Week 44 The Ministry of Jesus

Overview of Intertestamental Times Sadducees Pharisees Hasidistic Essenes Samaritans Zealots “Why everyone hates everyone else!”

Overview of Herod

Overview of the Apocrypha Last week’s question: “If you wanted God to add a book of the Bible, what would it contain?” Your answers: more about the life of Jesus, more proof that he’s working when you can’t see him, more info about the end of the world, more specifics about teachings and what “really matters” Guess what’s in the apocrypha…

The Apocrypha “The hidden away” Books generally not accepted as inspired writings of God. The mainstream Jewish and Christian leaders never accepted these writings. No apocryphal book is quoted as scripture in the NT The Qumran community (their origin) was not orthodox. All patristics (“Christian Fathers”) rejected prior to Augustine. Jerome, one of the best early scholars vigorously refuted them. No church body recognized them for at least 400 years. Even Catholics during the reformation were not united on their use. We continue their decisions: They abound in historical and geographical inaccuracies and anachronisms. They contradict clear doctrines elsewhere. Some clearly lie about authorship (i.e., Gospel of Judas – written after Judas’ death)

Jesus was born in Bethlehem… God is coming to earth: what would you expect it to look like? He was tempted, almost immediately! Genealogies establish important lineage: Abraham: All people of the earth will be blessed through your seed (singular!) David: Son of David rules forever. Matthew probably is Joseph’s legal ancestry. (Law of Levirate marriage) Luke probably gives Mary’s ancestry, the physical ancestry. They both meet in some spots.

Topics Why did Jesus perform miracles? What’s the “point” of the Sermon on the Mount. What can we learn from the “woes” opposite the “Blesseds”? What can we learn from the opposition to Jesus? What can we learn about the wisdom of the crowd? What did Jesus think about the Bible? It is written… (Matthew 4) Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it. (1390) Woe to you experts in the law, because you have taken away the key to knowledge. You yourselves have not entered, and you have hindered those who were entering! (1391) You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, and yet you refuse to come to me to have life! (1379)