Sayings of Jesus Some sayings come from Jesus himself – Logia: sayings Others may have been popular proverbs or sayings of the time – These Jesus may have adopted – May have simply been attributed to him by Church – 15 proverbs turned sayings (p78)

Sayings of Jesus Themes reflective of preaching of Jesus – Centrality of the kingdom of God – Final reversal of status – Struggle or conflict – Danger of wealth – Call for radical change of heart

Sayings of Jesus Final reversal – Final or eschatological reversal – Variety of forms – First shall be last and last shall be first – Most dramatic in beatitudes Beatitudes illustrate final reversal as well as challenge to Jesus’ preaching – Sermon on Mount/Plain – Based on Q – Perhaps most authentic of Jesus’ sayings

Beatitudes Read the two accounts of the Beatitudes – Matt: 5:1-48 – Luke: 6:20-49 – Q: p81 Write your own version of Beatitudes, specific to our community, era, age, etc Be creative, but appropriate Be mindful of the theme of Jesus’ preaching Write a minimum of 5 unique sayings

Beatitudes Who are the poor? – Ani: lterally means afflicted – Denotes lower classes—often oppressed & lacked power to defend – Anawim: poor of Yahweh Could only look to God for help Poverty and injustice was genuine social problem Economic changes & double or triple taxation Exclusionary rules of purity added to marginalized – Poor included: sinners, women, orphan, illiterate, mentally ill, disfiguring diseases, Pharisees – Illusions to this larger group are obvious in scripture

The Our Father Thought to come from Jesus himself Aramaic orginal – Greek in Q Two versions – Matt 6:9-13 – Luke 11:2-4 Instruction on prayer

Parables Importance cannot be overstated Some of the most confidently authentic words of Jesus All of the great themes, teachings are in parables Transcend time, language, place Jesus did not create parable as genre, but was brilliant user

Parables in Ancient World Not a new literary genre Greek/Rome – Aristotle – Israel – Old Testament

Types of Parables Similitude – Concise – Told in present tense – 12 in synoptic Gospels Two Coins Growing Seed

Types of Parables Parable – Often longer & more detailed than similitude – Tells story One-time event; fictitious – Persistent Widow – Two Sons

Types of Parables Exemplary Story – Implied comparison between event & reality of the moral or religious order – Not an analogy, but example – Exemplary story doesn’t compare dissimilar things, but similar