Good morning! Glad you stopped by. I hope you are persevering in your "Year of the Bible" readings. I think we're getting into some good stuff this week. But before I get into that, let's get the Q&A out of the way.
Here's the question and answer from Tuesday:
What did Nehemiah do to ensure that no load could be brought in on the Sabbath day? (Nehemiah 13)
Nehemiah 13:19 19 When evening shadows fell on the gates of Jerusalem before the Sabbath, I ordered the doors to be shut and not opened until the Sabbath was over. I stationed some of my own men at the gates so that no load could be brought in on the Sabbath day.
And the question and answer from yesterday:
Xerxes displayed his vast wealth for 180 days. How long did the banquet last? (Esther 1)
Esther 1:5 5 When these days were over, the king gave a banquet, lasting seven days, in the enclosed garden of the king's palace, for all the people from the least to the greatest, who were in the citadel of Susa.
And here's the question of the day:
There was a crowd around Jesus when he drove the demon out of the man who was mute. By whose power did some of the crowd think Jesus healed? (Luke 11)
And here's the reflection of the day:
I have to confess something. . . I'm a bit enthralled with the Esther story. At Bible Study yesterday, I made us read the WHOLE book out loud. (It was actually pretty great. I recommend it to everyone to just read it straight through.) My next door neighbor extraordinaire loaned me movie version of the story. (Which I promptly watched when I got home from Bible Study. I'm considering watching it again before I give it back!) And now I'm planning on, by hook or by crook, we're going to get the whole story on Sunday morning too. (I have specially commissioned some drawings from my brother the artist.)
It's a great story! Intrigue. Romance. Heroes and villains. Good versus evil. What more could you ask for?
Esther was written during the Diaspora, the time when the Jews had been exiled from Jerusalem for a second time, this time at the hands of Babylon. Esther is a story meant to rally the troops, to bolster the spirits of the Jews who feared they might never return home again.
So isn't it ironic (don't you think) that God's name does not appear in this text. Does it mean God is not present simply because His name does not appear on the pages? By no means! How can a book be written to assure and encouragement people in their faith without mentioning God?Such a book must be written very cleverly. And the reader must be very discerning as well.
Where are the points where God is clearly present and in control though His name is absent int today's "Year of the Bible" readings? That was one of the things we tried to keep track of as we read through it in Bible Study. I think if you read closely enough, you will be able to pick out many places where God does "appear" in the story.
When we read the story of Esther, we have to keep our eyes peeled looking for God hiding in the story. Kind of like our lives: we have to keep our eyes peeled to look for God who lingers in each scene in our lives!
Happy reading!
Allison
Showing posts with label irony. Show all posts
Showing posts with label irony. Show all posts
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Monday, July 6, 2009
Delicious Irony
Well, Rocky and I just got back from a romp in the woods and the song "Oh What a Beautiful Morning" popped into my head. After a little searching on YouTube, I found this video--starring Hugh Jackman (the "Wolverine") as Curly. He's got quite a voice. Enjoy!
Here's the question and answer from yesterday:
From what nation did Ezra come? What did the king grant to him and why? (Ezra 7)
Ezra 7:6 this Ezra came up from Babylon. He was a teacher well versed in the Law of Moses, which the LORD, the God of Israel, had given. The king had granted him everything he asked, for the hand of the LORD his God was on him.
And here's the question of the day:
What is Simon’s reaction when, at Jesus’ command, they lower their nets and they caught such a large number of fish their nets began to break? (Luke 5)
And here's the reflection of the day:
A commentator, named R. Alan Culpepper, points out a little thread which runs through Luke 5. It's a quiet little thread that in the end packs a big punch. That thread is irony (Culpepper, NIB Commentary, Luke). Irony is one of the literary devices I appreciate most because it takes a clever author to use irony effectively.
The charge the Pharisees and the teachers of the law were trying to establish against Jesus was "blasphemy." Now, according to www.dictionary.com, blasphemy is an "impious utterance or action concerning God or sacred things." They were trying to acccuse Jesus of saying disrespectful and irreverant things about God because he was running around doing the things they assumed only God could do. So, in their minds, Jesus was "blaspheming" God because he was putting himself on the same level as God, particularly when it came to forgiving sins.
What Jesus did was unheard of. It was outrageous. And, in the minds of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, it needed to be stopped.
The irony thread bursts through the plot beginning at verse 18. Some men arrive carrying a paralytic on a mat. Unable to get through the door of the house where Jesus was, they climbed up to the roof and lowered him down through the ceiling. Jesus proclaims the man forgiven of his sins--probably not exactly what the paralytic was expecting.
Let me pause here and ask: who was the audience in this scene? Verse 17 says, "One day as he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law, who had come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem, were sitting there." So it's the very people accusing Jesus of blasphemy who are watching this unfold in front of them. Keep that in mind.
Jesus takes a moment to address the concerns the Pharisees and teachers of the law had. He doesn't relieve them of their concern however; if anything, he increases it. They think to themselves "The Pharisees and the teachers of the law began thinking to themselves, "Who is this fellow who speak blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?" (verse 21) He identifies himself as the "Son of Man" who has authority to forgive sins. Then he tells the paralytic to stand up and walk.
So, here's the irony in verse 26, "Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God. They were filled with awe and said, 'We have seen remarkable things today.'"
Did you catch that? "EVERYONE was amazed and gave praise to God." Everyone--even the Pharisees and the teachers of the law were amazed and gave praise to God!
They were trying to accuse Jesus of disparaging or denying God's glory; yet what Jesus did, by their own admission, glorified God! The charge of blasphemy is dismissed because it has been proven false by those seeking to prove it. Isn't that delicious irony?
What's more, the real blasphemy in this story is identified as the resistance to Jesus' ministry. The real blasphemers were the ones trying to point the finger at Jesus.
I hope that you're starting to pick up on some of these little threads as we continue the "Year of the Bible." There is so much depth to God's Word that we can only scratch the surface. But hopefully, as we continue to study it, we will begin to understand the "deep things of God" (1 Cor 2:10).
Here's the question and answer from yesterday:
From what nation did Ezra come? What did the king grant to him and why? (Ezra 7)
Ezra 7:6 this Ezra came up from Babylon. He was a teacher well versed in the Law of Moses, which the LORD, the God of Israel, had given. The king had granted him everything he asked, for the hand of the LORD his God was on him.
And here's the question of the day:
What is Simon’s reaction when, at Jesus’ command, they lower their nets and they caught such a large number of fish their nets began to break? (Luke 5)
And here's the reflection of the day:
A commentator, named R. Alan Culpepper, points out a little thread which runs through Luke 5. It's a quiet little thread that in the end packs a big punch. That thread is irony (Culpepper, NIB Commentary, Luke). Irony is one of the literary devices I appreciate most because it takes a clever author to use irony effectively.
The charge the Pharisees and the teachers of the law were trying to establish against Jesus was "blasphemy." Now, according to www.dictionary.com, blasphemy is an "impious utterance or action concerning God or sacred things." They were trying to acccuse Jesus of saying disrespectful and irreverant things about God because he was running around doing the things they assumed only God could do. So, in their minds, Jesus was "blaspheming" God because he was putting himself on the same level as God, particularly when it came to forgiving sins.
What Jesus did was unheard of. It was outrageous. And, in the minds of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, it needed to be stopped.
The irony thread bursts through the plot beginning at verse 18. Some men arrive carrying a paralytic on a mat. Unable to get through the door of the house where Jesus was, they climbed up to the roof and lowered him down through the ceiling. Jesus proclaims the man forgiven of his sins--probably not exactly what the paralytic was expecting.
Let me pause here and ask: who was the audience in this scene? Verse 17 says, "One day as he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law, who had come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem, were sitting there." So it's the very people accusing Jesus of blasphemy who are watching this unfold in front of them. Keep that in mind.
Jesus takes a moment to address the concerns the Pharisees and teachers of the law had. He doesn't relieve them of their concern however; if anything, he increases it. They think to themselves "The Pharisees and the teachers of the law began thinking to themselves, "Who is this fellow who speak blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?" (verse 21) He identifies himself as the "Son of Man" who has authority to forgive sins. Then he tells the paralytic to stand up and walk.
So, here's the irony in verse 26, "Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God. They were filled with awe and said, 'We have seen remarkable things today.'"
Did you catch that? "EVERYONE was amazed and gave praise to God." Everyone--even the Pharisees and the teachers of the law were amazed and gave praise to God!
They were trying to accuse Jesus of disparaging or denying God's glory; yet what Jesus did, by their own admission, glorified God! The charge of blasphemy is dismissed because it has been proven false by those seeking to prove it. Isn't that delicious irony?
What's more, the real blasphemy in this story is identified as the resistance to Jesus' ministry. The real blasphemers were the ones trying to point the finger at Jesus.
I hope that you're starting to pick up on some of these little threads as we continue the "Year of the Bible." There is so much depth to God's Word that we can only scratch the surface. But hopefully, as we continue to study it, we will begin to understand the "deep things of God" (1 Cor 2:10).
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Mark's Big Secret
Hello! I hoped you had a blessed Resurrection Sunday! Let's not waste any time. Since I took a little sabbath from blogging yesterday, I'll catch you up on all the qs and as. . .
Here's the question and answer from Sunday:
Sun, Apr 12 Who does the angel of the Lord appear to in Judges 6?
Judges 6:11 The angel of the LORD came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites.
Here's the question and answer from Monday:
Mon, Apr 13 At whose house does Jesus have dinner with many tax collectors and sinners? (Mark 2)
Mark 2:15 15 While Jesus was having dinner at Levi's house, many tax collectors and "sinners" were eating with him and his disciples, for there were many who followed him.
And here's the question of the day:
Tues, Apr 14 What did God do when the Israelites disobeyed him? (Judges 10)
And here's the reflection of the day:
Mark has a big secret in Mark 3. Well, that's not wholly true. It's Jesus who has the secret, but it doesn't seem to be much of a secret. In fact, demons and spirits keep blurting it out whenever Jesus comes near. Jesus quickly shushes them, giving "them strict orders not to tell who he was."
The secret is just what the evil spirits claim: "You are the Son of God." Which is totally true and EXACTLY what Jesus is trying to convince the disciples of! So, why keep it a secret? Especially now, when all the crowds are eagerly following him, straining and pushing to get closer to his healing power. The stage is set for the big revelation. But Jesus continues to shush them.
Students and scholars of Mark call this the "messianic secret." Mark, as a gospel writer, likes to communicate on two levels: at the narrative level, "characters in the story interact within an assumed framework of relationships, attitudes, and knowledge that becomes evident as the plot unfolds" (Lamar Williamson, Jr, Mark, Interpretation Commentary series).
The second level is the interaction between the writer and the READER--that's us. For example, Mark 1:1 says, "The beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God." So, the reader knows who Jesus is, but it has not yet been revealed to the disciples and followers of Jesus Christ. In this level of communication, Mark enjoys using ambiguity, irony, paradox and lots of other literary devices we English majors love but drive others crazy!
So, this "messianic secret" is a little bit of irony (that is, the demons knowing who Jesus is even when the disciples don't). For Mark, Jesus cannot truly be known outside of the context of his passion, death, and resurrection, which Mark has gotten to yet. So to reveal Jesus' identity before he tells the whole story is do jump to the punchline before you've finished setting up the joke.
This "messianic" secret will keep popping up throughout the book. Keep your eyes peeled for those. Also, be on the lookout for other clues pointing toward Jesus' Passion, death, and resurrection. Mark drops a lot of hints along the way; we just have to notice them. (For example, Mark 3:6 says, "Then the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus.")
So, is this a secret to keep or a secret to share? Perhaps that is the greatest irony of all--this is a secret Jesus wants us to share with everyone!!
Allison
Here's the question and answer from Sunday:
Sun, Apr 12 Who does the angel of the Lord appear to in Judges 6?
Judges 6:11 The angel of the LORD came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites.
Here's the question and answer from Monday:
Mon, Apr 13 At whose house does Jesus have dinner with many tax collectors and sinners? (Mark 2)
Mark 2:15 15 While Jesus was having dinner at Levi's house, many tax collectors and "sinners" were eating with him and his disciples, for there were many who followed him.
And here's the question of the day:
Tues, Apr 14 What did God do when the Israelites disobeyed him? (Judges 10)
And here's the reflection of the day:
Mark has a big secret in Mark 3. Well, that's not wholly true. It's Jesus who has the secret, but it doesn't seem to be much of a secret. In fact, demons and spirits keep blurting it out whenever Jesus comes near. Jesus quickly shushes them, giving "them strict orders not to tell who he was."
The secret is just what the evil spirits claim: "You are the Son of God." Which is totally true and EXACTLY what Jesus is trying to convince the disciples of! So, why keep it a secret? Especially now, when all the crowds are eagerly following him, straining and pushing to get closer to his healing power. The stage is set for the big revelation. But Jesus continues to shush them.
Students and scholars of Mark call this the "messianic secret." Mark, as a gospel writer, likes to communicate on two levels: at the narrative level, "characters in the story interact within an assumed framework of relationships, attitudes, and knowledge that becomes evident as the plot unfolds" (Lamar Williamson, Jr, Mark, Interpretation Commentary series).
The second level is the interaction between the writer and the READER--that's us. For example, Mark 1:1 says, "The beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God." So, the reader knows who Jesus is, but it has not yet been revealed to the disciples and followers of Jesus Christ. In this level of communication, Mark enjoys using ambiguity, irony, paradox and lots of other literary devices we English majors love but drive others crazy!
So, this "messianic secret" is a little bit of irony (that is, the demons knowing who Jesus is even when the disciples don't). For Mark, Jesus cannot truly be known outside of the context of his passion, death, and resurrection, which Mark has gotten to yet. So to reveal Jesus' identity before he tells the whole story is do jump to the punchline before you've finished setting up the joke.
This "messianic" secret will keep popping up throughout the book. Keep your eyes peeled for those. Also, be on the lookout for other clues pointing toward Jesus' Passion, death, and resurrection. Mark drops a lot of hints along the way; we just have to notice them. (For example, Mark 3:6 says, "Then the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus.")
So, is this a secret to keep or a secret to share? Perhaps that is the greatest irony of all--this is a secret Jesus wants us to share with everyone!!
Allison
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