, but never again. We learn from John 3:23 that John later baptized at Aenon, which is on a tributary to the Jordan, showing that there was no magic in the Jordan (baptisms take whether there or elsewhere).
Why did Jesus stop baptizing? In the Gospels, there’s no mention of literal baptism from Jesus’ baptism until the Great Commission! In John, references to Jesus baptism stop in chapter 3 (except for references back), although the doctrine is referred to in, for example, the story of Nicodemus in c 4.
When Jesus sent out missionaries, he did not instruct them to baptize. Evidently, once John was imprisoned, there was no more baptizing until Pentecost. It certainly wasn’t recorded. Why not baptize?
(I don’t know but I like to ask the question, because it helps show that baptism, though important enough to be commanded in the Great Commission, was not the centerpiece of Jesus’ mission.)
Possible answers:

· Jesus’ baptism would be by the Spirit, and the Spirit wouldn’t be given until after Jesus death.

· Jesus wanted to endorse John’s work but not continue it

· Jesus mission was to preach the good news of the Kingdom and do works of compassion. Jesus wanted to add deeper meanings that could not be anticipated before his resurrection. Baptism would become the mark of his disciples after his resurrection, but, for example, you can’t be baptized into his death before then.

Pentecost
Pentecost was God’s timing. Why did God choose Pentecost?
Pentecost was a festival first fruits, sacrificed in honor of God at the beginning of the harvest. These sacrifices were acts of great faith, as there was no guaranty that the rest of the harvest would come in — locusts, hail, fire, and even rain could all destroy the harvest, but the first of the harvest was given to God on Pentecost.
Also, Pentecost is honored by the Jews as the anniversary of the giving of the Law to Moses on Sinai — as that occurred 50 days after the first Passover, at the end of the 10 plagues, according to Jewish tradition.
So God added to Christian baptism the meanings: the beginning of the harvest and the giving of a new covenant, as well as all it meant before.
Surely the Jews understood this to be after the pattern of John’s baptism, except that Peter explained that now baptism included the gift of the Spirit in fulfillment of the prophesies anticipating the Kingdom.
At Pentecost, they probably baptized at the temple. What was the symbolism?
(Acts doesn’t say where they were in Jerusalem, but it had to be a big enough space to hold well over 3,000 listeners (not all were converted), in a city of narrow streets. And it had to be central enough that such a large crowd would be there. And there had to be facilities to immerse 3,000. The temple courts are the most likely place by far.)
Baptismal fonts at the temple were for cleansing — to become ritually clean to be able to make sacrifice. How would First Century Jews have interpreted their own baptism?

· Worshipers had to be clean before entering the temple, but the new Christians didn’t go into the temple. They went into the church.

· Jews walked into and out of the pools themselves. They cleansed themselves. Christians are baptized — it’s always passive. Baptism is a gift received, not a work performed.

· Baptism is into a new community, a new Kingdom, a new relationship with God

· Sacrifice would be expected

· Repent (like John taught) and be immersed into (eis) the forgiveness of sins (like John taught) and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit (as John predicted and as Jesus himself received)

Mission
Each of these crossing-over events were into mission.
The Israelites crossed the Jordan near Jericho, a walled city, that God expected them to conquer. They passed through water to begin God’s fight with paganism. And it was immediate. (“Joshua” and “Jesus” are the same word in Hebrew! Did you ever wonder why Jesus is named after Joshua rather than Moses?)
Jesus’ baptism was at the beginning of his ministry — but not of war. It was a ministry of preaching the Kingdom and works of compassion — a radically different approach to conquest, but conquest nonetheless.
Our baptism is into the Kingdom, to be servants of God in his mission, which is a continuation of Jesus’ mission.There are at least three themes in the DVD episodes and lesson notes:

· Baptism

· God requiring us to take the first step

· The ark of the covenant and the Spirit’s indwelling (as God dwelled in a special way above the mercy seat, covering the ark)

The notes are just on baptism. The video is 17 minutes. 10 minutes for announcements, prayer requests, prayer, and fellowship (and first service going late), means the video ends 27 minutes into a 55 minute class. You’ll have 28 minutes to teach.
Some teachers want to go more slowly and continue the Gezer lesson. This is in the teacher’s discretion.
RVL explains that the Israelites did not see the Jordan as holy or something to worship — unlike how the Egyptians saw the Nile or the Hindus saw the Ganges. Rather, the Israelites saw the Jordan as a barrier.
Additional background
In the poor soil of the Great Rift, plants only grow thickly at the river banks. Hence, the Jews spoke of the Jordan’s “thicket.” Despite being more of a creek than a river, it looked like a fence or barrier, as it produced an array of trees in a barren land.
And the river flowed very rapidly due to the steep grade from Horeb to the Dead Sea. It’s slower today as much of the water is gone for irrigation.
Old people, babies, men and women carrying all their possessions on their backs would have struggled to cross the River.
Some of the 12 tribes were given land east of the Jordan, but they all crossed over to take the western lands together.

Crossing the Jordan
What would they have seen crossing the Jordan as meaning to them? They crossed from what to what?

· anticipation and reality

· the desert and Promised Land (land of milk and honey)

· wandering and being home

· slavery and freedom

· safety and danger (they died in the desert of old age, by and large. They crossed over at Jericho, a large walled city, and then fought many battles)

· testing and triumph

· cowardice and courage

· a land of paganism and land transformed to show God to the world

· preparation and mission (Israelites wandered 40 years so that they’d be a desert-hardened people ready to conquer Canaan)

· It meant crossing a barrier. As the Israelites passed through water to the Promised Land, freedom, home, mission, etc., baptism symbolized —

o the coming of the Kingdom (Promised Land), freedom (promised by the prophets when the Holy Spirit returned to Israel, and John had the Spirit),

o the coming of prophesied inheritance (to the prophets, our “inheritance” is the new earth purged of wickedness, so that we are saved from our enemies): a new home

o freedom from sin (John baptized into forgiveness of sins)

o mission (John taught his followers that repentance was more than not sinning, it required new values)

(Luke 3:18) And with many other words John exhorted the people and preached the good news to them.

o Jesus had not yet been revealed. Rather, this is the good news prophesied in the Old Testament, the coming of the Kingdom, God’s reign on earth, the Messiah, salvation from their enemies.

o Note parallels of “good news” to story of crossing Jordan

Jesus came to John for baptism
Why? Jesus said “to fulfill all righteousness,” which is hardly transparent. Why should a sinless man be baptized by John?

· To endorse John’s work

· To be anointed by the greatest of the prophets for mission (compare Elijah’s anointing of Elisha 1 King 19:16) although Jesus was hardly John’s disciple or apprentice

· To demonstrate the meaning of the baptism that was to come.

Remember, the Jews thought in pictures. How does Jesus’ baptism show us a picture of Christian baptism?

· Spirit descended and remained on him (John 1:32)

· This is my beloved Son

· In whom I am well pleased

(Gen 1:2) Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

· Jesus’ baptism would be by the Spirit, and the Spirit wouldn’t be given until after Jesus death.

· Jesus wanted to endorse John’s work but not continue it

· Worshipers had to be clean before entering the temple, but the new Christians didn’t go into the temple. They went into the church.

· Jews walked into and out of the pools themselves. They cleansed themselves. Christians are baptized — it’s always passive. Baptism is a gift received, not a work performed.

· Baptism is into a new community, a new Kingdom, a new relationship with God

· Sacrifice would be expected

· Repent (like John taught) and be immersed into (eis) the forgiveness of sins (like John taught) and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit (as John predicted and as Jesus himself received)

Mission (be sure you cover this one)
Each of these crossing-over events were into mission.
The Israelites crossed the Jordan near Jericho, a walled city, that God expected them to conquer. They passed through water to begin God’s fight with paganism. And it was immediate. (“Joshua” and “Jesus” are the same word in Hebrew! Did you ever wonder why Jesus is named after Joshua rather than Moses?)
Jesus’ baptism was at the beginning of his ministry — but not of war. It was a ministry of preaching the Kingdom and works of compassion — a radically different approach to conquest, but conquest nonetheless.
Our baptism is into the Kingdom, to be servants of God in his mission, which is a continuation of Jesus’ mission. link

==
Check out these fish in the Jordan River, who nibbled at my feet (or somebody did(:...)as a pastor from Africa and I baptized some folks in the Jordan River:

Just as we might see the theme of "subversion of empire" (remember Matthew 2:1 and the video, "In The Shadow of Herod") being repeated, recast and remixed throughout Matthew's gospel..

We might also suggest that the same threetemptations Jesus faced in Chapter 4 were repeated, recast and remixed throughout the rest of the gospel, at different points in Jesus' life...

We noted today that the baptism of Jesus (chapter 3) and the temptations (chapter 4) should be read together as one literary unit or paragraph

Especially helpful is the suggestion by Donald Kraybill ("The Upside Down Kingdom") and Ray Van Der Laan ( video) that throughout his earthly life, Jesus was revisited by remixes of the original three temptations ("testations" ) of the devil"in chapter 4.

Kraybill provocatively proffers the following taxonomy of the temptations; suggesting that any later temptation Jesus faced (or we face) is at heart in one of these three spheres:

1= Bread into stones: Economic

2=Jump from temple and test God:Religious

3=Own all kingdoms: Political;

Henri Nouwen ("in the Name of Jesus" )breaks it down this way:

1= Bread into stones: temptation to be relevant

2=Jump from temple and test God: temptation to be spectacular

3=Own all kingdoms: Political; temptation to be rule over

So, it may be useful to plot out various temptations along your life timeline, and ask which of Jesus' temptation are each is tied to.

Nouwen himself, one of the most profound writers on the temptations of Jesus, was both Catholic (gasp!) and struggled with homosexual temptation (!!!)..

And....Uh, on that last temptation, the homosexual one, he was in good company, according to a good Book I read:

"Jesus was tempted in every single way humans are..."(click here for the shocking source...but warning, it's a dangerous book for religious folk!)

SO..if every temptation can be filed under one of the three categories:

Economic Religious Political..

or
Relevant Spectacular Rule over

..under which does sexual temptation occur?

Note Rob Bell's definition of "sexuality," biblically defined:

"For many, sexuality is simply what happens between two people involving physical pleasure. But that's only a small percentage of what sexuality is. Our sexuality is all the ways we strive to reconnect with our world, with each other, and with God." (Rob Bell, "Sex God," p. 42)...

How might virtually all temptations (the three Jesus faced, or others you could name) be fundamentally economic? Kraybill, you'll remember, calls the bread temptation "economic," but how might any/all others temptations trace to this root/'garbage"?
HINT: We noted that he term economics comes from the Ancient Greekοἰκονομία (oikonomia, "management of a household, administration") from οἶκος (oikos, "house") + νόμος (nomos, "custom" or "law"), hence "rules of the house(hold)".^[1

^S

Note that the baptism of Jesus (chapter 3) and the temptations (chapter 4) should be read together as one literary unit or paragraph ( a "coupling" or "particularization") as two items connected.

Remember how important repeated words are..in this case, "SON":

GENERALIZATION/PARTICULARIZATION

-The segue is direct..."Then after his baptism, Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert for temptation by the devil." (Matt. 4:1)
(see this amazing assortment of Scriptures, maybe he is "God's devil" after all..)

-In light of that, ask In what other ways do the baptism and temptation connect?
How does baptism prepare for temptation?

See the sermon by Nadia Bolz-Weber, "How To Say Defiantly, ‘I am Baptized!’"for a contemporary world application.

NOTE: we'll use (as Van Der Laan does
drop-down box
for the biblical word
which could be translated
Temptation and/or Test

"testation."

NOTE: a drop-down box also in the temptation scene:

The devil's text ,

"IF
you are the son of God.."

might better be translated
(according to the Greek word used) as:

"SINCE
you are the son of God.."

What difference might it make? Is the devil wondering/questioning asking Jesus if he is son of God? Or is he assuming it; he and Jesus both know that he is...and thus "Since you are the Son of God, what kind of ways can I tempt you to use/abuse that Sonship?"
--
Van Der lann, in "Jesus Our Desert – The Three Temptations") proposes that the three "temptations" Jesus met in Matthew 4 were the same three that show up (repackaged, revisited) throughout Jesus' timeline on earth...right up to, and especially including the cross (as in, not avoiding it) .Several examples:

Jesus put God ahead of family ("Who are my brothers and sisters?" "Whoveer loves father and mother more than me cannot be my disciple."-Matthew 12:46-48...in fact, how many ways can you find in that whole chapter where Jesus re-encounters versions of one of the testations?

When people reported Herod wanted to kill him, he was not concerned (Luke 13)

When people wanted to make him king by force, he walked away (John 6:15)

When the crowds were hungry, the disciples wanted Jesus to feed them. He refused (Feeding of the Multitude)

The "get behind me, Satan" comment to Peter when Peter suggested Jesus should bypass the cross (Matthew 18)

"go ahead and use Your power; the cross is going to hurt"

The video offered lots of help on how the Testations of Jesus are related to/equated to/hyperlinked to the Testations of Israel in Exodus, Numbers. Deuteronomy. It is no accident that all three testations of Jesus were found in different form in the OT, as well as the Scriptures Jesus used to counter the testations.

Though it is obvious who "The Son (of God)" is in Matthew (Jesus), unless we know the literary/historical background, we miss that in the Old Testament, that phrase is used for Israel/God's people. (see Exodus 4:22-23 and especially the way Matt 2:15 quotes Hosea 11:1) Thus...remember this chart :

Now we realize that God tested/the devil tempted the first "SON" in a similar way.
Jesus the Son succeeds (in 40 days) in "reversing the curse" that Israel the Son inherited by not passing it (in 40 years).

Jesus is not only (in a sense) the
New Moses,

but (in a sense)

(for help on that important point, see this article,
and this) New Adam, New Job, New Israel.

VanDer Laan suggested that the heart of Jesus' "success" was consistently and persistently keeping the "Shema," and not caving into a (mis)use of power. This is the "binder" of the testations: Love God and neighbor.Thus

Q).Who is Jesus in Matthew?

A.) The One who, unlike Israel, passed the wilderness testations by loving God with all his heart, soul, mind and strength....and refusing to give into using "right-handed" (a la Capon) power.

VanderLaan prefers to translate "tests" instead of "temptations."
You have seen that I have coined the word "testations" It would seen that in Scripture that God tests, and the devil tempts...and sometimes both are going on simultaneously.

HERE are some helpful questions you might think about if you want to pursue this topic::

1)What were the three temptations of Jesus in Matthew 4:1-11, Compare any ways Mark's account, Mark 1:12-13 and Luke's account, Luke 4:1-13 differ, and suggest any reasons why.

2)How does Nouewen summarize the three temptations(1=to be relevant 2=to be spectacular 3=to rule over). H? How do you (use your own words)?

3)How do the three temptations connect to the historical and literary world of the Hebrew ("Old')Testament?

4)How do the three temptations connect to the contemporary world of Jesus and the disciples?

5)List and discuss several possible ways that versions of the three temptations reoccur and are revisited throughout Jesus' life in Matthew's gospel? (How is Jesus tested/tempted elswhere in Matthew, and how are the temptations versions of a similar one (two, or three) that he faced in the original temptation passage? (see Kraybill, p. 34)

6)What are the three core temptations you face, and how have they revisited you throughout your timeline? How would you categorize them using Nouwen's categories? Using the three categories of the "Shema" (heart/mind/might) a la Vander Laan'? Using Kraybill's three categories (1=Economic 2=Religious 3=Political ; see chapters 1-4 of "Upside Down Kingdom")

7)What have you learned about passing these tests/resiisting these temptations?

8)What does all of this (the Matt 4 Scripture, and testing/tempting) have to do with the Kingdom?

9)Discuss how the passages that deal with Jesus not being immune to temptation( Hebrews 2:17-18, Hebrews 4:14-16, and Hebrews 5:7-9) affect your views of "Who is Jesus?" and of Jesus' divinity and humanity.

It has been moving,, revelational and (even) fun to, have students plot out (on the whiteboard) their timeline.

downs, and ask how you have been revisited throughout your

Notes from Camp/Roberts:

There are 3 temptations which parallel the groups with whom Jesus interacts in MatthewFamished - provide food – crowdsUpon temple - protection - leadersseize world - authority - disciplesWhat is it that each group expects, and how does Jesus meet that expectation, both here and later? It is important that these are real temptations. What would be the result of each if Jesus failed? Tie in the expectation from Isaiah 53. What kind of Christ was expected? Will Jesus prove worthy (a true Son)? The temptations represent and initial test, much like an academic pre-test. Jesus will be tested during his ministry on these same issues by the three groups.

Famished - provide food – crowds

Upon temple - protection - leaders

seize world - authority - disciples

The temptation to satisfy physical needs is a very real and necessary temptation. The temptation account does not denigrate this need, but raises the question of what it means to be fully human. Rulers in the ancient world would often provide bread for people to keep them under control, while not treating them as fully human in other ways. Jesus’ response to Satan is that there is more to being human than meeting physical needs. It also includes being able to make choices about life, where one might need to defer gratification or make choices to the detriment of one’s physical well-being (i.e. selling possessions, death on a cross). Jesus does do miracle which do address real physical needs (food, healing). But he also challenges people in the crowds to go beyond equating physical, material well-being with being fully human.
The second temptation to leap from the temple has 2 components, The first is to draw attention to himself in the center of Jewish life, thereby gaining the approval of the temple leaders. The second aspect involves having the authority to call upon angels to protect him. The temptationis to use authority as a means to demonstrate one’s power and privilege. In Jesus’ interactions with the Pharisees, Sadducees, scribes, temple authorities, he is most frequently questioned about his authority to represent God, and is repeatedly asked to provide a sign demonstrating that authority. Jesus steadfastly refuses to do so. Jesus will not ‘force’ God to provide a sign of Jesus authority beyond the faithfulness Jesus himself demonstrates. The accusations at Jesus’ trial hinge on this question of authority. The third temptation is to receive power without effort. It would entail bowing down to Satan. There is no equal exchange of goods, with Jesus receiving kingdoms in exchange for bowing to Satan. Rather, in the ancient world bowing down indicates a permanent subservient relationship. Satan is offering the kingdoms of the earth if Jesus will submit to Satan’s will and way of doing things. This temptation is linked to the disciples, who frequently are seeking greatness, seats of authority and power, exalted places in Jesus’ kingdom. They are confronted by Jesus about the true cost of gaining those positions. -Camp/Roberts

See the syllabus for homework.

This week, it is as per syllabus.

Except:Delete H and Y ch 11 and Parables worksheett (we'll do it in class)

But note:

The Three Worlds presentation is ONLY to a neighbor in class, not the whole class. Forr help, see articles on Matthew at top of page.
See tab at top of the page for LISTENING to all of Matthew instead of reading it.

If you can't watch the Moodle videos, download the player

Download the VLC media player at http://www.videolan.org/vlc/

Remember NO CONTRACTIONS and no YOU/YOUR language in signature paper This could lose you a grade point. Se the grading rubric at top of this blog

Extra credit:

Extra EXTRA CREDIT below, both parts related to Facebook:

a)Let me know next class who our mutual facebook friends are. My facebook is here (feel free to send a friend request,

b)On facebook, i have 12 albums of funny signs. Choose one of the albums below under your party name, and then find one sign you particularly appreciate. Talk about it on Moodle (desvribe it without linking to it or posting it) Talk about it next week's class.