WEEK 2

St. Jeri praying:

Close

Photos from Dave Wainscott's post

in Timeline Photos

Tag Photo

Options

Send in Messenger

Like

Comment

.

-----------------------------

U2 front row?  watch this



Find Dave in a crowd of 70, 000, and move the camera yourself here.
--
----


"
Venn it.

Two versions of a song :
Where the Streets Have no Name"

Ireland.. after Bono's father died:


-----------------------------------------------

Third version.Super Bowl 2002; We didn't have time, so will show this one next week
S

Quick exercise:
Does the Bible use "bad: words?

"S" WORD

Remember how Paul..the same Paul who wrote Philemon..used the "S" word in Philippians 3?  In the original Greek he used the word "skubala," which your class Bible translates "rubbish,"  but the word is much close to the English S-word.  More on that word use here

Skubala?” The Apostle Paul Uses the Word “Sh--” in the Bible

by Alex Heath

This shocked me. In Philippians 3:8 (KJV), the Apostle Paul says,

“Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things and count them but dung, that I may win Christ.”

In our English translation of Scripture, we read several deviations of what was commonly referred to as animal excrement in Paul’s day. The NIV translation says “garbage,” the ESV says “rubbish,” and The Message translation says “dog dung.”

Of all places, Urban Dictionary actually gives some helpful insight into the use of this word in this passage. The word that Paul uses was a Greek term called “skubala." 

"This is a Greek word that is the equivalent to the modern English word "shit.” Skubala is a rare word, used only in Philippians 3:8 in the New Testament. Dung, rubbish, refuse, and a loss are various inaccurate translations of the Greek word. No translation accurately translates this term to its modern English equivalence: “shit.” The word means “excrement” either animal or human.“

Wait, so you’re telling me that the APOSTLE PAUL (one of God’s most anointed and renowned evangelicals in the history of the early church) used a CUSS WORD in SCRIPTURE? Hold the phone.  

There must be something wrong with this. Paul would have never used such a dirty word in an inspired text. Or would he?

I believe Paul uses the word "sh-t” in this passage because he is trying to create an incredibly stark and extreme contrast between the the “things” of the world, and the pursuit of Christ. It’s serious business.

Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t believe that this example automatically condones the use of foul language for Christians. Scripture is very clear that we are to not let any foul language cross our lips (Exodus 20:7, Ephesians 4:29).

Paul used what would have been the equivalent of a “four letter word” in his time to help communicate the message of the gospel. How does that affect us? How do we rationalize through that fact?

Just something to think about.  -Alex Heath, link

Oh, here's a link to buy the T shirt (or bib or hat..or)

----------------------------------------------------------------

• CHIASMS 

  Finish these sentences.  How did you know what to say?  

  • ------
  • The first shall be last...
  • When the going gets tough....
  • I am stuck on Band-Aid...
  • It's not the size of the dog in the fight..
  • You should do unto others...
  • God is good all the time..
  • 
    
  • John F Kennedy; "Ask not what your country can do for you...."
  • Am I drinking wine, or is..
  • Accept rejection..
  • Whoever exalts themself will be humbled.
  • Never let a fool kiss you....
  • Zaccheus was a wee little man...
  • There's no understanding without...
  • Woe to those who call good evil..
  • They don't care about how much you know until ...
  • The right to bear arms is slightly less ridiculous than ...
  • Let us never negotiate out of fear..
  • The sabbath is made for man..
  • You come to be baptized by me, when..
  • Management is doing things right; Leadership is....

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  \

  
  

   \
  

  \

     

  

  
  
  

  
  
  

  

  
  

  

  
  

  

  
  

  
  

  

  
  

  Chiasm(definition) ).. once you are attuned to seeing them in Scripture (and most ancient literature) it seems they are everywhere.
  
  Sometimes they are.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  

  
  

• 
  
• Rememer this one:
• FUNERAL OR WEDDING?

\

s

------

\

----------------------------------------

PHILEMON? Who us the letter really 
TO??

John Knox (at Univ of Chicago) thought Archippus (not Philemon) was the slave-owner and that Paul publicly shamed Archippus into forgiving Onesimus (see Col 4:17)… link

--

Knox offered a completely different reconstruction of the occasion for the letter identifying the master as Archippus who was the host of the church mentioned in verse one, and Philemon as the one to plead reinstatement of Onesimus. He considers the epistle of Philemon to be the letter from Laodicea in Colossians 4:16, and the exhortation for Archippus to “fulfill his God-given ministry” (Col. 4:17) to be the request of Paul concerning Philemon (see John Knox, “Philemon” in The Interpreter’s Bible, vol. xi [New York, 1955], pp. 555ff; Knox,Philemon among the Letters of Paul: A New View of its Place and Importance; Guthrie, NTI, pp. 635-638; Bruce, Paul: Apostle, p. 401-406; O’Brien, Philemon, pp. 267-268).  link

Theory>  Philemon isn't the slaveowner at all, it is Archippus.  Note: see this note in your class Bible..

Note that grammatically, the letter  we call Philemon might be addressed not to the first mentioned (Philemon), but the last-mentioned (Archippus).  Verse 1, 2:

To Philemon our dear friend and co-worker, to Apphia our sister,] to Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the church in your house..



See Colossians 4.  Note same writer (Paul) and  many similar names as the "Philemon" letter.  What is the task Paul wants Archippus to fulfill?  Could it be to release Onesimus? 

Colossians 4.7'
 Tychicus will tell you all the news about me; he is a beloved brother, a faithful minister, and a fellow servant[b] in the Lord. 8 I have sent him to you for this very purpose, so that you may know how we are[c] and that he may encourage your hearts; 9 he is

coming with 

Onesimus, the faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you. They will tell you about everything here.

10 Aristarchus my fellow prisoner greets you, as does Mark the cousin of Barnabas, concerning whom you have received instructions—if he comes to you, welcome him. 11 And Jesus who is called Justus greets you. These are the only ones of the circumcision among my co-workers for the kingdom of God, and they have been a comfort to me. 12 Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant[d] of Christ Jesus, greets you. He is always wrestling in his prayers on your behalf, so that you may stand mature and fully assured in everything that God wills. 13 For I testify for him that he has worked hard for you and for those in Laodicea and in Hierapolis. 14 Luke, the beloved physician, and Demas greet you. 15 Give my greetings to the brothers and sisters[e] in Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church in her house. 16 And when this letter has been read among you, have it read also in the church of the Laodiceans; and see that you read also the letter from Laodicea.

 17 And say to Archippus, “See that you

complete the task that you have received in the Lord.”

18 I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. Remember my chains. Grace be with you.[f]

-----

THESIS: The Ten Commandments are a ________

.

Off the top of your head, list words and ideas that come to mind when you think of the story of the giving of the Ten Commandments on Mt Sinai.

Then scroll down for the question..

Was "wedding" on your list?

                                        .....or "love"?

What does all this have to do with a wedding?

THE TEN COMMANDMENTS AS A WEDDING:

We watched "HE LED YOU LIKE A BRIDE," a  Ray Vander Laan "Faith Lessons" video  from Mount Sinai.  Here is the complete video, which elaborates on this 

thesis.  

Here's a study guide for the video:..

see pp.197-251  here

"Waffly Wedded Wife":



Bonus: the processional: (didn't show in class):

Why when asked for examples of commandments  9 out of 1o students answer with  one of the negatives: Thou shalt NOTs?

WHY DO WE  THINK OF THE COMMANDMENTS MORE LIKE  FUNERAL THAN A WEDDING?

Often when I officiate weddings, and the groom is nervous, I try to lighten the mood. I pull out my little black book in front of all the groomsmen and fake a shocking, "Oh my goodness, I accidentally brought my funeral book by mistake!! But I'll just read from it anyway..i mean it's the same idea. Is that OK?" Then there is a laugh of relief when they realize I'm kidding!

But at Margaret and Paul's wedding.....

for the first time, I couldn'tfind my wedding book right away, so i did actually bring the funeral book instead. It didn't really matter, as after doing years of weddings I don't need the book, I just use it to stick little sticky notes in for the sermon, prompts, names etc....oh, and to look pastoral and cool.

So I just crossed out the big title "FUNERAL" on the spine with a black marker, so folks wouldn't see it while I was up front (:

Then for a laugh and a few pics, after the service, I rubbed off the ink so you could read it.

• 
  

SERMON ON THE MOUNT, Mathew chapter  5 

Remember: 

inclusio
------------------------------------------

• Who was the sermon addressed to?
• Why did he teach on a MOUNTAIN?
• Why did Jesus sit down to teach?

video of class discussion

:(Note the first and last beatitudes (only) of chapter 5 end

with a promise of the kingdom of heaven, implying that the other promises in between "being filled," "inherit the earth," "be comforted" all have to do with Kingdom

--and if Jesus is a NEW MOSES of sorts, then we should look at 

SERMON ON THE MOUNT:
Discussion on how Jesus was interpreting/reinterpreting the law of Moses/Torah(Matt 5:17-48).
Some would suggest that he is using the rabbi's technique of "Building a fence around the TORAH."

For example, if you are tempted to overeat, one strategy would be to build a literal fence around the refrigerator...or the equivalent: don't keep snacks around.

See:

What does building a fence around the Torah mean? 

Some wonder of this is what Jesus is doing here.  See:
Jesus' Antitheses - Could they be his attempt to build a fence around the Torah?

One can see how this could turn to legalism...and when do you stop building fences? See:

A Fence Around the Law

Greg Camp and Laura Roberts write:

In each of the five examples, Jesus begins by citing an existing commandment. His following statement may be translated as either "And I say to you... " or as "But I say to you ...” The first option shows Jesus' comments to be in keeping with the commandments, therefore his words will be an expansion or commentary on the law. This is good, standard rabbinic technique. He is offering his authoritative interpretation, or amplification, to God's torah, as rabbis would do after reading the torah aloud in the synagogue. The second translation puts Jesus in tension with the law, or at least with the contemporary interpretations that were being offered. Jesus is being established as an authoritative teacher who stands in the same rabbinic tradition of other rabbis, but is being portrayed as qualitatively superior to their legal reasoning.

After citing a law Jesus then proceeds to amplify, or "build a hedge" around the law. This was a common practice of commenting on how to put a law into practice or on how to take steps to avoid breaking the law. The idea was that if you built a safe wall of auxiliary laws around the central law, then you would have ample warning before you ever came close to breaking the central law. A modern example might be that if you were trying to diet you would need to exercise more and eat less. In order to make sure that that happened you might dispose of all fats and sweets in the house so as not to be tempted. Additionally, you might begin to carry other types of snacks or drink with you so as to have a substitute if temptation came around, and so forth. In the first example of not killing, Jesus builds a hedge that involves not being angry and not using certain types of language about others. One of the difficulties is that it becomes very difficult not to break his hedges. This might drive his hearers to believe that he is a hyper-Pharisee. Some interpreters have wanted to argue that Jesus does this in order to drive us to grace—except grace is never mentioned in this context. This is a wrong-headed approach to get out of the clear message that Jesus is proclaiming: you must have a transformed life. By building his hedges, Jesus is really getting to the heart of what the law was about. In the first example, the intent is not just to get people not to kill each other (though that is a good thing to avoid), rather it is there to promote a different attitude about how to live together. Taken together, the 10 Words (Commandments) and the other laws which follow in Exodus-Numbers paint a picture of a people who will look out for one another rather than just avoiding doing injury to one another. This becomes clear in Jesus’ solution at the end of the first example. The solution is not to throw  yourself on grace or to become paralyzed by fear, but to seek right relations with the other person. There seems to be an implicit acknowledgment that problems will arise. The solution is to seek the best for the other person and for the relationship. This is the heart of the law.  The problem with the law is that it can only keep you from sin, but it cannot make you do good.  The rabbi Hillel said “what is hateful to you, do not do to others.”  In 7:12, Jesus provides his own interpretation “In everything do to others as you would have them do to you.”  He changes the saying from refraining from sin, to actively doing good.  The thesis statement in 5:20 is “unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” This then is how to exceed, or go beyond the law.  In each of the five examples, the way to exceed the law is to make the relationship right.

Instead of drawing a new line in the sand that you are not supposed to cross before you are considered guilty, Jesus, confirms that the center is "love your neighbor" and then just draws an arrow (vector) and tells you to go do it. There is never a point at which you are able to finally fulfill the commandment to love. You can never say that you have loved enough. In the gospel of Matthew, the supreme example of this is Jesus' own life and death. His obedience and love knew no boundaries.  --by Greg Camp and Laura Roberts

Ted Grimsrud, in  "God's Healing Strategy" :

 "A better way [as opposed to legalistically legislating morality] to approach [the commandments] would be to ask first, 'What does this commandment teach us about God?'...Hence, the point of the commandments is not establishing absolute, impersonal, even coercive rules which must never be violated.  The point rather is that a loving God desires ongoing relationships of care and respect....Paul's interpretation of the Law in Romans 13 makes clear the deepest meaning of the law not as rule-following, but as being open to God's love and finding ways to express that love towards others: 'The commandments..are summed up in this word, Love your neighbor as yourself.'"  (pp. 33-34)

One can see how this could turn to legalism...and when do you stop building fences? See:
A Fence Around the Law

----

on the 6 antitheses of the Sermon on The Mount, remember my Paraguay stories?

 "Ever committed adultery, Joe?"

 (oops...) 

-------------------------------------------

OK,  below is the backstory of the "LAUGHING BRIDE," which illustrates "building a fence around the Torah":

g

How do you name the difference in the shift of the 6 antitheses?  What does it feel like Jesus is doing?  He's making the law______:

• harder?
• easier?

Is he making it impossible on purpose? 

Hidden extra credit.

From the comments on the patient gown on pages 5,30, and 37 of "Radical Loving Care," post a few sentence response comment  at the bottom of this page (scroll just beneath this) by Week 3 class.  If you don't have any of the accounts listed, just sign in as "anonymous"..but be sure to include your name or initials in the comment, so I know who to give the credit to.