Key Insights
“Up to this point, the disciples have been portrayed primarily as observers, accompanying Jesus as he preaches and heals. Now he gives the authority and power to do just what he has been doing: casting out demons, healing the sick, and proclaiming the message of the kingdom of God.” I didn’t even notice that it was the changing point in to disciple’s life because now, they are taking one step forward.
“It has been suggested that the people are organized in ranks (50 people per group) like an army and that some of the people present may have thought Jesus was organizing them as a messianic army.” I knew that there was an importance to the numbers, but I wasn’t sure what it stood for.
“The suffering role of the “Servant of the Lord,” is set out in Isaiah 52:13 - 53-12. There is little evidence, that the Jews of Jesus’ day recognized this passage as referring to the Messiah. Their messianic expectations focused instead on a powerful and triumphant king who would overthrow the Romans and reign in righteousness on David’s throne.” The people didn’t expect Jesus to be the way he is, and they were expecting him to be powerful and have control.
“Why Moses and Elijah? They may signify the law and the prophets respectively, and so confirm Jesus’ fulfillment of the Old Testament scriptures. Both men also received mountaintop revelations of God and were known for their powerful miracles.” This period was like a transition period, and Moses and Elijah are being compared to Jesus.
“The symbol is one of divine judgments against the enemies of God. In their misplaced zeal James and John seek divine retribution against those who oppose God’s messengers. While Jesus was going through his transformation, they were all half asleep.
“Jesus probably means to let those spiritually dead bury the physically dead. Some commentators have sought to soften Jesus’ words by suggesting that the man is requesting a long delay until his father dies or that he is referring to the burial of bones in a common family grave after the flesh has rotted into bones.” I thought that Jesus was harsh in this situation and I don’t think that he was putting it as nicely as what some of the commentators said.
Chapter 10
Every time I read about a quantity that relates to Jesus, I assume there is an importance behind that number, so the number seventy must be significant in some way. Jesus sets out seventy of his people, but I wonder where he got so many people to leave their homes and just follow him. They must be a bunch of young single men, and a few single women because how would the people that have families be able to do this. Jesus talks about the many many people that can be “harvested” but not enough labors. I find it somewhat weird how Jesus always uses references to farmers. Is it because he wants to relate everything back to the people so that they will be able to understand what he says better? The people back then probably didn’t have a lot of education so Jesus wanted to put it in simpler terms so that it doesn’t restrict only to the educated people. Jesus also refers to the lamb as his people and the wolf as the people that they will soon encounter. It shows that Jesus is aware of the dangerous people that will arise after they hear about him, and how many followers he has. I wonder why Jesus tells them not to bring anything though, why does it matter? I’m confused about the part where Jesus talks about peace; he says that if the people share in peace, then labor’s peace will rest on them, and if not, it will return. I thought that the sympathy that Jesus has for his sons and daughter were equal and not greater for the ones that follow him. However, that doesn’t seem to be the case because it appears to only apply to the people that accept him. He tells his labors to inform the people that the kingdom of God has come near, and that the people who follow him will no longer suffer.
The first thing that came to my mind when I read the first paragraph of Woes to Unrepentant Cities was whether the names mentioned: Chorazin, Bethsaida, Tyre, and Sidon were cities that still exist today because I have never heard of those names before. Who is the “you” that Jesus is referring to? Is it the people that do not repent? Is the “you” referring to a specific person or is it just a generalization? Jesus is saying the people that do not welcome him will have to suffer when Judgment comes. After reading that part, my assumption that Jesus is 100 percent nice disappears because he seems to be like an average person who has an average mix of mean and nice personality. He talks about how the people that don’t listen eventually reject God, and will eventually suffer.
Jesus is rejoiced in the Holy Spirit; what does that actually mean? Does the Holy Spirit now manifest in him? Does it assume that Jesus is separate from the Holy Spirit since the Holy Spirit only manifest himself in Jesus sometimes? I don’t really get the part when Jesus talks about the son understanding the father and the father understanding the son, but after he rejoices, he turns and informs the prophets that they know, see, and hear more than the king. After Jesus informs his prophet that, a lawyer stood up and questions him, which I find quite ironic since lawyers always find a way to test the people that they encounter. He talks about eternal life, but I think that eternal life to Jesus is different to the eternal life that the lawyer is talking about. The eternal life that Jesus is referring to is to live forever in the kingdom of God, and that the life on Earth is only temporary. The eternal life that the lawyer is referring to is to live forever on earth. The lawyer then asks who his neighbors refer to. The definition of neighbor that Jesus gives isn’t similar to out definition of neighbor at all. Jesus refers to neighbor as anyone who needs our help, like the man that was going to Jericho who was beaten and robbed. This example just shows how narrow the minds of people are. Unlike us, Jesus is able to perceive a bigger picture and not think so vaguely, which serves as proof for his intelligence.
Jesus visits Martha and Mary, but the author doesn’t mention what city, he just says a certain city. The story is also very short, which makes me think that the story was just added for length instead of significant. Mary and Martha are sisters, but Martha is so busy with everything, while Mary sits at the feet of Jesus and listens to speak. Martha tells Jesus to tell Mary to help her, but Jesus says that Mary has chosen the better part which will not be taken away from her. I found it somewhat rude of Martha to tell Jesus to tell Mary to help her. First of all, they have a guest, so they both have to forget what they were doing and serve their guest. Second of all, it’s Jesus, the son of God, the Messiah that can heal anyone, who is visiting them, it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity and she is ignoring him, and proceeding with her work? I don’t understand her mindset. However, some off it may have to do with the fact that the people back then were not aware that Jesus is the son of God.
Key Insights
“While the earlier mission of the twelve represents the gospel going to Israel, this one points to the mission of the Gentiles. The actual target of the mission, however, remains the town of Israel…The number(72) probably symbolically represent the nations of the world. There are seventy two names listed in the nation of Hebrew text of Genesis 10, and seventy two names listed in the Septuagint.”
The numbers that are in the Bible are of some importance, and are there for a reason.
“The offer of peace here is more than a greeting. It suggests spiritual wholeness and so represents the offer of the kingdom of God. A man of peace is one whose heart is ready to welcome the kingdom.”
I thought that peace in this context meant that the man is calm and happy with himself, but it means that he is prepared to enter the kingdom of God.
“The intimacy of relationship between the father and the son has parallel to the personification of wisdom in the Old Testament and Judaism. Job 28:21, 23 says that while wisdom “is hidden from the eyes of living things… God understands the way to it and he alone knows where it dwells.”
This proves that Jesus is the true son of God because only when he is the son of God, can he be able to have that intimate relationship. It also proves to me that Jesus and God are not of one person.
“The Levites were the descendants of Levi, one of the twelve sons of Jacob. Unlike the other tribes of Israel, they were not given a tribal allotment in the land but rather consecrated as God’s special tribe in place of the first born Israelites. Their role was to assist the priests in the service of the Tabernacle and later the Temple.”
The Levites is the only tribe that had this special advantage, and I wonder why they were the only ones.
“Jesus is not suggesting that salvation is by works. Rather, authentic acts of love arise form an attitude of faith. Through this parable, Jesus will expose the man’s failure to truly love his neighbor.”
“Jewish society placed a high value on hospitality, and a woman’s honor and reputation depended on her ability to manage her household well. Since service was a woman’s highest calling, Martha’s complaint against Mary would be legitimate…Jesus shatters cultural expectations by affirming the woman as a disciple.”
I still don’t understand why Martha would be doing the right thing if their main job is to be hospitable to their guests.