EPISODE NOTES

1. John the Baptist (who was he? Why did he matter?)

last in the line of OT prophets.

Believed he was preparing the way for the kingdom of God to arrive at last. (End of exile)

Kingdom would come with repentance (Turning from one direction back to where God was leading his people)

Baptism- emerged into this new way of life.

2. Jesus’ baptism, temptation, Heaven and Earth person?

Vindicated by the father and beginning of the ministry

Temptations are the same as Israelites. Jesus is able to trust the Father.

John reveals Jesus is the Tabernacle in person. Where Heaven and Earth overlap

3. Announcing the good news of the Kingdom (what is the kingdom) , teaching in parables, healings (what does this mean?)

- This is the inbreaking of God’s kingdom. What it looks like when God reigns.

The Kingdom of God is the hoped-for rule and reign of God’s Messiah implementing God’s love, peace, justice, and goodness over the land and also the nations.

Healing is also a vindication of Jesus’ message. Who has the right kingdom agenda? Look at the fruit. A sign of what it looks like when God is King

Parables: a coded message. To those who could hear what Jesus was really saying it would draw them into the kingdom life. For those who couldn’t, it was a way of telling the truth without creating conflict before his time. Also hardened the hearts of those who had no intention of discovering God’s kingdom.

4. Sermon on the Mount

- Jesus’ interpretation of mosaic law

This is the ground-level of discipleship to Jesus. This is the kind of life that reflects the kingdom. Jesus is offering a new way of being human. This is also a way to fight evil. Not passive but defeating abuse, anger, lust, etc through self-giving love, not retaliation. (Jesus leads the way in his own self-giving death)

Feeding 5000: Jesus the Good Shepherd and the Greater Moses

the promise of God coming to Shepherd his people.

Makes them lie down in green pastures

Provides bread from heaven, like in the wilderness

Sheep without a shepherd reference

Jesus is the good shepherd of his people

OT prophets always referred to God as Israel’s shepherd so what does this say about Jesus?

5. Messianic Hopes, Son of man

Jesus more than any other title referred to himself as the son of man figure in Daniel 7

This figure is vindicated and raised to the right hand of God over and against the enemies of God

Jesus’ disciples, John the Baptist, and the Jews had varying messianic hopes. Almost all of them viewed this figure in some sort of military role.

Jesus is slowly trying to reveal what the Messiah really came to do. He is not going to be like the overlords and kings before.

He intends to rule and come into that rule in a radically different way. Not by political scheming, bloodshed, and authoritarianism. He consistently warns his contemporaries where that road lies. Destruction, Gehenna (rubbish heap), and death.

6. Peter’s proclamation, Transfiguration, Jesus as Messiah (what does this mean?)

Peter’s confession marks a turning in the story.

Jesus’ transfiguration reveals what the full kingdom life looks like. It is a revealing of who this person really is.

Jesus as messiah meant a representation of God’s people as the promised King of Israel. Who would defeat God’s enemies and bring about God’s sovereign rule and reign over all the earth? How Jesus sees this “defeating” of God’s enemies and who the real enemy is, is another matter entirely.

7. Jesus’ dark predictions

Immediately after Peter’s confession, Jesus begins to reveal where all this is heading towards. The disciples don’t know what to think of it. So, much so that Peter rebukes Jesus.

8. Jesus sets out toward Jerusalem

Now Jesus sets his sights on Jerusalem. The heart of Judah and the center of worship (the temple)