Staying Dusty

Bethlehem 2007 and 2004

2007-11-26T23:11:00.000-08:00

National Geographic has an article in their December 2007 magazine on the modern day city of Bethlehem, the house of bread. Like all good subscribers, I have only looked at the pictures so far. They have an amazing one showing how close Bethlehem rests in the shadow of Herod, literally with the giant ruins of Herod's desert fortress in the background, the Herodium. Archaeologists recently found what appears to be Herod's tomb at the Herodium. The birth and death of two great kings. Bethlehem is about 3 miles (4.75 km) from the Herodium. All these places within an hours walk of one another.

Back in 2004, I spent a night at Ramat Rachel in Jerusalem. I woke up the next morning to a view of sun rise on the Herodium.

Figure 1 -- The Herodium is in the background , the flat-top shaped hill.

Figure 2 -- Panning to the right, to the east, you can see more of the nearby land.

Figure 3 -- Panning to the east slightly more, you can see the towers of Bethlehem in the middle ground.

Rejoice always--David Scholer

2007-06-06T12:42:00.000-07:00

There is a great article in the LA Times on professor David Scholer of Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena. It's encouraging to see God's faithfulness in how this man has faced hardship and his struggle with cancer, and how he has been strengthened to continue teaching and rejoicing in life.

Notes on "Jesus" by Flusser, Chapter 1

2007-06-02T00:02:00.000-07:00

Flusser begins "Jesus" with comments on the sources. His goal is to "write the story of Jesus' life (pg. 18)", and to "simply server as a mouthpiece for Jesus' message today (pg 16)". Key points of chapter 1 include:

The only important Christian sources are the Gospels.

The three Synoptics (Matthew, Mark, Luke) are based upon common historical material
The fourth, John, is primarily theological in nature.

The most genuine sources of a charismatic personality are their own utterances and the accounts of the faithful--read critically of course. Outside references serve as a control.
Without much detail, Flusser states that "the early Christian accounts about Jesus are not as untrustworthy as people today often think (pg 20)".
The only Gospel that teaches a post-Easter Christology is John's.
In the early church, for Jewish Christianity, Jesus' role as miracle-worker, teacher, prophet and Messiah was more important than the risen Lord of the kerygma.
He dates the Gospels to around 70AD, which luckily was after the "dynamic creativity" of Pauline congregations had died down.
He concludes that with an unbiased mind, the synoptic Gospels are seen as more focused on Christian platitudes rather than kerygmatic statements.
A intimate few of first century Judaism is vital to understanding Jesus. In light of this Jewish background, the Synoptic Gospels preserve a picture of Jesus which is more reliable than is generally acknowledged.
Based on R. L. Lindsey's work, Flusser feels Luke preserves a more original tradition than Mark, and when combined with Matthew provides a more authentic view of Jesus (pg 21,22).
In a foot note, Flusser thinks that Jesus' crucifixion quote of Psalm 22 is a creative invention by Mark. More in a later chapter.
Flusser has "no axe to grind", and "seeks to present Jesus directly to the reader".

Return to "Jesus" by Flusser

2007-06-01T23:22:00.000-07:00

I recently realized I had never finished David Flusser's book, Jesus, and have returned to read it in depth. Flusser was an Orthodox Jew who lived in Israel and was an expert in Jesus and nascent Christianity. He was a founding member of the Jerusalem School of Synpotic Research. His book, Jesus, 2001, searches for the historical Jesus and "reflects the truism that Jesus was a Jew and wanted to remain within the Jewish faith but argues that, without the long preparatory work of contemporaneous Jewish faith, the teaching of Jesus would be unthinkable (Preface, Jesus)."

My goal is to take notes on this book and reflect on its conclusions. I lack the skills to read this critically and will approach the book as a novice student. I am particularly interested in Flusser's view of Jesus since as he says, "[I am] a practicing Jew and not a Christian, I am independent of any church. I readily admit, however, that I personal identify myself with Jesus' Weltanschauung, both moral and political, and I believe that the content of his teachings and the approach he embraced have always had the potential to change our world and prevent the greatest part of evil and suffering."

Losing Faith?

2007-05-27T21:40:00.000-07:00

Faith and scholarship are discussed in a recent BAR article, Losing Faith: How Scholarship Affects Scholars: 2 Who Did and 2 Who Didn't. In this article, Hershel Shanks, editor of BAR, interviews four scholars to probe the effect of their sholarship work on their faith. Did it help, hinder, or destroy?

Several interesting themes resonated among the participants.

Is the Bible inerrant? If the products of scholarly research conflict with a literal reading of the text, how does a person's faith deal with it? Does it shatter or take it in stride? They discussed the approach (and brittleness) of typical Protestant fundamentalists and the flexibility of a typical Jewish approach. Shanks--"Well, then your scholarship did destroy your faith?" Dever--"Absolutely. Next year will be the 50th anniversary of my first trip to Israel. I worked there for 49 years and let me tell you something: Seeing Judaism and Christianity and, God help us, Islam up close and personal does not help."

Many of their faith struggles dealt with the evil in the world. If God is good, and he interacts with the world, how does evil still exist? Schifmann--"Any person who says that he can give an explanation for the Holocaust is crazy. So the bottom line is that we all go along living with the fact that this horrible thing happened and we can’t explain it."

Faith is a process, a journey.

From the article, here are a few quotes that will linger for awhile:

Strange--Faith in the Judeo-Christian tradition has a God who intervenes. That's what the Exodus event is, that's what the crucifixion is: its a God who intervenes, and when I look around this world, I don't see a God who intervenes.

Dever--Right now the Christian tradition does nothing for me and the Orthodox Jewish tradition does little for me. In my own experience, I find this God so distant that it doesn’t make any practical difference. And, for me, I guess the final straw probably was the death of my son five years ago. If I had believed in God, I would have been very angry, but I didn’t and I survived.

Schiffman--In Judaism there is actually a commandment to believe. What does that mean, a command to believe? Well, it wouldn’t be a commandment if it were so easy. There has to be a struggle that a human being goes through in this complex world, in which we don’t really know what’s going on.

The article ended with notes of humility that are worth humming now and then.

Strange--I think I would say that faith/unfaith is sort of a false dichotomy. I think faith always contains elements of unfaith and vice versa. So in a way, we can’t avoid it.

Mosaic at Socoh

2006-09-29T23:35:00.000-07:00

Several years ago during my trip to Israel, we stumbled upon a mosaic floor while climbing Socoh in the Valley of Elah. It was covered in dirt and we brushed it away to get a better look. RVL radioed our Israeli guide, Boaz, who then called his mom. None of them knew of a mosaic or monastery at Socoh, and I haven't heard any information since.

This evening, I was reading the Sep/Oct 2006 issue of BAR, and on page 58 I saw a similar mosaic floor. It was a picture from a Byzantine monastery on top of Hyrcania. BAR doesn't have the photo online so maybe I'll scan it when I get the chance.

So, maybe some monks made their home a Socoh.

Like a child (part 1)

2006-08-05T22:18:00.000-07:00

Ever since my daughter was born several years ago, I have been thinking about Jesus' comments about children. He said,

"Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them."

Can my daughter teach me about the kingdom? With our second child to be born next week, I thought I would start keeping track of lessons learned from them.

First, she loves a good story. And the Bible is full of them. She is lost in the wonder of Genesis, and the funny names of genealogies (especially Amminadab from Jesus' family line in Matthew). She loves baby Moses and the little boy named Samuel. At night, she says, "Daddy, tell me a story about baby Jesus." It's precious. Nothing beats a good story.

Second, she makes connections. This evening I was telling her about the exodus. They were so hungry, very very hungry, and God provided with bread from heaven. And then she said, "Bread? It's like the little boy." I said, "What little boy?" She said, "The boy with bread. And the little fishes. He gave them to Jesus. And Jesus then fed the hungry people." Wow. A two year connected manna in the desert with Jesus and the five thousand. How long will it be before she connects the five loaves and two fishes to Sinai?

View From Accad

2006-07-22T16:41:00.000-07:00

A friend sent me this article, Another Point of View: Evangelical Blindness on Lebanon. The author's family and my friend attend the same church in southern California. It is a raw and emotional view from a man stranded in the US as his family's home is besieged by war.

Matthew 9: Notes

2006-03-01T22:56:00.000-08:00

This evening during our study we worked our way through the last section of Matthew, chapter 9. Jesus heals a young girl and an older woman. The blind and mute are restored. Jesus travels through all the towns to heal and teach, and he sends out the twelve.

Awhile back, this was our first insight the significance of understanding the Jewish roots of Jesus in grasping the depth of the text. There are many discussions on this. Here are two of them: RVL and 528. A strength of this story comes from the words of Malachi, "But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. And you will go out and leap like calves released from the stall." According to RVL, this verse has messianic connotations. You can see this reflected earlier in the last words of David,

When one rules over men in righteousness,
when he rules in the fear of God, he is like the light of
morning at sunrise on a cloudless morning,
like the brightness after rain that brings the grass from the earth

Next, we noted the similarities between the end Matthew 9 and the end of Matthew 4. Jesus travels, teaches, and heals. Then in 10, he sends out his talmidim to do the exact same thing. In 3-4, the way is prepared, Jesus receives his smicha (authority), and he calls disciples. He teaches in 5-7, and puts it into practice in 8-9. His mission is captured again at the end of 9, and then he commissions his talmidim to do the same thing.

There also seem to be reflections again of Moses and the exodus. Moses sends out 12 (and 72), so does Jesus. It's also interesting to note that Moses renamed one of the spies just as Jesus renamed one of his talmidim. Moses talks about no sickness in the land if things go well (Exodus 23:25). Are the disciples "spying" out the land again, and bringing the healing and restoration to Israel and the world? Is Jesus ushering in the lasting promise land? The real kingdom of heaven?

Genus of the name

2006-02-19T23:08:00.000-08:00

I recently read an interview of Eugene Peterson where he was asked about U2. I found this comment quite interesting about one of U2's recent songs.

The genus of the name, Yahweh, is that it is not a noun, it's a verb, and so you can't objectify a verb and therefore you can't make an idol out of it. It is most naturally understood in the vocative, as an address. A name is that way, as an address. The Bible has a lot of metaphors for God but Yahweh is the unique Biblical word for the Presence -- the One who is present to us and we have to be present to Him. I thought the song "Yahweh" uses the word in a way that partakes of its genius, its uniqueness. It's a personal address: "Yahweh, Yahweh." He's not talking about God, he's talking to God, or calling out to God.

Sh'ma and angels

2006-01-02T09:46:00.000-08:00

A friend made a great connection to the angel's praise at the birth of Jesus as written in Luke. "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests." Doesn't this echo sh'ma and love your neighbor?

(Thanks Lorri!)

Why did ravens feed Elijah?

2005-12-29T23:10:00.000-08:00

During my trip to Israel while in southern Galilee, RVL asked the question, "Why did God send ravens to Elijah?" I had no clue, so I recently asked a yeshiva student at a Shabbat service and he said it had it something to do with Noah and the raven he sent out during the flood. He said he we would check with the rabbis at the yeshiva. I haven't been back to Chabad yet to see the student so I did some searching online. The mission of the ravens feeding Elijah is intimately connected to the story of the raven and Noah.

The first occurrence of the word "raven" is in the story of Noah and the flood. Genesis 8:6-8 reads:

After forty days Noah opened the window he had made in the ark and sent out a raven, and it kept flying back and forth until the water had dried up from the earth. Then he sent out a dove to see if the water had receded from the surface of the ground.

So, we first hear of the raven as it is being sent out from the ark. The rabbis note that the task of searching for water is not mentioned as it is with the dove. The raven is just "sent out". In the Talmud (Tractate Sanhedrin 108b), a conversation is recorded between Noah and the raven. The raven is upset because it thinks Noah is trying to put an end to its species (only two were brought on the ark). The raven also accuses Noah of wanting to "know" the raven's wife. Noah exclaims, "You evil one!" (I can almost see this happening in Narnia!)

The rabbis teach that those who accuse someone of a blemish, have that blemish themselves (see Jesus's statement about a speck in one's eye). They say Noah deduced that the raven had had relations with its wife on the ark, an act that was strictly forbidden according to the rabbis. From this it appears Noah is evicting the raven from the ark because of bad behavior.

The rabbis then comment on the nature of Noah. According to Rashi, "Noah was a perfect man in his generation... Some of our Rabbis explain the words 'in his generation' to his discredit--he was a righteous man in his own generation, but had he been living in the generation of Abraham, he would have not been reckoned as anyone special". The comparison between Abraham and Noah continues. Both were surrounded by evil, Abraham by Sodom and Noah by a corrupt world. In both cases, God called for punishment. Abraham begged and pleaded for God to save Sodom. But Noah just accepted the judgment and did what was commanded to save his family. The rabbis conclude that Noah lacked mercy and concern for his fellow humans.

This lack of mercy is again shown in Noah evicting the raven. In a midrash, the rabbis's describe Noah as saying the raven "had no purpose" and was expendable. But God steps in with mercy and gives the raven a mission. The Torah says that the raven flew "until the water had dried up from the earth".

Enter Elijah. His first act is to stop the rain, and the earth dried up. Again the rabbis comment on character. They say there are two possible ways to win over a sinner: 1) punish them, or 2) win them over. Noah drove out the raven and Elijah punished Israel. Neither showed mercy, both were bent on punishment.

So the rabbis comment that the raven was sent to teach Elijah a lesson. The raven was seen as a cruel creature that doesn't even feed its own (see Psalm 147). If a raven fed Elijah, how much more should Elijah have "fed" the people of Israel and won them over to follow God? The lesson for Elijah continues with him traveling to Zarephath, which means "refinement". Elijah spent three years in refinement where he learned mercy and then returned to Israel to confront the evil and win over the Israelites.

A common theme echoes through these stories, "I desire mercy, not sacrifice." Everyone has worth, so do not judge.

Clearly these themes are reflected in the teachings of Jesus (for instance, see the sermon on the mount in Matthew 6-8). I also wonder if echoes of Noah and Elijah are reflected in his teachings about worry. In Luke 12 we read:

Then Jesus said to his disciples: "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single cubit to his height? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?

The ravens turn your imagination to the flood. And so does the cubit, maybe. There was a one-cubit window in the ark. Why didn't Noah just look out the window to see if the land was dry? Was Noah just short enough that he couldn't see out the window and hence the need for the dove to look for dry land? Was he worrying about a lack of food on the ark? I wonder.

In conclusion, it seems ravens were sent to teach Elijah a lesson of mercy. If ravens could feed Elijah, how much more should he have fed Israel?

( I found a variety of sources online for this material. Two of the best summaries (which I've drawn from heavily) are from tfdixie and shemayisrael. Other interesting notes maybe worth exploring are the three years of Elijah refinement related to Jesus' three ministry years, and are there parallels between the widow at Zarepheth and the woman at the well in John?)

Same material

2005-12-17T15:46:00.000-08:00

We were working our way through Matthew, and Michelle had an interesting insight into the plank eye story of Matthew 7 where Jesus says,

Do not judge so that you will not be judged. For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' and behold, the log is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye.

Her insight was that the speck and log (or plank in the NIV) are made of the same material. The same material, the same sin. How often are we so sensitive to the small speck of a particular sin in someone's life when there is a glaring plank of that particular sin in our own life? Thanks Michelle.

...wrd...

2005-12-17T15:40:00.000-08:00

Sunshine, won't you be my mother
Sunshine, come and help me sing
My heart is darker than these oceans
My heart is frozen underneath

We are crooked souls trying to stay up straight,
Dry eyes in the pouring rain well
The shadow proves the sunshine
The shadow proves the sunshine

To scared that I'll run always
Hold fast to the break of day light where
The shadow proves the sunshine

Oh Lord, why did you forsake me?
Oh Lord, don't be far away
Storm clouds gathering beside me
Please Lord, don't look the other way

Shine on me,
the shadow proves the sunshine

by Switchfoot

Brother, where art thou?

2005-09-18T14:55:00.000-07:00

My brother recommended I read a study on Cain and Abel by Rabbi David Fohrman. I don't know much about the Rabbi other than he is a scholar who worked as an editor for the Schottenstien Edition of the Talmud and is currently at the Hoffberger Foundation for Torah Studies, Inc. The first three lessons of the study have been quiet good. Rabbi Fohrman asks difficult questions and challenges us to join him.

He begins by asking an unfair question in his mind. "What kind of parent is God when he doesn't accept his child's gift? If your two children brought you a picture each had drawn, would you as a parent say little Debbie's picture was so much better than little Bobby's? Is the Cain and Abel story different some how?" It reminds me of a story RVL tells.

A friend of his walked into a photographer's shop in Safed. "Which picture is your favorite?" she asked. He said, "Are you married?" She said, "Yes, why?". "Do you have children?" "Yes, why?" "Which one is your favorite?"

We all love our children in a unique way. How could God reject not only the gift of his child but also the child himself? "But on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor".

In part II, Rabbi Fohrman says the fallacy in this question is the comparison. With your two children's pictures, you don't compare relative value. Each picture has value in and of itself without an external standard apart from the author. The text clearly states that Abel brought the best of his flock, while Cain just brought something. It's very interesting to note though that Cain brought his offering first! He was the first to offer a gift. And it wasn't his best. Why? For insight into this, the rabbi encourages us to look at the context of the story. Why does the Cain and Abel story appear in this section of the text? (Go do this before continuing...very interesting it is.)

In part III, Rabbi Fohrman highlights the similarities between eating the forbidden fruit and the murder of Abel. God asks "Where are you?". He uses the word "ayeh" for "where" which says something more like "Why are you not here, what is wrong?" In both stories fear is expressed when God arrives. Both Adam and Cain suffer exile. Both will experience difficult farming. But there is a growing intensity with Cain. The results are much more severe. Somehow, the text is connecting the questions faced by Cain--"What offering should I bring?" and "Should I take my brother for a walk in the field?"--back to the garden.

In light of Jesus, I can't help but think of the sermon on the mount and his discussion about murder:

"Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, ²⁴leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift."

Is there background to the story we don't have? God seems to think so when he tells Cain to "master it", that is the sin that is crouching at his door. Is Jesus is referring to this text? Did Abel have something against Cain? Should Cain have reconciled himself with Abel before coming to God?

Another thing I find strange is the meaning of "Abel". In Hebrew it is pronounced "Hevel" and according to Strong's Dictionary means "vain". I would have expected it to mean something like "pure" or "innocent". Is Abel's name signifcant here?

Big Yellow Wisdom

2005-09-17T19:44:00.000-07:00

Locally, there has been much talk about community, and nationally, much talk about hurricanes. I thought I would share some of Big Bird's wisdom on these topics! While watching Sesame Street with my daughter today, Big Bird shared some of his great wisdom. A few episodes ago, Big Bird's nest had been blown away by a hurricane. Fortunally, his friends swooped in to help by taking care of him. In this episode, he rebuilt his nest with the help of his friends. It was a great thing they did. As they are all gathered around the new nest, Big Bird sings them a song that went something like this:

"My Granny says,
'Friends stay friends
by the little things
they do for each other.'
Thanks for my nest, Pals.
The next hurricane I'll help you.
Thank you, thank you,
thank you for being my friends."

I wonder if his Granny had been reading Proverbs regularly?

Friends love through all kinds of weather,
and families stick together in all kinds of trouble.
Proverbs 17:17 (The Message)

...lbc...

2005-08-18T22:35:00.000-07:00

O come and mourn with me awhile
O come near to the Savior's side
O come together, let us mourn

O love of God, O sin of man
In this dread act your strength is tried
And victory remains with love

A broken heart, a fount of tears
Ask and they will not be denied
A broken heart love's cradle is

And victory remains with love

O come and mourn with me awhile

Pool of Siloam

2005-08-10T07:58:00.000-07:00

The LA Times published an article describing the discovery of the Pool of Siloam (the article doesn't quite get the Biblical story correct so be sure to read John 8 and 9)! BAR has the full arcticle. It dates back prior to 73 B.C. It was found down in the lower part of David's City (lower Jerusalem) where Hezekiah's tunnel brings water from the Gihon spring. Jesus sent the blind man to this pool to wash off his eyes. It's quite a hike from the temple to the pool, especially for a blind man. Jesus didn't make it very easy for him. We saw this pool during our trip to Israel when only minor digging had occurred. Here are the pictures I took (be sure to see the better one at the LA Times).

(Thanks for the pointer Mike. Also, I archived the LA story and picture here and here and BAR here.)

Desert Temptations - Part 5

2005-07-31T21:33:00.000-07:00

(See parts 1, 2, 3, and 4 also.)

We've been discussing Jesus' temptations in the desert. They seem to be fundamental to his work here and to Israel as a whole. They seem to reflect the temptations that Israel faced in their exodus from Egypt. The importance of this event took root in our hearts when we looked at the writings of Jesus' three closest talmidim, Peter, James, and John.

Peter talks about trials and temptations often in his first letter. Consider I Peter 5:8-9:

⁸Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. ⁹Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.

Was Peter equating the evil one to the lion that will be trampled in Psalm 91? Peter definitely points us in these verses to Jesus' temptations and how He overcame them.

Who can forget how James begins his epistle (James 1:2-4)?

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, ³because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. ⁴Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

I have yet to consider temptations as "pure joy" but maybe Jesus did after he came through them. Maybe that is a key to getting through them and growing during the process. Sounds brutal.

Look at James 1:13-15:

¹³When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; ¹⁴but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. ¹⁵Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.

He describes a three part process to temptation and sin: conception, birth, and death. Three parts of Jesus' temptation are highlighted in Matthew. Are these related?

And then John, in his first letter, says it profoundly:

¹⁶For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world. ¹⁷The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.

Again, three parts to sin: the lust of the flesh, the eyes, and the pride of life (see the KJV and the 77's). These are reflected in Matthew's recollection of Jesus' temptations.

We wondered if this process played out with Eve, with Samson, with David, with others and with us. And then we finally moved on to the beginning of Jesus' ministry in the rest of Matthew chapter 4.

Desert Temptations - Part 4

2005-06-26T23:18:00.000-07:00

(See parts 1, 2, and 3 also.)

We also discussed a theme brought up by Eric that centered on the questions, "Did Jesus know all along that he was Messiah and his ultimate work was the cross and resurrection? Or was it a gradual process that was revealed to him since he kept his divine nature in check?" We find in Luke that at the age of twelve, Jesus referred to God has "my Father" which indicates he knew he had a special relationship. He's baptized by John in Matthew 3, heaven is ripped open with a dove descending, and Jesus must see he has a special calling. The temptations seem to suggest that in his humanity, Jesus is coming to realize the full extent of what it means to be Messiah.

First, he's tempted with a fleshy need. "Hey, I'm chosen. And I seem to have special gifts. Can't I just use them to help me out? I am REALLY hungry. It would be so easy. Look at all these stones. Just a snap and poof. Bread!" If we may, we felt it was like Bruce Almighty. Once he realized who he had become, he worried about his own desires. The red sea parted in his soup, his jalopy became a Saleen, and his girl friend, well, never mind.

Second, it's about privelege. "Well, hey, I'm chosen. I'm special. I can do whatever I want and God will protect. How many times does he promise to protect me? Let's just have a little fun. Plus, it's been awhile since I've seen angels." Can anyone think of any similar situations?

Third, "Hey, now, I have power, true power. I can feed my armies and raise them when they die. All of this could be mine. And I wouldn't have to get hurt." If we may, we felt it was like Anakin in Episode III. He was surrounded by volcanoes, burdened by war and pain, masterfully manipulated by a liar, and caught between his love and his mentor. And all he wanted was peace and life, but in his own way, through his own might, and he would kill to get it.

And Jesus stood his ground. He humbled himself and trusted in God through His promises. He quoted from two consecutive portions of the Torah. In Hebrew, these portions are called "parashahs" and the two from which Jesus quoted are called Va'etchanan (which means "I pleaded") and 'Ekev (which means "because"). At the end of each parashah, the last few verses are called the maftir and summarize the portion. Listen to the maftirs of Va'etchanan and 'Ekev.

The maftir of Va'etchanan (Deut. 7:9-11):

⁹ Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands. ¹⁰ But those who hate him he will repay to their face by destruction; he will not be slow to repay to their face those who hate him. ¹¹ Therefore, take care to follow the commands, decrees and laws I give you today.

The maftir of 'Ekev (Deut. 11:22-25):

²² If you carefully observe all these commands I am giving you to follow—to love the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways and to hold fast to him- ²³ then the LORD will drive out all these nations before you, and you will dispossess nations larger and stronger than you. ²⁴ Every place where you set your foot will be yours: Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the Euphrates River to the western sea. ^[a] ²⁵ No man will be able to stand against you. The LORD your God, as he promised you, will put the terror and fear of you on the whole land, wherever you go.

More to follow.

Desert Temptations - Part 3

2005-06-26T12:29:00.000-07:00

(See parts 1 and 2 also.)

During the second temptation, the tempter takes Jesus to the highest spot of the temple and says something like, "So, you're the Son God. Throw yourself down since it is written,

'For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways;

they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'"

We read through Psalm 91, the psalm the tempter is quoting. Why did the tempter pick this verse? Did Jesus key in on "trust" in verse 2 and gain confidence knowing that if trusted, and not tested, God would be his "fortress"? Did he gain strength from verse 13 where if he trusted, "young lions and serpents you will trample underfoot." The serpent image took us back to the garden, the temptations there, and the promise that the snake would have his head crushed. Did he picture Adam and Eve and know this time he could prevail with the help of God? (The lion image bothered us abit since we thought of the lion of Judah but by the end of the night we found other verses that made this work quite beautifully. We'll describe later.)

Maybe fear stole into Jesus' heart when he thought of verse 16, "I will satisfy him with long life and show him salvation." Standing at the "highest point", he might have been on the corner of the temple where the shofar is blown to announce the offerings. In his humanity, did Jesus know that years from now, at 3pm, the shofar would sound and he would breath his last on the cross? (I have more on thoughts on this here.)

Maybe the "long life" verse brought him to another scripture, "...so that you may enjoy long life. Hear, O Israel". Shema! Hear! Hear, O Israel. Yes, the Lord is our God, the Lord is one! And maybe his mind raced through that section of Deuteronomy to verse 16, "Do not test the Lord your God as you did at Massah."

What happened at Massah? Israel was on their way to Sinai from Egypt, being led again by the Spirit, and they quarreled. "Give us water", they cried out! "Is the Lord among us or not?" In the heat (day), in the cold (night), in the desert they doubted and they quarreled. God of course provided, but the people did not trust. Would Jesus succeed and place his trust in God?

(Disclaimer, take this paragraph with a grain of salt since I'm not a linguist and don't read Hebrew yet).
Moses named the place Massah after this event. Originally, it was called Rephidim, which is the masculine form of rphiydah, which means "balusters" according to Strong's Dictionary. The Israelites are in a place called the "balusters", or the place of railings. Did Jesus grab this "railing" when he looked over the edge of the highest point? Did this "railing" of God's Word save him?

Ginger pointed out the story following Massah. Maybe Jesus remembered what happened next, the battle with the Amalekites. Joshua fought against them and was victorious as Aaron and Hur "lifted up" Moses hands. God would lift up Jesus, but in His time. Did Jesus picture the crucifixion again, but this time sense victory? Did he glimpse that he too would be lifted up as Moses lifted up the snake so that God's love could be shown for the whole world?

And Jesus responds, "Do not test the Lord your God."

More to follow.

Desert Temptations - Part 2

2005-06-25T13:55:00.000-07:00

During the first temptation, the tempter says something like, "Hey, you've been fasting forty days and you're hungry. So, you're the Son of God, make some bread!" Was it a sin to turn stone into bread? Clearly creating bread could be good since later on Jesus feeds the five and the four thousand. So what else is happening?

Did Jesus look down at the stones to which the tempter was pointing? Considering the desert is covered in stones (I'll post pictures once my server is back up), he must have seen stones all over the ground. Stones covering the ground. Covering the ground. "When the dew was gone, thin flakes like frost on the ground appeared on the desert floor." Manna came from heaven because the Israelites grumbled and did not trust God to provide. They tested Him and asked to be fed immediately. Did Jesus picture the stones as manna on the desert floor?

Jesus' response in Matthew is, "Man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God." The beginning of the verse that Jesus is quoting reads, "He humbled you, causing you to hunger, and then feeding you with manna." Did the stones all over the desert floor remind Jesus of manna? Did he picture it? Did he then remember this verse about manna and living on every word from God? Surely his stomach was grumbling, just like the Israelites. But he didn't voice his complaint. He didn't grumble. He was being led by the Spirit and he trusted. Jesus tamed his tongue, and he did not speak to turn these stones to bread. We found this train of thought so encouraging because it shows us how we can resist and the temptation will flee.

Lily's awake. More to follow.

Desert Temptations - Part 1

2005-06-25T09:32:00.000-07:00

With friends this week, we had an excellent discussion on a story from the gospel according to Matthew that relates how Jesus was tempted in the desert (Matthew 4:1-11). I hope to capture the highlights here. If I miss anything, please let me know, and feel free to contribute or discuss with comments.

The first question was asked by Michelle, "Does the tempter really have the authority to give away the kingdoms? Who gave it to him?" We noted that Jesus refers to the "prince of this world" but didn't go much further with this.

We spent most of the evening wrestling with the significance of the three temptations. The gospel according to Luke seems to stress that Jesus was tempted for forty days. Surely he was tempted more than three times, so why are these three mentioned?

We discussed the similarities with the beginning of Matthew and the Exodus of Israel as recorded in the books of Genesis, Exodus, and Deuteronomy. We noted the following:

In Genesis, a man named Joseph (who was the son of Jacob, the great grandson of Abraham, and ruler of Egypt) took Israel to Egypt to escape hardship (famine). In Matthew, a father named Joseph (also the son of a Jacob according to Matthew), took Jesus and his mother to escape hardship (murder by Herod).
In Exodus, the Israelites were then immersed in the Red Sea (Sea of Reeds) after they left Jesus. In Matthew, Jesus is immersed in the Jordan by John.
In Exodus, the Israelites were then led by the spirit of God into the desert (with a pillar of fire and a pillar of smoke, two pillars--like the strong legs of a shepherd). Likewise, in Matthew, Jesus is led by the spirit into the desert.
In Exodus, Israel spent about forty days getting to Sinai. In the Gospels, Jesus spent forty days in the desert. (We also wondered when Jesus entered the desert. Wouldn't it be something if he left right after Passover? Just like Israel?)

The rest of the evening was spent studying if particular events in the exodus of Israel out of Egypt to Sinai could be related specifically to the three temptations. Matthew seems to be explicitly drawing events from Jesus' life that tie back to a dominant theme to the people of Israel, the Exodus.

More to follow.

Simcha

2005-06-07T21:30:00.000-07:00

Simcha...Hebrew for joy. RVL often talks of the joy and passion with which he has seen orthodox Jews celebrate and praise God. I experienced a taste of it this Saturday. Lily and I were walking to the hardware store to buy parts to fix the toilet. (I guess if we were Essene we could have waited till Sunday, but we're not, so the deed must be done.) On the way there, we passed a group of ten or so young boys lead by a woman on their way to synagogue for Shabbat. A bit chicken, I feebly ventured out, "Shabbat Shalom." All the boys turned around to me and yelled, and I mean yelled back, "Shabbat Shalom!!" Then they hopped and skipped on their way while giving me a few strange looks. It was fun to see and Lily squealed in delight and clapped.

Rock Connection?

2005-05-20T07:40:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I had a conversation about Caesarea Philippi. Picture a large rock cliff, a cave with water streaming out of the rock, a pagan temple, and the gates of the underworld. So, it's been on my mind. Today, reading I Corinthians 10 it came to mind again. Hear this:

¹For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers, that our forefathers were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea. ²They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. ³They all ate the same spiritual food ⁴and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. ⁵Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered over the desert.

Moses struck a rock (he should have just spoken), water came out, and Israel was being established. Jesus is at a place where water is coming out of a rock and speaks of establishing his movement. Also, at some point he speaks of streams of living water flowing from a person. Paul, in 1 Corinthians, calls Jesus the rock from which water flowed. Paul is reminding us of the Exodus. Is Jesus as well? Is Paul referring to the Philippi event too? These seem to be some interesting connections to ponder.

Foolish wisdom

2005-05-16T21:55:00.000-07:00

I met with a professor recently to talk about geomagnetic micropulsations and spent the first hour discussing marriage, my trip to Israel, and the Gospels. Concerning marriage, he made some interesting remarks regarding the civic responsibility of marriages to raise children to strengthen and maintain society. Concerning my trip to Israel, I whipped out my laptop and talked about my newly corrected view of "green pastures", the earthiness of Jesus' parables, and the Stanford of the Galilee--Capernaum. Concerning the Gospels, he brought up several times the numerous contradictions (a thread I hear often in academia and to which I will return to in detail at some point). The wisdom of academia...

This week I was reading Paul's first letter to the Corinthians where he discusses wisdom. He has strong words about the relying on one's personal wisdom. "Adonai knows that the thoughts of the wise are worthless." These verses could explain parts of the anti-intellectualism that Thomas Frank discusses in "What's the Matter With Kansas". I haven't read it yet but a friend brought it to my attention. Do we blindly accept what we are taught, or what we read from particular texts?

I am not sure this is what Paul intended. Paul mentions the enrichment by God's love in Corinth as evident by their power of speech and depth of knowledge (I Cor 1:4-7). So, studying and knowledge are seen as good gifts. Also, Paul was a zealous rabbi who studied under Gamaliel (one of the greatest first century rabbis). Paul was clearly proud of his credentials. Do you know the amount of study it takes to be a talmid of Gamaliel? Paul likely had the Tanakh memorized. How much study did that take?!

Paul's discussion about wisdom is held in parentheses by a discussion of unity, and the following of one teacher over another. The Corinthian church had been fractured into those who followed different leaders (sound familiar?). This then must be central to his thoughts on wisdom. Does our wisdom puff us up and divide our communities? Or does it unite us in a common purpose? This brings us to the question then, what is wisdom? A topic for later.

Wisdom, her sweet voice is in the street. Love her and she will watch over you. Where does it begin? Reverence on a moon lit night. A shiver when diving in the rain, she'll explain. A smile like salvation. All I want is your face in a locket, a picture in my pocket.

On the side again?

2005-05-04T14:15:00.000-07:00

Dear President Bush and Vice President Cheney,

I am alarmed today after reading Nicholas Kristof's editorial in the NY Times on May 3, 2005 concerning your request to delete provisions about Darfur from current legislation. As you rightly named the tragedy there as genocide, so other agencies are reporting hundreds of thousands of dead due to ethnic violence. Can we stand by on the side again as innocents are slaughtered?

As a person of faith, I respect your fight for life issues such as unborn children and Terry Shiavo. Concerning Terry, you called for us to "build a culture of life, where all Americans are welcomed and valued and protected, especially those who live at the mercy of others." Does this not apply also to the innocent in Sudan? My heart breaks when I hear of the genocide in Sudan. I personally am limited in what I can do, but this great country, led by you, has the opportunity to save hundreds of thousands of lives.

Please be consistent in your culture of life. You have an opportunity to lead in the world in saving, feeding, clothing, and hundreds of the "least of these". Please act on our behalf. For me and my family, this is far more important than the price of gas or social security.

Thank you for your time.

--James

"Real Fact" #25

2005-04-05T20:19:00.000-07:00

I was drinking my Snapple today, Mango Madness, and the bottom of the cap had "Real Fact" #25.

The only food that doesn't spoil is honey.

And there was a Rabbi in the desert. After fasting forty days, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread." The Rabbi responded, "Man does live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God."

Does His word have a taste? Psalm 119 says, "How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey in my mouth!"

I threw out the molding bread in my kitchen today. I'm glad my Rabbi's honey will never grow mold!

It's a long night...

2005-04-01T14:08:00.000-08:00

Africa Africa Africa, take me there, take me away,
to that place, to the endless sky, send me on a magic carpet.

Give my soul what it wants, peace, to give peace to to others.
Let me give my heart to the world, I'll give my love too.
Let me help........ Let me change the world.

I'll free you, help me, i'll help you more, me and you,
Let' change the world, let's give it the peace it wants.

We can help.....today, come on

2 is better then one, whats better then 2?
so what can 3 do, one million, or 2, let's change the
world.

-- Grace A. (with some help from Bono)

Heavy Lifting (Part 2 of ?)

2005-03-29T07:30:00.000-08:00

I did a quick search online and looked for rabbinic references to moving mountains. Was Jesus drawing on rabbinic thought? I didn't find any. Has anyone seen anything?

Next, I went through the Tanakh looking for references to mountains. Other than part of setting descriptions, I found the prophets use the picture most often. Isaiah talks about the chief amoung mountains. He also talks about preparing the way for the Lord by every mountain being brought low and all mankind will see it. Jeremiah talks about the destruction of a mountain, Babylon. Daniel talks of a rock cut from a mountain that crushes kingdoms and endures forever. I was particuarly struck by Zechariah 4:

"Who are you, O mighty mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become level ground. Then he will bring out the capstone to shouts of 'God bless it! God bless it!' "

I have been absorbed by the prophet Zechariah for these past few weeks. His words echo in the Gospels in many ways, or is it the other way around? Palm Sunday was last week, the day when Jesus entered Jerusalem the week before his death. The Gospel writers turn to Zechariah 9 when describing this:h

Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion!
Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem!
See, your king comes to you,
righteous and having salvation,
gentle and riding on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

The following verses are amazing. Peace is proclaimed. Bows are broken. Chariots are taken away. Were the people thinking this when Jesus entered the city and he wept for Jerusalem? John records that they took palm branches and went to meet him. Why? Did they wave them? I thought so until Kevin pointed out recently at Via that they were laid down, so the Gospels say. So they weren't waved? Why?

All this happens the day before Jesus makes the statement about faith that moves mountains.

A Million Voices

2005-03-23T00:43:00.000-08:00

Ni dyar'izuba, Rizagaruka,
Hejuru yacu, Ni nduzaricyeza ricyeza.
These are the cries of the children...

Ni dyar'izuba, Rizagaruka,
Hejuru yacu, Ni nduzaricyeza.
Lord, can't you hear us calling you?

Were we there when...they called out for our help?

Tremble...tremble.

Heavy Lifting (Part 1 of ?)

2005-03-06T21:15:00.000-08:00

During his talk last week, Jim Wallis mentioned "faith that could move a mountain" as a motivating force for social movements like abolition, women's suffrage, and civil rights. He was quoting Jesus as recorded in the Gospels, Matthew 21:21,22:

²¹Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. ²²If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”

Metaphorically, this is a powerful image of active faith but I've always struggled with the picture. Would Everest suddenly be flung to the sea? Would Shasta hover all the way to the Pacific? It never dawned on me to ask what mountain was Jesus talking about until recently when it was brought to my attention. What if there was one in particular he had in mind? Where did Jesus say this? Did he say it more than once? If there is a particular mountain, does it add to the picture of faith that Jesus is painting? Let's wrestle with this.

Pliny vs. Brown

2005-03-04T07:52:00.000-08:00

I read the Da Vinci code awhile back and my wife is reading it now. This is not a full treatment of the book, I'm sure they exist elsewhere, but I did notice something this morning. My wife brought up a question about Brown's (the author) discussion on the divinity of Jesus. He says that before the council of Nicea in 325, followers of Jesus believed him to be mortal only. This appears to be wrong. David Stern in his commentary on the first chapter of John quotes Pliny the Younger, one of the first pagans to mention Christians. In the Letter to Emperor Trajan, around 112 C.E., Pliny writes that they gather to "recite by turns a form of words" "to Christ as a god". So, according to Pliny, Christians were discussing the divinity of Jesus 200 years earlier than the Council of Nicea.

Buying the poor for a pair of shoes

2005-02-28T07:53:00.000-08:00

Last night we heard Jim Wallis, the author of God's Politics and editor of Sojourners, speak at a nearby church. He critiqued modern politics and offered an alternative which focused on hope, common ground, and bi-partisan solutions. He quoted from Proverbs, "Without a vision, the people perish." His experiences have taught him God is personal but not private. The prophets of old were quite clear that God was very political in his concern for justice, the poor, and the oppressed. He ended with this thought, "We are the ones we've been waiting for." He also quoted my favorite Irishman! There is a quick interview online at the San Francisco Chronicle. Thank you Eric for the link.

I read the book of Amos this morning. These words are ringing through my head, "Listen, you who swallow the needy and destroy the poor of the land! ... buying the needy for money and the poor for a pair of shoes. ... Enough! I will make all this crush you." Buying the poor for a pair of shoes...Wallis called a budget a moral document which shows our priorities. Fox ran a story Saturday night called "Tsunami: Story of Tragedy and Hope". They interviewed a woman who has devoted her life to rescuing children from the slave trade. The tsunami wiped out the last ten years of her work. Children are now easily being bought and sold again. For the price of a pair of shoes? Fox also told of a group in the Bay Area who worked through World Vision to purchase a home for a Srilankan family that lives on less than a dollar a day.

I just bought Quicken 2005. It's free after a rebate.

Wear the white band!

2005-02-27T14:45:00.000-08:00

The ONE Campaign has white bands available for showing support for the fight against global AIDS and poverty.

Intelligent Design

2005-02-07T07:58:00.000-08:00

I haven't given the origins of life much thought lately but if I end up in academia I probably should. Today, in the NY Times there was an interesting and short description of intelligent design without the religious fervor that most often plagues other descriptions. It may require logging into NY Times but that isn't too much trouble. The four basic arguments include:

We can often recognize the effects of design in nature. For example, Mt. Rushmore was clearly designed whereas the Rockies seem much more random and undesigned.
The physical marks of design are visible in aspects of biology. For example, Francis Crick, co-discoverer of the structure of DNA, once wrote that biologists must constantly remind themselves that what they see was not designed but evolved.
There is no good explanation for the foundation of life that doesn't involve intelligence.
In the absence of any convincing non-design explanation, we are justified in thinking that real intelligent design was involved in life. Design should not be overlooked simply because it's so obvious.

What is your name?

2005-01-08T17:30:00.000-08:00

There is a story of an old rabbi who, as rabbi's do, often walked through the country side reciting the text and praying. While under the sky and the stars, he was under God's creation and he felt closer to the Creator. One day, deep in the text, he went the wrong direction at the fork in the rode and ended up at a Roman garrison rather than his home town of Capernaum where many other rabbi's lived. As he approached the garrison still focusing on the text rather than his location, a voice boomed out from above, "Who are you, and what are you doing?" The rabbi looked up and answered, "What do they pay you to ask me that question?" The guard, a bit baffled by the rabbi's answer, replied, "Three denarii a week. Why do you ask?" The rabbi said, "I'll double your pay if you come ask me that every morning!"

Who are you, and what are you doing? Good questions. Adonai asks a similar question of Eve and Adam (Gen. 3). Jacob wrestled all night only to be asked who he was and he received a new name (Gen. 32). Jesus asked the wild man from the Gadarenes' his name (Mat. 8). "Legion", he replied. A man with a thousand names, a thousand identities. Known and yet unknown. Kent Dobson wrestles with these questions in his recent message at Marshill (11/28/04). Good stuff.

Unforced rhythms of grace

2005-01-08T11:30:00.000-08:00

"Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me--watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace . I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly." -- Jesus.

Theo Geyser, a South African guest speaker at Marshill, tells a wonderful tale of grace and its rhythm. He calls us to rest and tells his story of how he needed the rest that Jesus gives. Plus, there is a great, whale of a story by Rob.

Revolutionary Christmas I: The Advent of Caesar Augustus

2004-12-28T11:50:00.000-08:00

Here's my summary of Part 1 of Mars Hill's recent Christmas series.

Summary: (details)
Bell sets the context of the Christmas story by answering the question, "What was the world like when Jesus was born?" The Romans ruled by extreme force from Briton to India. The caesar's were considered gods. Slogans such as "son of god", "he will establish a universal empire of peace", and "divine king of salvation" were prevalent. Caesar taxed to pay his war bills. It is estimated that 80-90% of a person's income in Judea was given in taxes. So, why does Luke include certain details? Why caesar? Why a census? How do the angels' words relate to the slogans used of caesar? How is the story about religion? About politics? About power? About worship?

Thoughts:
I guess you could say Rome was the world's first super power. It seems the Text has much to say about true power and how to wield it. Luke is asking in his Christmas story, "Who is your Lord? Is it Caesar?"

I'm part way through a book that Bell mentions, Christ and the Caesars by Ethelbert Stauffer. Stauffer is a coin expert and comments heavily on the god-like proclamations made by the caesars on the coins. When Jesus is asked if taxes should be paid to caeasar, he was probably shown a coin with caesar on it (an idol/graven image) that claimed caesar as god. What was Jesus thinking when he saw the text on the coin? And yet he says render to caesar what is his.

In the sermon, Bell mentions temples built to honor and worship Augustus. We visited a Roman temple in northern Israel that dates to the first century and might have been built by Herod as part of the Augustus' emperor cult. The temple site is called Omrit and is an active dig. The column capitals are at least one Quentin tall, see the photos. It's near the road to Damascus, which Paul traveled, but that's another story.

Here are a few of my photos from Sepphoris (Zippori in Hebrew) and Gamla, two places that Bell mentions. Here is a slide show on Gamla from Roy Blizzard (thanks Eric).

Revolutionary Christmas

2004-12-24T14:50:00.000-08:00

Mars Hill has a new sermon series called Revolutionary Christmas. Part 1 deals with the Roman empire and the kingdom that ruled when the King was born. Part 2, discusses Herod, the rule of Judea at the time of Jesus' birth. Part 3 appears to discuss the politics of Mary's song. I'll post my summaries as I listen to them.

I can see your house from here

2004-12-20T20:29:00.000-08:00

The new U2 album has been ringing through my head for the last two months and it's blowing me away. Have you heard their new single, Vertigo? If not, check it out at u2.com. Then read this.

Bono was asked, "Where is Vertigo?" He replied, "It's a dizzy feeling, a sick feeling, when you get up to the top of something and there's only one way to go. That's not a dictionary definition; that's mine. And in my head I created a club called Vertigo with all these people in it and the music is not the music you want to hear and the people are not the people you want to be with. And then you just see somebody and she's got a cross around her neck, and you focus on it -- because you can't focus on anything else. You find a little tiny fragment of salvation there."

Vertigo...a dizzying place where temptation is near. Sounds like Matthew 4. Verse 5 reads, "Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple." And later in verses 8 and 9, "Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 'All this I will give you...'"

The "highest point" of the temple is likely the southwest corner, the place where the shofar was blown. Archaeologists have found the engraved corner stone which served as a platform for the priest blowing the shofar. At the temple, the shofar was blown to call people to assembly and to announce the daily sacrifices. Here are a few photos of the southwest corner stone I took this summer in Israel.

So, imagine. Jesus is being tempted at the place where the shofar was blown. He is standing at the place where the shofar sounded for the ninth hour sacrifice (3pm). Did he flash forward to his ninth hour sacrifice (Matthew 27:46)? “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?”

There is a verse in Vertigo that goes:

All this, all this can be yours
All of this, all of this can be yours
All this, all of this can be yours
Just give me what I want
And no one gets hurt.

Was Jesus dizzy? Did he lean over the parapet? Did he see a "girl with crimson nails" to remind him of the truth? Thank God something did.

May something always bring us back to our senses.

(Steve, the title is for you...)

RVL Shephelah Messages Online

2004-11-22T21:59:00.000-08:00

RVL and his ministry, That the World May Know, have recently released the Shephelah messages online. You can now download the monthly messages with appropriate "donations". These are full of GREAT study and inspirational material. My notes on recent messages are forthcoming.

A New Perspective On Paul

2004-11-19T11:54:00.000-08:00

Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to share on this blog. May this resource be a blessing to the community of Christ!

The New Perspective
My recent studies have brought me to the subject of Saul of Tarsus, a subject relevant to Jamie's current study in the book of Romans. Through searching and [re]searching, I came across www.thepaulpage.com, a website dedicated to what is known as the "New Perspective on Paul" (this link is also referenced at www.en-gedi.com). New Testament (NT) scholars are revisiting Paul, specifically, our modern understanding of this Jewish sage.
The major subjects in this "New Perspective" are Saul's Conversion, Paul's perspective on the law, (Torah), and his teachings as a missionary to both the Jews and the Gentiles. The website promises to help us in five areas:

1. Better understand Paul and the early church
2. Reconcile contemporary biblical scholarship with theology
3. Build common ground between Catholics and Protestants
4. Improve dialogue between Christians and Jews
5. Flesh out a theological foundation for social justice.

These are honorable objectives, and I pray it helps us be better stewards of God's Word and Truth. The Paul Page references multiple articles and reviews, websites, and other resources dedicated to this discussion that will prove more than intriguing.

N.T. Wright at Calvin College
You can listen to Wright's message entitled, "St. Paul in the Big Picture: The Apostle and the Gospel in the 1st and 21st Century" here. In addition to giving discourse on the New Perspective, Wright dives into the socio-political implications of this new understanding for our modern day world including current events.

One More Step On The Journey Of Understanding
There is huge value in this new conversation. Paul is arguably the most influential figure in Christianity, save Jesus. Two-thirds of the New Testament are written by Paul, and our doctrines primarily stem from Paul's writings. He is considered the greatest missionary in the world. Influential orthodox as well as heretical teachings are based upon the words penned by Paul. The world is truly different because of Paul...and because of our interpretations of him. The New Perspective changes nothing about Paul's view, but rather our view of him.

Questions?

2004-11-18T09:39:00.000-08:00

Feel free to ask questions. I'll keep my eyes open for answers during my study and send out pointers if I find them.

Pryor: Romans Part 2 of 20

2004-11-13T18:12:00.000-08:00

Summary: (details)

Provides a summary of historical views on Paul and his theology. Pre 20th century summarized as: 1) Paul's center of thought is a polemic against the Law, 2) the Law had no real practical meeting to him, and 3) ancient Jewish literature was not a useful source for explaining Paul. Scholars focused on two questions:

Was Paul Jewish or Greek in thought?
What is the heart of Paul's theology?

In the 1970's, E.P. Saunders started a revolution in Pauline theology with his concept of "covenantal nomism". "Briefly put, covenantal nomism is the view that one's place in God's plan is established on the basis of the covenant, and that the covenant requires as the proper response of man his obedience to its commands, while providing a means for trangressions." His work showed that Judaism in the 1st century was NOT a religion of "works rightousness" where
one had to earn ones salvation. Virtually all scholars see Paul as Jewish; the question now is "what is the center of his theology?" Pryor highlights his key descriptions of Paul:

He is a zealous Pharisee more closely aligned to Shammai than Hillel.
Paul affirmed monotheism and was deeply influenced by his eschatological (end times) views.
Paul was primarily concerned with "halakah", how to walk in a way that was right with God.
His "calling" is not so much a conversion, but a being "set apart", akin to Jeremiah and Isaiah. It's better to view Paul in the role of a prophet, both to the Jews and Gentiles. His critique of Israel is from within it.

Thoughts:
Mostly, I just have questions. I'm trying to picture Paul and it isn't easy. Who was he? What was his main teaching point? He calls himself a Pharisee in Phillipians. How does that jive with my Gospel view of Pharisees? Who is he arguing with and why? Paul is weaving themes that run throughout the entire Text, am I following them? Seeing Paul as a prophet is new for me. Danielle described his discussions with Jews as a "family argument". You can say things to family members that you don't say to strangers because you know in the end you're still family. I'm still pondering halakah and how to walk. I'm reminded of John, "But if anyone obeys his word, God's love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did," 1 John 2:5,6.

Pryor: Romans Part 1 of 20

2004-11-12T21:59:00.000-08:00

Summary: (details)
Tape 1 is a short introduction to this provisional study of Paul's letter to the Romans. Come back next year for the next session.

It's a letter, not a theological treatise. Romans is not a linear treatment.
Paul is not a Greco-Roman philosopher, he's a Jewish rabbi. There is a spiral effect going on in the argument.
Verses 1:3,4 and 1:15-17 are critical to understanding the letter. Verses 1:3,4 are the content of the gospel of God, focus on God. Verses 1:16,17 summarize the effect of the gospel.
Romans is not about us. It's about God, the gospel of God.
Classical Protestant reading makes it personal, otherwordly.
For Paul, it's always personal but never private.

More detailed notes here.

Thoughts:
Whenever I think of Romans, I think of the Roman road (the classic HowTo on becoming a Christian drawing on verses from Romans) and many other key verses. This study is going to be deep and broad and looks like we'll be covering a lot of ground.

Dwight Pryor: Paul and Romans

2004-11-12T21:45:00.000-08:00

We've finally started listening to Dwight Pryor's in depth study of Paul and his letter to the Romans, "Paul--Jewish Apostle to the Roman World". It's been on my shelf for almost a year now. It's designed to be a semester long class, 20 tapes, and was taught over a week at one of Pryor's Haverim schools. His approach is to study Paul as a Jewish rabbi speaking to a Hellenistic Roman world. I have never really studied Romans in depth so this should be interesting. So far, I've listened to about half the series and have taken detailed notes on the first three. I'll be posting as we make our way through it.

Online materials

2004-11-07T20:55:00.000-08:00

There are great Biblical study tools online and I've listed a few of my favorites in the link section on the right. Here is a brief overview:

Biblegateway -- Good for passage and word searching the Bible (or the Text). Also has a variety of translations for comparisons.
KJV Dictionary -- I use this to look up original words in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. Not that I speak/read those language yet, but it's useful for finding deeper meanings and connections between different portions of the text. I'll give some examples at some point.
Follow The Rabbi -- This is Ray Vander Laan's ministry site and provides excellent study resources. RVL is a Dutch Christian from Michigan who received his PhD from Yeshiva University, an orthodox Jewish university. His perspective on the Text is fascinating.
Mars Hill Bible Church, MI -- This church started with teachings on Leviticus. The sermons blew me away and I began to see the Bible as one big story, all connected and intricately interwoven. They own a mall in Michigan and meet in the former main department store. Check out their sermons online.
Jerusalem Perspective -- Publishing site for the Jerusalem School of Synoptic Research. There is a great dialogue section and written material from some of the leading scholars in New Testament studies.
j.c.studies -- Teachings from Dwight Pryor focusing on the Jewish roots of Christianity.
Kehilat Ariel -- A congregation of Messianic Jews (and Goyim) from San Diego. Great online sermon archive. I highly recommend the series on Acts that is currently available.

Shadow of God

2004-10-31T21:42:00.000-08:00

I've begun reading a book called The Shadow of God by Leo Dupree Sandgren. It's comes highly recommended by RVL who has read it three times in the last year. The book is historical fiction and captures episodes from six centuries of Jewish history. The stories themselves are a good, easy read. The chapter notes are incredibly deep and rich while drawing from an extensive depth of resources, many primary. I probably won't take notes on the chapters but will send out comments or thoughts. So far, I highly recommend it, it's worth the read.

2004-10-31T09:58:00.000-08:00

I read a couple of good articles on trends in the church. I highly recommend the first one:

The Subversive Art

The Emergent Mystique (Thanks for the pointer PD.)

My vote

2004-10-29T22:00:00.000-07:00

A quick aside...

Bet...

2004-10-28T08:07:00.000-07:00

It hit me a couple years ago at a National Youth Specialties conference while listening to Rob Bell talk about Jesus as one who "taught with authority". One facet of this verse is the technical meaning of "authority" during Jesus' time (and even now). It's from rabbinic Judaism and translated to Hebrew is "s'mikah". The tradition is found among rabbi's today and dates back to the time of Moses and the giving of "authority" to the seventy elders. Brilliant light from this facet struck me and revealed my blindness. I had eyes but wasn't seeing. Jesus was Jewish and I had absolutely no idea what that meant. No wonder he seemed so strange and distant and other worldly. Could I dare to admit that I believed in someone whom I barely understood? For me, this illumination on my ignorance of Jesus' Jewishness is incredibly urgent. And so, these are my steps as I learn to "walk as Jesus did".