Join us December 5th for youth movie night!
Friday, November 30, 2007
Monday, November 26, 2007
The Fall and the Flood
Introduction
God said to Adam “You may freely eat of every tree of the garden; but the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die” (May & Metzger, 1977, p. 3). Why was this temptation placed right in the middle of the garden where it would always be seen? God creates the heavens and the earth and everything in it, judges and punishes it for its sin, and starts over (just not completely).
Motivation of the serpent
“Chapter 3 [Genesis] brings readers into the middle of a conversation between a snake and two human beings (3:6 makes it clear that the man is present the whole time)” (Birch, Brueggemann, Fretheim, & Petersen, 1999, p. 55). The serpent would deceive them and get them to eat the fruit from the tree of knowledge. The serpent is able to get them to question if God “could be fully trusted with their best interests” (Birch et al., p. 55). That trust is called into question because the serpent told them that they would not die. What motive could a serpent have on its own to do this? The serpent, which was actually Satan, wanted to take the man and woman away from God. Satan committed the original sin when he desired to be God and now he wanted to bring that into the world that God had created.The participants – in the beginning
The man, whose name is Adam, and the woman, whose name is Eve, do not die a physical death. The death that God was talking about is the sin that separates man from God. In comparison to the wonderful life that Adam and Eve had enjoyed in the garden, this separation likely felt like death. Sin is something that is thought about before it is carried out. Adam and Eve had to think before they took that first bite. Cain had to think before he committed the first murder by killing Abel, his brother. Yet God was gracious. He did not put Adam, Eve, or Cain to death for disobeying him. He did, however, punish them. Adam and Eve were banished from the garden and Cain was sent to wonder the earth. Instead of looking at what God wanted for them and making their decisions, they chose to make decisions based on what they wanted. “The expulsion mirrors later Israelite banishments from the land because of disloyalty to God (see Lev 26)” (Birch et al., 1999, p. 57). These banishments, while undesirable, had to be preferred over the kind of death that was to be brought by the flood.God
Between the fall and the flood the world would be populated as it is recorded in Genesis 5, “the book of the generations of Adam” (May & Metzger, p. 7). During this time man would become increasing separated from God because of sin. The sin of man would become so great that it is God’s judgment that all living things on earth would perish. "God intended to undo the creation and begin again" (Birch et al., 1999, p. 60). The text goes on to explain that God did not completely begin again, in fact everything that had been prior to the flood still existed. The only thing that was different was that the people had been reduced to Noah, his sons, and their families. The only person that God had found favor with was Noah, who "was a righteous man, blameless in his generation; Noah walked with God" (May & Metzger, p. 8). So God stops just short of total destruction. It does not say that his sons were also righteous and that they walked with God. It is obvious that God knew this and expected man to fall again.
The participants – the new beginning
God instructs Noah to build an Ark in preparation for a flood. God has Noah take his family as well as male and female of every living creature onto the Ark. God caused it to rain for 40 days and nights, flooding the world killing every living creature that lived on land and breathed the air. Once the water had receded and the land was once again dry Noah, his family, and all the living creatures came off the Ark and would once again populate the world. God establishes a covenant with Noah and with all his descendants that he would never destroy the world by flooding the earth and gave the rainbow as the sign of this covenant.
Consequences
“It becomes clear that the flood has not cleansed the world of sin and the curse; the new Adam (Noah) and his sons get caught up in their spiraling effects” (Birch et al., 1999, p. 63). We do not know what the population of the world was in pre-flood days, but one would imagine that the world's population is greater today. Increased population means increased sin. Anyone who has read the Book of Revelation must wonder if we are nearing the end. Disasters are being reported at a greater rate than they were and with greater intensity. We see and read about fires, tsunamis, hurricanes, and other natural disasters. Toss in wars, terrorist attacks and the genocide of different people groups and there is a constant loss of life.
Jesus warns us that there will be wars, earthquakes and famines and tells us that they are only “the beginning of the birth-pangs (May & Metzger, pp. 1203-1204). Jesus also tells us that we (his followers) will meet with persecution and that it will not matter whether you are related or not for “brother will deliver up brother to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death” (May & Metzger, p. 1233). The Voice of the Martyrs recently reported a Christian being beaten because he drank from the public water supply from which Christians are forbidden to drink.
Conclusion
“The world continues to live and breathe, and to establish families and nations, because God makes a gracious, unconditional commitment to stay with this world, come what may in the wake of human sinfulness” (Birch et al., 1999, p. 65). The tree of knowledge was in the middle of the garden the whole time until Satan introduced sin Adam and Eve had no interest in eating the fruit. They completely trusted God and that had been enough. One wonders if God allowed the sin because he does not want a bunch of robots as followers. God knows we are going to sin, but he still wants us to completely trust him. Trusting in God and being repentant of our sins has always had eternal consequences. If we choose not to listen to God, then we will be separated from him for eternity. Each time you see a rainbow let it remind you of God’s love, his covenant, and his desire for an eternal relationship with you.
References
Birch, B. C., Brueggemann, W., Fretheim, T. E., & Petersen, D. L. (1999). A Theological Introduction to the Old Testament. Nashville, TN: Abington Press.
May, H. G., & Metzger, B. M. (1977). The New Oxford Annotated Bible with the Apocrypha Expanded Edition and Revised Standard Version. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, Inc.
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Happy Thanksgiving!
Psalm 100 (NIV)
A psalm. For giving thanks.
A psalm. For giving thanks.
1 Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.
2 Worship the LORD with gladness;
2 Worship the LORD with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.
3 Know that the LORD is God.
3 Know that the LORD is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
5 For the LORD is good and his love endures forever;
5 For the LORD is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations.
May the grace and blessings of God be upon you on this day of Thanksgiving. It is my prayer for you today that you would have safe travels and fond memories of family and friends as you celebrate Thanksgiving.
Because of Him ~ Terry
Thursday, November 15, 2007
A lot to be thankful for ...
November 2007 Newsletter
Hi All,
Each year the confirmation class learns about a lot of things, including the history of our church. In just over a year Hus Presbyterian Church will be celebrating its 120th anniversary. We have a lot to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. In recognition of this I will be reprinting the history of Hus Church starting this month and continuing over the next year.
Each year the confirmation class learns about a lot of things, including the history of our church. In just over a year Hus Presbyterian Church will be celebrating its 120th anniversary. We have a lot to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. In recognition of this I will be reprinting the history of Hus Church starting this month and continuing over the next year.
A History of Hus Memorial Presbyterian Church
Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Adapted from a Historical Treatise Written by Charlotte Stelcik
Hus Memorial Presbyterian Church of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, began as one of two Protestant Czech churches in the city. The building that currently is home to the church is located between J Street SW and Bowling Street SW on 29th Avenue. The actual address is 2808 Schaeffer Drive SW. Why give a different location than the actual address? Because Schaeffer Drive SW is only about 3 blocks long making it difficult to find. To really understand the hardships and the prosperous times that this church has undergone, we must go back into history and trace the steps of the Czech Protestant people to this day.
European Beginnings
Perhaps it would be well to say a few words here about Jan Hus and his beliefs. To Bohemia Jan Hus is more than a religious reformer; he is the national hero, the great prophet of the Czechs. In lofty idealism and courage as well as in dramatic details, and in his martyrdom, his life was not unlike that of the great prophets of the past, and is even today a source of inspiration to the Czechs. Also they consider the Hussite wars the most glorious periods of their history. Through the moral courage of his convictions and his ideals, and through the influence he exercised, Jan Hus merits a distinguished place among the forerunners of modern thinkers who advocated freedom of thought.
The direct causes of the Hussite movement were in nature religious, social, and national in character. Among the first causes was the corruption of the Roman Catholic Church. In 1419 the Hussites, radicals and moderates agreed on a common program called the Four Articles of Prague, stipulating first, that the Gospel should freely be preached; second, that all mortal sins and other misdemeanors against the laws of God should be prohibited and prosecuted; third, that Holy Communion under both kinds should be taken by all; and last, the priests should abandon all possession of worldly goods and should live up to the teachings of Christ. The Hussite wars are of great importance as the first significant effort made by a whole nation against the authority of the Roman Catholic Church, and as the first attempt of its kind in asserting the modern principle of freedom of conscience and of democracy.
In spite of the Hussite movements, Catholicism soon became the prevailing religion in Bohemia, and ninety-six percent of the people professed the faith. After the Toleration Patent of 1781, issued by Joseph II of Austria, religious freedom was granted to Lutherans and Calvinists but not to the Bohemian (Moravian) Brethren. Protestants, Catholics, and Free-Thinkers, made up the Czech immigration to the United States.
In the nineteenth century when a liberal trend appeared in Bohemia, Charles Havlicek, with his anti-clerical ideas led a movement against the Roman church and some of the liberal-minded Czechs, who had fled from Bohemia during the revolution of 1848, renounced a religion which to them was associated with the Austrian autocracy. They gladly welcomed the American idea of the separation of church and state.
Because of Him ~ Terry
" Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth. Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations."
Psalm 100 (NIV), A psalm. For giving thanks.
Analysis of “The Passion of the Christ”
“The Passion of the Christ” is one of the most graphic movies ever made about Jesus, but how does it hold up against Scripture? Does the movie take liberties in adding things to what we have in the Scriptures and if so, why?
“The Passion of the Christ” begins in the garden of Gethsemane and Jesus is praying. He stops and goes to where he left the disciples to pray. He finds them sleeping, wakes them and asks them why they could not stay awake. (Oxford University Press, Inc. [OUPI], 1977, pgs. 1208, 1235, 1280) When Jesus returns to where he had been praying Satan appears in the background. Of the four Gospels only one has a visitor to Jesus in the garden and that is in Luke 22:43, “and there appeared to him an angel from heaven strengthening him.” (OUPI, p. 1280) The scene is further exaggerated when a snake comes out from under a rock and crawls over to Jesus. Jesus then stands and crushes the head of the snake linking this scene back to Genesis 3:15 (OUPI, p. 5) as well as inferring that Jesus is the second Adam. It is only moments later that Judas and the guards arrive in the garden.
In the middle of the first scene there is a cut away to Judas negotiating his pay for betraying Jesus. This scene is not in order with the Scriptures. We have no idea how the exchange between Judas and the chief priests actually played out, but by having one of the chief priests toss a bag of coins to Judas and then having him fail to catch it made for more dramatic scene.
According to the account in the Synoptic Gospels, a crowd came with Judas and the guards to arrest Jesus. The account in the movie is more like what is recorded in the Gospel of John, where “Judas, procuring a band of soldiers and some officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, went there.” (OUPI, 1977, p. 1313) What followed was a fight scene which is a clear exaggeration of what is recorded in the Gospels. All that is recorded in the Gospels is that one of the disciples reached out as Jesus was arrested and cut off the ear of a servant of the high priest. In the movie it is the ear of a guard that is cut off during the fight. The movie and the Scriptures do agree that Jesus did reattach man’s ear. The scene departs from Scripture when the scene cuts to Mary and Mary Magdalene. The addition of Mary in so many of the scenes would likely be associated with Mel Gibson’s Roman Catholic upbringing.
The Scriptures go from Jesus being arrested to being in front of the Sanhedrin. The movie creatively fills in the time between these two events. First, as Jesus is being led to the Sanhedrin he is thrown off the side of the wall they are walking on. Before being pulled up we see Judas crouching in the shadows and after Jesus is pulled back up a demonic spirit manifests and scares Judas. This would be the first, but not the last time that the movie depicts Judas’ tortured soul. The second piece that is filled in is when John barges in on Mary and Mary Magdalene telling them that Jesus had been arrested. While this is the first time that we see these three together, it will not be the last. They will remain together through out the remainder of the movie. This is fitting as at the end of the movie and in the Scriptures Jesus says “Woman, behold, your son! Then he said to the disciple [John], “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home.” (OUPI, 1977, p. 1315)
As Jesus is brought to and is waiting for the high priest something Jesus see triggers a memory and we see the first of many flashbacks. Some of the flashbacks are things that been added that are not in the Scriptures, others, such as the flashbacks to the Last Supper, have been inserted to define certain scenes to bring better understanding to the viewer. The first flashback is one that has been added for dramatic purposes as it is not in the Scriptures. Mary has arrived in the Temple courtyard and this flashback, like the one as Jesus is carrying the cross, establishes the parent-child relationship between mother and son.
Caiaphis, having questioned Jesus and getting no response, finally says “I adjure you by the living God, tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.” (OUPI, 1977, p. 1209) At Jesus’ response that he is, Caiaphis “tore his robes” and says to the other “You have heard his blasphemy.” They responded that Jesus must die. In the movie when Caiaphis tears only a small section of his robes, but in the Scriptures when it say he tore them it makes it sound like he did more damage to his robes.
Although this is but a minor detail, it shows how different people can interpret the Scriptures in such different ways. Because they could not execute Jesus they took him to Pilate. Earlier in this scene we saw Claudia, the wife of Pilate, having a dream. It will not be until later that we find out that she had a vision that Jesus is a Holy man and that her husband should not have anything to do with his death. As Caiaphis finishes questioning Jesus Peter leaves, obviously shaken and unable to make any sense of what is happening. As he is trying to leave he is confronted by two men and a woman to whom he denies now Jesus. It is then that Peter makes eye contact with Jesus and we see the flashback to when Jesus predicts Peter’s denial of him three times. Peter then goes to Mary and confesses his denial of Jesus. Not in Scriptures Peter confessing to Mary shows how highly she is held by Roman Catholics. Jesus was led to a cell where he was mocked and beaten by the guards. As this is happening we see Mary wondering through the Temple. Suddenly she drops to the ground and listens as the viewer is taken below her to where Jesus is being held. This scene which is not in the Scriptures, like some of the flashbacks, serves to strengthen the bond between mother and son.
Increasingly being tortured by what he realizes he has done, Judas goes to the high priests and offers to give the money back because he has condemned an innocent man. The high priests want nothing to do with him as they finally have what they want, Jesus. Judas throws the money at them and leaves. Again we see more added what is not in the Scriptures as the movie fills in the time between Judas returning the coins and hanging himself. His soul tortured he sees demons in two young boys he see him sitting on the street and they begin to mock him. As they are doing this Judas sees demonic faces and tries to get away. The scene unfolds further as he is outside the city being chased, beaten and spit on by a group of children. Satan appears and the children disappear. It is then that Judas sees a dead donkey. He takes the rope from the donkey and hangs himself in the tree above the donkey. Just by the way that he looks at the donkey it makes one wonder if this was not the donkey that Jesus had ridden into Jerusalem just a week earlier, symbolizing the shift in people’s attitude towards Jesus.
Jesus is then taken before Pilate whose wife has now pleaded with him to let Jesus go based on her dream earlier. Not being able to find Jesus guilty he sends him to Herod to make the call. While the words in this scene are based on Scripture the movie took the opportunity to show what kinds of a lifestyle that Herod led. Unable to get Jesus to do a miracle he sends him back to Pilate. Pilate then lets the Jews choose what to do with Jesus as he has obviously been shaken by Claudia’s dream. In another departure from Scripture he tells his soldiers to chastise him, but not to kill him. During the beating we are given images that the Scriptures do not go into detail on. Obviously some research into the torture that was used was done as we see Jesus beaten with rods and then whips with sharp objects embedded in them so as to cause gashes when they hit. Stopped before they beat Jesus to death he was taken back to Pilate who asked the people if they wanted him to let Barabbas or Jesus go. The crowd, incited by the chief priests cried out to crucify him.
Interestingly the two criminals were not beaten as bad as Jesus and only had to carry the cross beam of their crosses. The movie has Jesus carrying a cross that is completely together. They symbolism of this being that Jesus bore the cross for us. The cross that was used for Jesus appeared to be a very nicely finished one, done likely to honor Jesus for what he did for us. While carrying the cross a man is chosen from the crowd to carry the cross for Jesus as he could no longer carry it on his own. This man was obviously affected deeply by this, especially after making eye contact with Jesus. A woman along the route was also affected and at one point was able to get to Jesus after he had fallen and he wiped his bloodied face on her head garment before she was told to get away. During this scene we also see Mary rushing to be near Jesus. Just before she is able to do so we see a flashback to when he was just a young boy and she was there for him. The flashbacks with Mary have served that purpose through out the movie, to show that she was there for him, just has he was there, on the cross for us.
There were many things that happened in the movie that could not be covered completely here, but the movie goes from being true to the Scriptures to adding things for dramatic effect. This then helps to better define the relationships between the people involved. The departures from Scripture also help the viewer to better understand the world as it was when Jesus was alive. In a creative venture as this it is hard for those who are creating it to not have their personal views show up. While that does happen the movie is still able to convey the long-suffering of Jesus which gives people hope. Just like the Scriptures, the movie can be interpreted in different ways. Because Jesus is God in the flesh, he chose to do what he did for us. It was Jesus the prophet and his admission to being the son of God that led to his crucifixion which showed him as the Messiah.
References
Achtemeier, P. J., Green, J. B., & Thompson, M. M. (2001). Introducing the New Testament: Its Literature and Theology. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.
Oxford University Press, Inc. (1977). The New Oxford Annotated Bible with the Apocrypha (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Oxford University Press, Inc..
“The Passion of the Christ” begins in the garden of Gethsemane and Jesus is praying. He stops and goes to where he left the disciples to pray. He finds them sleeping, wakes them and asks them why they could not stay awake. (Oxford University Press, Inc. [OUPI], 1977, pgs. 1208, 1235, 1280) When Jesus returns to where he had been praying Satan appears in the background. Of the four Gospels only one has a visitor to Jesus in the garden and that is in Luke 22:43, “and there appeared to him an angel from heaven strengthening him.” (OUPI, p. 1280) The scene is further exaggerated when a snake comes out from under a rock and crawls over to Jesus. Jesus then stands and crushes the head of the snake linking this scene back to Genesis 3:15 (OUPI, p. 5) as well as inferring that Jesus is the second Adam. It is only moments later that Judas and the guards arrive in the garden.
In the middle of the first scene there is a cut away to Judas negotiating his pay for betraying Jesus. This scene is not in order with the Scriptures. We have no idea how the exchange between Judas and the chief priests actually played out, but by having one of the chief priests toss a bag of coins to Judas and then having him fail to catch it made for more dramatic scene.
According to the account in the Synoptic Gospels, a crowd came with Judas and the guards to arrest Jesus. The account in the movie is more like what is recorded in the Gospel of John, where “Judas, procuring a band of soldiers and some officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, went there.” (OUPI, 1977, p. 1313) What followed was a fight scene which is a clear exaggeration of what is recorded in the Gospels. All that is recorded in the Gospels is that one of the disciples reached out as Jesus was arrested and cut off the ear of a servant of the high priest. In the movie it is the ear of a guard that is cut off during the fight. The movie and the Scriptures do agree that Jesus did reattach man’s ear. The scene departs from Scripture when the scene cuts to Mary and Mary Magdalene. The addition of Mary in so many of the scenes would likely be associated with Mel Gibson’s Roman Catholic upbringing.
The Scriptures go from Jesus being arrested to being in front of the Sanhedrin. The movie creatively fills in the time between these two events. First, as Jesus is being led to the Sanhedrin he is thrown off the side of the wall they are walking on. Before being pulled up we see Judas crouching in the shadows and after Jesus is pulled back up a demonic spirit manifests and scares Judas. This would be the first, but not the last time that the movie depicts Judas’ tortured soul. The second piece that is filled in is when John barges in on Mary and Mary Magdalene telling them that Jesus had been arrested. While this is the first time that we see these three together, it will not be the last. They will remain together through out the remainder of the movie. This is fitting as at the end of the movie and in the Scriptures Jesus says “Woman, behold, your son! Then he said to the disciple [John], “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home.” (OUPI, 1977, p. 1315)
As Jesus is brought to and is waiting for the high priest something Jesus see triggers a memory and we see the first of many flashbacks. Some of the flashbacks are things that been added that are not in the Scriptures, others, such as the flashbacks to the Last Supper, have been inserted to define certain scenes to bring better understanding to the viewer. The first flashback is one that has been added for dramatic purposes as it is not in the Scriptures. Mary has arrived in the Temple courtyard and this flashback, like the one as Jesus is carrying the cross, establishes the parent-child relationship between mother and son.
Caiaphis, having questioned Jesus and getting no response, finally says “I adjure you by the living God, tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.” (OUPI, 1977, p. 1209) At Jesus’ response that he is, Caiaphis “tore his robes” and says to the other “You have heard his blasphemy.” They responded that Jesus must die. In the movie when Caiaphis tears only a small section of his robes, but in the Scriptures when it say he tore them it makes it sound like he did more damage to his robes.
Although this is but a minor detail, it shows how different people can interpret the Scriptures in such different ways. Because they could not execute Jesus they took him to Pilate. Earlier in this scene we saw Claudia, the wife of Pilate, having a dream. It will not be until later that we find out that she had a vision that Jesus is a Holy man and that her husband should not have anything to do with his death. As Caiaphis finishes questioning Jesus Peter leaves, obviously shaken and unable to make any sense of what is happening. As he is trying to leave he is confronted by two men and a woman to whom he denies now Jesus. It is then that Peter makes eye contact with Jesus and we see the flashback to when Jesus predicts Peter’s denial of him three times. Peter then goes to Mary and confesses his denial of Jesus. Not in Scriptures Peter confessing to Mary shows how highly she is held by Roman Catholics. Jesus was led to a cell where he was mocked and beaten by the guards. As this is happening we see Mary wondering through the Temple. Suddenly she drops to the ground and listens as the viewer is taken below her to where Jesus is being held. This scene which is not in the Scriptures, like some of the flashbacks, serves to strengthen the bond between mother and son.
Increasingly being tortured by what he realizes he has done, Judas goes to the high priests and offers to give the money back because he has condemned an innocent man. The high priests want nothing to do with him as they finally have what they want, Jesus. Judas throws the money at them and leaves. Again we see more added what is not in the Scriptures as the movie fills in the time between Judas returning the coins and hanging himself. His soul tortured he sees demons in two young boys he see him sitting on the street and they begin to mock him. As they are doing this Judas sees demonic faces and tries to get away. The scene unfolds further as he is outside the city being chased, beaten and spit on by a group of children. Satan appears and the children disappear. It is then that Judas sees a dead donkey. He takes the rope from the donkey and hangs himself in the tree above the donkey. Just by the way that he looks at the donkey it makes one wonder if this was not the donkey that Jesus had ridden into Jerusalem just a week earlier, symbolizing the shift in people’s attitude towards Jesus.
Jesus is then taken before Pilate whose wife has now pleaded with him to let Jesus go based on her dream earlier. Not being able to find Jesus guilty he sends him to Herod to make the call. While the words in this scene are based on Scripture the movie took the opportunity to show what kinds of a lifestyle that Herod led. Unable to get Jesus to do a miracle he sends him back to Pilate. Pilate then lets the Jews choose what to do with Jesus as he has obviously been shaken by Claudia’s dream. In another departure from Scripture he tells his soldiers to chastise him, but not to kill him. During the beating we are given images that the Scriptures do not go into detail on. Obviously some research into the torture that was used was done as we see Jesus beaten with rods and then whips with sharp objects embedded in them so as to cause gashes when they hit. Stopped before they beat Jesus to death he was taken back to Pilate who asked the people if they wanted him to let Barabbas or Jesus go. The crowd, incited by the chief priests cried out to crucify him.
Interestingly the two criminals were not beaten as bad as Jesus and only had to carry the cross beam of their crosses. The movie has Jesus carrying a cross that is completely together. They symbolism of this being that Jesus bore the cross for us. The cross that was used for Jesus appeared to be a very nicely finished one, done likely to honor Jesus for what he did for us. While carrying the cross a man is chosen from the crowd to carry the cross for Jesus as he could no longer carry it on his own. This man was obviously affected deeply by this, especially after making eye contact with Jesus. A woman along the route was also affected and at one point was able to get to Jesus after he had fallen and he wiped his bloodied face on her head garment before she was told to get away. During this scene we also see Mary rushing to be near Jesus. Just before she is able to do so we see a flashback to when he was just a young boy and she was there for him. The flashbacks with Mary have served that purpose through out the movie, to show that she was there for him, just has he was there, on the cross for us.
There were many things that happened in the movie that could not be covered completely here, but the movie goes from being true to the Scriptures to adding things for dramatic effect. This then helps to better define the relationships between the people involved. The departures from Scripture also help the viewer to better understand the world as it was when Jesus was alive. In a creative venture as this it is hard for those who are creating it to not have their personal views show up. While that does happen the movie is still able to convey the long-suffering of Jesus which gives people hope. Just like the Scriptures, the movie can be interpreted in different ways. Because Jesus is God in the flesh, he chose to do what he did for us. It was Jesus the prophet and his admission to being the son of God that led to his crucifixion which showed him as the Messiah.
References
Achtemeier, P. J., Green, J. B., & Thompson, M. M. (2001). Introducing the New Testament: Its Literature and Theology. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.
Oxford University Press, Inc. (1977). The New Oxford Annotated Bible with the Apocrypha (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Oxford University Press, Inc..
Jesus as Prophet, Messiah, and Son of Man
Prophet. Messiah. Son of Man. Each has been used to describe Jesus Christ. Of the three, “Prophet” is the one description that has changed the least between the 1st century and today. To call Jesus the Messiah or the Son of Man, however, means different things today than it did in the 2000 years ago.
Prophet is defined by the Random House Dictionary as “a person who speaks for God or a deity, or by divine inspiration.” (Random House, Inc. [RHI], 1980, p.1061) He was called prophet by those who heard him, “It is a prophet, like one of the prophets of old.” (Oxford University Press, Inc. [OUPI], 1977, p. 1221) He was called a false prophet by those who questioned his methods and motives, calling into question what he taught and the miracles that he performed. By the very definition of the word, Jesus is a prophet as he did speak for God and he was divinely inspired. Today “well over a billion Muslims revere Jesus as a prophet of God” (Bockmuehl, 2002, p. 1). Many have come and gone through out the course of history claiming to be a prophet. In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus warns us to “beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits.” (OUPI, p. 1179) Jesus came to speak the Word of God the way that God had intended it to be, not the way man had interpreted it. In doing this there were times that he was at odds with the priests and others, so much so that they would call for Jesus to die. “We need not doubt that Jesus saw his words and deeds as fulfillment of the opening verses of Isaiah 61. ‘He has sent me to announce good news to the poor, i.e. to gospel the poor ... to comfort all who mourn.’ Indeed, I believe that this passage was the most important part of Scripture for Jesus’ own self-understanding: not Isaiah 53 with its references to the so-called suffering servant, but Isaiah 61.” (Stanton, 2004, p. 13)
Messiah is defined as “the promised and expected deliverer of the Jewish people.” (RHI, 1980, p. 839) Christians today consider Jesus the Messiah, but that has not always been the case. In the 1st century Jews were looking for something very different from the Messiah. The Prophets of the Old Testament had told of his coming. The Messiah was to be from the line of David. While Jesus was from the line of David, but it was difficult to believe that he was the awaited Messiah since he was born in a stable. Not where you would expect royalty to be born. The Jews were looking for someone like Moses, someone to raise up an army and lead Israel out from under the rule of the Romans. “The Messiah was to be a king, not a proclaimer of God’s will, judgment, and redemption.” (Achtemeier, Green, & Thompson, 2001, p. 231) 1st century Jews were waiting for someone to physically deliver them. They rejected Jesus as the Messiah because he failed to deliver them so they continue to wait. When James and John asked to be seated next to Jesus in his kingdom they were thinking an earthly one. At that point they still did not understand that Jesus had come to deliver them, but not in the way that was expected. Jesus came to deliver us spiritually. To save us from our sinful nature and bring us back into communion with God. “The nature of Jesus' messiahship as described in the New Testament has remained a puzzle for almost two thousand years. According to the Synoptic Gospels, Jesus never declared himself to be the Messiah. Moreover, when others called him the Messiah, he asked that it not be publicly revealed.” (Knohl, 2000, p. 1)
“The Gospels show that Jesus speaks most often of himself as “Son of man,” a designation derived from Daniel 7.” (Achtemeier et al., 2001, p. 233) “Since Jesus always speaks of the Son of Man in the third person, one could infer that he is referring to someone other than himself. In most of the sayings, however, it is clear that Jesus uses the phrase to refer to himself.” (Burkett, 2000, p. 1) Why Son of man instead of Son of God? In Matthew 26:63-64 Jesus ties these two terms together. “And the high priest said to him, “I adjure [urge] you by the living God tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.” Jesus said to him, “You have said so. But I tell you, hereafter you will see the Son of man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.”” Jesus was God who became human. He was both the Son of God and the Son of Man.
While on earth Jesus was a prophet who foretold of the coming kingdom of God. He was the Messiah sent by God to deliver his people from sin, to bring them back to God. To do this, God came into the world as a man. He was both the Son of God and the Son of man. Since his resurrection Jesus has reigned in heaven as the Messiah, the deliverer of all the nations. This is summed up in the Gospel of John where the writer says “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal lie. For God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.” (OUPI, 1977, p. 1289)
References
Achtemeier, P. J., Green, J. B., & Thompson, M. M. (2001). Introducing the New Testament: Its Literature and Theology. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.
Bockmuehl, M. (2002). Companion to Jesus. Retrieved October 21, 2007, from http://site.ebrary.com/lib/grandcanyon/Doc?id=10019082&ppg=19
Burkett, D. (2000). Son of Man Debate : A History & Evaluation. Retrieved October 21, 2007, from http://site.ebrary.com/lib/grandcanyon/Doc?id=10001911&ppg=15
Knohl, I. (2000). Messiah Before Jesus. Retrieved October 21, 2007, from http://site.ebrary.com/lib/grandcanyon/Doc?id=10053519&ppg=15
Oxford University Press, Inc. (1977). The New Oxford Annotated Bible with the Apocrypha (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Oxford University Press, Inc..
Random House, Inc. (1980). The Random House College Dictionary (Revised ed.). New York, NY: Random House, Inc..
Stanton, G. N. (2004). Jesus and Gospel. Retrieved October 21, 2007, from http://site.ebrary.com/lib/grandcanyon/Doc?id=10131754&ppg=27
Prophet is defined by the Random House Dictionary as “a person who speaks for God or a deity, or by divine inspiration.” (Random House, Inc. [RHI], 1980, p.1061) He was called prophet by those who heard him, “It is a prophet, like one of the prophets of old.” (Oxford University Press, Inc. [OUPI], 1977, p. 1221) He was called a false prophet by those who questioned his methods and motives, calling into question what he taught and the miracles that he performed. By the very definition of the word, Jesus is a prophet as he did speak for God and he was divinely inspired. Today “well over a billion Muslims revere Jesus as a prophet of God” (Bockmuehl, 2002, p. 1). Many have come and gone through out the course of history claiming to be a prophet. In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus warns us to “beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits.” (OUPI, p. 1179) Jesus came to speak the Word of God the way that God had intended it to be, not the way man had interpreted it. In doing this there were times that he was at odds with the priests and others, so much so that they would call for Jesus to die. “We need not doubt that Jesus saw his words and deeds as fulfillment of the opening verses of Isaiah 61. ‘He has sent me to announce good news to the poor, i.e. to gospel the poor ... to comfort all who mourn.’ Indeed, I believe that this passage was the most important part of Scripture for Jesus’ own self-understanding: not Isaiah 53 with its references to the so-called suffering servant, but Isaiah 61.” (Stanton, 2004, p. 13)
Messiah is defined as “the promised and expected deliverer of the Jewish people.” (RHI, 1980, p. 839) Christians today consider Jesus the Messiah, but that has not always been the case. In the 1st century Jews were looking for something very different from the Messiah. The Prophets of the Old Testament had told of his coming. The Messiah was to be from the line of David. While Jesus was from the line of David, but it was difficult to believe that he was the awaited Messiah since he was born in a stable. Not where you would expect royalty to be born. The Jews were looking for someone like Moses, someone to raise up an army and lead Israel out from under the rule of the Romans. “The Messiah was to be a king, not a proclaimer of God’s will, judgment, and redemption.” (Achtemeier, Green, & Thompson, 2001, p. 231) 1st century Jews were waiting for someone to physically deliver them. They rejected Jesus as the Messiah because he failed to deliver them so they continue to wait. When James and John asked to be seated next to Jesus in his kingdom they were thinking an earthly one. At that point they still did not understand that Jesus had come to deliver them, but not in the way that was expected. Jesus came to deliver us spiritually. To save us from our sinful nature and bring us back into communion with God. “The nature of Jesus' messiahship as described in the New Testament has remained a puzzle for almost two thousand years. According to the Synoptic Gospels, Jesus never declared himself to be the Messiah. Moreover, when others called him the Messiah, he asked that it not be publicly revealed.” (Knohl, 2000, p. 1)
“The Gospels show that Jesus speaks most often of himself as “Son of man,” a designation derived from Daniel 7.” (Achtemeier et al., 2001, p. 233) “Since Jesus always speaks of the Son of Man in the third person, one could infer that he is referring to someone other than himself. In most of the sayings, however, it is clear that Jesus uses the phrase to refer to himself.” (Burkett, 2000, p. 1) Why Son of man instead of Son of God? In Matthew 26:63-64 Jesus ties these two terms together. “And the high priest said to him, “I adjure [urge] you by the living God tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.” Jesus said to him, “You have said so. But I tell you, hereafter you will see the Son of man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.”” Jesus was God who became human. He was both the Son of God and the Son of Man.
While on earth Jesus was a prophet who foretold of the coming kingdom of God. He was the Messiah sent by God to deliver his people from sin, to bring them back to God. To do this, God came into the world as a man. He was both the Son of God and the Son of man. Since his resurrection Jesus has reigned in heaven as the Messiah, the deliverer of all the nations. This is summed up in the Gospel of John where the writer says “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal lie. For God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.” (OUPI, 1977, p. 1289)
References
Achtemeier, P. J., Green, J. B., & Thompson, M. M. (2001). Introducing the New Testament: Its Literature and Theology. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.
Bockmuehl, M. (2002). Companion to Jesus. Retrieved October 21, 2007, from http://site.ebrary.com/lib/grandcanyon/Doc?id=10019082&ppg=19
Burkett, D. (2000). Son of Man Debate : A History & Evaluation. Retrieved October 21, 2007, from http://site.ebrary.com/lib/grandcanyon/Doc?id=10001911&ppg=15
Knohl, I. (2000). Messiah Before Jesus. Retrieved October 21, 2007, from http://site.ebrary.com/lib/grandcanyon/Doc?id=10053519&ppg=15
Oxford University Press, Inc. (1977). The New Oxford Annotated Bible with the Apocrypha (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Oxford University Press, Inc..
Random House, Inc. (1980). The Random House College Dictionary (Revised ed.). New York, NY: Random House, Inc..
Stanton, G. N. (2004). Jesus and Gospel. Retrieved October 21, 2007, from http://site.ebrary.com/lib/grandcanyon/Doc?id=10131754&ppg=27
Serving Christ by Serving the City
October 2007 Newsletter
Hi All,
In less than a month nearly 1000 volunteers from 38 churches and ministries will be taking part in Operation Serve 2007. What is Operation Serve? Glad you asked. This event is part of Serve the Cities "three-year initiative, an adventure focused on reaching the lost of this community with the gospel of Christ."
In February 2006 we launched Prayer, Care, Share at Hus Church by going to the wall to pray for people that we know that do not have a relationship with Jesus Christ. Since then we have been praying for that God would open these people up to here the Good News of Jesus Christ. The weekly average attendance of the churches and ministries that are part of Serve the City is just over 10,000. That means that if everyone is praying for just three people that over 30,000 people who do not know the Lord are being prayed for. That is about 1/6th of the population of Linn County.
"Here's another way to put it: You're here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We're going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don't think I'm going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I'm putting you on a light stand. Now that I've put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you'll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven." (Matthew 5:14-16 The Message)
As followers of Jesus we need to be God's light in this sometimes-dark world. Operation Serve is part of that. Through Operation Serve we are going to simply serve our community. How? By serving the schools systems in the area, by holding a blood drive, and with a food collection and distribution.
Help us as we rake leaves, clean weeds and grass from fence lines, cut down small trees, take on some landscaping projects, and other tasks as the schools need:
Cedar Rapids Community Schools: Harding, Garfield, Grant Wood, Johnson, Kingston Stadium, McKinley, Roosevelt, Washington, Wilson, and the Bus Barn
College Community Schools: Prairie High School
Linn-Mar Community Schools: Bowman Woods Elementary, Novak Elementary, Linn-Mar High School, Educational Services Center, Wilkins Elementary, and Indian Creek Elementary
Marion Independent Schools: Administrative Offices, Marion High School, Francis Marion Intermediate, Starry Elementary, Vernon Middle, and the football field.
In addition to serving the schools there will be a blood drive at St. Mark's Lutheran Church that is being done in partnership with The Mississippi Valley Blood Center (MVBC). The MVBC serves 50 hospitals in Eastern Iowa, including Mercy Cedar Rapids, Mercy Iowa City, and the VA Hospital in Iowa City. They also supplement for St. Luke's Cedar Rapids and they provide about 10,000 units of blood to the University of Iowa Hospital.
Also there will be teams of people helping package food for Kids Against Hunger at 1st Lutheran Church Cedar Rapids. The goal is to package 8,000 meals to send overseas. There will also be a canned food drive to help fill the shelves of local food pantries.
More information will be coming in the next week to 10 days so watch out for it and see how you can be a light to Cedar Rapids by volunteering some of your time.
Because of Him ~ Terry
Hi All,
In less than a month nearly 1000 volunteers from 38 churches and ministries will be taking part in Operation Serve 2007. What is Operation Serve? Glad you asked. This event is part of Serve the Cities "three-year initiative, an adventure focused on reaching the lost of this community with the gospel of Christ."
In February 2006 we launched Prayer, Care, Share at Hus Church by going to the wall to pray for people that we know that do not have a relationship with Jesus Christ. Since then we have been praying for that God would open these people up to here the Good News of Jesus Christ. The weekly average attendance of the churches and ministries that are part of Serve the City is just over 10,000. That means that if everyone is praying for just three people that over 30,000 people who do not know the Lord are being prayed for. That is about 1/6th of the population of Linn County.
"Here's another way to put it: You're here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We're going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don't think I'm going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I'm putting you on a light stand. Now that I've put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you'll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven." (Matthew 5:14-16 The Message)
As followers of Jesus we need to be God's light in this sometimes-dark world. Operation Serve is part of that. Through Operation Serve we are going to simply serve our community. How? By serving the schools systems in the area, by holding a blood drive, and with a food collection and distribution.
Help us as we rake leaves, clean weeds and grass from fence lines, cut down small trees, take on some landscaping projects, and other tasks as the schools need:
Cedar Rapids Community Schools: Harding, Garfield, Grant Wood, Johnson, Kingston Stadium, McKinley, Roosevelt, Washington, Wilson, and the Bus Barn
College Community Schools: Prairie High School
Linn-Mar Community Schools: Bowman Woods Elementary, Novak Elementary, Linn-Mar High School, Educational Services Center, Wilkins Elementary, and Indian Creek Elementary
Marion Independent Schools: Administrative Offices, Marion High School, Francis Marion Intermediate, Starry Elementary, Vernon Middle, and the football field.
In addition to serving the schools there will be a blood drive at St. Mark's Lutheran Church that is being done in partnership with The Mississippi Valley Blood Center (MVBC). The MVBC serves 50 hospitals in Eastern Iowa, including Mercy Cedar Rapids, Mercy Iowa City, and the VA Hospital in Iowa City. They also supplement for St. Luke's Cedar Rapids and they provide about 10,000 units of blood to the University of Iowa Hospital.
Also there will be teams of people helping package food for Kids Against Hunger at 1st Lutheran Church Cedar Rapids. The goal is to package 8,000 meals to send overseas. There will also be a canned food drive to help fill the shelves of local food pantries.
More information will be coming in the next week to 10 days so watch out for it and see how you can be a light to Cedar Rapids by volunteering some of your time.
Because of Him ~ Terry
"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."
Jeremiah 29:7 (NIV)
Jeremiah 29:7 (NIV)
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