The Forgotten Message of Jesus

In a couple weeks I’ll begin teaching a six-week class called The Forgotten Message of Jesus. I’m very excited about it and have been trying for months to nail down an outline or plan on how to work through it all. Studying to teach about Jesus is incredibly humbling – there is so much I don’t have time to say and so much more I don’t know. Anyhow, I finally put together my plan for the six weeks, so I figured I’d share it here. If you’re planning to come (or listen online), this’ll give you an idea about what we’re going to talk about. I am sure there is too much here and I’ll have to pare it down, but this is what I’m working with for now.

Top Ten Books I Read in 2007

I made top ten lists for 2007 and 2008 a while back (this time last year, I think), and for a while I’ve been wanting to revisit them and try to remember why they left an impression on me. I’m of course not saying I endorse everything about them, just that they stuck out. I’m sure my thoughts about each of them are unbalanced, since I’m relying on memory and therefore being very selective. I’ll try to give a good sense of what they’re about though, in case some of them scratch where you might be itching. Enjoy!

Top Ten Books to Read in 2010

So here’s my top ten list of nonfiction books to read in 2010. I’ve been making  lists for three years now and I’ve yet to read all ten (so many others get in the way!), but this year I’m hopeful that I can stay focused. I’d love to hear what you’re planning on reading this year, or any insights you have on mine!

1. Shalom by Perry B. Yoder – Every year I try to read something that explores the meaning of salvation in a broad sense. Since I have thought for a long time that shalom is somewhere near the core of all this, and since I like reading from the Radical Reformation wing, I went with this one.

2. The Quest for Paul’s Gospel by Douglas Campbell – Campbell may be one of the major players in the field of Pauline studies in the coming years. In this one he lays out the foundational framework on what “the gospel” meant for Paul. He fights against many of the ways we’ve all shrunk it down today to mean something much less. It’ll be work to get through this one, so I hope it’s good.

3. A History of Christian Missions by Stephen Neill – I think this is the standard work on the subject, one I’m interested in for three main reasons. One, I love history and I love the church, so naturally I love church history. Two, I’ve heard Neill deals well with Christian missions’ complicity with colonialism, but not in an empty-headed way. Three, I’m obsessed with exploring how the church can be faithful in our own rapidly changing world, so it makes sense to see what we’ve tried in the past.

4. Transforming Mission by David Bosch – Similar to the one above, but I think different in that Bosch is more of a missiologist by trade while Neill is more of a historian by trade. I started this book a while back, but I never got to the main section where he lays out the major paradigms for how “mission” has been perceived and practiced.

5. God For Us by Catherine LaCugna – I needed something strictly theological on the list, as well as something by a Roman Catholic, and this one narrowly beat out JPII’s Theology of the Body. LaCugna’s book is about the Trinity, and I think her thesis is that at some point early on we started talking about God in an abstract way that divorced God from everyday life. Many feel that the doctrine of the Trinity is part of the problem, but she claims the opposite.

6. The Political Economy of Media by Robert McChesney – From what I understand McChesney is one of the foremost media critics of our time, and this book is about the hi-jacking and monopolization of our media outlets for the sake of profit and at the expense of true democracy.

7. One-Dimensional Man by Herbert Marcuse – Another social criticism book, this one about our society as a whole. The subtitle is “studies in the ideology of advanced industrial societies.” I’m assuming he’ll talk about just what it is that we should be resisting, and a bit about how.

8. A Force More Powerful by Peter Ackerman & Jack Duvall – Based on a documentary television series by the same name, this book tells numerous stories of how nonviolence “worked” in all the realms of conflict people usually say require violence to be resolved. When ordinary people gather together to combat injustice without resorting to violence, surprising transformations sometimes take place.

9. A Different Mirror by Ronald Takaki – I’ve had this one for some time and it is burning a hole through my shelf. Takaki, a Japanese American, tells the story of America from the perspective of minorities and immigrants. (Anyone know anything about the difference between the original and revised editions?)

10. Quantum Physics: A Beginner’s Guide by Alistair I. M. Rae – It’s taken me forever to land on the tenth book for my list, but here’s the winner. I know next to nothing about this topic, but a few years ago I was feeling curious and ordered this book. Hopefully I’ll understand it.

The Shape of Jesus’ Victory (Rev 5.5-6)

Reflecting on the text

We mentioned yesterday that first century Israelites expected God to act soon to conquer Rome, redeem Israel, and establish his kingdom on earth. For most people, such hopes centered in God’s promises to send a Messiah, an anointed king who would lead the people of Israel into their glorious destiny.

Naturally, they expected this Messiah to be a warrior. After all, he would be called Son of David; just as David slew Goliath, the Messiah would defeat Israel’s giant enemies.

We can see this for ourselves in many Old Testament texts. Let’s take a look at a few: Genesis 49.8-12, 2 Samuel 7.12-13, Psalm 2; Isaiah 11

What I find interesting is that Jesus played to these expectations. Listen to how Mark summarizes his basic message, “The time has come. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe the good news” (1.15). In Jesus’ day the “kingdom of God” was a token phrase of revolutionaries—if God was becoming King, then Caesar’s days were obviously numbered (see also Luke 1.52-53, 68-71).

Why Are They Crying? (Revelation 5)

Reflecting on the text

Before we get to the book of Revelation, I want you to take a look at a story from the life of Jesus.

Read John 20.1-18

Why do you think Mary is crying?

There’s probably not one specific right answer, but it’s definitely a question worth pondering. Was she crying simply because she felt a deep love for Jesus? Was she crying because she thought his body had been stolen? Was she crying because she didn’t know what else to do? Yes, uh-huh, I’m sure, and probably a few other things as well. I don’t pretend to grasp the depth of her sadness, but I think there is one more thing that we sometimes miss.

She was counting on Jesus.

She was counting on him to rescue Israel, to establish God’s kingdom, to bring the entire world – kicking and screaming if necessary – to faithful worship of the One True God. After all, she was an Israelite living in the first century, and that’s what they wanted. Theirs was a story in search of an ending, and Jesus came along announcing that this story had finally found its climax in him.

And now he was dead.

Walking through Matthew (chs 1-7)

I’m beginning to prepare for a seminar I’ll be teaching at Real Life on “The Life and Teachings of Jesus,” and I’m starting my study by walking through and summarizing the Gospels bit by bit. I figured this’d be more helpful than merely reading through them, and that any more specific study format (such as a theme study) might cause me to miss the forest for the trees. Don’t know if it’ll be helpful to anyone but me, but what the heck. Here it is (part 1 of 4)…

1.1-17 – Matthew’s genealogy emphasizes Jesus as the son of Abraham and especially the Son of David; in other words, Jesus is the long-awaited King. Matthew tells the story in three parts: Abraham to David, David to (Babylonian) Exile, and Exile to Jesus. Perhaps Jesus is the King who will restore Israel from a condition of exile?

1.18-25 – The Messiah was born to a virgin by the Holy Spirit. Joseph almost sent her away (quietly), but an angel in a dream told him to move forward so he did. Angel told Joseph to name him Jesus because he would save his people from their sins. This fulfilled Isaiah 7.14.

The Beauty of God (Revelation 4)

Reflecting on the text

Did you know that we are actually mentioned in the book of Revelation? Not by name, of course, but there is a symbol that represents us. (Don’t worry, very few get more than a symbolic mention.)

I hinted at this yesterday, but I didn’t explain myself very well. Do you remember the 24 elders surrounding God’s throne? Scholars debate their exact identity, but most agree that they represent the people of God. The number twenty-four most likely represents two twelves: the tribes of Israel and the apostles of the church.

In other words, they represent us.

Even more important than the question of their precise identity is the question of what they’re doing. We discussed one aspect of this already: they are sitting on thrones around God’s throne, participating in his loving rule of the cosmos.

But notice what they do next.

Throne Wars (Revelation 4)

Reflecting on the text

Begin today by reading through Revelation 4.

One of the things John is clearly emphasizing is the throne. In fact, out of 62 times the word “throne” is used in the New Testament, 47 are found in the book of Revelation. And of those 47 in Revelation, 19 occur in chapters 4 and 5.

When you think about a throne, what comes to mind? What is (or was in the ancient world) true of the people who sit on them? (Obviously, they are kings and queens, but how does that play out?)

A major question that apocalyptic literature wrestles with is, “Who is King or Lord of all?” In other words, who rules the world? Who is in control? Who has power, authority, dominion?

To ask, “Who is on the throne?” is also to ask, “Who deserves our absolute allegiance? Who is worthy of our devotion?”

John’s throneroom vision draws heavily on three Old Testament passages in particular: Isaiah 6.1-5; Ezekiel 1.4-28; Daniel 7.9-14

In all of these visions (Revelation included), who is on the throne?

Lukewarmness and Satan’s Throne (Revelation 2.12-17; 3.14-22)

As the title for today indicates, I want to talk a bit about some of the stranger elements in the seven letters. To do so I want to focus on two letters—to Pergamum and to Laodicea. Using these as our models, we will see how an understanding of the first-century world illuminates our reading of the book of Revelation. Understanding Revelation’s world helps us live out Revelation’s message in our world.

On to Pergamum we go.

Take another look at the letter to Pergamum (2.12-17). Make a mental note of whatever stands out to you in this letter (or if you have time, write or type out a few basic observations).

I don’t know about you, but I can’t help but note the two mentions of satan—what does it mean for him to live and have his throne here?

Pergamum, even more than other ancient cities, was well known for its many temples to pagan deities. (The first temple of the emperor cult was built in Pergamum in 29 B.C.) One of Pergamum’s temples was to Asclepius, a serpent-god of healing, whose snakes were one of the city’s emblems (and one of ours). Sick people would come here and lay down on the ground, hoping that one of the sacred snakes would touch and heal them. According to John’s thought, a serpent-symbol can mean only one thing: this idolatry is empowered by satan (see 12.9).

Many such temples littered the landscape, but none more impressive than one outside the city, erected in honor of Zeus, the king of the gods. Listen to this description of Zeus’ temple:

Jesus Saw It First (Revelation 2-3)

In Revelation 2-3 we get an inside look on Jesus speaking words of truth to his churches. For the most part, these are not nice or polite words. In fact, some of them are quite harsh.

I’d really encourage you to sit down and read through these seven letters. (It won’t take that long, I promise.)

Did you notice anything interesting about the way Jesus is talked about in the opening statement of each letter? Look at a few of them, and then look back at John’s vision of Jesus in chapter 1. Do you see the connections?

Here are the opening descriptions of Jesus in these letters.

And here is another look back at John’s initial vision of Jesus.

I don’t know about you, but I think that’s kind of cool.

The same Jesus of John’s vision—the one that freaks us out and at the same time calms our nerves—is the Jesus who addresses these churches by name.

One more thing I want to point out. The same two words follow each of these greetings identifying this Jesus as the same one in John’s earlier vision: “I know.”

Marks of Great Theology / Theologians

Warning: I am not yet satisfied with my answer to the question I’m wrestling with below, in part because I lack clarity about it in my own mind. This probably means it’s not written very clearly and therefore may be frustrating to follow. Sorry! Proceed at your own risk. Also, I’m interrupting the Revelation series just for today; I’ll pick it back up tomorrow.

What makes a great theologian? This is a question my friend Jim asked me and I’ve been thinking about it a lot. It could be taken in one of two ways. The first focuses on the theologian her/himself. In this case the answer would include prayer, serious study of Scripture, knowledge of history, commitment to the local church, active discipleship, humility, etc, etc. The second focuses on the theology of the theologian – What makes great theology? I think this was what he meant, or it is at least what I’ve thought about more, so I’ll take it in that direction. In the first comment box I’ll share some resources for each as well as whom I credit for what. First, a brief (chiastic) outline:

       Scripture

              Kingdom

                     Cross

              Love

       Community

No Obedience Without Resistance (Revelation 2-3)

Let me ask you once again to recall the significance of seeing that Revelation is a letter. Because Revelation is a letter, we simply must keep in mind the original audience – the 1st century churches living in Asia Minor under the long reach of the Roman Empire.

We’re going to spend the rest of this week camping out in Revelation 2-3, which is composed of seven messages from Jesus to his churches. (The order in which these churches appear in the text actually follows the standard mailing route in Asia Minor.) The further we get away from Revelation 2-3 the easier it is to forget about them, so we must choose to constantly remember that Revelation was written to them first. God certainly wants to speak to us through this book, but we have to respect the fact that he spoke to them first. It was God’s word to them before it is God’s word to us.

The most important thing for us to know about the life situation of these followers of Jesus is that they were being seduced by the surrounding (imperial) culture to compromise their absolute allegiance to the kingdom of God.

Sounds familiar, doesn’t it? (Maybe this book isn’t so far-removed after all!)

As we’ve said, these followers of Jesus lived in the Roman Empire, which was unquestionably one of the most powerful nations that has ever existed, either before or since. (Of course “nations” is a bit anachronistic, but you get the point.)

According to the official cultural script, Rome had brought unity, peace, and security to a world that desperately needed freedom from political fear. And the people loved them for it. (Well, most of them. Of course those whose families they slaughtered in the securing of “peace” and “freedom” weren’t so fond.)

What We Need Most (Revelation 1.9-20)

[This week we'll be looking into chapters 1-3 of the book of Revelation.]

Reflecting on the text

Have you ever asked the question, “Where is Jesus today?” Have you ever thought to yourself, “Okay, I know where Jesus was when he came to earth, and I suppose he is now in ‘heaven’ (whatever that means), but where is he now?”

This is one of the key questions John answers in this vision, but first he walks us through another even more crucial question, “Who is Jesus?”

There are certainly many “Jesuses” on offer these days. Think about some of the popular ideas about and conceptions of Jesus that exist in our world today.

One of the things that immediately comes to my mind is the “Jesus is my homeboy” clothing apparel. Now, I’m sure these people have great intentions and I’m all for seeing Jesus as our friend, but after this vision John records for us I’m not so sure he would think of Jesus as his “homeboy.”

Here’s how it went down. John was on Patmos, a sixty square-mile island thirty-seven miles off the coast of Asia Minor. He had been exiled there for refusing to stop talking about and worshiping Jesus. He very well may have been alone, but that wasn’t going to stop him from worshiping. After all, it was Sunday, and all the other followers of Jesus were meeting together to do the same thing. But today something was different. Today worship was particularly moving for John—he described it as being “in the Spirit.” We aren’t given many details, but he was probably meditating on Scripture, maybe singing a few songs.

And then it happened.

Conversion and Christendom 04 // Why did the early church grow?

In the previous post in this series through Alan Kreider’s The Change of Conversion and the Origin of Christendom, we talked about the enormous growth rates of the early Christian movement, seemingly against insurmountable odds. In spite of ridicule and persecution, many people joined the church. Why?

Well, for starters, it wasn’t for many of the reasons we might think. There doesn’t seem to have been much of a public witness. Christians were “silent in the open,” and you probably would’ve been too if it meant keeping your life! If they advocated their faith in public, they could get the whole community into trouble. They didn’t even have explicit campaigns or programs of “evangelization.” Neither did they have particularly attractive worship. In fact, in much of the second and third centuries, non-believers were barred from the Christian gatherings! Of course worship had an impact on evangelism (as we use the word), but indirectly so; it shaped the lives of Jesus-followers such that they would be attractive and question posing (their everyday lives, not their church gatherings. Worship gatherings were designed to enable Christians to worship God, not to attract non-Christians. [As a side note, let’s be sure to acknowledge that this doesn’t necessarily mean we shouldn’t continue to seek seekers; different times sometimes call for different tactics.]

So what about the early Christians was so attractive? There was something new and strange about them; they seemed to open up new possibilities for human existence. But in what specific ways?

What is the book of Revelation? (pt 3)

Reflecting on the text

Hopefully you have gotten the chance to read the book of Revelation  (if not all the way through, then at least much of it). So tell me, what do you think? If you had to come up with a few words to describe the book of Revelation, what would they be?

Colorful. Glorious. Twisted. Exciting. Dramatic. Confusing. Epic.  Victorious. Vengeful. Strange. Interesting. Ridiculous. Inspiring. Hopeful. (Certainly not “polite”!) And let’s all admit it, weird. The book of Revelation is like nothing else we’ve ever read. Sure it’s a letter, and a work of prophecy, but that’s definitely not all that’s going on here.

If you had some of these thoughts, then you are right on. And the more colorful (and confusing) elements are due to the fact that Revelation is an example of apocalyptic literature.

After today, I promise I’ll stop using that funny little French word genre so frequently. Apocalyptic is the third and final genre that describes the book of Revelation.

The word “apocalyptic” comes from the first Greek word of the book, apokalypsis. This word means “to reveal, uncover, or unveil what was previously hidden” (thus the title of this book).

Ironic, is it not? The word used to describe this book has to do with making things clear.

Hmm.

So the purpose of Revelation is to reveal. In addition to noting the interesting strategy employed by the author for such a task, we do well to ask what John intended to reveal. Well, no matter how I answer that question, some people will disagree. And since it is best answered as we go through the book, for now let’s stay fairly general.