checking my motives

Matthew 6:1, in the NASB reads "Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in Heaven." This verse stood out to me and it made me think. I had to check my motives on certain things. I guess it is kind of hard for me to do all things for the right reason. And honestly, it's hard for me not to want praise from people after doing something, for example, singing. It is important to do things for Him, I know, but I think that my motive is just as important. For if my motive is to exalt self, then it's not for Him anyway...bye.

Jesus?!? Likes Secrets?!?

In our reading for today, Matthew 6:1-4 jumped out at me. Jesus is preaching the Sermon on the Mount when he touched on the issue of giving to the needy. He presented an idea that was uncommon to the times: “…when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do…” Essentially, Jesus was saying that our acts of kindness should not be publicly displayed. Our rewards should not come from man, but from God. Then Jesus made the statement that the hypocrites who make their acts of kindness public have already received their full award in the honor of men; those who are giving from the depths of their hearts receive the secret rewards for things done in secret. Sometimes it is hard for us as believers to do things in secret for God’s glory when we also desire the approval of men. Jesus wants us to neglect our desire for man’s approval for divine approval…“which is more meaningful, I think”…and harder to live by.

Yes, I know that Christmas was last month!

Growing up I always heard the Christmas story read out of Luke 2. It was not until our discussion of the history of the time prior to Christ's birth that I fully understood what was being said. It is amaizing to me how God worked out all of the details in order for Christ to be born in regards to the distrubition of land and kingdoms and the rulers of such. I guess now having read in New Testament Survey and having contributed to our discussion Monday I can better appreciate the miracle of Christ's birth. Being able to put Caesar Augustus in historical context of how he came to power and the Jewish response to him and other Roman authorities is extremely beneficial for a proper study of the Christmas story.

-Steven

more than it seems

i heard before about the symbols of the gospels as a man, ox, lion and eagle but i had only before assumed that the names came out of the personalities of the gospel writers. while that is true, burridge brings me to the understanding that it had more to do with the portrayals of Jesus. i used to think of the gospels as trying to tell the same stories but they were twisted because of personality, but really they were each trying to show a specific side of Christ. He had several characteristics and for all gospels to point out the same side would be pointless. instead we see the layers of Christ's personality, just as the writers intended.

bobby dixon

Not just Historians but people

I thought Dr. Foster's description of all of those people was great in class on Monday. He made people, that just reading about them in a normal history book might not be all that interesting, become quite interesting and gave them personality. Most of the people that you read about in history books you know what they did, but never can really tell what their personlity was like. An example of one of the people was Archalaus. Dr. Foster described him as a jerk and said no one liked him. Now instead of just knowing that he was a bad ruler and did bad things, we can put another trait with it. It may seem kind of simple, however it made some more things stick out to me about some of the rulers and people discussed on Monday.

what i thought about it

Of all the reading thus far I would have to say that the illustration of our good British prime minister friend is one that has stuck out in my mind as having the most impact. I must admit that when I began reading, I had no idea where the author was going. I wondered if he had a point at all. Then, as if a light popped up above my head, it hit me. Using the idea of the different pictures to illustrate the different characteristics and facets of one man was brilliant. And, as in realtion to Jesus, this ilustration makes even more sense. Each of the authors of the Gospels had their own experiences and encounters with Jesus, so of coarse they're gonna be slightly differnent accounts. It really opened my eyes to the thought of who Jesus is and how the Gospels can be used in coalition and as seperate intities.

BOOM!!!

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Repent and sin no more! -rlf

first you hear the tribal drums pounding softly, then a shadow appears on the stage, he has water dripping from his head to make his hair look shiny. he begins to reach to the sky with both arms as if reaching for God's own strength in his upcoming battle. then he thrusts his arms towards the ground, the drums BOOM with excitement and fire begins surround him. and the announcer says "weighing in 240 pounds, 6'3'' Judas THE HAMMER!!! the crowd screams with excitement and little kids hold those blow up hammers that squeak when you hit things, just to show that judas does have a soft side to him. and then judas faught against the world champion Antiochus!! this rivalry has heatened quickly, as antiochus has already put our judas' dad and brothers for their careers of wrestling. .................3 years later Antiochus was defeated!!

I couldn't think of a creative title

I found the reading about the scribes interesting. Our text listed in great detail the duties of a scribe in Jesus' time. They were considered to be lawyers, theologians, guardians, and of course, keepers of the text. In the paragraph about the scribes being "curators", I couldn't help but notice the part that says "Even though the sacred text was known by heart, a written edition had to be before the copyist who would read aloud the text as he worked." If someone were this familiar with the information, wouldn't it make sense that they, of all people, would realize and accept who Jesus is?? Instead, they were considered his opponents, and became jealous if his ministry. Jesus labeled them as hypocrites for knowing how to enter heaven, but they prevented others from entering by placing such a high value on things they shouldn't have been as focused on. They were too consumed with the law to realize they were standing face to face with the Son of God.

I never knew that.

I enjoyed the assigned reading for the last class and the class to come. I especially enjoyed the history lesson(and embarrasment because I did not know half the words) in the DJG and the detail in which the author(s) used to describe the different groups and systems. Knowing the make-up in which groups like the Pharisees where based upon and their basic place in history will allow me to better understand "the world in the text." I had recently forgottten that backgound study is crucial to be able to successfully exsposit text and understand the meaning to the readers then and to readers now. I also enjoy the readings in the Burridge book, I think his example of Winston Churchill was brilliant. It is easier for me to being to comprehind the four pictures of Jesus when I compare them to an example such as this. I enjoyed the bits of Bible "trivia" in the first chapter about which book was probably written first and the comparing and contasting of content. This book will surely be proven helpfull in the study of Christ's life.(or I want my money back on the book.)

Does Anybody Else Feel A Movie Coming On?

The scene opens with a crowded marketplace. Happy Jewish music is playing (I’m thinking something like “Tradition” from Fiddler on the Roof), when all the sudden the music stops, a man falls down dead, and the crowd creates a circle of onlookers surrounding the bloody body. The music picks back up and in the corner of the camera angle a man wipes his sicae and places it back into his coat (or whatever they wear). All the while another man is taking advantage of this distraction to pick peoples coin purses; which you see in the next scene will go to a starving family (possibly of bunnies and he’ll keep some to buy something nice for Maid Miriam)
Okay so Dixie will not soon be going into film making, but how fun was it to read about the different peoples of the Revolutionary Movements? My favorites were the social bandits and the Sicarii. This was not just some story, but it was their way of life. It’s cool to think about their lives, but to really meditate on how much they fought for what they believed in, their freedom. I could endure watching my husband and kids (the hypothetical ones I will hopefully one day have) be killed for the sake of Christ, but to kill them myself?? To murder in broad daylight and watch the number of your friends and allies quickly drop because of execution?? That is either really twisted theology or whole hearted passion.

DIXIE W

Not a Clever Title.

In Reading W. J. Heard's article on Revolutionary Movements in DJG, specifically Messianic Pretenders, I began to wonder what the people of Jesus's day really thought of him. Not too much before Jesus was born numerous upstart revolts began in which the leaders were considered to be the messiah, the kind of messiah that the Jewish people were looking for. All of these preceding and following messianic claims surrounding the life of Jesus were military based. The Jewish people believed that the Messiah would regain their freedom as a people out from under the oppression of the Romans and take his rightful place on the throne of Jesus and in their position I would have thought the same thing. I would have been hoping for the right guy, the perfect military mind that could topple an empire and restore Israel to its former glory. But then came Jesus, a peaceful but powerful teacher with authority, the true Messiah. He is different from all the others and therefore does not even seem to be a candidate for the job. I find it interesting when Jesus was arrested in Matthew 26:55, "At that time Jesus said to the crowd, "Am I leading a rebellion, that you have come out with swords and clubs to capture me? Everyday I sat in the temple courts teaching, and you did not arrest me."

All of the other messianic canidates talked about in the article seem all to be apart of some group that is revolting and I just find that interesting because Jesus is the one that is completely peaceful and yet they come at him as if he is some sort of violent rebel.


Toby Shelton

.....you thought we were technological

I never had really thought about the tools and metals that the Isrealites would have to be using in their day. I just thought of metal and figured they used what they had, I never really thought about them having copper which would be a poor type of metal to use. As well as their very genious idea involving the well and grain silo which were blocked and made to appear to be apart of the hill so that the enemies would not be able to enter through the cave. Its amazing what a person like myself just never ealized about their culture and how advanced the Isrealites really were for their day. It seems we just go through the bible and forget sometimes about how these people really lived and how amazing it really was for them when they acquired things such as steel, and it was no idiot who thought of up the plan for building such a huge design to get their water. Over all I found the ideas and technology of these people really interesting.

Andy Miller

Sources vs. Personal Experience...some difficult reading

After reading the assignment involving Burridge's book, I was intrigued, and critical. I've gotten to where I overanalze things a tad too much. I'd never really thought of the fact that the gospel writers might have had a source, or that Mark was the first of such gospels. One thing, however, bothers me. Matthew and John were disciples...so why would they need to follow oral tradition, as Burridge discusses. John, especially, walked closely with Jesus. I'd always assumed that John had written his personal experiences with Jesus. Now I find myself reading that he used oral tradition to write his gospel. For example, when referring to the overlapping with other gospels, Burridge writes, "Any overlap is best explained by oral traditions coming to the evangelist independently" Could it not be considered that John knew these stories because he was THERE? (see page 12-13) Even concerning the other gospels, I had the assumption that the writer had spoken with those who were there and had written their first-hand account (or would that also be considered oral tradition?). Overall, the reading was fascinating, I'm just asking the questions that come to mind.

Melanie Swaty

A Land Flowing With Milk and Honey

Maybe I am the only one, but when I have tried to picture "THE PROMISED LAND", you know the land flowing with milk and honey, I have retained a picture of some sort of paradise where the things needed for survival (food, water, shelter) just miraculously appeared. In an effort to process all that went on in class on Monday and the people's connection to the land, the image of my great Uncle William and Aunt Inez came to mind. He was an old-school farmer. My Aunt and Uncle often killed the chicken they would eat for dinner that night, pump the well for water, gather the eggs for breakfast, pick vegetables from the garden, milk the cows, and tend to the smokehouse that contained some of the best pork you will ever put your lips around. I remember their total dependence on the land for everything they needed. My uncle even built their house from lumber that he processed by hand from the timber that was found on their property. Now back to the first century in a time where they did not have some of the modern conveniences that were available to my great Aunt and Uncle and the faith that it took to survive in a place like Israel. I have a new found respect for the people of Jesus' time, the disciples leaving everything to follow Christ, the faith of Joesph and Mary to bring a child into that world, and the ministry of Christ.

Michael Carpenter

in a jew's shoes

I really liked Monday's class. I've heard for a while now that you should look at a biblical text in a historical context. That is a lot easier said than done. Foster did a great job of really laying out what it would have been like to have lived in Israel. It's too easy to think of the gospel stories through a personal frame of reference. The list of forbidden things to do on the Sabbath was especially a nice part of the lecture. It really does make since that the priests would list those things because that is exactly what the people would be doing if they could.
AARON ABBOTT

it takes more than one pic

I do not want it to seem like I am copying straight from Tasha but I kind of had the same thoughts as I was reading Burridge. I liked how he demonstrated that there is a need for several different versions of the gospels, just as one photograph or painting did not fully depict Sir Winston Churchill. The same would be true of any of us because we do not have just one part to our personality. I could be depicted as an archer, artist, sculptor, preacher, brother, son and the list goes on. The same is true for everyone. Which to me makes even more since to show the different perspectives of Christ, which helps us come to know him in a more personal way.
Matt Justice

And it begins...

For posting first,
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--peace, rlf

Dr. Foster's speach about how difficult the class would be was scary. I, however, am up to the challenge. The reading in Burridge was very interesting. The most pressing point to me was the connection made between pictures of people and their actual dynamic. If I was judged by someone based on only one photo or one story, I would be hated or deified. The truth is though that I am made up of several dynamics that can not be understood through one media. The actual Tasha is in the middle. I am viewed by some as daughter, sister, friend, or boss and not one image is wholely me. This opened up my perspective of the gospels. Each viewed Christ differently as their experiences taught them.