The Rev. Dr. Carl Gregg Housekeeping

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•Check-in: Reflections on last week?

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• Use “I” statements: speak from your own experience.

• Ask permission before sharing other participants’ stories outside the group.

• Step-up, step-back: be conscious of the level of participation that you bring to the conversation. Allow everyone a chance to speak before you speak again.

• You always have permission to “pass.” Entering Holy Week (Mark 11) Palm Sunday: verses 1-11 [11 verses total…more than half on donkey procurement]

Verse 12: “On the following day”

Monday: aggression against fig tree and Temple happened the next day v. 19: “when evening came, and his disciples went out of the city.”; v. 20: “morning”

Tuesday: fig tree, part 2

Even though Holy Week tends to skip from Palm Sunday to Maundy Thursday, Mark stay in Holy Tuesday through he end of chapter 13 [115 verses total] Why so many verses about the donkey? (Zechariah 9:9) Rejoice greatly, O daughter Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter ! Lo, your king comes to you; triumphant and victorious is he, humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. He will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the war horse from Jerusalem; and the battle bow shall be cut off, and he shall command peace to the nations; his dominion shall be from sea to sea, and from the River [Euphrates] to the ends of the earth.

When :4 copies Mark, Matthew adds, “This took place to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet,”

Then Matthew explicitly quotes Zechariah, “The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them; they brought the donkey and the colt, and put their cloaks on them, and he sat on them.” [Semitic Parallelism] Did Matthew messed up Semitic Parallelism? Matthew wants two animals, a donkey with her little colt beside her,

Jesus rides “them” in the sense of having them both as part of his demonstration’s highly visible symbolism.

Jesus does not ride a stallion or a mare, a mule or a male donkey, and not even a female donkey.

He rides the most unmilitary mount imaginable: a female nursing donkey with her little colt trotting along beside her. Did Matthew messed up Semitic Parallelism?

332 BCE: three centuries before Jesus’ Palm Sunday entrance, Alexander the Great, having conquered “Tyre and Gaza after terrible sieges . . . Jerusalem opened its gate without a fight.”

“Imagine the victorious Alexander entering Jerusalem on his famous war- horse, the black stallion Bucephalus.” Did Matthew messed up Semitic Parallelism? Custom likely would have been for Pilate to make a similarly militaristic triumphal entry to Jerusalem — with war horse, chariot, and weapons — each year in the days before Passover

Remind the pilgrims that Rome was in charge.

Especially pertinent at Passover since Passover was explicitly a celebration of the liberation of the Jews from slavery in Egypt.

Jesus’ subversive donkey ride reminded all those waving Palm branches that Rome was the new Egypt, and the Emperor was the new Pharaoh. (Let the Reader Understand) (Mark 13)

Mark 13:14, ”But when you see the desolating sacrilege set up where it ought not to be (let the reader understand), then those in must flee to the mountains.”

READ BETWEEN THE LINES:

“I’m saying something about the unjust Roman occupation of the Jewish homeland here.”

“I can’t risk being any more explicit.” I’m going streaking! (Mark 14:52)

“he left the linen cloth and ran off naked.” I’m going streaking! (Mark 14:52) “young man” & “linen cloth”

reoccur at the end of Mark’s

Another “young man” appears wrapped in a “linen cloth” sitting inside Jesus’ tomb, proclaiming the good news of the Resurrection.

Remember “(let the reader understand)”

Symbol: male disciples who will soon flee

Second young man - life, hope, and reunion on the other side of death, despair, and betrayal.

Amos 2:16, “and those who are stout of heart among the mighty shall flee away naked in that day, says the Lord.” Women’s Faithfulness

Men: flee

Women:

stand vigil at the cross,

return early to be the first to hear the good news

first to preach the good news of the Resurrection. Ending(s) ()

7 But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to ; there you will see him, just as he told you." 8 So they went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.

[what will you do?!] written by men?! genre: wartime gospel Ending(s) (Mark 16)

Mark 16:7 - young man in the linen cloth says that Jesus is “going ahead of you to Galilee”

Echo: opening words of verse 2 of Mark’s Gospel where we read from the scroll of Isaiah about that "See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way.” Ending(s) (Mark 16) Added by later scribes? 9 #[Now after he rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to , from whom he had cast out seven demons. 10 She went out and told those who had been with him, while they were mourning and weeping. 11 But when they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they would not believe it. 12 After this he appeared in another form to two of them, as they were walking into the country. 13 And they went back and told the rest, but they did not believe them. 14 Later he appeared to the eleven themselves as they were sitting at the table; and he upbraided them for their lack of faith and stubbornness, because they had not believed those who saw him after he had risen. 15 And he said to them, "Go into all the world and proclaim the good news to the whole creation. 16 The one who believes and is baptized will be saved; but the one who does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: by using my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up snakes in their hands, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover." 19 So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. 20 And they went out and proclaimed the good news everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by the signs that accompanied it. #]

Gospel According to…Matthew The Synoptic Problem

Syn-optic: “see together”

“Problem”: explaining how/why the differences The Synoptic Problem

Syn-optic: “see together”

“Problem”: explaining how/why the differences sites.utoronto.ca/religion/synopsis The Synoptic Problem

Mark: 661 vv.

Matthew:1,068 vv.

Luke: 1,149 vv.

80% of Mark’s vv. are reproduced in Matthew; 65% in Luke The Synoptic Problem

Triple tradition – Markan material also in Mt & Lk

Double tradition – 220-235 vv. that Matthew and Luke share that are not in Mark

(strong agreement in word order leads to conclusion that they shared a written source)

Four-source Hypothesis (“Markan Priority”)

When Matthew & Luke preserve the same sequence of Jesus stories, it is almost always stories that they share with Mark

Mt and Lk never agree against Mark’s order = Mark as source

When Matthew and Luke differ about sequence, often the passage they share is not found in Mark. Most of these agreements are sayings of Jesus.

Gospel of Thomas - Right GENRE: credence to the idea that there could be a saying sources—independent of any narrative or passion account = Quelle

The Synoptic Problem

Every morning exegetes should repeat,

Q is a hypothetical document whose exact extension, wording, originating community, strata, and stages of composition cannot be known. The Synoptic Problem

Most scholars:

The existence of Q (without many of the added hypotheses) remains the best way of explaining the agreements between Matthew and Luke in material they did not borrow from Mark. The Synoptic Problem

Since the late nineteenth century, scholars have operated on the belief that most, if not all, of the narrative parables in the Synoptic can be attributed to the historical Jesus.

This book challenges that consensus and argues instead that only four parables—those of the Mustard Seed, the Evil Tenants, the Talents, and the Great Supper—can be attributed to the historical Jesus with fair certitude. January 5, 2016 1991, 1994, 2001, 2009, 2016 John Meier “A Marginal Jew: Rethinking the Historical Jesus”

(1991)Volume 1: The Roots of the Problem and the Person. (1994) Volume 2: Mentor, Message and Miracles. (2001) Volume 3: Companions and Competitors. (2009) Volume 4: Law and Love. (2016) Volume 5: Probing the Authenticity of the Parables What if? (Matthean Priority)

Mark must have decided to remove parts of Matthew (Mark is much shorter). When Luke copied Matthew, why would he remove precisely the passages that Mark had removed from Matthew? Luke rearranged only traditions Mark did not bother to copy. Luke kept stories Mark did copy and in the same sequence. Mark has the worst grammar of the four, so why would he introduce awkward phrasing when copying Matthew—whereas understandable Matthew & Luke would clean-up Mark’s style Why did Mark get rid of all those good parts? Almost every time Mark & Matthew tell same story, Mark is longer— against argument that Mark condensed Matthew. Redaction Criticism

Q usually in Lukan order (Luke more likely closer to Q because Matthew gathers stories by themes in Gospel Parallels for Matthew spiritualizing Gospels Miracles stories dispersed through -5, combined in -9 Beatitudes in and Lord’s Prayer in , are all together in Matthew’s (chapters 5-7) Matthew’s Five Major Blocks (// “Five books of Moses”)

1. Sermon on the Mount (Mt 5-7) Most of Sermon on the Mount from Q— scattered throughout Luke So, Matthew’s arrangement of Jesus’ teachings 2. Instruction to Apostles (Mt 10) 3. Parables of Kingdom (Mt 13) 4. Other teachings on kingdom and church (Mt 18) 5. Apocalyptic Discourse (Mt 23-27) Matthew’s Five Major Blocks (// “Five books of Moses”)

1. 7:28, “[W]hen Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were astounded at his teaching.” 2. 11:11, “[W]hen Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and proclaim his message in their cities.” 3. 13:53, “When Jesus had finished these parables, he left that place” 4. 19:1, “When Jesus had finished saying these things, he left Galilee…” 5. 26:1, “When Jesus had finished saying all these things, he said to his disciples....” &

Could’ve been more than one source. Didn’t know each other (why would you leave out these great stories if you knew them?) M: Magi, Flight to Egypt, Jesus on almsgiving and prayer, Parables of the treasure hidden in the field, the pearl of great price, the unmerciful servant, the ten virgins L: Birth of John the Baptist, , Shepherds visiting baby Jesus, Jesus as a 12-year old, Zacchaeus in the sycamore tree, Good Samaritan, Lazarus and the rich man. (What if we didn’t have these single attestations?!) Gospel According to…Matthew Jesus: The Jewish Messiah Matthew

50% longer than Mark

(Matthew has 19,300 words in Greek, Mark has 11,300 words) Why the first Gospel?

Perhaps the favorite of whoever organized the codex (transition from scrolls) around the turn of the second century Genealogy ()

…of Joseph?!

theology OR biology?

14-14-14 generations (doubly perfect of 7)

St. John’s 1 Chronicles 3:10-12 Matthew 1:8 Solomon Rehoboam Abijah Asa Asaph Jehoshaphat Jehoshaphat Joram Joram Ahaziah 3 missing generations skipped Joash (to make theological point?) Amaziah Azariah Uzziah [known in Matthew as Uzziah] Jotham Fathers (and mothers!) of Jesus

“and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar . . . and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth . . . and was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah… and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born.” Of all the matriarchs to highlight in 42 generations, these five mothers are not the most obvious choices to highlight [sexual suspects] Airing Dirty Laundry? (Matthew 1)

In Genesis 38, Judah mistakes his daughter-in-law Tamar, the widow of Judah’s eldest son Er, for a prostitute. She conceives the twins Perez and Zerah, after Er’s brother fails to perform his duty of producing children with her.... Rahab, in Joshua 2, was a Canaanite prostitute who provided protection for Joshua’s spies on the edge of the city of Jericho..... Ruth was a Moabite (they originated from Lot’s incest with his daughter) who, despite Moses’ decrees, became part of God’s people through marriage to Boaz. Airing Dirty Laundry? (Matthew 1)

Genealogy does not name Bathsheba, but in referring to her as the wife of Uriah, it underlines both David’s terrible abuses of power in his acts of adultery and murder, and Uriah’s Gentile identity as a Hittite. Mary gives birth to Jesus, conceived of the Holy Spirit while she was betrothed to Joseph. “Takes Two to Tango” Patriarchs Not Perfect Either: (Matthew 1)

Jacob won his position in the line that leads to Jesus by lying and cheating his blind father; David: ruthless and successful bandit, unites tribes of Israel through intrigue and murder; Rehoboam son of Solomon loses most of David’s gains through arrogance and greed; Ahaziah son of Ahab continued his father’s ways as a sadistic mass murderer.... [T]hings only get relatively better with the exile partly because the line of kings ends or at least we do not know their names. “Takes Two to Tango” Patriarchs Not Perfect Either: (Matthew 1)

“Jesus did not belong to the nice clean world of middle-class respectability Belonged to a family of murders, cheats, cowards, adulterers and liars.” No matter who you are, what you (or your family) has done, you can help co-create the beloved community. Experience God in Your Dreams () [Joseph dreams in Mt 1: Mary’s pregnancy, Jesus’s name, etc.] 12 Having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, [the magi] left for their own country by another road. 13 …an of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him....” 19 When Herod died, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, 20 “Get up, take the child and his mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who were seeking the child's life are dead….” 22 …After being warned in a dream, he went away to the district of Galilee. 23 There he made his home in a town called Nazareth... Experience God in Your Dreams (Matthew 2)

Many other biblical dreams Jacob’s ladder Earlier Joseph’s (in Genesis) interpretations of Pharaoh's dreams Daniel’s interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar’s dreams Pilate’s wife’s dream Paul’s blinding light on the Damascus Road Peter’s rooftop vision of animals Bible replete w/ dreams & dreamers. Experience God in Your Dreams (Matthew 2)

Roman senator & historian Tacitus: dismisses magi’s claims to supernatural knowledge and powers as “absurdities.” Roman Stoic philosopher Seneca: laughs at the astrologers who predicted the Roman Emperor Claudius’ death “every year, every month.” Roman author Pliny the Elder: writes to “refute the fraudulent lies of the magi.” Greek sophist philosopher Philostratus: found it necessary to defend his fellow philosopher Apollonius of Tyana against the insulting charge that he is a “magus.” Experience God in Your Dreams (Matthew 2)

Roman Emperor Nero: alarmed at comet’s appearance “b/c commonly believed to portend the death of great rulers.” Roman poet Juvenal: poetic verse to attack a women who gossips about comet threatening kings of Armenia & Parthia. Emperor : expels astrologers from Rome in 19 C.E., as do Vespasian & Domitian toward final third of first century. Experience God in Your Dreams (Matthew 2)

Reading between the lines Magi were taken seriously as potential threat if all these famous philosopher and poets took the time to talk about them either for good or ill and if emperors took the time to periodically rout them from their territory

TTAQ: Title, Theme, Affect, Question; 1st Person

Experience God in Your Dreams (Matthew 2)

“A dream uninterpreted is like a letter (from God) unopened.” -Rabbi Hisda, 3rd c. Fulfillment Citations (only in Matthew): show Jesus as Jewish messiah Matthew 1:22-23, “"22 All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel," which means, "God is with us.” Isaiah 7:14, “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel.” [Isaiah’s present: God is with us; don’t make a deal w/ Assyria and Tiglath-Pileser III (TP3)] Hebrew: ‘almah (“young woman”) Greek (LXX): parthenos, parqenos (“virgin”) Latin (Vulgate): Ecce virgo (“Behold the virgin”) “We Are the Ones We’ve Been Waiting for” (Mt 3)

1 In those days John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea, proclaiming, 2 "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”… 4 Now John wore clothing of camel's hair with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. 5 Then the people of Jerusalem and all Judea were going out to him, and all the region along the Jordan, 6 and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. 7 But when he saw many and coming for baptism, he said to them, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?… 13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. “We Are the Ones We’ve Been Waiting for” (Mt 3)

End of Matthew 2: Jesus as young child, traveling from Egypt to Nazareth Beginning of : John the Baptizer and Jesus as adults Skipped: many years! Just ignorance about Jesus’ childhood Or //: Exodus chapter 2 skips from Moses as a baby being rescued by Pharaoh’s daughter to Moses as an adult killing an Egyptian who was attacking one of his Hebrew kinsfolk. “We Are the Ones We’ve Been Waiting for” (Mt 3)

2:13, “Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him.” At first: Jesus a follower of John’s Baptism Movement. “John doesn’t BAPTIZE in the Jordan. John baptizes in the JORDAN!” Wilderness Wanderings // John in Wilderness Joshua crossing Jordan into Canaan After John killed, Jesus forged new way with his Kingdom Movement. “We Are the Ones We’ve Been Waiting for” (Mt 3)

Instead of conquering the Romans by military might as detailed in the book of Joshua, John hopes that a critical mass of people purifying themselves through baptism and confession of sin will convince God that Israel is worthy of God intervening to restore Israelite control of the Promised Land. John’s worldview: end of the world as we know it is hopefully coming “soon, violently, and literally.” Even the Devil quotes scripture for his purposes (Mt 4)

John executed by “John had a monopoly, but Jesus had a franchise” [Kingdom Movement…didn’t die with Jesus] “from imminent divine intervention to present divine-human collaboration.” “Second Coming of Christ will happen when Christians accept that the First Coming was the Only Coming and start to cooperate with its divine presence.” Even the Devil quotes scripture for his purposes (Mt 4) 1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished. 3 The tempter came and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread." 4 But he answered, "It is written, "One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.'" 5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, 6 saying to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written, "He will command his concerning you,' and "On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.'" 7 Jesus said to him, "Again it is written, "Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'" 8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor; 9 and he said to him, "All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me." 10 Jesus said to him, "Away with you, Satan! for it is written, "Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.'" 11 Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him. :1-11 “We Are the Ones We’ve Been Waiting for” (Mt 3)

Devil quotes Psalm 91: 9 Because you have made God your refuge, the Most High your dwelling place, 10 no evil shall befall you, no scourge come near your tent. 11 For God will command the angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. 12 On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone. 13 You will tread on the lion and the adder, the young lion and the serpent you will trample under foot. “Apotropaic Psalm” - ward off evil. Ironically/perversely twisted for ‘evil,’ manipulative ends “We Are the Ones We’ve Been Waiting for” (Mt 3)

Jesus retorts: “Do not put the Lord your God to the test....” (Deuteronomy 6:16) Rest of that verse: “…as you tested him at Massah.” AKA,“Meribah” — where Moses failed to credit God for bringing water from a rock How Do You Respond to the Hard Sayings? (Mt 5) 38 "You have heard that it was said, "An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' 39 But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also; 40 and if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give your cloak as well; 41 and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile. 42 Give to everyone who begs from you, and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you. 43 "You have heard that it was said, "You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' 44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. Jesus, Jingoism, & Osama bin Laden (Mt 5)

Thích Nhất Hạnh (1926 -) engaged Buddhist monk Jesus, Jingoism, & Osama bin Laden (Mt 5)

Shane Claiborne (1975 - ) Simple Way community in Philadelphia Jesus, Jingoism, & Osama bin Laden (Mt 5)

Jean Vanier (1928 - ) L’arche movement Jesus, Jingoism, & Osama bin Laden (Mt 5) I’ve seen too much hate to want to hate, myself… Somehow we must be able to stand up against our most bitter opponents and say: “We shall match your capacity to inflict suffering by our capacity to endure suffering. We will meet your physical force with soul force. Do to us what you will and we will still love you. We cannot in all good conscience obey your unjust laws and abide by the unjust system, because non-cooperation with evil is as much a moral obligation as is cooperation with good.… Jesus, Jingoism, & Osama bin Laden (Mt 5)

Bomb our homes and threaten our children, and, as difficult as it is, we will still love you. … Send your propaganda agents around the country and make it appear that we are not fit, culturally and otherwise, for integration, but we’ll still love you. Jesus, Jingoism, & Osama bin Laden (Mt 5)

But be assured that we’ll wear you down by our capacity to suffer, and one day we will win our freedom. We will not only win freedom for ourselves; we will appeal to your heart and conscience that we will win you in the process, and our victory will be a double victory. Jesus, Jingoism, & Osama bin Laden (Mt 5)

Willing to risk being killed to convert opponent What Would Jesus Do?” Does loving your enemies perhaps, at minimum, mean not killing them? “What Would Barabbas Do?” (Zealot, violent insurrectionist) Barabbas would have loved the crusades, waged in Jesus’ name. Jesus, Jingoism, & Osama bin Laden (Mt 5)

MLK: “Ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral.... Through violence you may murder the liar, but you cannot murder the lie, nor establish the truth. Through violence you may murder the hater, but you do not murder hate.... Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.’” OBL: we did not kill all the lies and hate that continue to motivate political and religious extremists like Al-Qaeda and ISIL—and Islamophobia in our own country. Jesus, Jingoism, & Osama bin Laden (Mt 5)

“Do not violently resist an evildoer” Turn the other cheek: maintain dignity, refuse to grant attacker power to humiliate. Give your cloak [undergarment] as well: naked! [shame on those who would take from those who have so little] Second mile: robs soldier of superiority of“forcing” civilians to carry their gear