Thursday, March 31, 2011

Sources for Inter-Testamental Jewish life

There are many sources which have been used to reconstruct the historical period known as the Intertestamental Period. One of these invaluable sources has been the Dead Sea Scrolls, which were discovered in 1949. These scrolls, according to Scott, “are the most significant.” (Scott, 31) Among these scrolls found are fragments of Biblical books belonging to several different literary genres.

Another source of the historical setting of Intertestamental Judaism is the first-century writers Philo and Flavius Josephus. These writers were not Christian writers, but they were objective historians who reported the details of life as it was in a first-century Jewish context. There were other historians as well, Greco-Roman writers, who reported details of Jewish life in the first century—including Pliny, Tacitus, Juvenal, and Dio Cassius. Scott notes, “Various texts about Jews by non-Jewish, classical authors have been collected by Menahem Stern.” (Scott 33)

There are also books within what is known as the Apocrypha, which was an addition to the Hebrew Old Testament added to the Greek Old Testament translation, known as the Septuagint. The Septuagint provides many historical narratives which take place in between the Old Testament book of Malachi and the New Testament book of Matthew. While conservative scholars would argue that these “Scriptures” are not to be part of the inspired Biblical text, they are nonetheless valuable and give important information which helps to discern what life was like for the Intertestamental Jews.

Beyond the Apocrypha, there are also what are known as “Pseudepigraphal” books which were written somewhere between the 2nd century B.C. and almost 200 years after Jesus was on this earth. These are not as strictly Hebraic (written from a strictly Jewish perspective); some of the pseudepigraphal books are written from a Hellenistic point of view (a Greek influenced view).

One final area which helps us learn about life in Intertestamental Judaism is the New Testament itself. The New Testament, while not giving much explanation for the traditions that have developed since the close of the Old Testament and the Old Testament Jewish system, nevertheless does give us a great, inspired look into what life was like for Jews who were living in the first-century Roman-occupied land of Israel. To me, this would probably have to be the most important source of historical context, because all of the other sources serve to support this text. All of the other sources are used to decipher the historical context found within the New Testament. While all of these others are used invaluably to reconstruct life for the first-century Jew, I believe they ultimately point to the life of Jesus and should be used to help us interpret the life Jesus.

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Triple Post Free Stuff Wednesday (Pt. 3)

Here's the final free stuff post on this Triple Post Wednesday! This is not so much a "free stuff" offer as an opportunity to watch a free music video from Jovan MacKenzy. Jovan just released a music video for his track off Strangers and Pilgrims, "I Need You". Enjoy!!

Triple Post Free Stuff Wednesday (Pt. 2)

This is the second part of a Free Stuff Wednesday! The second post is a free track from Jovan MacKenzy called "Run". This brother knows how to speak the truth (even the hard truths...) and this track is no different. Jovan calls out false teachers in a Paulne "naming names" kind of way. You can find this track here. Enjoy!!

Triple Post Free Stuff Wednesday

Hey, sorry about the lack of posts the past two days. Our internet was down Monday and part of yesterday, and I didn't have time to post yesterday. So, to make up for it (in a repentant sort of way, not a pentintial sort of way...), I'm posting a Triple Free-Stuff Wednesday today!

The first free thing is from the guys at Reach Records. It is a Mixtape from their newest artist, KB. I have not given it a listen yet, but I have yet to find something from these guys that I haven't liked. Check it out at Reach Records. Enjoy!!

Sunday, March 27, 2011

Steve Lawson Weekend (Pt. 3)

Welcome to the final installment of a Steve Lawson Weekend! Today's clip is of Steve Lawson explaining the essential nature of receiving a new heart in conversion. Enjoy!!

Saturday, March 26, 2011

Steve Lawson Weekend (Pt. 2)

Welcome to Part 2 of a Steve Lawson weekend! Today's clip is from the Shepherd's Conference 2009, and it speaks on Joel Osteen vs. the Truth. Funny, but convicting. Enjoy!!

Friday, March 25, 2011

Steve Lawson Weekend

Welcome to a Steve Lawson weekend! Steve Lawson is a dynamic preacher from Alabama who knows how to bring the heat whenever he preaches. Today's clip is about counting the cost of becoming a disciple of Jesus Christ, and it is a deeply convicting video clip. Enjoy!

Thursday, March 24, 2011

The Pastor's Primary Tasks

1. Preaching and Teaching

This is one of the primary ministries of the pastor to the local congregation. In fact, Paul tells Timothy in I Timothy 3 that the elder must be “able to teach” (I Tim. 3:2). Paul charges Timothy in his second epistle to “preach the Word” (2 Tim. 4:2). This is one of the primary means of ministry from a Pastor to his congregation because it is through the expositing of the Word that God’s people are edified.

2. Shepherding

This is another important ministry of the pastor toward his congregation. Peter exhorts elders to “shepherd the flock of God” (1 Peter 5:2). This involves the oversight and protection of the body. Oversight involves directing the Church’s affairs and general progression in Godliness. Protection involves making sure that the teaching is sound and keeping those who are under his care safe from false prophets, who can be very deceptive in their attempts to lead the flock astray.

3. Admonishing

This aspect of Pastoral Ministry deals with problems which may assault the Church both within and without. Admonishing involves warning the flock of the dangers of belief in false doctrine, and of the deceitfulness of sin. It is important because the flock is often easily deceived, and it is the shepherd’s responsibility to protect them by warning them of impending dangers. Paul labels this as a duty of the elders in I Thessalonians 5:12, “respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you”.

4. Rebuking/Correcting

This aspect of ministry deals with problems concerning members within the local Church. Paul told Titus that elders should, “hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.” (Titus 1:5) Problems of sin or false belief within the congregation must be met with firm rebuke and correction when necessary. The flock of the local shepherd must be rebuked when they are following things which are contrary to sound doctrine or practice.

5. Prayer

James tells his readers that if they are sick, they should “call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.” (James 5:14) Prayer is one of the greatest ministries of the pastor toward his congregation, because it is the ministry which connects the Pastor to God through the intimacy of communion with Him. Along with the Preaching and Teaching ministry, this ministry of prayer brings fellowship between the Pastor himself and the Lord, while He intercedes for others in his congregation. It offers him a great way to minister for each person individually, being able to bring each person before the throne room of Heaven in order to receive grace.

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Biblical Maximalists vs. Minimalists

Biblical Maximalists and Biblical Minimalist differ in their view of the importance of using the Bible as a historical source with regards to archaeological discovery. Maximalists feel that the Bible should be trusted as a historical source with regards to archaeology; while Minimalists question most of the archaeological history of the Bible, particularly anything before the Post-Exilic period. One side sees the Bible as a history of an actual people who actually lived in actual historical cities; the other sees much of the “history” of the Old Testament to be nothing more than myth. As Price notes, “The worldviews of the biblical maximalist and minimalist are opposite and cannot be reconciled.” (Price 327) The term “worldview” is particularly applicable here because it is what is truly the difference—the entire worldview of each party. Maximalists see God’s Word as supreme over the discoveries and “history” of man, while the minimalist sees man’s historical discovery as supreme over and interpretive of the Bible. Those who argue for minimalism see themselves as empiricists so to speak. Therefore, they take the Bible, which is a “book of faith,” to be taken as a theological work, not a historical one. They therefore believe the Bible for its theological truths, but do not necessarily trust it to be historically accurate. They feel that the “science” of archaeology should be studied apart from the “faith” aspect, because science should be conducted based on the discoveries that modern man can see rather than the words of men who lived thousands of years ago. These claim that the Bible’s historicity should be judged by the same observable science that every other discovery in a scientific field would be.

Late Post...

Ok, sorry I officially missed the post for yesterday (Tuesday); I was on the road until midnight, so I didn't get to post officially. So, since I have to wake up early tomorrow morning (or this morning actually...), I am going to post a mini-report about confrontation. Enjoy!

Confrontation is an important thing—especially for those who call themselves Christians. Confrontation is an important part of the Christian life, because it is through confrontation that we become more like Christ. God’s Word confronts us about our sin, we repent, and we grow more like Christ.

But how should we confront one another? Should we even confront one another? What does God’s Word have to say about it? Dr. John MacArthur gives a response to these questions in his sermon entitled, “Confronting Sin in Our Spiritual Family”. In this sermon, Dr. MacArthur deals, based on I Timothy 5:1-2, with the process of confronting sin in the body of Christ. Since my area of study is in Christian ministry, I find particularly that I tend to look to men like Dr. MacArthur to see what they have to say on a particular topic, because God will usually have the response in His Word.

In this sermon, MacArthur says that rebuke should be done fearlessly, “with all authority”. He also says of the method of response,

“In the intimate loving relationships of a family, you do not harshly rebuke, he says, the next verb, you exhort, parakale from parakaleo. It means to encourage, admonish, entreat, appeal. My favorite translation of that is the word strengthen. I like the idea of strengthen because it's a positive thing. It means...para means alongside, called alongside. You're called alongside to help someone.” (MacArthur 1986)

Dr. MacArthur then outlines the different ways Paul says we should deal with older men, older women, younger men, and younger women. He says that we should confront older men and women as fathers and mothers, with respect and gentleness respectively. (MacArthur 1986) With younger men and women, we should confront them as sisters and brothers, as equals in humility and purity respectively. (MacArthur 1986)

This was a very helpful and interesting sermon for me to read. I am normally a very reserved person—not one to normally confront someone. After reading this sermon, however, I have seen the importance of confronting sin in the body as a member of a family helping others to become more holy by the confrontation and repentance of sin. I hope that as I mature spiritually, God will give me a spirit of grace and humility in confronting others, and the boldness to actually do it!

Works Cited

MacArthur, John. Grace to You. October 26, 1986. http://www.gty.org/Resources/Sermons/54-35 (accessed May 30, 2010).

Monday, March 21, 2011

My Apologies...

Sorry, but tonight's post isn't anything fantastic (not like any of the other ones are either...), but I've been trying to plan all day on making a trip down to North Carolina for my Grandfather's funeral on Wednesday. Prayers would be greatly appreciated, and I hope to post a reflection from my observances of my Grandfather's life later in the week. Thank you for your prayers in advance!

Sunday, March 20, 2011

Allistair Begg Weekend (Pt. 3)

This is the final installment of an Allistair Begg weekend!! Enjoy today's clip (and that lovely Scottish accent...)

Friday, March 18, 2011

Allistair Begg Weekend

This is an Allistair Begg weekend!! Enjoy clips from one of your favorite Scottish preachers!


Thursday, March 17, 2011

Research Anyone?

“The Emperor’s New Religion (Constantine’s Conversion)”

Bruce Shelley describes in this article the rise of Constantine to power over the entire Roman empire, as well as his “encounter” with Christ and its implications during his reign. Constantine was the son of Constantius Chlorus, the ruler of the West. When his father died, he was given the rule his father had of the West. When the throne was threatened, he prepared to battle to defend it. While on the move to attack, his army—and Constantine himself—saw a large cross in the sky with the words “by this sign conquer” on it. Constantine even claimed that Christ spoke to him in a dream and told him to use the cross as their symbol of victory. This is considered “Constantine’s Conversion,” however, some question the legitimacy of his conversion because of certain patterns of behavior and action that the emperor continued to exhibit throughout his rule. He did, however, give much freedom to the Christians, and helped to resolve the Arian controversy by assembling the Council of Nicaea to discuss the matter. Shelley does an excellent job summarizing the rule of Constantine, with particular emphasis on how his “Christianity” influenced his rule.

Shelley, Bruce. “The Emperor’s New Religion (Constantine’s Conversion)”. Christian History 17:38-41 (1998):

“The Excellent Empire: The Fall of Rome and the Triumph of the Church”

In this book written by Jaroslav Pelikan, he describes the “fall of Rome” and the part which religion, particularly Christianity, played in its demise. In this book, Pelikan analyzes in detail Edward Gibbon’s book History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. Gibbon saw religion as one of the key elements to the destruction of the Roman Empire, and looks to works such as Augustine’s City of God for support of this claim. The works of the Christians of the day seemed to rejoice at the coming collapse of Rome, and their hope for a better empire. Even though Gibbon did not like Christianity, he admitted that Christianity has softened the impact of the fall of the Western Roman Empire. Pelikan describes all of this in his book.

Pelikan, Jaroslav. The Excellent Empire: The Fall of Rome and the Triumph of the Church. Harper and Row Publishers, Inc., San Francisco, 1987.

“Secrets of Islam’s Success”

In this article, Elesha Coffman describes the reasoning behind Islam’s rapid spread throughout much of the Middle Eastern world. One of the main ways, Coffman claims, is that there was much doctrinal divide between the churches in Northern Africa. The churches were split over major doctrine, which made them more like a bunch of small sects rather than a united front against the Islamic invasion. Islamic ruler Umar conquered much of the region and put the Christians and Jews under dhimmitude, which essentially made them second or third-class citizens underneath the Muslims. The Christians and Jews were forbidden to build new worship centers, and forbidden to evangelize. They paid higher taxes, and they were forced to only marry like-minded people (i.e. Christians or Jews) as opposed to Muslims, who could marry Christian or Jewish women. This oppression led to the submission of many to the Islamic faith, in order that they might not be so burdened by these restrictive policies. The Muslims soon controlled much of the area. Coffman points out that this “tolerance” was at the beginning seen as a blessing, but ended up being much less “tolerant” than it appeared at first.

Coffman, Elesha. “Secrets of Islam's success”. Christian History 21:16-18 no. 74 (2002):

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Character Study--John (Pt. 3)

The final installment of a Character Study on the Apostle John. Enjoy!!

Lesson 3—John the “Beloved Disciple”

Welcome to our final installment in the series of lessons on the Apostle John. The past two weeks, we have spent time looking at the life of the Apostle John and how it was affected by his encounter with Jesus Christ. The first week, we looked at the call of John by Jesus, found in Matthew 4. We saw that John was a family man, found with his brother and father. We saw that he was a fisherman, found in the boat “mending their nets.” Finally, we saw that he was called by Jesus to be a follower—and that Jesus would make him into a “fisher of men.” John’s response, as we saw in the first week, was to leave everything—his job, his boat, his father—and follow after Jesus.

Then, last week, we saw that even though John was a follower of Jesus, that did not mean he always acted like his Teacher. We saw in three accounts from Luke 9:46-56 that John still struggled and failed at wrestling with the sin in his heart. We first saw his failure in the area of pride when he argued with the rest of the disciples over who was the greatest in Jesus’ kingdom. Next we saw that John failed in the area of jealousy, when he forbade someone from working in the name of Jesus because he was not a part of Jesus’ core group of disciples. Finally we saw that John failed in the area of anger, when he (along with his brother) desired to call down fire upon a city for its rejection of Jesus. Jesus’ response in each one of these areas of failure was to rebuke John—not out of anger, but out of love. We will see that it had that impact on John in this final lesson.

Tonight, we will see that John was transformed by his encounter with Jesus Christ. The passage that we will look at to best exemplify this change will be John 21:20-25. Starting with verse 20, it says, “Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them, the one who had been reclining at table close to him and had said, ‘Lord, who is it that is going to betray you?’ When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, ‘Lord, what about this man?’ Jesus said to him, ‘If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!’ So the saying spread abroad among the brothers that this disciple was not to die; yet Jesus did not say to him that he was not to die, but, ‘If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you?’

This is the disciple who is bearing witness about these things, and who has written these things, and we know that his testimony is true.

Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.”[1]

In this passage, we will see two specific ways in which John’s encounter with Jesus changed him—that he counted himself a “beloved disciple,” and that he counted himself a faithful witness. John’s encounter with Jesus changed him in many ways other than these two, but these two changes exemplify a heart-level change for the Apostle John.

The first area in which John had a heart change, was that he called himself “the disciple whom Jesus loved”. Now, many modern scholars would like to challenge that this “beloved disciple” was not the Apostle John. According to D.A. Carson and Douglas Moo, “Some think that John the son of Zebedee probably in some way stands behind the tradition in the fourth gospel but that the material went through lengthy adaptations…. Others think that the influence of John the son of Zebedee is more immediate and pervasive: he did not actually write the book but caused it to be written, perhaps through an amanuensis who enjoyed certain liberties of expression and who might appropriately be called the evangelist.”[2] Thomas Lea and David Black state, “The key issue concerning authorship hinges on the identification of the ‘beloved disciple’ in the Gospel…. In 21:24-25 he is identified as the one who ‘wrote these things.’ If we assume that writing involves the production of the material, and that ‘these things’ is a reference to the entire book and not merely to chapter 21, then the beloved disciple is the author of the fourth Gospel.”[3] So, who is this “beloved disciple”? According to John 21, it has to be one of the seven disciples who were with Jesus at that time. It is highly unlikely that the unknown disciples would be the author because it probably would not have received the universal credibility it did in the early Church if this were the case. Peter, Nathanael, and Thomas are mentioned by name in verse 2, so these cannot be the beloved disciple either. James, son of Zebedee could not have been it because he died fairly early in the life of the Church and the end of the book says that there was a rumor about the beloved disciple living until Jesus’ return. This leaves only one disciple who can possibly be the beloved disciple—John the son of Zebedee.[4] Carson and Moo note that Irenaeus, an early Church father, said that he remembered that Polycarp had spoken of his conversations with the Apostle John and that Polycarp had spoken of the “eyewitness accounts” he had received from those who had seen the risen Jesus. Not only that, but Clement of Alexandria also speaks of the Apostle John writing the Gospel which bears his name.[5] So, we see that both from internal (i.e. the Gospel itself) and external (i.e. Church history) evidence, the authorship of the fourth Gospel points toward the Apostle John. This means that John was the one, in John 13, who leaned upon Jesus at the last supper. But why would he call himself the “beloved disciple”? Doesn’t that seem a little proud of him? Not at all, when you remind yourself of what we studied last time. John was named by Jesus a “Son of Thunder,” and I think he understood the implications of that nickname. Yet, he saw how Jesus had shown him such tender love—at his calling, at the last supper, at the cross—that he couldn’t even refer to himself as anything other than a name which reflected the intensely gracious love which Jesus had shown toward him—the “disciple whom Jesus loved”.

There is also a second name which we can give to John based on this passage—and the Gospel of John in general—and that is faithful witness. This can be found in verse 24, “This is the disciple who is bearing witness about these things, and who has written these things, and we know that his testimony is true.” R.V.G. Tasker offers this as a possible interpretation of this verse, “The author of the whole Gospel is here saying in effect to his readers, though in a curiously indirect manner: ‘I have described myself in this Gospel as “the disciple whom Jesus loved”. I bear constant witness in my teaching to the truths which I have embodied in this book; and I and the other leaders of the church where I am writing know that my testimony is true.’ On the whole this may be said to be the traditional interpretation.”[6] I believe that this speaks more faithfully to the nature of John as the author of the Gospel than any other interpretation of this verse. We see that John, who has witnessed Jesus from the beginning of Jesus’ ministry as one of His disciples, is now faithfully and truthfully writing down the details which he found to be particularly memorable about the ministry of Jesus. John 19:35 says, speaking of the crucifixion of Christ, “He who saw it has borne witness—his testimony is true, and he knows that he is telling the truth—that you also may believe.”[7] This verse speaks on John’s own behalf that he knows his message is true. Now, in chapter 21, we see that John calls forth witnesses to verify that his message is true by the use of the word “we”. John was a faithful witness of all that he reported. Also, noted in verse 25 is the fact that John did not report all that Jesus had done. He reported those things which would compel people toward belief in Jesus as the Son of God, according to John 20:31. This was the point of John’s Gospel—not to set out every detail of every minute of Jesus’ life, but to put forth Jesus as the Son of God, and give evidence of the same. To that extent, John can be called a faithful witness of all that he wrote in his Gospel.

Throughout these three lessons, as we have taken a look at the impact which Jesus had on John’s life, I hope that we can see the great practicality of all that we have learned as well. I hope that we don’t just think of this as a story of “some guy who lived way back when,” but that we will see that John’s life is just one picture of the grace and love of Jesus Christ which is powerful enough to change the human heart and soul. God’s grace shown toward us as we gaze on Jesus compels us to want to be more like Christ. I pray that we would see ourselves as “disciples whom Jesus loved,” just as John did. I pray that as John answered the call to personal discipleship, we would answer that call too. I pray that as John still battled with sin throughout his time following Jesus that we would never cease to battle against the remaining sin in our own hearts. Finally, I pray that as John was changed by his encounter with Christ, we would all be changed daily by our encounter with the Gospel daily. I pray that God would change us in the same way that he changed one called the “Son of Thunder” into the disciple who penned the words, “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.”[8] May this be our heart’s attitude toward God and one another from this point on! Amen!

Bibliography

Arnold, Clinton E. Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary: Matthew, Mark, Luke. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002.

Augsburger, Myron S. The Communicator's Commentary: Matthew. Waco: Word Books, 1982.

Calvin, John. Commentary on Matthew, Mark, Luke Volume 2. Public Domain.

Carson, D. A., and Douglas J. Moo. An Introduction to the New Testament. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 2005.

Elwell, Walter A. Evangelical Dictionary of Theology. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2001.

France, R.T. Tyndale New Testament Commentaries: Matthew. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1985.

Gill, John. An Exposition of the New Testament. Public Domain, 1746-8.

Henry, Matthew. Commentary on the Whole Bible. e-Sword, 1706-1721.

Lea, Thomas D., and David Allan Black. The New Testament: Its Background and Message. Nashville: Broadman and Holman, 2003.

Tasker, R.V.G. Tyndale New Testament Commentaries: John. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1995.



[1] Jn. 21:20-25 (English Standard Version)

[2]Carson, D. A., and Douglas J. Moo. An Introduction to the New Testament. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 2005. pg. 241

[3] Lea, Thomas D., and David Allan Black. The New Testament: Its Background and Message. Nashville: Broadman and Holman, 2003. pg 157

[4] Ibid, pg. 157

[5] Carson, D. A., and Douglas J. Moo. An Introduction to the New Testament. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 2005. pg. 230-31

[6] Tasker, R.V.G. Tyndale New Testament Commentaries: John. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1995. pg 234

[7] Jn. 19:35 (English Standard Version)

[8] I Jn. 4:7-12 (English Standard Version)

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Character Study--John (Pt. 2)

This is the second in a 3-part Character Study on the Apostle John. Enjoy!!

Lesson 2—John the “Son of Thunder”

Welcome back to our study of the Apostle John. I trust that you enjoyed learning more about this major figure in the early Christian Church, and his humble beginnings as a fisherman—otherwise you probably wouldn’t have shown up for another week! If you remember from last week, we discussed the call of the four disciples found in Matthew 4. Included among these disciples whom Jesus called was John. John, as we saw last week, was found in his fisherman’s boat with both his brother James and his father Zebedee. He was found in the fisherman’s boat because that’s what he was—John was a fisherman by trade. We saw that this was not a glamorous job—but it did imply that John was a diligent worker, as this was a very physically demanding job. We also saw that when Jesus called John, as well as the other 3 disciples, he was willing to immediately leave everything to follow after Jesus. We saw that John was willing to forsake his life as a fisherman to be the “fisher of men” which Jesus called him to be. He found Jesus’ call to be worthy of full adherence, and he left even his father in the boat and followed after Jesus.

Tonight, as we continue our look into the life of John as a disciple of Jesus, we are going to see something that will hopefully resonate with all of us in our experience of following after Christ. The thing that we will be studying tonight in John’s life will be his sinful stumbling—have we all not dealt with this in our lives as Christians. We follow Christ, then we fall, then we get back up, then we fall, then we get back up, then we fall again. It almost feels like a never-ending falling sometimes, and it feels like the Apostles were some sort of super-breed of Christians who were impervious to temptations. I’m hoping our study tonight will lay to rest this false feeling. The Apostles were not super-saints. They were sinful human beings just like you and I. They were prone to stumbling just as we are prone to stumbling. In fact, in tonight’s passage alone, we are going to see three areas in which John struggled as a follower of Jesus Christ. The three areas in which John struggled were pride, jealousy, and anger. In each one of these areas, John showed that he was a man who was still sinful, and in need of God’s forgiveness. Let’s look at the passage for tonight to see John’s sin areas more clearly.

Tonight’s passage is found in Luke 9:46-56, which reads, “An argument arose among them as to which of them was the greatest. But Jesus, knowing the reasoning of their hearts, took a child and put him by his side and said to them, ‘Whoever receives this child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me. For he who is least among you all is the one who is great.’

John answered, ‘Master, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he does not follow with us.’ But Jesus said to him, ‘Do not stop him, for the one who is not against you is for you.’

When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. And he sent messengers ahead of him, who went and entered a village of the Samaritans, to make preparations for him. But the people did not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem. And when his disciples James and John saw it, they said, ‘Lord, do you want us to tell fire to come down from heaven and consume them?’ But he turned and rebuked them. And they went on to another village.”[1]

These verses actually make up three incidents in which the disciples—John included in every one of them—needed rebuking for their hard hearts. Each of these separate accounts gives us an example of John’s sinful heart at work. The first account shows us John’s failure in the area of pride. Look at verse 46 again, “An argument arose among them as to which of them was the greatest.” Now, to put this into context, this passage, in Luke 9, follows the accounts of the cost of discipleship, the Transfiguration, and the failure of the disciples to heal a demon-possessed boy. The last two should have particularly crushed any remaining pride left in the hearts of the disciples. They saw (at least three of them did) Jesus’ flesh pulled back which revealed a brightness comparable to the sun, and then they saw themselves fail (epically) at removing a demon from a young boy whose father had solicited their help. Yet here they are quarreling shortly thereafter about which one of them is the greatest of Jesus’ disciples. What we see in this from the vantage point of John is a great demonstration of the pride that was in his heart. The disciples assumed that one of them would have to be the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus’ response to the disciples’ quarrel was to take “a child and put him by his side,” as a way of showing them their lack of humility. John Calvin notes on this, “The general meaning is, that those who desire to obtain greatness by rising above their brethren, will be so far from gaining their object that they do not even deserve to occupy the lowest corner…. As we are more powerfully affected by appearances presented to the eyes, he holds up to them a little child as an emblem of humility.”[2] Matthew notes, in his parallel passage in Matthew 18, that Jesus said that the disciples must “turn and become like children”. This implied, not that the disciples were to act like children in every way, but that they must become like children in their dependence before God. Children are completely dependent upon their parents for everything, and this is what Jesus wanted from the disciples spiritually—to be dependent on their Heavenly Father for everything. Luke, here, emphasizes that this means welcoming those who are meek in heart. John Gill says of this person, “not in age, but in meekness and humility; one that is not proud and haughty, ambitious of worldly honour, and envious at the superior state of others”[3]. Jesus rebukes the disciples, John included, for their proud hearts. Yet, despite this rebuke, it does not seem that John had quite learned the point of the lesson.

The second area in which we see John’s need of God’s forgiveness is jealousy. This comes in verse 49, “John answered, ‘Master, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he does not follow with us.’ Zondervan’s Commentary notes the absurdity of John’s jealousy: “The cause of advancing the kingdom takes precedence over individual status and privilege. The man casting out demons is viewed as no different from the disciples themselves, since all are merely servants and instruments to accomplish God’s work.”[4] This comment from Zondervan is in response to Jesus’ response to John. John, apparently not understanding Jesus’ lesson on humility, proceeds to inform Him of the man whom he forbid from casting out demons because of his disassociation with Jesus’ apostles. Jesus, showing great patience for John, rebukes him gently by explaining to him that those who are not opposed to Jesus Christ in word and deed are not going to be against Jesus. Mark 9:39 notes that Jesus said, “Do not stop him, for no one who does a mighty work in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me.”[5] John received rebuke from Jesus once more for his sin-hardened heart—this time for his jealousy.

This leads us to the final portion of the passage before us tonight. This will show us the third area (in this passage, at least) where John’s heart was still sinful—anger. The way in which John displayed his anger—along with his brother—was in response to the rejection of Jesus. The account relates that Jesus had set his face to head to Jerusalem. While still traveling, however, they came across Samaritan villages. When Jesus sent messengers to the villages to let them know that He was approaching, the villages rejected the messengers—and Jesus—because He was set on going to Jerusalem. The reason they reacted this way was because this was a rejection of their system of worship. Gill notes, “they perceived he was going to Jerusalem, either to keep the feast of ‘tabernacles’ there, or the feast of the dedication of the temple; and if the latter, it must be still more provoking to them, because it showed, that he preferred that temple to theirs”[6]. So, in response to the rejection of Jesus by the Samaritans, James and John request that Jesus call down fire upon the villages. Zondervan’s Commentary notes, “Elijah had called down fire from heaven to consume two companies of troops sent against him by Ahaziah, the king of Samaria (2 Kings 1:1-17). Though ‘Samaria’ in that case refers to the capital of the northern kingdom of Israel rather than the Samaritans of the New Testament, James and John may have connected the two.”[7] John’s response to Jesus’ rejection was one of unrighteousness anger. This type of reaction must have been typical for James and John, because in Mark 3 it says that Jesus had named these brothers the “Sons of Thunder”. Jesus’ response to John follows the pattern from the rest of this passage—He has to rebuke John (and James) for their unrighteous anger. John’s heart was still sinful—and in need of correction—despite the fact that he was a follower of Christ.

Throughout this passage, we have seen three accounts which show that John still had a sinful heart despite the fact that he was Jesus’ follower. This could apply directly to our lives, couldn’t it? We still find ourselves battling sin on a daily basis; sometimes, it makes us long for the day that we will no longer have to fight! We also can see through this passage that John needed the grace which Jesus offered to change his heart if he was ever going to be able to finally conquer the remaining sin in his heart. This too, I would say, is easily applicable to our own lives. How many times do we fail to rely on the grace of God—offered to us through the Word and prayer—and instead attempt to battle remaining sin on our own? We must rely on the One who saved us—and is saving us—to change our hearts into His image!

Next week, we will see what happened to John when he experienced more of this change.




[1] Luke 9:46-56 (English Standard Version)

[2] Calvin, John. Commentary on Matthew, Mark, Luke Volume 2. Public Domain.

[3] Gill, John. An Exposition of the New Testament. Public Domain, 1746-8.

[4] Arnold, Clinton E. Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary: Matthew, Mark, Luke. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002. pg 406

[5] Mk. 9:39 (English Standard Version)

[6] Gill, John. An Exposition of the New Testament. Public Domain, 1746-8.

[7] Arnold, Clinton E. Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary: Matthew, Mark, Luke. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002. Pg 409

Monday, March 14, 2011

Character Study--John

This is a study I did for my New Testament Class. It's a 3-part character study on the Apostle John.

Lesson 1—John the Fisherman

I would like to welcome everybody that came out here tonight; to a study which I am hoping will help us all to understand one of the New Testament’s major “characters” (if you will) a little bit better. Our study is going to dig a little bit into the life of the Apostle John, and hopefully, we will all see how practically beneficial digging into his life is for our own. This study will be spread out over 3 weeks, and each week will deal with John from a different facet. Tonight, we will look at “John the Fisherman,” and study the call of John to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. Next week, we will deal with “John the ‘Son of Thunder,’” and speak of John’s sinful tendencies—even as a disciple of Jesus Christ. Finally, we will learn together of “John the ‘Beloved Disciple,’” and the transformation which took place as John encountered Jesus personally.

Tonight, we will look at “John the Fisherman.” We are going to see together that John was called from his “normal” life to be a disciple of Jesus. We will also see, this week as well as the next two weeks, that John’s encounter with Jesus was life-changing. For a look at John’s call to be Jesus’ disciple, let’s look at Matthew 4:18-22. Now, before we read, you’ll notice, and may remember, that this is actually where Jesus calls four of the disciples to follow Him. Peter, Andrew, James, and John were all called in this passage to be the disciples of Jesus. Luke 5 indicates that they were all partners in the fishing business, and so they were all likely somewhat close to each other at the time that Jesus called them.

Let’s look at the passage together now—it says, “While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And he said to them, ‘Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.’ Immediately they left their nets and followed him. And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.”[1]

Immediately, as I said a moment ago, we can see that John is not the only disciple called to follow Jesus at this time. Peter and Andrew were called by Christ, and then James was called by Christ along with John. Jesus is beginning to build his team of Apostles whom He will send out with His message of the Kingdom of Heaven and the forgiveness of sins. Apostles, according to Baker’s Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, “are sent on a definite mission in which they act with full authority on behalf of the sender and are accountable to the sender.”[2] But, before He can send them out, He must train them and equip them to spread the message. So, He recruited disciples—some He called, and some followed Him without a “calling.” This is an instance where Jesus called some of His disciples.

For our study’s purposes, we are going to simply make note of the fact that Jesus called Simon, Andrew, and James when He called John to be a disciple, but we won’t dig any deeper than that into their calling by Jesus. Instead, our focus is going to be on John’s calling, and the circumstances surrounding his calling. The way that we are going to do this is by looking at three different roles in which we can see John in this passage. These three roles are the Family Man, the Fisherman, and the Follower.

Alright, for the first role of John as family man, I would like you to look at verse 21. Verse 21, again, says, “And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father”. It is noted that John was the brother of James and the son of Zebedee. John was found with his brother and his father when Jesus called him to follow Him into ministry. I believe that this says a lot about the relationship that John had with his father and brother. As we continue to follow the Gospel narratives, we notice that there are three disciples that are almost always with Jesus—Peter, James, and John. John and James also approached Jesus together to ask him things on more than one occasion. The brothers must have had a very close relationship. John also must have spent a lot of time in close quarters with his father and brother as a fisherman in a boat on the Sea of Galilee. Zondervan’s Commentary notes, based on a boat found from around the time when Jesus was alive, that the boat was, “approximately 26.5 feet long, 7.5 feet wide, and 4.5 feet high, and equipped for both sailing and rowing. A crew of at least five was needed to handle the boat (four rowers and one rudder man), but it was able to carry as many as eight to sixteen).”[3] This was not a large ship, and so the men would have spent many hours out fishing together. Yet with all of this time that they spent together, John was not a “prodigal son”. He continued to work with his father as fishermen. In fact, John would probably be akin to the “older brother” in the parable of the prodigal son. John stayed at home with his brother and father rather than deserting them for a “more successful life.” Yet with all of the closeness John maintained with his family, John still needed to have a personal encounter with Jesus. John needed to encounter Jesus for himself despite the fact that he was not a “rebellious” son.

The second role in which we find John in this passage is that of a fisherman. Note, again, in verse 21, that John was found with his father and brother “mending their nets”. Zondervan’s Commentary notes, speaking of the nets used, “It is a compound net of three layers, five units each over a hundred feet long, used by at least two crews of boats throughout the night when the fish cannot see the entangling nets.”[4] This would explain very well why John and James would have had Andrew and Peter as “partners” in the fishing business. They would have needed the help in hauling in the nets of fish. When Jesus found James and John, they were “mending their nets”, most likely so that they would be prepared to go fishing again the next night. This was not a glamorous job, but Matthew Henry notes, “Diligence in an honest calling is pleasing to Christ, and no hindrance to a holy life. Moses was called from keeping sheep, and David from following the ewes, to eminent employments. Idle people lie more open to the temptations of Satan than to the calls of God.”[5] This is just what Christ called them to—a higher calling. Jesus called them—along with Andrew and Peter—to become not just fishers, but “fishers of men.” Jesus’ actual words when calling James and John are not recorded, but it is safe to assume that it was the same call that He gave to Andrew and Peter—“ Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Jesus had a different type of “fishing” that He wanted John to do, and John would discover this throughout his time spent with Jesus.

This leads us to the third role in which we see John in this passage—as a follower. Verses 21b-22 says, “and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.” Jesus called James and John to follow after Him, and they were willing to leave everything—even their father—to follow after Jesus. There must have been something about Jesus’ call that was irresistible to these fishermen. R.T. France notes, “By adding immediately and mentioning the abandonment of the boat and their father separately (cf. Mk. 1:20) Matthew emphasizes the extent and the readiness of their renunciation.”[6] Myron Augsburger notes that Jesus’ call was out of the ordinary for rabbis of His day, “Jesus called them, rather than waiting for them to come and apply to study with Him.”[7] Jesus called together His disciples, and John was more than willing to leave everything to follow after Jesus. Mark’s account of this passage says that John left his father “with the hired servants,” which may have indicated that they had a somewhat successful venture as fishermen. Regardless, John was willing to give up everything that he knew in order to follow after Christ as His disciple.

In this passage, we have seen that John was a family man and a fisherman whom Jesus called to be a follower and a “fisher of men.” How does this apply to us? Well, I think for one thing, it shows us that even the “good kids” need to have their own encounter with Jesus. John would probably been considered a “good kid” in his day, and yet he needed to experience Jesus’ ministry personally in order to be changed by it. In the same way, we can’t rely on our parents’ faith to make us followers of Christ. We must obey the call of Jesus to “Follow me” for ourselves. We can’t be content with the fact that we are “church kids” to make us followers of Jesus Christ. We need to pursue Jesus for ourselves every day! This is the message that I believe John would want us to hear from his life exhibited for us in this passage. Next week, we will see that John’s walk with Christ was not perfect—which will hopefully be an encouragement to each one of us.




[1] Matt. 4:18-22 (English Standard Version)

[2]Elwell, Walter A. Evangelical Dictionary of Theology. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2001. pg. 85.

[3] Arnold, Clinton E. Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary: Matthew, Mark, Luke. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002. pg. 31.

[4] Ibid

[5] Henry, Matthew. Commentary on the Whole Bible. e-Sword, 1706-1721. Matt. 4:18-22.

[6] France, R.T. Tyndale New Testament Commentaries: Matthew. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1985. pg. 104.

[7] Augsburger, Myron S. The Communicator's Commentary: Matthew. Waco: Word Books, 1982. pg. 55.