September - Reading 14

Good morning -

Our Scriptures for today are:

Luke 23:1-12

Hebrews 8:7-13

Proverbs 25:1-14

Isaiah 37-39

May God bless you as you read from His Word.

 

Good morning -

Thank you, once again, Aaron.

Since our reading of Isaiah today is a redundancy of 2Kings 19-20, I am linking you back to the commentary for that reading: http://www.baptistboard.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=next_topic;f=33;t=000169

It should be evident to the reader that these past four chapters are a bridge, clearly marking the era between the prophecies against Assyria, the conqueror of the Northern Kingdom, and Babylon, the captors of Judah to the next section of the Book. Bear in mind that the Babylonian conquest had not been made at the time of this writing. Indeed it would not occur until decades after Isaiah's death. Beginning tomorrow, we will be reading "The Books of Comfort."

In Luke tonight we see Christ taken before first Pilate and then Herod. Though serving as a good confirmation to the story, Luke leaves out a few important details. In 23:3-4 the reader is left questioning this dialogue. I would recommend that the reader skip ahead to John 18:33-38 to see the reasoning here. Christ was indeed a King, but not of this world. Hence there was no threat to the Roman Empire from Him.
Herod was not from Jerusalem and had heard of Christ, but never seen Him. There is no mention of Christ's ministry reaching Tibereas where Herod lived. I see no reason to doubt that this was the same Herod who had John the Baptist executed, so his interest was probably quite piqued.

May God bless you

- Clint

[ September 15, 2002, 05:11 AM: Message edited by: Clint Kritzer ]

 

Sunday School lecture - 2/8/04

Proverbs 25 - 27

This week's reading was of a section of the Book of Proverbs known as the "A" collection of "The Wisdom Collection of the Men of Hezekiah." The term "copied" in verse 25:1 does not likely mean that the listed proverbs were merely transcribed but rather that they were added on to, collected from written and oral tradition and expounded upon as they were taught. The nature of the verb for "copied" translates more exactly as "moved on." These works were more than a preservation of ancient lore, they were a part of the training process of the young, Jewish pupil.

If you felt that some of the verses were a bit vague or hard to understand, you are not alone. Some of the writings seem geared specifically towards the culture of that time. The antiquity of the language also adds to the smokiness of some of the verses. Consequently, different versions of the ancient manuscripts will tend to vary as the scholars of old had no more, and possibly less grip on the original meanings of these chapters.

The literary style is for the most part that of Wisdom Sentences, however, they are more sectionalized and not as disjointed as the Proverbs of Solomon in chapters 10-22.

Proverbs 25:7c-10

These verses are a good example of variance within translations. While the KJV speaks of not striving, as in having a controversy, most other translations speak of going to court. Also, the last part of verse 7 is grouped into the thought, which follows the ancient Hebrew versions of the text. Even after we have grappled with the exact meaning of the words, the translation is also a bit unclear.

One line of thought is that the author is saying that one should not be hasty with litigation. Every effort should be made to settle disputes outside of court. This interpretation can be backed with the teachings of Christ in Matthew 5:25-26.

Another interpretation is that the verses are a warning against malicious gossip. This takes into account the phrasing in verse 9 "disclose not a secret to another." This interpretation requires a single vowel change in the Hebrew phrase for "bring into court" to "bring out of court." This view, too, is supported by New Testament teachings such as 2Corinthians 12:20 when Paul voices his reluctance to return to Corinth.

 

Sunday School lesson 2/13/05 - conclusion

Luke 23:1-5 Jesus Before Pilate

Since the Sanhedrin did not have the authority to carry out punishment for a capital offense, Jesus’ appearance before them was merely a preliminary hearing. Therefore, the councils role changes from judge to prosecutor as they lead Him before Pilate. Since their goal was to bring about His execution, it was necessary that the whole company accuse Him of the crime of treason.

Luke stresses the guilt of the Jewish leaders in the death of Jesus more than any other Gospel. Three specific charges are brought up before Pilate against Jesus. First He was “perverting [their] nation,” that is to say He was undermining its loyalty to Rome. Secondly, forbidding tribute was a denial of Rome’s political sovereignty, a treasonable act. Thirdly, the use of the term “Christ” here carries the political connotations and suggests that He was seeking to become a king. All three of these charges are patently false in light of Christ’s teachings. He has repudiated extreme nationalism, given instructions to pay taxes and has defined His role in non-political terms.

Jesus is then questioned by Pilate about His political ambitions. When he asks, “are you king of the Jews?” he is really asking, “are you a revolutionary seeking to establish an independent Jewish state?” Jesus’ reply – you have said so – says in effect, “you are the one using the term with political implications, not I.” Pilate takes the reply as a denial of the charges and he declares Jesus as innocent.

This is the first of three clear declarations of Christ’s innocence by Pilate. All the Gospels show Pilate as an unwilling tool of the Jewish leaders but none so clearly as Luke. The Jews, however are insistent and declare that Jesus is a revolutionary and an agitator throughout all of Palestine.

Luke 23:6-12 Jesus before Herod

Only Luke’s Gospel gives the incident of Jesus before Herod Antipas. The statement by the Jewish council regarding Galilee to Jerusalem causes Pilate to raise the issue of jurisdiction. Since Jesus was a Galilean who was causing a disturbance in that area, he should be heard by the tetrarch of that region, Herod. It is not unexpected that Herod would be in Jerusalem at this time for the Passover. The Herods were of a stringent Jewish lineage that was not the best but they may well have participated in the Jewish feast.

This is the second reference in Luke to Herod’s desire to see Jesus. It is now explained that this desire arose from his wish to see Jesus perform a miracle. Miracles are not, however, performed upon request. Further, Jesus will not take this route to save Himself. Herod’s questions are therefore greeted with silence.

Against Jesus’ silence is the continuing accusations of the chief priests and scribes. They continue to press their charges seeking a conviction from a Roman government.

Being convinced that Jesus is no god, Herod treats Him as a powerless and inconsequential human being. He hands Him over to his soldiers who make Him a plaything for the tetrarch. He is arrayed in “gorgeous apparel,” the apparel of royalty to mock His messianic pretentions. After having his sport with Jesus, Herod sends Him back to Pilate. Because of the contact that they had involving this case, Herod and Pilate become friends. This is the only document known to shed any light on this relationship.

 

Our Scriptures for 9/15 are:

Luke 23:13-25

Hebrews 9:1-10

Proverbs 25:15-28

Isaiah 40-41

 

Our Scriptures for 9/15 are:

Luke 23:13-25

Hebrews 9:1-10

Proverbs 25:15-28

Isaiah 40-41

 

Our Scriptures for 9/15 are:

Luke 23:13-25

Hebrews 9:1-10

Proverbs 25:15-28

Isaiah 40-41

 

Our Scriptures for 9/15 are:

Luke 23:13-25

Hebrews 9:1-10

Proverbs 25:15-28

Isaiah 40-41

 

Our Scriptures for 9/15 are:

Luke 23:13-25

Hebrews 9:1-10

Proverbs 25:15-28

Isaiah 40-41