Baptism according to John

Hello Class!

Here is a summary of recent class activity, and a preview of the coming weeks!

On Sunday, December 7 we began a rich conversation about baptism, with a view through John's "lense".

John's Gospel, at the outset, makes a particular point of distinguishing between John the Baptist's ministry and Jesus'. This may be because there remained confusion about John's identity and mission. We read several passages that highlighted this issue:

Beginning with John 1:22-34, we saw that John describes the Holy Spirit descending upon Jesus in the form of a dove, and remaining there . . . but there is no mention that John the Baptist performed Jesus' baptism. In the synoptic Gospels, by contrast, Jesus receives water baptism from John. It is likely that, by not depicting Jesus being baptized by his cousin, a clear distinction between them is established, and Jesus' preeminence made clear.

In Acts 19:1-7 we read of an encounter with "disciples" who had only been baptized in John's baptism, not Jesus', which is interpreted, in line with John's Gospel, as a 'baptism in the Holy Spirit". After these followers of Jesus learned of this, they received this baptism through the laying on of hands. This supports the idea that, among some early Christians, there needed to be a clear distinction made between the ministry of John (a baptism in water to express repentance) and the ministry of Jesus (a baptism in the Holy Spirit for the purpose of empowerment).

John 16:4ff and 20:19-23 describe the work of the Holy Spirit -- the effect for believers of the "baptism in the Holy Spirit". These effects include comfort, advocacy, a leading into the fuller truth about Christ, peace, and the awesome responsibility to forgive sins.

This week, December 14:

Please review the passages listed above. We will divide into small groups to discuss these portions of Scripture.

On December 21 we will have an activity to summarize what we have studied this fall.

No class on December 28!

On January 4 we will resume our study of the Gospel of John with the story of the wedding at Cana (chapter 2).

As usual, these notes are posted for you and others at www.stpaulpastor.blogspot.com.

God bless & we hope to see you Sunday!

Dan and Laura

Preview to John the "Maverick" Gospel

Hello Everyone

Last week we continued our discussion of hermeneutics and Bible study. Thanks for a good, robust conversation. It's great to be in a group of folks who, though we have various ways of relating to Scripture, none the less unite in our love of Christ and hunger for his guidance. This is Church! We ARE the Body.

OK here's what's up next! By consensus we'll crack open the book sometimes described as "The Maverick Gospel". Which is the Gospel According to John. No, not John McCain, but I just thought of that and find it amusing! Now that's a good way to remember that the Book of John really is unique among the four gospels in the New Testament. As we get into the book I think we'll readily see why.

Some features of John to watch for:

* John often takes time to explain what an incident or teaching means -- keep an eye out for what seem like "interpretive interludes". For me it's kind of like the story is like a movie, and the scene freezes or fades while a narrator explains what just happened.

* John describes Jesus' miraculous acts as "signs", not miracles. This is very important. Also note there will seven "signs", and that all of these, except for the feeding of the multitude, are unique to John.

* The themes of light and dark, and of recognizing Jesus or not recognizing him, are linked.

* John himself is never distinctly identified in the book; he is referred to, generally, as "the disciple whom Jesus loved".

* * *
To get started, please read and ponder chapter 1:1-14, the "prologue" to John. After a short introduction to the book we'll get in small groups and discuss this part using our four guiding questions:
1. What does this Scripture tell me about me
2. What does this Scripture tell me about God
3. What does this Scripture tell me about my relationship with God
4. What will I do?

As always, these notes from class are saved at our class blog, www.stpaulpastor.blogspot.com

Blessings to you all & hope to see you Sunday, 10:00 a.m. in the parlor.

Dan & Laura

Dr. Hermen Eutic

Hi everyone

Great to be with you last Sunday. For those who missed -- we had 18 present, started and ended with prayer and sharing, and began a conversation based on the article Four Concepts for Reference, archived in this blog Thursday September 20 2007.

We talked a good deal about the relationship of "fact" and "truth" in understanding the Bible. The general drift is that what we are most interested in is "truth" in the sense of meaning -- what God is saying to us, and how to apply this to our lives.

I enjoyed our opening community builder -- sharing about the place we lived when we were ten years old, and a significant experience had in that time and place. This connected with the beginning of our discussion, identifying that our different backgrounds have a bearing on what we understand the Bible to be, and how we read and interpret it. To that end I suggested the image of glasses -- that as we all have different prescriptions (and some lucky ones none!) we all "see" the Bible a little bit differently. In assuming this we also assume that we can learn by seeing through each other's "lenses"; though it is vital to understand our own lenses and how they influence our reading of Scripture. We also learned a fancy word, 'hermeneutic', which is a 'principal of interpretation' . . . what we're talking about is that we all have one, and they vary quite a bit from person to person.

We left off at the beginning of the second paragraph of the article; we'll pick up with some discussion of the concepts of "mythos" and "logos".

We'll aim to finish this conceptual discussion on Sunday, then move on to more Bible study!

Hope to see you all this Sunday, November 16. BTW it's "Bible Presentation Sunday", where 3rd and 9th graders and few others will receive wonderful study Bibles -- those are the ones that have been on the counter eavesdropping on our class the last few weeks. So please send prayers of blessing on those books as they soon will, we hope, touch the lives of some of our children and youth.

We appreciate you! Thanks for being in this class and being such a blessing to us.

Dan and Laura

Greetings Bible Study class!

After a week break for the celebration of Trinity's 125th anniversary, we will be back together this Sunday continuing our study of the New Testament. It will be great to be back together again.

The last time we were together we had the opportunity to look at the 6 different gospel accounts of the Feeding of the Multitude (two different versions in Matthew and Mark as well as one each in Luke and John). We had a fun activity that stretched our thinking on the differences found in each of the gospels. We broke into four small groups and were given envelopes with line by line accounts of the Feeding of the Multitude. Each group was to reconstruct the story and try to determine which gospel account they had been given. It was a lively room! All the groups did well and most groups found surprises in terms of which account they were studying. As a large group, we then compared and contrasted the accounts with some great insights.

This week we will continue our study of the Feeding of the Multitude. We will again be dividing into small groups to discuss our four questions:
1. What does the story tell me about me?
2. What does the story tell me about God?
3. What does the story tell me about my relationship with God?
4. What will I do?

The particular passages to read this week are:
Matthew 14:13-21
Mark 6:31-44
Luke 9:10-17
John 6:5-15

See you Sunday!

Pastor Dan and Laura

New Testament Made Easy Feeding the Multitudes I

Hi everyone!

Thanks for an enriching class on October 12. We broke into 3 small groups of six and pondered our four questions, applied to the Beatitudes in Matthew and Luke. Each pod had it's own lively conversations about these teachings from Jesus. At the end of class we heard a few nutshell reports -- one poignant observation was that this passage isn't comfortable in some respect for any of us, and this is a good thing -- Jesus takes us out of our "comfort zone" of complacency, and this is how we grow.

For next week, we'll take a look at the only miraculous event reported in all four Gospels: the feeding of the multitude. There are, actually, two separate feedings of multitudes; let's focus on the "First Event" described in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. I am attaching some material from Wikipedia below, which I think is about as concise and helpful as it gets in setting up our study of these sections. For this material and more, go to wikipedia.com and search "Jesus feeding the multitude".

So, to prep for October 19 please read through the material attached, at the least. If you are feeling ambitious, by all means read the separate accounts for yourself and begin pondering. The chapters and verses are included in the first paragraph of wiki notes below.

This story, to me, is one of the most picturesque and compelling in the Bible. I expect we'll have a great time and learn a lot from each other.

I'll miss you all very much on the 19th, as I'll be in Portland on Annual Conference business -- I'm on a committee which oversees our various campus ministries. One of the things I'm sure we'll be talking about is lack of funds . . . kind of like we only have five loaves and two fishes, is what I'm thinking. So maybe this particular story has an application where I'll be! Coincidentally (?) it's also stewardship emphasis day at St. Paul's this Sunday.

God bless

Pastor Dan

* * *
Feeding the multitude (also known as The miracle of the loaves and fish) is the name of two miracles attributed to Jesus, the first of which is reported by all four of the canonical Gospels of the Christian religion (Matthew 14:13–21, Mark 6:31-44, Luke 9:10-17 and John 6:5-15), while the second is reported by Mark (8) and Matthew (15) but neither Luke nor John. The first is the only miracle (apart from the resurrection) present in both the narrative of the Gospel of John and that of the Synoptic Gospels.

First event

According to the narrative of the Gospels, the first event happened after Jesus had been teaching in an area away from the towns, and insisted that the people be fed where they were, rather than sending them to the nearest towns. The Synoptics state that the location was a "desert place" near Bethsaida, while John does not state a specific location, only specifying that it was very grassy.

The canonical Gospels all report that, upon investigating the provisions of the crowd, the disciples were only able to find 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish, and the Gospel of John adds that these came from a single boy in the crowd. The Gospels state that Jesus blessed the food, broke it, and gave it to the disciples, who distributed it to the people present - 5000 not counting women and children - all of them being fed. The disciples, therefore, distributed great multitudes of food among the people, much more than the original 5 loaves and 2 fish, implying that Jesus miraculously created more food. The Gospels also state that after the meal was over, the disciples collected the scraps, filling 12 baskets.

. . .

Explanations in the New Testament


The Church of the Multiplication in Tabgha is the site where some Christians believe the miracle to have taken place.
In the Gospel of John, Jesus is described as using the first event to illustrate a lesson to his disciples, arguing that the disciples look for him not because of the miracles, but because they ate the loaves and were filled up, and then instructing the disciples not to seek the meat which perishes but that which endures to everlasting life. This has often been interpreted[citation needed] as a veiled criticism of people who consumed the teachings of Jesus (ate the loaves) but did not value a miraculous nature of Jesus himself.
Mark, however, presents a much more esoteric explanation, implying by emphasis in the text that there is something significant about the numbers involved. After the second event, modern texts of Mark state that the disciples left in a boat for Dalmanutha, but some early texts of Mark state that it was Magdala, home of Mary Magdalene, that they went to, and Matthew states that they went to the similarly named Magadan. Once there, the Pharisees are described as requesting a miracle from Jesus, but Jesus criticises the request, and states that no miraculous sign will be given to that generation. The ancient Gnostics argued that this implied that the resurrection of Jesus was not an actual physical event, since it would otherwise clearly be a miraculous sign, but that it should instead be understood as allegory or doceticly. However, sources not sympathetic to Christianity like Josephus also mention Jesus's ability to perform miracles.
Mark goes on to state that, after this response, Jesus and the disciples leave in a boat and at the other side of the lake discover they have only one loaf of bread with them, to which Jesus responds watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod (Mark 8:15). Mark states that the disciples interpret this as criticism of them for not bringing enough bread, but Jesus soon corrects them, and criticises their lack of understanding. In Mark's gospel Jesus is then described as giving a rather cryptic explanation of the food miracles, by asking the disciples how many baskets of scraps were collected at each event, and then questioning do you still not understand?. This can be viewed as asking how they do not yet understand who he is, given the miracle that has just occurred; this seems appropriate given that Peter's confession of Christ, the turning point in Mark's gospel, occurs just a few verses later.

Sermon on the Mount/Plain October 5 2008

Hi Everyone!

Blessings to you all & hope your Monday is a good beginning for a great week.

Here's what we did Sunday, October 5 in 'New Testament Made Easy':

Welcome to first time folks, Willa, Dave, Carolee, Mary, Laura, and Greg. We missed some of you -- Steve & Melanie (thanks for serving in the nursery!), Mark & Melanie (thinking of you visiting your church family in Tri-cities), Dan & Melinda (crashing from college tour!), and Eric & Angela (in the midst of moving).

The subject for today, and next week, is Jesus' wonderful sermon. This is most often referred to as "The Sermon on the Mount". This is Matthew's version, who places Jesus on a hillside as he preaches to his disciples. Most scholars believe this is a deliberate association with Moses, who brought the gift of God's law from the mountain. Jesus' sermon in Matthew covers three whole chapters, 5, 6, and 7. In Luke the sermon is commonly known as "The Sermon on the Plain", because there Jesus comes down to a level place among his disciples and many people gathered to hear and to be healed. Luke's version is also shorter, taking place in chapter 6 of that book.

We noted some of these differences, and others. In Matthew ('The Rabbi') Jesus is portrayed in the primary role of teacher (Rabbi!) in the tradition of Moses, the most revered teacher of the Israelites and Jews. The focus in Matthew is the meat of the message. He is speaking to the disciples, but in such a way as anyone would overhear. In Luke ('The Chronicler') Jesus is portrayed as someone who positions himself to be more in touch with common people, as he stands not above them but in their midst, and speaks directly to them. In the landscape of Luke, Jesus' presence is the ultimate 'leveler', challenging the class system and oppression of the poor in his day.

These profiles in Matthew and Luke are not contradictory, but do present Jesus seen through different lenses of interpretation.

It is possible that these two sermons represent two different occasions; or that they are constructions by the authors, based on source material at their disposal and written to emphasize their respective understandings of Jesus.

We noted that these sermons are powerful, and hard to digest all at once. As we move toward not only understanding Jesus' message, but putting it into practice, we will have much to think about and some definite challenges.

We moved into studying one portion of the sermons, known commonly as "The Beatitudes", which we think means "blessings". Next week we'll do a bit more comparison/contrast and move into small groups where we can ponder our four questions: 1) What does the passage tell me about me 2) What does the passage tell me about God 3) What does the passage tell me about my relationship with God 4) What will I do?

God bless you all; we love our class and look forward to seeing you every Sunday.

Pastor Dan & Laura

Healing of the Paralytic II

Hi Everyone

Great class last week, with 17 of us Bible studying the story of the healing of the paralytic. Thanks, Laura, for great facilitation. We used most of the time in class for small group discussion, answering our five questions: What does the story tell me about me? What does the story tell me about God? What does the story tell me about my relationship with God? and . . . What will I do?

I appreciated the sharing in our corner; and the opportunity to ponder those questions. For me, the part of the story that kept drawing my eye was when Jesus forgave the man's sins. I'm sure God is telling me I have further to go in fully understanding that amazing love, for myself. What I will seek to do is fully accept that unconditional love; an internal, attitude "do". Relaxing a bit more this week in the reality of God's delight in me (and you), knowing sins within and without me are taken care of by Jesus Christ's love -- what a wonderful experience. Laura and I hope each of you are finding new closeness to Christ as you "do" what God is leading you to do through this Bible study.

For this week -- we will begin a study of Jesus' great message, presented in Matthew chapters 5, 6, and 7, and in Luke.6:17-46. Please read through this material prior to class; no need for in depth study, just a quick scan with an eye to subject matter and any particular differences that easily stand out. We'll begin class with a short overview, comparing the contrasting the versions, then proceed to more in-depth study in smaller groups.

New participants are always welcome, so feel free to invite anyone you may think would enjoy and benefit from this class and study.

As always, class notes are also posted at www.stpaulpastor.blogspot.com. Feel free also to refer your friends, family and acquaintances to this site, whether or not they can or wish to come to class on Sunday. By the way, all the notes from last year's study "The Old Testament Made Easy" are also archived and available at this blog site.

God bless & look forward with excitement to being with you on Sunday

Dan and Laura

New Testament Made Easy Week III: Synoptic Gospels

Here are notes from week III, "New Testament Made Easy" class:

Laura, following up on awareness of different learning styles, put together a basket of art and craft supplies for our use during class. This is a way to encourage active listening for those who find it helpful to use their hands or draw or colorize during class. Several folks made good use of colored markers/pencils and pipe cleaners.

After our opening prayer we took a few moments to share insights from our own researches into the "synoptic gospels", from web based resources. For all our information, www.ibs.org, the site for International Bible Society, is a great and useful place for general research & outlines of books of the Bible.

We spent a good amount of time talking over a three-way comparison of the story of healing of the paralytic, content shared by Matthew, Mark, and Luke. We began to move through analysis to application to our lives, thinking about the message of sin, healing, and forgiveness through Christ. With some background established about how to compare/contrast the three gospel books, it feels like we are eager to move toward discussion of what the Scripture means for us.

We hope, in preparation for this coming Sunday, we will all have thought about our four basic questions:

1. What does the story tell me about me?
2. What does the story tell me about God?
3. What does the story tell me about my relationship with God?
4. What will I do?

We will continue our discussion this Sunday, September 28.

Have a great week. Laura and I are blessed, blessed to have you all in this class.

New Testament Made Easy Week II: Synoptic Gospels

Hi All

Thanks for your presence and participation last Sunday! Laura and I are enjoying you all and look forward to upcoming sessions together.

Here are some highlights from last time:

We spent the first part of class working a little more on the theory of "sources" as applies to similarities and differences among three Gospels, Matthew, Mark, and Luke. We presented a diagram representing how common and unique oral and written sources about Jesus may have found their way into the respective books. This diagram is on printed notes; if you missed you may pick one up next Sunday.

We discussed, as a large group, some of the characteristics that distinguish common stories from each other in the "synoptic" Gospels. We reviewed a chart comparing three accounts of the calling of Matthew Levi, noting that all three books treat the story in a very similar way with small differences in detail. Of interest for example is that Matthew's book refers to this disciple as only "Matthew", while Mark and Luke refer to him as 'Levi the son of Alphaeus' and 'Levi'. How interesting, since Matthew writes to a Jewish audience, yet uses his Greek name, "Mathias", while Mark and Luke, who write to more general audiences use his Hebrew name. We also noticed that some of the words of Jesus are identical, word for word, in each book, giving an example of evidence scholars note when theorizing that there was, at one time, a collection of the sayings of Jesus, which all three writers may have used.

We also explained that the "Q" document, a theoretical work that may have been used by these three authors, is called "Q" because it is a German word "Quelle" (pronounced "kwell-eh", accent on first syllable, thanks, Harold), meaning, literally, "source".

We discussed last week's reading assignment: Matthew and Luke, chapters 1 and 2. We figured out pretty quickly that these chapters share a common subject, the birth of Jesus Christ, but present different accounts, emphasizing different characters, and with different details. For instance, in Matthew Joseph is the recipient of an angel's message about Jesus; in Luke Mary receives a message. Luke also goes into much more detail, in general. We didn't mention that Mark does not contain an account of Jesus' birth. So chapters 1-2 of Matthew and Luke are an example of content that is unique to each writer.

In order to focus on the message and meaning of the birth stories, we split into four groups of four and discussed two passages from Matthew and Luke that speak to the "why" of Jesus' birth. Both Matthew 1:18-24 and Luke 1:76-80 refer to Jesus as the one who will forgive sins and bring salvation from a merciful God.

For next week, we invite you to review a couple of web sources:

www.wikipedia.com, search "synoptic gospels"
www.crivoice.org/pdf/synoptic.pdf, search "synoptic Gospel problem"

Laura will be your lead teacher on Sunday, September 21, 10:00 a.m. in the church parlor. Hope to see you then, and also be aware that guests are welcome. Feel free to refer anyone to the class blog, www.stpaulpastor.blogspot.com for class notes and opportunity to comment. We also welcome questions and insights sent to this email address, pastordanta@mac.com.

Blessings!

Pastor Dan and Laura

New Testament Made Easy Week One

For this Sunday, please prepare for class by reading the first two chapters of Matthew and Luke, with an eye toward comparison/contrast. This will start us on a study of the three "synoptic" gospels, Matthew, Mark, and Luke.

Some review/key points from September 7:

* Purpose of the class is to enhance our church's mission, to grow in our understanding and application of Scripture to life, and to have a good time together!

* The New Testament is like a "library" of books of different types, all pertaining to the life of Christ and of the early Christian churches. The New Testament contains 27 books of several types: Gospels (presentations of the life of Jesus Christ), History (Acts, about the growth of the early church), Letters (to churches, individuals, and groups of Christians).

* The New Testament, as we know it, was not compiled until near the end of the fourth century A.D. Until that time, Christians read and claimed as sacred text many different books. What we know as our canon of Scripture (what is standard for us) and our "orthodox" Christian theology stems from decisions made after over three and half centuries from the time Christ walked the earth.

* Our four Gospel books can be characterized by their authorship and audience:

-- Mark, "The Rebel", earliest of the gospels, closest to ancient sources, depicting Christ's power over against evil and demonic forces
-- Matthew, "The Rabbi", wrote to a Jewish audience and focused on how Jesus fulfilled descriptions of the Messiah in the Jewish scriptures
-- Luke, "The Chronicler", Dr. Luke, Paul's companion, who exhibits a physicians compassion for all people and a particular eye for historical detail
-- John, "The Mystic", attributed to the "Beloved Disciple", and a book very different than the others because it comes from a different ancient Christian community and unique sources; describes Jesus Christ as the incarnation of the eternal Word (logos), the Light of the World and of human life and hearts.

* Be prepared to consider four questions for application during our studies:

1. What does the Scripture tell me about me?
2. What does the Scripture tell me about God?
3. What does the Scripture tell me about my relationship with God?
4. What will I do?
* * *
See you Sunday, 10:00 in the church parlor, at the back of the sanctuary!

Book of Amos

BACKGROUND:

Prophet: Amos of Tekoa, called from a shepherd's quiet life to a confrontational ministry at the political capital of the nation
Setting: Prosperous Israel/Northern Kingdom in reign of Jeroboam, 783-745 B.C.
Message: “God is about to destroy his people because of their sins”!

MESSAGE:

“The Lord roars from Zion and from Jerusalem he utters his voice; and the shepherds’ pasture grounds mourn, and the summit of Carmel dries up.” (1:2) At this time in the history of the Northern Kingdom, God's people are getting fat and happy at the expense of the poor. Their theology was twisted: they had come to see and relate to Yahweh as a simple God who needed only to be appeased by extravagant worship in order for them to keep receiving blessings of prosperity.

“Those who recline on beds of ivory and sprawl on their couches, and eat lambs of the flock and calves from the midst of the stall who improvise to the sound of th harp, and like David have composed songs for themselves, who drink wine from sacrificial bowls while they anoint themselves with the finest of oils, yet they have not grieved over the ruin of Joseph.” (6:4-7)

Amos proclaimed the true identity and expectations of Yahweh, likening him to a roaring lion, wild and powerful; declaring him to be the God of the powers of nature; and proclaiming his stern expectation of social justice and absolute obedience.

We discussed the uncomfortable familiarity of this message . . . perhaps in our times, now, a few are prospering at the expense of many impoverished people. What kind of a God do WE believe in? As a prosperous nation, are we confused about who God is and what God expects of us?

One of Amos' powerful images is a plumb line. He declares that God will drop a plumb line among his people: a measure of uprightness. We are challenged to consider how "straight and true" we are!

Book of Nahum

Little is known about Nahum, whose name means COMFORT or COMPASSION. He was from Elkosh, southwest of Jerusalem, and close to the Egyptian/Philistine border, and during the time of the fall of Assyria and the rise of Babylon. He may have been a temple priest for the book has the character of priestly curse against the enemy. In that way it is different from the other literary prophets of the Old Testament, since he concerns himself not with national corruption, but with the defeat of a hated oppressor. He is animated by an intense faith in Yahweh, who is the universal judge, whose jealousy and avenging wrath will not fail to destroy the guilty. The prophet does show the importance of a dedicated leadership and ultimate failure of injustice in a national policy and practice.

Book of Micah

Micah was a Judean, whose prophetic career was contemporary with Isaiah, Amos, and Hosea. He came from a small town (Moresheth-Gath) near the Philistine border and the fact that this area was on the road for foreign invaders may help to explain two prominent features of his message:

1. His view of international affairs
2. His love for poor farmers and shepherds, whom he felt were the backbone of the nation

Some Jewish scholars believe he was a descendant of the prophet Eliezer (II Chron. 20:37) and led by circumstances to reactivate the old family prophetic tradition. He and Isaiah strongly influenced Hezekiah to institute a reform that later inspired Josiah in the Deuteronomic temple reforms.

Micah believed prophecy was not a possession but a possessor and his major message THE WORD OF THE LORD saw that the complacency and corruption of the religious structure emanating out of Jerusalem was incurable.

Book of Daniel

Purpose of the book:

In a time of misgivings and anxiety after the success of the Maccabean Revolt (c. 165 B.C.), under the persecutions of Antiochus Epiphanes, the allegorical Book of Daniel offered encouragement for the Jewish national cause, encouraged loyalty to God in the face of persecution, and promoted hope for a future that could be even more wonderful than the golden past.

Hero of the Book: Daniel (“God is my judge”)

“This man and his companions were loyal to God, faithful in observing the law, and God saw them safely through their trials.”

Chapters 1-6 are stories about Daniel and his friends in the foreign court. Each one depicts Daniel and company remaining faithful in their obedience to religious practices prescribed in the law of Moses, in spite of threat to life and limb. In all these, Daniel and his friends are blessed by God amidst persecution and adversity.

Chapters 7-12 are a compilation of visions and prophesies.

The Book of Ezekiel

Ezekiel was a prophet of the Babylonian exile. He grew up in the environs of the Jerusalem temple; he was the son of a Zadokite priest, Buzi. Ezekiel probably was trained for the priesthood, or had already become one.

We know little about him in exile at Tel-Abib ("Hill of the Storm God") except that he was married. In 593 during a thunderstorm he had a wondrous vision of God and received the call to be a prophet.

The Zadokite priesthood rose to power during Josiah's reform movement and became the recognized priesthood in charge of true worship at Jerusalem. Without getting into all of the arguments about dates and authorship, the text cites Ezekiel as living and prophesying in the first half of the 6th century while in Babylon. We do know that the book was heavily edited so it is diffiicult to ascertain whether he wrote in poetry or prose.

Nebuchadnezzar besieged the city of Jerusalm (597 B.C.) and carried the young king, Jehoiachin, with 10,000 (II Kings 24:14) or 3,023 (Jeremiah 52:28) fellow Hebrews (probably royalty) into captive exile. He appointed Zedekiah as a puppet king. Many Hebrews hoped and prayed that Jehoiachin would soon return to rule. But rebellion in Jerusalem led to its destruction in 586.

Thirteen oracles are included in the book with some basis for dating them although they do not appear in chronological order over a period of 23 years.

Notes by Harrell Guard

Isaiah, Part II, Second and Third Isaiah

These are notes from Sunday, April 6:

SECOND ISAIAH

Two centuries have passed (it is now the 6th century B.C.) since Isaiah was delivering his message. During that time the exiles had followed Jeremiah's counsel and had settled down in the communities where they had been placed. With industry, thrift, and skill they had become a vigorous element in the economy. Now all was uncertainty because Cyrus, the Persian king, had conquered Babylon, upsetting everything, even allowing some Jews to return to their ruined homeland. It was a time of religious perspectives. The sinful generation that had prompted the exile was long gone. Why were the new generations suffering when they had not been involved? (Jer. 31;29) Why were they fated to pass their lives in a land not their own? For those who returned home, the realities were grim. Has God forgotten or neglected his people? Why were God's promises unfulfilled? (Only a few came home).

The writer was a master poet who used his literary skills to articulate his theology and message. We find a collection of poems which are dramatic and impassioned in style. His message focuses on 5 distinct areas: God, the people, the event, the prophet, and the word. (Eschatologically based: creation (40:12), redemption, and history).

THIRD ISAIAH

The exiles are back home in Israel, and there are new issue, regarding the basic character of the universe, the meaning of human history, and freedom.

Discussion:
1. Why should the righteous suffer with the guilty (Jeremiah 31:29)
2. The suffering of the "best" -- a baffling problem

Next week we will study the Book of Ezekiel
Notes by Harrell Guard

Isaiah, Part I

These are notes from Sunday, March 30.

Isaiah chapters 1-39 (pre-exile): composed of the literary records of the major prophetic figure for whom the book is named.

The distinction between Isaiah, the prophet, and the Book of Isaiah must be kept in mind. Almost all of the material is of unusual interest and value, both literary and religious. But each part has to be studied for itself to see what it says, what it means, and what it implies.

The contents can be clearly divided into parts or sections but the core of the first 39 chapters undoubtedly consist of the literary records of Isaiah's ministry (8th century B.C.).

The following divisions are provided with some references to other Biblical writings:
Chapter I: A booklet of prophecies
Chapter 2-12: A collection of prophecies mainly about Judah and Jerusalem with some narrations (Hebrews chapters 8 and 9 have some specific references to this section).
Chapter 13-23: A collection of doom oracles on foreign peoples
Chapter 24-27: A booklet of late eschatological (having to do with end times) prophecies
Chapter 28-33: A collection of oracles that begin with "Woe"
Chapter 34-35: Two eschatological prophecies
Chapter 36-39: Narratives concerning the activities of the prophet toward the end of Hezekiah's reign

ISAIAH, THE MAN

He may have been a priest and was most certainly an aristocrat. He prophesied during the reigns of 4 kings: Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. His understanding of God (his theology) was based on God as the one and only exalted, sovereign Lord whose nature was unique goodness and righteousness. His ultimate purpose was to establish a personal relationship with people.

Next week: Chapters 40-66
Notes by Harrell Guard

Book of Esther

These are notes from Sunday, March 23.

The Book of Esther is an extremely important book for understanding the ethos of Judaism. It is the last of five festal scrolls (Megilloth) but first in the hearts of Jewish people (Megillah). Esther contains no explicit religious or ethical teaching, and seems to be indifferent to the theology and institutions of Judaism. It purports to be a chapter from the history of the dispersion, and relates to the intrigues of the Persian court life at Susa, in the kingdom of Xerxes.

There are several major characters: Queen Vashti, Xerxes, Haman, Mordecai, and Esther.

The character-driven story follows this plot: Vashti is deposed; Esther is selected; Haman hatches a plot; Mordecai gives directions; Haman is executed; Mordecai appointed; the Jews saved.

The story is an account of the establishment of the Feast of Purim, instituted as an annual two day festival. The book's purpose is to explain and justify the celebration of the festival, for which there is no basis in the Law; and also to regulate the observance of Purim. There is no real historical evidence of the origin of this festival. It might have been borrowed from the Persians just as the Israelites borrowed agricultural festivals from the Canaanites and nationalized them. As Christians we did the same kind of thing -- for examble borrowed from the Romans and established Christmas.

Around A.D. 200 the Jews officially added the two days of Purim to their calendar. The author is unknown.

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Upcoming: The Book of Isaiah; Apocalyptic literature in the Bible (Daniel, Ezekiel, Revelation); select Minor Prophets. Our course will wrap up on May 18!

Book of Ruth

These notes are from Sunday, March 16.

The Book of Ruth is a romance! Yet another example of the breadth of scope in Biblical literature. Ruth is set in the time of the Judges, but was likely written post-Exile, given a few interesting explanations of what would have become obscure customs in later years. The purpose of the book is clear: since Ruth is a Gentile, and becomes an ancestor of King David, the idea that "pure blooded" marriages are sacrosanct is challenged.

During class we read the whole book together. It is a wonderful story; just sit down and read it start to finish for a satisfying experience. Take to heart the lesson -- God does not see the same barriers of race and nationality between people that people create. And, since Ruth was a Gentile ancestor of King David, she is also an ancestor of our Lord, Jesus Christ, who has broken down the walls of division between all peoples.

Proverbs, Part II

These are notes from Sunday, March 9 class.

We looked at the last five sections of Proverbs:

2) Chapters 10:1 - 22:16 -- Solomon
3) Chapters 25:1 - 27:27 -- Solomon
4) Chapter 30, Words of Agur
5) Chapter 31:1-9, Words of Lemuel
6) Chapter 31:10-31, The Good Wife Poem

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Scholars believe that sections 2 and 3 had their origin in Solomon's writings. Section 2 is considered the core of the book and the oldest composed of short, simple proverbs. They reflect wisdom (ethical and religious correctness) about political, economic, and social situations.

Chapters 10-15 deal with contrast, as the main characters are:
RIGHTEOUS vs. WICKED
RICH vs. POOR
HUMBLE vs. PROUD
THRIFTY vs. LAZY

In Jewish society consideration for parents was regarded as both a mark for wise living and a motive for it. They placed the honoring of father and mother high on their list of values. So it was a 2-way street: wise parents make children glad and wise children make the parent's hearts glad.

Although there is no sequential order to Proverbs, we examined certain concepts by reading key verses. The writers of Proverbs believed that there was something more important than money. Poverty was not to be cherished for its own sake since there are some good things money can provide. Wealth is not to be sought for its own sake since it can bring with it many evils -- a false sense of security and it often damages the character of the possessor.

Even though the writers warn men about evil women, on a whole this book provides the most positive image of women.

Section 4 contains words from an Arab Ruler, Agur, King of the Massa tribe, in 2 parts: 1) Reflections and 2) Numerical insights.

Section 5 is also wisdom from an Arab ruler Lemuel.

Section 6 is an acrostic poem about the "good wife". Each line begins with a different letter of the Hebrew alphabet, all in alphabetical order.

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For this coming Sunday, March 16 -- Read the Book of Ruth!

-- Notes from Harrell Guard

Proverbs

These are notes from March 2nd class:

We discussed the background and purpose of Proverbs and the leadership of the wise men who wrote them in comparison to prophets and priests. We explored the meaning of key words: WISDOM; UNDERSTAND; INSTRUCTION; RIGHTEOUSNESS; JUSTICE; EQUITY. We covered the first nine chapters, and saw that the major purpose was to guide people into ways of profitable living.

Book of Job II

These are notes from Sunday, February 17.

We reviewed last week's overview of chapters 1-31. If you refer to the painting below, (from last week, Job I) you see the characters in the drama so far -- Job's wife, pointing an accusing finger, bidding Job give up, curse God, and die; and his three ineffective counselors, Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar. Eliphaz has his hand on Job's shoulder, in a gesture of comfort, but his words are inconsistent -- he offers no real comfort. Bildad is transparent in his impatience with Job, demonstrated in his "hands off" gesture. Zophar appears to be calm and thoughtful, but is, tacitly, accusing Job of being unreasonable.

All three men, along with Job's wife, give good examples of how not to be of help to someone in emotional pain. Instead of listening to Job, they persist in trying to make their own points. In the company of his wife and these three "friends", Job is alone. He turns with longing, gazing out of the painting to us, his hands outstretched in supplication. Are we willing to hear his pain as he rests his case before the Almighty?

We resumed the story in chapter 32. Elihu speaks now for God, not for himself. He does not really accuse Job, but describes the wonder, majesty, and mystery of God. After a long speech, God himself speaks out of the whirlwind, at last giving answer to Job's questioning.

By the end of Elihu's and God's speeches, Job is changed. He declares, "I have heard you with my ears, but now I have seen you with my own eyes. I repent in dust and ashes."

Clarity comes, then, with a reframing of the basic question about suffering. Job, along with lots of folks, asks "Why?" in the face of suffering which seems undeserved. Unless we practice a very simple religion, insisting that pain follows sin and pleasure and plenty follow goodness, we cannot answer the "why" question in any sensible way. The Bible itself dares to contradict a consistent theme: that God rewards the righteous and punishes the sinful. Reality appears, often, quite different. The Book of Job is placed in the canon of Scripture to allow us to challenge a simplistic explanation of suffering.

Job finally understood that the answer to his pain was not in explaining why it should occur, but in realizing Who God truly is. In that understanding he sees who he himself is -- a human being, ultimately ignorant about the ways of God, who has behaved arrogantly toward God, thinking he knows what cannot be known.

This theme -- that God desires above all else a real relationship with us -- is certainly echoed in the New Testament. Jesus declared, "If you have seen me, you have seen the Father" . . . and Paul said that in Christ "all the fullness of God dwelt in bodily form". Anyone who has felt as Job did may well rejoice to meet the God revealed in Jesus Christ.

Scriptures such as Job can prod us beyond a religion based on our human concepts of works and worth to the grace-based acceptance which might be considered the foundation of true spirituality.

For next week -- pick a favorite Psalm and please consider being prepared to share it, and to tell the class why it is a favorite. After some time for sharing we will begin a overview of the Book of Psalms, which will consist mainly of identifying the primary poetic forms and when they may be of fitting use in devotion and worship.

Here are notes from Sunday, February 10.

The Book of Job was introduced, noting that the author is unknown but obviously well-travelled (has knowledge of Near East lore) and intellectually elite (based on literary quality of the poetry). We discussed two of the five book sections: the Prologue, and the the Dialogue with The Three Friends (!?). Job continually defended his innocence while the friends persistently attributed his situation to his sin.

Next week we will complete a review of the Book of Job; please prepare by reading chapter 32 - end.

Book of Judges

These are notes from Sunday, February 3.

The survey of the Book of Judges included 1) the invasion of Canaan with the failures of some of the tribes to clear former residents and God's reprimand; 2) Joshua's death and the settlement of tribal areas; 3) the recurring theme of apostacy, punishment, and deliverance; 4) a listing of all the judges with their particular accomplishments -- we examined GIDEON in depth. 5) covered the historical tribal situations at the last part of the book 6) read chapter 21:25, summary of the book; and
7) discussed implications of this verse for us.

Book of Joshua

These are notes from Sunday, January 27.

The Book of Joshua chronicles how the people of Israel took possession of the "promised land", an area roughly encompassing the region of Palestine.

The people are camped at Shittim, east side of the Jordan, when Joshua sends spies west into the target territory. They are hidden there by Rahab, described as a "prostitute", but who may rather have been a single woman running a sort of inn or boarding house, not necessarily a person of ill-repute. In exchange for protection, the spies promise to keep Rahab and her family from harm when the Israelites invade. Indeed, when Jericho is sacked, Rahab and her family and possessions are spared.

The nation crosses the Jordan River following the Ark of the Covenant. The waters part much as did the waters of the sea when the Hebrews fled from the Egyptians.

The people arrive at Gilgal, a word that sounds like the Hebrew word "rolled back". This imagery is an intentional reference to the circumcision rite undertaken by all the men of Israel in that place. This is a new generation -- the previous were consigned to die in the wilderness because of their disobedience -- and has not been circumcised, and thus not dedicated to the covenant. This must be done before they undertake to conquer the land.

The references to the brutal extermination of men, women, and children are troubling. We noted that, in other times and cultures, it was not unseemly to do such things in warfare. Modern codes of honor and conduct in battle do not apply. This is another instance where an awareness of the difference between our culture and ancient ones is helpful in understanding how a story may be applicable to today.

One of the traditional themes of Joshua is "be strong, for the Lord your God is with you." We divided into smaller groups to discuss the question -- At what time in your life did you need to rely on God for courage and strength?

Moses Part IV

Notes from January 20:

The journey from Sinai to the "Promised Land" was recorded in three books: Exodus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. Note: Leviticus is primarily devoted to defining the priesthood and specifying their duties. Obviously, the material in the other three books was too extensive to spend much time on the details but we did note the various sections o the specifics.

Deuteronomy is really a summary of what occurred and focused on three major themes:

1. The meaning of God's great acts in saving and preserving his chosen people
2. The meaning of the covenant and the revelation of God's will in it
3. Noting the peculiar temptations that affect their security as a chosen people

A final note was Moses' death and unique role in the history of the Israel/Jewish history -- there was no one like Moses, who spoke directly with God. Looking ahead, we recognized the congruency of Jesus' transfiguration on a mountain, appearing with Moses and Elijah -- an indication that Jesus is now the one whom God has chosen to speak to us: "This is my beloved Son, with Whom I am well-pleased; Listen to Him!" (Matthew 17:5).

Moses Part III

Notes from Sunday, January 13:

The Hebrews, freed from Egypt, journey to Mt. Sinai, a desolate, wild place where God calls Moses to the heights to give a Law to the people. Moses is gone on the mountain, swallowed in the theophanic cloud, for 40 days and nights. In his absence the people, restless and worried, take matters into their own hands and fashion a golden calf and begin to worship it. When Moses descends from the mountain and sees the sin of the people, he smashes the stones in anger. Later God provides a second set containing "The Ten Words", perhaps a symbolic or abbreviated version of the text we find in Exodus chapter 20.

The numbering of the Ten Commandments is seen differently by different folk. Our Protestant Bible presents four that pertain to Israel's relationship with God (No other Gods, no idols, do not take the name of the Lord in vain, keep the Sabbath) and six which pertain to human relationships (honor father and mother, don't murder, don't commit adultery, do not steal, do not lie (bear false witness), do not covet anything belonging to your neighbor. In another view, #5 regarding parents is listed on the same tablet as 1-4, implying that honoring mother and father is equivalent to honoring God.

Jesus summed up the requirements of law and relationships by quoting and expanding upon Deuteronomy 6:5: You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and soul and strength; and your neighbor as yourself.

Notes from Pastor Dan

Moses, Part II

The lesson for January 6 began with a notation that, although God had been known by several names (Yahweh, Elohim, El Shaddai) he was the one and same God. Moses first learned the name Yahweh during this time (6:23). Furthermore God told Moses that he would appear to be a God to Pharoah and Aaron would play the part of prophet.

When Pharoah refused to let the Israelites go, a series of ten plagues were inflicted upon the Egyptians. Each of the ten plagues likely represented a characteristic power of one of the gods served by the Egyptians -- the point being that the God of the Hebrews, “El Shaddai”, “The Powerful One”, is a greater and more worthy Deity.

The last of the ten plagues was the death of the first born. The Hebrews were spared by observing the first passover, a lasting festival that came to be observed annually. We discussed how this relates to communion, with Jesus as the Paschal lamb.

Our question to ponder: Are we more like Pharaoh, or Moses?

Moses, Part I

This day was our introduction to Moses: his birth and his adoption by an Egyptian princess; his spontaneous killing of an Egyptian who was whipping a Hebrew; his fleeing from the consequences of his act; his marriage into the Midian priest's family, deserting his Hebrew culture; his call from God at the burning bush; his attempt to avoid God's assignment; his return to Egypt, saved from death by his wife's Hebrew ritual; and his confrontation with the Pharoah. We also noted God's concern for the Hebrew people.

We examined our own behaviors to see whether we are too often like Moses: running from our sin, rejecting our Christian heritage, resisting God's call to serve Him.

Next class will be Sunday, January 6, continuing the story of Moses.