Enough has already been said about John's preaching against Herod and how it got him beheaded. I have also dealt somewhat with Israel's own religious authorities and I have written somewhat about the crowds and their power. So what remains?
Both John the Baptist and Jesus added two dimensions to the political environment of their day. First of all, by saying that the kingdom of God was coming, all who heard understood that a political and social change of the political system was about to take place. With such a change it was assumed that a new king would replace Herod and perhaps even Caesar. Such a change would also mean that a new system throughout the land would be established that would remove the powers that were in existence. In John's day several people made claims to be the messiah and promised to bring in a new political kingdom, so anybody hearing about John or Jesus without carefully listening to them could assume the same for them.
A new social and political system would be certainly welcomed by the religious leaders, but only as it benefited their own self interests. They wanted God to intervene and to establish Israel as the head of the nations, but they assumed such an intervention would continue and augment their own leadership roles. A kingdom established among the poor and powerless and for the poor and powerless was not what they were looking for, nor was it welcome. The poor and powerless then as always are a people who were deemed untrained, uneducated, unsophisticated and unfit for the world of politics.
In their eyes John was just another wanna be... just another egotistical dreamer who led away the ignorant and the unlearned. When John was arrested and beheaded, they did not lose any sleep over it, it was one less problem to deal with... with his death the crowds were less out from under their control.
Politically speaking, John's ministry was a threat to the authorities because he was creating a following that was not sanctioned by Rome or by Jerusalem. John created a group outside the established channels, so therefore, he was a threat to them.
Established powers rarely get along (unless they have common enemies or common goals) but they have learned to recognize each other's power and have learned to accept the other's legitimacy if they have to. New powers (groups such as John's) however are accepted only insofar as they don't encroach on or speak against the power structures, become a threat, become numerous, or become influencial. As John's ministry grew and as he spoke out against the sins of the authorities he posed a bigger and bigger threat to Herod and to the religious leaders.
CONCLUSION - JOHN AND POLITICS
Although John did not run for office or seek political power, he did speak out against Herod and he gave no respect to the religious leaders of his day. He refused to baptise them unless they followed his interpretation of the Law. This would have offended them terribly for they spent their lives studying and following the Law and were deemed the legitimate interpreters of the Law.
Put yourself in their position. You have a degree in Theology from a trusted Seminary and you have prided yourself in knowing and following the Bible well. Now imagine that somebody else comes along and tells you that you have missed the mark and need to change your behavior and how you interpret scripture. This same person has a strong following of common people who know very little of the Bible and follow just about every and any new thing that comes along.
John was that kind of leader who upset the powers around him, not by running for office but by creating a following that disrespected the authorities around them. I say they disrespected them because John spoke about them in not so glowing light by pointing out their lack of morality and need for right living. On the surface it looks like John held these views and introduced these views to his followers, but it is very likely that John openly preached what was quietly talked about among the people.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Comparing Jesus with Israel
Matthew clearly compared the journey of Jesus to that of Israel.
1. Herod killed the children of Bethlehem just like Pharoah killed many of the children of Irael.
2. The family of Jesus moved into and then departed from Egypt in fulfilment of the scripture "From Egypt I called my son." This was a quote from Hosea 11:1: "When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son." Hosea spelled it out for us - God called Israel out of Egypt; yet Matthew used this verse to tell his readers that ultimately Jesus was the one called out of Egypt.
3. Baptism and Israel's crossing the Nile River were related to each other in 1 Cor 10:2 where Paul spoke of Israel: "They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea." Jesus then was baptised by John the Baptist to fulfill his mission as the representative of Israel before God. Jesus like Israel, was baptised in the river.
4. After Moses led Israel throught their baptism, they went into the desert where they were faced with several temptations - in all of them they failed. Jesus faced the same temptations in the same desert, but did not fail.
1. Herod killed the children of Bethlehem just like Pharoah killed many of the children of Irael.
2. The family of Jesus moved into and then departed from Egypt in fulfilment of the scripture "From Egypt I called my son." This was a quote from Hosea 11:1: "When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son." Hosea spelled it out for us - God called Israel out of Egypt; yet Matthew used this verse to tell his readers that ultimately Jesus was the one called out of Egypt.
3. Baptism and Israel's crossing the Nile River were related to each other in 1 Cor 10:2 where Paul spoke of Israel: "They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea." Jesus then was baptised by John the Baptist to fulfill his mission as the representative of Israel before God. Jesus like Israel, was baptised in the river.
4. After Moses led Israel throught their baptism, they went into the desert where they were faced with several temptations - in all of them they failed. Jesus faced the same temptations in the same desert, but did not fail.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
The Political Temptation of Jesus
Satan offered Jesus the power and the glory of the world itself, because these were his to give to whomever he chose. At least this was the claim Satan made. In "Christian Origins" (ed. by Richard Horsley) Warren Carter concludes from this temptation that Rome itself was thus "under Satan's direction and power (p. 147)."
Here are some issues that rise with the temptation:
1. Much of tht bible states that all the kingdoms are under God. Romans 13:1 tells us that all power is from God and therefore we should be subject to them.
2. There are several ways we can look at Satan's claim.
a. Satan was lieing to Jesus and in fact has no authority as claimed. But if that were so, then Jesus would not be tempted for he would know that all power belonged to God.
b. Satan has control under God's authority.
c. The Gospel writers believed that Satan had control, but Paul and others in the bible believed the world belonged to God.
On the surface the last option looks very promising, but Paul is able to bring the two opposing ideas together. He claims that we fight against principalities and powers, and that at one time we were all under the domination of the "Prince of the power of the air." At the same time in Romans 13 he states that all power is under God. I would conclude that Paul's theology is best summarized under the second option...Satan who has power over the world is under God's control.
Finally, notice that Jesus' ministry begins with spiritual battle with Satan and not a fight with political or religious leaders. It tells me that the early church writers believed Jesus ministry was spirtual in nature and not political.
Here are some issues that rise with the temptation:
1. Much of tht bible states that all the kingdoms are under God. Romans 13:1 tells us that all power is from God and therefore we should be subject to them.
2. There are several ways we can look at Satan's claim.
a. Satan was lieing to Jesus and in fact has no authority as claimed. But if that were so, then Jesus would not be tempted for he would know that all power belonged to God.
b. Satan has control under God's authority.
c. The Gospel writers believed that Satan had control, but Paul and others in the bible believed the world belonged to God.
On the surface the last option looks very promising, but Paul is able to bring the two opposing ideas together. He claims that we fight against principalities and powers, and that at one time we were all under the domination of the "Prince of the power of the air." At the same time in Romans 13 he states that all power is under God. I would conclude that Paul's theology is best summarized under the second option...Satan who has power over the world is under God's control.
Finally, notice that Jesus' ministry begins with spiritual battle with Satan and not a fight with political or religious leaders. It tells me that the early church writers believed Jesus ministry was spirtual in nature and not political.
Sunday, August 15, 2010
The Temptations of Jesus
MARK 1
Mark's mention of the temptation is incredibly brief. He was led into the wilderness, he was tempted, he lived with wild beasts and angels ministered to him. That's all. Several things are missing... Fasting is not mentioned and any detail about temptaion is gone.
MATTHEW 4
Matthew built from Mark's summary. Like Mark, Matthew mentioned that Jesus was led into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit, was tempted by the devil and was ministered to by angels. Unlike Mark, Matthew was not concerned about wild beasts living with Jesus and unlike Mark, Matthew told us that Jesus fasted and after 40 days, and Matthew explained in detail 3 temptations Jesus faced. These temptations were the same temptations that Israel faced in the desert. And although Israel failed in these temptaions, Jesus faced them and conquered.
TEMPTATION #1 - HUNGER IN THE DESERT
Jesus fasted 40 days and was hungry afterwards. When Israel faced hunger in the desert they sinned by complaining before God and talking about going back to Egypt. When Jesus was faced with hunger, he was tempted to sin by usng God's power to turn a rock into bread, but instead he fought the temptation with the scripture, "One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God."
TEMPTATION #2 - TESTING THE LORD
1 Corinthians 10 tells us that Israel tested the Lord in the wilderness - Exodus 17 tells us that they tested the Lord when they grumbled and complained to Moses about their lack of water - rather than trusting God to provide for them what they needed, they concluded that God had abandoned them to die in the wilderness. They wanted to kill Moses. To this Moses asked, "Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you put the Lord to the test?"
Although Jesus' temptation was different, the purpose of the temptation was the same, he was tempted to put a test before the Lord. The test was to have God prove to him that he was indeed the messiah, the Son of God.
Remember that James 1 tells us that temptation is always the result of our own desires and Hebrews tells us that Jesus was tempted in every way like us yet without sin. His identity as the Son of God did not exempt him from being truely tempted and from desiring the things in which he was tempted. Jesus truely faced the temptation to put God to the test, to jump off the top of the temple to prove to himself and perhaps to the rest of those watching that he was the messiah they were looking for. But Jesus successfully fought the temptation, by quoting Deuteronomy 6:16 which were the words Moses told Israel many years after they had tested the Lord over the lack of water, "Do not put the Lord to the test."
TEMPTAION #3 - IDOLATRY
In its primal form idolatry is about controlling the gods and nature for the benefit of survival and a prosperous life. Power is no different. It is the ability to have others do what you would like them to do for the purpose of personal or social survival and / or prosperity.
In the desert, when Israel lost trust in God, they turned to idolatry in order to find guidance, delivery and protection as they set out to go back to Egypt.
Satan promised Jesus the glory and wealth of the world if he would worship him, and Jesus replied with a passage of scripture from Deuteronomy that was about idolatry, "Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only."
Mark's mention of the temptation is incredibly brief. He was led into the wilderness, he was tempted, he lived with wild beasts and angels ministered to him. That's all. Several things are missing... Fasting is not mentioned and any detail about temptaion is gone.
MATTHEW 4
Matthew built from Mark's summary. Like Mark, Matthew mentioned that Jesus was led into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit, was tempted by the devil and was ministered to by angels. Unlike Mark, Matthew was not concerned about wild beasts living with Jesus and unlike Mark, Matthew told us that Jesus fasted and after 40 days, and Matthew explained in detail 3 temptations Jesus faced. These temptations were the same temptations that Israel faced in the desert. And although Israel failed in these temptaions, Jesus faced them and conquered.
TEMPTATION #1 - HUNGER IN THE DESERT
Jesus fasted 40 days and was hungry afterwards. When Israel faced hunger in the desert they sinned by complaining before God and talking about going back to Egypt. When Jesus was faced with hunger, he was tempted to sin by usng God's power to turn a rock into bread, but instead he fought the temptation with the scripture, "One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God."
TEMPTATION #2 - TESTING THE LORD
1 Corinthians 10 tells us that Israel tested the Lord in the wilderness - Exodus 17 tells us that they tested the Lord when they grumbled and complained to Moses about their lack of water - rather than trusting God to provide for them what they needed, they concluded that God had abandoned them to die in the wilderness. They wanted to kill Moses. To this Moses asked, "Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you put the Lord to the test?"
Although Jesus' temptation was different, the purpose of the temptation was the same, he was tempted to put a test before the Lord. The test was to have God prove to him that he was indeed the messiah, the Son of God.
Remember that James 1 tells us that temptation is always the result of our own desires and Hebrews tells us that Jesus was tempted in every way like us yet without sin. His identity as the Son of God did not exempt him from being truely tempted and from desiring the things in which he was tempted. Jesus truely faced the temptation to put God to the test, to jump off the top of the temple to prove to himself and perhaps to the rest of those watching that he was the messiah they were looking for. But Jesus successfully fought the temptation, by quoting Deuteronomy 6:16 which were the words Moses told Israel many years after they had tested the Lord over the lack of water, "Do not put the Lord to the test."
TEMPTAION #3 - IDOLATRY
In its primal form idolatry is about controlling the gods and nature for the benefit of survival and a prosperous life. Power is no different. It is the ability to have others do what you would like them to do for the purpose of personal or social survival and / or prosperity.
In the desert, when Israel lost trust in God, they turned to idolatry in order to find guidance, delivery and protection as they set out to go back to Egypt.
Satan promised Jesus the glory and wealth of the world if he would worship him, and Jesus replied with a passage of scripture from Deuteronomy that was about idolatry, "Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only."
Friday, August 6, 2010
John the Baptist - the Rest of the Story
PRISON
John was put into prison because he said too much about Herod. We know that he spoke boldly about the marriage Herod got into and about how it contradicted the Law. We are also told that John said other things about Herod which were not written down for us. Whatever John did say was noticed by Herod who took him prisoner for his wife's sake but did not want to kill him because he feared the people who believed John was a prophet (14:5).
THE POWER OF THE PEOPLE
In Matthew we learn that there was power in the mob. Rulers feared the people getting out of control and for the sake of keeping peace gave in from time to time to their whims and their demands. Rulers feared because if the people got out of control, the rulers may be called to Rome and lose their positions.
Not only did the secular rulers fear mobs, the religious leaders likewise waited to take Jesus or John the Baptist because they feared the people.
But the mobs did not hold all the power. It was very risky to become involved in a mob. A ruler may send his soldiers into a mob to stab and kill people, or a ruler could make an example to the people by crucifying hundreds if not thousands. Therefore starting a riot was not something done lightly. If a man became a part of a riot, oftentimes he was willingly sacrificing his life for something he believed very strongly.
JOHN THE BAPTIST LAST DAYS (LK 7:20)
Unexpectedly John gave into doubts about Jesus. We are told that he sent some of his men to ask Jesus if he was the one to come or was there somebody else coming along. Why would he doubt?
Jesus did not come into this world in any way that was expected. Many knew the prophecies, but prophecy can easily be misunderstood and interpreted to benefit one's own fantasies and hopes. Theological constructs were built supporting not God's plan, but rather supporting the hopes and dreams of a nation (MK 8:33)
JOHN'S DEATH
Herod's wife got her revenge. She set up her husband so that he had to behead John or else back out on his word in front of a small crowd of party goers.
HEROD'S GUILT
John's death plagued Herod to some degree. When he began hearing about Jesus, he was convinced that John the Baptist had risen from the dead and working miracles (MT 14:2).
John was put into prison because he said too much about Herod. We know that he spoke boldly about the marriage Herod got into and about how it contradicted the Law. We are also told that John said other things about Herod which were not written down for us. Whatever John did say was noticed by Herod who took him prisoner for his wife's sake but did not want to kill him because he feared the people who believed John was a prophet (14:5).
THE POWER OF THE PEOPLE
In Matthew we learn that there was power in the mob. Rulers feared the people getting out of control and for the sake of keeping peace gave in from time to time to their whims and their demands. Rulers feared because if the people got out of control, the rulers may be called to Rome and lose their positions.
Not only did the secular rulers fear mobs, the religious leaders likewise waited to take Jesus or John the Baptist because they feared the people.
But the mobs did not hold all the power. It was very risky to become involved in a mob. A ruler may send his soldiers into a mob to stab and kill people, or a ruler could make an example to the people by crucifying hundreds if not thousands. Therefore starting a riot was not something done lightly. If a man became a part of a riot, oftentimes he was willingly sacrificing his life for something he believed very strongly.
JOHN THE BAPTIST LAST DAYS (LK 7:20)
Unexpectedly John gave into doubts about Jesus. We are told that he sent some of his men to ask Jesus if he was the one to come or was there somebody else coming along. Why would he doubt?
Jesus did not come into this world in any way that was expected. Many knew the prophecies, but prophecy can easily be misunderstood and interpreted to benefit one's own fantasies and hopes. Theological constructs were built supporting not God's plan, but rather supporting the hopes and dreams of a nation (MK 8:33)
JOHN'S DEATH
Herod's wife got her revenge. She set up her husband so that he had to behead John or else back out on his word in front of a small crowd of party goers.
HEROD'S GUILT
John's death plagued Herod to some degree. When he began hearing about Jesus, he was convinced that John the Baptist had risen from the dead and working miracles (MT 14:2).
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
John the Baptist
MARK 1
As was stated at John's baptism, John's purpose was to prepare Israel for the coming of the promised kingdom that would be brought about through Jesus. To prepare Israel for the new kingdom which was expected to be political and military in nature, John was to help the people to confess their sins by baptizing them. Mark focused on 3 aspects of John's ministry.
1 - His baptism was marked by the confession of sins
2 - He dressed and ate strangely
3 - He pointed the way to Jesus who in contrast with John would baptize not in water but in the Holy Spirit
Mark's focus is on Jesus who came to John to be baptized and when he was baptized the Holy Spirit came on him and a voice from heaven declared that he was the Son of God (see above where it is used for Caesar and other ancient kings).
All that can be said about politics has been discussed already. In the prophecy of John's father Zaharias, we saw that although John was to prepare Israel to receive their king, Jesus was to be far more political in the thoughts and the hearts of the people.
MATTHEW
Matthew built on Marks' outline adding information otherwise unknown. After saying pretty much what Mark did with a bit more detail he added the fact that Pharisees and Sadducees came to be baptized. This should not be too surprising to us because John's father was a respected priest in Jerusalem. What was surprising is that John turned the religious leaders away telling them to bring fruits showing they had repented before they could come to be baptized.
The Pharisees and Sadducees were the wealthy and powerful of John's day, so it seems that there may have been some class division here. The upper class no doubt deemed themselves to be above the need of repentance and changed life. In their minds they were already good enough in God's eyes. John points out that this certainty lay in the fact that these religious leaders had Abraham as their biological and spiritual father. It was not enough for John's baptism.
Matthew's John the Baptist also lays down a very strong warning about the day of judgment about to come. In all likelihood, he believed that with the coming of the new kingdom there would be not only be redemption from Israel's enemies, there would be judgment as well -- judgment not only for the nations, but for Israel as well. This judgment was the baptism of the Holy Spirit that Jesus was to bring. John defines this Baptism of the Holy Spirit as a baptism of fire because it would purge the nation.
Lastly, to be ready for the coming kingdom John expected to see fruit -- the result of repentance from everybody.
LUKE
Luke adds even more to what has already been said. In the book of Luke John the Baptist explained what the "fruit of repentance" actually was. Upon hearing that they needed to bring fruit, the people asked for clarification, "What should we do?"
John tells the people to share their possessions with people who lacked. He told the tax collectors to be ethical in their business and he told the soldiers to be content with their pay, not to take advantage of their power by bullying others, and to be honest.
JOHN
The book of John adds nothing to the political leanings of the people nor of Jesus. It does suggest that the people were looking for different people to begin or to establish God's coming kingdom. A prophet like Moses (perhaps the Samaritan hope), Elijah who was to prepare the coming of the messiah, and the messiah himself. Being asked if he were any of the above, John denied all three.
In the book of John, John the Baptist also gave some of his disciples to Jesus. With the Gospels and with Acts, one gets the impression that the early church faced issues with the disciples of John, issues that the church sought to reconcile by acknowledging John's ministry and by emphasizing that Jesus was more important than John even to John the Baptist himself.
As was stated at John's baptism, John's purpose was to prepare Israel for the coming of the promised kingdom that would be brought about through Jesus. To prepare Israel for the new kingdom which was expected to be political and military in nature, John was to help the people to confess their sins by baptizing them. Mark focused on 3 aspects of John's ministry.
1 - His baptism was marked by the confession of sins
2 - He dressed and ate strangely
3 - He pointed the way to Jesus who in contrast with John would baptize not in water but in the Holy Spirit
Mark's focus is on Jesus who came to John to be baptized and when he was baptized the Holy Spirit came on him and a voice from heaven declared that he was the Son of God (see above where it is used for Caesar and other ancient kings).
All that can be said about politics has been discussed already. In the prophecy of John's father Zaharias, we saw that although John was to prepare Israel to receive their king, Jesus was to be far more political in the thoughts and the hearts of the people.
MATTHEW
Matthew built on Marks' outline adding information otherwise unknown. After saying pretty much what Mark did with a bit more detail he added the fact that Pharisees and Sadducees came to be baptized. This should not be too surprising to us because John's father was a respected priest in Jerusalem. What was surprising is that John turned the religious leaders away telling them to bring fruits showing they had repented before they could come to be baptized.
The Pharisees and Sadducees were the wealthy and powerful of John's day, so it seems that there may have been some class division here. The upper class no doubt deemed themselves to be above the need of repentance and changed life. In their minds they were already good enough in God's eyes. John points out that this certainty lay in the fact that these religious leaders had Abraham as their biological and spiritual father. It was not enough for John's baptism.
Matthew's John the Baptist also lays down a very strong warning about the day of judgment about to come. In all likelihood, he believed that with the coming of the new kingdom there would be not only be redemption from Israel's enemies, there would be judgment as well -- judgment not only for the nations, but for Israel as well. This judgment was the baptism of the Holy Spirit that Jesus was to bring. John defines this Baptism of the Holy Spirit as a baptism of fire because it would purge the nation.
Lastly, to be ready for the coming kingdom John expected to see fruit -- the result of repentance from everybody.
LUKE
Luke adds even more to what has already been said. In the book of Luke John the Baptist explained what the "fruit of repentance" actually was. Upon hearing that they needed to bring fruit, the people asked for clarification, "What should we do?"
John tells the people to share their possessions with people who lacked. He told the tax collectors to be ethical in their business and he told the soldiers to be content with their pay, not to take advantage of their power by bullying others, and to be honest.
JOHN
The book of John adds nothing to the political leanings of the people nor of Jesus. It does suggest that the people were looking for different people to begin or to establish God's coming kingdom. A prophet like Moses (perhaps the Samaritan hope), Elijah who was to prepare the coming of the messiah, and the messiah himself. Being asked if he were any of the above, John denied all three.
In the book of John, John the Baptist also gave some of his disciples to Jesus. With the Gospels and with Acts, one gets the impression that the early church faced issues with the disciples of John, issues that the church sought to reconcile by acknowledging John's ministry and by emphasizing that Jesus was more important than John even to John the Baptist himself.
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