Month: January 2024

The months before Jesus’ ministry begins.  Winter, 27 AD #5

David Chupp The 70 Weeks with Jesus Blog , , ,

John’s message:  “Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.”  Matthew 3:2

So we have discussed the idea of repentance from John’s perspective.  So what does he mean by “the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand”?1

The idea of the ‘Kingdom of Heaven’ is central to the gospel.  You could say the coming of the kingdom is the gospel (good news).  Indeed, that is what Jesus said in Luke 4:43  “I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose.” Do we understand the idea of the kingdom?  Do we emphasize it as we should?

Krister Stendahl, in Meanings: The Bible as Document and as Guide, states “But it remains a fact worth pondering that Jesus had preached the kingdom, while the church preached Jesus.  And thus we are faced with a danger: we may so preach Jesus that we lose the vision of the kingdom, the mended creation.”  I fear we have done just that.  As Tim Mackie says, “The church has done a pretty good job of teaching about Jesus, but an incredibly poor job of teaching what Jesus taught.”2

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Part of the problem is that the idea of a ‘kingdom’ itself is not a common concept today.  In the time when the Bible was written, kingdoms were the usual method of governing a nation.  But kingdoms are a rarity today.   Most people immediately think of the United Kingdom,  though the power of the king there is very limited as it is a ‘constitutional monarchy’.  The only absolute monarchies today are in some Muslim countries (Brunei, Oman, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates).  Though these do have a representative body of some kind, the king retains most of the power.  

The monarchies of the Bible times were mostly absolute.  The king holds all the power and can not be questioned.  If you think Jesus came to establish a democracy where we all vote on what is right and what is wrong then you have bought the serpent’s lie in Genesis 3.  But there are some other differences between the idea of ‘kingdom’ that we hold and the idea in the Bible.

The English word, ‘kingdom’, is defined as ‘a territory ruled by a king or queen.’3  So we define the geographic limits of a Kingdom by setting land boundaries.  If you cross the English Channel and step on land then you are in the Kingdom of Great Britain. If you cross the Jordan River today from Jericho you will enter the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. The extent of the kingdom is defined by lines on a map. If you use that definition with ‘Kingdom of Heaven’ in Matthew you miss the meaning.  And many people do.  They think of the Kingdom of Heaven as a place outside of time and space where God lives “up there” and their goal is to get to the Kingdom of Heaven someday in the ‘sweet by and by.’  And, for them, John the Baptist’s message and Jesus’ message is all about how to get to heaven.  This is not exactly what Jesus was preaching.  The Greek and Hebrew views of ‘kingdom’ define the geographic limits of a kingdom by the area where the king reigns.4  If a group of people places themselves under the rule of a king, they are part of his kingdom.  If they refuse to follow the edicts of a king, then the king does not reign over them so they are not part of the kingdom.  Dallas Willard, in The Divine Conspiracy, said, “Now God’s own ‘kingdom,’ or ‘rule,’ is the range of his effective will, where what he wants done is done. The person of God himself and the action of his will are the organizing principles of his kingdom, but everything that obeys those principles, whether by nature of by choice is within his kingdom.”  We only are part of the kingdom if we submit ourselves to the rule of the king.

God’s kingdom is wherever God’s will is done.

This is why Jesus can say the kingdom is already here.

Luke 17:20-21   Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, he answered them, “The kingdom of God is not coming in ways that can be observed, nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.”  “In the midst” could also be translated as “within you” or “inside you”.  The kingdom is where Jesus is because Jesus always obeys the will of the king.  Are you part of the kingdom?  Do you follow the will of the king without question?

Understanding this concept of the kingdom makes it easier to understand what Jesus was praying for in the Lord’s prayer.  

“Thy Kingdom come,”

Jesus wants us to pray for the kingdom to come.  Do you know what that means?  Jesus defines it in the next part of the prayer —“thy will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven.”  In God’s space, God’s will is followed perfectly.  There is no rebellion.  Jesus wants us to pray for the complete coming of God’s kingdom when all evil will be destroyed, all rebellion quashed, and everyone will follow the will of the king always.  That day is coming and Jesus wants us to pray for that day to come.

If you have 5 minutes this week, I highly recommend watching this wonderful Bible Project video, “The Gospel of the Kingdom”.  https://bibleproject.com/explore/video/gospel-kingdom/#fn-13

David

  1. Matthew says “Kingdom of Heaven” while John says “Kingdom of God”.  What is the difference?  Metonymy, according to Merriam-Webster, is “a figure of speech consisting of the use of the name of one thing for that of another of which it is an attribute or with which it is associated.” We use this also.  It is understood to be the same thing when we say, “The Federal Government has issued a mask update.” or “Washington has issued a mask update.”  Some scholars.
  2. Tim Mackie, Bible Project Podcast,  “The Kingdom”
  3. The Oxford Dictionary
  4. Mounce Greek Dictionary 

The months before Jesus’ ministry begins.  Winter, 27 AD #4

David Chupp The 70 Weeks with Jesus Blog , , ,

Further notes on repentance— through Peter’s eyes.

God is not surprised when we sin.  He knows we are prone to sin.  The Bible specifically tells us that, and many of you have memorized Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God”. (But have you memorized Romans 3:24? – more on that later).  

Imagine you are sitting around a table eating dinner with some friends and Jesus.  And Jesus leans over and says to you, “Hey, [your name],  Satan demanded to put you through a trial,  but I prayed for you.  And you say, “Thank you, Jesus.  Thanks for blocking that old devil for me.  Trials are no fun.  I appreciate your prayers.”  But wait a minute, this actually happened in the Bible.  Jesus is having dinner with his friends, his disciples.  It is the last supper he will have with them.  And he leans over to Simon Peter and says, 

“Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you,that he might sift you like wheat,  but I have prayed for you” Luke 22:31-2   

But Jesus is not praying for Simon to avoid the trial, and surprisingly, Jesus is not praying that he would pass the trial.  What is Jesus praying for? 

“that your faith may not fail” Luke 22:32a

Jesus is not praying for Simon to pass the trial, because he is already sure that Simon Peter will fail the trial, and will tell him that specifically.  Jesus is praying that he will survive the failed trial with his faith intact. What does Jesus say next?

And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers. Luke 22:32b

“Turned again” there is our Greek word for repent, ‘strepho’.  “When you have repented for failing the test, Simon, then strengthen your brothers.”1   Jesus then tells him specifically what will happen.  Peter will deny him three times before the rooster crows.  You see, Jesus expects failure. And whether you pass or fail is not the most important thing about a trial.  The most important thing is whether you will repent of your failures. 

So let’s follow Peter a little further.  Jesus is arrested that night and all the disciples run and hide.  Peter and John follow Jesus (at a distance) into the courtyard of the high priest.

Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple. … The servant girl at the door said to Peter, “You also are not one of this man’s disciples, are you?” He said, “I am not.” Now the servants and officers had made a charcoal fire, because it was cold, and they were standing and warming themselves. Peter also was with them, standing and warming himself.  Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. So they said to him, “You also are not one of his disciples, are you?” He denied it and said, “I am not.” One of the servants of the high priest, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked, “Did I not see you in the garden with him?” Peter again denied it, and pat once a rooster crowed.  John 18:15,17-18, 25-27.

Now it is April 28 of 28 AD, it is early spring in Jerusalem and it can get very chilly at night.

And John throws a few interesting details that they were warming themselves by the fire.

He doesn’t want you to miss this… he says it 3 times!  He even tells you what kind of fire this was, a charcoal fire (always pay attention when the Bible gives you little details.)  Then Peter denies Jesus 3 times and then the rooster crows, just as Jesus predicted.

 I once heard a preacher say, “Every time Peter heard the rooster he remembered his failure. And this is important. Don’t forget your failures.” And I get that. It is only when we remember our failures that we can appreciate what God has done to forgive us.

Remember the story when Jesus had been invited to Simon the Pharisee’s home, and the meal was interrupted by a woman “who was a sinner” who anointed him with ointment and her tears.  Jesus tells Simon the story of two people who had debts canceled by a lender.  Simon agreed that the one who had the greatest debt canceled would love the lender more.  Jesus explains that because this woman had been forgiven much, she loved much.  

Only when we consider the depth of our failures can we understand the depth of his mercy.

(I think Ignatius said this first.)  I can agree with that preacher up to a point about the importance of remembering your failures.  But we are not finished with Peter.

Now we skip forward to after Jesus has been resurrected; he is to meet the disciples in the Galilee, up north.  They went fishing all night and caught nothing. 

Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus.  John 21:4

You know the story:  They are about to quit when they see a guy on the shore. Jesus asks, “Catch anything?”  “No,” they answer.  Jesus then tells them to fish on the right side of the boat and the net is full of fish, and they realize it’s Jesus.

When they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire in place, with fish laid out on it, and bread. Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.” So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, 153 of them. And although there were so many, the net was not torn. Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.”  John 21:9-12

Nice, fish tacos for breakfast.  Then Jesus has a conversation with Peter.  He asks him 3 times Peter, do you love me?  And Peter affirms his love. Why 3 times?  3 times he denied Jesus, so Jesus makes sure to give him 3 times to affirm him.  Then Jesus tells Peter “Follow me.”   Jesus is rebooting their relationship.  Yes, I know you failed the test, Peter, but I still love you, it doesn’t change our relationship, I am asking you to do exactly what I asked you to do before, follow me.

But notice the details….What kind of fire was Jesus cooking on?  A charcoal fire (that detail is only given these 2 times in the New Testament.)  What time of day was it? John says “Just as day was breaking”.  He doesn’t specifically mention it, but what happens at dawn? The rooster crows.  Peter, standing by a charcoal fire, denies Jesus 3 times and the rooster crows. That was the lowest moment of his life. So Jesus gives Peter a chance to say he loves him 3 times, and Jesus doesn’t want Peter to forget this, so he recreates the scene. The same sound of the rooster, the same feeling and smell of the charcoal fire.  

Yes, it is important to remember your failures, but it is more important to see how your failures make you stronger through repentance and the resultant actions of repentance. For the rest of his life, every time Peter heard the rooster crow or smelled a charcoal fire, his mind went right back to what could have been a moment of great sorrow that Jesus turned into a moment of great redemption.  So yes, preacher from my past, we need to embrace our failures —-and then fall into the embrace of the God who loves us enough to forgive us when we repent.

1997 years ago, on this day we call January 23.  John the Baptist was preaching a message of repentance.  It is a message we need to hear today We all fail.  All of us. But who did the Bible call “a man after God’s own heart”?  David.  And he spectacularly had failures, breaking 5 of the 10 commandments in a few days (including those about adultery and murder). How could the Bible call him a man after God’s own heart?   Because it isn’t the failure that matters, it is the repentance  — he failed but he didn’t fall.

Have you failed?  God isn’t angry with you; he knew you were going to fail that test. He was not surprised when you chose the wrong path,  He is just standing there with open arms waiting for you to turn around.  Repentance is a story of good news, not bad news.  Maybe it’s time to memorize Romans 3:24 to go with 3:23.

Rom 3:23 For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 

Rom 3:24 and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 

We all need to repent.  We all have friends who live in opposition to God, and Paul in 2 Timothy 2 tells us we need to pray for them that God might “grant them repentance, leading to a knowledge of the truth, and that they may come to their senses.”  Paul had lived this himself.  We all have friends who may be facing trials.  Jesus is praying for them.  Should we not also?  Finally, we may be about to face a trial that we would never have considered.   Peter had no idea and didn’t understand even after Jesus told him.  Be alert and “be careful when you stand lest you fall” (1 Cor. 10:12)  

Happy repenting!

1. There is one more important thing that is hard for us to see in these verses — because in English “you” looks the same in singular or plural.  But all of these ‘you’s in verses 31 and 32 are plural.  So if Jesus was speaking very Southern English, he would have said, “Satan demanded to have you all, so that he might sift y’all like wheat, but I have prayed for y’all that you alls faith may not fail. And when y’all have turned again, strengthen y’alls brothers.” There is no doubt in Jesus’ mind that they all (and we all) would fail.

The months before Jesus’ ministry begins.  Winter, 27 AD #3

David Chupp The 70 Weeks with Jesus Blog , ,

John’s message:  “Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.”  Matthew 3:2

Two words get translated as repent in our English translations: metanoeo and strepho.  Metanoeo means to think differently or to reconsider (a mental process).  Strepho means to make a change in direction or to turn back (a physical process).  But John spoke Hebrew, not Greek so he would not have used either word.  Instead, he would have used the Hebrew word ‘shuv’.  Shuv carries the idea of both a change in the way you think and a change in behavior or direction.  

Let me expand on this lesson on Hebrew verb usage.  Hebrew does not use ‘thinking only’ verbs.  All verbs imply action. For example ‘shema’ means to hear, but it carries the idea of obedience to the hearer.  There is no concept of hearing what your rabbi says and then not being obedient to it. If you hear (pay attention and consider and understand) then you will of course act on what you have heard.1  Another example is the Hebrew word for ‘remember’.  ‘Zakhar’ is the word translated ‘remember’ in Genesis 8:1.  “But God remembered Noah and all the beasts and all the livestock that were with him in the ark.”  If you use our English definition of remember (a thought process), then you can imagine God sitting up in heaven playing dominos with the angels and suddenly he jumps up and says, “Oh no, I forgot about Noah and the critters in that boat. I turned off the rain…let’s see… oh, about 150 days ago.”  Then an angel replies, “150 days!  Well I am glad you remembered them today!”  Of course that is not what happened.  Zakhar is translated as ‘remember’ for us, but it is not simply a verb about thinking.  When the Bible says “God remembered” it means God knew about something and then acted on it.  When the psalmist asks God to “remember your mercy” (Psalm 25:6), he is not asking God to recall a list of his attributes but to act mercifully.  

The oldest copies of the New Testament we currently have are in Greek, though we know many times people spoke Hebrew and it was translated to Greek.  Now that you know the difference between the two Greek words for repentance and the single Hebrew word, you will be able to tell me what language Peter was speaking in Acts 3:19

“Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out”  Our Greek New Testaments have Peter saying, “Metanoeo, therefore and strepho, that your sins may be blotted out.  Peter has to be speaking Greek to this crowd that had gathered from all over, because to describe the full process of repentance, he has to use both words.  Contrast this with John the Baptist who, like Jesus, uses the single word for repentance which must be the Hebrew word ‘shuv’ that incorporates both thought and action.

 John the Baptist was asking people to change their minds and then change their behavior.  Repentance is not merely regret.  Repentance is not complete if you only have a change “in heart”.  A famous 12th-century Rabbi, Maimonides, said “Complete repentance is when you have the opportunity to do the same hurtful thing, harmful thing again, and you make a different choice.”2

Matthew summarizes Jesus teaching in Matthew 4:17

From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” 

And as we saw above, it is the same idea Peter preaches in Acts.  But repentance is not a new message but is seen throughout the Old Testament, as seen in the repentance of the entire city of Nineveh or the repentance of King David.3  It is a message for all time because God is well aware of our tendency to wander off of his path (to sin), and we will hear more about that on Friday.

After more than 400 years, in 26 AD, the long-awaited messenger has arrived.  His message is to prepare for the coming Kingdom of Heaven.  Get ready because it is at hand.   The anticipation for the return of God to his temple is building every day. 

Get excited! Jesus will appear on the scene with John on Feb 16th!

David

1. In Biblical Hebrew there is no specific word for someone who thinks one way but acts another.  But we see that concept in Isaiah 29:13 ““These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips,but their hearts are far from me.Their worship of me is based on merely human rules they have been taught” In the Old Testament the only word for this type of person is “godless”. The KJV actually translates the Hebrew word ‘godless’ as ‘hypocrite’ in Job 8:13.)   There is a word in Greek that describes someone whose actions are not equal to their thinking.  The Greek word is ‘hypokrites’ which is the Greek word for an actor in a play.  (The Greek is 2 words that mean ‘an interpreter from underneath’ because Greek actors interpreted the story from beneath the masks they wore on stage.)  We have imported this word into English as someone who puts on the appearance of being something they are not.  The Greek word ‘hypokrites’ is seen 17 times in the Gospels.

2. Maimonides, Mishneh Torah, Hilkhot Teshuvah 2:1

3. See Psalm 6, Psalm 51

The months before Jesus’ ministry begins.  Winter, 27 AD #2

David Chupp The 70 Weeks with Jesus Blog ,

A Geographic note.

John, Matthew 3 tells us, was preaching in the wilderness of Judea.  The Gospel of John gives us a more accurate description. 

John 1:28 These things took place in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

John calls it “Bethany beyond the Jordan” to differentiate it from Bethany, the hometown of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, where Jesus will spend time later this year.  ‘Beyond the Jordan’ would mean ‘on the other side of the Jordan River’ and to any Jewish person, it would mean on the other side from Jerusalem, that is the east bank of the River.

We can’t pinpoint exactly where this Bethany is, but most scholars (and Google Maps) place it about 5 miles north of the Dead Sea across the Jordan from Jericho.1

Now if you are John the Baptist in 27 AD and are thinking about planting a church, the wilderness may not be your first choice of location.  But John is not planting a church.  The Judean Wilderness is a very desolate place, as we shall see in a month when Jesus spends 40 days there.  But John’s location would have been a well-traveled route.  Anyone headed to Jerusalem from Galilee would (to avoid Samaria) head east and cross the Jordan River and then travel on the ancient paths parallel to the river and then cross back over the river to the west here, near Jericho.  They would then take the ‘Jericho Road’ that runs between Jericho and Jerusalem (which you know as the setting of the story of the Good Samaritan.)

This area has great Biblical significance also.  It was in this area that Elijah and Elisha crossed the Jordan on dry land, where Elijah was taken up to heaven, and where Joshua and the children of Israel crossed the Jordan to enter the Promised Land.  

I find it very helpful to be able to draw a very simple map of Israel to be able to place events in the Bible in their location.  Knowing the location of the Mediterranean Sea, the Sea of Galilee, the Jordan River, and the Dead Sea is enough.  Then you can learn the placement for a few cities and mountains.  Alternatively, you can consult the maps which many Bibles have, or even Google Maps, but I think being able to construct a rough map helps make the land come alive to you.

Here is one I frequently use.  

The “C” is Capernaum (located at the ‘cap’ of the Sea of Galilee.

“N” Nazareth is west of the lower end of that sea.

the Star marks Jerusalem which is close in line horizontally with the top of the Dead Sea.

Just below Jerusalem is “B” for Bethlehem, and you see Jericho near the river.

So John would be east of Jericho, on the other side of the river

If you are planning on following Jesus with your feet, we will begin on Feb 16th.  If you want to get a jump on it, then you had better get busy.  Jesus traveled from Galilee, likely his hometown, Nazareth, to the area where John was baptizing.  He most likely (this time) took the usual route, which would be about 90 miles.  In Jesus’ day, this would be a 5-6 day journey.  That won’t be doable for me on a workday, but I plan to take the next 6 weeks to make that 90 miles.  But again, we don’t ‘officially’ begin until mid-February, so no rush.  

1. “The section closes with a note of place. These things happened at John’s normal spot for baptizing on the other side of the Jordan (i.e., from Jerusalem). The name of the place varies in the MSS. Some read “Bethabarah” and some “Betharabah,” but both seem due to Origen, who early in the third century visited the land and reported that he could find no town called “Bethany” on the other side of the Jordan. He says that the ancient manuscripts read “Bethany.” But because he thought the place must be Bethabarah he adopted that reading. Origen was a great scholar, but for once it appears that he is not to be relied on. Close attention to his words shows that he did not actually go to Jordan; he says only, “they say that Bethabara is pointed out.” He appears to have been misinformed. It seems that “Bethany” is the right reading. But quite early the location was lost sight of. The Evangelist adds “on the other side of the Jordan” to distinguish this locality from the better-known Bethany, which was near Jerusalem.”  From New International Commentary on the New Testament, Matthew, Leon Morris.

The months before Jesus’ ministry begins.  Winter, 27 AD #1

David Chupp The 70 Weeks with Jesus Blog ,

Jesus will not begin his ministry for about a month, but John has been preaching in the wilderness for at least several months.  In the weeks (or likely months) before our study begins, John has been preaching in the wilderness and baptizing at the Jordan River.  He is attracting quite a crowd. Matthew 3:3 tells us:

“For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight.’”

Now Matthew has just quoted a passage from his scriptures  (his scriptures being what we call the Old Testament),  He expects us to know this passage so that we will understand why he placed it here.  Unfortunately, Matthew’s modern readers are not as familiar with the Scriptures as were religious students in his day.  Many in the first century had much of the Scriptures committed to memory.  (It is amazing what you can learn and commit to memory when you don’t have to set aside time for Netflix.)   Since there were no chapter or verse numbers, it was common practice for teachers to quote a single verse to bring to mind the full passage for the students.1 So unless you are aware of the background and full passage Matthew is referring to, then you need to spend some time catching up.  

Let’s back up to Isaiah 39:5 to get the background.

Is. 39:5-7   Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the LORD of hosts: Behold, the days are coming, when all that is in your house, and that which your fathers have stored up till this day, shall be carried to Babylon. Nothing shall be left, says the LORD.  And some of your own sons, who will come from you, whom you will father, shall be taken away, and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.” 

So bad news for the future delivered to the current King, Hezekiah2:  Babylon will conquer Israel and carry off everything and everyone.  But then Isaiah has good news:

Is. 40:1-5    Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.  Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the LORD’s hand double for all her sins.

A voice cries: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”

So further into the future, warfare will end and Israel will have paid for her sins and be pardoned.  The punishment of exile will not be forever.  And then more good news for even further into the future.  God himself is going to show up, his glory is going to be revealed. John the Baptist is this voice crying in the wilderness.  He was also predicted by the prophet Malachi.

Mal. 3:1   “Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts. 

Malachi tells us God’s messenger is coming and then God is going to finally return to his temple.  (In case you missed it in Ezekiel, because of the accumulation of years of sin, the temple had become so defiled that God decided he had to leave it.  So the presence of God left the temple, and God did not return his presence to the temple when it was rebuilt after the exile.)  So Israel waits… for almost 500 years, for God to “suddenly return” to his temple.

Hear the good news of John:  God himself is coming here… to us!!!  But John’s message is one of preparation.  As we prepare to spend 70 weeks walking through Jesus’ ministry, we next look at the core of John’s message — repentance.

  1. As an example of this method to refer to scripture, Jesus, on the cross wants his few faithful followers present to think about Psalm 22 to reassure them in this horrible moment.  Today we could just call out “Psalm 22”, but not in Jesus’ day.  (Chapter numbers were not assigned until the 13th Century CE and verse numbers not until the 16th Century.)  So he quotes the first line of Psalm 22, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”  If you aren’t aware of how this works, you might be led to believe that Jesus is saying that God has forsaken him.  But those followers who are well aware of the content of Psalm 22 recognize that Jesus is telling them exactly what is happening. They recall how the Psalm mentions one who is “scorned”, “despised”, and “mocked”, one whom evildoers “pierced his hands and feet”, and one whom the evildoers have divided his garments and have cast lots for them.  They know this Psalm that Jesus directed them to, and so they see that God foreknew all that would happen. God is still in control.  They know how the Psalm ends, not with rejection, but with redemption.  God does not forsake but delivers.  Jesus delivers a message of hope, but it is only understood by those who know the scriptures.
  2. Hezekiah, in Isaiah 39:8 oddly says “The word of the LORD that you have spoken is good.” For he thought, “There will be peace and security in my days.”  He has just been given the worst news a nation’s leader can receive – your nation is going to be destroyed.  Yet he sees that it is good because it won’t happen while he is king.  Interesting view, Hezekiah.

70 weeks with Jesus – Study beginning Feb. 16

David Chupp An Intro to the 70-Week Journey, The 70 Weeks with Jesus Blog

Have you ever had trouble figuring out what happened when in Jesus’ ministry?  Have you ever wondered how much traveling Jesus did?  Have you ever wondered how certain stories and teachings are related to their physical location?  I have.  

We have 4 separate gospel accounts of the ministry of Jesus.  Sometimes it is hard to put them together and understand what happens where and in what order because they all mention different events.  Some scholars have combined the stories into a single timeline of Jesus’ ministry. Even reading these combined gospels still left me struggling with a real understanding of how rapidly some events followed others and a realization of how much Jesus traveled and where these stories took place.

My Tuesday morning Bible study group has decided to spend a little over a year following Jesus through the story of his ministry.  We will go week by week, not only looking at the events and lessons of that week in Jesus’ ministry from all 4 gospels but also at the culture and geography presented in that week.  How far did they walk that week?  What kind of journey was it?  We will attempt to estimate the miles Jesus traveled and some in our group may choose to make that their exercise goal for the week. We call that ‘learning with your feet’.   All of this is to better immerse ourselves in the gospel story for better understanding.  

Most who have done a compilation of the gospels have used the idea that Jesus’ ministry lasted 3-and-a-half years.  But others believe the ministry of Jesus, from his baptism until the baptism of his followers with the Holy Spirit was 70 weeks. We will follow the 70-week model, for many reasons that I will enumerate later.  We will use “The Chronological Gospels” by Michael Rood.  I think Rood has done the best job putting the gospels together and has some interesting insights.  

If you want to join us, we will make our study available online.  I will send out an email for each week with the Scripture reading for that week as well as some cultural and geographic information.  I will also include the estimated number of miles Jesus traveled that week for those who want to follow with their feet.  We will have an interactive blog with a lesson for each week to stimulate discussion online. The blog will be here at http://www.swallownocamels.com. (For those who have followed this blog in the past, note that I have temporarily removed the past 100 posts as we begin this project.)  If you are interested in going on this journey with us, comment below with an “I’m in!” and your email address. The journey will begin the week of February 11-17.  That Saturday, on a Sabbath, Jesus began his ministry being baptized by John.  

I look forward to walking along with you and Jesus through the gospels.

David