BiblicalTheological Seminary SpringTerm 2006

Dr. Robert C.Newman Monday evenings 7:30-10:15 Lecture Hall

NT 520 Jesus:Foundation of the New Testament

CatalogDescription:

Jesusas the foundation of New Testament history and theology. A survey of key passages and responseto modern criticism.

CourseOutcomes:

1.Knowledge: The student will come to know firsthand about Jesus as he isrevealed in the New Testament, rather than building his/her picture of Jesusupon the systems developed over the centuries in the various theologicaltraditions. He or she will come tosee how and why the Jesus of the NT differs from the various modern liberalreconstructions of him. Thestudent will learn how the person and work of Jesus is the foundation of NThistory, theology, ethics and such.

2.Attitudes. The student will cometo appreciate that the NT really does give a coherent picture of Jesus, and heis not whatever one may wish to make of him. It is hoped that the student will be drawn to commit his/herwhole life and being to serving Jesus as Lord and Savior.

3.Skills. The student will be ableto help others understand who Jesus is by means of Bible studies using extendedpassages in which the person and work of Jesus is portrayed.

Schedule

Week Date Topic

1 1/30 Course Introduction

Video:The Miracle Maker(1^st half)

2 2/6 The LiberalJesus

USNews & World Report (4/8/96): 47-53

BibleReview(12/95): 20-25, 44

CS Lewis, Screwtape Letters, ch 23

Video:Jesus Christ Superstar (1:50)

3 2/13 Jesus' Pre-existence& Incarnation

John1:1-14

Video:complete the Miracle Maker

4 2/20 Jesus’ Birth

Luke2:1-38

Video:Jesus(1^st 33 min)

5 2/27 Jesus' Message

blessings,Matt 5:1-16

truerighteousness, Matt 5:17-48

wealth& anxiety, Matt 6:19-34

judgment,Matt 7:1-5

obedience,Matt 7:24-29

Video:VB Matt(3:1-7:29, about 35 min)

6 3/6 Jesus'Works

stillingstorm, Mark 4:37-41

raisingdead, Mark 5:21-43

Video:VB Matt(8:1-11:1)

7 3/13 Mid-Term Test - 1^st houror so; no further class

Teston reading and passages to date

8 3/20 Jesus’ Parables

sower,Matt 13:3-8, 18-23

treasure/pearl,Matt 13:44-46

Pharisee& tax collector, Luke 18:10-14

Video:VB Matt(11:1-13:52)

9 3/27 Jesus' Death

triumphalentry, Luke 19:28-43

anointed,Mark 14:1-11

lastsupper, Matt 26:17-30

trialbefore Sanhedrin, Mark 14:53-65

trialbefore Pilate, John 18:28-19:16

crucifixion,Luke 23:33-49

Video:The Passion(last ½ hour)

10 4/3 Paul on Jesus'Death

creatorof universe & church, Col 1:15-23

diesfor enemies, Rom 5:6-11

makesslaves sons, Gal 4:4-7

reconcilesJews & Gentiles, Eph 2:11-18

sendsout ambassadors, 2 Cor 5:14-21

Video:VB John(13:1-17:26)

11 4/10 Hebrews on Jesus’ Death

priest,Heb 7:1-28

sacrifice,Heb 10:1-18

Video:The Light of the World

12 4/17 Jesus’ Resurrection

NTresurrection accounts, 1 Cor 15:1-11, etc.

liberalsubstitutes

Video:Jesus(burial to upper room); VB Matt (ch 28); VB John (20:1-end)

13 4/24 Jesus’ Ascension andReturn

ascension,Acts 1:1-11

Return,Matt 24:1-31; 25:31-46

Video:VB Matt(chs 24-25)

14 5/1 Final Exam

everythingweeks 3-13

Texts:

PaulMiller, Love Walked Among Us

PhilipYancey, The Jesus I Never Knew

RobertNewman, Jesus: Foundation ofthe NT Notes

Homework:

1.Prepare (to be turned in) each of the worksheets in your notes in time for thesession on that topic. These willbe graded only for completeness and promptness.

2.Read either Miller or Yancey. Besure you have done half by the mid-term and completed the book by the final.

3.Fill out the reaction sheet on the video Jesus Christ Superstar (incorporated intoworksheet to prepare for week 3). Due the week after we see this video, i.e., due Feb 13. How did it treat Jesus? How did it treat Judas? Did you detect any presentation of theGospel in the video?

4.Keep a brief journal, writing up a paragraph to a page each week on what youare learning about Jesus (knowledge, attitudes, skills). Turn in at mid-term and at final.

5.On our Blackboard site for this course, there will be several items on thediscussion board in which you may react to the various books and videos whichwe will be seeing. You should makeone post of 1-2 pages a week before mid-term and another of 1-2 pages a weekbefore the final. In each case,you should also respond to two postings by other students, 2 before mid-termand 2 before final. I will respondto some of these responses myself, so this will be course interaction both ofstudent with student and student with professor.

Grading:

TheMid-Term (covering weeks 1-6), the Final Exam (covering weeks 3-13), the Worksheets(including reaction to Jesus Christ Superstar), the Journal and theBlackboard postings, will each count 1/5 of your grade.

SessionOne: Course Introduction

Whatis the course about?

Seecourse description, previous three pages

NewTestament (New Covenant)

Testament& Covenant

Covenant theme

Noah

Abraham

Parityvs Suzerainty Covenant

SinaiCovenant

New covenant theme

God’sservant (Isa 40-53) as covenant for the people

Covenantwith Zion/Jerusalem (Isa 54)

Covenantwith whoever is thirsty/will come (Isa 55)

NewCovenant (Jer 31)

CpLord’s supper (Mt 26, Lk 22, 1 Cor 11)

Jesusas guarantee of new covenant (Heb 7, 8)

Foundation

Rock, stone

Godas rock

God’scovenant vs Israel’s covenant with death (Isa 28)

Foundation

Zion’sfoundations (Isa 54)

Jesus

Jesus as foundation, etc.

Other pictures showing centrality of Christ

Son (of God)

King, Anointed, Messiah

Prophet like Moses

Son of David

Son of Man

OT as Yahweh centered, NT as Christ centered

Worksheetto Prepare for Session Two

Readand study the following items:

Jeffery L. Sheler,"In Search of Jesus," US News & World Report (8 Apr 96): 47-53.

Luke T. Johnson,"The Search for (the Wrong) Jesus," Bible Review (Dec 95): 20-25, 44.

C. S. Lewis, Screwtape Letters, chap 23.

Answerthe following so as to be able to discuss these in class:

1.What is Robert Funk and his Jesus Seminar trying to do?

2.What kind of Jesus does Marcus Borg find?

3.What items do you find acceptable about Jesus in the USN&WR article? Why?

4.What items do you find unacceptable in the same? Why?

SessionTwo: The Liberal Jesus

Someintro stuff from The Five Gospels (the Jesus Seminar)

VideoJesus Christ Superstar

Take (at least mental) notes to help fill outyour reaction sheet

Classdiscussion:

How do liberals distort the biblical Jesus?

Exaggeration& downplaying

Rejectionof miracle:

Jesus’miracles, prophecies, claims

Resultingdiversity of pictures of Jesus

Canconfuse people, esp. seekers

Do more traditional Christians distort Jesus?

Probablyall of us do to some extent

Wepick up ideas from our culture or other Xns instead of from the Bible

Weare sinners

Wehave a traditional (Pharisaic) tendency to make good characters look

better and the bad characters worse

How can we avoid distorting Jesus ourselves?

Weneed to get to know Jesus better.

Weneed to see for ourselves what the Bible teaches.

Weneed to ask God for wisdom, faithfulness in this.

How can we help people see when they aredistorting Jesus?

Ifour lives reflect Jesus, we will function as a (partial) corrective.

Weneed to help people study the Gospels for themselves.

How does C.S. Lewis picture Screwtape's (i.e.,Satan’s) strategy?

(seeLewis, Screwtape Letters, chapter 23)

Getpeople’s eyes off the real Jesus onto various fakes.

Getpeople to like Xy for pragmatic reasons.

Getpeople to depend on this-worldly solutions to human problems.

Worksheetto Prepare for Session 3

Reflectionfrom Session 2:

1.Remembering what you saw in the video Jesus Christ Superstar, how did it treatJesus?

Occasionallypretty sympathetic treatment

Butoften unattractive

Sometimesrther pathetic

2.How did Jesus Christ Superstar treat Judas?

Notperfectly good, but as a person who is realistic

Notreally after the betrayal money

Abetter person than the other disciples?

Betterthan Jesus?

3.Did you see any expression of the Gospel in Jesus Christ Superstar? If so, what?

Notmuch:

“Believe”occurs a good bit, but seems to be gullibility re/ Jesus

Wholeatmosphere (w/ possible exception of Judas’ last song) is that of naturalism,no survival of death.

Preparationfor Session 3:

1. Read over John 1:1-14several times using at least two different translations. Name the translations you used. Try to outline the passage:

NASBhas 4 ¶¶: NIVhas 5 ¶¶:

1-5 The Wordcharacterized 1-2 Existence

6-8 Witness ofJohn (Baptist) 3-5 Creator

9-13 True light in world 6-9 John B.

14 TheWord becomes flesh 10-13 Reactions

14 Incarnation

Worksheetto Prepare for Session 4

ReadLuke 2:1-38 twice in different Bible versions.

1. What chronologicalinformation does Luke provide here? Why do you suppose he does this?

2:1reference to a “census” ordered by Augustus, 1^st census underQuirinius

Lukedoesn’t say; probably to locate the events in history (see Luke’s prologue).

Elsewherein 3:1, Luke gives a series of ruler synchronizations & year of Tiberius’reign

1:5also gives some information

2. What geographicalinformation does Luke supply? Why?

placeof birth (Bethlehem in Judea), travel to there from Nazareth in Galilee

Lukedoesn’t say here either; Matthew has something to say about both (Bethlehem,Matt 2:6; Nazarene, Matt 2:23). John something about Galilee (John 7:42-8:12).

PerhapsLuke is confirming these facts for Theophilus

3.What does Luke tell us (given that we know the contents of John 1:1-14) aboutthe manner of Jesus' incarnation? What doesn't he tell us? Why do you suppose that God chose to work in this way?

Manner:natural childbirth by human mother, though conception not by human father

Lukedoesn’t have material on pre-existence found in John

Muchspeculation on why virgin birth and its relation to Jesus’ sinlessness.

Wedo have the fulfillment of prophecy re/ Isaiah 7:14

Alsothe curse on Jeconiah in Jeremiah 22:24ff (which curses the royal line; seeJeconiah in Matthew’s genealogy, but not in Luke’s).

4. How does Luke'saccount here handle his themes of women, the poor, Gentiles, and prayer?

Women– Mary (5-7, 16, 29, 32); Anna (36-38)

Poor– poverty of Mary & Joseph (7, 24), shepherds (8ff)

Gentiles– not much here, but see verse 32, “light to Gentiles”

Prayer– Simeon’s prayer (29-32); Anna as a praying person (37)

Moreon worship (13-14, 20, 28, 38)

5. What examples ofspecial revelation do we have here?

Toshepherds (9ff)

ToSimeon (26)

ToAnna (38)

Session4: Jesus' Birth

SmallGroups: 10-15 min

Each group do Qs 3-5 from worksheet, 3-5 mineach

OurPassage: Luke 2:1-38

1 Now it came about in those days that a decreewent out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of all the inhabitedearth. 2 This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria.3 And all were proceeding to register for the census, everyone to his own city.4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, toJudea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was ofthe house and family of David, 5 in order to register, along with Mary, who wasengaged to him, and was with child. 6 And it came about that while they werethere, the days were completed for her to give birth. 7 And she gave birth toher first‑born son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in amanger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

8 And in the same region there were {some}shepherds staying out in the fields, and keeping watch over their flock bynight. 9 And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory ofthe Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. 10 And the angelsaid to them, "Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of agreat joy which shall be for all the people; 11 for today in the city of Davidthere has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 "And this{will be} a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths, and lying ina manger." 13 And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of theheavenly host praising God, and saying, 14 #"Glory to God in the highest,And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased."# 15 And it cameabout when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds{began} saying to one another, "Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, andsee this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us." 16And they came in haste and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby asHe lay in the manger. 17 And when they had seen this, they made known the statementwhich had been told them about this Child.

18And all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds.19 But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20 Andthe shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they hadheard and seen, just as had been told them.

21 And when eight days were completed beforeHis circumcision, His name was {then} called Jesus, the name given by theangel before He was conceived in the womb.

22 And when the days for their purification accordingto the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him up to Jerusalem topresent Him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord,"\Every\ {first‑born} \male that opens the womb shall be calledholy to the Lord\"), 24 and to offer a sacrifice according to what wassaid in the Law of the Lord, "A \pair of turtledoves, or two youngpigeons.\" 25 And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name wasSimeon; and this man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation ofIsrael; and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26 And it had been revealed to him bythe Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord'sChrist. 27 And he came in the Spirit into the temple; and when the parentsbrought in the child Jesus, to carry out for Him the custom of the Law, 28 thenhe took Him into his arms, and blessed God, and said, 29 #"Now Lord, Thoudost let Thy bond‑servant depart In peace, according to Thy word; 30 Formy eyes have seen Thy salvation, 31 Which Thou hast prepared in the presence ofall peoples, 32 A \light of revelation to the Gentiles\, And the glory of Thypeople Israel. "# 33 And His father and mother were amazed at the thingswhich were being said about Him. 34 And Simeon blessed them, and said to MaryHis mother, "Behold, this {Child} is appointed for the fall and rise ofmany in Israel, and for a sign to be opposed‑‑ 35 and a sword willpierce even your own soul‑‑ to the end that thoughts from manyhearts may be revealed. " 36 And there was a prophetess, Anna the daughterof Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having livedwith a husband seven years after her marriage, 37 and then as a widow to theage of eighty‑four. And she never left the temple, serving night and daywith fastings and prayers. 38 And at that very moment she came up and {began}giving thanks to God, and continued to speak of Him to all those who werelooking for the redemption of Jerusalem.

TheIncarnation Localized

Time: Augustus'reign

"Census" of Quirinius (first)

Place: Judea

Bethelem, a village

Jesus'Birth Characterized

Humble: feedingtrough

shepherds

name given – a common name, though meaningis significant

doves – see Leviticus 12, especially verse8

Supernatural:

(conception)

angels

Simeon

Anna

TheMeaning of Jesus' Birth

Angel: goodnews – Isa 52:7; 61:1

great joy – Psalms 21, 126

deliverer– word study on savior (32x in OT); only one time (Isa 19:20) that itis not obviously referring to God

Messiah – Isa 61:1; read by Jesus insynagogue, Luke 4:21

glory to God – glory (kavod – weight; doxa – shining)

peace to (certain) humans

Simeon: God'ssalvation

light to Gentiles – Isa 42:6; 49:6 (seealso Acts 13:47; 26:23)

glory of Israel – Isa 4:2

fall& rise of many in Israel – fall (Isa 8:14-15); both (Hannah’s prayer,1 Sam 2; Mary’s Luke 1:46ff; Zechariah’s Luke 1:67ff)

to be opposed – Ps 22:6-8; 69:7-12; Isa49:7

sword piercing Mary's soul – prediction ofher anguish at crucifixion?

revealing thoughts of hearts – reaction toJesus reveals one’s heart?

Anna: thankGod

redemption of Jerusalem – Ps 111:9; 130:7;Isa 63:4 (see vv 1-6)

Session5: Jesus' Message

(exegesis of parts of Sermon on Mount)

Smallgroups about 10 minutes on worksheet item #2

Beatitudes(Matt 5:1-16)

Matthew5:1-16 And when He saw the multitudes, He went up on the mountain;and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him.

2And opening His mouth He {began} to teach them, saying, 3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit,for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 "Blessed are those who mourn, forthey shall be comforted. 5 "Blessed are the gentle, for they shallinherit the earth. 6 "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,for they shall be satisfied. 7 "Blessed are the merciful, for they shallreceive mercy. 8 "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. 9"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. 10"Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness,for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 "Blessed are you when {men} castinsults at you, and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against youfalsely, on account of Me. 12 "Rejoice, and be glad, for your reward inheaven is great, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.13 "You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless,how will it be made salty {again}? It is good for nothing anymore, except to bethrown out and trampled under foot by men. 14 "You are the light of theworld. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 "Nor do {men} light alamp, and put it under the peck‑measure, but on the lampstand; andit gives light to all who are in the house. 16 "Let your light shinebefore men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify yourFather who is in heaven.

Comparethe blessings here in Matthew with the blessings/woes in Luke 6

Matthew 5 Luke6:20-26

Blessings Promises Blessings Woes

poorin spirit kingdom poor rich

mourn comfort weep laugh

gentle inherit

h&t rightnss filled hunger well-fed

merciful receivemercy

pure in heart seeGod

peacemakers sonsof God

persecuted kingdom hated approved

Matthew5:17-48 "Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets;I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill. 18 "For truly I say to you,until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall passaway from the Law, until all is accomplished. 19 "Whoever then annuls oneof the least of these commandments, and so teaches others, shall be calledleast in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches {them,} he shallbe called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 "For I say to you, thatunless your righteousness surpasses {that} of the scribes and Pharisees,you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven. 21 "You have heard that theancients were told, '\You shall not commit murder\' and 'Whoever commits murdershall be liable to the court.' 22 "But I say to you that everyone who isangry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever shall sayto his brother, 'Raca,' shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoevershall say, 'You fool,' shall be guilty {enough to go} into the fiery hell. 23"If therefore you are presenting your offering at the altar, and thereremember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your offeringthere before the altar, and go your way; first be reconciled to your brother,and then come and present your offering. 25 "Make friends quickly withyour opponent at law while you are with him on the way, in order that youropponent may not deliver you to the judge, and the judge to the officer, andyou be thrown into prison. 26 "Truly I say to you, you shall not come outof there, until you have paid up the last cent. 27 "You have heard that itwas said, '\You shall not commit adultery\'; 28 but I say to you, that everyonewho looks on a woman to lust for her has committed adultery with heralready in his heart. 29 "And if your right eye makes you stumble,tear it out, and throw it from you; for it is better for you that one of theparts of your body perish, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 30 "Andif your right hand makes you stumble, cut it off, and throw it from you; for itis better for you that one of the parts of your body perish, than for yourwhole body to go into hell. 31 "And it was said, '\Whoever sends hiswife away, let him give her a certificate of divorce\'; 32 but I say to youthat everyone who divorces his wife, except for {the} cause of unchastity,makes her commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commitsadultery. 33 "Again, you have heard that the ancients were told, '\Youshall not make false vows, but shall fulfill your vows to the Lord\.' 34"But I say to you, make no oath at all, either by heaven, for it is thethrone of God, 35 or by the earth, for it is the footstool of His feet, or byJerusalem, for it is \the city of the great King\. 36 "Nor shall you makean oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. 37 "Butlet your statement be, 'Yes, yes' {or} 'No, no'; and anything beyond these isof evil. 38 "You have heard that it was said, '\An eye for an eye, and atooth for a tooth.\' 39 "But I say to you, do not resist him who is evil;but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40"And if anyone wants to sue you, and take your shirt, let him have your coatalso. 41 "And whoever shall force you to go one mile, go with him two. 42"Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants toborrow from you. 43 "You have heard that it was said, '\You shall love your neighbor,\andhate your enemy.' 44 "But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray forthose who persecute you 45 in order that you may be sons of your Father who isin heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on {the} evil and {the} good, andsends rain on {the} righteous and {the} unrighteous. 46 "For if you lovethose who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax‑gatherersdo the same? 47 "And if you greet your brothers only, what do you do more{than others}? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 48 "Therefore you areto be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

RealRighteousness (5:17-48)

Doesn't change

Characterizes kingdom people (vs Pharisees)

Murder vs hate

Adultery vs lust

Oaths vs truth-telling

Retaliation vs non-resistance

Love friends vs enemies

Wealthand Anxiety (6:19-34)

Matthew6:19-34 "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth andrust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 "But lay up foryourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and wherethieves do not break in or steal; 21 for where your treasure is, there willyour heart be also. 22 "The lamp of the body is the eye; if therefore youreye is clear, your whole body will be full of light. 23 "But if your eyeis bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the lightthat is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! 24 "No one canserve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or hewill hold to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. 25"For this reason I say to you, do not be anxious for your life, {as to}what you shall eat, or what you shall drink; nor for your body, {as to} whatyou shall put on. Is not life more than food, and the body than clothing? 26"Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, neither do they reap,nor gather into barns, and {yet} your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you notworth much more than they? 27 "And which of you by being anxious can add a{single} cubit to his life's span? 28 "And why are you anxious aboutclothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor dothey spin, 29 yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory did notclothe himself like one of these. 30 "But if God so arrays the grass ofthe field, which is {alive} today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace,{will He} not much more {do so for} you, O men of little faith? 31 "Do notbe anxious then, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or'With what shall we clothe ourselves?' 32 "For all these things theGentiles eagerly seek; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all thesethings. 33 "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and allthese things shall be added to you. 34 "Therefore do not be anxious fortomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. {Each} day has enough trouble ofits own.

RealWealth (6:19-34)

Earthly wealth vs heavenly

Good eyesight - covetousness as "evileye"

Serving the right master

Anxiety and priorities

Worksheetto Prepare for Session 6

Readover each miracle (Mark 4:37-41, 5:21-43) twice, using a different translationeach time.

1. What peculiaritiesregarding Jesus' person do you see in the incident when he stilled thestorm? What peculiarities regardingthe events themselves?

Person:asleep in the midst of the storm

Rebukeswind & it obeys

Rebukesdisciples for lack of faith

Events: becomesperfectly calm (when wind stops, it normally takes quite a while for the wavesto die down)

2. What peculiaritiesregarding Jesus' person do you see in the incident when he healed the womanwith the hemorrhage? Whatpeculiarities regarding the events themselves?

Person:feels power flowing out, but apparently doesn’t know to whom.

Events: touched by an uncleanperson, Jesus (apparently) doesn’t become unclean, but the person doing thetouching becomes clean.

3. What peculiaritiesregarding Jesus' person do you see in the incident when he raised Jairus'daughter? What peculiaritiesregarding the events themselves?

Person:goes with father & encourages him when news of daughter’s death arrives.

Jesuswords to the bystanders (39; is she dead or not?)

Strictorders than no one should know (43).

Events:Girl awakened by Jesus’ words.

Session6: Jesus' Works (miracles)

Breakinto small groups for 10-15minutes. Each group should do oneof the numbered items on the worksheet. If you have more time, do a second or even the third item also.

Stillingstorm (Mark 4:37-41)

37And there *arose a fierce gale of wind, and the waves were breaking over theboat so much that the boat was already filling up. 38 And He Himself was in thestern, asleep on the cushion; and they *awoke Him and *said to Him,"Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?" 39 And beingaroused, He rebuked the wind and said to the sea, "Hush, be still."And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm. 40 And He said to them,"Why are you so timid? How is it that you have no faith?" 41 And theybecame very much afraid and said to one another, "Who then is this,that even the wind and the sea obey Him?"

Stuff to look for in miracle accounts:

*Strange features

*Connection w/ creation

*Connection w/ eschatology

*Old Testament background

What do we learn about:

*Jesus’ person/character?

*Jesus’ work?

Stillingthe storm

Circumstances

Jesus' actions

Disciples' reaction

What does this tell us about Jesus?

Jairus'Daughter & the Woman w/ Hemorrhage (Mark 5:21-43)

21 And when Jesus hadcrossed over again in the boat to the other side, a great multitude gatheredabout Him; and He stayed by the seashore. 22 And one of the synagogue officialsnamed Jairus *came up, and upon seeing Him, *fell at His feet, 23 and *entreatedHim earnestly, saying, "My little daughter is at the point of death;{please} come and lay Your hands on her, that she may get well and live."24 And He went off with him; and a great multitude was following Him andpressing in on Him.

25 And a woman who had hada hemorrhage for twelve years, 26 and had endured much at the hands of manyphysicians, and had spent all that she had and was not helped at all, butrather had grown worse, 27 after hearing about Jesus, came up in the crowdbehind {Him,} and touched His cloak. 28 For she thought, "If I just touchHis garments, I shall get well." 29 And immediately the flow of her bloodwas dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction.30 And immediately Jesus, perceiving in Himself that the power{proceeding} from Him had gone forth, turned around in the crowd and said,"Who touched My garments?" 31 And His disciples said to Him,"You see the multitude pressing in on You, and You say, 'Who touchedMe?'" 32 And He looked around to see the woman who had done this. 33 Butthe woman fearing and trembling, aware of what had happened to her, cameand fell down before Him, and told Him the whole truth. 34 And He said to her,"Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed ofyour affliction."

35 While He was stillspeaking, they *came from the {house of} the synagogue official, saying,"Your daughter has died; why trouble the Teacher anymore?" 36 ButJesus, overhearing what was being spoken, *said to the synagogue official,"Do not be afraid {any longer,} only believe." 37 And He allowedno one to follow with Him, except Peter and James and John the brother ofJames. 38 And they *came to the house of the synagogue official; and He *behelda commotion, and {people} loudly weeping and wailing. 39 And entering in, He*said to them, "Why make a commotion and weep? The child has not died, butis asleep." 40 And they {began} laughing at Him. But putting them all out,He *took along the child's father and mother and His own companions, and*entered {the room} where the child was. 41 And taking the child by the hand,He *said to her, "Talitha kum!" ( which translated means,"Little girl, I say to you, arise!"). 42 And immediately the girlrose and {began} to walk; for she was twelve years old. And immediatelythey were completely astounded. 43 And He gave them strict orders that noone should know about this; and He said that {something} should be givenher to eat.

Womanwith hemorrhage

Circumstances

Woman's action

Jesus' actions

Session8: Jesus' Parables

Eachsmall group take one (numbered) item on worksheet to discuss for 10 minutes.

Whatare parables?

Earthly stories with heavenly meanings

Stories that draw ananalogy between the "tenor" (spiritual reality) and the "vehicle"(earthly, secular picture/story)

A few parables are "sample-stories" inwhich the vehicle is a sample of the tenor

GoodSamaritan, Rich Fool, Pharisee & Tax Collector, Rich Man & Lazarus …

Whydoes Jesus use parables?

To mystify opponents(who are too proud to ask Jesus what they mean) while enlightening followers(who are not)

Matt 13:10-17 - parables of kingdom

To teach truth vividly and memorably

Luke 15 - lost sheep, coin, son

Matt 3:10 - axe laid at roots

To sneak by defenses of audience to get truejudgment

2 Sam 12 - Nathan's parable of the ewe lamb

Luke 7:36-50 - Jesus' parable of two debtors

Whatdo these parables mean?

Sower(Matt 13:3-8,18-23)

3 And He spoke manythings to them in parables, saying, "Behold, the sower went out to sow; 4and as he sowed, some {seeds} fell beside the road, and the birds came and atethem up. 5 "And others fell upon the rocky places, where they did not havemuch soil; and immediately they sprang up, because they had no depth of soil. 6"But when the sun had risen, they were scorched; and because they had noroot, they withered away. 7 "And others fell among the thorns, and thethorns came up and choked them out. 8 "And others fell on the good soil,and *yielded a crop, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty.

Worksheetto Prepare for Session 9

Wehave a lot of ground to cover in this session, so we won't be able to go intoas much detail. Read each of thepassages over once.

1. What does the triumphal entry (Luke19:28-43) tell us about Jesus' claims?

Gettingcolt – resembles Peter & fish, & prep for Last Supper –foreknowledge? Control?

Crowdrecognizes Messianic claim (via Zech 9:9?); quotation reflects Ps 118:26

Jesus’choice of entry points to Zech 9:9; symbolism (vs riding a horse)

2.What does the anointing (Mark 14:1-11) tell us about the woman? About the indignant bystanders? About Judas? About Jesus?

NoticeMark’s Snadwich technique: betrayal (vv 1-2 & 10-11) surrounds anointing(3-9)

Woman– great sacrifice for Jesus; spontaneous? Probably gratitude

Bystanders– don’t have same appreciation for person & work of Jesus

Judas– Mark doesn’t mention his speaking, but looks like he realizes Jesusdetermined to die

Jesus– knows of his coming death, but not distracted by it; appreciateswoman’s love

3.Looking only at Matthew's account of the Last Supper (26:17-30), what are themajor themes that he develops? Howdo they relate to Jesus?

Lessemphasis on how room is found; meal is a passover (freedom from slavery,slaughter

Ofpasover lamb, protection from destroyer)

Betrayal– Jesus knows it will be Judas & reveals same to Judas

Lord’sSupper instituted

Naziritevow? (not drink of wine…)

4.Looking at Mark's account of the Sanhedrin trial (Mark 14:53-65), what is theleadership trying to do? Whatsample of testimony does Mark give? Why do you suppose he chose this sample? What does Jesus finally confess? What does the Sanhedrin make of this?

Leaderswant to get Jesus out of the way, so seeking testimony (true or not) to do this

Sample:Jesus’ remark about destroying & rebuilding temple (a serious charge); cpJohn 2

Confession:Messiah, Son of Blessed, Son of Man, enthronement in heaven, return in power

Sanhedrindoesn’t consider whether claim might be true, but convicts of blasphemy

5.In the trial before the Roman governor (John 18:28-19:16), what seems to be thecharge against Jesus? Why isPilate reluctant to convict? Whatfinally sways Pilate to convict? What admission does he force from the accusers/crowd?

Charge(28-30) perhaps surprised that Pilate wants details; tell him that Jesusclaiming kingship?

Reluctance– not told, but 37-38 striking; prob Pilate knew thru spies that Jesus nothreat

Sways(19:12) – threat re/ Caesar

Admission– we have no king but Caesar

6.What elements of the crucifixion scene does Luke (23:33-49) emphasize? What do these tell us about Jesus?

2criminals, mockery, darkness, temple veil, Jesus’ last words, reactions ofcenturion, people

Session9: Jesus' Death

Nosmall group sessions this week.

Triumphalentry (Luke 19:28-43)

28 And after He had saidthese things, He was going on ahead, ascending to Jerusalem.

29 And it came about thatwhen He approached Bethphage and Bethany, near the mount that is called Olivet,He sent two of the disciples, 30 saying, "Go into the village opposite{you,} in which as you enter you will find a colt tied, on which no one yet hasever sat; untie it, and bring it {here.} 31 "And if anyone asks you, 'Whyare you untying it?' thus shall you speak, 'The Lord has need of it.'" 32And those who were sent went away and found it just as He had told them.

33And as they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, "Why are youuntying the colt?" 34 And they said, "The Lord has need of it."35 And they brought it to Jesus, and they threw their garments on the colt, andput Jesus {on it.} 36 And as He was going, they were spreading their garmentsin the road. 37 And as He was now approaching, near the descent of the Mount ofOlives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to praise God joyfully witha loud voice for all the miracles which they had seen, 38 saying,#"\Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord\; Peace in heavenand glory in the highest!"# 39 And some of the Pharisees in the multitudesaid to Him, "Teacher, rebuke Your disciples." 40 And He answered andsaid, "I tell you, if these become silent, the stones will cry out!"

41 And when He approached,He saw the city and wept over it, 42 saying, "If you had known in thisday, even you, the things which make for peace! But now they have been hiddenfrom your eyes. 43 "For the days shall come upon you when your enemieswill throw up a bank before you, and surround you, and hem you in on everyside, 44 and will level you to the ground and your children within you, andthey will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did notrecognize the time of your visitation."

The donkey colt – see worksheet

Symbolism:not one ever sat (Jesus as 2^nd Adam?)

Notjust fulfillment of Zech 9:9, but also donkey vs horse

The crowd's reaction

Dothey recognize fulf of Zech 9:9? Quotation from Ps 118:26 & Jesus’ choice

Ofanimal both point to this

Jesus' answer to the Pharisees

Literally?

Jesus weeps

Hiscompassion, reflecting God’s view of lost

Predictionof Jerusalem’s destruction

Jesusanointed (Mark 14:1-11)

1 Now the Passover andUnleavened Bread was two days off; and the chief priests and the scribes wereseeking how to seize Him by stealth, and kill {Him;} 2 for they were saying,"Not during the festival, lest there be a riot of the people."

3 And while He was inBethany at the home of Simon the leper, and reclining {at the table,} therecame a woman with an alabaster vial of very costly perfume of pure nard;{and} she broke the vial and poured it over His head. 4 But some were indignantly{remarking} to one another, "Why has this perfume been wasted?

5"For this perfume might have been sold for over three hundred denarii, and{the money} given to the poor." And they were scolding her. 6 But Jesussaid, "Let her alone; why do you bother her? She has done a good deed toMe. 7 "For the poor you always have with you, and whenever you wish, youcan do them good; but you do not always have Me. 8 "She has done what shecould; she has anointed My body beforehand for the burial. 9 "And trulyI say to you, wherever the gospel is preached in the whole world, that alsowhich this woman has done shall be spoken of in memory of her."

10 And Judas Iscariot, whowas one of the twelve, went off to the chief priests, in order to betray Him tothem. 11 And they were glad when they heard {this,} and promised to give himmoney. And he {began} seeking how to betray Him at an opportune time.

Plot to arrest Jesus

Mark’s‘sandwich’ technique: 1-2 and 10-11 sandwiching 3-9

Woman's action

Spontaneous?Gratitude?

Objection

Didn’thave same appreciation of Jesus

Jesus' response

Notephrase ‘whenever you wish’ in verse 7

Lastsupper (Matthew 26:17-30)

17 Now on the first {day}of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Where do You wantus to prepare for You to eat the Passover?" 18 And He said, "Go intothe city to a certain man, and say to him, 'The Teacher says," My time isat hand; I {am to} keep the Passover at your house with My disciples."'" 19 And the disciples did as Jesus had directed them; and theyprepared the Passover.

20 Now when evening hadcome, He was reclining {at the table} with the twelve disciples. 21 And as theywere eating, He said, "Truly I say to you that one of you will betrayMe." 22 And being deeply grieved, they each one began to say to Him,"Surely not I, Lord?" 23 And He answered and said, "He whodipped his hand with Me in the bowl is the one who will betray Me. 24 "TheSon of Man {is to} go, just as it is written of Him; but woe to that man bywhom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he hadnot been born." 25 And Judas, who was betraying Him, answered and said,"Surely it is not I, Rabbi?" He *said to him, "You have said{it} yourself."

26 And while they wereeating, Jesus took {some} bread, and after a blessing, He broke {it} and gave{it} to the disciples, and said, "Take, eat; this is My body."27 And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave {it} to them, saying,"Drink from it, all of you; 28 for this is My blood of the covenant, whichis poured out for many for forgiveness of sins. 29 "But I say to you, Iwill not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when Idrink it new with you in My Father's kingdom."

30 And after singing ahymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

Supper arranged

Betrayal predicted

Warning

Judas identified

The bread and cup

Jesus' abstention

Trialbefore the Sanhedrin (Mark 14:53-65)

53 And they led Jesus awayto the high priest; and all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes*gathered together. 54 And Peter had followed Him at a distance, right into thecourtyard of the high priest; and he was sitting with the officers, andwarming himself at the fire. 55 Now the chief priests and the whole Councilkept trying to obtain testimony against Jesus to put Him to death; and theywere not finding any. 56 For many were giving false testimony against Him, and{yet} their testimony was not consistent. 57 And some stood up and {began} togive false testimony against Him, saying, 58 "We heard Him say, 'I willdestroy this temple made with hands, and in three days I will build anothermade without hands.'" 59 And not even in this respect was their testimonyconsistent. 60 And the high priest stood up {and came} forward and questionedJesus, saying, "Do You make no answer? What is it that these men aretestifying against You?" 61 But He kept silent, and made no answer. Againthe high priest was questioning Him, and saying to Him, "Are You theChrist, the Son of the Blessed {One?}" 62 And Jesus said, "I am; andyou shall see \the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power\, and \comingwith the clouds of heaven\." 63 And tearing his clothes, the highpriest *said, "What further need do we have of witnesses? 64 "Youhave heard the blasphemy; how does it seem to you?" And they all condemnedHim to be deserving of death. 65 And some began to spit at Him, and toblindfold Him, and to beat Him with their fists, and to say to Him,"Prophesy!" And the officers received Him with slaps {in theface.}

Fishing for testimony

A sample

Jesus' confession

The Sanhedrin's reaction

BeforePilate (John 18:28-19:16)

28 They *led Jesustherefore from Caiaphas into the Praetorium, and it was early; and theythemselves did not enter into the Praetorium in order that they might not bedefiled, but might eat the Passover. 29 Pilate therefore went out to them, and*said, "What accusation do you bring against this Man?" 30 Theyanswered and said to him, "If this Man were not an evildoer, we would nothave delivered Him up to you." 31 Pilate therefore said to them,"Take Him yourselves, and judge Him according to your law." TheJews said to him, "We are not permitted to put anyone to death," 32that the word of Jesus might be fulfilled, which He spoke, signifying by whatkind of death He was about to die.

33 Pilate thereforeentered again into the Praetorium, and summoned Jesus, and said to Him,"Are You the King of the Jews?" 34 Jesus answered, "Are yousaying this on your own initiative, or did others tell you about Me?" 35Pilate answered, "I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chiefpriests delivered You up to me; what have You done?" 36 Jesus answered,"My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, thenMy servants would be fighting, that I might not be delivered up to the Jews;but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm." 37 Pilate thereforesaid to Him, "So You are a king?" Jesus answered, "You say{correctly} that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I havecome into the world, to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truthhears My voice." 38 Pilate *said to Him, "What is truth?"

And when he had saidthis, he went out again to the Jews, and *said to them, "I find no guiltin Him. 39 "But you have acustom, that I should release someone for you at the Passover; do you wish thenthat I release for you the King of the Jews?" 40 Therefore they cried outagain, saying, "Not this Man, but Barabbas." Now Barabbas was arobber.

19:1 Then Pilate thereforetook Jesus, and scourged Him. 2 And the soldiers wove a crown of thorns and putit on His head, and arrayed Him in a purple robe; 3 and they {began} to come upto Him, and say, "Hail, King of the Jews!" and to give Him blows {inthe face.} 4 And Pilate came out again, and *said to them, "Behold, I ambringing Him out to you, that you may know that I find no guilt in Him." 5Jesus therefore came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. And{Pilate} *said to them, "Behold, the Man!" 6 When therefore the chiefpriests and the officers saw Him, they cried out, saying, "Crucify,crucify!" Pilate *said to them, "Take Him yourselves, and crucifyHim, for I find no guilt in Him." 7 The Jews answered him, "We have alaw, and by that law He ought to die because He made Himself out {to be} theSon of God." 8 When Pilate therefore heard this statement, he was the moreafraid; 9 and he entered into the Praetorium again, and *said to Jesus,"Where are You from?" But Jesus gave him no answer. 10 Pilatetherefore *said to Him, "You do not speak to me? Do You not know that Ihave authority to release You, and I have authority to crucify You?"11 Jesus answered, "You would have no authority over Me, unless it hadbeen given you from above; for this reason he who delivered Me up to youhas {the} greater sin." 12 As a result of this Pilate made efforts torelease Him, but the Jews cried out, saying, "If you release this Man, youare no friend of Caesar; everyone who makes himself out {to be} a king opposesCaesar." 13 When Pilate therefore heard these words, he brought Jesus out,and sat down on the judgment seat at a place called The Pavement, but inHebrew, Gabbatha. 14 Now it was the day of preparation for the Passover;it was about the sixth hour. And he *said to the Jews, "Behold, yourKing!" 15 They therefore cried out, "Away with {Him}, away with{Him,} crucify Him!" Pilate *said to them, "Shall I crucify yourKing?" The chief priests answered, "We have no king but Caesar."

16So he then delivered Him to them to be crucified.

Interaction with Jewish leaders

Interview w/ Jesus

Pilate's attempt to free Jesus

2nd Interview w/ Jesus

Friend of Caesar

Jesus'Crucifixion (Luke 23:33-49)

33 And when they came tothe place called The Skull, there they crucified Him and the criminals, one onthe right and the other on the left. 34 But Jesus was saying, "Father,forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing." And they castlots, dividing up His garments among themselves. 35 And the people stoodby, looking on. And even the rulers were sneering at Him, saying, "Hesaved others; let Him save Himself if this is the Christ of God, His ChosenOne." 36 And the soldiers also mocked Him, coming up to Him, offering Himsour wine, 37 and saying, "If You are the King of the Jews, saveYourself!" 38 Now there was also an inscription above Him,

"THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS."

39 And one of thecriminals who were hanged {there} was hurling abuse at Him, saying, "AreYou not the Christ? Save Yourself and us!" 40 But the other answered, andrebuking him said, "Do you not even fear God, since you are under the samesentence of condemnation? 41 "And we indeed justly, for we arereceiving what we deserve for our deeds; but this man has done nothingwrong." 42 And he was saying, "Jesus, remember me when You come inYour kingdom!" 43 And He said to him, "Truly I say to you, today youshall be with Me in Paradise."

44 And it was now aboutthe sixth hour, and darkness fell over the whole land until the ninth hour, 45the sun being obscured; and the veil of the temple was torn in two. 46 AndJesus, crying out with a loud voice, said, "Father, \into Thy hands Icommit My spirit.\" And having said this, He breathed His last. 47 Nowwhen the centurion saw what had happened, he {began} praising God, saying,"Certainly this man was innocent." 48 And all the multitudes whocame together for this spectacle, when they observed what had happened,{began} to return, beating their breasts. 49 And all His acquaintances and thewomen who accompanied Him from Galilee, were standing at a distance, seeingthese things.

Father, forgive them

Mockery

The two criminals

Jesus' last words

Reactions by eyewitnesses

Worksheetto Prepare for Session 10

Readover Col 1:15-23 twice in different versions.

1.Who is Jesus according to this passage?

Imageof God, firstborn of creation, all things created by/for him, before allthings,

Holdsall things together; head of church, firstborn from dead, has 1^stplace in

everything, All the fulness dwells inhim

2.What has he done according to this passage?

Allthings created by him, all things hold together in him

Hereconciled all things, made peace thru blood of cross

Readover Rom 5:6-11 twice.

3.How do you think we were helpless?

Unableto save ourselves

4.How do you think we are "saved by his life"?

Connectedw/ having been reconciled, so prob not reference to Jesus passive/activeobedience

(1)Reference to his intercession?

(2)Reference to his living in us?

Readover Gal 4:4-7 twice.

5.Notice the four pictures Paul gives here of our salvation: redeemed, adopted, sons, heirs. How does the literal meaning of each ofthese help us understand salvation?

Redeemed:purchased from slavery Heirs:receive inheritance

Adopted:taken into a family not born into => ↓

Sons:belong to family (whether born or adopted) => God becomes our dear father

Readover Eph 2:11-18 twice.

6.How does Jesus reconcile Jew and Gentile?

Removesseparation/distinction Makesboth groups one

Bringsfar off near Breaksdown wall, ends enmity

Readover 2 Cor 5:14-21 twice.

7.What does "therefore all died" mean?

Alldeserved death; so consider selves dead to old self, alive to new self.

8.Explain verse 21.

Jesusour substitute; sin = sin offering

Session10: Paul on Jesus' Death

Smallgroups (15 min): each group discuss both 1 and 2:

1.How do we reconcile "firstborn of all creation" (Col 1:15) with John1:1-3? This is a favorite verse ofthe Jehovah's Witnesses.

Seeappendix, page 57; Jesus is legal firstborn, i.e., ruler over all creation; heis not the

first-createdcreature.

2.How were we helpless (Rom 5:6)?

Wecouldn’t make ourselves acceptable to God, nor escape his wrath

(seeRom 2:12-13; 3:8ff; 3:19ff)

Creatorof Universe and Church (Col 1:15-23)

15 And He is the image ofthe invisible God, the first‑born of all creation. 16 For by Him allthings were created, {both} in the heavens and on earth, visible andinvisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities C all things have beencreated by Him and for Him. 17 And He is before all things, and in Him allthings hold together.

18 He is also head of thebody, the church; and He is the beginning, the first‑born from thedead; so that He Himself might come to have first place in everything. 19For it was the {Father's} good pleasure for all the fulness to dwell in Him, 20and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace throughthe blood of His cross; through Him, {I say}, whether things on earth or thingsin heaven.

21 And although you wereformerly alienated and hostile in mind, {engaged} in evil deeds, 22 yet He hasnow reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you beforeHim holy and blameless and beyond reproach C 23 if indeed you continue in the faith firmlyestablished and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospelthat you have heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and ofwhich I, Paul, was made a minister.

Image

Firstborn of creation

Creator (creation by/through Jesus)

Before all things

Holds all things together

Head of body

Firstborn from dead

First place in everything

All fulness dwells in him

All things reconciled through him (throughhis death)

Diesfor Enemies (Rom 5:6-11)

6 For while we were stillhelpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will hardlydie for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dareeven to die. 8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while wewere yet sinners, Christ died for us.

9 Much more then, havingnow been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath {of God}through Him. 10 For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God throughthe death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved byHis life. 11 And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord JesusChrist, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.

We were helpless, Christ dies for us

Demonstration of God's love

Now justified, in future will be saved

Saved by Jesus' death and life

MakesSlaves into Sons (Gal 4:4-7)

4 But when the fulness ofthe time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, 5in order that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we mightreceive the adoption as sons.

6 And because you aresons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying,"Abba! Father!" 7 Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son; andif a son, then an heir through God.

Fulness of time

Jesus born under Law

Redeems those under Law

No longer slaves, adopted as sons/heirs

ReconcilesJews and Gentiles (Eph 2:11-18)

11 Therefore remember,that formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called "Uncircumcision"by the so‑called "Circumcision," {which is} performed in theflesh by human hands C 12 {remember} that youwere at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel,and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without Godin the world.

13 But now in Christ Jesusyou who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14For He Himself is our peace, who made both {groups into} one, and broke downthe barrier of the dividing wall, 15 by abolishing in His flesh the enmity,{which is} the Law of commandments {contained} in ordinances, that in HimselfHe might make the two into one new man, {thus} establishing peace, 16 and mightreconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put todeath the enmity. 17 \And He came and preached peace to you who were far away,and peace to those who were near\; 18 for through Him we both have our accessin one Spirit to the Father.

Circumcision

Excluded

No hope, no God

Brought near

Broke down barrier (Law)

Proclaimed peace and access

SendsOut Ambassadors (2 Cor 5:14-21)

14 For the love of Christcontrols us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died;15 and He died for all, that they who live should no longer live forthemselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.

16 Therefore from now onwe recognize no man according to the flesh; even though we have known Christaccording to the flesh, yet now we know {Him} {thus} no longer. 17 Therefore ifany man is in Christ, {he is} a new creature; the old things passed away;behold, new things have come.

Worksheetto Prepare for Session 11

Readover (once) Heb 7:1-28 carefully, plus Gen 14:1-24 and Ps 110:1-7.

1.The figure of Melchizedek in Gen 14 is rather mysterious, as is the matter ofwhat the writer of Hebrews is doing with him. This becomes somewhat clearer if we think of the author ofHebrews asking himself (from Ps 110:4), AHow is the Messiah >a priest forever, likeMelchizedek=?@ What points of similarity between Jesusthe Messiah and Melchizedek does the author find?

Kingof righteousness perpetualpriest

Kingof peace greaterthan Abraham

w/ofather, mother, genealogy

w/obeginning or end of life

2.How does the author of Hebrews contrast Jesus' (Melchizedek) priesthood and theLevitical priesthood?

Mreceives tithes from Abraham (and from L in As loins)

Mblesses Abraham, L is As (lesser) descendant

M“lives” while L (and his priests) die

Readover Heb 10:1-18 twice and Ps 40 once.

3.What passage is the author quoting here in Heb 10? Who does he suggest this refers to? What features in the OT passageespecially fit Jesus?

Passagequoted is Psalm 40

Whodoes it refer to? Jesus

Whatfeatures especially fit Jesus?

Comesas predicted in Scripture

Replacementfor sacrifice

Delightsto do God’s will

Lawwithin his heart

4.What do you suppose the author of Hebrews means in verse 8 when he says,parenthetically, "which are offered according to the Law"?

“Sacrificesand offerings you have not desired” must be understood in the light of the factthat God commanded them in the OT law.

Session11: Hebrews on Jesus' Death

Smallgroups: take 5-10 min to discuss worksheet item #1 or #3

Jesusas priest (Heb 7:1-28)

1 For this Melchizedek,king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham as he was returningfrom the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, 2 to whom also Abrahamapportioned a tenth part of all {the spoils}, was first of all, by thetranslation {of his name}, king of righteousness, and then also king ofSalem, which is king of peace. 3 Without father, without mother, withoutgenealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like theSon of God, he abides a priest perpetually.

4 Now observe how greatthis man was to whom Abraham, the patriarch, gave a tenth of the choicestspoils. 5 And those indeed of the sons of Levi who receive the priest's officehave commandment in the Law to collect a tenth from the people, that is, fromtheir brethren, although these are descended from Abraham. 6 But the onewhose genealogy is not traced from them collected a tenth from Abraham, andblessed the one who had the promises. 7 But without any dispute the lesser isblessed by the greater. 8 And in this case mortal men receive tithes, but inthat case one {receives them}, of whom it is witnessed that he lives on. 9 And,so to speak, through Abraham even Levi, who received tithes, paid tithes, 10for he was still in the loins of his father when Melchizedek met him.

11 Now if perfection wasthrough the Levitical priesthood (for on the basis of it the people receivedthe Law), what further need {was there} for another priest to arise accordingto the order of Melchizedek, and not be designated according to the orderof Aaron? 12 For when the priesthood is changed, of necessity there takes placea change of law also. 13 For the one concerning whom these things are spokenbelongs to another tribe, from which no one has officiated at the altar. 14 Forit is evident that our Lord was descended from Judah, a tribe with reference towhich Moses spoke nothing concerning priests. 15 And this is clearer still, ifanother priest arises according to the likeness of Melchizedek, 16 who hasbecome {such} not on the basis of a law of physical requirement, but accordingto the power of an indestructible life. 17 For it is witnessed {of Him},#"\Thou art a priest forever\ \According to the order ofMelchizedek.\"# 18 For, on the one hand, there is a setting aside of aformer commandment because of its weakness and uselessness 19 (for the Law madenothing perfect), and on the other hand there is a bringing in of a betterhope, through which we draw near to God.

20 And inasmuch as {itwas} not without an oath 21 (for they indeed became priests without an oath,but He with an oath through the One who said to Him, #"\The Lord hassworn\ \And will not change His mind\, '\Thou art a priest forever\'");#22 so much the more also Jesus has become the guarantee of a better covenant.23 And the {former} priests, on the one hand, existed in greater numbers,because they were prevented by death from continuing, 24 but He, on the otherhand, because He abides forever, holds His priesthood permanently. 25Hence, also, He is able to save forever those who draw near to God through Him,since He always lives to make intercession for them. 26 For it was fittingthat we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, undefiled, separatedfrom sinners and exalted above the heavens; 27 who does not need daily, like thosehigh priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins, and then for the{sins} of the people, because this He did once for all when He offered upHimself. 28 For the Law appoints men as high priests who are weak, but the wordof the oath, which came after the Law, {appoints} a Son, made perfectforever.

Toclarify the argument somewhat, I include here the relevant portions of mysummary of the argument of Hebrews from my course NT 552 Johannine Literature& General Epistles:

This Melchizedek (Gen 14) pronounced a blessingon Abraham and received his offerings. From his name and title he is "king of righteousness" and"king of peace." With nogenealogy, birth or death record, he is made like the Son of God and is alwaysa priest. Look how great hewas! He received the tenth fromthe forefather of those Levites who would collect the tenth, though he himselfwas no Levite. He was greater thanAbraham, pronouncing the blessing rather than receiving it. And Levi, so to speak, even paid him tithes.(7:1-10)

Now if the Levitical priesthood (on which theLaw was based) was sufficient, why does Psalm 110 predict another priest likeMelchizedek rather than Aaron? Doesn't this imply a change in the Law? Indeed, the One fulfilling this prediction comes from Judah,a non-priestly tribe. And He, too,fits the psalm's prediction of a priest "forever," not byphysical descendants but by an indestructable life. So this psalm predicts the former commandmentswill be replaced by a better hope for coming to God. A better hope and better covenant because it is establishedby God's oath and rests in the permanent priesthood of Jesus, who can saveforever because he lives forever. (7:11-28)

Melchizedekcharacterized (1-3)

His titles (1-2)

Blesses Abraham (1)

Receives tithes from Abraham (2)

No [reference to] antecedents, birth, death (3)

Hispriesthood compared with Levitical (4-10)

Tithe (4-10) - lesser pays greater

Blessing (6-7) - greater blesses lesser

Life (8) - lives vs dies

Newpriesthood means new law (11-19)

If Levitical perfect, why a new? (11-12)

Melchizedek priest from different tribe (13-14)

Melchidek priest lives & serves forever(15-17)

New law makes perfect (18-19)

Newlaw & covenant better than old (20-28)

Priesthood sealed by oath (20-22)

Ever-living priest (23-25)

Sinless priest (26-28)

Jesusas sacrifice (Heb 10:1-18)

1 For the Law, since ithas {only} a shadow of the good things to come {and} not the very form ofthings, can never by the same sacrifices year by year, which they offercontinually, make perfect those who draw near. 2 Otherwise, would they not haveceased to be offered, because the worshipers, having once been cleansed, wouldno longer have had consciousness of sins? 3 But in those {sacrifices} there isa reminder of sins year by year. 4 For it is impossible for the blood ofbulls and goats to take away sins.

5 Therefore, when Hecomes into the world, He says, #"\Sacrifice and offering Thou hast notdesired\, \But a body Thou hast prepared for Me\; 6 \In whole burnt offeringsand\ {sacrifices} \for sin Thou hast taken no pleasure\. 7 "\Then I said,'Behold, I have come\ (\In the roll of the book it is written of Me\) \To doThy will, O God.\'" # 8 After saying above, "\Sacrifices andofferings and whole burnt offerings and\ {sacrifices} \for sin Thou hast notdesired, nor hast Thou taken pleasure\ {in them}" (which are offeredaccording to the Law), 9 then He said, "\Behold, I have come to do Thywill\." He takes away the first in order to establish the second. 10 Bythis will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of JesusChrist once for all.

11 And every priest standsdaily ministering and offering time after time the same sacrifices, which cannever take away sins; 12 but He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for alltime, \sat down at the right hand of God\, 13 waiting from that time onward\until His enemies be made a footstool for His feet\. 14 For by one offering Hehas perfected for all time those who are sanctified.

15 And the Holy Spiritalso bears witness to us; for after saying, 16 #"\This is the covenantthat I will make with them\ \After those days, says the Lord\: \I will put Mylaws upon their heart\, \And upon their mind I will write them,\"# {Hethen says}, 17 #"\And their sins and their lawless deeds\# #\I willremember no more.\"# 18 Now where there is forgiveness of these things,there is no longer {any} offering for sin.

Here,too, we give an extract from the argument of Hebrews:

Worksheetto Prepare for Session 13

Readover the ascension account (Acts 1:1-11) twice in different versions.

1.What indications of place and time does Luke give us here?

40days after resurrection, on Mount of Olives

2.What promise does Jesus give the disciples? What promise do the angels give the disciples?

Comingof Holy Spirit

Returnof Jesus

3.What are the disciples to be doing while Jesus is gone? Do you suppose this applies to us aswell as to them?

Tobe witnesses of Jesus

Soundslike it does

Readonce carefully Matt 24:1-31 and 25:31-45.

4.What questions do the disciples ask that Jesus (presumably) is answering here?

Whenwill these things (“not one stone…”) happen?

Whatwill be the sign of your coming & of the end of the age?

5.What sorts of events will characterize these times?

Seelist on page 55.

6.What is the crucial event that should cause people in Judea to flee to the mountains?

Abominationof desolation

7.What immediately follows the great tribulation?

Signsin sun, moon, stars

Returnof Son of Man

8.How does Matt 25:31-46 resemble Matt 7:24-29?

Salvationis demonstrated by works.

Session13: Jesus' Ascension and Return

Nosmall groups this week.

Jesus'Ascension (Acts 1:1-11)

1 The first account Icomposed, Theophilus, about all that Jesus began to do and teach, 2 until theday when He was taken up, after He had by the Holy Spirit given orders to theapostles whom He had chosen. 3 To these He also presented Himself alive, afterHis suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over {a period of}forty days, and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God.

4 And gathering themtogether, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what theFather had promised, "Which," {He said,} "you heard of from Me;

5for John baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spiritnot many days from now."

6 And so when they hadcome together, they were asking Him, saying, "Lord, is it at this time Youare restoring the kingdom to Israel?" 7 He said to them, "It is notfor you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His ownauthority; 8 but you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come uponyou; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea andSamaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth."

9 And after He had saidthese things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud receivedHim out of their sight. 10 And as they were gazing intently into the sky whileHe was departing, behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them; 11 andthey also said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky?This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just thesame way as you have watched Him go into heaven."

Acts is sequel to Gospel of Luke

Luke's Gospel: Jesus began to do and teach

Jesus presented alive by many convincing proofs

Wait for the Spirit

You will be witnesses

Taken up in cloud

Angels' message

Jesus'Return (Matt 24:1-31; 25:31-46)

24:1 And Jesus came out fromthe temple and was going away when His disciples came up to point out thetemple buildings to Him. 2 And He answered and said to them, "Do you notsee all these things? Truly I say to you, not one stone here shall be left uponanother, which will not be torn down."

3 And as He was sittingon the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying,"Tell us, when will these things be, and what {will be} the sign of Yourcoming, and of the end of the age?" 4 And Jesus answered and said to them,"See to it that no one misleads you. 5 "For many will come in Myname, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will mislead many. 6 "And you will behearing of wars and rumors of wars; see that you are not frightened, for {thosethings} must take place, but {that} is not yet the end. 7 "For nation willrise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various placesthere will be famines and earthquakes. 8 "But all these things are{merely} the beginning of birth pangs. 9 "Then they will deliver you totribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations on accountof My name. 10 "And at that time many will fall away and will deliver upone another and hate one another. 11 "And many false prophets will arise,and will mislead many. 12 "And because lawlessness is increased, mostpeople's love will grow cold. 13 "But the one who endures to the end, heshall be saved. 14 "And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached inthe whole world for a witness to all the nations, and then the end shall come.

15 "Therefore whenyou see the \abomination of desolation\ which was spoken of through Danielthe prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), 16then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains; 17 let him who is on thehousetop not go down to get the things out that are in his house; 18 and lethim who is in the field not turn back to get his cloak. 19 "But woe tothose who are with child and to those who nurse babes in those days! 20 "Butpray that your flight may not be in the winter, or on a Sabbath; 21 for thenthere will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginningof the world until now, nor ever shall. 22 "And unless those days had beencut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect thosedays shall be cut short. 23 "Then if anyone says to you, 'Behold, here isthe Christ,' or 'There {He is,'} do not believe {him.} 24 "For falseChrists and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, soas to mislead, if possible, even the elect. 25 "Behold, I have told you inadvance. 26 "If therefore they say to you, 'Behold, He is in the wilderness,'do not go forth, {or,}' Behold, He is in the inner rooms, 'do not believe{them.} 27 "For just as the lightning comes from the east, and flasheseven to the west, so shall the coming of the Son of Man be. 28 "Whereverthe corpse is, there the vultures will gather.

29 "But immediatelyafter the tribulation of those days \the sun will be darkened, and the moonwill not give its light, and the stars will fall\ from the sky, and the powersof the heavens will be shaken, 30 and then the sign of the Son of Man willappear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they willsee the \Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky\ with power and greatglory. 31 "And He will send forth His angels with \a great trumpet\ and\they will gather together\ His elect from the four winds, from one end of thesky to the other.

Jesus' prediction re/ temple buildings

The disciples' questions

Jesus' response:

Watch out for false Christs

The beginning of "birth pangs":

wars

famines

earthquakes

persecution

false prophets

lawlessness/lovelessness

Gospel to whole world

Then the end:

abomination of desolation (see Daniel 9:27; 11:31; 12:11)

great(est) tribulation

false Christs/prophets

2nd coming unmistakable

signs in heavens

Son of Man returns

Gathers his elect

25:31 "But when the Sonof Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on Hisglorious throne. 32 "And all the nations will be gathered before Him; andHe will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheepfrom the goats; 33 and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on theleft.

34 "Then the Kingwill say to those on His right, 'Come, you who are blessed of My Father,inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 'ForI was hungry, and you gave Me {something} to eat; I was thirsty, and you gaveMe drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; 36 naked, and you clothedMe; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.' 37"Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we seeYou hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You drink? 38 'And when did wesee You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? 39 'And whendid we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?' 40 "And the King willanswer and say to them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it toone of these brothers of Mine, {even} the least {of them,} you did it to Me.'

41 "Then He will alsosay to those on His left, 'Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal firewhich has been prepared for the devil and his angels; 42 for I was hungry, andyou gave Me {nothing} to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink;43 I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did notclothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.' 44 "Then theythemselves also will answer, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, orthirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take careof You?' 45 "Then He will answer them, saying, 'Truly I say to you, to theextent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do itto Me.' 46 "And these will go away into eternal punishment, but therighteous into eternal life."

The"Sheep and Goat" Judgment

Done to these "brothers" = done toJesus

Not done to them = not done to Jesus

Feeding hungry and thirsty

Hospitality to strangers

Clothing the needy

Visiting sick and prisoners

Disobedient go to eternal punishment

Righteous to eternal life

Appendix:

Theterm “firstborn” has two uses:

(1)actual firstborn: eldest son in family

(2)legal firstborn: one who receives the double-portion of the inheritance &responsibilities as firstborn (rule over family; take care of parents)

Inthe Abrhamic line, it is interesting that these were distinct for the firstfour generations!

Abraham

/ \

(1)Ishmael (2) Isaac

/ \

(1)Esau (2) Jacob

/ \

(1)Reuben (2) Joseph

/ \

(1)Manasseh (2) Ephraim

SuggestedScenario for Post-Resurrection Appearances

1 Cor 15

Mk 16

Mt 28

Lk 24

Acts

John

Women

Mary Magdalene

20:11-17

Peter

2 on Road

13-31

10 Apostles

36-48

20:19-23

11 Apostles

14?

20:26-29

7 at Seaside

21:1-22

11 on Mountain

James

Apostles at meal

14?

4-5

Aps at ascension

14?

49-51

6-8

Paul nr Damascus

9;22;26

Spring 2006

BiblicalTheological Seminary SpringTerm 2006

Dr. Robert C.Newman Monday evenings 7:30-10:15 Lecture Hall