14.02 Encouragement And Final Passover

14.02.20 FULFILLMENT OF ISAIAH’S PROPHECY

Bill Heinrich  -  Dec 21, 2015  -  Comments Off on 14.02.20 FULFILLMENT OF ISAIAH’S PROPHECY

14.02.20 Lk. 22:35-38

 

FULFILLMENT OF ISAIAH’S PROPHECY   

 

35 He also said to them, “When I sent you out without moneybag, traveling bag, or sandals, did you lack anything?”

“Not a thing,” they said.

36 Then He said to them, “But now, whoever has a moneybag should take it, and also a traveling bag. And whoever doesn’t have a sword should sell his robe and buy one.       

37 For I tell you, what is written must be fulfilled in Me: And He was counted among the outlaws (Isa. 53:12).  Yes, what is written about Me is coming to its fulfillment.”

38 “Lord,” they said, “look, here are two swords.”

“Enough of that!” He told them.

 

 “And whoever doesn’t have a sword should sell his robe and buy one.”  This passage is a difficult to understand for two reasons.

  1. There is the historic opinion that Jesus was a conscientious objector and, therefore, was opposed to any form of violence.
  1. Jesus had previously sent His disciples out on a missionary journey without any supplies and now He was sending them out fully equipped and armed. Why was there a difference? In verse 35 Jesus reminded His disciples that God had provided for all their needs on a previous missionary journey (ies), but now things had changed (v. 36). Jesus realized that the political winds were about to change and the provisions needed for future ministry would be supplied by God in a different manner.  The people whom they would meet along the way, would not be as giving.[1]

Why did Jesus tell them to get a sword? What purpose did He have in mind? The answer is that, when traveling, it was common practice for every man to carry a short sword, known as a gladius.[2] It was easily worn under the outer garment or on the side.  Josephus reported that the Essenes carried swords to protect themselves from bandits, when they traveled to the homes of other Essenes. Note the words of the historian, Josephus,

They have no certain city but many of them dwell in every city; and if any of their sects come from other places, what they have lies open for them, just as if it were their own; and they go into such as they never knew before as if they had been ever so long acquainted with them.  For which reason they carry nothing with them when they travel to remote parts, through still they take their weapons with them, for fear of thieves.

Josephus, Wars 2.8.4 (124-125a)   

 

 

14.02.20.Q1 Did Jesus approve of His disciples carrying weapons?

 

This question is difficult to answer, especially in light of the fact that it is impossible to think of Him as needing a weapon.  Does this mean, however, that He forbade His disciples to carry them? No one would ever have thought of traveling anywhere completely defenseless; traveling was always dangerous.[3]  If thieves did not threaten travelers, then the Sicarii (as the Romans called them) or the Zealots (as the Jews called them), or a host of wild animals such as the Syrian brown bear (05.02.03.D) and the caracal lynx (05.02.03.E) would threaten and possibly kill them.

As previously stated, the disciples had traveled with Jesus for more than three years.  It was the custom that a master would closely mentor his disciples similar to a parent-child relationship.  This is an important point, because most certainly, the disciples understood how Jesus felt about such things as weapons.  If these were not to be a part of their lives, He would certainly have told them long before now.

The gladius was as common in ancient times as the Boy Scout pocket knife once was in America. For a man to carry a short sword was nearly as common as walking with sandals. A gladius was a convenient tool that could clean a fish, sever firewood, create a spark with a flint for a cooking fire, or be used in self-defense against bandits or animals.  Note that Jesus did not forbid the use of swords, nor forbid His disciples to carry them.  This does certainly not mean He taught any type of military or armed conflict. Later He would tell them that those who live by the sword shall die by the sword (Mt. 26:52), which is hardly a command that would be spoken by a political revolutionary.

Finally, in verse 38 Jesus said, “Enough of that!”  The difficulty with this passage is that the ancient writings had no quotation marks, exclamation marks, or other indicators to identify emotions, quotations, or questions.  Therefore, readers were left with the task of creating an educated guess as to how the phrase was originally stated.  It is the opinion of this writer that this was not a calm sentence, as if to imply that no additional swords were needed.  Jesus knew all too well what the next few days were going to be like and another missionary journey was not on the agenda.  At the thought of having more swords, Jesus emphatically said, “THAT IS ENOUGH!”[4] Ironically, Jesus embodies the paradox of uniting Jews with Christians and separating Jews from Christians.

[1]. Bock, Jesus According to Scripture. 365-66.

 

[2]. Dixon and Southern, The Roman Calvary. 48.

[3]. Josephus, Antiquities 20.6.1(118); Wars 2.15.6 (232).

 

[4]. Kaiser, Davids, Bruce, and Brauch, Hard Sayings of the Bible. 486-88.



14.02.21 SINGING THE HALLEL

Bill Heinrich  -  Dec 21, 2015  -  Comments Off on 14.02.21 SINGING THE HALLEL

14.02.21 Mt. 26:30-32 (See also Mk. 14:26-28; Lk. 22:39) The Upper Room

 

SINGING THE HALLEL  

 

30 After singing psalms, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

31 Then Jesus said to them, “Tonight all of you will run away because of Me, for it is written:

I will strike the shepherd,
and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.

32 But after I have been resurrected, I will go ahead of you to Galilee.”

 

“After singing psalms.” In typical Jewish fashion, the psalms[1] called the Hallel, meaning Praise God, are from the book of Psalm. As the celebration of the Passover came to a close, the disciples stood around the table and sang the second half of the Hallel, also known as the Egyptian Hallel (Psalm 113-118). Psalm 113 is a general praise psalm while chapters 114-118 refer to the actions of Jesus during the Exodus.[2] These verses are not to be confused with Psalm 136, which are often known as the “Great Hallel.”[3]  These psalms were as sacred as a national anthem would be to any patriot. Yet some of these psalms were also prophetic in nature. For example,

17 I will not die, but I will live
and proclaim what the Lord has done.

  Psalm 118:17

 

After three days Jesus came out of the grave and for the following forty days He explained to His followers what He had done and what they were supposed to do. Most notably the words of Psalm 118:25-26 that they sang were also the psalms the people sang and shouted as Jesus rode into Jerusalem.  The hymn was sung antiphonally: Jesus, as the host of the group, would have sung the lines and the disciples would respond with “hallelujah.”  Little did they realize at this time that these hymns were actually about Him![4]

Later, when the disciples reflected upon the last Passover, they realized the depth of meaning of the psalms and their privileged part in the plan of God.[5]  Other scholars have suggested the hymn to be a song of gratefulness concerning God’s deliverance and provision known as the Dayeinu. The words are as follows:

If he had rescued us from Egypt,

But not punished the Egyptians

It would have been enough (Dayeinu)

 

If he had punished the Egyptians,

But not defeated their gods,

It would have been enough.

 

If he had given us the Sabbath

But not led us to Mount Sinai,

It would have been enough.

 

If he had led us to Mount Sinai,

But not given us the Torah

It would have been enough.

 

If he had given us the Torah,

But not brought us into the Land of Israel,

It would have been enough.

 

How much more, then, are we to be grateful to God

For all of these things which he has indeed

Done for all of us!

  Dayeinu Lyrics[6]      

 

It is unknown with certainty whether this song, or a variation of it, was commonly used in Jerusalem at the time of Jesus. What is known is that it appeared in a church sermon in the second century and in Jewish writings in the eleventh century. Since the earliest church services were patterned after the synagogue services, scholars have concluded that the Dayeinu could have been part of the Passover celebration.[7]

[1]. For the purpose of clarification, psalms are individual verses in a book titled Psalm. Reference to an individual psalm is not capitalized, but if a reference is made to the name of the book, it is capitalized.

 

[2]. For the identifying connections of Jesus with the Great Hallel (Ps. 114-118), see 04.06.01.

 

[3]. Barclay, “Matthew.” 2:342.

 

[4]. Tenney, ed., “Hallel.” 6:792; For the identifying connections of Jesus with of the Hallel, see 04.06.01.

 

[5]. Farrar, Life of Christ. 387; Taylor, “Hymn.” 2:676; Carson, “Matthew.” 8:539; Jeremias, The Eucharistic Words of Jesus. 255-62.

[6].  Spangler and Tverberg, Sitting at the Feet of Rabbi Jesus. 111-12, 244; Werner, “Two Hymns for Passover and Good Friday.” 127-48.

 

[7]. Spangler and Tverberg, Sitting at the Feet of Rabbi Jesus. 111-12, 244; Werner, “Two Hymns for Passover and Good Friday.” 127-48; http://www.bing.com/search?q=dayeinu&q Retrieved October 24, 2014.

 

 



14.02.22 PETER ANNOUNCES HIS LOYALTY

Bill Heinrich  -  Dec 21, 2015  -  Comments Off on 14.02.22 PETER ANNOUNCES HIS LOYALTY

14.02.22 Mt 26:33-35 (See also Mk 14:29-31)

 

PETER ANNOUNCES HIS LOYALTY 

 

33 Peter told Him, “Even if everyone runs away because of You, I will never run away!”

34 “I assure you,” Jesus said to him, “tonight, before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times!”

35 “Even if I have to die with You,” Peter told Him, “I will never deny You!” And all the disciples said the same thing.

 

14.02.22.Q1 Concerning the number of rooster crows, how does Matthew 26:34 reconcile with Mark 14:30?

Matthew recorded that before the rooster crowed Peter would deny Jesus three times and Mark said the denial would come before the rooster crowed twice. Again, this is a matter of interpretation. The disciples were not at all concerned how often the so-called rooster crowed, especially when several crows in succession were considered a single crow.  At issue is the phrase, “before the rooster crows.”  Some Bibles use the more accurate phrase, “cock crow,” or “rooster crow.” But as already been hinted, it probably was not a rooster that crowed!  The phrase has two possible interpretations.

 

  1. Jesus could have referred to a literal rooster crowing early in the morning. But Jewish writings clearly indicate that chickens were not permitted inside the Holy City. The Oral Law states,

 

They may not rear fowls in Jerusalem because of the Hallowed Things, nor may priests rear them [anywhere] in the land of Israel because of [the laws concerning] clean foods.

 Mishnah, Baba Kamma 7.7

 

A rooster crowing outside the city walls might have been heard inside the city. However, this is highly unlikely.

 

  1. Jesus, most likely, referred to the “rooster crow” as the trumpet blast that signaled the end

of the third watch (3:00 a.m.) and the changing of military guard throughout the city.[1]  That trumpet call was known in Latin gallicinium which means cock crow, and in Greek as alektorophonia.[2]  The first “cock crow” was the midnight trumpet blast at the end of the second watch, and the second “cock crow” was at the end of the third watch (3:00 a.m.).[3] 

 

Most scholars believe that Jesus was referring to the third watch trumpet blast because

 

  1. The 3:00 a.m. trumpet blast alektorophinia is earlier than a natural rooster’s call

 

  1. This call permitted time for the illegal judicial proceedings to occur.

 

Two priests stood at the upper gate … with two trumpets in their hands.  At the cock crow they blew a sustained, a quavering and another sustained blast.  When they reached the tenth step they again blew a sustained, a quavering and another sustained blast.  When they reached the Court [of the Women] they again blew a sustained, a quavering and another sustained blast.

Mishnah, Sukkah 5.4[4]

 

Concerning the differences between Matthew and Mark, Mark evidently referred to the two trumpets that blew while Mathew probably referred to the number of trumpet blasts.  It is a logical matter of perspective. Later, three trumpet blasts marked the end of the fourth watch (6:00 a.m.) and the beginning of a new work day.

 14.02.22a

 

14.02.22.Q2 How do the Synoptic gospels reconcile with the gospel of John on the Passover Narrative?   

The apparent difference between the gospel of John and the synoptic gospels has been the fuel for much discussion.   Since Gentile church leaders did not know the symbolic relationship between the Passover sacrifice and the timing of the death of Jesus, they had difficulty reconciling the three day event, as well as compressing the six trials into a time frame of less than twelve hours.

 

There are several ancient documents from the third and fourth centuries that reflect this incorrect interpretation.  Adding to the error is the fact that the church at this time counted days as beginning at midnight.  It should be noted that the purpose of these documents was to support the existing Gentile church doctrines and interpretations, which distorted the biblical narrative.  The third century teachings of the Apostles, titled Didascalia Apostolorum, from Syria, comment:

 

While he (Jesus) was still with us, before he suffered, when we were eating the Passover with him, he said to us: “Today in this night one of you will betray me.”  And Judas came with the scribes and the priests of the people and betrayed the Lord Jesus.

 

When we had eaten the Passover on Tuesday evening, we went to the Mount of Olives.  And during the night they arrested our Lord Jesus.  And on the following day, on Wednesday, he remained imprisoned in the house of the High Priest Caiaphas. And on the following day again, on Thursday, they took him to the Procurator Pilate.[5]  But when Friday commenced they accused him vehemently before Pilate.  And they were unable to produce anything truthful, but gave false witness against him.  And they urged Pilate on to kill him.  And they crucified him on the same day.

Didascalia, Apostolorum[6]

 

Clearly, this is incorrect, but it demonstrates how lack of knowledge of Jewish culture attributed to inaccurate conclusions.  Another Gentile church father was Bishop Epiphanius of Salamis (ca. 380) whose writings gave details on the month of April of the Gregorian calendar.

 

He (Jesus) suffered the thirteenth of the Kalends of April.  Before that time they ate the Passover, as the Gospel testifies and we have declared many times.  They celebrated the Passover meal two days before the official day, that is on Tuesday in the evening…. Further on that day, in the evening of Tuesday, he was taken prisoner.  The Day of Preparation was on the 14th, the Sabbath the 15th; hereafter the Sunday lit up which illuminated the underworld, the world and the heaven with its light.

Epiphanius, Panarion 51, 26[7]

 

To observe the Passover the Savior withdrew to the Mountain (Mt. Zion), where he ate the Passover, which he had, as he said, so much desired (Lk. 22:15).  It was there that he ate the Jewish Passover meal; he himself did not do it in any other way, but in the same fashion as they did, so that the Law should not be abolished but accomplished (cf. Mt. 5:17).

Epiphanius, Panarion 51, 27[8]

 

The Ethiopian apocryphal Book of Adam, (ca. the fourth century) related the days Jesus was arrested and crucified, and has a reference to Mark 2:20 concerning fasting. The author wrote,

 

God speaks to Adam; “Adam, you have established beforehand the days on which suffering shall come over me, when I shall have taken up flesh, namely Wednesday and Friday.”                                                                                                                                

Book of Adam[9]    

 

The author of Adam said the Passover was on Wednesday and that Jesus died on the following Friday. Again, there was a constant struggle to reconcile the biblical accounts.

 

The Judeo-Christians celebrated Passover-communion known as Pascha, which in the fourth century became known as Easter.[10]  According to the church historian Eusebius, the fourteenth day of the moon (Nissan) was still associated with the day Jesus was crucified, and He arose on the first day of the week (Lord’s Day). He discussed the fact that the church practiced fasting in observation of the Savior’s Passover in Asia.

 

The church of all Asia, guided by the remoter tradition supposed that they ought to keep the fourteenth day of the moon for the festival of the Savior’s Passover, in which day the Jews were commanded to kill the Paschal Lamb; and it was incumbent on them, at all times, to make an end of the fast on this day on whatever day of the week it should happen to fall.

Eusebius, Church History 5.23.1

 

The date that Jesus was crucified on Friday, the 14th day of Nissan, is well established.  However, the events preceding the crucifixion remain somewhat problematic.

[1]. Vine, “Cock, Cock-Crowing.” Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary. 2:107-08.

 

[2]. Barclay, “John.” 2:230 and “Matthew.” 2:347. Lightfoot,  A Commentary on the New Testament from the Talmud and Hebraica. 3:436-37. See Appendix 16.

 

[3]. Fruchtenbaum, The Jewish Foundation of the Life of Messiah: Instructor’s Manual. Class 22, page 12.

 

[4]. Parenthesis by Danby, ed., Mishnah.

[5]. The title of Pontius Pilate was always thought to be “procurator.” However, in 1961 an inscription was discovered in Caesarea that has his title as “Prefectus Judaea” (see 16.01.06.B). The explanation of so-called error is that beginning from the time of Emperor Claudius (reigned 41-54), the title of the ruler of Judaea was procurator.  Josephus and Tacitus who decades later wrote of Pilate used that title rather than his real one – prefectus, in Latin. See also Billington, “Was the Palace of Herod where Jesus was Tried?” 9.

 

[6]. Quoted from Pixner, With Jesus in Jerusalem. 78.

 

[7]. Quoted from Pixner, With Jesus in Jerusalem. 79.

 

[8]. Quoted from Pixner, With Jesus in Jerusaelm. 79.

 

[9]. http://www.pseudepigrapha.com/pseudepigrapha/TheBookOfAdam.htm. Retrieved March 30, 2013; Quoted from Pixner, With Jesus in Jerusaelm. 79.

 

[10]. Rosen and Rosen, Christ in the Passover. 59.



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