Lecture #10 Jesus' Later Galilean Ministry

welcome to video lecture number 10 in which we're going to discuss Jesus's later Galilean Ministry this is a lecture on the ministry of Jesus as he worked in Galilee the northern part of Palestine the later Galilean Ministry of Jesus is a significant period in the synoptic gospels marked by growing popularity deepening opposition from religious leaders and Jesus's focused efforts to teach and prepare prep his disciples for the coming kingdom of God and the events that they are going to experience in the rest of his time on Earth this phase which bans much of the second

year of Jesus's public Ministry includes key moments of Miracles teachings and Revelations of his identity let's look at those in diff those specific orders starting with the key events and the teachings of Jesus the first of which I want to touch on we've already seen is the feeding of 5000 and Mark 6: 30-44 and corresponding examples in Matthew 141 13-21 Luke 910-1174 this event is sort of a defining moment from the early Galilean Ministries to the later Galilean Ministry of Jesus and so I think it's a pivotal event and we need to discuss it a

little further I want to examine it in its detail we're going to be looking at The Sermon on the Mount in a similar fashion at the end of this lecture the feeding of the 5000 is the only Miracle aside from the resurrection that's recorded in all four gospels there's another account where Jesus feeds 4,000 people that's recorded in the synoptic gospels B not and John this miraculous event took place uh on the Eastern side of the Sea of Galilee where Jesus was followed by a large crowd of people who were interested in his teaching and

they pursued him to a point where it became time to eat their meal and of course there wasn't any place there weren't restaurants fast food restaurants back then so nothing could feed the people and and the disciples decided to encourage Jesus to send the people home so they could have dinner Jesus as you know the story or many of you should know this story very well takes a small gift from a boy and distributes it among the people and it kept multiplying seemingly so that everyone had enough to eat and there was left over as

the day grew late he takes these five loaves of bread and two fish and feeds what says 5,000 people or at least 5,000 men and the indication as that might mean there were other women and children who were also present there are theological implications in this story Beyond just the physical historical reality of Jesus taking care of the needs of the people the miracle points to Jesus as the provider and sustainer of life itself foreshadowing the Lord's Supper that's going to come where Jesus himself says he is the flesh he reinterprets the old Passover meal

and points himself out as the the bread or the flesh that's supposed to be made uh part of the those who participate in it it also reveals Jesus as compassionate and his power is over the natural world but not without care he cares for his people he cares for the masses and he wants them to be provided for the miracle resonated with the Jewish expectations of who the Messiah would be and what he would bring in a material and spiritual sense he would bring an abundance to those who followed him evoking memories of Mana in

the desert in the book of Exodus that God provided for them as they were traveling in the wilderness Jesus is resonating with levels uh very deep in the life of the Hebrew people the people's reaction as recorded in John's gospel indicates a growing misunderstanding of Jesus's mission you would think they would see this as a way to point to him as the Messiah instead they want to make him as a king an Earthly King by force seeing him as a political savior rather than the spiritual Messiah that the Bible's been Pro promoting and promising that

would come this reflects the tension between Messianic hopes and the true nature of the kingdom of God as taught by Christ Jesus continually sought to clarify this misalignment the next miracle that follows right after that is Jes Jesus walking on water we see this in the mark Matthew and John account immediately following the feeding of the 5,000 after feeding the 5,000 Jesus sent his disciples across the Sea of Galilee where while he goes away to pray privately a storm arises on the sea and the disciples struggle Against The Wind and The Waves worried that their

lives will be lost these are fishermen they know what could happen on the sea in the early hours of the morning Jesus comes to them walking on the water not completely expected by the disciples in any way Peter wanting to demonstrate his own faith steps out of the boat after he recognizes that it's Jesus but soon begins to sink when he takes his eyes off of Jesus Jesus then rescues him they take both of them back to the boat and then he calms the storm we see a lot of teaching taking place in this particular

episode it's not just that Jesus has power over the storm he has power in the middle of the storm this event demonstrates Jesus's authority over creation it underscores his Divine identity he was there at the beginning when things were created he's here to help us in the immediacy of our storms today he has creative Powers over creation if you will Peter's interaction with Jesus provides a lesson in faith and trust when focused on Jesus we can overcome trials but when doubt leads our fear and failure to take our eyes off of Jesus then we sink

and we find troubles in the waves the calming of the storm further reveals that Jesus is not just a teacher or a prophet but he is in fact the Lord over the forces of nature echoing Old Testament themes of God's power over the sea as you might remember God parted the sea so the Hebrew children could walk through it he held back the rain when it was time to judge Israel and as God has power over nature so does Jesus there's a contextual significance to this story though Jesus walking on water like the feeding of

the 5000 highlights his identity as the one who transcends ordinary human limitations he's preparing the his hearers to understand that he is not just merely mortal the disciples are progressively realizing that they're in the presence of someone far greater than just a Rabbi they are witnessing divine power in action in this person another miracle that takes place in the later Galilean Ministry is the healing of the syrop phenician woman's daughter uh this event takes place as Jesus Ventures into gen the Gentile area of Ty and siden a gentile woman a sop phenician uh she's not

Hebrew she's not uh Jewish in any way she approaches Jesus begging for her daughter to be healed initially Jesus seems to reject her saying that his mission is to save the lost sheep of Israel however she persists and her persistant Faith causes Jesus to Grant her request healing her daughter even from a distance and allowing him to remark that her faith is greater than those in Israel who are going to reject him starting to show the idea that Jesus's mission is for all people not just the Jewish people the encounter underscores the broadening scope of

Jesus's Ministry it reveals that while his primary mission was to Israel faith in him transcends ethnic and cultural boundaries the woman's persistent faith is praised by Jesus showing that God's grace is available to all who believe the story points toward the inclusion of Gentiles in God's Plan of Salvation foreshadowing the later mission of the Apostles uh to the uh Gentile World it also challenges the early Jewish understanding or I should a misunderstanding of the messiah's mission as being exclusively for Israel they thought the Messiah was going to come and destroy their enemies and Jesus is

reminding them that he's coming to convert their enemies another miracle that takes place at this time is the healing of the deaf and mute man in Mark 7: 31-37 now you're seeing some of these Miracles are recorded in some of the gospels and not others and that's why we're looking at this stage of Jesus's Ministry and and looking specifically at these particular Miracles after leaving the region of tyer where he had just healed the syrop phenician woman's daughter Jesus travels to the decapolis a region just east of Galilee where there were 10 small cities and

that's where we get the name decapolis Deca meaning 10 polus meaning city where a death and mute man is brought to him for healing Jesus uses a unique method placing his fingers in the man's ears and touching his tongue before saying be open the man is immediately healed and the crowd is astonished this miracle showcases Jesus's Personal Touch and compassion and healing those around him he's touching the marginalized and suffering it's not just Jesus's words that heal the man it's his actions and by touching the man he does a couple of things one he physically

heals him but he touches someone that was Untouchable previously Jesus shows that his his Mercy maybe is more so his acceptance rather than his dealing of this man's problems the act of opening the ears and loosing the tongue can be seen as symbolic of Jesus's mission to Open Hearts and Minds to the message of the kingdom of God it also highlights Jesus's miraculous power over physical ailments and points to the spiritual restoration he offers to those who are Outcast or downtrodden the decapolis was a largely Gentile region and this miracle like the healing of the

syrop phenician woman's daughter emphasizes Jesus's Outreach Beyond just the Jewish territory the crowd's amazement and their spreading of the news despite Jesus's command for them to keep it quiet be silent about it all reflects a growing public recognition of Jesus as a powerful healer a miracle worker and a great teacher an important Rabbi for all people this then of course sets the stage for the second theme I want to talk about in today's lecture and that's the growing opposition from religious leaders we see first the tradition of the elders and Jesus's teaching on Purity that

there is conflict in this we see it in Mark 7 and Matthew chapter 15 this conflict with the Pharisees centers on the tradition of ritual handwashing before eating in the ancient day before they ate the Jewish people would wash their hands as a sign of Purity so that they would not ingest something impure maybe some yeast or something like that which the Pharisees see Jesus's disciples neglecting this event represents a deeper deeper dispute about religious Authority and the Heart of true righteousness they see Jesus disciples not doing actions they perceive as making them holy and

they question Jesus about it Jesus challenges the phes by redefining the concept of Purity he teaches that external rituals do not make a person clean or unclean rather it's what comes from the heart such as evil thoughts actions and intentions that defiles a person this teaching marks a significant shift from the Jewish Purity laws it foreshadows the new covenant's focus on inner internal transformation rather than external adherence to the law this moment intensifies the opposition Jesus faces from religious authorities rather for than them being converted to Jesus's way of thinking they now perceive him as

a threat and they begin to oppose his teaching and his ministries and looking for ways to make that opposition even greater his challenge to long-standing Jewish Customs particularly those upheld by the Pharisees themselves threatens the religious establishment this tension continues to escalate leading to further confrontations between Jesus and the Jewish leaders and setting the stage for his ultimate execution other places of opposition form around the Pharisees demand for a sign you see they see Jesus as a threat and they see his miracles and now they start to attack the Miracles themselves in Mark 8 and

in Matthew 16 we see them asking Jesus for a sign now that's a bit ironic because it comes on the heels of all these Miracles that have already happened in fact they were upset with Jesus because he healed this man who was both blind uh deaf and mute and so as a result of that they're now asking for a sign from Jesus to know if he really is the messiah in the midst of Jesus is growing popularities the Pharisees and Sadducees this time demand a miraculous sign from him to prove his authority not his ability

to heal but his authority um and Jesus rebukes them as a result of this refusing to perform a sign for them on demand and calling them Wicked and adulterous generation he points to the sign of Jonah a reference to the Future Resurrection after 3 days and so they don't understand that at the time they know something about Jonah but they wouldn't know about the Resurrection yet Jesus's re refusal to provide a sign highlights the hard-heartedness of those seeking to test him despite the Miracles he had already performed the religious leaders demands reflect their persistent unbelief

the persistence the the reference to Jonah serves as a a veiled prediction of his death and Resurrection which will be the ultimate sign of his identity and Mission Jesus realizes that nothing he does on Earth will convince them that he's the Messiah at least until the resurrection and then and only then will some of them believe many of them will not this event underscores the growing divide between Jesus and Jewish leadership their continual rejection of him and demand for proof stands in contrast to the faith of the crowds and of his disciples though even the

disciples sometimes struggle to fully understand Jesus's mission a third third area where there's an opposition forming is the revelations to the disciples um in this area we're going to see where the disciples start to take a track differently than either the crowds or the religious leaders because they start to perceive Jesus in new ways so this is the third major category today Revelations to the disciples the first of these being Peter's confession at cesary Philippi that we see in Mark 8 Matthew 16 and in Luke 9 the turning point in Jesus's Ministry occurs at Cesar

Philippi he's going to start moving south to Jerusalem after this we're going to look at that in the next video uh he this is a region with a strong Pagan associations and here Jesus asks his disciples who they believe he is Peter responds you are the Christ the son of the Living God which to which Jesus affirms Jesus affirms Peter's declaration and speaks of building his church referencing Peter as The Rock on which it will be founded though there's a lot of interpretation of what this might very well mean Peter's confession marks a pivotal revelation

of Jesus's Messianic identity for the first time one of the disciples openly declares that Jesus is the Messiah a recognition that sets the stage for Jesus's future Ministries his future teachings about his suffering death and Resurrection this moment also reveals Jesus's plan for the establishment of the church indicating a shift toward a more explicit focus on his ultimate Mission Peter's confession while significant is followed by Jesus's prediction of his own suffering so he's the Lord he's the Messiah but he's going to suffer this sets the stage for Jesus to clarify the nature of his messiahship

not as a conquering King but as the suffering servant who will lay down his life for the Salvation of humanity the second area that he begins to reveal himself in special ways to his disciples is at the Transfiguration that takes place in Mark 9 Matthew 17 and Luke 9 Jesus Takes Peter James and John up a high mountain where he is transfigured before them his clothes become dazzling white and Moses and Elijah appear speaking with Jesus a voice from Heaven declares this is my son whom I love listen to him the Transfiguration is a profound

re ation of Jesus's Divine Glory providing the disciples with a glimpse of his true identity Moses and Elijah represent the law and the prophets from the Old Testament that Jesus is a renewed version of in the New Testament The Voice from Heaven Echoes the baptismal declaration reinforcing Jesus's unique sunship and his authority this moment foreshadows Jesus's resurrection and future glorification offering the disciples Assurance amid the forthcoming challenges of his death this event underscores the necessity of listening to Jesus as the final and authoritative revelation of God's will the disciples awe and fear reflect their growing

understanding of Jesus's Divine Mission though they still struggle to comprehend what his messiahship really means and what it's going to entail especially in the coming days the later Galilean Ministry of Jesus is a crucial period marking the marked by Deep opposition growing Revelations of his identity and increasing preparation of his disciples for the coming kingdom of God through Miracles confrontations with religious leaders and personal Revelations Jesus continues to unveil the nature of his mission and the true meaning of discipleship this period foreshadows the suffering and Glory that lie ahead as Jesus begins to turn his

attention toward Jerusalem and the Fulfillment of his Redemptive word in the remainder of this week's lecture I want to focus on a few excurses I did a couple of them before and this is where I just give some specific attention to a few things that we've already been talking about in the last week's lecture and this week I'll do the same thing next week as well highlighting a few things we even saw this week the first one I want to do is go back to comparing the gospel accounts in the discussion on the relationship between

the Gospels the problem of the synoptic gospels if you will I laid out some ideas uh in general sense of the relationship with the gospels I want to go back and specifically address some of those here because you've had a chance to see a little bit of the gospels and maybe it'll make a little bit more sense here this would be a good time then to compare how the gospels uh write things differently from one to the other let's start from the beginning of Jesus's Ministry let's go back to the very very beginning of it

all uh see and see how the synoptic gospels word things a little differently the beginning of Jesus's Ministry is written in Mark chap 1 beginning around verse 15 14 is where it says he starts to announce to the crowd his ministry clearly starts by 15 in Matthew 4:17 and Luke 4:15 through 14-15 the characteristics of Jesus's early Ministry uh begins with a proclamation of the kingdom of God the uh this initiation can be seen across the gospels in slightly different ways ways in Mark 1:15 Jesus announces the time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God

is at hand repent and believe in the gospel the emphasis here is on the urgency of repentance and belief signaling the Rival of a new era so Mark is focusing on this urgency God is here the Son of God is here the Messiah is here the kingdom of God is at hand it's time to to to to um repent and believe Matthew 4 has a slightly different take and we're going to see how that is to be understood and why we have a second gospel talking about the same event similar to Mark Matthew records Jesus

saying repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand so same words there but then Matthew's focus is on the Kingdom of Heaven whereas Mark wrote kingdom of God why would he have written it slightly differently well this fits his Jewish audience refraining from the use of the name of God directly in the icient world the Jewish people would not write God's name and they wouldn't pronounce it they would refer to a eism such as adoni for Yahweh or Kingdom of Heaven instead of kingdom of God Matthew is trying to write to a Jewish audience

and so he's going to write in such a way that's not going to offend them in a way that Mark doesn't really care about because his audience is different now let's look at how Luke announces the same thing Luke in chapter 4: 14- 15 highlights the spirit's power in Jesus's Ministry and how he was teaching in synagogues becoming well known the emphasis in Luke is on the spirit-led nature of Jesus's actions it's not just that the kingdom of God is coming or the kingdom of hand of Heaven is here it's the spirit-led nature of what

Jesus is accomplishing let's look at these differences among these accounts in Mark's gospel as we've said it portrays an in Urgent and succinct message highlighting the immediacy of repentance and belief in Matthew's gospel fol focuses on the kingdom of heaven and his more of his instructional tone teaching the people about what to expect aimed at a Jewish audience familiar already with Messianic expectations he doesn't have to tell people to repent and believe because they would have understood that already because of their of their background Luke's gospel emphasizes the role of the Holy Spirit and the

initial positive reception of Jesus by the people so you have three different accounts giving the same story and a slightly different perspective it's the same reason that a police officer might in investigate a crime and get eyewitness account from three or four Witnesses because each of them adds a layer to the overall picture and gives him a better understanding of what probably happened because we all have our own biases and interests when we tell a story the same thing is happening in the gospels let's do the same thing now with the Nazareth sermon and its

effect on its listeners in Luke's account in Luke a sermon at Nazareth reading from Isaiah 61 about proclaiming good news to the poor releasing its captives and setting the oppressed free initially the people are amazed but their attitude begins to shift when they when Jesus suggests that God's favor is not limited to Israel alone his reference to God's blessing on on the Gentiles uh such as with the Widow of zerath and nonon the Syrian provoke anger among the crowd leading them to attempt to throw him off a cliff the key issue is the audience discomfort

with the inclusion of Gentiles in God's Plan of Salvation the other books don't quite list this as much why because Matthew is trying to focus on a Jewish audience why would he talk about how Jesus offended the Jewish hearers Luke is offering in his story of the beginning of Jesus's Ministry the idea that his ministry is for all people why because Luke is focused on the marginalized of society that includes Gentiles his salvation remember is for all it's Universal for all who will believe let's look at the Sermon on the Mount as another excurses we've

talked about that a couple of times in this class it's an important event an important time of teaching in the life of Jesus and I think it would be good to reflect on it specifically just a little bit more than we have so far in this class let's take a closer look at The Sermon on the Mount which I believe is the heart of Jesus's Ministry or his preaching The Sermon on the Mount sometimes uh so people will uh compare it to the sermon on the plane in Luke but The Sermon on the Mount can

be found in Matthew 5-7 and the sermon on the plane is found in Luke 6:1 17- 49 it's one of Jesus's most important teachings embodying the ethics of the kingdom of God I think there are probably two different accounts because it would make sense that Jesus would preach a similar message in more than one location if this is the heart of his preaching if it's the heart of his teaching he's going to say the same things in two locations because he's trying for everyone to hear this message the traditional catholic view of The Sermon on

the Mount is that it is viewed as a sermon presenting two tiar of Christian Life a higher more strenuous path for those in monastic or clerical orders and a simpler path for Lay Believers the more demanding aspects of the sermon such as renouncing wealth as seen as counsel rather than commands for all and so we're going to be looking at different View of it the Catholic view Protestant views different views throughout history the Catholic view would be that there's really some people that can live according to the Sermon on the Mount but most people cannot

it's too hard for most people so those who've taken on vows can live up according to it other people cannot reformed view is a little different uh led by people like Martin Luther and later John Calvin for the reformed tradition particularly Martin Luther The Sermon on the Mount reveals the impossibility of perfectly keeping the law the high ethical demands are meant to drive Believers to repentance highlighting the need for grace in this interpretation Jesus's teachings emphasize on our inability to achieve righteousness on our own so for them The Sermon on the Mount really is more

of a cautionary tale it's what we cannot do so Jesus has this layer of how you have to live that's impossible to live up to therefore we must depend on God's grace on God's grace The anabaptist View uh is to take The Sermon on the Mount literally emphasizing its ethical teachings as a guide for Christian Living this includes a commitment to pacifism nonviolence and radical discipleship for the anabaptist Jesus's teachings on the sermon provide a blueprint for how we're actually supposed to live out our lives in this world with the ethics of the kingdom of

God in the present as the Cornerstone those who follow the anabaptist tradition believe that we should live with a high degree of Holiness as best as is humanly possible and that through the power of the Holy Spirit we can achieve this the liberal or post-millennial view is that and we look at liberal theologians particularly those who influence Latin America and then some other regions in the 20th century uh they hold the this post-millennial tradition that see the the sermon as a guide to constructing a just Society they believe that yes we are supposed to live

this out but this is not something meant to be as a holy Christian devoted to Christ is that we are supposed to take systems in the world and convert them to produce the effects of The Sermon on the Mount the teachings are applied therefore to social reform aimed to bring about a world order based on Christian values this interpretation often Envision envisions progress leading toward the eventual return of Christ the idea in this point of view is that if we act in a certain way we're going to bring a better world and as we do

that we're going to invite Jesus to come back to this world because he's already had his kingdom established on Earth there's another ethic called the immediate ethic some Scholars argue that the sermon on the mount's teachings was for those who heard the message and those that immediate audience who were preparing for the coming of the kingdom of God within their lifetime and this view suggests that the ethical demands were specific to the eschatological movement moment of Jesus's Ministry some people think that Jesus was only specifically speaking to those present in that time and this is

time that's going to transition from the nation of Israel to the church as being the vehicle through whom God reaches the Nations an existential view uh with existential theologians like Rudolph boltman interpret the sermon as a call to personal transformation not Community one but personal bolman argued that Jesus's teachings point to an authentic existence where individuals live in accordance with divine empowerment modern versions of this view have tended to deconstruct the ethical content of the sermon making it more about personal experience than doctrinal adherence The dispensational View which is one that took play uh really

gained a lot of popularity in the 20th century especially in North America uh for dis the for dispensationalists the sermon presents the highest ideals of the law if Israel had accepted Jesus as the Messiah they could have realized these ideals and earned salvation through through the law but since they failed the sermon points to an ideal that will only be fulfilled in the millennial Kingdom where God's Divine rule will be fully realized this comes a little bit in alignment with the reformed tradition in that it says we can't live in accordance with the ideals of

The Sermon on the Mount we depend on God's grace as a result but there will be a day in the Millennium where we do live in accordance with these laws that we will live the way The Sermon on the Mount teaches Kingdom theology view sees it slightly differently it views The Sermon on the Mount as an expression of the already not yet reality of the kingdom of God the kingdom has already been inaugurated here on Earth uh but at the same time it's not been fully realized so it exists but it's not in its full

complement yet the teachings of the sermon are meant to guide Christians today though we re recognize that full obedience and righteousness will not be achieved until Christ's return this interpretation emphasizes that the ethics of the sermon are not as a simply a means of earning salvation but they're the fruits of a life aligned with God's kingdom they're the fruit of Salvation not the way to earn Salvation let's look at a quick outline of this Sermon on the Mount it starts off in uh the first few verses uh chapter 5: 3-6 with the Beatitudes and the

salt and light narrative the Beatitudes to describe the values of those in God's kingdom hum they they ex personify humility Mercy Purity and righteousness Jesus speaks of those who rely on God Alone in the midst of poverty and distress these people are blessed he says not because of their circumstances but because of their relationship and dependence on God the imagery of Salt and Light emphasizes the role of Believers as preservers of goodness and as witnesses to the world followed by this is the great thesis the greater righteousness statement that Jesus makes in Matthew 5:1 17-20

Jesus declares that he has not come to abolish the law but to fulfill it he calls for a righteousness that surpasses that of the Pharisees pointing to a deeper heart-based obedience rather than legalism now this is where the point of conention from those other views comes into play how do we live this out how can we be more righteous than the Pharisees there's a contrast between the law and Christ ethic that appears in chapter 5 uh 20 veres 21- 48 where Jesus gives six examples of how his teaching intensifies or transforms the law addressing issues

like anger adultery divorce and retaliation in each case Jesus moves beyond the letter of the law to its Spirit calling his followers to a higher standard of love and integrity then we see an inward piety discussed by Jesus in Matthew 6: 1-18 Jesus emphasizes that religious acts like giving praying and fasting should be done in secret not for public recognition the goal is genuine Devotion to God not the approval of other people he then discusses the relationship to wealth a topic we all should ad adhere to in Matthew 6:1 19-34 Jesus warns against storing up

Treasures on Earth calling his followers to trust in God's provision he challenges them to serve God rather than money and to seek first the kingdom of God and then in chapter 7 he moves to how to treat to other people beginning in verse 1 through verse 12 Jesus condemns judgmental attitudes and calls for a generous gracious approach to other people culminating in the Golden Rule do unto others as you would have them do unto you he talks about two possible responses of people to Jesus and his teaching in Matthew 7 13-27 Jesus concludes his sermon

with a call to decision presenting two paths acceptance or rejection of his teachings he uses images of narrow and wide Gates good and bad trees and wise and foolish Builders to illustrate the consequences of those who follow him or those who ignore his words in conclusion The Sermon on the Mount is about the authority of Jesus the crowd 's astonishment of Jesus's teachings revealed that they recognize his authority which was unlike that of the scribes Jesus not only taught about the kingdom but his words and deeds uh demonstrate his power and reality as a result

that he actually is in charge of that Kingdom The Sermon on the Mount serves as the foundational text for understanding Christian ethics and discipleship let's look at another excurses that of Jesus's interaction with the syrop phenician woman that I talked about at the beginning of this lecture an interesting Excursion from the later Galilean Ministry of Jesus focused on the interactions with Outsiders and marginalized groups such as with the syrop phenician woman this passage provides a rich opportunity to explore several key theological themes number one the expansion of Jesus's mission to the Gentiles initially Jesus's Ministry

appeared focused only on Israel but this encounter with a gentile woman highlights the broadening scope of his mission foreshadowing the Great Commission and the inclusion of all Nations he highlights number two faith and persistence the cof phenician woman uh has persistence and her humbleness but bold Faith at the same time stand in uh contrast in of the unbelief of many in Israel this can be linked to Jesus's broader teaching on faith and the kingdom of God where even the least expected May find Grace and blessing through persistent trust in God he also addresses the role

of women in the gospels this passage emphasizes the significance of women in the gospels the syrop phenician woman's dialogue with Jesus reflects how women often marginalized ones in that in the cultural context demonstrated remarkable faith and insight in a narrative and are accepted by Jesus and this also hints that Jesus's use of Parables the dialogue with the woman includes metaphorical language about children and dogs which offers a glimpse into Jesus's method of teaching through Parables even in these personal encounters as you reflect on the video about Parables Jesus uses everyday things in an extraordinary ways

one more exercis will be found on Jesus's encounter with Rome In this passage he starts to deal with Roman situations more and more another fascinating Excursion from the later Gan Ministry is Jesus's encounter with Roman governance and economic structures of his time particularly in the story of the temple tax and the coin in the fish's mouth found in Matthew 17 24-27 this passage provides a rich backdrop to exploring G issues related to Roman governance Taxation and Jesus's unique response to economic and political realities that he existed in in that day key themes from this would

be won Roman economic control and Taxation the temple tax though a Jewish requirement was collected in its context dominated by Roman Imperial rule exploring how the Romans controlled the economy and imposed taxes including tribute to Caesar would provide insight into the sociopolitical tensions of its time this could also be linked to Jesus's broader teachings about wealth taxes and debt in the gospels Jesus's relationship with Roman author ities is seen in this passage uh this passage is seen as an example of how Jesus navigates the Roman system while not directly confronting or endorsing it his Miracle

of providing the tax through a coin found in the fish's mouth can be seen as a subtle yet significant statement about his sovereignty over economic concerns without engaging in open revolt against the Romans he was very careful in how he responded to a tricky situation in dealing with Kingdom economics versus Earthly economics Jesus uses this moment to teach about the difference between the kingdom of God and the Earthly economy although Jesus acknowledges the need to pay taxes to avoid offense the way he provides the payment miraculously demonstrates his lordship over creation and finances even suddenly

suggesting that the kingdom of God operates on an entirely different level it points out that we are all citizens in two realms this story reflects the tension between being citizens of a Divine Kingdom and living under Earthly governments in the world that we live in today Jesus navigates this dual citizenship showing his disciples that while we are not bound by the same concerns of others we should live wisely within the structures of our time I hope these excurses are interesting we're going to have a few more in the next lecture when we look at the

Judean Ministry of Jesus they help to cut bring to life the teachings of these gospel Els these gospels are about the real life situations that Jesus find himself in they're pointing to his ministry and pointing to his teaching and most importantly pointing to the cross that we understand in its context as Jesus's substitutionary atonement an act of sacrifice for us and I will hopefully add a few more as we go that will help you to see how uh these gospels matter so much to the everyday life of the people and the life of the world

that Jesus just lived in may God bless you all