Fish and bread (no, the bread is nothing at all like Jesus' bread, which was fresh and wholemeal

In this podcast I’ll introduce the idea of the ending of John as a sphragis, and very briefly mention what that might mean for reading John’s gospel, but most of the time will be spent on the much less technical question of why I am convinced that Jesus rose from death and met with the disciples – because after all this passage is about the resurrection, and not about the technical details (however fascinating to biblical scholars

So, here’s the link to the audio: E100-69: John 20:1 – 21:25: The Resurrection

Photo by firstbaptistnashville

This chapter gives what it tells us is an eyewitness account of a Roman execution. Jesus, who has done no real wrong, except offend the religious leaders, and worry the politicians is subjested to the casual brutality of an imperial production-line death. Such a death, of an innocent man, is shocking. But Jesus was not merely a man, this was also the death of God, so as Jesus points out to the Roman govenor, Pilate, “You would have no power over me unless it had been given you” John 19:11 such a death overturns all expectations, gods are powerful, vengeful, gods are kindly and helpful… gods do not die so that humans may live!

So, here’s the link to the audio:
E100-68: John 19:1 – 19:42: The Crucifixion

CHRIST – DEATH
The fourth vertical window on the north side depicts the death of Christ. It is a dramatic, powerful, eerie and gruesome composition recording the most momentous event in history. Dark grays in the upper portion represent the actual darkness that invaded the cross where Christ died. The streams of red tell of the great suffering and sacrifice of our Savior. The gold around the cross and throughout the window symbolizes the presence of God in the death of Christ.

Judas betrays Jesus by vaticanus

In this chapter, we get the climax of John’s series of sayings where Jesus echoes the divine “I am” cf. Exodus 3 (E100-17: Exodus 3-4: Getting the holy between your toes!), and we also notice how amid powerful people who seem muddled and out of control, Jesus (the one who seems to be the victim) is the only person in control of himself! And we’ll discover his secret.

We’ll also notice the three betrayals, and ask how we can avoid joining they betrayers.

So, here’s the link to the audio:

E100-67: John 18:1 – 40: Jesus secret and three betrayals

Photo by khrawlings

Passover was the greatest pilgrimage festival for 1st century Jews, Jerusalem was packed with people (like for a world cup – only more crowded celebrating the great liberation from foreign oppression that God worked for Moses and the ancestors in Exodus. No wonder the Romans were jumpy, no wonder the Sadducees on the Sanhedrin (Jewish council) shared their concern, and it was an ideal opportunity for the Pharisees to do something about a dangerously radical Rabbi who failed to respect proper authority. And no wonder among the religious and national fervour and the political fears Satan was also at work.

So, here’s the link to the audio: E100-66: Luke 22:1 – 46: The Last Supper

Photo by Glen's Pics

Gospels are not biographies, nor are they just collections of sayings, they focus on Jesus’ death and resurrection. Without either event can’t understand Jesus or the gospel. But we also to see and understand that Jesus is God incarnate and that Jesus is risen else his dearth and the disciples turnaround between end of gospels and Acts  makes no sense.

This week’s readings bring to fruition the message we heard time and again in the Old Tedstament, that the only true God is Yahweh, the one who will be with and for us, this God is Yeshua (in English – Jesus) “he saves”.

So, here’s the link to the audio:
E100: Week 14: Death and resurrection

"Beyond the Pale" - Trim Castle, on the south bank of the Boyne, was an outpost to protect "the Pale" the Norman invaders' enclave around Dublin.(Photo by William Murphy)

In Matt 26 when Peter was supposed to be praying with Jesus he went to sleep, here a similar physical need interrupts his prayer, he’s hungry (in Peter’s retelling says he fell asleep here too But God uses the two situations quite differently – here his hunger gives him a vision!

When God says… !

OK God’s message to Peter is quite clear, the behavioural rules that we think measure God’s favour don’t
the good news of God’s love is for everyone. But what about those food laws? This vision is not about food laws, but about the God who made them.

Those rules marked out a people. Those who keep these rules are part of this people…  But Jesus regularly broke the rules – and in breaking them healed. Peter and Paul do the same.

Reading Acts 10-11 with Acts 15  and especially Gal 2 poses all sorts of headaches for historians. However, one thing seems quite clear, despite this vision, and probably despite Peter’s triumph in Jerusalem, one day in Antioch he has a relapse The good news is that Bible heroes even people like Peter, with his vision, his triumph in Jerusalem and everything can fail – just like me, and you!

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Igorot Beggar photo by martiniko

Peter gets some powerful lines in these two great chapters Since I was a child I’ve loved his: “I don’t have silver and gold, but what I do have I’ll give you. Get up and walk!” So different from what we usually hear… And then when faced by the authorities he talks about his Master as the “Stone the builders rejected” quoting Ps 118:22. This superb Psalm all through contrasts human power and “protection” with God’s steadfast love that endures forever…

So in these chapters, two powerful reminders from Peter that Christian faith is NOT about human power, just the opposite. And the challenge of hearing how the first Christians lived. The Bible is perspicuous, we just wish we could remain blind and deaf!

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Roman game scratched into pavement in 1st Century Jerusalem (Photo by hoyasmeg)

Luke begins his sequel to the gospel “In the first book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus did and taught from the beginning… but his summary ocuses on the resurrection and stresses that it was real.

He then reports the risen Jesus telling the disciples to wait in Jerusalem for the Spirit, who he calls “the promise of the Father” then Jesus echoes the start of the gospel story in Luke 3:

John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now. (Acts 1:5)

They ask him if he’s going to start reigning now, but he replied:

It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority.

At a stroke doing away with most of what Christians think of as “prophecy”! But offers something better…

[This podcast will contain also a reminiscence of OT scholar David Clines in Jerusalem.]

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Raising Lazarus (Pintura románica de San Baudelio de Berlnga en el Cloisters Museum de Nueva York, procedente de España. From Wikimedia)

What’s a little miracle among friends? Yet Jesus seems to avoid performing one that would have saved his friends great pain, only to perform a greater one! And then there’s the ominous clouds gathering that by the end of the chapter foretell the storm to follow.

Noticing some detail of how John tells this great sign we will learn more about reading Bible stories, and about trusting/believing in Jesus…

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Um Qais (Gadara?) photo by amerune

For this podcast I won’t deal with all the interesting questions about multiple demon possession, or even demons in pigs, but will focus on the beginning (and location) and especially the end of the story because they tell us why this story was remembered (though actually the pigs and the multiple demons do make it memorable and why it was told to us. Notice the geography, the story features a boat trip, a reminder of how Jesus ministry (except for the conflicts in Jerusalem and his death) took place around Lake Galilee in half pagan territory and here he has crossed into really gentile territory east of the lake (notice the pigs, Jews don’t eat pork).

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Here's there come rain or shine, with his little tin coffee cup held in the one hand and in the other his blind man's cane. He nods and gives a little closed-eye smile when you drop coins in his cup, as I did after taking this shot. (Photo and caption by soylentgreen23, altered)

Notice the opening – beginnings are often important – and in this case that importance is highlighted when the theme is repeated, that’s another clue – we repeat things that matter!

The man born blind is a great character, do enjoy listening to him “naively” running rings round the clever religious scholars So, it’s all about spotting who Jesus is, and the evidence is what he does – handsome is as handsome does! Or better about spotting what God is doing and the appropriate response is worship and trust.

“Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”

“Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God’s works might be revealed in him.”

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Original photo by ?Mike (modified)

As it does in Luke, Matthew’s account the feeding of the 5,000 follows after Herod speculating that Jesus is John come back to life, but Matthew used this opportunity to tell the gruesome story of John’s death. Luke moved quickly from John’s death, to tell of the disciples’ successful mission, whereas Matthew tell us that when Jesus heard of John’s death he “withdrew to a deserted place”. Into this low point where we seem focused on the powerful political opposition that miracle comes as nice reminder that Jesus is God’s Messiah.

Perhaps it is this sombre context that caused Matthew to remember another miracle at this point, Jesus walks calmly up to the disciples, who are in a boat in a storm, and strolling across the water tells them not to be afraid! This provides us with clues/reminders that Jesus is not merely a human messiah/king, but indeed God incarnate. The elements are his servants, and like Yahweh in the Old Testament he tells his people they need not fear: “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.” (Mat 14:27) remember Abraham (Gen 15:1); Moses at the burning bush, Joshua and many others…

Then there’s the lovely detail of the enthusiastic Peter, first wanting a go, then remembering the storm, and finally saying “Lord, save me!” and as we’ll see the close of the story (remember endings are important and often signal, as beginnings also do often, what a story was about) stresses that Jesus is “son of God”.

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I hope this doesn't mean there are no miracles left... ! by JOPHIELsmiles

The miracle stories in the Gospels (like the ones in the OT) are stories with the wow factor that’s part of all miracle stories – think of the ones we hear on the infomercials on TV

They called this reading “Feeding the Five Thousand” but it comes in a context.  Luke (like the other gospels (except Thomas which the early Christians excluded from the Bible) does not tell an unconnected series of “stories about Jesus” rather he tells us “The Story of Jesus”.

The context in which this miracle is told to us shows us that this miracle is part of a process showing us Jesus bringing to life aspects of what the OT tells us to hope for when the Messiah comes. But then Jesus tells us that he’s a different sort of Messiah, not a glorious but a suffering one. Before God puts the cap on it all showing that this suffering Messiah is indeed glorious!

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Everyone loves a good miracle story, the Infomercials are full of them, buy this exercise machine use it just 10 minutes a day and be instantly sexually attractive, sleep on our special magnets and your pain will go away and you’ll feel 30 years younger. Infomercial miracles sell things: it worked for me, you buy one! I’ll have what she’s having But despite the temptation for Christians to use them in the same way, in the gospels it’s a bit different! We still love a good miracle, but their purpose is not to sell something – rather to show us something…

And then there’s the question of when miracles fail to happen… (cf. Luke 4:20-28)

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Lost apple photo by jaqian

This is a chapter of parables. Remember parabole (Greek) or mashal (Hebrew) means a comparison, so ask ourselves what’s the point of comparison here? One clue is to look at the numbers (no, I’ll not be getting into numerology Another, Jesus gives us himself. And a third comes from noticing where the climax of the story comes. Out of these clues we’ll find that the Prodigal Son is not about the prodigal son, or even primarily about his forgiving father…

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OK this story must be one of the best-known that Jesus ever told, everyone has heard it! And if not (at least if they speak English or French or just about any other European language) they know the main character’s name – The Good Samaritan. Except that, what we know if we know this, is all wrong!

Jesus was a prophet so to understand what he’s doing here we need to remind ourselves how Prophets work. So after a quick recap on prophets we think about what Jesus the prophet is doing when he tells this story.

For more on prophets try these:

• E100-36: 2 Samuel 11:1 – 12:25: David and Bathsheba?
• E100 Week 10: Prophets: three principles to unlock the code
• E100-46: Isaiah 51:1 – 53:12: Reading prophets for pleasure and profit
• E100-47: Jeremiah 1:1 – 3:5: Getting started as a prophet
• E100-50: Malachi 1:1 – 4:6: The book that makes the bridge

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This chapter is a big sack of parables, and we’ve already seen that a parable is in essence a comparison, where light is thrown on something by talking about something else, better known or more clear or vivid. The parable of the the sower is particularly complicated and developed, with lots of details but still turns on a comparison. Though Jesus does not (at first) tell his audience what it is, he wants them to think: “if you have ears then hear!”

There is an English proverb that’s pretty close to Jesus puzzling saying about why he spoke in parables (Matthew 13:10-15). It helps us to understand what is going on and shows us how the Sower is all about grace (not being a more efficient evangelist) but that grace can only work when the soil is ready – you have to want to be saved!

We’ll also notice how Matthew like Luke (maybe they both copied the same Master?) puts parables together so that they help explain each other. I’ll also suggest that talk of a fire that will burn up the dud fish and the tares makes better sense if we are willing to give over the right to judge to God, and not to think we can know the rules God MUST apply. (See Jonah on that

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Fixed: in sheeps clothing by manitou2121

Prayer and Parables

This section is a mix of teaching and parables. There is so much to talk about, so I’ll focus on how Jesus teaches:

• like a true Jew!
• in parables

6:5-8 sounds just like the prophets: true religion is not about what other people think of us, but Jusus is even more deeply theological. Remember it’s the Bible – it’s about God!

Like all of Jesus teaching this is radical stuff the whole Christian music industry risks being demolished at a stroke, not to mention using crosses as jewellery, and prayers on FaceBook! Or are they? Again like the prophets (e.g. Am 4:4-5 see Genre matters: 1) it’s the motive that matters.

When someone says “parable” today we tend to think stories (perhaps with a “heavenly meaning”) but actually both in Greek parabol? and Hebrew mashal a parable is a comparison. (Two things are put side by side so that one illuminates the other.) In his parables Jesus mixes metaphors like a cocktail barman!

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This week’s readings contain a sample of Jesus teachings. In reading them we will notice two things particularly that will help us better understand:
(a) Jesus is a prophet: so the rules we learnt for reading Old Testament prophets will help us understand Jesus. These rules were:

1. Prophets spoke to a context: knowing the who, what, when, where, how & why can help us get the point.
2. Prophetic speech is often a conversation.
3. Prophets are about conversion (not prediction).

(b) Jesus taught (often) in parables. Parables are picture language. Parable in Greek parabole or in Hebrew mashal means a “comparison”. So to understand a parable, as well as looking at the context we need to ask what comparison is being made?

In the first reading (the first part of the Sermon on the Mount, Mat 5:1-6:4) we’ll notice that Luke has a Sermon on a Plain and so how each Gospel remembers Jesus for themselves, that like any good biography Gospels are not transcripts, but meaningful retellings of the life of Jesus.

The second reading is the second part of the Sermon on Mount (Mat 6:5-7:29) we’ll notice that Jesus teaches like the prophets and how radical that teaching is.

The third reading Mat 13 introduces us to parables, and also shows us that parables are sometimes intended to make us think not provide quick simple answers.

For the fourth reading, Luke 10:25-37, I’ll suggest that the “Good Samaritan” is not about the Good Samaritan Jesus remember is a prophet and prophets turn things upside down and inside out.

Then we’ll apply all this to the lost and found parables Luke 15:1-32, especially to “The Prodigal Son” and again I’ll suggest the parable is not about the prodigal son, or even his forgiving father.

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Matthew has introduced Jesus, giving his genealogy, linking him to the story of God’s chosen people in particular to David the great king (messiah) and Abraham the ancestor (patriarch) whom God first chose and blessed to be the blessing of the rest of humanity, and four really interesting women. He has told the birth, with a focus on kingship (messiah) and opposition (Herrod’s massacre of innocents). The escape to and return from Egypt – as well as being Messiah Jesus recapitulates Israel. Matthew effectively told us that what Israel should have been Jesus is!

Now three tests, one dumb, one diabolical and the last showing us that Jesus is a real human, and not just a god taking a holiday in human skin.

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Using a photo by by Stacirl (some see a face in the flames)

How would you take to John as preacher in your church? He certainly had an attention grabbing opening:

You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Luke 3:7

If a little lacking in pastoral skills

But for a modern audience it actually gets harder, just as John seems to soften. And then there’s Jesus…

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This is perhaps the chapter of the Bible that more people have partly heard than any other. We have also heard things that aren’t there: like the animals around the manger who don’t get a mention in Luke’s account – perhaps because their presence in houses as well as “stables” they were taken for granted.

Most people have a favourite part of this chapter. My childhood favourite is left out of the set reading, but I’ll talk about why other bits have stuck in my mind more recently. Although I will not actually talk about Jesus’ birth, for this chapter above all others in the Bible, I will notice things about Mary and another quietly significant woman character.

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CHRIST – BIRTH
The third vertical window on the north side represents the birth of Christ. The chief feature of this window is the exploding star at the top with its streams of light flowing downward. The lower part shows a horizontal streak of lavender suggesting the separation of heaven from earth. The heavenly light of the star may be seen in the bottom section of the window which depicts the actual birth scene. The purple typifies His royalty and the red anticipates His cross.
Photo by FirstBaptistNashville

We look at how Jesus reads other Bible passages (still in Matthew 5) to begin confirming the hypothesis that to read Scripture with Jesus is to make it so extreme that rules (casuistic law) become goals (apodictic command). Before you get to the next podcast it would be a good idea to listen to “What DOES “fulfil” mean?” and “Jesus as fulfilment of Scripture: Slavery and Spanking”

My tradition (the Baptist part of the Nonconformist or radical Reformation) has stressed the idea that Scripture is perspicuous, that the Bible is easy to understand, and that anyone can understand it – or at least grasp its essentials – without special training or equipment. Yet there are for sure some difficult passages. There are also passages that seem to flat out contradict other parts of the Bible. How can you call a book like that “perspicuous”?

In this post I’ll argue that one key mistake we make is to think of the Bible as if all its parts were also “Bible”, they aren’t they are merely fragments!

Some other posts dealing with related topics include:

• What DOES “fulfil” mean?
• Jesus as fulfilment of Scripture: Slavery and Spanking
• Ezra and the foreign wives

Or you could explore the menu on the right…

This ‘cast continues the theme of Jesus as the “fulfilment” of Scripture, looking at one topic that’s been settled for decades, and another that’s as hot as today’s headlines. (At least here in NZ where a bill to criminalise parents spanking children is set to become law