Life Of Christ
LIFE OF CHRIST PROJECT
Peter’s proposal
Matthew 17:1-8; Mark 9:2-8; Luke 9:28-36
Pentecost: pp. 255-258, 279-80,282,302
Peter’s proposal to build three tabernacles showed that he understood the importance of this event. Peter had been asleep and when he woke up he saw Christ in His glory. This glory of God that was hid by the veil in the tabernacle was manifested through Jesus and His face and clothes were transformed so that they shone with a brilliant light. When Peter saw God the Father manifesting His glory through God the Son he thought that this was the beginning of the Messiah’s kingdom. Peter thought it would be good to mark this event for a memorial with three tabernacles and observe the Feast of Tabernacles.
Moses had instructed the people to observe the Feast of Tabernacles to remember how God had delivered them out of Egypt and anticipate the last regathering of Israel under the rule of the Messiah. They would prepare for the feast by setting up small leafy booths to eat, sleep, and pray in. They would stay in these booths for the first week of the feast. Many Jews, including peter, believed that Jesus was the Messiah, which He was and is, and He would set up His kingdom and rule forever, but Jesus rebuked him. Not all of Israel believed that Jesus was the Messiah and the Messiah’s kingdom could not come until the nation turned to Him as the messiah.
Boyhood training of Jesus
Luke 2:40
Pentecost pp.74-75, 561-563
According to Luke 2 we understand that Jesus developed and grew like any other Jewish boy would have. Luke is the only writer that writes about the boyhood of Christ and all he tells us is “And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him.” Looking at the facts about His parents and His ministry, it is easy to come to the conclusion that He studied the Scriptures as a child and He grew up just like any other Jewish boy.
It was customary for the child to begin his training as soon as he could speak. The mother would begin by teaching a child simple catechism called Shema. The father would later begin to teach the Torah to the child. Boys at the age of six went to the nearby synagogue to receive more training. The training at the synagogues started off in Leviticus with a study of the Old Testament and then led into a study of the traditional law at about the age of ten and finally studding the theology of the Gemaras at the age of fifteen.
Jesus during His ministry used the Scriptures regularly. He was constantly referring to the Old Testament by memory and He was fluent with the Greek and Hebrew text. This can lead to the conclusion that Joseph and Mary had a copy of both the Greek and the Hebrew texts in their home and that Jesus was a good student of the Scriptures.
Life through a Pharisees eyes
Matthew 23:26; Luke 7:36-39; Luke 11:37-38
Pentecost pp. 310, 247,545-46,310,547-48
I am a Pharisee and proud of it, but I am not as those Hillel Pharisee’s who claim to be Pharisees and do not follow all of the law and traditions. I keep all the laws of Moses and all of the traditions of the elders and if at any point those two differ I will follow the traditions of my elders. I know I am right with God and will go to paradise because keep those laws and traditions. I keep all 248 commands that concern the law and all 365 prohibitions to ensure that I am good enough to enter Heaven. Every morning when I get up I make sure that I put my phylacteries and tassels on and make sure that they are in perfect order. My phylacteries are small leather boxes that have scripture passages on them. I make sure I put these on my left arm and head to show that I keep the law with me. Everything I do must show that I am dedicated to God.
Before and after every meal and even when I come from the market I will wash my hands very diligently, I will pour out some water upon my hands and then I will let it run to my wrists because I don’t want any of the contaminated water to flow to my fingertips. I also make sure that the couch that I will be laying on is thoroughly cleansed as well as any other furniture I will come in contact with. Because the Rabbis consider the process in washing our hands so important, I will make sure that I wash properly and if I don’t wash my hands well enough than I may be killed. It would be better for me to travel many miles to water than to eat without washing hands. This is one topic of which leaders from both conservative and liberal sides agree upon.
We hate sinners and will have no part with them. That part of the reason why we hate this man named Jesus. He will go into homes with sinners and eat with them. What a disgrace He makes by spending time with those who disgrace the wonderful nation of our fathers. I am certain that God hates sinners, separates himself from them, and rejoices in their death, therefore I should as well.
Over they years there has been a split among the Pharisees’. I am a Shammai and not like the Hillel Pharisees’. The Hillel Pharisee’s will compromise the law for convince although they are still considered to be able to interpret the Law as well as us. They even believe that it is alright for a man to divorce his wife without a good cause. I can’t believe that they call themselves Pharisees and they don’t strictly obey the Law and it makes me sick to associate with such a group of reprobates.
Corban tradition
Mark 7:1-13
Pentecost pp. 242-243
A corban was a vow that set whatever you wished to give God aside so that you could not use it for yourself. This vow was made as a sacrifice or offering to God. Whatever was set apart to God was passed into the priests hands to ensure that it was kept for God. This vow became a tool of wickedness and violated scripture. Men would go to collect money from their debtors and the debtors would say that they had put the money into corban and then the man would feel guilty because he was taking money from God. The Pharisees took this to the extreme and used it as a way to neglect their parents. The Law commanded that the children honor their parents and take care of the financial burden when they become old, but with the corban tradition the Pharisees could weasel their way out of taking care of their parents by simply giving all their possessions into corban. Christ confronted the Pharisees about this in Mark 7 and accused them of using their own traditions to nullify the Word of God.
Illegalities at Christ’s trials
Matthew 26:57,59-68; Mark 14:53,55-65; Luke 22:54a, 63-65; John 18:24
Pentecost 459-476
Jesus was put on trial by those who loved and obeyed the law to every letter. But, for some strange reason those who loved the law broke it over and over for the sake of bringing this man Jesus to silence. They began with by taking him to Annas the father in law of Caiaphas. He then sent Jesus to caiaphas. They took him to the house of Caiaphas the high priest and not to the temple where he should have been tried. He was not put on trial in the normal legal hours for trials, but rather done at night. The Pharisees did not seem to care who they needed to work with to put Jesus to death. They hated the Roman Government and the Sadducees, but yet for the sake of killing Jesus they could come together. They were in such a hast to put him to death that they could not get the witnesses to agree with their testimonies against him until one man said that Jesus had claimed that He could raise up the temple in three days. Finally, after they had a full spectrum of false witnesses they forced him to whiteness against himself. When He declared that He was the Son of God the high priest rent his cloths, which the priests were not allowed to do.
They reconvened with the Sanhedrin before the sun was up the next morning. They once again tried trumped up charges, but their arguments broke down and they did not have enough of the Sanhedrin there to legally sentence Him. They finally asked Jesus directly if He was the Son of God and when He claimed to be they proclaimed that He spoke blasphemy. He was therefore sentenced to death even though it was illegal to sentence someone to death at night. They did not have the power to put someone to death so they wasted no time in taking Him to the Roman Government for His trial and as He stood before Pilate and nothing could be found wrong of Him in Pilate’s eyes. Pilate sent Him to Herod and he was glad to receive Him because he thought he would see some miracles, but when Jesus did none he soon became board and sent Him back to Pilate.
After much twisting of Pilate’s arm the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Sanhedrin convinced him to sentence Him to death. Can the hypocrisy be seen in the lives of those who wanted so much to see this man be put to death? It is plain to see that they had the trial as fast and covert as possible to ensure that they got their way.
Summery and comparison of the prodigal son
Luke 15
Pentecost pp. 332-338
The parable that we know as the prodigal son is really about the Father’s attributes. The father has two sons and when they are old enough to live on their own the one chooses to forsake his father and family and leaves with his inheritance. The other son continues to work daily doing whatever the father willed. The son who has taken his inheritance soon runs out living in a far country and then a famine hits. He becomes desperate and starts working for a farmer who has pigs. This son ends up eating the same slop that the pigs get, so he begins to contemplate is situation and concludes that he would be better off as a servant in his father’s house. He begins his trip home. His father was ready, willing, and waiting to receive him. In fact he was watching for him and ran to meet him. After the son had reconciled himself to his father a feast was given for his return. The brother who had stayed and worked for his father was angry because of this. Here he had worked hard while his brother had lived wickedly and he never got a feast for himself. The father tried to explain to him how he would still get the inheritance and he should rejoice in that his brother has come home.
This parable beautify portrays the relationship Christians can have with God. God is our father and no matter what we do we can never be taken out of the family of God. We can be like the son who outwardly wandered far away from his father or the son who stayed at home and worked. The son who outwardly strayed from his father thought that the things of the world would satisfy him, but he soon discovered that the enticements of the world are all superficial and they bring nothing but misery in the end. At this son’s point of misery he turns to the father and decides that even if he had to take the lowest position possible it would be better than his current condition. His father openly and gladly receives him back and rejoices in his return. The son who stayed home is like those who are spiritually proud and cold. He obeyed the letter of the law, but he had no love for his father or his brother. He only thought of himself. When his brother returned home all he was concerned about was how he would be treated. He showed no love for his brother and no care to see the happiness of his father.
Daily applying this is not a difficult task. When sin is committed the need arises for repentance and reconciliation with the father. Also spiritual pride and apathy for a fallen brother must not creep into our lives and if it does than reconciliation must be made.
Pentecost views the parable in a very similar way. The parable, according to Pentecost could be called “the parable of the searching father.” The father is searching and watching for the sinner to return to himself. The wandering son had squandered all of the blessings that he could have received if he would have stayed with his father. He views this parable as a picture of Israel’s experience. The nation of Israel was under the law of the father until they choose to rebel against him. The material blessing that the law provided they took and then forsook the law that gave them the blessings in the first place. The consequences for their actions meant that they would serve gentiles in foreign countries.
I did not find many differences in my interpretation and Pentecost’s interpretation of the parable of the prodigal son. Pentecost looked at the parable more in the light of the nation of Israel while I applied it to the Christians of today. Both have strayed and need to come back to God. In both interpretations it shows God’s attitude toward sin. He hates sin but he desires to see the sinner come back to him.