BibleProject

What does it mean for the Bible to be both divine and a work of literary genius? The Hebrew Bible is a sophisticated piece of literary art that has a theological message, and that message is communicated through a nuanced literary medium. On this podcast, Tim and Jon spend plenty of time talking about the literary structure and design of the books of the Bible. They examine the themes in the Bible that are found throughout the entire narrative arc of Scripture. But for this episode, they back up and talk about what the Bible is in the first place.

The Bible didn’t drop out of heaven, it was produced over hundreds of years by many different authors that came from one particular people group of ancient Israel.

The story of the Bible emerged from the history of God’s people. The Bible tells a story with Israel at the center, but the main focus is the story of all of humanity.

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In the fourth part of their discussion on the gospel of Luke, Tim and Jon talk about the strange story in Luke 9 of the transformation of Jesus on the mountain. In this travel section, we find many parables of Jesus, and the banquets and parties he attended. Jesus is fascinated with parties, and he even used them to talk about what the Kingdom of God is like. These stories continue to reinforce that Jesus’ mission was first for the outsiders, a message that gets him into trouble with religious leaders of the day.

Tim and Jon continue to discuss many more parts of Luke’s account.

The final meal Jesus had with his disciples, followed by his arrest and execution.

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This is the last episode on the Gospel of Luke. If you haven’t listened to the previous three, we’d recommend listening for context to this episode.

Luke Part 1: An intro to reading the Gospels - https://thebibleproject.simplecast.fm/episodes/51526-luke-part-1-an-intro-to-reading-the-gospels

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In this episode, Tim and Jon discuss the first six chapters of the gospel of Luke. Luke stands out among the other gospels because it is all about Jesus’ message being first for the poor and outcasts. This made the religious leaders of the day mad, and Jesus’ ministry was totally revolutionary in a culture that was all about status and wealth. Luke’s gospel is constantly calling back to the Hebrew Scriptures, and it emphasizes, again and again, that Jesus is the Messiah that the prophets talked about.

In the first part of the episode (02:01-11:10), the guys talk about the literary genius of the gospel of Luke. Luke’s account oozes with Old Testament allusions, and he did this so that his audience would see how connected Jesus is to Israel’s story and history.

In the next part of the episode (11:41-19:28), the guys spend a lot of time talking about why Luke included the story of Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan River. The symbolism between Jesus’ baptism and the crossing of the children of Israel into the promised land is unmistakable! Jesus was making a bold statement. He was here to usher in a new age for Israel.

In the next part of the episode (19:59-25:55), the guys continue to talk about the unique quality of Luke’s gospel. Even the structure of the book is different than the other gospels. Luke continues to use Old Testament imagery, specifically the exodus motif, so that his audience can’t ignore the connection between Jesus and Israel’s story.

In the next part of the episode (26:25-42:14), Tim and Jon talk about Luke 4. This is the story of Jesus reading from Isaiah 61 proclaiming that he is the Messiah that the prophets talked about. This is another incredibly bold statement from Jesus. He goes on to describe this new age and his upside-down Kingdom that will mean freedom for the poor and oppressed.

In the final part of the episode (42:44-56:08), the guys discuss the honor/shame culture of Israel during Jesus’ ministry. It was this context that made his ministry to the outcasts so scandalous. This is the main point of Luke’s gospel. In Jesus’ new Kingdom, God’s mercy rules, and no person is exalted above another.

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Following up on part one of their discussion on the gospel of Luke, Tim and Jon continue to unpack the main themes of Luke’s unique account of Jesus’ life. The book of Luke makes clear that Jesus’ story is the continuation of the hope of the Hebrew Scriptures. Luke wants the reader to see how Jesus’ mission is for the outsiders, the poor, and the marginalized. As Jesus went around preaching about the Kingdom of God, he left behind people who were changed by him, and he called these people to live radically new lives of justice and peace.

Luke uniquely highlights the social implications of these communities that Jesus wanted to form. The gospel of Luke is a rich account that comes together to give a vision for who Jesus was and what he taught.

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In this episode, the guys give an introduction to the gospel of Luke. What does it mean for Luke, and all of the gospels, to be historical accounts? All history is interpretation, and all of the gospel accounts have different a different focus as they tell the story of Jesus’ life and ministry. But how do we make sense of all of this information? If you’ve ever wrestled with being able to trust the gospels, then this dialogue is for you.

The guys spend the majority of the episode (02:13-40:46) talking about what it means for an ancient historian to write history. Do we impose standards that would’ve been foreign to the gospel writers? Tim unpacks the cultural context of the gospels and explains why we can look at them as faithful historical accounts.

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In this episode, Tim and Jon try to tackle some of the glaring questions about the story of Job. They talk about the surprise friend, Elihu, who seems to show up out of nowhere towards the end of the story. They also spend some time discussing Job’s speech in chapter 28. There’s a lot to unpack in that chapter, and understanding it may give us clues as to what this book is all about. Finally the guys look at Job’s final showdown with God and how God responds to Job’s accusations of being unjust and unfair.

In the first part of the episode (01:53-07:29), the guys talk about Job’s surprise friend, Elihu. He comes into the story and reaffirms for Job that God is just, but he also hints at a more complex understanding of God’s justice. Yes, he is just, but he’s also God, and he’s capable of disciplining someone to avoid future suffering.

In the second part of the episode (07:51-17:22), the guys discuss Job’s speech in Chapter 28. This chapter is all about God’s divine wisdom. Job talks about humans as creative and ingenious, but they also can’t fully access God’s wisdom or understand his ways.

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In this episode, Tim and Jon continue their discussion on Job. How exactly does Job fit in with the other wisdom book of the Bible? It’s kind of a weird book. Job takes place in Uz, a non-Israelite town, and it features non-Israelite people. It seems out of place, but it’s also a book that other biblical authors refer to throughout Scripture. We have to wonder about the differences between Job and the other books of the Bible. Is Job a literal account, or is it a wisdom parable that is intentionally fiction?

In the second part of the episode (09:57-22:50), Tim and Jon talk about the heavenly scene in Job and discuss why the author chose to include it. The point of the heavenly scene isn’t to tell us how God makes decisions. It asks the question of whether or not it is a good policy for God to always reward the righteous.

In the next part of the episode (23:09-26:57), the guys break down the structure of the book, specifically chapters three through twenty-seven. These chapters are the poetic core of the book called “the cycles.”

In the final part of this episode (27:12-41:30), the guys spend some time discussing Job’s friends. His friends are working within a human framework that says that God rewards the righteous and brings wrath upon sinners, yet Job continues to defend his innocence throughout the book. What is really going on here?

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In this episode, the guys take a bird’s eye view of the book of Job. Job is considered wisdom literature, and it aims to teach the reader about justice, suffering, and the role of God in the lives of humans. The author is intentionally trying to ruffle some feathers. This book is all about calling into question the reader’s views of God and the world.

In the first part of the episode (02:15-09:02), Tim and Jon give an overview of Job and talk about what it’s trying to communicate. The book doesn’t give us a clear answer as to why Job is suffering, but it does teach us about the character of God and offers a model for how to handle suffering.

In the next part of the episode (13:34-23:03), the guys talk about the order that humans try to impose on the world. This is a major theme in the book of Job. This is a book where we see things happening that don’t fit our category of order, but God has wisdom and a way of ordering the world that is beyond our understanding.

Next (23:34-34:24), the guys talk about how Job comes to understand God’s divine wisdom and judgement. In Job, we see that the world can’t be run by a system, it has to be run by God’s judgement.

In the next part of the episode (34:53-46:34), the guys talk about some of the overarching themes in Job that connect to the larger narrative of Scripture. This story is teaching its readers to trust God’s way of running the world.

In the final part of the episode (47:03-51:13), Tim and Jon wrap things up by giving an overview of all of the wisdom literature in the Bible and look at how Job fits into the larger story.

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In this episode, the guys explore the story of two Harvard Business School graduates who were confronted with a biblical view of money that changed their lives.

In the first part of the episode (01:12-09:51), Tim and Jon talk about what the Bible says about money. On one hand it says it’s the root of all evil––kind of intense. But on the other hand it also talks about ways to use your money to bless others. How does the Bible ask us to view money?

In the next part of the episode (10:08-22:15), Jon talks to John Cortines and Gregory Baumer. John and Gregory were two young, successful Christians making more money than most of us can dream of. They were faithful Christians tithing to their church regularly, but when they took an elective class at Harvard Divinity school about God and money, everything changed for them.

In the next part of the episode (22:42-37:26), John and Gregory talk about how God completely flipped the way they think about money on its head. For a project in their class, they sent out an anonymous survey asking how much people make, save, and give. The project took on a life of its own, and they were left with some startling results and convictions.

In the final part of this episode (37:58-1:02:40), we get to see how John and Gregory walked out their newfound convictions. They acted in faith and trusted God with their money in an extreme way. Their obedience wasn’t always easy, but when they trusted God beyond just cutting a ten percent tithe check every month, they experienced true joy and freedom.

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Hanging out with Ecclesiastes isn’t fun. We need to be exposed to the Teacher’s words as a helpful exercise to have our illusions dismantled. His words are like a Goad (a pointy stick to get Sheep to go in the right direction). The endless march of time that results in death for everyone. Everything dies. Humans and Animals. From our point of view (under the sun) humans don’t seem to be any better than animals. We can see that all living creatures go to the dirt and we don’t have any concrete proof of what happens after that. We can’t prove that humans have any advantage over the animals. As a follower of Jesus we have a worldview based on the claim of the Apostles that Jesus raised from the dead so we see this differently than the Teacher in Ecclesiastes.

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More on the March of Time and death from a cosmic scale.

Ecclesiastes has a whole poem about aging. We are all going towards old age and old age is miserable.

Ecclesiastes also talks about chance. Life is unpredictable. Chance screws with all of us. You can’t guarantee that when you do the right thing it will work out.

Death, Time and Chance

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The Teacher, surprisingly, still wants us to be wise. The Teacher realizes that being wise is the right thing to do. There are no guarantees but better odds.

What does it mean to be overly righteous and overly wise?

It is good to be righteous and strive to live an upright moral life. But when that is your sole focus and mindset and you believe you deserve things you have the wrong perspective.

The one who Fears God will avoid all extremes.

Being overly righteous will destroy you. There is so much good to be done in the world if you try to do it all you will destroy yourself.

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What are we suppose to do with all of this: Death, March of Time, Chance, Be Wise but no guarantees. Acknowledging all of this isn’t becoming an atheist or agnostic but it is the secret to enjoying life.

Come to terms with your inability to control all your life circumstances. This mindset is the silver bullet for enjoying your life.

Blaze Pascal

For the present is generally painful to us. We conceal it from our sight, because it troubles us; and, if it be delightful to us, we regret to see it pass away. We try to sustain it by the future and think of arranging matters which are not in our power, for a time which we have no certainty of reaching.

Let each one examine his thoughts, and he will find them all occupied with the past and the future. We scarcely ever think of the present; and if we think of it, it is only to take light from it to arrange the future. The present is never our end. The past and the present are our means; the future alone is our end.

So we never live, but we hope to live; and, as we are always preparing to be happy, it is inevitable we should never be so.”

Remember to live.

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Life is full of things that are out of your control and don’t always make sense. Death and Chance and Time put those in your face all the time. Well then what should we do? Be wise. Fear the Lord. Be present. Enjoy what is in front of you. Don’t try to control it. Just enjoy it.

It hurts you to hear these things but you need to hear it. Don’t go any further. We’ve gone far enough.

Here is the conclusion of the matter. Fear God and keep his commandments. Even though this doesn’t make sense to me know I still will be held accountable to it. Justice will come. Life won’t always be shrouded in Hevel. One day the fog will be lifted.

The teacher is talking about "life under the sun” or our metaphor “life in the fog”. Life still has a meaning long into the future even amidst my inability to see it in the present.

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