Messiah – Hebrew for “anointed one”. The Greek word for Messiah is “Christos” or Christ. Christ was not Jesus’ last name. It was a descriptor of who He was Jesus Christ = Jesus, the Anointed One. A messiah is one anointed by God to deliver His people from bondage, oppression. For example, in the Old Testament Moses, Joshua, Gideon, David, and Esther were regarded by the Jews as messiahs. The Prophetic Books prophesied of a descendant of David who would be a Messiah that would lead the Jewish people to greatness and take vengeance on all nations who oppressed Israel. During the Intertestamental Period, the Jews were ruled by oppressive foreign powers (Ptolemies, Seleucids, and Romans) which fanned the flames of Messianism among the Jews. They were expecting God to send someone to restore Israel and exact vengeance upon her enemies. During Jesus’ day, the Jews were constantly looking for a Messiah and in the process finding false messiahs. Many Jews thought John the Baptist to be the Messiah. Jesus’ message concerning the soon arrival of the kingdom of heaven on earth and the large following He had among the people made Him a potential candidate to be the Messiah. Jesus was the Messiah but not the messiah the people expected. Jesus was the Anointed One of God sent to free the people from bondage/oppression. Not from political bondage/oppression but spiritual bondage/oppression.
Pharisees – A Jewish religious and political group that maintained a strict observance of the Mosaic Law (the first five books of the Bible and more specifically Deuteronomy) as well as oral laws and traditions passed down by word of mouth over a period of centuries. The Pharisees asserted that the Scriptures were not complete and could therefore not be understood on their own terms. In other words, God was not specific enough when He gave the Law to Moses. The oral laws and traditions functioned to elaborate and explain what was written. Pharisees taught that these oral laws and traditions had the same authority as the Law/God’s Word. Example – the Law says that a person is to observe the Sabbath and keep it holy by not working. What qualifies as work? The Pharisees “added” to God’s word by defining what is work – spitting on the ground to make clay, brushing one’s hair, wearing a hairclip, starting or extinguishing a fire, carrying a mat, writing or erasing letters. Items normally used for work could not even be touched on the Sabbath. They were off-limits for fear of "accidental" use. Examples – touching a hammer or looking in a mirror. In all, the Pharisees developed 39 categories of work prohibited on the Sabbath. Within these 39 categories, well established by the time of Jesus, came the thousands of specific rules governing each situation and contingency to avoid desecrating the Sabbath. In addition to oral laws and tradition related to the Sabbath, there were thousands and thousands more to explain the Law God gave to Moses. Written all down, they would make the IRS code look like a children’s book. According to the Pharisees, a person who fails to abide by these man-made rules is a sinner despised by God a man.
The Pharisees were teachers of the Law and religious examples for the Jewish people.
They went out of their way to let everyone know how godly/holy they were in the way they dressed, worshipped (pray, tithe, fast), and related to others (avoided unclean people – sick, poor, Gentiles, tax collectors.) The Pharisees regarded themselves as the sole interpreters of the Law. The people were to listen to them if they wanted to know what it took to receive God’s love and blessings The Pharisees’ knowledge of the Law and extreme devotion to God earned them the respect of the people which enabled the Pharisees to greatly influence public opinion.
The Pharisees despised Jesus for the following reasons. He taught as one who had authority to interpret God’s Law/to speak on behalf of God but that authority did not come from the Pharisees. Also, Jesus regularly broke the oral laws and traditions espoused by the Pharisees – He “worked” on the Sabbath, touched sick people, fraternized with “sinners,” etc. Finally, Jesus’ growing popularity among the people undermined the Pharisees’ over the people. For Jesus’ opinion of the Pharisees read Matthew 23.
The Pharisees believed in angels, demons, the resurrection of the dead, Satan, Hell, immortality of the soul - eternal life and eternal damnation, and the coming of the Messiah. They despised Gentiles. The Pharisees opposed the adoption of Greek culture and Roman rule.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Key persons/groups/terms found in the Gospels
Disciples – A learner, pupil. The name was given to those who followed Jesus during his three years of ministry. While Jesus had many disciples, He called twelve men to be his closest followers. They left their jobs and their families to follow Jesus. For three years, the Twelve were constantly with Jesus listening to His teachings and watching Him perform miracles. The Twelve did not just listen and watch Jesus. They were sent out by Jesus to spread His teachings to people. Moreover, Jesus gave them authority to perform miracles (heal the sick, cast out demons, etc. – Matthew 10:1.) Discipleship is not just about listening, it also involves doing and applying what you have heard. Why twelve disciples? Why not seven or twenty-seven? Tradition equates the number of disciples with the number of tribes of Israel – twelve. Leadership experts say that twelve is an ideal number for training. Of the Twelve, three (Peter, James, and John) were regularly present at major miraculous events at Jesus’ request. Who were the Twelve Disciples?
1. Simon Peter – Occupation: fisherman. The most outspoken of the Twelve which oftentimes got him into trouble. He was the leader of the Twelve. Jesus named Peter
leader of the Church.
2. John – Occupation: fisherman. Brother of James and son of Zebedee. John and Jesus had a very close relationship. John is referred to in the Gospels as the “disciple whom Jesus loved.” He was the only disciple to witness Jesus’ crucifixion. While on the cross, Jesus entrusted the care of His mother to John. He is the author of the Gospel of John; I, II, and III John; and the Book of Revelation.
3. James – Occupation: fisherman. Brother of John and son of Zebedee. Jesus gave James and John the nickname “son of Thunder” perhaps because of their temperament. See Luke 9:51-54.
4. Andrew - Occupation: fisherman. Brother of Simon Peter. Andrew was a disciple of John the Baptist before becoming a disciple of Jesus. He introduced Peter to Jesus.
5. Philip – Occupation: probably fisherman. One of the first disciples called by Jesus – read John 1:43-44.
6. Matthew – Occupation: tax collector. Also called Levi. Probably the most educated of the Twelve. Tax collector was one the most wealthy occupations in Jesus’ day and also the most hated by Jewish society. Tax collectors collected revenue for the hated Roman empire. They had a reputation of being corrupt taking more from the people than they were supposed to. Matthew left a life of wealth and comfort for one of poverty and discomfort. Matthew was probably not well received by the other disciples after he accepted Jesus’ invitation to follow Him. Matthew is the author of the Gospel of Matthew.
7. Thomas – Also called Didymus (Greek – “twin”) Occupation: unknown. He is most famous for doubting Jesus’ resurrection. Read John 20:25-28. This is the origin of the phrase “doubting Thomas.”
8. Simon the Zealot – Occupation: unknown. Before becoming a disciple of Jesus, Simon was part of a movement that advocated the violent overthrow of the Roman empire known as the Zealots. They were looking for a warrior Messiah who would lead the Jews in a violent struggle against Rome to win Jewish independence and reestablish the kingdom of David. There were perhaps many Zealots like Simon who saw Jesus as a potential candidate to be the Messiah because of his references to God establishing His kingdom on earth. But when they realized Jesus spoke of a spiritual kingdom and not a political kingdom many Zealots stopped following Jesus. Simon did not and became one of the Twelve.
The next three disciples we don’t know anything about except their names.
9. Bartholomew
10. James, son of Alphaeus
11. Judas also called Thaddeus
12. Judas Iscariot – The betrayer. The son of perdition (utter destruction, ruin.) His name is synonymous with betrayal. Judas Iscariot was the treasurer of the Twelve. He kept the money given to Jesus to support his ministry or to be distributed to people in need. Judas regularly stole from the money placed in his care for his own selfish purposes.
The Twelve were men from different social backgrounds, different occupations, different education levels, different temperaments, and different motivations for following Jesus. During their three years with Jesus, they did not always get along with one another. They questioned Jesus’ teachings. At times, they competed with one another for Jesus’ favor. After three years of following Jesus, eleven of the twelve would become a cohesive group with a single purpose – to spread the Gospel to the world.
1. Simon Peter – Occupation: fisherman. The most outspoken of the Twelve which oftentimes got him into trouble. He was the leader of the Twelve. Jesus named Peter
leader of the Church.
2. John – Occupation: fisherman. Brother of James and son of Zebedee. John and Jesus had a very close relationship. John is referred to in the Gospels as the “disciple whom Jesus loved.” He was the only disciple to witness Jesus’ crucifixion. While on the cross, Jesus entrusted the care of His mother to John. He is the author of the Gospel of John; I, II, and III John; and the Book of Revelation.
3. James – Occupation: fisherman. Brother of John and son of Zebedee. Jesus gave James and John the nickname “son of Thunder” perhaps because of their temperament. See Luke 9:51-54.
4. Andrew - Occupation: fisherman. Brother of Simon Peter. Andrew was a disciple of John the Baptist before becoming a disciple of Jesus. He introduced Peter to Jesus.
5. Philip – Occupation: probably fisherman. One of the first disciples called by Jesus – read John 1:43-44.
6. Matthew – Occupation: tax collector. Also called Levi. Probably the most educated of the Twelve. Tax collector was one the most wealthy occupations in Jesus’ day and also the most hated by Jewish society. Tax collectors collected revenue for the hated Roman empire. They had a reputation of being corrupt taking more from the people than they were supposed to. Matthew left a life of wealth and comfort for one of poverty and discomfort. Matthew was probably not well received by the other disciples after he accepted Jesus’ invitation to follow Him. Matthew is the author of the Gospel of Matthew.
7. Thomas – Also called Didymus (Greek – “twin”) Occupation: unknown. He is most famous for doubting Jesus’ resurrection. Read John 20:25-28. This is the origin of the phrase “doubting Thomas.”
8. Simon the Zealot – Occupation: unknown. Before becoming a disciple of Jesus, Simon was part of a movement that advocated the violent overthrow of the Roman empire known as the Zealots. They were looking for a warrior Messiah who would lead the Jews in a violent struggle against Rome to win Jewish independence and reestablish the kingdom of David. There were perhaps many Zealots like Simon who saw Jesus as a potential candidate to be the Messiah because of his references to God establishing His kingdom on earth. But when they realized Jesus spoke of a spiritual kingdom and not a political kingdom many Zealots stopped following Jesus. Simon did not and became one of the Twelve.
The next three disciples we don’t know anything about except their names.
9. Bartholomew
10. James, son of Alphaeus
11. Judas also called Thaddeus
12. Judas Iscariot – The betrayer. The son of perdition (utter destruction, ruin.) His name is synonymous with betrayal. Judas Iscariot was the treasurer of the Twelve. He kept the money given to Jesus to support his ministry or to be distributed to people in need. Judas regularly stole from the money placed in his care for his own selfish purposes.
The Twelve were men from different social backgrounds, different occupations, different education levels, different temperaments, and different motivations for following Jesus. During their three years with Jesus, they did not always get along with one another. They questioned Jesus’ teachings. At times, they competed with one another for Jesus’ favor. After three years of following Jesus, eleven of the twelve would become a cohesive group with a single purpose – to spread the Gospel to the world.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
The Gospels – the Good News
The first four books of the New Testament are collectively known as the Gospels. Gospel is an Old English word that means “good news.” The Greek word for gospel is evangelium from which we get the word “evangelist” – one who delivers good news.
1. What is the “good news?” It can be summarized in John 3:16-17. God loved us so much that He sent His only Son to earth to be born of flesh, to live among humanity, to share in our humanity (our emotions, our physical feelings, etc.), to teach God’s truth to humanity, to suffer and die in order to pay the penalty for humanity’s sins, and to bring eternal life to humanity through His resurrection from the dead. God did not send His Son to pass judgment on us. He sent Jesus to save us. (Emphasize “Jesus dying” part of the “good news.” Seems odd.)
2. What are some alternative ways God could have brought about the plan of salvation other than sending His Son to earth to suffer and die?
3. Why was Jesus’ becoming flesh necessary to the plan of salvation?
Read Hebrews 2:10-18
Vs. 10 - “For it was fitting for Him (God)” - It made sense for God, the Supreme Authority over Creation, to make complete His plan of salvation for all humanity through the suffering of His Son. Why? God regards us as the crowning achievement of Creation … the cherry on top of the double scoop chocolate fudge brownie ice cream (see verses 5-9 and Genesis 1:31.) And despite our fall into sin, God still sees us as a prize worth having. Therefore, according to the author of Hebrews, it made sense to God to allow His Son to suffer and die for you and me.
4. What is the author saying in vs. 11? – Jesus and humanity are members of the same family. Children of God. Vs. 12-13 – cites verses from the Old Testament to reinforce his statement. Psalm 22:22, Isaiah 8:17 and 18.
5. Since the members of Jesus’ family are of flesh and blood, what did Jesus do as a part of God’s plan of salvation for humanity? He became flesh and blood. He shared in our humanity. Our emotions, our physical feelings, etc. If time, mention Gnostic belief re: Jesus.
6. Why was this necessary for Jesus to do in order to bring to completion God’s plan of salvation for humanity?
a) Jesus had to experience death in order to defeat the Enemy who up until Jesus’ resurrection had used man’s fear of death to keep him/her in bondage. Satan used fear of death to tempt Jesus from going to the cross. When Jesus overcame death through the Resurrection, He took a big weapon out of Satan’s arsenal. In order to experience death, Jesus had to become flesh and blood. Couldn’t do it as a spirit or an immortal.
b) Salvation not meant for angels, meant for humanity. That’s why Jesus suffered and died as a human not an angel.
c) 1. An important role of high priest is intercessor. Interceded on behalf of the people of which he was one before God. Asked for atonement of the people’s sins. In order for Jesus to be an intercessor, he had to be able to relate to those for whom he is interceding. Specifically, their temptations. Vs. 18. Therefore He can identify with us and what we’re going through and can provide us aid. We can identify with Jesus knowing that He’s experienced everything we’ve experienced (stress, exhaustion, temptation, suffering, anxiety, death) and overcame it.
2. Unlike the high priest, who offered animal sacrifices to make propitiation/atonement (satisfy God’s wrath) for sins of the people, Jesus Himself was the sacrifice. He took upon Himself God’s wrath intended for humanity as punishment for their sins from Adam to today. In order for Jesus to be that propitiation/atonement for humanity, Jesus had to become human in order to suffer and die.
By offering His Son as a sacrifice, God was showing us grace. Read Hebrews 2:9. Grace means undeserved favor. We deserved God’s wrath not Jesus. God’s grace for us meant Jesus’ death. God must really love you and me. Puts John 3:16 into greater perspective. We’ve recited it so many times; the verse loses its meaning. Let me restore some meaning to the verse. Be graphic. I don’t love you enough to watch you beat and spit upon my child. I don’t love you enough to hear you ridicule her. I don’t love you enough to watch my only child be lashed with a cat of nine tails. I don’t love you enough to watch as glass and metal rip the flesh off my only child’s back. I don’t love you enough to watch my only child have crown of thorns pushed down on her brow. I don’t love you enough to hear you and other people shout profanities at my only child. I don’t love you enough to watch as nails pierce her hands and feet; I don’t love you enough to watch my child be stripped of her garments and have her nakedness be exposed for all to see; I don’t love you enough for me to turn my back on my child … my only child when she needs me the most and hear her cry out in fear “Daddy!!! Daddy!!!! Where are you? Why have you abandoned me?” I don’t love you enough to have my one and only child die on a cross so that you can enjoy the comforts of eternal life. But God did!!!! When I hear someone say, “What has God ever done for me?” I just want to get in their face and scream, “Hasn’t He done enough? He put His Son through Hell so that you would not experience it. What more do you want from God?”
Application: God considers you to be significant/important. You are not a nobody. In God’s eyes, you are a somebody. He loves you. As evidence of that love, God sacrificed His only Son for us humans who in the vastness and wonderment of Creation are nothing more than a speck of dust. But God does not perceive us that way. He sees us as the crowning achievement of His Creation. And despite our fall into sin, God still sees us as a prize worth having. Therefore, according to the author Hebrews, it made sense to God to allow His Son to suffer and die for you and me. It was by His grace towards us that His Son suffered and died so that we would not have to experience His wrath. Jesus would experience it, not us. Think about that. For those of you who have children, how many of you would be willing to watch your child suffer and die so that your next door neighbor would not? Speaking honestly, I don’t have the kind of love needed for you and the rest of humanity to watch my daughter Elyse be beaten and bloodied and then die nailed to a cross so that you and the rest of humanity would know the reward of eternal life. But God did love you enough to send His Son to earth to become like us, human, in order to experience condemnation so that humanity could know salvation. He watched His Child suffer and die so that humanity, you and I, would be know eternal life. This week during in your quiet time/quality time with God and during your family devotionals, read John 3:16-17. Don’t recite the verses from memory, read them several times and then meditate upon what Jesus is saying. Do so in the context of what we talked about in this lesson. Share with God, your spouse, and your family, what John 3:16-17 means to you.
1. What is the “good news?” It can be summarized in John 3:16-17. God loved us so much that He sent His only Son to earth to be born of flesh, to live among humanity, to share in our humanity (our emotions, our physical feelings, etc.), to teach God’s truth to humanity, to suffer and die in order to pay the penalty for humanity’s sins, and to bring eternal life to humanity through His resurrection from the dead. God did not send His Son to pass judgment on us. He sent Jesus to save us. (Emphasize “Jesus dying” part of the “good news.” Seems odd.)
2. What are some alternative ways God could have brought about the plan of salvation other than sending His Son to earth to suffer and die?
3. Why was Jesus’ becoming flesh necessary to the plan of salvation?
Read Hebrews 2:10-18
Vs. 10 - “For it was fitting for Him (God)” - It made sense for God, the Supreme Authority over Creation, to make complete His plan of salvation for all humanity through the suffering of His Son. Why? God regards us as the crowning achievement of Creation … the cherry on top of the double scoop chocolate fudge brownie ice cream (see verses 5-9 and Genesis 1:31.) And despite our fall into sin, God still sees us as a prize worth having. Therefore, according to the author of Hebrews, it made sense to God to allow His Son to suffer and die for you and me.
4. What is the author saying in vs. 11? – Jesus and humanity are members of the same family. Children of God. Vs. 12-13 – cites verses from the Old Testament to reinforce his statement. Psalm 22:22, Isaiah 8:17 and 18.
5. Since the members of Jesus’ family are of flesh and blood, what did Jesus do as a part of God’s plan of salvation for humanity? He became flesh and blood. He shared in our humanity. Our emotions, our physical feelings, etc. If time, mention Gnostic belief re: Jesus.
6. Why was this necessary for Jesus to do in order to bring to completion God’s plan of salvation for humanity?
a) Jesus had to experience death in order to defeat the Enemy who up until Jesus’ resurrection had used man’s fear of death to keep him/her in bondage. Satan used fear of death to tempt Jesus from going to the cross. When Jesus overcame death through the Resurrection, He took a big weapon out of Satan’s arsenal. In order to experience death, Jesus had to become flesh and blood. Couldn’t do it as a spirit or an immortal.
b) Salvation not meant for angels, meant for humanity. That’s why Jesus suffered and died as a human not an angel.
c) 1. An important role of high priest is intercessor. Interceded on behalf of the people of which he was one before God. Asked for atonement of the people’s sins. In order for Jesus to be an intercessor, he had to be able to relate to those for whom he is interceding. Specifically, their temptations. Vs. 18. Therefore He can identify with us and what we’re going through and can provide us aid. We can identify with Jesus knowing that He’s experienced everything we’ve experienced (stress, exhaustion, temptation, suffering, anxiety, death) and overcame it.
2. Unlike the high priest, who offered animal sacrifices to make propitiation/atonement (satisfy God’s wrath) for sins of the people, Jesus Himself was the sacrifice. He took upon Himself God’s wrath intended for humanity as punishment for their sins from Adam to today. In order for Jesus to be that propitiation/atonement for humanity, Jesus had to become human in order to suffer and die.
By offering His Son as a sacrifice, God was showing us grace. Read Hebrews 2:9. Grace means undeserved favor. We deserved God’s wrath not Jesus. God’s grace for us meant Jesus’ death. God must really love you and me. Puts John 3:16 into greater perspective. We’ve recited it so many times; the verse loses its meaning. Let me restore some meaning to the verse. Be graphic. I don’t love you enough to watch you beat and spit upon my child. I don’t love you enough to hear you ridicule her. I don’t love you enough to watch my only child be lashed with a cat of nine tails. I don’t love you enough to watch as glass and metal rip the flesh off my only child’s back. I don’t love you enough to watch my only child have crown of thorns pushed down on her brow. I don’t love you enough to hear you and other people shout profanities at my only child. I don’t love you enough to watch as nails pierce her hands and feet; I don’t love you enough to watch my child be stripped of her garments and have her nakedness be exposed for all to see; I don’t love you enough for me to turn my back on my child … my only child when she needs me the most and hear her cry out in fear “Daddy!!! Daddy!!!! Where are you? Why have you abandoned me?” I don’t love you enough to have my one and only child die on a cross so that you can enjoy the comforts of eternal life. But God did!!!! When I hear someone say, “What has God ever done for me?” I just want to get in their face and scream, “Hasn’t He done enough? He put His Son through Hell so that you would not experience it. What more do you want from God?”
Application: God considers you to be significant/important. You are not a nobody. In God’s eyes, you are a somebody. He loves you. As evidence of that love, God sacrificed His only Son for us humans who in the vastness and wonderment of Creation are nothing more than a speck of dust. But God does not perceive us that way. He sees us as the crowning achievement of His Creation. And despite our fall into sin, God still sees us as a prize worth having. Therefore, according to the author Hebrews, it made sense to God to allow His Son to suffer and die for you and me. It was by His grace towards us that His Son suffered and died so that we would not have to experience His wrath. Jesus would experience it, not us. Think about that. For those of you who have children, how many of you would be willing to watch your child suffer and die so that your next door neighbor would not? Speaking honestly, I don’t have the kind of love needed for you and the rest of humanity to watch my daughter Elyse be beaten and bloodied and then die nailed to a cross so that you and the rest of humanity would know the reward of eternal life. But God did love you enough to send His Son to earth to become like us, human, in order to experience condemnation so that humanity could know salvation. He watched His Child suffer and die so that humanity, you and I, would be know eternal life. This week during in your quiet time/quality time with God and during your family devotionals, read John 3:16-17. Don’t recite the verses from memory, read them several times and then meditate upon what Jesus is saying. Do so in the context of what we talked about in this lesson. Share with God, your spouse, and your family, what John 3:16-17 means to you.
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