Who is He ? 2014-2015 by Ichtus Vlaanderen

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FAITH IN THE WORLD â&#x20AC;Ś Small Group Bible Studies 2013-2014

Editorial Team: Tom De Craene (Ichtus Vlaanderen), Wouter Van Hoof (Ichtus Vlaanderen), Judith Verduijn (student Ichtus Gent), Naomi Apers (Ichtus Vlaanderen), Christophe Deferme (Ichtus Gent), Sem Thomas (Ichtus Vlaanderen), David Van Acker (graduate), Lara Creemers (graduate), Elias Verhalle (Ichtus Gent), Hester van der Steen (Ichtus Kortrijk), Korneel Coenen (Ichtus Hasselt), Gijsbert Steenbeek (Ichtus Vlaanderen). Translators: Anne Toussaert, Robert Westerveld, Hanna Gevaert, Ruben Gielen Editor-in-chief: Tom De Craene

Table of Contents

“Who is He?” – 2014 © Ichtus Vlaanderen

Introduction During the academic year 2014-2015 Ichtus Vlaanderen has chosen as its theme of the year ‘Who is He?’. We want to think about Jesus as Saviour, Jesus als human being, Jesus as part of the Trinity. But also Jesus as a historic figure and a rebel, Jesus as the long expected Messiah from the Old Testament who didn’t live up to the expectations, Jesus as teacher and Jesus who stood up for the weak. Jesus as Lord! Jesus who surprises always and never seems to match our image of Him.We hope that you may have an encounter with Him (anew), and that you may be surprised. That you may discover new aspect of Him and that your notions of Him may be confirmed (or challenged). But we also hope that, through the study of these texts, you may see and acknowledge Him as Lord. Because if He is, then this means He is allowed to speak into all areas. Into your life, your choice of study, your field of study, your leisure time and your finances. We have chosen texts that highlight different aspects of who He is, both from Old and New Testament. There are 12 Bible Studies. We know some of you won’t do all of them and that is fine. We only hope you’ll have the courage not to shy away from the more challenging and difficult texts. During the preparation we’ve used a small number of commentaries. We recomend using a couple of good commentaries after having studied the text thoroughly yourself. Every study has been prepared by someone else. We’ve tried to present them as a unity, but there will be differences in style and interpretation. We hope this won’t be an obstacle but rather a source of joy and enrichment.

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Developing a Bible Study Below are a few ways of developing a Bible study, but please do not feel restricted by these. Do bear the following in mind:

Study the passage in depth

The entire IFES movement (the umbrella organisation of which Ichtus is a member) affirms “inductive” Bible study as thé way to approach a Bible passage. This means your starting point is the passage, and not your assumptions about what it means. Even though this guide may in some places suggest a meaning to the passages, we still want to encourage you to start with the Bible passage and not with our ideas or advice. Once you have grappled with the text yourself you will find the commentaries, ideas of others or this guide useful. A good way of grappling with the text is by doing the “manuscript method” (see further on).

Draw out the core meaning from the text

If you know the core meaning of a passage, it will be easier for your small group to discover it too. You will be able to be more focused during the study and decide how much time to spend on digressions.

Consider how you can help your small group discover the core meaning

Many small group leaders assume that once the exegesis is done, the study will be a success. They can’t be more wrong. After you have drawn out the core meaning of the passage, you will need to reflect on how your group will discover this core meaning for themselves: how will you help them work towards this? Many people think the most simple way forward is a didactic conversation (question and answer), but it can be very difficult because it is hard to predict how group members will respond. Often you may get an answer that you weren’t expecting and at those times it isn’t easy to come up with more questions. The best way forward is when the group leader leaves the group members to talk more than him/herself.

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Manuscript Study This method is a useful way to study the Bible and can be used for preparing a passage but also for leading a small group. It constists of three steps:

Observation

In this phase you get a grip on the story (what is the author telling us?). Print off a copy of the passage and make sure you leave plenty of white space around the text but also in between the lines. If possible, leave out the paragraphs and verse numbers. Go through the passage and make a note of anything that stands out to you, anything that raises questions, anything that indicates a structure or something that is repeated more than once, … Use pens and coloured penciles for marking words, finding structure, indicating themes and connections. A few more tips for questions: Ask like a journalist     

Who? What? Where? When? How?

Find the connections

Step into the passage

Repetitions  What can you see, hear, Similarities smell, feel? Contrasts  Become one of the Cause – Consequence characters A move from the general to the specific  A move from the specific to the general  What is central to the story  What is marginal to the story     

 What kind of literature is this? Is it a story? A dialogue? Poetry? Commentary of the author1 ? One Bible passage may contain various genres.  Mark the connecting words: because, for, therefore, since, so that, but, ...  Mark the logical units in the passage (which parts belong together?)  Coherence in themes, times, places, thoughts, actions, etc.  Note what strikes you in the passage, what you hadn’t expected or find unusual, things that make you feel surprised/puzzled/irritated  Are there links or associations with other Bible passages? Read the passages in their own contexts (not only the individual verses) and ask yourself why they are mentioned here.  Is there anything that raises questions? Anything which you find irritating, surprising or difficult? Write it down! 1 The genre of the passage helps in determining how to approach the passage.

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Interpretation In this phase you try to answer the question, ‘What is this passage trying to communicate?’, ‘What do all my observations lead to?’, ‘What is the core meaning of this passage?’ The central task is to convey the meaning of the passage by answering the question, ‘What is the author intending to communicate with the passage?’. These questions can be helpful:  Ask questions in the light of your observations from the passage.  Ask questions about the linguistic and textual connections you found. For example: why is the author repeating this word? Use ‘Why?’ and ‘What is the meaning of?’  Take another look at the linguistic and textual connections in the passage. What are the main connections and the main subjects?  Focus on the essential questions. These are (1) questions that arise out of the passage; (2) questions that cover a large part of the passage; (3) questions that relate to the main idea of the passage.  Now try to answer these questions. First make use of the passage itself, then of the immediate context of the passage within the book of the Bible (ie the surrounding passages), then from connections to other Bible passages, and finally by using a Biblical dictionary, commentary or other helpful books or comments.  Ask yourself ‘the big question’: What message is the author trying to convey to his original readers? What do you think the key points are, or thé main point of the passage? Why is this passage here?  Try to summarise the key point of the passage in one sentence. Application In the final phase we spend some time reflecting on the importance of this passage and its meaning for our lives. This can lead to a practical application (something that has to be done) or a transforming application (something that needs to be changed) or an informative application (the increase of knowledge), etc. Ensure you avoid easy applications. Remember that the Bible was primarily written to groups of people (people and churches, not individuals), so the applications are mostly about what we need to do as a community; the personal applications flow from these. Central is this: Connect the passage with your own life and the world in which we live. The following questions can be helpful: • Can you see the connections between the passage and your own life and our world? (for example, can you see yourself in one of the main characters in the text? How does the message of this passage connect with your life?)  Do you feel that God is specifically addressing your small group or you in relation to a particular aspect of your life/lives?  Are there particular commands, promises, examples or counter-examples in this passage that mean something to you? “Who is He?” – 2014 © Ichtus Vlaanderen

 Are there any specific steps you need to take as an application from this passage? Be honest and specific. (Make sure you bring a diary to make notes and remember to come back to this next time you get together as a small group)  Is there anything in this passage that is important for my relationships with other people, with our group, our community or our society?  Are there specific things which we, individually or as a group, need to address?  What does this passage have to say to us about God?  Does this passage have anything to say about the way I live, think or act as a student? Does this passage throw a new light on what I am learning at university?

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Lectio Divina The second method which can be an invaluable help to studying a Bible passage is the lectio divina. This is a contemplative, intuitive way of reading the Bible - a refreshing alternative to our knowlege-based approach. This method helps us listen to God speaking into our hearts. One person leads the small group, the others do not need a Bible, they need to merely listen. Step 1: Read the passage aloud once. Do this slowly. After reading the passage, be quiet for a few minutes to allow for further reflection.. Step 2: Say to the group: “During the next reading, what do you notice? It could be word, a phrase or part of a sentence. If there is nothing in particular that stands out to you, don’t worry.2” Read the passage aloud for a second time. Be quiet for a moment and allow everyone to take turns in sharing what they noticed (if anything). As the leader you need to make sure group members only share what they noticed without further reflections or explanations. Step 3: For the third reading, give your readers this question: “Ask yourself why you are noticing this. Often the things we notice indicate a link between the Bible passage and our individual lives. Is there a connection? Again, it is no problem if there isn’t a clear connection.” Read the passage for a third time. Be quiet and allow time for sharing about people’s connections between the passage and their lives. As a group leader, ensure your members do not elaborate for too long. Step 4: Say to the group: “Is there anything God is trying to make clear to you through this passage? God still speaks through his Word and maybe that is what he is doing now. Sometimes God will not speak instantly, or we do not understand him. That is not a problem.” Read the passage for a fourth time. Be quiet and allow the readers to take turns in sharing what they feel God is telling them through this passage. Again, make sure this is done concisely. Step 5: You have the choice of reading the passage for a fifth time, or taking time to share more elaborately, and to pray for each other.

2 Do emphasise this, so that no one feels uncomfortable when they do not notice anything in particular. It is no problem when this happens.

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1 // Genesis 22:1-19 Bible passage Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!”“Here I am,” he replied.2 Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.”3 Early the next morning Abraham got up and loaded his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about. 4 On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. 5 He said to his servants, “Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.”6 Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together, 7 Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, “Father?”“Yes, my son?” Abraham replied.“The fire and wood are here,” Isaac said, “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”8 Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together. 9 When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10 Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. 11 But the angel of the LORD called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!”“Here I am,” he replied. 12 “Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.” 13 Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14 So Abraham called that place The LORD Will Provide. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided.”15 The angel of the LORD called to Abraham from heaven a second time 16 and said, “I swear by myself, declares the LORD, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17 I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, 18 and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.” 19 Then Abraham returned to his servants, and they set off together for Beersheba. And Abraham stayed in Beersheba.

Background The passage we are reading is situated in the middle of a series of stories about the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (first three centuries of the second millennium BC 3). The series starts with Abraham being called out of Ur to a country that God will show him. Abraham is coming out of a country in Mesopotamia that was polytheistic and he journeys to a region with the same religious mindset. God is revealing himself more and more as the only God. We should never forget that knowing one single God encompassing all aspects of life was a 3 Carson, D. A., France, R. T., Motyer, J. A. eds., New Bible Commentary. 4rd ed. (Leicester: InterVarsity Press, 1994), 22.

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rather revolutionary idea. We shouldn’t forget either that God still has to reveal many things about himself at this stage of the story, e.g. the law that will be given to the people on the mount of Sinai4. God is revealing himself to the patriarchs as a personal God, which is shown for the first time in the covenant in Genesis 15. Genesis means ‘origin’, ‘descent, ‘beginning’. Genesis talks not only about the origin of the Universe, but also of the world, human beings and the people of Israel. The theology of this entire passage (chapters 12-50) is summarized in the first three verses of chapter 12 where God calls Abram to leave his country, where he is promised many descendants, i.e. a people. He will receive God’s blessing and will be a blessing to others5.

Clarification 1 God: the first verse does not use the words Yahweh or El Shaddai, but ‘the God’. ‘Lohim’ is a plural form, and could be translated with ‘the gods’. The only other use of this subject with this verb (to test) is in Exodus 20:20 (that passage is clearly speaking about Yahweh). It could refer back to ‘that God’, meaning the God mentioned before in Genesis 21:33, where El Olam or the persevering God, the God that remains, is used. The feelings that are associated with this God are feelings of stability and certainty, but these will come under a strain 6. 2 Sacrifice your son: although God is rightfully entitled to receive any life because He is the sovereign God, the prophets and laws in the Old Testament clearly forbid children being sacrificed. (We don’t know Isaac’s age, but he was old enough to carry the wood and younger than 37, when his mother died). This implies that there is a tension in the text. The fact that the interdiction is stated in the Old Testament implies that this custom was still in place and that Abraham was familiar with this kind of practices7. Another striking detail is that God doesn’t promise anything this time, contrary to the preceding stories.

To put to a test: why would God put anyone to a test? Isn’t He an omniscient God? God puts people to a test on several occasions in the Old Testament, mostly to test a person’s obedience. When we follow the storyline, we want to find an answer to the question: who wins anything through this test? Who is learning something?

4 Ibid., 21. 5 Ibid., 56. 6 Walton, J.H., The NIV Application Commentary: Genesis, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2001). 7 Chavalas, M.W., Matthews, V.H. & Walton, J.H., The IVP Bible Background Commentary. Old Testament, (Downers Grove: Intervarsity Press, 2000), 53.

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Moria: This could be a hilly area around Jerusalem (compare with 2 Chronicles 3:1), but Abraham knew that those slopes were wooded. He would have known that he didn’t need to bring his own wood if that was the area he had to go to8. 3 Early: We don’t read how Abraham reacted to God’s heavy demand. The text doesn’t explain that, so we don’t know whether there was any reaction at all. We shouldn’t read too much into it, but it does raise a few questions. In other chapters (12, 16, 20 and 21) we can see that Abraham has no major difficulties in sacrificing members of his family 9. The lack of any reaction can also be interpreted in the light of the the custom to sacrifice children. We can interpret his early leave and the lack of any reaction as a sign of obedience. However, the text gives us no hints about it, which should make us cautious. 5 After that, we will come back: What is happening here? Is Abraham lying to his servants? Is he expressing doubt? Or should we see this as a sign of trust and faith? 7 What do you want to tell me: in other translations this is translated with ‘here I am’, which is the same way Abraham talks to God in verse 1 and 11. 8 They continued together: Isaac keeps his trust after he hears Abraham’s explanation. They go on together, as in verse 6. The way Abraham talks to Isaac shows his love and respect (see verse 7). 11 An angel of the Lord: the indefinite pronoun ‘an’ can be confusing, but other translations choose the pronoun ‘the’, which is consistent with verse 15. In the Bible, the angel of the Lord is a heavenly being that is sent by God as a personal representative or a speaker. In many passages, the angel of the Lord and God are almost identical, and the angel of the Lord speaks in the first person10 (using ‘I’) about God, which also happens in this passage.

12 Now: the text indicates that Abraham is learning something about obedience through what is happening, but it is mainly God who is learning something about Abraham, and this test was meant for God, to know Abraham. Of course God is omniscient and does not need any extra knowledge, but the text does indicate that God is learning something. This could be affective knowledge, contrary to cognitive knowledge. This is comparable with telling a loved one that you love them, so that they ‘know’ it. Now God knows that Abraham is the person who 8 Walton, J.H., The NIV Application Commentary: Genesis, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2001). 9 Hamilton, M.W., The Transforming Word. One volume commentary on the Bible, (Abilene: Abilene Christian University Press, 2009), 124.

10 Wood, D. R. W. & Marshall, I. H., New Bible Dictionary, 3rd ed. (Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1996), 37.

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can carry his promises11, because, apparently, he was willing to trust God without a tangible prove of the promise. Moreover, he almost sacrificed this promise 12. 13 Ram sacrificed instead of Isaac: Why was this necessary? Although it is not at all clear in the text why Abraham has to sacrifice an animal after this event, but the story offers a model for the sacrifice of an animal instead of a human being. This indicates a clear difference between the cultic practices from other cultures and those of Israel 13. 14 The Lord will provide: depending on the translation, you can also read God’s name as the One who is known, who lets himself be known. In the preceding passage, God revealed himself as el olam, the God who sees the bigger picture. But here He is also the God of the urgent matter in this very moment. This was new for Abraham, who had a polytheistic background and had different gods for all aspects of his life. God reveals Himself more and more as the only God who encompasses all aspects of life14. 16 These are the last words that God speaks to Abraham, they are important (verses 16-18). 18 Cities of animals: there is a tension here, when you think about the promise that Abraham will be a blessing to all nations (see chapter 12:18). Many things that are mentioned in this promise have already been said in God’s other promises to Abraham. Still, something special just occurred: Abraham has obeyed without a promise, a reward being linked to his obedience. The promise is done after Abraham has obeyed. 19 Then Abraham went back: contrary to verses 5, 6, 8, Isaac is not mentioned in this verse. The text does not state that Isaac didn’t join Abraham, but it is weird that Isaac’s name is not mentioned here, when it was at least three times in the preceding verses. We shouldn’t jump to conclusions, but some commentaries wonder whether this entire event was too big to handle for Isaac15.

Place within ‘Who is He?’

This passage is often linked to the Father sacrificing the Son. The text offers some parallels indeed to consider Jesus’ sacrifice. 11 Fretheim, T.E., "God, Abraham, and the Abuse of Isaac," Word & World 15, no. 1 (1995): 54. 12 Walton, J.H., The NIV Application Commentary: Genesis, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2001). 13 Chavalas, M.W., Matthews, V.H. & Walton, J.H., The IVP Bible Background Commentary. Old Testament, (Downers Grove: Intervarsity Press, 2000), 53. 14 Walton, J.H., The NIV Application Commentary: Genesis, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2001). 15 Fretheim, T.E., "God, Abraham, and the Abuse of Isaac," Word & World 15, no. 1 (1995): 53.

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Core meaning

God wants to see whether Abraham is a man who can fulfill the promises and whether Abraham loves God for who God is, not only for what he can receive. Abraham passes the test by putting his trust in God, and God provides him with what he needs.

Possible questions

O = observation, I = interpretation, A = application                  

Track back the different characters in the story. (O) Underline every repetition that you can find in the text. (O) What puzzles you and raises questions? (O) What kind of emotions do you feel when reading the text? (O) What genre is this this text? (OI) Why does God send Abraham to Moria, three day’s journeys away? (I) There is a test to be passed. What is at stake for Abraham, and for God? (I) Why does God put Abraham to a test? (I) Read II Kings 3 or Hebrews 11:17-19 or Luke 18: 18-30. What light do those passages shed on this story? (I) What verse would you argue to be the key verse? Why? (I) Why is this story placed here in the text? What is the role this text plays in the big story of the patriarchs? What was the aim of the author? (I) What are the overreaching themes of this passage? (I) Try to agree on one sentence that would summarize this passage. (I) Have you learned something new about God, or yourself? (A) Does this text shed a new light on God’s promises? If yes, on which ones? (A) Do you love God for who He is? Apart from what He has promised, what He has done, what He can do for you? Discuss. (A) In what areas of your life do you experience difficulties in trusting God? (A) Are there any educationists, theologians, teachers, historians, psychologists, remedial educationalists … in your small group? Ask them what they see in this passage, bearing in mind their field of study. (A)

Methods

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1) Characters: Have different members of your small group read the different characters out loud (God/angel of the Lord, Isaac, Abraham). Bear in mind the intonation. Let them explain why they chose this intonation, based on the text (O) or their interpretation of the text (I). 2) Faith: Start with a conversation by way of introduction. Ask how the other members would interpret the word ‘faith’ and what it means to them. What synonyms come to mind? What traits are linked to ‘faith’? What feelings are associated with ‘faith’? You can come back to this later on when you have questions about Abraham. 3) Paintings: Look up Rembrandt’s ‘Sacrifice of Isaac’ and Christian Wilhelm Ernst Dietrich’s ‘Sacrifice of Isaac’ (http://bibleartists.wordpress.com/2011/01/25/near-sacrifice-ofisaac/). Which painting reflects the story in the best way? Argue using the text. This can be an exercise for observation, but can also help to interpret the text. 4) Song: Listen to the song ‘If heaven was never promised’ (http://www.youtube.com/watch? v=ThaduxuGmWc) by Andrea Crouch. Can you say the same thing (A)? 5) Music: Listen and watch an adaptation of this story by Benjamin Britten and enjoy (A). - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwneW1n30Y8 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09_jieEwM_s 6) Current affairs: In the past several years there has been a lot to do about (child) abuse (neglect, physical violence, sexual abuse, power abuse). Some people see in this text that Isaac is the sacrifice of abuse (by Abraham/God). What do you think about that proposition? How would you react to it?

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2 // Luke 9:18-36 Bible passage Once when Jesus was praying in private and his disciples were with him, he asked them, “Who do the crowds say I am?” 19 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, that one of the prophets of long ago has come back to life.” 20 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “God’s Messiah.”21 Jesus strictly warned them not to tell this to anyone. 22 And he said, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.”23 Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. 25 What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self? 26 Whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. 27 “Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God.” 28 About eight days after Jesus said this, he took Peter, John and James with him and went up onto a mountain to pray. 29 As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning. 30 Two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus. 31 They spoke about his departure, which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem. 32 Peter and his companions were very sleepy, but when they became fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him. 33 As the men were leaving Jesus, Peter said to him, “Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” (He did not know what he was saying.) 34 While he was speaking, a cloud appeared and covered them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. 35 A voice came from the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him.” 36 When the voice had spoken, they found that Jesus was alone. The disciples kept this to themselves and did not tell anyone at that time what they had seen. 18

Background Genre Although it is hard to categorize the gospels, one can suggest that they all present a biography of Jesus Christ. However, it is not the kind of biography we are used to nowadays. The gospels contain events and information which might seem a bit oddly chosen at first sight. Nevertheless, if you take the time to look up close, you will notice that the presented content is there for a reason. Author Luke is the author of the gospel of Luke and of the Acts of the Apostles. The first verses of Luke’s gospel reveal that he himself was not an eyewitness of the events he wrote down. However, these verses also tell us that his story is based on testimonies of people who did witness the life of Jesus Christ. Furthermore it is reasonable to assume that

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Luke was not a Jew. This makes him the only non-Jew among the writers of the New Testament 16. Audience The gospel of Luke is actually a letter addressed to someone called Theophilus. We actually don’t know anything about this addressee. The beginning of the gospel tells us that he already learned a lot of things about Jesus Christ and that he needed some confirmation about the information he acquired thus far. Hence he requested Luke to to write him ‘a gospel’.Theophilus probably was already converted to Christianity. However, we assume that he ended up in a post-Jewish movement where he did not feel at home. The reason for this assumption is a pronounced emphasis on the general applicability of the gospel’s message in Acts. Christianity is not exclusively for Jews, it is also for gentiles 17.

Main Themes The first three gospels of the New-Testament (synoptic gospels) are content-wise quiet alike. However, some stories are unique to Luke’s gospel. Those stories consistently picture God his master-plan for humanity. He often refers to the era of promises, starting in the Old Testament and ending with the testimony of John the Baptist, and to the era of fulfillment, starting from Jesus birth on earth and ending with His second coming (the return of Christ to this earth). Luke clearly has the ambition to reveal God’s intentions with this world. Structure of Luke and context of the passage 1:1-4 1:5 – 2:52 3:1 – 4:13

4:13 – 9:50 9:51 – 19:44 19:45–24:53

Prologue Stories about Jesus’ childhood John the Baptist and Jesus’ qualifications for His ministry Public ministry and preaching of the gospel in Galilee: The epiphany of Jesus The journey to Jerusalem The death of the Innocent and His resurrection

The Bible verses we are discussing today are situated in the key-part of Luke’s gospel. Jesus’ ministry and preaching in Galilee comes to an end. Jesus is ready to reveal Himself as Son of God. He has disseminated His kingdom to the disciples and prepared them to understand His true identity. After these verses Jesus focuses mainly on His future and His suffering to prepare them for what will happen. In the considered Bible passage Jesus for the first time foretells the future course of events and exemplifies the role His disciples shall play. This is again confirmed on the mountain by God who is Father in heaven. The synoptic passages can be found in: Matthew 16:13–17:13 and Mark 8:27–9:13.

16 Bock, D. L., Luke, IVPNTCS, (Downers Grove, IL: IVP, 1994), 16. 17 Ibid., 18.

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Clarification 18 - 19 There is a strong connection with verses 7-9 of the same chapter. 20 - 21 Jesus demands not to disseminate Peter’s answer. This seems to indicate that the disciples do not truly understand the implications of Jesus being God’s Messiah. This thought is confirmed by the subsequent verse where Jesus clarifies what He will have to go through in the near future. The synoptic passages from Matthew and Mark indicate that Peter and the other disciples even did not understand that Jesus is fully God. Peter rebukes Christ when he announces His suffering. They perceive Jesus as the Messiah who will lead them to God. However, they only see a part of His divinity and the task He has to fulfill is beyond their comprehension. Jesus needs to make them clear that His suffering will reveal that He is God. Jesus is not the messenger. He himself is the message 18. 23-27 “The essence of discipleship is to become humble before God. This humbleness expresses itself in renunciation. Taking up your cross everyday and following Jesus means living as he lived. He served and gave Himself everyday. Even at the very end he endured the shame of suffering and rejection on the cross. As true disciples we also have to be prepared to endure shame, suffering and rejection. This is emphasized in Jesus’ teaching (see subsequent versus/chapters). 19” The promise made by Jesus probably refers to His transfiguration and to Pentecost (Acts: 2:30-36). Both events revealed the Kingdom of God to the disciples. 28 The time allocation indicates that subsequent verses are related to what happened 8 days before. (Note that the amount of days in this gospel is different from what can be found in the other synoptic gospels.) It should have something to do with the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot, Jewish holiday) which took 6 to 8 days. The Transfiguration of Jesus, reported in this passage, probably took place at the end of this feast 20. 29-37 A lot of debate has been devoted to the meaning and purpose of the presence of Moses and Elijah. Most probably the presence of Moses proclaims Jesus as the Prophet and urges us to listen to and obey Him (Acts 3:22) while Elijah embodies the start of the latter days and the hope associated with it (cf. John, Luke 1:16-17). The events which have been described in this passage, announce a new Exodus (i.e. deliverance from suppression) or/and point at Jesus’ final journey to Jerusalem (see Luke 9:51), which again refers to His death and ascension. The disciples unfortunately do not grasp this. They considered Jesus to be yet another important person, worthy to be among Moses and Elijah 21. 18 Ibid., 166-167. 19 Ibid., 170. 20 Ratzinger, J. Jezus van Nazareth, (Tielt: Lannoo NV, 2007), 282-283. 21 Bock, D. L. Luke, IVPNTCS, (Downers Grove, IL: IVP, 1994), 172-173.

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“The transfiguration of Jesus happens during prayer. It becomes apparent when Jesus speaks with His Father. He becomes one with the Father. He becomes the Light of the world. At that very moment the disciples present can physically observe who Christ really is (cf. Peter’s confession in verse 20): Jesus is Son of God, He is the Light.” 22 Peter wants to hold this moment and suggests to put up three shelters. By doing this, Peter indicates that He is not aware of Jesus’ position relative to Moses and Elijah. However, a Voice coming from the cloud makes clear that Jesus is more than the ones next to Him. The Voice urges them to listen to and obey Jesus, to acknowledge His unicity and to accept and understand His destiny to suffer for the iniquities of the world. It is not the time to feast. Now is the time to act 23.

Place within ‘faith in the world’

This Bible passage is easy to link with our theme of the year. The question ‘Who is Jesus?’ stands out as it is the main question this passage tries to answer. This passage from Luke describes the key moment when Jesus is revealed to the world as the Messiah. Moreover, it is important to observe how this is done. Jesus speaks about the road he has to travel and His expectations for his disciples. Furthermore He is confirmed by the Father when He speaks from a cloud.

Core meaning Jesus is the Messiah who brings His Kingdom with power. This power is however different from worldly power. This power is: that Jesus has comes to serve and to give His life for many (Mark 10:45). And we are called to do the same. It is not about wonders, reign or worldly power. It’s all about the power to serve and to give our lives for the Gospel.

Possible questions O = observation, I = interpretation, A = application  Who are the characters and what does this passage tell us about them? (O)  What are the similarities and the differences with the other synoptic passages: Mark 8:27-9:10 and Matthew 16:13-17:13? (O)  What does it mean to follow Jesus, to be His disciple? (O)  Are there words or phrases which have been repeated, which occur more than once? What could be the reason for that? (O)  Analyze this passage by listing the events which take place and provide every event with a title? What do you notice? (OI) 22 Ratzinger, Joseph, Jezus van Nazareth, (Tielt: Lannoo NV, 2007), 285. 23 Bock, D. L. Luke, IVPNTCS, (Downers Grove, IL: IVP, 1994), 173-174.

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 What is written about Moses and Elijah? Why are they part of this story? What is the purpose of their presence? (OI)  What do the disciples think when they say that Jesus is God’s Messiah? What does this title imply for them? How do they picture God’s Messiah? (I)  Why does Jesus strictly warn his disciples not to tell anyone that He is God’s Messiah? (I)  Four answers were coined to the question: “Who is Jesus?” The first answer is provided by the disciples but reflects the opinion of the crowd. The second answer is also provided by the disciples but this time they share their own opinion. The third answer is given by Jesus Himself. The final answer is given by a voice from heaven. - Mark the four answers and compare them to each other. (OI) - What would be your answer? (A) - What would be the answer of your church? (A)  Why is Peter’s suggestion in verse 33 somewhat odd? (I)  What does it mean for the disciples to lose and save their live? (I)  What is the key question of this passage? (O) What is the answer to this question? (I) What is your answer to this question? (A)  What does it mean for you as a student (in engineering, medicine, law, physics, pedagogy, philosophy ... ) to lose your life for Jesus? What does it mean to take up your cross? (IA)  Why does the Voice from the cloud say: “Listen to Him!”? What does this mean? What should they listen for? (OI)  Jesus went up onto a mountain to meet His Father? How and where do you meet your Father? What is your mountain? (A)

Methods 1. Movie: Show the move ‘A tale or three Kings’. This is a movie from UCCF (IFES UK). It

is made to help students reflect on their perception of Christ. This could be an interesting introduction to ask your group members how they see Jesus. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wvRmaHjHqI

2. Movie: Show the movie of the student alpha course where they do a street-interview

and ask people: ‘Who is Jesus?’ http://www.youtube. com/watch?v=FeOhZRqOSxA

3. Interview: If there is some spare time you can conduct your own street-interview.

Or you can ask your group members (in preparation for this study) to ask at least 5 non-believers the question: ‘Who is Jesus?’ Imagine that you would ask your fellow students, neighbors, fellow-Ichtians and other people which come mind to describe Jesus. What would this description look like? As a second step, try to categorize those people according to the description they would give. Show the movie of voxpop student alpha: https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=UirbPC8VQ-M

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Look at the passage. What are the resemblances and differences between the answers people give? 4. Drawing: Make a drawing that describes how you see Jesus. What would your

answer be if someone would ask you who Jesus is? Look at the passage and observe the answer of the disciples. What do they precisely mean when they say that Jesus is God’s Messiah? How do they define God’s Messiah? Why does Jesus ask not to tell anybody that He is God’s Messiah?

5. Act: Play this passage. Call the disciples (group members) to go up onto the

mountain (you can use the roof of a building or even the city center). Take the time to pray individually and to think how you would picture Jesus to the others. Share these thoughts with at least two other group members. Reflect again individually and evaluate the picture that you described to the others to see if it is in showing Jesus’ power as it is described by Scripture. Maybe your picture of Jesus is not entirely correct (cf. picture of the disciples). Finally discuss how you could adjust your image and reshape it in order to get it in correspondence with what we know from the Messiah. Descend the mountain.

6. Divide in four groups. Provide every group with a different piece of the Bible passage

we are discussing today.

(a) Group 1: verses 18-19 (b) Group 2: verses 20-21 (c) Group 3: verse 22 (d) Group 4: verse 35

Let every group formulate an answer to the question: ‘Who is Jesus?’ based on the assigned verses. 7.Extract: Read following extract from ‘Jesus of Nazareth’ by Joseph Ratzinger, Pope Benedict XVI 24 Today, too, similar opinions are clearly held by the “people” who have somehow or other come to know Christ, who have perhaps even made a scholarly study of him, but have not encountered Jesus himself in his utter uniqueness and otherness. Karl Jaspers spoke of Jesus alongside Socrates, the Buddha, and Confucius as one of the four paradigmatic individuals. He thus acknowledged that Jesus is of fundamental significance in the search for the right way to be human. Yet for all that, Jesus remains one among others grouped within a common category, in terms of which they can be explained and also delimited. Today it is fashionable to regard Jesus as one of the great religious founders who were granted a profound experience of God. They can thus speak of God to other people who have been denied this “religious disposition,” as it were, drawing them into their own experience of God. However, we are still dealing here with a human experience of God that reflects his infinite reality in the finitude and limitation of a human spirit: It can therefore never amount to more than a partial, not to mention time-and space-bound, translation of the divine. The word experience thus indicates on one hand a real contact with the divine, while also acknowledging the limitation of the receiving subject. Every human subject can capture only a particular fragment of the reality that is there to be perceived, and this fragment then requires further interpretation. Someone who holds this opinion can certainly love Jesus; he can even choose him as a guide for his own life. Ultimately, though, this notion of Jesus’ “experience of God” remains purely relative and needs to be supplemented by the fragments of reality perceived by other great men. It is man, the individual subject, who ends up being himself the measure: The individual decides what he is going to accept from the various 24 Ratzinger, J., Jezus van Nazareth, (Tielt: Lannoo NV, 2007), 273-274.

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“experiences,” what he finds helpful and what he finds alien. There is no definitive commitment here. Standing in marked contrast to the opinion of the people is the “recognition” of the disciples, which expresses itself in acknowledgment, in confession. This extract is about the first group (“the people”) which answers the key question of our Bible passage: Who is Jesus? Is it recognizable? What would people in your neighborhood, classroom ... answer to this question? What do you think is necessary to provide them with a better and more complete image of Jesus?

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3 // Ezekiel 47: 1-12 Bible Passage 1

The man brought me back to the entrance to the temple, and I saw water coming out from under the threshold of the temple toward the east (for the temple faced east). The water was coming down from under the south side of the temple, south of the altar. 2 He then brought me out through the north gate and led me around the outside to the outer gate facing east, and the water was trickling from the south side. 3 As the man went eastward with a measuring line in his hand, he measured off a thousand cubits and then led me through water that was ankledeep. 4 He measured off another thousand cubits and led me through water that was kneedeep. He measured off another thousand and led me through water that was up to the waist. 5 He measured off another thousand, but now it was a river that I could not cross, because the water had risen and was deep enough to swim in—a river that no one could cross. 6 He asked me, “Son of man, do you see this?”Then he led me back to the bank of the river. 7 When I arrived there, I saw a great number of trees on each side of the river. 8 He said to me, “This water flows toward the eastern region and goes down into the Arabah, where it enters the Dead Sea. When it empties into the sea, the salty water there becomes fresh. 9 Swarms of living creatures will live wherever the river flows. There will be large numbers of fish, because this water flows there and makes the salt water fresh; so where the river flows everything will live. 10 Fishermen will stand along the shore; from En Gedi to En Eglaim there will be places for spreading nets. The fish will be of many kinds—like the fish of the Mediterranean Sea. 11 But the swamps and marshes will not become fresh; they will be left for salt. 12 Fruit trees of all kinds will grow on both banks of the river. Their leaves will not wither, nor will their fruit fail. Every month they will bear fruit, because the water from the sanctuary flows to them. Their fruit will serve for food and their leaves for healing.” Background

The name of Ezekiel means ‘May God strengthen him’25. To really comprehend Ezekiel, we need to know a little more about the Babylonian captivity. When the Assyrians destroyed the Northern Kingdom of Israel in 721 BC many survivors were deported to Mesopotamia. How many exiles there were and how this community was organised is not known. The psychological trauma caused by this forced translocation to a place far away from their homeland must have had quite an effect on many of the Israelites. It must have been a great shock for the Jews to discover that even they could be removed ‘far away from the Lord’ (Ezekiel 11:15), as they used to say when their northern brothers were deported26. De captivity of the Jews in Babylon is being said to start in 597 BC when the armies of Nebuchadnezzar took the first prisoners of war. Ezekiel was among these first captives and his message was first received by these people, who hoped for a speedy return to their homeland. When Nebuchadnezzar in that same year installed king Zedekiah, nothing changed in Judea’s political status, since in fact Judea had been a vassal of Babylon 25 Wright, C. J. H. The Message of Ezekiel, (Nottingham: IVP, 2001), 17. 26 Arnold, B. T. & Williamson, H. G. M. Dictionary of the Old Testament. Historical Books, (Downers Grove, IL: IVP, 2005), 526.

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since the reign of Hezekiah Moreover, the important turning point in history happened in 586 when the temple was destroyed. The news of this event functions as a key moment in Ezekiel’s preaching to his fellow exiles. Their hopes for a swift end to their captivity was thus destroyed. The Babylonian captivity is perhaps best symbolised by the loss of the temple’s tableware, which implicated that the Babylonians and their gods were superior to Jahweh 27. Ezekiel came on the scene in the 6th century BC, at the beginning of the Babylonian captivity28. King Jeconiah surrendered Jerusalem in 597 BC and the first Jews were taken away to Babylon by the armies of Nebuchadnezzar29. Jeconiah himself was exiled, along with 10,000 statesmen (2 Kings 24:14)30. Ezekiel, who was being educated to become a priest, was deported with this first batch of exiles31. When he reached the age of thirty (the age at which normally he would start his priesthood) God called him to become a prophet 32. The downfall and subsequent restoration of Israel and Judah are important themes within the book of Ezekiel. The exile of the northern Israelites in 722 BC is explained by Ezekiel’s prophecies as being a punishment for the sins of the Israelites, of which the worshiping of foreign gods was their greatest sin.33 Another important theme in Ezekiel is God’s holy name and how he concerns himself with retaining that worth and holiness before the people of the earth34. Breakdown35 Ezekiel can be divided up into five sections: H1-5 Ezekiel is called to his ministry H6-24 Prophecies: the guilt and downfall of Israel H25-32 Downfall of the people surrounding Israel and Judah H33-39 Restoration of Israel and Judah H40-48 Vision: the new temple in Jerusalem

27 Carson, D. A., France, R. T., Motyer, J. A. eds., New Bible Commentary. 4rd ed. (Leicester: InterVarsity Press, 1994), 33.

28 Jongerenbijbel. Inleiding bij Ezechiël. NBV, 1024-1025. 29 Carson, D. A., France, R. T., Motyer, J. A. eds., New Bible Commentary. 4rd ed. (Leicester: InterVarsity Press, 1994), 33.

30 Alexander, P. & Alexander, D., Handboek bij de Bijbel. (Utrecht: Kok), 461. 31 Carson, D. A., France, R. T., Motyer, J. A. eds., New Bible Commentary. 4rd ed. (Leicester: InterVarsity Press, 1994), 33.

32 Alexander, P. & Alexander, D., Handboek bij de Bijbel. (Utrecht: Kok), 461. 33 Jongerenbijbel. Inleiding bij Ezechiël. NBV, 1024-1025. 34 Wright, C. J. H. The Message of Ezekiel, (Nottingham: IVP, 2001), 36. 35 Jongerenbijbel. Inleiding bij Ezechiël. NBV, 1024-1025.

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The importance of chapter 40-48 is explained in chapter 43 verses 10 and 11: “...” The Israëlites are asked to meditate on the design of the new temple. When they are ashamed about their previous deeds, they are to be encouraged to follow the laws and decrees of their Lord. Note that Ezekiel does not explicitly instruct the Jews to rebuild the temple in this fashion36. Chapter 47 is a continuation of the tour that Ezekiel is being given through the temple. He has just seen the sacred kitchens (46:19-24) and now he is brought back to the entrance of the temple (47:1). In chapter 43, Ezekiel witnessed how God returned to his temple through the east gate, upon which the gate is closed and it is decreed that it is forbidden to enter the temple through this gate, except by the king (44:1-3). Genre Ezekiel consists for a large part of prophecies. To really understand Ezekiel we need to consider that, like all the prophets of the Bible, this is not a theological instruction manual. It is the word of God for a damaged remainder of the exiled Jews who had undergone something that the theologians of that age had considered impossible. The promise of restoration is no longer tied to the repentance of people but to an action of God’s grace. Many people have reduced Ezekiel 40-48 to a priestly ritual, yet in this way they disregard the eschatological character of these chapters37.

Clarification Chapter 47 Yahweh’s return to the temple was to coincide with the Jews returning to their country. Because they had abused the land in such a way, it had - as a figure of speech - vomited them out into exile, and it needed a time of rest and restoration for itself. The injustice of the past must be replaced with equality and harmony among the people, so God in his holiness can remain among them. This was the vision of Ezekiel38. 1 Temple: The captives were encouraged in their grief regarding their deeds by a vision of a new tempel, given to Ezekiel. The temple of Solomon (built in 967 BC) impersonated the religious and national identity of Israel. The location and design expressed Yahweh’s presence and her beauty gave a tangible proof of his favour. In the historical books of the Bible, the temple is a point of reference for Israel’s allegiance to Yahweh and it gives an insight into Israel’s understanding of the cosmos and their own role within creation 39. 36 Carson, D. A., France, R. T., Motyer, J. A. eds., New Bible Commentary. 4rd ed. (Leicester: InterVarsity Press, 1994), 743.

37 Arnold, B. T. & Williamson, H. G. M. Dictionary of the Old Testament. Historical Books, (Downers Grove, IL: IVP, 2005), 526.

38 Wright, C. J. H. The Message of Ezekiel, (Nottingham: IVP, 2001), 355-359. 39 Arnold, B. T. & Williamson, H. G. M. Dictionary of the Old Testament. Historical Books, (Downers Grove, IL: IVP, 2005), 929.

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3-6 1000 el is equal to about 525 meters. 5 The river: There are similarities here with Ezekiel’s earlier vision of the valley of dry bones. It has the same dreamy sequence of events; the same attention to detail; the same miraculous transformation; the same dynamic force flow of divinity. It is highly important that this story of the river is situated right before the part about borders and the division of the promised land. Before the people could come back to their home, the country needed to be healed and cleansed, since Israel’s sins and God’s subsequent punishment had caused it to be a place of death and destruction. Now the country will again be a place of blessing and life, of food and health, like it was supposed to be from the start. Secondly, the spring is of importance because it symbolises the presence of God, from which the river flows. Only through God, this river can give and sustain life. Next, we can conclude that the river in Ezekiel is part of a surrounding biblical imagery. The first important river in the Bible is the one that flowed through the garden of Eden before dividing into four big rivers. The concept of a river that flows from Jerusalem, the city of God, was also a source of inspiration for several psalmists. Also Joël and Zechariah spoke of a river finding its origin in Jerusalem40. As is often the case with prophetic symbolism in the Bible, Ezekiel’s river has different layers of meaning attached to it. For the captives the river spoke of the reversal of the curses, death and barenness of the Babylonian captivity, through their triumphant return as God’s people to the promised land. Furthermore it stands for the true source of all life and healing, the holy presence of God in his sanctuary. For those who believe in the Messiah, Jesus Christ, the river speaks of the living water that continues to flow from God’s Spirit, that gives life and blessings to he who is faithful and which is in turn to be reflected towards his neighbours. We need to remember that al renewal comes forth out of God’s grace and his presence, and that it’s not something that we can accomplish on our own. In the end, the river symbolises life, in Ezekiel as well as in Revelations, where it occurs in the new creation where God lifts every curse present on earth and where he will live among his redeemed loved ones, in all his life giving abundance41. 10 En Gedi is a city on the west coast of the dead sea. This is also the place where Saul squatted down to do his thing42.

40 Wright, C. J. H. The Message of Ezekiel, (Nottingham: IVP, 2001), 355-359. 41 Ibid., 355-359. 42 Carson, D. A., France, R. T., Motyer, J. A. eds., New Bible Commentary. 4rd ed. (Leicester: InterVarsity Press, 1994), 743.

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En Eglaim is supposed to be situated north of En Gedi, though it is not certain. It’s name means “fountain of the two calves”43.

Place within ‘Who is He?’

Ezekiel 47 becomes relevant for us because Jesus, in the New Testament, identifies himself as the one and only source of living water; as the king who returns, like the on that would announce the end of the Babylonian captivity. This is, however, not the only meaning that this chapter carries and one certainly needs to focus on comprehending the message of Ezekiel in the context of his own days. Furthermore, it is of importance that the temple is a place where God lives and that it’s a place where atonement with God takes place; both of these find new meaning in the person of Christ. Revelations 22 partially refers to Ezekiel 47, even more extending it’s importance and meaning for us today.

Core Meaning God gives in abundance. This is a repetition of his promise in Leviticus 26: “ [...] and I will remember the land.” (vs. 42).

Possible questions

O = observation, I = interpretation, A = application

                      

Where exactly are the places of En Gedi and En Eglaim situated? (O) In which direction and in what way does the water flow (O) Who was Ezekiel? (OI) Where is the altar situated in the temple? (O) What is the context of this chapter? What has happened before this chapter? (O) Is there any importance attached to the threshold of the temple? (OI) Why? (I) Who is ”the man”? (OI) What is the literary genre of this text? (OI) Why is the river getting deeper and deeper? (OI) What is the importance of the places of En Gedi and En Eglaim (I) Is the east important? Why? (I) What is the meaning of this prophecy for the Jews who were captives in Babylon? (I) What is the importance of the temple? (I) Why do the swamps and marshes remain salt? (I) Is it a bad thing that they remain salty? (I) What is the purpose of this text? (I) What is the symbolic meaning of the water (I) Did Ezekiel and the Jews expect the temple to be rebuilt one day according to the design that was described in this text? (I) Is there a connection with Genesis 2? (I) What is it? (I) Is there a connection between the water in this text and the water in John 4? (I) Is there a connection with John 7:37-39? (I) Is there a connection with Revelations 22? What is the connection? (I) Is there a connection with Joel 4:18? What is the connection? (I)

43 Ibid., 743-744.

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 Is there a connection with Zechariah 14:8? What is the connection (I)  How can this text be applied in your life? What is its meaning to you? (A)  Where in your surroundings do you see “swamps and marshes”? (A) 

Where can you act as a source of life giving water? (A)

Methods 1.

Drawing: have the members of your group draw the course of the river as a way of observation.

Key words: underline the words that appear more than once. Next, discuss the importance of these words as a way of observation and interpretation.

Links: divide your group into pairs or threesomes and let them examine the similarities between: a. Ezekiel 47 en John 7: 37-39 b. Ezekiel 47 en Revelations 22 c. Ezekiel 47 en John 4 d. Ezekiel 47 en Genesis 2 e. Ezekiel 47 en Ezekiel 43: 10-11 f. Ezekiel 47 en Leviticus 26

The first five texts of this last method show that Ezekiel’s prophecy is part of an all encompassing biblical metaphor. Realising this helps your group to realise the importance of this passage. The last two texts also give an insight into the meaning of the text for the Jews in captivity.

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4 // Psalm 22 Bible passage

1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from my cries of anguish? 2 My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, but I find no rest.3 Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One; you are the one Israel praises.4 In you our ancestors put their trust; they trusted and you delivered them.5 To you they cried out and were saved; in you they trusted and were not put to shame.6 But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by everyone, despised by the people.7 All who see me mock me; they hurl insults, shaking their heads.8 “He trusts in the LORD,” they say,“let the LORD rescue him. Let him deliver him, since he delights in him.” 9 Yet you brought me out of the womb; you made me trust in you, even at my mother’s breast. 10 From birth I was cast on you; from my mother’s womb you have been my God. 11 Do not be far from me, for trouble is near and there is no one to help. 12 Many bulls surround me; strong bulls of Bashan encircle me. 13 Roaring lions that tear their prey open their mouths wide against me. 14 I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint. My heart has turned to wax; it has melted within me. 15 My mouth is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; you lay me in the dust of death. 16 Dogs surround me, a pack of villains encircles me; they pierce my hands and my feet.17 All my bones are on display; people stare and gloat over me.18 They divide my clothes among them and cast lots for my garment. 19 But you, LORD, do not be far from me. You are my strength; come quickly to help me. 20 Deliver me from the sword, my precious life from the power of the dogs. 21 Rescue me from the mouth of the lions; save me from the horns of the wild oxen. 22 I will declare your name to my people; in the assembly I will praise you. 23 You who fear the LORD, praise him! All you descendants of Jacob, honor him! Revere him, all you descendants of Israel! 24 For he has not despised or scorned the suffering of the afflicted one; he has not hidden his face from him but has listened to his cry for help. 25 From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly; before those who fear you I will fulfill my vows. 26 The poor will eat and be satisfied; those who seek the LORD will praise him —may your hearts live forever!27 All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the LORD, and all the families of the nations will bow down before him, 28 for dominion belongs to the LORD and he rules over the nations. 29 All the rich of the earth will feast and worship; all who go down to the dust will kneel before him—those who cannot keep themselves alive. 30 Posterity will serve him; future generations will be told about the Lord. 31 They will proclaim his righteousness, declaring to a people yet unborn: He has done it!

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Background information Clarification Place within ‘Who is He?’ Core theme Possible questions O = observation, I = interpretation, A = application

Methods

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5 // Romans 6 and 7 Bible passage 7:1 What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? 2 By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? 3 Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. 5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— 7 because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. 10 The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.11 In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. 13 Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. 14 For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace. 15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? By no means! 16 Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? 17 But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance. 18 You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.19 I am using an example from everyday life because of your human limitations. Just as you used to offer yourselves as slaves to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer yourselves as slaves to righteousness leading to holiness. 20 When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. 21 What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! 22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. 7 Do you not know, brothers and sisters—for I am speaking to those who know the law—that the law has authority over someone only as long as that person lives? 2 For example, by law a married woman is bound to her husband as long as he is alive, but if her husband dies, she is released from the law that binds her to him. 3 So then, if she has sexual relations with another man while her husband is still alive, she is called an adulteress. But if her husband dies, she is released from that law and is not an adulteress if she marries another man. 4 So, my brothers and sisters, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God. 5 For when we were in the realm of the flesh, the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in us, so that we bore fruit for death. 6 But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not

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in the old way of the written code.7 What shall we say, then? Is the law sinful? Certainly not! Nevertheless, I would not have known what sin was had it not been for the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.” 8 But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, produced in me every kind of coveting. For apart from the law, sin was dead. 9 Once I was alive apart from the law; but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died. 10 I found that the very commandment that was intended to bring life actually brought death. 11 For sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, deceived me, and through the commandment put me to death. 12 So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous and good.13 Did that which is good, then, become death to me? By no means! Nevertheless, in order that sin might be recognized as sin, it used what is good to bring about my death, so that through the commandment sin might become utterly sinful.14 We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. 15 I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. 16 And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. 17 As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. 18 For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.21 So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22 For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; 23 but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. 24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? 25 Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.

Background Genre A letter is being read here. A letter is usually addressed to somebody or – as is the case in the Bible – to a whole church. Letters are often written with a specific goal; in this case the church clearly has a problem that Paul considers more at length. The church of Rome is the target group of this letter; in this church were many converted Jews. We must moreover not forget that Paul himself was a Pharisee44.

Clarification Law This word is omnipresent in this extract. As to the meaning, one must mostly consider that it means Mozes’ 5 books of law (the Pentateuch or Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy)45. Death 44 Carson, D. A., France, R. T., Motyer, J. A. eds. New Bible Commentary. 4th ed. (Leicester: InterVarsity Press, 1994), 1115-1117.

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The use of the word ‘death’ has several meanings in the letter to the Romans. In chapter 6 verse 1-14 death is connected to being free of the influence of sin. In chapter 6 verse 15-23 the significance evolves to being free of the influence of the Law. Here ‘death’ most probably means be baptized. Because when you’re baptized you die for a first time and resurrect with Jesus46. In addition, there is also the meaning of being dead as in ‘losing eternal life’. This is e.g. the case in Romans 6 verse 23. Righteousness This is a very complex notion. Concretely, 3 meanings have been given to righteousness in the context of Romans: 1) The ultimate righteousness (‘final righteousness’), eternal life. 2) The present life in Christ (through vindication). The righteous life; a feature of a Christian47.

Place within ‘Who is He?’ Jesus is the person who made sure that the laws could fulfill their task, rather than that sin increased through the laws. Jesus fulfilled the Law and thereby freed mankind of the yoke of sin, but placed them under the ‘yoke’ of grace. Mankind will always serve a master and Jesus enabled us, sinful people, to yet be able to choose God as our master.

Core theme

God provides grace for the sins of the human being, but this does not give you a permit for sinning. By following Jesus’ example, you see the Law as it was meant by God.

Possible questions O = observation, I = interpretation, A = application 

Count how many times the words death, sin and law occur. (O)

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Who is ‘we’? (O)

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What part does Paul confer to God, Jesus, Spirit and human in this extract? (O)

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Why do you think these words (death, sin and law) are repeated so often? (O)

45 Carson, D. A., France, R. T., Motyer, J. A. eds. New Bible Commentary. 4th ed. (Leicester: InterVarsity Press, 1994), 1137. 46 Ibid., 1115-1119, 1132-1139 en Osborne, R. O. Romans, IVPNTCS, (Downers Grove, IL: Intervarsity Press, 2004), 154. 47 Osborne, R. O. Romans, IVPNTCS, (Downers Grove, IL: Intervarsity Press, 2004), 154, 161.

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

What is the law? (OI)

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Does Paul differentiate between the secular law and the divine law? (OI)

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How does Paul consider the law in this text? (OI)

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What could be the difference between a command and a law in this text? (I)

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“Sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment” How is that? How can something bad like sin make use of something as good as the commandment? (I)

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How can we live according to that new order of the Spirit? (IA)

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How can we handle our sinful nature? (A)

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If you had a country, which laws would you introduce to support Paul in his argument? (A)

Methods 1) Select: This is a long biblical text demanding quite a lot of reflection. It is best to take 1 of the 2 chapters. In order to make things run smoothly, it is recommended to begin from the main verse of the chapter preceding the chapter you have decided to use for your circle. Paul writes in a teaching style, so he often repeats what he has concluded in the previous chapter. This will result concretely in one of both these situations: - The start is made in chapter 5 (Rom. 5 v 19-21) to then discuss chapter 6. -

Paul starts chapter 7 with repeating what he concluded at the end of chapter 6 (Rom. 7 v 1-6)

It is most important to work from a good basis, because if this lacks, the leitmotiv of the Bible study can be lost through discussions. So keep in mind that Paul tries to make something clear and he constantly anticipates questions that could be asked. We recommend to start from the questions that Paul himself brings up. 2) Laws: Look for some laws in the Pentateuch beforehand and let your circle members check which laws they do or do not fulfill. This way, you can let them partly experience how things must have been for the first converted Jews.

3) Conclusion: Everybody having read the text, place your circle members in a circle. Ask the first person to rephrase the first verse in his/her own words and to tell it to the next member. This will help to better understand the difficult concepts, the argument, the line of thought.

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6 // Matthew 25 Bible Passage Background Clarification

Place within ‘Who is He?’ Core Meaning Methods

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7 // Jeremiah 29: Bible passage 7:1 This is the text of the letter that the prophet Jeremiah sent from Jerusalem to the surviving elders among the exiles and to the priests, the prophets and all the other people Nebuchadnezzar had carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. 2 (This was after King Jehoiachin and the queen mother, the court officials and the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, the skilled workers and the artisans had gone into exile from Jerusalem.) 3 He entrusted the letter to Elasah son of Shaphan and to Gemariah son of Hilkiah, whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent to King Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon. It said:4 This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5 “Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. 6 Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. 7 Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” 8 Yes, this is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “Do not let the prophets and diviners among you deceive you. Do not listen to the dreams you encourage them to have. 9 They are prophesying lies to you in my name. I have not sent them,” declares the LORD.10 This is what the LORD says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. 11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you,” declares the LORD, “and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the LORD, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.” Background Genre The book of Jeremiah as we know it now, is the result of a long editorial process that is difficult to analyse. Biblical scholars are not agreed on the various sources that were used to contribute to the book as we know it now. The passage we are looking at here is probably an independent letter which was given a place in the book later on, alongside some other letters from Jeremiah. It is therefore difficult to determine which genre the book belongs to, because it consists of many different genres. Our passage here is a letter, with an introduction containing some explanations and some details about the context. Jeremiah (645-580 BC) was a prophet in the Kingdom of Judah (also called the Southern Kingdom or the Two Tribe Kingdom). He lived at a time when many shifts were taking place at the level of international power structures. The Assyrian Empire was collapsing and the Babylonian Empire become dominant in the region. At the same time, Egypt was trying to maintain and strengthen her own position. The Kingdoms of Israel and Judah were right in the middle of all this political turmoil. Israel had already been in exile with the Assyrians, and Judah was a vassal state of the Babylonian Empire (comparable to East Germany and Poland in the Soviet era). When a pro-Egyptian government came into power in Judah,

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Babylonia incorporated Judah as a province within the larger Empire as a matter of precaution. A group of predominantly prominent Judeans from Jerusalem were deported elsewhere in the Empire – this is what is called the Babylonian exile48. As a prophet it was Jeremiah’s role to proclaim God’s message to his people. The task of the prophet was not primarily to foretell the future or promote social justice; a prophet tells the people what God wants to tell them, and this may include a variety of messages. Jeremiah has many different themes in his messages, and one of the main ones is that God has ultimate power over his creation: in the midst of political turmoil, He is the one who governs over the nations. Another recurring message is God’s disappointment with his people rebelling against Him. When reading the book we must be conscious of the distress of the people forcibly leaving for exile and their deep desire to return back home49.

Clarification 1-3 Elasah and Gemariah were ambassadors who were sent to king Nebachadnezzar by the Judean king Zedekiah, soon after the beginning of the exile to Babylon. Jeremiah gave his letter to the exiles to the two ambassadors. The letter is addressed to the remainder of the elders, priests, prophets and all the other people who were taken. The elders were probably governors of villages and cities that had survived Nebuchadnezzar’s attack, and we can assume that they felt a great sense of angst and confusion50. 4 God is the god of Israel (Jakob, after his name change). The readers of this letter come from Judah. After the division of the Kingdom of David and Solomon, both kingdoms developed their own history, but some kind of bond remained. Therefore the term Israel was used to refer to both, pointing to the covenant between God and the patriarchs. This God is with them in exile. Exile was not a form of imprisonment; the exiles are expected to rebuild their lives. They were encouraged to build their own houses and gardens, according to their own customs. Their greatest punishment was to be away from Jerusalem and the temple. Their marriages were only within their own community as they were not allowed to marry different peoples (see Ezrah 9:12-15 and Nehemiah 13:23-28). In Jeremiah 28 we read of a prophet promisesing that the exiles will be allowed to return in two years’ time. This prophet soon died and his prophecy turned out to be false. In this letter here there is talk of the exile lasting for three generations, so the people are called to settle for a long period of time. The remainder of the 48 Paul, M. J., van den Brink, G. & Bette, C., Bijbelcommentaar Jeremia | Klaagliederen. Studiebijbel Oude Testament. (Veenendaal: Centrum voor Bijbelonderzoek, 2013), 4-6 49 Bracke, J. M., Jeremiah 1-29. Westminster Bible Companio. (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 1999), 7-8 50 Paul, M. J., van den Brink, G. & Bette, C., Bijbelcommentaar Jeremia | Klaagliederen. Studiebijbel Oude Testament. (Veenendaal: Centrum voor Bijbelonderzoek, 2013), 4-6

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letter (up to verse 15) is also a warning against other prophets who proclaim a different message. By settling in, the exiles begin to contribute to the wellbeing of the city – a wellbeing they will eventually benefit from themselves.

Place within ‘faith in the world’

Having faith in the world, is what is done by the faithful in the world. For centuries Christians have found great meaning in the metaphor of the exile. We are not at home in this world, but we expect that at some point in the future we will be in our real home, with God. The Bible promises God’s people that one day we will live with God, and that the separation that we feel now between God and humanity will no longer be there. At that time, God will always be visible and nearby, which is what we deeply long for. We can sometimes compare this with student life. The place which is considered ‘home’ is not necessarily the student accommodation where we spend a lot of our time. No one promises that things will change soon, not even God himself. In the world, in the country, in the city where we now live, is where we are called to make a contribution. We need to be part of the society where we live and work. We need to contribute to the wellbeing of our planet, of our country, of our city, and we should ignore messages which discourage this. We need to be prepared to live long and aim to flourish where we have been planted. Where God has placed us is where God wants us to pray and work for Him and for our comunity – so that we grow, and not decrease.

Kerngedachte

God calls us to pray for, to work for and fully contribute to the wellbeing of our environment and community.

Possible questions O = observation, I = interpretation, A = application               

Who led the Judeans into exile? (O) Who went into exile? (O) Which places are named here? (O) What is the ‘letter’? (OI) What genre is this? (OI) What are the exiles called to do? (OI) What are the exiles warned about? (OI) Why did Jeremiah write this letter? (I) Why is the flourishing of the city closely linked with the flourishing of the exiles? (I) What do the exiles wish for? (I) Why are the exiles called to increase and not decrease in number? (I) What is this genre and this passage aiming for? (IA) Can you think of parallels between exile and student life? (A) Can you think of parallels between exile and the Christian life? (A) What is the connection in this letter with the phrase, ‘Christians do not belong to this world, but are placed in this world’? (A)

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 In what ways would you adjust this letter to make it relevant to your Ichtus group or church community? (A)  How could your Ichtus group pray for the city and contribute to her flourishing? (A)  How could your Ichtus group benefit from the flourishing of the city? (A)  How can your Ichtus group work towards increasing, not decreasing? (A)

Methods 1) City walk: Divide your group into two to four small groups and as many locations in the city. Do this Bible study in different places in the city, for instance a town hall, a park, a university building, etc. Turn the city map into a prayer card with post-it notes of important locations for the city and for your group members. Pray for these places. 2) Volunteering: Encourage your group members to volunteer in a social action project for the city. 3) Visual material: As a way of introduction, you could collect some pictures or films of your city and present this to your group. 4) Current Affairs: As a way of introduction you could discuss some current affairs. Collect information from papers, blogs, TV or radio news. Discuss a variety of topics such as important events, popular film and music. You could turn some of this information into a quiz or a group debate on policies. The current affairs could cover different areas of the city, the country or the world, or could be in certain fields such as the education sector.

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8 // Acts 17: 16-32 Bijbelgedeelte 17:16 While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols. 17 So he reasoned in the synagogue with both Jews and God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there. 18 A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to debate with him. Some of them asked, “What is this babbler trying to say?” Others remarked, “He seems to be advocating foreign gods.” They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection. 19 Then they took him and brought him to a meeting of the Areopagus, where they said to him, “May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting? 20 You are bringing some strange ideas to our ears, and we would like to know what they mean.” 21 (All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas.)22 Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: “People of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. 23 For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. So you are ignorant of the very thing you worship—and this is what I am going to proclaim to you.24 “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. 25 And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. 26 From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. 27 God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. 28 ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’29 “Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by human design and skill. 30 In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. 31 For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.”32 When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some of them sneered, but others said, “We want to hear you again on this subject.”

Background

There is no specific mention of the author in Acts, but it is assumed to be Luke 51, and therefore the book of Acts is only complete when read alongside the gospel of Luke 52. If this is the case, the book of Acts would have been written in the second half of the first century AD53. Acts mainly describes the expansion of the gospel to the Gentiles, but we also spend a lot of time observing the first church communities. The structure is as follows 54: 51 R. R. Hausoul, Handelingen, 17. 52 Het Boek. (Zevenhuizen: Stichting Living Bibles International), 927. 53 R. R. Hausoul, Handelingen, 21.

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1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

Ascension and Pentecost Church in Jerusalem Expansion of the gospel to Samaria Saul comes onto the scene; the first persecutions Paul’s conversion and mission to the Gentiles: 1st, 2nd and 3rd mission Paul travels to Rome

Acts 16 is part of Paul’s mission to the Gentiles. In verse 15 we read that Paul was waiting for Silas and Timothy in Athens. At the time Athens was known for its universities and people would travel long distances there to learn about different philosophers such as Plato and Zeno. This city was the spiritual centre of the Greek-Roman civilisation55.

Clarification 16 According to the Roman author Plinius, Athens had more than 3,000 idols. The city was full of them56. 17 Paul first went to the synagogue to see the Jews, then he went on to the market square for a debate. In fact he was following Socrates’ principle, who made his living from debates on the market square57. 18 Epicurians were the followers of Epicurus who sought after the secret of enjoyment and happiness in life: how to enjoy life as much and as long as we can. Stoics were the followers of Zeno. They considered ‘thinking’ superior to ‘feeling’ and aimed to live in complete harmony with nature58. These two groups of philosophers seemed to believe that Paul was talking about two new, foreign gods, namely Jesus and a goddess called Resurrection 59. 19 The Areopagus was located on the westerly hill of the Acropolis. In Paul’s day there was a court of justice there which presided over cases involving serious crimes or important religious or moral issues. The court was later moved to a different location, but the name Areopagus remained60. 54 Het Boek. (Zevenhuizen: Stichting Living Bibles International), 927. 55 P. Cuijpers, Paulus in Athene. (2008), 1. 56 R. R. Hausoul, Handelingen, 282. 57 Ibid., 282. 58 P. Cuijpers, Paulus in Athene. (2008), 1. 59 Ibid., 1. 60 Ibid., 2.

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21 It seems that the Athenians were constantly on the lookout for something new. Ancient stories made them curious. When Paul comes to them and tells them about God, he manages to captivate their attention, even at the Areopagus61. 22-31 Paul appears before the Council of the Areopagus and gives a noteworthy speech. He is indignant about the idols in the city (verse 16), and yet manages to speak respectfully to the men of Athens (vers 22). 24-25 Paul first presents God as Creator and starts with the creation story, as does the Bible. Indirectly he gives the message that the temples in Athens are not God’s temples, and that God does not need anything from people62. 27 Everything in creation points to the greatness of God. This is why we search for Him. But even when we do not search for him, He is not far from us63. 28 Paul quotes some Greek poets who said, ‘we are his offspring‘ – meaning the offspring of Zeus and not God64. 29 Paul indicates that the idols whom the Athenians worship are not worthy of their adoration. These idols were made by men, but mankind is made by God so He deserves all honour and glory65. 31 Paul speaks about the future of humanity. One day there will be judgement. Indirectly he also referres to Jesus, by using the term ‘a man’66. 32-33 For some members of the Council Paul’s concept of the resurrection was unthinkable. Many Athenians believed in an immortal soul after death, which was completely separate from the human body. Therefore it sounded like pure nonsense that someone would be raised from the dead.67 Interestingly, after his speech Paul simply leaves, without entering into a debate 61 R. R. Hausoul, Handelingen, 285. 62 R. R. Hausoul, Handelingen, 286. 63 Ibid., 286. 64 P. Cuijpers, Paulus in Athene. (2008), 2. 65 R. R. Hausoul, Handelingen, 286. 66 Ibid., 286. 67 Ibid., 286.

with the members of the Council. That may explain why some members said to Paul, ‘We want to hear you again on this subject.’ But Paul ‘left the Council’ (v.33) 68.

Place within ‘faith in the world’ In this passage there is a lot that resonates with us when we look at our society and its trends. Many people around us claim to believe in something they can’t describe, a bit like the Athenians who had an altar for an unknown god. We live in a society where God no longer come first, but many idols are worshiped instead. There is no absolute truth anymore, but rather an acceptance of many different religions as a way to truth. As Christians we need to take this context seriously. We cannot just go out and proclaim that ‘everyone else is wrong’. We need to listen to other opinions and from a position of respect we may have a more receptive audience to tell other people about Jesus.

Core theme

Paul goes to Athens, a city full of idols, and gives a speech about God in front of the Council of the Areopagus. He manages to do this from an attitude of respect but does not shy away from challenging their beliefs.

Possible questions

O = observation, I = interpretation, A = application              

Who are the Epicurians and the Stoics and what do they believe? (O) What is the Areopagus? (O) What did the poets mean with “from him we have our being’? (O) What is Paul’s tone? (O) Notice the usage of the words ‘you’, ‘I’ and ‘we’. How often are they used? (O) What is the response of the people who listen to Paul? Does their reaction change? (OI) How does Paul construct his speech? What are his arguments? (OI) Why does Paul say “a man” and not “Jesus”? (I) Try to summarise this passage in one sentence. Try to come to a consensus. Make sure it is in line with the passage. (I) Why is this passage here? What was the author’s intention? Make sure it is in line with the passage. (I) What do you think the first listeners of the passage thought? Why? Does your response match the wider context of the Book of Acts? (I) What do you think the idols of our day are? (A) What does this passage call us to do? (A) What technique or attitude can we learn from Paul’s speech concerning the proclamation of the gospel to people from different faiths, including atheism? From Paul’s speech we can conclude that he had taken time to understand the culture of his audience. How well do you know the culture around you? What do you want to change in the light of this passage? (A)

68 P. Cuijpers, Paulus in Athene. (2008), 4.

Methods 1) Clip: As an introduction you could watch the following clip, ‘What is religious pluralism?’ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XcRamsHWPwE The speaker describes pluralism and how a pluralist person would think about Jesus. He asks how we as Christians think about Jesus too. This clip can help open up the theme of this study or you can use it to facilitate a wider conversation on this topic. 2) Group discussion: Encourage your group members to read the passage on their own first. They could make notes on the content and difficult words. Then divide the group into two so that they can share their findings and their questions. At the end both groups can share their findings together which can lead to a deeper discussion on the interpretation of this passage. As leader make sure that people keep coming back to the passage and help facilitate a constructive discussion with space for different opinions. 3) Quote: Often we are our own biggest idol: my happiness, my career, my looks, my achievements,…. Ask your group what would be the engraving for our idols. Discuss this together. This can lead to prayer and confession. 4) Prayer: you can end in prayer for what you have learnt from this passage. Pray for the student context: where you live, study, work and for the culture you are part of.

9 // Matthew 5:1-15 Bible passage Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2 and he began to teach them. He said: 3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. 6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. 7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. 8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. 9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. 10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. 13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. 14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.

Background Author The author of this gospel is Matthew, who was a tax collector in Kapernaum. Matthew’s profession may give us an indication of why this gospel is so well ordered and has a clear structure69.

Target Audience

69 D. Pawson, Sleutel tot de Bijbel. (London: HarperCollinsPublishers, 2003), 945

The gospel of Matthew was not only written for non-Jewish Christians, but in fact was written mainly for Jewish Christians and has many Jewish features. It includes various references to Jesus’ family history, the Old Testament, and the Law. This gospel is also particularly Jewish in the use of its language (‘the Kingdom of Heaven’), and Matthew’s emphasis on the innocence of Jesus, the Messiah, also indicates he was writing for people from a Jewish background. It was Matthew’s deep desire to see the Jewish people come to faith70.

Central themes in Matthew

This Book of the Bible was much loved amongst the first generation of Christians and church communities. They sought to find ways to take the gospel of Jesus to other peoples and make them disciples. As well as describing the birth, baptism, temptation, death and resurrection of Jesus, this gospel also includes five long discourses, in which Jesus teaches his disciples how to live in the Kingdom. Two other themes that are core to this gospel are 71: Faith: Faith is very important in the gospel of Matthew. We often hear Jesus asking, ‘Do you believe in what I have told you?’ or, ‘Do you believe that I can do this?‘. Jesus longs for his followers to trust in Him and in his Word72. Righteousness/Justice: Jesus says that we are saved for righteousness, which means that once we have come to faith and have had our sins forgiven, we are expected to demonstrate the righteousness of God in our lives by doing good and living in a good way. Exactly how we can do this is described in the gospel of Matthew.

Structure of the book As mentioned earlier, the gospel of Matthew has a very clear structure. As an introduction, Matthew tells us about the birth, death and temptation of Jesus. Subsequently in chapters 5-25 we find the different sermons. These are interspersed with accounts of Jesus’ deeds and miracles, which supported his teachings. In this way Matthew wanted to show the reader that Jesus’ teachings are an example for us, but the way He lived was too. Finally the gospel describes the death and resurrection of Jesus 73. The Bible passage we are looking at in Matthew 5 can be found in Jesus’ first sermon, better known as the Sermon on te Mount.

Clarification

70 D. Pawson, Sleutel tot de Bijbel. (London: HarperCollinsPublishers, 2003), 952-957 71 Ibid., 967-970 72 Ibid., 967 73 Ibid., 949-950

3 ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, ...’ The poor in spirit could refer to those with limited intellectual capacities,or it could mean those in material poverty. Both of these possible interpretations are based on our status in the world. But in order to find the true meaning of ‘poor in spirit’, we need to reflect on our spiritual poverty. In Greek the word ”ptochoi” is used, meaning ‘beggar’. Our spiritual attitude to God needs to be like that of a beggar, hungry for his Word and his mercy, and grateful for all that we receive from Him74. 3-12 Earlier on in the gospel of Matthew, Jeus told his listeners that the Kingdom of Heaven was near (Matthew 4:17). Those who heard this may have wanted to know what they could do to enter the Kingdom of God. This sermon answers this question, and highlights how different God’s Kingdom is from the kingdoms of the earth75. 11-12 Jesus tells his listeners to ‘rejoice and be glad’ for being insulted, persecuted and falsely accused. At first sight, this may seem contradictory. However, persecution can be a good thing, as it can strengthen our faith as we persevere, and enable us to encourage others. The fact that we are persecuted can be a sign that we trust in God despite what is happening around us. For this, there will be a reward later in the Kingdom of God.

Place within ‘Faith in the World’ The annual theme of ‘Faith in the World’ can be interpreted in two ways. On the one hand, we can interpret this as: faith and the faithful in the world. How can we behave as Christians in the world, how can we relate to each other? On the other hand, we can ask the question: do we have faith in the world? Are we confident that we as Jesus’ co-workers can contribute to the good in this world? To the first question, this passage gives us a very clear answer, as Jesus describes how to live in this world, what kind of attitude to have towards each other. Jesus shows us how to be light and salt in the world. To the second question, if we should have faith in the world, we should say, yes, absolutely! ‘...so that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven’ (verse 16). If we live the way Jesus showed us and taught us, people will notice and honour God.

Core Theme The Kingdom of Heaven is totally different from worldly kingdoms, so in order to be part of it, our behaviour will be totally different. Jesus calls us to be compassionate, gentle, humble...It is important that the world sees this, so that they can be witnesses of the greatness and goodness of God’s Kingdom. 74 Saret, De Bergrede studie, 1-2 75 The life Application Study Bible. (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers/Youth for Christ, 1993), 1096

Possible questions O = observation, I = interpretation, A = application

 What do you notice when you read the passage? Can you identify a structure? Do you notice any contrasts or similarities? Can you provide a label for the different parts? (O) Is there any part of the passage that speaks to you personally? (O) What are the different beatitudes? (O) What is God’s reward for each beatitude? (O) What does Jesus compare us with here? (O) What does this passage teach us about how to live? (OI) What are the contradictions between beatitudes and contemporary values? (OI) What is meant with peacemakers? (I) What does it mean to be the ‘salt of the earth’? (I) What does it mean to be the ‘light of the earth’? (I) Is it sufficient to fulfil some of these, but not all? Why or why not? (I) Can you summarise this passage in 1 or 2 sentences, explaining what is most important to you? (I)  How can you apply this passage in your community, school, friendships and family? (A)  What aspects from this passage can be improved in your life? (A)  What would you want to pray about after reading this? (A)

          

Methods 1) Association: take a large sheet of paper and write down one of the beatitudes. Encourage the group members to write down all the words they associate with it. Afterwards, you can discuss their ideas in the broader context of their meaning in the passage (after observation, as an introduction to interpretation). 2) Reconstruction: Divide the group in two. Give one half the passage without the ‘beatitudes’ and the other half the passage without the ‘rewards’. Are the groups able to reconstruct the passage? (see appendix) 3) Group work: Divide the group in two’s or three’s. Leave each small group to do the observation questions, and at the end share the findings together. This can also be done for interpretation and application. This method allows the individual group members time to share at their own pace and in more depth. 4) Creative: Give each member of the group one beatitude to creatively express, draw, sing or explain. 5) Brainstorm: Take a large piece of paper and discuss the question,”How can you apply this passage in your community, school, friendships and family?”. Have a brainstorm with your group. Keep hold of the piece of paper afterwards and use it to keep members accountable. 6) Prayer: After the Bible study, go into groups of two or three and pray for each other, especially for those things that you would like to see changed after reading and studying this passage.

 10 // Jakobus 1:19-2:26 Bible passage 1: 19 My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, 20 because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. 21 Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25 But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.26 Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless. 27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. 2:1 My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favouritism. 2 Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in filthy old clothes also comes in. 3 If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, “Here’s a good seat for you,” but say to the poor man, “You stand there” or “Sit on the floor by my feet,” 4 have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?5 Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? 6 But you have dishonored the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court? 7 Are they not the ones who are blaspheming the noble name of him to whom you belong?8 If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbour as yourself,” you are doing right. 9 But if you show favouritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. 10 For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. 11 For he who said, “You shall not commit adultery,” also said, “You shall not murder.” If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker. 12 Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, 13 because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment. 14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? 15 Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.18 But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.”Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. 19 You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.20 You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? 21 Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. 23 And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend. 24 You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone.25 In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for

what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? 26 As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead. Background This Book of the Bible was probably written by James, a brother of Jesus. James had opposed Jesus and all that He stood for, until His death and resurrection. James converted after Jesus appeared to him personally (1 Cor. 15:7), and from then on he became a servant of Christ by leading the church in Jerusalem. The main focus in his ministry was to bring Christ to the Jewish people76. This letter was written to Jews who had settled abroad, the so called ‘twelve tribes of the diaspora’. What James wrote then is still very relevant and contemporary for us today; many of his observations and exhortations turned out to be universally applicable. Therefore letter can be read as a practical guide for Christian living and behaviour. It contains many moral prescriptions and statements related to Christian ethics. Previous to this passage, James wrote about how a Christian can deal with temptation, namely by praying for wisdom and by viewing temptation as an opportunity or a challenge to practise our faith and deepen in it. James was aware that it was difficult for the new Christians, who lived in a foreign land, to stay true to their newfound faith 77. However he saw an active, living faith as the best way to handle these challenges. In the passage we are studying, James continues to elaborate on how to practically live out our faith. This passage contains as it were three main sections that each illustrate a different aspect of this active faith78: a) 1:19-27 on ‘Hearing and doing’ – the wisdom that is prayed for, coupled with a practical living out of faith, will result in a godly attitude and life style. James calls his readers not only to hear, but also to act. ‘Hearing’ only leads to nothing (vers 24). b) 2:1-13 on ‘Favouritism’ – this kind of active faith will not favour some people over others. Following Christ changes the way we view the people around us and how we relate to them. c) 2:14-26 on ‘pointless faith’ – an active faith cannot be ‘dead’, it will always lead to action. There is no point in keeping faith to oneself, because the Christian faith is intrinsically active. In the final section James gives two practical examples from OT characters who demonstrated their faith through their actions. The story of Abraham who laid his son on the altar can be found in Genesis 22:1-19, while the act of faith by Rahab can be found in Joshua 2:1-24. Abraham continued to believe that God would give him an innumerable amount of descendants, whereas Rahab believed that the spies were sent by God and that the land belonged to them. Both acted on their faith, and to James this is essential both in daily practical matters as well as in more difficult, challenging situations. 76 Mears, H. C. What the Bible Is All About, part II: The New Testament, (Ventura, CA: Regal Books, 1997), 299-306. 77 Keener, C. S. The IVP New Testament Background Commentary, (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1993), 686704; Stulac, G. M. James, IVPNTCS, (Downers Grove, IL: IVP, 1993), 60-120. 78 Ibid.

Clarification 2:21 The act is seen as righteous because of the underlying principle or faith that inspired the action.

Place within ‘faith in the world’ Just like the Christians whom James is writing to, we as Christian students live as ‘foreigners’ in a city/ a society full of challenges. James’ call to us is the same: hold on to your faith, not by hiding it or by keeping it to yourself, but by living it out and reaching out to others. In this passage James is calling us to an active faith which will not only benefit ourselves but others also; faith and action go hand in hand. ‘Faith in the world’ becomes an active concept in this passage. The believing student is called to carry out his faith through a thoughtful life style and deeds which show the nature of Jesus. The student who treasures his faith but does not live it out, has a faith of little value. Core theme Live out your faith and allow it to express itself in a thoughtful way of life which reaches out to others without favouritism, and results in a way of living which puts action before words.

Possible questions

O = observation, I = interpretation, A = application                

What genre is this? (O) Who is the narrator and what point is he trying to make? (O) What words or sentences stand out to you? (O) What does the author call his readers to do? What do they need to be and do? (OI) What is the author’s attitude towards his readers? What does he call them? (OI) What kind of atmosphere is the author trying to create? What words or sentences make you feel that? (OI) What kind of questions does the author ask? Why? What is his tone? (OI) What comparisons does James make? (OI) How are we supposed to read the seriousness in his message? (I) Why does James continually address them as ‘my brothers’? (I) In what ways does the author try to make his points come across? Read it verse by verse. (I) What arguments and examples does he use here? Does he mix them up? Why? (OI) What is the core message of each different section? Explain why. (I) Can you find an analogy between the different sections? Which ones? How does the content of each paragraph connect with the others? (I) Compare 2:17 and 2:20. What are the differences? (I) In 2:14 James asks two questions. What are the differences in content, purpose and answer? (IA)

What does this genre usually call for? And this passage? (IA) What questions does this passage raise with you? (IA) Where is there ‘favouritism’ in your life? (IA) How can you make this passage applicable in your own life? (IA) Link each question to a possible answer from James from this passage. Answer the questions also in the light of your own life. (IA)  Is this passage relevant for you as a student, or in other parts of your life? (A)  In the last section, which aspects of your own life could this apply to? (A)     

Methods 1) Favouritism: Try the following experiment on favouritism before you embark on the Bible Study. Make sure everyone is together at the same table at the end of the meal, or as you get snacks out for the evening. Provide some people with a desert/snack and leave others without. Or give an extra portion to some people, but others not. Or give a special seat to some, but not others. Be creative! Make sure you explain your experiment during your Bible study. 2) Analysis: Analyse the structure of the passage. Divide your group into three small groups so that each group can focus on a paragraph. Use different colours and analyse the sentence construction, type of sentence (command, question, ...), tone (mark words which indicate tone), connections between cause and effect, between question and answer, between statement and argument... 3) Current affairs: How does favouritism display itself in our world today? It is not at the financial level only. Give each person a few pages from a newspaper to find examples of favouritism, and discuss the issues that arise out of them. Link them to your own life as a student and the ways you are sometimes confronted with it. 4) Martin Luther King Jr.: As a way of introduction, listen to the ‘I have a dream’ speech by Martin Luther King Jr. in 1963 (can be found on YouTube). The entire version lasts 17 minutes and the short version 6 minutes. Make sure you have a copy of the text and compare it James with Martin Luther King Jr.’s message.. 5) Louis Theroux: Watch a piece from the controversial documentary, ‘The Most hated family in America’ by Louis Theroux (1st documentary). Fragments can be found on YouTube. Compare what James calls us to do with this family. Try to keep the discussion constructive without judging. 6) Letter: Encourage the group members to write a letter to themselves in the light of this passage, and put it in a sealed enveloppe. The letter could be kept for some time by the group leader, who will hand it back a few weeks or months later. The main aim of the letter is to work around the theme of ‘faith and work’. The structure from James can be used as a template (2:14-26). Stick to the theme, but use the sentence structures that James uses: ask yourself questions, give an example from real life and illustrate it with examples of other people who inspire you to achieve your goal. Challenge yourself!

11 // Micha 6: 1-8 Bible passage

8:1 Listen to what the LORD says: “Stand up, plead my case before the mountains; let the hills hear what you have to say. 2 “Hear, you mountains, the LORD’s accusation; listen, you everlasting foundations of the earth. For the LORD has a case against his people; he is lodging a charge against Israel. 3 “My people, what have I done to you? How have I burdened you? Answer me. 4 I brought you up out of Egypt and redeemed you from the land of slavery. I sent Moses to lead you, also Aaron and Miriam. 5 My people, remember what Balak king of Moab plotted and what Balaam son of Beor answered. Remember your journey from Shittim to Gilgal, that you may know the righteous acts of the LORD.” 6 With what shall I come before the LORD and bow down before the exalted God? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? 7 Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of olive oil? Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? 8 He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

Background79

Micah was a prophet in Judah, between 742 and 696 BC. During his service (in 722 BC) the ten northerly tribes – known as Israel - are being conquered by the Assyrians. This was predicted in Micah’s first oracle (1:2-7). Micah warns Judah that the same fate will await them if they do not return to their God. He prophesied especially outside of Jerusalem, to the common man. 79 Chavalas, M.W., Matthews, V.H. & Walton, J.H., The IVP Bible Background Commentary. Old Testament, (Downers Grove: Intervarsity Press, 2000), 832; Constable, Dr. Constable’s Notes on Micah, 42.

Micah focuses on the idea of bad religion as social injustice. He also spends a lot of time announcing the Messiah and the restoration of Israel. These two themes overlap in accusations against Judah’s rulers who abuse their God-given power, and they point to the Messiah who will be worthy of his title as ruler. The Book of Micah consists of three oracles, which each open with a call to listen: 1:2 – 2:13, 3:1 – 5:14, 6:1 – 7:20. All three contain a section on judgement and a section on restoration. The passage we are looking at is from a section on judgement, seen as a court case from God against Israel.

Clarification 1 The entire creation is called to be a witness of this court case between God and his people, who have violated the covenant. This literary form can be seen in many of the Prophets 80. 5 Balak tried to get Balaam to curse Israel, but Israel was blessed through God’s intervention (Numbers 22-24). Shittim was the last place where the Israelites stood before crossing the Jordan with God’s help, and Gilgal was the first place where they stood after the crossing (Joshua 3-4). 6-7 A calf of a year old would be a greater financial sacrifice than a newly born calf, and therefore a better sacrifice81. If sacrifices keep getting bigger, greater than anything anyone could ever bring, it would lead to child sacrifice, which the Lord detested. The point here is that no sacrifice can be big enough82. 8 The salutation “O mortal” makes the point to Micah’s audience that this is a message for every single person, not only for the leaders of the people. It also emphasises submission to God83.

Place within ‘faith in the world’ ‘Faith in the world’ means bringing faith into the world we now live in, but also believing in the goodness of the world, and to build on that goodness by living in accordance to God’s will, “To act justly and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God”. 80 Chavalas, M.W., Matthews, V.H. & Walton, J.H., The IVP Bible Background Commentary. Old Testament, (Downers Grove: Intervarsity Press, 2000), 785. 81 Ibid., 786. 82 Ibid., 786. 83 Constable, Dr. Constable’s Notes on Micah, 34.

Core theme God’s expectations are different from ours. We sometimes think we have to do many difficult things to ‘please’ Him, but He asks for a lot less, “To act justly and to love mercy, and to walk

humbly with your God”. Possible questions

O = observation, I = interpretation, A = application

 What do you notice when you read this passage? Can you see contrasts? How would you  

   

        

  

subdivide the passage? What title would you give the different sections? (O) Who is talking? Study the different ‘characters’. (O) What do you find out about God in this passage? (O) What do you find out about humanity? (O) Is there anything in this passage which stands out to you personally? (O) What can you draw from this passage about how we ought to to live? (OI) What genre is this? (OI) What are the contradictions between what God asks and what the people do? What are things like these days? (OI) What does it mean to ‘walk humbly with your God’? (I) What does it mean to ‘love mercy’? (I) What does it mean to ‘do justice’? (I) Is it sufficient to do what verse 8 requests? Why or why not? (I) Summarise the passage in one or two sentences. (I) What does this genre and this passage in particular call for? (IA) What does this passage mean for us as a community? (IA) We read this passage now, after the coming of Jesus. Does that change the way you read this passage? If so, how? (IA) How would you apply this passage in your community, school, university, Ichtus group, friendship group, family? Read this in the light of the needs around you. (A) What challenges from this passage could be applied more in your own life? (A) How can we pray for you and for each other after reading this passage? (A)

Methods Observation 1) Use different translations, possibly different languages. Read them out loud and find the differences, and what the implications are for applying the passage. 2) Play: Ask for two or three volunteers and read the passage as a play, in an expressive voice! This method can be used after the Observation Questions to move on to the Interpretation Questions. 3) Leave words out: Print off the passage but leave some words out. As a way of introduction, hand the sheets out to the group members and encourage them to guess the missing words. This method encourages thorough observation. We sometimes think we know what is in a passage, but do we really?

4) Bring order to the passage: Print the passage off in large print, eg with 2 verses on 1 A4 sheet. Encourage the group members to put the sheets into the right order. This method can be used as a way of introduction. Interpretation 5) Word Spin: Draw a circle on a large piece of paper (A3) and put in the middle ‘do justice’ or ‘love mercy’ or ‘walk humbly with your God’. Encourage the group members to write down their observations. What words are related? What associations do you have with this? What do you feel when you think of this? 6) Song: Listen to the ‘Bread of Life’ by Trinity: http://www.youtube.com/watch? v=FYKUG4YvbDw This is based on this Bible passage so you can ask your group what they think of the song in the light of Micah. Is this a good interpration in terms of feeling and music? Application 7) Collage: Bring a variety of newspapers for the group and let them find articles about the needs and injustices in our world. Let them make a collage in 3 sections: world, Belgium, own city. Then ask questions around their involvement in these areas.

12 // Matthew 3 Bible passage In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea 2 and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” 3 This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: “A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’” 4 John’s clothes were made of camel’s hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. 5 People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. 6 Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8 Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. 9 And do not think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. 10 The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. 11 “I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 12 His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” 13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. 14 But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” 15 Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented. 16 As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”

Background

Matthew used the framework and content of Mark to write his gospel. Because of this, we can find a lot of similarities between the gospel of Mark and the gospel of Matthew. There are even phrases that are exactly the same. Despite these similarities there is one crucial difference between Mark's gospel and Matthew's gospel: the audience. Mark wrote his gospel for the gentiles while Matthew wrote it for the (converted) Jews. This is why Matthew labeled Jesus as the King of the Jews while Mark preferred to use the term Son of Man84. Matthew was a publican (tax collector) in Capernaum (near the lake of Galilee). As an accountant he was used to structure his mind and work. This is clearly noticeable when reading the gospel. Matthew's gospel offers the most complete and the most systematic report of Jesus' life. He revised and extended Mark's gospel using his own observations and additional sources. 84 Pawson, D. Sleutels tot de Bijbel, (Putten: Opwekkingslectuur, 2007), 945-946.

Matthew was a Jew. As a Jew he was familiar with Scripture (every Jew was trained to memorize Scripture). Consequently, Matthew often refers to the books from the Old Testament. He clearly indicates when Jesus fulfills a prophecy from the Old Testament. By citing passages from the Old Testament Matthew tries to convince the Jews that Jesus is indeed the Messiah. Note that Mark's gospel starts with the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist while Matthew's gospel starts earlier with Jesus his family tree and his birth. Matthew offers an extended introduction to Jesus' life and by doing so he creates high expectations. He incorporates this genealogy as a kind of evidence to persuade the reader that Jesus is the child from the Old Testament prophecies. The gospel of Matthew consists of 11 parts: An introduction (birth, baptism, temptation) and 5 major sermons or discourses which are always ended by an act of Jesus and a closure (death and resurrection). The acts of Jesus between the discourses have the intention to amplify His words. Moreover, there is a strong parallel between the 5 discourses and the 5 legal codes of Moses (Pentateuch) to indicate and convince the Jewish reader that Jesus is presenting a new legal code (law)85.

Clarification 3 This verse is referring to Isaiah 40:3. 4 Matthew mentions explicitly the strange and savage clothes of John the Baptist. This is not a coincidence. Matthew wants to stress the humble lifestyle of John which he adopted to glorify God. Note that these clothes are also the same clothes Elijah wore (2 Kings 1:8). By adopting a strict diet of locust and wild honey as only sweetener John obeyed the Jewish religious dietary laws (Kashrut) which you can find in Leviticus 11:21-2286. 7 Pharisees and Sadducees are both religious groups. Pharisees are more religion oriented, while Sadducees are more politically oriented. There used to be a story about snakes eating there mother during delivery. John uses an analogy with this story when he calls the Pharisees and Sadducees brood of vipers. He actually insults them by calling them murderers of their mother87. 9 It was a common thought among the Jews to believe that the righteousness 85 Pawson, D. Sleutels tot de Bijbel, (Putten: Opwekkingslectuur, 2007), 945-947.

86 New King James StudyBible., (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale Publishers, 2006), 1674 en Keener, C. S. The IVP New Testament Background Commentary, (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1993), 52. 87 Ibid., 52.

of Abraham purified and saved all Jews88. 11 The fire with which Jesus will baptize can be interpreted in two ways. On the one hand it may refer to the final judgment, on the other hand it might refer to the fire in Malachi 3:2-3 which is used to purify silver and gold. Back in those days wearing sandals was associated with a very low status (e.g. the least important slave), because wearing sandals made you impure89. 12 Winnowing is an agricultural method developed by ancient cultures for separating grain from chaff. It is also used to remove weevils or other pests from stored grain90. 13-15 Jesus does not have to baptized like normal people. He has not committed any sin so there is no sin to confess. Jesus is baptized by the Holy Spirit91. 16-17 These verses stress the existence of the Holy Trinity. God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit are one, but at the same time they can be coexistent and appear as individuals92.

Place in ‘Faith in the World’ Jesus is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit and with fire. He is God's beloved Son, with Him God is well pleased. This passage shows Jesus as the one who will judge mankind. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and He will clear his threshing oor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.

Core theme John the Baptist baptizes the people with water and calls them to repent and to live a fruitful life. The baptism Jesus can give is however more important and reaches further and deeper than the one from John. Only Jesus can baptize with water and fire.

88 Ibid., 52. 89 Ibid., 1674-1675 en 53. 90 http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wan_%28mand%29 91 New King James StudyBible., (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale Publishers, 2006), 1674-1675 en Keener, C. S. The IVP New Testament Background Commentary, (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1993), 53. 92 Ibid., 1674-1675 en 53.

Possible questions O = observation, I = interpretation, A = application                     

When and where take the events place? (O) What do the people have to do? (O) Who are the characters and what does the passage tell about them? (O) Analyze the passage and describe what happens. What is the course of events? (O) They use a lot of metaphorical language and images in this Bible passage. Can you tell what they mean? (I) Did Jesus know that John was baptizing? (OI) What does `brood of vipers' mean? (OI) Why do people have to repent? (I) Where the people familiar with the Holy Spirit? (I) Why does John call the Pharisees and Sadducees brood of vipers? (I) `Fire' is mentioned 3 times in this passage. What is this fire? (I) What are `good fruits'? (I) Why do they mention Abraham? (I) What is the baptism of fire which John tells about? (I) Why does John wear such strange clothes and why is it mentioned? (I) Why does Jesus wants to be baptized? (I) What can we do to ‘produce good fruit'? (A) John showed the world that he served God by wearing primitive clothes and eating poor food. How can we show the world that we are God’s children? (A) The people confessed their sins while they were baptized in the river Jordan. Do you confess your sins (often)? (A)

Methods 1) Icebreaker: Trustfall: Somebody closes his/her eyes and lets him/herself fall with his/her arms on his/her chest. Behind him or her there is somebody to catch the person when he/she is falling. In order to let yourself fall, it is advisable to trust the one who will catch you while falling. When you are baptized you trust in Jesus, you put your life in his hands similar to the hands which will hopefully catch you when you fall. 2) Characters: Attribute one character from this Bible passage to each member of the group. Next, the group-leader will read Matthew 3 out loud. While he/she is doing that, you (as a group member) track your character in the story and try to impersonate him/her in your head. Afterwards you share how you experienced this impersonation. Characters: John, the people, Pharisees and Sadducees, Matthew

3) Confess your sins: Give every group-member a bit of paper and a pen. Let them reect on their lives for 10 to 15 minutes. Give them time to ponder on their sins and let them note their sins down. Next, light a candle and burn those papers to show that God will forgive (after confession). End with prayer.

Sources Used Arnold, B. T. & Beyer, B. E. In ontmoeting met het Oude Testament. ?:Groen, ? Bartholomew, C. G., & O’Dowd R. P. Old Testament Wisdom Literature. A Theological Introduction. ? IVP, ? Bette, J. C., van den Brink, G., Courtz, H. & van Veelen, G. A. Het evangelie naar Johannes. Studiebijbel v.5. Zaltbommel, Koninklijke Van de Garde, 2001. Bock, D. L. Luke. IVPNTCS. Downer Grove, IL: IVP, 1994. Carson, D. A. & Moo, D. J. An Introduction to the New Testament. 2nd ed. Leicester, InterVarsity Press, 2005. Green, J. B., McKnight, S. & Marshall, I. H. eds. “Parable.” In Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1992. Greidanus, S. Preacing Christ from Ecclesiastes. Foundations for Expository Sermons. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2010. Grosheide, F. W. Het Heilig Evangelie volgens Johannes II Hoofdstukken 8-21. Kommentaar op het Nieuwe Testament. Kampen, Kok, 1950. Keener, C. S. Matthew. IVPNTCS. Downer Grove, IL: IVP, 1997. ―. The IVP New Testament Background Commentary. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1993. Kidner, D. The Message of Ecclesiastes. TBST. Nottingham: InterVarsity Press, 1976. Life application study Bible. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers/Youth for Christ, 1993 Pawson, D. Sleutel tot de Bijbel. London: HarperCollinsPublishers, 2003. Van Houwelingen, P. H. R. Johannes: Het evangelie van het Woord. Commentaar op het Nieuwe Testament. Kampen, Kok, 1997.

Saret. (sd). De bergrede studie. Opgeroepen september 2013, van Saret-studies voor de gemeente: www.saret.nl