Unconvinced About Jesus: a Venue for Seekers and Skeptics Exploring the Life and Teachings of Jesus
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Unconvinced about Jesus: a venue for seekers and skeptics exploring the life and teachings of Jesus. Format: 1. Launch Pad – a ten minute table conversation to warm up to the topic. 2. Explore – a firsthand look at a Gospel text with the help of an unformatted manuscript. 3. Question/Answer- the heartbeat of UNCONVINCED is open-ended inquiry into the life and teachings of Jesus… or anything the class is curious about. Bring your questions! 4. Sign Off –What are your doubts about Jesus? To you is Jesus believable or unconvincing? Launch Pad: discuss the following at your table. Trust for institutions such as the Church or government has always been a point of struggle for people. What kinds of things break your trust in politicians or church leaders? Why is it difficult to trust powerful people or institutions? Introduction: Being unconvinced is a two way street. When Jesus began his ministry he introduced the arrival of the Kingdom of God! Quite a statement of power! How could Jesus validate a claim like that? This chapter of Unconvinced considers the options Jesus had at his disposal to build the base of popular credibility for his ministry. Who would he turn to in order to validate his claims? Which groups would be convinced of his vision for the Kingdom of God? Jesus was utterly unconvincing to every group, every faction and every political player of his day. And the feeling was certainly mutual on Jesus’ part! Jesus and Power – Did Jesus want the help of groups that had power? 23 Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many believed in his name when they saw the signs that he was doing. 24 But Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people 25 and needed no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man. (John 2:23-25 ESV) 13 So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves left by those who had eaten. 14 When the people saw the sign that he had done, they said, "This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!" 15 Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself. (John 6:13-15 ESV) One day as Jesus was teaching the people in the temple courts and proclaiming the good news, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, together with the elders, came up to him. 2 "Tell us by what authority you are doing these things," they said. "Who gave you this authority?" 3 He replied, "I will also ask you a question. Tell me: 4 John's baptism-- was it from heaven, or of human origin?" 5 They discussed it among themselves and said, "If we say, 'From heaven,' he will ask, 'Why didn't you believe him?' 6 But if we say, 'Of human origin,' all the people will stone us, because they are persuaded that John was a prophet." 7 So they answered, "We don't know where it was from." 8 Jesus said, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things." (Luk 20:1-8 NIV) 20 Keeping a close watch on him, they sent spies, who pretended to be sincere. They hoped to catch Jesus in something he said, so that they might hand him over to the power and authority of the governor. 21 So the spies questioned him: "Teacher, we know that you speak and teach what is right, and that you do not show partiality but teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. 22 Is it right for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not? 23 He saw through their duplicity and said to them, 24 "Show me a denarius. Whose image and inscription are on it?" "Caesar's," they replied. 25 He said to them, "Then give back to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's." 26 They were unable to trap him in what he had said there in public. And astonished by his answer, they became silent. (Luk 20:20-26 NIV) Groups and people who may have wanted to endorse Jesus (but didn’t). 1. Pharisees: Characteristic of the Pharisaic position was their adherence to a body of traditional material (Gk paradosis) handed down “from the fathers,” which defined correct behavior. Obedience to the Torah would renew God’s covenant blessings including the coming of the Messiah. Pharisees were the ultimate good guys. Pro-Yahweh. Pro-Torah. Anti-Roman Empire. 2. Sadducees: Least popular with ordinary Jews. Landed aristocrats of Jerusalem. “The most like Washington D.C. lawyers”. Refused the doctrine of the Resurrection. Realists eager to negotiate peace with Rome, against the Pharisees. Mark 12:18-27 – discussion about the woman with 7 husbands… “you are quite wrong”. Aligned politically w. Herodians. 3. Essenes: Collection of devout Jewish followers who decided to withdraw into community Khirbet Qumran was their headquarters – where the Dead Sea Scrolls later found. Leader known as The Teacher of Righteousness. Held that the Temple and the priesthood were corrupt. Waited for God’s holy wrath (not blessing) to come down (reminds you of Jonah) God would bring his kingdom on earth in wrath in response to utter failure of Israel to live up to its mission. Part Torah observance, part military holy warfare. 4. Zealots in the Maccabean tradition: 1&2 Maccabees – deuterocanonical writings from intertestamental period. Mattathias of Modein and his sons Judah the Hammer, Simon and Jonathan Maccabeus. Maccabean revolt against Syrian overlords in 167-164 BC. Fought to regain control of the Temple – celebration of Hanukkah commemorates this. Use of bloodshed and violence to recapture control of the Temple. Simon the Zealot was one such Holy Warrior! And was one of Jesus’ 12 Disciples. Pilate was initially afraid that Jesus was a Zealot. 5. Herod Antipas (4 BC to 39 AD) and the Herodians: tetrarch of Galilee and Perea, answered strictly to Rome, under Pilate’s jurisdiction. He is most known for his beheading of John the Baptist (Mark 6:17–29; Luke 3:19–20). When Herod heard of Jesus he thought he was JB raised from the dead! Pilate sent Jesus to Herod during his trial, but was not legally obligated to do so. He wanted to extricate himself from an awkward situation in which the Jews wanted to crucify Jesus (Pilate felt that he was innocent). The Herodians were influential partisans of the Herodian dynasty. The Herodians and the Pharisees sought to destroy Jesus (Mk 3:6). And to incriminate him regarding the lawfulness of paying taxes to Caesar (Mt 22:16 par. Mk 12:13). 6. Pilate: Appointed by Tiberius the Emperor in AD 26. In charge of the army of occupation stationed in Caesarea. Full judicial authority of Capital Punishment (over the Sanhedrin). He appointed the high priests and controlled the Temple treasury. Pilate authorized the death of Jesus (Tacitus, Annals 15. 44). The verdict of the NT is that he was a weak man, ready to serve expediency rather than principle. The judicial murder of the Saviour was due less to a desire to please the Jewish authorities than to fear of imperial displeasure if Tiberius heard of further unrest in Judaea. Question/Answer - What questions do you have about Jesus from today’s discussion? ñ What do you think belief in Jesus is about at its core? ñ Do you think the fact that Jesus never sought political or religious endorsements adds to or takes away from his credibility as a leader? ñ Does Jesus’ use of power and authority fit with his claim to be the Son of God/ the Messiah? Summary 1. Jesus did not need _________________________ authority to accomplish his mission. 2. Groups and individuals in Jesus day were operating from a vastly different vision of the ______________________ of ____________ than Jesus. 3. Being convinced of Jesus is only half the matter. Jesus had to also be convinced of the ___________________ and ________________________ of people before he entrusted himself to them. The same is true today! Sign Off ñ Would Jesus be a convincing leader if he had to operate in today’s religious and political climate? ñ What would make you trust or mistrust a spiritual leader like Jesus? ñ In your opinion, do groups or Churches that try to use Jesus for their advantage damage the credibility of Christianity beyond repair? ñ What would you like to see the Church do to rebuild credibility today? After today’s discussion, where would you place yourself on a chart like the one below? Answer Key for Summary section above: Summary 1. Jesus did not need _________________________ authority to accomplish his mission. 2. Groups and individuals in Jesus day were operating from a vastly different vision of the ______________________ of ____________ than Jesus. 3. Being convinced of Jesus is only half the matter. Jesus had to also be convinced of the ___________________ and ________________________ of people before he entrusted himself to them. The same is true today! Study Notes Pilate and the Roman Empire ñ Appointed by Tiberius the Emperor in AD 26 ñ 5th Praefectus of Judaea ñ In charge of the army of occupation stationed in Caesarea ñ Local fortress in Jerusalem (Antonia) ñ Full judicial authority of Capital Punishment (over the Sanhedrin) ñ He appointed the high priests and controlled the Temple treasury ñ Pilate authorized the death of Jesus (Tacitus, Annals 15.